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Politics

Northeast Republicans Enraged by Inaction on Storm Relief

By JONATHAN WEISMAN

In a remarkable open display of rage, Republican representatives from New York and New Jersey publicly accused their House leadership of betrayal and hypocrisy for deciding at the last minute to cancel a vote in the 112th Congress on emergency relief for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Representative Peter T. King of Long Island said the decision by his party’s leaders was “disgraceful” and “immoral,” and he suggested that New Yorkers who contribute to the National Republican Congressional Committee should “have their head examined.”

“The fact is that the dismissive attitude that was shown last night toward New York, New Jersey and Connecticut typified a strain in the Republican Party, and I know this is not the place to discuss politics, but that politics seeps over into a government decision that was made,” Mr. King said. “I can’t imagine that type of indifference, that type of disregard, that cavalier attitude being shown to any other part of the country. We’re talking about real life and death situations here.”

He continued, “These people have no problem finding New York when it comes to raising money. It’s only when it comes to allocating money that they can’t find the ability to do it.”

Republicans balked at putting a, $60.4 billion Sandy relief package that has been passed by the Senate to a vote before the 112th Congress disbands at noon Thursday. Leaders assured lawmakers they could start afresh when the 113th Congress convenes the same day, but under Congressional rules, no work from the last Congress can continue in the next. Mr. King made note that virtually nothing will be done until after President Obama’s Jan. 20 Inauguration at the earliest.

Representative Michael G. Grimm, a Republican whose Staten Island district was devastated by Hurricane Sandy, delivered an emotional address to the House, reluctantly agreeing with Representative Jerrold Nadler, the liberal Democrat who had preceded him. Mr. Nadler had called the behavior on the storm the “most disgraceful act” he had seen in his 20 years in the House.

Apologizing to his constituents for his own party’s actions, Mr. Grimm said, “There was a betrayal. There was an error in judgment that is going to cost I think the trust of the American people, not for me individually, not even for members as individuals, but for this body as we move forward.”

Representative Frank A. LoBiondo, Republican of New Jersey, followed with his own denunciation, accusing the House of treating the Northeast differently than Congress treated the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the Republican-rich states on the Gulf of Mexico.

“Yes, anger, frustration, this is all rolled into this,” he said.

Sunday Breakfast Menu, Dec. 30

By EMMARIE HUETTEMAN
Sunday's Breakfast MenuStephen Crowley/The New York Times

As the deadline to avert the automatic tax increases and spending cuts of the so-called fiscal cliff draws near, the Sunday shows feature members of Congress and, most notably, President Obama, who will join NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Two members of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee — Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, and Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the chamber’s No. 2 Republican — will join ABC’s “This Week” to weigh in on the last-minute attempts to come to an agreement. Also on the program will be Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, and Representative Raúl R. Labrador, Republican of Idaho and a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, and Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, will discuss the negotiations.

Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee; Senator Debbie Stabenow, Democrat of Michigan; Representative Donna Edwards, Democrat of Maryland; and Representative Darrell Issa, Republican of California and chairman of the House oversight committee, will appear on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Plus, Tom Vilsack, the agriculture secretary, will talk about a potential increase in the price of dairy products if Congress fails to pass a new farm bill soon.

“Fox News Sunday” features a discussion about several of the issues grabbing headlines, including the fiscal talks, gun control and the investigation into the September attack in Benghazi, Libya. Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, and Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, will join the program.

Luke Messer of Indiana, president of the 113th Congress’s incoming freshman class, will be on C-Span’s “Newsmakers.”

And Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, Democrat of Illinois, and Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican of Florida, will talk about the challenges facing Congress in the year ahead on Univision’s “Al Punto.”

Lawmakers Suggest New Rules to Speed Up Senate Business

By JONATHAN WEISMAN

A bipartisan group of eight senators on Friday proposed a detailed set of Senate rule changes that could speed the legislative process considerably but would stop short of the most dramatic changes to the filibuster that some Democrats are demanding.

Under the proposed changes, the minority party in the Senate could no longer filibuster motions to take up bills for debate or to convene formal negotiations with the House on Senate-passed legislation.

The new rules would also make clear that if no senator is on the floor to mount a filibuster, the senator presiding over the Senate could immediately move to a vote on the pending matter. That, the advocates say, would put an end to the current practice of mounting filibusters without even showing up on the Senate floor.

For the minority party, the new rules would also guarantee at least four amendments on every bill, two for the Republicans and two for the Democrats.

“What we’re proposing on a bipartisan basis is a way to end the major sources of gridlock around here,” said Senator Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan, who, along with Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, unveiled the plan. Read more…

Democratic Establishment Voices Support for Markey’s Bid to Succeed Kerry

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Edward J. Markey, 66, first elected to the House in 1976, is the dean of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation.Alex Wong/Getty Images Edward J. Markey, 66, first elected to the House in 1976, is the dean of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation.

The Democratic ranks are closing behind Representative Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts in the race to succeed Senator John Kerry, who hopes to become secretary of state.

The race is shaping up with unusual speed, considering that Mr. Kerry has not yet vacated the seat, and Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts has yet to set a date for a special election.

But several big guns in the Democratic Party began on Friday to line up behind Mr. Markey, who declared his candidacy on Thursday in a race that was expected to be crowded with high-profile possibilities.

The first to issue a statement was Mr. Kerry. Read more…

Obama Returns to Washington, With Bo

By JACKIE CALMES

President Obama returned to the White House on Thursday to resume efforts to end a partisan impasse on a fiscal deal without his wife and daughters, who remain on vacation in Hawaii. His only companion: the family dog, Bo.

Which inevitably brings to mind the aphorism (wrongly) attributed to one of his predecessors, Harry S. Truman: “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.”

So Mr. Obama will have his spirited pet for company in the White House as he confronts the uphill struggle to win House Republicans’ acquiescence to legislation extending the Bush-era tax cuts, which expire after Monday, for income below $250,000 a year. Anti-tax Republicans in the House demand an extension of the cuts for all income levels.

According to a report from the press pool that accompanied the president on the overnight flight, the Obamas’ Portuguese water dog three times wandered into the press cabin, which is at the far end of Air Force One from the president’s lair.

Late on Wednesday, before leaving Oahu, Mr. Obama called the four congressional leaders – the Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and the Republicans, House Speaker John A. Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Gay Republicans Take Out Ad Criticizing Hagel

By HELENE COOPER

The White House may not be making any more announcements about President Obama’s new national security team this week, but that hasn’t stopped the anti-Chuck Hagel drumbeat.

An organization of gay Republicans took out a full page ad in The New York Times on Thursday proclaiming the former Nebraska senator — who has been on Mr. Obama’s short list for defense secretary — as “wrong on gay rights.” The ad also labeled Mr. Hagel as “wrong on Iran” and “wrong on Israel,” but the focus of the ad was on Mr. Hagel’s words, made more than a decade ago, on gays.

In an interview in 1998 about James C. Hormel, a San Francisco philanthropist nominated by President Bill Clinton to be ambassador to Luxembourg, Mr. Hagel spoke out against the appointment, saying that an “openly, aggressively gay” man should not represent the United States.

Mr. Hagel did not oppose the nomination when Mr. Hormel came before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but he did tell the Omaha World-Herald: “They are representing America.” He added: “They are representing our lifestyle, our values, our standards. And I think that it is an inhibiting factor to be gay — openly, aggressively gay like Mr. Hormel — to do an effective job.”

Mr. Hagel has since apologized for the remark, saying in a statement last week that his comments “were insensitive,” and not reflective “of my views or of the totality of my public record.” The White House has sought to defend Mr. Hagel, while at the same time leaving options open about whom Mr. Obama may appoint as defense secretary.

Administration officials said that they did not expect an announcement this week. Others believed to be under consideration for the post include Michèle A. Flournoy, a former top Pentagon official who worked on Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign; former Navy secretary, Richard Danzig; and a former Pentagon official, Ashton B. Carter, a Harvard physicist.

Mr. Obama must also appoint a new director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Since Mr. Hagel’s name emerged as a contender for the top Pentagon job, he has been sharply criticized for his record on Iran, Israel and militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as comments he made about pro-Israel lobbying groups in Washington. Representatives of some pro-Israel lobbying groups have now been ferociously attacking Mr. Hagel.

Forget the Sleigh, Bring On Air Force One

By JEREMY PETERS

Of all the first lady’s official duties, the Christmas Eve phone calls to young children eagerly anticipating news of Santa’s arrival must rank among the least prone to complication.

But on Monday, Michelle Obama had an exchange with a young man who wouldn’t take no for an answer when he asked her to visit him. Then, evidently displeased with her politely noncommittal answer, he asked to talk to her husband.

When Mrs. Obama informed a young man identified by the White House as Anthony from Texas that military satellites had detected Santa’s sleigh somewhere over Italy, he was quick to change the subject. Read more…

N.R.A. Leaders Stand Firm Against Gun Restrictions

By ERIC LICHTBLAU
Wayne LaPierre, vice president of the National Rifle Association, appeared on William B. Plowman/NBC, via Reuters Wayne LaPierre, vice president of the National Rifle Association, appeared on “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

Leaders of the National Rifle Association said Sunday that they would fight any new gun restrictions introduced in Congress, and they made clear that they were not interested in working with President Obama to help develop a broad response to the Connecticut school massacre.

During an appearance on the NBC News program “Meet the Press,” Wayne LaPierre, the vice president of the powerful gun lobby, was openly dismissive of a task force established by Mr. Obama and led by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. that is examining ways to reduce gun violence.

“If it’s a panel that’s just going to be made up of a bunch of people that, for the last 20 years, have been trying to destroy the Second Amendment, I’m not interested in sitting on that panel,” Mr. LaPierre said, adding that the “N.R.A. is not going to let people lose the Second Amendment in this country, which is supported by the overwhelming majority of the American people.”

Read more…

Sunday Breakfast Menu, Dec. 23

By EMMARIE HUETTEMAN
Sunday's Breakfast MenuStephen Crowley/The New York Times

Just over a week since a massacre at a Connecticut elementary school left 26 dead, the debate over how to prevent future shootings continues. Following the National Rifle Association’s announcement Friday of a new initiative to put an armed guard in every school, N.R.A. officials will join the Sunday shows to talk about the proposal.

David Keene, the president of the N.R.A., will join CBS’s “Face the Nation” to discuss gun violence along with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas, and Senator Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who called the Connecticut shooting a “game changer.”

Also on the program will be Representative Tim Scott, the South Carolina Republican who has been tapped to fill retiring Senator Jim DeMint’s seat, and the actor Ben Affleck, the founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative.

Wayne LaPierre, a vice president of the N.R.A., will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Plus, as Congress and the White House break for Christmas without a deal to avert the looming fiscal crisis, Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, discuss the prospects for compromise. Read more…

The Weekend Word: N.R.A.

By JADA F. SMITH

Today’s Times

  • The vice president of the National Rifle Association said steps other than gun control, like cracking down on criminals and fighting violence in the media, would be most effective in preventing mass shootings, Eric Lichtblau and Motoko Rich report.  The N.R.A.’s proposal to place armed security officers in every school was met with widespread derision from school administrators, law enforcement officials and politicians across the nation.
  • Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, was nominated to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state, an appointment that is likely to further centralize policy decisions in the White House, Mark Landler writes.
  • President Obama called on Congress Friday to take action to prevent a fiscal crisis at the start of the year by raising taxes on the wealthy and extending aid for two million unemployed Americas, Jackie Calmes and Jonathan Weisman report. “Call me a hopeless optimist,” he said, “but I actually think we can get this done.”
  • Mr. Obama’s political opposition — unmoved by his re-election and unwilling to compromise on social policy, economics and foreign affairs – could severely constrict the power of his presidency, Michael D. Shear writes in a news analysis.
  • Speaker John A. Boehner faces a formidable choice at the crossroads of his career: acquiesce to the will of a few Republican House members and watch the country enter a fiscal crisis, or come to an agreement with the White House, risking the persistent, and perhaps fatal, wrath of the party purist, Jennifer Steinhauer writes.

Weekly Addresses

  • Michelle Obama joined the president for this week’s address to extend a holiday greeting to the nation and to thank the troops for their service. “This week, let’s give thanks for our veterans and their families. And let’s say a prayer for all our troops – especially those in Afghanistan – who are spending this holiday overseas, risking their lives to defend the freedoms we hold dear,” President Obama said.  “And remember, when our men and women in uniform answer the call to serve, their families serve right along with them,” Mrs. Obama added. “In this country, we take care of each other. And in this season of giving, it’s inspiring to see so many people all across America taking the time to help those most in need.”
  • Speaker John A. Boehner used the weekly Republican address to remind Washington that Americans may have re-elected President Obama to the White House, but they re-elected a Republican majority to the House, too. “Unfortunately, the president and Senate Democrats have vowed to reject and veto all of our proposals while failing to offer a responsible solution of their own,” he said. “The best way to address our crippling debt is to make significant spending cuts and fix our tax code to pave the way for long-term growth and opportunity. This is an approach most Americans support, and it remains Republicans’ highest priority. But we only run the House. Democrats run Washington.”