House Democrats on Friday said Republican budget cuts would have hampered Hawaii and West Coast states as they cope with tsunami waves caused by the earthquake near Japan.

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) helped prepare officials in his state to evacuate the coastline, and said waves were pounding and destroying Oregon's docks this afternoon.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) warned Friday next week's short-term funding measure will be the last one he supports. 

House Republicans for the second day in a row on Friday voted to eliminate a federal mortgage program. 

Democrat says banks should pony up and pay for the mortgage assistance programs that Republicans are trying to eliminate.

The House convened at 9 a.m. Friday to take up H.R. 836, which would rescind $1 billion now authorized for a program that helps unemployed people make their mortgage payments for up to 12 months.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) began the debate by sticking to the themes Republicans hit on Thursday in the course of repealing an FHA mortgage relief program (H.R. 836). Hensarling said the U.S. debt is piling up too quickly, and that cuts are needed to give businesses the confidence to hire workers in the long term.

"At some point you gotta quit spending money you don't have," he said.

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. wants to make the latest technology available to all students through a constitutional amendment.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) filed cloture Thursday on a motion to proceed to legislation to fund the Small Business Administration.

Reid made the move after a group of conservative Republicans warned they would block an attempt to bring the bill to the floor by unanimous consent. The Republicans have promised to prevent any legislation that does not cut spending from hitting the Senate floor.

D.C.'s delegate defends federal workers' pay and benefits, saying comparisons to private sector are unfair.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations Daniel K. Inouye (D-Ha.) took to the floor on Thursday to call on the House to pass a spending bill that would be palatable to both parties and the Senate.

"The House must step up to the plate with a budget that is workable,” said Inouye. “It cannot hide behind vague rhetoric and temporary spending caps. It should not insist upon irrational cuts that would devastate the every day lives of the American people."

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