BREAKING: December Jobs Report
252K new jobs in December, reports Labor Department: "Job gains occurred in professional and business services, construction, food services and drinking places, health care, and manufacturing ... The unemployment rate declined by 0.2 percentage point to 5.6 percent ... the employment-population ratio was 59.2 percent for the third consecutive month. However, the employment-population ratio is up by 0.6 percentage point over the year ... average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased by 5 cents to $24.57, following an increase of 6 cents in November."
Progressives Rally To Stop Fast Track
Anti-fast track event exposes rift on trade among Democrats. Roll Call: "...joined by high-ranking officials from some of the largest and most powerful unions in the country, at least 16 House Democrats gathered ... to rail against so-called fast-track authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership ... Representing a diverse spectrum of progressives and moderates, Democrats suggested they were the conscience of the Congress ... Democrats who have typically been inclined to support trade agreements and fast-track authority are uncomfortable with the divisions growing in the caucus and the sense that they are being cast as villains and traitors."
More from the anti-fast track rally from OurFuture.org's Dave Johnson.
Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen says "Fight Back": "Virtually all Americans oppose Fast Track but we need to be organizing, shouting and fighting back, particularly with 75 swing House Democrats and Republicans. At least 190 House Democrats and Republicans will vote 'No.' These 75 are key ... Starting with the State of the Union address, in two weeks, we will face an avalanche from the president, Republican leaders and Big Business. We must mobilize now and like never before!"
Pelosi doesn't tip her hand. The Hill: "...Pelosi said there is a bit of a waiting game to see how the final TPP deal comes out and how much it helps Americans[:] 'I do think the burden of proof is on those who want us to sign up for something like that, that it really will increase the paychecks of the American people ... let’s see what they are proposing.'"
Dem Divide On Dodd-Frank
Dem rifts arise over Dodd-Frank. Politico: "Tension reached a boiling point during a closed-door caucus meeting Wednesday ... Liberal Massachusetts Rep. Mike Capuano incensed the moderates when he said if Democrats support rolling back Dodd-Frank regulations, 'you might as well be a Republican.' ... [At] a meeting of the New Democrat Coalition, a pro-business faction of the caucus, later in the day [members] expressed anger at the liberal faction for name calling and for dismissing their point of view outright. The lawmakers [said] any future Democratic majority would look more like them than the liberal faction of the caucus."
Congress passes terrorism insurance bill with Dodd-Frank rollback. NYT: "... to win passage, Democrats had to grudgingly assent to an easing of regulations on exotic financial instruments, known as derivatives, by some users ... The bill passed the Senate 93 to 4, a day after the House approved it 416 to 5. President Obama is expected to sign it ... Senators Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, tried to strip out the Dodd-Frank rollback ... The amendment did not even come close, falling on a bipartisan 66-31 rebuke..."
Boehner Appears To Entertain Gas Tax Hike
Republican shift seen on gas tax. The Hill: "A transportation industry source told The Hill that the comments from lawmakers indicated a new willingness to consider increasing gas taxes were one of 'a few significant things that happened' that happened recently. 'Most obviously, the price of gas and oil is likely to stay low for a long time, giving lawmakers some leeway to act on this,' the source said. 'Even hardcore conservatives like Inhofe realize we need a long-transportation bill and that temporary patches are not helping.'"
Boehner stops short of ruling out gas tax hike. Roll Call: "'Funding the highway bill is critically important, it is a priority for this year. How we will fund it — we’re going to have to work our way through it,' Boehner [said.]"
Breakfast Sides
House passes bill to help employers skirt Obamacare mandate. NYT: "The House on Thursday easily passed legislation that would redefine a full-time worker under the Affordable Care Act, brushing aside qualms from conservatives and liberals who fear the bill would prompt employers to cut worker hours to avoid being forced to offer them health insurance. The Save American Workers Act, which passed the House by 252 to 172 in the face of a presidential veto threat, would change the definition of a full-time worker under the health law from one who works 30 hours a week to one who works 40 hours."
Obama proposes free community college. NYT: "The plan would be funded by the federal government and participating states, but White House officials declined to discuss how much it would cost or how it would be financed. It is bound to be expensive and likely a tough sell to a Republican Congress not eager to spend money, especially on a proposal from the White House ... The plan is modeled after Tennessee’s free community college program, called the Tennessee Promise, which will be available to students graduating high school this year. It has drawn 58,000 applicants, almost 90 percent of the state’s high school seniors, and more than twice as many as expected."
