Obama Address Takes Diplomatic Path ... For Now
Mixed reaction to speech in Congress. National Journal: "...many Democrats [said] they heard a message of strength from the president while Republicans were largely unconvinced that the administration has a firm handle on the ongoing crisis ... The delay gave an almost unprecedented twist to an address that had been planned to press Congress to vote quickly on his request. Instead, Obama used it to make the case for a response without knowing if that response will be military or diplomatic. Based on their instant responses Tuesday night, it was clear most members prefer the latter."
Senate working on new resolution. TPM: "Work is still underway on an amendment to the committee’s resolution that would reflect the changing diplomatic reality. But the timeline is uncertain, given the president’s request and the potential that the crisis will be resolved diplomatically. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) told reporters earlier on Tuesday that a vote would not be happening anytime soon. Senate aides for members involved in the drafting of new language for the resolution indicated to TPM that there is much less urgency in getting something passed."
Russia backtracks. AP: "The prospect of a deal that could be enforced militarily met swift opposition from Russia, which has provided economic, military and diplomatic support to Assad throughout the 2½-year conflict. President Vladimir Putin said the plan can only work if 'the American side and those who support the U.S.A, in this sense, reject the use of force.' Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told his French counterpart that it is unacceptable for the resolution to cite Chapter 7, the U.N. resolution authorizing force ... U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, in turn, said the U.S. rejects a Russian suggestion that the U.N. endorsement come in the form of a non-binding statement from the Security Council president. The U.S. has to have a full resolution — one that entails 'consequences if games are played and somebody tries to undermine this,' he said."
GOP Leaders Seek To Avert Shutdown, Keep Sequester
Conservatives balk at latest GOP maneuver to avoid shutdown. Politico: "Heavyweight conservative organizations including Club for Growth, FreedomWorks and Heritage Action said the same thing on Tuesday: All complained that the plan wouldn’t really block spending on the Affordable Care Act because it would allow the Senate to knock out the defunding language ... the continuing resolution is scheduled for a vote as early as Thursday in the House. The GOP leadership wants to allow members to vote for defunding while still ensuring the fighting over Obamacare won’t hold up broader spending negotiations or lead to a government shutdown..."
House Appropriations Chair drafts continuing resolution maintaining sequester. Roll Call: "'The bill does not include new or controversial riders, or changes in existing federal policy,' according to a summary of the legislation ... It does, however, hold funding levels at $986.3 billion, which is slightly below the current sequester-era top line of $988 billion. Democrats have signaled they are likely to vote against any CR set to those levels, calling instead for a full replacement of the sequester or at least revisions to bring parity between defense and domestic spending cuts."
Increased fees may offer path to compromise. Politico: "There are the fees the government charges for providing or guaranteeing loans to college students, to homeowners, to small businesses. There are premiums — for federal crop insurance, for bank deposit insurance, for flood insurance, for Medicare, for private pension insurance. There are royalties — for oil and natural gas drilling on federal lands, for cattle grazing on government property. There are the things the government sells — electricity produced by the Tennessee Valley Authority, timber from forests on federal lands, maps from the U.S. Geological Survey. There are customs fees, fees for food-safety inspections, fees for patent applications — more than 3,600 separate charges, according to the Government Accountability Office. Lawmakers have quietly, and repeatedly, agreed to increase those charges in recent years even as they battled over taxes and spending."
AFL-CIO Embarks On Strategic Shift
AFL-CIO convention marks strategic shift for labor movement, notes W. Post's Harold Meyerson: "Unable to build traditional unions the traditional way, the AFL-CIO has committed itself to building the kinds of coalitions that won expanded health care and affordable lofts in San Francisco ... it wants to cement these alliances in permanent coalitions ... labor will commit resources to building omnibus organizations where union and environmental (and other) leaders work for a common program ..."
Labor looks to organize the South. The Hill: "Union officials told The Hill that the labor movement needs to follow the workforce, which is moving down South, as well as learn how to better operate with right-to-work laws in the region designed to weaken union power."
And prepares to fight Pacific trade deal. Politico: "Celeste Drake, trade policy specialist with the AFL-CIO, said the resolution recognizes that the Pacific trade deal is not yet concluded and 'it’s not a statement in opposition — yet.' She said AFL-CIO leadership does not have a date certain for deciding if or when to launch an opposition campaign and the organization is still in touch with the administration 'to try to push issues that are beneficial to workers.'"
