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Cigarette Tax Hike Starts Today
By Patricia Murphy - Politics DailySmoke 'em if you've got 'em. A federal tax increase on tobacco goes into effect today, raising the levy on cigarettes from about 39 cents to $1.01 per pack. Two dozen states are increasing their own taxes on top of the feds' fees, lumping a combined total of more than $3.00 in taxes on every pack in some states. USA Today has compiled state-by-state data HERE. Why do your smokes cost more today? The hike is the result of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) bill that passed Congress this year. The bill expands health insurance coverage for kids (and some adults) and pays ...
Political Victory as Bush Signs SCHIP Renewal
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyPresident Bush signed a renewal of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) while vacationing at his Texas ranch over the weekend, scoring a significant political victory for the Administration over Democratic leaders in Congress. SCHIP is a program designed to provide health coverage to poor children and families. Mr. Bush had previously vetoed two separate versions of SCHIP, which had been expanded by the Democratic Congress to cover middle income families and in some cases childless adults. The reauthorization is expected to provide states with enough resources to run their ...
Bush Vetoes SCHIP Again
By Jay Allbritton - Politics DailyOn Wednesday President Bush privately vetoed a new version of the SCHIP bill he vetoed in October. The President claimed he vetoed the bill because it would cover some adults and some people in families that have incomes above the median and that it would raise taxes. He called for Congress to refund the program in its current state. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other high ranking House Democrats held a news conference after it was reported the president would veto the bill, but before the actual signing. "Let it be clear," Pelosi said, "that Democrats will not rest until 10 million children ...
Congress to Break the Habit
By Justin Paulette - Politics DailyWith a new "no smoking" policy in all congressional buildings and an anticipated .61 cent-per-pack tax hike on cigarettes in the works, Congress has branded the bruised and battered tobacco industry as public enemy #1. Of course, Congress' motivation is not entirely altruistic. The proceeds of the proposed tax hike is intended to funnel $35 billion into the State Children's Health Insurance Program - the ill-fated legislation recently vetoed by President Bush. Democrats are hoping that if they find an alternative funding source, sufficient GOP support might be garnered to overturn the ...
President Turns to 'Administrative Orders'
By Jay Allbritton - Politics DailyDue to continuous tension between the President and Congress, the White House plans to use administrative orders to enact parts of its agenda. In comments at the White House Yesterday President Bush ripped Congress for "not getting its job done." If you thought the president was throwing elbows yesterday, just wait. Administration officials are saying that the White House plans to increase its confrontational rhetoric and that the president cannot work with the Democratic leadership. ...
Edwards vs. 'Viva Viagra'
By Tommy Christopher - Politics DailyDemocratic Presidential candidate John Edwards wants to tighten up regulations on direct to consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising, according to an AP story on Boston.com. In campaign speeches in New Hampshire Sunday, Edwards called for a 2 year waiting period on ads for new drugs, among other measures. Spending on DTC drug ads now tops $4 billion annually, as government regulations surrounding the ads have steadily relaxed in the past decade. The ads are not just expensive, but studies show that the ads can lead patients to self-diagnose, and influence doctors' prescribing decisions. What ...
Role Reversals in New SCHIP Debate
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyDefying a presidential veto and a renewed veto threat, the House passed a second version of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) last week that largely duplicates a bill vetoed by the president earlier this month. Democratic Congressional leaders vowed to present President Bush with a version of the SCHIP bill the covers at least ten million children until he signs it. The White House has laid down principles that it says it will not compromise on, like covering poor children before anyone else becomes eligible for the program.Those respective positions are familiar ones for ...
SCHIP, Part II
By Justin Paulette - Politics DailySometimes it takes a couple of repetitions for folks on the Hill to catch on to a pattern.... Earlier this month, Congress sent the president a Democrat-sponsored bill on socialized health care for children. President Bush vetoed the bill, providing several critical reasons for his decision. Democrats mounted an effort to overturn the veto, but fell well short of the necessary 2/3 mark. Well, House Democrats passed a substantively identical bill yesterday. The vote on the measure was no different than the sub-2/3 vote on the previous measure, as not a single Republican vote was won over by the ...
It's For the (Immigrant) Children
By Eric Schulzke - Politics DailyBy a 52-44 vote -- in the odd little world of the U.S. Senate, this constitutes a loss -- the Senate failed to move a stand alone version of the DREAM initiative, which would have created a path to citizenship for children of illegal aliens who came to this country illegally as minors.Arguments on the pro side were predictable. Nary an issue goes by -- from global warming to health care to immigration -- where someone doesn't figure out how to make it "about the children." Nancy Pelosi has turned the mantra into an art form. You could put up a cardboard cutout of her with a boombox behind it ...
A Terrible Week for the Democrats
By Dave - Politics DailyLefty Blogger Brian Beutler sums up what has been a horrible week for Democratic party in the Federal Legislature. They do control it right?It's a real disappointment, I think, that the Republicans in both chambers have either a better understanding of parliamentary procedure or a greater willingness to use it to their advantage. I'm not a student of modern Republican political history, but I'd speculate that this comes from their 40 year absence from Congress in the mid-to-late 20th century, and the revolutionary spirit with which they regained power in the 1990s--basically, that, as an ...
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