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a message from President Barack Obama … #ACAIsHereToStay!


I spent the morning meeting with people who were benefitting from the Affordable Care Act — some folks who are saving hundreds of dollars a month on their premiums, a few people with preexisting conditions who now have access to coverage, and someone who took advantage of a free checkup, caught a tumor early, and is now cancer free.

Then in the afternoon, I saw that Republicans in the House voted to repeal the law that’s providing all of those benefits.

The idea that we would even consider taking that away from the tens of millions who are benefitting under this law makes no sense.

So I’m asking: Will you join me in standing up for Obamacare today?

The Affordable Care Act is not an abstraction. For Americans all over the country, it’s about providing the security they need to live their lives.

So why is it that making sure that folks lose access to health care is at the top of the Republican agenda in this new Congress?

It’s working: People are being covered, and plans on the exchanges are affordable. Health care inflation is at its lowest rate in 50 years. The overall tab for the Affordable Care Act is less than originally projected.

I would just ask our Republican friends to once again consider why they think it’s an important priority to take away health care for millions of people. But as long as they do, I’m going to be standing up for this law.

I hope you’ll join me:

http://my.democrats.org/Obamacare-Is-Here-to-Stay

Barack Obama

P.S. — The progress we’ve made on health care because of the Affordable Care Act is just one of the things I’m looking forward to talking about next week, when Democrats come together in Washington for the DNC’s annual Winter Meeting.

If you enter before midnight tonight, you could have a chance to join me there.

Black History

the Senate ~~~ CONGRESS 2/12 ~~~ the House


redpeacesign

The Senate stands adjourned until 9:30am on Thursday, February 12, 2015.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business for one hour with Democrats controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the final half.

Following morning business the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider the nomination of Ashton Carter to be Secretary of Defense until 2:00pm with the time equally divided between the two Leaders or their designees. At 2:00pm, the Senate will vote on confirmation of the Carter nomination.

 

2:07pm The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #12, Ashton B. Carter, of Massachusetts, to be Secretary of Defense.

Confirmed: 93-5

Following the vote on confirmation of the Carter nomination (confirmed 93-5), the Senate resumed consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R.240, DHS appropriations. Senator McConnell then asked unanimous consent that the motion to proceed be agreed to; the managers, or their designees, be recognized to offer amendments in an alternating fashion, with the majority manager offering the first amendment.

Senator Durbin objected.

Senator Durbin then asked unanimous consent that following the enactment of the text of S.272, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2015, at a time to be determined by the Majority Leader, after consultation with the Democratic Leader, but no later than Monday, March 16th, the Senate proceed to the consideration of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act, as passed by the Senate by a vote of 68-32 on June 27, 2013, the text of which is at the desk.

Senator McConnell objected and then filed cloture on the motion to proceed. We expect the cloture vote to occur at 5:30pm on Monday, February 23, 2015.

 

 

WRAP UP

Roll Call Votes

  1. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #12, the nomination of Ashton Carter to be Secretary of Defense: confirmed: 93-5.

Legislative Business

Adopted Calendar #18, S.Res.73: Committee Funding.

Adopted S.Res.52: Calling for the release of Ukrainian fighter pilot Nadiya Savchenko.

Adopted S.Res.78: Honoring the life of Jerry Tarkanian.

Adopted S.Res.79: Honoring the life of Dean Smith.

Adopted S.Res.80: Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of Lunar New Year.

Adopted S.Res.81: Expressing the sense of the Senate re: trafficked children

Adopted S.Res.82: Commending Kathleen Alvarez Tritak on her service to the United States Senate.

Executive Business

===================================================

Last Floor Action:
2:00:51 P.M. -H. Res. 101
On ordering the previous question Roll Call 77 – Yea and Nay vote pending.

Last Floor Action: 2/11
7:58:42 P.M. – The House adjourned.

The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on February 12, 2015.

10:00:28 A.M. The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
10:00:41 A.M. The Speaker designated the Honorable Evan H. Jenkins to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
10:00:49 A.M. MORNING-HOUR DEBATE – The House proceeded with Morning-Hour Debate. At the conclusion of Morning-Hour, the House will recess until 12:00 p.m. for the start of legislative business.
10:33:45 A.M. The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 P.M. today.
12:00:53 P.M. The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of February 12.
12:00:56 P.M. Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.
12:02:12 P.M. The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
12:02:16 P.M. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Ms. Brownley of CA to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
12:02:37 P.M. ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches which by direction of the Chair, would be limited to 15 per side of the aisle.
12:39:32 P.M. The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on February 12, 2015 at 9:09 a.m.: That the Senate passed S. 295.
12:40:52 P.M. H. Res. 101 Considered as privileged matter. H. Res. 101 — “Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 644) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend and expand the charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory, and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 636) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend increased expensing limitations, and for other purposes.”
12:42:06 P.M. H. Res. 101 DEBATE – The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H. Res. 101.
1:31:09 P.M. H. Res. 101 POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the resolution, the Chair put the question on ordering the previous question and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. McGovern demanded the Yeas and Nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of ordering the previous question until a time to be announced.
1:32:31 P.M. The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. today.
2:00:21 P.M. The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of February 12.
2:00:31 P.M. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announed that the unfinished business was the question on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 101, which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.
2:00:46 P.M. H. Res. 101 Considered as unfinished business. H. Res. 101 — “Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 644) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend and expand the charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory, and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 636) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend increased expensing limitations, and for other purposes.”
2:00:51 P.M. H. Res. 101 On ordering the previous question Roll Call 77 – Yea and Nay vote pending.

2:30:02 P.M. H. Res. 101 On ordering the previous question Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 232 – 164 (Roll no. 77).
2:39:39 P.M. H. Res. 101 On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by recorded vote: 233 – 163 (Roll no. 78).
2:39:40 P.M. H. Res. 101 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
2:40:42 P.M. The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on February 12, 2015 at 1:42 p.m.: appointments were made to the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People’s Republic of China; the National Council on the Arts; the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control; Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki); Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; President’s Export Council; and the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.
2:41:02 P.M. H.R. 644 Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 101. H.R. 644 — “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend and expand the charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory.”
2:41:07 P.M. H.R. 644 The resolution provides for consideration of both H.R. 644 and H.R. 636 under closed rules.
2:42:14 P.M. H.R. 644 DEBATE – The House proceeded with 90 minutes of debate on H.R. 644.
4:23:52 P.M. H.R. 644 The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
4:24:12 P.M. H.R. 644 Mr. Neal moved to recommit with instructions to the Committee on Ways and Means.
4:24:24 P.M. H.R. 644 DEBATE – The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the motion to recommit with instructions, pending the reservation of a point of order. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment that adds 3 new sections to the bill. The point of order was subsequently withdrawn.
4:34:17 P.M. H.R. 644 The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection.
5:00:21 P.M. H.R. 644 On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 168 – 245 (Roll no. 79).
5:09:21 P.M. H.R. 644 On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 279 – 137 (Roll no. 80).
5:09:22 P.M. H.R. 644 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
5:15:01 P.M. ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with further one minute speeches.
5:27:35 P.M. SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.
6:47:44 P.M. Mr. Denham moved that the House do now adjourn.
6:47:55 P.M. On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.
6:48:00 P.M. The House adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on February 13, 2015

===========================================================

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Progressive Breakfast: 13 Questions: About Greece, Europe, Austerity – and Us


Richard Eskow

13 Questions: About Greece, Europe, Austerity – and Us

Every day brings more headlines in the European debt drama: “Greece elects anti-austerity government.” “Greek Finance Minister says he won’t negotiate with the ‘Troika.’” “Anti-austerity movements gain ground across Europe.” What’s behind these stories? What does the future hold? What, if anything, are the implications for the United States?

Capital & Main Takes On Inequality

California news site Capital & Main launches month-long series on “how economic inequality is transforming California, and what can be done to rebuild our vanishing middle class.”

Greece v. Europe

Europe squeezes Greece. NYT:“The central bank decided that it would no longer accept Greek government bonds as collateral for loans, saying that it was not confident the country could meet its bailout requirements. The move raises the stakes for Greece, indicating that the European Central Bank, at least, is not prepared to bend its rules to accommodate the country’s newly elected government.”

Greece doesn’t budge. Bloomberg:“The government ‘remains unwavering in the goals of its social salvation program, approved by the vote of the Greek people,’ according to a Finance Ministry statement issued overnight.”

House GOP v. Senate GOP

Party split over immigration and funding Homeland Security. Politico:“What has caused the most consternation among top Republicans is a palpable fear that their party could incur a political backlash if the impasse causes a shutdown of an agency so essential to national security if no deal is reached before the Feb. 27 deadline … [But a]nything less than a full-fledged battle would spark a revolt from the right.”

“Democrats feel they have political leverage and have shown no sign of backing down,”reports The Hill.

Can Republicans even agree on a budget? WSJ:“Rep. Tom Price (R., Ga.), who heads the House Budget Committee, has promisedto offer a proposal that balances the budget in 10 years, which would require much deeper spending cuts than what many Democrats—and possibly those Republican senators who face re-election next year—will agree to…”

Trio of Republicans propose actual replacement for Obamacare. NYT:“[The bill] would halt the expansion of Medicaid and scale back subsidies for middle-income people to buy private insurance … [It would] reduce federal regulation of insurance policies [and] no longer require insurance policies to include coverage for maternity care … Their plan includes a potentially explosive proposal: Workers would have to pay federal income tax on the value of employer-provided health benefits that exceed certain annual thresholds — $12,000 for individuals and $30,000 for families.”

Nothing new from Jeb. W. Post’s Jim Tankersley:“…Jeb Bush’s speech on Wednesday before the Detroit Economic Club … was the highest-profile example to date of a Republican presidential hopeful embracing economic inequality and middle-class stagnation as problems that define America. What it was not — at least on its face — was a break with orthodox conservative thinking about the economy.”

Conservatives In States Target Workers

IL Gov. Bruce Rauner aims to weaken labor. NYT:“[Gov. Rauner] said on Wednesday that the state should ban some political contributions by public employee unions and allow local ‘right to work’ laws … reporters tried repeatedly, and unsuccessfully, to get the longtime Assembly speaker, Michael J. Madigan, to voice a firm opinion about the governor’s suggestions on right-to-work laws.”

TN legislature rebuffs GOP governor who wanted to expand Medicaid. The Hill:“[Gov. Bill] Haslam, a Republican, failed to garner enough support among members of his own party. Only three of the 10 Republicans on the [Senate] Health panel voted for the plan; the final vote was 7 to 4 against expansion.”

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Help me get back home


Petitioning Kirsten Gillibrand

Ask US Customs and Border Protection to reconsider my case and let me come home to the U.S.
Petition by Angelo Cabrera
United States
4,686
Supporters
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Revitalizing Appalachia


By

Appalachian Coal Communities Need Investment. Here’s a New Idea For How To Fund It.

Despite the fact that many conservatives like to argue a war on coal has been waged through clean air rules, the coal industry has been in decline for decades. In fact, several factors like mechanization, resource depletion, and competition from other energy industries — none of which include EPA rules — have contributed to the decline in Appalachian coal.

But no matter the reason, these communities that have helped power America for decades need and deserve investment. Today, the Center for American Progress issued a proposal aimed at revitalizing Appalachian coal communities. The report outlines how the federal coal-leasing program artificially props up the Western coal industry at the expense of Appalachian coal and recommends actions congress can take to correct this distortion.

The problem begins with a federal program for leasing coal on publicly owned lands which fails to ensure that mining companies pay royalties on the true market price of the coal that they extract. Because the federal coal program is fundamentally noncompetitive, the Department of the Interior is providing billions of dollars of de facto subsidies to western coal and artificially driving down prices. The distortion is particularly extreme in the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming where coal sells for less than one-third the price of Appalachian coal. This price gives coal from the region a near monopoly on the U.S. coal market, according to some analysts.

This unfair system exacerbates the challenges faced by coal communities across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Here are just a few examples of the barriers facing Appalachian coal communities:

By ensuring that coal companies mining on federal lands pay their fair share, the federal government could generate millions of dollars for taxpayers that could be used to reinvigorate Appalachian communities that have been hurt by this unfair system. CAP offers two policy proposals that could correct this distortion and help Appalachia get back on its feet:

  • Option 1: Increase the long-stagnant royalty rate, minimum bid price and rental rate for federal coal sales. These standards have not changed in decades, and the royalty rate for federal coal remains out of line with royalty rates for other publicly owned resources, such as oil and gas, on the Outer Continental Shelf.
  • Option 2: Assess royalties based on the true market value of federal coal. Currently, the government assesses royalties at the first point of sale, which undervalues the coal by not taking into account the final price paid by coal consumers like coal-fired power plants. This proposal would ensure royalty payments align with the true market value of coal.

BOTTOM LINE: Appalachian coal communities are struggling in part because of an unfair and outdated federal policy that benefits the Western coal industry. Congress needs to act to fix this ineffective coal-leasing program and help Appalachia adjust to the changing energy economy.

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