Today’s Agenda

Today, Senator Lee will meet with representatives of Physician Hospitals of America, the Japanese Tea Party, American Express, the Army, and the National Guard. He will also attend a balanced budget amendment hearing and a Festival Lights event at the Washington, D.C. LDS temple.

 

From the Senator’s Desk

The Washington Post reports this morning that Democrats are playing political games again, “begin[ning] a campaign…to attack Republican lawmakers for pushing cuts to Medicare benefits during the latest round of failed federal deficit talks.”  The story once again reveals the vast chasm between political rhetoric and policy reality for Democrats regarding our unsustainable entitlements.  Obama’s own Chief of Staff, Bill Daley, said in July that Medicare “will run out of money in five years if we don’t do something.”   And the President himself acknowledged that “if you look at the numbers, then Medicare in particular will run out of money and we will not be able to sustain that program no matter how much taxes go up.  I mean, it’s not an option for us to just sit by and do nothing.”  Yet that’s exactly what most Democrats want to do – to do nothing on Medicare, in the hopes that they will benefit politically:

• The President’s deficit proposal scrupulously avoided ANY changes to the Medicare benefit until AFTER the President leaves office in 2017, even though the President’s own Chief of Staff said would run out of money by 2016.  Some of the proposals, including additional means testing for wealthy beneficiaries, were actually positive steps forward.  But what’s the point of delaying changes to the Medicare benefit until after the program could be broke – other than political gamesmanship?  Given his eagerness to impose a trillion-dollar tax hike within mere months, why is the President so afraid of raising Medicare premiums on millionaires and billionaires until after he leaves office?

•  As one House Member put it, if the President had proposed a true restructuring of our unsustainable entitlements, that would “cancel out any bludgeoning that Democrats might give the Republicans over Medicare and Medicaid.”

•  Likewise, Senate Democrats have little interest in entitlement reform either; the Post’s the liberal Plum Line reported in July that Senate Democrats don’t want to pass Medicare reform because it would be “giving away the biggest [political] advantage” Democrats have had “in some time.”

•  The most telling line of the Post’s story this morning?  Rep. Steve Israel, Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, “declined to say whether a [deficit] agreement to cut entitlements might have hindered his political strategy.”  In other words, Democrats WANTED the supercommittee to fail – so that they could resume their “Mediscare” political attack ads against Republicans. 

Remember, this is the same party that, as Speaker Pelosi recently admitted, “took a half a trillion dollars out of Medicare in [Obamacare], the health care bill” to pay for more unsustainable new entitlements – but when it comes to reforming Medicare to save the program, Democrats have been AWOL, focusing instead on scoring political points.

 

From the Whip

The Senate will convene at 10:00am and will be in morning business until 10:30am. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of S. 1867, the Defense Authorization bill. At 11:00am, the Senate will proceed to a Roll Call Vote on the motion to invoke cloture on S. 1867, the Defense Authorization bill. 

Additional Votes are expected today.

Reminder – All 2nd degree amendments to S. 1867 must be filed at the desk by 10:30am today.

Note – At a time to be determined prior to the vote on passage of S. 1867, there will be 1 hour of debate on the Menendez/Kirk amendment #1414 (Central Bank of Iran sanctions), to be followed by a Roll Call Vote.

 

On Twitter

SenMikeLee

I voted against the Udall Amendment to NDAA because it did not change current policy that allows indefinite detention. ow.ly/7Kivt

 

SenLeeComs

Senator Lee launches mobile office http://bit.ly/vKtXM3 #utpol @STGnews

 

SenLeePressSec

RT @senate_gops: .@SenMikeLee launches mobile office

 

SenLeeResearch

So what happens when the world realizes that we’re once again trying to use liquidity to fix a solvency crisis? #fed #euro #eu #tcot #tlot

 

Around the Water Cooler 

US lawmakers blast plans for training Iraqi police

Democrats and Republicans are joining together in harshly criticizing a State Department program for training Iraq’s police force.

 

On ‘Day 1041,’ Obama approval rating falls below Carter’s

One thousand forty-one days into his presidency, Barack Obama’s approval rating is lower than any other U.S. president in modern history at this point into a first White House term.

 

Looking Ahead

Tomorrow, Senator Lee will attend hearings held by the Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees.