July 14, 2011

Senator Sanders

Debt Deadline President Obama clashed with Republicans in White House deficit talks Wednesday after Moody's warned that the U.S. may lose its top credit rating. "If we default it is a disaster," Sen. Bernie Sanders told MSNBC. "No sane person wants that to happen." He predicted that Republicans, "pressured by big business and Wall Street," will back down before an Aug. 2 deadline. VIEW and VIEW

Kick the Can A plan by Senate Republican Leader McConnell to let a debt limit increase clear Congress without Republican fingerprints but without cuts that many in his party are demanding "kicks the can down the road," Sanders told Ed Schultz on MSNBC. Sanders called it "probably the best option" at this point, partly because "Obama has made far more concessions than he ought to" already. McConnell's gambit "has pros and cons," Sanders told The Hill. LINK and VIEW

Social Security Cuts in programs such as Social Security were part of a deal the White House was considering to address the deficit crisis. "Such talk is ruffling the feathers of many prominent liberals like Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Sanders, who argue that the program is extremely successful and in fact not even contributing to the debt," according to U.S. News & World Report. LINK

Social Security Wealthy Americans and profitable corporations, not Social Security recipients, should shoulder more responsibility for lowering deficits," Sen. Sanders told MSNBC's Chris Jansing. "Do you really think the solution is going to an 85-year-old person and taking $1,000 out of his Social Security check?" the senator asked. VIEW

Obama Abandons Left Sen. Sanders has "summed up the frustration so many on the left feel with President Obama's abandonment of his ideals. President Obama has forgotten who got him elected in 2008," Pat LaMarche wrote in a Bangor (Me.) Daily News column. LINK

Dairy Prices Ahead of next year's farm bill reauthorization, the House Agriculture Committee's top Democrat on Wednesday unveiled federal dairy program reforms. Vermont's senators continue to support a growth management program, but were cautious about aspects of the plan. Sanders is "particularly troubled" by the proposed elimination of the MILC program, the Burlington Free Press reported. LINK

Twitter Senate Democrats used Twitter on Wednesday to attack a House appropriations bill that would severely restrict U.S. EPA's air pollution programs, Environment & Energy Daily reported. Sen. Sanders protested the bill's funding cuts for a wildlife habitat and conservation program. "The House Republican budget for 2012 cuts Land and Water Conservation Funding by 70 percent," Sanders tweeted.

Social Media Social media like Facebook and Twitter let members of Congress connect with constituents in more ways than ever, the Burlington Free Press reported. When Sen. Sanders delivers a major speech, he offers a menu of cyber options. He recently let visitors to his website sign a letter to President Obama on deficit reduction. More than 135,000 did. LINK

One Man Fishing on the Winooski River in 1995, Bruce Ryan noticed lead shotgun pellets in the river bed from the adjacent Montpelier Gun Club. He wrote to the club. He wrote to his congressman, Bernie Sanders. He wrote to Gov. Dean, the EPA and many others. Finally, last April, Ryan got a letter from the EPA. The agency had cited the gun club. LINK

World

Murdoch Caves News Corp. dropped its bid to take full control of British Sky Broadcasting Group as a political firestorm ignited over reporting tactics at one of Rupert Murdoch's U.K. newspapers, Murdoch's Wall Street Journal reported. LINK

National

White House Would Raise Medicare Age  A White House offer to increase the age of Medicare eligibility to 67 as a compromise to Republicans during budget talks would save about $125 billion over 10 years but leave many seniors without care, USA Today reported. LINK

Calamity Looms The Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, warned on Wednesday of a "huge financial calamity" if President Obama and the Republicans cannot agree on a budget deal that allows the federal debt ceiling to be increased, The New York Times reported. LINK

Raters Put U.S. on Notice Credit rating agencies moved closer to an unprecedented downgrade of the U.S. government's debt amid deteriorating talks in Washington, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK

Republicans Split Two top Republican leaders, the Senate's Mitch McConnell and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, clashed Wednesday over McConnell's plan to avoid default, The Washington Post reported. LINK

Vermont

Flood Relief The state transportation department is setting up briefings later this month for communities seeking federal help to pay the cost of flooding problems in late May. The session is set for next Wednesday in Lyndon. It is not for individual homeowners, The Associated Press reported. LINK

Gay Marriage Sen. Leahy will chair a hearing next week on repealing the Defense of Marriage Act. The repeal effort would dump the Clinton-era law - which Leahy voted for - denying same-sex couples federal benefits reserved for married couples. LINK