Vote Expected Today on Unemployment Insurance
Democrats close to 60 votes for jobless aid before expected vote today. Las Vegas Sun: "After five weeks of suspended benefits, jobless workers will get another chance at having their checks restored today when the Senate votes on a new, paid-for, three-month extension. The latest bill seeks to offset the $6.4 billion cost of extending federal funding for unemployment benefits with a tactic called 'pension smoothing.' ... Reid has said he has '58 or 59' of the 60 votes needed for the unemployment bill to pass."
Reid resists GOP calls for more amendments. Reuters: "In describing the bill on the Senate floor, Reid said, 'What we are going to do is offer a fully paid for three-month extension of unemployment insurance.' 'That's what Republicans said they wanted, and we agreed to it,' Reid said, alluding to Republican demands last month. 'We will not agree to an unlimited number of amendments.'"
Boehner Looks For Debt Limit Escape Hatch
Boehner floats tying debt limit increase to scrapping military benefit cuts. W. Post: "Though Boehner did not formally endorse the idea as his own, he did ask his lieutenants to test it among rank-and-file Republicans ... Outside the House chamber Wednesday night, the plan was gaining momentum, with dozens of GOP members saying they could back it. The benefits for retired military personnel were reduced in last year’s bipartisan budget agreement, which cut $6 billion in payments to veterans over the next 10 years ... if House Republicans cannot find common ground soon on its debt-limit strategy, Boehner’s inner circle acknowledged Wednesday that a clean debt-limit hike — without strings attached — could be in the offing."
Boehner eyes Democrats. Bloomberg: "House leaders may offer something that 'attracts' Democrats because 'we’ve sort of run to the end of the line on what can we do that gets us 218' Republican votes, said Oklahoma Representative Tom Cole, an ally of Speaker John Boehner."
Obama Tries To Quell Trade Revolt
President touches on trade in meeting with Senate Dems. Politico: "President Barack Obama rallied Senate Democrats behind his election-year agenda on Wednesday, even privately urging senators to 'keep your powder dry' on his push to expand international trade despite the strong opposition from many leading Democrats ... Obama argued that his push would expand access into untapped markets, including in Asia, and urged his fellow Democrats to keep an open mind on the effort..."
Incoming Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden has no plans to consider fast-track. The Hill: "'Senators want to examine the changes in global commerce and how it affects both the process and substantive agreements, so I’m going to spend some time listening to senators,' Wyden told The Hill. Other Democrats on the Finance panel say Wyden is signaling that fast-track — which Obama called for in his State of the Union address last week — is on ice for now."
Dem delay could sink Pacific trade deal. National Journal: "The negotiations for the Asia-based TPP recommence in Singapore on Feb. 17. The best lever the U.S. has in reaching a deal is fast-track authority—because it gives other nations a sense of confidence that the deal will hold. That’s now impossible."
Breakfast Sides
NLRB brings back union election reform rule. WSJ: "The National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday revived a sweeping proposal to streamline and speed union-organizing elections at companies, positioning the agency for a fight with business groups, which stymied the original 2011 measure in court on a technicality ... The changes would delay employers' legal challenges, including whether certain workers are eligible to vote, until after the election occurs. Unions say that would eliminate litigation used to stall elections, but business groups say it would limit employers' ability to launch timely challenges and counter union-organizing campaigns."
Tenuous Senate guest worker compromise threatened in House. Politico: "...Republicans are split over whether to raise or reduce the number of guest workers coming into the country, according to several top sources close to the issue. Meanwhile, Democrats will be reluctant to depart from the high-stakes agreement struck between labor and business ... If a House solution veers too far from the Senate deal on guest workers, key officials believe the entire reform effort could collapse."
