Congressional Quarterly Today

Len Nichols in Congressional Quarterly Today | 'Baucus’ Proposed Health Care Overhaul May Disregard Pay-As-You-Go Rules'

Articles — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:23:00 -0500

New America in the News:
Len Nichols, health policy director for the New America Foundation, a centrist think tank, said that a health care overhaul needn’t comply strictly with pay-as-you-go rules as long as it eventually reduces health care costs, as Baucus says he intends.

“Health reform – getting that system to be sustainable and work for all of us in the long run – that is an investment worth making,” Nichols said. “Paying for it over a long period of time is a reasonable thing to do.” LINK (subscription required)

Elizabeth Carpenter in Congressional Quarterly | 'Report: McCain Proposal to Sell Insurance Across State Lines Not the Answer'

Articles — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:59:00 -0400

New America in the News:

The report dismissed the idea that “high-risk pools,” state-run associations that provide health coverage to people who have pre-existing conditions or who are deemed likely to need care in the near future, will help mitigate the negative effects of sales across state lines, unless the pools are “exceptionally well-funded.” McCain has voiced support for federal funding for state-run high-risk pools, which he claims will make it easier for the sickest Americans to receive coverage.

Elizabeth Carpenter, a senior associate for the New America Foundation’s Health Policy Program, says high-risk pools “are a step” towards solving the premium problem for at-risk Americans but “the [financial] commitment has to be there, and at a higher level than it has been to date.” Success would depend on the actual level of federal financial support McCain would provide if he were elected. LINK (subscription required)

Maya MacGuineas in Congressional Quarterly Today | ''Blue Dogs' Finding That a House Majority Isn't Enough to Win Budget Wars'

Articles — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:12:00 -0400

New America in the News:
"We've found out that [paygo] does help, but only for things that are easy," said Maya C. MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, who supports the rule and has praised the Blue Dogs. She said Congress' inability to adhere to the rule suggests it may be time to rethink the entire budget process. LINK (subscription required)

David Gray and Kids' Share 2008 in Congressional Quarterly | 'Report: More Federal Spending Needed For Children’s Issues'

Communications — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:14:00 -0400

New America in the News:
...Another report by the Urban Institute and the New America Foundation discussed on Friday looked at changes in spending between 2006 and 2007, and found that while the overall children’s budget increased .7 percent, the non-child portions of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid grew 5.3 percent...

During times of rapid growth in discretionary spending, such as what occurred between 2001 and 2006, one would expect an opportunity for more funding to go toward children and children’s programs, said David Gray, director of the Workforce and Family Program for the New America Foundation... LINK (subcription only)

American Strategy Program event with Sen. Russ Feingold in CQ Today | 'Surveillance Showdown Promised'

Communications — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:34:00 -0400

New America in the News:
...“We’ll be requiring key procedural votes, and also taking some time on the floor this week, to indicate the problems of this legislation,” Russ Feingold , D-Wis., said Monday of himself and Christopher J. Dodd , D-Conn., speaking at the New America Foundation, a Washington think tank. “We’re not just going to let it quickly pass...” LINK

Maya MacGuineas in CQ Today | 'Confronting Bush on Spending'

Communications — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:36:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Democrats Ponder Strategies for Confronting Bush on Spending (Congressional Quarterly Today)
"It's hard to see how you go through the same process this year and make it work more smoothly," said Maya MacGuineas, president of The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a bipartisan watchdog group.

CRFB Applauds Conrad-Gregg Proposal for Medicare and Social Security

Communications — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:44:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Senate Budget Chairman Conrad and ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., recently proposed to "create a task force to recommend comprehensive legislation addressing expected shortfalls in the major entitlement programs," such as Medicare and Social Security.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget endorses the Conrad-Gregg proposal and is listed as a supporter in Congressional Quarterly Today (September 18, 2007) and in National Journal's CongressDaily (September 19, 2007). The Concord Coalition and GAO Comptroller General David Walker have also given praise to the proposal.

To receive information on these two articles, please visit CQ.com and NationalJournal.com.

CQ Today Quotes Maya MacGuineas on PAYGO

Communications — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:12:00 -0400

New America in the News:

When a program to expand health coverage for children comes to the House floor this week, Democrats will face a stiff challenge posed by a campaign promise: paying for it.

The bill (HR 3162) that would expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was approved last week by two panels but falls about $70 billion to $90 billion short of offsets over 10 years, which Democrats must deliver to move the legislation forward.

At issue is the "pay as you go" rule, also known as PAYGO, both chambers adopted earlier this year that requires any new mandatory spending or tax cuts to be fully offset. Democrats have touted the rule as the foundation of their pledge to govern in a fiscally responsible way, and so far they have been following their campaign promise...

"It's a slippery slope," said Maya MacGuineas, president of the nonpartisan group, The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

For the complete article, please visit the Congressional Quarterly Today website.

CQ Today Highlights Rep. Harman's Speech at US - Iran Relations Event

Communications — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 19:59:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Legislation that would expand and tighten sanctions against Iran is one of several measures to be considered Thursday by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The measure (HR 957) would further amend existing law (PL 104-172) by extending sanctions to foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies that do business with Iran. The underlying law sought to curtail investments that would enhance Iran's petroleum resources.

The new legislation also would "tighten loopholes" in the sanctions law by refining the definition of petroleum products and by including financial institutions, insurers, underwriters and others as organizations that could be sanctioned, according to committee spokeswoman Lynn Weil.

"The Iran Sanctions Act is not being fully enforced," Jane Harman, D-Calif., said Wednesday in a keynote speech at the New America Foundation. "The U.S. should refuse to do business with subsidiaries that still do business with Iran..."

For the complete article, please visit the Congressional Quarterly Today website.

Michael Dannenberg on Cutting Student Loan Interest Rates in CQ Today

Communications — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:37:00 -0500

New America in the News:

House Democrats are likely to score a victory in their plan to cut interest rates on federal student loans, but GOP and industry opposition and a slim Democratic majority in the Senate could limit success to one chamber.

The hazy details available in the days before Democrats release the plan -- including cutting rates only on subsidized loans and phasing in the cuts -- indicate that they might have found ways to ease budgetary hurdles. But that is just one of several obstacles to getting an interest-rate reduction signed into law.

A fierce message war is under way over the plan, which, along with Senate reluctance to act quickly on any House-passed measure, could imperil final passage of a rate reduction. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., vowed to cut interest rates in half,from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent, as part of the Democrats' agenda for the opening days of the 110th Congress.

But because the government guarantees a fixed return to banks that generate student loans, reducing borrowers' scheduled payments would shift much of the cost to the federal government.

Democrats plan to phase in the rate cuts, lowering them to 6.12 percent in 2007 and dropping them incrementally until they reach 3.4 percent in 2011. The phase-in could ease the near-term problem of where to get the $18 billion to $60 billion it would cost to enact a five-year rate cut, according to Mark Kantrowitz, president of MK Consulting Inc. and publisher of FinAid.org, a subsidiary of Citigroup...

But GOP leaders are not likely to drop the argument over costs, even after the House vote on the proposal, scheduled for Jan. 17.

"Republicans really want to win back power, so they plan to attack popular proposals," said Michael Dannenberg, director of the education policy program at the nonpartisan New America Foundation. "Make popular proposals unpopular..."

For the complete article, please visit the Congressionaly Quarterly Today website.