Wednesday in politics: Clinton testifies on Benghazi, and more

Phil Pruitt

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in one of her final acts as the nation’s top diplomat, will testify Wednesday on Capitol Hill about the Sept. 11 Benghazi attack that left four Americans dead, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens.

Clinton goes before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at 9 a.m. EST and the House Foreign Affairs Committee at 2 p.m. EST. As Yahoo News reporter Olivier Knox points out, no revelations are expected, but Republicans are sure to link the Benghazi strike with conflicts across North Africa and hammer President Barack Obama’s handling of the war on terrorism.

Clinton originally was expected to testify in December, but suffered a concussion in a fall at home while recovering from a stomach bug and then needed treatment for a blood clot near her brain.

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill to temporarily lift the federal debt ceiling until May 19, and, Yahoo News reporter Chris Moody reports, Republican support for the measure will have the qualified approval of prominent conservative groups such as the Club for Growth, Heritage Action and the American Conservative Union. What do those groups expect in return? That Republican lawmakers later hold out for a balanced budget deal.

The White House announced on Tuesday that President Obama will not block the debt-limit plan.

Also worth noting on Wednesday: The National Republican Committee begins a three-day meeting in Charlotte, N.C., to elect a chairman and map out the party's future. Reince Priebus is expected to be re-elected chairman.

And then there is this: Wednesday marks 40 years since President Richard Nixon announced a ceasefire in the Vietnam war.

Sources: Yahoo News’ The Ticket, Yahoo News reporters Olivier Knox and Chris Moody, Associated Press, Reuters.