National Journal Topics | NationalJournal.com

House Republicans Say They Can Legislate and Investigate at the Same Time

Tim Alberta | May 19, 2013

House Republicans are pushing back against a prominent conservative group’s suggestion that congressional leaders should avoid scheduling potentially divisive votes which could shift the media spotlight away from the White House’s recent woes.

Next Stops for Farm Bill: Senate and House Floors

Jerry Hagstrom | May 15, 2013

The House Agriculture Committee prides itself on bipartisanship, but when the panel met Wednesday to consider a new farm bill, the deep cultural divides between its Republican majority and Democratic minority members were in full relief.

Senate Agriculture Committee Plows Forward on Farm Bill

Jerry Hagstrom | May 14, 2013

The Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday approved a five-year farm bill that reveals a new consensus on crop and nutrition policy, but it emerged over the objections of three Republican senators from the Plains—Pat Roberts of Kansas, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, and John Thune of South Dakota—who offered amendments on food stamps and commodities that a majority of the panel rejected.

Graphic: Five Things to Watch in the Farm Bill

Jerry Hagstrom and Joey Carolino | May 13, 2013

This week, the Senate and House Agriculture committees will each mark up a new five-year farm bill that would cover farm and nutrition policy through 2018. The Senate markup will be Tuesday,and the House’s markup will be the next day. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., proposes to cut $23 billion over 10 years from a bill that costs close to $1 trillion, while House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., proposes to cut almost $40 billion.

'Obamacare' Repeal: Will the 37th Time Be the Charm?

Billy House and Nancy Cook and Coral Davenport and Fawn Johnson and Sara Sorcher and and George E. Condon Jr. contributed | May 12, 2013

With tensions over fiscal issues building, and the three-month suspension of the nation’s debt limit set to expire Sunday, lawmakers this week will be rehashing on the House floor their messaging war over repealing President Obama’s three-year-old health care law.

Congress Poised to Move on Farm Bill

Jerry Hagstrom | May 12, 2013

The atmosphere on Capitol Hill for the farm bill suddenly seems to be full speed ahead.

Immigration-Reform Advocates Sell Legislation in Judiciary Committee

Fawn Johnson | May 9, 2013

Their biggest challenge is to win over rule-of-law conservatives on border enforcement.

What If Oil Lasts Forever?

Charles C. Mann - The Atlantic | April 25, 2013

New technology and a little-known energy source suggest that fossil fuels may not be finite. This would be a miracle—and a nightmare.

Agricultural Workers and Farmers Unite to Push Congress on Immigration Reform

Jerry Hagstrom | April 24, 2013

The sight of the head of the United Farm Workers and farmer representatives testifying side by side before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday to promote the farmworker section of the immigration-reform bill was an extraordinary moment in American agriculture.

Gary Andres, Majority Staff Director

Amy Harder | April 17, 2013

In leading a staff of almost 70, Gary Andres says he gets the best of all the previous jobs he’s held throughout his career.

Alexa Marrero, Majority Deputy Staff Director

April 17, 2013

Alexa Marrero blends her former gig as the committee’s communications director with that of her more strategic role as deputy staff director, a position she took on in July 2012.

Phil Barnett, Minority Staff Director, Full Committee

Amy Harder | April 17, 2013

It’s no surprise that Democratic Staff Director Phil Barnett counts climate change among his very top issues. His boss, Energy and Commerce ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., does, too.

Greg Dotson, Minority Staff Director, Energy and Environment Subcommittee

April 17, 2013

After wrapping up a three-week sea-kayaking trip in Mexico in 1996, Greg Dotson got a call about working for Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif. He flew to Washington, bought a suit when he landed, and soon had a job.

John Gibson Mullan, Chief Majority Counsel, Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade

Catherine Hollander | April 17, 2013

John Gibson Mullan’s broad experience serves him well as chief counsel for Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, which has jurisdiction so far-ranging it covers everything from sports to time zones.

Karen Nelson, Deputy Minority Staff Director on Health, Full Committee

Margot Sanger-Katz | April 17, 2013

For more than 30 years, Karen Nelson has been the Democrats’ go-to health aide on Rep. Henry Waxman’s staff.

Renewable-Fuels Standard Gets Bipartisan Attention

Amy Harder | April 17, 2013

For the first time since President Obama won the White House in 2008, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., are working together on a controversial energy policy: the renewable-fuels standard.

Manufacturers, Ag Interests Will Lobby for Trade Deal

Catherine Hollander | April 17, 2013

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership won’t be focused on already-low tariffs between the U.S. and European Union. It will be focused on so-called “behind the border” measures, like regulation—and that means there will be plenty of stakeholders with strong opinions.

Long List of Lobbies Oppose Renewable-Fuels Standard

Amy Harder | April 17, 2013

It’s hard to rival the diversity and sheer number of groups and companies with a vested interest in the renewable-fuels standard, from food and livestock businesses to those in the environmental and energy sectors.

What Drones Can Do for You

Sara Sorcher | April 11, 2013

Prescription drugs, fast-food delivery, disaster relief—unmanned aerial vehicles can be handy in all sorts of ways.

Food Stamps Are Key Component to Getting Farm Bill Passed

Jerry Hagstrom | April 10, 2013

Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., defended federal nutrition programs Tuesday to a group of agricultural journalists, and in the process demonstrated why dealing with food stamps may be harder this year than in 2012 when it comes to writing a farm bill.

What's Next for Immigration Reform

Rebecca Kaplan | April 7, 2013

With Congress back in session, House and Senate working groups will be putting finishing touches on their immigration plans. But there are many issues still outstanding.

Healthy Benefits

Jerry Hagstrom | April 3, 2013

Nonprofit hospitals could reap credit for improving the eating habits of their patients and communities.

Roberts Announcement Squashes Notion of Primary Challenge

Alex Brown | March 28, 2013

Any talk of a potentially competitive primary for Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., ended Thursday when he announced his honorary campaign committee for 2014. Included on the list are the two Republicans deemed most likely challenge Roberts, who will be 78 on Election Day, from the right: Rep. Tim Huelskamp...

Ethanol Debate Has Glimpse of Bipartisanship

Amy Harder | March 27, 2013

The top Republican and Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are finally on the same page about a controversial energy policy after reading from two completely different playbooks the last four years.

Five Easy Pieces of Energy Legislation

Coral Davenport | March 25, 2013

There are hopeful signs that years of gridlock could be replaced by action on some small-scale bills.

On the Move: March 23, 2013

Christopher Snow Hopkins and Mike Magner | March 21, 2013

Kelly Nallen is American Crossroads' new director of digital. Former Hillary Clinton collaborator Kris Balderston is a senior partner at Fleishman-Hillard. Onetime DeLay policy director Juliane Sullivan heads the House Education and the Workforce staff.

Invasion of the Drones Has Senate Panel’s Attention

Sara Sorcher | March 20, 2013

Like it or not, drones are coming to American skies. Now Congress must find a way to protect the right to privacy.

Organic-Food Champion’s Departure From USDA Sows Seeds of Concern

Jerry Hagstrom | March 20, 2013

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan’s upcoming departure has raised a lot of questions about the Obama administration’s commitment to organic and local food production, but she said in an exclusive interview Wednesday that it will have almost four more years to institutionalize the changes she has made at the department.

Upton, Waxman Launch Debate on Biofuels Mandate

Amy Harder | March 20, 2013

For the first time since President Obama won the White House in 2008, the top Republican and Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are working collaboratively on a controversial piece of energy policy: the renewable-fuels standard.

What Happened to Michele Bachmann?

Tim Alberta | March 18, 2013

In the first two months of the 113th Congress Michele Bachmann has been practically invisible. What happened?

The Elusive Truth Behind Murder of a Black, Gay Mayoral Candidate in Mississippi

Ben Terris | March 15, 2013

It’s tempting to think Marco McMillian was killed because of his race, his sexuality, or because he was running for mayor. The truth is more elusive.

In Mississippi, the Mysterious Murder of a Gay, Black Politician

Ben Terris | March 14, 2013

It’s tempting to think Marco McMillian was killed because of his race, his sexuality, or because he was running for mayor. The truth is more elusive.

NFL Linebacker Helping Veteran Lawmaker Tackle ‘Superbugs’

Christopher Snow Hopkins | March 14, 2013

Borrowing from her background in microbiology, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., has made a signature issue out of battling “superbugs,” strains of bacteria that have mutated from overexposure to antibiotics and become resistant to the very drugs meant to block their growth.

Citizenship Isn't Always Foremost What Undocumented Workers Want

Fawn Johnson | March 8, 2013

They just want to do their jobs, cash their paychecks, and be left alone. Here's a view of the immigration debate from the kitchen of your favorite restaurant.

What Undocumented Workers Really Want

Fawn Johnson | March 7, 2013

It's not always citizenship. They just want to do their jobs, cash their paychecks, and be left alone. A view of the immigration debate from the kitchen of your favorite restaurant.

Rumors Over Food Aid Spark Controversy Among Groups Fighting World Hunger

Jerry Hagstrom | February 27, 2013

There is no nobler cause than feeding hungry people in poor countries and helping them develop their own farms so they can produce more of their own food.

Obama Administration Reaches Out to Local Governments to Spread Its Climate Message

Coral Davenport | February 24, 2013

President Obama used his Inaugural Address and State of the Union speech to issue the boldest, clearest call to action on climate change ever voiced by a sitting U.S. president—but don’t expect him to barnstorm across the country with that message.

Key Votes Used to Calculate the Ratings

February 19, 2013

The 116 Senate votes and 116 House votes on which National Journal’s 2012 vote ratings are based.

Nebraska Governor Early Frontrunner to Succeed Retiring Senator Mike Johanns

Alex Roarty | February 18, 2013

Nebraska GOP Sen. Mike Johanns announced Monday that he won’t seek re-election, declaring that he was retiring from politics after a decades-long career in public office.

Sugar Wars Advance on Valentine's Day

Niraj Chokshi | February 14, 2013

Before you bite into that next Valentine’s Day morsel, you may want to contemplate the complex sugar subsidies behind it — and their far-reaching impact on the U.S. economy.

The Scary Truth About How Much Climate Change is Costing You

Coral Davenport | February 7, 2013

While policymakers fiddle, the threat of economic harm posed by rising sea levels, devastating storms, and drought is growing every day.

Is the U.S. Government Complicit in the Killing of Over a Thousand Wild Horses?

Billy House | January 29, 2013

A bipartisan pair of lawmakers is urging Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to disclose whether as many as 1,700 federally protected wild horses now unaccounted for were sold to a middleman who illegally transported them to Mexico for slaughter.

Don't Despair (Yet) Over Next Fiscal Cliff

Jill Lawrence | January 3, 2013

Here’s a radical thought: Maybe the next round of Capital Hill strife won’t be as bad as what we’ve just endured at the precipice of the fiscal cliff.

Here's What's in the Fiscal-Cliff Deal

Catherine Hollander | January 1, 2013

Although the legislation will avert many of the year-end tax hikes and spending cuts that were set to kick in, it failed to address some of the major issues.

Here’s What’s In the Fiscal Deal Passed by the Senate

Catherine Hollander and Chris Frates | January 1, 2013

Early on New Year's Day, the Senate passed a measure aimed at pulling the country back from the "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts. The measure, hammered out by Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, still needs approval by the House. Here's what's in it:

Congress Pushes to Prevent Spike in Milk Prices from 'Dairy Cliff'

Niraj Chokshi | December 31, 2012

It was one of the best-received bits of news on Sunday, a day that saw little progress in talks to avert the fiscal cliff: Congress may yet avoid the “dairy cliff.”

The Year in Media

Sarah Mimms and Christopher Peleo-Lazar | December 26, 2012

Any election year is going to bring its share of surprises, but 2012 was a change year across the board in the media world. Print journalism continued to find ways to adapt to the rise of digital and the decline of print advertising, with some of the country's biggest outlets erecting paywalls for t...

The People, Not Washington, Will Solve America's Everyday Problems

James Oliphant and Stacy Kaper and Catherine Hollander and Adam Mazmanian and James Kitfield and Ben Terris and Fawn Johnson | December 6, 2012

Beyond the fiscal cliff, entitlement reform, and a tax overhaul, a host of other issues continue to vex Americans. They include burgeoning traffic, the shrinking pool of affordable housing, escalating gun violence, and the rising invasion of online privacy.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS - Reinventing Iraq

March 22, 2003

A country called Iraq has existed only since 1919. But some cities in that land were already 16 centuries old when the nearby Egyptians built their pyramids. Bureaucrats in Mesopotamia, as the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers was known, began keeping written records in 3400 B.C. And despite three decades of political repression, economic mismanagement, and military disaster under Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, Iraq today-unlike Afghanistan in 2001, Yugoslavia in 1995, and Germany in 1945-is not a "failed state." (See "Occupational Hazards," this issue.) From food-distribution systems to local police forces, essential institutions and infrastructures have survived Saddam, albeit barely, and they will survive a war that successfully ousts him. So the good news is that Iraq will not have to start over from scratch. Unfortunately, the bad news is also that Iraq will not be able to start over from scratch.

NJ Topics Farming

Follow National Journal