Washington Week Ahead: How a farm bill could still help avoid the fiscal cliff
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2012 – Key lawmakers said today
that there hasn’t been much progress on the so-called fiscal cliff negotiations
over the Thanksgiving recess, but there will be a lot of options on the table and
potentially a new flurry of activity when they return on Monday.
“Tomorrow
there's no excuse. We're back in town,” emphasized Sen. Dick Durbin, the
Senate’s number two Democrat, during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” with
George Stephanopoulos.
“And,
George, let me tell you, it gets down to the basics. The House of
Representatives has a bipartisan bill passed by the Senate that will spare 98
percent of taxpayers across America from any income tax raises and 97 percent
of businesses. It's a bipartisan bill the House should pass to make sure that
we go forward with these negotiations without this specter of tax increases for
working families.
“They
also, I might add, have a bipartisan farm bill sent by the Senate that they've
been unable to pass and a bipartisan bill for the Violence Against Women Act
reauthorization. It's time for the House in the closing days of this session to
at least take up those three measures and pass it,” Durbin added.
The
farm bill passed by the Senate in June would save $23 billion over 10 years,
while a version passed by the House Agriculture Committee in July would save
almost $35 billion. Some combination of the two bills could provide a
much-needed budgetary offset for those negotiators trying to avoid falling over
the fiscal cliff.
Absent
what may be a one or two-step compromise during the 13 days that Congress is
scheduled to be in session yet this year, $607 billion in tax increases and
spending cuts could be triggered in January.
Although
House leaders were publicly silent over the Thanksgiving break about the
prospects for moving a farm bill, some sources believe the measure still has a
chance of being considered before year-end.
Sen.
Max Baucus, who stayed in Washington over the Thanksgiving break to work on
expiring tax issues and budget cuts, told the Great Fall Tribune’s Washington
Bureau that he “hopes the farm bill comes into play as lawmakers look for ways
to cut spending. That’s because the farm bill that passed the Senate earlier
this year would reduce the deficit by $23 billion while overhauling farm
programs.
“We’re
part of the solution here,” Baucus said on www.GreatFallsTribune.com . “It’s
the kind of approach that must be taken to solve the fiscal cliff. The farm
bill is an example of both parties working together.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who appeared with Durbin on “This
Week” indicated a willingness to cut a “fiscal cliff” deal that includes
generating new revenues, but only if Democrats took action to cut entitlement
spending.
“I'm willing to generate revenue. It's fair to ask my party to
put revenue on the table. We're below historic averages. I will not raise tax
rates to do it. I will cap deductions,” he added, rather than raising tax
rates.
“If you cap deductions around the $30,000, $40,000 range, you
can raise $1 trillion in revenue, and the people who lose their deductions are
the upper-income Americans.”
For his part, Durbin agreed that both Democrats and Republicans
need to be more honest about the challenges ahead and, “as we did under
Bowles-Simpson, put everything on the table.”
While the fiscal cliff discussions continue this week, the U.S.
Senate will continue working toward passage of the “Sportsmen’s Act of 2012”
and the House will consider several different measures regarding how to improve
the Department of Homeland Security, naming of federal buildings, and subject
to a rule, the STEM Jobs Act.
The House voted on a similar STEM (science, technology,
engineering and mathematics) measure in September, but it was defeated because
it didn’t pass the required two-thirds majority.
More than 80 percent of Democrats voting against it because it
also eliminated another visa program that is available for less-educated
immigrants.
Republicans have since changed the formula by expanding a
program that allows spouses and minor children of people with permanent
residence, or green cards, to stay in the United States until they can receive
their own green cards.
For other scheduled hearings and events this week:
Monday, Nov. 26.
2:00 p.m., The House is not in session, but the Senate convenes
and will consider a Budget Act point of order with respect to S.3525,
the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012.
5:30 p.m., all post-cloture time on S.3525,
the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 will be considered expired. The Senate will then
proceed to up to two roll call votes:
Motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to S.3525
(if a point of order and motion to waive are raised); Passage of S.3525,
as amended by the Tester substitute amendment #2875
Tuesday, Nov. 27
The House will meet at 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. Votes
will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.
Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:
1) H.R. 6025 - Mandatory
Operational Control Reporting and Performance Measures Act of 2012, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Candice Miller / Homeland
Security Committee)
2) H.R. 5913 - DHS
Accountability Act of 2012, as amended (Sponsored
by Rep. Mike McCaul / Homeland Security Committee)
3) H.R. 5997 - Medical
Preparedness Allowable Use Act (Sponsored
by Rep. Gus Bilirakis / Homeland Security Committee)
4) H.R. 3563 - Integrated
Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2012, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Gus Bilirakis / Homeland
Security Committee)
5) Senate Amendment
to H.R. 915 - Jaime Zapata Border Enforcement Security Task Force Act (Sponsored by Rep. Henry Cuellar / Homeland
Security Committee)
6) H.R. 6328 - Clothe a
Homeless Hero Act (Sponsored by Rep.
Kathy Hochul / Homeland Security Committee)
Wednesday, Nov. 28
The House will meet at
12:00 p.m. for legislative business.
10:00 a.m.
, 2123 Rayburn House Office Building,
Subcommittee
on Health
Hearing on “Examining Options to Combat Health Care Waste, Fraud and
Abuse”
Thursday, Nov. 29.
On Thursday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour
and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business.
10:00 a.m.
, 2123 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on
Energy and Power
Forum on Clean Air Act (Part III)
10:00 a.m.,
2322 Rayburn House Office Building
, Subcommittee on
Communications and Technology
Hearing on “The Role of Receivers in a Spectrum
Scarce World”
10:00 a.m., 2247 Rayburn, The Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform, Identity Theft and Tax Fraud: Growing Problems for the
Internal Revenue Service, Part 4
2:00
p.m., 2172 Rayburn House Office Building: House Foreign Affairs Committee’s
Subcommittee on Western Hemispheres will markup H.R. 1798: To prevent
foreign states that do business, issue securities, or borrow money in the
United States, and then fail to satisfy United States court judgments totaling
$100,000,000 or more based on such activities, from inflicting further economic
injuries in the United States, from undermining the integrity of United States
courts, and from discouraging responsible lending to poor and developing
nations by undermining the secondary and primary markets for sovereign debt.
2
p.m., 2128 Rayburn House Office Building, The Domestic Monetary Policy and
Technology Subcommittee will hold a hearing on potential cost savings from
changing the metallic content of certain circulating coins and from replacing
the $1 bill with a $1 coin.
Friday, Nov. 30.
On Friday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative
business. Last votes expected no later than 3:00 p.m.
Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:
1) H.R. __ - To designate the
federal building currently known as Federal Office Building 8, located at 200 C
Street Southwest in the District of Columbia, as the “Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr.
Federal Building” (Sponsored by Rep.
Nancy Pelosi / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)
2) H.R. 6374 - To designate the
facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs located at 180 Martin Drive in
Carrollton, Georgia, as the "Trinka Davis Veterans Village" (Sponsored by Rep. Phil Gingrey / Veterans’
Affairs Committee)
3) H.R. 5788
- To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 103
Center Street West in Eatonville, Washington, as the "National Park Ranger
Margaret Anderson Post Office" (Sponsored
by Rep. David Reichert / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)
4) H.R. 5738 - To designate the
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 15285 Samohin Drive in
Macomb, Michigan, as the "Lance Cpl. Anthony A. DiLisio Clinton-Macomb
Carrier Annex" (Sponsored by Rep.
Candice Miller / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)
5) H.R. 3892 - To designate the
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 8771 Auburn Folsom Road
in Roseville, California, as the "Private First Class Victor A. Dew Post
Office" (Sponsored by Rep. Tom
McClintock / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)
6) H.R. 2338 - To designate the
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 600 Florida Avenue in
Cocoa, Florida, as the "Harry T. and Harriette Moore Post Office" (Sponsored by Rep. Bill Posey / Oversight
and Government Reform Committee)
7) H.R. 3912 - To designate the
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 110 Mastic Road in
Mastic Beach, New York, as the "Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull Post
Office Building" (Sponsored by
Rep. Tim Bishop / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)
8) H.R. 5954 - To designate the
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 320 7th Street in
Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, as the "Sergeant Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. Post
Office Building (Sponsored by Rep.
Jason Altmire / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)
H.R. 6429 - STEM Jobs Act, Rules Committee Print (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith / Judiciary
Committee)
9:30 a.m., 2318, Rayburn House Office Building, Subcommittee
on Energy and Environment - Tapping America's Energy Potential Through Research
and Development
#30
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