Congress To Buy More Time For Budget Dispute
Reuters reports: “The Congress is expected to buy itself more time on Thursday to work out a much-delayed budget deal as the costs of the stalemate are increasingly being felt across the globe. The Senate is expected to pass a sixth stopgap bill that would keep the government running through April 8, more than six months after the fiscal year began. The House of Representatives passed the measure on Tuesday. Republicans who control the House and Democrats who control the Senate need to resolve a $50 billion gap between their two spending plans.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET. President Obama and Vice President Biden will meet at 10:30 a.m. ET with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, and Obama and Kenny will deliver statements to the press at 11:05 a.m. ET. Then at 12 p.m. ET, Obama, Biden and Kenny will attend a St. Patrick’s Day lunch. At 7:05 p.m. ET, the President and First Lady will host a St. Patrick’s Day reception, which Biden will also attend.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden hosted a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast at 8:30 a.m. ET at the Naval Observatory, in honor of Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. Biden will meet with President Obama and Kenny at 10:30 a.m. ET, and Biden will attend Obama and Kenny’s statements to the press at 11:05 a.m. ET, and have lunch at 12 p.m. ET with Obama and Kenny. At 6 p.m. ET, Biden and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis will participate in a conference call with labor leaders and members from across the country to discuss the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain. In the evening, Biden will attend the White House’s St. Patrick’s Day reception.
U.S. Takes Conservative Approach In Response To Nuclear Crisis In Japan
The Washington Post reports: “In sharp contrast to governments across the world that are moving to warn their citizens in Japan about radiation hazards and to reassess their own nuclear power programs, the Obama administration is pursuing a cautious course — standing firmly behind the U.S. nuclear industry.”
Democrats Wonder: What’s Our Plan?
Politico reports: “Democrats in Congress are grappling with a question as they negotiate a spending deal: Who’s in charge? The top two Democratic leaders in the House have twice split on whether to approve short-term government funding bills that cut billions from federal accounts. Senate Democrats haven’t put forward a long-term spending plan that can move through their chamber, and Democrats on both sides of the Capitol say they have no idea where the White House stands or who’s running the show.”
Lawmakers Find A Path Around An Earmarks Ban
The New York Times reports: “But, as it turns out, lawmakers still have a way to get their favorite projects funded: appealing directly to federal agencies for money that is already available. And agency officials seem to be paying attention, though an executive order has directed agencies not to take on projects based on the recommendations of members of Congress. In some cases, that may be the result of the clout certain lawmakers have over how much money an agency receives.”
GOP Has New 2012 Target: Obama’s $1 Billion Campaign
Roll Call reports: “A growing consensus has emerged that the Democratic president, who outraised Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) $779 million to $400 million in 2008, could become the nation’s first politician to raise $1 billion in one cycle. But Republicans on the campaign trail and elsewhere are already working to ensure his road to 10 figures is marked with potential pitfalls. ‘The fact that the Democrats are bragging about wanting to spend $1 billion is causing our own donors to get excited and send us checks,’ Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told Roll Call in an interview.”
