OBAMA REJECTS LATEST HOUSE GOP OFFER

President Obama used his weekly radio address to reject the latest offer from House Republicans to end the fiscal stalemate. The outline of their proposal was released Friday and would have reopened government through December and lifted the debt ceiling for six weeks. 

"It wouldn’t be wise, as some suggest, to just kick the debt ceiling can down the road for a couple months, and flirt with a first-ever intentional default right in the middle of the holiday shopping season," Obama said in his address.

"Because damage to America’s sterling credit rating wouldn’t just cause global markets to go haywire; it would become more expensive for everyone in America to borrow money," Obama continued. "Students paying for college. Newlyweds buying a home,"

On Friday, Senate Republicans floated the outlines of their own plan to end the standoff. Their proposal would lift the debt ceiling through the end of January and reopen the government for six months. The dueling proposals put Obama in the enviable position of choosing between his opponents. He can reject one proposal and still look Presidential by negotiating on a competing offer. Obama said Friday he would look for the "best deal."

On Saturday, the House Republicans are meeting to finalize the details of the plan they released Friday. Obama's rejection of even the outlines of that plan make the next moves by the House uncertain. The Senate, meanwhile, moves back to center-stage of the debate with a vote Saturday afternoon on a one-year increase in the debt ceiling.  

Via Breitbart

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SOURCES: RYAN COMPROMISE WILL KEEP OBAMACARE 'FOREVER'

Breitbart News reported that House Republicans have offered a new deal to the White House to end the fiscal stalemate. The GOP plan, authored primarily by House Budget Chair Rep. Paul Ryan according to Hill sources, would meet Obama's demands in exchange for negotiations on a longer-term budget agreement.

At least two high-ranking Capitol Hill sources have told Breitbart News that Ryan’s plan would also help protect Obamacare as it is currently implemented.

Ryan's office deny the claims. “What your sources are attempting to attribute to Congressman Ryan is not accurate,” Kevin Seifert, Ryan’s spokesman, said in an email.

But the Capitol Hill conservative sources are adamant Ryan offered at least two things that they say would mitigate some of Obamacare's hardest-hitting effects on certain communities that are needed for the GOP to take the law down in the end.

The high-ranking conservative source said that this deal will ensure America has "Obamacare forever" and that Ryan's "pro union votes are really coming to light now."

At a meeting on Friday morning, the sources said Ryan’s plan was presented to a group of members. Ryan's plan would grant President Barack Obama a no-strings-attached “clean” debt ceiling increase for six weeks and acquiesce to Obama’s latest demand that Republicans also pass a Continuing Resolution to end the partial government shutdown. 

The plan was pitched to a room full of members of the House GOP caucus. Not only would Ryan’s plan amount to a GOP capitulation on the debt ceiling and budget, it would mitigate certain effects of Obamacare to help labor unions and members of the business community.

The grand bargain Ryan is attempting to negotiate would include a repeal of the medical device sales tax, a part of Obamacare even liberal Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) supports removing.

Via: Breitbart

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HOUSE GOP BLINKS: WILL LIFT DEBT AND REOPEN GOVERNMENT

House Republicans have sent the White House a revised proposal to lift the debt ceiling for six weeks, as well as reopen government through December 15th, which was their original spending proposal before the partial shutdown. The revised GOP plan reflects the demands Obama made in a meeting with House GOP Leaders on Thursday. It also reflects the unwillingness of the DC GOP to face a fiscal showdown with Democrats. 

Aside from reopening the government and agreeing to raise America's debt over the current $16.7 trillion limit, the Republicans made several other concession to President Obama and the Democrats. One such example is that Obamacare would receive funding. The Republicans would get to take out a portion of the president's signature legislation, but the law would substantially remain intact. The AP reports:

Under a proposal she and other GOP senators have been developing, a medical device tax that helps finance the health care law would be repealed, and millions of individuals eligible for subsidies to purchase health insurance under the program would be subject to stronger income verification.

In addition, some of the across-the-board "sequester" cuts would be reversed under the GOP plan. It has not been determined which specific cuts will be targeted at this time.

In exchange for meeting, at least momentarily, all of Obama's demands, the House GOP is seeking a "framework" for future negotiations on addressing longer-term budget issues. These negotiations would be led for the Republicans by Rep. Paul Ryan, who is likely to seek a "grand bargain" resolving the nation's structural budget problems. 

Via: Breitbart

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GOP READY TO DEAL ON DEBT, KEEP GOV CLOSED

House Republicans are preparing a proposal for a short-term increase in the debt ceiling, expected to last about six weeks. The move would allow talks between the House, Senate and Obama on a longer-term plan dealing with government spending and ObamaCare. The risk of triggering default when the debt ceiling is hit later this month would be put off until December. The partial government shutdown would continue.

The partial shutdown, itself, is gradually shrinking. About half the roughly 800,000 "non-essential" workers originally furloughed will be back on the job this week. The Defense Department recalled all its civilian workers, around 350,000, after a new interpretation of recent legislation to fund the military. Numerous other agencies, like CDC and FEMA, has recalled workers after agency lawyers expanded the definition of "public safety," a key trigger to be deemed "essential."

The Veteran Administration has said it is likely to recall all of its furloughed workers if, as expected, the Senate approves House-passed legislation to award back pay to furloughed workers. This actually makes some sense. If an agency or office knows its workers are going to be paid whether or not they work, it is probably better to at least have them do the work. 

National Parks and other government offices will still be close, but with most furloughed federal workers back on the job, the political costs of the shutdown will be mitigated. The sad irony, of course, is that federal workers will among those few groups not impacted by the shutdown. 

Via: Breitbart

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Shutdown!! Where is California Now???

For the first time in 17 years, the federal government has shut down. As CalWatchdog.com has previously explained, this doesn’t exactly mean that steel bars have dropped in front of all government buildings. Rather, some programs are temporarily shuttered and non-essential employees go home.

About half of all federal workers are deemed essential and will remain on the job. Also, Congress and President Obama have already agreed on a bill that would continue to pay American troops. If the House has its way, other parts of government like the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Park Service will reopen too. The House plan announced Tuesday would also enable the local government of Washington, D.C., to maintain basic services like garbage pickup.

But that doesn’t mean a shutdown still won’t affect California. The Golden State doesn’t rely as heavily on the federal government for employment as Maryland or Virginia, but the shutdown will still have some effect. After all, California employs 150,762 federal workers, more than any other state. (It remains unclear exactly how many of those employees are being furloughed.)

In addition to federal workers, California also supplies the federal government with plenty of politicians. So where do some of the key players in Washington — those that can actually make a difference dealing with the shutdown — stand?

Of course, they all say that they oppose a government shutdown. But the disagreements occur over how exactly to end the stalemate. House Republicans want Senate Democrats to take part in a conference committee to sort out a compromise that would end the stalemate. The House hopes that they can pass a continuing resolution (CR) that might include some changes to Obamacare, such as a repeal of the medical device tax or the removal of special exemptions for Congress. Democrats demand the immediate passage of a “clean CR,” or a bill that would fund the government without any strings attached. Since they’ve been unable to come to a compromise, the government remains unfunded.

All California Democrats have voted with their party on the shutdown-related votes in the past few days, as have Republicans voting with the GOP.

Via: CA Political Review 

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Durbin to GOP: Stop acting like ‘squealing political pigs’

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told House Republicans to stop acting like “squealing political pigs.”

“We need to act like adults not like squealing political pigs,” Durbin said on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Durbin’s remarks were in reaction to a House Republican announcement that they would advance a government spending bill that defunds ObamaCare — something Democrats have said would lead to a government shut down.

“If that is what the Tea Party Republicans think is leadership, God save the United States of America,” Durbin said.

Unless Congress agrees on continued spending resolution (CR) by Oct. 1, the government will shut down.

Durbin said the situation was avoidable because it was a “self-imposed crisis” created by House Republicans.

Some Republicans have said the plan to tie government funding to an ObamaCare repeal is ill-conceived and will risk the economic recovery. But Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) needs Tea Party members to pass a spending resolution with solely GOP votes. Tea Party members have said this is the best chance Republicans have in repealing the law.

Via: The Hill

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House GOP Votes to Replace Obamacare Subsidy Verification Program

As the October 1 implementation of parts of Obamacare nears, House Republicans continue to pass legislation aimed at highlighting the health care law's flaws and weaknesses. On Thursday, the House passed a bill to reform an Obamacare verification process that would better stop fraudulent claims to health insurance subsidies. Politico reports:

The bill, which passed 235-191, would mandate a verification program to make sure Americans don’t collect more insurance subsidies than they’re qualified for. HHS is already putting such a program in place, but Republicans insisted their measure is necessary in light of extra leeway the Obama administration granted states over the summer.

In contrast with previous Obamacare votes — which mostly aimed to repeal, delay or defund the Affordable Care Act—this bill would instead shift around responsibilities within the law. But Republicans’ intent is the same: to paint Obamacare as a disastrous law, the implementation of which is being hopelessly bungled by the Obama administration.

“You can’t go into a store, restaurant or gasoline station and pay on the honor system,” Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady said. “But the Obama administration has botched the law … taxpayer dollars will go out the door as individuals pinky-swear their income is accurate.”

Via: Weekly Standard

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GOP sees food fight as kids trash USDA fruit, vegetable guidelines

House Republicans say new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines aimed at forcing students to eat fruits and vegetables are a failure because students across the country are simply tossing the healthy fare into the trash.

"[T]here remains great concern with the amount of food waste generated at school cafeterias, much of it brought on by requiring students to take fruits and vegetables rather than simply offer them," Reps. John Kline (R-Minn.), Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) and Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) told USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in a letter sent Thursday.

"This is a waste of federal, state and local funds and is contrary to the law's goal of feeding as many low-income and hungry children as possible," they said. "Once again, we are aware USDA has attempted to address this situation by allowing greater choice in reimbursable meals, but students should not have to take additional food if they have no intention of eating it."

Republicans have been criticizing USDA school lunch guidelines for the last few months, in particular USDA rules that set maximum-calorie guidelines for all meals subsidized by taxpayers. Last month, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) introduced the No Hungry Kids Act, which would repeal these calorie restrictions.

Via: The Hill

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