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The weekend news that the troubled insurance giant AIG is paying $165 million in executive bonuses despite having received federal bailout money sparked a bipartisan “tweetstorm” by outraged members of Congress today.

Lawmakers from both parties ranted in 140 characters or less, linked to longer rants that wouldn’t fit within Twitter’s textual constraints, and floated legislative trial balloons designed to punish AIG or any other company receiving federal bailout funds that might want to pay bonuses in the future. “Introduced a bill that imposes a 100% tax on any executive bonus over $100,000 that was paid by a company receiving federal bailout funds,” @RepSteveIsrael wrote.

Here is a recap of other AIG-inspired tweets from lawmakers using the mini-blog service:

• Like @RepSteveIsrael, @repblumenauer said he is working on a bill to place a tax surcharge on executive bonuses to recoup tax dollars from firms like AIG.
• On MSNBC’s “Hardball,” @DarrellIssa blasted “AIG/Bush/Obama boneheads who dropped $170 billion with no strings attached.”
• @SenChrisDodd: “A car mechanic or teacher in Connecticut shouldn’t have to subsidize the bad decisions of AIG’s executives.”
• @russfeingold wrote a letter of complaint to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.
• @gopconference called for an “exit strategy” on government bailouts after news of the AIG bonuses.
• And @SenatorMenendez posted to YouTube the clip of his MSNBC appearance to decry AIG.

AIG wasn’t the only thing on lawmakers’ minds, though. Among other things, they tweeted about earmarks, the oversight of federal stimulus projects and government contracts, “card check” legislation to govern votes for labor unions, taxes on health benefits, and public lands.

They also chatted about the NCAA basketball tournament that starts this week. And they linked to articles about lawmakers who tweet. Apparently every journalist in America is writing one of those stories these days.

To get Capitol Hill’s inside scoop from Twitter, subscribe to “Hill Tweet News.” It’s the best and quickest way to learn who sniped at whom, and why; what lawmakers did and said in committee, on the floor, on the news shows and elsewhere; and what articles, shows, Internet videos and more grabbed their attention.

Categories: Producer's Picks, Health, Labor, Budget, Taxes, Economy, Government Waste, Banking, Government Reform, Financial Services, Natural Resources, Bailouts, Hill Tweet News

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Reps. Mike Pence, R-Ind., and Barbara Lee, D-Calif., took to the airwaves on MSNBC’s “Hardball” today to debate the record of President Obama after his first 50 days in office.

“He’s doing exactly what he should do, what he said he was going to do,” Lee said. She noted that businesses and even people in Republican districts will benefit from Obama’s decisions.

But Pence called Obama “an admirable person” but said “the problem is his policies.” He said the answer to last year’s record spending for bailouts is “more of the same. … They spend too much, they tax too much, and they borrow too much.”

Categories: California, Indiana, White House, Budget, Banking, Monster Media Mash-Up, Barbara Lee, Mike Pence, Bailouts

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The Senate today cleared to President Obama a $410 billion spending bill decried by many Republicans and some Democrats as a monument to pork-barrel politics and wasteful spending. The legislation was the hot topic of the day among lawmakers who use the mini-blog service Twitter.

“Congress is the only one not cutting budgets,” @JohnEnsign tweeted. @clairecmc said she voted “no” because of the more than 8 percent spending increase and the 9,000-plus earmarks for pet projects in lawmakers’ districts, among other reasons. Obama is expected to sign the bill, but @SenJohnMcCain, @Jim DeMint and @RepTomPrice urged him to veto it.

Here is a sampling of other Hill tweets from today:

• A pork fact from @SenJohnMcCain: There were 546 earmarks in appropriations bills in 1991; today, there are nearly 9,000.
• An automatic pay raise for Congress amid a devastating recession? @ChuckGrassley wants a vote.
• @RepBillShuster filed a bill to help kids with rare diseases in NIH studies continue to get treatment when the trial ends.
• @JeffFortenberry said Congress should renew and fully fund an electronic immigrant-checking system for employers.
• @ThadMcCotter defended the auto industry on Fox News’ “Strategy Room.”

To get Capitol Hill’s inside scoop from Twitter, subscribe to “Hill Tweet News.” It’s the best and quickest way to learn who sniped at whom, and why; what lawmakers did and said in committee, on the floor, on the news shows and elsewhere; and what articles, shows, Internet videos and more grabbed their attention.

Categories: Budget, Hill Tweet News

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Wanna know what lawmakers did today? What they said in committee, on the floor, on the news shows and elsewhere? What articles, shows, Internet videos and more grabbed their attention? Who sniped at whom, and why? Get the inside scoop at “Hill Tweet News,” a Twitter-based service of AirCongress.

Here are today’s Top 5 tweets, followed by the rest of today’s edition of “Hill Tweet News“:

• Via @Senate_GOPs, the Senate passed a short-term spending bill to fund the federal government through Wednesday.
• @MicheleBachmann warned that Congress could be “killing the housing industry once and for all.”
• @RepMikeHonda defended his “pork” for a Japanese museum in San Jose in response to an @SenJohnMcCain tweet. Honda said it will create jobs.
• @michaelcburgess wrote 15 straight tweets about yesterday’s White House healthcare summit. Here’s an excerpt from one: “High marks for style. Substance, not so much.”
• @petehoekstra mused, “Twitter founder going to White House. Does this now make it acceptable?”

More after the jump »

Categories: California, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Health, Technology, Michele Bachmann, Budget, Economy, Housing, Mike Honda, Hill Tweet News, Michael Burgess, Pete Hoekstra

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Wanna know what lawmakers did today? What they said in committee, on the floor, on the news shows and elsewhere? What articles, shows, Internet videos and more grabbed their attention? Who sniped at whom, and why? Get the inside scoop at “Hill Tweet News,” a Twitter-based service of AirCongress.

Here are today’s Top 5 tweets, followed by the rest of today’s edition of “Hill Tweet News“:

• Via @HouseFloor, the House passed a bill to address the housing crisis. The mostly party-line vote was 234-191.
• @donmanzullo Letting judges rewrite mortgage contracts would wreak havoc with lenders, cause interest rates to rise.
• @clairecmc Cherry-picking earmarks to vote against is kissing cousin to cherry-picking projects to fund. I voted to strip all.
• @ChuckGrassley heard from Treasury Secy that 60 jobs in Waterloo, Iowa, related to collecting back taxes are being canceled.
• A reminder from @MarkeyMemo as the time is about to change: Daylight savings = $500 million in energy savings.

More after the jump »

Categories: Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Missouri, Labor, Edward Markey, Budget, Taxes, Economy, Executive Branch, Housing, Bailouts, Claire McCaskill, Hill Tweet News, Don Manzullo, Chuck Grassley

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