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Former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Kathleen Sebelius says she never met with Jonathan Gruber, the economist under fire for comments he made about the Affordable Care Act.
Sebelius, the former health and human services secretary, disputed the description of Gruber as an architect of the ACA, also known as Obamacare. Gruber is scheduled to testify before a House committee next week about his remarks that the law was deliberately drafted 'in a tortured way' to obscure the reality it created a system in which 'healthy people pay in and sick people get money.' In a 2013 video, Gruber said the law passed in part because of 'the stupidity of the American voter.' Sebelius told USA Today Gruber never sat down with her, although he was hired as a consultant and met with staffers and advisers.
Shunning a shutdown: The Hill reports congressional leaders appear to be coalescing around legislation that would fund the government through September, likely avoiding a government shutdown. House Speaker John Boehner's strategy for avoiding a shutdown won support Tuesday from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Boehner's plan ties 11 appropriations bills funding most of the government through September to a separate, shorter-term bill funding the Homeland Security Department through March. Homeland Security is in charge of immigration-related agencies, and the short-term funding proposal reflects Republicans' anger at President Barack Obama's recent executive actions on immigration.
Pelosi bailout? To pass that two-step government funding plan, Politico reports, Republican lawmakers and aides fear they're going to need help from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Hardline conservatives were not falling in line as of Tuesday, and could number as many as 40, enough to derail a vote. If Democrats don't help Republicans, the GOP will have to revert to a three-month extension for all government spending, setting up another funding fight in mid-March. The government is funded through Dec. 11.
Temporary tax patch: Congress looks set to avert a clash over tax policy, The Wall Street Journal reports, with a temporary patch to reinstate dozens of tax breaks that expired earlier this year. The House is scheduled to vote later Wednesday on a bill that includes more than 50 provisions benefitting businesses, some individuals and nonprofits. Among the biggest items are a tax credit for business-related research and a provision that lets companies deduct more of the cost of new equipment in the year in which it was purchased.
'Disappointed' Democrat Landrieu: Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu said she's 'extremely disappointed' in the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for effectively abandoning her after the Nov. 4 midterm election. 'You know, they just walked away from this race,' Landrieu said, according to the Washington Post. Landrieu is facing Republican Bill Cassidy in a runoff election on Saturday, and is trailing her opponent. The DSCC canceled its television ad reservations shortly after the midterm election, in which Democrats lost control of the Senate.
Posted by Unknown on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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