House

Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) on Tuesday introduced legislation that would put in place limits on the ability of the government to compel the disclosure of information from the press.

Poe's Free Flow of Information Act is a reaction to news that the Justice Department seized two months of phone records of Associated Press reporters. Justice's decision seemed aimed at furthering its investigation of leaks related to how U.S. agents foiled a terrorist plot.

The House meets for speeches at 10 a.m., and amid several more angry speeches about the IRS and Justice Department scandals, members will consider five suspension bills throughout the day.

One of these, H.R. 384, is a Democratic bill that would create an advocate for homeless veterans in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Homes for Heroes Act was passed last year by the House, but ignored by the Senate.

The House on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation reaffirming U.S. policy as one that supports an Internet that is controlled by stakeholders, not governments.

In a 413-0 vote, members passed H.R. 1580, which once again signals the support of Congress for the continued development of the Internet without guidance from any single government or a collection of governments.

Democrats in the House and Senate are looking to expand a federal law that requires companies to give nursing mothers time and a private space to express breast milk at work.

Under current law, companies with more than 50 employees are already required under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to provide nursing moms with a reasonable break time and a private, non-bathroom place to express breast milk. That provision — created by the 2010 ObamaCare law — applies only to hourly workers.

House Republicans on Tuesday afternoon accused Obama administration officials of purposefully lying about the IRS policy of targeting conservative groups, the Benghazi, Libya, investigation, and Justice Department snooping on Associated Press reporters.

"The scandals from this administration are coming so fast that the American people can barely keep up," Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.) said on the House floor.

"And this pattern of arrogance, lies and outright lawlessness should be disturbing to every American."

Rep. Bill Owens (D-N.Y.) on Monday reintroduced legislation that would let people buy "War on Debt" savings bonds, which would be used to help reduce the national debt.

Owens has introduced this bill each year since 2010, before Republicans took over the House and began their own efforts to rein in the budget deficit and the soaring national debt.

The House starts work at noon, and in the afternoon it will consider up to three suspension bills, including one aimed at reaffirming that the government — or any international collection of governments — should not control the Internet.

The bill, H.R. 1580, says various proposals for more government control "could undermine the current multistakeholder model that has enabled the Internet to flourish and under which the private sector, civil society, academia and individual users play an important role in charting its direction."

The House this week is expected to again pass legislation creating an advocate for homeless veterans within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The House easily approved the Homes For Heroes Act last year in a 414-5 vote, but the Senate never considered it. This year, House Democrats have again proposed the legislation in the hopes that the Senate will take it up.

Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said Monday that he is "outraged" over reports that the IRS was basing audit decisions on politics, and called on the Obama administration to investigate its actions.

"Among the core principles of our democracy is the idea that the government exists to help all its citizens, regardless of their political beliefs," Cicilline said. "I am outraged to learn that certain members of the IRS may have engaged in a concerted effort to apply political pressure on citizens who were seeking to exercise their First Amendment rights to petition the government."

Rep. Michael Turner's bill would jail and fine IRS workers who discriminate against political speech.