Revise & Extend
Pelosi’s Role in the Syria Vote
The Hill’s Mike Lillis writes that although House Democratic leadership will not whip a use-of-force resolution, Nancy Pelosi is making a case for U.S. intervention in Syria — both as a humanitarian response and a deterrent for similar attacks in the future.
“It’s hardly the first time Pelosi has faced the task of uniting a reluctant caucus behind a tough vote, having shepherded both climate change legislation in 2009 and healthcare reform in 2010 through the House by the slimmest of margins.”
A number of liberal House Democrats have voiced strong reservations against U.S. involvement, citing their vocal war weary constituents who fear yet another Middle Eastern conflict. Speaker Boehner, for his part, endorsed the president’s plan and called on other Republicans to support it, but has stated that he will not go out of his way to secure votes.
How Fragile Is the New Democratic Coalition?
Thomas Edsall looks at how the “way-of-life segregation” is playing out in America’s cities and suburbs, and how political scientists are tracking these changes over time. The question is, how does way-of-life match up with your political and voting choices?
Edsall writes, “Democratic strength is now concentrated in fewer but more heavily populated areas. Polarization has intensified as voters in over half the nation’s counties cast landslide margins for one presidential candidate or the other. These tendencies are intensifying and have spilled over to Congressional elections, leading to legislative paralysis. Self-perpetuating clusters of the like-minded lead voters and their representatives away from the center.”
The Next Two Months In Congress
Mike Allen and Jim Vandehei of Politico lay out the major issues that Congress will face in the coming months. They quote the words of Steny Hoyer who said “In 33 years, we’ve never come back from summer break with the number of very critical, important issues that we’re going to confront over the next 90 to 120 days.”
“In the next two months, the most unpopular institution in America will decide the fates of a president’s power a military strike, defense contracts, the budget, health-care implementation, the Federal Reserve chairmanship, illegal immigrants, and all of us who would be hit by a debt default.”
Foreign Relations Committee Sets Up Full Senate Showdown
Jonathan Weisman reports that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a vote this afternoon, approved an authorization of force against the Syrian regime. The committee vote sets up a showdown next week in the full Senate on whether the president should have the authority to carry out the strike.
“The 10-7 vote showed bipartisan support for a strike, but bipartisan opposition as well,” Weisman wrote. “Yes votes included Senators John McCain, Republican of Arizona, Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, and Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona. No votes included Democratic Senators Tom Udall of New Mexico and Chris Murphy of Connecticut. The Senate’s newest member, Edward Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, voted present.”
The House’s Competitiveness Problem… or Lack Thereof
Nathan Gonzales at Roll Call asks: “Are there really fewer competitive House districts than ever before?” The very short answer is “yes.” Today, there are fewer competitive districts than ever before. The trend is visible over the past 20 years but it is much more dramatic if we look at the past 50, or
GSA Increases Travel-Reimbursement Rates
Josh Hicks writer that the General Services Administration will raise its travel-reimbursement rates for federal employees this year but plans to end its conference-lodging allowance. Standard lodging rate for employees who travel for work will increase from $77 to $83 per day at the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, while the allowance for meals and other expenses will remain unchanged at $46 per day.
The news from GSA was made public by Anne Rung, head of GSA’s Office of Governmentwide Policy, who posted on her blog that the federal government has reduced overall travel spending by $2 billion since 2010, and GSA alone has trimmed its travel costs by $28 million.
Military Objectives Explored During Senate Hearing on Syria
The Washington Post reports that Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who appeared before a Senate Armed Services committee hearing yesterday, struggled at times to lay out a military strike on Syria that would be tough enough to be worthwhile, but limited enough to guarantee that the United States would not get dragged into another open-ended military commitment in the Middle East.
“Our military objectives in Syria would be to hold the Assad regime accountable, degrade its ability to carry out these kinds of attacks and deter it from further use of chemical weapons,” Hagel said in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The packed hearing was the first of what is expected to be several intensive debates on the Hill this week, following President Obama’s decision to seek congressional support for any military strike against the Syrian regime.
Sequestration Keeps Agencies Guessing
Annie Lowrey reports that the budget breakdown is also creating problems outside of Washington. She interviewed Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, who called 2013 the “darkest ever” year for the agency.
“Continuing resolutions discourage you from trying something new and bold,” he said. “You’re supposed to tread water. And science is very badly served by that tread-water message.”
“Continuing resolutions discourage you from trying something new and bold,” he said. “You’re supposed to tread water. And science is very badly served by that tread-water message.”
Faculty In The News: Is Syria The New Iraq?
GAI Senior Fellow Charles Cushman joined a panel of international experts on the Voice of Russia radio program to talk about the escalating violence in Syria, and the options for US involvement. Dr. Cushman opened the program by laying out one of the major differences between 2003 and 2013: “No,
Odds of an October Shutdown Down to 10 Percent
Discretionary spending has declined sharply, from a peak of $1.347 billion in FY11, to approximately $986 billion this year. The FY14 House Republican Budget Resolution seeks to further cut discretionary spending, to $967 billion, with the bulk of the cuts targeted at non-defense agencies, in the cases of some departments by more than 20%. Late