Congress

Louie Palu gives a photojournalist's perspective on the controversial NY Post cover photo and Lorelei Kelly explains how budget cuts in the 90s gave us the partisan Congress we have now. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Yesterday, the Senate voted down an amendment that would have gotten rid of the mechanism that allows states to eliminate asset tests for SNAP.  Nearly forty states have lifted their asset tests for most applicants to the program through the challenged policy, known as broad-based categorical eligibility (BBCE). It’s not a big surprise that the amendment failed; a similar proposal was defeated in the Senate last year. However, in light of the vote, it’s worth taking a moment to recognize many of the ways in which this policy has played a positive role, both in helping families access the benefits they qualify for and in easing administrative burdens at a time when state budgets are in crisis. Despite frequent statements to the contrary, BBCE has actually increased state flexibility and allowed for greater efficiency and associated cost savings.

Yesterday, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing about the Farm Bill that focused on some of the proposed reforms to SNAP. Notably, none of the panelists or representatives in attendance really had anything negative to say about the program. It was widely agreed that SNAP has lifted millions of Americans out of poverty, has provided a much-needed boost to the economy, and is one of the most efficient social welfare programs. Nearly 95% of federal SNAP funding goes directly to the benefits that allow families to purchase food; 93% of the benefits go to households with incomes below the poverty line; and fraud and abuse are minimal. So this all begs the question: what’s really driving the proposed SNAP cuts?

When Congress nearly failed to continue funding the government recently, one of the provisions in the spending bill that they couldn't agree on was an obscure bit of legislation related to the almost 50-year-old embargo of Cuba.

The provision -- which was eventually dropped -- would have reinstated a Bush administration policy that restricted Cuban Americans to visiting family in Cuba only once every three years, and then only to immediate family and with no humanitarian exceptions -- even for deathbed and funeral visits.

Among Republican presidential candidates, it's been demagoguery as usual. Why have a substantive debate when you can exchange inflammatory sound bites instead, especially on immigration?

But something surprising happened last week far from the campaign trail — on Capitol Hill, of all places. Just when we thought Congress would never act to address the nation's broken immigration system, members of the House made a critical breakthrough, voting overwhelmingly to approve a fix that will make American companies more competitive and the immigration system fairer and more welcoming.

Official Washington is now in the grip of an unprecedented bipartisan consensus. For all their other differences, leaders of both parties agree that Medicare, the nation’s primary means of providing health insurance for the elderly, is unsustainable and must be cut.

The United States of America was forged in resistance to collective reprisals—the punishment of many for the acts of few. In 1774, following the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passed a series of laws—including the mandated closure of the port of Boston—meant to penalize the people of Massachusetts. These abuses of power, labeled the "Intolerable Acts," catalyzed the American Revolution by making plain the oppression of the British crown.

Paul Misener, the vice president for global public policy at Amazon.com, appeared before members of Congress Wednesday to urge it to pass a proposed bill that would require online retailers — including Amazon itself — to collect state sales tax on the goods they sell through their websites.

“Congress should help address the states’ budget shortfalls without spending federal funds, by authorizing the states to require collection of the billions of revenue dollars already owed,” Misener said.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the Republican chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and when it comes to matters Israeli-Palestinian she tends not to mince her words. Here is but one choice example: "It's time for us to kick the PLO out of the U.S. once and for all, and move our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, where it belongs."

Six months ago, 42-year-old Michelle thought her life was finally turning around. She had conquered her addiction and been sober for four years. She was paying off old college debt. Her daughter and grandson were staying with her and, despite battling dyslexia, she had been on her job as an administrative assistant for three years, a job she just knew would help her get to the next level of her career.

"The job was starting to open up doors for me," said the District of Columbia resident. "I felt like it was an opportunity to turn my life around. I was feeling really positive."