Congressional Dish

In this episode, a look at the House's 2014 military construction and veterans funding bill's first-draft and then examine whether it's wise to continue a system that fast-tracks applications for animal anti-biotics. Links to Information in this Episode Music: "In Your Name" by The Undercover Hippy (found on MusicAlley by mevio) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 2216: Funding for military construction and the Department of Veteran's Affairs Text of H.R. 2216 Transcript of President Obama's May 23, 2013 speech on national defense to National Defense University in Washington, D.C Video/Audio of President Obama's speech Example of the strategy allowed in Section 123 that transfers expired funds to the "Foreign Currency Fluctuations, Construction, Defense" account so that it can magically become unexpired A full explanation of what we did in Iraq: The privatization of their government for the benefit of U.S. corporations leaving Iraqi industries - including cement - to watch and go broke (by Naomi Klein) Music: "They're Calling My Flight" from the Contagion soundtrack (score by Cliff Martinez) Text of S. 622: "Animal Drug and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Re-authorization Act of 2013" Thom Hartmann segment on the consequences of factory farming from January 2013 Music: "Ask Your Doctor" by Neal Fox (found on Music Alley by mevio) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1919: "The Safeguarding America's Pharmaceuticals Act of 2013" Representatives Featured in this Episode (in order of appearance) Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York

The House passed H.R. 3, a bill waiving permit requirements for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and passed H.R. 1911, a bill that could raise interest rates for college students while tying their rates to the market. Links to Information in this Episode: Music: We've Got Balls by Robin and the Giant (downloaded from Music Alley) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 3, the Keystone XL bill. James Hansen's warning about Keystone XL's effect on the climate. Refineries in Texas are hunting for business. Keystone XL route from Canada to Texas Canadians don't want tar sands pipelines running through their land. [caption id="attachment_577" align="aligncenter" width="758"] Bitumen is not oil; it's tar and is sticky like peanut butter.[/caption] 2010 tar sands spill in Kalamazoo, Michigan isn't clean yet. EPA photos from the Kalamazoo spill [caption id="attachment_578" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Tar sands oil sinks near Kalamazoo, Michigan: August 1, 2010. Source: EPA[/caption] Keystone XL will go over the Ogallala Aquifer EPA photo gallery from the tar sands spill in Mayflower, Arkansas [caption id="attachment_580" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Tar sands oil next to a home in Mayflower, Arkansas. Source: EPA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_581" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Tar sands oil flows onto a residential street in Mayflower, Arkansas. Source: EPA[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Another river of tar sands oil in Mayflower, Arkansas.[/caption] Tar sands oil is exempt from the oil spill fund [caption id="attachment_582" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The pipe that burst in Mayflower, Arkansas was 20 inches in diameter; Keystone XL will be 36 inches in diameter.[/caption] Tar sands energy will make climate change worse James Hansen, NASA climatologist, NYT Op-Ed "Game Over For the Climate" [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="464"] Look how big these earth movers are! Takes a lot of carbon to operate these beasts.[/caption] State Department review of the Keystone XL pipeline EPA comment saying the State Department review isn't good enough Rail transport is not a good option for Canadian tar sands. Keystone XL jobs are mostly temporary Keystone XL probably won't lower gas prices Keystone XL will not stop U.S. imports of Middle Eastern oil Oil industry gave Keystone XL cheerleaders in the House a LOT of money Americans are not paying attention to Keystone XL Music: All Hail to the Market by Alun Parry (found on Music Alley by mevio) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1911, the student loan bill. Music: The Veteran by EJ Fortin (found on Music Alley by mevio) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 258, the bill that prohibits lying about military medals. H.R. 1344, the "Helping Heroes Fly Act" Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1073, the bill that penalizes chemical attacks and attacks on ships and gives corporations U.S. protection. Representatives Quoted in Order of Appearance Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia Rep. John Kline of Minnesota Rep. Tom Petri of Wisconsin Rep. Luke Messer of Indiana

In this episode, highlights from the House Ways and Means Committee IRS scandal hearing. IRS staffers made a list of keywords including Tea Party, 9-12, Patriot, etc. to help them find social welfare groups applying for tax exempt status that were actually political in nature. This is the scandal you've been told about; the real scandal is how many of them have been approved. Background How IRS "streamlining" in the 1990s led to mismanagement In January of 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in the infamous Citizen's United case that corporations count as people and that corporation donations count as speech, making them protected by the Constitution. This opened the floodgates to large amounts of corporate money making its way into U.S. elections. At the same time, the IRS saw a sharp increase in the number of groups claiming tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(4) of the U.S. tax code. Groups that qualify do not have to pay taxes to the U.S. government and, more importantly to political groups, do not have to disclose their donors. The law for 501(c)(4) groups says that they must exist "exclusively" for social welfare purposes, but an IRS regulation from 1959 says that they must exist "primarily" for social welfare purposes. That wiggle room has been applied broadly, to put it mildly, and we now have clearly political groups claiming tax-exempt status as 501(c)(4) organizations. In March of 2010, the division of the IRS charged with making sure that groups claiming tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(4) of the U.S. tax code were "primarily" social welfare groups, not political groups, made a list of keywords to look for in the names of groups that might indicate the groups were political in nature. The keywords they looked for include: "Tea Party" "Patriots" "9/12 Project" References to government spending, government debt, or taxes "Make America a better place" Statements criticizing how the country is being run. View the Inspector General report on the IRS scandal The IRS employees also asked questions that were considered unnecessary when they were finally analyzed by IRS management. Although the list was inappropriate, most of the groups analyzed during the same time period had names unrelated to the list. In the end, the IRS Inspector General found no evidence of corruption at the IRS; instead, they concluded the problems arouse out of mismanagement. However, the real problem as far as us American citizens are concerned, is that clearly political groups are being given tax-exempt status, allowing them to keep their donors secret. Out of the 298 applications the IRS Inspector General reviewed, 0 had been denied. Here are some examples of groups that enjoy tax-exempt status as social welfare groups: Crossroads GPS, the group co-founded by Karl Rove Priorities USA, the group that worked on behalf of the Obama campaign. Americans for Prosperity and Freedomworks, front groups for the billionaire Koch brothers' interests MoveOn.org, the group that focuses on "building the progressive movement". Further Reading How Real Disclosure Laws Could Help Fix the IRS Problem Also in This Episode Bills that passed the House of Representatives this week: Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 45, the Repeal ObamaCare Act Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1062, the Prevent Wall Street Regulations Act People Quoted in This Episode Steve Miller, acting Commission of the IRS (has since resigned) Russel George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas Rep. Adrian Smith of Nebraska

After a health care rant, we look at H.R. 1406, a bill that would have allowed workers to get vacation time instead of cash for their overtime. It's a bill I'd actually like to see survive. Links to Information in this Episode Previous episode CD026 about H.R. 1549 Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1549 "Help Sick Americans Now Act" Music: Overtime by Man Born Blind Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1406 "Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013" Status and text of H.R. 1406 Music: Playing Games by Country Drive (found on Music Alley by mevio) Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 807 "Full Faith and Credit Act" Status and text of H.R. 807 Music: Democracy is Dangerous by Thomas Pace (found on Music Alley by mevio) It just keeps getting worse. I am scheduling a vote for next week on the full repeal of #Obamacare. — Eric Cantor (@GOPLeader) May 8, 2013 Representatives Quoted in Order of Appearance Repeal ObamaCare montage Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Texas Indiana Governor and former Congressman Mike Pence Rep. John Fleming of Louisiana Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland Rep. Michael Burgess of Texas Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas Rep. George Miller of California "Interest-free loan" montage Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado Rep. Donald Payne of New Jersey Rep. Pete DeFazio of Oregon Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

The House worked on two bills this week. H.R. 527, which changes the way we sell helium, passed in a beautifully bipartisan way. H.R. 1549, which dismantles a piece of ObamaCare, died a uniquely Republican death. Links to Information in this Episode Music: All Hail to the Market by Alun Parry (found on Music Alley by mevio) Text of H.R. 527: Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act Natural Resources Committee hearing on H.R. 527, an example of government functioning properly. Music: Ask Your Doctor by Neal Fox (found on Music Alley by mevio) Text of H.R. 1549: "Help Sick Americans Now Act" Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1549 Washington Post: Funds run low for health insurance in state 'high-risk pools' by N.C. Aizenman (2/15/13) What is the public health fund? The public health fund has already been cut FreedomWorks blog post by Dean Clancy, the Vice President of Public Policy Representatives Featured in this Episode (in order of appearance) Rep. Doc Hastings of Washington Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts Rep. Michael Burgess of Texas

H.R. 624: The "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act", better known as CISPA, passed the House of Representatives and is now moving into the Senate. It's a better bill than it was in the last Congress, but it's still not ready to become law. Links to information in this podcast Music: Democracy is Dangerous by Thomas Pace (found on Music Alley by mevio) Text of H.R. 624: CISPA as it passed the House of Representatives Congressional Dish summary of CISPA White House veto threat Representatives Quoted in This Episode (in order of appearance) Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida Rep. Rob Woodall of Georgia Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado Rep. Adam Schiff of California Rep. Bill Enyart of Illinois Further Reading Sunlight Foundation article on lobbying efforts for CISPA

In the hours before the Boston marathon bombing, President Obama quietly signed a bill gutting the STOCK Act. Full details on the shady way both houses of Congress passed the bill in under two days. Executive Producer: Anonymous Please Support Congressional Dish Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Background Sources Frank Konkel. March 22, 2013. "CIA CTO sheds light on intelligence community's need for cloud." FCW. STOCK Act Signing. April 4, 2012. C-SPAN. 60 Minutes. Nov 13, 2011. "Congress: Trading stock on inside information?" CBS News. Senate passage of S. 716 took 10 seconds. The Chicago Tribune. url: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-usa- congress-securitybre93b0zj-20130412,0,6596065.story Chris Coons. "Modifying the Requirements Under the STOCK Act." Congressional Record -- Senate. S2583. "S. 716 Gut the STOCK Act Passes House." April 12, 2013. Congressional Dish Clip Archive. Laws S. 716: A bill to modify the requirements under the STOCK Act regarding online access to certain financial disclosure statements and related forms. Sponsor: Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) Summary of S. 716 H.R. 882 : Contracting and Tax Accountability Act of 2013 Sponsor: Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) Summary of H.R. 882 H.R. 1163: Federal Information Security Amendments Act of 2013 Sponsor: Darrell Issa (R-CA) Summary of H.R. 1163 H.R. 756: The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act Sponsor: Michael McCaul (R-TX) H.R. 249: Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act of 2013 Music Presented in This Episode Money, Money, Money by The Undercover Hippy (found on MusicAlley by mevio)

This episode is dedicated to my family, friends, and neighbors in Boston.

The House passed two bills this week designed to prevent regulation enforcement; one prevents environmental reviews on certain hydro-power projects, the other prevents the National Labor Relations Board from functioning at all. A small conduit hydroelectic project[/caption] Links to Information in this Podcast Song: We've Got Balls by Robin and the Giant (downloaded from Music Alley) Text of the bill: H.R. 678: "The Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act" Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 678 Bureau of Reclamation report and maps of potential projects in 13 states Bill passed with only 15 House members either voting against it or not voting at all. Song: Work Til You Die by The Undercover Hippie (downloaded from Music Alley) Text of the bill: H.R. 1120: "Preventing Greater Uncertainty in Labor-Management Relations Act" Congressional Dish summary of H.R. 1120 Video from the H.R. 1120 mark-up hearing in the House Education and Workforce Committee What is the National Labor Relations Board? Office of Legal Council memo saying President Obama's recess appointments are legal U.S. Court of Appeals rules President Obama's recess appointments were unconstitutional Representatives quoted in this episode: Scott Tipton (CO-3) Grace Napolitano (CA-32) Tom McClintock (CA-4) John Kline (MN-2) Tim Bishop (NY-1) Rob Andrews (NJ-1)

Part 3 of the continuing resolution followed by a history of Trailblazer and ThinThread, the NSA's spying programs. *Forward to 28:20 to hear the Trailblazer vs. Thinthread (NSA spying) story* Executive Producer: Kevin H.R. 933: Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013 B= Billion M= Million DIVISION E: VETERANS Title I—Department of Defense Construction (TOTAL: $10.6 B) $1.7 B: Army construction available until 2017 for "acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment of temporary or permanent public works, military installations, facilities, and real property… and host nation support" $1.5 B: Navy & Marine construction available until 2017 $323 M: Air Force construction available until 2017 $3.5 B: Defense-wide construction available until 2017 Includes $27 M for a new NATO headquarters $614 M: Army National Guard construction available until 2017 $42 M: Air National Guard construction available until 2017 $306 M: Army Reserve construction available until 2017 $50 M: Navy Reserve construction available until 2017 $11 M: Air Force Reserve construction available until 2017 $254 M: NATO construction of military facilities and installations available indefinitely $535 M: Army family housing, available until 2017 See Section 8058 (DoD Division) $480 M: Navy & Marines housing, available until 2017 $582 M: Air Force housing, available until 2017 $54 M: Defense-wide housing, available until 2017 $151 M: For chemical destruction, available until 2017 $536 M: Base closures, available indefinitely Section 101 No cost-plus contracts over $25,000 except in Alaska Section 105 No money can be used to buy land for more than it's worth except When it's negotiated by the Attorney General The value is less than $25,000 Defense Secretary says it's cool Section 109 No money can be used to pay property taxes in foreign nations Section 111 No money can be used for contracts over $500,000 for projects in Japan, a NATO member country, or a country bordering the Arabian Sea unless the contract goes to a US company or a partnership including US companies Section 126 No money can be used to expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site in Colorado Title II—Department of Veterans Affairs (TOTAL VETERANS BENEFITS: $127.5 B) $60.5 B: Veteran's benefits $12 B: Readjustment benefits $55 B: Veteran's medical care $2 B: Overseas Veterans Benefits Administration employee mail $3 B + reimbursements: IT upgrades Title III—Related agencies Title IV—Overseas contingency operations Title V—General provisions Section 503 No money can be used by the executive branch for any media productions designed to support or defeat Congressional legislation, except for media for a presentation to Congress itself. Section 509 No porn allowed. Section 511 No transfers out of Guantanamo Bay. Section 512 No first class travel for the executive branch. Section 513 Can't use illegal immigrants for construction work. Section 514 Can't contract with a corporation that's been convicted of a felony unless "agency" says it's cool Section 515 Can't contract with a corporation with unpaid taxes unless agency say's it's cool DIVISION F—ENERGY, FINANCIAL SERVICES, ENVIRONMENT, QUALITY OF LIFE, CONGRESS, FOREIGN AFFAIRS, HOUSING & TRANSPORTATION Title I—General Provisions Keeping the 2012 appropriations for the following departments (public law 112-74) Department of the Interior Department of Energy Department of Treasury District of Columbia Environmental Protection Agency Department of Labor Department of Health and Human Services Department of Education Legislative Branch Department of State Department of Transportation Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 1104 None of these departments can start or resume a project that wasn't authorized during 2012 Section 1109 Extra money for: $40 M: Disabled coal miners $106 B: Medicaid grants to states $1 B: Child support enforcement $2 B: Foster care $19 B: Social Security Title II—Energy and Water Development Section 1203 1.8 B: Renewable energy and energy efficiency Section 1205 $7.5 B: Nuclear weapons activities Section 1206 Extra $110 M for "domestic uranium enrichment, research, development, and demonstration." Title III—Financial Services and General Government Title IV—Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Section 1401 Decrease Bureau of Land Management from $962 M to $951 M $0 for BLM construction $2.2 B: National Park Service $726 M: Wildland fire management Section 1405: Environmental Protection Agency (Total: $8 B) $785 M: Science and Technology $2.6 B: Environment Programs and Management $1.1 B: Hazardous Substance Superfund (lowered by $40 M) $3.5 B: State and Tribal Assistance Grants Section 1408 $1.5 B: Forest Service $2 B: Forest Service Wildland fire management Section 1412 Defunds the Presidio Trust fund, which helped turn a military installation into a part in San Francisco Section 1416 (Amendment 29 by James Inhofe… agreed to by unanimous consent) Prohibits EPA from enforcing an oil spill rule on farms for the next 6 months Farm means "a facility on a tract of land devoted to the production of crops or raising of animals, including fish, which produced and sold, or normally would have produced and sold, $1,000 or more of agricultural products during a year." Compliance deadline is May 10, 2013 "Facilities' includes oil transportation pipelines. The rule forces facilities (NOT OIL COMPANIES) to: The oil spill prevention plan which EPA is prohibited from enforcing would have had to include: Quantity and type of oil that could be spilled Map of areas that would be affected by a spill Written commitment of manpower, equipment, and materials required to control and remove spilled oil Emergency response plan Get the plan certified by an engineer Put up containment and diversionary structures Report spills over 1,000 barrels Report multiple spills over 42 barrels that happened in the same 12 month period, including the cause of the failure Title V—Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Section 1502 $3.1 B: Unemployment insurance Section 1510 $2.3 B: Child Care block grant Section 1511 $33.5 M: Head Start Title VI—Legislative Branch Section 1601 $193,400 to Irene Hirano, widow of Senator Daniel K. Inouye Section 1605 $61 M: Fix the Capitol Dome Title VII—Department of State, Foreign Oper-ations, and Related Programs Section 1701 $2 B: International peacekeeping activities Section 1703 $3.1 B: International security assistance Section 1707 $1.2 B: Embassy security upgrades Title VIII—Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Section 1805 $2 B: Homeless grants DIVISION G—OTHER MATTERS Section 3001: Additional cuts Division A: 2.513% sequester cut Division B: 1.877% sequester cut Section 3002 Sequester lives Monsanto Protection Act Section 735 of Division A (Department of Agriculture) Section 411 of the Plant Protection Act prohibits regulated plant "pests", like weeds, that are somehow considered harmful if allowed to be freely grown in the United States. Anyone is allowed to petition to have a plant removed from the regulated list. If the Secretary of Agriculture chooses to regulate a plant that was previously unregulated, this bill says the Secretary "shall" "immediately grant temporary permits" which will authorize the movement, introduction, continued cultivation, or commercialization, while the petition is evaluated. Section 735 was slipped into the bill by Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri who has been given lots of money by Monsanto and other agribusiness giants. Exxon-Mobil Pipeline Spill in Mayflower Arkansas A pipeline capable of carrying 90,000 barrels of tar-sands oil per day burst near Mayflower, Arkansas, forcing the evacuation of 22 homes. FYI: The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would carry 800,000 barrels of tar-sands oil from Canada to the Texas coast. Trailblazer vs. ThinThread Read this article by Tom Sherrock of The Nation... or listen to the podcast :) Video of former AT&T engineer turned whistleblower Mark Klein on Countdown with Keith Olbermann Video of former Deputy Attorney General James Comey testifying to the Senate in 2007 regarding the Bush Administration's attempt reauthorize their illegal spying program.