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"Through this Administrative action, President Obama is once again bypassing Congress. President Obama had previously stated that he could not unilaterally enact the DREAM Act through Administrative action and yet just eight months after making those statements, Obama has done exactly that.
Today Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) introduced the Reducing Environmental Barriers to Unified Infrastructure and Land Development (REBUILD) Act of 2011. The legislation builds upon the success of the NEPA Pilot Program, enacted as part of SAFETEA-LU bill, which was signed into law in August 2005.
This week the House passed, with my support, the Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011. The bill cuts total spending by $111 billion in FY2012. The savings are divided as follows:
"The passage of the military construction and veterans funding bill marks a return to regular order and an open process in which every Member can represent their constituents' interests," said Rep. Calvert. "Most importantly, the bill provides the necessary resources for our military and veterans communities."
After the current continuing budget resolution expires at 12:01 a.m. Friday, all "nonessential" government employees will be sent home until Congress passes and the president signs a budget for the remainder of fiscal year 2011. The problem is, no one knows exactly who is considered "essential." A senior administration official said about 800,000 federal employees would be prevented from working in the event of a shutdown. These furloughed workers would not be paid during the shutdown, zapping $1.1 billion out of the economy in unpaid wages for a week-long shutdown.
The head of the Interior Department defended Obama's fiscal 2012 budget request for the agency during a hearing before the House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee.