Legislation & Politics

Week Ending June 13, 2008

Congress – The Week of June 9, 2008

Senate Republicans block Medicare benefits bill. House passes extended unemployment benefits bill.

Senate Republicans Block Medicare Benefits Bill

A majority of Senate Republicans voted in lock-step with President Bush’s priorities to kill a bipartisan Medicare bill (S. 3101) introduced by Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) by a vote of 54 to 39, falling short of the 60 votes required to proceed with the bill. The bill would have improved Medicare’s guaranteed benefit package by covering new preventative services, blocked a cut in physicians’ reimbursements set for July 1, and helped seniors with limited incomes pay their medical and prescription drug bills. The bill rejected current funneling of public funds through private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, which skim off administrative costs and profits and replace Medicare’s guaranteed package of benefits. Many of the Republicans who voted to kill the bill supported a Medicare bill introduced by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) which would shield the profits of MA plans, cut federal Medicaid funds to states and place beneficiaries at risk for rapid premium hikes.

With a cut to physicians’ reimbursements looming this July 1, the Senate will revisit a Medicare bill. AFSCME will continue to press for preserving and enhancing the guaranteed Medicare benefit package and to limit inefficient and wasteful payments to private MA plans.

House Overwhelmingly Passes Extended Unemployment Benefits Bill

Following last Friday’s announcement of the largest one month increase in unemployment in 20 years, the House this week overwhelmingly passed a bill providing for extended unemployment benefits. The legislation (H.R. 5749) would provide 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits in every state to workers who run out of state unemployment benefits plus an additional 13 weeks to jobless workers in states with unemployment rates of 6% or more. It would help a projected 3.8 million Americans.

Reflecting the potency of concern about the deteriorating economy, over 40 Republicans joined House Democrats in supporting the legislation. It now goes to the Senate where it is unclear whether it will attract the 60 votes necessary to block a procedural effort by Senate Republicans to kill the bill. The Bush Administration has threatened to veto the bill. 

House Panel Approves Spending Increase for Environmental Programs

A House appropriations subcommittee approved a spending bill which will increase funding for important environmental programs in fiscal year 2009. The legislation provides $7.8 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a 5% increase over fiscal year 2008 levels, and $850 million for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, a 23.4% increase over FY 2008 levels. The full House Appropriations Committee will consider the bill on June 18. 

House Committee Debates E-Verify System

On June 10, the House Judiciary Committee reviewed E-Verify, a pilot program created by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service which permits employers to electronically verify the work authorization status of employees by matching information such as names and social security numbers against information in the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Department of Homeland Security databases. It debated whether the program, set to expire in November, should be expanded nationwide, as some states have mandated employer participation. Supporters touted the program as a success, while opponents cited numerous incidents of employer misuse, hiring discrimination, and verification problems due to SSA database inaccuracies.

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