MORNING MESSAGE
The
fast track bill was brought to the House floor Thursday morning with very little
advance notice, to prevent opponents from being able to rally public opposition
in time to again stop it ... The fast track bill is being super-fast-tracked in
the Senate and the vote there will come up very, very soon. The bill was
forwarded from the House within an hour of the vote, and Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell immediately filed a cloture motion. Because the Senate will not
be in session Friday, and one day must pass after a cloture motion is filed, the
Senate will vote on cloture on Tuesday morning ... You must call your two
senators today and Monday, and let them know you oppose fast-tracking the secret
Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Fast Track Bill Back To Senate
House
clears stand-alone fast track bill, heads back to Senate. Politico: “The
vote was 218-208. Backing the bill were 190 Republicans and 28 Democrats …
Separating the workers aid package from the trade promotion bill is a gamble
because Senate Democrats have demanded that the two move simultaneously … ‘This
is going to be a little exercise in trust here,’ [said] Senate Majority Whip
John Cornyn…”
Pro-fast
track Senate Dems not fully on board. The Hill: “Pro-trade Senate Democrats
have yet to sign off on the plan and are demanding a variety of concessions to
sweeten the deal.”
House
Dems say strategy won’t work. Politico: “Each person on the whip team was
given a list with members and told to be in nearly daily contact with Democratic
lawmakers ahead of last week’s vote. The marching orders are the same this
round: to scuttle TAA, under the belief that Obama wouldn’t sign fast-track
legislation without it.”
Hillary
Clinton says she wouldn’t back TPA without TAA. The Hill quotes: “I
certainly would not vote for it unless I was absolutely confident that we would
get Trade Adjustment Assistance.”
Economists
prove trade strategy with China killed US jobs. Bloomberg: “…many economists
had concluded that automation was the primary culprit. But studies examining the
impact of China’s entry to the World Trade Organization in late 2001 have made
the case that between 1 million and more than 2 million of the 5 million
American factory jobs lost since 2000 are traceable to low-cost imports.”
Hillary Pushes Immigration, Bernie Protects Pensions
Hillary
stresses immigration in address to Latino government officials. USA Today:
“… Clinton [drew] a sharp distinction on immigration by embracing comprehensive
reforms such as a pathway to citizenship … Ben Carson … was the only GOP hopeful
to make an appearance at the NALEO conference.”
And
touts a broader agenda. W. Post: “She called for access to free community
colleges and universal pre-school. She advocated paid sick and parental leave
policies at workplaces everywhere … To win over the fast-growing bloc of Latino
voters in the 2016 election, Clinton will champion not only comprehensive
immigration reform, but also a broad suite of family issues.”
Bernie
Sanders holds rally to protect pensions. NYT: “Mr. Sanders railed against a
spending bill approved by Congress last December — and signed into law by
President Obama — that included a provision allowing certain multiemployer
pension plans to make deep cuts in benefits to retirees to shore up their
finances … Members of the Teamsters union and the International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace Workers cheered him on as he spoke…”
Clinton
campaign grapples with Sanders’ “surge.” The Hill: “…Democrats say there’s a
risk in taking him head on. Doing so could rally his supporters, alienate
liberals the Democratic nominee will need in the fall of 2016, and elevate
Sanders as a challenger … Democrats close to Clinton aren’t sounding the alarm
over Sanders just yet. They believe Sanders has a low ceiling of support that
doesn’t extend beyond the anti-establishment contingent.”
Martin
O’Malley pledges to “Zero out fossil fuels by 2050″ in USA Today oped: “We
cannot meet the climate challenge with an all-of-the-above energy strategy, or
by drilling off our coasts, or by building pipelines that bring oil from tar
sands in Canada.”
Paul Backs VAT
Rand
Paul’s flat tax proposal includes a VAT. NYT: “The shift to a 14.5 percent
flat income tax would mean a reduction in tax bills for many people, especially
since he would repeal the payroll tax. But the 14.5 percent VAT would ultimately
flow through to consumers in the form of higher prices.”
NYT’s
Paul Krugman mocks Jeb Bush’s economic record: “…everyone except Mr. Bush
knows that, during those years, Florida was booming thanks to the mother of all
housing bubbles. When the bubble burst, the state plunged into a deep slump,
much worse than that in the nation as a whole … if Jeb! knows the secret to 4
percent growth, why didn’t he tell his father and brother?”
Dems Play Hardball On Spending
Senate
Dems block first spending bill to force bipartisan talks. Politico: “The
50-45 vote on Thursday afternoon is part of a larger tactical blueprint from
Democratic leaders: Reject every spending bill until the GOP agrees to start
negotiating a broad bipartisan budget deal — and weather GOP accusations that
Democrats are turning their back on military service members and national
defense.”
House
won’t vote on Ex-Im Bank reauthorization before expiration deadline. The
Hill: “House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) didn’t mention any
Export-Import Bank renewal measure while outlining the legislative schedule for
the last week of June, the final chance to act before the bank’s charter expires
on June 30 … Lawmakers who want to extend the Export-Import Bank’s charter have
said they may try to attach a renewal measure onto a highway funding bill. That
legislation, however, is unlikely to move in either the House or Senate before
July, meaning the bank’s authority would still lapse.”
Bipartisan
Senate bill would boost Amtrak funding. The Hill: “The measure, which is
sponsored by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), calls for
spending approximately $1.65 billion annually over the next four years on the
rail service, as well as $570 million per year on rail grants … Lawmakers in the
House moved last month to cut Amtrak’s funding by about $300 million a day after
the Philadelphia derailment…”
GOP v. Pope on Climate
Republicans
ignore Pope Francis’ climate call. AP: “Even Capitol Hill’s many Catholics,
despite their religion’s reverence for the holy father, seemed unmoved by his
urgent plea to save the planet … Francis is to address lawmakers in September in
the first speech by a pope to Congress.”
EPA
to announce carbon rules for big trucks. NYT: “It will require truck
manufacturers to increase their fuel efficiency by about a third, up from the
current average of about six miles a gallon. The E.P.A. estimates the cost of
improving vehicle fuel efficiency technology will cost $10,000 to $12,000 a
vehicle for the largest trucks, and somewhat less for smaller trucks, but it
estimates that those costs will be recouped by fuel savings in less than two
years.”
Progressive
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