WASHINGTON — It’s now up to the Senate to pass a huge $1.1 trillion spending bill to keep the government running, but not before a battle between old school veterans and new breed freshmen such as tea partier Ted Cruz and Elizabeth Warren, a liberal with a national following. The smart money’s on old school […]
Congress
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Group addresses runaway federal government
LEWISTON — Michael Farris doesn’t mince words on the matter: The United States is on the road to tyranny and there are few options left to rein it in. The federal government is out of control, Farris said, spending with abandon, regulating us into oblivion and generally trampling the U.S. Constitution by knowingly misinterpreting the […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Congress considers $1.1 trillion spending bill
WASHINGTON — A huge, $1.1 trillion spending bill funding every corner of government faces its first test in the House, where conservatives are unhappy because it fails to challenge President Barack Obama’s immigration policy and many Democrats are displeased because it weakens the 2010 Dodd-Frank regulation of risky financial instruments. Another provision drawing fire would […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Rich Lowry: Republicans should make the most of their opportunity
2008 feels long ago. A Democratic Party that rode the Obama wave to historic congressional majorities is now saddled with a president who was the hot new thing six years ago. Its agenda tends to be picayune or pointless, and its new generation of leadership is the same as the old generation of leadership. As […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
‘My person’s not the problem’: Despite distaste for Congress, Mainers keep re-electing incumbents
PORTLAND — Public approval ratings for Congress nationwide have plummeted to a point where, in some places, even seemingly entrenched incumbents, such as Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, were overthrown. But in Maine, the seemingly widespread disapproval of Congress hasn’t tarnished voters’ opinions of the people they send to represent the state […]
Posted inLetters
J. Neville: Logic doesn’t work there
In a television interview, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that President Obama tried to use logic to convince Congress of his policies. Panetta said logic doesn’t work in Washington; you have to go after them. What he basically is saying is that members of Congress are too stupid to understand logic, but I […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Former Maine lawmakers vying for a seat in Augusta
AUGUSTA — After a nearly five-decade career in the Maine Legislature that ended in a shocking defeat two years ago, it would seem that John Martin would be ready to enjoy some peace and quiet. But this year, the 73-year-old Democrat from Eagle Lake, who served an unprecedented 10 terms as House speaker, is among […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine 2nd Congressional Race: Poliquin asks Richardson to drop out
AUGUSTA — Republican Bruce Poliquin wants independent candidate Blaine Richardson to get out of the race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat. The Kennebec Journal reports that Poliquin called Richardson on Thursday night, asking him to drop out of the race. Richardson says that Poliquin believes that the independent will be to blame if Democrat […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage blasts Congress for holding up transportation funds
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is urging Congress to act to prevent a looming shortfall in federal highway dollars that would devastate Maine’s roads budget. In a letter to Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud, who’s on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, LePage warns that Maine faces a roughly 70 percent cut in highway reimbursements […]
Posted inLetters
M. Jalbert: Unrelenting obstructionism
House Speaker John Boehner’s recent declaration about “suing the president” is probably the single most absurd utterance I have ever heard. Just when I think that all has been said, someone comes out and spews even more ridiculous rhetoric. It seems to me that, given what Boehner is saying (that the president isn’t complying with […]