(Feb. 11, 2009) In front of an estimated 1.8 million persons on the National Mall, stretched from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial – a distance of two miles – President-Elect Barack Obama became President Barack Obama on January 20. Thus began a new era in Washington in which the Administration will attempt to convert the campaign focus on “change” and “hope” into public policy.
The Economic Stimulus Bill
First up on the congressional agenda in response to the new Administration was an economic stimulus bill designed to put Americans back to work quickly and revive a moribund economy that has been non-responsive to other stimuli and incentives. The bill, as crafted by the House of Representatives, contains a number of provisions of interest to AACOM members. Among these are:
|
Training for Primary Care Physicians and Nurses |
$0.6 billion |
|
National Institutes of Health Research Funding |
1.5 billion |
|
Comparative Effectiveness Research Funding |
1.1 billion |
|
Pell Grants |
15.6 billion |
|
Higher Education Repair and Modernization Funds |
6.0 billion |
The House passed its version of the stimulus package on January 28. The Senate passed its version of the bill on February 10. The Senate version includes:
|
Training for Primary Care Physicians and Nurses |
$0.0 billion |
|
Construction and Renovation of University Facilities |
0.5 billion |
|
National Institutes of Health Research and Construction Funding |
9.5 billion |
|
Comparative Effectiveness Research Funding |
1.1 billion |
|
Pell Grants |
13.9 billion |
|
Higher Education Repair and Modernization Funds |
0.0 billion |
The differences in the House and Senate bills will have to be reconciled and the bills passed in both houses in identical form. The goal is to have a bill to the President’s desk for his signature before Congress recesses on February 13 for its annual Presidents’ Day Recess. If that date is not met, it is possible Congress will remain in session until the bill is completed.
The Election that Won’t End
Slightly reminiscent of the 2000 Presidential election, with its hanging chads and Supreme Court rulings, the 2008 Minnesota Senate race continues to be unresolved. Democrat Al Franken leads Republican Norm Coleman by 225 votes out of 2.9 million cast. His victory has been certified by election officials in Minnesota, but the Senate has not seated him due to court challenges that have been filed.
At issue are about 12,000 ballots that were disqualified for one reason or another. The Minnesota Supreme Court will have to rule on their validity before the race can be finalized. In the meantime, the Senate stands at 58 Democrats, 41 Republicans, and this one vacancy. (Coleman was the incumbent and thus had to vacate the seat when the new Senate was sworn in on January 6.)
All other Senate seats have been resolved with the appointment of Congresswoman Kirstin Gillibrand and former Denver schools chief Michael Bennet to the seats vacated by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, respectively, and the decision to swear in former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to the seat vacated by President Obama.
Duncan, Daschle Confirmation Updates
The two Cabinet nominees of most direct import to AACOM members have taken different paths.
Arne Duncan, the former head of the Chicago Public School System, was nominated to serve as Secretary of the Department of Education by President Obama. His nomination was well-received in Congress and he was confirmed on January 21, the day after the inauguration.
Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who had been nominated by President Obama to head the Department of Health and Human Services, has withdrawn his name from consideration following the revelation that he recently paid $128,000 in unpaid taxes and penalties.
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