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Bipartisanship, fiscal cliff addressed at LVEDC talk
When the holidays come around the first thing we typically think of is politics, right? Photo by Katherine Schneider: Political insider Richard Goodstein, Washington, D.C. government affairs consultant for Air Products spoke this morning at the LVEDC’s breakfast event. “Nothing says the holidays like politics,” said Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion.
House Dems Ready to Follow Obama Over Fiscal Cliff
House Democrats are prepared to follow President Obama over the so-called fiscal cliff rather than extend the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans, the number two Democrat on the House Budget Committee said Friday morning. She also said that any such deal that doesn't include an increase in the debt ceiling would be a nonstarter.
Geithner urges Republican leaders to offer ideas on averting fiscal cliff
Updated 11:43 am ET President Barack Obama’s fiscal cliff negotiator, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, predicted on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday that congressional Republicans will accept Obama’s plan to raise income tax rates and limit deductions on people making $200,000 and over. “I think we’re going to get there,” he told NBC’s David Gregory. He said if Republican leaders have their own alternative ways to reduce federal deficits, they need to offer Obama their proposals.
Obama talks fiscal cliff, taxes in Montco (video)
HATFIELD -- In front of a backdrop of machinery and K’NEX toys inside the Rodon Group’s Montgomery County factory on Friday afternoon, President Obama made his case for extending middle-class tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of the year, warning that businesses such as the Rodon Group — and millions of Americans — will take a big hit if Congress fails to agree soon on a fiscal plan.
In Pa., Obama pushes for his debt-reduction approach
HATFIELD, Pa. — President Obama traveled to this Philadelphia suburb Friday to deliver the same sharp message he gave directly to House Speaker John A. Boehner earlier in the week: Get on board with the White House’s tax proposal, or get out of the way. The relationship between the two most powerful men in Washington, who together will effectively decide the fate of negotiations over the feared “fiscal cliff,” has broken down badly since the heady days 17 months ago when they shared a golf course.
A search for 'common ground': 'Fiscal cliff' negotiations begin
(CNN) -- Ahead of Friday's first bipartisan fiscal cliff meeting at the White House, a group of moderate House Democrats is sending a message to both parties saying everyone needs to give some ground to find a bipartisan agreement. Members of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of centrists that hopes to play a role in the deal-making, sent a letter to President Barack Obama, House Speaker John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday stating, "We cannot have a full debate that allows us to address the multitude of issues facing our country if either side takes a potential solution off the table." With both parties suffering losses of moderate members in the election, this new coalition is signaling it could be a critical bloc of votes in the House to get a deal through. Boehner could potentially lose a chunk of votes from conservatives over final details on new revenue. Major changes to entitlements could mean Pelosi loses support from the progressives in the House who believe there shouldn't be any benefit cuts.
New Dems call for fiscal cliff action
More than a dozen members of the New Democrat Coalition said Thursday that they’re ready and eager to help forge a bipartisan deal to avert the fiscal cliff — and want President Barack Obama and congressional leaders to get to work. “We think time is of the essence, we think the time to do this is now,” Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), the newly-elected chairman of the group, which describes itself as liberal on social issues and moderate on fiscal matters. “Sitting around for another 24 months in endless talks and negotiations…is notacceptable. Inaction is just not an option.” With at least 17 new coalition members expected in January, Kind said the group will represent more than a quarter of the Democratic caucus, giving it considerable clout. Pennsylvania Rep. Allyson Schwartz, a coalition vice chair, said the group is focused on tax cuts for the middle class, Medicare and making America more economically competitive.
Groups rate legislators on federal employee issues
Want to know where your members of Congress stand on federal employee and retiree issues? Federally Employed Women (FEW) and the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) make it easy with their scorecards rating how members of Congress voted on bills important to the organizations. “The vast majority of scores were either 30% or 90% or 100% broken down by party and very similar to last year’s scores,” Janet Kopenhaver, FEW’s Washington Representative, said in a statement released with its scorecard. Kopenhaver didn’t say which party ranked where. She didn’t have to. The legislators cited as “Federal Worker Champions” for ranking at the top of FEW’s list for at least four straight years are all Democrats. They are: Reps. Stephen Cohen (Tenn.), Elijah Cummings (Md.) and John Sarbanes (Md.) who made the list for six years; Reps. Jim McGovern (Mass.), William Lacy Clay (Mo.) and Allyson Schwartz (Pa.) for five years; and Reps. Janice Schakowsky (Il); Tammy Baldwin (Wis.) and Gerry Connolly (Va.) for four years. In the Senate, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (N.J.) had a top ranking for five consecutive years. Sens. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) and Robert Menendez (N.J.) were at the top for four straight years. “The issues chosen were those of most importance and priority for FEW members,” Kopenhaver said. “Among the priorities were not supporting several anti-federal worker bills, and co-sponsoring the Equal Rights Amendment and the Paycheck Fairness bills.” NARFE’s scorecard covers five House votes and four in the Senate on such issues as federal pay, retirement and workers’ compensation. “After two years of divided government, voters will determine if there should be a change,” says the introduction to the scorecard, which was published in the September/October issue of the NARFE magazine. NARFE has an online tool that allows readers to determine how their representatives voted. The organization encourages readers to “Start at www.capwiz.com/narfe/officials/ and insert your ZIP code to produce a display of your congressional delegation and key votes for the last 10 years.”
Lawmakers honored at awards dinner in D.C.
U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz was one of 38 members of the U.S. House of Representatives to receive an award from an organization that stresses solutions to budget deficits and rising entitlement program costs. The Concord Coalition recently honored 22 Democrats and 16 Republicans at a dinner in Washington, D.C., to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The lawmakers received the Paul E. Tsongas Economic Patriot Award, named in memory of the former Massachusetts senator and presidential candidate. In March, the House rejected by a vote of 382-38 a plan put forth by Republican Rep. Steve LaTourette of Ohio and Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee. Schwartz (D-13th dist.), a member of the House Budget Committee, was among the 38 people who voted for it. “We’re willing to look at the big fiscal challenges facing the nation,” she said. The LaTourette/Cooper bill was fashioned after the recommendations of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, chaired by former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming and Erskine Bowles, who served as chief of staff for President Bill Clinton.