The Vail Spot via Instapundit

I’ve just heard from an impeccable source that Barbara Mikulski, the Democratic Senator who is up for reelection this November, will choose to retire. Mrs. Mikulski is expected to make her formal announcement in the next few days.

Mrs. Mikulski seriously fractured her right ankle last fall just prior to Edward M. Kennedy’s death. Due to the severity of the fracture, she had to have open reduction surgery, that included the insertion of pins, as well as the use of special surgical boots, during recovery. She had tried to arrive in time for Mr. Kennedy’s funeral but was turned away.

Her recovery has been exceptionally slow and she is evidently still in a great deal of pain. Reportedly, she has told her physician that she does not desire to seek reelection. Additionally, friends and family have been saying in the near future she will announce her retirement. Because of the very slow recovery, she has been forced to use a wheelchair, a walker or a cane in order to get around.

If Mikulski does retire, then who would run for her job on both sides? Does Ehrlich jump in the Senate race and leave the race for Governor on the GOP side wide open again?

UPDATE: We are also hearing that Senator Barbara Mikulski’s campaign has done polling in the past week or two.

UPDATE 2
Chris Cilizza on Twitter

Rumors that Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) is retiring are NOT TRUE, according to informed D source.

Update 3
Mike Memoli tweets that he has 2 sources saying it’s not true.

Other blogging:
Hot Air
Red Maryland
Baltimore Republican Examiner
NRO

Edwards release

Congresswoman Edwards and Judiciary Committee Chairman Conyers Introduce Constitutional Amendment to Fix Flawed Supreme Court Ruling on Campaign Finance

02/02/10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2010

Contact:

Dan Weber (Edwards): (202) 225-8699
Jonathan Godfrey (Conyers): 202-226-6888

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (D-MD) and Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) today introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to address the flawed ruling by the Supreme Court allowing corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. The amendment will undo the Supreme Court decision and allow Congress and the states to regulate the expenditure of funds by corporations for political speech.

“The ruling reached by the Roberts’ Court overturned decades of legal precedent by allowing corporations unfettered spending in our political campaigns,” said Congresswoman Edwards. “Another law will not rectify this disastrous decision.  A Constitutional Amendment is necessary to undo what this Court has done. Justice Brandeis got it right: ‘We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.’ It is time we remove corporate influence from our policies and our politics. We cannot allow corporations to dominate our elections, to do so would be both undemocratic and unfair to ordinary citizens.”

“The Supreme Court’s idea that corporate political speech is no different than an individual citizen’s political speech was not the law when the Constitution was written, was not the law before the Supreme Court’s decision two weeks ago, and should not be the law in the future.  I look forward to working further with Ms. Edwards and my other colleagues to use every tool at our disposal to make sure that elected representatives are accountable to voters, not corporations,” said Chairman Conyers.

Click here to read the amendment language.

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Hoyer release

Hoyer Statement Recognizing Black History Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, February 02, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) released the following statement today to commemorate Black History Month, which is observed during February:

“This month, America observes Black History Month to honor the contributions of the African-Americans whose work has shaped our nation in every area of endeavor. While the lives and legacies of African-Americans were once systematically excluded from our history, today we celebrate the central role these citizens have played in our nation’s story for more than 400 years.

“And the creation of Black History Month-along with the pioneering work of African-American historians like Carter G. Woodson, the month’s founder-have been central to that realization. I hope that all Americans will take the time this month to reflect on the promise of equality, the brave men and women who have called on America to live up to it, and the work that remains before we can say that the promise has been fully kept for all of our citizens.”

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Sarbanes release

SARBANES APPLAUDS PRESIDENT’S BUDGET AS AN INVESTMENT IN OUR FUTURE – 2/2/2010

Proposal prioritizes job creation, economic recovery and Chesapeake Bay restoration

Washington, DC – Yesterday, President Obama released the Administration’s fiscal year 2011 budget request to Congress. The President’s proposed budget focuses on job creation and economic recovery. The Congress will move quickly to craft a jobs package that incorporates many of the proposals included in the budget.

“Ensuring that Marylanders can find jobs is my top priority and I’m pleased that this budget focuses on job creation and economic recovery,” said Congressman John Sarbanes. “I also applaud the President for making important long term investments in the Chesapeake Bay. I look forward to working with the Administration to make sure that these priorities are implemented.”

The President’s jobs proposal includes:
• Tax credits to encourage small businesses to hire workers

• Investments in upgrading our Nation’s aging infrastructure including roads, sewer systems, water pipes and public transportation

• Developing clean energy initiatives that are good for the environment, reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and bring down energy costs

The President also proposed extending portions of the Recovery Act which spur economic growth and assist those most in need during the economic recovery. These measures include:
• Extending unemployment insurance benefits

• COBRA health insurance premium assistance

• Bonus depreciation and small business expensing

• Enhanced federal matching rates to states for Medicaid expenditures

• Extending the Making Work Pay tax credit

The President’s Budget included important investments in the Chesapeake Bay, including:

• $63 million for the Chesapeake Bay program, $13 million above fiscal year 2010 levels, to fund the Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts. This funding will also support the Small Watershed Grant program which provides grants of $20,000 to $200,000 to local organizations working on community based projects that improve the condition of their watersheds while building stewardship among its citizens.

• $2 million for the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Program to support Bay ecosystem stewardship efforts and improve public access to the Bay.

• An additional $7.1 million to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Chesapeake Bay activities to support habitat restoration, ecosystem assessments, integrate fishery science and support for the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS) which provides real time information about Bay conditions to scientists, on-the-water users, public safety officials, educators, natural resource decision-makers and the public.

The President has also proposed concrete steps to address the national debt and budget deficits once the economy is back on track. He has proposed a three year freeze in non-security related spending that would cut the deficit by $250 billion over the next ten years. The freeze would not be an across the board cut but would give higher priority initiatives increases and lower priority programs would be reduced or cut. The budget also proposes to eliminate several duplicative or wasteful programs building on successes in last year’s budget.

In addition, the President has proposed an independent bipartisan commission to help achieve additional deficit reduction. The proposed commission, made up of fiscal experts, would be charged with developing proposals to balance the budget by 2015. Such a deficit reduction would create sustainable federal budgets to prevent future generations from being burdened by the deficit, while maintaining important investments to move our Nation forward.

Kratovil release

Kratovil Introduces Earmark Performance and Accountability Act
02/02/10

Today, Rep. Frank Kratovil introduced the Earmark Performance and Accountability Act (bill number pending). Kratovil’s legislation would implement auditing requirements for many projects receiving funding through earmarks, increasing the accountability and transparency of the appropriations process.

“As a nation we have many critical priorities, yet limited resources. This means we need to make sure every penny is spent wisely and with the taxpayer’s best interests in mind,” said Rep. Kratovil. “That’s why we need to reform the way Congress appropriates funding. We must implement the type of controls that ensure our dollars are going to legitimate programs that serve a national interest. This legislation puts the taxpayers first by providing oversight and cutting waste.”
This legislation will require all non-Federal entities to set aside “such sums as necessary” from the funding they receive to conduct an audit using an independent external auditor, as determined by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). These audits must be submitted to Congress no later than 180 days after the funding has been received. The bill also requires similar audits of all earmarks in excess of $5 million. These audits will help determine whether the earmarked funds are being spent efficiently and effectively and whether the program, project, or activity is continuing to serve a vital need.

To provide additional transparency, all audits submitted to Congress under this act must be made available to the public on GAO’s website for taxpayers and watchdog groups to review.

“I have a responsibility to my constituents to fight in Washington for the resources necessary to meet the critical needs of Maryland’s First District. But Congress has a responsibility to all taxpayers to distinguish between worthwhile projects and wasteful pork,” said Kratovil. “The answer isn’t to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The answer is to shine a light on the process and make sure that lawmakers know that their constituents and colleagues are watching. Taking meaningful steps to ensure oversight, accountability and transparency will make citizens more informed and force Congress to be a more responsible steward of taxpayer dollars.”

Congressman Kratovil has already taken a proactive role in bringing transparency to his own appropriations requests, having posted all of his requests on his Congressional website for constituents to review. He also has posted the rigid criteria he uses in evaluating projects that have been presented for his consideration, stating that he will only consider supporting requests that will create jobs, meet a pressing need, or improve the quality of life in the First District.

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