Budget

Dems Irate As GOP Set To Break Debt Limit Deal

Sahil Kapur | March 8, 2012, 1:18PM

Signs mounted Thursday that House Republican leaders, under pressure from their conservative members, will submit a budget that calls for cutting federal programs beneath the levels they agreed to in the bipartisan August debt limit law. Democrats warned that violating the agreement could spark a government shutdown fight later this year.

Echoing Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (MD), the top Democrat on the Budget Committee, told TPM that the House GOP must not go down that road.

"Look, an agreement is agreement, and they should stick to the agreement," Van Hollen said in a brief interview. "And not otherwise risk ultimately messing up the entire process, with a worst case scenario of a government shutdown. They should recognize what the risks are in violating an agreement."

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Gas Prices

House GOP: Great News On OBL -- Now How About Those Gas Prices?

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 3, 2011, 2:13PM

GOP Leaders

The two-week congressional recess that just ended was, it's fair to say, a little less than quiet. Rowdy townhalls focused on the GOP's plan to end Medicare, the release of President Obama's long-form birth certificate, capped off by the killing of Osama bin Laden. So on their first official day back to business on Capitol Hill, House Republican leaders attempted to shift the focus back to where they want it: gas prices.

Or, more succinctly, to shift the focus to the ways they say Democrats and President Obama are making Americans pay more at the pump. En masse, top leaders from the House GOP stood before the mics on Tuesday morning and tried to get the legislative session back on track by focusing on the issue they've said is a winner for them. Drilling, baby, drilling.

And after some talk about the bipartisan victory that is the death of bin Laden, the Republicans went right back to hammering Democrats over the cost of fuel.

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Birther

Among Birther Friendly Lawmakers, Mostly Radio Silence

Benjy Sarlin | April 27, 2011, 1:39PM

President Barack Obama's long form birth certificate.

President Obama's decision to release his long form birth certificate comes amid Donald Trump's three-ring circus on the issue, but prominent conservatives have flirted with the birther movement since its earliest inception. From insisting Obama release more records, to waffling on questions about his citizenship, to sponsoring legislation winking at conspiracy theorists, there's been no shortage of birther curious behavior over the last several years.

TPM reached out to over 20 lawmakers and public figures who have indulged in such behavior to determine whether Obama's release of the Rosetta stone of birtherism has settled the issue, receiving few responses.

TPM SLIDESHOW: There's The Birth Certificate: TPM's Best Of The Birthers

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Government Shutdown

House GOP Women Dodge Questions on Abortion at Press Conference

Benjy Sarlin | April 8, 2011, 5:32PM

Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH)

Looking to counter a press conference earlier Friday by Democratic women in the Senate lambasting the GOP over their refusal to drop provisions blocking women's health funding, Republican women in the House held a gathering of their own on Friday afternoon. But the presser proved a frustrating affair for the members, who were asked over and over again without success to explain if they agreed with the policy riders or not.

In their opening remarks, the 15 congresswomen present each sought to frame the battle over a continuing resolution as one about spending, with several saying future prosperity spurred by lower debt would benefit their daughters and granddaughters -- seemingly a direct rejoinder to Democratic accusations that the GOP was targeting women and children. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said that the Democrats' spending was "economic child abuse."

But despite charging Democrats with falsely claiming negotiations were hinging on social issues, the members appeared uncomfortable even bringing up the policy riders in question by name. Not one member recited the words "Planned Parenthood" in opening remarks and only one member, Rep. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, even mentioned the word "abortion." Several addressed Democratic charges that policy provisions regarding women's health and abortion were holding up a final deal only in the most indirect terms.

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Health Care

Blackburn: Reporters Should Disclose That They're Subsidiaries Of The Obama Administration

Brian Beutler | April 6, 2011, 10:46AM

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)

Reporters covering the health care law should disclose that their parent outlets are subsidiaries of the Obama administration, if those outlets benefit from the law in any way.

That's the argument at least one House Republican is making, with respect to the latest conservative bogeyman -- a program in the health care law that allows retirees to maintain insurance coverage if they're not yet eligible for Medicare.

"It is fine with me if they continue covering the ObamaCare debate," Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told The Daily Caller in an email. "When NBC used to cover energy issues, they identified themselves as a subsidiary of General Electric. CBS and Washington Post just have to disclose that they are subsidiaries of the Obama Administration."

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Sunday Shows

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | April 16, 2010, 3:53PM

Former President Bill Clinton

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: Former President Bill Clinton.

• CBS, Face The Nation: Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA).

• CNN, State Of The Union: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA).

• Fox News Sunday: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Gen. Ray Odierno.

• NBC, Meet The Press: Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA).

Sunday Shows

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | February 26, 2010, 4:03PM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN).

• CBS, Face The Nation: Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND).

• CNN, State Of The Union: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

• Fox News Sunday: Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).

• NBC, Meet The Press: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: 'Wean Everybody Off' Social Security And Medicare

Eric Kleefeld | February 9, 2010, 10:16AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is putting forward a very daring proposal for how to fix Social Security and Medicare, Think Progress reports: Get rid of them.

Bachmann spoke this past weekend at the right-wing Constitutional Coalition in St. Louis, Missouri, and put forth her plan. "So, what you have to do, is keep faith with the people that are already in the system, that don't have any other options, we have to keep faith with them. But basically what we have to do is wean everybody else off," said Bachmann. "And wean everybody off because we have to take those unfunded net liabilities off our bank sheet, we can't do it. So we just have to be straight with people. So basically, whoever our nominee is, is going to have to have a Glenn Beck chalkboard and explain to everybody this is the way it is."

It certainly is interesting to see a Republican not talk in any euphemistic terms about personal accounts, or about saving the system, etc., but to openly admit that the goal is to no longer provide the social benefits themselves, and to transition away from them.

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Budget

Blackburn Advocates Individual Social Security Accounts (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | February 8, 2010, 5:50PM

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), one of the co-sponsors of Rep. Paul Ryan's Social Security-slashing budget proposal, went on Fox today to advocate privatizing both Social Security and Medicare.

Blackburn never used the word "privatize." But her idea to change the entitlement programs so people have separate accounts with their money is privatization.

"We need to make sure that individuals get the money out that they have placed in," she said. "This is one of the reasons we have had the discussion over and over for our younger earners of having accounts that have their Social Security number and their information on it, so you have that personal account."

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