Post-Recess: Senate Takes Their Turn On Energy/Climate Discussion

By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service

The energy and climate debate is making its way to the Senate, just two legislative days after the House passed the Waxman-Markey energy bill. The Committee on Environment and Public Works heard from White House and other government officials Tuesday. They highlighted the importance of making the U.S. a leader in the clean energy market, reducing the effects of global warming, and creating new jobs in the process.

“Clean energy is to this decade, and the next, what the Space Race was to the 1950s and ‘60s. America is behind,” said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. “American businesses need strong incentives and investments now in order for this nation to lead the twenty-first century global economy.”

Other officials present included: Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Chu said that he applauds the House for passing the clean energy bill and said he looks forward to working with the Senate to pass “comprehensive energy legislation.” He also noted that denial of the climate change problem will not change the outcome but comprehensive legislation that caps and then reduces carbon emissions will.

Committee Chairwoman Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said, “I expect you will hear fierce words of doubt and fear and worse from the other side of the aisle regarding our legislative efforts to move forward with clean energy jobs legislation. This is consistent with a pattern of “No we can’t.” I believe this Committee, when the votes are eventually taken on our bill, will reflect our President’s attitude, which is “Yes, we can, and yes, we will.”

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) agreed that the bill will pass through their committee but he does not believe it will pass on the Senate floor. He said the Senators will have more time to review the many points of the legislation than House members did prior to their June 25 vote.

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Miss.) also testified Tuesday and stressed the importance of informing the public about the facts of energy policy.

“The gigantic effect of energy policy on American life means Congress should work particularly hard to ensure Americans know the facts about the policies Congress is considering. To the contrary, the House of Representatives added more than 300 pages of its 1200 page energy bill a few hours before it was brought to the floor and passed. That is just the opposite,” said the Governor.

Congressmen Introduce Incentive-Laden Health Legislation

Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Earl Pomeroy (D-Nd.) have introduced new legislation that will reform America's health care system by emphasizing the quality of care Americans receive.

The Accountable Care Promotion Act of 2009 calls for the creation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), which would reduce unnecessary health care spending, and provide incentives to physicians who provide better quality health care services for their patients.

The Congressmen cited facts discovered by the Dartmouth Institute's Dr. Elliott Fisher, whose research concluded that “regions with lower per-patient Medicare spending often provide higher-quality care and better health outcomes.”

Said Rep. Pomeroy, “Accountable Care Organizations [are] integrated systems where providers work together. They have primary care medicine at the forefront, helping coordinate a patients access to the care they need."

Under the proposed legislation, health care organizations would voluntary become apart of ACOs, which in return would provide health care providers with a financial incentive that would help cut costs and supply higher quality care.

Veterans Attribute Health Issues To Burning Waste

By: Courtney Costello- Talk Radio News Service

The House has proposed new legislation that would close improperly facilitated burn pits used by U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. The legislation would also mandate health screenings for veterans who were exposed to toxins released from the pits, which are large ditches used to dispose of garbage and waste.

The Military Personnel War Zone Toxic Exposure Prevention Act would require the Secretary of Defense to establish a medical surveillance system that would pinpoint troops that have been exposed to hazardous chemicals burned in the pits. The act would also prohibit the military from discarding waste that omits dangerous levels of toxins.

“We believe it is premature to dismiss concern raised about burn pits after only a few years. Our country’s difficult experiences with agent orange and Gulf War illness taught us we must be vigilant in monitoring and treating our veterans long after they have returned from the battlefield,” said Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.).

 Despite the fact that the military has purchased incinerators, the burn pits have become an indefinite solution to get rid of waste.
 
“[The burn pits are producing] 250 tons of waste everyday. Some of our troops are working directly inside of these pits with no protection,” said Kerry Baker, the Assistant National Legislative Director of the Disabled American Veterans.

Medical concerns that have been raised include chronic bronchitis, asthma, sleep apnea, allergy-like symptoms, lung problems and lymphoma.

“Where all of the trash from the base and from the base hospital was burned just over the wall...we lived under a cloud of smoke from that continuous fire, and everyone was affected on some level,” said Tom Tarantino, an Iraq War veteran and a policy associate for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

According to Rep. Bishop, the Department of Defense currently maintains that there are no long term health issues related to troops being exposed to burn pits.

The Senate Rebuilds Pakistan

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico - Talk Radio News Service

Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.)
Photo by Michael Ruhl

In the next 5 years, the Pakistani infrastructure will be fortified by almost $10 billion American dollars, if Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) have anything to say about it. The aptly titled Kerry-Lugar Bill will provided money for rebuilding the lives of civilians in war torn Pakistan.

Both Kerry and Lugar said that most of the money that has been funneled into Pakistan in the past few years has gone towards security. The aim of this bill is to shift the balance, to place more of an emphasis on infrastructure.

The Senators want to use the money for building schools, improving health care, building bridges, water projects, and other elements of infrastructure. Kerry said that the target projects are “things that would improve life and give people a sense of progress” to civilians.

The money would also be used for ensuring an independent media, expanding human rights and the rule of law, expanding transparency in government, rooting out political corruption and countering the drug trade.

Additionally military funding would be conditioned upon several things, including Pakistani security forces preventing al Qaeda and Taliban forces from operating in Pakistan. The military forces would not be able to interfere in politics or in the judicial process, according to the provisions of the bill.

The legislation bill would give $1.5 billion each year from FY 2009-2013, and would recommend similar amounts of money over the subsequent five years. There would be required benchmarks to measuring how effective the funding is, and the President will have to submit semi-annual reports to Congress about progress made.

White House Update

White House Update
Thursday, April 23

The President’s meeting today with 13 executives from the credit card industry underscores one of the administration’s most vexing dilemmas: trying to stabilize the banks while getting the struggling U.S. economy back on its feet.

Here’s the dilemma: the White House acknowledges that a sound banking system is one of the bedrocks of the American economy. To be sound, banks have to have, and are shoring up, their capital position. But at the same time, they’re being asked to step up lending.

Obama told the executives today that the interest rates and fees they charge are “unfair” and says they need to be more “consumer friendly.” The banking industry’s response – although they didn’t say this to the President’s face today – has been along these lines: “We HAVE been consumer friendly; TOO consumer friendly. We flooded the market with cheap credit for much of this decade and now a lot of customers can’t pay it back.”

The President himself knows all too well about credit card debt. At the White House news briefing this afternoon, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that up until recently – obviously before the multi-million dollar book sales – Obama himself was in the red.

But the high levels of credit delinquency, personal bankruptcies, auto repossessions and, of course, mortgage foreclosures, appear to support the banks’ point. No question, millions of Americans are hurting – but for people with a proven inability to pay, who are already up to their necks in debt, is more debt the answer?

In short, that is the banking industry’s position – and the President’s dilemma.


WITHER IRAN?

Another dilemma for the West Wing - surprise, surprise: the Middle East. During talks Tuesday with Jordan’s King Abdullah, the President said he wants to see Israel, the Palestinians and neighboring Arab countries – like Jordan – to step efforts to forge some kind of peace agreement. The White House envoy to the region, former Senate Majority Leader and architect of the Northern Ireland peace agreement, George Mitchell, says he is cautiously hopeful.

To nudge things along, Obama will invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to the White House for talks in the next few weeks. But not all at once.

But Obama’s priorities are not Israel’s. Netanyahu said earlier this week that he will not participate in talks until the President makes headway on Israel’s number one issue: stopping Iran’s nuclear program. To drive that point home this morning, the President was told by Israeli Ambassador Sallai Meridor to confront Iran “before it’s too late.”

Meridor made the comments at a Holocaust memorial service on Capitol Hill. Also speaking: a top official of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Joel Geiderman, who was even more blunt, reminding Obama about Iran’s pledge to destroy Israel. He warned the President to ignore that threat at America’s “own peril.”

The White House also faces a dilemma with the Palestinians. Abbas’ Fatah faction has seen its power eroding, to the benefit of the Islamist militant group Hamas. Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, but the administration has so far maintained the Bush policy of refusing to deal with – branding it a terrorist group.


TORTURE LATEST

At the briefing, Gibbs appeared to distance himself from comments made this morning by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who said he supported the release of sensitive memos on detainee interrogation methods. Gates said he viewed the disclosure as inevitable.

Gibbs’ response: "I have not seen Secretary Gates's full remarks." Gibbs inferred that a lot of people have different opinions on the subject. He added "The problem...isn't the existence of a paragraph or a term in a memo…It is the very existence of their use."

FIRST 100 DAYS (94 and counting)

Conflicting editorials in the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.

The Post’s David Broder says Obama has gotten off to a good start: The "President has shown - and it is important - a mastery of the art of managing the presidency." He lauds Obama’s He lauds his “good organizational and management skills” and says in sum, “A bravura performance on Obama's part."

The Journal’s Daniel Henniger counters, focusing on the president’s grip-and grin with Venezualan President Hugo Chavez as symbolic of White House weakness. He writes: "The weirdly ebullient Mr. Obama did not...show reserve." He adds: "The Obama people seem to believe that talking top guy to top guy is the yellow brick road to progress" and that "There appears to be no coherent strategy beyond "talk to our enemies."

WEST WING NOTES

…the President will hold a prime-time news conference next Wednesday at 8pm, EDT; it is the 100th day of his presidency.

…it was “Take Your Daughters to Work Day” at the White House, but Malia and Sasha Obama didn’t make the 60-secnd commute to the Oval Office with Dad. First Lady Michelle Obama did speak to 160 kids – of administration, household and Secret Service employees. Mrs. Obama said: She doesn’t miss cooking, the new dog, Bo, is “crazy” and says one of the best parts about being First Lady is that she gets to do a lot of “fun stuff.”