News

Washington, D.C. - House Democrats today blocked passage of a constitutional amendment that would have required the federal government to balance its budget.  H.J. Res. 2, a proposed Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, was introduced by Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and has 241 Republican and Democrat cosponsors.  Unfortunately, a majority of House Democrats voted against the measure, preventing the House from getting the two-thirds majority vote required for passage.  The final vote was 261-165.

Washington, D.C. - The House of Representatives today continued floor debate on H.J. Res. 2, a proposed Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution.  House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) managed the floor debate for Republicans and urged his colleagues to support the measure.  The House is expected to vote on H.J. Res. 2 later today. The measure requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.  This is the first time in 16 years that the House has voted on a Balanced Budget Amendment.

Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following their inadequate response to the Judiciary Committee’s subpoena and urged the agency to immediately comply. If DHS does not comply, the Committee plans to seek enforcement of the subpoena to the fullest extent allowed by the law.

Washington, D.C. - The Obama administration today has moved forward with its plan to implement backdoor amnesty through administrative action.  In August, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established a working group to begin a case-by-case review of illegal immigrants in removal proceedings and with a final order of removal to determine if those individuals should be removed at the agency’s discretion.  Today’s announcement implements the working group’s recommendations. 

Washington, D.C. - The House of Representatives today passed a bill that recognizes the importance of the Second Amendment and makes it easier for individuals with concealed carry permits to carry a firearm in other states.  H.R. 822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, allows law-abiding gun owners with valid state-issued concealed firearm permits to carry a concealed firearm in other states that also allow concealed carry.  The bill passed by a vote of 272-154.

Washington, D.C. - The Immigration Subcommittee today issued a subpoena to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a list of illegal and criminal immigrants that have been flagged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) but have not been detained or placed in removal proceedings by the agency.  On Wednesday, the Immigration Subcommittee authorized the issuance of the subpoena by a vote of 7-4.

Washington, D.C. - The House Judiciary Committee today passed a bipartisan bill to reform the federal regulatory process and reduce unnecessary burdens on job creators. The Regulatory Accountability Act requires agencies to assess the costs and benefits of regulatory alternatives and, in most cases, to adopt the least-costly alternative to achieve the regulatory objectives of Congress. The Act places permanent restrictions on regulatory agencies and restores accountability by requiring openness and transparency in the regulatory process.

Washington, D.C. - The Immigration Subcommittee today voted to authorize House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) to issue a subpoena to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a list of illegal and criminal immigrants the agency has declined to detain or place in removal proceedings.  Chairman Smith asked for this information in August.  But to date, DHS has not provided the requested information. The Immigration Subcommittee voted 7-4 to authorize the subpoena.  Chairman Smith plans to issue the subpoena this week.