House Appropriations Committee news stories on Newser

Obey's Retirement More Bad News for Dems

John Johnson — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:10:30 CDT

The decision by powerful congressman David Obey to retire rather than seek re-election—the 71-year-old says he's "bone tired," reports AP —has pundits predicting more bad news for Democrats: Ed Morrissey, Hot Air : This "may be the biggest sign of Democratic despair in this midterm cycle," he writes. "When committee...

Democrat Obey to Retire

DontLikeYou___ — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:13:52 CDT

Democratic sources say House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey will not seek re-election, reports AP . The Wisconsin Democrat, first elected to his seat in 1969, easily won his 20th full term in 2008 with 61% of the vote, but he faced a potentially difficult re-election bid this fall. Obey's decision...

John Murtha Dead at 77

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:02:08 CST

Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a retired Marine Corps officer who became an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, has died after suffering complications from gallbladder surgery. The powerful Democrat, a close ally of speaker Nancy Pelosi, was 77. In 1974, Murtha became the first combat veteran of the Vietnam...

Afghan War May Sock Us With Surtax

Rob Quinn — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:03:41 CST

Any change in Afghan strategy that involves spending more money needs to come with a strategy to pay for it, warn House Democrats. Influential committee chairs are calling for a 1% surtax on incomes under $150,000 beginning in 2011 to pay for the war. Their proposed bill would impose...

Lobbyist Cozy With Lawmaker Wins Jackpot

Kevin Spak — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:26:53 CDT

If you’ve got a tech company looking for a handout from the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, might we recommend calling Rep. Peter Visclosky? Or more accurately, call K&L Gates, a lobbying firm that boasts in its marketing documents, “a very good relationship” with Visclosky, the third-ranking member of the all-powerful subcommittee....

Congress Relents, Slashes Unwanted Jet Order

Kevin Spak — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:16:33 CDT

House leaders are slashing their $550 million order for eight new executive jets for use by senior government officials, caving to pressure from fellow lawmakers and the Pentagon, Politico reports. John Murtha’s Defense Appropriations Subcommittee had more than doubled the Pentagon’s original request for $220 million to buy four new...

House Bill Loaded With $6.5B the Pentagon Doesn't Want

Kevin Spak — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:30:02 CDT

They gave up on the F22, but Congress is still trying to give the Pentagon $6.9 billion in planes, helicopters and ships the Defense secretary doesn’t want, the Washington Post reports. House Democrats have loaded the defense spending bill with earmarks for programs Barack Obama and Robert Gates have...

Dems Get in Shouting and (Alleged) Shoving Match

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:09:01 CDT

A pair of House Democrats had a less-than-decorous exchange on the floor yesterday, the Hill reports. With the chamber clearing out after a series of votes, Appropriations chair David Obey and Maxine Waters began screaming at each other over an earmark for a school bearing Waters' name. “You’re out of...

Dems Deny Obama Funds to Close Gitmo

Rob Quinn — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:19:47 CDT

President Obama's request for $80 million to close Guantanamo Bay was cut from the House version of a war spending bill unveiled yesterday, CNN reports. Democratic lawmakers, whose bill totaled $94.2 billion, said if the president wants money to close Guantanamo Bay then he'll first have to come up...