The Cost of Inaction

If we fail to act on health reform, everything stays the same, right? Wrong. If we turn back now, the health care system we currently have quickly starts to unravel.

Breaking News: CBO Report Health Reform Plan Will Cut the Deficit by $1.3 Trillion

Upon release of the CBO report this morning indicating that the health reform plan will cut the deficit by $1.3 trillion over 20 years and cover 95% of Americans, please see above for a synopsis of what this package offers to American families and businesses. Some key points of note: the plan closes the prescription drug donut hole, bolsters Medicare by curbing wasteful spending, improves coverage for middle class Americans and is fully paid for.

Watch Live: President Obama Signs Jobs Bill

At 11:20 a.m. ET this morning, President Obama will sign the HIRE ACT into law, a jobs bill designed to put Americans back to work.

Watch at WhiteHouse.gov/live.

The HIRE Act encourages job growth in several critical ways:

* Forgiving payroll taxes for businesses that hire someone who's been out of work for at least two months.
* Encouraging smaller businesses to grow and hire by letting them write off investments they make in equipment.
* Encouraging job-creation by expanding investment in schools and clean energy projects.
* Maintaining investments in roads and bridges, keeping our infrastructure strong while encouraging construction job hiring.

Today's bill is another step toward accelerating the process of rebuilding our economy and creating new jobs to get Americans back to work.

Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

President Barack Obama waves to the crowd as he departs an event at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Colo., Feb. 18, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.

Senate Passes Jobs Bill

Earlier today, the Senate passed a bill to help small businesses hire workers and provide highway funding to encourage job growth. The bill, one of many proposals to spur job creation, now goes to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

The Associated Press reported:

Companies that hire unemployed workers will get a temporary payroll tax holiday under a bill that easily won congressional approval Wednesday in what Democrats hope is just the first of several election-year measures aimed at boosting hiring.

The 68-29 bipartisan vote in the Senate sent the legislation to the White House, where President Barack Obama was expected to sign it into law Thursday. Eleven Republicans voted for the legislation, an impressive tally considering the politically charged atmosphere on Capitol Hill.

..."It is the first of what I hope will be a series of jobs packages that help to continue to put people back to work," Obama said after the vote.

The bill contains about $18 billion in tax breaks and a $20 billion infusion of cash into highway and transit programs. Among other things, it exempts businesses that hire people who have been unemployed for at least 60 days from paying the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll tax through December and gives employers an additional $1,000 credit if new workers stay on the job a full year. Taxpayers will have to reimburse Social Security for the lost revenue.

"This is just the first, certainly not the last, piece of legislation that we will put forward in relation to jobs," said its sponsor, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "If we don't create jobs, the economy will not move forward."

It also extends highway and mass transit programs through the end of the year and pump in $20 billion in time for the spring construction season. That money would make up for lower-than-expected gasoline tax revenues.

Chairman Tim Kaine: "The Republicans have failed the American people"

Today, the New York Times ran a story highlighting Senator Mitch McConnell and the GOP’s strategy to delay and use obstructionist tactics to defeat every piece of significant legislation supported by President Obama and Congressional Democrats.

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine released the following statement:

“Today’s news report on Republican obstructionist tactics offers further proof of what we already know – even before President Obama was sworn in, Mitch McConnell and the GOP developed a strategy to push the GOP caucus to reflexively oppose the President’s legislative initiatives in the hope of securing short-term political gains. This is appalling—but not surprising—news. Senator McConnell’s strategy is the embodiment of what is wrong with Washington – instead of fighting for his constituents or working to solve America’s problems, his priority is defeating the President by obstructionist procedural tactics.

“We are facing challenging times and now is not the time to play political games. President Obama and Congressional Democrats have worked to stabilize and rebuild the economy, create jobs, rein in the excesses of Wall Street, and reform the health insurance system to reduce skyrocketing premium increases while giving Americans greater control over their own care. Every step of the way, Republicans have fought tooth and nail to hold up Democrats’ plans to get our country back on track. By rejecting any effort to work with the President on a bipartisan basis, the Republicans have failed the American people. This is not leadership, and it’s not what the American people want. It’s the reason Americans have lost faith in Washington. Changing this approach of politics above results, rigid partisanship, and protecting special interests at all costs is why voters sent President Obama to the White House to change the way government works.

“Senator McConnell is playing these games at the expense of the American people. It’s time for Senator McConnell and his Republican colleagues to put politics aside and start working with the President and Democrats to solve our nation’s problems.”

Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

President Barack Obama has lunch with Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine in the Oval Office Private Dining Room, March 16, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.

"I just met with the President"

After his lunch with President Obama earlier today, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine sent the following email to supporters:

I just met with the President, where I was proud to fill him in on all the great work that you're doing to pass health reform.

We spoke about the calls you've made, the letters you've written, and the terrific events you've organized on the ground.

And he asked me to pass along a message to you: All of your hard work is paying off. The conversations he's been having with members of Congress in these days are far more productive because you've spoken up back home.

The President is optimistic -- and thinks we're going to have a vote and pass reform very, very soon. But he also made it clear that he's not letting up for a moment, and urged that all of us do the same.

We'll all need to step up to help the President pass reform. Can you take a moment right now to write to your member of Congress?

http://my.democrats.org/ReformLetters

I'm grateful for all you've done. And today, the President reminded me that he is as well.

Thank you,

Governor Tim Kaine

Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

President Barack Obama looks at framed images of performers in the backstage hold at The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Colo., Feb. 18, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.

President Obama: "I'm here because of Natoma"

Speaking to a crowd in Ohio this afternoon, President Obama spoke passionately about the reasons he is fighting so hard for health reform, and told the story of one of the countless Americans he is fighting for: Natoma Canfield, an Ohio woman without insurance who was diagnosed with leukemia last Saturday.

Natoma wrote a letter to the President last year, after she heard that her health insurance rates would be rising by 40%. Unable to pay for such an increase, Natoma’s last month with insurance was this January. Natoma had cancer 16-years ago, and hoped that she wouldn't get sick again.

Last week, Natoma was rushed to the hospital, where after a series of tests she was diagnosed with leukemia. Still in the hospital today, she now faces more than a month of chemotherapy -- along with worries about how she'll pay for her treatment without insurance.

The President told the Ohio crowd:

“You want to know why I’m here, Ohio? I’m here because of Natoma. I’m here because of the countless others who have been forced to face the most terrifying challenges in their lives with the added burden of medical bills they can’t pay. I don't think that’s right. Neither do you. That’s why we need health insurance right now. Health insurance reform right now.

I’m here because of my own mother’s story. She died of cancer, and in the last six months of her life, she was on the phone in her hospital room arguing with insurance companies instead of focusing on getting well and spending time with her family.

I’m here because of the millions who are denied coverage because of preexisting conditions or dropped from coverage when they get sick.

I’m here because of the small businesses who are forced to choose between health care and hiring.

I’m here because of the seniors unable to afford the prescriptions that they need.

I’m here because of the folks seeing their premiums go up 20 and 30 and 40 and 50 and 60 percent in a year.
Ohio, I am here because that is not the America I believe in and that’s not the America that you believe in.”

Monday Open Thread

Good morning.

President Barack Obama is saluted by Air Force members as he waves from Air Force One prior to departing from Andrews Air Force Base en route to Denver, Colo., Feb. 18, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.

Weekend Open Thread

Hello Saturday.

President Barack Obama signs a wall during a tour of the International Brotherhood of Electricians (IBEW) Local 26 headquarters in Lanham, Md., Feb. 16, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.

Friday Open Thread

Happy Friday.

President Barack Obama speaks with John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, while dining in the President's private dining room, Feb. 18, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.

11-Year-Old Asks Members of Congress to Support Reform: "The health care system is broken and it caused my mother's death."

As members of Congress ready for a vote on health reform, today they heard from 11-year-old Marcelas Owens, whose mother died in 2007 because she lacked health insurance.

Tiffany Owens suffered from pulmonary hypertension, which forced her to stop work, and in turn, she lost her medical benefits. She spent the final part of her life fighting for health insurance reform -- and now her 11-year-old son is working to finish her fight.

Marcelas Owens, who just turned 11 today, told MSNBC:

"I'm telling the members of Congress that the health care bill should be passed, because everybody deserves health care.

...I wanted to finish [my mother's] fight for health care."

The Final March for Reform: Call Congress

Yesterday, the Democratic National Committee and Organizing for America kicked off the Final March for Health Reform -- an unprecedented week-long campaign sprint featuring powerful ways for supporters to weigh in directly to Congress.

Today, Day 2, people are calling their representatives to express their support for health reform in the final days before a vote. Click here to make your call now.

After you've made a call, check out yesterday's action here: a page where you can find a fact sheet to show friends and co-workers on how the plan will specifically help them, posters to display, Facebook notes to post, and more.

And watch a video about joining in and taking part in the Final March: