Congressional
Climate Bill Tracking
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Video Of The Day
 | | Rick Perry stays low key in Indianapolis visit |
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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 10:00 a.m. to begin consideration of H.R.3080, the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act.
Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship (TBA): Business meeting to consider the nomination of Winslow Lorenzo Sargeant, of Wisconsin, to be Chief Counsel for Advocacy, Small Business Administration. TBA.
Senate Budget (9:30 a.m.): Hearings to examine improving the congressional budget process. SD-608.
Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs (10:30 a.m.): Hearings to examine ten years after 9/11, focusing on a status report on information sharing. SD-342.
Senate Aging (2:00 p.m.): Hearings to examine finding consensus in the Medicare reform debate. SD-562.
Senate Commission on Security & Cooperation in Europe (2:00 p.m.): Hearing to receive a briefing on Mongolia, focusing on its intention to seek status as a participating State in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). CHOB-210.
Senate Foreign Relations (2:15 p.m.): Business meeting to consider the nominations of Joyce A. Barr, of Washington, to be Assistant Secretary for Administration, Robert A. Mandell, of Florida, to be Ambassador to Luxembourg, Thomas Charles Krajeski, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dan W. Mozena, of Iowa, to be Ambassador to the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Michael A. Hammer, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Susan Denise Page, of Illinois, to be Ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan, Adrienne S. O'Neal, of Michigan, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Cape Verde, Mary Beth Leonard, of Massachusetts, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Mali, and Mark Francis Brzezinski, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Sweden, all of the Department of State, Anne Terman Wedner, of Illinois, to be a Member of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Katherine M. Gehl, of Wisconsin, and Terry Lewis, of Michigan, both to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Russ Carnahan, of Missouri, to be a Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, and Ann Marie Buerkle, of New York, to be a Representative of the United States of America to the Sixty-sixth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, and routine lists in the Foreign Service; to be immediately followed by a hearing to examine the nomination of Michael Anthony McFaul, of California, to be Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Department of State. S-116.
Senate Appropriations (2:30 p.m.): Subcommittee on Department of Homeland Security - Hearing to examine the Federal role in disaster recovery and response. SD-192.
Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation (2:30 p.m.): Hearings to examine universal service reform, focusing on bringing broadband to all Americans. SR-253.
Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (2:30 p.m.): Hearings to examine the state of chronic disease prevention. SD-430.
The House will meet at 1:30 p.m.
HOUSE COMMITTEES:
House Agriculture (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to examine legislative proposals amending Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. 1300 LHOB.
House Armed Services (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to examine the future of national defense and the U.S. military ten years after 9/11. 2118 RHOB.
House Education & The Workforce (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to examine H.R. 3094, Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act. 2175 RHOB.
House Energy & Commerce (10:00 a.m.): Commerce, Manufacturing, & Trade Subcommittee & the Health Subcommittee - Joint hearing to examine food marketing and whether voluntary government restrictions improve children's health. 2123 RHOB.
House Financial Services (10:00 a.m.): International Monetary Policy & Trade Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the discussion draft of "The Supporting Economic and National Security by Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Multilateral Development Banks Act". 2128 RHOB.
House Homeland Security (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to examine H.R. 3116, the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012. 311 CHOB.
House Judiciary (10:00 a.m.): Crime, Terrorism, & Homeland Security Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the status of federal sentencing and the U.S. Sentencing Commission six years after U.S. v. Booker. 2141 RHOB.
House Natural Resources (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to examine one year after President Obama's Gulf of Mexico 6-month moratorium officially lifted. 1324 LHOB.
House Oversight & Government Reform (10:00 a.m.): National Security, Homeland Defense, & Foreign Operations Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the status report on the transition to a civilian-led mission in Iraq. 2154 RHOB.
House Oversight & Government Reform (10:00 a.m.): Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight, & Government Spending Subcommittee - Hearing to examine how the Obama administration's green energy gamble will impact small businesses and consumers. 2247 RHOB.
House Science, Space, & Technology (10:00 a.m.): Research & Science Education Subcommittee - Hearing to examine what makes for successful K-12 STEM education. 2318 RHOB.
House Transportation & Infrastructure (10:00 a.m.): Highways & Transit Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the possibility of a National Infrastructure Bank. 2167 RHOB.
House Veterans' Affairs (10:00 a.m.): Hearing to examine failures at Miami VAMC. 334 CHOB. House Energy & Commerce (10:30 a.m.): Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee - Hearing to examine cutting EPA spending. 2322 RHOB. House Foreign Affairs (12:30 p.m.): Terrorism, Nonproliferation, & Trade Subcommittee - Hearing to examine narcoterrorism and the long reach of U.S. law enforcement. 2172 RHOB. House Financial Services (1:00 p.m.): Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee - Hearing to examine oversight of the federal home loan bank system. 2220 RHOB. House Small Business (1:00 p.m.): Hearing to examine LightSquared, and its impact on small business GPS users. 2360 RHOB. House Armed Services (2:00 p.m.): Tactical Air & Land Forces Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the National Guard and Reserve component acquisition and modernization. 2212 RHOB. House Financial Services (2:00 p.m.): Financial Institutions & Consumer Credit Subcommittee - Hearing to examine H.R. 1418, The Small Business Lending Enhancement Act of 2011. 2128 RHOB. House Science, Space, & Technology (2:00 p.m.): Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee - Hearing to examine the International Space Station. 2318 RHOB. House Judiciary (3:00 p.m.): Immigration Policy & Enforcement Subcommittee - Hearing to examine U.S. immigration and customs enforcement. 2141 RHOB. House Rules (3:00 p.m.): Hearing to examine H.R. 2273, the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act, and H.R. 358, the Protect Life Act. H-313 Capitol.
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| Congress OKs 3 trade deals
Congress on Wednesday approved three long-stalled free-trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.
Advocates say the deals will result in the export of billions of dollars of U.S. goods and boost hundreds of thousands of American jobs. Both the Senate and House sent the free-trade agreements to the White House with large bipartisan majorities - marking a rare moment of congressional agreement amid months of partisan bickering over jobs and the economy.
"Tonight's vote, with bipartisan support, will significantly boost exports that bear the proud label "Made in America," support tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs and protect labor rights, the environment and intellectual property," President Obama said.
The Senate approved the Panama deal 77-22 while the agreement with South Korea passed 83-15 and Colombia 66-33.
"Tonight's vote is good for our country, it's good for our countries, but it's also good for America's role in the world because it shows the United States Congress can move forward on these issues," Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who negotiated the deals under the George W. Bush adminstration, told POLITICO. "I think this will send a positive message around the world that the United States wants to be engaged and involved in trade."
Meanwhile in the House, the Panama pact passed 300-129, while South Korea passed 278-151. The most controversial pact - the agreement with Colombia - passed 262-167, with a majority of Democrats opposing the deal.
The House also passed a program, 307-122, paired with the free-trade agreements that would provide financial aid and retraining assistance for U.S. workers who lose their jobs due to trade. The Senate had already approved that measure.
"This is just long overdue," said House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on the House floor before the vote.
"This creates jobs."
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also praised the deals and prodded policymakers to pursue a more aggressive trade agenda. "Passing these trade agreements represents a victory for American workers, American competitiveness, and American leadership," the Chamber's CEO, Tom Donohue, said in a statement. "It means we will immediately stop losing jobs to our competitors who have cut their own deals and we can start creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs for Americans."
White House estimates show that the deals could bolster Americans exports to those countries by at least $13 billion and the International Trade Commission says they could create 250,000 in the United States. The timing of the votes was critical, since President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea is expected to address a joint session of Congress on Thursday afternoon.
The trade agreements were negotiated under the administration of George W. Bush, but languished for years as they faced opposition from Democrats and labor organizations who contended that the deals would ultimately harm American workers. After working out an agreement with Congress over the worker-assistance program, the Obama administration submitted the trade deals to Capitol Hill.
The measures were expected to pass the House with bipartisan support, but the Colombia deal came under fire from Democrats, who protested the agreement because of violence against labor workers in Colombia. And many Democrats opposed all three deals, saying they weren't convinced that the deals wouldn't kill U.S. jobs.
"I am totally opposed to agreements that trade good American jobs for no jobs, and I have yet to see a free trade bill that is a fair trade bill," said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who voted no on all three deals.
House Democrats also tried a last-ditch effort for a vote on a measure targeting countries that undervalue their currency - a bill that Democrats say are necessary to protect U.S. workers - but that measure failed, 236-192.
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Rep. Ron Paul Agrees to Meet With Leader of French Anti-Immigration Party
Act
 Rep. Ron Paul (Texas), a GOP presidential hopeful, is expected to meet next month with French politician Marine Le Pen, whose party has been connected to anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant violence in her country.
In a statement released to Agence France-Presse, which first reported the meeting, Paul spokeswoman Rachel Mills said, "Madame Le Pen has requested a meeting and Congressman Paul has agreed to a meeting, if he is in town, and as of today it looks like he will be."
Mills did not return a request for comment from Roll Call.
Le Pen is running for president in France as a candidate of the National Front party, and Mills told AFP that Paul is "open to meeting with any of the other candidates."
Le Pen took control of the National Front in January. The party has repeatedly been accused of racism, in part for harsh anti-Muslim and anti-immigration rhetoric from some of its members. Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie, founded the party.
Critics have accused the National Front of attempting to incite violence against immigrant populations as France's Muslim, North African population has exploded in recent years.
Le Pen announced a tour of the United States last month with the express purpose of meeting with tea party leaders and others in the U.S. conservative movement.
"There will be Republicans, I hope there will be Democrats, because I want to meet with everyone," Le Pen said in her announcement, according to AFP.
She singled out Paul, whom she described as "a great defender of an international monetary system anchored on the gold standard."
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A real estate investment by House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi's husband went undisclosed for years and has opened a window into a loophole that allows House members to avoid specifying some of their financial assets.
In 2010 and 2011, Pelosi voluntarily reported the Sacramento, Calif., land investment as an asset of her multimillionaire husband, Paul. She had not reported the investment for about 10 years previously because it was held by an S corporation her husband had set up, said Nadeam Elshami, a spokesman for the California congresswoman.
Under House financial disclosure rules, lawmakers are not obligated to specify the separate assets of an S corporation - which is a business in which individual investors pay taxes on profits rather than the company.
Pelosi decided in 2010 to voluntarily disclose the investment because the land had become more valuable, Elshami said.
Pelosi first reported in 2010 her husband's investment in Russell Ranch LLC. It was described then as undeveloped residential real estate in Sacramento worth between $1 million and $5 million. In 2011, she listed the value between $5 million to $25 million.
In 2009, when Nancy Pelosi was the House's speaker, she had vocally promoted the daughter of her husband's business partner in Russell Ranch as U.S. ambassador to Hungary. Elshami said there was no connection between reporting the investment and the ambassadorship. Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis was confirmed by the Senate for the position.
"The decision was made to list the asset voluntarily and separately for clarity and transparency purposes. It was added to the report because (the value of the land) was a larger amount," he said.
Paul Pelosi had said earlier that he had been a limited partner in Russell Ranch for more than a dozen years.
"My initial investment was in the $1 million to $5 million range," he said. "Recently, the general partner determined that the value of my interest was in excess of $5 million and that's why it was reported in that category. It's been close to $5 million for several years."
Pelosi's disclosure of the Russell Ranch investment was first reported by The Washington Times.
She regularly disclosed the range of total assets of her husband's S corporation in accordance with the rules.
Congressional ethics watchdogs said disclosing the specific investments of an S corporation should be required in the House rules. Staff members at the House Ethics Committee and the watchdog groups said they did not know how or why they escaped coverage.
Bill Allison, editorial director at the Sunlight Foundation, said, "You don't have to list every copy machine but major investments should have to be disclosed."
Common Cause spokeswoman Mary Boyle said, "We give Nancy Pelosi credit for disclosing when she didn't legally have to. In an ideal world, they should disclose this. It would be interesting to know why they exempted this in the first place."
Melanie Sloan, director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said, "It seems clear there's a need to fix it. We have richer and richer members, and they may have more of this sort of thing. Leader Pelosi didn't violate the rules."
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Until tomorrow,
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