Government Oversight

Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.), the sixth-ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said the Obama administration's decision to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act is a "dereliction of duty," and indicated that congressional oversight may be coming.

"It is beyond disappointment," Lungren said on the House floor Monday. "I believe it is a dereliction of duty. To somehow now find that there is no constitutional basis for defending that law is incredible, and I think regrettable, and I think we ought to look into it."

The Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the government from recognizing same-sex marriages, and was signed into law by former President Clinton. The Obama administration last week said it believes the law is unconstitutional, and Republicans said the decision smacked of politics.

On Monday Lungren echoed that charge, and said it is the Attorney General's job to defend all laws, regardless of their personal views, just as he did as California's Attorney General.

"Having served in that office in California, I can tell you I defended laws that I disagreed with," he said. "I defended laws that I had voted against, and I thought it was my solemn obligation to uphold the Constitution and the laws duly enacted in my state, just as I believe the Attorney General of the United States has that obligation on the federal level."

Senate Democrat says analysis from Goldman Sachs "puts a dagger" through Republican claims of boosting the economy with cuts.

The unanimous vote is a reaction to widespread traveler complaints about the controversial machines.

The aviation bill's floor manager is 'frustrated' by an argument over a slots amendment.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee and floor manager for the Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill, said Monday that he is fed up with a spat over adding long-distance flight slots at an airport near Washington, D.C.

The disagreement is arresting progress on the bill, and senators have little chance of settling their argument anyway, Rockefeller said.

"I am a little bit losing my patience on slots," Rockefeller said. "We are frustrated because progress is made and unmade, people agree and they don't agree."

The House overwhelmingly approved a resolution Friday intended to eliminate burdensome regulations in a 391-28 vote.

The former Speaker chided the GOP for getting little done as the House began debate on burdensome regulations. 

A Republican senator is re-introducing legislation to crack down on the use of government-issued credit cards by federal workers.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said he has discovered government employees using their credit cards to pay for jewelry and cruises, or to use on gambling and at strip clubs.

His legislation would limit and regulate the use of credit cards by federal employees, and responds to “outrageous accounts of purchases” made with government charge cards.

Grassley’s bill would require agencies to perform credit checks on federal employees who wish to hold cards, maintain a record of each cardholder, and implement reviews to determine if cardholders actually need a card.

In addition, the bill would ensure cards are terminated once an employee leaves an agency and would provide a mechanism for disputing unauthorized charges.

“This bill is about accountability,” Grassley said in a statement. “The public trust has been violated by abusive use of government charge cards. The federal bureaucracy needs to improve the way it manages the use of these cards.”

The Senate approved a similar bill sponsored by Grassley in 2009, but it was never taken up by the House.

It is unclear if Grassley's bill will hit the floor. The legislation was referred to the committee on Homeland Security and Government affairs.

Today's debate on whether to extend surveillance authorities in the Patriot Act got testy before the formal debate started at about 2:25 p.m.

In a one-minute speech on the House floor, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) cited a report that said the FBI has conducted thousands of warrantless searches using so-called "national security letters." These letters are a form of subpoena that the FBI and other agencies have used to demand records, and they are not subject to any judicial oversight.

"The Patriot Act is a destructive undermining of the Constitution," Kucinich said. "We started this Congress off with a discussion about reading the Constitution. Many of us carry Constitutions with us in our pocket. How about today we take a stand for the Constitution to say that all Americans should be free from unreasonable search and seizure, and to make certain that the attempt to reauthorize the Patriot Act is beat down."

The House next week will vote on a bill to extend the legal authority to conduct various surveillance activities under the Patriot Act.

The House will take up H.R. 514 under a suspension of House rules, which will prevent amendments. The bill would allow the United States to conduct "roving surveillance," collect business records and other tangible intelligence documents, and surveillance of solo operators who might pose a threat to the United States. The authority to conduct these activities expires at the end of this month.

The three-way split divides Democrats and Republicans on how long to extend the authorities and how much oversight to include.