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David Sherfinski

David Sherfinski covered politics for The Washington Times. 

Articles by David Sherfinski

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (left) and Speaker John A. Boehner enter a GOP meeting Wednesday, showing solidarity. (Associated Press)

Grumbling on Boehner’s speakership not a mutiny

A rough two-month stretch has left Speaker John A. Boehner facing a nascent rebellion within his party ahead of a vote on whether he will continue to lead the House when the 113th Congress convenes Thursday. Published January 2, 2013

** FILE ** Rep. Spencer Bachus, Alabama Republican (Associated Press)

House GOP doesn’t flinch from the fight

House Republicans faced blistering criticism from all sides Tuesday as they once again threatened to scuttle a bipartisan package blessed by the White House and Senate Republicans — but they remained undaunted, and many even said they relished the fight even as the deal ultimately headed toward passage. Published January 1, 2013

A bill introduced in the Missouri Senate would require parents to disclose their gun ownership status to local schools. (Associated Press)

Law on liability insurance eyed for gun owners

Hoping to get beyond the debate over new gun-control laws, a group of economists and legal scholars is floating another plan they say could cut down on spree shootings: require all gun owners to carry liability insurance, similar to what automobile owners must have. Published January 1, 2013

Reporters pursue Speaker of the House John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, as he walks to a closed-door meeting with GOP members of the House as Congress in Washington, Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, as Senate and House leaders rush to assemble a last-ditch agreement to head off the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts set to take effect Jan. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

‘Conversation’ on deficit falls on deaf ears

House Speaker John A. Boehner kicked off the 112th Congress by saying Americans are ready for an adult conversation on spending and deficits. Two years later, that broader conversation has yet to happen. Published December 31, 2012

Rep. Edward J. Markey has hopes of joining fellow Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren in the Senate after declaring Thursday he will run to fill the seat of John F. Kerry, who is widely expected to be confirmed as President Obama’s next secretary of state. (Associated Press)

Markey throws hat in ring to claim Kerry’s seat in Senate

Rep. Edward J. Markey on Thursday became the first prominent Democrat to officially declare he will run for the seat of John F. Kerry in the widely expected event the senator is confirmed as President Obama's next secretary of state. Published December 27, 2012

“If it’s crazy to call for armed officers in our schools to protect our children, then call me crazy. I think the American people think it’s crazy not to do it” Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, says in response to the shootings in Newtown, Conn., that killed 26 people in a school. (Associated Press)

NRA chief LaPierre: Enforce existing gun laws

The National Rifle Association does not plan to support any new gun control measures in the wake of the shooting rampage in Newtown, Conn., the head of the organization said Sunday, arguing that the government should vigorously enforce laws already on the books and reiterating the group's push for more armed guards in schools as part of the solution. Published December 23, 2012

The National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre speaks during a news conference in response to the Connecticut school shooting on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012, in Washington. The nation's largest gun-rights lobby is calling for armed police officers to be posted in every American school to stop the next killer "waiting in the wings." (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Defiant NRA calls for officers with guns in ‘every school in the country’

The executive vice president of the National Rifle Association on Friday called for Congress to pass legislation and funding that would placed armed officers in every school in the country, indicating the group will go its own route in addressing the national furor over gun violence in schools in the wake of last week's shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school. Published December 21, 2012

** FILE ** This March 20, 2012 photo taken in Homewood, Ill., shows former U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson, Illinois Democrat. as she speaks to supporters in Homewood, Ill. Halvorson is one of many candidates in a crowded field of candidates hoping to fill former Illinois U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s congressional seat. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

Jackson seat hopefuls taking a stand on guns

Ripples from the deadly shootings in Connecticut are already affecting political campaigns, including a special congressional election in Illinois where a gun rights supporter is calling for tighter gun controls as part of her agenda. Published December 20, 2012

**FILE** Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican (Associated Press)

NRA seeks a voice in talks about ending gun violence

The National Rifle Association said Tuesday that it will play a role in a national conversation to limit gun violence after Friday's deadly shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school, as momentum built on Capitol Hill for a broad look at guns and other factors that play into such sprees. Published December 18, 2012

Police officers comfort one another outside a funeral service for 6-year-old Noah Pozner, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, in Fairfield, Conn. Pozner was killed when a gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Friday and opened fire, killing 26 people, including 20 children. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Tragedy strikes hearts, changes 
minds of pro-gun Democrats

Some pro-gun Democrats said Monday that they have rethought their stance and are now open to restrictions on so-called assault weapons, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said it's time Congress holds a gun control debate in the wake of Friday's deadly shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school. Published December 17, 2012

A license plate belonging to Dr. David Nichols sits inside his airplane hanger in Topping, Va., Monday, Aug. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Richmond Times-Dispatch, Bob Brown)

Foes fault more study of license plate IDs in Virginia

Civil liberties and privacy advocates in Virginia are incensed over a state study's recommendation to continue research on technology that tracks the specific location of state-issued license plates — a move proponents say would help police and toll operators more readily identify potential scofflaws. Published December 16, 2012

**FILE** Supporters of gun control gather on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House on Dec. 14, 2012, during a vigil for the victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and to call on President Obama to pass strong gun control laws. (Associated Press)

Gun-control issue hits boiling point

President Obama on Sunday night pledged the remainder of his presidency to taking steps to end the string of spree shootings that have scarred the nation's consciousness in recent years. Published December 16, 2012

“It’s clear the president is just not serious about cutting spending. But spending is the problem.” - House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican (Associated Press)

A Christmas at the White House for Boehner?

President Obama summoned House Speaker John A. Boehner to an evening meeting at the White House on Thursday as the two tried to jump-start budget talks that had idled while both sides struggled to gain political advantage. Published December 13, 2012

** FILE ** Speaker of the House John Boehner, Ohio Republican, speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Boehner seen holding top post despite purge

Despite rumblings from some Republican backbenchers, Speaker John A. Boehner's hold on the House's top post appears secure after key conservative lawmakers said they don't expect anyone to challenge him. Published December 12, 2012

**FILE** Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican (Associated Press)

GOP duo: Compromising principles not necessary to win

Two top congressional conservatives rejected the notion Tuesday that they must compromise their principles to adapt to changing political winds, as both — the old and new chairmen of the House Republican Study Committee — said they will hold firm in the face of the Obama administration's agenda. Published December 11, 2012

John Boehner/ Associated Press

Boehner faces ouster threats within GOP

House Speaker John A. Boehner is facing increasing pressure as several rebellious Republicans hinted that they won't vote to re-elect him to run the chamber, and a conservative interest group announced a bid to recruit someone else to run against him for the speakership. Published December 10, 2012

** FILE ** State Sen. Charles W. Carrico Sr., is a Republican. (Associated Press)

Ohio, Virginia eye proposals for more proportional split of electoral votes

Officials in Virginia and Ohio, once reliably red states that went for President Obama in the past two elections, have discussed the idea of apportioning their Electoral College votes by congressional district — a system some say would more accurately reflect the will of the states' voters but one that others dismiss as an unnecessary political ploy. Published December 8, 2012

Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrat (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Virginia’s Kaine backs changes to filibustering

Sen.-elect Tim Kaine on Thursday expressed enthusiastic support for reforming the chamber's filibuster rules, echoing a chorus of freshmen eager to make changes on Capitol Hill after being left to watch a gridlocked Senate from the sidelines the past several years. Published December 6, 2012

** FILE ** Rep. Tim Huelskamp, Kansas Republican. (Associated Press)

Republican leaders hear it from conservatives

House Republicans voiced displeasure with their leaders in a closed-door meeting Wednesday after some conservatives were kicked off plum committees this week in retaliation for bucking party leadership on big votes — and were met with warnings that others still could be punished. Published December 5, 2012