Sanders, McCain Seek VA Deal
Bipartisan talks on Senate VA reform bill. W. Post: "Word of a possible deal first came Wednesday morning when the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee abruptly cancelled plans to hold a hearing on one possible proposal Thursday ... Sanders said he hoped to reach a deal in the coming days. 'The issue is how can we make sure that every veteran in this country can get into a VA facility in a reasonable period of time. And if they can't, what do they do?' he said ..."
More from AP: "The main stumbling block appeared to be over when and under what circumstances veterans could turn to doctors and other providers outside the 1,700-facility VA system for what is largely free care for them. The two lead negotiators couldn't agree on how to define it. Sanders said the primary issue was waiting times, while McCain said it was giving veterans a choice beyond VA for getting care ... [McCain] complained that Sanders' approach 'has the VA bureaucrat decide whether that veteran should get the health care of their choice.' ... Sanders has complained that the VA does not have enough doctors or nurses, particularly for primary care. He is sponsoring a bill that would authorize the VA to lease 27 new health facilities in 18 states."
Higher Wages Needed To Reduce Poverty
EPI reports finds growth hasn't reduced poverty since the 1970s. NYT: "The 1959 to 1973 period might be an unfair benchmark. The Great Society social safety net programs were being put in place, and they may have had a poverty-lowering effect separate from that of the overall economic trends ... But the facts still cast doubt on the notion that growth alone will solve America’s poverty problem ... [Since then] it appears that what income gains they are seeing are coming from working more hours, not from higher hourly pay ..."
But offers a solution. AFL-CIO Blog explains: "...there must be reversal of the destructive changes in labor market policy and business practices, including: Increasing the minimum wage ... Enforcement of existing employment law to counter 'wage theft' ... Providing decent labor standards for guest workers ... more scrutiny on business practices such as subcontracting and franchising ..."
GOP Ducks Climate Debate
5 Senate Dems wants climate debate on floor. The Hill: "A group of Democrats sent a letter to all 45 Senate Republicans Friday inviting them to debate climate change on the Senate floor June 9, a spokesman for Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Seth Larson, told The Hill. So far, no Republicans have responded."
41 Senate GOPers demand Obama scrap climate rules. WSJ: "More interesting than those lawmakers who signed the letter are those that did not. Four Senate Republicans—Bob Corker of Tennessee, Susan Collins of Maine, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and John McCain of Arizona—are not on the letter, and not one Democrat, including the staunchest of EPA’s critics like Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, signed onto the effort."
Breakfast Sides
Mississippi run-off election puts importance of federal dollars in spotlight. W. Post's E. J. Dionne: "... the success of state Sen. Chris McDaniel in outpolling Thad Cochran, a 34-year Senate veteran, on Tuesday and forcing him into a June 24 runoff was a triumph for the tea party movement. Outside conservative groups such as FreedomWorks and the Club for Growth spent millions trying to oust a gracious and civil incumbent they saw as far too cozy with Washington’s big spenders ... Mississippi taxpayers get $3.07 back for every $1 they send to Washington ... 'If Mississippi did what the tea party claims they want . . . we would become a Third World country, quickly,' said Rickey Cole, the state Democratic chairman. 'We depend on the federal government to help us build our highways. We depend on the federal government to fund our hospitals, our health-care system. We depend on the federal government to help us educate our students on every level.'"
Immigration activists protest at 22 House GOP offices. Roll Call: "Twitter, Facebook and other social media were abuzz Wednesday with photos and calls to action from immigration reform activists who protested across the country at district offices of at least a dozen House Republicans ... activists planned to engage in civil disobedience Wednesday through Friday at the offices of 22 House Republicans ... one of the biggest rallies appeared to be at the California office of GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy, with crowds of sign-carrying activists packing the office and spilling over into the parking lot. In Nevada, the Las Vegas Sun reported five protesters arrested outside Rep. Joe Heck’s Henderson office. In Pennsylvania, lehighvalleylive.com. reported that protesters sat down with Rep. Charlie Dent’s district director ... And in Raleigh, N.C., Sergio Sanchez, president of the pro-immigration group Fuerza y Libertad, said his 64-year-old mother was camped out in Rep. George Holding’s office and didn’t plan to leave until she was arrested."
"Senate Democrats go back to student loans in populist push" reports The Hill: "The bill would help the pocketbooks of those Americans struggling with some portion of the $1.2 trillion in outstanding student loans by letting them take advantage of lower interest rates ... Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the lead sponsor on the bill, repeatedly said at a Wednesday press conference that the bill represented a debate about values. 'Do we invest in billionaires who’ve already made it, or in young women who are trying to build a future?' she said ... The new student loan bill is likely to be met by a GOP blockade, given that the $51 billion price tag of the refinancing would be covered by enacting the 'Buffett Rule,' which would ensure millionaires pay a minimum level of tax."
