Category: Senate

President calls for earmark reform, another website #SOTU

Earmark reform?  There would be an app for that, if President Obama’s State of the Union proposal is adopted: I’m also calling on Congress to continue down the path of earmark reform. You have trimmed some of this spending and embraced some meaningful change. But restoring the public trust demands more. For example, some members […]

Why I can’t tell you what the Senate Rules Committee said about Senators’ use of Facebook

Recently, the Senate Rules Committee apparently distributed a “Dear Colleague” letter regarding use of Facebook for official purposes.  Because I have failed miserably to locate the letter online, and there doesn’t seem to be a central repository for “Dear Colleague” letters, I cannot share the letter’s contents with you.

Senate Ethics and the Ensign investigation

Politico has the latest on the investigation involving Sen. Ensign. Unlike those of its House counterpart, the Senate Ethics Committee’s rules do not formally bar the panel from taking up a case in which the Justice Department or other law enforcement agency is involved. But the Senate committee does traditionally stand aside in such instances.