TPMDC Morning Roundup

Obama To Announce Bank Fee Proposal Tomorrow
President Obama will reportedly announce tomorrow that he is proposing a new fee on bailed-out financial firms, with the goal of recovering $120 billion in taxpayers' money used to prop up the corporations during the economic crisis. The proposal comes as banks that were rescued by the government a year ago are now enjoying profits and about to pay heavy bonuses to their executives.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9 a.m. ET. He will meet at 9:30 a.m. ET with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and with other members of the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate at 10 a.m. ET. At 2:30 p.m. ET, he will tour the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee Center in Lanham, Maryland, and he will deliver remarks at 2:55 p.m. ET on clean energy jobs. He will meet with senior advisers at 4 p.m. ET, and receive the economic daily briefing at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Biden's Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will be in Washington, D.C. At 9 a.m. ET, he will attend President Obama's daily briefing. He will then participate in Obama's meetings with the Democratic Congressional leadership, listed above. He will spend the remainder of the day in meetings with senior staff at the White House.

Bipartisan Panel To Grill Wall Street CEOs
The bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, a panel set up by Congress to investigate the causes of the 2008 financial collapse, is holding its first public hearing today. The chief executive officers of Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America will be testifying today, and event that could have a serious impact on public perceptions of those companies and the government.

Obama To Appear At Both Dem And GOP House Retreats
President Obama will appear at separate retreats next week for both the House Democrats and the House Republicans, as he also did last year. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) challenged Obama in a statement: "It is important to ask whether the President plans to meet WITH Republicans, or speak TO them."

Dorgan Invited To White House
The Hill reports that Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who announced last week that he will retire from the Senate, has been invited to the White House for a meeting in the coming weeks. The meeting should boost speculation that he could be in line for a Cabinet post.

Abortion Debate Still Lurking Under Health Care Bill
Roll Call reports that the issue of abortion remains an area of contention in the health care bill negotiations. "I don't think there's any way to get the votes for what I want or what Bart Stupak wants," said the staunchly pro-choice Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO). "What I want is a bill that doesn't talk about abortion. What Bart Stupak wants is a bill that goes far beyond current law."