Climate Change

Business Leaders Plan D.C. Visit to Press Swift Action on Climate Change

Brian Beutler | October 5, 2009, 9:03AM

Executives from some of the nation's most powerful corporations will visit Washington, D.C. this week to press Congress to act swiftly on far-reaching climate change legislation.

The groups, working under the umbrella of the campaign We Can Lead, will meet Wednesday and Thursday for training sessions, briefings, and advocacy on the Hill in support of the House's Waxman-Markey climate change bill and similar legislation.

Read more »

Congressional Progressive Caucus

Waxman: Health Care Bill Still On Track

Brian Beutler | July 31, 2009, 11:11AM

Just as a bit of an update, since there have been so many ups and downs, House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) says health care legislation is still on track to pass his panel, probably before day's end.

Waxman says he's managed to mollify progressives on his panel by restoring some subsidies to uninsured, middle-class Americans who, under the terms of the bill, will have to buy health care on the individual market. At a glance, this mini-bargain doesn't seem as if it will placate the 57 progressive signatories to this letter, who say they won't vote for the final bill unless minor changes to the public option, made at the behest of House Blue Dogs, are reversed.

But I'll look into it.

Blue Dogs

In Letter, House Progressives Object To Blue Dog Public Option Compromise

Brian Beutler | July 30, 2009, 2:28PM

In a letter to be delivered to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House health care leaders, Congressional progressives will reject a compromise Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) forged with Blue Dog Democrats to advance legislation. "We regard the agreement reached by Chairman Waxman and several Blue Dog members of the [Energy and Commerce] Committee as fundamentally unacceptable," it reads.

This agreement is not a step forward toward a good health care bill, but a large step backwards. Any bill that does not provide, at a minimum, for a public option with reimbursement rates based on Medicare rates - not negotiated rates - is unacceptable.

You can read the letter, the text of which was obtained by TPMDC, below the fold. It was being circulated for signatures until early this afternoon*, and could be released officially later today. Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are hoping 50 or more members will sign on, to prove they have enough votes to kill the final bill. Earlier today, over 30 had added their names to it, according to one source, but that number could have grown. We'll get you more details as they're made available.

Late update: House Progressives have announced that they've rounded up 53 signatures--if every one of them legitimately votes against a bill that incorporates the compromises the Blue Dogs extracted, they would kill it.

Late, late update: * After making it to 50 signatures, progressives will continue to seek signatures, hoping to achieve 60.

Read more »

Blue Dogs

After Quelling Progressive Rebellion, House Health Care Mark-Up Continues This Morning

Brian Beutler | July 30, 2009, 9:06AM

After several derailings, the House Energy and Commerce Committee is once again on track to mark up health care legislation, and should resume deliberations this morning.

After brokering a deal with Blue Dog Democrats yesterday, chairman Henry Waxman thought he'd cleared the last big pre-recess hurdle standing in the way of a committee vote on health care legislation. He expected to resume mark up yesterday afternoon en route to a Friday passage. But then, House progressives--reluctant to further weaken the public option, but, moreover, displeased with leadership's solicitousness of conservative Democrats--threw another obstacle in the way, and threatened to block the bill once more. Addressing those objections proved challenging for House leaders, and led Waxman to (again) delay proceedings.

But last night there was yet another breakthrough, as House progressives agreed, reluctantly, to let the bill move forward. They note that there remains plenty of opposition among House progressives, and are still holding out the possibility of opposing the final legislation. But for now it looks like the committee will wrap things up before recess and a final bill will be put together for a likely floor vote in September.

Congressional Progressive Caucus

House Progressives Force Another Mark-Up Delay

Brian Beutler | July 29, 2009, 5:36PM

And here we go again. Now that House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman has enough Blue Dog support to pass the bill, he has to sell it with progressives. And that's not proving to be as easy as he'd hoped.

"[They] have a lot of questions about the legislation," Waxman told reporters, "and I think it's more important that we sit in the Democratic Caucus and let people ask questions, get answers, hear each other out."

What exactly are their concerns? Well, for one, the compromise included a change to the public option that could weaken it on the merits. As originally written, the House bill would have temporarily tied the public option's pay rates to Medicare rates. Now they'll be negotiated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, meaning the rates will vary regionally, and often fall closer to private insurance rates than government rates.

But more generally, the Congressional Progressive Caucus basically believes that their views have been marginalized throughout the Blue Dog process, and are understandably frustrated about being asked to accept compromises with Blue Dogs when they've already compromised a great deal. Last week, several House progressives warned that they couldn't tolerate any further weakening of the public option, and asked to play a greater role in negotiations. Now they feel leaders ignored their concerns.

The mark up was scheduled to resume tonight, but now it looks like it will have to wait until tomorrow, with the goal still to pass the bill by Friday.

Blue Dogs

How Many Blue Dogs Will Support House Health Care Reform Legislation?

Brian Beutler | July 29, 2009, 5:23PM

Four out of seven Energy and Commerce Blue Dogs have signed on to a compromise on health care reform legislation. But can we use that split as a stand in for the broader Blue Dog caucus? Not necessarily.

"The 52-member Blue Dog Coalition has not taken a group position on the draft health care legislation that is working through the committee process," said Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration. "Today's announcement signifies that the committee process is moving forward. The committee will work its will, but the broader coalition has not ratified any agreements related to the draft legislation."

"If you poll the Blue Dog coalition individually and separately, you'll find that not everybody is on the same page and there is no position collectively," said Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA) one of the three Energy and Commerce Blue Dogs who still opposes the bill.

To provide a bit more data still, only one of the five Blue Dogs on the Education and Labor, and Ways and Means Commmittees--Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA)--voted for the legislation.

But that was before this compromise was brokered, and even then, other Blue Dogs had articulated support for health care reform. At the same time, last week, House progressives told Democratic leaders they could not countenance any further weakening of the public option--and today the House's public option was somewhat weakened.

Which is all to say that barring the defection of a number of House progressives, Henry Waxman bought himself and his allies in leadership some breathing room today.

Health Care

Three Key Blue Dogs Still Oppose House Health Care Legislation

Brian Beutler | July 29, 2009, 4:32PM

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to resume its health care mark-up session this afternoon, after winning over four of the seven Blue Dogs who had been holding it up for several days.

That means three of the Blue Dogs still oppose the legislation, though. And that means committee Chairman Henry Waxman is still working to squeeze the bill through a very small window. There aren't very many progressives on the committee but if more than a couple of them are unhappy with the details of the compromise leaders struck with Blue Dogs, it could once again leave Waxman without enough votes to pass his bill.

Speaker Pelosi has been meeting with progressives to allay their concerns, so that things can proceed as planned.

My sense from conversations with some House aides is that another blow up's not terribly likely. But as you may have noticed if you've been paying attention to the process thus far, just about anything can happen. And, for what it's worth, that's the political math.

Health Care

Report: House Reaches Deal On Health Care, But No Vote Until September

Brian Beutler | July 29, 2009, 12:54PM

CNN just broke some important news. House leaders and Blue Dog Democrats have reached an agreement--the terms of which remain mostly unclear--that will allow the Energy and Commerce Committee to pass health care legislation by weeks end. As part of the arrangement, though leaders have agreed to postpone a vote on the final legislation until after August recess comes to an end.

In the meantime, leaders will stitch together a final package, stitching together the portions of the bill that have been amended by the Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Labor Committees.

The only figure that's been reported thus far is that Blue Dogs have lowered the cost of the legislation by about $100 billion. But we'll get you more details the moment they're available.

Health Care

As August Deadline Approaches In House, Blue Dogs, Liberals, Still Far Apart On Health Care

Brian Beutler | July 28, 2009, 2:29PM

A number of high profile Democrats are expressing public doubt that the House can pass health care in the next few days before it's set to adjourn for August recess. Chief among them is Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD).

"You understand that if we pass something out of committee this week, we've got to spend the month of August putting together the three bills," Hoyer told Roll Call. "Saturday and next week is available. Now whether or not there will be any productive reason to stay for that period of time remains to be seen over the next couple of days."

Part of the problem, as I suggested earlier, is that the news out of the Senate has widened a rift between House liberals and Blue Dogs. Rep. George MIller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and an author of House health care legislation, isn't at all pleased with the watered down reform bill the Senate Finance Committee is set to propose.

"I don't think that adds up to health care reform. It doesn't add up to insurance reform. It doesn't add up to keeping costs down. I don't know what the hell that adds up to," Miller said.

Meanwhile, Alpha Dog Bart Stupak says the Finance Committee's expected proposal is yet more evidence that the House needs to scale things back.

"The Senate's on a completely different agenda," Stupak said. "I've been here long enough, you do a bill and you get a plank sawed off behind you."

Stupak is one of the seven Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee who's objected to the House's bill. He and his six allies are now trying to decide whether to back a compromise offered by chairman Henry Waxman--but the Finance Committee's on such a different--and less progressive--page that they're wary about striking any kind of deal.

Blue Dogs

After Health Care Meeting, Blue Dogs Agree To Hold More Meetings

Brian Beutler | July 28, 2009, 12:11PM

After meeting to discuss an unspecified health care compromise offered by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the Blue Dogs have agreed that...they need to have more meetings.

"The bottom line of the Blue Dogs has not been met yet," said Rep. Earl Pomeroy inauspiciously (D-ND) according to The Hill.

But the fate of health care reform in the House is now back in the hands of the seven Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee who've been holding things up all along--and Pomeroy isn't one of them. Waxman wants to continue marking up his health care reform bill tomorrow--but these seven conservative Democrats will have to decide one way or another whether they're in or out before that can happen.

Blue Dogs

In Wake Of Finance Committee Report, Blue Dogs Mull Offer From Waxman

Brian Beutler | July 28, 2009, 10:06AM

To borrow a Rumsfeld-ism for a moment, one of the health care debate's known unknowns may soon become a bit clearer. To wit, we may soon know just how much the Senate Finance Committee's negotiations will impact negotiations in the House?

Last night, House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman made an offer to seven Blue Dogs on his committee, lead by Alpha Dog Mike Ross. This morning, Ross will take that offer to the rest of the Blue Dog coalition to gauge how much support it has among conservative Democrats.

But here's the thing: The slow-down in the House has been driven in part by the fact that conservative Democrats don't want to go out on a limb and support a proposal that's significantly more liberal than what the Senate Finance Committee's cobbling together. Now we have a bit more clarity on that proposal, and it's--unsurprisingly--significantly weaker than what the House originally drafted. That'll no doubt weigh heavily on the minds of several Blue Dogs. But how much? I suspect we'll know more after this morning's meeting.

Health Care

The Mark-Up, 07-24-2009

Brian Beutler | July 24, 2009, 6:08PM

TPMDC's update on the biggest initiatives on Capitol Hill.

• Health Care: After a tumultuous day (and week) it seems as if the Energy and Commerce Committee will continue marking up health care legislation next week. Latest word is that chairman Henry Waxman says he expects to proceed Monday or Tuesday at the latest.
• Appropriations: The House passed appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services. It will lift the ban on federal funding of needle exchange programs.
• Defense Spending: By a vote of 87-7 the Senate passed the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act. Sens. Russel Feingold (D-WI) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) voted with five conservatives against passage.

Blue Dogs

Mark Up To Continue On Energy And Commerce Committee

Brian Beutler | July 24, 2009, 5:37PM

Here's the latest--though not to say final--word on the status of health care negotiations in the House. If you were wondering why the Energy and Commerce Committee would go live with a district-by-district analysis of the impact health care reform will have on its members, that's because it now looks like Waxman will not be fast-tracking the legislation by bypassing the panel altogether.

After several hours of chaos, it seems as if there's been something of a rapprochement between leaders and Blue Dogs and the mark-up process will continue next week. But as today's developments should make abundantly clear, with tensions this high anything can change.

Blue Dogs

Energy And Commerce Committee Says Blue Dog Ross' Constituents Would Benefit From Health Care Bill

Brian Beutler | July 24, 2009, 5:29PM

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has just released a district by district analysis for its members of the impacts of Democratic health care reform legislation. Here's what it says about the constituents of Mike Ross, the Blue Dog on the panel who's taken the lead in attacking the legislation.

Under the legislation, small businesses with 25 employees or less and average wages of less than $40,000 qualify for tax credits of up to 50% of the costs of providing health insurance. There are up to 12,500 small businesses in the district that could qualify for these credits....

Each year, 6,700 seniors in the district hit the donut hole and are forced to pay their full drug costs, despite having Part D drug coverage. The legislation would provide them with immediate relief, cutting brand name drug costs in the donut hole by 50%, and ultimately eliminate the donut hole.

There are 144,000 uninsured individuals in the district, 22% of the district. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that nationwide, 97% of all Americans will have insurance coverage when the bill takes effect. If this benchmark is reached in the district, 124,000 people who currently do not have health insurance will receive coverage.

You can read the report on Ross' district here, and the rest of the reports here.

Health Care

Scattered Dems Regrouping As Tensions Erupt

Brian Beutler | July 24, 2009, 3:53PM

This story is changing so quickly, it's all but impossible to stay on top of--but here are a few key issues--cribbed from conversations and my own observations--to keep you moored.

First of all, because everything's moving so fast, just about anything's possible.

Second, it really does seem as if the Blue Dog negotiations are dead. Differences are irreconcilable and time is basically up.

Earlier today, Waxman struck a deal with rural Democrats, concerned with Medicare reimbursement rates in their districts. It's unclear whether he thought that deal meant he'd shored up enough support for the bill that he no longer needed acquiescence of the Blue Dogs on his committee, but once that deal was struck he told them, basically, to play ball or go home. So they went home.

Democrats seem to have entered regroup mode, after mixed messages flew across the Capitol. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on the floor that a vote on a bill before recess is unlikely (though he added that the House might stay in session past next Friday if success was in reach). House Whip James Clyburn, was more hopeful, saying that all decisions would be made after Waxman and Speaker Pelosi sit down and take stock of where things stand. And within the last hour or so there's been something of a lock down on new, verifiable information as Democratic leaders figure out what to do next.

Blue Dogs

House Talks Break Down--Will Waxman Steam Roll Blue Dogs?

Brian Beutler | July 24, 2009, 2:53PM

Just about an hour ago, negotiations between Blue Dogs on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and chairman Henry Waxman broke down, perhaps irreconcilably.

Earlier today, Waxman lashed out at the conservative Democrats for trying to "eviscerate" house health care legislation, and threatened to bypass their concerns completely in order to get a timely floor vote on a healthy bill. That seems to have sent tempers flaring.

"It pretty much fell apart this afternoon," said key Blue Dog Mike Ross (D-AR), who called Waxman's rhetoric "not helpful," according to Congressional Quarterly.

"It's my understanding that will be the last meeting we have," Ross said.

Now the ball is in Waxman's court. Will he try to mark the bill up anyhow? Or will he freeze them out completely. Democratic leaders will host a caucus meeting on Monday to address all members' concerns about the bill--a sign, perhaps, that they aren't going to wait for this intra-panel tiff to be resolved. If that's the case, all eyes will return again to the Blue Dogs to see whether they'll revolt against the bill. Showdown!

Health Care

Waxman Says There May Be No Alternative To Bypassing His Committee

Brian Beutler | July 24, 2009, 11:56AM

House Energy and Commerce chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) says his panel's Blue Dogs must relent, or he and leaders will move health care legislation directly to the floor, bypassing the committee altogether.

This morning, he told reporters that Blue Dogs are trying to "eviscerate" the landmark legislation. "I won't allow them to hand over control of our committee to Republicans," Waxman said.

"I dont see what other alternative we have, because we're not going to let them empower Republicans on the committee."

Health Care

Nineteen Major Organizations Say Blue Dogs Coddling Millionaires, Making Middle-Class Pay

Brian Beutler | July 23, 2009, 12:28PM

A coalition of 19 major interest groups--including AARP, and AFL-CIO--is urging House leaders--not to cave to Blue Dogs. "We commend you for providing sliding-scale premium subsidies to families up to 400 percent of the federal poverty line," reads a letter the coalition sent to key Democrats.

This is particularly important in rural and other areas where most residents have modest incomes and need assistance for coverage to be affordable.With family health premiums now averaging close to $13,000 per year, premiums alone constitute a significant portion of income even for people at the upper end of this standard. That is why this provision in the House bill is so important.

You can read the entire letter here. It's addressed to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, and Education and Labor Chairman George Miller.

Right now, one of the key sticking points in House negotiations between Blue Dogs and health care leaders is the question of financing--how to pay for the bill? Leaders had initially endorsed a surtax on high income earners to cover about half the bill's cost--but, under pressure from Blue Dogs, they're now walking that back. The original proposal had been to initiate the tax on families making over $350,000 a year, or individuals making over $280,000 a year. But now, they say, they might limit the tax to millionaires only.

But that creates a cost hole that needs to be filled. And Blue Dogs have suggested extracting it from working- and middle-class Americans. The bill, as proposed, would have provided subsidies for people living under 400 percent of the poverty line to buy health insurance--and Blue Dogs are suggesting that the line be lowered to 300 percent.

Right now, the average national premium for family coverage is $12,600--or $1,050 per month. Presumably, over time, reform legislation would lower that cost, but in the interim, it will continue to cost nearly that much. House legislation would help more middle-class people cover that cost--unless Blue Dogs get their way.

Those affected by the change would be people and families living between 300 and 400 percent of the poverty line, who don't already have employer-provided health insurance.

House of Representatives

Energy And Commerce Delays Health Care Mark-Up...Again

Brian Beutler | July 23, 2009, 11:02AM

For the third day in a row, House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman has canceled a mark-up hearing on health care legislation to negotiate with Blue Dogs, calling into question once again whether the House can pass a bill before adjourning for August recess.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has suggested she'd keep the House in session past the scheduled adjournment date to pass a bill, though House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has sounded hesitant on that score.

And now there's the question of whether House leaders in general will want to vote on a bill before recess, with the prospects for a vote in the Senate now nearly nil.

Henry Waxman

Blue Dogs, White House Reach Agreement Over MedPAC

Brian Beutler | July 22, 2009, 9:41AM

In a three-hour meeting with President Obama and White House officials, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee--including chairman Henry Waxman and seven Blue Dogs--reached one key agreement: to give an independent Congressional agency the power to make cuts to, and modernize, Medicare and Medicaid.

Politically, that still leaves plenty of ground to cover before all of the Blue Dogs' concerns are addressed, if not entirely met. But on the merits it's one of a handful of proposals on the table that will bend the health care spending curve downward. Last week, CBO Director Doug Elmendorf fueled Blue Dog skepticism over health care reform efforts by saying the legislation he's seen wouldn't do enough to contain rising long-term health-care costs.

Leadership, meanwhile, insists that these negotiations are minor hiccups--part of the normal legislative process, and that their reform efforts are still on schedule.

Blue Dogs

Blue Dogs: WH Meeting 'Constructive,' Had 'Breakthrough' On MedPAC

Rachel Slajda | July 21, 2009, 6:53PM

Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, seven of whom are fiscally conservative Blue Dogs, emerged from the White House this afternoon saying their hour-long meeting with President Obama was constructive and that they had a "breakthrough" on Medicare payment recommendations.

The White House's proposal to strengthen the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations on how Medicare pays health care providers, won support from Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), according to Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR), but they haven't finalized an agreement.

"We came out of the meeting with an understanding that we're moving in that direction, based on the fact that the CBO tells us that it's the biggest single item we can address as it relates to cost containment," Ross told Dow Jones.

Ross also said they agree with Obama's four main goals for health care reform, according to Politico.

"He said it must be deficit neutral. He said it must contain cost and reduce health care inflation. He said we've got to cover as many people as we possibly can, making health insurance affordable for them. And that we need insurance reform, that we've got to cover pre-existing conditions. We share all of those principles, all those concerns," Ross said.

He added that final decisions on cost-cutting measures won't be made until the Congressional Budget Office scores the various provisions under consideration, according to Congressional Quarterly.

Waxman pointed out that the entire committee, and not just the Blue Dogs, are committed to bringing down health care costs, reports The Hill.

Blue Dogs

Concerned With Baucus, House Blue Dogs, Obama To Turn Up Heat On Health Care--Again

Brian Beutler | July 20, 2009, 9:45AM

It should come as no surprise, after last week's ramp-up, and with August fast approaching, but President Obama will ratchet up his campaign this week to get the House and Senate to pass health care bill before their summer recesses. The White House is promising the President will take the lead on an aggressive public and private push, culminating in a prime time news conference this Wednesday.

High on their list of focal points will be Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) on the waylaid Senate Finance Committee and House Blue Dogs, who are threatening to derail the bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee, where their numbers are impressive.

Baucus has been negotiating with committee Republicans for over a month in search of an elusive, and possibly illusory, bipartisan compromise--which was Obama's preferred game plan when the process began. But that was before Republicans signaled near universal opposition to key measures like the public insurance option, and talks dragged weeks and weeks beyond when they were supposed to end successfully.

Meanwhile, in the House, Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee, led by Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR), are running a blitz of their own, riled, they say, by the fact that leadership didn't include them in negotiations when drafting the bill. Fortunately, for Democrats, Energy and Commerce is led by Henry Waxman, a seasoned legislator who lifted complex climate change legislation over similar hurdles just last month. That process, though, resulted in a number of major concessions, and some health reformers are worried that Blue Dogs will be able to extract yet more flesh out of this legislation.

Compounding their threats are the concerns of vulnerable Democratic freshmen, who worry about casting yet another controversial vote before election season heats up in the fall.

That's a ton of moving parts. All told, and assuming that the House and Senate don't push back their scheduled adjournment dates, we will likely know this week whether Obama and Democratic leaders will accomplish their near term--and perhaps most crucial--goal of passing bills in both chambers by August recess.

House of Representatives

Waxman Envisions Bill Passage 'By End Of This Year'

Brian Beutler | July 14, 2009, 3:06PM

At the unveiling of the House's health care reform bill, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman said he wants Congress enact legislation by the end of this year.

We'll have video for you shortly. But that pushes the ball back two and a half months from Obama's goal of signing a health care bill by mid-October, a month and a half after Congress returns from recess, and before it is set to take up a budget reconciliation bill.

Late update: You can see video below. Interestingly, Waxman also echoes the White House in suggesting that Congress ought not adjourn for recess until both the House and Senate have passed their health care bills.

Health Care

House Health Care Bill To Be Unveiled At 2:45 PM

Brian Beutler | July 14, 2009, 11:30AM

Not much more to say beyond the headline. On hand to field questions will be Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House leaders, along with the chairmen of the relevant committees of jurisdiction: Charlie Rangel of Ways and Means; Henry Waxman of Energy and Commerce; and George Miller of Education and Labor.

Health Care

Emanuel Backtracks From 'Trigger' Comments; Dem Says CoS Made "Hell Of A Mistake"

Brian Beutler | July 8, 2009, 9:05AM

After sparking progressive outrage, and sending the White House into damage control mode, a chastened Rahm Emanuel appeared before House Democrats yesterday to reassure them that the administration stands foursquare behind a public option.

At the meeting, House liberals warned Emanuel that he couldn't count on them to vote for a bill that contains a triggered public option. "We have compromised enough, and we are not going to compromise on any kind of trigger game," Woolsey apparently told Emanuel. "People clapped all over the place. We mean it, and not just progressives."

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman said Emanuel assured him that "he doesn't stand by [the] trigger."

But all may not be forgiven and forgotten. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, said the Chief of Staff ""made a hell of a mistake. He made a hell of a mistake and he knows it."

Meanwhile, across the Capitol, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid laid down the law, urging Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) to walk away from his efforts to reach bipartisan consensus on health care reform--specifically, to advance a bill with a public option, and financed without taxing workers' health benefits. It's unclear as of now how closely the two major developments are connected.

Health Care

Rahm To Meet With House Democrats On Health Care Tonight

Brian Beutler | July 7, 2009, 2:57PM

Whether White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is freelancing on the question public option for political reasons, or simply by mistake, he may just hear about it from all sides tonight.

Emanuel is set to attend a meeting on the Hill this evening during which the chairmen of the three House committees with jurisdiction over health care reform--Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) of the Energy and Commerce Committee; Rep. George Miller (D-CA) of the Education and Labor Committee; and Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) of the Ways and Means Committee--will present their bill to the Democratic caucus.

Their bill, it should be noted, contains a robust public option.

Mark Sanford

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 8:59AM

Sanford's Book Deal Falls Through
Gov. Mark Sanford's (R-SC) book publisher, Sentinel, has released him from his contract. Sanford had been set to write a book on fiscal conservatism, entitled Within Our Means, to be released in March 2010. However, the deal fell through after Sanford got in trouble for disappearing to Argentina to visit his mistress, and he and publisher have agreed to part ways.

Obama At Camp David Today
President Obama has no public events scheduled, but is spending the day at Camp David. He will return to the White House tomorrow.

Read more »

Cap-and-Trade

Boehner Fights Climate Bill With Filibuster, Brightly Colored Poster

Brian Beutler | June 26, 2009, 6:00PM

As I reported yesterday, House Minority Leader John Boehner has seemingly traded in his old talking point on cap and trade legislation for a blue chart with brightly colored words on it.

Moments ago, he brought his new weapon to the House floor.

Unfortunately for Boehner, it doesn't seem to be changing anybody's mind with respect to the Waxman-Markey bill. But more unfortunately for its supporters, he's also poised to drag this debate on for hours by reading a recently incorporated 300 page amendment to the bill out loud. A pseudo-filibuster, if you will, to delay the vote as long as possible.

Climate Change

Opponent Of Waxman Markey Now Supporter Of Waxman Markey

Brian Beutler | June 26, 2009, 4:59PM

Earlier today, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) gave a blistering speech on the House floor, attacking the Waxman-Markey bill from the left and urging members to oppose it. Here's video via Friends of the Earth.

But just moments ago he had a change of heart. He called the GOP a "flat-Earth society" and said he would vote for the bill. That's some whip operation they've got going on over there.

Climate Change

One By One, Fence Sitters Come Out In Support Of Waxman-Markey

Brian Beutler | June 26, 2009, 3:20PM

I don't have a complete list, but as the Waxman-Markey bill makes its way to a final vote, it's worth pointing out that just about all of the undecided Democrats who've come off the fence have announced that they will vote for it.

Some prominent examples: Reps Ike Skelton (D-MO), David Scott (D-GA), Sander Levin (D-MI), and, possibly, uber-Blue Dog Allen Boyd (D-FL)

Climate Change

Tracking The Waxman-Markey Fence Sitters--Ike Skelton Comes Around

Brian Beutler | June 26, 2009, 2:04PM

House leaders are still cracking their whips, scaring up votes for the Waxman-Markey bill. For the most part, they're up against a posse of moderate and conservative, and energy and manufacturing state Democrats. If you're keeping track, you can read a couple of extremely helpful scorecards here (PDF) and here.

And speaking of incredibly helpful, Brad Plumer's live-twittering the floor debate. He reports that Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO), who just yesterday was an avowed fence sitter, has come around and decided to support the bill, citing the idea that Congressional action will be preferable to the Environmental Protection Agency acting on its own.

Late update: While Democrats try to squeeze the bill through the House (Rep. David Scott (D-GA) is now on board, too), Republicans are offering amendments like this one to scrap the bill entirely and replace it with a Manhattan Project for energy financed by magic.

AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO Urges Congressmen To Pass Climate Bill

Brian Beutler | June 25, 2009, 6:33PM

This is not completely unexpected, but it is very much new. The AFL-CIO has sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to vote 'yes' on the Waxman-Markey climate change bill. Labor has been involved in the process for a while, and fairness to workers was a key consideration for the lawmakers who wrote the bill. But this is also the first time the group has supported energy legislation like this, and the move gives cover to moderates and representatives from blue collar districts to support the bill and avoid inevitable jobs attacks.

The full letter appears below the fold.

Read more »

Henry Waxman

Climate Change Bill Set For Passage In House After Concessions

Brian Beutler | June 24, 2009, 10:46AM

The Waxman-Markey climate change bill will come to the floor of the House at the end of this week after a weeks-long dispute between the bill's chief author, Henry Waxman, and House Agriculture Committee chairman Colin Peterson.

Peterson had been threatening to whip farm-state Democrats to vote against--and therefore kill--the bill unless Waxman agreed to significant changes (subscription required).

Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) told reporters today he would vote for the House climate bill -- and bring dozens of rural lawmakers with him -- after Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) agreed to make a number of concessions that had drawn the ire of farm state members.

Waxman agreed to put the Agriculture Department -- rather than U.S. EPA -- in the lead for management of the offset program that pays farmers and other landowners to conduct environmentally friendly projects. Congress will turn to the Obama administration for guidance on how to fold in EPA.

Waxman also consented to block EPA from calculating "indirect" greenhouse gas emissions from land-use changes when implementing the federal biofuels mandate. The Democrats will impose a five-year moratorium to allow further study of the issue, with consultation from Congress, EPA, the Energy Department and USDA instrumental in restarting the measurements in the biofuels rules.

No word yet on if or when the Senate plans to take its own chainsaws to the bill.

Cap-and-Trade

House Likely To Vote On Key Climate Change Bill This Week

Brian Beutler | June 23, 2009, 9:52AM

After seeing it through a number of inter- and intraparty obstacles, House leaders will soon bring the Waxman-Markey climate change bill up for a vote--perhaps as early as Friday.

"There are some issues still under discussion, but we are confident we can resolve them by the time the bill goes to the floor on Friday," Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill told Bloomberg's Simon Lomax.

If it passes, the bill--which would create a cap and trade system to price and reduce carbon emissions--may have to wait quite a while before further action as lawmakers scramble to pass major health care legislation before taking a month-long recess in August.

Cap-and-Trade

Climate Legislation Will Cost $3,128 About $175 Per Household

Brian Beutler | June 22, 2009, 9:53AM

Two weeks ago, I noted that the Congressional Budget Office had completed a preliminary analysis of the Waxman-Markey climate change bill and determined that it would be a net deficit reducer over 10 years,

Whatever the merits of the legislation, that's an important political fact--one that makes it more difficult for Blue Dogs and other deficit hawks to oppose the bill on the inaccurate grounds that it will balloon the federal deficit. But, of course, that has only indirect bearing on the separate objection--much beloved by Republicans--that pricing carbon will be tantamount to a consumer tax. House Republicans in particular are fond of the canard that a cap and trade bill will cost the average household over $3,000.

Well, a more thorough CBO scoring reveals that they were only off by about a factor of 18.

Read more »

Climate Change

Republican Congressman Redubs Climate Bill 'Wacky-Marxist Tax And Cap'

Brian Beutler | June 4, 2009, 5:58PM

Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) has a bit of a joke for you. "The Waxman-Markey Cap-and-Trade legislation is just another disguise and it's high time that we call it what it really is: a Wacky-Marxist Tax-and-Cap bill that will suffocate America's small businesses, ultimately strangling America's respiratory system."

Get it?!

The really funny part is that Broun is a doctor (as in, M.D.) so he should know that suffocation results from strangling and not the other way around. Also, that America doesn't have a respiratory system, per se.

In his press release, Broun hearkens back to the good old days when Republicans called Democrats socialists, and limited their critique of cap-and-trade legislation to the false claim--based on an intentional misreading of an M.I.T. study--that climate legislation will cost the average household thousands of dollars.

"Representative Paul Broun, M.D. (GA-10) exposed the truth behind the Waxman-Markey Cap-and-Trade energy tax and appropriately renamed it the Wacky-Marxist Tax and Cap bill as it will increase energy costs for each family by $3,100."

Climate Change

Speed Reading Clerk Reads Stalling Amendment To House Climate Change Legislation

Brian Beutler | May 21, 2009, 4:42PM

Earlier today, we reported that Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have taken an extraordinary measure to combat nefarious Republican stall tactics. Faced with the possibility that the GOP minority might require the committee's clerks to read aloud the 900-page Waxman-Markey climate change bill, or many of its 400-plus proposed amendments, the committee's chairman, Henry Waxman (D-CA), hired a speed reader. A quick tongued, acting-clerk, if you will.

His services may ultimately not be necessary, but earlier today, to break the tension between battling factions, the committee's ranking member Joe Barton (R-TX) asked the "speed reader clerk" to read part of one measly little amendment. Watch:

That amendment ultimately went down in flames. The overall bill may have gained a little bit of steam today. But presumably a bunch of Capitol Hill clerks are now worried about job security.

Cap-and-Trade

Waxman Hires Speed Reader To Combat GOP Obstruction

Brian Beutler | May 21, 2009, 9:06AM

We're well aware, at this point, that the House Republican strategy for opposing the Waxman-Markey climate change bill is to make the legislative process take a very, very long time. That means heaps and heaps of irrelevant amendments, written by congressmen who warn of "Global Warming Gestapo." But so far they have eschewed a maneuver that would force the Democrats to read the bill aloud. All 900-plus pages of it.

In case the GOP decides to change course, though, Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats are prepared. With a speed reader.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the new temp thinks he can plow through about one page every 34 seconds--a pretty impressive clip considering the nature of the reading material. And it means the entire stunt would only last about nine hours--significantly less than it would take if the committee's clerks were forced to do the job.

Ladies and gentlemen, your United States Congress.