Inequality In Spotlight

W. Post’s E. J. Dionne praises president for focus on inequality: “The debate over the Affordable Care Act can stay small, focusing on Web site failures and other short-term difficulties facing the law. Or it can get bigger, with wider insurance coverage seen as part of a larger struggle for social justice in a nation growing steadily less equal … President Obama decided it was time to go bigger … The broader the playing field, the better his chances.”

Obama de-prioritizes further deficit reduction. ThinkProgress quotes: “When it comes to our budget, we should not be stuck in a stale debate from two years ago or three years ago … A relentlessly growing deficit of opportunity is a bigger threat to our future than our rapidly shrinking fiscal deficit.”

The Atlantic’s Norm Ornstein argues “The Moral and Economic Imperative to Raise the Minimum Wage”: “… if one works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year at $7.25 an hour, that means an annual income of $15,080—assuming no time off and no sick days. Can any of us imagine trying to house, clothe, and feed a family—while paying for transportation to work, health insurance, and other necessities of life, much less going to an occasional movie—on $15,080 a year, or $13,926 after FICA deductions?”

Fast-food workers push for $15 minimum. NYT: “Restaurant industry officials have balked at so high a wage, saying it would sharply raise fast-food prices and reduce employment … But Mary Kay Henry, the president of the Service Employees International Union, which has spent several million dollars to underwrite the fast-food strikes around the country that began a year ago, said it was only a matter of time before the worker protests became so great that McDonald’s, Burger King and other companies agreed to negotiate.”

“Budget Deal Looks Likely, But Passage Uncertain” reports Roll Call: “Senate Budget Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., and House Budget Chairman Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., are expected to announce a framework in the coming days that would set a top-line number for appropriators higher than the current sequester levels but lower than what Democrats have previously demanded. According to sources, the increased spending would be offset by less controversial pay-fors, including spectrum sales and some mandatory health care cuts … But many top leadership aides in the Capitol are skeptical that any agreement between Murray and Ryan can pass the House … Republican leaders have vowed they will not shut down the government again, but how Congress will keep it open remains up in the air … [But] appropriators have remained optimistic about their ability to get spending bills done if an agreement is reached, even in the short time frame.”

Positive economic data renews talk of Fed tapering stimulus. NYT: “Private sector hiring rose in November at the fastest clip in a year, opening the door wider for the Federal Reserveto start tapering its stimulus campaign within the next few months. A separate report from the Fed described the economy as expanding at a ‘modest to moderate pace’ in October and early November. Other data on Wednesday also pointed to a brightening outlook, with the services industry expanding at a solid pace last month and exports attaining a high in October.”

“Treasury Chief to Declare Big Gains in Financial Reform” reports NYT: “Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew will assert on Thursday that the Obama administration’s vast overhaul of the financial system is close to accomplishing its goal of shielding society from the dangers posed by giant banks. In a broad policy speech intended to signal the administration’s views on financial regulations, Mr. Lew will also make it clear that more measures may be needed to strengthen the global system. In comments that will most likely upset foreign governments, he will call on overseas regulators to make their rules tougher … Mr. Lew’s comments come as regulators are scheduled to meet next week to finally approve the Volcker Rule …”

Sen. Warren tweaks Third Way. WSJ: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) asked big Wall Street banks to disclose financial contributions to think tanks, a request that came several days after a centrist Democratic think tank blasted Ms. Warren’s ‘economic populism’ on issues including Social Security … Matt Bennett, a spokesman for Third Way, said the policy think tank’s positions have nothing to do with the agenda of bankers, but declined to disclose the think tank’s donors.”

Dems Rally Behind Obamacare

Dems newly aggressive on Obamacare. NYT: “…As part of that political counteroffensive, which began this week, Democratic congresswomen challenged Republicans to present an alternative that would provide free preventive health services for the 105 million Americans who have already received them under the law. At the same time, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee singled out about 60 House Republicans, accusing them of plotting to take away immunizations for children, cancer screenings and mammograms.”

Enrollments spike after website repairs. W. Post: “Roughly 27,000 Americans signed up for insurance on the federal exchange on Tuesday, according to internal figures, bringing the site’s three-day enrollment total to 56,000. That figure is more than double the number who enrolled online in the entire month of October, which was almost 27,000.”

HHS and private insurers report cooperation in fixing back-end website problems. The Hill: “In a joint statement with insurers, federal health officials said they were working closely with the industry to ‘resolve back-end issues between health plans and HealthCare.gov’ and would report on their progress at a later date … The administration has received strong criticism for failing to disclose the error rate for forms known as 834s, which send information about ObamaCare enrollees to health insures.”

“No, There Won’t Be a Doctor Shortage” says AEI’s Scott Gottlieb and former Obama aide Ezekiel J. Emanuel, in NYT oped: “Shortage forecasters point to two major factors. One is an aging population … Second, Obamacare will insure 30 million more Americans by the end of the decade, dramatically increasing demand for physicians … [But] new technologies are turning the treatment of many medical conditions into less resource-intensive endeavors, requiring fewer doctors to manage each episode of illness … Other medical personnel can also expand the reach of physicians to care for a larger population…”

Obama To Up Clean Energy Use

Obama to announce boost in renewable energy use today. AP: “President Barack Obama is ordering the federal government to nearly triple to 20 percent its use of renewable sources for electricity by 2020 … The Associated Press obtained an advance copy of the executive order on renewable energy, which applies to all federal agencies, civilian and military.”

Corporations already preparing to pay for carbon pollution. NYT: “More than two dozen of the nation’s biggest corporations, including the five major oil companies, are planning their future growth on the expectation that the government will force them to pay a price for carbon pollution as a way to control global warming. The development is a striking departure from conservative orthodoxy and a reflection of growing divisions between the Republican Party and its business supporters.”

Wind tax credit may lapse along with other tax breaks this month. The Hill: “House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) have vowed to deal with the so-called extenders package in comprehensive tax reform. But with the fate of that effort uncertain, lobbyists are unsure when, if ever, Congress will get around to reauthorizing dozens of breaks that deal with everything from wind energy to research and development to electric vehicles.”

Infrastructure Agenda Stalled

Rep. Earl Blumenauer tries to push gas tax hike to fund transportation infrastructure. Politico: “…the Democrat introduced two simple bills on Wednesday to address what he calls the upcoming ‘infrastructure cliff.’ One would raise the gas tax to 33.4 cents cents per gallon, nearly double the current rate … That bill would also peg the tax rate to inflation … The other bill would let states look into charging drivers by the mile … The program would be voluntary and allow states to choose how exactly to test the concept of charging for road use.”

“Obama’s Vision For High-Speed Rail Is In Danger Of Stalling Out” reports HuffPost: “Political pushback combined with the absence of a steady revenue stream has allowed for only modest gains. Moreover, for every two steps forward it seems there is one step back. In late November, a judge for the Sacramento Superior Court blocked the state of California from accessing $8.6 billion in bonds for a bullet train project … In response to the judge’s ruling, the Department of Transportation is reconsidering what exactly it plans to do with the $3.3 billion in money it awarded to California to build a high-speed rail system.”