Hakeem Jeffries (Photo: Facebook)

Months into his first term, his short time in Washington D.C. has Congressman Hakeem Jeffries convinced the Tea Party is out of control.

"Every day I'm in Washington D.C., I'm focused on two things: battling the Tea Party and standing up for President Obama," Mr. Jeffries, a Democrat, said last night at a Brooklyn fundraiser for his successor, Assemblyman Walter Mosley. "The Tea Party folks, they're off the chain. From my perspective, the right thing to do for the country is to make sure we invest in our economy and we stand up for programs like Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid--and stand up for the most vulnerable people among us."

Mr. Jeffries added that he would take the fight to the whole "crew" of Republican leadership, drawing wild applause from his supporters at the Crown Heights restaurant.

"As opposed to what the other side wants to do, which is to basically balance the budget on the backs of children and seniors, working families and the middle class," he said. "And despite what John Boehner says, despite Paul Ryan, despite that whole crew, we're not going to let it happen."

Since replacing the retired Edolphus Towns, Mr. Jeffries has been appointed to the Budget Committee and Judiciary Committee. Republican Congressman Paul Ryan, one of the GOP's rising stars, chairs the Budget Committee and has aggressively pushed for spending cuts as a way to trigger economic growth.

Mr. Jeffries, needless to say, is no fan of that approach.

President Barack Obama delivering his State of the Union address this evening. (Photo: Getty)

President Obama included his discussion of environmental issues and climate change after outlining initiatives to grow manufacturing jobs and before discussing plans to improve national infrastructure and help home owners. He closed this portion of his speech by describing all of these proposals as potentially spurring job growth.

"These initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and housing will help entrepreneurs and small business owners expand and create new jobs," President Obama said in the prepared version of his remarks.

Sandwiched in between his policies on manufacturing jobs, road and bridge construction and housing, President Obama expressed a need for the government to "do more to combat climate change." To bolster this argument, he cited several weather events, including Hurricane Sandy."

"Yes, it’s true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods--all are now more frequent and intense," said the president. "We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science--and act before it’s too late."

President Obama went on to call for a "bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change" that would "make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth." Specifically, he called for expanding solar and wind energy initiatives, fastracking oil and gas permits to take advantage of a "natural gas boom" that he said has "led to cleaner power and greater energy independence" and funding research and technology to help natural gas burn "even cleaner." He also proposed using oil and gas revenues from public lands to "fund an Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and technology to shift our cars and trucks off oil for good." He hinted this was also a good economic move by noting it was supported by "a non-partisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and admirals."

The President also stuck with the strategy of casting his policies on more controversial issues in terms of potential economic benefit when he brought up immigration.

"Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants," President Obama said. "And right now, leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, and faith communities all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform."

On this front, President Obama said he would push for "strong border security" and for "establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship" including background checks, taxes and penalties, English language requirements and prioritization for those who have been attempting to come to the U.S. through legal channels. He closed his call for immigration reform by citing another potential economic benefit--an influx of "highly-skilled" workers.
 
"Real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy, and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy," said President Obama.
 
President Obama closed his speech by bringing up another potentially controversial issue, gun control. Though he didn't turn to economic arguments to support his plans for increased regulation of firearms, he framed the issue as a question of securing the safety of the nation's children, and as a result, far more important to the future of the nation than any plan to improve America's financial situation.

"Of course, what I’ve said tonight matters little if we don’t come together to protect our most precious resource--our children," the president began. "It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this time is different. Overwhelming majorities of Americans ... have come together around commonsense reform."

President Obama said these "commonsense" gun control reforms include background checks and banning high-capacity magazines.

"Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you want to vote no, that’s your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote," President Obama said. "Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun."
 
Though President Obama took on climate change, immigration reform and gun control in his speech, there were two notable hot-button issues he didn't address; gay marriage and abortion. The president only briefly alluded to gay and lesbian issues once in his speech when he described efforts to take care of the country's armed forces and cited the plan announced yesterday to provide benefits to same-sex spouses of servicemembers as an example of his administration's commitment to the troops.

"We must to protect those who serve their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military in the world," said the president. "We will invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime spending. We will ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their families--gay and straight."

Reproductive rights and the abortion debate were not mentioned at all in the president's speech. However, issue featured prominently in Senator Marco Rubio's Republican response to the State of the Union, which began on a loud, pro-life note.

"The State of the Union address is always a reminder of how unique America is," Mr. Rubio said. "But America is exceptional, because we believe that every life, at every stage, is precious."

Diane Sawyer with the women of the U.S. Senate. (Photo: ABC/Martin Simon)

Yesterday, a record 20 women were sworn in to the U.S. Senate. To mark the occasion ABC's World News With Diane Sawyer had all of the female senators on for a group interview. One of the major topics of the discussion was the belief of many of the senators that they achieve better results than their male colleagues on a variety of issues including the budget, immigration reform and climate change. Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow got the ball rolling when she suggested women are more inclined to get results by working in a bipartisan manner.

"It was the first time in 2001 when we had enough women to actually be on every committee, to have a woman's voice, a woman's experience [and] a woman's values on every committee. You fast forward to now, the new year. There will be six of us chairing committees and other women in the ranking member spot," Ms. Stabenow said. "And I think the public understands to get things done, we're the ones that want to work across the aisle to do that."

Maine Senator Susan Collins took the argument a step further by saying if women were in charge of the Senate and in the White House there would be a solution to the budget debate that has gripped Washington.

"I think if we were in charge of the Senate and of the administration that we would have a budget deal by now," Ms. Collins said. 

When New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte weighed in, she backed away from Ms. Collins' point and said she was't sure a Senate and Executive branch controlled by women would have completed a budget deal.

"Well, I think that--you know, women are great problem solvers," said Ms. Ayotte. "I don't know if it would get done, but I know that the people here are committed to making sure that we solve our problems."

Ms. Sawyer pressed the point and asked how that was "different" from the male senators. Ms. Ayotte disagreed with the assertion women would be better problem solvers in the Senate than men.

"I think to say that men aren't focused on solving problems wouldn't--wouldn't be accurate," Ms. Ayotte said.

Ms. Collins stepped back in to defend her point.

"Let me just finish my thought on that," said Ms. Collins. "What I find is with all due difference to--deference to our male colleagues, that women's styles tend to be more collaborative."

Later on in the interview, Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski said she believes women bring a "sense of timeliness" to the Senate that is not shared by their male colleagues.

"I can tell you every single one of these women has great pressure on them not only for their constituents, but their families. We don't believe in the culture of delay," Ms. Mikulski said. "In this institution if they can delay a problem, pick an argument--and wait till next year they'll do it. Us, we want to get it done. And I think that's the impact when women are chairing these committees to involve, to listen, mutual respect, mutual trust and get the job done."

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu cited a specific issue where she felt the female perspective was advantageous--immigration reform.

"I'll give you a specific on immigration reform. And I think this could come naturally to us. There's a big issue right now about S.T.E.M., about science, technology, engineering and math and extending immigration visas for doctoral candidates," said Ms. Landrieu. "When I first heard that I thought it was a great idea. But my thought was, 'I wonder about their spouses. Are they gonna get visas as well?' I mean, I don't know if a man would have thought of that. I mean, I think a perspective--when we're doing immigration reform we're thinking of not just the individuals...the visa but the family, their relationships with children or with....I think that's just one example. There could be many more. But without a woman at the table that might not come up. It could, but it may not. I think it comes up more quickly."

Ms. Sawyer went on to ask the assembled female senators whether any of them might be future presidents. Washington's Patty Murray responded that women would bring a different outlook to a presidential campaign than men.

"I think the thing is--is that every man wakes up in the morning and looks in the mirror and says, 'I could be president,'" Ms. Murray said. "I think every woman looks in the mirror and says, 'What can I get done for my country today?'"

California Senator Dianne Feinstein chimed in to say that having less testosterone makes female politicians more effective.

"I think one of the things that we have done throughout our career is earned a portfolio of expertise. We have worked our way up, we have done our apprenticeship. We understand how government should function and we want to play a role toward that positive functioning. This is one of the reasons I think women become effective originally, that they can sound that call," said Ms. Feinstein. "Another reason I think, you know, we're less on testosterone. We don't have that need to always be confrontational. And I think we're problem solvers, and I think that's what this country needs."

Ms. Feinstein continued by suggesting climate change is another issue women in the Senate may make more progress on than men have.

"I was just gonna say one other thing. If you take a big issue that men have not been able to solve, it's the issue of climate change," she explained. "What would happen if 20 of us cosponsored a bill? What would happen if we went out and mobilized American women to support that bill? It may...this may be a real point of major differentiation that we could get this done for America and essentially lead the way."

Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin concurred that women might be able to make more progress on climate change because of their "unique capability" to think about future generations.

"On that topic, I think that there's unique capability of being able to think about the effect of our actions today on generations hence that women share," Ms. Baldwin said. "We have that long range vision."

Watch Ms. Sawyer's full interview with the senators below.

(Photo: Getty)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg just released his public schedule for tomorrow, and it's a doozy. Throughout the day, the mayor is set to meet with over a half-dozen members of the country's congressional leadership, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Also on the list is former presidential candidate John McCain, a couple moderate Republicans and a press conference with New York's two senators on the city's request for billions of dollars in federal aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

While the agenda of the meetings was not disclosed, it's likely Mr. Bloomberg will be focused on securing that financial assistance for the city's recovery efforts. Whether or not he will be successful, of course, is unclear; despite the aggressive slew of planned meetings, he recently sounded less-than-optimistic the request would be honored in full, joking yesterday he was still optimistic about the city's efforts to host the long-gone 2012 Olympics.

As a side note, even with the busy day in Washington D.C., Mr. Bloomberg is still scheduled to attend the Rockefeller Center New York Christmas Tree Lighting back in Midtown, Manhattan.

View the full schedule of events below:

10:45 AM Meets with Senator Lamar Alexander
11:15 AM Meets with Senator Susan Collins
1:00 PM Meets with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor
2:00 PM Meets with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
2:30 PM Joins Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to Discuss the City’s Hurricane Sandy Federal Aid Request
3:00 PM Meets with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
3:45 PM Meets with Senator Saxby Chambliss
4:15 PM Meets with Senator John McCain
5:00 PM Meets with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
8:15 PM Attends Christmas in Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony

(Photo: Getty)

President Barack Obama, who had been campaigning in Florida as Hurricane Sandy began to batter states in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, has canceled further events in the Sunshine State in order to return to Washington, according to a dispatch sent out by the White House this morning.

"Due to deteriorating weather conditions in the Washington, DC area, the President will not attend today's campaign event in Orlando, Florida," Jay Carney, Mr. Obama's press secretary, announced. "The President will return to the White House to monitor the preparations for and early response to Hurricane Sandy."

Additionally, in a subsequent press release, Mr. Carney announced Mr. Obama's Tuesday plans have also been scuttled, stating, "The President will no longer travel to Green Bay, WI tomorrow for a campaign event, so that he can stay in Washington, DC on Tuesday and closely monitor the impact of and response to Hurricane Sandy."

The president's Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, also had to adjust his schedule to avoid campaigning in states where emergency resources are needed for storm response efforts. Mr. Obama's position, however, may be much more politically beneficial to him as he manages a crisis just seven days before voters head to the polls.

“If there is a serious disaster in the next few days anywhere on the Eastern seaboard, no one talks about Romney then," the Brookings Institution's John Hudak explained to the Fiscal Times. "Romney is no part of any story, except, of course, I’m sure he’ll hold a press conference to speak on the tragedy, as anyone would do as the challenger. But all eyes are on the president. It’s something money can’t buy.”

Update (10:19 a.m.): Mr. Obama's Tuesday cancellation was added.

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (Photo: Facebook)

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney rents out her Washington, D.C. home to a trio of her blue state Congressional colleagues--Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Rep.Terri A. Sewell of Alabama and Rep. Frederica S. Wilson. The Times profiled Congresswoman Maloney's Democratic dorm in today's paper. “The camaraderie in the house is very special,” Congresswoman Sewell said.

No men have lived in the house since Congresswoman Maloney began renting it out to avoid "very, very lonely" nights in D.C.--or Republicans.

“I wouldn’t want to discriminate against men,” Congresswoman Maloney said. “And I would try to be open to a Republican. But right now, Congress is so partisan.”

This crash pad for congresswomen has a counterpart for the men on the Hill that's currently occupied by Senators Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin. Congresswoman Maloney clearly has a much nicer setup, the Times describes Senator Schumer's house as "notoriously run-down" compared to her "neat house with plantation shutters, hardwood floors, Oriental rugs and framed pictures."

Congresswoman Maloney does not require credit checks, or a security deposit. Rent is about $1,100 a month, but according to Congresswoman Sewell, the roommates regularly enjoy "bonding over popcorn," which is priceless.

Newt Gingrich's mother-in-law, Bernita Krause Bisek. (Photo: Facebook)

Earlier this afternoon, Callista Gingrich, wife of newly minted Republican frontrunner Newt Gingrich, pointed a camera at the window of her office in Washington, D.C. and snapped a picture of a group of Occupy Wall Street protesters gathered on the rainy street outside. Ms. Gingrich proceeded to post the picture on her Facebook page inspiring concerned comments from her mother.

Ms. Gingrich included no comment on the pictures beyond a bland caption that said, "Occupy protesters outside of our office building." About an hour later, her mother, Bernita Krause Bisek, responded to the photo.

"A little scary isn't it. Hope the police have them under control," Ms. Bisek wrote.

Ms. Bisek also "liked" another comment on the photo written by a man named Robert Fimreite.

"Hang in there Callista. Not sure what they hope to accomplish by hanging around your office building. Newt can't do anything... yet!" Mr. Fimreite wrote.

Ms. Gingrich's Occupy photo also provoked some more colorful comments from several of her 2,138 friends.

"Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes. Or maybe that should be revised to the 'red' glassiness of their eyes. LOL," wrote a man named Lavon Wiggins.

"Who let the Dogs out, woof,woof,woof woof! LOL....," a man named Mark Usciak wrote.

Mr. Gingrich hasn't been shy about his distaste for the Occupy Wall Street movement. At the Thanksgiving Family Forum last month, Mr. Gingrich described the Occupy protesters as inconsiderate, entitled and downright unclean.

"“All of the Occupy movements start with the premise that we all owe them everything. They take over a public park they didn’t pay for, to go nearby to use bathrooms they didn’t pay for, to beg for food from places they don’t want to pay for, to obstruct those who are going to work to pay the taxes to sustain the bathrooms and to sustain the park, so that they can self righteously explain that they are the paragons of virtue to which we owe everything,” Mr. Gingrich said. “Now, that is a pretty good symptom of how much the left has collapsed as a moral system in this country and why you need to reassert something as simple as saying to them, ‘Go get a job right after you take a bath.’”