Congress

GI Bill Progress Snagged

House Democrats hoping to expand education benefits for post-9/11 war vets face a tough road ahead after the cost estimate became public yesterday, revealing a 10-year cost of $51.8 billion. Chamber leaders had hoped to attach the proposal to the emergency war spending bill set to hit the House floor next week. The education amendment would update the current GI Bill to provide Iraq and Afghanistan war vets with full state-school tuition after three years of service.

But conservative Democrats -- the so-called Blue Dogs -- are balking at the costs, which are not offset by increased revenues or cuts to other programs. (Emergency bills are exempt from pay-as-you-go budget rules, meaning the increased costs would be covered by money borrowed from overseas.)

Health Care Reform Waits

Former Health and Human Services secretary Tommy Thompson urged action this week, saying 2009 brings a perfect storm to sweep through change.

You, Too, Can Suckle the Government Teat

Senate Democrats yesterday unveiled an energy reform proposal that would eliminate roughly $17 billion in federal subsidies to the nation's largest oil companies and apply a 25 percent "windfall profits" tax to companies not invested in renewable energies.

The bill arrives as gas prices are hitting record highs and the big oil companies -- including Exxon-Mobil, BP and Shell -- are recording record profits.

Republicans are howling, wondering why in the world we don't just open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Outer Continental Shelf to oil drilling. They need not worry. Even if the Democrats' proposal sneaks through the Senate, it has no chance of becoming law (the White House threatened to veto a similar House bill in February).

GI Bill on the Move

House lawmakers plan to attach an updated GI Bill to the $178 billion Iraq spending package set to hit the chamber floor Thursday -- a move that could lead to a showdown with the Bush administration, which opposes the proposal.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. James Webb (D-Va.), has strong bipartisan support in both chambers, but the White House and a number of conservatives oppose the plan as being too generous.

The editors at National Review summarized the complaints Monday:

Farm Bill Slashes International Food Aid Program

Congress has found a novel way to address the food crisis facing the developing world: Slash the budget for a bipartisan program providing school lunches to poor kids abroad to encourage them to remain in school.

According to The Washington Post this morning:

Yoo, Ashcroft to Testify; Addington May Follow

John Yoo, who authored the Justice Department's terrorist interrogation policy, has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee. Meanwhile, the committee decided to subpoena David Addington, the vice-president's chief of staff, after he failed to appear on a voluntary basis this morning.

Mending Mental Health Coverage?

House lawmakers pushing for broad patient benefits have been met with resistance by senators of both parties, the White House, business groups and the insurance industry.

House to Cave on Wiretapping Bill?

After stealing headlines earlier in the year, the showdown between the White House and House Democrats over the renewal of controversial domestic spying legislation has faded from public debate. (In a nutshell, the administration wants to protect the phone companies from lawsuits for their role in providing the government with client information without judicial oversight -- something the Senate approved but the House has thus far rejected.)

But now comes word from the American Civil Liberties Union that House Democrats may be crafting a deal with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) to move a compromise bill. Rockefeller was one of the most vocal supporters of retroactive immunity for phone companies, which leaves groups like the ACLU spooked that any deal pushed by the West Virginian would include such a provision.

ACLU is already beating its drum of disapproval:

Environmentalists Move for Obama

Well, one thing Hillary Clinton's gas-tax holiday proposal has done effectively is excite environmentalists to rally for her opponent. Friends of the Earth, a Washington-based group, announced over the weekend that it would endorse Barack Obama for president.

More recently, the group launched a Web ad accusing Clinton of "pandering for votes and not telling the truth."

Brent Blackwelder, Friends of the Earth president, said in a statement:

Is John Conyers Getting Anywhere?

Current and former White House officials have used every weapon to avoid testifying before Congress or handing over documents. But Rep. John Conyers, (D-Mich.), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has been persistent in keeping the heat on. The next few days might determine whether his doggedness pays off.

The judiciary committee is holding a hearing Tuesday called "From the Dept. of Justice to Guantanamo Bay: Administration Lawyers and Administration Interrogation Rules." In a letter this week, the committee threatened to subpoena John Ashcroft, John Yoo and David Addington, who have refused invitations to testify. Ashcroft has said testifying might be really difficult, due to his busy schedule as a Washington lobbyist. But there might be some signs that Addington, the vice-president's chief of staff, will show up, according to Paul Kiel at TPM Muckraker.

Gas Tax Dagger?

If there is reason in this world, then a proclamation (pdf) surfacing today should be the final word on the debate over whether eliminating the federal gas tax for the summer makes good economic sense.

Signed by 138 economists -- including three Nobel laureates -- the short message indicates that a "gas-tax holiday" would encourage consumption, add to deficits and enrich oil companies, all while providing little relief to consumers.

'The Dumbest Thing'

Not to beat this gas-tax debate to death, but New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who knows a thing or two about economics, chimed in yesterday on the John McCain/Hillary Clinton proposal to scrap the tax for the summer. Here's a hint: He didn't take the side of his senator. (From The Associated Press):

It's about the dumbest thing I've heard in an awful long time, from an economic point of view. We're trying to discourage people from driving and we're trying to end our energy dependence ... and we're trying to have more money to build infrastructure.

Obama: Rail in Lieu of Gas Tax Holiday

The lone holdout in the much-hyped campaign push to scrap the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal gas tax for the summer has been Barack Obama. The Illinois senator says it won't save much at the pump, and the oil companies are likely to eat the benefit anyways. (Economists happen to agree).

Yesterday, campaigning in Indiana, Obama wondered why skyrocketing gas costs haven't prompted a stronger move away from car travel:

Pelosi to Panderers: Forget About Your Gas Tax Moratorium

As presidential hopefuls John McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton continue to trumpet their summer gas tax moratorium plan as the savior of the American driver, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) yesterday put the brakes on the proposal:

Calls for Olympic Boycott Intensify

Some members of Congress are pushing the president to skip the Beijing ceremony because of the country's human rights record.

Billions for Pentagon Failures

The House Oversight Committee wonders why the Pentagon continues to fund programs based on non-existent technology.

From Snowmobiles to Firearms

For those who thought that snowmobiles in Yellowstone were a bad idea, watch out! The Bush administration proposed new rules today that would allow people to carry concealed firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. The change would scrap a 25-year-old law banning loaded weapons on national parkland, instead aligning federal rules with those of the state where the park is located.

In a statement, Interior Dept. Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said that states have the right to develop their own gun laws, "and [we] believe that our management of parks and refuges should defer to those state laws." He added that:

A Unique Approach to Rev. Wright

Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D) is an African-American politician, a Methodist pastor and a Hillary Clinton supporter. So when he weighs in on the controversy surrounding Barack Obama's ties to his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, it's probably worth noting.

From an interview this afternoon with MS-NBCs Andrea Mitchell:

But No Spitting Seeds in the Chamber

Who said Congress never gets anything done? House lawmakers yesterday passed a bill urging the establishment of National Watermelon Month. That's different than actually designating such a month, but things of such importance don't happen overnight.

The text of the bill reveals what's at stake:

Vets Drum Up Support for GI Bill

Veterans groups are keeping their hopes high.