Congressional
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Greetings!
Please enjoy today's issue of the Congressional Climate newsletter, brought to you by Keys to the Capitol! |
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Today's Hill Action:
THE SENATE:
The Senate convenes at 9:30 a.m. ET. After an hour of morning business, the Senate will resume considerationi of H.R.2996, Interior appropriations and H.R.3288, Transportation and HUD appropriations.
SENATE COMMITTEES:
Senate Energy and Natural Resources (2:15 p.m.): Hearings to examine energy and related economic effects of global climate change legislation. SD-366.
Senate Judiciary (2 p.m.): Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs - Hearings to examine S.1551, to amend section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to allow for a private civil action against a person that provides substantial assistance in violation of such Act. SD-226.
Senate Veterans Affairs (9:30 a.m.): Hearings to examine veterans' disability compensations, focusing on benefits in the 21st century. SR-418.
Senate Foreign Relations (9:30 a.m.): Hearings to examine countering the threat of failure in Afghanistan. Preceding the hearing on Afghanistan: Business meeting to consider the nominations of Michael H. Posner, of New York, to be Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Robert D. Hormats, of New York, to be Under Secretary for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs, and to be United States Alternate Governor of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for a term of five years, United States Alternate Governor of the Inter-American Development Bank for a term of five years, Unites States Alternate Governor of the African Development Bank for a term of five years, United States Alternate Governor of the African Development Fund, United States Alternate Governor of the Asian Development Bank, and United States Alternate Governor of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, David C. Jacobson, of Illinois, to be Ambassador to Canada, Alan D. Solomont, of Massachusetts, to be Ambassador to Spain, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to Andorra, Lee Andrew Feinstein, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Poland, and Barry B. White, of Massachusetts, to be Ambassador to Norway, all of the Department of State. SD-419.
Senate Judiciary (10 a.m.): Business meeting to consider S.448 and H.R. 985, bills to maintain the free flow of information to the public by providing conditions for the federally compelled disclosure of information by certain persons connected with the news media, S.369, to prohibit brand name drug companies from compensating generic drug companies to delay the entry of a generic drug into the market, and the nominations of Paul Joseph Fishman, to be United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and Jenny A. Durkan, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington, both of the Department of Justice. SD-226.
Senate Indian Affairs (2:15 p.m.): An oversight hearing to examine federal tax treatment of health care benefits provided by tribal governments to their citizens. SD-628.
THE HOUSE:
The House meets at 10 a.m. and will take up complete consideraton of H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. Final votes of the day are expected between 2:00 and 3:00.
HOUSE COMMITTEES:
House Transportation and Infrastructure (1:30 p.m.): Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subc. On examining the small business programs of the Architect of the Capitol, the General Services Administration, FEMA, the Kennedy Center, and the Smithsonian Institution. Dept. and public witnesses. 2167 RHOB.
House Oversight and Government Reform (2 p.m.): Domestic Policy Subc. On the impact of private health insurance companies on patients' medical care. 2154 RHOB.
House Homeland Security (10 a.m.): Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism Subc. On the status of the Secure Border Initiative focusing on construction of the "virtual fence" technology along the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Dept. and public witnesses. 311 CHOB.
House Financial Services (10 a.m.): Oversight and Investigations Subc. On examining the role of technology in financial services oversight. Public witnesses. 2128 RHOB.
House Armed Services (8 a.m.): Defense Acquisition Reform Panel Subc. On whether the Department of Defense effectively manages its industrial base and matches its acquisition strategies to the marketplace. Public witnesses. 2237 RHOB.
House Agriculture (10:30 a.m.): On reviewing proposed legislation by the Department of Treasury regarding the regulation of over-the-counter derivatives markets. Public witnesses. 1300 LHOB.
House Energy and Commerce (10 a.m.): Communications, Technology, and the Internet Subc. On oversight of the Federal Communications Commission. Julius Genachowski, Chairman, FCC. 2123 RHOB.
House Foreign Affairs (10 a.m.): International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight Subc. On the United Nations Chapter VII Mandates and the U.S.-Iraq Bilateral Agreement. Dept. and public witnesses. 2172 RHOB.
House Natural Resources (10 a.m.): On H.R. 3534 - The Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act. Public witnesses. 1324 LHOB.
House Science and Technology (1 p.m.): Energy and Environment Subc. On formulating an action plan against harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. Dept. and public witnesses. 2318 RHOB.
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Senator Gregg Expected to Fill Vacant Banking Committee Slot: 
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) is expected to join the Senate Banking Committee to fill the seat left vacant when Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) left the upper chamber.
Gregg said on Thursday that nothing is official yet, but that he is interested in taking up the role as lawmakers embark on a major effort to revamp the nation's financial regulations.
Financial lobbyists on Thursday said they expected Gregg to take over the seat.
Gregg had initially been a nominee to head the Commerce Department under the Obama administration, but he withdrew, citing differences with the president over the fiscal stimulus package and concerns over the Census.
Gregg also played a leading role in debate at the end of 2008 to pass a $700 billion package to rescue the financial sector. Gregg is not planning to run for reelection in 2010.
A replacement for Martinez's seat on the committee would not be official until the full Republican conference meets. Leadership and committee aides declined to comment.
KTC |
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Senate Approves $122B in Transportation and Housing Funds:
The Senate on Thursday approved generous increases for transportation and housing programs as it passed the fifth of 12 appropriations bills funding the government for the budget year that begins in just two weeks.
The bill, passed 73-25, would permit $122 billion in new spending for programs such as road projects, housing subsidies for the poor, community development grants to local governments, and generous subsidies for rural air service. On average, that's a 12 percent increase over current levels, in line with efforts by Democrats controlling Congress to beef up domestic programs funded by Congress each year.
The increases come on top of an extraordinary infusion of economic stimulus appropriations in February - $48 billion in transportation accounts alone, most of it yet to be spent - and generous increases provided in the omnibus spending bill enacted in March.
With the Oct. 1 start of the 2010 budget year looming, not a single one of the 12 bills has become law. Congress will have to pass a stopgap measure before the deadline to make sure the government doesn't shut down.
The measure generally follows a companion bill that passed the House in July. But the Senate was far less generous with President Barack Obama's initiative to build high-speed rail corridors. The program received $8 billion in the stimulus bill and the House followed up with another $4 billion for 2010, quadrupling Obama's $1 billion request for follow-up financing.
But the Senate Appropriations panel complained that the administration's plans for the high-speed rail project remain vague. The Senate measure blocks any high-speed rail construction grants from being given out until the Transportation Department develops standards that make sure the projects make sense.
Critics of high-speed rail say the expected number of riders doesn't justify the extraordinary upfront construction costs.
The bill also delivers $175 million for much-criticized subsidies of flights in and out of rural communities, a $39 million increase from current amounts. Such subsidies can average thousands of dollars on some routes and routinely reach hundreds of dollars per one-way ticket.
Lawmakers acknowledge that they have no idea what the true cost of the program will be this year given the ongoing upheaval among smaller airlines. They gave Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood power to shift money out of other programs to keep the subsidies flowing.
Reforms promised by the Obama administration have yet to arrive, but there doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency to fix the situation, either within the administration or on Capitol Hill.
The Senate defeated, 53-43, a move by Jim DeMint, R-S.C., to deny a $1.4 million subsidy for flights in and out of the Johnstown, Pa., airport. DeMint cited media reports about lavish amounts of federal tax dollars provided to the airport - which averages about 14,000 commercial passengers a year at a subsidy of about $100 per one-way ticket - by its congressional benefactor, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa. DeMint also would have denied the airport from receiving more money from the underlying bill.
Highway programs would receive $41 billion from a trust fund financed by gasoline tax revenues and another $1.4 billion from general funds, an unusual step.
KTC
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A usual Wednesday on Capitol Hill doesn't draw a lot of star power, however, yesterday the Capitol became A-list territory with Paul Simon, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez appearing to champion their respective causes. The beneficiaries of these visits were Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
First, in the morning, renowned musician Paul Simon, appeared with Reid and Pelosi at a rally on the West Lawn in support of the Children's Health Fund, a group that provides health care to children in impoverished rural and urban areas. Reid made analogies to famous Simon songs saying, "If there was ever a time that we have troubled waters it is now...Our children die, infant mortality is extremely high, those are our troubled waters. And if there was ever a bridge we need over these troubled waters, it is passing comprehensive health-care reform."
Reid continued the analogies by making the point that by passing healthcare reform "we can really say we have diamonds on the soles of our shoes." Reid concluded, "Inaction is not an option."
Pelosi asserted, "What we want to do in the bill is to bring health care and prevention where the children are -- in their homes, in their schools, in their neighborhoods, in their communities -- so that it is accessible. When all is said and done, reform means that America's families will no longer have to spend too much of their hard-earned paychecks on health care and keep more money in their pocket to raise their children."
Simon, donning a black leather jacket and a gray fedora sang his first words to the crowd in his distinct voice, "Poor kids can't vote, neither can they afford to hire lobbyists to plead their cause or to describe their situation." The singer continued, "We believe that a healthcare bill would go a long way to fill the gap that these children live in and suffer in."
Showing a mild disdain for the slow debate regarding healthcare reform, Simon finished his speech by saying, "Let's cut out the political stuff and let's pass this legislation, it is very much needed."
Later in the afternoon, super power couple Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez made an appearance in the Speaker's balcony to promote Hispanic Heritage Month as well as education initiatives for Latino children. Pelosi said the appearance by the stars was "thrilling because they are so loved by the young people in America." The Speaker continued that "We are pleased that the came the same day that in the House we are debating a bill on higher education." The Speaker then even threw in her antidote as to why she had a personal connection to the stars claiming her grandchildren always sing Anthony's hit "Tell me baby girl because I need to know."
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Until tomorrow,
Keys To The Capitol |
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