Jamie Dupree Washington Insider

Senators reportedly on verge of immigration deal

Jamie Dupree — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:19:47 +0000

With a small group of Senators reportedly on the verge of striking a border security deal on immigration reform, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he may start the parliamentary process on Thursday to force an end to debate in order to bring about final action next week on sweeping ...

CBO: Immigration bill reduces deficit

Jamie Dupree — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:24:56 +0000

In a boost for supporters of a major immigration reform bill now on the Senate floor, the Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday reported that the plan would reduce the nation's budget deficit over the next two decades, as backers said it showed the "economic imperative" to approve immigration law changes.

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McCain raps Obama on secret e-mails

Jamie Dupree — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:19:26 +0000

Republican complaints about the use of aliases and secret e-mail accounts by Obama Administration officials suddenly gained new attention on Monday, as Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) sent President Obama a letter demanding that the White House be more open to journalists and Congress alike.

"Four years ago you pledged to ...

U.S. Intelligence denies warrantless eavesdropping

Jamie Dupree — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:13:32 +0000

The office of the nation's top intelligence official on Sunday denied the assertions of a Democratic lawmaker in Congress that U.S. analysts are able to listen in on telephone calls involving Americans without a court warrant.

"The statement that a single analyst can eavesdrop on domestic communications without proper legal ...

Justice Department conferences get attention in Congress

Jamie Dupree — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:58:28 +0000

Once again this week, there were questions for a federal agency about travel and conference spending, as a Senate GOP budget hawk pressed the Justice Department for answers on why it spent more than $58 million on conferences in Fiscal Year 2012.

And as Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) noted in ...

Congress struggles for answers on NSA surveillance

Jamie Dupree — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:26:07 +0000

Promising to provide as much public detail as possible on surveillance activities, the head of the National Security Agency repeatedly told Senators on Wednesday that two programs made public last week have both protected the nation from terror attacks as well as preserved the constitutional rights of American citizens.

"It's ...

Top U.S. general disputes Benghazi attack story

Jamie Dupree — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:12:14 +0000

The nation's highest ranking military officer on Wednesday disputed the story of a top American diplomat who served in Libya, saying no military forces were told to "stand down" after attacks on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi.

"They weren't told to stand down," Army General Martin Dempsey told the ...

Details of Senate immigration reform bill

Jamie Dupree — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 02:14:31 +0000

With strong support in both parties, the U.S. Senate voted 84-15 on Tuesday to officially begin debate on sweeping immigration reform legislation, as a majority of Republicans joined with Democrats to move past the first procedural hurdles to the bill.

"We should do what we think is right," said Sen. ...

Amendment filed in House to restrict NSA surveillance

Jamie Dupree — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:32:57 +0000

As the House prepares to work on a major defense policy bill this week, one Democrat has filed an amendment that could spur a floor debate over surveillance efforts by the National Security Agency and how those could snare information from U.S. citizens.

The plan, offered by Rep. Alan Grayson ...

Immigration reform takes next step in Senate

Jamie Dupree — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:47:45 +0000

After months of work by backers in both parties, the Senate is ready to take the first procedural votes Tuesday afternoon on sweeping immigration reform legislation, starting an intense debate on the future of millions of who illegally live in the United States.

"The time is now for the Senate ...