Author Archives: Stephen K. Cooper

Rep. Bobby Scott (Twitter Photo) House lawmakers on July 5 passed legislation which would establish a new federal commission to commemorate the contributions of African Americans to the U.S. since slavery began in 1619. Lawmakers approved a bill offered by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) to establish the 400 Years of African-American History Commission. The commission […]

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) A new class of Navy ships will still be named after U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) after a Mississippi Republican failed in late June to strip the honor from the civil rights icon. Rep. Steven Palazzo (R) was unable to win approval from a House panel for a vote on the […]

As the highest ranking African-American lawmaker in Congress, South Carolina Democrat James Clyburn is no stranger to high pressure negotiations or controversy. Clyburn’s latest assignment, however, as the only Black panelist on the 12- member Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, will call on his considerable political skills and his social insights, honed over decades […]

Congress may have averted a global financial meltdown of their own making with the passage of a controversial deficit control bill on Aug. 2, but some members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) say the worst is yet to come. “This is a choice between a job killing default and a job killing austerity plan,” […]

When Republican lawmakers swept to power last November, they promised voters that the 112th Congress would be noted for the quality of legislation that passed the House, not the quantity. However, weeks of seemingly unquenchable debate over Medicare vouchers, next year’s budget and the nation’s debt limit may have made that ambitious campaign promise far […]