News stories and press releases on the oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the McDonald v. City of Chicago case.

Vice president appears to be trying to calm a diplomatic row that erupted during his visit over Israeli settlement plans for disputed east Jerusalem. 

The Pentagon chief had accused Tehran of "playing a double game" in Afghanistan by trying to woo the Afghan government while undermining U.S. and NATO efforts by helping the Taliban.

A closed-door meeting in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office Wednesday evening moved congressional leaders and administration officials closer to agreement on Obama's health proposal.

Former Reps. Eric Massa and veteran Charles Rangel represent potential albatrosses for Democrats in the fall elections, and the party can only hope that the problems fade away.

Even as the investigation ends, former Rep. Eric Massa's alleged harassment of his staff members -- with possible sexual overtones -- could spell continuing trouble for Democrats.

New details about the involvement of the House speaker's office will likely fuel questions about when the leadership learned of the allegations and whether they could have investigated the matter earlier.

Statement of Senator Feinstein on Passage of Legislation to Provide Assistance to Workers, Businesses and States

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today welcomed passage of legislation designed to boost the economic recovery while providing assistance to workers, businesses and states.  The “American Workers, State and Business Relief Act” was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 62-36, and will now be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration before it can be sent to the President for his signature.

“The emergency relief package approved by the Senate today is the second in a series of bills designed to help boost the recovery effort and assist those who are the most hard-hit by the economic downturn,” Senator Feinstein said.

“The bill will offer much-needed relief to the 2.26 million out-of-work Californians who are relying on unemployment insurance and COBRA health benefits to tide them over until they can find a good paying job – by extending those vital safety net programs through the end of the year. 

The legislation will also help the State of California bridge budgetary shortfalls by extending for another six months the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, or FMAP, enacted under the Recovery Act. This will provide an additional $1.5 to $2 billion in federal assistance to California.

Finally, I’d like to extend my thanks to Senator Lincoln for including a provision in her amendment -- at the request of Senator Boxer and myself -- to give specialty crop farmers access to $150 million in emergency financial assistance regardless of whether their crops were devastated by flood or drought. This will be helpful to California farmers, where three years of drought cost nearly $600 million in lost crops last year and resulted in the fallowing of more than 400,000 acres of farm land.  Last year, 24 counties in California were declared drought disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and this relief will help prepare farmers for the coming harvest cycle.”

The legislation, (H.R. 4213), contains several provisions that are of particular importance to California, including:

• Extending unemployment relief to out-of-work Americans through the end of the year, including unemployment insurance and COBRA benefits. There are currently 2.26 million Californians unemployed and looking for work. 
  
• This provision could assist an estimated 200,000 Californians who could become ineligible to receive benefits once the current 30-day extension expires.
  
• For unemployed California families, the average monthly COBRA premium is $1,107. The COBRA premium assistance reduced this cost to $388 per month, and without this benefit, unemployed Californians could lose $720 a month.
  
• Providing a six month extension of the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) enacted under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This extension would provide an increase of $1.5 to $2 billion in federal funding for the state to cover Medicaid costs and help close the budget gap. This additional Medicaid funding will help the state continue to provide health care services for the poor, and meet the increased demand caused by the economic downturn.
  
• Providing $150 million in disaster relief for specialty crop producers who have suffered heavy losses because of flood or drought. The emergency assistance, included at the request of California Senators Boxer and Feinstein in an amendment by offered by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), will provide critical help for California specialty crop growers. California is the largest specialty crop producer in the country, with 39 percent of the nation’s specialty crops. The emergency aid will be awarded to states based on the value of specialty crop losses in 2009, and states will distribute the aid to growers in primary disaster counties. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared 24 of the California’s 58 counties as primary disaster counties due to drought conditions.

The bill also offers relief to working families through tax relief provisions for tuition payments, energy efficiency improvements for homes, as well as school supplies for our teachers. And it will also promote the growth of our businesses through an extension of the research and development tax credit and other tax relief provisions.

Finally, the legislation includes assistance for small businesses.  Specifically, the bill extends through the end of the year increased loan guarantees offered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). The guarantees were enacted through the Recovery Act, and are expected to support $18.5 billion of loans to America’s small businesses. 

A summary of the legislation can be found online at:
http://dpc.senate.gov/dpcdoc.cfm?doc_name=fs-111-2-32

A detailed summary of the benefits for California can be found online at:
http://dpc.senate.gov/docs/states-sr-111-2-33/ca.pdf

###

New watchdog report says the Treasury Department sank billions into auto finance giant GMAC without an exit strategy or proof the company was viable - a decision that could cost taxpayers $6.3 billion.

GOPLeader: RT @powerlineblog The Slaughter solution? http://bit.ly/c2gRyh #hcr

H.Res. 1031 - Rep. Conyers;Dispose of H.Res. __ - Rep. Flake; Suspensions

H.Res. 1031 - Rep. Conyers;Dispose of H.Res. __ - Rep. Flake; Suspensions

Washington, DC—During debate today of a bill introduced by Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) H.Con.Res. 248, the Afghanistan War Powers Resolution, Rep. John Lewis made this statement against the war in Afghanistan:

House Speaker Pelosi said late Wednesday that the unresolved issues were mostly "minor, just technical things"

Washington, DC—Today Rep. John Lewis introduced a resolution establishing February as Teen Dating Violence Prevention Month, a bill that was delayed because of the shutdowns in Washington due to the blizzard.  Because March is Women’s History Month, the Congressman felt it was still important to introduce the bill to call attention to the plight of young women who are victimized by teen dating violence.  This resolution is a companion to the Teen Dating Violence Prevention Act of 2009 which establishes a national teen dating violence prevention initiative.

Washington, DC—Today Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) sponsored a resolution today leading Congress to pay tribute to the 600 peaceful, non-violent workers who attempted to March from Selma to Montgomery on March 7, 1965, to demonstrate the need for voting rights in Alabama.  The group met Alabama state troopers in a brutal confrontation known as Bloody Sunday.

Today, on the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising, we honor the many brave Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives fighting for freedom and the aspirations of the Tibetan people to live in peace.

51 years ago today, the people of Lhasa peacefully assembled and called for an end to harsh Chinese rule in Tibet. The ensuing crackdown was brutal, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama was forced into exile.

For more than five decades, Tibetans have waited for peaceful evolution and democratic reforms that would usher in a brighter future in China and Tibet. The dialogue continues between Tibetan envoys and Chinese officials, but there has not been any substantive progress. A negotiated agreement is essential and it would ensure internal stability in Tibet and bolster China’s reputation in the world.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government has not won the hearts and minds of the Tibetan people and attempts to drive a wedge between the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people have been counterproductive for the Chinese government. Tibetans are as devoted to their beliefs as ever and the bond with His Holiness the Dalai Lama is unbreakable.

It is long past time for Beijing to work toward a solution that respects the human rights of all Tibetans.

President Obama is to be commended for his meeting with the Dalai Lama at the White House last month. The meeting marked another chapter in the long friendship and close ties between the United States and the people of Tibet. We will continue to stand with His Holiness to promote, preserve, and protect the rights of all people to live in freedom worldwide.

On the 51st anniversary of the Dalai Lama being forced into exile, we heed his transcendent message of peace, and we remember the people of Tibet in their ongoing struggle.

Health insurance reform opponents continue to spread myths, including the notion that Republicans are fighting to protect seniors from Medicare changes. In fact, the House-passed bill and the President’s plan improve care and benefits under Medicare and extends Medicare solvency.

But in the hypocrisy file, Congressional Republicans have made no effort to hide their attempts to gut Medicare over the years – from then-Speaker Newt Gingrich proudly declaring that Medicare would wither on the vine in 1995 to the top Republican on the House Budget Committee this year proposing that Medicare be completely privatized within 10 years.

MYTH: The President’s health insurance reform bill will undermine health care for America’s seniors–slashing Medicare by $500 billion.

FACT: Nothing in the Democrats’ health insurance reform reduces Medicare benefits for seniors. Reform achieves savings by cracking down on inefficiency, fraud and waste in Medicare – targeted at private insurance companies and providers, not beneficiaries. These savings include cutting large and unnecessary overpayments to private insurance companies that offer Medicare Advantage plans. Rather than undermining Medicare, this bill strengthens Medicare. Much of the cost savings achieved are reinvested into Medicare – improving benefits and extending the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by nine years.

It is estimated that up to 20% of Medicare spending, as well as private health care spending, goes to waste, inefficiency, fraud, and unnecessary procedures. It is this spending that is targeted for elimination in this bill. The Medicare savings in the bill are simply a 5% reduction overall in what Medicare is expected to spend over the next 10 years.

While Republicans are now claiming to be champions of Medicare, it was Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich who said that, under his plan, Medicare “is going to wither on the vine” and it was Republican Majority Leader Dick Armey who said that Medicare was “a program I would have no part of in a free world.” These statements were made when they were trying to enact a bill that would have gutted Medicare—cutting it by hundreds of billions of dollars in order to pay for massive tax cuts for the wealthy. President Bill Clinton vetoed the bill.

Now, once again, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the top Republican on the House Budget Committee, has put forward a budget plan that would undermine Medicare. The Ryan plan would:

Completely privatize Medicare for those 55 and under – where people are given fixed vouchers and told to buy their own private insurance

Cut Medicare spending by about $650 billion over the next 10 years for those currently covered by Medicare

Democrats are committed to protecting and strengthening the Medicare program for America’s seniors. Medicare is a sacred trust with Americans and our health insurance reform plan will ensure that trust is preserved. But currently, billions of dollars are lost each year to waste and inefficiency in the Medicare system. The waste is driving up seniors’ health care costs and threatening Medicare’s long-term solvency. Some of the ways that our health insurance reform plan targets inefficiency and waste in Medicare include:

Saving over $150 billion by targeting wasteful Medicare payments to private insurers – putting Medicare Advantage plans and traditional Medicare on a level playing field by eliminating overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans.

Reducing over-billing by providers

Cutting out duplicative paperwork

Cracking down on abuse from those who fraudulently bill Medicare

Preventing dangerous hospital readmissions by providing follow-up care that will help individuals safely transition home after a hospital stay

Furthermore, under our plan, much of the Medicare savings are then re-invested into improving Medicare. Our bill protects seniors by improving Medicare benefits and strengthening the fiscal stability of Medicare over the long term:

Lowers prescription drug costs for millions of seniors by gradually completely closing the so-called “donut hole,” the coverage gap in the Medicare prescription drug benefit

Ensures free preventive care under Medicare – eliminating deductibles and copayments for preventive services

Includes numerous delivery system reforms that reward the value of care, not the volume of care, while at the same time improving the quality of care – including such steps as promoting Accountable Care Organizations, patient-centered Medical Homes, and payment bundling for services

Invests in expanding the medical workforce so seniors will have more doctors to choose from and an easier time getting an appointment

Extends the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by nine years