Occupy DC Protesters Gather at Capitol as House Returns

Long after leaving the confines of Zuccotti Park, the Occupy Wall Street movement hopes to re-emerge in force on Tuesday in Washington D.C. as the U.S. House of Representatives reconvenes.

Paperwork for an event called Occupy Congress, a demonstration on the National Mall, has been filed with the National Park Service. The protesters say they will lambast corporate influence in national politics as lawmakers return from winter recess, in an effort to create one of the group's largest gatherings since the movement began last year. Protestors promise to stage a peaceful gathering, featuring picketing, marches and sit-ins at congressional offices.

Occupy DC has featured a camp at McPherson Square for months, and busloads of protestors are expected to travel from as far as Oakland and Miami, said Mark Smith, a member of the group's action committee, according to the Examiner. He pegged the total number of expected protesters at around 2,000.

Expected to Protest Security Act, Dodd-Frank, Bank Bailout, Bush Tax Cuts

Protesters plan on handing out a series of factsheets detailing their voting record on controversial legislation such as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, The Bank Bailout and the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts, as well as lawmakers' top contributors for the 2010 election -- a pseudo cheat sheet for identifying big offenders.

The planned Day of Action in D.C. comes after reports thart claim the Occupy Movement is close to broke, according to The Wall Street Journal. The heightened presence and attention may lead to second influx of donations. The movement had garnered nearly $700,000 in donations last fall, but as of this week the group had $170,000 left in the bank.

If we keep spending at the rate at which we have been doing, we will probably go broke in a month, said Haywood Carey, 28 years old, a member of the movement's accounting group.

The Occupy DC movement has been allowed to carry on long after its brethren nationwide were ousted from their respective encampments. The National Park Service has tolerated the occupiers, though DC Mayor Vincent Gray wrote the agency last week requesting they consider sanitary and safety conditions at the camp.

--