House

The House on Thursday evening approved six funding limitation amendments to its FY 2011 spending bill, and then continued consideration of amendments into Thursday night. The process was again expected to go late into the night in the hopes that the bill can be completed either Thursday or Friday.

The House approved amendments that would:

• Prevent the use of funds for presidential campaigns or political conventions, from Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.). The vote was 247-175. This amendment is similar to a bill the House has already passed, and would save $38 million in FY 2011.

• Bar funds from being used to enforce certain requirements of the Federal Fire Prevention Act, from Rep. David Price (D-N.C.). The vote was 267-159.

The House is expected to hold votes past midnight and return on Friday to finish the Republican spending bill.

A Democratic proposal to increase funding for the Securities and Exchange Commission beyond the House Republican proposal for fiscal 2011 has led to sharp divides between the parties over whether to put more money into the agency.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) proposed adding $48 million more to the SEC budget, which the Republicans have proposed be set at $1.1 billion. Frank said more money is needed because Congress last year passed the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, giving the SEC more responsibilities.

But Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) had a long list of reasons at the ready for why Republicans are not interested. She said that despite having its budget more than double over the last decade, the SEC has missed two major Ponzi schemes and been unable to get its own financial books in order.

The House on Thursday afternoon continued to debate several funding limitation amendments to the FY 2011 spending bill, in anticipation of votes that are still expected later Thursday night.

Earlier in the afternoon, the House debated an amendment that would stop the government practice of paying the legal fees of litigants that successfully sue the government. The aim of this amendment, sponsored by Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), is to provide time to examine the extent to which this practice is encouraging environmental groups to repeatedly sue the government in order to generate a revenue stream.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday asserted that legislation is needed to ensure companies disclose the "unlimited, secret, endless flow of corporate dollars into campaigns."

Pelosi urged the House to support an amendment that would prevent the government from entering into contracts with companies that do not disclose their political contributions. As part of her reasoning, Pelosi raised last year's Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case, which she again said "opened the floodgates" of corporate money into political campaigns.

"They could be using taxpayer dollars to weigh in, in a secret, unlimited way, in campaigns," Pelosi said of corporations.

Today's House debate over whether the FCC should regulate the Internet was briefly interrupted when a Democrat mistakenly thought Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) spoke twice on the matter.

Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) asked the chair if Terry spoke twice, but the chair said he believed Terry spoke only once. Terry then demanded time to explain.

"Yield to me please, give me a little bit of respect," he snapped. "I spoke one time right now. I don't know who you're confusing me with."

Dicks quickly replied: "You're such a handsome guy I thought you spoke twice, I'm sorry."

The House on Thursday is expected to decide whether to prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from spending any money to implement its December decision to regulate the Internet.

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) proposed an amendment to the FY 2011 spending bill that would block FCC funding for that purpose. Walden said on the floor that the government has so far had a hands-off approach to the Internet, and said there is "no crisis warranting departure from this approach."

Walden's amendment is a response to the FCC's so-called "net neutrality" initiative, under which the FCC says it will regulate the Internet to ensure that all traffic is treated equally. But Republicans have said the rule is just the beginning of what would turn into a heavy government hand that would stifle job growth and innovation.

Rep. José Serrano (D-N.Y.) argued that the FCC should be able to take some steps to regulate Internet traffic. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) added that the history of telecom companies shows that stagnant monopolies will form in these industries, and FCC regulation will help ensure the same thing does not happen with the Internet.

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) agreed and said the absence of regulations will allow larger companies to carve up online territory and raise costs for consumers. "I think that your disdain for government is spilling over onto the Internet," Eshoo said. "This is so wrong, and it simply says to me that you don't get it."

But many Republicans who took to the floor argued that the amendment is a chance to keep the government away from the Internet.

"Congress must stop the FCC," said Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.).

The House on Thursday continued to add cuts to a measure already slashing $61 billion from this year's spending.

The House on Thursday morning held a moment of silence for U.S. armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, led by Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas). Moments later, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) honored Johnson's own service.

"Thirty-eight years ago today, Sam Johnson stepped off a plane in Texas after being held as a prisoner of war for seven years in Vietnam. He's a great American," he said to sustained applause.

House lawmakers approved a three-month extension of three surveillance provisions in a 279-143 vote.