Inside

banking p.10 Barclays case spotlights politics p.6 ght over funding Republican freshmen for regulators. extend their power energy p.10 to new PAC. transportation p.6 How political rhetoric follows the trajectory of Highway, student-loan deal prices at the pump. appears to be at hand.

political roundup p.12 Nelson, Mack are neck-andneck; Matheson, Barrow will vote for Holder contempt measure; Bob Turner goes from fame to oblivion; Jon Gosselin campaigns for Shmuley Boteach.

column
power play p.5 President Obamas clean-air eorts are putting Tim Kaine and other Virginia Democrats in a tough spot this year.

floor schedule the week p.13 Senate: Meets at 9:30 a.m. House: Meets at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

A National Journal Group Publication

health care

energy

GOP Pressure Led to Deal That Remade NRC

B Y O L G A B E L O G O L OVA

Sketchy prospects: Supreme Court decision on Aordable Care Act could leave gaps in the insurance system.

Regardless of Ruling, Gripes Are Guaranteed

B Y M A R G O T S A N G E R - K AT Z

Today is the day when the Supreme Court will make a lot of people unhappy. Theres simply no ruling on the Aordable Care Act that will satisfy a majority of Americans. Polls show that people dislike the law. But they dislike the status quo. They dislike a partial solution. They want health care reform, but not this health care reform. The interest groups, too, are divided in their allegiances. Some businesses would benet from the erasure of the law. Many in the health industry, who have reorganized their business strategies, would lose out. The health plans, which negotiated a complex deal to take cuts in exchange for new customers, stand to lose quite a lot if the un-

popular individual mandate comes down. The Democrats want a vindication of their signature Aordable Care Act, but if they somehow get it, they would still be saddled with responsibility for a law that faces erce public opposition. Since the law was passed in 2010, disapproval by at least 40 percent of the population has been uninching and recent polls rate it higher as the decision approaches. Republicans in Congress have vowed that they will move forward with their eorts to repeal the law if the Court doesnt do it for them, a message that plays well with both Republicans and independents. For the Republicans, it turns out to be a good issue, said Robert Blendon, a pollster and professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. It motivates their base and continued on page 8

On April 17, seven Senate Republican staffers sat in a room in the Capitol with Kristine Svinicki, a GOP member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission whose term was set to expire at the end of June. The aides had one question for Svinicki: Do you want us to fight for your job? Her answer was a firm yes. The next day, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., gave an impassioned speech on the Senate oor about Svinicki, raising the prole of her stalled nomination and setting o a series of events expected to culminate this week with the Senate not only conrming Svinicki to a second ve-year term, but also approving a new chairwoman for the embattled commission. But the story actually began long before that pivotal meeting. Svinickis renomination was originally supposed to be paired with that of William Ostendor, another Republican member of the NRC, but the plan went awry when Ostendor was conrmed to a second term just before his rst one expired last summer. The idea to break that pairing ... it was a strategic blunder, said a House GOP commitcontinued on page 8

photo: ap/dana verkouteren

YOU DONT CLAIM IT UNTIL

YOUVE EARNED IT

In the military, accomplishment and trust are cherished values and you have to earn them before you can claim them. TriWest Healthcare Alliance has earned this trust with accomplishments 16 years of service, provider networks and programs exclusively tailored to supporting the unique needs of the military.

Recently UnitedHealthcare has made claims that tell only part of the story.
Uniteds Claim: #1 in claims processing accuracy Really? According to the Revive 2011 National Payor Survey, UnitedHealthcare received the worst marks for proper payment of hospital claims. Uniteds Claim: #1 in employer satisfaction Really? UnitedHealthcare chose to disclose only half of the J.D. Powers survey the other half, which surveyed employer satisfaction with fully-insured health plans, ranked UnitedHeathcare below the survey average. Uniteds Claim: Most admired health insurer Really? Thats according to company executives, but what about consumers? Consumer Reports concluded in November 2011 that while UnitedHealthcare is the nations largest insurer, none of its private plans rank among the top 50 plans, only 3 are in the top 100, and most occupy the bottom of the rankings.

SaveMyMilitaryHealthCare.com

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

The Scan
GRAPHICALLY SPEAKING
Poll: Brown Leads Big in Ohio
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, leads Republican state Treasurer Josh Mandel by 16 points in the U.S. Senate race in Ohio. Sherrod Brown

QUICK TAKES
UNDER SCRUTINY. Just two days after a federal appeals court issued a strong unanimous opinion upholding the Environmental Protection Agencys greenhouse-gas regulations, top agency ocials will likely face criticism for those rules from House Republicans. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson will testify on Thursday before the House Science Committee about her agencys scientic practices and how they aect regulations. On Friday, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Gina McCarthy will testify at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on EPAs climate rulesthe very same ones upheld in court earlier this week. SMOOTH SAILING. The House Foreign Aairs Committee on Wednesday passed H.R. 6018 authorizing funding for the State Department and international programsby a unanimous voice vote. This is a signicant change from last years heated marathon markup, which lasted for more than 30 hours, passed along party lines, and went nowhere. TEAM EFFORT. The Obama administration is coming under increased pressure from Congress to provide lawmakers, nonprots, and other stakeholders with more details about a trade agreement being negotiated by the United States and a group of Asia-Pacic countries. The latest complaints over the TransPacic Partnership talks come from about 130 Democratic House members. In a letter on Wednesday, they urged U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to undertake broader and deeper consultations with lawmakers on committees with jurisdiction over the areas covered by TPP, and to allow for more input on key issues. LOOKS ARE DECEIVING. On the House oor Wednesday morning, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., gave quite the impassioned speech against Arizonas show me your papers provision, slamming it as discriminatory against nonwhites. And then he led a game of Pick Out the Immigrant. Gutierrez displayed pictures of pop stars Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, saying, These young people have overcome their very dierent national origins and become apparently a very happy couple. Im sure Justin helped Gomez learn all about American customs and feel more at home in her adopted country. Then Gutierrez laid on the sarcasmthick: Oooh, wait a minute, Im sorry. Because Im not a trained Arizona ocial, I somehow got that backwards. Actually, Ms. Gomez of Texas has helped Mr. Bieber of Canada to learn about his adopted country. ENERGETIC OPPOSITION. Vice President Joe Biden, in Iowa on Wednesday, lashed out at Mitt Romney for the second straight day, this time taking issue with the Republicans reluctance to embrace tax credits for wind and solar energy. TIME FOR A CHANGE. As the market for home-video services grows increasingly competitive, House Republicans are hinting at overhauling 20-year-old rules that govern pay TV. Since the Cable Act of 1992, satellite, ber-line services from Verizon and AT&T, and providers that work over home broadband connections, like Netix, have eroded cables share of the pay-TV market from more than 90 percent to less than 60 percent. STEPPING UP. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., has indicated he likely will seek the chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee in the next Congress.

50% 34 Josh Mandel

16

Other/ Undecided

Survey of 1,237 Ohio voters conducted June 19-25; margin of error +/- 2.8 percentage points. Source: Quinnipiac University poll

QUOTABLE

Ive got an election coming up, like all my colleagues.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., explaining to Dish Networks chairman why he objects to the companys new Hopper feature allowing customers to skip past commercials including campaign ads

BY THE NUMBERS

$944

million

The amount in unemployment benets paid by the Defense Department last year to troops who left the military but were unable to secure jobs, USA Today reported on Wednesday.

WHATS MOVING
Flood-insurance reform: House and Senate negotiators have reached a deal on compromise legislation to reform the National Flood Insurance Program.
nationa l jou r na l.com nationa l jou r na l da ily

Party loyalty: As some congressional Democrats opt out of the Democratic convention, others plan to vote with the GOP in citing Attorney General Eric Holder for contempt of Congress.

Cybersecurity: Republican Senate committee leaders reintroduced a cybersecurity bill on Wednesday, setting the stage for a showdown.

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

POWER PLAY

Southern Discomfort
President Obamas clean-air eorts put Tim Kaine and other Virginia Democrats in a tough spot this year.

BY A M Y H A R DER

he votes of Virginias two Democratic senators to overturn a landmark air-pollution rule oer a glimpse into the inuence of one region in the commonwealth and a portentous sign for the national political ght over environmental regulation and the economy. Virginias 9th Congressional District, covering the states southwest corner, is known for its blue-collar voters, coal mines, and conservative bent compared with the rest of the stateespecially Northern Virginia. Its a long way from here to there: The states far western edge is closer to the Mississippi River than to the Potomac. But last week, the voices of that regions state ocials and industry lobbyists resonated with Virginia Democratic Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb more than anyone closer to Capitol Hill. Warner and Webb voted on June 20 to support a disapproval resolution sponsored by Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member James Inhofe, R-Okla., that would have nullied the Environmental Protection Agencys recently nalized rule controlling mercury and other airborne toxins from power plants. The resolution failed, but the votes of Warner and Webb to support it surprised Washington insiders on both sides of the ght. I asked Senators Webb and Warner to consider supporting the resolution because it just gives us some sense of balance in what we think is an industry very important to not just Virginia but to the entire country, said Phillip Puckett, a veteran Democratic Virginia state senator who represents the southwest part of the commonwealth. Another person key to persuading the two senatorsand especially Warnerto support Inhofes resolution was Kevin Crutcheld, CEO of Alpha Natural Resources, which bills itself as the third-largest coal producer in the United States and fth largest in the world. Alpha is based in Bristol, deep in southwestern Virginia. According to several industry and Hill sources, Crutcheld called the senators in the hours before the vote and was pivotal in their decision to support the resolution. Voting to overturn the EPA rule represented an opportunity to send a clear signal to this administration that it is overreaching in the regulatory arena, and the costs of that overreach will equate to lost jobs and higher energy prices for Virginians and American families, said Ted Pile, vice president for corporate communications at Alpha. Environmental and public-health groups have successfully lobbied most coal-state Democrats to support the EPA rule by describing the vote to overturn it as imperiling children and babies with mercury pollution. The votes of Webb and Warner caught environmentalists o guard. Warner has often been there for us, and this was really a shock on this issue to see him go southor southwest, as they say, said Navin Nayak, senior vice president for campaigns with the League of Conservation Voters.
nationa l jou r na l.com nationa l jou r na l da ily

Environmentalists were surprised in part because neither Webb nor Warner is up for reelection, so attention was more focused on Democrats from coal-dependent states who are running this cycle, including Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Robert Casey of Pennsylvania. Webb is retiring, and Warner isnt up until 2014. Still, the Virginia Democrats votes to overturn one of President Obamas most signicant clean-air rules are emblematic of politics that transcend the commonwealth. Virginia is a bellwether state in the sense that it is a demographic microcosm of the country, Webb told National Journal Daily after his vote. Indeed, Virginia isnt even known for being a major coal-producing state. It ranks 12th in the country after Colorado and ahead of New Mexico, according to the National Mining Association. Its coal, but Virginia has also lost a tremendous amount of manufacturing jobs, Webb said. The issues that are going to be relevant in the national campaign show up in dierent demographic pockets here. And thats why the votes cast by Webb and Warner are also a portentous sign both for Obamas bid to win the state and for former Democratic Gov. Tim Kaines eorts to beat his likely Republican opponent, former Sen. George Allen, in the race for the seat Webb is vacating. This issue is about a regulation that was put forward by a federal agency thats under the administration of President Obama, and so to some extent Id expect there would be a conversation about that regulation within the context of his campaign, said former Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., who lost his seat representing the 9th District in 2010 partly because of his critical role negotiating the 2009 cap-and-trade bill to control carbon emissions. In other words, these votes put Obama in an awkward position if he tries to tout his environmental record in Virginia when both the states Democratic senators dont support one of the biggest pillars of that record. As a Democratic state senator out here, Ive not appreciated the position that the president has taken because I think it puts the coal industry in jeopardy, Puckett said. Its a dicult spot to be in. Wed like to be able to support a Democratic president. Its unclear what Kaine thinks about this particular EPA rule controlling mercury pollution from power plants. On his campaign website, Kaine says he will resist ongoing eorts to weaken environmental regulations that are needed to protect public health. Puckett said that while Kaine was governor from 2006 to 2010, he had been supportive of the industry. He is one who understands how important coal is to Virginia, Puckett said. I dont want to speak for him, but I believe if you asked him directly, hed say hes looking for a balance. Likely reluctant to go out on a limb over a controversial EPA rule just months before November, the Obama campaign declined to comment for this column and the Kaine campaign also did not respond to requests for comment.

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

politics

House Freshmen Extend Their Power to PAC

BY BEN TERRIS

The Takeaway
The Houses powerful freshman Republican class is forming a PAC to help class members get reelected. The freshmen arent allowing ideological dierences to divide them in this eort. conference. Because of that, the bloc has not always acted as strongly as outsiders may have expected or hoped. But while the group wont always agree on whether to raise the debt ceiling or extend a payroll-tax cut, they can agree that just two years in the House has not been enough time to really shake the place up. The PAC aims to serve any new GOP members of the House, regardless of where they fall on the conservative spectrum. In this utopian world of freshman camaraderie, Rep. Robert Dold (a self-proclaimed centrist) is just as deserving of some cash as Rep. Joe Walsh, a fellow Illinois freshman known as a tea party stalwart. The PAC wont choose sides in member-against-member primaries like the forthcoming one in Arizona between freshman Reps. Ben Quayle and David Schweikert or the Florida battle between Rep.

The House Republican freshman class doesnt agree on everything, but members seem to be coalescing around one basic desire: Theyd like to stick around. Six members of the class from across the country are forming a political action committee aimed at retaining as many of the 89 newest Republicans as they can. The Freshman Hold Em PAC will be asking class members to donate money to help their most vulnerable colleagues. So far, the principals report, about 27 freshmen are set to receive support from the group. They hope to get about 50 freshmen to donate and use that to kick-start outside interest. When youre part of a large class like this, you have a lot of dierent opinions, Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., one of the organizers of the PAC, told National Journal Daily. So how can the freshman class stay unied going into an election? By coming out in support of freshmen. According to various analyses, including rankings done by National Journal, the freshman class is about as diverse as the rest of the

John Mica and newbie Rep. Sandy Adams. In addition to helping ll campaign coers, the PAC will be sponsoring six regional events to drum up support for candidates. They are planning to have a kicko event on July 25. The six freshmen in chargeFrancisco (Quico) Canseco of Texas, Je Denham of California, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Tom Reed of New York, Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Indianas Stutzmanheld a freshman meeting this week to pitch the idea. Normally, the meetings get about 10 or 20 people; this one had about double that, organizers said. We aim to make sure we continue to have the ability to change the way Washington works, and to continue to ex our ideas and power, Gardner said. And while he admitted that there are some dierences, he said all want to cut spending and change Congress. If the organizers are concerned that the PAC runs the risk of making the class look like just another group of career politicians, they havent let on. Its just part of the process, said Stutzman. We have leadership PACs and super PACs. It just shows were willing to stick together almost two years after our big election.

transportation

Highway, Student-Loan Deal Appears To Be at Hand

B Y DA N F R I E DM A N A ND NIR A J CHOKSHI

The Takeaway
Conferees appear to have an agreement to pass the highway bill and prevent a hike in interest rates on some student loans. Passing a bill before recess would be another success for the Senate, which has recently seen a number of bipartisan deals. is stalemated by partisanshipparticularly in an election year. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Wednesday suggested a deal was in hand. Were moving, I think, towards an agreement on a transportation bill that would also include a one-year x on the student-loan rate increase, Boehner said after meeting with House Republicans. The highway bill would authorize funding of highways, bridges, and other surface-transportation programs through the end of scal 2014. The $6 billion student-loan bill would freeze interest rates on federally subsidized Staord loans at 3.4 percent for one year. Without legislative action, rates will double on July 1. For days, lawmakers have said there was agreement on the student-loan bill and the transportation-policy portion of the high-

Congressional leaders were nalizing an agreement on a combined highway and student-loan package late on Wednesday, in what will likely be their last shot at enacting a major jobs and economic-relief package before November. Democrats and Republicans on the bicameral transportation conference committee treated the deal as a foregone conclusion by Wednesday evening, even though the text itself was still being written and considered. Our country needs the kind of economic boost that this bill oers, and I am looking forward to getting it to the presidents desk, said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., the conference committee chairwoman. If the Senate can work out an agreement on a ve-year plan for the National Flood Insurance Program, that measure will also be included in the combined package, according to informed Senate aides. Passage of the combined package would be the latest in a series of recent legislative success stories, such as the Senates passage of the farm bill last week, belying widespread assumptions that a divided Congress

way bill. At issue were environmental riders that House Republicans wanted to add to the highway bill. The deal does not include language requiring construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, conferees and leadership aides said. It also excludes a provision that would block Environmental Protection Agency authority to issue regulations on coal ash (a by-product of coal-red electricity) that are expected to be nalized this year. House Republicans had pushed for inclusion of both provisions. The agreement does include another GOP priority, aides said: streamlining environmental review of the impacts of some transportation projects. If a deal is completed on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., plans to set up oor action on the combined package Thursday. He would also seek a unanimous-consent agreement to deem the package passed after a House vote, which is expected on Friday, a senior Senate Democratic aide said. Reid would like to include the ood-insurance package in the bill but will withdraw it and return to the measure in July if its inclusion draws objection during the consent agreement, the aide said.

nationa l jou r na l da ily nationa l jou r na l.com

WHEN WERE SOFT ON SOOT, KIDS SUFFER

Current soot air standards are not safe.
Science clearly shows soot causes tens of thousands of premature deaths each year and childhood asthma attacks. The law requires updated standards that actually protect health. Its time to reduce soot and its toll on our families and our lives.

Tell EPA: Set strong soot standards. Save lives.

FightingForAir.org

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

health care

Ruling continued from page 1

there are more independents who say they dont like the law than like it. Republicans want the law wiped o the books, but such a ruling would be likely to have unpleasant ripple eects they might not like, by creating policy turmoil and undoing some very popular benets. They also wouldnt have Obamacare to kick around anymore, meaning they would lose a base-galvanizing refrain. And Americans fundamental disagreements about the best approach to health reform means they could be the next beneciaries of public disapproval once they suggest a replacement approach. We have shown in enough cases that Republicans and opponents of the Aordable Care Act generally like lots of things about the Aordable Care Act, said Mollyann Brodie, the director of public opinion and media research at the Kaiser Family Foundation, who has done extensive polling on the law. And, in fact, opponents of the Aordable Care Act do think there are problems in our health care system that should be solved. The public wants to get rid of the individual mandate, the centerpiece of the Court challenge and, by far, the laws least-popular provision. Only about 30 percent of the population supports it, even though the laws congressional authors and the White House describe it as a linchpin needed to keep other provisions in place. Losing the mandate could alienate the insurance and hospital industries, key constituencies that helped get the law passed. The law oered them a trade-o between pay cuts and more customers. If the mandate goes, they would get only cuts. Consumers could get prices even higher than those they face today and might see their local hospitals close. If the link were to be broken, that will really mean that these market reforms could backre on consumers, said Karen Ignagni, the president and CEO of the health insurance lobby, Americas Health Insurance Plans. Nobody wants that. The 26 states ghting the law want out of its massive Medicaid expansion Yet that provision, which would insure some 16 million Americans, is actually pretty popular. Losing that provision would create huge gaps in the insurance system, leaving a law that provides nancial assistance to the middle class but not the poor. The Court might just want a way out, and its been presented with one in the way of a legal technicality. But a ruling to postpone the cases tough choices would likely be the most unpopular of all. Everyone wants an answer now. The unfortunate choices facing the Supreme Court are a reminder of why it was so difficult to pass health reform in the first place. And they are perhaps an explanation of why so many of the justices have immediate travel plans. According to the Associated Press, Chief Justice John Roberts, who is widely expected to pen the majority opinion, will be teaching a course in Malta by Monday.

energy

NRC continued from page 1

tee aide, explaining that without being coupled with another appointee, Svinickis reappointment was at risk of getting stuck at the White House. A key problem for Svinicki was her past support for maintaining the controversial nuclear-waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, the home state of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who had vowed to kill the project. Reid got his waypartly with the help of a former aide, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczkowhen President Obama canceled the project in 2009, and the Senate Democratic leader wanted to make sure it was never revived. Last year, the White House had told Republicans that Svinickis reappointment to the NRC would be no problem and that her papers would be sent up to the Senate by October, according to a Senate GOP aide. But the date kept slipping. Then all hell broke loose at the NRC. In October, all four of Jaczkos fellow commissioners, including Svinicki, made accusations against him and wrote to then-White House Chief of Sta William Daley to tell him that the chairman had created a chilled work environment at the commission with his bullying management style. Jaczko was already under re after the NRCs inspector general had concluded in June 2011 that he had not been forthcoming with his fellow commissioners about the Yucca projects termination. The letter led to congressional hearings and Jaczko was on the ropes. He didnt help himself in February and March by twice casting the only dissenting votes when the NRC approved new licenses for nuclear reactors in Georgia and South Carolina. Meanwhile, pressure was building among Republicans to get Svinickis nomination to the Senate oor in time for her to be conrmed before her term expired on June 30. When Republican leaders contacted the White House, they learned that Reid had been lobbying hard for Svinicki not to be reappointed. Thats when McConnell policy adviser Neil Chatterjee convened the meeting in the Capitol with Svinicki to plot a strategy for getting her conrmed. Also in attendance were Svinicki Chief of Sta Jery Sharkey; McKie Campbell, sta director for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Brian Cliord, a legislative aide for Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo.; Je Wood, counsel to Sen. Je Sessions, RAla.; Dave Banks, deputy sta director to Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla.; and Karen Billups, minority chief counsel at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Two days after the meeting, and following McConnells ery oor statement, White House ocials made it known that they were snubbing Reids objections and renominating Svinicki. Once her papers were sent up, the dam broke, a Senate GOP aide told National Journal Daily. The aide explained that Republicans suspected Reid was planning to hold Svinickis nomination hostage in an attempt to get Jaczko another term before his current one would have expired next year. The day after the White House cleared Svinickis nomination, Jaczko called an impromptu news conference at the National Press Club. Rumors circulated that he was stepping down, but Jaczko used the opportunity to deny the allegations against him. One month later, though, he announced he would resign as soon as a replacement was conrmed by the Senate, and just three days after that the White House nominated George Mason University professor Allison Macfarlane to the post. Macfarlane, a vocal critic of Yucca Mountain, didnt come out of nowhere. Reid had unsuccessfully pushed for her nomination to the NRC in 2007, and the environmental science professor had served on the Obama administrations blue-ribbon panel on nuclear waste. Macfarlane wasnt an ideal choice for Republicans, but she was no Jaczkoand thats what mattered. The only way to get Jaczko out was to get Macfarlane, a Senate GOP aide said. Wed rather have Svinicki for ve, and they get Macfarlane for one.... She cant possibly govern the way that [Jaczko] does.

nationa l jou r na l da ily nationa l jou r na l.com

Creating Jobs
Investing in public transportation will spark our economy. Every $1 billion we invest in public transportation means 36,000 jobs. Public transit projects will put people to work, repair our nations aging infrastructure and help America stay competitive long into the future. Whether its more jobs or a revitalized economy, public transportation takes us there.

Congress, act now to pass a meaningful transportation bill. publictransportation.org

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

banking and finance

Barclays Case Spotlights Fight Over Funding Regulators

B Y B I L LY H O U S E , C AT H E R I N E H O L L A N D E R , A N D K AT Y O D O N N E L L

The Takeaway
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which helped uncover wrongdoing by British bank Barclays, still faces the House GOP budget ax. Democrats say the case proves the need to fully fund nancial watchdogs. CFTCs budget. I wouldnt buy a credit default swap on their changing [their minds], quipped the lawmaker, who was one of the architects of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Still, Frank argued, the settlement announced on Wednesday is one more strong argument against Republican eorts to deprive the CFTC of the funds it needs to be eective. He added: In this one move, the CFTC is recovering more money than the Republican Congress will allow it to have for a budget for an entire year. Making money for the federal government is certainly not the main mission of a watchdog regulatory agency or why its needed. The aim is to protect consumers. In the Barclays matter, for instance, CFTC ordered it to pay a $200 million civil monetary penalty for attempted manipulation of interest rates as well as making false reports to benet its derivatives trading position. The bank will also pay a $160 million penalty as part of an agreement with the Justice Department, and a $92 million

The news on Wednesday that the British bank Barclays agreed to pay a whopping $453 million in penalties to U.S. and U.K. regulators in an international interest-rate conspiracy is a wake-up call to keep the governments nancial watchdogs adequately funded, Democrats and others say. The penalties levied against Barclays include $200 million by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a regulatory body that has been targeted by House Republicans for budget cuts. The amount is the biggest CFTC has ever imposed. But top House Republicans, who have made undoing some corporate regulatory controls a centerpiece of their legislative jobs agenda, showed no enthusiasm about the development. The oces of Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., referred all comment to House Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus, R-Ala. In a brief interview, Bachus simply shrugged when asked about the Barclays settlement. Of the regulators work in the matter, Bachus said, They probably should have uncovered it a year ago. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, strongly doubted that House Republicans would back o their eorts to slash the

penalty to the U.K.s Financial Services Authority. On top of the nancial penalties, Barclays will be required to implement measures to ensure its submissions are not inuenced by conicts of interest. The interest-rate manipulation and false reports identied by Barclays occurred between 2005 and 2009. In short, the regulators uncovered that the banks traders lied to make Barclays look more secure. But just last week, the House Appropriations Committee voted down a proposed amendment to the scal 2013 Agriculture spending bill that would have restored funds to CFTC to implement the Dodd-Frank law. Instead, the bill grants $180 million to CFTC, a $25 million cut from current levels and $128 million less than President Obama requested . Committee Democrats unsuccessfully argued that now is not the time to cut funding, repeatedly invoking the fallout over MF Globals 2011 bankruptcy and the highly publicized recent losses at JPMorgan Chase as they stressed the need for greater nancial regulation. Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said on Wednesday when asked about the Barclays settlement: Instead of siding with taxpayers by empowering the cop on the beat, Republicans prefer to side with the same big banks on Wall Street that proted from risky derivatives bets but expected taxpayer bailouts when those bets went awry.

energy

How Political Rhetoric Follows Gas Prices

B Y S H A N E G O L DM AC H E R

As the price at the pump surged this winter and spring, Republicans seized the issue as a chance to attack President Obama. Mitt Romney in March called on Obama to re his gas hike trio, three top Cabinet ofcials he accused of helping hike fuel prices. Then-presidential candidate Newt Gingrich pledged to bring back the days of $2.50-a-gallon gas. And House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told his GOP troops behind closed doors, This debate is a debate we want to have. No longer. As gas prices have dipped, the issue has all but disappeared as a talking point, both on the campaign trail and in the halls of Congress. The chart accompanying this story tells the tale. The blue line tracks the price of gasoline since January 2008. Since then, there have been three distinct spikes in prices: in June 2008, May 2011, and earlier this year. Super-

imposed in red is a graph that tracks how often lawmakers said the words gas prices on the oor of Congress. Lo and behold, there are three distinct spikes: in June 2008, May 2011, and earlier this year. The contours of the political debate and the gas-price chart match almost seamlessly. In 2008, as the pace of price decreases leveled o for a month, so, too, did political chatter. In 2009, as prices uctuated up and down slightly, the talking points on the oor did as well. Economists generally agree that politicians can do little about gas prices, particularly in the short term. But that doesnt stop lawmakers from talking about the price hikesor stop the public from blaming pols when prices soar. The good news for Obama is that energy experts are predicting fuel prices will continue to drop through the fall. Of course, the phenomenon of falling gas prices may be a worry in and of itself. Such declines are often a sign of a slowing economy.

Political Rhetoric and Gas Prices

Talk of gas prices in Congress directly correlates with high prices at the pump. U.S. retail gas prices, dollars per gallon Mentions of Gas prices in Congress
$5 per gallon 1,500 mentions

$4

1,200

$3

900

$2

600

$1

300

0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Sources: Energy Information Administration; Sunlight Foundation

10

nationa l jou r na l da ily nationa l jou r na l.com

 Barry Jackson, Rockville, MD

Barry had a stroke at 38. He has two young daughters. Now, hes back thanks to new
technology in rehabilitation and treatments NIH research made possible.
But the NIH soon faces $2.4 billion in across-the-board budget cuts. These cuts would have a devastating impact on medical research, new discoveries and our economy. We have an obligation to patients like Barry and future generations to make the NIH a national priority. Its a critical investment in Americas health.

TELL CONGRESS

Research Saves Lives. Protect the NIH.

Read Barrys story and others at ResearchSavesLives.org

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

Political Roundup
Powered by

Poll: Nelson and Mack Neck-and-Neck

orida A Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday morning shows Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and Republican Rep. Connie Mack running neck-and-neck in the Florida Senate campaign. Nelson leads Mack, 41 percent to 40 percent, with 17 percent undecided. The survey is the latest in a recent string of polls revealing a tight race in the Sunshine State. The previous poll, conducted earlier this month during a period ending one day before the start of the new survey, showed a similar spread, with Nelson leading, 43 percent to 39 percent. In the poll, Mack is signicantly outperforming presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney among Hispanic voters. While President Obama leads Romney 56 percent to 32 percent among Hispanics, Mack trails Nelson by only 2 percentage points, 37 percent to 35 percent. Twenty-ve percent of Hispanics are undecided in the Senate race, compared with just 10 percent in the presidential contest. Mack, the son of former Sen. Connie Mack III, is the heavy favorite to win the GOP Senate nomination. Former Sen. George LeMieux dropped out of the race last week, but former Rep. Dave Weldon and retired Army Col. Mike McCalister are also running in the Aug. 14 primary. The Quinnipiac poll, which was conducted on June 19-25, surveyed 1,200 Florida voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points. Kevin Brennan

public divorce with former wife Kate, during which he was accused of indelity. He planned to use the conference to talk about the public collapse of his relationship and explain how it could have been saved by taxdeductible counseling. Gosselin also discussed the post-divorce advice he has received from Boteach. According to a campaign press release, Boteach hoped to use the press conference to steer the political conversation away from scapegoating gay marriage and toward a more productive method for saving marriage as an institution. He is challenging Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell in the newly-drawn, Democraticleaning district. Gram Slattery

Matheson, Barrow Will Vote for Holder Measure

Several vulnerable Democratic House members say they will vote for a GOP-sponsored measure finding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress on Thursday. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, was the first Democrat to say he would vote for the measure, and he was joined by a few others from conservative districts, including Reps. John Barrow of Georgia and Nick Rahall of West Virginia. The list of Democratic aye voters overlaps with the growing list of members choosing to skip the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. The National Rie Association is also scoring the contempt vote; Matheson, Barrow, and Rahall were all among the Democratic candidates endorsed by the NRA in 2010. Scott Bland

contests partially stems from the preference of independent voters. In the Senate race, Casey has a 14-point advantage among independents, 44 percent to 30 percent. But Romney leads Obama, 43 percent to 37 percent, with those voters. Casey also outperforms Obama among working-class whites, a key voting bloc in the state. While Obama trails Romney by 7 points among white voters without a college degree, 43 percent to 36 percent, Casey leads Smith by 12 points among that group, 46 percent to 34 percent. Smith emerged from relative obscurity to capture the Republican nomination after spending $5 million of his own money. The Quinnipiac poll, which was conducted on June 19-25, surveyed 1,252 Pennsylvania voters. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points. Kevin Brennan

Bob Turners Path From Fame to Oblivion

new york Political star power can be eeting. Just ask Rep. Bob Turner, R-N.Y. The Empire State freshmans quick ascent and equally swift fade into the background is a reminder that todays hero can quickly become tomorrows footnote. Just nine months ago, Turner was a Republican hero who picked up disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiners Queens-based seat with a special-election win over Democrat David Weprin, on turf that had been generally unfriendly to the GOP. Today, hes a soon-to-be former congressman with a carved-up district who just lost a race to become Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrands sacricial lamb in November. After Turner learned in March that the states new congressional map would slice and dice his district into seven pieces, he opted for a Senate bid, triggering buzz that the heavilyfavored Gillibrand might have to do a little campaigning before November. But Turners campaign failed to catch re, and he lost the Republican primary by 15 points to Wendy Long, an upstart conservative attorney running her rst campaign. Turner, who was a rst-time candidate for the House in 2011, can appreciate an outsider victory, and he pledged on Tuesday night to work with Long to unite all Republicans and conservatives in the eort to defeat Kirsten Gillibrand in November. Sean Sullivan

Former Reality-TV Star Campaigns for Boteach

new jersey In an unlikely combination of characters, celebrity Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the Republican nominee for New Jerseys 9th Congressional District, appeared at a press conference on Wednesday with former Jon & Kate Plus 8 star Jon Gosselin. According to Newarks Star-Ledger, the duo planned to discuss the importance of tax-deductible marriage counseling. This is an issue particularly close to Gosselins heart: In 2009, before seeking out the rabbis guidance, he went through a nasty,

Poll: Casey Up 17 Points

pennsylvania Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., is a heavy favorite to win reelection, according to a Quinnipiac poll released on Wednesday. Casey leads Republican Tom Smith, 49 percent to 32 percent, according to the poll; 17 percent of Keystone State voters said they are undecided. The poll shows a much more competitive presidential race in Pennsylvania, with President Obama leading Mitt Romney, 45 percent to 39 percent, in the traditionally blue state. The dierence in the results of the two

12

nationa l jou r na l da ily nationa l jou r na l.com

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

b briefing

h hearing

m markup

mt meeting

fh field hearing

jh joint hearing JUDICIARY M Pending Business 2141 RHOB, Noon Full committee markup of H.R.1860; H.R.823; H.R.316; H.R.794; H.R.357; H.R.824; H.R.1857; H.R.3120; H.R.6019; and the Third Semiannual Activity Report of the Committee on the Judiciary for the 112th Congress. 202-225-3951. NATURAL RESOURCES H Pending Legislation Revised 1324 LHOB, 9 a.m. National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee hearing on H.R.624; H.R.3640; H.R.4109; H.R.4334; H.R.4484; H.R.5319; H.R.5958; and H.R.5987. 202-225-2761. Witnesses: Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., House Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and Reps. John Carney, D-Del., Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, Jeff Denham, R-Calif., Steve Pearce, R-N.M., Niki Tsongas, D-Mass., and Bob Turner, R-N.Y. OVERSIGHT H AND GOVERNMENT REFORM Revised EPA Rulemaking Practices 2203 RHOB, 9 a.m. Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and Procurement Reform Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-5074. OVERSIGHT H AND GOVERNMENT REFORM Revised Transition from Military to Civilian Mission in Iraq 2154 RHOB, 9:15 a.m. National Security, Homeland Defense, and Foreign Operations Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-5074. OVERSIGHT H AND GOVERNMENT REFORM Revised SEC Implementation of the JOBS Act 2247 RHOB, 9:30 a.m. TARP, Financial Services, and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-5074.

thursday senate
COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION Industry Self-regulation in Consumer Privacy Protections 253 RSOB, 10 a.m. Full committee hearing. 202-224-0411. H

June 27.) 202-225-2771. EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE H Voluntary Workplace Revised Protection Programs 2175 RHOB, 9:30 a.m. Workforce Protections Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-4527. ENERGY AND COMMERCE H Fine Particulate Matter Standards 2123 RHOB, 9 a.m. Energy and Power Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-2927. FINANCIAL SERVICES Appraisal Oversight 2128 RHOB, 10 a.m. Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-7502. H

ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES H Non-Federal Financing of Energy Ecient Building Retrots 366 DSOB, 9:30 a.m. Full committee hearing. 202-224-4971. FOREIGN RELATIONS Law of the Sea Convention Business/Industry Perspectives 216 HSOB, 9:30 a.m. Full committee hearing. 202-224-4651. H

FOREIGN RELATIONS H Africas Market Potential Revised 419 DSOB, 2:30 p.m. African Aairs Subcommittee hearing. 202-224-4651. INDIAN AFFAIRS M Pending Business 628 DSOB, 2:15 p.m. Full committee markup of H.R.443; H.R.1560; H.R.1272; S.134; S.1065; S.2389; and S.3193. 202-224-2251. INTELLIGENCE Intelligence Matters 219 HSOB, 2:30 p.m. Full committee hearing. 202-224-1700. H Closed

FINANCIAL SERVICES H Fractional Reserve Banking and the Federal Reserve 2128 RHOB, 2 p.m. Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-7502. HOMELAND SECURITY State-sponsored Economic Espionage 311 CHOB, 10 a.m. Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee hearing. 202-226-8417. H

JUDICIARY M Pending Business 226 DSOB, 10 a.m. Full committee markup of S.285; S.1744; and to vote on pending nominations. 202-224-7703.

INTELLIGENCE M Pending Business HVC-304, Capitol, 10 a.m. Full committee markup of H.R.5949; Member Access Request; and the Semiannual Committee Activity Report. 202-225-4121. JUDICIARY H Identity Theft and Income Revised Tax Preparation Fraud 2141 RHOB, 9:45 a.m. Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-3951.

thursday house
APPROPRIATIONS M Interior-Environment New Appropriations 2359 RHOB, 9 a.m. Full committee markup. (Continued from

nationa l jou r na l.com nationa l jou r na l da ily

13

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

RULES Financial Services/Defense Appropriations/Committee Activities Report H-313, Capitol, 2 p.m. Full committee meeting. 202-225-9191.

MT Revised

Participants: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. EDUCATION House Triangle, Capitol, Noon New News conference on H.R.4170, the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 and to receive more than 1,000,000 signatures calling on Congress to pass the bill. Students and recent graduates will be in caps and gowns and holding signs that announce their debt. 202-225-2261. Participant: Rep. Hansen Clarke, D-Mich.

Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, which provides nancial support to 179 torture survivor rehabilitation programs worldwide. Olivia Lueth, 612-436-4830. GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS Outside RHOB, Independence Avenue, 8 a.m. The Postal Workers Union and postal activists Hunger Strike to Save the Postal Service, an eort to urge Congress to repeal the pre-funding mandate and refund the pension surplus. Jamie Partridge, 503-752-5112. Participants: 4 a.m., Hunger strikers hold a rally and attempt to encounter the Postmaster General at Postal Service headquarters, 475 LEnfant Plaza SW. HEALTH On the steps of the Supreme Court, 1 First Street NW, 11 a.m. The Congressional Progressive Caucus news conference immediately following the Supreme Courts Aordable Care Act ruling. Adam Sarvana, 202-225-2435. Participants: CPC Cochairs Reps. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Keith Ellison, D-Minn. HEALTH HVC-Studio A, Capitol, 11:15 a.m. New News conference on the Supreme Courts ruling of the constitutionality of the Aordable Care Act. 202-226-9000. Participants: House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, Conference Vice Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga. HEALTH Senate Radio/TV Gallery, New Capitol, 12:30 p.m. Media availability on the Supreme Courts ruling on the constitutionality of the Aordable Care Act. Whitney Smith, 202-224-4159. Participant: Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass.

SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY M Committee Activities Report 2318 RHOB, 10 a.m. Full committee markup. 202-225-6371. SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY H EPA Regulations Postponed and the Economy 2318 RHOB, 10 a.m. Full committee hearing. (The hearing will begin immediately following the full committee markup.) 202-225-6371. Witness: EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. SMALL BUSINESS H Federal Prison Industries Revised Competition in Contracting 2360 RHOB, 10 a.m. Contracting and Workforce Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-5821. Witness: Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich. TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE TSA Transportation Worker ID Delays 2167 RHOB, 10 a.m. Full committee hearing. 202-225-9446. H

EDUCATION RHOB, Foyer, 6 p.m. The University of Maryland event titled Terps on the Hill 2012, a gathering of alumni who work on the Hill or in a government agency Diane Hoskins, diane725@me.com FINANCE 2168 RHOB, 2 p.m. U.S. PIRG and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People discussion on Americans and Credit Card Debt: Perspectives on the Credit Card Act Three Years After Passage. (Registration required.) 212-633-1405. Participant: Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. FOREIGN AFFAIRS HVC-201, Capitol, 10:30 a.m. Coptic Solidarity annual conference on Security Issues and Advancing Human and Minority Rights in Egypt. (Media RSVP requested.) Cynthia Farahat, 202-695-0506. Participants: 10:45 a.m., Former Rep. Fred Grandy, R-Iowa; 3:15 p.m., Reps. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., Frank Wolf, R-Va., and Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla. FOREIGN AFFAIRS 2237 RHOB, 2 p.m. The Center for Victims of Torture and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission brieng on the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture Jeanne Herrick-Stare, 202-822-0188. FOREIGN AFFAIRS 902 HSOB, 5:30 p.m. The Center for Victims of Torture reception and awards ceremony in recognition of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torturehonoring the UN

VETERANS AFFAIRS M Pending Business 334 CHOB, 10 a.m. Economic Opportunity Subcommittee markup of H.R.4115; H.R.3524; H.R.4057; H.R.4740; and H.R.5747. 202-225-3527.

thursday on the hill

DEMOCRATS HVC-215, U.S. Capitol, 9 a.m. New The House Democratic Caucus closed meeting. (Stakeout in the HVC-210 Alcove.) 202-225-1400. DEMOCRATS HVC Studio-A, U.S. Capitol, 12:15 p.m. New Weekly news conference. Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616

14

nationa l jou r na l da ily nationa l jou r na l.com

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

b briefing

h hearing

m markup

mt meeting

fh field hearing

jh joint hearing

HEALTH House Triangle, Capitol, 1 p.m. New News conference to respond to the Supreme Courts ruling on the Aordable Care Act. Riva Litman, 925-963-7257. Participants: Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Ann Marie Buerkle, R-N.Y., Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., Candice Miller, R-Mich., and Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio. HEALTH House Triangle, Capitol, 3 p.m. New The GOP Doctors Caucus news conference to respond to the Supreme Courts decision on the constitutionality of the Aordable Care Act and to urge full repeal of the presidents health care law. Amy Larkin, 202-225-2301. Participants: Reps. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., Tim Murphy, R-Pa., Dan Benishek, R-Mich., Diane Black, R-Tenn., Paul Broun, R-Ga., Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., Ann Marie Buerkle, R-N.Y., Michael Burgess, R-Texas, Bill Cassidy, R-La., Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., John Fleming, R-La., Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Andy Harris, R-Md., Nan Hayworth, R-N.Y., Tom Price, R-Ga., and Phil Roe, R-Tenn. TRANSPORTATION B-339 RHOB, 11:30 a.m. The Center for Transportation at the Free Congress Foundation brieng on Traveling in Real Time: Mobility Management and You, examining mobility management technology and its import for the traveling public and transportation service provides. (RSVP requested.) Dan Kreske, 703-837-0483. Participants: House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., and Reps. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., and Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn.

DEFENSE CSIS, 1800 K Street NW, B-1 Conference Level, 8:30 a.m. The Center for Strategic and International Studies Southeast Asia Program second annual conference on maritime security in the South China Sea titled The South China Sea and Asia Pacic in Transition: Exploring Options for Managing Disputes. (RSVP requested.) Andrew Schwartz, 202-775-3242. Participant: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Aairs Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn. DEFENSE Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Falk Auditorium, 10 a.m. The Brookings Institution discussion on A Next Step in Nuclear Arms Control: Securing Fissile Materials. (Registration required.) 202-797-6105. ECONOMY Miller Library, 9421 Frederick Road, Ellicott City, Md., 6:30 p.m. Transition Howard County forum on the Howard County, Md. Genuine Progress Indicator, an alternative to Gross Domestic Product for the measurement of economic prosperity. (RSVP requested.) transitionhoco@gmail.com EDUCATION Embassy Suites DC Convention Center, 900 10th Street NW, 8:30 a.m. The Coalition of Urban Serving Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities 2012 USU Annual Summer Meeting with the theme Place-based Engagement: Dening the Future of Public Higher Education. 202-478-6064. EDUCATION WWC, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Sixth Floor, 9 a.m. The Woodrow Wilson Center discussion on The Start-Up Act 2.0 and American Innovation, on accelerating the commercialization of university research. 202-691-4000. Participant: Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del. EDUCATION Hudson Institute, 1015 15th Street NW, Sixth Floor, Betsy and Walter Stern

Conference Center, 12:30 p.m. The Hudson Institute event on What Would Jeerson Do?: University of Virginia and the Crisis of Liberal Education. (Registration required.) 202-223-7770. EDUCATION The Tabula Rasa, 731 Eighth Street SE, 6 p.m. Third Way and Democrats for Education Reform discussion on Mission Possible: How the Secrets of Success Academies Can Work in Any School. (RSVP requested.) Michael Rady, 646-894-7355. Participants: Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Reps. George Miller, D-Calif., James Clyburn, D-S.C., and Jared Polis, D-Colo. EDUCATION Ronald Reagan International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Lower Level, Amphitheatre, 7 p.m. The National Science Foundation and the White House Oce of Science and Technology Policy awards ceremony for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. Bobbie Mixon, 703-292-8485. Participant: Education Secretary Arne Duncan. ENERGY Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 7:30 a.m. The Association for Demand Response and Smart Grid 2012 National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid. (Registration required.) Kelly Givan, 716-940-6130. ENERGY Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, 202 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Md., 8 a.m. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission workshop to explain its oversight process for companies that support new reactor construction. Marlayna Vaaler, 301-415-3178. ENVIRONMENT BPC, 1225 I Street NW, Suite 1000, 9:30 a.m. The Bipartisan Policy Center discussion on Getting Infrastructure Going: Expediting Project Delivery and Environmental Review. (Registration required.) 202-204-2400.

thursday off the hill

AGRICULTURE Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I Street NW, 7 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue discussion on Change Comes to Dinner: A Discussion of the Positive Side of the Food Movement in D.C. and Beyond. 202-408-3100.

nationa l jou r na l.com nationa l jou r na l da ily

15

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

Participant: Megan McArdle, business and economics editor at The Atlantic. ENVIRONMENT Koshland Science Museum, Sixth and E Streets NW, 4 p.m. The National Academies Get the Scoop on Climate Change ice cream social event. (Registration required.) 202-334-2138. ENVIRONMENT The Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 6:30 p.m. Connect4Climate discussion on Connecting for Climate: Technology, Creativity, and Action, celebrating the Apps for Climate competition winners and the launch of the Connect4Climate/MTV Voices4Climat global photo, video, and music competition. (Registration required.) connect4climate@worldbank.org FINANCE WWC, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Sixth Floor, Conference Room, Noon The Woodrow Wilson Center discussion on Getting by With a Little Help from Our Friends: Crowdsourcing and U.S. Agency for International Development Development Credit Loans, on increasing nancing for creditworthy but underserved borrowers. 202-691-4000. FINANCE AEI, 1150 17th Street NW, Wohlstetter Conference Center, 12th Floor, 2 p.m. The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research discussion on Do Money Market Funds Create Systemic Risk? (Registration required.) Veronique Rodman, 202-862-4871. FOREIGN AFFAIRS Capitol Hill Club, 300 First Street SE, 8 a.m. The National Defense Industrial Association, Air Force Association and Reserve Ocers Association forum on Next Steps in U.S.Russian Arms Control, and Nuclear Deterrence Strategy. Peter Huessy, 703-247-5839. FOREIGN AFFAIRS WITA, Meridian Suites, Revised Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Horizon Ballroom, 9 a.m. The Washington International Trade Association discussion on Arab Summer: Whats Next for Trade in Egypt and the Middle East?

202-312-1600. FOREIGN AFFAIRS WWC, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Fifth Floor, Conference Room, 9:15 a.m. The Woodrow Wilson Centers Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity workshop on Multi-Track Diplomacy: Seen Through the Eyes of the Practitioner. (Registration required.) 202-691-4000. FOREIGN AFFAIRS SAIS, Nitze Building, 1740 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Kenney Auditorium, 9:30 a.m. The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies and Search for Common Ground discussion on Reections on Burundis Cinquantenaire, to reect on the past 50 years and consider the future. Felisa Neuringer Klubes, 202-663-5626. FOREIGN AFFAIRS National Press Club, 14th and F Streets NW, Murrow, White and Lisagor Rooms, 2 p.m. The Potomac Institutes Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies discussion on Middle East Security and the Changing Trans-Atlantic Partnership. 703-525-0770. FOREIGN AFFAIRS Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Falk Auditorium, 2 p.m. The Brookings Institution discussion on South Sudan One Year After Independence. (RSVP requested.) 202-797-6105. FOREIGN AFFAIRS USIP, 2301 Constitution Avenue NW, 6:45 p.m. United States Institute of Peace fth annual Dean Acheson Lecture on The Practice of Partnership in the 21st Century, recognizing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta for his involvement in public service, American foreign policy and national security. (Media RSVP requested.) Allison Sturma, 202-429-4725. Participant: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. HEALTH AEI, 1150 17th Street NW, Wohlstetter Conference Center, 12th Floor, 9 a.m. The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research real-time response

to the Supreme Courts health care ruling. (Registration required.) Veronique Rodman, 202-862-4871. Participants: 9:15 a.m., Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga.; 10 a.m., Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. HEALTH Georgetown University, 37th and O Street NW, Gaston Hall, 10 a.m. Georgetown Universitys Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Aairs forum on Religious Freedom and the Health and Human Services Mandate. (RSVP requested.) 202-687-5119. Participants: Reps. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., Diane Black, R-Tenn., Ann Marie Buerkle, R-N.Y., and Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill. HEALTH In front of the Supreme Court, New 1 First Street NE, 10:30 a.m. The Tea Party Patriots news conference on the Supreme Courts ruling of the constitutionality of the Aordable Care Act. Jameson Cunningham, 703-739-5920. Participants: Reps. Todd Akin, R-Mo., Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., Paul Broun, R-Ga., John Fleming, R-La., Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, Steve King, R-Iowa, and Tom Price, R-Ga. HEALTH LOC, Jeerson Building, 10 First Street SE, Kluge Center Meeting Room, First Floor, Noon The Library of Congress lecture on Of All the Physicians is There a Physician? Irony in the Practice of Medicine. Donna Urschel, 202-707-1639. HEALTH Heritage Foundation, Revised 214 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Van Andel Center, 12:30 p.m. The Heritage Foundation discussion on the conservative response the Supreme Courts ruling on the constitutionality of the Aordable Care Act. (RSVP requested.) 202-675-1761. Participant: Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. POLITICS Microsoft Oces, Reston, 12012 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, Va., 7:30 a.m. Address on an economic vision with members of the Northern Virginia New

16

nationa l jou r na l da ily nationa l jou r na l.com

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

b briefing

h hearing

m markup

mt meeting

fh field hearing

jh joint hearing

Technology Council at a Tech Town Hall, cohosted by NVTC and Microsoft. (Credentialed media only.) Allison Gilmore, 703-946-0318. POLITICS Tortilla Coast, 400 First Street SE, 8 a.m. The American League of Lobbyists member of Congress roundtable discussion. (Registration required.) 703-960-3011. Participant: Rep. Billy Long, R-Mo. POLITICS Frederick Douglass Museum, 320 A Street NE, 9:30 a.m. The Faith and Politics Institute event on Faith, Politics, and Our Better Angels: A Christian Dialogue on Public Discourse. Liz McCloskey, liz@faithandpolitics.org POLITICS Microsoft, 901 K Street NW, 7 p.m. Americas Future Foundation discussion on All About the Money? The Role of Business in Politics. Roger Custer, 202-331-2261. POLITICS Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol Street SE, 7:05 p.m. CQ Roll Call 51st annual Congressional Baseball Game. (Media RSVP requested.) Sujata Mitra, 202-650-6888. Participants: Reps. Joe Baca, D-Calif., Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, Russ Carnahan, D-Mo., John Carney, D-Del., Ben Chandler, D-Ky., Mark Critz, D-Pa., Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., Mike Doyle, D-Pa., Tim Holden, D-Pa., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., Jared Polis, D-Colo., Cedric Richmond, D-La., Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., Adam Smith, D-Wash., Sam Graves, R-Mo., Lou Barletta, R-Pa., Joe Barton, R-Texas, Kevin Brady, R-Texas, Mike Conaway, R-Texas, Rick Crawford, R-Ark., Jeff Denham, R-Calif., Robert Dold, R-Ill., Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, Jack Kingston, R-Ga., Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., Jeffrey Landry, R-La., Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., Pat Meehan, R-Pa., Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., Steve Pearce, R-N.M., Todd Platts, R-Pa., Tom Rooney, R-Fla., Dennis Ross, R-Fla., Steve Scalise, R-La., Austin

Scott, R-Ga., Tim Scott, R-S.C., Pete Sessions, R-Texas, John Shimkus, R-Ill., Bill Shuster, R-Pa., Adrian Smith, R-Neb., Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., Daniel Webster, R-Fla., Robert Wittman, R-Va., and Steve Womack, R-Ark., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. RELIGION Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Seventh Floor, 9 a.m. Interfaith Alliance, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, the British Council, and the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum symposium on understanding American Muslims. (Media RSVP requested.) Samantha Friedman, 202-265-3000. SCIENCE NAS, 2010 Constitution Avenue NW, 6 p.m. The National Academy of Sciences monthly D.C. Art Science Evening Rendezvous discussion on art and science projects in the national capital region. 202-334-2000. SOCIAL ISSUES Hyatt Regency Crystal City, 2799 Jeerson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va., 8:30 a.m. National Right to Life 2012 We the People Defending Life convention. (Registration required.) Jessica Rodgers, 202-626-8825. Participants: 10 a.m., House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va.; 8 p.m., Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. SOCIAL ISSUES National Mall, between 14th and Seventh Street, 11 a.m. The Smithsonian Institution 2012 Folklife Festival. 202-633-5183. TELECOMMUNICATIONS National Conference Center, 18980 Upper Belmont Place, Leesburg, Va., 8 a.m. The National Governors Association Center national forum on Preparing Public Safety Broadband. (Registration required.) Alisha Powell, 202-624-3598. TRADE ITC, 500 E Street SW, 11:30 a.m. The U.S. International Trade Commission seminar on Regulatory Reform and Australias Experience: A Seamless National Economy. Ricky Ubee, 202-205-3493.

friday senate
FINANCE M Pending Nominations New TBA, TBA Full committee markup to vote on pending nominations. 202-224-4515.

friday house
ARMED SERVICES Assessments of Afghan National Security Forces 2118 RHOB, 11 a.m. Full committee hearing. 202-225-4151. H

ENERGY AND COMMERCE H EPAs Greenhouse Gas Regulations 2123 RHOB, 9 a.m. Energy and Power Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-2927. FINANCIAL SERVICES H Mobile Payments in the Current Regulatory Structure 2128 RHOB, 9:30 a.m. Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-7502. FOREIGN AFFAIRS H Tuareg Revolt and the Mali Coup Revised 2172 RHOB, 10 a.m. Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights Subcommittee hearing. 202-225-5021. VETERANS AFFAIRS M Pending Business 334 CHOB, 10 a.m. Health Subcommittee markup of H.R.3337, and the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R.4079. 202-225-3527.

friday on the hill

DEFENSE B-339 RHOB, Noon The Defense Forum Foundation forum on Addressing Americas National Security Challenges: A Conversation with Donald Rumsfeld. (RSVP requested.) 703-534-4313. Participant: Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

nationa l jou r na l.com nationa l jou r na l da ily

17

t hu rsday, ju n e 2 8 , 201 2

b briefing

h hearing

m markup

mt meeting

fh field hearing

jh joint hearing

friday off the hill

ECONOMY Chinatown Garden Restaurant, Revised 618 H Street NW, Noon National Economists Club luncheon discussion on What Should the Winners of 2012 Do in 2013? (Rescheduled from June 28. Registration required.) Holly Wade, 202-314-2022. ENVIRONMENT Hogan Lovells LLP, 555 13th Street NW, Columbia Square, 9:30 a.m. The Environmental Law Institute workshop on United States Fish and Wildlife Service Wind Energy Guidelines Implementation. (RSVP requested.) Brett Kitchen, 202-939-3833. HEALTH Georgetown University Law Campus, Hotung Building, 550 First Street NW, Room 1000, 10 a.m. The Georgetown University Law Center and Health Aairs event on SCOTUS Speaks: What the Supreme Courts Health Care Decision Will Mean for Americans. (Media RSVP requested.) Kara Tershel, 202-662-9037. HEALTH National Press Club, 14th and F Streets NW, Bloomberg Room, 10 a.m. The American Alliance of Healthcare Providers Hospital of Choice Awards

Conference and Awards Banquet to recognize the nations 100 most consumerfriendly hospitals. (RSVP requested.) 703-598-1493. JUDICIARY Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Van Andel Center, 10 a.m. The Heritage Foundation event on The Plainti s Perspective on the ObamaCare Ruling, including its impact on states like Texas, small businesses and religious liberty. (RSVP requested.) 202-675-1761. JUDICIARY CAP, 1333 H Street NW, 10th Floor, 10 a.m. The Center for American Progress discussion on Unfair Criminalization of LGBT Youth, on current research on LGBT youth in the juvenile justice system and school disciplinary issues. (RSVP requested.) 202-682-1611. SOCIAL ISSUES Hyatt Regency Crystal City, 2799 Jeerson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va., 7:30 a.m. National Right to Life 2012 We the People Defending Life convention. (Registration required.) Jessica Rodgers, 202-626-8825. Participants: 9:30 a.m., Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz.

SOCIAL ISSUES Hilton Baltimore BWI Airport, 1739 West Nursery Road, Linthicum Heights, Md., 8 a.m. The National Organization for Women 2012 national conference with the theme A Feminist Wake-Up Call. (Registration required.) 202-331-9002. Participant: 2 p.m., Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, D-Ill.

monday senate
None

monday house
None

tuesday senate
None

tuesday house
None

wednesday senate
None

wednesday house
None

Editor Matthew Cooper Executive Editor Nicole Duran Deputy Editor Sophie Yarborough Managing Editors Maggie Fox, Jill Lawrence, Mike Magner, Kristin Roberts, Lori Santos Production Editor Michelle Bloom Assistant Production Editor Cassidy Shearrer Web Editor Kenneth Chamberlain Graphics Editor Peter Bell Sta Writers Kevin Baron, George E. Condon Jr., Dan Friedman, Juliana Gruenwald, Amy Harder, Billy House, Stacy Kaper, Rebecca Kaplan, Meghan McCarthy, Katy ODonnell, Alex Roarty, Kelsey Snell, Ben Terris Contributing Correspondents Nancy Cook, Coral Davenport, Yochi J. Dreazen, John Aloysius Farrell, Chris Frates, Major Garrett, Shane Goldmacher, Michael Hirsh, Fawn Johnson, James Kiteld, Adam Mazmanian, Beth Reinhard, Margot Sanger-Katz, Jim Tankersley Contributing Reporters Olga Belogolova, Julia Edwards, Catherine Hollander, Christopher Snow Hopkins, Elahe Izadi, Alexandra Jae, Naureen Khan, Jonathan Miller, Sophie Quinton, Lara Seligman, Josh Smith,

Sara Sorcher, Matt Vasilogambros Contributing Editors Scott Bland, Richard A. Bloom, Lauren Carroll, Charlie Cook, Jerry Hagstrom, Josh Kraushaar, Otto Kreisher, Liz Lynch, Brian McGill, Ryan Morris, Louis Peck, Julie Rovner, Bruce Stokes, Chet Susslin, Kirk Victor, Reid Wilson Copy Chief S. Scott Rohrer Deputy Copy Chiefs Deron Lee, Monica Sullivan Senior Copy Editor John O. Membrino Copy Editors David Kent, Tonia E. Moore

Subscriptions 202-266-7230 Editorial 202-739-8480 Advertising 202-266-7325

Chairman David G. Bradley President Justin B. Smith Publisher-at-Large John Fox Sullivan National Journal Daily (ISSN 2158-3862) is published daily, MondayFriday, while Congress is in session by National Journal Group Inc. Copyright 2012 by National Journal Group Inc., 600 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. All rights reserved. Reproduction and/or fax transmission of National Journal Daily or other National Journal Group Inc. publications call 202-266-7260 or 800-424-2921.

President Andy Sareyan Editor-in-Chief Ron Fournier Editorial Director Ronald Brownstein Deputy Editor-in-Chief Patsy Wilson Senior Vice President, Advertising Victoria Lion Monroe VP, Managing Director, Advertising and National Journal Live Constance Sayers Director, National Journal Live Amin Cyntje Managing Director, Membership Poppy MacDonald Marketing Assistant, Membership Millie Tran Publishing Services Director Isobel Ellis

18

nationa l jou r na l da ily nationa l jou r na l.com

@m yw irelessorg

w w w.m yw ir eles s .o r g /d o - s o m et h in g

Proven Performance Nationwide

Quality Service for the Families of TRICARE West
UnitedHealthcare has been selected to serve the families in the TRICARE West Region, starting in April 2013. And we want those who we will serve to know more about us. UnitedHealthcare is the trusted health care partner of more than 75 million Americans. We are proud of our track record of quality service: #1 in claims processing accuracy: According to the American Medical Associations ranking of the seven leading commercial health insurers in its 2011 Report Card #1 in employer satisfaction: According to a J.D. Power and Associates survey Most Admired Health Insurer: According to Fortune magazine for the last two years in a row As provider for the members of TRICARE West, our 115,000 people will work every day to put our unmatched provider network, industry leading innovations, and passion for service to work for you.

Helping military families isnt just a job for us. Its an honor.

Visit UnitedHealthMilitary.com to learn more.