Conservatives Say No To Large Defense Cuts

By Adrianna McGinley

The Heritage Foundation warned Monday against defense cuts that would go into effect should the so-called “super committee” fail to pass a $1.3 trillion debt reduction plan by Thursday.

The group blasted the bipartisan panel for being on the verge of missing its deadline. Failure by the panel would trigger an automatic $600 billion in cuts to the nation’s defense budget over the next decade.

“The United States continues to face threats at home and abroad, yet slashed military spending would undermine America’s ability to confront these challenges,” wrote Heritage reporter Mike Brownfield. “America’s debt and rampant spending are serious problems that needs to be addressed, but eviscerating the military–which has already been cut–is not the way to do it.”

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Ron Paul Only Wants A $39K Salary As President

GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul (R-Texas) joined a handful of bipartisan lawmakers in signing a letter calling for cuts to congressional salaries.

The letter, addressed to the deficit super committee, encourages the 12-member panel to include congressional salary cuts in its deficit reduction.

According to the letter, members of Congress make 3.4 times more than the average full-time worker and have not been subject to a pay decrease since the 1930s.

“Congressman Paul has always voted against congressional pay raises, and he does not participate in the lucrative pension program,” said Paul’s 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee Chairman Jess Benton.

“Ron Paul understands that Washington has to tighten its belt just like the rest of America, which is why as President, he pans to take a salary of $39, 336, which is approximately equal to the median personal income of the American worker.”

Hispanic Lawmakers Protesting Alabama Immigration Law

By Andrea Salazar

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas) reacted today to the arrest of a German national in Tuscaloosa, Alabama last week who failed to possess proper identification.

“This highlights the disastrous consequences of profiling as well as the potential threat to foreign investment in a state that enacts and enforces laws that lead to arrests of anyone who doesn’t speak, act or look in a ‘non-suspicious’ manner,” Gonzalez said.

The German Mercedes Benz executive was arrested November 16 for not having his driver’s license on him when he was pulled over for not having a tag on his rental car. He was released after a colleague provided the executive’s passport, visa and German driver’s license, according to the Associated Press.

Gonzalez and 10 other CHC lawmakers are in Alabama this week protesting what some experts consider to be the strictest immigration law in the country. In a statement released this morning, Gonzalez called the law “ill-conceived.”

“Let us hope Henry Kissinger doesn’t visit Alabama anytime soon,” Gonzalez said, warning that the law could result in the arrests of U.S. citizens.

Gingrich Within Striking Distance Of Romney In New Hampshire

Newt Gingrich’s remarkable campaign turn-around continued today as a new poll showed him trailing GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney by just two percentage points among New Hampshire voters.

Romney narrowly finished ahead of Gingrich, 29-27, in the poll conducted by Magellan Strategies. In a similar poll performed by the group last month, Gingrich received just six percent of the vote.

However, as the Huffington Post’s Jon Ward explains, there are some caveats to the results.

House Dem Defends White House's Approach To Deficit Talks

By Mike Hothi

Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) said Friday that he remains hopeful that the so-called “super committee” will come to an agreement on a $1.3 trillion deficit reduction plan by Thanksgiving.

Larson told reporters that he hopes the committee focuses on growing the economy, saying more jobs leads to more tax revenue.

“By putting the country back to work, more than a third of the revenue needed to lower the deficit comes into play,” he said. “That’s the hugest amount of money coming into our coffers to deal with our deficit.”

Larson defended President Obama against criticism that he’s been detached from the negotiations so far.

“The President learned a lesson,” Larson said, referring to this past summer’s debt limit standoff, in which Obama thought he had struck a deal with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on a large deficit reduction package, only to see it fall apart.

Obama “had the carpet pulled out from underneath him,” Larson said.

On other issues, Larson actually commended House Republicans for scheduling a vote later today on a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, but called it a “bridge too far for a lot of Democrats” to support.