Obamacare Defenders Push Back
ThinkProgress debunks NBC report that Obama "knew" that Obamacare would force insurers to cancel certain health plans: "This all sounds very ominous until you consider that the naturally high turnover rate associated with the individual market means that it’s highly unlikely that individuals would still be enrolled in plans from 2010 in 2014. In fact, the Obama administration publicly admitted this when it issued the regulations in 2010, leading Republicans like Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) to seize on the story in order to push for repeal of the grandfather regulations ... individuals receiving cancellation notices will have a choice of enrolling in subsidized insurance in the exchanges and will probably end up paying less for more coverage."
WH rebuts. Politico: "'NBC "scoop" cites "normal turnover in the indiv insurance market". That’s a) not new b) not caused by #ACA c) the problem #ACA will solve,' White House principal deputy press secretary Josh Earnest said in a tweet."
Conservative change strategy. The Hill: "Powerful grassroots organizations appear ready to back House GOP leadership on “targeted strikes” to weaken the law, a strategy they criticized as insufficiently aggressive in the months before the government closed. They hope that piecemeal votes against ObamaCare will put points on the board and magnify Democratic divisions ahead of next year’s midterm elections."
"GOP floats 'keep your health plan' bill" reports The Hill: "House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) will introduce legislation that expands the Affordable Care Act's 'grandfather' clause to include plans sold on the individual market in January 2013."
Medicare chief to testify in front of Congress today about website rollout.
"Obama to Talk Romneycare Wednesday" reports National Journal: "President Obama will head to Boston on Wednesday for a speech about the importance of providing all Americans with quality, affordable health insurance and the experience in Massachusetts..."
Website security glitch fixed reports Time.
More GOP Support For Immigration Reform Predicted
GOP congressman predicts more support for reform. The Hill: "'While I'm the first Republican to support this legislation I expect others to sign on in the coming days,' Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) said ... Rep. Joe Garcia (D-Fla.), a Democratic sponsor of the bill Denham is now supporting, said that he'd been in talks with a number of other House Republicans in recent weeks, and that some were likely to sign on soon."
Rubio's distancing from Senate immigration bill doesn't change anything, notes Politico: "Immigration reformers argue that the remarks don’t actually change the political calculus in the GOP-led House, which was never going to pass the Senate’s comprehensive bill anyway. Reform foes say Rubio lost any credibility he had with House conservatives by authoring the Gang of Eight bill in the first place."
Breakfast Sides
WH leans on Congress to pass "fast-track" trade legislation. Politico: "But there is little momentum in Congress toward passing [fast-track] legislation ... [The] team at USTR are pushing to finish the TPP [Pacific trade deal] talks by the end of the year, putting pressure on Congress to move a [fast-track] bill to set the stage for the final phase of talks. However, months of technical-level talks between Democratic and Republican staff on the committees of jurisdiction in Congress still have not produced a bill, even though both Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) set a goal of passing [it] this year."
Wall St. has friends in the House. NYT: "The House is scheduled to vote on two bills this week that would undercut new financial regulations and hand Wall Street a victory. The legislation has garnered broad bipartisan support in the House, even after lawmakers learned that Citigroup lobbyists helped write one of the bills, which would exempt a wide array of derivatives trading from new regulation ... Both the Treasury Department and consumer groups have urged lawmakers to reject the bills, warning that they could leave the nation vulnerable again to excessive financial risk taking. The House proposals stand little chance of becoming law, having received a much chillier reception in the Senate ..."
Labor Dept. moves aggressively on jobs. The Hill: "Newly installed Labor Secretary Thomas Perez is presiding over a burst of rule-making unseen at the agency for years. Perez, in his first three months on the job, has overseen new rules on wages, hiring and chemical exposure, some of which had been bogged down by years of delay ... Beginning in March, contractors will have a goal of making sure that 7 percent of their hires are people with disabilities. The standard for veterans will be 8 percent but could fluctuate ... the rules have drawn praise from Republicans who said Labor’s measured approach would improve employment among veterans and the disabled — groups with high jobless rates ... Perez rattled off the list of regulatory actions taken thus far on his watch, including the new hiring standards, progress on silica and a separate coal dust rule, and the issuance of a final rule guaranteeing minimum wage and overtime pay benefits to some 2 million domestic care workers."
Reid renews push to confirm nominations. W. Post: "The list includes Alan Estevez to be principal deputy undersecretary of Defense; Katherine Archuleta to be director of the Office of Personnel Management; Thomas Wheeler to be a member of the Federal Communications Commission; Jack Lew to positions at the International Monetary Fund and other international banks; and Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.) to be director of the Federal Housing Agency. Reid also sought a vote on Patricia Millett to be U.S. circuit judge for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Timing is uncertain, but the vote will occur on the Estevez nomination Wednesday, Reid announced, with the other votes following that. The nomination push, particularly for judges, is likely to meet with resistance from Republicans and restart the debate over whether nominations should require 60 votes."
