WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the country's main monitors of hate groups asked Congress Friday to investigate possible racial extremism in the military, after finding U.S. service members participating on a social networking site advertised as being for white people only.
Researchers from the Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Ala., identified about 40 personal profiles of people who list the military as their occupation on the Web site New Saxon, according to the group's founder, Morris Dees.
The site, run by the Detroit-based National Socialist Movement, describes itself as an "online community for whites by whites." He said some of the participants are wearing military uniforms in profile photos, although it was not possible to verify whether any of them are actually serving in the armed forces.
Examples that Dees cited from the Web page include:
_A person claiming to be in Iraq, who writes that he "hate(s) illegal immigrants with a passion and feel(s) every true red-blooded, white American should do whatever it takes to stop the foreign invasion."
_One who said he was serving in Afghanistan lists as his favorite book, "The Turner Diaries." The novel is a favorite of white supremacists.
"We urge your committees to investigate the threat posed by racial extremists who may be serving in the military to ensure that our armed forces are not inadvertently training future domestic terrorists," Dees wrote in a letter addressed to four congressional committee chairmen.
Dees said existing Pentagon regulations that prohibit active participation in extremists groups should be strengthened further.
Lt. Col. Les' A. Melnyk, a Pentagon spokesman, said in an e-mail that current policy is believed to be sufficient. Under it, military personnel "must reject" participation in organizations that espouse supremacist causes.
"We believe the policy ... is broad and inclusive in its definition of 'active participation,' and encourages commanders to pursue and weed out service members who actively participate in these types of groups," Melnyk said.
Jeff Schoep, commander of the National Socialist Movement, said there are members of the military who participate on the site, but not all are members of his organization. He could not say how many there are.
When violent material is found on the site, Schoep said, it is removed and the offender faces losing future privileges.
He said there are more "racialists" in the military now, but those who are members of his organization are advised not to recruit others.
"If they just mind their P's and Q's in there, and are good soldiers and do their jobs, then they have every right to be there just like anybody else," Schoep said.
Julie Ziegenhorn, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said in an e-mail that as a matter of policy the Department of Defense doesn't block or prohibit access to Web sites on the basis of content. But she said commanders in the field have the option to block access on governmeny computers to sites they deem inappropriate.
by the associated press
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Showing posts with label Congress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Congress. Show all posts
Friday, July 10, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Congress Bill Expands Oversight Of NSA
The House intelligence committee late Thursday approved measures to strengthen oversight of the National Security Agency and the overall intelligence community, including by making the jobs of NSA director and general counsel subject to Senate confirmation.
The committee also voted to include provisions that would establish independent inspectors general at the NSA and at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who could not be fired by the heads of those agencies. The latter position would have expanded authority to investigate all 16 intelligence agencies under the director's oversight.
The panel's intelligence authorization bill, which was approved on a party-line voice vote and now goes to the House floor, would also establish the new position of NSA associate director for compliance and training so that the agency has a senior-level official focusing solely on ensuring that personnel comply with laws and court orders.
The bill also would end the statutory authority of the executive branch to limit briefings on classified, covert action to the "Gang of Eight," the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees and the House and Senate senior leadership.
Together these measures, Democrats say, represent an attempt to make the intelligence agencies more accountable to Congress. In recent years, controversies including disclosures of the NSA's warrantless surveillance program and the CIA's use of harsh interrogation techniques have led to calls for greater oversight.
Though some of these provisions have been already adopted by either the House or the Senate, this year, with Democrats in control of both chambers and the White House, committee leaders say they think these measures stand a good chance of becoming law.
"It is my hope that, for the first time in five years, Congress will be back in the business of authorizing by getting a bill to the president's desk that he can sign," said Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.), chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
But Republicans said the bill is flawed. Rep. Peter Hoekstra (Mich.), the panel's top Republican, said the Gang of Eight measure had less to do with strengthening oversight and more to do with providing political cover for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who accused the CIA of misleading her in a 2002 briefing by saying that waterboarding had not yet been used on any detainees. CIA records indicate that Pelosi was told about the use of harsh interrogation techniques.
Hoekstra criticized the Democrats for opposing a GOP measure to bar the use of intelligence funds to pay foreign governments for taking detainees released from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which President Obama has pledged to close.
Making the top NSA jobs subject to Senate confirmation would strengthen accountability to the president and Congress, a congressional aide noted, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter. At present, the CIA's general counsel must be confirmed by the Senate, but the Obama administration has renewed a proposal introduced by the Bush administration to remove the confirmation requirement.
Stewart A. Baker, who served as NSA general counsel from 1992 to 1994, said that requiring confirmation would "undercut a long tradition of nonpartisanship" in the job. Baker was appointed by a Republican, President George H.W. Bush, and retained by a Democrat, President Bill Clinton. "This is effectively a proposal to politicize the job," he said.
The bill also includes a provision by Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-N.J.) requiring the videotaping of CIA interrogations of detainees arrested in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The classified recordings would be available to intelligence personnel, who could examine them for potential intelligence missed during the initial interrogation, aides to Holt said.
The provision is designed to help prevent abuse of detainees, such as that disclosed in 2004 at the Abu Ghraib U.S. military prison in Iraq, the aides said.
by the washington post
The committee also voted to include provisions that would establish independent inspectors general at the NSA and at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who could not be fired by the heads of those agencies. The latter position would have expanded authority to investigate all 16 intelligence agencies under the director's oversight.
The panel's intelligence authorization bill, which was approved on a party-line voice vote and now goes to the House floor, would also establish the new position of NSA associate director for compliance and training so that the agency has a senior-level official focusing solely on ensuring that personnel comply with laws and court orders.
The bill also would end the statutory authority of the executive branch to limit briefings on classified, covert action to the "Gang of Eight," the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees and the House and Senate senior leadership.
Together these measures, Democrats say, represent an attempt to make the intelligence agencies more accountable to Congress. In recent years, controversies including disclosures of the NSA's warrantless surveillance program and the CIA's use of harsh interrogation techniques have led to calls for greater oversight.
Though some of these provisions have been already adopted by either the House or the Senate, this year, with Democrats in control of both chambers and the White House, committee leaders say they think these measures stand a good chance of becoming law.
"It is my hope that, for the first time in five years, Congress will be back in the business of authorizing by getting a bill to the president's desk that he can sign," said Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.), chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
But Republicans said the bill is flawed. Rep. Peter Hoekstra (Mich.), the panel's top Republican, said the Gang of Eight measure had less to do with strengthening oversight and more to do with providing political cover for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who accused the CIA of misleading her in a 2002 briefing by saying that waterboarding had not yet been used on any detainees. CIA records indicate that Pelosi was told about the use of harsh interrogation techniques.
Hoekstra criticized the Democrats for opposing a GOP measure to bar the use of intelligence funds to pay foreign governments for taking detainees released from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which President Obama has pledged to close.
Making the top NSA jobs subject to Senate confirmation would strengthen accountability to the president and Congress, a congressional aide noted, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter. At present, the CIA's general counsel must be confirmed by the Senate, but the Obama administration has renewed a proposal introduced by the Bush administration to remove the confirmation requirement.
Stewart A. Baker, who served as NSA general counsel from 1992 to 1994, said that requiring confirmation would "undercut a long tradition of nonpartisanship" in the job. Baker was appointed by a Republican, President George H.W. Bush, and retained by a Democrat, President Bill Clinton. "This is effectively a proposal to politicize the job," he said.
The bill also includes a provision by Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-N.J.) requiring the videotaping of CIA interrogations of detainees arrested in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The classified recordings would be available to intelligence personnel, who could examine them for potential intelligence missed during the initial interrogation, aides to Holt said.
The provision is designed to help prevent abuse of detainees, such as that disclosed in 2004 at the Abu Ghraib U.S. military prison in Iraq, the aides said.
by the washington post
Congress OKs hike in budget
WASHINGTON — The recession and rising joblessness has millions of Americans cutting their household budgets, but times are flush for lawmakers.
The House of Representatives, with little comment, on Friday approved an 8 percent increase in the budget for members’ office expenses.
House members will get an average $1.5 million in the budget year starting in October to run their Washington and district offices and cover official expenses. Overall, the budget for what the House calls members’ representational allowances, or MRAs, will jump $51 million to $660 million.
The money is part of a $3.7 billion spending bill to run Congress and its associated agencies such as the Library of Congress and the Capitol Police the House passed Friday.
Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, said it was "more than ironic that Congress is going in the opposite direction” at a time when most businesses are trying to find ways to reduce spending.
The increase did have its defenders. Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pa., chairman of the House Administration Committee, said the demands on member offices have increased dramatically with the economic downturn, "and staff have been called on to work harder and smarter to ensure that we are meeting those growing needs.”
But Jordan Forbes, federal government affairs manager for the National Taxpayers Union, said the increase was "fiscally reckless” in the current economic atmosphere.
"Congress is losing its credibility,” she said.
by the associated press
The House of Representatives, with little comment, on Friday approved an 8 percent increase in the budget for members’ office expenses.
House members will get an average $1.5 million in the budget year starting in October to run their Washington and district offices and cover official expenses. Overall, the budget for what the House calls members’ representational allowances, or MRAs, will jump $51 million to $660 million.
The money is part of a $3.7 billion spending bill to run Congress and its associated agencies such as the Library of Congress and the Capitol Police the House passed Friday.
Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, said it was "more than ironic that Congress is going in the opposite direction” at a time when most businesses are trying to find ways to reduce spending.
The increase did have its defenders. Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pa., chairman of the House Administration Committee, said the demands on member offices have increased dramatically with the economic downturn, "and staff have been called on to work harder and smarter to ensure that we are meeting those growing needs.”
But Jordan Forbes, federal government affairs manager for the National Taxpayers Union, said the increase was "fiscally reckless” in the current economic atmosphere.
"Congress is losing its credibility,” she said.
by the associated press
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Congress and Senate passes apology for slavery, segregation
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has unanimously passed a resolution apologizing for slavery and racial segregation and sent the measure to the House.
Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin first introduced the measure years ago but wanted it passed Thursday on the eve of Juneteenth - a day of celebration commemorating the end of the Civil War and the release of African Americans from slavery. He said the House is to take it up soon and that a formal celebration will be held next month in the Capitol Rotunda.
The Senate has passed such nonbinding but highly symbolic resolutions before, apologizing for such things as the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
The resolution passed Thursday includes a disclaimer saying that nothing in it supports or authorizes reparations by the United States.
by the associated press
Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin first introduced the measure years ago but wanted it passed Thursday on the eve of Juneteenth - a day of celebration commemorating the end of the Civil War and the release of African Americans from slavery. He said the House is to take it up soon and that a formal celebration will be held next month in the Capitol Rotunda.
The Senate has passed such nonbinding but highly symbolic resolutions before, apologizing for such things as the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
The resolution passed Thursday includes a disclaimer saying that nothing in it supports or authorizes reparations by the United States.
by the associated press
Congress approved 'cash for clunkers' program
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress approved a "cash for clunkers" program Thursday to provide government incentives of $3,500 to $4,500 to motorists who trade in their gas guzzlers for more fuel efficient vehicles after Senate Democrats narrowly defeated a Republican effort to kill the plan.
Auto state senators said the program would help hard-pressed car dealers and automakers by bringing buyers into showrooms, and they got help from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, who made calls to wavering Democrats urging them to keep the plan alive.
"This is an emergency for families and small businesses — for an industry that has been the backbone of our economy for a generation," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who sponsored the proposal.
Opponents said it would increase the federal debt without doing much to get expensive-to-operate vehicles off the roads.
Senate supporters of the program overcame a procedural hurdle by the plan's leading opponent, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., on a 60-36 vote, winning the minimum number of votes needed to keep the program in a $106 billion war-spending plan that the Senate passed later Thursday.
The House approved the cash for clunkers bill last week on a vote of 298-119 and Senate Democrats attached it to the war-spending bill. The overall bill now goes to the White House for Obama's signature.
Four Republicans — Kit Bond of Missouri, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Susan Collins of Maine and George Voinovich of Ohio — voted with two independents and 54 Democrats in favor of the clunker measure, while Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska was opposed along with 35 Republicans.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., changed her vote to support the vehicle incentive plan and spoke by phone with Obama during the vote.
Cantwell spokeswoman Ciaran Clayton said Obama "acknowledged Senator Cantwell's concerns that the cash-for-clunkers program ... did not do enough to meet our nation's urgent need to reduce foreign oil dependence" and vowed to work with Cantwell and others to "maximize the number of efficient cars on America's roads."
In addition to Cantwell, Obama and Biden reached out to Democrats Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Michael Bennet of Colorado, according to two people familiar with the outreach. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Obama has encouraged Congress to approve the consumer incentives for new car purchases as part of the government's efforts to restructure General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Group LLC. The bill provides $1 billion for the program from July through November.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who supported a plan with more stringent requirements to receive the vouchers, said she received "absolute assurance" from Senate leaders that if the program was continued beyond November it would be modeled after the bill she pushed.
Supporters said the program, which would be implemented by the Transportation Department, was expected to be implemented by early August.
The auto industry and its union lobbied heavily for passage of the cash for clunkers plan as GM and Chrysler have received billions of dollars in government-led bankruptcies and the entire auto industry has dealt with plummeting car sales. In May, overall sales were 34 percent lower than a year ago.
Under the proposal, car owners could get a voucher worth $3,500 if they traded in a vehicle getting 18 miles per gallon or less for one getting at least 22 mpg. The value of the voucher would grow to $4,500 if the mileage of the new car was 10 mpg higher than the old vehicle. The miles per gallon figures are listed on the car window's sticker.
Owners of sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks or minivans that get 18 mpg or less could receive a voucher for $3,500 if their new truck or SUV got at least 2 mpg higher than their old vehicle. The voucher would increase to $4,500 if the mileage of the new truck or SUV was at least 5 mpg higher than the older vehicle.
Dealers participating in the program would receive an electronic voucher from the government for the trade-in to apply to the purchase or lease of a qualifying vehicle. The bill directs dealers to ensure that the older vehicles are crushed or shredded to get the clunkers off the road.
The program was intended to help replace older vehicles — built in model year 1984 or later — and would not make financial sense for consumers owning an older car with a trade-in value greater than $3,500 or $4,500.
The U.S. industry is expected to generate about 9.5 million vehicles sales in 2009, compared with more than 13 million in 2008 and more than 16 million in 2007.
by the associated press
Auto state senators said the program would help hard-pressed car dealers and automakers by bringing buyers into showrooms, and they got help from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, who made calls to wavering Democrats urging them to keep the plan alive.
"This is an emergency for families and small businesses — for an industry that has been the backbone of our economy for a generation," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who sponsored the proposal.
Opponents said it would increase the federal debt without doing much to get expensive-to-operate vehicles off the roads.
Senate supporters of the program overcame a procedural hurdle by the plan's leading opponent, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., on a 60-36 vote, winning the minimum number of votes needed to keep the program in a $106 billion war-spending plan that the Senate passed later Thursday.
The House approved the cash for clunkers bill last week on a vote of 298-119 and Senate Democrats attached it to the war-spending bill. The overall bill now goes to the White House for Obama's signature.
Four Republicans — Kit Bond of Missouri, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Susan Collins of Maine and George Voinovich of Ohio — voted with two independents and 54 Democrats in favor of the clunker measure, while Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska was opposed along with 35 Republicans.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., changed her vote to support the vehicle incentive plan and spoke by phone with Obama during the vote.
Cantwell spokeswoman Ciaran Clayton said Obama "acknowledged Senator Cantwell's concerns that the cash-for-clunkers program ... did not do enough to meet our nation's urgent need to reduce foreign oil dependence" and vowed to work with Cantwell and others to "maximize the number of efficient cars on America's roads."
In addition to Cantwell, Obama and Biden reached out to Democrats Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Michael Bennet of Colorado, according to two people familiar with the outreach. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Obama has encouraged Congress to approve the consumer incentives for new car purchases as part of the government's efforts to restructure General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Group LLC. The bill provides $1 billion for the program from July through November.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who supported a plan with more stringent requirements to receive the vouchers, said she received "absolute assurance" from Senate leaders that if the program was continued beyond November it would be modeled after the bill she pushed.
Supporters said the program, which would be implemented by the Transportation Department, was expected to be implemented by early August.
The auto industry and its union lobbied heavily for passage of the cash for clunkers plan as GM and Chrysler have received billions of dollars in government-led bankruptcies and the entire auto industry has dealt with plummeting car sales. In May, overall sales were 34 percent lower than a year ago.
Under the proposal, car owners could get a voucher worth $3,500 if they traded in a vehicle getting 18 miles per gallon or less for one getting at least 22 mpg. The value of the voucher would grow to $4,500 if the mileage of the new car was 10 mpg higher than the old vehicle. The miles per gallon figures are listed on the car window's sticker.
Owners of sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks or minivans that get 18 mpg or less could receive a voucher for $3,500 if their new truck or SUV got at least 2 mpg higher than their old vehicle. The voucher would increase to $4,500 if the mileage of the new truck or SUV was at least 5 mpg higher than the older vehicle.
Dealers participating in the program would receive an electronic voucher from the government for the trade-in to apply to the purchase or lease of a qualifying vehicle. The bill directs dealers to ensure that the older vehicles are crushed or shredded to get the clunkers off the road.
The program was intended to help replace older vehicles — built in model year 1984 or later — and would not make financial sense for consumers owning an older car with a trade-in value greater than $3,500 or $4,500.
The U.S. industry is expected to generate about 9.5 million vehicles sales in 2009, compared with more than 13 million in 2008 and more than 16 million in 2007.
by the associated press
Thursday, June 11, 2009
House negotiators reach a war-funding deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama would be allowed for the next four months to order Guantanamo Bay detainees into the United States to face trial under a compromise reached Thursday by House and Senate negotiators struggling with a war-funding bill.
Transferring detainees from the U.S. detention center in Cuba would be allowed only through Sept. 30, according to top House aides, leaving until later the question of whether Guantanamo detainees tried in military trials in the United States would serve prison time in other nations if convicted or would face imprisonment in the U.S.
The short-term solution to the debate over whether detainees should be brought to the U.S. buys the administration time as it struggles to come up with a permanent solution that would allow Obama to fulfill his promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility by Jan. 22.
The Guantanamo tangle was but one of several side issues Democrats have struggled with over the past two weeks as they have tried to reconcile Senate and House bills funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
House liberals successfully forced the Senate to drop a provision to block the release of detainee abuse photos Obama wants to remain sealed. Lawmakers from automobile manufacturing states won $1 billion for a new "cash for clunkers" program that aims to boost new auto sales by allowing consumers to turn in gas-guzzling cars and trucks for vouchers toward the purchase of more fuel-efficient vehicles.
The bill started out two months ago as an $83 billion war funding request from Obama, then morphed into a $106 billion measure brimming with money to fight the flu, buy military cargo planes and help poor nations weather the global economic crisis.
Lawmakers announced the informal agreement on the war-funding measure at a House-Senate negotiating session. The real work was done behind the scenes.
Competing House and Senate versions passed by wide margins last month, but several issues slowed House-Senate negotiations on a compromise bill. The most significant obstacle was the loss of support from House Republicans opposed to an $5 billion Obama request to secure a $108 billion U.S. line of credit to the International Monetary Fund to help poor countries deal with the world recession.
The loss of GOP support gave House liberals leverage to force out a Senate provision by Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that would block the release of photos showing detainee abuse. Obama doesn't want the photos made public because they could incite anti-American violence.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., weighed in on the matter Thursday by calling for Obama to simply issue an executive order turning the photos into classified material, thereby exempting them from the Freedom of Information Act.
"It's time for the president ... to stand up to the left wing of his party for the good of the national security of this nation," McCain said.
The numerous controversies obscured widespread support for the core of the bill: $79.9 billion for the Pentagon, most of which is for carrying out military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Included in that total was $2.2 billion for eight C-17 cargo planes, manufactured by the Boeing Co., despite Obama's call to terminate the program.
The measure provides $10.4 billion in foreign aid, including $700 million to help Pakistani security forces fight insurgents and $700 million in international food aid, more than double Obama's request.
There's also $7.7 billion to fight the flu — the World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic on Thursday — far higher than Obama's initial $1.5 billion request. Democrats rejected an administration plan to trim part of Obama's economic stimulus law to pay for part of an additional request submitted last week.
The measure provides $489 million requested by the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, to restore barrier islands along his state's coastline that Hurricane Katrina destroyed in 2005. That came despite a promise by Obama to keep the war-funding bill free of pet projects.
On the very week that Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., appeared at the White House to tout a "pay-as-you-go" law requiring new programs to be paid for instead of being lumped onto the deficit, the measure would use deficit dollars for the auto-buying subsidies programs and to give GI Bill education benefits to the children of military service members who die while on active duty.
by the associated press
Transferring detainees from the U.S. detention center in Cuba would be allowed only through Sept. 30, according to top House aides, leaving until later the question of whether Guantanamo detainees tried in military trials in the United States would serve prison time in other nations if convicted or would face imprisonment in the U.S.
The short-term solution to the debate over whether detainees should be brought to the U.S. buys the administration time as it struggles to come up with a permanent solution that would allow Obama to fulfill his promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility by Jan. 22.
The Guantanamo tangle was but one of several side issues Democrats have struggled with over the past two weeks as they have tried to reconcile Senate and House bills funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
House liberals successfully forced the Senate to drop a provision to block the release of detainee abuse photos Obama wants to remain sealed. Lawmakers from automobile manufacturing states won $1 billion for a new "cash for clunkers" program that aims to boost new auto sales by allowing consumers to turn in gas-guzzling cars and trucks for vouchers toward the purchase of more fuel-efficient vehicles.
The bill started out two months ago as an $83 billion war funding request from Obama, then morphed into a $106 billion measure brimming with money to fight the flu, buy military cargo planes and help poor nations weather the global economic crisis.
Lawmakers announced the informal agreement on the war-funding measure at a House-Senate negotiating session. The real work was done behind the scenes.
Competing House and Senate versions passed by wide margins last month, but several issues slowed House-Senate negotiations on a compromise bill. The most significant obstacle was the loss of support from House Republicans opposed to an $5 billion Obama request to secure a $108 billion U.S. line of credit to the International Monetary Fund to help poor countries deal with the world recession.
The loss of GOP support gave House liberals leverage to force out a Senate provision by Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that would block the release of photos showing detainee abuse. Obama doesn't want the photos made public because they could incite anti-American violence.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., weighed in on the matter Thursday by calling for Obama to simply issue an executive order turning the photos into classified material, thereby exempting them from the Freedom of Information Act.
"It's time for the president ... to stand up to the left wing of his party for the good of the national security of this nation," McCain said.
The numerous controversies obscured widespread support for the core of the bill: $79.9 billion for the Pentagon, most of which is for carrying out military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Included in that total was $2.2 billion for eight C-17 cargo planes, manufactured by the Boeing Co., despite Obama's call to terminate the program.
The measure provides $10.4 billion in foreign aid, including $700 million to help Pakistani security forces fight insurgents and $700 million in international food aid, more than double Obama's request.
There's also $7.7 billion to fight the flu — the World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic on Thursday — far higher than Obama's initial $1.5 billion request. Democrats rejected an administration plan to trim part of Obama's economic stimulus law to pay for part of an additional request submitted last week.
The measure provides $489 million requested by the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, to restore barrier islands along his state's coastline that Hurricane Katrina destroyed in 2005. That came despite a promise by Obama to keep the war-funding bill free of pet projects.
On the very week that Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., appeared at the White House to tout a "pay-as-you-go" law requiring new programs to be paid for instead of being lumped onto the deficit, the measure would use deficit dollars for the auto-buying subsidies programs and to give GI Bill education benefits to the children of military service members who die while on active duty.
by the associated press
President Barack Obama pushes senators on health
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama urged lawmakers Wednesday to work through partisan differences that are threatening health care legislation.
The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee starts working on the bill next week. Democratic and Republican senators said Obama was willing to listen to all sides but insisted that Congress must pass a bill this year.
Senators agree on issues like getting all Americans covered and prohibiting insurance industry practices that deny coverage to people with health problems. But there are disagreements over financing, requiring employers to offer coverage and whether the government should sponsor a plan.
by the associated press
The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee starts working on the bill next week. Democratic and Republican senators said Obama was willing to listen to all sides but insisted that Congress must pass a bill this year.
Senators agree on issues like getting all Americans covered and prohibiting insurance industry practices that deny coverage to people with health problems. But there are disagreements over financing, requiring employers to offer coverage and whether the government should sponsor a plan.
by the associated press
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Congress panel approves drilling off Florida
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate committee on Tuesday approved opening the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling, including an area rich with natural gas 10 miles off the Florida Panhandle. A 45-mile no-drilling buffer would be maintained off most of Florida's coast.
The provision was tacked onto a broader energy bill by a vote of 13-10 in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The committee was expected to advance the legislation later this week.
The eastern Gulf of Mexico — an area stretching from 125 to 300 miles off Florida's coast was singled out for protection by Congress in 2006 as part of a deal with Florida lawmakers that made available 8.3 million acres to oil and gas development in the east-central Gulf. The protected region is to remain off limits to energy development until 2022.
But the Energy panel on Tuesday approved a provision offered by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., that would end the drilling ban across most of the eastern Gulf waters, including in an area known as the Destin Dome which reaches within 10 miles off Pensacola, Fla., and is believed to have as much as 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Later, the committee rejected by a 10-13 vote a proposal by Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the panel's top Republican, to allow access to oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by drilling for it from outside the refuge. Environmentalists, as well as many senators, argue that the refuge should be protected from drilling. Murkowski argued that so-called "direction drilling" from outside the refuge boundary would not disturb wildlife or the environment.
Congress last year ended a quarter century old drilling ban that had prevented energy development along 85 percent of the nation's Outer Continental Shelf from New England to the Pacific Northwest. However, the eastern Gulf region remains off limits under the 2006 law.
Dorgan argued that there's no reason why the eastern Gulf, including the Destin Dome area, should stay off limits with its close proximity to existing oil and gas drilling and pipeline systems in the central and western Gulf.
But adding the controversial drilling provision is likely to make it even more difficult to get the energy legislation through the Senate later this year.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said he and a number of other senators will filibuster the bill if the drilling provision isn't removed. Such a parliamentary stalling tactic requires 60 votes to overcome.
Nelson, who rushed to the committee room to observe the vote and talk to reporters, said opening the eastern Gulf would allow oil and gas rigs to be erected in the midst of a military training and aircraft firing range that stretches across the eastern Gulf waters.
"We're just simply not going to let this happen," Nelson told reporters.
The measure passed with bipartisan support including the backing of Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., the committee chairman.
Ironically, it didn't get the support of Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Murkowski, both of whom are ardent advocates for expanding offshore oil and gas development. They voted against Dorgan because his proposal did not include revenue sharing with the coastal states.
A proposal, offered by Landrieu that would have given 37.5 percent of revenues collected from oil and gas development in the eastern Gulf to nearby states, was defeated 10-13.
Landrieu said she would pursue the revenue sharing issue when the energy legislation reaches the Senate floor. Dorgan acknowledged some revenue sharing likely would be necessary. Opponents to revenue sharing, including Bingaman, have argued that offshore energy resources are federal resources and that in this period of growing deficits the U.S. Treasury needs all the cash it can get.
by the associated press
The provision was tacked onto a broader energy bill by a vote of 13-10 in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The committee was expected to advance the legislation later this week.
The eastern Gulf of Mexico — an area stretching from 125 to 300 miles off Florida's coast was singled out for protection by Congress in 2006 as part of a deal with Florida lawmakers that made available 8.3 million acres to oil and gas development in the east-central Gulf. The protected region is to remain off limits to energy development until 2022.
But the Energy panel on Tuesday approved a provision offered by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., that would end the drilling ban across most of the eastern Gulf waters, including in an area known as the Destin Dome which reaches within 10 miles off Pensacola, Fla., and is believed to have as much as 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Later, the committee rejected by a 10-13 vote a proposal by Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the panel's top Republican, to allow access to oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by drilling for it from outside the refuge. Environmentalists, as well as many senators, argue that the refuge should be protected from drilling. Murkowski argued that so-called "direction drilling" from outside the refuge boundary would not disturb wildlife or the environment.
Congress last year ended a quarter century old drilling ban that had prevented energy development along 85 percent of the nation's Outer Continental Shelf from New England to the Pacific Northwest. However, the eastern Gulf region remains off limits under the 2006 law.
Dorgan argued that there's no reason why the eastern Gulf, including the Destin Dome area, should stay off limits with its close proximity to existing oil and gas drilling and pipeline systems in the central and western Gulf.
But adding the controversial drilling provision is likely to make it even more difficult to get the energy legislation through the Senate later this year.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said he and a number of other senators will filibuster the bill if the drilling provision isn't removed. Such a parliamentary stalling tactic requires 60 votes to overcome.
Nelson, who rushed to the committee room to observe the vote and talk to reporters, said opening the eastern Gulf would allow oil and gas rigs to be erected in the midst of a military training and aircraft firing range that stretches across the eastern Gulf waters.
"We're just simply not going to let this happen," Nelson told reporters.
The measure passed with bipartisan support including the backing of Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., the committee chairman.
Ironically, it didn't get the support of Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Murkowski, both of whom are ardent advocates for expanding offshore oil and gas development. They voted against Dorgan because his proposal did not include revenue sharing with the coastal states.
A proposal, offered by Landrieu that would have given 37.5 percent of revenues collected from oil and gas development in the eastern Gulf to nearby states, was defeated 10-13.
Landrieu said she would pursue the revenue sharing issue when the energy legislation reaches the Senate floor. Dorgan acknowledged some revenue sharing likely would be necessary. Opponents to revenue sharing, including Bingaman, have argued that offshore energy resources are federal resources and that in this period of growing deficits the U.S. Treasury needs all the cash it can get.
by the associated press
'Cash for Clunkers' Law
WASHINGTON--The House passed a plan to boost auto sales by providing vouchers of up to $4,500 for consumers who turn in their gas-guzzling cars and trucks for more fuel-efficient vehicles.
The House bill, which passed by 298 votes to 119, is aimed at stimulating car sales during a bleak period for the auto industry and increasing the nation's fleet of cars that get more miles to the gallon.
General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have received billions of dollars in government aid and the entire auto industry has watched car sales plummet during the past year. In May, overall sales were 34% lower than a year ago.
"Our industry has been stuck in neutral and really has not started to move,'' said Larry Kull, president of Marlton, N.J.-based Burns Kull Automotive Group, which includes General Motors, Honda and Toyota dealerships.
President Barack Obama has urged Congress to approve consumer incentives for new car purchases as part of the government's efforts to reorganize General Motors and Chrysler through the bankruptcy courts.
The vehicle scrappage bill has been under negotiations for months as lawmakers try to find a solution that boosts car sales while providing some environmental benefits. Proponents have pointed to similar programs in Europe that have enhanced auto sales.
Analysts said the bill, which has not yet been considered by the Senate, would encourage car shoppers but would not be a panacea for carmakers. The U.S. industry is expected to generate about 9.5 million vehicles sales in 2009, compared to more than 13 million in 2008 and more than 16 million in 2007.
Auto analysts questioned whether it would be enough of an incentive for many consumers burdened by debt or financially stressed by the troubled economy.
Separately, House and Senate appropriators were discussing providing $1 billion to a supplemental war funding bill for the "cash for clunkers'' program, which aims to generate about one million new auto sales. Since the yearlong vehicle program is expected to cost $4 billion, lawmakers would attempt to find the additional money later this year.
Under the House bill, car owners could get a voucher worth $3,500 if they traded in a vehicle getting 18 miles per gallon or less for one getting at least 22 miles per gallon. The value of the voucher would grow to $4,500 if the mileage of the new car is 10 mpg higher than the old vehicle. The miles per gallon figures are listed on the window sticker.
Owners of sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks or minivans that get 18 mpg or less could receive a voucher for $3,500 if their new truck or SUV is at least 2 mpg higher than their old vehicle. The voucher would increase to $4,500 if the mileage of the new truck or SUV is at least 5 mpg higher than the older vehicle. Consumers could also receive vouchers for leased vehicles.
Rep. Betty Sutton (D., Ohio), the bill's chief sponsor, said the bill showed that "the multiple goals of helping consumers purchase more fuel efficient vehicles, improving our environment and boosting auto sales can be achieved.'' Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.), has backed a similar version in the Senate, which has the support of automakers and their unions.
The bill would direct dealers to ensure that the older vehicles are crushed or shredded to get the clunkers off the road. It was intended to help replace older vehicles--built in model year 1984 or later--and would not make financial sense for consumers owning an older car with a trade-in value greater than $3,500 or $4,500.
by the associated press
The House bill, which passed by 298 votes to 119, is aimed at stimulating car sales during a bleak period for the auto industry and increasing the nation's fleet of cars that get more miles to the gallon.
General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have received billions of dollars in government aid and the entire auto industry has watched car sales plummet during the past year. In May, overall sales were 34% lower than a year ago.
"Our industry has been stuck in neutral and really has not started to move,'' said Larry Kull, president of Marlton, N.J.-based Burns Kull Automotive Group, which includes General Motors, Honda and Toyota dealerships.
President Barack Obama has urged Congress to approve consumer incentives for new car purchases as part of the government's efforts to reorganize General Motors and Chrysler through the bankruptcy courts.
The vehicle scrappage bill has been under negotiations for months as lawmakers try to find a solution that boosts car sales while providing some environmental benefits. Proponents have pointed to similar programs in Europe that have enhanced auto sales.
Analysts said the bill, which has not yet been considered by the Senate, would encourage car shoppers but would not be a panacea for carmakers. The U.S. industry is expected to generate about 9.5 million vehicles sales in 2009, compared to more than 13 million in 2008 and more than 16 million in 2007.
Auto analysts questioned whether it would be enough of an incentive for many consumers burdened by debt or financially stressed by the troubled economy.
Separately, House and Senate appropriators were discussing providing $1 billion to a supplemental war funding bill for the "cash for clunkers'' program, which aims to generate about one million new auto sales. Since the yearlong vehicle program is expected to cost $4 billion, lawmakers would attempt to find the additional money later this year.
Under the House bill, car owners could get a voucher worth $3,500 if they traded in a vehicle getting 18 miles per gallon or less for one getting at least 22 miles per gallon. The value of the voucher would grow to $4,500 if the mileage of the new car is 10 mpg higher than the old vehicle. The miles per gallon figures are listed on the window sticker.
Owners of sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks or minivans that get 18 mpg or less could receive a voucher for $3,500 if their new truck or SUV is at least 2 mpg higher than their old vehicle. The voucher would increase to $4,500 if the mileage of the new truck or SUV is at least 5 mpg higher than the older vehicle. Consumers could also receive vouchers for leased vehicles.
Rep. Betty Sutton (D., Ohio), the bill's chief sponsor, said the bill showed that "the multiple goals of helping consumers purchase more fuel efficient vehicles, improving our environment and boosting auto sales can be achieved.'' Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.), has backed a similar version in the Senate, which has the support of automakers and their unions.
The bill would direct dealers to ensure that the older vehicles are crushed or shredded to get the clunkers off the road. It was intended to help replace older vehicles--built in model year 1984 or later--and would not make financial sense for consumers owning an older car with a trade-in value greater than $3,500 or $4,500.
by the associated press
Monday, May 25, 2009
House wants plan for captives from Guantanamo Bay
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress from both parties clamored Sunday for President Barack Obama to develop a plan for dealing with the suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay if he intends to fulfill his promise to close its prison by early 2010. The top U.S. military officer also awaited a decision from the commander in chief.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, pressed Obama for details on how he intends to fulfill his promise to close the detention facility on the U.S. navy base in Cuba. Officials report that 240 suspected terrorists are housed there.
Obama’s promise to close the detention facility by early 2010 ran smack into political reality in the last week. Obama’s fellow Democrats denied him funding to move the suspected terrorists while Republicans latched onto a message that helped the minority GOP drive sustained headlines for the first time in months.
"I don’t think you can convince the American people that you can bring the people from Gitmo to their states and they will be safe,” said Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican.
The not-in-my-backyard chorus drove Obama to deliver a speech defending his decision to close the facility, proposed during the campaign and delivered during his second full day in power.
Yet lawmakers and even Obama’s advisers remained unsure after the speech of how, exactly, the president would make good on his vow to close the symbol of the U.S.’ detention of suspected terrorists in a legal limbo.
A top Obama ally, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, conceded that the White House stumbled.
"Well, it was a mistake for us to entertain putting money — $80 million — in for the transfer of these detainees until the president’s plan was released,” he said.
Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the site should stay open "until the war is over.” When pressed, Gingrich acknowledged it’s a long-term prospect.
"What do you do with somebody who’s a ... religiously motivated terrorist? You had better keep them locked up,” he said.
by the associated press
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, pressed Obama for details on how he intends to fulfill his promise to close the detention facility on the U.S. navy base in Cuba. Officials report that 240 suspected terrorists are housed there.
Obama’s promise to close the detention facility by early 2010 ran smack into political reality in the last week. Obama’s fellow Democrats denied him funding to move the suspected terrorists while Republicans latched onto a message that helped the minority GOP drive sustained headlines for the first time in months.
"I don’t think you can convince the American people that you can bring the people from Gitmo to their states and they will be safe,” said Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican.
The not-in-my-backyard chorus drove Obama to deliver a speech defending his decision to close the facility, proposed during the campaign and delivered during his second full day in power.
Yet lawmakers and even Obama’s advisers remained unsure after the speech of how, exactly, the president would make good on his vow to close the symbol of the U.S.’ detention of suspected terrorists in a legal limbo.
A top Obama ally, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, conceded that the White House stumbled.
"Well, it was a mistake for us to entertain putting money — $80 million — in for the transfer of these detainees until the president’s plan was released,” he said.
Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the site should stay open "until the war is over.” When pressed, Gingrich acknowledged it’s a long-term prospect.
"What do you do with somebody who’s a ... religiously motivated terrorist? You had better keep them locked up,” he said.
by the associated press
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Congress AIMS to cut Pollution
democratic lawmakers on tuesday proposed cutting greenhouse gases by one-fifth over the next decade , afaster clip than urged by President Obama.
their plan , seen as the first step toward Congress enacting climate legislation this year .
Was crafted to attract broader support among centrist Democrats . It includes measures to spur energy efficiency and to support technology to capure cardin dioxide ,the leading greenhouse gas , from coal burning power plants . The 600 page " discussion draft " will be the basis for climate debates in the coming weeks as th House Energy and Commerce Connittee works to craft a bill by mid May .
The measure offered Tuesday by Democratic Reps . Henry Waxman of Califorina and Ed Markey of Massaschusetts calls for reducing greenhouse gas by 20% from 2005 levels by 2020 , 83 percent by midcentury . Obama has urged similar long term reductions , but has proposed more modest early cuts with reductions of 10 % by 2020.
Evvironmentalists embraced the proposal and said it includdes the kind of flixibilitydesigned to attract enough Democrats those from heavy industry states , for example to get it passed .
By the Associated press
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