TPMDC Budget Reconciliation
Budget
Dems Sharpen Opposition As GOP Advances Cuts To Poverty Programs
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)
House Republicans advanced a measure Monday that shifts automatic defense spending cuts the parties agreed to last August as part of a bipartisan debt-limit deal to domestic programs aimed at mitigating poverty and working-class struggles.
In clearing the legislation, the Budget Committee put it on a glide path to passing the full House -- but that's when it falls into limbo. Senate Democratic leadership had a concise message for their GOP colleagues: Dream on.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Budget, Budget Committee, Budget Reconciliation, Debt Ceiling, Defense Spending, Deficit, Food Stamps, House Republicans, Lloyd Doggett, Patty Murray, Paul Ryan, Super Committee
Taxes
Boehner Dismisses Catholic Bishops' Criticism Of GOP Budget
Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)
House Speaker John Boehner wants the Conference of Catholic Bishops to rethink its stinging critique of the Republican budget, which it said "fails to meet ... moral criteria," of protecting human dignity, prioritizing the needs of the hungry and homeless and promoting the common good.
At his weekly Capitol press availability, Boehner cast the GOP's budget as a plan to preserve key federal support programs, which he said are growing unsustainable and will cease to exist without far-reaching reforms.
"What's more of a concern to me is the fact that if we don't begin to make some decisions about getting our fiscal house in order, there won't be a safety net, there won't be these programs," Boehner said. "When you look at the fact that we have to make hard decisions, it's about trying to make sure that we're able to preserve these programs that are critically important to the poorest in our society."
But the budget itself illustrates that the GOP has different priorities, reflecting the Bishops' concerns.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget, Budget Reconciliation, Catholic Bishops, Food Stamps, GOP Budget, John Boehner, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Taxes
Medicare
Despite What Boehner Says, Republicans Have Voted To Cut Medicare, Repeatedly
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)
The words "voted to" could come back to haunt House Speaker John Boehner.
In his weekly Capitol briefing with reporters Thursday, Boehner made an unmistakably false claim. "The only people in Washington, DC who have voted to cut Medicare have been the Democrats when they voted to cut $500 billion in Medicare during Obamacare," he said. Given a chance to walk it back, Boehner's spokesman did not.
Even if you leave out the key modifier "voted to" this is far from true. Both parties have actually "cut" Medicare many times over the years. Republicans in particular haven't just voted for cuts, but passed legislation that presidents either signed or vetoed.
That happened repeatedly in the 1990s, as laid out in detail here. In late 1995 and early 1996, it precipitated a government shutdown. In 1997, it resulted in the Balanced Budget Act.
But if you leave the modifier in, this turns into a huge whopper.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Budget, Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Entitlements, John Boehner, Medicare, Newt Gingrich, Republicans
MoveOn
MoveOn Calls on Activists to Take Wisconsin Message to Congress
United States Capitol
MoveOn.org would like to tap into the fervor on display in Wisconsin to push back against House Republican spending cuts and replicate at least a taste of the Madison unrest on the national level.
In an e-mail to members, MoveOn leaders encouraged activists to show up at the offices of their member of Congress on Thursday at noon to rally against GOP spending cuts and any burgeoning national attempts to put the squeeze on unions and worker's collective bargaining rights.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget, Budget Committee, Budget Reconciliation, House of Representatives, John Boehner, MoveOn, Nancy Pelosi, Wisconsin , Wisconsin Protests, Wisconsin State Legislature
Karl Rove
Rove Backs Reconciliation For Health Care Repeal
Karl Rove
Look who's suddenly all for passing things in the Senate with 51 votes.
In a new column entitled "Democrats can't filibuster ObamaCare repeal," Karl Rove argues that Republicans can use the budget reconciliation process to repeal the health care law with 51 votes. That's the filibuster-proof process that allowed Democrats to tweak revenue and spending measures in the greater health care law, which Republicans at the time compared to Chicago-mob style politics.
On March 1, 2010 Rove himself called that "changing rules midstream."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget, Budget Reconciliation, Health Care, Judd Gregg, Karl Rove, Reconciliation, Repealing health care
Tax Cuts
New GOP House Rules Pave The Way For More Tax Cuts, Deficits
House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)
In 2007, just weeks after Republicans lost control of the House and Senate and six years after the first passel of Bush tax cuts were signed into law, Democrats made a key change to the budget rules to prevent that episode from repeating itself.
Republicans had used the budget reconciliation process -- immune from a filibuster -- to pass the cuts and explode the deficit: two things the reconciliation process was never meant to allow. To get away with it, Republicans were forced to include a 10-year sunset in package -- planting the seeds for the tax cut fight we just saw on Capitol Hill. After Dems wrested control of Congress, they banned the reconciliation loopholes used by the GOP altogether.
But as they return to power in the House of Representatives, Republicans are taking steps to unravel those changes.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget, Budget Reconciliation, Bush Tax Cuts, CBPP, Spending, Tax Breaks, Tax Cuts, Taxes, Unemployment
Health Care
Top Republicans Warm To Reconciliation...For Repealing Health Care Reform
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Recall back in 2009, when Democrats gingerly toyed with the idea of using the 51-vote budget reconciliation process to pass health care reform in the Senate on a majority-rules basis? Republicans howled. The GOP's two top budget guys, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) in particular blasted Democrats. Gregg compared it to "running over the minority, putting them in cement and throwing them in the Chicago River."
With Republicans poised for big gains in November, though, the two of them have had a change of heart. Appearing on CNBC yesterday, the two were asked "Can you use reconciliation to chip away and gradually roll back some of the unpopular Obama policies?"
Sure!
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 2010 elections, Barack Obama, Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Health Care, Judd Gregg, Paul Ryan, Reconciliation, Repealing health care, Republicans
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Hoyer: House Will Re-Approve Reconciliation Bill
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) predicted that the House will re-pass the health care reconciliation bill, in the wake of minor modifications made to it by the Senate parliamentarian. "I expect to get this bill back from the Senate sometime this afternoon, and I would expect several hours after we will have the bill on the floor, and we will pass the bill and send it to the president," said Hoyer.
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive his daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, and meet at 10 a.m. ET with senior advisers. He will depart from Andrews Air Force Base at 10:55 a.m. ET, arriving at 1:05 p.m. ET in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He will deliver remarks on health care reform at 2 p.m. ET. He will depart from Cedar Rapids at 3:35 p.m. ET, arriving back at Andrews Air Force Base at 5:25 p.m. ET, and at the White House at 5:40 p.m. ET.
Topics: Alan Frumin, Barack Obama, Budget Reconciliation, Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Health Care, Nuclear nonproliferation, Parliamentarian, Robert Gates, Roundup, Russia
Obstructionism
McCaskill Rails On 'New Low' Of GOP Obstruction (VIDEO)
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
We reported earlier that Senate Republicans this week are blocking committee hearings from taking place, and Sen. Claire McCaskill this afternoon excoriated the GOP for "taking game playing to a whole new level."
McCaskill (D-MO) had to cancel a hearing she'd had planned about police contracting in Afghanistan. She said the hearing was to examine a "very important" element of the war, and detailed the top officials expected to participate.
She asked the chamber, "So what do I find out this morning? The Republican Party is not going to let us have the hearing? What in the world?"
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Claire McCaskill, Obstructionism, Reconciliation, Senate
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
McConnell: GOP Will Run On 'Repeal And Replace'
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) appeared on CNN, explaining how the GOP will run against the health care bill this year. "Repeal and replace will be the slogan for the fall," said McConnell, explaining that the party will run against the new taxes and cuts to Medicare Advantage. He added: "And we're going to remind the American people of that in the future and hopefully we'll be able to repeal the most egregious parts of this and replace them with things we could have done on a bipartisan basis much earlier this year."
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will meet at 9 a.m. ET with Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN). He will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:35 a.m. ET. He will meet at 10:15 a.m. ET with Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) to discuss financial reform. At 2:30 p.m. ET, he will sign an executive order reaffirming the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's consistency with longstanding restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortion, joined by a group of pro-life Democrats including Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and others.
Topics: 2010 elections, Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, Budget Reconciliation, Health Care, Kent Conrad, Mitch McConnell, Roundup
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Obama To Sign Health Care Bill Today
The big event today will be President Obama signing the health care bill, after its passage in the House on Sunday night. The next step afterward will be for the Senate to take up the budget reconciliation package, with its set of fixes for the bill, a process that could begin as early as today, after the main bill is signed into law.
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET, and the economic daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET. Obama will meet at 10:30 a.m. ET with senior advisers. At 11:15 a.m. ET, Obama will deliver remarks and sign the health insurance reform bill into law. He will deliver further remarks on the health insurance reform bill at 12:05 p.m. ET. He will meet at 3 p.m. ET with Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN). He will meet at 5:30 p.m. ET with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Topics: Alan Frumin, Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, Budget Reconciliation, Chris Van Hollen, Harry Reid, Health Care, Hillary Clinton, Israel, Israel/Palestine, Joe Biden, Parliamentarian, Roundup
Health Care
Dems Prepare To Kick Off Final Health Care Debate
Sen. McConnell (R-KY) Sen. Reid (D-NV)
It's set to begin Tuesday, after President Obama signs the health care bill into law. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will bring the House-passed reconciliation bill--making crucial amendments to the reform package--to the floor.
At that point the bulk of health care reform will be the law of the land. The reconciliation bill will strengthen some of its provisions, and remove other, more controversial ones. Once the bill comes to the floor, a 20-hour debate clock will begin ticking toward zero. Republicans say they will challenge some of its provisions for violating the reconciliation rules. If their challenges are successful, those provisions will likely be removed (meaning the bill will have to return to the House again).
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Health Care, Reconciliation, Senate
Health Care
Not Over Yet: Senate Must Finalize Health Care
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden
So, what's next?
House Democrats celebrated a major victory late last night after they passed a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system while simultaneously approving a package of fixes to the measure. But it's not the law of the land, not yet. What happens next is both simple in that there's one major vote left. But it's a bit complicated, since President Obama actually will sign one bill and then wait for the Senate to pass the other.
Come along and I'll explain.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Budget Reconciliation, Health Care, Parliamentarian, Reconciliation, Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Biden: Health Care Bill Will Benefit Democrats After It's Passed
In an interview with ABC's Good Morning America, Vice President Biden predicted that the health care bill would become a political boon to Democrats, once it is actually passed and voters see its results. "They're going to see right off the bat the horrible [things] aren't real and there are some very good things that become apparent immediately," Biden said. "Once the American public realizes that ... [legislators are] going to be rewarded."
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET. Obama will meet at 10 a.m. ET with senior advisers. Obama will speak at an 11:35 a.m. ET rally for the health care bill, at George Mason University in Virginia. Obama and Biden will have lunch at 1 p.m. ET.
Topics: Barack Obama, Budget Reconciliation, Hillary Clinton, Israel, Israel/Palestine, Joe Biden, John Boehner, Roundup
Deem And Pass
House Defeats Two GOP Motions Against Deem-And-Pass In One Day
Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
The House of Representatives today defeated not one, but two attempts by the Republicans to attack the deem-and-pass maneuver for passing the Senate health care bill through the House, as part of a reconciliation package.
Earlier today, the House rejected a resolution from Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL), who switched from the Democrats to the Republicans in December, to require a direct vote on the Senate bill itself instead of the deem-and-pass procedure. The margin of defeat was 222-203 -- which might be reasonably seen as a clue for further votes to come. (Late Update: Technically, this was a vote to go forward on a procedural motion by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), rather than interrupt business and hold a vote on Griffith's resolution, as Republicans were demanding.)
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Deem And Pass, Eric Cantor, Health Care, Parker Griffith
Health Care
Road To Reform: The Top Five Things That Could Go Wrong
Clockwise: Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT), President Barack Obama, Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) and Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), and Rep. George Miller (D-CA)
Signs point to a done deal, and the White House says health care reform will soon be the law of the land. But the Democrats are, well, Democrats. The long slog toward passing a final health care bill has been met with potholes and partisan shenanigans. Deadlines came and went.
Confident Democratic leaders say they are nearing the end, and Republicans are resigned to the idea that the bill will pass and that their focus will soon turn toward campaigning against it. But that's not to say it's over yet. From gambling on a favorable ruling from the Senate parliamentarian to last-ditch messaging successes on the Republican side that gums up the expected House vote, there are plenty of potential pitfalls. We've given it some thought, and while these things are unlikely, here are the top five things that could go wrong between now and President Obama penning his signature on a health care bill.
I posed the question to several members today on Capitol Hill, and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) summed it up. I asked, "Could something go wrong in the next week?" Blumenauer lauged: "This is Congress. You answered your own question."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 2010 elections, Budget Reconciliation, George Miller, Health Care, House Democrats, Louise Slaughter, Parliamentarian, Reconciliation, Senate Democrats
Budget Reconciliation
Conrad: Parts Of Health Care Fix Might Not Meet Reconciliation Test
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)
One of the key issues bedeviling House Democrats who are still on the fence about health care reform is the unpredictability of the Senate. They wonder whether the Senate will be able to pass a reconciliation bill--making needed changes to the comprehensive health care bill--that hasn't been riddled with holes by Republican procedural bullets.
Today, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)--chair of the Senate Budget Committee--didn't provide them much peace of mind.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Health Care, House Democrats, House of Representatives, Kent Conrad, Parliamentarian, Reconciliation, Republicans, Senate
Health Care
GOP Says Dems Turning 'Democracy On Its Head'
Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) and Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
Rep. David Dreier and Republican leaders are accusing House Democrats of trying to "seriously bend the rules" to pass health care reform this week. The GOP is charging that the Democrats will try to pass a "fix" to a health care bill that they haven't voted on.
It's a bit complicated, but Republicans are using the scary label "The Slaughter Solution" keying off of Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Louise Slaughter's name. They say the Democrats can use a procedural tactic to send the Senate-passed health care bill straight to the president for a signature. Or they could "deem" the Senate bill as passed only after the House passes the fix measure through budget reconciliation. Finally they could write a rule putting a condition that the Senate bill would only pass if the reconciliation bill passes.
Those options are indeed within the rules, and just might ease the heartburn House Democrats are feeling, since many of them don't like the Senate bill without the fixes carefully negotiated by leadership from both chambers and the White House. Republicans say any of those options are fundamentally unfair, and would skip important steps in the process. But Democrats say Dreier and the rest of the Republicans are full of it, and leadership is telling rank-and-file members to ignore complaints about procedure and avoid debates about legislative process.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 2010 elections, Budget Reconciliation, David Dreier, Health Care, Louise Slaughter, Parliamentarian, Reconciliation
Public Option
Post Mortem: Who Killed The Public Option? (VIDEO)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), President Obama, and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)
The nine lives of the public option seem to have run out. Last week, Democratic leaders in Congress twisted themselves into pretzels to explain to angry progressives why the popular measure will not make the cut when they fix the Senate health care bill in the reconciliation process. And the leadership vacuum, combined with insufficient enthusiasm for the plan among rank and file Democrats seem to have sealed the deal this time.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House place the demise of the public option at the feet of the Senate: There aren't the votes in the Senate, they say. But that's anything but obvious. In the past year, the number of Senators who've gone on the record in support of the public option well exceeds 50. In recent weeks, over 40 have restated their support for it and 24 have signed a letter expressly stating they would vote for it if it was included in the reconciliation package. And last week Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said he'd run a strong whip in favor of the public option if the House sends over a reconciliation bill with a public option in it.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Dick Durbin, Harry Reid, Health Care, House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Public Option, Robert Andrews, Senate, Steny Hoyer
Health Care
Leap Of Faith: House Dems Will Have To Vote For Senate HCR Bill Before Fixes
The U.S. Senate in Session
Well, it's official. Wary House Democrats are going to have to trust their Senate colleagues to pass legislation fixing the problems they've got with the upper chamber's health care bill if they want reform to become a reality.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today at a press conference confirmed what's been hinted at for several days - the rules governing the legislative process known as budget reconciliation won't allow the "fix" bill to go first.
It's a leap of faith that House Democrats have been worried about for nearly two months since Scott Brown won the special Senate election in Massachusetts. But it's the rules - Congress can't reconcile something that isn't yet a law, and it won't be law until President Obama signs it. That could be one reason he opted today to delay his trip to Indonesia and Australia.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Health Care, Parliamentarian, Reconciliation
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Report: Obama To Appoint Yellen For Fed Vice Chair
President Obama will reportedly appoint Janet Yellen, current president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, as vice chair of the Federal Reserve. Yellen is considered to be a "dovish" Fed policymaker, meaning that she is seen as leaning towards policies that promote employment rather than those that restrain inflation.
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET. He will meet at 11 a.m. ET with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He will meet at 4 p.m. ET with the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Topics: Barack Obama, Bob Corker, Budget Reconciliation, Chris Dodd, Health Care, Immigration, Lindsey Graham, Patrick Kennedy, Roundup
Budget Reconciliation
Reconciliation Roadblock? Parliamentarian May Derail Preferred Dem Timeline
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
A report in Roll Call contains some unwelcome news for Democrats:
"The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled that President Barack Obama must sign Congress' original health care reform bill before the Senate can act on a companion reconciliation package, senior GOP sources said Thursday," the article reads.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's spokesman Don Stewart confirms this to me: "The Senate Parliamentarian's office has informed Senate Republicans that reconciliation instructions require the measure to make changes in law," Stewart said.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Harry Reid, Health Care, House Democrats, House of Representatives, Mitch McConnell, Reconciliation, Republicans, Senate
Budget Reconciliation
Dems Inch Closer To A Deal On Reconcilliation
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
It's been almost two months since Sen. Scott Brown's victory in the Massachusetts special election nearly derailed health care reform, but soon, Democrats will know if they have what it takes to fully rebound: This morning, House Dems will meet to review and assess the final health care reform package--a combination of the Senate's bill and a separate reconciliation bill (the details of which remain undisclosed) tweaking several of its key provision.
This step is key. It will largely determine if, how, and when Speaker Nancy Pelosi can muster the votes for the paired package, bringing the year-long fight over health care to a close. The vote will be extremely tight, and though leadership confidently predicts passage, at least one major issue--abortion--will have to be resolved before Pelosi can bring it to the floor.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Health Care, House Democrats, House of Representatives, Louise Slaughter, Nancy Pelosi, Reconciliation, Senate, White House
Health Care
GOP To Dems: If You Think You'll Be More Popular After Health Care, Think Again
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)
Top Republicans told reporters today the Democrats are wrong to believe their approval ratings will go up once they pass health care, and warned against using reconciliation. They insisted that even though they used the tactic when they held power, the Democrats are abusing the process.
"Those who think they are putting the issue behind them are fundamentally wrong," Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) said today in a briefing with reporters on Capitol Hill. "I think their problems are just beginning," Kyl said, citing polls showing the health care bill is unpopular.
At the briefing House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) pushed a new theme that Americans will vote Democrats out of office on a process argument, since polls show voters don't like reconciliation. "This is such a perversion of the process and a manipulation of the rules, they do this at their peril," Cantor said.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 2010 elections, Budget Reconciliation, Eric Cantor, Health Care, Jon Kyl, Reconciliation
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Biden: Palestinians Deserve 'Viable' State
Speaking at a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Vice President Biden said that Palestinians deserve a "viable" state with contiguous territory. Biden also reiterated his condemnation Israel's plan to expand settlements, and urged both sides to refrain from actions that could "inflame" tensions.
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive his daily briefing at 9:45 a.m. ET and his economic briefing at 10:15 a.m. ET, and will meet with senior advisers at 10:45 a.m. ET. He will meet at 11:20 a.m. ET with President René Préval of Haiti, and the two will make statements to the press at 11:55 a.m. ET. Obama will depart the White House at 2:05 p.m. ET, and Andrews Air Force Base at 2:20 p.m. ET, arriving at 4:25 p.m. ET in St. Louis, Missouri. He will deliver remarks on health insurance reform at 4:50 p.m. ET. He will deliver remarks at a fundraising reception for Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) at 8 p.m. ET, and also deliver remarks at a grassroots fundraising reception for McCaskill at 8:25 p.m. ET. He will depart St. Louis at 9:35 p.m. ET, arriving back at Andrews Air Force Base at 11:20 p.m. ET, and at the White House at 11:35 p.m. ET.
Topics: Barack Obama, Budget Reconciliation, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Harry Reid, Health Care, Israel, Israel/Palestine, Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, Robert Gates, Roundup
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Odierno: U.S. Pullout From Iraq On Schedule After Vote
Speaking to reporters in Baghdad, Gen. Ray Odierno said that the country's election were a milestone on the way to the scheduled pullout of American combat forces. "Unless there's a catastrophic event, we don't see that changing," Odierno said. "We believe we're right on track for that. We think this is another milestone."
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will depart the White House at 9:35 a.m. Et, then depart from Andrews Air Force Base at 9:50 a.m. ET, arriving at 10:35 a.m. ET in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. He will deliver remarks on health insurance reform at 11 a.m. ET. He will depart from Willow Grove at 12:30 p.m. ET, arriving back at Andrews Air Force Base at 1:15 p.m. ET, and back at the White House at 1:30 p.m. ET. He will deliver remarks at 1:50 p.m. ET, welcoming the BCS National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide to the White House. He will meet at 3 p.m. ET with President Funes of El Salvador. The President and First Lady will deliver remarks at 4:30 p.m. ET, at an International Women's Day reception. Obama will at 5:30 p.m. ET with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
Topics: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Budget Reconciliation, Health Care, Israel, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Ray Odierno, Robert Gates, Roundup, TSA
Roundup
TPMDC Sunday Roundup
DeLay: Dem Leadership Practicing 'Arrogance' In Writing Health Care Legislation
Appearing on State of the Union, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) accused Democrats of "arrogance" in their management of the health care bill. "I think what they're doing wrong is because of arrogance," said DeLay. He elaborated: "They have huge majorities . . . and you would think you could pass anything and pass it quickly with those kinds of majorities. Why is it? Why can't they? It's because they're going back in rooms and then telling the members, take it or leave it. You can't do that. It's obvious."
Dem Rep. Baird: 'We Don't Have A Dance Partner' In GOP
Appearing on State of the Union, Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA), who is retiring this year, criticized Republicans for not participating in a bipartisan manner in the legislative process. "Tom DeLay was on Dancing with the Stars," Baird quipped, who then explained: "We don't have a dance partner. We don't have someone on the other side who is seriously willing to say, 'If you do these things, you will have our support.' And the reason is they see it as such a potent political weapon."
Topics: Brian Baird, Budget Reconciliation, Evan Bayh, Health Care, Kathleen Sebelius, Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney, Roundup, Tom DeLay
Health Care
Can The President's Health Care Proposal Survive Reconciliation?
President Barack Obama talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the Oval Office.
Assuming abortion doesn't kill health care reform, the other sine qua non of the process is the sidecar bill. House Democrats won't pass Senate health care legislation unless they're assured that a separate package is moved through the reconciliation process, making a number of amendments.
On that score, the White House put some skin in the game several weeks ago when they unveiled a package of proposed changes to the Senate bill, which administration officials say are designed to survive reconciliation--an esoteric process, which only allows measures with significant budgetary impact to advance.
Are they right? For the most part, yes.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Health Care, Medicaid, Medicare, Reconciliation, Senate
Health Care
McConnell Says GOP Will Campaign To Repeal Health Care...But Won't Say Whether They'll Actually Do It
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
In his response to President Obama's latest call for Congress to finish off health care reform--a process that will involve invoking a filibuster-proof maneuver called reconciliation--Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell insisted that, if the legislation passes, "every" Republican candidate will campaign this fall to repeal it. However, he would not go so far as to say he'd actually move to repeal it if Republicans take back the Senate next fall.
"There's an overwhelming likelihood that every Republican candidate will be campaigning to repeal it," McConnell intoned at a press conference this afternoon. "I think virtually all Republican candidates will say [the bill] is something they would not have supported."
Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Health Care, House of Representatives, Mitch McConnell, Republicans, Senate
Health Care
GOP To Obama: Nah, Our Ideas Don't Make It A Better Health Care Plan
President Obama speaks at a bipartisan White House gathering with Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) in the background.
President Obama today will offer his final stamp of approval on a compromise health care reform measure that Democrats hope can pass Congress in the coming month. Obama yesterday offered an olive branch to Republicans by telling congressional leaders he will include four GOP ideas in his plan.
But Republicans immediately dismissed the ideas and issued scolding statements saying Obama should scrap a year's worth of work on health care and start over.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) was first, telling Obama that including his party's ideas was just "political cover." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the GOP was "disappointed with your latest proposal to simply paper a few of these commonsense proposals over an unsalvageable bill."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Budget Reconciliation, Eric Cantor, Health Care, Health Care Summit, Mitch McConnell, Reconciliation, White House
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Senate Passes Unemployment Benefits Extension, Obama Signs Bill
The Senate last night passed an extension of unemployment benefits, after Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) relented on his efforts to delay passage. The final vote on passage was 78-19. The White House announced that President Obama has signed the bill into law.
Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:45 a.m. ET, and meet with senior advisers at 10:30 a.m. ET. He will deliver remarks at 1:45 p.m. ET., on health care reform. He will meet at 3:05 p.m. ET with National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans Bobby Barrera. He will meet at 4:35 p.m. ET with American Legion Commander Clarence Hill. He will host a reception at 5:30 p.m. ET, to thank members of Congress for their efforts to restore the pay-as-you-go rule.
Topics: Barack Obama, Budget Reconciliation, Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Gay Marriage, Health Care, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Jim Bunning, Joe Biden, Roundup, Tim Kaine
Jim Bunning
Dem Leadership: Bunning Episode Proves The Need For Reconciliation
Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)
Sen. Jim Bunning's marathon filibuster--which cut unemployment benefits and triggered thousands of furloughs--is over. But it's not forgotten. In a statement provided to TPMDC a Senate Democratic leadership aide notes that the episode highlights the need for the Senate to return to a time when filibusters weren't the norm--and that includes amending comprehensive health care legislation using reconciliation.
"Bunning lifted the curtain on the great lengths that Republicans go to drag out every single action taken by the Senate, no matter how routine," the aide says. "This is why we need to return to an era of more up or down votes and fewer filibusters. It's why all options are on the table moving forward, including reconciliation."
Obviously, Democratic leaders have been building a reconciliation strategy for weeks--it's not as if reconciliation was off the table until Jim Bunning went nuclear. But his filibuster crystallizes why it is Democrats have lost faith in the standard legislative process and help them justify the move.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Health Care, Jim Bunning, Reconciliation, Republicans, Senate
Democrats
Health Care Follies: Pelosi Mum On Selling Senate Abortion, Immigration Provisions To House Democrats
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held an unexpected press conference today, where she acknowledged--unsurprisingly--that the divide between Democrats and Republicans on health care reform is unlikely to be bridged. But, when asked if and how she can cobble together the votes within her own caucus to pass a bill with controversial abortion and immigration language in it, Pelosi had no answers.
Pelosi acknowledged what has long been known--that neither abortion nor immigration can be dealt with in the budget reconciliation process. The issues, she said, are "not central to the budget--in order for them to be part of the budget bill, they have to be central to the budget."
But she wouldn't say how she plans to overcome the 216-vote threshold she'd likely face if either or both of these issues causes rebellion among members of her caucus. The next step, she said is to send legislation to CBO and, once CBO reports back, to see what the Senate can pass through the reconciliation process. Then it'll be time to sell that to her caucus.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Health Care, House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Reconciliation, Senate
Health Care
Hoyer On House-Senate Health Care Shuffle: 'I Trust Leader Reid'
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said today that while his Democratic caucus is wary the Senate will live up to a promise to fix problems with the health care bill using reconciliation, he trusts Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to do the right thing.
Hoyer (D-MD) told reporters during his weekly pen-and-pad briefing that House Democrats "want some assurance that those items they have problems with are in fact modified before they vote for the Senate bill."
Reporters asked if House Democrats need a formal promise in writing from 50 senators that reconciliation would pass, and Hoyer insisted "We need an agreement between the two bodies. I trust Leader Reid, if he tells me they can do something I think he'll be able to do it."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Harry Reid, Health Care, House Democrats, Reconciliation, Senate Democrats, Steny Hoyer
Budget Reconciliation
Is The Real Problem For The Public Option In The House?
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
Progressives are doubling down on their push to have the Senate pass a public option via reconciliation. But are they underestimating the extent to which the House may be as much the problem as the Senate?
The House is currently shy of the votes needed to pass the Senate health care bill, and, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, they're looking to make up the difference among public option foes in the Democratic caucus.
"I think the Senate bill, which is now the center of the President's consideration, I think you had a lot of people who indicated they'd like the Senate bill better," Hoyer said after an event at the Brookings Institution yesterday in response to a question from TPMDC. "It doesn't have the public option that gave a number of people concern. But there's still a way's to go."
Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Chris Dodd, Democrats, Health Care, House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Public Option, Senate, Steny Hoyer
Unemployment benefits
Asked To Shame Bunning's Obstruction Gibbs Tells Press 'I'm Trying As Best I Can' (VIDEO)
Press Sec. Robert Gibbs at the White House Press Briefing, March 1, 2010
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters during his daily briefing Monday that he's tried to shine a light on Republican obstruction and hypocrisy.
Veteran scribe Helen Thomas asked Gibbs why he doesn't "shame" Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) for holding up unemployment benefits.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Jim Bunning, Reconciliation, Robert Gibbs, Unemployment benefits, White House
Health Care
Obama's New Health Care Plan To Have Both Substance And Process
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
President Obama Wednesday will detail both the substance of his final health care reform legislation proposal and the process for getting it through Congress once and for all.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters during his daily briefing today that Obama will offer the pathway to final passage by outlining the "next steps." But Gibbs also dodged questions on specifics or how the president would help Speaker Nancy Pelosi or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid secure enough votes in their chambers.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Budget Reconciliation, Health Care, Health Care Summit, Reconciliation, Robert Gibbs
Health Care
Former Senate Parliamentarian: 'I Would Never Use The Term Illegitimate With Regard To Reconciliation' (VIDEO)
Former Senate Parliamentarian Robert Dove
The man who served as Senate parliamentarian on and off from 1981-2001 has news for Senate Republicans, who say the Democrats are way out on a limb using the majority-vote budget reconciliation process to amend health care legislation.
"Reconciliation has been used a lot," said Robert Dove on MSNBC this morning. "And I would never use the term illegitimate with regard to reconciliation."
"It has been used starting in 1980 for very large, major bills. And it is a way, of course, of getting around the problem of the Senate filibuster," Dove went on.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Dick Durbin, Health Care, Joe Biden, Senate, White House
Democrats
30! Five More Democrats--Including Durbin--Say They Support a Public Option Through Reconciliation
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Five leading Democrats--including Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin--have publicly announced that they will vote for a public option if it's offered up during the budget reconciliation process, where legislation can pass with a majority vote.
"Sen. Durbin has long been a supporter of the public option," reads a statement from Durbin spokesman Joe Shoemaker to the progressive groups Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, and Credo. "I don't know whether the votes exist in the Senate right now, but if the House version of the public option came up for a vote in reconciliation Sen. Durbin would vote yes."
Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Dick Durbin, Harry Reid, Health Care, Public Option, Senate
Health Care
Known Unknowns: Why The Fate Of Health Care Reform Hangs On Two Big Questions
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), President Obama, and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)
Much is known about how Democrats hope to finish off health care reform. Later this week, President Obama will submit yet more proposed changes to the Senate's health care bill. Those changes--with some tweaks--will almost certainly be moved through the majority-vote budget reconciliation process in both chambers. And that will likely happen after the House passes the Senate's more comprehensive package. But there are at least two significant unknowns--and truly the fate of health care reform depends on the answer to those questions: Can the House muster the votes for a major health care bill again? And how much, substantively, can the Senate pass through reconciliation.
The first question is obviously the big one. Due to expected vacancies, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will likely need only 216 votes to pass the Senate bill. Recall, though, that when she moved her own health care bill through the House, only 219 Democrats voted for it. It's almost certainly the case that she had more votes in her pocket than that, and that she allowed certain vulnerable Democrats to vote no even though they were willing to vote yes. But over the last several months, the party as a whole has become more reluctant to take risky votes on unpopular legislation. In other words, it's hard to imagine that more "no" votes have become "yes" votes since November. More likely, the opposite is true.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Budget Reconciliation, Democrats, Health Care, House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Senate
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