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Senate passes $555-billion spending bill
Submitted by matt on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 9:34am.The measure includes $70 billion in war funding but no timeline for leaving Iraq after Democratic leaders relent to the administration.
The latest $70 billion in war funding was incorporated into a $555-billion omnibus spending bill that will fund most of the federal government next year.
"In the end, we had very little leverage to do anything," Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said as the once-heated war debate closed with little suspense and no drama.
Fuel efficiency and the American driver
Submitted by matt on Sat, 12/01/2007 - 1:53pm.Congress is poised to finally make cars get better gas mileage. Consumers can expect to pay more for their vehicles but save on their gas bills.
More hybrids. More diesels. Smaller engines and fancier technology. And an initial sticker price increase that could total a couple thousand dollars.
Those are the likely outcomes now that Congress has decided to increase the national fuel efficiency standards to 35 miles a gallon by 2020, from the current average of 25.
House, Senate pass war funding bill
Submitted by matt on Fri, 05/25/2007 - 2:47pm.Congress sent a $120 billion war spending bill to the White House late Thursday, abandoning a call for most U.S. troops to leave Iraq after an earlier veto by President Bush.
The bill replaces the earlier goal of withdrawing U.S. combat troops by March 2008 with a series of political benchmarks for Iraqi leaders to meet in order to receive continued American support.
But the move sharply split the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, where 140 members -- including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- voted against the plan.
Digital 'Fair Use' Bill Introduced In Congress
Submitted by admin on Wed, 02/28/2007 - 3:20pm.The lawmakers seek to amend the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which content-makers, such as movie studios and record labels, fought to pass to protect their wares from getting stolen and pirated.
OpenCongress brings together official government data with news and blog coverage to give you the real story behind each bill.
Submitted by admin on Wed, 02/28/2007 - 1:01pm.OpenCongress brings together official government information with news and blog coverage to give you the real story behind what's happening in Congress.
For most people, finding out what's really happening in Congress is a daunting and time-consuming task. The legislative process is frequently arcane and closed-off from the public, resulting in frustration with Congress and apathy about politics.
