Greg Corombos of Radio America and Daniel Foster of National Review Online applaud the House Republicans for their well-informed and pointed questioning of Energy Secretary Steven Chu over the Solyndra debacle. They also cringe as Mitt Romney offers another vigorous defense of the health care mandate he signed in Massachusetts. And they explain why the super committee is a failure no matter what happens.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigned recently after a no-confidence vote by lawmakers. Italy is currently on the brink of a major financial crisis, but the Capitol Steps see his legacy as something far different.
On Friday, the House of Representatives failed to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment by a two-thirds majority. Why do Republicans see this as vital if our debt is ever to be controlled? What argument did Democrats offer in response? Where does the fight go from here? Should the public have any confidence that Congress can fix the debt mess when the super committee can’t even figure out to slow down the increase in spending? We discuss it all with Minnesota Rep. Eric Paulsen.
On Thursday, Energy Secretary Steven Chu testified about the failure of solar-panel maker Solyndra. Chu says the loan guarantee program had rigorous oversight, that no one above him was calling the shots and that American taxpayers will not recover most of the $535 million that the government sent to Solyndra before it went bankrupt. So how satisfied are Republicans with those answers? Why do they think it goes well beyond Sec. Chu? And where does the investigation go from here? We discuss it all with Georgia Rep. Phil Gingrey, a member of the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations who questioned Sec. Chu.
On Friday, the House of Representatives will vote on a proposed Balanced Budget Amendment. The bill is identical to the one that nearly cleared Congress in 1995. It simply says expenditures must not exceed revenues. Is short and sweet the best approach? How has this strategy fared at the state level? We ask Florida Rep. Daniel Webster, who also explains why he does not want to attach special rules to the amendment that would limit spending to a percentage of GDP and require a super-majority to enact tax increases.
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Daniel Foster of National Review Online are encouraged by a poll showing Mitt Romney handily defeating President Obama in New Hampshire. They also groan over the national debt hitting $15 trillion and almost no one in Washington suggesting serious change. And they cheer New York Rep. Peter King for his blunt assessment of the Occupy protesters.
Government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are once again asking for billions in taxpayer bailouts – and they’re going to get it. How did President Obama arrange for these agencies to get unlimited bailouts through 2012? What would happen if they didn’t get the money? Can Congress do anything to stop the bailouts or even slow them down? We discuss it all with Louisiana Sen. David Vitter. Sen. Vitter also explains why he is deeply disappointed in President Obama’s plan for very limited energy exploration through 2017 and in the president’s delay in bringing Canada’s Keystone Pipeline to the U.S.
Members of Congress will look for many more answers into the financial implosion of Solyndra when Energy Secretary Steven Chu testifies on Thursday. What does Secretary Chu need to clarify? Was this just an investment that happened to go bad? Has there been any explanation to date for how taxpayers dollars go put on the back burner once Solyndra collapsed? We ask Virginia Rep. Morgan Griffith, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which will hear from Chu on Thursday.
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Daniel Foster of National Review Online cheer a new Democratic poll showing the Occupy protesters are sinking in popularity. They also explain why Newt Gingrich should not be the GOP nominee. And they wonder why Obama claiming that Hawaii in Asia doesn’t draw the same kind of ridicule as missteps by GOP presidential candidates.
On Monday, the Supreme Court announced it would hear oral arguments on several aspects of the new health care laws early next year. Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert says the individual mandate for everyone to purchase health insurance is unconstitutional. he says if the mandate is upheld, the government will soon be able to dictate what we eat, how much we eat and how much we must exercise. He reacts to the argument that the case shouldn’t be heard until someone is impacted by the mandate and he explains why Justice Elena Kagan should recuse herself from this case and may even warrant removal from the Court.
