Congress in Session: Bill #1

The following is a breakdown of the Open Session of Congress, May 5, 2011.

1) Rep. Jamie Kang (R-NY) proposed a bill entitled "Department of Energy Research Funding for Alternative Energy Sources." The majority opinion of the HEW committee is that the search for alternative energy is crucial to our nation's future success. There was no minority opinion.

Rep. Kottapalli (D-CA) wanted to know what particular alternative technologies would be researched. In response, Rep. Kang (R-NY) responded with a couple of examples, such as clean coal and other alternatives. She also explained that about $10 billion would be allocated to this investigation over the course of 5 years. In addition to researching, the progress would be reviewed on a yearly basis.

Bill passed 11-0-1. President Normandin signed the bill.

Congresspeople Endorsed by the AFL-CIO

In the interest of keeping our government as transparent as possible, WNN is keeping the public informed about all negotiations between members of Congress and lobbyist groups.

Of those contacted, only a representative from the AFL-CIO, Tim Chang, responded. Below are the congressmen and -women he is financially supporting:

Jamie Kang (R-NY)

Anjaney Kottapalli (D-CA)

Omid Aryan (D-MN)

Almas Abdulla (D-MN)

Paul Hlebowitsh (R-MN)

Leonid Grinberg (D-MA)

WNN looks forward to hearing from the rest of the lobbyists and hopes to give the American people a complete list as soon as possible.

Press Release: President Acts to Freeze King Abdullah's Assets

WNN has received the following statement from the Office of the Press Secretary:

"The American Embassy in Saudi Arabia has confirmed that the protesters want reforms to the political system. King Abdullah has continued to refuse to negotiate with the protesters, and our embassy tells us that violence by Abdullah against the peaceful protests has continued. The Embassy has also confirmed that many of the peaceful protesters were beaten to death by the Saudi police, and that the situation in Saudi Arabia is highly unstable. As such, President Normandin has issued an executive directive freezing all of King Abdullah's assets and putting on hold the weapons deal until such a time that King Abdullah engages the protesters in meaningful negotiations and releases a plan to implement reforms which incorporates input from the protesters."

As always, stay tuned to WNN as we bring you the most up to date information out there.

Update on Committee Hearings

Over the last few days, both the Healthcare, Education and Workforce and Foreign Policy and Armed Forces Committees have been meeting and discussing possible legislation to bring to the floor.

The FPAS committee in particular has been experiencing some heated debates regarding drilling for oil in Alaska. Reps. Rivera and Coble are facing difficulty in convincing the rest of the committee and the executive branch in supporting their bill, as many argue that drilling in Alaska will cost more than it will benefit our economy.

The HEW committee is a bit more behind than the FPAS committee, in that they are still hearing some bills for the first time today. Rep. Betty McCollum, the Minority Leader, not only did not respond to the anonymous statement released yesterday, but did not present her bill until today. This begs the question: Is the House leadership doing their job on time and effectively?

As always, WNN is breaking the news as soon as it happens. Congress will convene Thursday evening to vote on all of the bills. Stay tuned for further updates.

Speaker Boehner's Response to the Anonymous Statement

When asked to comment on the news report made by WNN earlier today, Speaker Boehner put out the following press release:

"While it is true that Congress is behind in its drafting of legislation for the upcoming session, I can ensure the American people that the members of the highest lawmaking body of the United States take their job very seriously. As we speak, committee meetings are taking place to put the final touches on the legislation that will be presented to the Congress on Thursday.

The legislative process is quite complicated and requires immense coordination on the part of the Representatives; however, we are committed to moving forward and are willing to work with the President to iron out any issues that we may encounter in the coming days. We will continue to work to create a better America not only now, but for the future."

WNN was at the mentioned committee meeting for the Foreign Policy and Armed Forces Committee and we will have the updates for you shortly.

Breaking News: Leak Reveals Executive Dissatisfaction with Congress

A member of the President's Administration has expressed his frustration with Congress in a statement made to WNN today. The government official asked to remain anonymous.

"The American people should be aware that Congress is not performing its duties to the extent that it should. The deadline for bills was Friday, April 29th at midnight, yet 6 of the 9 bills that have currently been submitted were sent out after Friday. One of these bills lacks any specifics whatsoever and another bill is 'still being drafted.' Furthermore, the HEW Committee conducted hearings on certain bills without consulting or informing members of the administration. When the administration was consulted, its recommendations were ignored. The Chair of the FPAS Committee has been replaced due to a lack of responsiveness, and the Congress in general has been dragging its feet.

I hope that the American people will express their dissatisfaction with the job Congress has been doing and urge them to do better."

WNN will continue to follow this story in an attempt to bring you the most updated news available.

Foreign Policy Plans

Over the last several months, many nations around the world have been experiencing popular revolts against their leaders. Beginning with Egypt in January, and continuing with various other regions in the Middle East, the general populace has been expressing issues with their respective governments. As described in a recent WNN press release, peaceful protests have been breaking out in Saudi Arabia. Even more recently, Syria has been experiencing similar events.

The President, after remaining silent for a short time, made a statement in March condemning the actions of these governments in violently silencing their people. On Libya and what he deemed as necessary American intervention, the president said the following:

"Now, despite the success of our efforts over the past week, I know that some Americans continue to have questions about our efforts in Libya. Qaddafi has not yet stepped down from power, and until he does, Libya will remain dangerous. Moreover, even after Qaddafi does leave power, 40 years of tyranny has left Libya fractured and without strong civil institutions."

With the recent NATO airstrike that is said to have killed Qaddafi's son, this issue is as pertinent as ever. With Congress representing those people on both sides of the debate, where do they stand? Will there be any legislation regarding our intervention in Libya, Syria, and other nations in the future?