Senate To Hold Key Test Vote On Scaled-Down Jobs Bill
Senate Democrats face a key procedural vote today, with a motion to proceed on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) scaled-down jobs bill. Reid will need 60 votes for cloture, and as of yet no Republicans have declared themselves to be in favor of it.
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:15 a.m. ET. Obama will deliver remarks at 10:05 a.m. ET to the National Governors Association. He will meet at 12:40 p.m. ET with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA). He will meet at 1:15 p.m. ET with senior advisors. Obama and Biden will meet at 3 p.m. ET with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and at 3:30 p.m. ET with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will join President Obama’s daily briefing at 9:15 a.m. ET, the meeting with the National Governors Association at 10:05 a.m. ET, and the separate meetings with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at 3 p.m. ET and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis at 3:30 p.m. ET. Then at 6:30 p.m. ET, Biden ad his wife Dr. Jill Biden will host a reception at the Naval Observatory, in honor of the Adjutants General of the United States, and other National Guard leadership.
Ben Nelson: ‘I Don’t Know If There’s A Happy Ending For Health Care’
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) said that there could be continued political difficulties over health care. “I don’t know if there’s a happy ending for health care,” said Nelson, who also attacked opponents of reform: “Those who want nothing done obscure that fact by statements that they want to start over.” (Via The Hill.)
War To Split Democrats Again
Roll Call reports that House Democrats could be divided on the Afghanistan War this week, with Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) set to introduce a resolution calling for a quick end to the war. Said a senior Democratic aide: “People with weird liberal enclaves in their districts don’t need this vote.”
Cornyn Urges ‘Caution’ On Expectations For GOP
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is trying to temper expectations for the party in this November’s elections. “The one thing that changed everything was Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts — the sense is that if we can do it there, we can do it anywhere,” Cornyn told Politico. “The caution we try to preach to everyone is that just because the public has fallen out of love with the president and his policies doesn’t mean they’ve fallen in love with Republicans.”
Lawmakers To Press Military On Fate Of Gay Ban
Members of Congress are set to ask top military officials for their views on whether to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The chiefs of staff of the Army, Gen. George Casey, and the Air Force, Gen. Norton Schwartz, will testify on Tuesday. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway, who is believed to oppose changing the policy, will testify on Wednesday.
