Happy Wednesday folks,Whew, we’re finally done with winter he first day of spring is finally here! With birds chirping, flowers growing, and baseball season rapidly approaching, something must really be in the air.After all, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the senate will in fact vote on a budget for 2014! According to The Hill, Reid said, “There will be no more talk of not having a budget,” … “We’re going to have one before we leave here for [Easter] recess.”
Though it’s good to know the Senate is willing to parade in a budget, the policy divide with the House’s budget plan is disappointing. Throwing money at the problem just doesn’t work. Conservatives need to emphasize fiscal responsibility, but also show what they’re for and not just what they’re against. Americans are looking for a more positive conservative movement. Here’s the big chance to deliver.
Matchup Breakdown: Well, the House budget plan really moves to save Social Security over the long haul. In fact, it proposes legislation that would establish a trigger requiring the President to submit legislation that would achieve actuarial balance over 75 years. The Senate doesn’t ask any questions of Social Security’s status.
On Tap For Today2:00 PM: Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on overhauling the immigration system.2:05 PM: President Obama, with Prime Minister Netanyahu, holds a press conference.
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@brianjameswalsh“So President Obama made sure to fill out his NCAA brackets but still hasn’t submitted a budget. At least we know where his priorities are.”
@MLB“There are moustaches, and then there’s what @Joba_62 has going on right now. pic.twitter.com/MZsckztp46”
@thehill“Reid guts Senate #gun control bill http://j.mp/YpDBsE by @alexanderbolton @joneasley”
@zerohedge“Luckily in the New Normal earnings, cash flow, news, facts and reality are irrelevant”
Ryan’s 2014 Budget Advances In The Housefrom The Hill by Pete Kasperowicz. “The House took a step toward passing the 2014 budget resolution offered by House Budget Committee Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), by approving a rule governing debate on the measure. Members voted 224-189 in favor of the rule, which sets up four hours of debate on the GOP budget, and allows a half hour of debate on most of the five alternative budgets that will also get votes. The rule was supported by every voting Republican, and opposed by every voting Democrat.”
Energy Security Trust Faces Big Sticking Point from Politico by Andrew Restuccia. “President Barack Obama will face an uphill climb in Congress with his bipartisan proposal to steer offshore drilling revenue into research on green energy and natural gas, key observers signaled Tuesday. … A major sticking point: the administration’s unwillingness to expand drilling to areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as Republicans have proposed.”
Strapped For Retirement, More Hope To Work Longerfrom The Washington Post by Michael A. Fletcher. “After a long era of planning on earlier exits from the workforce, more Americans are planning to work longer to make up for their failure to save enough for retirement Nearly half of Americans have little or no confidence they are financially prepared for retirement, a problem many of them intend to solve by working longer, according to a new survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).”
Immigration
Emerging Immigration Deal Receives House Leaders’ Bipartisan Backingfrom The Hill by Russell Berman and Mike Lillis. “Leaders in both parties voiced confidence in an emerging House immigration agreement, giving momentum to an issue that has been a bright spot early in President Obama’s second term. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) praised a bipartisan group for coming up with “a pretty responsible solution” on immigration, the first public endorsement the Speaker has made on the substance of secretive talks that have gone on for more than four years.”
Immigration Reform Speeding Up? Not So Fast.from The Washington Post by David Nakamura. “With Republican Sen. Rand Paul getting on board Tuesday morning the immigration reform train is speeding up. Now, a half-dozen Republican senators want to slow it down. The lawmakers, all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) asking him to allow more time for hearings on a comprehensive immigration bill before scheduling a committee vote.”
Health Care
Experts: Obamacare Insurance Gains Could Stress Primary Care Systemfrom Politico by Kyle Cheney. “The health system is girding for millions of new patients under Obamacare, and experts are worried that an already-strained primary care system could buckle unless other health care professionals are marshaled to perform primary care. ‘We need to get away from the old system of fragmented care and really work on team-based care,’ said Wanda Filer, director of the American Academy of Family Physicians, at a POLITICO Pro Breakfast Briefing on Tuesday morning.”
In Shift, Lobbyists Look For Bipartisan Support To Repeal A Tax from The New York Times by Eric Lipton. “Cook executives had backed Representative Bobby Schilling, her Republican opponent in last year’s election for Illinois’s 17th District seat, after he had joined with other House Republicans to push for the repeal of a new medical device tax imposed to pay for President Obama’s health care law. The company said the tax would cut its profits this year by an estimated $15 million, perhaps limiting future expansions. But in a hint of a shift in corporate lobbying strategy now under way in Washington, the industry pitch is now focused on Democrats like Ms. Bustos.”
Some States Balk At Enforcing Health Law’s Insurance Protections by Phil Galewitz. “Florida regulators won’t penalize insurance companies that violate new health law consumer protections that take effect in January but will report them to the federal government, according to an agreement between the state and federal officials. Citing lack of money and legal authority, Pennsylvania’s top insurance regulator hasn’t decided whether his agency can enforce the provisions, which include some of the most popular elements of the 2010 federal health law, such as requiring insurers to provide coverage to all applicants regardless of their health status, prohibiting insurers from charging more based on gender or health, and greatly limiting what insurers can charge for premiums based on age. … While federal officials say they will step in if necessary, policy experts note they have little experience enforcing health insurance laws and few resources in states to do it.”
X-Factor
Laughing With Syrian Refugeesfrom The Atlantic by James Gordon. “Ordinarily when I begin work with an individual like Hamid, or a group or in our training programs, I start simply, by teaching slow deep breathing, in through the nose, out through the mouth, the belly soft. It quiets the mind and body, and after five minutes gives most people who are overwhelmed and powerless a direct, often singular, experience of being able to calm the agitation and anxiety that are hallmarks of post-traumatic stress. I will do it a half a dozen times on this visit — in tents, standing outside clinics, and in meetings in offices with aid workers.”
With West Flat, Big Brewers Peddle Cheap Beer In Africafrom The Wall Street Journal by Paul Sonne, Devon Maylie, and Drew Hinshaw. “The volume of beer sold in Africa is expected to grow 4.6% per year on average from 2012 to 2016, faster than any other continent and nearly double the global rate, according to Canadean Ltd., a market-research firm. By comparison, volumes in North America and Western Europe are expected to decline 0.6% and 0.5%, respectively, during the same period. More than a third of SABMiller’s group revenue comes from Africa, where the company has its roots.”
This & That
Cherry Blossoms’ Peak Bloom Pushed Back A Week from DCIst by Martin Austermuhle.
