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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

House Passes "Fiscal Cliff" Bill 257-167 - 85 Republicans joined 172 Democrats to pass the Senate bill.  President Obama signed the bill and is headed back to Hawaii to rejoin his family who are on holiday vacation.

The NY Times has more here.

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Markets Up After "Fiscal Cliff" Deal - The stock market surged Wednesday after Congress finally agreed on a package to avoid portions of the "fiscal cliff."
 
The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped more than 200 points in the first minutes of trading, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq both posted gains above 1.5 percent. TheHill.com has more here.
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Christie, Cuomo Criticize House for Failure to Act on Sandy Relief - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Wednesday released a joint statement in which they criticized the House of Representatives for adjourning on Tuesday night without voting on legislation to provide relief to victims of Hurricane Sandy.

"With all that New York and New Jersey and our millions of residents and small businesses have suffered and endured, this continued inaction and indifference by the House of Representatives is inexcusable. It has now been 66 days since Hurricane Sandy hit and 27 days since President Obama put forth a responsible aid proposal that passed with a bipartisan vote in the Senate while the House has failed to even bring it to the floor. This failure to come to the aid of Americans following a severe and devastating natural disaster is unprecedented. The fact that days continue to go by while people suffer, families are out of their homes, and men and women remain jobless and struggling during these harsh winter months is a dereliction of duty. When American citizens are in need we come to their aid. That tradition was abandoned in the House last night."

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Obama Urges House To Pass Hurricane Sandy Relief - President Obama issued a statement on Wednesday urging House Republicans to immediatelly pass Hurricane Sandy relief funds.

"It has only been two months since Hurricane Sandy devastated communities across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut as well as other eastern states. Our citizens are still trying to put their lives back together. Our states are still trying to rebuild vital infrastructure. And so, last month, working closely with the Governors of the affected states, I sent Congress an urgent request to support their efforts to rebuild and recover. The Senate passed this request with bipartisan support. But the House of Representatives has refused to act, even as there are families and communities who still need our help to rebuild in the months and years ahead, and who also still need immediate support with the bulk of winter still in front of us.

When tragedy strikes, Americans come together to support those in need. I urge Republicans in the House of Representatives to do the same, bring this important request to a vote today, and pass it without delay for our fellow Americans."


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Haley Sets Special Election Dates for S.C. House Seat - South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki R. Haley on Wednesday signed an executive order setting a May special election to fill the soon-to-be-open 1st District seat.

Haley said she had set the primary for March 19, the primary runoff for April 2 and the general special election for May 7.

The Charleston-area Republican-heavy district is currently represented by GOP Rep. Tim Scott, whom Haley appointed to the Senate to replace resigning GOP Sen. Jim DeMint.
Among the many ambitious Republicans eyeing this race: former Palmetto State Gov. Mark Sanford and his ex-wife, Jenny Sanford.  RollCall.com has more here.

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