House

The House on Monday evening approved H.R. 2480, which would reauthorize the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) through 2014. This independent agency aims to find ways to reduce the federal regulatory burden on companies.

The bill would cut ACUS funding by about 10 percent for the next three years, putting its budget at $2.9 million per year. Members approved the bill in a 382-23 vote.

Measure approved in 269-161 vote; Giffords gets standing ovation from both parties.

A reluctant House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday evening asked Democrats to support the debt-ceiling agreement reached over the weekend, even as she said she understood Democrats who want to vote against it.

Pelosi said she is "not happy" with the bill, but said she feels a responsibility to vote for it.

"So please my colleagues, if you're on the fence about this … please think of what could happen if we defaulted," Pelosi said. "Please, please, please come down in favor of, again, preventing the collateral damage from reaching our seniors and our veterans.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Monday afternoon called on his House colleagues to vote in favor of the debt-ceiling agreement reached over the weekend.

"I am voting for this bill, not because I like this bill, although it does do some things that I think need to be done," he said on the House floor. "We need to bring down the deficit, we need to address the debt, we need to return to fiscal responsibility.

Up to 20 people protesting against House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) debt deal were detained Monday at the Capitol. 

The protesters, including members of the National People’s Action (NPA) group, disrupted debate on the House floor from the gallery and were handcuffed by Capitol Police and escorted off the premises. The suspects chanted, “Hey Boehner, get a clue, it’s about revenue,” as they were led away.

House Democrats as expected appeared split on whether they would oppose the debt-ceiling agreement reached over the weekend, while all Republicans who spoke on the House floor during early debate in the chamber indicated support for the bill.

Speaking during the debate on the rule for the bill, some Democrats argued that the bill asks nothing of the wealthy, and would only cut government services that millions of people are relying on during the economic downturn. The rule was approved in a 249-178 vote, with 10 Democrats supporting it.

"This bill to me is a pig in a poke, and I'm not willing to buy a pig in a poke," Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said. Joining him in opposition was Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).

The House Rules Committee on Monday afternoon approved a rule allowing for quick consideration of legislation enacting the debt-ceiling agreement reached over the weekend.

The rule provides for one hour of debate controlled by the House Committees on Rules, Ways and Means, and Budget. No amendments to the bill will be considered.

The House on Monday afternoon debated and approved three noncontroversial bills, including one that would give the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) more flexibility to exempt products from consumer safety rules.

The CPSC bill, H.R. 2715, would make long-anticipated changes at that agency that many say would help companies deal with new product safety rules that Congress approved in 2008. One pending issue is a requirement that children's products not exceed a 0.01 percent lead content limit, which many say would stick retailers with inventory that does not meet this threshold. The bill debated today would make that new limit prospective.

Three House Democrats spoke Monday morning against the debt-ceiling agreement reached by the White House and congressional Republicans by reiterating their past arguments that cutting government spending would not create jobs.

But while the members seemed to oppose the agreement, not one encouraged others to vote against it this week, a likely sign of their recognition that the deal must be accepted in order to avoid a government default.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Monday defended the White House debt-limit package from liberal attacks, arguing that both sides were forced to make concessions.

"I don't think we gave away the store," Hoyer told Bloomberg News.