In June 2013, the House of Representatives passed their version of a Department of Homeland Security funding bill. The House prioritizes border security and locking up immigrants at the expense of emergency preparedness and the TSA. Details and much more in this episode... Links to Information in This Episode H.R. 2217: The House version of the Department of Homeland Security funding bill (has not been signed into law) Committee Report for H.R. 2217: The explanation for funding levels, which is ...
Sep 07, 2013•40 min•Ep. 42
While the U.S. Congress remained on vacation, British Parliament was called back to debate a pending attack on Syria. We also look at some facts about Syria that suggest we might be getting into a Shock Doctrine type of situation. Links to Information in This Episode Intro Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Song: Blood is Thicker Than Oil by The Undercover Hippy (found on Music Alley by mevio) Buy The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein (Amazon) Episode CD0...
Aug 30, 2013•41 min•Ep. 41
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) did not exist before September 11, 2001. In this episode, we look back at the bills that created these new government agencies. Links to Information in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Music: Homeland Security Blues by Spartacus Jones (found on Music Alley by mevio) The Department of Homeland Security was created by the Homeland...
Aug 26, 2013•44 min•Ep. 40
On July 19, 2003, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would largely eliminate the Federal government's role in K-12 education and expand the number of charter schools in the United States. H.R. 5: Student Success Act's stated purpose is to undo a portion of the 2009 stimulus bill (the American Recovery and Re-Investment Act) called Race to the Top, along with a program that Race to the Top helped enact in most of the United States. Common Core Race to the Top was a $4.35 billion cont...
Aug 18, 2013•32 min•Ep. 39
In this episode, we catch up on most of the bills that passed the House during the last two weeks of August. A lot of bills were passed; very few have a prayer of becoming law. Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) S. 622: The Animal Drug Bill Is now law Covered in detail in the second half of episode CD030 Continues a system designed to expedite the approval of anti-biotics for animals Caps revenues from application fees paid by pharmaceu...
Aug 09, 2013•32 min•Ep. 38
Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan tried to attach an amendment to the Department of Defense funding bill for 2014 which would have limited the government's authority to collect our telephone records. The amendment failed but not by much; the episode highlights the debate. Links to Information in This Episode Text of the Amash Amendment At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following new section: Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to execute a Fore...
Jul 26, 2013•32 min•Ep. 37
During the week of July 10-11, the House of Representatives passed a funding bill for agriculture programs which had only been available to read for 20 hours. In this episode, we take a closer look at what was in that surprise bill. Links to Information in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Text of H.R. 1947: The original Farm Bill which failed to pass the House in mid-June Status of H.R. 2642: The Factory Farm Bill, which ...
Jul 20, 2013•32 min•Ep. 36
Most of this episode is dedicated to the Energy & Water funding bill that passed the House of Representatives; however, the House also pulled a fast one this week, passing a 608-page agriculture bill that was available for public-reading for less than one day. Links to Information in This Episode Intro Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Music: After the Flood by William Brooks David Seaman's Indiegogo fundraiser for Rise, his new morning news show...
Jul 13, 2013•40 min•Ep. 35
Before taking a week off for July 4th, the House passed a bill forcing the Obama administration to sell offshore leases to the oil and gas industry. Links to Information from this Episode Music: "At the Beach" by Andrew Dean & The Farm Machine (found on Music Alley by mevio) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 2231: "Offshore Energy and Jobs Act" Text and status of H.R. 2231 President Obama put a moratorium on offshore drilling after the Deepwater Horizon spill Document detailing the areas wi...
Jul 07, 2013•31 min•Ep. 34
In this episode, the House of Representatives tries to approve ultra-deepwater drilling in the "Western Gap": The middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Links to Information in This Episode Song: The Oil Spill song by Steve Clark Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1613: The Outer Continental Shelf Transboundary Hydrocarbon Agreements Authorization Act Text of H.R. 1613 Jamie Dupree: The guy who told me that the NDAA is not a funding bill How ultra-deepwater drilling is done The Bubba shrimp scene from Fo...
Jun 29, 2013•29 min•Ep. 33
In this episode, the House schedule has Jen frustrated, the House Farm Bill unexpectedly dies, and the House passes an abortion bill. Links to Information in This Episode Govtrack: text and other information about H.R. 1947, the failed House Farm Bill Congress wants to get rid of direct payments to farmers. NPR: Why the Farm Bill's Provisions Will Matter to You Comparison of House and Senate farm bills Government statistics for SNAP (food stamp) program Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1797, t...
Jun 21, 2013•32 min•Ep. 32
In this episode, we take a look at the first draft of the 2014 Department of Defense funding bill and see what it tells us about the United States future in war. We also look at three bills the House passed for Wall Street. Links to Information in this Episode Music: I Disagree by 20 Riverside (found on Music Alley by mevio) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1960: The House 2014 NDAA Text of H.R. 1960 House Armed Services Committee report on H.R. 1960 Army plans for Abrams tanks Why the F-35 fi...
Jun 15, 2013•36 min•Ep. 31
In this episode, a look at the House's 2014 military construction and veterans funding bill's first-draft and then examine whether it's wise to continue a system that fast-tracks applications for animal anti-biotics. Links to Information in this Episode Music: "In Your Name" by The Undercover Hippy (found on MusicAlley by mevio) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 2216: Funding for military construction and the Department of Veteran's Affairs Text of H.R. 2216 Transcript of President Obama's May ...
Jun 08, 2013•45 min•Ep. 30
The House passed H.R. 3, a bill waiving permit requirements for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and passed H.R. 1911, a bill that could raise interest rates for college students while tying their rates to the market. Links to Information in this Episode: Music: We've Got Balls by Robin and the Giant (downloaded from Music Alley) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 3, the Keystone XL bill. James Hansen's warning about Keystone XL's effect on the climate. Refineries in Texas are hunting for busi...
May 24, 2013•40 min•Ep. 29
In this episode, highlights from the House Ways and Means Committee IRS scandal hearing. IRS staffers made a list of keywords including Tea Party, 9-12, Patriot, etc. to help them find social welfare groups applying for tax exempt status that were actually political in nature. This is the scandal you've been told about; the real scandal is how many of them have been approved. Background How IRS "streamlining" in the 1990s led to mismanagement In January of 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in the in...
May 18, 2013•31 min•Ep. 28
After a health care rant, we look at H.R. 1406, a bill that would have allowed workers to get vacation time instead of cash for their overtime. It's a bill I'd actually like to see survive. Links to Information in this Episode Previous episode CD026 about H.R. 1549 Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1549 "Help Sick Americans Now Act" Music: Overtime by Man Born Blind Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1406 "Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013" Status and text of H.R. 1406 Music: Playing Gam...
May 10, 2013•32 min•Ep. 27
The House worked on two bills this week. H.R. 527, which changes the way we sell helium, passed in a beautifully bipartisan way. H.R. 1549, which dismantles a piece of ObamaCare, died a uniquely Republican death. Links to Information in this Episode Music: All Hail to the Market by Alun Parry (found on Music Alley by mevio) Text of H.R. 527: Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act Natural Resources Committee hearing on H.R. 527, an example of government functioning properly. Music:...
Apr 27, 2013•28 min•Ep. 26
H.R. 624: The "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act", better known as CISPA, passed the House of Representatives and is now moving into the Senate. It's a better bill than it was in the last Congress, but it's still not ready to become law. Links to information in this podcast Music: Democracy is Dangerous by Thomas Pace (found on Music Alley by mevio) Text of H.R. 624: CISPA as it passed the House of Representatives Congressional Dish summary of CISPA White House veto threat Representa...
Apr 25, 2013•31 min•Ep. 25
In the hours before the Boston marathon bombing, President Obama quietly signed a bill gutting the STOCK Act. Full details on the shady way both houses of Congress passed the bill in under two days. Executive Producer: Anonymous Please Support Congressional Dish Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $Congre...
Apr 21, 2013•26 min•Ep. 24
This episode is dedicated to my family, friends, and neighbors in Boston.
Apr 17, 2013•26 min•Ep. 23
The House passed two bills this week designed to prevent regulation enforcement; one prevents environmental reviews on certain hydro-power projects, the other prevents the National Labor Relations Board from functioning at all. A small conduit hydroelectic project[/caption] Links to Information in this Podcast Song: We've Got Balls by Robin and the Giant (downloaded from Music Alley) Text of the bill: H.R. 678: "The Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act" C...
Apr 12, 2013•34 min•Ep. 22
Part 3 of the continuing resolution followed by a history of Trailblazer and ThinThread, the NSA's spying programs. *Forward to 28:20 to hear the Trailblazer vs. Thinthread (NSA spying) story* Executive Producer: Kevin H.R. 933: Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013 B= Billion M= Million DIVISION E: VETERANS Title I—Department of Defense Construction (TOTAL: $10.6 B) $1.7 B: Army construction available until 2017 for "acquisition, construction, installation, and equipmen...
Apr 07, 2013•52 min•Ep. 21
Part 2 of the Continuing Resolution which funds the government until September 30th. In this section, we look at the funding for the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security. H.R. 933: Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013 B= Billion M= Million DIVISION C: DEFENSE DEPARTMENT (TOTAL FUNDING: $597,086,714,000) Title I—Military Personnel $127.5 B: Total funding Title II—Operation and Maintenance $173 B: Total funding Title III—Procurement $100 B: Total fun...
Mar 29, 2013•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 20
Part 1 of a two part series on the continuing resolution that will fund the government until the end of September. In this episode, we examine the funding for the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, and science related appropriations. H.R. 933: Consolidated and Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013 B = billion M = million DIVISION A: AGRICULTURE, FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION Totals Grand total of division: 139 B for 2013 ($137 B in 2012) ($144 B requested)...
Mar 23, 2013•53 min•Ep. 19
Low-lights of the Ryan budget are described after we run down the bills passed by the House this week. We also look into an eighteen-year emergency continued this week by President Obama. H.R. 749: Eliminate Privacy Confusion Act The banks currently have to send out a notice regarding their privacy policies every year. This bill would change the law so the banks only have to send the privacy notices out when they change their privacy policies. The privacy policies will be posted online. HR 890: ...
Mar 16, 2013•52 min•Ep. 18
We take a close look at the Violence Against Women Act re-authorization as the President signs it into law. We also look at the continuing resolution passed by the House, which funds defense while leaving the rest of the government in chaos. S. 47: Violence Against Women Re-Authorization Act of 2013... Was signed by the President! This one is law. President Obama signs VAWA on March 7, 2013 Definition Changes Adds stalking and date rape to the list of offenses. Includes cyber stalking in the def...
Mar 09, 2013•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 17
No one really tried to avert the sequester, the House of Representatives travels in style, and something good actually happened this week in Congress. Sequester Here is a rundown of what kind of effort each division of Congress put forth to try to avert the sequester. Senate Democrats offered S. 388: The American Family Economic Protection Act of 2013 Freezes the sequester, keeping the budget the same for 2013. Lowers the spending caps from the Budget Control Act, totaling $39 billion in future ...
Mar 01, 2013•33 min•Ep. 16
House Republicans tried hard during their week off to label the huge March 1 cuts as "the President's sequester", but was President Obama really the cause? We go back to August 1, 2011, the day sequester was born, to see who was celebrating the cuts and how they passed the House. August 1, 2011: The House of Representatives passed the Budget Control Act. The Budget Control Act: Raised the debt ceiling for 18 months, allowing the United States to pay its bills until the fiscal cliff crisis in Jan...
Feb 23, 2013•39 min•Ep. 15
Hydropower and veterans get some love from the House this week, while churches get taxpayer money and Federal workers get screwed… again. H.R. 267: Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act * Fast Tracks licensing for hydro-power generation on existing dams. * Passed with 0 No votes. * Only 3% of the 80,000 dams in the U.S. currently generate electricity H.R. 235: Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act Federal grants will be awarded to States to streamline State requirements and procedures ...
Feb 16, 2013•34 min•Ep. 14
The House passes a surveillance bill masked as pediatric research and then wastes our time. Also, highlights from the leaked legal justification for the Obama Administration's "lawful" drone bombing of American citizens. H.R. 225: National Pediatric Research Network Act of 2013 Introduced by Democrat Lois Capps of Northern California. The bill says the Director of the National Institutes of Health (a gov't agency) can create a network of up to 20 groups of public or private non-profits to work t...
Feb 08, 2013•34 min•Ep. 13
