Oxford Eye on the Beltway: GOP Budget Plan Bashed

BLUMENTHAL: The debate over whether employers can demand someone’s Facebook password continues in the national media. U.S. Richard Blumenthal is pushing for legislation that would forbid the practice and Fox Business writes about the issue.

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LIEBERMAN: Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent, joined Republicans in the legislature to speak for a symbolic resolution against the Syrian government for “crimes against humanity.”

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DELAURO: High gas prices are putting the squeeze on consumers at the pump, and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3) joined Democrats in effort to put more gas on the market by releasing some of the nation’s strategic oil reserves and lower prices. An energy researcher puts cold water on the plan and tells Bloomberg it’d have a negligible effect on prices.

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HIMES: U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (CT-4) is excited to have reached more than 6,000 Twitter followers. The congressman tweets almost every day about everything ranging from upcoming votes to collecting oysters on the Long Island Sound.

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MURPHY: The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted in favor of a budget proposed by Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan (R). Even though it’s been nearly three years since a budget passed, U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy (D-5) was strongly opposed to Ryan’s plans to eventually balance the nation’s finances. 

“This budget...provides another round of tax giveaways for the wealthiest Americans at the expense of middle class taxpayers,” he said in a statement. “So while seniors and middle class families would pay more, millionaires, billionaires, oil companies, and corporations that ship American jobs overseas would pay less. That's just outrageous.”  

“Eye on the Beltway” is a new feature on your local Patch that looks each day at the activities of elected officials in our nation’s capitol from your town and other parts of southwestern Connecticut.

Those officials are:

• Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
• Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)
• Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), a Democrat representing Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Branford, Derby, Durham, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Middlefield, Middletown, Milford, Naugatuck, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Prospect, Seymour, Shelton, Stratford, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Haven and Woodbridge.
• Rep. Jim Himes (CT-4), a Democrat representing Bridgeport, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, Norwalk, Oxford, Redding, Ridgefield, Shelton (part), Stamford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport and Wilton.
• Rep. Chris Murphy (CT-5), a Democrat representing Avon, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Burlington, Canaan, Canton, Cheshire, Cornwall, Danbury, Farmington, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Meriden, Middlebury, Morris, New Britain, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Norfolk, North Canaan, Plainville, Plymouth, Roxbury, Salisbury, Sharon, Sherman, Simsbury, Southbury, Thomaston, Torrington (part), Warren, Washington, Waterbury (part), Watertown, Wolcott and Woodbury.