Congress

By Sam Bollier in Americas on January 24th, 2012
Obama's State of the Union address is expected to focus on the economy [Reuters]

Tonight at 9 PM, US President Barack Obama will deliver the annual State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress. He's expected to focus on the economy, proposing tax reform that would require the very rich to pay more taxes; initiatives that would create more manufacturing jobs in the US; and changes to the troubled residential mortgage market.

Because 2012 is also an election year, the address will also likely double as a campaign speech. Expect Obama to draw sharp contrasts between himself and Republican policies.

After the speech, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will deliver the Republican Party's response.

10:55 PM: Cain calls on Obama to "stop the class warfare" and - vaguely - to have Obama's surrogates stop "the racial innuendos".

By Alan Fisher in Americas on December 29th, 2011

File 57156
Reuters photo

It is just six days to the Iowa caucus, the first real test of the seven Republicans hoping to win their party’s presidential nomination for the 2012 election.

Karl Rove, the man who masterminded George Bush’s election victories, has described the current battle for the heart of the Republican party as “the most unpredictable, rapidly shifting, and often downright inexplicable primary race I’ve ever witnessed”. 

By Camille Elhassani in Americas on April 12th, 2011
Photo by EPA

Last Friday, just before the midnight deadline to avoid a partial shutdown of the US government, Democrats and Republicans declared victory. 

They agreed to cut $38.5bn from the $3.8 trillion budget.

But it has taken until Tuesday for the deal to be drafted into a piece of legislation for the public to know which programmes are going to be cut.

The biggest cuts are from education, labour and health programmes - they'll lose $5.5bn in funding.

Homeland Security loses $784m, and nearly $200m will be cut from international food assistance.

Tags: Congress
By Camille Elhassani in Americas on April 8th, 2011
AFP photo

Republicans and Democrats remain positive that a deal to prevent a partial shutdown of the US government is possible.  Negotiators from both parties and the White House have been mum on what they're discussing and the sticking points.  Republican leaders say they want $39 billion cut from the budget, Democrats say $38 billion.  Some ideological differences remain, meaning federal workers went home on Friday afternoon not knowing whether they'll come back to work on Monday. 

 

By Camille Elhassani in Americas on April 1st, 2011
[GALLO/GETTY]

There's been mixed reaction to the operation in Libya by the American public.  Prior to the mission, the Pew Research Center found that Americans were evenly divided over whether or not the US should enforce a no-fly zone over Libya. 

 

Since then, the number of people who disapprove has risen.  The US began flying sorties and launching missiles against Muammar Gaddafi's forces on March 19.  Shortly after the operation began, Gallup found 47 per cent of those surveyed approved of US military involvement while 37 per cent disapproved.  One in six people were unsure. 

 

By John Terrett in Americas on February 17th, 2011
Photo by GALLO/GETTY

The heads of US National Intelligence, the CIA and the FBI testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in Washington DC in a rare public appearance together in one room.
 
At times, President Obama's Director of National Intelligence - his point man in the intelligence community - was forced to answer for his staff's past performance, in particular accusations that they failed to properly alert the White House to the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
 
James Clapper, director of national intelligence told the select committee: "What intelligence can do in such cases is reduce, but certainly not completely eliminate, uncertainty for decision makers whether in the White House, the Congress, the embassy or the foxholes as we did in this instance but we are not clairvoyant."

Senators took the opportunity to press Clapper on the future make-up of the Egyptian government, especially the role that might be played by the Muslim Brotherhood.

By Camille Elhassani in Americas on February 14th, 2011
Photo by GALLO/GETTY

No matter the temperature outside, I know spring has arrived in Washington when the federal budget comes out.

The ink from the government printing office still wet, fat budget books are delivered to Capitol Hill as the deficit hawks prepare their ear-splitting diatribes.

On Monday, Barack Obama, the US president, proposed a $3.7 trillion budget for 2012.

By Al Jazeera Staff in Middle East on February 2nd, 2011

From our headquarters in Doha, we keep you updated on all things Egypt, with reporting from Al Jazeera staff in Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez.  Live Blog: Jan28 - Jan29 - Jan30 - Jan31 - Feb1 - Feb2 - Feb3<

By Camille Elhassani in Americas on January 5th, 2011
Photo by Reuters

The 112th US Congress has opened. Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives, and Democrats remain in control of the Senate but with a smaller majority. The balance of power in Washington changed after last November’s Congressional Midterm Elections. The American public, angry at the state of the economy and high unemployment, voted for change.

On Wednesday, the new members of Congress were sworn-in.  Republican John Boehner has taken over the job of Speaker of the House from Democrat Nancy Pelosi.  In assuming the third highest position in the US government, Boehner said, “Hard work and tough decisions will be required of the 112th Congress. No longer can we fall short. No longer can we kick the can down the road.

By Camille Elhassani in Americas, Europe on November 16th, 2010
Photo: EPA

As the US Congress makes its to-do list for the last few weeks of the year, one piece of legislation that is not likely to be on it is the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as START.  The White House has been pressing the Senate to ratify the treaty with Russia which would reduce both countries' nuclear arsenals and deployment systems.  

The Senate Republican tasked with negotiating with the Obama administration threw cold water on the treaty on Tuesday. 

Jon Kyl put out a statement saying he didn't think START would be considered this term, "given the combination of other work Congress must do and the complex and unresolved issues related to START and modernisation".  Republicans have been pressing for a multi-billion dollar modernisation of the US nuclear arsenal. 

Kyl's statement means the treaty will likely be shelved for the year.

That means next year, the ratification process will begin all over again in the Se

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