July 29th, 2010, Washington, DC–From ALG News’ Capitol Hill Correspondent Derek Baker: 
In the Senate, the Small Business bill is once again front and center. Reid indicated he was amenable to accepting Republican amendment on Tuesday, then reversed course the same day. Reid and McConnell had dueling unanimous consent agreements for a list of various amendments on the floor yesterday, and both UC agreements were rejected by the other, so there still is no agreement or plan forward on amendments to the Small Business bill. Reid is expected to call a vote on the latest cloture motion to proceed on the latest version of the bill today.
A floor vote on the Elena Kagan nomination to the Supreme Court is scheduled for early next week as well, along with possible action on a somewhat scaled-down energy bill and the FAA reauthorization bill potentially containing a $2 billion tax hike on air travel.
Bottom Line: Reid’s odds in his ongoing Senate race haven’t looked as bleak recently, thanks to lots of cash-on-hand and a few missteps by Angle, though there’s still plenty of time for Reid to be Reid again before November. The fee/tax issue in the FAA bill will likely prove to be a big issue, particularly given how much his state relies on tourism travel. Every bad bill that moves through the Senate is ultimately the doing of the Majority Leader. In case you’re curious, there are no good bills moving through the Senate.
In the House, as Pelosi tries to wrap up legislative business before the August recess by tomorrow, the main attraction is the Ethics Committee trial on deposed Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel that begins this afternoon at 1 p.m. Numerous charges against Rangel will be revealed today, and Rangel is reportedly eager to defend himself publicly. Rangel has referred to the Ethics Committee investigation into his activities as a “public lynching” in the past and just yesterday stated “as pleasant as it may be tomorrow, there is some sense of relief that at long last I can talk about it.”
The Transportation / HUD Appropriations bill and another “jobs” and tax bill is on the floor today, while “Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act” is on the floor tomorrow.
Bottom Line: While two fellow Democrats have already called for Rangel to resign, numerous others are being quoted anonymously in the media stating the same thing. After the charges are read publicly today, those may grow louder and more frequent. Ethics scandals are always bad for the party of the affected member, but this one is made all the worse for Democrats because of the arrogance of Pelosi in repeatedly vowing to “drain the swamp” of corruption in the House should she become Speaker. Republicans are simply watching in disbelief.
At the other end of the Avenue, Obama got a big but likely temporary lift yesterday when U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton blocked several key provisions of the new Arizona immigration law. Judge Bolton issued an injunction that the Obama Administration had requested to suspend two key components of the new law: 1) a requirement that Arizona police check the immigration status of detainees they reasonably suspect of being in the U.S. illegally, and 2) a provision that makes it a state crime for illegal immigrants to be in the state illegally. Though it is already a federal crime to be in the U.S. illegally, and though there are hundreds of state criminal statutes that mirror or overlap federal statutes, Judge Bolton said this Arizona law provision intrudes into federal immigration enforcement. Judge Bolton wrote, “Requiring Arizona law enforcement officials and agencies to determine the immigration status of every person who is arrested burdens lawfully present aliens because their liberty will be restricted while their status is checked.”
Several media sources also broke the news yesterday that a provision tucked away in the just enacted Wall Street Reform bill exempts the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from public disclosure, including Freedom of Information Requests (FOIA). SEC lawyers responded to a recent FOIA request by citing the new law and claiming the no longer have to honor FOIA requests by the American public, only those from Congress or federal agencies.
Bottom Line: The fight over the Arizona law will undoubtedly be long and eventually come before the Supreme Court. What BO and Co. apparently do not realize is that – while they’re loudly applauding the interim ruling – the vast majority of Americans are further enraged by it and this will serve to activate and mobilize even more people against the liberals in November and beyond. Way to go, BO!
In signing the Wall Street Takeover bill, Obama actually claimed that the new law would “increase transparency in financial dealings.” Another blatant lie by our commander-in-chief. Essentially, Obama’s Wall Street bill greatly expanded and empowered government bureaucrats while stripping away liberties from ordinary American citizens… pretty much like ObamaCare.
P.S. – Check out America Speaking Out and share your thoughts on how we can return to a limited, constitutional government.
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