Nominations Deal Ends Attack on CFPB, NLRB
Cloud of legal uncertainty removed from CFPB. NYT: "The Supreme Court agreed in June to hear a case regarding the legality of Mr. Obama’srecess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board. If the court rules against the administration, it would open the way for challenges regarding Mr. Cordray, who was appointed on the same day and in the same way. The vote on Tuesday, however, means any such ruling most likely would have limited consequences."
GOP gets nothing out of CFPB fight. Politico: "With no changes to the CFPB included as a part of the final agreement, GOP lawmakers say their grievances about the agency had not abated and that they would continue to highlight their problems with the new regulator ... But Republicans have little leverage now to force those changes, at least while President Barack Obama remains in the White House, after giving up their biggest bargaining chip with Cordray."
Side deal boosts CFPB vote. Roll Call: "A side deal that Sen. Rob Portman brokered with Richard Cordray ... helped Cordray get a whopping 17 Republicans to support moving forward with his nomination ... Portman said Cordray has agreed to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee, even though the committee does not have jurisdiction over the CFPB because it is funded directly from the Federal Reserve. Portman also said Cordray pledged to implement cost-benefit analysis of CFPB regulations."
Dems agree to nominate new names for NLRB. Politico: "Obama will nominate AFL-CIO Associate General Counsel Nancy Schiffer and Kent Hirozawa, chief counsel to the NLRB chairman, instead of Block and Griffin. In return for their acquiescence to Republicans’ replacement requests, Democrats get a new talking point: a 'fully functioning' NLRB all the way through Obama’s presidency. They also got a couple of picks that Democratic sources said were made in consultation with the AFL-CIO ... in addition to guarantees that the GOP will quickly help Democrats confirm Schiffer and Hirozawa before the NLRB ceases to function in August, they also got an agreement not to block another NLRB slot in 2014."
Obama, Senate Leaders Renew Immigration Push
Obama rejects immigration reform without path to citizenship, during series of Spanish TV interviews. WSJ: "President Barack Obama on Tuesday said overhauling the immigration system should be considered as a complete package in Congress, which is at odds with how House Republicans want to approach immigration legislation, and said it didn’t make sense to try to change the system without giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship ... He likened breaking up immigration system in pieces to trying to get his children to eat food they don’t like, saying 'If you’ve eaten your dessert before you’ve eaten your meal, at least with my children, sometimes they don’t end up eating their vegetables.'"
GOP may try to "define citizenship down" says W. Post's Greg Sargent: "If flatly opposing citizenship — and killing the bill as a result — is seen as too politically risky, Republicans may coalesce around a path to citizenship for a few million people — significantly less than half of the 11 million current undocumented immigrants in this country."
Senate leaders organize campaign to pressure House GOP on immigration. Politico: "Senators like John McCain (R-Ariz), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) met with tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Intel, and pro reform groups like FWD.us to discuss a coordinated campaign to target more than 100 House Republicans on reforming the nation’s immigration laws when they are at home in their districts over the next month ... [Schumer] told the business groups that they need to join with Senate Democrats and Republicans to convince a majority of House Republicans to approach Boehner and ask him to abandon his pledge to follow the Hastert Rule ... He named specific House Republicans and the political dynamics in their district that might push them toward supporting immigration reform."
Breakfast Sides
Bipartisan energy efficiency bill headed to Senate floor. The Hill: "Controversial amendments held up a similar version of the bill last session, as insiders say Reid was reluctant to trigger a vote on a menu of messaging bills ranging from the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline and greenhouse gas emissions regulations. This time around, Shaheen and Portman have tried to persuade colleagues to withhold contentious provisions ... Chief among the bill’s contents is a directive that the federal government, one of the largest energy consumers in the world, employ energy-saving practices at its buildings. It also would provide incentives for manufacturers to install more energy-efficient technologies at their facilities, promote workforce training and create voluntary, model buildings codes for new buildings."
Joblessness going up in Europe. NYT: "Joblessness is expected to continue edging up, to about 28 percent in Spain and Greece, 12.5 percent in Italy and 11 percent in France by the end of 2014, the Paris-based O.E.C.D. said in its forecast. Young people and the low-skilled will be affected the most ..."
Pentagon proposes major cut. WSJ: "The Pentagon is proposing a 20% cut in the budget of major military headquarters to comply with mandated budget reductions, a move that could result in thousands of layoffs across the Department of Defense. Defense officials have been reviewing various proposals to reduce spending. The new proposal, which would have to be approved by Congress, would cut personnel between 2015 and 2019, going far beyond civilian furloughs now under way."
