100 Hours Report Card

Back around early October, the Democrats announced their “100 Hours” plan, outlining what they would do in their first 100 hours in control of Congress (if elected). Depending on how you calculate it (and when you start) it’s been something resembling 100 hours at this point, so let’s see how their To Do List is going. I’m sure other blogs have done this too, but...I haven’t read them, so this is new to me.

Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation."

A mixed bag. There appears to have been some conflict between House and Senate versions, not to mention a conflict over which bill was actually tougher. Nonetheless Nancy Pelosi appears to have scored some points here, while Harry Reid hasn’t.

Enact all the recommendations made by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Patterned on recommendations of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks, the far-reaching measure includes commitments for inspection of all cargo carried aboard passenger aircraft and on ships bound for the United States.

They didn’t enact all of them, and they’re catching some flak for that, but I guess they get a passing grade for this. It also faces tougher scrutiny in the Senate.

Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, maybe in one step.

Done. And they actually got $7.25. Didn’t have to negotiate down at all.

Cut the interest rate on student loans in half.

Following up on an election-year promise, House Democrats said Friday they plan quick action to lower interest rates for student loans.

Their proposal, scheduled for a vote next week, would cut interest rates on some student loans in half. However, the college tuition plan has been scaled back since it was first touted on the campaign trail last year.

The interest rate relief would apply only to need-based loans and doesn't help people who take out unsubsidized student loans -- a distinction not made in the campaign literature Democrats handed out before winning control of Congress last fall. The measure also abandons a pledge to reduce rates for parents who take out loans to help with their kids' college costs.

The rate cut for subsidized student loans -- from 6.8 to 3.4 percent -- would be phased in over five years.

...

To avoid increasing the deficit, the bill's cost would be offset by trimming subsidies the government gives lenders and reducing the guaranteed return banks get when students default. Banks also would have to pay more in fees.

Tom Joyce, a spokesman for lending giant Sallie Mae, said such cuts could impact the services and benefits students receive.

"We do not oppose an interest-rate reduction," Joyce said. "But if the goal is to try to get a low-income or middle-income student into a seat, we'd better be careful of the law of unintended consequences."

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said in an Associated Press interview this week she would prefer that Congress increase Pell grants, which go to the poorest students and do not have to be paid back.

I’d like to see more numbers on this one, but there’s no questioning that they did exactly what they said they’d do.

Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.

Defying a presidential veto threat, the House approved legislation Friday directing the government to negotiate with drug companies in an effort to lower prices for Medicare recipients.

Bingo.

Broaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds _ "I hope with a veto-proof majority," she added in an Associated Press interview Thursday.

The House passed legislation to lift limits on embryonic stem-cell research Thursday, setting up a confrontation with President Bush, who promised to veto the bill a second time.

House members voted 253-174 on a bill from Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., to ease restrictions on federal money for embryonic stem-cell research, which supporters say could lead to a host of medical breakthroughs.

"It was a great victory today," DeGette said. "We've got tremendous momentum on our side."

Support for the Denver Democrat's bill grew by 15 votes from when it passed the House in 2005. November's election sent more Democrats and supporters of the research to the chamber.

But the number in favor still fell 37 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.

...


DeGette and others in the bipartisan House coalition that pushed the bill to passage twice said they have "no illusions" they can overcome a veto.

Instead, they are looking at other options to make the bill law, including attaching it as an amendment to legislation Bush would find hard to veto, such as measures to continue government funding or to pay for the Iraq war.

"This policy will become the law of the land," said Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. "Our job here is to get the inevitable to happen as early as possible."

The legislation passed Thursday allows federal funding of stem-cell research using donated embryos created for in-vitro fertilization and scheduled to be discarded as medical waste.

DeGette has pushed the bill since Bush's August 2001 executive order allowing government funding of research only if it involves lines of embryonic stem cells in existence at the time of the order.

One more thing upon which our petulant President will end up on the wrong side of history. That’s small consolation to thousands (millions?) of Americans, though. Unless the next president’s name is Brownback, though, it’s safe to say this won’t be vetoed in two years.

"Pay as you go," meaning no increasing the deficit, whether the issue is middle class tax relief, health care or some other priority.

This one is the most dicey from a campaigning standpoint, because it could/will lead to raised taxes, but they did it anyway, and I love that. Plus, they’re getting at least a few positive press reactions for it.

Oh, and they’ve also started on this:

Democrats in Congress plan to crank up pressure on President Bush by voting this month on a resolution opposing his plan to send 21,500 more troops into Iraq and following up quickly with efforts to pass tough restrictions on future war funding.

Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., an influential member of the Appropriations Committee and top ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, warned Friday that he might seek to close the controversial U.S. prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba as a condition of approving more money for the war.

"If he wants to veto the bill, he won't have any money" for the war, Murtha said at a forum of anti-war Democrats.

All in all, a nice start. I realize they let Congressmen go to Arizona to watch a football game, which blew the whole “Work five days a week” thing, but...oh well. They seem to be taking the steps they wanted to take. Now all the country needs is for those steps to actually work. We'll see.