Budget Talks Set To Begin
Budget talks formally begin Wednesday. Time previews: "Democrats will push for increased revenue from closing tax loopholes. Democratic congressional staffers point to a few notorious tax exemptions for corporate jets and the oil and gas industry, and the Gingrich-Edwards payroll-tax loophole ... many Republicans will reject any tax-revenue increases ... [But] mutual disgust of sequestration cuts could force a coalition of Republican defense hawks and Democrats together."
Pentagon beginning to accept sequestration. Politico: "According to Hagel’s major strategic review from earlier this year, the U.S. can either field a smaller, high-tech military that might not be big enough for a major contingency, or a larger force equipped with older-model equipment that might not be able to outmatch an advanced adversary. In short, at some point Washington might have to decide whether it wants the military to be compact and high-tech, or larger but antiquated..."
Washington still focused on the wrong question, says W. Post. EJ Dionne: "...here is the tea party’s greatest victory: It has made the wrong problem the center of policymaking. The wrong problem is the deficit. The right problem is sluggish growth and persistent unemployment."
Sen. Bernie Sanders explains "The right way to make a federal budget" in LAT oped: "How do we draft a federal budget that creates jobs, makes our country more productive, protects working families and lowers the deficit For a start, we cannot impose more austerity on people who are already suffering ... Instead of talking about cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, we must end the absurdity of corporations not paying a nickel in federal income taxes ... While Congress in January finally ended Bush's tax breaks for the richest 1%, lower rates were left in place for the top 2%, those households earning between $250,000 and $450,000 a year. That must end ... we can make judicious cuts in our armed forces without compromising our military capability."
"Without federal aid, Amtrak could leave rural areas behind" reports McClatchy: "To supporters, the trains provide a lifeline to rural communities far from major airports and interstate highways. They help travelers bypass airport security and traffic jams. They’re more accessible to the elderly and disabled ... In an email, former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole said that Amtrak’s original map was drawn 'with the understanding that the entire system benefits from long-distance service.' 'It is important that people in rural communities have access to the benefits of passenger rail service,' said Dole, who served for 27 years and was the 1996 Republican presidential nominee. But neither federal nor state funding may be available to sustain long-distance service."
Republican Crosses Aisle On Immigration
House Republican backs Dem immigration bill. McClatchy: "California Rep. Jeff Denham is the first House Republican to join Democrats in co-sponsoring a broad immigration bill that would provide a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the country illegally ... The Republican from Turlock [California] called the legislation 'a common-sense solution to our broken system.'"
Latino donors target GOP. W. Post: "The Latino Victory Project, a new political advocacy organization modeled after the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, is planning to spend as much as $20 million on campaigns targeting members of Congress who have sizable Latino communities in their districts but oppose comprehensive immigration reform."
Pelosi optimistic on Dems taking back House, puts childcare at top of majority agenda: "If Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) were to become Speaker again, she would work to pass a sweeping bill that would significantly expand federal childcare benefits ... 'This is the missing link in so many things that we’ve talked about. It is not exhaustive of all the things we want to do or have done with regard to women, but I do think it would unleash the power of women.'"
