Oklahoma: Lankford would change Senate rules. US Sen. James Lankford (R), in an op-ed in the Washpost.com’s Outrage Machine, opined that Senate rules once designed to protect the minority “have been repeatedly employed to stymie the simple debate on legislation and votes on amendments.” This, says Lankford, leads to the “glacial pace” of congressional action so frustrating to the public ……. South Carolina: Mulvaney will fight budget levels. US Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R), an influential member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is joining with other rightist GOPers to pressure Speaker Paul Ryan to agree to lower spending limits, nearer to those agreed to in the 2011 sequester agreement. The budget battle was inspired in part by Congressional Budget Office’s projection of bigger deficits to come, reports Politico ……. Tennessee: Haslam announces distillery expansion. Gov. Bill Haslam (R) announced this week that Jack Daniel Distillery, the nation’s oldest registered distillery, is expanding its facility “to help meet global demand for prized Tennessee Whiskey,” reports the Daily Journal. The $140 million expansion will add 30 new jobs, on top of a $103 million expansion two years ago which created 94 jobs. Mint juleps, anyone? …….
