Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston says he is opposed to Democratic calls for higher spending in order to provide more security for members of Congress back in their districts. Why does he say more money is unnecessary and wouldn’t make anyone safer? What precautions are already available for members? We discuss all of this and more with Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty applaud Sarah Palin’s response to the left-wing media assigning her blame for the Tucson shootings. We also criticize Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for trying to turn the tragedy into a fundraising tool. And we’re a little puzzled over President Obama calling France our strongest ally.
Republicans now control the House of Representatives and will likely pass most of their agenda. But what will happen in the Senate? Will Republican initiatives like repealing the health care laws even get to the Senate floor? Can Republicans do anything to free up U.S. waters for energy exploration? And how fierce will the fight be to roll back government regulations on the environment that have been imposed by the Obama administration? We ask Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, who will also tell us what his personal legislative priorities are in the new session.
Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty are encouraged by new polls showing the American people are not falling for the argument that tough political speech is responsible for the mass shootings in Arizona. They also lament the latest push for more gun control and even speech control in the wake of the tragedy. And they observe an important milestone.
Even before the horrific shootings in Arizona on Saturday, new House Administration Committee Chairman Dan Lungren was planning to conduct a thorough review of Congressional security procedures. So what changes might come and what how will such decisions be made? How does Lungren characterize his meetings with Rep. Giffords? And how does he react to suggestions that rhetoric from Tea Party activists and conservative radio hosts may have played an indirect role in sparking the kind of violence we saw in Tucson? We ask Rep. Lungren.
Pete Hegseth served with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Iraq in 2005 and 2006 and was awarded the bronze star. For the past few years, he has led and been chief spokesman at Vets for Freedom. Now, Hegseth is returning to active duty for the Army in Afghanistan. What prompted him to return to combat? How optimistic or pessimistic is he about the mission in Afghanistan? What does he want to see from the Obama administration as we get closer to the July deadline to begin removing U.S. troops? And what areas of the war does he see as reason to praise the Obama strategy? We ask U.S. Army Captain Pete Hegseth.
Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty commend most Republicans and Democrats for their handling of the Tucson shooting and for resolving not to let one deranged killer change how they do their jobs. However, they also criticize Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik for injecting politics and speculation into his investigation of six murder, and they slam many commentators on the Left for seeming to conspire to blame Sarah Palin for inciting this act of violence.
The job numbers from December show a drop in the unemployment rate to 9.4 percent and an addition of 113,000 new private sector jobs. But the growth numbers are still less than expected. So what are the keys to unleash job growth? What must Washington stop doing and what policies need to be pursued? How would repealing the health care laws make a big difference? How serious are Republicans about slashing spending? Where do they specifically want to cut? We discuss all of this with Texas Rep. Kevin Brady, vice chairman of the Joint Economic Committee and sponsor of the CUTS Act to reduce government spending.
As Republicans take over the House of Representatives with promises of transparency and openness, Maryland Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen says the GOP is not practicing what they preach. What new rules does he say show an even greater level of partisanship and behind-closed-doors decision-making? How does this fit into the debate over repealing the new health care laws? How does he respond to Republican explanations for not using numbers besides the ones generated by the Congressional Budget Office? We discuss it all with Rep. Van Hollen.
The Capitol Steps welcome in the new Congress and the renewed debate over the new health care laws. As House Republicans get ready to repeal the laws, the Capitol Steps look back to the summer of 2009, when opposition hit a fevered pitch. Our guest is Steps star Elaina Newport.
