Hoyer Calls For Urgent Action On CR

After the House passed a short-term spending plan Friday, House Minority Whip Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in order to move forward and talk about a compromise the Senate needs to act.

“The Senate has to act first to see what they can do over there,” Hoyer told reporters. “Then I think we’ll talk about compromise.”

Hoyer added that both chambers need to act with a sense of urgency.

“We believe, if [House Republicans] are really interested in getting this job done and figuring out what the Senate’s gonna do and are concerned about both the government staying open, but as importantly the emergency aid getting out as quickly as possible, they ought to get that bill over to the Senate now,” Hoyer said.

The bill, which would prevent a government shutdown by continuing federal funding through November 18th, passed the House with a close vote of 219-203. 

Reid To Boehner: Pass The Senate CR

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) released the following statement late Thursday night after the House narrowly passed a continuing resolution that includes far less in spending then the version passed by Reid’s chamber:

“The bill the House will vote on tonight is not an honest effort at compromise. It fails to provide the relief that our fellow Americans need as they struggle to rebuild their lives in the wake of floods, wildfires and hurricanes, and it will be rejected by the Senate. I was optimistic that my House Republican colleagues would learn from their failure yesterday and move towards the middle. Instead, they moved even further towards the Tea Party. They insist on holding out on Americans who have suffered devastating losses. Americans are tired of this partisanship. They deserve to know that when disasters strike, we will be there to help them. The American people should not have to worry that the relief they need will get tied up in partisan gridlock.”

“There is a clear solution. The Senate passed a bipartisan bill to get disaster relief to the people who need it as quickly as possible. The Federal Emergency Management Agency could run out of money as soon as Monday. People who need help will not get it. We cannot allow that to happen. House Republicans should stop playing political games, and pass the Senate’s bipartisan bill without delay. The Senate is ready to stay in Washington next week to do the work the American people expect us to do, and I hope the House Republican leadership will do the same.”

Pipeline Safety Bill Edges Closer To House Floor

The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed a bill aimed at implementing stronger safety standards for the future of pipeline construction.

In a 51-0 vote, the Pipeline Infrastructure and Community Protection Act of 2011 sailed through the committee and is one step closer to being considered on the House floor.

The legislation, co-sponsored by Committee Chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), includes measures that would mandate that all new pipelines be fashioned with manual and automatic shut-off valves, including the potential for retrofitting existing pipelines as a preventative measure.

“The bill expands the integrity management program while phasing out class location requirements, thereby putting a stronger safety standard in place while taking steps to remove redundant regulations,” Dingell said during his prepared remarks. “I believe we should work to send this bill to the President’s desk and urge all members to support this bill.”

Before the bill heads to the floor of the House, it must be consolidated with a version passed by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The bill out of the Transportation and Infrastructure excludes a majority of the safety protections standards being sought by House Democrats, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The Senate Commerce Committee also passed its own version of the bill but is currently stalled in the upper chamber.

The Pipeline Infrastructure and Community Protection Act is expected to be considered by the House within the next month, sources indicate.

Dems Ask Obama To Fight For EPA Regs

A group of Senate Democrats wrote to President Obama on Tuesday, urging him to oppose efforts to weaken the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate the environment.

In their letter, the Democrats called on Obama to defend provisions within the Clean Air Act that allow the EPA to clamp down on air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

“These are fights worth waging,” the group wrote.

In their letter, the Democrats expressed unhappiness over Obama’s recent decision to delay the EPA from implementing a new air pollution rule.

“We are disappointed with the decision to cancel the smog pollution standard because it clearly offered strong public health benefits and the opportunity to invest in job creation,” they wrote.

The letter was co-authored by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Joe Liberman (I-Conn.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

36 Senators Show Supercommittee Their Support

Over 30 Senators from both sides of the aisle joined together Thursday to trumpet their support for the Supercommittee, the Congressional body tasked with finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings by November.

“This is a message from a large group of Senators to the Special Committee that we’re with you,” Senate Budget Chair Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said during a press briefing attended by more than a dozen of his upper chamber colleagues. “Be brave, be bold, go big.”

The initiative to back the committee, spearheaded by Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), has found support from 36 Senators, a number that will likely grow in coming days.

Several Senators Thursday pointed to the effort as evidence that bipartisanship is still possible in a tense political environment.

“It’s a great step forward,” Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) said.  “It’s something that the people of my state are going to see as a very hopeful sign at a time when what we need more than anything else is to project confidence from this town.”