Macaca
12-13 06:23 PM
Intraparty Feuds Dog Democrats, Stall Congress (http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119750838630225395.html) By David Rogers | Wall Street Journal, Dec 13, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Democrats took control of Congress last January promising a "new direction." A year later, the image that haunts them most is one symbolizing no direction at all: gridlock.
Unfinished work is piling up -- legislation to aid borrowers affected by the housing mess, rescue millions of middle-class families from a big tax increase and put stricter gas-mileage limits on the auto industry. Two months into the new fiscal year, Democrats are still scrambling just to keep the government open.
President Bush and Republicans are contributing to the impasse, but there's another factor: Intraparty squabbling between House Democrats and Senate Democrats is sometimes almost as fierce as the partisan battling.
A fracas between Democrats this week over a proposed $522 billion spending package is the latest example. The spending would keep the government running through the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, 2008, but it has opened party divisions over funding the Iraq war and lawmakers' home-state projects.
After enjoying an early rise, Congress's approval ratings have fallen since the spring amid the rancor. In the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, just 19% of respondents said they approved of the job Congress is doing, while 68% disapproved.
Democrats are hoping to get a boost by enacting the tougher auto- mileage standards before Christmas, but other matters, such as a farm bill to continue government price supports, are likely to wait for the new year.
Republicans suffered from the same House-Senate tensions in their 12 years of rule in Congress. But the situation is more acute now for Democrats, who must cope with both Mr. Bush's vetoes and the narrowest of margins in the Senate, leaving them vulnerable to Republican filibusters.
Democrats in the House interpret the 2006 elections as a mandate for change. They are more antiwar and more willing to shed old ways -- such as "earmarks" for legislators' pet projects -- to confront the White House. Senate Democrats, by comparison, remain more tied to tradition and institutional rules that demand consensus before taking action.
"The Senate and House are out of phase with one another," says Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. "There was a big change last year, a big change that affected the whole House and one-third of the Senate. That's the fundamental disconnect."
Rather than move to the center after 2006, President Bush has moved right to shore up his conservative base. He has also adopted a confrontational veto strategy calculated to disrupt the new Congress and reduce its effectiveness in challenging him on Iraq.
Just yesterday, the president issued his second veto of Democrat- backed legislation to expand government-provided health insurance for the children of working-class families. In his first six years as president, Mr. Bush issued only one veto. Since Democrats took over Congress, he has issued six vetoes, and threats of more hang over the budget talks now.
For Democrats, teamwork is vital to challenging the president, and it's not always forthcoming. A comment by Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, suggests the distant relationship between the two houses. "We have a constitutional responsibility to send legislation over there," said Rep. Rangel. "Quite frankly I don't give a damn what they feel."
Adds Wisconsin Rep. David Obey, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee: "I can tell you when bills will move and you can tell me when the Senate will sell us out."
With 2008 an election year overseen by a lame-duck president, it's unlikely that Congress will be able to break out of its slump.
Sometimes the disputes resemble play-acting. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) has quietly invited House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Cal.) to blame the Senate if it suits her purpose to explain the slow pace of legislation, according to a person close to Sen. Reid.
At the same time, he can use her as his foil to fend off Republican demands in the Senate: "I can't control Speaker Pelosi," he said last week in debate on an energy bill. "She is a strong independent woman. She runs the House with an iron hand."
Still, the interchamber differences have real consequences, as seen in the fight over the budget.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd of West Virginia long argued against creating a big package that would combine all the main spending bills. He preferred to confront Mr. Bush with a series of targeted individual bills where he could gain some Republican support and maintain leverage over the president. But Mr. Byrd was undercut by his leadership's failure to allow more time for debate on the Senate floor. After Labor Day, the House began pressing for a single large package.
The $522 billion proposed bill ultimately emerged from weeks of talks that included moderate Republicans. The bill cut $10.6 billion from earlier spending proposals, moving closer to Mr. Bush, while giving him new money he wanted for the State Department as well as a border-security initiative.
No new money was provided specifically for Iraq but the bill gives the Pentagon an additional $31 billion for the war in Afghanistan and body armor for troops in the field. The goal was to provide enough money for Army accounts so its funding would be adequate into April, when a fuller debate could be held on the U.S.'s plans in Iraq.
For Senate Democrats and Mr. Byrd, the effort was a gamble that a moderate center could be found to stand up to Mr. Bush. The more combative Mr. Obey, the House appropriations chairman, was never persuaded this could happen.
After the White House announced its opposition over the weekend, Mr. Obey said Monday that the budget proposal was dead unless changes were made. The effect was to divide Democrats again, instead of putting up a united front against the White House's resistance.
Mr. Obey suggested that lawmakers should be willing to strip out home-state projects, acceding to Mr. Bush's tight line on spending, if that's what it took to make a tough stand on Iraq.
"I am perfectly willing to lose every dollar on the domestic side of the ledger in order to avoid giving them money for the war without conditions," Mr. Obey said. His suggestion met strong resistance from Senate Democrats. At a party luncheon, senators were almost comic in their anger, said one colleague who was present, loudly complaining of being reduced to being "puppets" or "slaves."
On the Senate floor yesterday, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said Democrats were showing signs of "attention deficit disorder." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, accused the new majority of being more interested in "finger pointing" and "headlines" than legislation. "It won't get bills signed into law," he said.
While Ms. Pelosi had personally supported Mr. Obey's approach, she instructed the House committee to preserve the projects as it began a second round of spending reductions yesterday, cutting an additional $6.9 billion from the $522 billion package.
The Senate committee's Democratic staff joined in the discussions by evening, but the White House denied reports that a deal had been reached at a spending ceiling above the president's initial request.
If agreement is not reached by the end of next week, lawmakers may have to resort again to a yearlong funding resolution that effectively freezes most agencies at their current levels. This would be a repeat of the collapse of the budget process last year under Republican rule -- not the "new direction" Democrats had hoped for.
Tied in Knots
The House and Senate are struggling to complete several matters before they head home this month.
Appropriations: Only the Pentagon budget is in place for the new fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The House and Senate are struggling to finish a bill covering the rest of the government.
Farm bill: The Senate still hopes to complete its version of a farm bill but negotiations with the House will wait until next year.
AMT relief: The House and Senate have passed legislation limiting the alternative minimum tax's hit on millions of middle-class taxpayers. But they differ about whether to offset the lost revenue.
Medicare: Doctors are set to see a cut in Medicare payments in 2008, which lawmakers want to prevent. The House acted, but Senate hasn't yet.
Housing: Several bills addressing the housing crisis have passed the House but are languishing in the Senate.
WASHINGTON -- Democrats took control of Congress last January promising a "new direction." A year later, the image that haunts them most is one symbolizing no direction at all: gridlock.
Unfinished work is piling up -- legislation to aid borrowers affected by the housing mess, rescue millions of middle-class families from a big tax increase and put stricter gas-mileage limits on the auto industry. Two months into the new fiscal year, Democrats are still scrambling just to keep the government open.
President Bush and Republicans are contributing to the impasse, but there's another factor: Intraparty squabbling between House Democrats and Senate Democrats is sometimes almost as fierce as the partisan battling.
A fracas between Democrats this week over a proposed $522 billion spending package is the latest example. The spending would keep the government running through the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, 2008, but it has opened party divisions over funding the Iraq war and lawmakers' home-state projects.
After enjoying an early rise, Congress's approval ratings have fallen since the spring amid the rancor. In the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, just 19% of respondents said they approved of the job Congress is doing, while 68% disapproved.
Democrats are hoping to get a boost by enacting the tougher auto- mileage standards before Christmas, but other matters, such as a farm bill to continue government price supports, are likely to wait for the new year.
Republicans suffered from the same House-Senate tensions in their 12 years of rule in Congress. But the situation is more acute now for Democrats, who must cope with both Mr. Bush's vetoes and the narrowest of margins in the Senate, leaving them vulnerable to Republican filibusters.
Democrats in the House interpret the 2006 elections as a mandate for change. They are more antiwar and more willing to shed old ways -- such as "earmarks" for legislators' pet projects -- to confront the White House. Senate Democrats, by comparison, remain more tied to tradition and institutional rules that demand consensus before taking action.
"The Senate and House are out of phase with one another," says Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. "There was a big change last year, a big change that affected the whole House and one-third of the Senate. That's the fundamental disconnect."
Rather than move to the center after 2006, President Bush has moved right to shore up his conservative base. He has also adopted a confrontational veto strategy calculated to disrupt the new Congress and reduce its effectiveness in challenging him on Iraq.
Just yesterday, the president issued his second veto of Democrat- backed legislation to expand government-provided health insurance for the children of working-class families. In his first six years as president, Mr. Bush issued only one veto. Since Democrats took over Congress, he has issued six vetoes, and threats of more hang over the budget talks now.
For Democrats, teamwork is vital to challenging the president, and it's not always forthcoming. A comment by Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, suggests the distant relationship between the two houses. "We have a constitutional responsibility to send legislation over there," said Rep. Rangel. "Quite frankly I don't give a damn what they feel."
Adds Wisconsin Rep. David Obey, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee: "I can tell you when bills will move and you can tell me when the Senate will sell us out."
With 2008 an election year overseen by a lame-duck president, it's unlikely that Congress will be able to break out of its slump.
Sometimes the disputes resemble play-acting. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) has quietly invited House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Cal.) to blame the Senate if it suits her purpose to explain the slow pace of legislation, according to a person close to Sen. Reid.
At the same time, he can use her as his foil to fend off Republican demands in the Senate: "I can't control Speaker Pelosi," he said last week in debate on an energy bill. "She is a strong independent woman. She runs the House with an iron hand."
Still, the interchamber differences have real consequences, as seen in the fight over the budget.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd of West Virginia long argued against creating a big package that would combine all the main spending bills. He preferred to confront Mr. Bush with a series of targeted individual bills where he could gain some Republican support and maintain leverage over the president. But Mr. Byrd was undercut by his leadership's failure to allow more time for debate on the Senate floor. After Labor Day, the House began pressing for a single large package.
The $522 billion proposed bill ultimately emerged from weeks of talks that included moderate Republicans. The bill cut $10.6 billion from earlier spending proposals, moving closer to Mr. Bush, while giving him new money he wanted for the State Department as well as a border-security initiative.
No new money was provided specifically for Iraq but the bill gives the Pentagon an additional $31 billion for the war in Afghanistan and body armor for troops in the field. The goal was to provide enough money for Army accounts so its funding would be adequate into April, when a fuller debate could be held on the U.S.'s plans in Iraq.
For Senate Democrats and Mr. Byrd, the effort was a gamble that a moderate center could be found to stand up to Mr. Bush. The more combative Mr. Obey, the House appropriations chairman, was never persuaded this could happen.
After the White House announced its opposition over the weekend, Mr. Obey said Monday that the budget proposal was dead unless changes were made. The effect was to divide Democrats again, instead of putting up a united front against the White House's resistance.
Mr. Obey suggested that lawmakers should be willing to strip out home-state projects, acceding to Mr. Bush's tight line on spending, if that's what it took to make a tough stand on Iraq.
"I am perfectly willing to lose every dollar on the domestic side of the ledger in order to avoid giving them money for the war without conditions," Mr. Obey said. His suggestion met strong resistance from Senate Democrats. At a party luncheon, senators were almost comic in their anger, said one colleague who was present, loudly complaining of being reduced to being "puppets" or "slaves."
On the Senate floor yesterday, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said Democrats were showing signs of "attention deficit disorder." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, accused the new majority of being more interested in "finger pointing" and "headlines" than legislation. "It won't get bills signed into law," he said.
While Ms. Pelosi had personally supported Mr. Obey's approach, she instructed the House committee to preserve the projects as it began a second round of spending reductions yesterday, cutting an additional $6.9 billion from the $522 billion package.
The Senate committee's Democratic staff joined in the discussions by evening, but the White House denied reports that a deal had been reached at a spending ceiling above the president's initial request.
If agreement is not reached by the end of next week, lawmakers may have to resort again to a yearlong funding resolution that effectively freezes most agencies at their current levels. This would be a repeat of the collapse of the budget process last year under Republican rule -- not the "new direction" Democrats had hoped for.
Tied in Knots
The House and Senate are struggling to complete several matters before they head home this month.
Appropriations: Only the Pentagon budget is in place for the new fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The House and Senate are struggling to finish a bill covering the rest of the government.
Farm bill: The Senate still hopes to complete its version of a farm bill but negotiations with the House will wait until next year.
AMT relief: The House and Senate have passed legislation limiting the alternative minimum tax's hit on millions of middle-class taxpayers. But they differ about whether to offset the lost revenue.
Medicare: Doctors are set to see a cut in Medicare payments in 2008, which lawmakers want to prevent. The House acted, but Senate hasn't yet.
Housing: Several bills addressing the housing crisis have passed the House but are languishing in the Senate.
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ping
07-18 02:54 PM
HI all,
I'm very new here and I just got my H1B stamped to my passport. I'll be working in Tacoma WA. I wonder waht are the steps to issue a driving license in WA state. I have driving in my country for more than 10 years.
Best regards all,
I'm very new here and I just got my H1B stamped to my passport. I'll be working in Tacoma WA. I wonder waht are the steps to issue a driving license in WA state. I have driving in my country for more than 10 years.
Best regards all,
VivekAhuja
03-03 01:07 PM
Your H1-B visa (just an entry permit) remains active until expiration date.
You can get a visitor visa and visit your brother.
You can get a visitor visa and visit your brother.
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zCool
04-01 07:19 PM
No it should not matter.
TAL security checks are done at the time of Visa issuance.. COS you are already in
TAL security checks are done at the time of Visa issuance.. COS you are already in
more...
ChainReaction
02-01 10:15 AM
Not sure if increase in immigration fee will make GC processing faster.
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14379279
Yes, it will definitely make the GC processing faster but only for Agriculture/ illegal workers...we pay they benefit. :D :D :D
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14379279
Yes, it will definitely make the GC processing faster but only for Agriculture/ illegal workers...we pay they benefit. :D :D :D
hemasar
05-02 01:06 PM
Check this out
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2061
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2061
more...
desinj
07-19 10:21 PM
I'm trying to beat the July deadline.
Pls. help if you know from where to get the list - for NJ or NY.
thanks
Pls. help if you know from where to get the list - for NJ or NY.
thanks
2010 Girls With Guns Calendar.
prash4u3144
08-26 12:14 PM
Applied for LCA before H - 1 B renewal and got the error "FEIN ID NOT FOUND " error. I submitted additional documents still waiting for reply from DOL. Applied for LCA on august 5 , got the reply "FEIN not found" on august 13, faxed additional documents on same day still did not hear back from DOL.. Pls advice how long it will take now???????
more...
desigc
04-30 04:14 PM
Gurus..I need some help
My I-140 is approved. I recently got 3 year extension and I am in my 7th year currently.
I may get a better offer. My question is
1. Since I have a new H1b which is valid for 3 years (for H1b year 7,8 and 9), can I transfer it to a new employer?
2. Also, the new employer is willing to file GC, can I use my old PD date. (the new job profile is similar)
3. If the current employer withdraws my I-140, will that affect my H1 transfer?
Please help.
- desigc
My I-140 is approved. I recently got 3 year extension and I am in my 7th year currently.
I may get a better offer. My question is
1. Since I have a new H1b which is valid for 3 years (for H1b year 7,8 and 9), can I transfer it to a new employer?
2. Also, the new employer is willing to file GC, can I use my old PD date. (the new job profile is similar)
3. If the current employer withdraws my I-140, will that affect my H1 transfer?
Please help.
- desigc
hair You like girls. You like guns.
vaccine
02-07 09:13 AM
Chicago to Delhi
yes we came back on new year and flight was very good, nice food and staff was really cooperative. At POE it took us 2 min to get out of immigration and custom check. Officers were polite and nice. We both used AP and no questions were asked. I would highly recommond this flight.
yes we came back on new year and flight was very good, nice food and staff was really cooperative. At POE it took us 2 min to get out of immigration and custom check. Officers were polite and nice. We both used AP and no questions were asked. I would highly recommond this flight.
more...
tfakhan
01-10 02:27 PM
^^^^^bump^^^^^
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immigrationvoice1
02-13 12:32 PM
Which Form should I look for getting this information?
I was using ETA Form 9089 page 11 0 Job duties. Is that the correct place to looks for ?
My company
I-750 Part B
I was using ETA Form 9089 page 11 0 Job duties. Is that the correct place to looks for ?
My company
I-750 Part B
more...
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Blog Feeds
09-15 05:40 PM
Immigration Lawyers Blog Has Just Posted the Following:
The new visa bulletin is out at this link: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5145.html. Employment-based categories are as follows: EB-1 remains current for all countries; EB-2 remains current, except for India and China which are at May 2006; EB-3 is at Jan. 2005 for all countries, except for India (Jan. 2002), China (Nov. 2003), and Mexico (April 2001); EB-3 other workers is at March 2003 for all countries, except India (Jan. 2002)and Mexico (April 2001); EB-4, religious workers, EB-5, and targeted employment areas and regional centers are all current. Family based petitions are backlogged, with the most recent date at April 2010.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ImmigrationLawyersBlog/~4/SrfNMX1f9Gc
More... (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ImmigrationLawyersBlog/~3/SrfNMX1f9Gc/october_visa_bulletin.html)
The new visa bulletin is out at this link: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5145.html. Employment-based categories are as follows: EB-1 remains current for all countries; EB-2 remains current, except for India and China which are at May 2006; EB-3 is at Jan. 2005 for all countries, except for India (Jan. 2002), China (Nov. 2003), and Mexico (April 2001); EB-3 other workers is at March 2003 for all countries, except India (Jan. 2002)and Mexico (April 2001); EB-4, religious workers, EB-5, and targeted employment areas and regional centers are all current. Family based petitions are backlogged, with the most recent date at April 2010.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ImmigrationLawyersBlog/~4/SrfNMX1f9Gc
More... (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ImmigrationLawyersBlog/~3/SrfNMX1f9Gc/october_visa_bulletin.html)
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H42H1BHelp
08-16 11:28 PM
Pls help
more...
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Giles08
01-19 11:27 AM
One of my friends has her concern:
Her mother visited her last year. Her mother went to hospital (Feb, 2007) for emergency and got debt for $4300. My friend was the contact person of her mother in US and signed a form (I am not sure what form) for the bill. So far my friend did not have money to pay for the debt. The hospital transfer the debt to a debt company. The debt company has put her mother's name in credit record.
My friend need go outside US for her first H1-b visa interview. She is concerning if she will have problem to get her h1-b visa because of the debt? Any chance to get check such as name check,....
Thank you in advance!
Her mother visited her last year. Her mother went to hospital (Feb, 2007) for emergency and got debt for $4300. My friend was the contact person of her mother in US and signed a form (I am not sure what form) for the bill. So far my friend did not have money to pay for the debt. The hospital transfer the debt to a debt company. The debt company has put her mother's name in credit record.
My friend need go outside US for her first H1-b visa interview. She is concerning if she will have problem to get her h1-b visa because of the debt? Any chance to get check such as name check,....
Thank you in advance!
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$eeGrEeN
10-26 01:34 PM
105-year-old realizes dream of citizenship (http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-naturalize26oct26,1,6009025.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california)
more...
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seekerofpeace
09-17 09:20 AM
Guys,
I am thinking of sending those letters again....what better things to do in life awaiting GCs....at least it will help USPS get some revenues.
I know many in the forum have sent letters. Can anyone send a consolidated list of addresses for
No drama Obama, all drama Biden, Napolitano, TSC headquarters or the links to them
Thanks in advance,
SoP
I am thinking of sending those letters again....what better things to do in life awaiting GCs....at least it will help USPS get some revenues.
I know many in the forum have sent letters. Can anyone send a consolidated list of addresses for
No drama Obama, all drama Biden, Napolitano, TSC headquarters or the links to them
Thanks in advance,
SoP
girlfriend You like girls. You like guns.
chanduv23
12-03 12:00 PM
More evidence things are not going well for Lou.
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2009/12/cnbc-says-not-to-dobbs.html)
Loo's only place is KKK
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2009/12/cnbc-says-not-to-dobbs.html)
Loo's only place is KKK
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anilsal
03-03 03:01 AM
Work at IL State Chapter is going on. Mainly visit the lawmaker(s) via their staff / case workers on immigration.
For anyone interested in the IL State Chapter, you will have to PM me.
For anyone interested in the IL State Chapter, you will have to PM me.
Tommy_S
05-02 02:06 AM
LoL, nice stamps. ;)
ya3
03-12 08:27 PM
Hi
I just saw this section in the forum and thought "why not?".
If anyone is looking for a professional web designer and
developer, look no further. I have experience in
PHP, MySQL, Actionscript and Javascript. Flash is
second-nature. Feel free to check out my website (http://www.ya3.has.it).
I just saw this section in the forum and thought "why not?".
If anyone is looking for a professional web designer and
developer, look no further. I have experience in
PHP, MySQL, Actionscript and Javascript. Flash is
second-nature. Feel free to check out my website (http://www.ya3.has.it).
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