Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

This evening the full U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform marked up and passed H.R. 2517, the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO). The 23-12 vote moves the bill out of committee and readies it for future consideration by the House of Representatives. Said HRC President Joe Solmonese: “Today’s markup by the Oversight and Government Reform Committee is an important step toward guaranteeing equal compensation for lesbian and gay workers serving our government at home and abroad. DPBO recognizes that equal pay for equal work is a value fundamental to American opportunity. We thank Chairman Towns and Congresswomen Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) ... Read Full Story

A key US lawmaker announced Wednesday she had met with a group of Russian journalists and opposition figures and called on President Barack Obama to step up human rights pressure on Moscow. "From Moscow, to Tehran, to Pyongyang, to Havana, it is time for this administration to put human rights -- and not diplomatic niceties -- on top of America?s priority list," said Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Ros-Lehtinen, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said journalists were "an endangered breed in Russia," subject to "increasing and deeply disturbing harassment, violent intimidation and murders." And she charged that the Kremlin was "dragging ... Read Full Story

CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS WILL MCBRIDE WON’T CHALLENGE GRAYSON: Republican Will McBride decided last week he will pass on challenging the suddenly untouchable Rep. Alan Grayson (D) for Florida’s 8th Congressional District. McBride, who lost to then-Rep. Katherine Harris in the 2006 U.S. Senate primary is one of several Central Florida politicos to decide they want no part of a race against the newly high profile Grayson, who suggested earlier this year that the GOP health care plan amounted to having sick people die quickly. McBride told Washington-based newspaper Roll Call last week that the time isn’t right for his family for him to make a ... Read Full Story

The suspension of American aid and high-level contact with Honduras' interim government following the ouster of its president in a coup is hurting anti-drug efforts, a U.S. Congresswoman said after meeting with officials in the troubled country. The administration of President Barack Obama is seeking to pressure the government of interim President Roberto Micheletti, has suspended more than $40 million in non-humanitarian aid and halted high-level contacts, including those related to long-standing joint efforts against smuggling of U.S.-bound cocaine from South America through Honduras. That lack of cooperation "harms U.S. security," said U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican who was visiting Honduras on ... Read Full Story

Three South Florida U.S. Representatives who supported the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya traveled there Monday to meet with the interim government and to pressure the Obama administration to support the Central American country's upcoming elections. It's the second trip by a GOP delegation there in a week and part of a broader effort to challenge the Obama administration's Latin American policy. President Barack Obama and many world leaders refuse to recognize interim President Roberto Micheletti, who took power following a June coup that ousted Zelaya. They say the Nov. 29 election will be illegitimate unless Zelaya is restored to power or comes ... Read Full Story