Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum received a death threat on Wednesday over her amendment to a spending bill to end Pentagon funding for NASCAR, Talking Points Memo reports. McCollum’s amendment would strip $7 million that goes to NASCAR annually to advertise the U.S. Army. McCollum said in tough economic times that money should be spent on veterans.
Reps. Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum are cosponsoring a bill that would ban large-capacity ammunition feeding devices like the one used by Arizona gunman Jared Loughner. The bill would ban magazines that carry more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
House Republicans passed a repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by a vote of 245-189, mainly along party lines — only three Democrats joined with the Republicans. The vote prompted sharp reactions from all sides of Minnesota politics: Rep. Michele Bachmann called for the repeal of President Obama, while Rep. Keith Ellison said that Republicans voted dump 32 millions Americans’ health coverage.
At the inauguration ball celebrating newly elected Gov. Mark Dayton on Saturday night, DFL members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation weighed in on the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the deaths of six people at a constituent meeting at a Tucson, Ariz., grocery store. The members sent their prayers to Giffords and the other victims of alleged shooter Jared Loughner and called for civility in political rhetoric. None blamed specific political movements or ideologies for the shooting.
Reps. Bachmann, McCollum and Walz have begun issuing statements and posting online updates in response to the shooting of the Arizona Democrat.
A bill authored by Rep. Betty McCollum to prevent child marriage abroad was defeated in the House late last week by Republicans who said the bill might fund abortion. The International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act passed the Senate unanimously early last week without Republican objection. McCollum called the GOP’s efforts to kill the bill “blatant phony arguments.”
The U.S. House passed the tax cut compromise proposed by President Obama on Thursday night, splitting Minnesota’s congressional delegation in strange ways. Staunch conservatives and liberals voted together, albeit for different reasons. The majority of ‘no’ votes came from Democrats.…
Despite coming from opposite ends of the political spectrum, Reps. Michele Bachmann and Betty McCollum have found something to agree on: that President Obama’s compromise with Republicans over tax cuts is a bad idea. McCollum said that the plan does little to help middle-class families, while Bachmann complains that an extension of jobless benefits will add to the deficit. Rep. Keith Ellison, as part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, also weighed in on the measure.
Rep. Michele Bachmann said on Tuesday that transportation earmarks shouldn’t be called earmarks. In an interview with the Star Tribune, Bachmann said there should be a “redefinition” of the concept of earmarks. Bachmann has been a vocal opponent of earmarks and praised Sen. Mitch McConnell’s pledge on Tuesday to forgo the earmarking process.
None facing a serious challenger, Reps. Keith Ellison (D), Betty McCollum (D) and John Kline (R) will all be returning to Congress after the Associated Press called those contests early Tuesday night. Following heavy losses by Democrats around the country, Kline is expected to ascend to chairman of the House Education Committee as Republicans assume leadership of that chamber.
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