SCOTUS, EPA Cap & Tax Rule & Democrat Rips Dems' Energy Tax Bill "For Campaign Purposes"

Cap & Tax Is Back
Via EPA Regulations

Today in Washington, D.C. - March 28, 2012:
SCOTUS: The Supreme Court continues its hearings on Obama and yesterday focused heavily on the individual mandate.

Obama Administration:The EPA was at it again yesterday. Below latest fallout from the EPA's cap-and-tax greenhouse gas rule, released yesterday. The National Association of Manufacturers responded: "Today, the EPA proposed yet another regulation that will hurt manufacturers, consumers and jobs. Looking at the broad range of costly EPA regulations, from Boiler MACT, Utility MACT and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, to coal ash and other greenhouse gas regulations, it’s evident that the Administration is playing a primary role in the 20 percent cost disadvantage facing manufacturers in the United States. The cumulative impact of these regulations is bad news for our manufacturing economy and will result in less reliable electricity at a higher price. Specifically, this latest proposed regulation would limit the construction of new coal fuel power plants, taking a stable and affordable source of energy off the table and putting the power grid at further risk. The impact will be higher electricity prices on manufacturers and consumers versus lower energy prices that allow manufacturers to continue to lead the economic recovery and create jobs."

Congress:  The Senate resumed consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 2230, Democrats’ “Buffett Rule” tax hike bill.

At 4:30 PM, the Senate will take up and vote on two district court nominees:  Miranda Du to be District Judge for the District of Nevada, and Susie Morgan to be District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Last night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) blocked all amendments to S. 2204, the Menendez energy tax hike bill that would raise taxes on American energy producers. Reid then filed cloture on the bill, setting up a cloture vote for Thursday.  Earlier yesterday, cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 1789, the postal reform bill, failed by a vote of 51-46.

Yesterday, The House passed (380-41) the Senate amended version of H.R. 3606 and it now moves to the President's Desk for signature. Passage of the bill, prevents another Congressional showdown between the Republican controlled House and the Democrat controlled Senate. The Senate amendment to H.R. 3606, which would allow companies to raise up to $1 million in investment capital from “crowdfunding” via the Internet. In addition, it would ensure protections for investors by requiring these companies to meet specific disclosure requirements. All other components of the House passed bill were unchanged.

The JOBS Act combined six bills, four of which have already been passed by the House with strong bipartisan support. In addition to the Reopening American Capital Markets to Emerging Growth Companies Act (H.R. 3606), this package includes the Small Company Capital Formation Act (H.R. 1070), the Access to Capital for Job Creators Act (H.R. 2940), the Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act (H.R. 2930), the Private Company Flexibility and Growth Act (H.R. 2167), and the Capital Expansion Act (H.R. 4088). H.R. 4088 is similar to the Shareholder Threshold for SEC Registration Act (H.R. 1965), which passed the House on November 2, 2011.

Yesterday, the House also passed H.R. 3298 (414 - 5) - "To establish the position of Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and for other purposes" and H.R. 3309 (247 - 174) - "To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for greater transparency and efficiency in the procedures followed by the Federal Communications Commission."

Today the House is considering one of those time honored useless legislative actions with H.R. 1339 - "To amend title 32, USC, the body of laws of the United States dealing with the National Guard, to recognize the City of Salem, Massachusetts, as the Birthplace of the National Guard of the United States."

Speaking on the floor this morning, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said, “Gas prices have more than doubled under President Obama and the Democrat controlled Senate. This is a problem that affects every American; that drives up the cost of everything from commuting to groceries. And yet the Democrat response is to propose legislation that even they admit doesn’t do a thing to lower the price of gas. We’ve got seven Senate Democrats on the record saying this bill doesn’t do a thing to lower gas prices. One of them has called it laughable. But this is apparently the best the Democrats can do. It’s the most they’re willing to do. At a time when gas prices are at a national average of nearly $4 a gallon, this is what passes for a response to high gas prices for Washington Democrats — a bill that does nothing about it.

Indeed, Democrats pushed this same legislation, which would raise taxes on American energy producers, just last year. At the time, many Democrats — including several in leadership - acknowledged that the bill would do nothing for gas prices. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Democrats’ messaging chief, said, “This was never intended to talk about lowering prices.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said that “it is not a question of gas prices.” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) said, “You know, this is not going to change the price at the gasoline pump. That's not the issue. I don't see that as an issue at all.” And even Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the lead sponsor of this year’s tax hike, said, “Nobody has made the claim that this bill is about reducing gas prices.”

Politico reported yesterday that another member of Democrat Senate leadership, Sen. Mark “Begich [D-AK] said the Senate was wasting time. ‘We should have a real energy debate, not this show and tell for campaigning purposes,’ Begich told reporters afterward. ‘This is the third act of the same play. It has the same outcome every time.’” He lamented that “[W]e will have wasted 2½ days doing nothing on real energy policy in this country, and people are still going to be paying higher gasoline prices.”

As Leader McConnell said, “So at a moment when working Americans are struggling with high gas prices, the message Democrats in Washington are sending this week is simple: get used to it. Because they’ve got nothing– nothing but a phony proposal aimed at distracting people from the fact that they have nothing to offer. Maybe the reason they voted yesterday to get off their own bill is that they realized the American people were onto them. Maybe they realized they didn’t have the political issue they thought they did. Well, my point is that they should be more concerned about helping Americans than helping their own campaigns. . . . This whole episode is completely unacceptable. And hopefully at some point, a number of Democrats will recognize that; will recognize that this should be about more than political games.”

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Tags: SCOTUS, Obamacare, individual mandate, EPA, Cap & Tax, regulation, coal power plants, US Senate, US House, Dem's Tax Bill To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!