INSIDE POLITICS
The Washington Times' political blog.
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Reid unveils new Senate decorum: 'Have senators sit down and shut up'
Just before the Senate failed to advance a transportation and housing bill Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to give Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who was presiding over the chamber at the time, a little help — "Have senators sit down and shut up, OK?"
Conservatives say time is right to defund Obamacare
Conservative Republicans on Thursday pressured Congress to back their bid to cut off all funding for "Obamacare" through the spending process despite misgivings within their own party, calling themselves as a "coalition of the reasonable" who will be judged favorably even if key aspects of the health care are allowed to take root this fall.
Fla. Sen. Nelson: Russia's Putin 'thumbing his nose' at U.S.
Sen. Bill Nelson said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "is thumbing his nose at the U.S." by granting asylum to Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked information on U.S. spying programs.
Lawmaker sees setback for Russian ties with Snowden release
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Russia's decision Thursday to grant asylum to Edward Snowden is a "setback to U.S.-Russia relations" and that he must be returned to the United States.
Most consider Snowden a whistle-blower, not a traitor, poll says
Most American voters think NSA leaker Edward Snowden, who has been granted temporary asylum by Russia, is a whistle-blower and not a traitor.
Sen. Tom Coburn: 'You start pushing me, all you do is get me to push back harder'
Sen. Tom Coburn dismissed criticism from the conservative website RedState over his not joining a small group of GOP senators in an effort to defund Obamacare, saying that "no outside group's going to push me around."
GOP Rep. Garrett: We're not abandoning Ryan budget 'at all'
GOP Rep. Scott Garrett of New Jersey said Thursday that even though House Republicans pulled an appropriations bill from floor consideration Wednesday, they aren't abandoning the budget blueprint laid out by Budget Committee Chairman Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin.
Democratic poll puts McConnell behind in Ky.
Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes holds a razor-thin lead over Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, in the state's 2014 Senate race, according to a new survey conducted by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling.
White House threatens veto of IRS bar in health care law
The White House on Wednesday said President Obama would veto a House bill that would prohibit the IRS from implementing or enforcing the health care law, an unsurprising verdict on congressional Republicans' latest attempt to dismantle the president's top legislative achievement.
House panel votes to change Medicare funding approach
A key House panel unanimously approved a bill on Wednesday that would replace the formula that pays doctors for each service provided under Medicare with one that rewards providers for high-quality care — a measure that both sides of the political aisle praised as long overdue.
Axelrod: Weiner situation going to be 'pimple' on the backside of progress
Former White House senior adviser David Axelrod said the unraveling situation with New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner will be merely a "pimple on the [expletive] of progress" in three years.
Weiner aide apologizes for profanity-laced rant about former intern
The communications director for the New York City mayoral campaign of disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner is apologizing for a lengthy profane and sexist tirade in which she dressed down a former intern, calling her phrases used as derogatory slang for female body parts and saying she "sucked" at her job.
Rep. Tom Cole on Obamacare defunding: 'Pickett had a better chance'
Rep. Tom Cole, Oklahoma Republican, said Wednesday that the ongoing fight inside the Republican party over defunding Obamacare isn't the right one to have, and that Maj. Gen. George Pickett had a better chance in his unsuccessful attack during the Battle of Gettysburg that ended in retreat for Confederate forces.
Obamacare mandate delay adds $12B to law's cost: audit
Congressional auditors say the Obama administration's decision to delay a key mandate in the new health care law will raise the cost of the law slightly, by $12 billion, over the next 10 years.
Obama's host discounts his books
As President Obama visits an Amazon.com distribution center Tuesday, the online retailer is reducing the prices of several of the president's books, just weeks after the Justice Department successfully prosecuted Amazon's competitors in the publishing world for price-fixing.
