House

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday said the House would continue to investigate the growing list of scandals plaguing the Obama administration, and said it would do so because people "deserve the truth."

"We have a responsibility to the American people to provide oversight of the Executive Branch," Boehner said in rare remarks on the House floor. "And I think Americans understand, and our colleagues understand, that the American people deserve the truth."

"Whether it's Benghazi, whether it's the IRS, whether it's the Justice Department investigating journalists, the Congress of the United States and the American people need to know what the truth is, to hold this administration accountable. Those of us in public office understand that our job is to serve the American people, not the other way around."

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) on Tuesday said the ongoing scandal about the government's scrutiny of conservative groups shows that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has an 'insatiable appetite' for gathering names.

"Conservative groups, and only conservative groups, seeking to organize under Section 501 were subjected to pages of intrusive and irrelevant questions, but with a common theme: Give us the names," McClintock said on the House floor.

Freshman Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) on Tuesday marked Harvey Milk day, which is tomorrow, by reading a famous speech on the House floor from Milk, the first openly gay person to win election in California.

Takano, the first openly gay non-white member of Congress in U.S. history, recalled Milk's comments that the election of gay people helps bring hope to gay children across the country.

"Two days after I was elected, I got a phone call, and the voice was quite young," Takano said as he read Milk's speech. "It was from Altoona, Pa. And the person said, 'Thanks.'

The bill, authored by Rep. Van Hollen, contains $181 billion in replacement deficit reduction over 10 years.

House Democrats this week will challenge Republican plans to call up legislation that provides for congressional approval of the Keystone pipeline, and removes the need for presidential approval.

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) on Monday said he would raise a question of the privileges of the House in order to challenge consideration of H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act. House Republicans are expected to call up that bill on Wednesday.

The House meets at 10 a.m., and in the afternoon it will consider several suspension bills aimed at helping veterans, just days before Congress breaks for its Memorial Day recess.

One veterans bill, the Improving Job Opportunities for Veterans Act (H.R. 1412), would increase job training and apprenticeship programs for veterans. Another, the American Heroes COLA Act (H.R. 570), would provide for automatic cost-of-living adjustments for veterans' disability payments.

Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.) on Monday evening spoke on the House floor to thank first responders and everyone else working to dig out from severe tornadoes that hit Moore, Oklahoma today.

"I rise in support of Oklahomans, who even as we speak this evening are laboring to find and rescue all those affected by this afternoon's severe tornadoes in Moore and other areas in the great state of Oklahoma," Bridenstine said.

The House Monday evening passed legislation that implements four multilateral treaties aimed at preventing the transport of nuclear or other weapons on ships, or terrorist attacks on ships or offshore platforms.

Members approved the Nuclear Terrorism Conventions Implementation and Safety of Maritime Navigation Act, H.R. 1073, in a 390-3 vote. It was brought up under a suspension of House rules, the process the House usually uses to quickly pass non-controversial bills.

Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) last week dropped his support for creating a select committee on last year's attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

Mica added his name to the resolution calling for a select committee in late March. But last Thursday, he asked that his name be removed from that resolution, which was introduced by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.).

Freshman Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.) on Monday said efforts to force the Boy Scouts of America to allow gay members into the group shows that the left is "intolerant" and won't rest until it "bullies" that group and others to accept its views.

"Some of us in America still believe in the concept of sexual morality, that sex is intended for one man and one woman within the institution of marriage," Bridenstine said on the House floor. "Organizations that hold this philosophy and promote it among our youth should be commended, or at least, you would think, tolerated.