Lawmaker News

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) delivered the following remarks honoring Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) today on the floor of the U.S. Senate:

Mr. President, I want to say a few words about a friend and colleague, whom I will miss very much when he leaves the Senate after we adjourn.  Without intending it as a commentary on his successor, I have to confess I think the Senate will be a much poorer place without Russ Feingold in it.  I know that in my next term I will experience fewer occasions of inspiration because of the departure of Russ Feingold, a man whose courage and dedication to the principles that guided his Senate service often inspired me.

Well, good afternoon.  Do we have enough room in here?  I want to take a moment to discuss the recent news reports of classified documents that were illegally provided from United States government computers.  In my conversations with counterparts from around the world over the past few days, and in my meeting earlier today with Foreign Minister Davutoglu of Turkey, I have had very productive discussions on this issue.

Some of the nation's top political commentators, legislators and intellectuals offer insight into the biggest questions burning up the blogosphere today.

Today's question:

Should the House approve the recommended censure of Rep. Charles Rangel?

No one in America should have to worry if their salad or sandwich is going to kill them.  No one in the Senate should prey on that fear, or play with it like a political football.

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How can anyone have confidence in the decision of the Ethics Subcommittee when I was deprived of due process rights, right to counsel and was not even in the room?   I can only hope that the full Committee will treat me more fairly, and take into account my entire 40 years of service to the Congress before making any decisions on sanctions.

On behalf of the nearly 80,000 members of the American Institute of Architects, we would like to congratulate you on your election and re-election to Congress. This has been a hard-fought election season; you should feel a sense of pride that the American people have entrusted you to serve as their representatives.

You face big challenges when you are sworn in on Jan. 3. But those challenges pale when compared to those faced by your constituents. As community leaders, architects have seen first-hand the challenges that our nation faces. Since more than 90 percent of AIA architects work for small businesses, they know all too well how the economic crisis has affected Main Street. In fact, the Department of Labor reports that the architecture profession has lost a fifth of its workforce since 2007; in some regions, the number is far higher.
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House Minority Leader John Boehner has reportedly instructed male Republicans to avoid getting drunk and partying with female lobbyists or even meeting privately with them.  Is this an attempt to avoid the "appearance of impropriety" and preserve “family values”? Or is this just an attempt on the part of the Republicans to ensure that no scandals arise prior to November's elections that might harm their chances for the sweeping victory they are hoping for?

I have a deep respect for what has been called the “world’s most deliberative body.”  Before coming to the U.S. Senate, I served 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, where majority rule was largely the norm.  I enjoyed my service in the House and made an effort to work across party lines and to respect the majority-minority dynamic of the institution.  Yet I always envisioned the Senate as a potentially more collaborative chamber.

But if we don’t deliberate, what does that make us?
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The unparalleled encroachment of the federal government in the private sector and the lives of individual Americans that began during the Bush Administration and continues in the Obama Administration (see, for example, the Troubled Assets Protection Program, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the rapid growth of the federal workforce, and the health care and financial overhauls) has led to concerns of an oncoming tsunami of opacity, waste, fraud, and abuse.  This trend must be met by vigorous Congressional oversight of the massive federal bureaucracy.

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina recently procured a lobbyist to aid them in their fight for federal recognition in this Congressional session. Jersey City just hired a firm to block a Texas company from running a natural gas pipeline through Jersey City. Other municipalities, businesses, and non-profits are considering hiring a lobbyist before November. Hiring lobbyists to pursue an agenda is normally business as usual in Washington, but what makes these hiring decisions different is the timing – there is only about a month left for any serious legislative push before the election heats up in full force. Perhaps they are anticipating a lot of action during a proposed lame duck session? The oddity of a lobbying hire at this late stage of the game puts into question either the logic of the buyer (the client) or the logic of the seller (the lobbyist)?