The House and Senate are in session this week.

Responsible spending is not something Congress has proven itself to be good at, under Republican or under Democratic leadership. The Bipartisan Budget Act, the absolutely atrocious cap-busting deal proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R- Ky.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) which busts the Budget Control Act caps by more than twice what the previous two deals combined did, proves this.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) has offered amendments to S.2943, the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), that would make federal mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl offenses harsher. Fentanyl is a highly addictive and powerful synthetic narcotic used in hospitals to treat severe pain. It is also used to cut heroin or substituted as heroin, which is leading to drug overdoses in New England.

Capitol Hill Update, 18 November, 2013House & Senate/Schedule: The House and Senate are both in session the week, and both will recess next week for Thanksgiving. 

The Senate is expected to spend the bulk of the upcoming week on their edition of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the bill that outlines what Congress is allowed to spend on most aspects of defense for Fiscal Year 2014.  This includes the DoD, some of the Dept. of Energy, Veterans' Affairs, and "Overseas Contingency Operations" (OCO) spending, which is funding for the drawdown in Afghanistan.

Senator Rand Paul showed a great amount of courage when he filibustered John Brennan’s appointment for CIA director on the Senate floor yesterday, following the Obama administration’s refusal to answer whether or not it is constitutional for the government to kill U.S. citizens on U.S. soil with drones. The answer should be simple: no. It is a blatant violation of the Constitution and it stands against everything this country was founded on for the government to kill any citizen without a trial or due process.