All four members of Maine's Congressional Delegation are asking President Barack Obama to conduct and in-debth examination of China's alleged subsidization of its domestic paper industry.
Senator Olympia Snowe, who led the letter with Ron Wyden (D-OR) in the Senate, and Congressman Michaud, who led the letter with Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) in the House, were joined by over 100 lawmakers from 30 states.
The letter sent to President Obama strongly urges the administration to examine the practices of the Chinese government and to take action to remedy the situation.
A press release from the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) contends that "both labor and management agree that domestic paper jobs will remain in jeopardy because of illegal subsidies given to Chinese paper producers. From 2002 through the end of 2009, overall employment in the U.S. paper and paper products sector dropped 29 percent, from roughly 557,000 workers to 398,000." Should the subsidies continue, the AAM predicts that more jobs in the US will be lost.
The actual letter can be found below:
Dear Mr. President:
We write to bring to your attention the damage caused to American manufacturing by the subsidies that China's paper industry receive, which are significant and market-distorting.
A recently released study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) documents the known subsidies that China's government provides its paper industry and the ensuing exponential growth of production and export sales of Chinese paper. These events correspond to an increasing U.S. trade deficit with China in paper. The EPI study shows that paper production in China tripled over the last ten years, despite global overcapacity, saturated markets, and no inherent advantage in the marketplace. It is clear to us that the rise of China's paper industry is less related to market forces than to a decision by China's government to implement an industrial policy that promotes domestic paper production.
America's paper industry is the most efficient in the world and is part of a supply chain that promotes sustainable forestry practices and good-paying jobs. This industry should not be asked to continue to compete on the unlevel playing field that China has constructed through heavy subsidization of domestic production. This is a critical period of time for the U.S. paper industry. Production in the U.S. has declined while China's surged. From 2002 through the end of 2009, U.S. employment in the paper and paper products sector dropped 29 percent, from roughly 557,000 workers to 398,000. In each of our states and districts, hardworking Americans still rely on the paper industry - both directly and indirectly - for their livelihoods and the chance for a decent, middle-class wage.
To that end, we urge you to carefully examine the practices employed by the Chinese government to provide its paper industry an artificial and unfair advantage in the U.S. market, and determine the extent to which these practices cause or threaten to cause harm to American producers. Such an analysis should be conducted to identify China's unfair trade practices in the paper industry and apply all appropriate and necessary remedies to combat those identified.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue.
Sincerely,
Sen. Olympia Snowe
Sen. Susan Collins
Rep. Mike Michaud
Rep. Chellie Pingree
and 104 other Members of Congress
In the aftermath of the SCOTUS decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which allowed corporations, unions, and other groups to spend without limits on political campaigns, the DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 5175) was introduced Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-MD). The bill would force groups to disclose who has financed these campaigns, so that the public can know who is behind them.
In 2008, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) spent $1.9 million in its successful effort to overturn Maine's law that would have allowed same-sex couples to marry. NOM is now attempting to block the Maine Commission on Ethics demand that it release its list of donors.
The tax cuts that greatly favored extremely wealthy Americans are set to sunset at the end of this year, and of course many Republicans want to see them extended. They do this with the claim that they "pay for themselves," but as Pat Garofalo makes clear, that claim is utter bullshit.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sen. John Kyl, Senate hopefuls Mark Rubio and Carly Fiorina, have all stated that "tax cuts pay for themselves."
Since neither of Maine's senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, talk to me, perhaps someone in the Maine media will ask them what their position on renewing the Bush tax cuts is (both senators voted for the measure in May 2001.
Top Senate Republican Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) insisted on Sunday that Congress should extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans regardless of their impact on the deficit, even as he and other Republicans are blocking unemployment insurance extensions over deficit concerns.
"[Y]ou should never raise taxes in order to cut taxes," said the Arizona Senator during an appearance on Fox News Sunday. "Surely Congress has the authority, and it would be right to -- if we decide we want to cut taxes to spur the economy, not to have to raise taxes in order to offset those costs. You do need to offset the cost of increased spending, and that's what Republicans object to. But you should never have to offset cost of a deliberate decision to reduce tax rates on Americans."
Snowe's office refuses to answer any of my questions, or even return my phone calls.
Americans United for Change and AFSCME have prodcued a new ad targeting Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, calling them out for their vote against the Extenders bill:
From a press release, the leaders of the two groups had these statements:
AFSCME President Gerald McEntee: "If Senators Snowe and Collins were truly concerned about the deficit, then they would have supported this jobs bill. It's very simple -- more jobs now mean less debt later. But instead, their reckless filibuster and obstructionist actions will force devastating cuts in public services and major job losses in both the public and private sectors. Increased unemployment will lead to larger deficits. Make no mistake: Senate Republicans, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder against even allowing a vote on the bill, will be to blame when workers lose their jobs and our economy lapses back into a recession."
Tom McMahon, Executive Director, Americans United for Change: "It just doesn't add up. Senators Collins and Snowe had no problem giving Wall Street banks a $700 bailout or putting the Iraq war on the nation's credit card. Yet, when it comes to a bill that that will preserve the jobs of hundreds in not thousands of cops, nurses, firefighters, and teachers in Maine, they say we can't afford it? Back in reality, it's the state government that can't afford to do without the additional Medicaid assistance this bill provides and it's struggling, out-of-work Mainers who won't be able to afford groceries and bills after getting cut off from unemployment benefits. By saying No to the jobs bill, they said Yes to bigger deficit problems down the road because more Americans out of work means less tax revenue and more people seeking out public assistance. Senators Snowe and Collins need to get their priorities straight, and they can start by helping pass a robust jobs bill that meets Maine's urgent needs."
Update: Both Sens. Snowe and Collins voted against cloture for the Extenders bill (Roll Call 194). The motion to move the bill forward failed 56-40, with 4 abstentions - 60 votes were required to end debate.
A Republican filibuster appears increasingly likely to kill long-sought legislation extending jobless benefits and a host of other spending and tax measures, despite a new round of cuts to the measure Wednesday that reduced its deficit impact even further.
A senior Senate Democratic aide said Wednesday evening that several days' worth of negotiations with a handful of moderate Republicans had failed and that a vote later this week to break the filibuster was likely to fail as well. Democrats would then abandon the measure. The aide required anonymity to speak frankly about internal party deliberations.
Failure to pass the bill would mean about 200,000 jobless people a week would lose benefits that average more than $300 a week because they would be unable to reapply for additional tiers of benefits enacted since 2008. Governors denied help with their budget woes are likely to lay off tens of thousands of state workers.
---
Senate Majority Leader Reid, D-Nev., had been courting Maine Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe to provide the critical votes needed to defeat a GOP filibuster, and the two senators were pressing for additional cuts to the measure.
The pared-back measure would add about $36 billion to the deficit over the upcoming decade, according to preliminary estimates, which is the cost of extending unemployment for the long-term jobless. When the debate started three weeks ago, Reid pressed a version that would have added almost $80 billion to the deficit.
But Snowe and Collins were withholding support, however.
"It's clear that a great deal of progress has been made and I'm pleased with that," Collins told reporters.
"They're responding to some of the issues. We just haven't finalized anything," Snowe said.
Earlier this morning, I spoke to an aide in Harry Reid's office who confirmed this story to me. Here is the state of play:
1. The bill is two votes short, as it faces united opposition from Republicans and assistance from Ben Nelson.
2. Republicans are offering a one-month extension, and Democrats are rejecting that offer. While it is not impossible that a deal would be struck before the vote today, it is unlikely.
3. If the cloture vote fails, then the Senate will not take up the bill again. Procedural delays have created a quagmire where many other pieces of legislation, including the Wall Street reform bill and others which can create jobs rather than just protecting them, need to be dealt with. A 30-day extension would just back up the process even further, as it means there would be another fight before the august recess.
Come Friday, 1.2 million people will lose access to the extended unemployment benefits, a number that will grow by several hundred thousand every week after that. Fifty million Medicare claims from June are currently in process at the reduced rate, which the AARP says has already caused some of its members to have trouble finding a doctor. And the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that dropping the $24 billion in aid to states will lead to cuts in services and thousands of layoffs, and that spending cuts to close states' aggregate budget shortfall absent new federal funds in 2011 would lead to 900,000 public- and private-sector layoffs.
Over 20,000 Mainers have lost unemployment benefits, elederly Mainers are beginning to find it difficult to find health care, and the State faces a $69 million hole in its budget unless the Senate takes action.
But evidently, Snowe and Collins are more concerned with other things than their constituents.
Cross posted with permission from Joan McCarter of Daily Kos
After yesterday's failure to get enough votes to move forward on emergency spending to help the unemployed and get critical funding to states, Baucus has scaled down the bill. Maybe now it's just a minor emergency.
The spending reductions - estimated near $20 billion - are accompanied by tax changes tailored to the small-business concerns of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) as well as venture capital and real estate interests with influence in both parties.
In the bargaining now, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, up for reelection in cash-strapped Nevada, is still holding onto a $24 billion, six-month extension of federal Medicaid assistance from January to June next year.
The money is vital to the finances of states like Reid's, hit hard by the economic downturn, and he has the support of President Barack Obama. But the cost of the Medicaid funding makes the program an easy target, and the dollars may still have to be scaled back to win the swing vote of Snowe's fellow Maine Republican, Sen. Susan Collins.
The word coming out of D.C. now is that Snowe and Collins are demanding massive cut to that state aid, known as FMAP, in return for their cloture votes. As many as 900,000 jobs are on the line in the states. Maine isn't going to be immune from those cuts, where the "shortfall in the budget that begins July 1 would be at least $85 million."
While Snowe and Collins are holding out their votes on cloture--just like they did in order to get state aid stripped out of the original stimulus package--Snowe along with others are fighting to protect the tax loopholes that hedge fund managers and S corporation executives have enjoyed for years.
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) said he remained worried by the cost of the package and failure to do more about long-term deficits. But in the process, he also won concessions for his state related to disaster low-income-housing tax credits. And Bayh was also party to a deal with Baucus engineered by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) that will further soften House-backed tax reforms targeted at investment-fund managers who now shelter their income at lower capital-gain tax rates....
In the case of Snowe, her greatest tax concern has been a second reform meant to end a similar abuse under which small-business S corporations are used to shelter income as dividends - exempt from payroll taxes. This abuse has become a greater cost to the Treasury as the Medicare tax rate has gone up for the wealthy, but Snowe has wanted more refinement so the reforms don't create problems in themselves and unfairly impose new charges on small-business owners.
Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, along with those "moderate" deficit peacocks, are putting more hurt on the people who are already hurting and even trying to increase their ranks so that they can lessen the burden on hedge-fund managers. If 900,000 more Americans lose their jobs, you can point the finger at the Maine twins.
Olympia Snowe's office: (202) 224-5344
Susan Collins' office: (202) 224-2523
Luckily, that resolution has been defeated, but not before Senator Collins (R-McConnell's back pocket) claimed on the Senate floor that
It is Congress's job, not the EPA, to decide how best to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
Wrong, Senator. Not only wrong, but either dishonest or incredibly stupid. The EPA is a regulatory agency. That's what it is there for.
Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe stand shoulder to shoulder with climate change deniers, oil companies and major corporations in opposing even the most basic efforts to reduce our production of carbon dioxide. On this issue, they are no different than James Inhofe, Lisa Murkowski, or Tony Hayward, the CEO of BP.
They should be ashamed, but I doubt they are. Just another day at the office...
The memory of all last summer and fall still hurts. We usually hang on our side of town in our blue bugs and that other gang cruises in their big red convertibles all over the place but we've been trying to be real nice to those kids.
Somehow my eye fell on and I kept falling for one of their girls, 'Lympia. She was a real tease. Said I was bad and in need of reform. Hey, all of us were trying to do the right thing and we all listened to 'Lympia; she flirted with all of us. Man, I wanted to take her to the big dance, "HRC" was playing and it was going to be really cool. I tried to clean up my act for her and made a lot of changes; I kept thinking that 'Lympia would pull the trigger and come to the dance with me. Hey, she could come with all us in our blue bugs; I wasn't trying to be possessive.
Update: Both Sens. Snowe and Collins joined the Democratic majority and voted against this amendment (Roll Call No. 89); it failed. Curiously, newly minted senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts voted for the amendment.
::
The Senate is debating the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (H.R.4872), which has already been passed by the House. As part of the process, the senators can offer amendments to the bill, and they are.
One such amendment, S.Amd. 3568, has been put forth by Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah), which would repeal the law that allows same-sex couples in Washington, D.C., to marry (full text below the fold).
It is likely to come up for a vote later today.
If you support equal marriage for lesbian and gay couples, then I urge you to contact Sens. Snowe and Collins and ask them to vote against the Bennett amendment. Contact:
Olympia Snowe: 202.224.5344
Susan Collins: 202.224.2523
Last night, in a historic vote, the House passed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), and it also passed H.R. 4872, the Reconciliation act of 2010. By passing H.R. 4872, the House has essentially agreed in advance to accept whatever changes to health insurance reform that the Senate would care to make, albeit ones that only can be shown to affect the Federal budget.
So while the reform bills that have passed the House do not include a public option, the Senate has yet to act - it can amend the bill and include one.
My question to you is, should it?
Do you want to see a public option in the reform law? You will have to carry some sort of health insurance by 2014, and currently the only options are from a for profit insurer (providing that you are not already insured by Medicare, Medicaid, the VA or Indian Affairs). A public option provides you an alternative to the usual suspects, one which should be less expensive since it doesn't need to make a profit.
Maine's two senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, have already expressed their opposition to the current bill, and to the public option. But that doesn't mean that they cannot be swayed, and with enough pressure it will be difficult for them not to yield to the will of their constituents.
So, do you want a public option? Are you willing to spend some time in the next few days to drum up support for one? Please leave a response in the comments below.
Together, we can make it happen. Not trying, we won't.
Update: Sen. Mike Bennett (D-CO) is under growing pressure to submit an amendment - as he promised to do - on the Reconciliation Act of 2010 for a public option. FOX 31 in Denver has this coverage with video (h/t Sirota):
Democrats gathered on the snowy sidewalk outside Sen. Michael Bennet's office here Wednesday morning -- not to express their appreciation for his help in passing health care reform, but to demand that he keep a promise he made to use the reconciliation process to put a "public option" back into the final bill.
The pressure from the left is mounting on Bennet, who argues that doing so now could stall or even derail the reconciliation bill being debate in the Senate; after, one month ago, authoring a letter that advocated using reconciliation, which requires just 51 votes in the Senate, to pass an amendment that would create a government-run insurance provider to compete with private insurers.
Why can't we pressure Maine's two senators the same way?
In political news from around the Pine Tree State:
We missed this segment of Countdown with Keith Olbermann this past week, in which he debunks the claims made by Republicans (including Sen. Susan Collins) regarding the Christmas Bomber and how the Obama adminsitration is treating terrorism suspects (h/t Collins Watch):
Update: On Meet the Press this morning, White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan said he briefed four GOP members of Congress on Christmas night regarding Abdulmatallab, including Sen. McConnell, and that "None of those individuals raised any concerns with me."
So in his speech to the Heritage Foundation, McConnell either forgot that briefing or he was lying to score political points. And how is it that Sen. Collins wasn't told about this by McConnell?
At the very least, McConnell let Collins put forth her response video knowing full well that he had not objected to the way the administration was handling the case. Why did he let her do it?
While delegation members generally agree the policy should be reviewed, Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe take a more cautious approach than Democratic Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree.
"I support the president's proposal to have the Pentagon do an analysis of the implications and consequences of changing the policy," said Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I do believe the policy needs to be reconsidered, but I recognize there are a lot of consequences that the Pentagon wants time to figure out."
Collins acknowledged that society has changed since President Bill Clinton signed the policy into law in 1993. During that time, she said, "many of our NATO allies have revised their rules to allow openly gay men and lesbians to serve, and they have done so without it having a negative effect that opponents fear."
Pingree, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said a change is overdue. She backs a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
"Frankly, the sooner we do it and the less painful we make it, the better off the military is to move forward," she said. "We do everything we can to recruit young people into the military and then we spend millions of dollars discharging them - not because they have not performed their duty, but because someone 'outs' them."
Pingree said nearly 14,000 gay and lesbian soldiers have been discharged from the military and untold numbers have been lost to the armed services because they refuse to enlist because of the rule.
Today, hundreds of Maine residents will deliver their individual clean energy resolutions as well as evidence of their personal and professional contributions to helping Mainers reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, conserve energy, and lower their energy costs to the offices of Sens. Snowe and Collins - specifically to encourage them to support the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act S. 1733. Sponsored by Repower America, there will be a rally at Lobsterman's Park in Portland's Old Port today, 14 January, at noon. They will have a mobile studio there in which you can record your own message to Maine's senators, from around 11:00 a.m. into the late afternoon. You can also record a message from home at the RePower site above.
Those wishing to can join a march to the Portland offices of Snowe and Collins where DVD's of these messages will be delivered.
Here are a few messages already recorded:
REp. Alex Cornell du Houx (D-Brunswick):
Sen. Seth Goodall (D-Bath, Topsham), Chair, Natural Resources Committee:
State Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx (D-Brunswick) has asked his fellow legislators to join a national effort calling for passage of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S. 1733). The effort is being led by the Coalition of Legislators for Energy Action Now (CLEAN), which is working with the White House that will being about action on climate change while creating "green jobs." Over 100 Maine legislators have signed on to Cornell du Houx's letter.
Cornell du Houx is also a member of Operation FREE, a group of veterans from the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan that want to reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil and gas.
On his website, Sen. Kerry, the bill's lead sponsor, describes it as:
This bill takes a more comprehensive approach to the fundamental problems created by climate change and dwindling oil reserves than previous legislative measures. By the time it reaches the floor, the bill will reflect the concerns and advice of six Senate committees and dozens of our colleagues. The result will be a thoughtful, innovative and far-reaching solution to one of our most vital challenges.
Our efforts center around four urgent national priorities: putting America back in control of our energy future, reasserting American economic leadership and competitiveness, protecting our families from pollution, and ensuring our national security.
About the effort to convince Snowe and Collins of the importance of S. 1833, Cornell du Houx said, "I am incredibly impressed, although not surprised, that Maine legislators have already signed on in large numbers. Maine has more signatories than any other state. Sens. Snowe and Collins can be comfortable knowing that the people of Maine will stand solidly behind them if they vote in favor of this common sense legislation."
"This legislation is vital for both our economic and national security. We send over $1 billion a day in oil costs to foreign states that do not have our interests in mind," he said. "This is hard-earned American money that should be invested in our own communities."
All of this makes sense to those of us that share these priorities, and judging on the keynote speech delivered by Sen. Collins yesterday at the renewable energy seminar in Orono, she does too.
The letter being sent to President Obamam, et. al., can be found below the fold.
DEC. 9, 2009 - Rosa Scarcelli, Democratic candidate for governor, today urged Maine's two Republican senators to support efforts to use a portion of the returned federal bailout money to create jobs here in Maine.
In letters to Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, Scarcelli said funds from the previous stimulus package went mostly to prop up existing programs in Maine, such as Medicare and unemployment benefits, and created only a handful of jobs compared to the nearly 30,000 that have been lost in the current recession. In fact, Maine ranks 48th in the nation in the number of jobs saved or created from federal stimulus money, according to the website recovery.gov.
Now, with banks and investment firms returning hundreds of billions of dollars in bailout money to the federal treasury - the so-called TARP funds - Scarcelli believes some of that money should be used to create jobs here in Maine and elsewhere.
"While deficit reduction is an important goal, some of the bailout money, I believe, should be directed at job creation here in Maine," Scarcelli wrote. "American taxpayers, the true victims of our economic downturn, have waited patiently while billions of their tax dollars were handed over to some of the very institutions that got us into this fiscal mess. Simple fairness should now suggest that Maine workers, contractors, small business owners, homeowners and farmers are deserving of some bailout money too. Our dire economic situation demands it."
Scarcelli suggested that the funds be used to create a large-scale energy efficiency and weatherization program in Maine.
"Such a program would have the dual benefit of creating good construction jobs while helping to lower electricity bills for Maine residents and businesses," she wrote. "Lower energy costs are essential if we are going to keep and attract new jobs in Maine.
"My own experience shows that an energy efficiency and weatherization program works. My company, Stanford Management, was the recipient this year of $25.5 million in federal funds for capital improvements and weatherization of our affordable housing units. With these funds, we employed hundreds of workers here in Maine, bought thousands of dollars in materials from Maine companies like the Mathews Brothers in Belfast, and helped lower heating costs for residents of our facilities."
Last year, Congress authorized up to $700 billion for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to shore up financially troubled banks and investment firms. About $290 billion has been distributed under the program, but banks have repaid, or will shortly, about $116 billion. Another $317 billion is left unallocated.
"I urge you to support efforts by President Obama and members of Congress to use some of the federal bailout funds for job creation, here in Maine and elsewhere," Scarcelli wrote. "Maine's recovery from this awful recession will be slow, and without your help, it will be even slower.
About Rosa Scarcelli: Scarcelli, 39, Democratic candidate for governor, is the owner and CEO of Stanford Management that provides quality, affordable housing in more than 30 Maine communities. A native of Wilton, Scarcelli said she wants to use her business skills to help create a better climate in Maine for job creation and growth. She lives in Portland with her husband Thom and their three children ages 12, 9 and 8. For more information, go to www.RosaForMaine.com
By a nine vote margin (Roll Call 369), the Senate rejected an amendment to its version of the health insurance reform bill that would have severely restricted poorer women's access to affordable abortions.
Maine's senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, were the only Republicans to vote against the amendment (you can't leave office soon enough Judd Gregg). Seven Democrats voted for the measure.
The Senate will begin debate today on an amendment to its version of the health insurance reform bill, introduced by Ben Nelson (D-NB). Nelson promises that it will be as identical to Stupak as it can be, which would (link):
Prohibit federal funds for abortion services in the public option. It also prohibits individuals who receive affordability credits from purchasing a plan that provides elective abortions. However, it allows individuals, both who receive affordability credits and who do not, to separately purchase with their own funds plans that cover elective abortions. It also clarifies that private plans may still offer elective abortions.
It's been assumed that both of Maine's senators would vote against this restriction, but after hearing this report from Josie Wong on MPBN, it's not so clear.
Sen. Collins appears to want to maintain the status quo, that is the Hyde amendment that bars Federal funds from being used to perform abortions:
"The underlying bill makes very clear that federal funds cannot be used for abortion. That is current law, that is what we ought to stick with."
But then read what Sen. Snowe has to say:
In a statement, Snowe says, "I will continue to protect coverage options for women when they are using their own personal funds to purchase health insurance."
From this, it sounds like Snowe could very well support Nelson's amendment. It never hurts to call and remind her how you feel about it:
DIRIGO BLUE is available as an