Jacqueline Klimas

Russia unfavorability among Americans highest in 20 years

Americans have more negative views of Russia now than anytime in the past two decades, a Gallup poll released Thursday found. Published February 13, 2014

Congress reverses military pension cuts

Congress congratulated itself this week after voting to restore full cost-of-living increases for military retirement benefits — but the bipartisan unity showed just how difficult it will be to tackle the major spending challenges that lie ahead. Published February 12, 2014

Rand Paul pandering to GOP with NSA lawsuit, former Dem governor says

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said Wednesday that Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's lawsuit against President Obama and the National Security Administration is just part of his 2016 strategy. Published February 12, 2014

Fight over COLA cuts suggests difficulty in broader reform

Rep. Charlie Dent, Pennsylvania Republican, said Wednesday that the fight over repealing cost-of-living adjustment cuts for military retirees included in the 2013 budget deal shows how difficult it will be to make any type of permanent, broad entitlement reform. Published February 12, 2014

Rep. Chris Van Hollen: I’ll never play politics with debt ceiling

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Democrat, said Wednesday that he will never try to attach any unrelated policies to the debt ceiling in the future, even under a Republican president. Published February 12, 2014

Rep. Peter King: Outside security worries at NSA left inside vulnerable

Rep. Peter King, New York Republican, said Wednesday that groups like the National Security Administration were so worried about defending against outside threats, that the lacking internal security allowed Edward Snowden to leak millions of pages of documents. Published February 12, 2014

Rep. Huffman: Confident court will uphold California’s rules on hen houses

Rep. Jared Huffman, California Democrat, said he is "very confident" a lawsuit from Missouri chicken farmers against his home state will be defeated. Published February 11, 2014

McKeon: Officials should slow military cuts, learn from Benghazi

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon said Tuesday that Congress should slow cuts to the military to ensure the country is ready for the next war. Published February 11, 2014

Sen. Claire McCaskill predicts success for Democrats in November

Sen. Claire McCaskill, Missouri Democrat, said Monday that she feels good about Democrats' chances of succeeding in the midterm elections this year, despite some Democratic senators up for re-election in primarily red states like Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina. Published February 11, 2014

Sandy relief misuse also contributed to N.J. paper rescinding Christie endorsement

Tom Moran, editor of the editorial page at the New Jersey Star-Ledger, said the George Washington Bridge scandal is just one reason why the newspaper rescinded its endorsement of of Gov. Chris Christie on Sunday. Published February 10, 2014

McConnell trails Democratic challenger in early polls

The latest Kentucky poll found that Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, is trailing his Democratic challenger, Kentucky Secretary of State Allison Lundergan Grimes, by 4 percentage points. Published February 10, 2014

Military veterans to Congress: We’re not your ‘political chew toy’

Published February 10, 2014

D.C. residents most optimistic about economy: poll

Washington, D.C., residents were the most optimistic about the economy in 2013, a poll released Monday found. Published February 10, 2014

Legislation would put VA in baby business

The number of veterans who have their reproductive organs damaged in combat is growing, leading a top senator to propose legislation that would make fertility care a bigger part of Veterans Affairs hospitals' missions. Published February 9, 2014

Push to extend unemployment benefits fails in Senate

Senate Republicans filibustered the latest effort Thursday to extend federal unemployment benefits, but Democrats fell just one vote shy of winning, leaving them optimistic they will eventually be able to overcome the blockade. Published February 6, 2014

New CBO forecast complicates fight over unemployment benefits

Even as Democrats this week are pushing for another extension of benefits for the nation's long-term unemployed, a new economic forecast suggests that the jobless rate could remain high for several more years — raising the prospect that the government will have to keep paying out those benefits for longer than many anticipated. Published February 5, 2014

Senate passes farm bill that limits renegotiated contracts that saved billions

President Obama proved in 2010 that billions of dollars of taxpayer money can be saved by renegotiating federal contracts with private crop insurance agencies, but the new farm bill prohibits the government from doing that in the future. Published February 4, 2014

Senate to take up comprehensive veterans reform bill Thursday

Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont independent, said Tuesday a comprehensive veteran's reform bill could be brought up on the Senate floor as early as Thursday. Published February 4, 2014

Senate to vote on unemployment insurance extension this week

Sen. Jack Reed, Rhode Island Democrat, said Tuesday that the Senate will vote on a three-month, paid-for extension to long-term unemployment benefits sometime this week. Published February 4, 2014

New farm bill survives test vote in Senate, faces criticism

The massive new farm bill survived a test vote in the Senate on Monday, but is coming under heavy attack from critics who say it front-loads spending but withholds most of its promised cuts to agriculture programs and farmer payments until five years from now — after the law would expire. Published February 3, 2014