Cloakroom: September 15 – September 21

House Cloakroom: Analysis: This week, the House may move its attention to a food stamp bill that would reduce spending by $40 billion by eliminating USDA waivers for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDS). The reduction is far below the $135 billion (over 10 years) cut called for by the House-passed Ryan Budget. The House may […]

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Where the White House Is Wrong on Immigration Reform

Could the Senate-passed bill on immigration reform decrease the deficit and pad your pocketbook, all while granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants? The answer is no, according to Heritage’s Derrick Morgan, vice president of Domestic and Economic Policy. “This is going to increase the deficit,” Morgan said on Fox Business in response to the […]

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DeMint Writes Letter to Vladimir Putin on American Exceptionalism

This week in The New York Times—on September 11, no less—Russian President Vladimir Putin took issue with the idea of American exceptionalism. He wrote: It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those […]

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Obama’s Ad Lib Syria Policy Puts Putin in Driver’s Seat

President of Russia Vladimir Putin (Valery Sharifulin/ZUMA Press/Newscom) Moscow has quickly exploited Secretary of State John Kerry’s off-the-cuff remark on Monday about how Syria could avoid a U.S. military attack by giving up its chemical weapons. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov swiftly launched a Russian initiative, which Syria immediately welcomed. Now the Obama Administration has […]

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A Real Vote to Defund Obamacare

One of the disillusioning facts about Washington is that Congress can vote on something and that vote won’t mean a thing. It would seem that a congressional vote should be a meaningful occasion, with Members weighing the costs and benefits of voting for the particular measure at hand. Unfortunately, political gamesmanship often leads them to […]

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Why This Doctor Fears Obamacare

Dr. Tim Shepherd talks about his patients like they’re his own family. He gets emotional when he thinks about a patient he’s been treating for 20 years, and talks about a new patient who’s making progress like it’s his first grandchild. He says his favorite part about being a doctor isn’t having specialized knowledge or […]

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Top Republicans Refuse to Sign Pledge to De-Fund Obamacare

(CNSNews.com) — The Senate Conservatives Fund website shows that 1.2 million people have signed a pledge to defund the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. But a number of top Republicans apparently have refused to sign the pledge, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.). […]

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The Syrian Off Ramp to Nowhere

President Obama’s speech tonight makes one thing clear: Despite all his bellicose rhetoric, he never wanted to strike Syria in the first place. Yes, he has focused on making a case for military action, but the real action now will be diplomatic—responding to the Russian proposal to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons. There’s only one problem: […]

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