President Obama’s healthcare plan is stripping Americans of their liberty, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said Thursday at a meeting in Iowa.

“Are you more free today, do you have more liberty today than you had two and a half years ago?" King asked a group of about 30 people gathered at coffee shop, according to The Globe Gazette. "I don’t know anyone who can say yes to that."

The House has planned a few key hearings during next week's abbreviated schedule, including one that will explore what Republicans say is an anti-business proposal from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

The House Education and the Workforce Committee will hold a hearing July 7 titled "Rushing Union Elections: Protecting the Interests of Big Labor at the Expense of Workers' Free Choice." That hearing will examine NLRB's proposal to change union election rules.

The entire Massachusetts House delegation on Thursday called on President Obama to protect Medicare and Medicaid from what they said would be "devastating" Republican budget cuts.

"Republican efforts to slash Medicare and Medicaid while leaving untouched tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, unnecessary subsidies for oil companies, and a bloated defense budget is unjust and irresponsible," the letter said. "Accordingly, we respectfully request that you reject any such proposals if they are presented as part of the ongoing discussions."

The Senate completed a 25-second pro forma session just after 11 a.m. on Friday.

Most senators have left for the Independence Day recess but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) ordered the unusual pro forma session in order to keep the clock running.

Reid wants to hold a vote on a resolution to authorize President Obama's action in Libya, and he needs to accrue some hours. 

"The Tea Party doesn’t like politicians," Sen. DeMint said. "These are people who are independent."

The Democratic leader of the Senate has introduced a measure asking the wealthy to make a large contribution to deficit reduction. 

The Senate honored cowboys Friday as members continued to bicker over a Libya resolution and budget talks.

The House and Senate each meet in a brief pro forma session on Friday, but no business will be conducted in either chamber.

The Senate returns briefly at 11 a.m., and is due to return July 5 at 2 p.m. The next Senate vote is expected at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, on a resolution from Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) that would authorize the continued use of military force in and around Libya.

Ryan Crocker was confirmed by the Senate as the new ambassador to Afghanistan.

Crocker was unanimously confirmed to the position on Thursday. He succeeds Karl Eikenberry, who reportedly kept strained relations with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.

Crocker previously served as ambassador to Iraq. He's also worked for the foreign service in Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan and Syria.

During his confirmation hearing, Crocker conceded that corruption still plagues Afghanistan.

He said there were similar problems in Iraq but that they seemed harder in Afghanistan.

"If Iraq was hard —and it was hard— Afghanistan in many respects is harder," Crocker said, according to CNN.

Crocker's confirmation came a few weeks after President Obama unveiled his timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.