Government Oversight

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) has introduced legislation that would give the area of land now known as the District of Columbia back to Maryland, so that Washington, D.C., would have representation in Congress.

Gohmert's bill, H.R. 3732, outlines an argument that giving the land back to Maryland is the easiest way to ensure federal representation for D.C. residents. It notes that the Constitution says House representation can only be comprised of representatives from the states and outlines various points in history in which D.C. has not been seen as a state.

A House Democrat and Senate Republican on Tuesday introduced legislation that would block pay to lawmakers whenever Congress fails to complete a budget for the new fiscal year by Oct. 1.

"Because America's credit rating is threatened, Congress cannot afford to be late paying its bills," Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) said of his bill, H.R. 3643. "Threatening to stop paying Congress is the surest way to make sure we beat the annual Oct. 1 deadline. Congress must get its work done, or get no paycheck."

Rep. Charles Boustany Jr. (R-La.) on Wednesday called on Attorney General Eric Holder to resign for giving contradictory testimony about the Fast and Furious program, which failed to track guns that were allowed to leave the country and were eventually used in crimes against U.S. citizens.

"Attorney General Eric Holder must resign immediately," Boustany said on the House floor. "After months of evading tough questions and giving unclear answers about Operation Fast and Furious, it now appears the Justice Department's top official has contradicted his own testimony given before Congress."

The House Financial Services chairman was one of several lawmakers named in a "60 Minutes" piece on stock trading

The House Financial Services Committee next week will hold a hearing on legislation that would prohibit members of Congress from making stock, swaps and commodity trades based on nonpublic information they are exposed to while doing their jobs.

The hearing comes as interest in the legislation is growing, after a November "60 Minutes" story that alleged some House members were profiting from the knowledge they gain on the job.

The Obama administration on Tuesday evening warned that it would veto two deregulation bills the House plans to approve this week.

House Republicans plan to move the Regulatory Accountability Act, which would require all federal agencies to base regulations on evidence of their necessity, and put forward alternatives, and the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, which would boost two existing laws requiring all regulations to be reviewed to ensure they do not hamper small businesses.

A "60 Minutes" report alleging that House members profit from inside information has spurred Republican support for the STOCK Act.

Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) late last week introduced a bill that would prohibit members of Congress from ever lobbying Congress after they leave.

The bill, H.R. 3491, would amend current law that prohibits senators from lobbying until two years after they leave office and blocks members of the House from lobbying until one year after they leave office. Cicilline said a permanent ban is needed in order to help restore trust in Congress.

House Republicans will return to their deregulation agenda next week by pressing ahead on three bills that would require federal agencies to be more mindful of how rules affect companies and give Congress more authority to approve major regulations.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) indicated on Monday that House Republicans continue to see easing regulations as a way to create an environment for job creation, and said they would continue along these lines in the wake of the failure of the supercommittee to find a way forward on deficit reduction.

"While I am disappointed, the House will forge ahead with the commitments we have made to reducing government spending and removing barriers standing in the way of private-sector job creation," Boehner said. "Doing otherwise is not an option."

Freshman Rep. Tim Griffin (R-Ark.) on Friday put forward legislation that would terminate congressional pensions, which he said could be a stepping stone to a larger discussion about the need to trim pension plans for all federal workers.

"There's going to have to be some reform there," he said in reference to the federal pension system. "And my view is that before we can discuss reform there, it seems to me we're going to have to set an example."