NEWS
By Julian E. Barnes | July 13, 2009
WASHINGTON - Democratic lawmakers criticized former vice president Dick Cheney on Sunday for allegedly ordering that a CIA counter-terrorism program be kept secret from congressional leaders, with two senators questioning the legality of such secrecy. A top Democrat called for an investigation. Republicans were far more circumspect, but some acknowledged the White House should have briefed Congress. Exactly what the secret intelligence program was remained a mystery, but sources said the CIA had opened an internal inquiry.
NEWS
By From Sun staff and news services | November 13, 2008
WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats are pushing legislation to send $25 billion in emergency loans to the beleaguered auto industry in exchange for a government ownership stake in the Big Three car companies. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Democrat and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, both Democrats, hope for quick passage of the auto bailout during a post-election session that begins Monday. Legislation being drafted by Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, would dip into the $700 billion Wall Street rescue money, approved by Congress last month, for the auto aid. President George W. Bush is cool to the idea.
NEWS
By THOMAS F. SCHALLER | April 9, 2008
Lost amid the turmoil of this year's exciting presidential campaign is what's shaping up to be a potentially fascinating congressional cycle. Here in Maryland, results from the "Potomac primary" provided an early whiff of the changing landscape of congressional elections. Incumbent members of Congress are normally untouchable. But sophisticated challenges mounted by conservative and liberal activists helped unseat, respectively, Eastern Shore Republican Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest and Prince George's County-based Rep. Democrat Albert R. Wynn.
NEWS
By Mike Dorning | November 15, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Congressional Democrats moved toward a renewed confrontation with the Bush administration over the war in Iraq as the House voted last night to tie $50 billion in new war funding to a call for most U.S. troops to withdraw by December 2008. Republicans have promised to resist the funding package in the Senate, where GOP lawmakers repeatedly have used procedural maneuvers to block previous attempts to impose limits on President Bush's conduct of the war. The White House has signaled it would veto the legislation if it does pass the Senate.
NEWS
By Matthew Hay Brown | October 6, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Sensing their best opportunity yet to overrule a White House that has stymied them on stem cell research and Iraq, congressional Democrats and their supporters have launched a campaign to override President Bush's veto of plans to expand the popular State Children's Health Insurance Program. With polls showing broad support even among Republican voters to expand coverage to 4 million more children nationwide, congressional Democrats are rallying their allies publicly while speaking to their GOP colleagues privately.
NEWS
By Matthew Hay Brown | September 29, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Earlier in the week, his younger sister helped congressional Democrats sell expanded funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Yesterday, with the White House threatening again to veto the legislation, it was Graeme Frost's turn to take up the cause. The 12-year-old Baltimore boy, whose family relied on the government-funded insurance program after he and his sister were severely injured in a 2004 car accident, came to Washington yesterday to record the Democrats' weekly radio address.
NEWS
By Noam N. Levey | May 11, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Seeking to end the partisan standoff over funding the war in Iraq, politically moderate senators from both parties pressed their efforts yesterday to find a compromise that could put new requirements on the Iraqi government without holding up money for U.S. troops. At least seven GOP lawmakers are involved in the talks, which come as congressional Republicans are increasingly looking to distance themselves from the president's unpopular management of the war. Meanwhile, President Bush signaled a new willingness to compromise with Congress over the terms of a war funding bill, saying he would accept benchmarks for the Iraqi government as part of an agreement.
NEWS
By Noam N. Levey | April 26, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Defiant and unified last night in the face of a promised presidential veto, House Democrats pushed through an emergency war spending bill that orders President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq by this fall. The 218-208 vote, largely along party lines, is expected to be followed today by Senate approval of the same measure. The president has promised to veto the bill early next week. The $124 billion measure funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of the year and provides billions for veterans' health care and other nonmilitary programs.
NEWS
By Noam N. Levey | April 19, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Moving closer to a showdown over funding the war in Iraq, President Bush and congressional Democratic leaders emerged from a much-anticipated White House meeting yesterday without progress toward ending an impasse over an emergency spending bill. Despite Bush's veto threat, the Democrats continued to press ahead with legislation that would force the administration to begin withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq. "We cannot give the president a blank check," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said after the meeting, which included House and Senate Republican leaders.
NEWS
By New York Times News Service | April 8, 2007
CRAWFORD, Texas -- On its face, President Bush's decision to use the congressional recess to fill three administration posts with appointees Senate Democrats had vowed to block - including a man who helped finance attacks against Sen. John Kerry's war record in the 2004 presidential race - was a puzzler. With Democrats in Congress pressuring him to fire Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and scale back in Iraq, and polls registering continued low approval ratings, Bush seemed to be poking a sharp stick at congressional Democrats from weak ground - in the middle of a major clash over war financing, no less.