Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) said Tuesday that the Obama administration had an "irrational" reaction to last year's Deepwater Horizon oil spill, by slowing oil drilling permits and hurting U.S. energy production and jobs.

"The cost of the irrational reaction by this administration to what is in essence a mechanical failure of a blowout preventer is horrific as measured in unemployed families, higher energy prices, lost business to shops throughout that region, and lost royalties to nation's Treasury," McClintock said on the House floor. "It's said that the economic damage done by this administration's response to the oil spill could be far greater than that done by the oil spill itself, and I believe it."

Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) on Tuesday said the deteriorating conditions for healthcare delivery in Massachusetts offer a sign of things to come under the national healthcare law that was approved last year.

"We only need to look at Massachusetts to see a preview of what is in store if we fail to repeal Obamacare," Pitts said on the House floor. Pitts, who chairs the House Energy & Commerce health subcommittee, said that while the Massachusetts health reform plan was expected to reduce delays in seeing a primary care physician, the opposite has happened.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of Congress on May 24.

"It will be an honor to welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu to the Capitol on May 24 as part of his official visit to the United States," Boehner said. "America and Israel are the closest of friends and allies, and we look forward to hearing the Prime Minister's views on how we can continue working together for peace, freedom, and stability."

Netanyahu has addressed Congress previously, in July 1996.

Israel is celebrating the 63rd anniversary of its founding this month.

House Democrats on Tuesday indicated they would continue to press an alternative plan for lowering gas prices that relies not on more drilling for energy resources, but on reduced oil consumption and a shift to renewable energy.

"Energy independence is going to depend on reducing our oil consumption and shifting to domestic forms of energy like wind, solar, biofuels and gas," Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said on the House floor shortly after noon.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has scheduled debate time and a vote for Tuesday afternoon on the controversial nomination of Edward Milton Chen to be a United States District Judge for the Northern District of California. 

Chen, who served as lawyer for the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU) for more than 15 years, has made enemies among some conservatives, and it is possible members of the Senate GOP caucus will attempt to filibuster the vote. 

The Democratic leadership took to the Senate floor Tuesday to tout their plan to use the money saved by eliminating billions of dollars in tax breaks for big oil companies to lower the national deficit.

"Today we will introduce legislation that our side agrees with which will say ‘take all that money and put it to deficit reduction,’” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, referring to the about $20 billion in tax breaks the government gives to BP, Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron and Conoco Phillips each year.

“Because the deficit is such a huge problem, because we might have a dispute with our friends on the other side of the aisle as to where the money ought to go, everyone can agree it would be worthwhile to take a little bit of the burden off the taxpayers, have the oil companies pay their fair share, and stop these ridiculous tax breaks and subsidies to big oil,” Schumer said.

Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on Tuesday said the Senate is shirking its responsibility to ensure that the federal government has a budget in place for fiscal 2012.

"It seems to me that our leadership in the Senate is desperately seeking to avoid having to do the responsible thing, and that is to stand up and produce a budget," Sessions said on the Senate floor.

"The way things should work is this: the Senate should come forward, the Democratic Senate," he said. "They have the majority, you pass a budget with a simple majority. Let's propose a budget."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) laid out Monday the concessions President Obama will have to make to win Republican support on immigration reform. 

"The president will have to present a plan that takes amnesty off the table and focuses, instead, on making a real commitment to border and interior security," said McConnell. "If the president does these two things, he will find strong bipartisan support. If he doesn’t, he won’t."

House Republicans want to study whether U.S. debt held by China represents a national security threat.