Congressional
Climate Bill Tracking
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Video Of The Day
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Reaction split over Israeli PM speech
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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 meet at 10:00 a.m. today for morning business. Thereafter, they will resume consideration of the motion to concur in the House message to accompany S.990, the legislative vehicle for the PATRIOT Act extension.
SENATE COMMITTEES:
Senate Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs (9:30 a.m.): Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, & Investment - Hearings to examine derivatives clearinghouses, focusing on opportunities and challenges. SD-538.
Senate Appropriations (10:00 a.m.): Subcommittee on Dept. of Homeland Security - Hearings to examine protecting American jobs, focusing on strengthening trade enforcement including anti-dumping and maritime laws. SD-124. Senate Appropriations (10:00 a.m.): Subcommittee on Financial Service & General Government - Hearings to examine creating jobs and transforming communities, focusing on funding for the Small Business Administration and the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. SD-138.
Senate Environment & Public Works (10:00 a.m.): Hearings to examine the nominations of William Charles Ostendoff, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Richard C. Howorth, of Mississippi, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Lieutenant General Thomas P. Bostick, to be Chief of Engineers, and Commanding General, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Dept. of Defense. SD-406.
Senate Finance (10:00 a.m.): Hearings to examine the United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement. SD-215.
Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs (10:00 a.m.): Hearings to examine how to save taxpayer dollars, focusing on case studies of duplication in the Federal government. SD-342.
Senate Judiciary (10:00 a.m.): Hearings to examine holding criminals accountable, focusing on extending criminal jurisdiction to government contractors and employees abroad. SD-226. Senate Veterans' Affairs (10:00 a.m.): Hearings to examine seamless transition, focusing on meeting the needs of service members and veterans. SR-418. Senate Joint Economic Committee (10:15 a.m.): Hearings to examine driving innovation and job growth through the life sciences industry. SH-216. Senate Appropriations (10:30 a.m.): Subcommittee on Dept. of Defense - Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2012 for the Missile Defense Agency. SD-192. Senate Finance (2:00 p.m.): Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility & Economic Growth - Hearings to examine the spread of tax fraud by identity theft, focusing on a threat to taxpayers, a drain on the public treasury. SD-215.
Senate Armed Services (2:30 p.m.): Subcommittee on Sea Power - Hearings to examine Navy shipbuilding programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2012 and the Future Years Defense Program. SR-232A.
Senate Energy & Natural Resources (2:30 p.m.): Subcommittee on Public Lands & Forests - Hearings to examine S.375, to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with State foresters authorizing State foresters to provide certain forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration and protection services, S.714, to reauthorize the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act, S.730, to provide for the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, S.233, to withdraw certain Federal land and interests in that land from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws and disposition under the mineral and geothermal leasing laws, and S.268, to sustain the economic development and recreational use of National Forest System land and other public land in the State of Montana, to add certain land to the National Wilderness Preservation System, to release certain wilderness study areas, to designate new areas for recreation. SD-366.
Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs (2:30 p.m.): Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, & International Security - Hearings to examine assessing efforts to eliminate improper payments. SD-342.
United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control (2:30 p.m.): Hearings to examine combating drug violence in Central America, focusing on United States efforts to enhance security throughout Central America. SD-562.
The House will meet at 10:00 a.m.
HOUSE COMMITTEES:
House Homeland Security (9:30 a.m.): Hearing to examine an assessment of the threats to the American household after the killing of Osama Bin Laden. 311 CHOB.
House Oversight & Government Reform (9:30 a.m.): Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations & Procurement Reform Subcommittee - Hearing to examine unfunded mandates, regulatory burdens, and the role of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. 2154 RHOB.
House Agriculture (10:00 a.m.): General Farm Commodities & Risk Management Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the effect of global derivatives reform on U.S. competitiveness and market stability. 1300 LHOB.
House Appropriations (10:00 a.m.): Transportation, Housing & Urban Development Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the fiscal year 2012 budget request for the Office of Public & Indian Housing. 2358-A RHOB.
House Education & The Workforce (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to conduct markup of an amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 1891 - Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act. 2175 RHOB.
House Energy & Commerce (10:00 a.m.): Health Subcommittee - Hearing to examine expanding health care options that allow Americans to purchase affordable coverage across state lines. 2123 RHOB.
House Financial Services (10:00 a.m.): Insurance, Housing, & Community Opportunity Subcommittee - Hearing to examine legislative proposals to determine the future role of the Federal Housing Administration, Rural Housing Service, & Government National Mortgage Association in the single-end and multi-family mortgage markets. 2128 RHOB.
House Judiciary (10:00 a.m.): Intellectual Property, Competition, & the Internet Subcommittee - Hearing to examine cybersecurity strategies and innovation. 2141 RHOB.
House Natural Resources (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to conduct markup of H.R. 290 - War Memorial Protection Act, H.R. 1670 - Sikes Act Amendments Act, and on harnessing American resources to create jobs and address rising gasoline prices. 1324 LHOB.
House Administration (10:30 a.m.): Hearing to conduct markup of H.R. 672 - To Terminate the Election Assistance Commission, H.R. ___ - To Improve Certain Administrative Operations of the Library of Congress, and the committee resolution on subcommittee membership. 1310 LHOB.
House Energy & Commerce (10:30 a.m.): Communications & Technology Subcommittee - Hearing to examine creating an interoperable public safety network. 2322 RHOB.
House Foreign Affairs (10:30 a.m.): Hearing to examine testimony from Members of Congress on war powers and U.S. operations in Libya. 2172 RHOB.
House Judiciary (1:30 p.m.): Courts, Commercial, & Administrative Law Subcommittee - Hearing to examine H.R. 1864 - The Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act. 2141 RHOB.
House Oversight & Government Reform (1:30 p.m.): National Security, Homeland Defense, & ForeignOperations Subcommittee - Hearing to assess the immediate cybersecurity threat to the United States. 2154 RHOB.
House Financial Services (2:00 p.m.): Capital Markets & Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee - Hearing to examine an overhaul of Government Sponsored Enterprises. 2128 RHOB.
House Foreign Affairs (2:30 p.m.): Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee - Hearing to examine U.N. climate talks. 2172 RHOB.
House Energy & Commerce (4:00 p.m.): Hearing to conduct markup of H.R. 908 - Full Implementation of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Act, and H.R. 1939 - Enhancing CPSC Authority and Discretion Act. 2123 RHOB.
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Gang of 5/6 tries to salvage work
The clock is winding down on the five remaining members of the Gang of Six, who met Tuesday and will meet again Wednesday, in their final attempt to salvage months of work on a bipartisan budget deal.
As another group of bipartisan lawmakers met with Vice President Joe Biden in the Capitol, the Gang's five senators huddled in the Russell Senate Office Building, trying to figure out what's next.
The options left are few but divergent: Call off the talks completely; get Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) - who said last week he wanted a break from the group - back to the table; or try to find a replacement and expand the group in order to resuscitate the negotiations. But the longer the Gang takes to make this choice, the less viable they become as the Biden Group continues to make progress with the president's blessing.
Earlier Tuesday, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) expressed cautious optimism about the Gang of Six's future. Speaking to reporters after the Democratic caucus's weekly party lunch, Conrad said he believed there still is a path forward for the group, which has been working for months to broker a deal based on the suggestions of this winter's debt commission report.
"Yes, I think there is," Conrad said, when asked if there still is any momentum for the group.
Conrad said he did not want to speculate about how the group would proceed, whether by getting Coburn back or by recruiting other people to join in its effort.
Instead, the Budget Committee chairman reiterated that any deal that will come out of Congress must be done on a bipartisan basis, whether from the Gang of Six, the Biden group or otherwise.
"Look, I've worked months in the Group of Six. I am supportive of the Biden Group. Because at the end of the day, if you want to get a result around here, there's only one possibility to get a result, and that is a bipartisan process," Conrad said. "It's the only prospect for getting a result."
Late last week, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) - another member of the Gang and the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate - left open the possibility that the group could pass along the parts of their agreement they already reached to the Biden negotiators. As recently as last recess, reports had been circulating that the Gang was close to a deal, but that when the Senate returned, Coburn came back with more demands.
"We've got an awful lot of hard work we've put into this and I hope that we can share it because I think it might help," Durbin said.
Tuesday, Conrad also said that the transfer of agreed upon policy from one bipartisan group to the other could happen, but that "first we have to give every chance for the Group of Six effort."
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Harry Reid pushes forward on Patriot Act
 Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday used a procedural move to circumvent Sen. Rand Paul's efforts to offer amendments to a bill granting a four-year extension of expiring provisions of the Patriot Act. The parliamentary maneuver allows the chamber to finish debate on the legislation sooner and move past what was sure to be a drawn-out amendment process lead by Paul, the Kentucky Republican and tea party favorite who is a vocal critic of the law. Reid said he's recently held discussions with Paul and other senators who want votes on their amendments to the extension bill, which covers three key provisions of the counter-terrorism surveillance law that are set to sunset at midnight Thursday. "I understand Senator Paul's exasperation because this is something that is extremely important to him and there was every desire from my perspective and I think this body to have a full, complete debate on the Patriot Act," Reid said on the Senate floor Tuesday night. "But the Senate doesn't always work that way. ... We cannot let this Patriot Act expire. I have a personal responsibility to try to get this bill done as soon as possible." He added: "The time has come for me to take some action. Paul remained on the Senate floor through most of Tuesday - even skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress - to remind Reid of his promise earlier this year to allow senators a week-long debate and the ability to offer amendments to the Patriot Act legislation. "Sen. Reid went through procedural hoops to go back on his word," Paul said in a statement, adding that Reid "denied the Senate the opportunity to debate the constitutionality of its provisions." "Today's events further underscore the U.S. government's lack of transparency and accountability to the American people," Paul said. The Senate voted 74-13 to shelve a Patriot Act extension bill that Paul and other senators had offered changes to this week. Nine members of the Democratic caucus and two Republicans - Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Dean Heller of Nevada - voted no. Paul voted present. Reid then inserted the Patriot Act legislation in a message the Senate received from the House and filed cloture, setting up a final vote later this week. The three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act authorize authorities to conduct court-approved roving wiretaps, monitor so-called "lone-wolf" terror suspects and access business, library and other records. One of Paul's amendments would bar authorities from accessing firearm records. Sens. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who voted no on Tuesday, vowed in a conference call earlier in the day to vote no on the final extension bill if their amendments were not agreed to. Their amendments would place additional restrictions on when federal authorities could conduct expanded surveillance of terrorism suspects, and the senators argued that another short-term extension was preferable to a long-term extension with no debate or reforms. "We've known for months - years, in fact - that this was on our to-do list this Congress. Many Americans have been demanding reforms to these provisions for years," Udall said. "Instead, we've been passing short-term reauthorizations, waiting for the promised opportunity to finally consider a comprehensive overhaul," Udall added. "Yet suddenly we're being pushed to approve a four-year straight reauthorization in just a few days, saying - falsely - that we don't have time for a full debate." While Reid and Paul may disagree on a number of political issues, Reid called Paul a "very pleasant man with strong, strong feelings." Paul has been "reasonable," Reid said, agreeing to bring down the number of amendments from 11 to just three or four. "He will learn over the years that it's always difficult to get what you want in the Senate," Reid said. "It doesn't mean you won't get it, but sometimes you have to wait and get it done at a subsequent time." |
Democrats desperate to find a strong challenger to popular GOP Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts are actively courting consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren to jump into the race.
Democrats say the party could blow its best opportunity to reclaim the seat held for nearly a half-century by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy that is steeped in party history.
Jennifer Howard, a spokeswoman for Warren's agency, issued a one-line statement Tuesday in response to questions about whether Warren is interested in running.
"Elizabeth Warren is 100 percent focused on building the new consumer agency," Howard said.
Matt Canter, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, declined comment.
But over the past several weeks, senior Democrats have urged Warren to run, according to two Democratic officials who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the conversations. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has spoken to Warren about running, underscoring the importance party officials see in the race as they try to take back the Senate seat in 2012. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the third-ranking member of the Senate Democratic leadership, had dinner with Warren earlier this month to discuss the possibility of her running, one official said. Warren is a Harvard Law professor tapped by President Barack Obama last year to set up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but congressional Republicans oppose her becoming the director. Democrats say her image as a crusader on behalf of consumers against well-heeled Wall Street and corporate interests would be a boon to her candidacy. "She has been a passionate advocate for middle-class people," said John Walsh, Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman. "She's pretty plain-spoken and direct and those are great qualities for any candidate." Walsh said he had not spoken to Warren and that he would not either encourage or discourage anyone from running. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., has been a strong supporter of Warren's consumer advocate work on Capitol Hill. Democrats have had trouble finding a big-name candidate to challenge Brown. The field includes Setti Warren, the first-term mayor of the affluent Boston suburb of Newton and the state's first popularly elected black mayor; City Year youth program co-founder Alan Khazei and Robert Massie, a former lieutenant governor candidate. With a crowded field of lesser-known candidates running, Democrats worry that a long, costly and divisive primary could sink their hopes of reclaiming the seat after their humiliating loss to the upstart Brown in 2010. Polls show Brown is the most popular politician in the state and he's sitting on a campaign war chest of more than $8 million. Yet there's been no sign party officials will try to unite Democrats behind a single Brown challenger to boost the party's chances. "We are going to have a good primary to decide on who goes against Brown," Walsh said.
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Until tomorrow,
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