Month: July 2013
Cooperation in Congress is a goal worth seeking
Members of Congress know how to disagree. So it is refreshing to see dozens of them come together to find ways to agree for the benefit of the nation. It is especially gratifying to see two local House members, Chris Gibson, the Republican from Kinderhook, and Sean Patrick Maloney, the Democrat from Cold Spring, in …
Reps. Reid Ribble (R-WI) and Jim Cooper (D-TN) talk about No Labels on NPR’s “Tell Me More”
Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI) and Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) discuss the No Labels Problem Solvers coalition and the Make Government Work! legislative package on NPR’s “Tell Me More” with host Michel Martin. Listen to the segment here:
No Label group in D.C. follows ‘a mandate to work together’
When George W. Bush won reelection in 2004, and Republicans maintained majorities in both the House and Senate, he decided to push Social Security reform. When Democrats won big in 2006, it was common to hear folks say, “The Republicans misread their mandate by pushing Social Security.” When Barack Obama won election in 2008, and …
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Imagine this: Ground for compromise
Here are words I don’t often get to type: There is good news from Washington. On Thursday, about 70 members of Congress braved brutal heat to stand in the shadow of the Capitol and pledge their allegiance to work together amid a climate of hyperpartisanship. They gathered under the banner of No Labels, a nonpartisan …
Vt.’s US Rep. says vets need better health records
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Peter Welch said Monday he is co-sponsoring a bill that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department to find a better way to share health information so veterans can have better access to their military health records. Delays in accessing the records can sometimes cause …
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Working together to help veterans get benefits
In January 2010, the nation of Haiti was ripped apart by a catastrophic earthquake. We were strangers at the time, arriving from different states and backgrounds — one of us an emergency room doctor from Southern California and the other a U.S. Army colonel from New York — to provide relief to the people of …
A Gang of 81 Surprises Washington
On the hottest week in Washington, Hell froze over. Just as things seem to be at their very worst in Washington, a funny thing is happening. Bipartisanship is breaking out. Just in the last week, we saw Congress come together to avoid the nuclear option on the filibuster, cut a deal on student-loan rates, and …
Lawmakers rally to push bipartisan bills
Scanning the crowd Thursday outside the U.S. Capitol, Rep. Tim Griffin saw lawmakers he’d faced in legislative skirmishes over health care, immigration and dozens of other topics where the gulf between Republicans and Democrats in Washington is deep and wide. But Griffin, a Republican from Arkansas, and 78 other representatives and senators hadn’t gathered together …
