MORNING MESSAGE
This
week in Washington, hundreds of low wage federal government contract workers
walked off their jobs, demonstrating for a living wage and a union. They
included Senate janitors and food service workers – the workers who serve the
senators their food and clean up the messes they leave. Carrying a sign reading
“Hiring: A President who will sign a $15 +Union Executive Order,” these workers
are calling on President Obama to lead and put government on the side of
workers. They want an executive order that would give preference in government
procurement and licensing to companies that pay a living wage with benefits, and
respect their workers’ right to organize ... Obama has claimed that his trade
policies are focused on enforcing labor rights in our trading partners. That
might gain more credibility were he to act to enforce them at home.
Fast Track Heads To Senate Floor
Senate
Finance Committee passes fast track bill. The Hill: “The panel approved, on
an 20-6 vote, a long-awaited trade promotion authority (TPA) measure with the
support of seven Democrats … Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Debbie Stabenow
(D-Mich.) lost their bid — on an 11-15 vote — to [require] enforceable currency
manipulation provisions … [House] Ways and Means Committee is slated to mark up
the bill Thursday.”
Currency
amendment on separate legislation passes committee. Politico: “[It] would
require the Commerce Department to [determine] whether countries that undervalue
their currency are providing an illegal trade subsidy. That could lead to hefty
duties on steel and certain other Chinese manufactured goods. The administration
also opposes that idea on the grounds it would invite trade retaliation and
potentially violate World Trade Organization rules.”
Sen.
Elizabeth Warren responds to Obama’s case for TPP during MSNBC interview with
Rachel Maddow: “We want to see this deal before you grease the skids, not
afterwards … My view is when the process is rigged, the outcome is likely to be
rigged too.”
Tougher
road in Congress for TPP than NAFTA. W. Post: “Of the Democratic votes for
NAFTA, 72 came from members who represented Southern and border states. About
half those seats, almost entirely in the South, are now held by conservative
Republicans … reluctant to give Obama any additional authority … Clinton’s whip
team, led at the time by Rahm Emanuel, then the White House political director,
could trade earmarks to secure votes. Obama has no such leverage.”
Democrats
also fight Obama over aid to workers displaced by trade. HuffPost: “During a
markup hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) announced that Obama
endorsed providing $450 million a year to the Trade Adjustment Assistance
program — a cut of more than 20 percent … Wyden had agreed to the $450 million
figure in talks with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a
staunch opponent of the TAA program. Wyden was the only Democrat on the Finance
Committee to oppose an amendment from Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) that would
have restored the $575 million funding level.”
Congressional
Democrats pressure Hillary Clinton to fight TPP. Politico: “‘I think now
that she’s officially declared for president, she should share with people how
she feels about it,’ said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) … Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown,
a Democratic populist who is leading the charge to kill the measure, said
Clinton could help galvanize opposition in Congress.”
While
Jeb Bush pressures Hillary to support it. W. Post: “I haven’t changed in my
view even though Hillary Clinton has. It is time to move forward as even recent
Democratic presidents have recognized — and Sec. Clinton shouldn’t stand in the
way for political gain.”
Obama
tries to activate base. The Hill: “The president will use a Thursday speech
at an Organizing for America summit in Washington to sell liberals on supporting
[the] fast-track trade bill …”
Dems Aim For $12 Minimum
Congressional
Dems ready $12 minimum wage bill. NYT: “Senator Murray’s forthcoming bill,
and a companion measure by Representative Robert C. Scott in the House, have
considerable support within the party … ‘The politics, substance and morality
coincide to make it a winner issue for us in 2016,’ Senator Schumer said. ‘It
appeals not just to the people who would benefit,’ he added. ‘Polling data shows
it appeals to middle-class people, people of high income.'”
Underpaid
Senate worker homeless. W. Post: “For a week’s work at the Senate cafeteria
— sweeping floors, mopping bathrooms, cleaning dishes, composting leftovers,
transporting laundry — he says his take-home pay is about $360 … after Congress
privatized its dining services, [Charles] Gladden says, his new employer,
Restaurant Associates, shrank the employee head count and worsened hours …
Sometimes he panhandles, on the weekends and when he effectively gets laid off
for weeks because the Senate is in recess.”
Breakfast Sides
House
Appropriations Committee proposes 2016 spending cuts. The Hill: “House
Republican appropriators on Wednesday approved spending preliminary allocations
for fiscal 2016 that stick to the overall $1.017 trillion cap under
sequestration by slashing billions from government agencies … The figures point
to a brewing conflict between the GOP-led Congress and the White House that
could lead to another government shutdown fight in October.”
Renewed
optimism for high-speed rail. McClatchy: “[Supporters] point to tangible
progress. California’s $68 billion system broke ground in January. Efforts are
under way to bring high-speed rail projects to Texas, Florida, Minnesota and
North Carolina …
Utility
industry argues EPA climate regs may cause temporary blackouts. NYT: “…
officials from … electric utilities say that they do expect to meet the
requirements of the regulation by 2030. The hard part, they say, will be
maintaining reliable power during the transition. In particular, they note that
the E.P.A.’s draft proposal requires states to start demonstrating significant
emissions cuts as early as 2020 … ‘There is no way that E.P.A. is going to
finalize this rule without being assured that the system will be reliable and
cost-effective,’ said Gina McCarthy, the E.P.A. administrator. ‘We are working
with utilities on what needs to be tweaked.'”
Progressive
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