Topic: Barbara Mikulski

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Is Washington working? How Congress took a big step forward this week.

In a marked change of tone on Capitol Hill, the House Republican and Senate Democrat who hold Congress' purse strings made headway toward avoiding a March 27 government shutdown.
What Congress has to do to avert a late-March government shutdown

Political leaders on both sides of the aisle stressed on Tuesday a commitment to reach a budget deal that avoids a government shutdown after March 27, when funding expires. But they are at the starting line.
Why March 1 isn't Congress's last chance to amend 'sequester' cuts

True, $85 billion in spending cuts kick in on March 1, but they won't be widely felt for several weeks. Meanwhile, funding for government operations expires March 27. The two fiscal issues could be rolled into one, but a top GOP appropriator sees that as a recipe for disaster.
Decoder Wire In defeat of Paycheck Fairness Act, Senate goes into deep campaign mode

Senate activity surrounding the Paycheck Fairness Act – it failed to get enough votes to overcome a GOP filibuster – more closely resembled the taping of campaign ads rather than a debate of the issue.
Paycheck Fairness Act up for Senate vote

Paycheck Fairness Act aims to aims to strengthen the Fair Labor Standards Act's protections against paycheck inequities based on gender. The Paycheck Fairness Act is up for a Senate vote Tuesday.
Decoder Wire Democrats campaign for Paycheck Fairness Act ahead of Tuesday vote

But the bill, which would provide several protections for women in the workplace, is unlikely to overcome a filibuster by Senate Republicans.
Payroll tax vote exposes divisions within each party

Despite the bipartisan support for the payroll tax bill, blocks in both parties had reservations: Republicans angry that the measure was not paid for, and Democrats worried about the health of Social Security.
Seven days left: Is super committee ball now in Democrats' court?

Following a GOP proposal on the deficit-cutting 'super committee' to raise tax revenues, Republicans say it's the Democrats' turn to show they're serious by making cuts in entitlement spending.
Geraldine Ferraro: V.P. candidate inspired a generation of women

Geraldine Ferraro, who passed on Saturday, broke political ground when she ran for the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Walter Mondale in 1984. They lost to Reagan-Bush, but she inspired a generation of women to go into politics.
19th Amendment: How far have women in politics come since 1920?

19th Amendment experts suggest that women are finally gaining a measure of the political leverage that the 19th Amendment promised when it gave women the right to vote 90 years ago.
NASA should use private spaceships, say astronauts

An open letter to Congress signed by 24 former NASA astronauts told Congress that privately owned spacecraft could carry people safely to the International Space Station.
Snow in all 50 states? New storm could make that true.

The South faces the brunt of another major East Coast snowstorm. If the Florida Panhandle gets an inch or two as expected, then there will be snow in all 50 states.
Court-martial for pregnant soldiers? General backs off under fire.

Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo clarifies his order allowing court-martial for soldiers who become pregnant or who impregnate a colleague in a war zone, saying Tuesday that any punishment is unlikely to come to that.
Senate healthcare reform debate: Week 1 down, how many more to go?

One week into the Senate healthcare reform debate two things are clear: Democrats don't have their 60 votes, and the end is not coming anytime soon.
Senate healthcare debate Day 2: partisan warfare by amendment

The US Senate began voting Tuesday on amendments and counter-amendments to the healthcare reform bill, as senators battle to shape the final product.
Top four differences of Senate and House healthcare reforms bills

The House and Senate will have a difficult time reconciling their healthcare reform bills on several key issues, including abortion funding and a public option, among others.
Obama gets grief for male-only basketball games

President Obama loves basketball. But his failure to include women in the basketball games is getting him criticism.
Washington is not funny. Except Joe Biden.

Jokes rarely fly in the nation’s capital.
Sotomayor navigates Senate corridors on her way to confirmation hearing

Democrats push for July; GOP senators say they need more time to examine her record.
Congress complicates war funding with new demands

Republicans and Democrats want to add measures that could lead to a Bush veto.