At about 11:45 a.m., South Dakota Senator John Thune and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state said it was time to unveil a “new American Congress”; one that would promote policies that would build a “healthy economy from the bottom up.” Economic growth, expanding opportunity and revitalizing entrepreneurship appeared to be the main themes of the meeting, along with immigration.
Asked whether House and Senate Republicans would devote political capital to promoting tax reform, Senator Thune said it depends on how much capital President Obama is willing to invest in promoting the initiative. Thune noted that there is a lot of interest among his colleagues, who believe it will spur economic growth and activity. But it all depends on whether the White House is willing to take a risk with Republicans.
Rep. Rodgers added that Americans already know the U.S. tax code is too complicated, too pricey, and House Republicans are eager to streamline the process and make it simpler.
Today, President Obama is calling on Congress, cities, and states to provide their workers with a week of paid infirmed leave; he is requesting $2 billion in up-to-date spending to pay for the initiative. If this up-to-date legislative push proves effective, tens of millions of workers could benefit (via AP):
President Barack Obama, renewing his push for paid leave for workers, will call on Congress, states and cities on Thursday to pass measures that would allow tens of millions of workers to get up to a week of paid infirmed leave a year, the White House said.
It will also ask Congress to allocate more than $2 billion in up-to-date spending to encourage states to create paid family and medical leave programs.
In addition, Obama will take steps to provide federal workers with up to six weeks of paid infirmed leave to care for a up-to-date child. And he will propose that Congress pass legislation that would give federal workers an additional six weeks of paid parental leave.
Details on how Obama plans to raise $2 billion in aid to states will be included in a budget proposal the president will release next month, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett said Wednesday.
Obama wants Congress to pass legislation sponsored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., since 2005 to allow workers to earn up to seven days, or 56 hours, of paid infirmed leave to care for themselves or a infirmed family member, get preventive care or deal with domestic violence. Under the Healthy Families Act, workers would earn one hour of paid infirmed leave for every 30 hours worked. Employers that already provide paid infirmed leave would not have to change their policies as long as the time earned can be used for the same purposes.
Obama will also call on states and cities to adopt similar laws; some have already done so, the White House noted in a fact sheet.
More than 40 million private-sector workers in the U.S. have no paid infirmed leave at all, Jarrett said, meaning they lose pay if they stay home when they are infirmed or to care for someone who is infirmed.
Rodgers said they would look into the White House proposal. When ABC News’ Jeff Zeleny pressed Rodgers on House Republican support for the measure, Sen. Thune said they welcome the White House to the debate; commenting that Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Zeleny’s home state, already has a good bill on workplace flexibility on the table. He mentioned that it was considered in the last Congress.
NBC’s Luke Russert asked Thune about his outlook for keeping DHS funded and operating. That’s a common concern at the retreat, and Russert noted that Republican senators from blue states may be hesitant to support the bill that cleared the House yesterday.
Thune laughed and said, “The magic number is 60.” He also noted that after talking to House Republicans, both chambers believe the president has overstepped his executive powers; Senate Republicans will challenge that — the House has already done so. But unlike the House, the Senate budget bill will be subject to a 60-vote threshold. That’s where legislative realism comes into play, and it’s reportedly on the table for discussion at the meeting.
According to the DHS line of questioning, Thune and Rodgers were asked about the recent thwarting of an ISIS-inspired attack on the Capitol. Christopher Lee Cornell, 20, of Ohio, was arrested by the FBI after he allegedly told an informant he planned to detonate pipe bombs at the U.S. Capitol and then shoot members of Congress and their staff.
Rodgers noted that the bill highlights the threats America faces, its gratitude to the Capitol Police and all entities providing security, and the need to fund the DHS bill.
As the two tried to leave the podium, they were asked about the problems the IRS will face during tax season due to funding cuts. Thune cited the IRS hacking scandal, noting that he has little sympathy for agencies that engage in such irresponsible behavior. Nevertheless, he noted that the IRS’s function of collecting taxes is significant and that resources to carry out that mandate should be fully utilized.
At the same time, I don’t think the IRS was a government institution that was ever very popular, even before the taxpayer tracking fiasco.
When they tried to leave again, they were hit with a question about voting for a pristine DHS funding bill. Thune said discussions would continue but he wanted to give his colleagues the opportunity to vote on it, as they would in the House, but noted there could be different ways to “get” the immigration issue to the White House.
