House To Vote On Bonus Tax Today
The House of Representatives will vote today on a bill to tax bonuses of over $250,000 at financial institutions receiving bailout money, at a rate of 90 percent. Charlie Rangel explained to reporters: “We figured that the local and state governments would take care of the other 10 percent.”
Obama In California — Will Appear On Jay Leno
President Obama is in California today, with a 1:30 p.m. ET tour of the Edison Electric Vehicle Technical Center Garage of the Future in Pomona, and a speech there at 1:45 p.m. ET. At 4:10 p.m. ET he will visit the Miguel Contreras Learning Center in Los Angeles, where he will be accompanied by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. At 7:20 p.m. ET, he will tape an appearance on the Jay Leno show. And then tonight he will head back to Washington.
Biden Promoting Stimulus Bill In Minnesota
Joe Biden is holding a town hall meeting at 12:30 p.m. ET in St. Cloud, Minnesota, discussing the stimulus program. Biden will be joined by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Obama: I’ll Take Responsibility For AIG Bonuses — And I Didn’t Make The Mess
President Obama told a town hall in California last night that he will fix the AIG mess. “Listen, I’ll take responsibility. I’m the president,” he said to applause. And again, Obama pushed the message that he has inherited the problems his administration is dealing with: “It’s my job to make sure we fix these messes even if I don’t make them.”
Poll: Americans Not Confident In Continued Quality Of Life
A new CNN poll finds that only 39% of Americans are confident that they’ll be able to maintain their standard of living over the next six years, down six points since last year. On the bright side, half of all homeowners are confident that they will continue to be able to make their mortgage payments, though this number is also down eight points from last year.
Report: RNC Raised $5.1 Million In February
The RNC is expected to report raising $5.1 million this past February, the first month under Michael Steele’s leadership, with $24 million in cash on hand as of March 1. This is slightly down from the $5.77 million from January, but is fairly strong considering that some kind of decrease was expected with the transition of leadership.
Locke Has Easy Confirmation Hearing
The Washington Post reports that former Gov. Gary Locke (D-WA) had a smooth confirmation hearing yesterday, as the third nominee of President Obama for Secretary of Commerce. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), chairman of the Commerce Committee, said he expects the committee to formally approve Locke’s nomination today, referring it unanimously to the full Senate for a vote at a date to be determined.
Bush To Deliver Closed-Press Speech In Late May
Former President George W. Bush will give his first speech in the United States since leaving the White House on May 28, to the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan. The event will be closed to the media.
