INSIDE POLITICS
The Washington Times' political blog.
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Obama speech proposes tens of billions in new spending
The president said his new spending proposals wouldn't add a single dime to the deficit but, if so, he'd require significant offsets in the budget to pay for them.
Obama announces panel to ease voting
President Obama made an aggressive push for new voting rights in his speech, announcing the creation of a nonpartisan commission to "improve the voting experience in America."
Obama pushes minimum-wage increase
President Obama is proposing an increase in the federal minimum wage to $9 per hour from the current $7.25 in his State of the Union speech.
'Effective Amnesty' for illegal immigrants will mean fewer jobs for African-Americans, two advocates warn
Two members of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights wrote to President Obama on Tuesday telling him that if he succeeds in enacting an "effective amnesty" for illegal immigrants, it will likely mean fewer jobs and lower pay for black Americans.
Paul blames both parties' sacred cows, backs sequester slaughter
Blaming the nation's spending problems on both parties, Sen. Rand Paul plans Tuesday to use his response to President Obama's State of the Union address to warn that Congress must cut defense and domestic programs if it is serious about fixing the nation's "fiscal mess."
Gun control group protests Nugent's presence at SOTU
A gun control advocacy group is furious that conservative rocker and outspoken gun enthusiast Ted Nugent will be a guest at President Obama's State of the Union Address Tuesday night, along with approximately 30 victims of gun violence and their families.
House tears down Obama 'failometer'
Rep. Steve Stockman, a conservative Texas Republican, said Tuesday that House officials have banned him from posting a billboard tracking President Obama's failures in office.
I drank fracking fluid, says Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper went to unusually great lengths to learn firsthand the strides the oil and gas industry has made to minimize environmental harm from fracking.
Senate Dems, GOP far apart on guns at Judiciary hearing
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee argued during a Tuesday hearing that a balance can be struck between combating gun violence with new laws and protecting Americans' Second Amendment rights, while Republicans said it would be unwise to enact new laws until the current ones are more vigorously enforced.
No. 2 Defense Department official: I'll give back 20 percent of salary
The No. 2 civilian in the Defense Department said Tuesday he will refuse part of his salary this year in order to feel the kind of pain that other civilian workers will feel if the automatic spending cuts due March 1 take effect.
Biden: Taking away guns 'a bunch of malarkey'
Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Monday characterized suggestions that he has ever favored confiscating guns as "malarkey" — a term the garrulous Mr. Biden used in last fall's vice presidential debate to rebut his opponent, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan.
McConnell: Obama should address rising health costs in State of the Union speech
Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday dared President Obama to address the unintended consequences of "Obamacare" in his State of the Union address.
White House disagrees with Pelosi on 'spending problem'
If the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem, Democratic leaders are not quite in agreement on the question of federal spending.
Ted Nugent to be guest at State of the Union
While other members of Congress are hosting gun-control advocates for Tuesday's State of the Union address, Rep. Steve Stockman has given one of his visitor's gallery tickets to Ted Nugent, the conservative gun-rights supporter.
Feds recoup $4.2B in fraudulent health care payments
The federal government recouped $4.2 billion from fraudulent health care payments in fiscal 2012, the Obama administration said Monday, calling it the best return on investment since the government began a program 16 years ago to try to collect on bad payments.
