?U.S.? Chamber Of Commerce Lobbied To Help GOP Kill Bill To Provide Health Care To 9/11 First Responders
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on December 18th, 2010 5:37 am by HL
?U.S.? Chamber Of Commerce Lobbied To Help GOP Kill Bill To Provide Health Care To 9/11 First Responders
Last night, the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart skewered Republicans for killing deficit neutral legislation to provide health care to the 9/11 first responders and emergency workers who suffered illnesses from working at Ground Zero. He also mocked the celebrity-obsessed media that has completely ignored the story. Republicans, like Sen. John Thune (R-SD), filibustered the bill […]
Last night, the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart skewered Republicans for killing deficit neutral legislation to provide health care to the 9/11 first responders and emergency workers who suffered illnesses from working at Ground Zero. He also mocked the celebrity-obsessed media that has completely ignored the story. Republicans, like Sen. John Thune (R-SD), filibustered the bill because they said tax cuts for the richest 2 percent were a higher priority for Congress. While Republicans quietly snuffed out efforts to compensate 9/11 heroes, they were aided by a quiet lobbying campaign by the powerful lobbying front — the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber fought to help kill the 9/11 compensation bill because it was funded by ending a special tax loophole exploited by foreign corporations doing business in the United States.
The “U.S.” part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a misnomer. As ThinkProgress reported, the Chamber represents dozens of foreign businesses in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, Bahrain, India, Brazil, and other countries. An investigation of the Chamber turned up recent fundraising documents from the Chamber soliciting foreign contributions to the Chamber’s 501(c)(6), the tax entity the Chamber used to run nasty campaign ads against Democrats earlier this year.
In September, the Chamber sent a letter officially opposing the 9/11 first responders bill, called the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010.” The Chamber warned that ending the tax loophole would “damage U.S. relationships with major trading partners” and “aggravate already unsettled financial markets.” A lobbying disclosure filed with the Senate confirms the Chamber contacted lawmakers to help kill the bill.
In typical fashion, the Chamber has not revealed which of its foreign members had asked them to kill the 9/11 bill. As the Chamber CEO explained to the Washington Monthly’s James Verini, the entire purpose of the Chamber is to provide “deniability” to corporations that want to affect the outcomes of elections or of public policy. In 2009, the Chamber secretly used a $86 million donation from the health insurance industry to fight health reform. At the time, the Chamber lied and claimed to the public that they were simply acting on behalf of the entire “business community.”
Republicans are continuing to protest any renewed attempts to pass the 9/11 first responders bill because of the tax issue raised by the Chamber. Yesterday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) sent out a statement that mirrored the Chamber’s opposition to ending the foreign corporate tax loophole.
ThinkFast: December 17, 2010
At midnight last night, the House approved the White House tax cut deal, sending the bill to President Obama, who is expected to sign it today. The deal, already approved by Senate, extends the Bush tax cuts and unemployment benefits, and was hailed by both sides as a rare bipartisan achievement and “a prototype” for […]
At midnight last night, the House approved the White House tax cut deal, sending the bill to President Obama, who is expected to sign it today. The deal, already approved by Senate, extends the Bush tax cuts and unemployment benefits, and was hailed by both sides as a rare bipartisan achievement and “a prototype” for future bargains in the new Congress.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) withdrew the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill from Senate consideration yesterday after Republicans mounted a strident campaign against it. “I’m proud of our team for holding together,” Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) gloated afterwards. After pulling the omnibus, Reid immediately filed cloture on DADT repeal and the DREAM Act, suggesting both could receive votes this weekend.
Yesterday, Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (R) said he’ll support a “stand-alone repeal bill”of DADT. His support helps secure the 60 Senate votes needed to block a GOP filibuster and pass a bill.
PolitiFact awarded its “Lie of the Year” yesterday to the GOP refrain that the Affordable Care Act was a “government takeover of health care.” While conceding that the talking point played “an important role in shaping public opinion,” PolitiFact concludes “it is inaccurate to call the plan a government takeover because it relies largely on the existing system of health coverage provided by employers.”
Yesterday, the House GOP transition team recommended “a change to the lower chamber’s rules that would require all members to prove legislation is constitutional” in the 112th Congress. GOP leaders sent out a memo members providing guidance to members on how to deal with the new requirement and “resources they can go to assist.”
Incoming House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-NY) said he is planning to open an investigation into what he calls “the radicalization” of the Muslim community. “When I meet with law enforcement, they are constantly telling me how little cooperation they get from Muslim leaders,” he said. In reailty, many of recent thwarted terror plots were disrupted because of intelligence provided by Muslims.
After meeting with some of the nation’s leading CEOs earlier this week, President Obama will meet with union leaders at the White House today to discuss the economy and job creation. “Twelve union groups are expected to send representatives to the White House including United Steelworkers, American Federation of Teachers and United Auto Workers.”
A new report from the commission investigating the BP oil spill found that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s (R) sand berms stopped only a “minuscule” amount of oil, despite a $220 million pricetag. Jindal repeatedly blasted the Obama administration for not providing more money for the berms, but they “trapped only about 1,000 barrels of oil out of the approximately 5 million barrels spilled.”
And finally: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) is considering pardoning iconic Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid. Many believe New Mexico Territorial Governor Lew Wallace had promised Kid — who is reputed to have killed 21 men in various heists and robberies — a pardon in exchange for his testimony in a murder trial, but later reneged on the deal.
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