Tom Coburn

The GOP's Tactful Pivot From Ryan Medicare Plan -- And Why It's Important

Sahil Kapur | February 17, 2012, 6:03AM

Republicans are continuing their gradual pivot away from the Paul Ryan Medicare plan they once voted for overwhelmingly -- another tacit admission that the blueprint is too radical to pass. But they haven't given up on the concept -- far from it. In fact, they're searching for more tactful ways to bring it to fruition.

The latest evidence came Thursday, when Republican Sens. Tom Coburn (OK) and Richard Burr (NC) rolled out a sweeping new plan that would transition Medicare to a subsidized private insurance system while giving seniors the option to remain in the traditional government-run program -- think "Obamacare" exchanges with a public option.

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Payroll Tax Cut

Details Of The Final Payroll Tax Cut Deal

Sahil Kapur | February 16, 2012, 4:02PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

TPM has obtained a detailed summary of the payroll tax cut deal, prepared by House GOP. Scroll down to read the document.

The deal caps off lengthy negotiations that achieved a breakthrough this week after House Republicans agreed to extend the payroll tax cut without offsets. Unemployment insurance and the Medicare "doc fix" will be paid for with spending cuts elsewhere in the budget.

"As of 4 p.m. a majority of House conferees and a majority of Senate Conferees have signed the conference report for HR 3630," a GOP aide told TPM Thursday.

It's expected to be voted on and wrapped up by the end of this weekend.

Payroll Tax Holiday Agreement-TPM

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Payroll Tax Cut

It's A Wrap: Congress Finalizes Payroll Tax Cut Deal

Sahil Kapur | February 16, 2012, 10:20AM

Lawmakers sealed the deal late Wednesday night on yearlong extensions of the payroll tax cut, unemployment compensation and Medicare physician payment rates. It's a political victory for President Obama and the conclusion of a no-win situation for Republicans that they were eager to move past.

The agreement was announced by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), the two lead negotiators in conference committee. Final votes are expected by the end of this weekend.

The conclusion comes at the end of a grueling series of negotiations that spilled over from last year. That led House Republicans to this week drop their demand that the payroll tax cut be offset with spending cuts elsewhere, paving the way for the agreement as the two sides had been deadlocked on pay-fors.

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Birth Control

GOPers Only Enraged By Birth Control Rule When Obama's Pushing It

Sahil Kapur | February 16, 2012, 5:55AM

What do you do if your party's marching behind an issue that your likely nominee for president has a spotty record on?

That conundrum faces most congressional Republicans right now. When it comes to their push to reverse the White House's mandate to expand access to birth control -- which they argue violates religious freedom -- Mitt Romney's record is unfortunate. As governor of Massachusetts, he presided over the same policy critics are now assailing President Obama for: obliging most employers to provide health insurance that includes birth control for their female employees, even if the employer belongs to a religion that opposes those services. Indeed, because of the White House's compromise, which would allow religious nonprofits to opt out of paying the insurer for those services and demand that the insurer offer them to the female employee directly, Romney's law was arguably even stronger.

On Wednesday more than two-dozen Republican lawmakers ran into this issue head-on. They gathered together in the Capitol to fulminate against President Obama's egregious violation of religious freedom. But none of them would rule out supporting a presidential candidate who had enacted a virtually identical mandate.

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Affordable Care Act

GOP Snatches 'Obamacare' Cuts As Payroll Fight Wraps Up

Sahil Kapur | February 15, 2012, 6:25PM

While Democrats will claim victory in the impending deal to extend the payroll tax cut through 2012, Republicans have also won some fodder for their base on a key issue: They've managed to slice off a piece of the health care reform law -- albeit a fairly small piece.

A summary of the deal circulated to allies and insiders by House GOP leadership boasts that they've extracted concessions worth $11.6 billion from the Affordable Care Act in negotiations with Democrats. The cuts hit the prevention fund and provider reimbursements -- it's not a big chunk of the nearly $1 trillion law, but it's a salient political win for Republicans after Democrats repeatedly resisted efforts to cut the ACA in the Super Committee and December deal.

The Republicans may also have won on what could become an important matter of principle: whether savings from the projected wind-down of war spending could count as offsets. Democrats had wanted the cutbacks from the "Overseas Contingency Operation" (basically, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan) to be able to be used as offsets for the so-called "doc fix." Republicans had been under immense pressure to cave on that as well. However, many argued that since these operations had been scheduled to wind down anyway, then they did not count as real savings. Furthermore, some feared that if they allowed this maneuver for the "doc fix" then Dems would try to use it to bankroll their pet infrastructure projects.

Here's the relevant except from the GOP-written Wednesday document, obtained by TPM and the numbers confirmed by Democratic and Republican leadership aides:

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Birth Control

Snowe & Collins Seem To Be Hedging On Birth Control

Sahil Kapur | February 15, 2012, 1:26PM

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)

After indicating that they were placated by President Obama's tweaked birth control regulation, Maine Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins appear to be hedging on it, speaking late Tuesday to Jonathan Riskind of the home-state Portland Press Herald.

They appeared to dance around the issue, not taking a stance but saying they aren't fully with Obama.

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Payroll Tax Cut

Lawmakers Strike Tentative Deal On Payroll Tax Package

Sahil Kapur | February 14, 2012, 9:05PM

Harry Reid (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Top Democratic and Republican negotiators have struck a broad tentative agreement to extend the payroll tax cut, unemployment insurance and Medicare physician payment rates through the end of the year, aides from both sides who are familiar with the deal tell TPM. Some of the details have yet to be ironed out, but Congress appears to have had a critical breakthrough in negotiations to prevent the three provisions from lapsing.

The payroll tax cut will be extended through 2012 without an offset, at a cost of $185 billion. House Republicans paved the way for it this week by dropping their demand that continuation of the tax holiday be matched with equal spending cuts elsewhere.

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Highway Bill

Dems To GOP: Keep Birth Control Out Of Highway Bill

Sahil Kapur | February 14, 2012, 2:05PM

Sensing a political upper-hand in the brewing culture war, Senate Democrats had their guns blazing against the GOP's birth control amendment Tuesday, vowing to fight Republicans' best efforts to tack it on to the bipartisan highway bill and warning that the measure would take women's health in America back to the "dark ages."

"In 2012, I stand here in complete amazement," said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), "that in a country known for its medical breakthroughs and advancements, Republicans would have us go back to the medical dark ages." She said the energy and transportation bill otherwise has strong bipartisan support, and deemed the contraception amendment both a poison pill and irrelevant.

The amendment by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) purports to focus on contraception, but it goes well beyond that. As written, it would permit all employers to deny any health services in their insurance plans that aren't in accordance with their "religious beliefs and moral convictions." The measure states no limitations or criteria, which means employers have free rein to decide what medical care their employees may or may not receive.

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Barack Obama

Obama Urges Public To Keep Up The Payroll Tax Pressure On GOP

Sahil Kapur | February 14, 2012, 11:29AM

President Barack Obama during his 2012 "State of the Union" address

President Obama on Tuesday suggested that the House GOP's recent willingness to extend the payroll tax cut without offsets is "good news" but warned that it can't be taken for granted -- and capitalized by demanding an extension of the tax break and unemployment insurance without "ideological sideshows."

"The good news is over the last couple of days we've seen some hopeful signs in Congress that they realize that they've got to get this done. And you're starting to hear voices talk about how can we go ahead and make this happen in a timely way on behalf of the American people," Obama said at the White House. "That is good news."

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Contraception

Obama Shatters GOP's United Front On Birth Control

Sahil Kapur | February 14, 2012, 5:35AM

Schisms are emerging within the Republican Party after President Obama's announcement last Friday that he would tweak his contraception mandate to ensure that religious nonprofits aren't forced to pay for an employee's birth control coverage. And as GOP leaders push to repeal the requirement entirely, the White House is welcoming that battle.

The shift is looking like an act of political jujitsu as Obama has not only unified his base but splintered the GOP coalition, which initially appeared united against the President's rule. Obama won over the Democrats and moderate Catholics who criticized him, while maintaining the support of those who backed the original rule. As an added bonus, he has turned some Republicans who initially opposed his policy against their own leaders.

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Barack Obama

Has Obama Cornered Republicans On Contraception?

Sahil Kapur | February 13, 2012, 5:47AM

President Barack Obama and Senior Adviser David Axelrod

Republicans are doubling down in their assault on President Obama's birth control requirement, insisting that his accommodation of religious nonprofits does not address religious concerns. But by attempting to keep the heat on Obama, the GOP might be diving head-first into a culture war over contraception that social conservatives lost long ago in the minds of the public.

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said the House will push to repeal the rule entirely, while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Republicans will force a vote on legislation permitting any employer to deny birth control coverage in their health insurance plan by claiming a moral or religious objection. "This issue will not go away until the administration simply backs down," McConnell said Sunday on CBS' Face The Nation.

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Contraception

McConnell: GOP Will Fight To Let ANY Employer Deny Birth Control Coverage

Sahil Kapur | February 12, 2012, 11:47AM

Not satisfied with President Obama's new religious accommodation, Republicans will move forward with legislation by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) that permits any employer to deny birth control coverage in their health insurance plans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Sunday.

"If we end up having to try to overcome the President's opposition by legislation, of course I'd be happy to support it, and intend to support it," McConnell said. "We'll be voting on that in the Senate and you can anticipate that that would happen as soon as possible."

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