Politics

The Week In Review

By Sunlight Foundation & Participatory Politics Foundation

Here is a look at what we’ve been up to this week at OpenCongress:

• President Obama’s $3.8 trillion budget for 2011 was released on Monday. A closer look at it reveals clues as to what the president has planned on a range of issues from health care to taxes.
• Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint of Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the ?don’t ask, don’t tell? policy banning gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military. Both agreed the policy should end. In other gay rights news, Congressional Republicans are fighting to prevent gays and lesbians from getting legally married in the District of Columbia.
• Donny has a comprehensive rundown of what is ahead for financial reform in the Senate.
• Congress is looking at a 775% tax increase for pipe tobacco.
• The Democrats may finally have settled on a path forward to pass health care reform. The relevant question, though, is whether they can pull it off. Democrats, however, still do have a “Plan B.”
• A bipartisan group of senators have introduced a bill (S.2977) banning civilian trials for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other co-defendants. In other national security news, the House is working on passing a cybersecurity bill (H.R.4061).
• Senate Democrats announced their own jobs package.
• After 10 months of waiting, the Senate finally confirmed Patricia Smith as solicitor of the Department of Labor. The problem of un-appointed nominees in the Obama administration, however, still persists.
• If you at all enjoyed the Q&A session president Obama held with the House Republicans, sign the petition and demand a regular ?question time.?

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Full post as published by Open Congress on February 05, 2010 (boomark / email).