Debate has begun on two competing resolutions about the Libya mission; GOP pushing for Boehner's.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) on Monday suggested it was the role of Congress to prevent the president from becoming a dictator on foreign policy and urged his colleagues to vote for legislation that would ask President Obama to pull U.S. forces out of the conflict in Libya.

"Shall the president, like the king of England, be a dictator in foreign policy?" Nadler asked from the House floor. "Shall the president have the unfettered right to take this country to war without so much as a by-your-leave from Congress, as the king of England could do without the authorization of Parliament?

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) on Friday morning said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) convinced him to reject a Libya amendment from Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) because it would send the wrong signal to NATO to leave Libya in 15 days.

"The Speaker convinced me of that," Gingrey said on the floor. "I listened very carefully to him in regard to … within two weeks pulling everything that we have in Libya out and coming home would be a dangerous precedent in regard to our NATO allies." That said, Gingrey said he would "probably" vote against the Kucinich resolution.

House Republicans on Friday morning found themselves fighting off attacks against a Libya resolution offered by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), which Democrats said is a largely meaningless gesture that would do nothing to stop U.S. military action in Libya. Democrats argued that members should instead vote for the measure offered by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

The House is considering both resolutions today: Boehner's, which requires more information from the Obama administration on military action in Libya, and Kucinich's, which asks for the withdrawal of all troops within 15 days.

The House Rules Committee on Thursday night approved a rule governing how House members on Friday will debate two resolutions related to Libya.

Under the rule, Republicans and Democrats will have one hour to debate a resolution introduced by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), which criticizes the Obama administration for failing to seek congressional authorization for continued operations in Libya.

Members of the House on Thursday night approved what appears to be one of the few amendments to H.R. 2055, the 2012 appropriations bill for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and related agencies.

The en bloc amendment from Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) would increase funding for suicide prevention outreach to veterans, reduce wait times for mental health services and increase funding for research into prosthetics. The amendment was quickly approved on a voice vote.

The House on Thursday night approved a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill for FY 2012 that funds DHS at $42 billion -- $1 billion lower than the FY 2011 funding level, and $3 billion lower than the Obama administration's request.

Members approved the bill in a 231-188 vote in which 17 Democrats joined all but 20 Republicans in supporting it.

The House on Thursday evening finished debate and vote on several amendments to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill, and was expected to approve the bill soon afterwards.

Members approved several amendments to the bill in the last round of votes. One from Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) was approved in a 251-168 vote, and would prevent DHS from using funds for ACORN or its affiliates. This amendment led to controversial debate late Wednesday night.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Wednesday said Texas governor Rick Perry would be a contender for the presidency in 2012 if he entered the race. 

"I think he'd have a good story to tell ... about the Texas success story and the Texas model," Cornyn said, according to the Miami Herald.

"I have no knowledge as to whether he intends to run," said Cornyn. "He's spent a fair amount of time talking about what is wrong with Washington and what's right in Texas. I don't know whether he really wants to go into the lion's den in Washington, D.C." Read more...