Tamara Keith

Cantor's Rebranding Effort Tested By House Republicans

Tamara Keith — Wed, 08 May 2013 06:51:00 +0000

When the House votes Wednesday on a bill called the Working Families Flexibility Act, it will be the latest test of a Republican effort at rebranding.

The architect of that effort in the House, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., has so far had a mixed record.

In February, Cantor gave a major policy speech at the American Enterprise Institute.

How Congress Quietly Overhauled Its Insider-Trading Law

Tamara Keith — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:12:00 +0000

The legislative process on Capitol Hill is often slow and grinding. There are committee hearings, filibuster threats and hours of floor debate.

Searching For The Sequester In The Middle Of Ohio

Tamara Keith — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:04:00 +0000

It's been a little more than a month since the start of the sequester — the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts that kicked in because Congress couldn't agree on something better.

Before it hit, there were dire and at times very specific predictions of job losses, furloughs and program cuts — many of them from the Obama administration.

Of course, it's still early.

Opposition Research Boot Camp: Learning To Dig For Political Dirt

Tamara Keith — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:42:00 +0000

Opposition research exists mostly in the political shadows. So perhaps it's fitting that this boot camp is in an generic conference room in a generic airport hotel outside of Washington, D.C.

It's run by private investigator Larry Zilliox, who specializes in opposition research. He allowed me to attend a session, but not to take pictures.

Zilliox is cagey about his clients: "As a general rule, it suits me best not to comment on who I've worked for.

NRA-Driven Gun Provisions Pass Along With Spending Bill

Tamara Keith — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 22:32:00 +0000

The House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve a temporary measure to keep the government funded through the end of September. Government shutdown averted.

But it turns out the continuing resolution didn't just address spending. It contains six measures that limit how federal agencies deal with guns.

These are the first gun-related provisions members of Congress have passed since 20 first-graders were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.