In the News
Several members of the Blue Dog Coalition are pressing 12 independent federal agencies to conduct reviews of their regulations that they could save upward of $1 billion and help create jobs.
The fiscally conservative group of Democrats sent out letters on Wednesday asking that the agencies to voluntarily agree to review and identify and change burdensome regulations that could hamper job creation efforts, according to a letter obtained by The Hill.
"We believe that overly burdensome and outdated regulations slow economic growth," the letter said.
Blue Dog Democrats sent a letter to a dozen federal agencies asking them to undertake reviews of their regulations and procedures to find inefficiencies, even though they were left out of the administration's mandate that other departments do the same.
A bipartisan bill in Congress to jump-start the production and use of natural gas-powered vehicles is the best way for America to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and cut greenhouse emissions, Utah Rep. Jim Matheson said Thursday.
"This is a winner for our country if we move this way," said Matheson, a Democrat and co-sponsor of a bill called the Nat Gas Act, introduced two weeks ago by Rep. John Sullivan, R-Okla.
By Jessica Brady
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Click here to watch the video.
With a budget battle raging in Congress, the Blue Dog Coalition laid out its benchmarks on Wednesday to cut $4 trillion from the deficit in 10 years while urging lawmakers to work together on a long-term plan.
The fiscally conservative Blue Dogs are suggesting lawmakers consider cuts to all parts of the federal government's budget, including defense, that could lead to the largest deficit cuts in history by 2014.
Rep. Kurt Schrader steps into the poisoned atmosphere of congressional budget talks today, offering an alternative spending blueprint he hopes will avert a government shutdown while shrinking historic deficits.
The plan carries the backing of the Blue Dog Democrats, a group of fiscally conservative lawmakers who hope to serve as a bridge between increasingly polarized Republicans and Democrats who are negotiating a spending deal. If the negotiators fail, the government could shut down April 9 when the current budget expires.
U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly plans to introduce a bill that would work to better match worker training programs to the needs of employers.
The American Manufacturing Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration Achievement Works Act would prioritize existing federal work force training funds for educational programs that lead to industry-recognized credentials.
By: HEIDI PRESCOTT