Congressional Dish

Now that the government is back up and running and the American public has looked away, the House of Representatives got back to work privatizing our government. H.R. 3080 takes the first steps towards privatization of water projects typically done by the Army Corps of Engineers, using entirely fixable budget issues as the justification. Links to Information in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: T...

The shutdown is over & the debt ceiling postponed; we take a close look at the new law that finally ended the unnecessary crisis. Links to Information in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Music: Now It's Over by Smile Smile (found on Music Alley by mevio) Music: Democracy is Dangerous by Thomas Pace (found on Music Alley by...

For this episode, I read the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The following is a resource for finding information within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. My goal was to highlight the portions of the bill that will most directly affect our lives and put them into plain, understandable English. I'd also like for you to be able to find the text that makes these rules...

In the hours before the government shutdown, the crisis could have been averted. We take a look at the hours before the deadline and see what Congress has done since they slammed the government's doors shut. Links to Information in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Music: We Can Make the World Stop by Alun Parry (found on Mu...

In this bonus episode, we take a detailed look at the House GOP's latest version of the short-term government funding bill which would delay the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and therefore guarantee that the government will shut down. Links to Information in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Music: Schoolhouse Ro...

The Senate edited the House's version of the short-term government funding bill, stripping out the language that would not-really defund Obamacare. Full details on the Senate's version, including some surprising good news, and a quick recap of the tiny bit of work the House accomplished this week. Links to Information in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (...

This week the House of Representatives passed a government funding bill that allegedly "defunds ObamaCare" but... not really. They also tried to cut food stamps, push nuclear power, exempt mining from environmental regulations, and more... Links to Information in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Music: And the Good News Is...

This week, after Russia took the Syria vote off the House schedule, the House did not fund the government for 2014 despite their September 30th deadline. In this episode, we look at what they did instead. Links to Information in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) President Obama's speech from Tuesday, September 10th regarding...

In June 2013, the House of Representatives passed their version of a Department of Homeland Security funding bill. The House prioritizes border security and locking up immigrants at the expense of emergency preparedness and the TSA. Details and much more in this episode... Links to Information in This Episode H.R. 2217: The House version of the Department of Homeland Security funding bill (has not...

While the U.S. Congress remained on vacation, British Parliament was called back to debate a pending attack on Syria. We also look at some facts about Syria that suggest we might be getting into a Shock Doctrine type of situation. Links to Information in This Episode Intro Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Song: Blood is Thicker Than Oil by The Underco...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) did not exist before September 11, 2001. In this episode, we look back at the bills that created these new government agencies. Links to Information in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Music: Homeland Security Blues by Spartacus J...

On July 19, 2003, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would largely eliminate the Federal government's role in K-12 education and expand the number of charter schools in the United States. H.R. 5: Student Success Act's stated purpose is to undo a portion of the 2009 stimulus bill (the American Recovery and Re-Investment Act) called Race to the Top, along with a program that Race to the...

In this episode, we catch up on most of the bills that passed the House during the last two weeks of August. A lot of bills were passed; very few have a prayer of becoming law. Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) S. 622: The Animal Drug Bill Is now law Covered in detail in the second half of episode CD030 Continues a system designed to exp...

Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan tried to attach an amendment to the Department of Defense funding bill for 2014 which would have limited the government's authority to collect our telephone records. The amendment failed but not by much; the episode highlights the debate. Links to Information in This Episode Text of the Amash Amendment At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the follow...

During the week of July 10-11, the House of Representatives passed a funding bill for agriculture programs which had only been available to read for 20 hours. In this episode, we take a closer look at what was in that surprise bill. Links to Information in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Text of H.R. 1947: The original Far...

Most of this episode is dedicated to the Energy & Water funding bill that passed the House of Representatives; however, the House also pulled a fast one this week, passing a 608-page agriculture bill that was available for public-reading for less than one day. Links to Information in This Episode Intro Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Music: After the...

Before taking a week off for July 4th, the House passed a bill forcing the Obama administration to sell offshore leases to the oil and gas industry. Links to Information from this Episode Music: "At the Beach" by Andrew Dean & The Farm Machine (found on Music Alley by mevio) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 2231: "Offshore Energy and Jobs Act" Text and status of H.R. 2231 President Obama put a m...

In this episode, the House of Representatives tries to approve ultra-deepwater drilling in the "Western Gap": The middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Links to Information in This Episode Song: The Oil Spill song by Steve Clark Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1613: The Outer Continental Shelf Transboundary Hydrocarbon Agreements Authorization Act Text of H.R. 1613 Jamie Dupree: The guy who told me tha...

In this episode, the House schedule has Jen frustrated, the House Farm Bill unexpectedly dies, and the House passes an abortion bill. Links to Information in This Episode Govtrack: text and other information about H.R. 1947, the failed House Farm Bill Congress wants to get rid of direct payments to farmers. NPR: Why the Farm Bill's Provisions Will Matter to You Comparison of House and Senate farm...

In this episode, we take a look at the first draft of the 2014 Department of Defense funding bill and see what it tells us about the United States future in war. We also look at three bills the House passed for Wall Street. Links to Information in this Episode Music: I Disagree by 20 Riverside (found on Music Alley by mevio) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1960: The House 2014 NDAA Text of H.R....

In this episode, a look at the House's 2014 military construction and veterans funding bill's first-draft and then examine whether it's wise to continue a system that fast-tracks applications for animal anti-biotics. Links to Information in this Episode Music: "In Your Name" by The Undercover Hippy (found on MusicAlley by mevio) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 2216: Funding for military constru...

The House passed H.R. 3, a bill waiving permit requirements for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and passed H.R. 1911, a bill that could raise interest rates for college students while tying their rates to the market. Links to Information in this Episode: Music: We've Got Balls by Robin and the Giant (downloaded from Music Alley) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 3, the Keystone XL bill. James...

In this episode, highlights from the House Ways and Means Committee IRS scandal hearing. IRS staffers made a list of keywords including Tea Party, 9-12, Patriot, etc. to help them find social welfare groups applying for tax exempt status that were actually political in nature. This is the scandal you've been told about; the real scandal is how many of them have been approved. Background How IRS "s...

After a health care rant, we look at H.R. 1406, a bill that would have allowed workers to get vacation time instead of cash for their overtime. It's a bill I'd actually like to see survive. Links to Information in this Episode Previous episode CD026 about H.R. 1549 Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1549 "Help Sick Americans Now Act" Music: Overtime by Man Born Blind Congressional Dish summary of...

The House worked on two bills this week. H.R. 527, which changes the way we sell helium, passed in a beautifully bipartisan way. H.R. 1549, which dismantles a piece of ObamaCare, died a uniquely Republican death. Links to Information in this Episode Music: All Hail to the Market by Alun Parry (found on Music Alley by mevio) Text of H.R. 527: Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act Na...