Congressional
Climate Bill Tracking
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Video Of The Day
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Video: Obama launches 2012 campaign
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Greetings!
Please enjoy today's issue of the Congressional Climate newsletter, brought to you by Lobbyit.com!
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Today's Hill Action:
THE SENATE:
The Senate will convene at 9:30 a.m. for morning business. Thereafter, they will resume consideration of S.493, the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011.
SENATE COMMITTEES:
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry (TBA): Organizational business meeting to consider subcommittee membership. TBA.
Senate Environment & Public Works (9:15 a.m.): Hearing to examine state and local perspectives on transportation. SD-406. Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs (9:30 a.m.): Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance & Investment - Hearings to examine the role of the accounting profession in preventing another financial crisis. SD-538. Senate Appropriations (10:00 a.m.): Subcommittee on Department of Defense - Hearings to examine Dept. of Defense Health Programs. SD-192. Senate Foreign Relations (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to examine perspectives on the crisis in Libya. SD-419. Senate Homeland Security & Government Affairs (10:00 a.m.): Hearings to examine the nomination of Rafael Borras, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management. SD-342.
Senate Judiciary (10:00 a.m.): Hearings to examine the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, focusing on government perspectives on protecting privacy in the digital age. SD-226. Senate Veterans' Affairs (10:00 a.m.): Hearings to examine the nominations of Allison A. Hickey, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary for Benefits and Steve L. Muro, of California, to be Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, both of the Dept. of Veterans' Affairs. SR-418.
Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs (1:30 p.m.): Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, & International Security - Hearings to examine the census, focusing on learning lessons from 2010 and planning for 2020. SD-342. Senate Armed Services (2:30 p.m.): Subcommittee on Strategic Forces - Hearings to examine strategic systems in review of the Defense Authorization request for fiscal year 2012 and the Future Years Defense Program; with the possibility of a closed session in SVC-217 following the open session. SR-232A. Senate Foreign Relations (2:30 p.m.): Hearings to examine the nominations of David Bruce Shear, of New York, to be Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and Kurt Walter Tong, of Maryland, for the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as United States Senior Official for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, both of the Dept. of State. SD-419. United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control (2:30 p.m.): Hearings to examine the dangers of synthetic cannabinoids and stimulants. SD-138. Senate Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs (3:00 p.m.): Subcommittee on Financial Institutions & Consumer Protection - Hearings to examine the state of community banking, focusing on opportunities and challenges. SD-538.
The House will meet today at 10:00 a.m.
HOUSE COMMITTEES:
House Appropriations (9:00 a.m.):
Commerce, Justice, & Science Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the fiscal year 2012 budget request from the FBI. Robert Mueller, Director of the FBI, will be present. 2359 RHOB.
House Appropriations (9:00 a.m.): State & Foreign Operations Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the fiscal year 2012 budget request from the United Nations and other international organizations. Susan Rice, Ambassador to the United Nations, will be present. H-140 Capitol. House Energy & Commerce (9:00 a.m.): Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the U.S. government response to the nuclear power plant incident in Japan. 2322 RHOB.
House Agriculture (9:30 a.m.): Livestock, Dairy, & Poultry Subcommittee - Hearing to review the state of the beef industry. 1300 LHOB.
House Energy & Commerce (9:30 a.m.): Health Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the cost of the medical liability system proposals for reform, including H.R. 5 - The Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare Act. 2123 RHOB.
House Appropriations (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to examine the fiscal year 2012 budget request from FEMA. W. Craig Fugate, Administrator of FEMA, will be present. 2362-A RHOB.
House Appropriations (10:00 a.m.): Labor, Health & Human Services, & Education Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the fiscal year 2012 budget request from the National Labor Relations Board. 2358-C RHOB. House Appropriations (10:00 a.m.): Transportation, Housing & Urban Development Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the fiscal year 2012 budget request from the Federal Aviation Administration. Randy Babbitt, Administrator of the FAA, will be present. 2358-A RHOB. House Armed Services (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to examine the fiscal year 2012 budget request from the U.S. Pacific Command and the U.S. Forces Korea. 2118 RHOB.
House Education & The Workforce (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to review the GAO report on government waste focusing on federal education and workforce programs. 2175 RHOB.
House Financial Services (10:00 a.m.): Financial Institutions & Consumer Credit Subcommittee - Hearing to examine legislative proposals to improve the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 2128 RHOB.
House Natural Resources (10:00 a.m.): Energy & Mineral Resources Subcommittee - Hearing to examine H.R. 1229 - The Putting the Gulf Back to Work Act, H.R. 1230 - The Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act, and H.R. 1231 - The Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act. 1324 LHOB.
House Science, Space & Technology (10:00 a.m.): Investigations & Oversight Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the TSA's Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques program. 2318 RHOB.
House Transportation & Infrastructure (10:00 a.m.): Economic Development, Public Buildings, & Emergency Management Subcommittee - Hearing to examine whether a civilian Base Realignment and Closure Commission can consolidate federal office space and save taxpayers billions. 2167 RHOB.
House Budget (10:30 a.m.): Hearing to conduct markup of the fiscal year 2012 budget resolution. 210 CHOB.
House Homeland Security (10:30 a.m.): Counterterrorism & Intelligence Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the impact of unrest in the Middle East and North Africa on U.S. homeland security. 311 CHOB.
House Judiciary (10:45 a.m.): Intellectual Property, Competition, & the Internet Subcommittee - Hearing to examine promoting investment and protecting consumer commerce online. 2141 RHOB.
House Small Business (1:00 p.m.): Hearing to examine how passing free trade agreements will help small businesses create new jobs. 2360 RHOB. House Oversight & Government Reform (1:30 p.m.): Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight, & Government Spending Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the impact of greenhouse gas regulations on small business. 2154 RHOB.
House Appropriations (2:00 p.m.): Financial Services & General Government Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the fiscal year 2012 budget request from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. 2359 RHOB.
House Appropriations (2:00 p.m.): Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the fiscal year 2012 budget request from the Army. H-140 Capitol.
House Financial Services (2:00 p.m.): Insurance, Housing, & Community Opportunity Subcommittee - Hearing to conduct markup of H.R. 1309 - Flood Insurance Reform Act. 2128 RHOB.
House Foreign Affairs (2:00 p.m.): Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee - Hearing to review America's foreign broadcasting. 2200 RHOB. House Foreign Affairs (2:00 p.m.): Terrorism, Nonproliferation & Trade Subcommittee - Hearing to examine combating terrorists and proliferators. 2172 RHOB.
House Science, Space & Technology (2:00 p.m.): Energy & Environment Subcommittee - Hearing to examine offshore drilling safety and response technologies. 2318 RHOB.
House Armed Services (2:30 p.m.): Emerging Threats & Capabilities Subcommittee - Hearing to examine improving management and acquisition of information technology systems in the Dept. of Defense. 2212 RHOB.
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Boehner's office: No deal reached
The likelihood of a government shutdown appeared to increase Tuesday after Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) office said a meeting between congressional leaders at the White House did not resolve the standoff over funding the government for the rest of the year.
A few hours later, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) also cast doubt on a deal, and said the GOP was unlikely to change its rules requiring that legislation be made public three days before a vote in order to ease passage of another government funding measure.
"The question was, if we got to a long-term resolution we could support, would we waive that, and I'm saying I don't even think that's a likelihood and that there would be some need for a bridge to get there," Cantor said.
According to a readout from the Speaker's office, Boehner told President Obama that the House "will not be put in a box" in the talks over spending cuts despite the looming government shutdown, which would begin after April 8 without at least a new stopgap measure.
Boehner told Obama that his conference will not be "forced to choose between two options that are bad for the country (accepting a bad deal that fails to make real spending cuts, or accepting a government shutdown due to Senate inaction)," the readout said.
"That this is why House Republicans - in lieu of an agreement in which the White House and Senate agree to real spending cuts - are rallying behind a potential third option: a CR that funds our troops through September while cutting an additional $12 billion in spending and keeps the government running for another week," the readout said.
Cantor said the resolution shows House Republicans are serious about avoiding a shutdown, but the White House rejected the offer, and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who had supported two earlier stopgap measures, said he would oppose this one.
He said the new proposal is "inconsistent" with Cantor's claims that the GOP would fight hard for a long-term compromise rather than fall back on another temporary fix.
"It is an extraordinarily inefficient, ineffective and costly way of doing business, funding the largest enterprise in the world on a weekly basis," Hoyer said. "I will oppose that."
Boehner told his conference about the new stopgap legislation - which contains $12 billion in spending cuts - during a Monday night meeting. The measure would keep the entire government funded for another week, buying time for a deal on a measure to fund the government through the fiscal year. But it would fund the Pentagon through September, meeting calls for the Defense Department to receive longer-term funding.
The measure is difficult for Democrats to support because it would impose $12 billion in cuts in one week and because it includes controversial policy riders, including one that would bar the use of federal and local government funding for abortion services in Washington, D.C.
Cantor said leaders wouldn't call up the bill for a vote unless they had enough GOP votes to pass it. "We would certainly be confident if the bill were brought to the floor - we have Republican votes to pass it," he said.
A handful of House Republican freshmen on Tuesday said that they would support Boehner's proposal.
"I will support the Speaker on his initiative. ... I think that we absolutely need to fund defense through the rest of this fiscal year," Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) said at a press conference on Tuesday morning.
The nine other Republican freshmen surrounding him nodded their heads in the affirmative when asked if they would support the funding bill, even though it includes a short-term funding resolution. Fifty-four House Republicans voted against the last short-term funding measure put forward by GOP leaders.
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Kaine announces Senate campaign in online video
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine announced Tuesday he will run for the U.S. Senate next year, prompting a quick change in the party's national leadership as President Barack Obama prepares his re-election bid.
"I'm running for the United States Senate because America has big challenges, and I'm convinced that Virginia has answers to help strengthen our nation," the former Virginia governor said in an online video.
First word came in a tweet from Kaine at 1:05 p.m. that said only, "I'm running!" and provided a link to the video on his new website, www.KaineForVa.com. But it was no surprise. He told students in a University of Richmond class he teaches three weeks ago that he would "give it a shot."
It likely makes the Democratic nomination Kaine's for the taking, putting him on the 2012 ballot alongside Obama in a battleground Southern state whose 13 electoral votes put Obama over the top in 2008.
Attention immediately turned to Kaine on Feb. 9 after Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., announced he would not seek a second term. Just days before, Kaine had said he had no interest in a Senate race.
Reluctant at first, Kaine began huddling with family, friends and advisers, including Obama and fellow Democratic Sen. Mark R. Warner, who had been his predecessor as governor. Over a period of weeks, with Obama publicly encouraging him to run, Kaine embraced the idea.
Several Democrats, including Rep. Robert C. Scott and former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, awaited Kaine's decision to ponder a run of their own. Scott has not ruled out a challenge to Kaine and will make his intention known July 1, Scott spokesman Larry Dillard said Tuesday.
The video seeks to reconnect Minnesota-born and Kansas City-raised Kaine to Virginia, where he settled 26 years ago after marrying the daughter of Virginia's first Republican governor. In the production, Kaine calls his move to Richmond after Harvard law school "the best decision of my life." There is no mention of the DNC job to which Obama appointed him two years ago that has kept him mostly in Washington or traveling the nation ever since.
"While we still have an awful lot of work to do to help Virginians who are struggling in tough times, I know that Washington can learn a few things from Virginia. When we attack common obstacles - instead of each other - we solve problems and get things done," Kaine said.
Kaine, Virginia's lieutenant governor from 2002-2006, glided into the governor's office in 2005, aided by Warner's high popularity. He soundly defeated Republican Jerry W. Kilgore, winning what had been considered Republican suburban strongholds such as Prince William, Loudoun and Henrico counties as well as Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
He became the first statewide elected official outside Obama's home state of Illinois to endorse Obama in February 2007, and helped Obama become the first Democrat to carry Virginia in a presidential race since 1964. But one year later, Republicans won the governor's race and two other statewide elected offices in a rout. They also dominated last fall's congressional races in Virginia en route to regaining control of the U.S. House.
Kaine left office in January 2010 after a year of extensive national travel while moonlighting as DNC chairman, after unsuccessfully proposing a $2 billion tax increase in the 2010 budget. In the final days of his term, he also recommended to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder that a former German diplomat's son serving a life sentence for a Virginia double murder should be returned to Germany where he soon would have been freed.
His candidacy left an opening for a DNC chairman to oversee the central party as Obama heads toward a re-election bid. The DNC also would have to help the party defend a majority in the U.S. Senate and fight to reclaim power in the U.S. House.
Within hours of Kaine's announcement Tuesday, Democratic officials said Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz would be Kaine's successor at DNC.
Kaine's decision could set up a clash next fall with another former governor, Republican George Allen. The namesake son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach George Allen announced in January he will try to win back the Senate seat he lost by 9,000 votes to Webb in 2006 after a series of blunders. Allen, governor from 1994 to 1998, was considered a strong 2008 GOP presidential contender until his defeat. He faces a nomination challenge from Virginia tea party leader Jamie Radtke.
Allen quickly sought to link Kaine to Obama and other national Democrats. A statement from Allen campaign spokesman Katie Wright said Kaine was "convinced by his liberal allies in Washington run."
"Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid may be friends of Chairman Kaine, but they are no friends of Virginia families and job-creating business owners," the statement said.
Radtke piled on, too, saying in a statement that Kaine "supported every one of Obama's expensive, disastrous policies, from ObamaCare to the massive stimulus bill."
Warner, a Democratic moderate, just as quickly embraced Kaine, calling him "a rarity in modern politics: He listens more than he talks, and he builds bridges where others seek to divide us."
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Women's group EMILY's List is expected to release its top political targets later Tuesday, which include five House Republicans believed to be vulnerable to female challengers in 2012.
The targets include New Hampshire Rep. Charles Bass, Minnesota Rep. Chip Cravaack, Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, Nevada Rep. Joe Heck and Florida Rep. Allen West. In a statement released Tuesday, the pro-abortion-rights organization outlined the criteria for their targets: "First, despite short tenures, they've already amassed appallingly anti-woman, anti-family records. And second, there is major Democratic female talent waiting in the wings."
In New Hampshire, for example, 2010 candidate Ann McLane Kuster has already announced plans to challenge Bass again in 2012. It's the same in Florida, where West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel plans to challenge West. And former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is running against Gosar in an Arizona rematch.
EMILY's List funneled roughly $2.5 million into the 2010 midterm elections through bundling and direct contributions from its political action committee. EMILY's List said in the release that it raised more than $38.5 million in the 2010 cycle.
In the press release, President Stephanie Schriock said her group is "putting these guys on notice. Clean up your act, or it's going to be a lousy election day for you."
The EMILY's List's targets can be found at http://emilyslist.org/blog/onnotice/.
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Until tomorrow,
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