President Obama wants a six-month moratorium on pending and future offshore drilling leases. And he wants a lot more oversight of drilling practices. But Arizona Rep. John Shadegg wants to know why the failure of the government to provide proper oversight is being rewarded by an even bigger bureaucracy. Listen here as Rep. Shadegg discusses the Obama approach to the oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico and how he’s using it to push his unrelated climate change agenda.
Congressional Democrats are working to merge House and Senate versions of financial reform legislation. What does the bill accomplish? What does it fail to do? And why are small business owners the biggest losers in this legislation? We ask Kansas Rep. Lynn Jenkins, a member of the House Financial Services Committee.
On Thursday, President Obama ordered a six-month moratorium on any new offshore drilling leases. He also used the oil mess in the Gulf of Mexico to push for climate change legislation. Will the moratorium ever be lifted? What does Obama really think about drilling and our current energy system? Is he any more receptive to land-based exploration for oil and natural gas? What would Democratic energy legislation actually do? We ask Chris Horner, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and author of “Power Grab”. He also updates CEI’s lawsuit against NASA to force the space agency to divulge the data that supposedly backs the case of significant man-made climate change.
House Republicans are asking for your input on the issues facing Congress right now and what the Congressional agenda ought to be in the months ahead. So what is this new program all about? Is this a new version of the Contract with America? Why should voters believe a Republican majority would be different than the one that lost power four years ago? And why is the Greek debt crisis a stark wake-up call for the U.S.? We ask Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is also vice-chair of the House Republican Conference.
President Obama is taking heat from all sides as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues. How much political damage could this cause the President? What impact will we see from his decision to send 1,200 National Guard troops to our southern border? Will Rep. Joe Sestak end up in big trouble for not divulging who offered him a government job in order to withdraw from the Pennsylvania senate race? And how encouraged should Republicans be with their unlikely win in a special Congressional election of in Hawaii? We get answers from John Gizzi of Human Events.
President Obama and Congressional Democrats are fast-tracking their efforts to repeal the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy for enforcing the ban on homosexuals serving in the U.S. military. Why is this happening so quickly just weeks after the Pentagon promised a lengthy review? What would be the impact of openly gay service members on recruiting, retention and performance? And are there enough votes to change the current laws? We ask retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis, who worked as an adviser to a key member of the 1993 commission that adopted Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
The Arizona immigration laws are still sparking controversy along the border and here in Washington. Now President Obama is ordering 1,200 National Guard troops to the border to enhance enforcement. But is Obama serious about border security? What reality do border patrol agents encounter every day when it comes to illegals coming to the U.S. on government-owned land? We ask Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, who also offers his thoughts on the new laws in Arizona.
The Obama administration says it is responding to the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico at an unprecedented level in terms of personnel and resources. But Gov. Jindal and others say the feds have been far too slow in providing help. So who is right? What else could the government be doing? Why is President Obama’s reaction typical and tiresome? How is the spill impacting people miles away from the Louisiana coast? We ask Louisiana Rep. John Fleming, who also updates his effort to deny funding to the president’s new health care program. Rep. Fleming is also a practicing physician.
President Obama says he will pursue whatever suggestions are issued by the bipartisan commission on fiscal responsibility. But who is on this commission and what ideas are they likely to advocate? Will there be substantial spending cuts proposed or will the commission try to balance the books through tax increases? In what form would those taxes come? And how long can the government sustain record-low income for Americans coming from the private sector while income from the government is at an all-time high? We ask Betsy McCaughey, for lieutenant governor of New York.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is frustrated with the lackluster federal response to the massive oil flow off the coast of his state. Obama officials repeat the mantra of BP is to blame. Tensions heighten in North Korea, and Senate Republicans say they may push for a delay into the Elena Kagan confirmation hearings.
