Obama Won't Wait On Minimum Wage
President to announce executive order, raising minimum wage for federal contract workers. W. Post: "...he will use his executive power to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour for workers on new government contracts ... An estimated 2 million Americans work on federal contracts ... A survey by the National Employment Law Project of contractors who manufacture military uniforms, provide food and janitorial services, and truck goods found that 75 percent of them earn less than $10 per hour. One in five was dependent on Medicaid for health care, and 14 percent used food stamps ..."
Another executive order to help low-wage workers save for retirement. AP: "Another action Obama is expected to announce is the creation of a new retirement savings plan geared toward workers whose employers don't currently offer such plans. Because commercial retirement accounts often have fees or high minimum deposits that are onerous for low-wage workers, this program would allow first-time savers to start building up savings in Treasury bonds. Once the savings grew large enough, a worker could convert the account into a traditional IRA..."
New York's Jonathan Chait hopeful about Obama plan to help long-term unemployed: "President Obama will announce that some of the largest firms in the United States have signed a pledge not to discriminate in hiring against the long-term unemployed ... What Obama is trying to do in the State of the Union speech is to create a new kind of social norm in hiring ... This isn’t going to revolutionize the job market ... [But] because it is a cultural problem, it’s the sort of thing a high-profile speech combined with concerted jawboning with corporate leaders has a hope of actually changing."
But Senate Dems will delay vote on unemployment insurance. The Hill: "Senate Democrats are dropping the issue of extending federal unemployment benefits — at least for now ... The timing of the next unemployment vote is uncertain, though the aide added that Reid could bring the issue back to the floor quickly if a compromise emerges."
TNR's Mike Konzcal urges President to demand "full employment": "...full employment would make many of our other problems easier to deal with. As Truman noted, the deficit would be easier to handle. It would allow us to have a more realistic notion of what things like education and marriage promotion are capable of doing to ensure economic security for our citizens. But make no mistake, this is a radical proposal, and it’s not surprising it vanished from public discussion in a conservative era. But bringing the idea back would be an important way of transitioning to a post-Obama liberalism."
GOP Inches Forward On Immigration
House leadership "statement of principles" on immigration will be circulated at GOP retreat this week: "The House Republican leadership’s broad framework for overhauling the nation’s immigration laws will call this week for a path to legal status — but not citizenship — for many of the 11 million adult immigrants who are in the country illegally ... and mentions that some kind of triggers must be included in an immigration overhaul to ensure that borders are secured first ..."
Are they serious? W. Post's Greg Sargent: "Here’s the question: What will Republicans demand as a condition for legalization? If their basic principle is that legalization will be contingent on undocumented immigrants paying back taxes and a fine, and on the Department of Homeland Security producing a border security plan (as in the Senate bill), that could be a real stepping stone to negotiations and possibly even something approximating comprehensive reform. But if their basic principle is that legalization will only happen after various border security metrics being met — such as E-Verify being fully operational, or proof that 90 percent of border crossers must be being apprehended and 100 percent of the border must be being surveilled — then that’s going to be a very discouraging sign."
Breakfast Sides
Congressional negotiators agree on farm subsidy/food stamp bill. NYT: "[The] five-year farm bill ... will eliminate or consolidate dozens of agriculture subsidy programs, expand government-subsidized crop insurance and cut about $8 billion from the food stamp program over the next decade ... Many Senate Democrats are likely to be unhappy with the food stamps measure, which cuts roughly twice as much as senators approved in May. Yet the food stamp cuts may not be large enough to appease House conservatives ... The new bill would make the most significant changes to farm programs in decades. It would create a new milk insurance subsidy program and place a cap on farm subsidy payments ..."
Push for fast-track trade authority suffering hits from left and right. WSJ: "Some conservative and tea party leaders say the legislation, also known as trade promotion authority, is constitutionally suspect because it limits the powers of Congress to weigh in on international agreements and increases the power of the executive branch ... On Monday, a group called the Citizens Trade Campaign said more than 500 organizations—including many unions and environmental groups—had signed a letter to Congress opposing fast track ..."
