House and Senate Cloakroom: January 24-28, 2011

Analysis provided by Heritage Action for America House Cloakroom Report: January 24-28 Analysis: After a week in the House that saw Obamacare repealed, the House will move in to a week heavily focused on spending, further organization of committees, and a slew of hearings on healthcare, the economy, stalled trade agreements, and the oil spill […]

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Senate Misinformed about New START

Although the U.S. Senate gave its advice and consent to the ratification of New START, a strategic nuclear arms control treaty with the Russian Federation, the debate about the substance and ramifications of the treaty is far from resolved. Dr. Keith Payne, President of the National Institute for Public Policy, argues in his latest article that […]

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South Asia Thankfully Left Out of U.S.-China Joint Statement

Compared to the U.S.–China joint statement in 2009, this year’s joint statement issued at the summit between Presidents Barack Obama and Hu Jintao contains no mention of improving U.S.–China “communication, dialogue, and cooperation on issues related to South Asia.” India objected strenuously to the language in the 2009 joint statement, and the U.S. has apparently […]

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The Uses and Abuses of the Commerce Clause

There seems to be a fairly significant downside to a “living” Constitution: you can’t keep it from growing uncontrollably!  In the latest Constitutional Guidance for Lawmakers essay, David Forte outlines the staggering expansion in the reach of the Commerce Clause under the Progressives, from “The trafficking and trading of economic commodities” to “Any human activity […]

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Report: Berkeley Set to Offer Sex-Change Employee Benefit

(CNSNews.com) – “While other cities are slashing employee benefits, Berkeley is slated to add one more: paying for sex-change operations,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Tuesday. The Berkeley City Council was expected to vote Tuesday night on a proposal to reserve $20,000 annually for city employees’ gender-reassignment surgery, which is not covered by the […]

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Secession Is Just the First Step: Southern Sudan’s Road to Development

The referendum for southern Sudan’s independence, which began on January 9, reached the necessary 60% participation a few days ago. Official results will not be released for a couple of weeks, but an overwhelming “yes” vote is a safe assumption. The referendum is a momentous step; as the capstone to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement […]

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Orbiting Dragons

At the 2009 Sino-American summit, President Obama committed the US to dispatching the head of NASA to China, in return for a reciprocal visit by his “appropriate Chinese counterpart,” i.e., a player to be named later. A year later, NASA Administrator Bolden has visited China (although it remains unclear to what end), yet there is […]

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