Topic: Steny Hoyer

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Arizona shooting: Seven times politics turned to threats or violence last year

Saturday's shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) of Arizona wasn't the first time in recent memory that a member of Congress has been targeted for his or her views.
In Pictures: Harry Reid
Gallery: Election Photos of the Week 10/04 - 10/16
Stephen Colbert and laughable politics: Five comedians who ran for office

American politics have been the subject of satire since before the country's founding. These days the US benefits from a healthy dose of humorous political commentary, but when the jokers run for political office (jokingly of course, right?) some funny things can happen. Here are five memorable ones.

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Decoder Wire
John Boehner fires opening shot in potential debt-ceiling showdown

In a speech Tuesday, Speaker John Boehner will lay out his expectations for how the debt ceiling will be handled in the next round. His plan harks back to the House Republicans' position last year.
Appalled by sequester cuts, House begins efforts to avoid them

The House on Thursday passed a measure that would spare the Pentagon from looming cuts by making deeper cuts to social programs. But Congress isn't expected to get serious about altering the debt deal's $109 billion sequester until after the November election.
Why the Simpson-Bowles budget defeat isn't the end of the line

Simpson-Bowles is still the top bipartisan budget deal out there – and Congress may need it when it faces a showdown in December over the expiring Bush tax cuts and mandated spending cuts.
Obama health reform law goes on trial amid deeply split public opinion

Public opinion polls on Obama's health reform law are murkier than Republican leaders claim. True, a majority of the public sees the individual mandate as unconstitutional, but Americans like many of its other provisions.
Try, try again: Senate 'Gang of Six' hatching plan on US debt reduction

Congress punted last year on a plan for major US deficit and debt reduction. But the bipartisan 'Gang of Six' senators is back at it, crafting a blueprint they say will be ready for consideration even before Election 2012.
The Vote
Why Ron Paul left South Carolina to take part in a 'charade'

Ron Paul left campaigning in South Carolina so he could vote to oppose Congress raising the debt limit. The resolution has no chance of passing, but for Paul it is a core issue.
House to reject debt limit increase. Why that doesn't really matter.

The House is voting Wednesday on a resolution disapproving of a request by President Obama to raise the national debt limit by $1.2 trillion. But the issue actually was resolved last summer.
In payroll tax battle, GOP shows cracks under Democratic pressure

Democrats are ramping up the pressure on House Republicans over their refusal to pass a payroll tax deal – and some Senate Republicans are not rushing to their colleagues' aid.
Why one-fifth of US representatives went to Israel this summer

The record delegation of 81 congressmen, whose expenses were paid by an AIPAC affiliate, is seen as a circling of the wagons just weeks ahead of a UN vote on Palestinian statehood.
Gabrielle Giffords appears for debt deal vote (VIDEO)

Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in January, surprised many when she appeared for the historic House vote on the debt deal, Monday.
As congressional debt-ceiling plans founder, eyes turn to executive option

There is growing pressure on President Obama to simply declare an increase in the debt ceiling by executive order and tell everyone else: Deal with it.
National debt talks: Signs some in GOP may yield on tax 'loopholes'?

Republican and Democratic leaders resume talks with President Obama Thursday on raising the national debt limit and bringing down the deficit. Will anyone bring more to the table this time?
House sends a muddled message on Libya: no support, but funding untouched

In a confusing pair of votes, US House said Friday it won't stop paying for the US intervention in Libya, but it won’t vote to support it, either.
The Vote
Anthony Weiner 'sexting' affair turns into political blame game

Democrats calling for Anthony Weiner's resignation are piling on as Republicans say they should have done so sooner. Hillary Clinton, experienced in such matters, has taken Weiner's wife under her wing.
What lessons will GOP take from losing New York-26 House seat?

Medicare is indeed a perilous issue for Republicans, Tuesday's House race in New York's 26th District showed. But so are third-party candidates and tepid campaigns.
Why such a warm reception for Benjamin Netanyahu at US Congress?

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu drew a line in the sand Tuesday during his speech to the US Congress, regarding future borders with any new Palestinian state. The applause was enthusiastic.
Netanyahu before Congress: his talking points about Israeli-Palestinian peace

In his Tuesday speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be trying to sway US public opinion to his vision of an Israeli-Palestinian peace, instead of a competing vision offered by President Obama.
Congress sets new D-day for government shutdown: April 8

The Senate votes to fund the federal government through April 8. But the stalemate over 2011 spending remains, and no one wants to pass another short-term stopgap. Is the stage now set for a government shutdown next month?
GOP rift forms as House passes stopgap spending bill. What happens next?

Republican freshmen revolt, saying the three-week spending bill cuts too little – $6 billion – from the 2011 budget. House Democrats who backed the measure say the GOP rift gives them an edge.
House descends into federal budget-cutting chaos, just as planned

House amendments to cut the federal budget kept coming Friday, with Senate Democrats and the White House steeling for a fight. But Republicans say it's 'the House working its will.'
Big spending cuts vs. tax reform: Can Congress do both?

Democrats and Republicans agree that today's tax system hinders job growth. But tax reform efforts come as many House Republicans also push for $2.5 trillion in spending cuts in next decade.
House votes to repeal health-care reform: What happens now?

Though the House has repealed health-care reform, it won't be repealed by the Senate, meaning the effort is virtually dead. But House Republicans can still try to dismantle the law by other means.
Health-care reform: How Democrats plan to crash House GOP's repeal party

As Republicans move to vote Wednesday to undo Obama's health-care reform bill, Democrats are posing a question to new House members: What would repeal mean to their constituents?
Arizona shooting: Seven times politics turned to threats or violence last year

Saturday's shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) of Arizona wasn't the first time in recent memory that a member of Congress has been targeted for his or her views.
House passes bipartisan tax cut deal, first of Obama administration

Though many House Democrats balked at extending Bush-era tax cuts, House lawmakers late Thursday approved the $858 billion tax cut deal intact, with 139 Democrats and 138 Republicans.