Free Republic

Sounds from the movie “Galaxy Quest” and a Village People song drowned out a livestreamed Congressional subcommittee meeting Monday, forcing lawmakers to temporarily recess. Members of the House Appropriations subcommittee on energy and water development didn’t seem to hear the audio, which played for about 20 minutes until subcommittee chairwoman Marcy Kaptur called for a break. “We’ve been informed that we’ll have to take a brief recess now because we’re having technical issues and we’re gonna just be briefly recessing for a second here,” Rep. Kaptur, D-Ohio, said. Rep. Mary Kaptur during the subcommittee meeting on May 3, 2021. Rep....

In a March 29, 2009 Detroit Free Press column, film industry proponent and popular author Mitch Albom said that if legislators were to put a cap on the state’s refundable, unlimited film incentives, you might as well “kill” them altogether. He said that a cap “…effectively chases films away. No successful tax-incentive state has a cap like this, because no studio wants to be the last film in, then find out the money is gone. They can't plan that way. They just won't come.” Film industry supporters insisted in numerous media outlets that mere ‘talk’ of capping the film incentives...

This month, three members of Congress have been beaten in their bids for re-election -- a Republican senator from Utah, a Democratic congressman from West Virginia and a Republican-turned-Democrat senator from Pennsylvania. Their records are different. But they have one thing in common: They're members of an appropriations committee. Like most appropriators, they've based much of their careers on bringing money to their states and districts. But suddenly this year, pork is not kosher. It has long been a maxim of political scientists that American voters are ideologically conservative and operationally liberal. That is, they tend to oppose government spending...

A taxpayer watchdog group says Democrats in Congress are not living up to their promise of openness and transparency in the appropriations process. The group, Citizens Against Government Waste, says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's vow that her party would preside over "the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history" has already proven to be a phony promise. House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey (D-Wisconsin) has announced he will allow all earmarks into conference reports, which are negotiated behind closed doors and cannot be amended when they reach the House and Senate floors. Obey's plan ignores rules that...

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion charges involving the sale of his home.