Open Congress : Featured Members of Congress

October 03, 2008: Sen. Barack Obama [D, IL]

2008-10-03T23:07:57Z

Several Democratic members of the House are crediting pone calls from Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) as influential in their decisions to change their original no votes on the financial bailout bill to yeses. "I had a very good conversation with Senator Obama yesterday morning, and I had to weigh on that the entire day in coming to this decision," said Rep. Donna Edwards, for example. And Rep. Elijah Cummings said, "I have to look beyond [the bailout] to a rainbow called Obama.

Barack Obama's Profile on OpenCongress

October 03, 2008: Rep. Nancy Pelosi [D, CA-8]

2008-10-03T23:00:46Z

Under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), an overwhelming majority of House Democrats were joined by 91 Republicans on Friday in passing historic legislation designed to rescue the nation's troubled financial system. At a press conference after the bill passed, she said, “The eye now is to the future. To shine the bright light of accountability on what is happening in our financial markets so that it doesn’t happen again."

Nancy Pelosi's Profile on OpenCongress

September 29, 2008: Rep. Barney Frank [D, MA-4]

2008-09-29T20:08:52Z

Barney Frank (D-MA), the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, responded to Republicans' allegations on Monday that Speaker Pelosi's speech killed the bailout deal. "Here’s the story. There’s a terrible crisis affecting the American economy. We have come together on a bill to alleviate the crisis. And because somebody hurt their feelings, they decide to punish the country. I mean, I would not have imputed that degree of pettiness and hypersensitivity," Frank said

Barney Frank's Profile on OpenCongress

September 26, 2008: Sen. Ted Stevens [R, AK]

2008-09-26T11:44:20Z

Ted Stevens (R-AK) is beginning his corruption trial this week over allegations that he lied about $250,000 in gifts he received from an Alaskan oil company executive. Stevens' lawyers claim that the Senator was not aware of many of the gifts and put the blame on VECO executive, Bill Allen, for giving the inappropriate gifts. But prosecutors claim that Stevens' sought Allen's gifts. "We reach for the yellow pages, he reached for VECO," said prosecutor Brenda Morris. "And the defendant never paid a dime."

Ted Stevens's Profile on OpenCongress

September 18, 2008: Rep. Wayne Gilchrest [R, MD-1]

2008-09-18T13:26:59Z

Republican Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, who is retiring from Congress at the end of this session, recently crossed the aisle to endorse Barack Obama (D-IL) for President of the Untied States. “My perspective is that the ticket is Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden that they have the breadth of experience, I think they are prudent, they are knowledgeable," Gilchrest said in a radio interview. "We just can’t use four more years of the same kind of policy that’s somewhat hazardous which leads to recklessness.”

Wayne Gilchrest's Profile on OpenCongress

September 15, 2008: Sen. Joseph Lieberman [I, CT]

2008-09-15T14:25:50Z

Joe Lieberman (I-CT) scored a victory recently in his effort to rid the internet of content that supports terrorism. On September 11th, Google updated their community guidelines for YouTube to bar videos that could potentially incite violence, contain hate speech, or depict gratuitous violence. “YouTube was being used by Islamist terrorist organizations to recruit and train followers via the Internet and to incite terrorist attacks around the world, including right here in the United States, and Google should be commended for recognizing that,” Lieberman said in a press release.

Joseph Lieberman's Profile on OpenCongress

September 10, 2008: Sen. Ted Stevens [R, AK]

2008-09-10T17:39:30Z

A federal judge refused on Wednesday to weaken the corruption charges Ted Stevens (R-AK) will face will he goes on trial on September 22nd. The judge, Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District, rejected Stevens' plea to drop the case based on an alleged separation of powers violation. He also refused Stevens' request to drop language in the indictment that says that he traded legislative action for $250,000 in undisclosed gifts from VECO, an Alaskan oil company.

Ted Stevens's Profile on OpenCongress

September 09, 2008: Sen. Joseph Lieberman [I, CT]

2008-09-09T10:28:41Z

Joe Lieberman's (I-CT) legislative director resigned yesterday in protest of Lieberman's support of John McCain, according to a former staffer with knowledge of the situation. "If you're a Democrat and you stay in Lieberman's office too long, there could be the perception that you are buying into his positions, so these poor guys are being put in a terrible spot." Lieberman, who caucuses with the Democrats, recently attacked Barack Obama during a speech he gave at the RNC.

Joseph Lieberman's Profile on OpenCongress

September 07, 2008: Rep. Charles Rangel [D, NY-15]

2008-09-07T16:16:36Z

According to two recent NYT articles, Charlie Rangel (D-NY), the powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, failed to report more than $75,000 in rent he collected over the past 20 years on a beachfront villa in the Dominican Republic, which he bought with an interest-free loan. Lanny Davis, Mr. Rangel's lawyer, said that he will file amendments to his tax returns and will likely owe back taxes to the state and New York City, but not to the federal government.

Charles Rangel's Profile on OpenCongress

September 03, 2008: Sen. Harry Reid [D, NV]

2008-09-03T14:42:36Z

Aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said that Reid was "very disappointed" in the speech that Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) gave at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday. “[Sen. Lieberman] appeared to go out of his way to distort Sen. Obama's record of bipartisan achievements in the senate,” a Reid spokesman said. “He can give all the partisan speeches he wants, but as a majority of the American people have made very clear, the last thing this country needs is another four years of the same old failed Bush-McCain polices of the past.”

Harry Reid's Profile on OpenCongress

September 03, 2008: Rep. Ronald Paul [R, TX-14]

2008-09-03T14:35:28Z

At a rally just down the street from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, former presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-TX) officially kicked off his revolutionary Campaign For Liberty. "The future of the Republic is bleak," he said in his speech on Tuesday. "As conditions deteriorate, those in charge use the problems they created to solidify their power with more spending, taxes, rules, inflation, and militarism. This must be reversed."

Ronald Paul's Profile on OpenCongress

August 24, 2008: Rep. Stephanie Jones [D, OH-11]

2008-08-24T20:34:07Z

Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH), the first African-American woman elected to the House of Representatives from Ohio, died on Wednesday August 20, 2008. The cause was a ruptured brain hemorrhage. About Jones, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said, "It wasn't enough for her just to break barriers in her own life. She was also determined to bring opportunity to all those who had been overlooked and left behind — and in Stephanie, they had a fearless friend and unyielding advocate."

Stephanie Jones's Profile on OpenCongress

August 24, 2008: Sen. Joseph Biden [D, DE]

2008-08-24T20:20:39Z

In a text message on Saturday, Barack Obama announced that he has chosen Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) to be his running mate in the 2008 presidential election. "For months, I've searched for a leader to finish this journey alongside me and join me in making Washington work for the American people. I searched for a leader who understood the rising costs confronting working people and will always put their dreams first," Obama said as he introduced Biden. "Today, I've come back to Springfield to tell you I've found that leader."

Joseph Biden's Profile on OpenCongress

August 18, 2008: Rep. Nancy Pelosi [D, CA-8]

2008-08-18T13:56:41Z

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) delivered the Democratic Radio Address this weekend and announced that she will be leading the Democrats in supporting comprehensive energy legislation that includes increased offshore drilling. According to Pelosi, the Democrats' bill "will ensure energy independence which is essential to our national security, will create millions of good paying jobs here at home in a new green economy, and will take major steps forward in addressing the global climate crisis." Read her full remarks here.

Nancy Pelosi's Profile on OpenCongress

August 13, 2008: Sen. Jim DeMint [R, SC]

2008-08-13T17:29:56Z

Sen. Jim DeMinnt (R-SC), chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, recently announced that 36 senators have signed a letter and vowed to actively oppose a renewal of the offshore oil drilling ban that expires on October 1st. “The overwhelming majority of Republican Senators have pledged to protect October 1 as American Energy Freedom Day so we can reduce dependence on foreign oil and lower the cost of gas at the pump,” said Senator DeMint. A similar letter has been signed by 136 House Republicans.

Jim DeMint's Profile on OpenCongress

August 06, 2008: Rep. Eric Cantor [R, VA-7]

2008-08-06T12:29:18Z

Eric Cantor (R-VA), one of the people on John McCain's Vice President short list, got a boost on Wednesday from the conservative anti-tax group Club for Growth. "Rep. Cantor’s record in the House, beginning in 2001, has been consistently strong in several economic policy areas, including free trade, school choice, tort reform, drilling in ANWR, and tax cuts," they said in a press release. "Cantor now ranks among the most pro-growth members in the House."

Eric Cantor's Profile on OpenCongress

July 31, 2008: Sen. Ted Stevens [R, AK]

2008-07-31T14:30:15Z

Ted Stevens (R-AK) was indicted on Tuesday with seven charges of making false statements on his financial disclosure forms. On Thursday, he plead not-guilty at his arraignment. Stevens' attorney is requesting a trial date in October so that he can "clear his name before the general election." The case will last nearly a month and prosecutors are planning on using video and audio surveillance as evidence in the case.

Ted Stevens's Profile on OpenCongress

July 29, 2008: Sen. Barbara Boxer [D, CA]

2008-07-29T16:05:36Z

Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is leading a trio of senators in calling for EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to resign for giving into political pressures in several key decisions. "Mr. Johnson has consistently chosen special interests over the American people’s interests in protecting health and safety," said Boxer at a press conference on Tuesday. "He has become a secretive and dangerous ally of polluters, and we cannot stand by and allow more damage to be done."

Barbara Boxer's Profile on OpenCongress

July 23, 2008: Sen. Charles Schumer [D, NY]

2008-07-23T19:12:05Z

Senator and DSCC Chairman Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Wednesday that a filibuster-proof 60 Democratic seats in the Senate is possible for the next session of Congress. "I don't want people to think we're definitely going to get 60 votes, but that's very hard," Schumer told reporters. "It's about as likely at this point today as getting six sets was at this time two years ago, which means very unlikely, but who knows? Maybe it could happen again."

Charles Schumer's Profile on OpenCongress

July 21, 2008: Sen. Jim Bunning [R, KY]

2008-07-21T17:11:41Z

Jim Bunning (R-KY) is leading opposition in the Senate to the Bush administration's plan to bail out GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by . At a hearing with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson last week he said, “When I picked up my newspaper yesterday, I thought I woke up in France. But no, it turns out socialism is alive and well in America. The Treasury Secretary is asking for a blank check to buy as much Fannie and Freddie debt or equity as he wants.” He has threatened to filibuster the bill when it hits the floor.

Jim Bunning's Profile on OpenCongress