In The Spotlight Blog

In the News: Blog 05/2/2012
Wisconsin Ag Connection: Sen. Johnson Announces Staff Farm Bill Listening Sessions
Wisconsin's newly elected U.S. Senator wants to hear from you about your thoughts on a proposed federal farm bill. U.S. Senator Ron Johnson announced on Tuesday that his staff would be available for listening sessions in the coming weeks. The Oshkosh Republican says there's debate on whether there will even be a new farm bill drafted, but wants the public to have their input in the process. The dates and locations of the listening sessions are:
In the News: Blog 04/30/2012
Congressional Quarterly: For the Record Goes Against the Grain
Senate appropriators have only just begun to mark up their fiscal 2013 spending bills, but Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson has made it clear he’s not buying into the clubby traditions of the Appropriations Committee. Johnson, a plastics company owner who had not held elective office before winning his Senate seat in 2010, is sticking with the tea party-backed ideology that helped him win. That now includes demanding roll call committee votes instead of the voice votes that have expedited work in years past. The tactic forces colleagues to take positions on spending details they might just as soon not have on the record.
In the News: Blog 04/29/2012
Washington Free Beacon: A Mournful Milestone
Sunday, April 29, 2012, is an anniversary unprecedented in the history of American politics, marking three years since the Democratic-led Senate last complied with federal law by passing a budget. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 stipulates that Congress must approve a budget resolution by April 15 of each year. In the Senate, only 51 votes are needed to pass a budget, as budgets are one of the few pieces of legislation invulnerable to a filibuster. Democrats currently control 53 seats. Democratic lawmakers have offered myriad excuses for their refusal to offer a budget, none of which hold up to scrutiny, critics say.
In the News: Blog 04/26/2012
The Washington Times: Clipping the lame duck
As President Obama crisscrosses the country to win back his base’s support for reelection, congressional Republicans fear what he might do in a lame-duck session. The president blew off House Speaker John A. Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who sought a gentleman’s agreement that the White House would not ram through economically significant regulations after Sept. 30. On Wednesday, freshman Sen. Ron Johnson introduced the Midnight Rule Relief Act to force the issue, which he thinks is critical to the recovery. “It’s not a mystery to me that our economy is stalled because of what is coming out of Washington,” the Wisconsin Republican told The Washington Times in an interview. “This is an important signal for job creators that some relief is on the way, and at least some in Washington on one side of the aisle understand the crushing burden of regulations.” Already, $1.75 trillion worth of dictates apply to small businesses. A moratorium would be welcome.
In the News: Blog 04/26/2012
The Hill: Sessions, Johnson mark three years without a Senate budget
Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Thursday marked the third anniversary of the last time the Senate approved a budget resolution, which will fall on Sunday. "This Sunday, April 29, will mark the third anniversary since the Senate has passed a budget," Sessions said on the Senate floor. Sessions added that the Senate has "failed to perform its legal duty," and that according to procedure, it would only take 51 votes to pass a budget since a filibuster is not allowed on budget votes.
In the News: Blog 04/25/2012
The Hill: GOP looks to ban 'midnight regulations' by lame-duck Obama
Seven House Republicans on Tuesday introduced legislation that would prohibit a lame-duck president from issuing significant regulations, and a Senate version of the bill is expected to be introduced Wednesday. The Midnight Rule Relief Act, H.R. 4607, follows an April letter from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) that urged President Obama not to pass any "midnight regulations." "We believe that issuing a raft of midnight regulations would be inconsistent with your January 2009 commitment to transparency and accountability in the rulemaking process," they wrote.
In the News: Blog 04/24/2012
Association Meetings: GSA Scandal Mushrooms, Almost $1 Million in Meeting Cancellations
By Dave Kovaleski Fallout continues from the U.S. General Services Administration’s Western Regions Conference that made national headlines for its spending excesses, contracting missteps, and ethics violations. New details about the conference emerged last week during three days of congressional hearings. And in reaction to the scandal, nearly $1 million worth of GSA meetings have been canceled, the GSA’s employee reward program has been eliminated, and other government meetings could be affected. At separate Senate and House of Representatives committee hearings on April 16, 17, and 18, lawmakers grilled acting GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini and GSA Inspector General Brian Miller. “What is so outrageous about this is how these bad apples, very bad apples, perhaps criminal apples, have sullied the reputation of very good people,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., at the Senate hearing on April 18, according to CNN.
In the News: Blog 04/20/2012
WHIO Radio: The Federal Budget
Under the radar when compared to the back and forth of the race for President, the budget for Fiscal Year 2013 is quietly starting to take shape on Capitol Hill, as key committees in the House and Senate are actively drafting a series of spending bills. As of now, the Senate is aiming to spend $1.047 trillion in the next fiscal year, up $4 billion from the $1.043 trillion level of the current budget year. Meanwhile the House is aiming at an overall spending level of $1.028 trillion, which is $15 billion below this year's budget totals - $19 billion below what Senate appropriators have signaled they want to spend.
In the News: Blog 04/17/2012
Congressional Quarterly: Senate Panel Would Maintain Current Highway, Transit Spending Levels
In the News: Blog 04/17/2012
Congressional Quarterly: Panel Votes to Boost NASA Funding in Fiscal 2013 Spending Bill