Fast-Track Bill May Come Tomorrow
Senate may move bill quickly, House may be roadblock. NYT: "After the bill’s announcement, likely on Wednesday, the [Senate] Finance Committee would move quickly to complete it and send it to the full Senate, setting up a major showdown in the House. Mr. Obama and the House Republican leadership would be aligned against most House Democrats, who say the bill would harm American jobs, and against the most conservative Republicans, who dislike extending such authority to Mr. Obama."
Few House Dems supporting Obama on fast-track. The Hill: "The Wall Street Journal reported in March that between 50 and 60 Republicans could buck Boehner and Obama on fast-track. That would require Democrats to deliver about 32 votes. When the administration’s effort began, the high-water mark for Democratic support was thought to be 32 Democratic votes. Some say that figure is still obtainable, but Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) said the number is probably closer to 15 right now."
AFL-CIO leads "week of action" to stop fast-track. The Hill: "Lawmakers, labor union leaders and their members will hold a rally Wednesday on Capitol Hill and follow that up with 50 grassroots events around the country and in more than a dozen countries on Saturday as part of the weeklong effort."
Oregon businesses, workers split on trade. Reuters: "With 44 percent of Oregon's exports already heading to the Trans Pacific Partnership countries and an estimated one in five jobs dependent on trade, local businesses are lobbying for the 12-nation [TPP] pact ... Yet scars from two decades of globalization and fears that big business will hijack the agenda make even many of those who may benefit from more trade apprehensive ..."
Clinton's First Tests In Iowa
Hillary Clinton arrives in Iowa today. Mason City Globe Gazette: "Clinton is scheduled to tour an advanced manufacturing lab and meet with about a half dozen students and faculty for a round-table discussion ... Wednesday she will tour Capital City Fruit in Norwalk where she will meet with employees of the small, family-owned business followed by a roundtable discussion with members of the small business community ..."
Iowa visit overlaps with "Fight for $15" strike. NYT: "The [wage] issue will be in the foreground on Wednesday, when fast-food and other low-wage workers plan a nationwide walkout that is expected to draw tens of thousands of people to rally support for a $15-an-hour minimum wage ... The daylong strike may provide the first test for the campaign at managing the desire of voters and party activists for an aggressive approach to mitigating income inequality."
Clinton fundraising email highlights CEO pay. Reuters: "Striking a populist note, Clinton ... said American families were still facing financial hardship at a time 'when the average CEO makes about 300 times what the average worker makes.' ... The enthusiasm of some progressives was tempered by the fact that they have yet to see the details of Clinton's policy proposals."
New Minimum Wage Benchmark: $70K
One business sets a $70,000/year minimum. NYT: "The idea began percolating, said Dan Price, the founder of Gravity Payments, after he read an article on happiness. It showed that, for people who earn less than about $70,000, extra money makes a big difference in their lives ... Mr. Price surprised his 120-person staff by announcing that he planned over the next three years to raise the salary of even the lowest-paid clerk, customer service representative and salesman to a minimum of $70,000."
W. Post's Catherine Rampell marks Equal Pay Day: "The typical full-time, year-round working woman earns about 78 cents for each dollar her male counterpart brings home ... this pay gap primarily reflects not deliberate ... discrimination but the choices women make: in occupations, hours worked, decisions to take time off to care for children and so on ... the meaningful question is ... what causes women to make these unsatisfying choices in the first place ... policies such as inflexible hours, an emphasis on unnecessary face time with the boss and a lack of paid maternity leave or access to high-quality, affordable child care."
Rubio Makes It Official
"Can Rubio Make Helping the Middle Class a Republican Issue?" asks Bloomberg: "Among Rubio’s proposals are plans to address poverty with wage subsides, the child tax credit and easing student-loan debt by linking repayment to income ... Rubio’s economic approach, if not his specific ideas, gets a warmer reception on the left than from some on the right ... The candidate’s challenge has been to stay true to his belief in small government while finding resources for programs. The dilemma shows up in the design of many proposals ... Rubio’s proposal for 'wage enhancement' ... would be funded by repealing the earned-income tax credit."
"Immigration debacle dogs Marco Rubio" says Politico: "...said Frank Sharry, a veteran immigration advocate who leads America’s Voice ... 'He will always be known as the guy who stood up for something he seemed to believe in and backed down when it was politically convenient to do so.'"
Obama Readies Veto Pen
WH slams GOP estate tax repeal. The Hill: "Jason Furman, the chairman of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, cast the estate tax repeal as a giveaway to the richest of the rich – helping just 5,400 families out of the millions in the U.S. ... The tax currently affects families with estates hovering around $11 million, with the rate coming in at 40 percent."
Obama pledges veto of Dodd-Frank rollback. The Hill: "President Obama is threatening to veto a pair of GOP bills set to pass the House ... One of the measures, a bill aimed at the manufacturing housing industry from Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.), would put some home buyers at risk for predatory lending ... The White House contends that the second bill, from Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), would also clear the way for more homeowners to end up with mortgages they cannot afford by allowing lenders to add more points and fees to mortgages."
