Republicans Filibuster Jobless As Job Market Stalls
Jobs report again below expectations. BLS: "Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 113,000 in January, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 6.6 percent ... the civilian labor force rose by 499,000 in January, and the labor force participation rate edged up to 63.0 percent ... In 2013, employment growth averaged 194,000 per month ... federal government employment decreased by 12,000; the U.S. Postal Service accounted for most of this decline ..."
Republicans filibuster long-term unemployment insurance by one vote. W. Post: "[Republicans] said that the latest proposal did not have a proper offsetting spending cut to lessen the impact on the federal deficit. Additionally, the two sides continued to squabble over procedural matters related to how many amendments the Republicans would be allowed to offer ... [The] latest proposal came with savings drawn from a plan that would allow companies to make different pension contributions based on historical averages, something that would lead to higher tax receipts for the Treasury ..."
"Senate Republicans stared the jobs crisis right in the face, yawned, and blamed the deficit" writes The Atlantic's Derek Thompson: "Long-term unemployment is a cancer in the jobs market, but unlike some cancers, we know how to begin to treat this. We know that unemployment benefits help several million people in destitution, since the long-term jobless are 5X more likely to be living in poverty than somebody with a job. We know that extended benefits keep them attached to the workforce by paying them to look for work. We know we can hire them. We know we can pay businesses to hire them. We know we can pay them to move closer to businesses that will hire them. We know we have options. The first step in this diagnosis is caring. Too many Republicans simply don't."
Boehner Taps Brake On Immigration Reform
Boehner tries to shift blame to White House if House Republicans fail to pass immigration reform. W. Post: "'There’s widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws,' Boehner (R-Ohio) said during a midday news conference at the Capitol. 'And it’s going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes.' ... Rep. Raúl R. Labrador (R-Idaho) suggested that Boehner could lose his speakership if he pursues a bill in a midterm election year. Aides emphasized that Boehner remains committed to immigration reform and said he raised concerns about Obama because they had emerged as a consensus during the retreat."
Republicans may be linking fast-track to immigration. NYT: "Given that Mr. Boehner’s negative comments on the prospects for immigration came on the same day Senate Republicans again blocked an extension of emergency unemployment aid, Republicans risk being portrayed as a force of obstruction if the year becomes one long impasse ... But Republicans knowledgeable about the issue said immigration was not yet completely off the table ... Republicans, through Mr. Boehner’s remarks and other channels, are letting the White House know that one way it can begin to win back the confidence of House Republicans is to work with them on issues such as expanded trade authority despite House and Senate Democratic resistance to new trade deals."
Red State Dems Move Away From Obama
Vulnerable Senate Dem Mark Pryor reject $10.10 minimum wage. HuffPost: "'I know $10.10 still isn’t a whole lot of money, but I think it’s too much, too fast,' Pryor told Bloomberg in an article published Thursday ... the National Retail Federation and the National Restaurant Association are lobbying against the increase and have contributed to Pryor's campaign ... Pryor does back a state ballot initiative to raise Arkansas' minimum wage from $6.25 to $8.50 over three years."
Pro-oil Senate Dem ascends to Energy Cmte Chair. NYT: "Senator Mary L. Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana, is set to become chairwoman next week of the Senate Energy Committee, a powerful position that gives her jurisdiction over the oil and gas industry that fuels her state’s economy — and which will be a major source of contributions to Ms. Landrieu’s tough re-election campaign this fall ... The Senate’s liberals, many of whom have clashed with Ms. Landrieu on environmental issues, chafe at her new role. But for now, they are staying quiet about a move that could give Democrats an edge in an important race ... She supports more offshore drilling and the Keystone XL oil pipeline. She has voted at least 11 times against proposals to curb climate change by regulating greenhouse gas emissions."
Breakfast Sides
NH latest state to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. NYT: "Under the agreement, the state will use federal money to buy private insurance, similar to a method adopted last year in Iowa and Arkansas."
NYT's Paul Krugman highlights the good news in the CBO report for Obamacare: "Much public discussion of health reform is still colored by Obamacare’s terrible start, and presumes that the program remains a disaster. [But CBO] predicts that first-year sign-ups in the health exchanges will fall only modestly short of expectations, and that nearly as many uninsured Americans will gain insurance as it predicted last spring ... We had the nonexistent death panels. We had false claims that the Affordable Care Act will cause the deficit to balloon. We had supposed horror stories about ordinary Americans facing huge rate increases, stories that collapsed under scrutiny. And now we have a fairly innocuous technical estimate misrepresented as a tale of massive economic damage. Meanwhile, the reality is that American health reform — flawed and incomplete though it is — is making steady progress."
