Blog - Congress Links

As Congress enters week two of its recess, campaign matters have largely overshadowed policy matters. But one issue in particular, unemployment benefits, continues to be a hot topic here at OpenCongress. While you lament the fact that you too can’t enjoy a two-week recess right now, check out what else is going on in the world of politics with today’s edition of Congress Links:

• Scam artists in the insurance industry are using confusion over what the Affordable Care Act does to trick people into buying fake “Obamacare” insurance policies. (NPR)
• On a more positive note, the New York Times had a great story about community health centers and what the Affordable Care Act means for them. (The New York Times)
• When it comes to issues like immigration and climate change, will President Obama follow the same playbook that he used for health care? i.e. will he sit back and let Congress take the lead? (The Los Angeles Times)
• One drawback of this strategy, though, is that Congress doesn’t exactly work on an expedited timetable – particularly when it comes to financial regulation. (Politico)
• The New Republic has a good story on the surprisingly compelling political bargaining and gaming going on between the two parties over financial regulation. (The New Republic)
• IBM today launched the public beta of an exciting new web app called “Many Bills.” It breaks down congressional legislation section by section and uses unique visualizations to show what may be in them. (IBM Many Bills)