By Andrew P. Napolitano
The president's men trash the Constitution to pursue antagonists
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
President Obama's nominee to head the U.S. Department of Labor hit another snag in the Senate on Wednesday after Republicans who oppose the pick used a parliamentary maneuver to again delay a key vote on his nomination.
Sen. Tom Harkin said he will remove his hold on President Obama's pick to lead the nation's Medicare agency, but the powerful Iowa Democrat said Tuesday he is still not happy with the administration's "penny-wise, pound-foolish" tendency to raid a fund designated for preventative health programs.
President Obama's nominee to run the Labor Department on Thursday acknowledged during his Senate confirmation hearing the administration has understated the nation's unemployment rate.
!["My understanding is that the waivers [for No Child Left Behind] become obsolete" if new federal education reforms go into effect, Education Secretary Arne Duncan told a Senate panel Thursday. (Associated Press)](http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2013/02/07/20130207-203446-pic-978981655_s101x94.jpg?1fbd290a7096b720cc65944f28bf8ba0fe24af6d)
Obama administration waivers granted to 34 states and the District of Columbia, which freed them from the constraints and mandates of the No Child Left Behind law, would be nullified if lawmakers move a major new education reform package this year, Education Secretary Arne Duncan told lawmakers Thursday.
The nation's premier worker-safety agency takes nearly eight years on average to adopt new safety regulations, government auditors said in a report issued Thursday.
Ten states were given an exit from the mandates of the No Child Left Behind law Thursday, as the Obama administration followed through on its promise to overhaul federal education policy without Congress.
Ac countability. Everyone is for it. It's by far the most popular word used in refer- ence to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reauthorization discussions this week and state efforts this month to get federal waivers to avoid NCLB sanctions for missing proficiency targets in reading and math.
Continuing his recent tack of bypassing Congress and enacting reforms "without them," President Obama on Wednesday announced a package of student loan reforms designed to lower college graduates' monthly payments, arguing his plan will redirect some of that borrowed money into the economy to promote job growth.
Democrats plan to introduce two anti-bullying amendments when a major education reform proposal hits the Senate floor later this year - but the measures could put bipartisan support for the bill in serious jeopardy.
After 13 hours of debate, a key Senate panel approved its long-awaited education reform bill with bipartisan support Thursday night, a major step in the process of overhauling the 10-year-old No Child Left Behind law.
Hailing it as a breakthrough of bipartisanship, Sen. Tom Harkin on Tuesday unveiled his long-awaited education reform package, a wide-ranging bill that in many ways reduces the federal government's involvement in local districts and state education systems.
After months of delay, Sen. Tom Harkin, Iowa Democrat, is expected to release his blueprint for education reform on Tuesday, following the White House, Senate Republicans and the House GOP, in laying his cards on the table in the debate over what should replace the decade-old No Child Left Behind law.
The federal government must reduce its footprint in education and give local school systems more flexibility to craft curricula and measure student performance, school leaders from across the country told a House committee hearing Thursday.
New House Speaker John A. Boehner formally endorsed a bill Wednesday to revive and expand the school voucher program for the District of Columbia, calling it "a model for similar programs throughout our country."
The top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Education Committee said Wednesday they plan to have a reauthorization bill for No Child Left Behind to President Obama by late summer and that it would include broad changes, including possibly renaming the landmark education-reform legislation to "Every Child Counts."
