Each morning, Bill Scher and Terrance Heath serve up what progressives need to effect change on the kitchen-table issues families face: jobs, health care, green energy, financial reform, affordable education and retirement security.
MORNING MESSAGE: Mr. Vice-President, No Bad Deals
OurFuture.org's Roger Hickey: "Republicans are holding the economy hostage again, threatening to destroy America's credit rating so they can get brutal cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Vice-President Joe Biden is leading negotiations, right now, with the Republican hostage-takers. We need to send him a message that if he stands firm against cruel cuts, the American Majority will stand with him. Send The Vice-President A Message: Stand With The American Majority. Reject Republican Cuts To Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid."
Biden Signals Progress On Debt Limit Deal
VP Biden touts progress, agreement for debt limit increase with "down payment" on $4 trillion target in deficit reduction. W. Post quotes: "There has to be a real down payment, and there has to be a real path that people believe, ‘Yes, it’s possible and it’s probable that they’ll get at the end of ten years to $4 trillion.'"
More Americans want to raise the debt ceiling. ThinkProgress' Pat Garofalo: "When the last NBC/WSJ poll was taken in April, 32 percent of Americans said the debt ceiling should be raised ... in the latest poll, 46 percent of Americans support raising the debt ceiling, while 42 percent are opposed."
AARP says it will accept some Social Security cuts. WSJ: "The shift, which has been vetted by AARP's board and is now the group's stance, could have a dramatic effect on the debate ... AARP declined to join a coalition of about 300 unions, women's groups and liberal advocacy organizations created to fight Social Security benefit cuts ... Leaders of the coalition, dubbed Strengthen Social Security ... predicted the group would see a bigger backlash from its members than it expects ... 'They are completely at odds with their membership,' said Nancy Altman, co-chair of the coalition. She said there is a 'disconnect' between 'elites,' who insist that benefits must be cut for the sake of a deal, and regular Americans, who are adamantly opposed."
Debt limit deal could help GOP limit damage from Medicare plan, argues TNR's Jonathan Chait: "A Medicare deal wouldn't entirely or even mostly eliminate the liability. It would allow some moderate Republicans to edge away from the Ryan plan, by taking the view that they've solved the problem now and the radical plan they voted for will no longer be needed. That would help muddy the waters but it wouldn't completely shield them. Still, if I were a potentially vulnerable House Republican, I'd be looking for whatever cover I could get."
Senate Ethanol Vote Shows Willingness To Raise Revenue
Senate signals willingness to raise revenue by ending tax breaks after approving amendment to end ethanol subsidy. The Hill: "The Senate voted 73-27 to end the 45-cent break refiners receive for each gallon of ethanol they blend with gasoline and to scrap a 54-cent tariff on imported ethanol ... [GOP Sen. Dan] Coats says it’s entirely appropriate to end niche tax subsidies, or what he calls tax expenditures, to reduce the deficit. He said the thinking has changed since the 2010 election."
Ethanol subsidy may still survive. W. Post: "The victory could prove symbolic since the amendment is attached to the Economic Development and Revitalization Act, which has little chance of winning final approval in the Senate. Moreover, the amendment would not eliminate the federal mandate that sets minimum quotas for ethanol use by refiners."
Ag Sec Tom Vilsack slams vote. The Hill quotes: "We need reforms and a smarter biofuels program, but simply cutting off support for the industry isn’t the right approach."
House Vote Shows Willingness To Starve Children, Poison Food
House narrowly passes appropriations bill with major cuts in food aid for women and children. The Hill: "Nineteen Republicans joined every Democrat in opposing the bill, including one of the two freshman representatives on the GOP leadership team, Rep. Kristi Noem (S.D.). As she exited the House chamber, Noem told one colleague, 'It’s going to be an ugly appropriations season.'"
BIll also defunds food safety reforms. W. Post: "Arguing that the U.S. food supply is 99 percent safe, House Republicans cut millions of dollars Thursday from the Food and Drug Administration’s budget, denying the agency money to implement landmark food safety laws approved by the last Congress ... the House also reduced funding to the Agriculture Department’s food safety inspection service, which oversees meat, poultry and some egg products."
PawlentyCare Nothing To Brag About
Unlike "ObamneyCare," PawlentyCare led to more people uninsured. TPM: " In 2004, the state had a 7.7 percent rate of uninsurance (low by national standards). By 2009, that had climbed to 9.0 percent. In Massachusetts, by contrast, Romney began his term with a similar uninsurance rate. Now it's below two percent, almost entirely attributable to RomneyCare."
Possible presidential candidate Gov. Rick Perry presides over "Highest Percentage Of Minimum Wage Jobs In The Nation" reports ThinkProgress' Pat Garofalo.
Breakfast Sides
Trade deals may be approved soon. The Hill: "Congressional lawmakers and the White House are closing in on agreement that could bring three pending trade agreements to a House panel for consideration next week ... The trade package under negotiation would include all three pending free trade agreements with South Korea, Panama ... and the Trade Adjustment Assistance program (TAA), which helps U.S workers who've lost their jobs because of foreign trade..."
CFPB will still be able to launch some investigations even if GOP prevent chief from being confirmed by July. Politico: "With no director to issue rules and guidance for banks, the bureau most likely will set policy by conducting investigations, suggested Jaret Seiberg, an analyst for the brokerage firm MF Global. 'The ability of the CFPB to investigate financial firms and then bring enforcement actions for violating existing laws is the most potent weapon the agency has absent a director,' he wrote in a recent report..."
NBC/WSJ polls show public clamoring for active government again. The Economist's Greg Ip: "...the [Tea Party] movement’s broader appeal may also be waning. As my chart shows, after a brief reversal, Americans are once again getting comfortable with more government in their lives ... The bail-outs are receding from memory (and turning a profit), Mr Obama has tacked to the centre, and the economy continues to disappoint. Republicans overreached with Paul Ryan’s budget, thinking the population ready for a draconian restructuring of Medicare to deal with a looming debt crisis. Apparently, it isn’t."
WH Chief of Staff Daley sympathizes with conservative National Association of Manufacturers over regulation. W. Post: "...the room erupted in applause when Massachusetts utility executive Doug Starrett, his voice shaking with emotion, accused the administration of blocking construction on one of his facilities to protect fish, saying government 'throws sand into the gears of progress.' Daley said he did not have many good answers, appearing to throw up his hands in frustration at what he called 'bureaucratic stuff that’s hard to defend.' 'Sometimes you can’t defend the indefensible,' he said."
Bipartisan bill to end filibusters on 200 minor executive branch posts may be filibustered. Politico: "Reid and McConnell said in January they would try to avoid filing cloture - a time-consuming process - on motions to proceed to debate on legislation and nominations. In theory, that would allow debate to begin right away on any bill the majority leader would bring to the floor. But any senator can object to that request, forcing a cloture motion to be filed, which requires 60 votes to proceed. That's exactly what happened Thursday, and now there will be a cloture vote to begin debating the nominations bill on Tuesday."
