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Utah Republican said he is baffled by the president's decision to support Brazil in developing its oil reserves.

The House late Tuesday afternoon held a moment of silence for the victims of natural disasters in southern states.

"I'm joined on the floor today by my colleagues from southern states," Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) said. "We have members from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.

"Together, families in our states have lost over 300 of their loved ones, and I ask that the House at this time join my colleagues and I in a moment of silence for these families and victims," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers go with them."

A federal appeals court will hear arguments next week about whether President Obama was born in the United States.

Legislation by Rep. Tom Reed would use a debt clock as a "visual gesture" of the need to reduce spending.

House Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Tuesday he would oppose the FY 2011 spending agreement reached late last week because it does not cut enough.

"While I respect that some of my Republican colleagues will ultimately support this spending deal, I believe voters are asking us to set our sights higher," Jordan said. "Americans want us to reach higher, act bolder, and remember the job we were sent here to do."

A handful of House Republicans demonstrated in the first few months of the new Congress that they are not afraid to vote against bills that cut government spending when those bills don't cut enough, or don't de-fund Obamacare.

Reps. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), Steve King (Iowa) and Justin Amash (Mich.) have so far voted against all four of the temporary spending resolutions brought up by Republicans this year. In the early Saturday vote for a one-week spending stopgap that cuts $2 billion in spending, Bachmann cited Obamacare and the related agreement to cut $39 billion for the rest of FY 2011 as reasons to oppose it.

"Instead, we've been asked to settle for $39 billion in cuts, even as we continue to fund Planned Parenthood and the implementation of ObamaCare," Bachmann said. "Sadly, we're missing the mandate given us by voters last November, and for that reason I voted against the Continuing Resolution."

The House reconvened at noon to hear one-minute speeches, then recessed subject to the call of the chairman at 12:14 p.m.

The recess was called because House Republicans had scheduled a noon meeting at which House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) was expected to discuss a possible budget agreement with Democrats.

Left unclear is whether the House would have time to take up its planned consideration of a resolution that would disapprove of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) regulation of the Internet through its net-neutrality rules.

Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.) called on Republicans to skip the FCC resolution, H.J.Res. 37, and focus on a spending plan in order to avoid a government shutdown, which would occur at midnight Friday if no deal were reached.

The House Rules Committee on Wednesday night approved a rule allowing for one hour of debate on H.R. 1363, a one-week stopgap spending measure that Democrats oppose because it cuts $12 billion in just one week.

The bill would keep the federal government funded through April 15. Current funding expires on Friday.

The rule for the bill prohibits amendments, but does give Democrats the chance to make one motion to recommit. Democrats today tried to make six amendments in order, but these were voted down in committee.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) indicated this week that he will try to attach six small-government amendments to the small-business reauthorization bill that the Senate is considering this week.

Coburn on Monday said he would seek to suspend the rules and get these amendments approved by unanimous consent, which will require senators to agree to include them even though they are not germane to the bill at hand, S. 493.

GOP lawmakers want to kill a Clinton-era order meant to ensure non-English speakers get government services.