House advances bills on regulations, ObamaCare, government abuse

The House debated the rule for an hour, which members used to blame each other for the struggling economy and the failure of Congress to reach agreements on the budget, spending, jobs and the debt ceiling.

{mosads}With the rule vote, the House was set to start work on H.R. 2879, the Stop Government Abuse Act. This bill is made up of three bills that GOP leaders had to pull from consideration on Wednesday, as Democrats were not willing to approve it on an expedited basis.

The bill limits federal bonuses, allow officials under investigation to be put on paid or unpaid leave, and let people record their conversations with federal employees.

The REINS Act, H.R. 367, also expected to be debated Thursday. It would require Congress to approve any federal rule that costs the economy $100 million or more.

Finally, the rule allows consideration of H.R. 2009, the Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act, which would prohibit the IRS from enforcing ObamaCare. That bill is expected to come up on Friday.

Afterwards, the House also passed H.R. 1897, the Vietnam Human Rights Act, which would prohibit aid to Vietnam due to human rights violations in that country. This bill passed 405-3.