Inside the Beltway » chriscasteel

Dan Boren to be on Mad Money tonight

chriscasteel — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:26:36 +0000

Oklahoma Congressman Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, will be a guest tonight on CNBC’s Mad Money, hosted by Jim Cramer. Boren will discuss his legislation to encourage the production of natural gas-powered vehicles.
The show airs at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. central time.
Cramer is planning to tape his show Friday at the University of Oklahoma (where Dan Boren’s father is a notable figure).

Coburn Makes GQ’s Power List

chriscasteel — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:26:12 +0000

Sen. Tom Coburn made GQ’s list of the 50 most powerful people in Washington, one of the few lawmakers to make the cut.
And it didn’t even mention that he’s always well dressed.
The comparison to Jesse Helms seems unfortunate since, despite whatever else Helms stood for and accomplished in his Senate career, the late North Carolina Republican is typically remembered now for his racial politics and anti-gay agenda.

Politics stalling U.S. attorney nominee

chriscasteel — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:48:41 +0000

Mainjustice.com has a story this morning about the Oklahoma politics stalling a nominee for the U.S. attorney position in Tulsa.

Coburn on Meet the Press

chriscasteel — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:28:09 +0000

U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican who has been holding town hall meetings in Oklahoma this week, will appear on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday morning. Coburn has offered his own comprehensive health care plan that would subject employees’ contributions to their health care plans to taxes and give everyone a tax credit to buy insurance. His plan would also get rid of the part of Medicaid that provides health insurance for the poor and instead offer subsidies for low-income people to purchase private health insurance.

Coburn Fifth Most Wordy at Sotomayor Hearings

chriscasteel — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:06:05 +0000

According to a story in Politico today, Sen. Tom Coburn was among the wordiest of senators in the Judiciary Committee this week.

Coburn Reports on Stimulus Waste

chriscasteel — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:18:17 +0000

Sen. Tom Coburn released a report this morning on 100 projects being funded by stimulus money in which there may be less than meets the eye.

“Rather than growing our economy, the overall impact of stimulus spending may prove to be harmful to our economy. For example, Washington’s efforts to ‘stimulate’ the economy are increasing utility costs, repairing bridges nobody uses, building tunnels for turtles, and renovating extravagant train stations in remote areas while widely-used bridges and roads in poor shape are passed over,” Coburn said.

Obama Taps Former OSU Prof. for Pentagon Post

chriscasteel — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:59:15 +0000

President Barack Obama has announced his intention to nominate Joseph Westphal, who once headed the political science department at Oklahoma State University, to be the Under Secretary of the Army.

Here is the bio provided by the White House:

Joseph Westphal is University System Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine where he also served as the Chancellor of the University of Maine System. Mr. Westphal recently served as a member of the Obama-Biden Transition for the National Security Team working on Defense matters. He was Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works from 1998 to 2001 and Acting Secretary of the Army for June and July 2001. His other federal government experience included Senior Policy Advisor for Water Resources at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Staff Director of the Congressional Sunbelt Caucus in the United States Congress. His other academic appointments have included Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at Oklahoma State University. While on leave from the University of Maine, Mr. Westphal worked in the Department of the Interior on issues related to water development and as a budget analyst and assistant to the Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on the Budget. He has also served as Adjunct Professor of Government at Georgetown University and Professor and Provost at The New School University in New York. Mr. Westphal received a B.A. from Adelphi University, M.A. from Oklahoma State University and Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Lucas Warns About Global Warming Bill

chriscasteel — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:05:04 +0000

In advance of a House Agriculture Committee meeting on Thursday about the impact global warming legislation will have on agriculture, Rep. Frank Lucas gave a short speech on the House floor today warning that the bill “has the potential to permanently damage the standard of living for every man, woman, and child for decades to come.”

Lucas, of Cheyenne, is the top Republican on the Agriculture Committee.

He said, “A thousand-page bill of this magnitude deserves thoughtful consideration and debate. Instead, Speaker Pelosi is rushing it through Congress to the detriment of all of us.”

The bill is expected to come to the House floor some time this summer.

Boren Praises Kim Henry

chriscasteel — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:36:56 +0000

U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, paid tribute to Oklahoma First Lady Kim Henry on the House floor today, and congratulated her for being named executive director of the Sarkeys Foundation, a charitable organization that focuses on Oklahoma needs.

“Your hard work and dedication to the state of Oklahoma doesn’t go unnoticed,” Boren said on the floor.

Vote on Paid Maternity Leave

chriscasteel — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:56:18 +0000

Oklahoma’s members of the U.S. House split along party lines Thursday on a bill that would give federal employees four weeks of paid leave for births, adoptions or beginning foster care.

Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, voted for the bill; Reps. Tom Cole, R-Moore; Mary Fallin, R-Oklahoma City; and Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, voted against it. Rep. John Sullivan, R-Tulsa, was absent.