Ryan Budget Vote Expected Today
House GOP close to majority on Ryan budget, but not quite there. The Hill: "House Republican leaders expressed confidence on the eve of Thursday’s vote on Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) budget, even as they made last-minute moves to prevent an embarrassing defeat ... An informal whip count by The Hill indicated 12 House Republicans are 'no' or 'likely no' votes, while four others remain undecided. That left two wild card members who, together, could sink the budget."
Progressive Caucus budget puts House on record. The Hill: "The Congressional Progressive Caucus budget substitute provided $3.2 trillion in 2015, offset partly with higher income taxes on millionaires. Its provisions include repealing sequestration cuts and allowing states to implement single-payer health systems under ObamaCare. The proposal would also assume implementation of immigration reform ... But the House turned away this proposal ... in a 89-327 vote that saw 103 Democrats vote against it."
Ryan budget reforms the Earned Income Tax Credit to make it worse, says The Nation's Michelle Chen: "Ryan has praised the EITC as part of a conservative anti-poverty agenda ... However, Ryan’s budget would revamp the EITC in a way that steepens the onramp out of poverty. Back in 2009, Congress expanded the tax break for lower-income families, helping to lift 1.5 million people above the poverty line. But Ryan is proposing to let this measure expire, along with other draconian welfare cuts..."
Senate Republicans block pay equity bill. Politico: "The legislation failed to clear a 60-vote threshold to open debate on the bill, falling short, 53-44. Immediately after the vote, senior Democrats vowed that they will bring the bill up for future votes, daring the GOP to continually block a bill meant to appeal to women voters in a tight midterm election year."
Sens. Cory Booker and Tim Scott propose business tax cuts to help minority unemployment. McClatchy: "Sens. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, and Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, unveiled a bill that would give businesses tax credits for hiring apprentices registered with the U.S. Labor Department or with a state government agency ... The senators said their bill would help create 400,000 apprenticeships nationwide, filling a share of the 4 million jobs they said are vacant because employers can’t find workers with skills to fill them."
Uphill Pushes For Trade, Immigration
Obama tries convincing labor to back trade agenda. Roll Call: "The administration must defuse labor’s fierce opposition to bring congressional Democrats on board. But in pressing for new free trade deals the White House doesn’t want to drain enthusiasm [for] the upcoming midterm elections ... Michael Froman, the U.S. trade representative and a former White House economic aide, is highlighting labor’s role in the ongoing negotiations over TPP and TTIP and has launched new advisory committees to give unions a bigger role in the process ... Advising the negotiators and having a deeper impact on any final agreements are two different things, however."
Pelosi stumping hard for immigration. Politico: "In recent weeks, she’s pitched an overhaul to audiences from Miami to Los Angeles to Laredo, Texas ... Pelosi said Democrats need to stay focused on a policy goal that she sees as more important than regaining control of the House ... she also argues that immigration activists shouldn’t train all of their fire on Obama, saying that lets Speaker John Boehner and other GOP leaders 'off the hook' for failing to bring immigration legislation to the floor."
Tale of Two Cities: New York and Trenton
Mayor de Blasio puts first 100 days in perspective with NYT: "Mr. de Blasio portrayed his administration as having kept its pledge to combat inequality, an image he plans to emphasize in a speech at the Cooper Union on Thursday, his 100th day in office. 'I feel very good about where we’ve ended up,' he said, citing, as he frequently has in recent weeks, the state money he secured for prekindergarten classes."
Christie's New Jersey suffers humiliating credit rating cut. Bloomberg: "The downgrade puts the state’s credit four levels below the top, and leaves it with California and Illinois in the single-A category, lower than 47 other states ... Governor Chris Christie’s revenue projections have missed actual collections for three straight years ... 'Almost five years after the official start of the economic recovery, New Jersey continues to struggle with structural imbalance and stands in stark difference to many of its peers who registered sizeable budgetary surpluses in fiscal 2013,' John Sugden, an S&P analyst, wrote..."
