Obama Wages Wage Battle...
Obama to stump for $10.10 minimum Wednesday. The Hill: "President Obama will appear with four Democratic governors from New England on Wednesday in Connecticut ... Three of the governors, Dannel Malloy (Conn.), Peter Shumlin (Vt.) and Lincoln Chafee (R.I.), touted their efforts to bring state minimum wages in line with Obama’s request during a conference call on Sunday."
Wage push seen as part of strategy to re-connect with white working class. NYT: "A big reason for Democrats’ emphasis on raising the minimum wage is the polling proof that the issue resonates with all groups, including white men."
...As Budget Battle Is Joined
Obama budget out tomorrow. USA Today: " ... it will mark a starting point for Obama and Republicans to begin framing the choice facing voters ahead of mid-term elections ... Obama's proposal will detail $28 billion in new domestic funding, including funding for new manufacturing hubs, job training and early childhood education that will be offset by cost savings elsewhere ..."
Get ready for another Ryan budget. W. Post: "On Monday, Ryan (R-Wis.), the House Budget Committee chairman, will publish an often stinging 204-page critique of the federal government’s anti-poverty policies, questioning the efficacy of dozens of initiatives and underscoring where Republicans say consolidation or spending reductions are needed ... Ryan said the report is a prelude to the House GOP’s budget, which will be unveiled later this month ... 'This document is a precursor not only of our budget but of our larger project to introduce poverty reforms over the course of this year,' Ryan said..."
W. Post's E.J. Dionne critiques the new GOP tax reform plan: "...it’s [Rep. Dave] Camp’s premise that’s wrong: At a time of rising inequality, we do not need fewer, lower tax brackets. The fastest income growth has been in the top 0.1 percent. This points to the need for new, somewhat higher tax rates at the very top."
GOP tax plan gives up low top rate. Politico: "One promise had to give, and last week Camp abandoned plans for a deep cut in the top marginal tax rate. He settled for 35 percent, which is just 4 percentage points lower than the current one ... Getting all the way down to 25 percent 'would have reduced taxes for the top 1 percent' and 'I said we would be distributionally neutral.'"
Breakfast Sides
Some states avoiding food stamp cut. AP: "Connecticut and New York have found a way around federal budget cuts that played a central role in the massive farm bill passed this month: bump up home heating assistance a few million bucks in return for preserving more than a half-billion dollars in food stamp benefits."
Senate to take up child care bill, test ability to pass anything. NYT: "Leaders will take up a modest, bipartisan bill on child care assistance ... They will open it to amendments, allow the process to unfold without time limits ... If it works, they will then take up a bipartisan manufacturing bill, a worker-training proposal and possibly an energy-conservation measure to keep the momentum going ..."
Obama makes progress on light rail. The Hill: "...while the GOP was training its focus on halting high-speed railways, several cities began constructing light rail and streetcar systems with the help of Obama's transportation department ... In addition to Minneapolis and St. Paul, cities such as Charlotte, Dallas and Los Angeles are currently building new light rail lines. Washington, D.C. and Atlanta are additionally planning new streetcar lines, as is Charlotte ..."
