By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
The U.S. spends more money on defense than any other nation in the world. So in an era of fiscal challenge, the Pentagon looked for ways to reduce costs.
Why, he's only the most true-blue conservative in the U.S. Senate, according to the National Journal's "Congressional Vote Ratings" released Thursday. The judgment was made by roll-call voting records alone. Sen. James E. Risch, Idaho Republican, has the most conservative voting record for 2012.
Democrats are bubbling over with ideas for raking in additional federal revenue even as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declared Sunday that "the tax issue is behind us."
Despite rumblings from some Republican backbenchers, Speaker John A. Boehner's hold on the House's top post appears secure after key conservative lawmakers said they don't expect anyone to challenge him.
Two top congressional conservatives rejected the notion Tuesday that they must compromise their principles to adapt to changing political winds, as both — the old and new chairmen of the House Republican Study Committee — said they will hold firm in the face of the Obama administration's agenda.
Washington was stunned Thursday to learn stalwart Sen. Jim DeMint will leave Congress in January to run the Heritage Foundation.
House Republican leaders delivered a $2.2 trillion "fiscal cliff" counteroffer to President Obama on Monday that included $800 billion in tax increases, but the White House and congressional Democrats said that still isn't enough revenue to begin negotiating.
Returning to a new postelection reality on Capitol Hill, House Republicans say Rep. Paul Ryan will continue to be a major player with their caucus after his failed bid as Mitt Romney's running mate, but that the budget he pushed through the House the past two years no longer does enough to clean up the nation's fiscal mess.
The mutating "Petraeus affair" has conveniently filled the media vacuum left after the presidential election ended, providing press, pundits and assorted officials a veritable gold mine of material.
Other Republicans may be worried about the campaign prospects of Mitt Romney but not Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the conservative caucus in the House, who said voters have made the decision to reject President Obama and replace him with the GOP nominee.
Despite public vilification, those who champion traditional values remain stalwart on their issues. The Values Voter Summit, which begins Friday in the nation's capital, embraces subjects that rivet many Americans but often get short shrift.
Former top officials of federally backed Abound Solar told a House subcommittee July 18 that subsidies from China caused the company's collapse, while Republicans pressed a former government loan official about whether he used his personal email account to skirt records laws while discussing clean energy projects.
Former top officials of federally backed Abound Solar told a House subcommittee Wednesday that subsidies from China caused the company's collapse, while Republicans pressed a former government loan official about whether he used his personal email account to skirt records laws while discussing clean energy projects.
A geothermal energy company with a $98.5 million loan guarantee from the Obama administration for an alternative energy project in Nevada — which received hearty endorsements from Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — faces financial problems, and the company's auditors have questioned whether it can stay in business.
Obamacare has a big date with destiny, drama and, oh yes, the Supreme Court on Thursday. The odds are good that Democrats will repeat their "false claim" that Republicans have no alternatives to President Obama's health care law. So says the Republican Study Committee, which intends to make its case not with a 2,700-page bill, but a 27-page summary. The terse outline showcases 200 pieces of health care legislation introduced in the past 18 months by members of the committee, chaired, incidentally, by Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
"My job is to represent the 4th Congressional District," said Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, whose Ohio district includes the territory where the tanks are constructed. "But the fact remains, if it was not in the best interests of the national defense for the United States of America, then you would not see me supporting it like we do."
Lawmakers force Pentagon to buy tanks, keep ships and planes it doesn't need →
"You've got a credibility problem — plain and simple," said Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican.
