House of Representatives news stories on Newser

Partisan Showdown Looms Over Domestic Violence Bill

Rob Quinn — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:45:00 CDT

The Violence Against Women Act, which provides funding to protect women from domestic violence and passed Congress easily in its prior two reauthorizations, is headed for Congress' latest partisan showdown. The House passed its version of the bill by a 222-205 vote yesterday over a veto threat from the White...

TSA Let $184M Equipment Gather Dust: House

Kevin Spak — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:27:50 CDT

The Transportation Security Administration stashed $184 million worth of equipment in a Texas warehouse instead of sending it to the airports it was intended for—and then tried to hide it from Congress, House Republicans allege. In a report presented today at a joint hearing of the Oversight and Transportation...

Bill to Lower Student Loan Rates Fails in Senate

Kevin Spak — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:25:04 CDT

Hope your federal student loans are paid off, kids, because Washington appears deadlocked over legislation that would prevent their rates from doubling this July. A Senate bill to do so failed in a 52-45 vote along party lines today, failing to get the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster,...

House OKs Student Loan Bill, Ignores Veto Threat

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:01:46 CDT

Republicans defied a veto threat as the House voted today to prevent federal loan costs from doubling for millions of college students. The vote gave the GOP a momentary election-year triumph on a bill that has become enmeshed in partisan battles over the economy, women's issues, and President Obama's health...

White Males Will Be Minority Among House Democrats

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:55:07 CDT

For the first time in history, a political party will soon be represented in Congress by a majority of female and minority lawmakers. The Cook Political Report predicts that white males will make up 46% to 48% of House Democrats when the new Congress is sworn in next January, reports...

House Passes Paul Ryan's Budget Plan

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:52:17 CDT

Republicans today pushed a $3.5 trillion budget through a divided House that showcases their plans for trimming federal deficits and contrasts sharply with how President Obama and Democrats would tackle the nation's fiscal problems. The GOP package from Paul Ryan would revamp Medicare, slice everything from food stamps to...

Dem Kicked Off House Floor for Hoodie

Kevin Spak — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:27:46 CDT

Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush threw off his suit coat on the House floor today, to reveal that he was wearing a hoodie underneath as a protest against Trayvon Martin's killing. But in the middle of Rush's impassioned plea, Republican presiding officer Gregg Harper interrupted, saying "members need to remove their...

GOP Bill Clears Path for Obama's Impeachment

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:31:55 CDT

Calls for President Obama's impeachment have come down the pike before, most recently from Grover Norquist . This time a Republican representative—North Carolina's Walter Jones—has introduced a House resolution that would authorize Obama's impeachment for using the military without official permission from Congress, RawStory reports. Jones, a former Democrat...

'Radical' Girl Scouts Back Gays, Abortion: Indiana Rep.

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:00:00 CST

A Republican member of the Indiana House is refusing to honor the the Girl Scouts on its 100th birthday because the "radicalized" organization backs gays and abortions. Rep. Bob Morris ripped the Girl Scouts, which he considers the "tactical arm" of Planned Parenthood, for allowing transgendered children to join, and...