Showing posts with label House of Representatives. Show all posts

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Convicted House Democrat Resigns

Oogah Oogah Chaka Chaka Fatah of Pa. just racked up an impressive conviction. Anyone care to show the math on total maximum sentencing using common core ? Comment below. now the article from The Hill....

Not a quote - parody

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) is resigning effective immediately, he announced Thursday, after initially seeking to remain in Congress despite his conviction on corruption charges.

"In my previous letter I indicated a later resignation date in order to provide for an orderly transition of my office after 21 years in the House," he wrote in a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
"However, out of respect for the entire House Leadership, and so as not to cause a distraction from the House's work for the people, I have changed my effective date."

Fattah first submitted his resignation on Wednesday, but said he would remain in office — and collect a salary — until Oct. 1 to ensure "proper transmission of information and archiving of government documents after more than two decades in service."
Ryan rejected that timeline and urged Fattah to step down immediately.

"Mr. Fattah has betrayed the trust of this institution and the people of Pennsylvania, and for that he should resign immediately from the House of Representatives," Ryan said in a statement. "We must hold members to the highest ethical standard and I hope that Democratic leaders will join me in seeking his immediate resignation."
Democrats, meanwhile, declined to publicly push Fattah out the door.

A Philadelphia jury on Tuesday convicted Fattah on 29 counts of bribery, racketeering, money laundering and fraud. Each conviction carries a possible sentence of 20 years in prison.

Fattah could appeal his conviction ahead of the sentencing on Oct. 4.

Finish the article at TheHill

I will just call him Chaka Con.

Yes, Chaka Con, I feel for You ....

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Congress Rams Medicare 'Doc Fix' Bill Through Using Voice Vote in Near-Empty Congress

House approves 'doc fix' in voice vote

March 27, 2014

The House on Thursday approved legislation by voice vote that prevents a pending cut to Medicare physician rates for another year.

The move, which dodges a 24 percent cut to those rates set to hit on April 1 without congressional action, came after a lengthy delay in which the bill's passage appeared in doubt.

House passage is essentially a take-it-or-leave-it offer to the Senate, which now must decide how to react with just days left before the cut takes effect.

House Republicans called the bill up under a suspension of House rules, which meant a two-thirds majority was needed for passage, and that 50 to 60 Democrats had to support it. That led to worries all day that the House would not be able to pass it due to Democratic opposition.

Republicans considered pulling the measure as serious questions were raised about whether enough Democrats were there to reach the two-thirds majority. But the voice vote appears to have been a way to avoid a potentially failed vote on a bill that both GOP and Democratic leaders said must pass

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/votes/201932-house-approves-doc-fix-in-voice-vote#ixzz2xBqZiTge

The posturing by BOTH parties and the voice vote is a sham

GOP gripes about 'bull----' vote

03/27/14

Angry House conservatives denounced the Republican leadership for abruptly ramming through a fix to Medicare doctor payments on Thursday without a full roll call vote.
“Outrageous,” Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) told The Hill after complaining about the maneuver to a colleague. “I think it’s outrageous.”

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House Republican leaders had planned to bring up the “doc fix” under a procedure requiring a two-thirds majority to pass, but after a series of closed-door meetings on Thursday morning, they determined they didn’t have the votes to meet that threshold and didn’t want to stay in session long enough to set up a simple majority vote.So with just a few members on the House floor before a scheduled vote on an unrelated Ukraine measure, Republicans brought up the Medicare bill by voice vote. When no one in the chamber objected, the measure passed.
“Bullshit,” said a visibly annoyed Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) as he emerged from the floor following the Ukraine vote. When Mulvaney was asked to comment about the upcoming GOP budget, he replied: “I can’t talk about the budget because I’m so pissed about the [doc fix].”

The measure is an annual delay to the sustainable growth rate formula that this time would prevent a 24 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement payments to doctors set to begin at month’s end. The change is broadly supported by Republicans and Democrats most years, but it drew opposition from the American Medical Association, which has pushed for a long-term solution to the problem instead of annual patches. House and Senate leaders have agreed on a resolution to repeal the formula, but they can’t agree on how to pay for the $180 billion cost over a decade, necessitating the stopgap measure.
Rep. John Fleming (R-La.), a member of the “Doctor’s Caucus” that opposed the bill, said he didn’t like the maneuver but did not object because, he said, the alternative of payment cuts to doctors was worse.
“This would affect millions of seniors across the country in a very negative way,” he said.
“I didn’t like the way we did that,” Fleming added. “They gave us a choice between something bad and something worse.”

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/201950-gop-gripes-about-bull-vote#ixzz2xBrGNV3c

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

House Sets Limits on U.S. Military Involvement in Syria

On voice votes, House Sets limits on U.S. Military Involvement in Syria

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/07/24/5026692/on-voice-votes-house-sets-limits.html#storylink=cpy

By William Douglas and Hannah Allam

McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — With little argument, the House of Representatives approved measures Wednesday that would prevent the Obama administration from spending money on U.S. military operations in Syria without consulting Congress and would forbid funding U.S. military or paramilitary operations in Egypt.
The measures, part of the House’s $598 billion defense bill, were supposed to be contentious issues exposing bipartisan rifts between interventionists who want to give Obama a free hand in dealing with the civil war in Syria and unrest in Egypt and war-weary lawmakers concerned that U.S. troops will be dragged into more military actions.
But both amendments were approved on voice votes with only scant dissent.
On Syria, lawmakers passed an amendment by Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla., that would forbid any military action in Syria if it violates the War Powers Resolution – which requires the president to consult Congress before committing U.S. forces to battle or placing them in situations where hostilities are imminent.
The Radel amendment does not address the contentious issue of providing weapons to the Syrian rebels, whose campaign to topple President Bashar Assad is made up of as many as 1,200 largely independent groups, including some that are openly affiliated with al Qaida. Congressional intelligence committees recently signed off on an Obama administration proposal to have the CIA funnel unspecified arms and training to rebels aligned with the moderate Supreme Military Council, led by a defected Syrian general, Salim Idriss.

But the wording of the amendment would apply to setting up a no-fly zone or using U.S. ships to launch attacks on sites in Syria, and the debate showed that deeper military involvement in Syria is opposed by an unusual House coalition of conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats.
“I believe without a shadow of a doubt this is one of the most insane policies that borders on madness – the United States to give funding, training and arms most likely to al Qaida in Syria doesn’t make any sense,” said Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. “This is absolute madness.”
Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., agreed, calling the situation in Syria “chaotic.”
“Distinguishing between the good rebels and the bad rebels is impossible,” Welch said on the House floor. “The notion that we can have a micromanaged approach and pick the good guys, and arm them, and not have any reasonable . . . expectation that the arms will get into bad hands I think is naive.”
Welch added that Congress has the responsibility to weigh in before U.S. troops are sent into harm’s way.
“We have a job to do under the Constitution,” he said.
The Obama administration last month notified Congress under the War Powers Resolution that a detachment of 700 U.S. troops who’d been participating in war games in Jordan would remain in that country “until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed.” The detachment includes Patriot anti-missile systems and fighter aircraft, the White House notification said.