Can Fast Track Be Slowed To A Halt?
Initial cloture vote on fast track wins after currency manipulation bill passes. W. Post: "...13 Democrats joined 52 Republicans in a procedural vote to move forward with fast-track legislation ... 'I don’t think there are enough votes in the House to pass [fast track],' [Sen. Chuck] Schumer told reporters Thursday. 'It may be that some of them will say, "Maybe I’ll go with it if currency becomes law." . . . It may well be that currency is needed to get the TPA bill through, given the reluctance of Democrats.'"
AFL-CIO warns of primary challengers. W. Post: "'If I were predicting, I would say some people would probably have primary opponents because of this vote,' [President Richard] Trumka said. 'I’m not threatening that — I’m just saying that is something that will happen.'"
Senate progressives hope delays will eventually derail fast track. Politico: "A coalition of Senate Democrats who’ve long opposed new trade agreements, led by Sherrod Brown of Ohio, say they are planning to throw up procedural roadblocks and offer amendments that would expand worker protections and undermine GOP support for the fast-track measure. While they can’t win the battle [in the Senate], Brown and his allies hope their resistance will stoke popular sentiment against the bill and encourage Democrats to vote against it in the House, where Republican leaders warn they still need about 20 more votes for approval."
Pelosi wants shorter authorization of fast track. The Hill: "...Pelosi warned that the TPA bill under consideration would also govern trade negotiations as far as six years into the future, including deals Congress would effectively be accelerating without knowing anything about them. She likened it to a get-out-of-jail-free card for presidents — both Obama and his successor — to negotiate trade accords without much congressional input."
Amtrak Crash Revives Infrastructure Push
Sen. Schumer explains to Speaker Boehner how infrastructure spending saves lives. Roll Call: "'Speaker Boehner’s comments are patently false. Experts have made clear that Positive Train Control could have prevented the tragedy in Philadelphia,' Sen. Charles E. Schumer said. 'It is simply a fact that insufficient funding for Amtrak has delayed the installation ...' ... The New York Democrat was responding to comments Boehner, an Ohio Republican, made at a news conference earlier in the day in response to a question about a move by the House Appropriations Committee to reduce Amtrak funding, which he cut off. 'Are you really going to ask? That’s a stupid question,' Boehner said..."
Congress struggles to keep highway trust fund afloat. The Hill: "Top Republicans like Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (Utah) and House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (Wis.) have said that they’re working on a patch that would finance highway projects through the end of the year. But Democrats on Capitol Hill are increasingly predicting that Congress will only be able to muster a two-month extension..."
Nebraska legislature overrides veto of gas tax hike. KETV: "Lawmakers on Thursday overrode the Republican governor's veto of a 6-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase. The proposal would raise Nebraska's total gas tax over four years to 31.6 cents per gallon. The tax would generate an additional $25 million annually for the state and $51 million for cities and counties once fully implemented."
O'Malley Inches Forward
"O’Malley Tells Friends He’s Leaning Toward Running for President" reports WSJ: "Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley told close friends and supporters Thursday night that he is inclined to run for president, spreading the news in a series of calls Thursday night, according to someone on one of the calls ... The person said he also highlighted 'great challenges' facing the nation, particularly economic challenges, and said he would bring 'new leadership, progressive values and [a] record of getting results.'"
W. Post's Harold Meyerson hopes Bernie Sanders emulates the success of past socialist presidential candidates: "Running for president in 1904, Debs campaigned for the eight-hour workday, social insurance and women’s suffrage ... In 1942, [Norman] Thomas was virtually the only prominent American to publicly oppose the internment of Japanese Americans ... the very reforms pushed through by European socialists and their American socialist, progressive and liberal counterparts created a more social capitalism — a capitalism with unions, social insurance and prohibitions on speculation — that was to prove remarkably sustainable for a time."
Hillary Clinton to focus on small business in NH and IA. Bloomberg: "Clinton sees small businesses as being at a critical post-recession moment ... and will outline her suggestions for ways to encourage risk-taking on Main Street over what the official described as irresponsible speculation on Wall Street. Among her ideas: finding ways to cut red tape for small businesses and entrepreneurs; expanding access to capital; simplifying taxes and offering relief for business owners; and boosting their ability to export."
Jeb Bush suggests Apple Watch apps are better than Obamacare. Bloomberg: "After calling for the repeal of the Affordable Healthcare Act during a Thursday stop at a brewery in Tempe, Ariz., Bush touted the potential of the health apps on his new Apple Watch ... 'I'll get a double beep saying 'you just ate a butterscotch sundae or something like that. You went way over the top. You're a diabetic, you can't do that—whatever, we'll be able to guide our own healthcare decisions in a way that will make us healthy.''"
Breakfast Sides
Two parties spar over military spending. NYT: "As the House began voting on amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, members debated whether to dedicate about $39 billion to go into a fund insulated from the across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration ... Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader, said Republicans were willing to let nonmilitary spending bear the brunt of the cuts.
Campaign launched to pressure candidates to back child care subsidies. TNR"s Suzy Khimm: "On Thursday, the Make It Work campaign unveiled a proposal for federally subsidized child care that would dramatically expand the scope of government aid to 26 million lower- and middle-income working parents, at an estimated cost of $168 billion per year when it’s fully phased in over 10 years ... Since the 1980s, child care costs have nearly doubled; in 31 states, infant day carecosts more annually than in-state college tuition. It’s an especially big burden for poor families, who spend 30 percent of their income on child care every month, according to a 2013 analysis from the Census Bureau; those earning $52,000 or more spend 7 percent on average."
Barclays may face fine over Libor scandal. Bloomberg: "Barclays Plc will probably be fined for violating a three-year-old settlement over interest-rate rigging, but U.S. prosecutors will stop short of seeking a guilty plea, which they are demanding from UBS AG ... The fine would come on top of a penalty that the Justice Department is poised to announce in coming days when it resolves a probe of Barclays and four other banks for manipulating currency benchmarks, said three people, who asked not to be named because the decision isn’t final."
