ON THE FLOOR
The Senate will reconvene at 9:30 a.m. and proceed to a period of morning business for one hour. Then the chamber will resume consideration of legislation to provide for an increase in the federal statutory debt limit (H J Res 45). A series of roll call votes on amendments and passage of the measure is expected. The chamber is also expected to hold a cloture vote on the nomination of Ben S. Bernanke for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman.
The House is not in session.
LEGISLATION
The talking points coming from the White House is “Its jobs, stupid,” however Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) seems to be closer to the truth about the $80-150 billion piece of legislation that concentrates more on expending the federal government then helping out businesses: ‘We’re told not to call it a STIMULUS bill — Calling it a JOBS bill’
ADMINISTRATION
Does She Know Something We Don’t?
In an unusual move Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested she would be a one-term Secretary of State. Is she thinking of moving on to bigger things or just doesn’t think her boss will be there after 2012?
State of the Union Aftermath
Showing the priority this Administration is putting on pushing the homosexual agenda (because apparently there is nothing else going on) President Obama called on Congress to pass a law extending benefits to same-sex partners, in direct violation of the Defense of Marriage Act.
NOMINATIONS
President Obama’s radical nominee for Office of Legal Council Dawn Johnsen is scheduled to have a mark up in the Senate Judiciary Committee today. It is likely that she will be pushed to next week. Two other controversial nominees up today are Edward Milton Chen to be U.S. district judge for the Northern District of California and Louis B. Butler Jr. to be U.S. district judge for the Western District of Wisconsin.
HEALTH CARE
Under pressure from a number of liberal groups (including labor unions, Planned Parenthood and others) two scenarios seem to be emerging – both coming from the House of Representatives, while the Senate seems more reluctant to do anything right now with outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pointing out the obvious, “We’re not on health care now. We’ve talked a lot about it in the past.”
The first set-up is Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) using reconciliation to revise elements of the legislation unacceptable to certain House Members (H/T Doug Johnson). The second setting also comes from the Speaker who has indicated she would bring small-scale health care legislation to the floor before the House breaks on February 11.
One thing that is clear is in either scenario there is one issue the Speaker is trying to ignore – the one of life:
Asked about abortion provisions, Pelosi said: “Let’s just say that’s not the subject of our conversations at this time. Right now, we’re talking about affordability for the middle class, fairness for the states and how they help people have access to health care, those kinds of issues, how this is paid for. If we hear back from the Senate that they can’t get 51 votes, there’s no use having all these discussions.”
