Tag Archive for "congress"

Posts Tagged congress

The VAWA expired a year ago and Republicans are still blocking reauthorization

While you were out living life, the Violence Against Women Act expired. For a year now, the infrastructure put in place and sustained by the 1994 landmark legislation has been in flux, leaving the future uncertain. The law was reauthorized without incident in 2000 and 2005 but this year helping victims of rape and domestic violence has become a partisan issue. Essentially, House Republicans have held up the renewal of the law because they don’t think all rape victims deserve help.

House Republicans are still blocking the reauthorization, which passed the Senate this spring, because of added protections and services for LGBT, Native American, and immigrant abuse victims.

These are the victims House Republicans deem unworthy of help. House ...

By Katie Halper • 11 years ago

55 ways Republicans hate women

Anyone following politics knows Republicans are launching a full out war on women. But you may not know how many anti-women votes the Republicans cast since January 2011. Well, a report released last week by Rep. Henry Waxman (D – Ca.) has the answer: 55! That’s right, Republicans voted to take away women’s rights or make their lives miserable 55 times. The Anti-Women Voting Record of The U.S. House of Representatives 112th Congress report includes some of the GOP’s greatest hits, so to speak, against women, like,

Seventeen votes which would allow health insurance companies to discriminate against women by charging women higher premiums than men or denying women coverage based on “pre-existing conditions” like being pregnant. a vote which would allow hospitals to deny emergency ...

By zerlina • 11 years ago

Mia Love demonstrates Republican senselessness

Rising political star Mayor Mia Love (R-UT) had her big interview on Fox News Sunday this week. She’s a rising star and a congressional candidate who got a coveted speaking slot in prime time at their convention in Tampa. If she wasn’t a household name before the Republican National Convention, she is now.

In a party lacking diversity, Mia Love has a future. As an African American woman, Republicans will surely love her as she represents their future as they struggle to become a party of more than older whites.

But Mia Love doesn’t make any sense when it comes to a women’s right to choose. Shocking I know. In all seriousness though, if you are going to state publicly that you are ...

By zerlina • 11 years ago

DNC: Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi talks war on women

I’m at the Democratic National Convention all week long and yesterday was included in a reporters round table with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Leader Pelosi spoke passionately about why the president should be re-elected saying, “I’ve issued a D.A.R.E.,” which stands for Disclose, Amend (the Constitution to overturn Citizens United), Reform the system (leading to public financing of campaigns), and Elect reformers (in a bipartisan way)…We have to take back our democracy from the plutocracy.”

By zerlina • 11 years ago

MA House candidate could be first openly gay Republican in Congress

If he’s victorious this November, Richard Tisei would become the first openly gay Republican in the House of Representatives.

A candidate for Congress in Massachusetts, Tisei supports marriage equality and choice and is expected to be a tough challenger for Democratic Congressman John Tierney who is currently embroiled in personal legal troubles related to his wife and brother in law being involved in a illegal gambling operation.

Tisei doesn’t want his identity to define his candidacy and describes himself as a “live and let live Republican,” who believes “the government should get out of your bedroom, off your back and out of your wallet.” Tisei’s libertarian platform should play well in south Boston and given the incumbents personal controversies, Tisei has a ...

If he’s victorious this November, Richard Tisei would become the first openly gay Republican in the House of Representatives.

A candidate for Congress in Massachusetts, Tisei supports marriage equality and choice and is expected to be a tough challenger ...

By zerlina • 12 years ago

Super-committee predictably fails to reach deal on cuts

Color me shocked! The congressional “super-committee” given the task of reaching a bipartisan agreement on $1.2 trillion in cuts failed to reach a deal.

In other news, water is wet.

So Congress yet again failed to reach a bipartisan deal on an important issue of the day further solidifying the idea in everyone’s minds a little less than a year from an election that we need a new Congress! Seriously, we really need new folks in there who will behave like adults and vote on legislation that can be passed and signed into law. That is their job and they haven’t been doing it for so long now it can be easy to forget. Very little relief can come for ...

Color me shocked! The congressional “super-committee” given the task of reaching a bipartisan agreement on $1.2 trillion in cuts failed to reach a deal.

In other news, water is wet.

So Congress yet again failed to reach a bipartisan ...

By Chloe Angyal • 12 years ago

Elizabeth Warren does not take any shit from anyone

Yesterday during a subcommittee hearing, a Congressman accused Elizabeth Warren, special adviser to the President and front-runner to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, of lying.

Elizabeth Warren (on whom I have a documented lady brain crush) was having none of that.

Check out the look on Warren’s face when Rep. Patrick McHenry accuses her of lying and breaking her agreement on how much time she would spend testifying before this particular subcommittee.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news,

Yesterday during a subcommittee hearing, a Congressman accused Elizabeth Warren, special adviser to the President and front-runner to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, of lying.

Elizabeth Warren (on whom I have a documented lady ...

By Lori Adelman • 12 years ago

Women’s health advocates respond to the passing of H.R. 3, the so-called “Super Hyde” bill

As we mentioned yesterday, the House voted to pass H.R. 3, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions” bill introduced by New Jersey Senator Chris Smith and known simply as “Super Hyde” to many in the feminist community. You’ll remember that this lovely piece of legislation was aimed at strengthening existing government restrictions on funding abortion, enacting provisions that would effectively ban abortion coverage by insurers and allow health care providers to refuse to perform an abortion for any reason, even if the woman needing the abortion’s life is in danger.

You might also remember it for its original language about “forcible rape”, which was removed once the proponents realized that it belied the actual motivation behind ...