The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill (H.R. 10) to prevent the President from imposing major regulations on the country without the approval of Congress . Entitled the REINS Act — Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny — the bill is intended to rein in the executive branch's usurpation of legislative power via issuing rules by executive fiat.

The United States House of Representatives voted 245-189 today to repeal President Obama’s signature healthcare law, often referred to as ObamaCare. The vote followed a full day of debate on the House floor.

Tea Party support helped coast a number of congressional candidates to victory in the 2010 midterm elections. However, whether those victors will stay true to their alleged Tea Party values remains to be seen. For example, politicians affiliated with the movement have come under harsh criticism for their hypocritical stance on earmarks, as many of the same people who lashed out against earmarks have requested a number of them.

According to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on CNN’s State of the Union, he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid came to an agreement on a spending measure that will fund the federal government through March 2011, allowing enough time for the 112th Congress to debate and pass a spending bill for the rest of the fiscal year.

The Senate today voted 65-31 in favor of repealing the 17-year-old military policy, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). The historic bill is now on its way to President Obama’s desk, where it will be signed into law.

On Wednesday, December 15, the House of Representatives voted 250 to 175 to repeal the military’s long-standing policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The legislation now awaits a vote in the Senate, where support is allegedly gaining momentum.

The United States Senate voted today to approve the legislation that will temporarily extend the Bush-era tax cuts to all Americans. The 81-19 vote took place two days after Monday’s Senate cloture vote of 83-15, which ultimately ended the Republican filibuster and moved the bill to a final vote. The cloture vote allowed for an additional 30 hours of debate on the legislation, ultimately delaying the final vote on the legislation until today at approximately 1 p.m.

On Wednesday night, the United States House of Representatives approved a $1.1 trillion continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the federal government through September 30, 2011. A Continuing Resolution was Congress’ last resort as it failed to pass any of the 12 appropriations bills for fiscal year 2011, as well as a budget resolution.

With one month left until the end of the year, Congress has quite a bit with which to contend. Ranging from the unemployed, “wealthy,” and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” to illegal immigration, lame-duck lawmakers intend to make difficult decisions in the ensuing weeks.

The Justice Department is challenging Alabama’s new immigration law, which permits police officers to detain people during traffic stops whom they suspect may be illegal immigrants. The DOJ filed a lawsuit against the Alabama law, contending it conflicts with the federal government’s jurisdiction.