Murkowski Morning Meeting For Tuesday, February 3, 2015

What DC is Reading

• Wall Street Journal: Obama Budget Full of ‘Taxes Unlimited’ (Paywall)
• New York Times: White House Seeking to Limit Health Law’s Tax Troubles
• Forbes: A Kick To The Gut: Alaskans Outraged By Obama’s Anti-Oil Move

U.S. Senate Events

Obama’s Irresponsible Budget

Alaskan Impact: Alaskan families work hard to spend carefully, and Senator Murkowski believes the President should do the same. However, yesterday President Obama released his budget for the upcoming fiscal year and it’s full of what Alaskans have come to expect from him: more taxes, bigger government, and less spending restraint. Today Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan testified in front of the Senate Budget Hearing on the items contained in the budget, which will require $2.1 trillion in new taxes.

6:00a.m. AKST

Senate Budget Committee Hearing

Topic: “President Obama’s FY2016 Budget Request.”

Witness:

• Shaun Donovan, Director, Office of Management and Budget

(Click image to watch video.)
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY): “President Obama wants to spend more, he wants to tax more, he wants to regulate more, he wants to borrow more, and he wants us to owe more and more and more and more.”

Watch the entire hearing by clicking here.

Fixing NCLB

Alaskan Impact: Alaskan educators are interested in improving and reforming the No Child Left Behind law, to make it more compatible with Alaska’s educational priorities. Senator Murkowski has been actively involved in ‘Alaskanizing’ programs where possible. A new suggestion is to provide more funding flexibility for various grant programs within school districts, based on their priorities and needs. Today the Senate HELP Committee heard from educators from around the country, and Senator Murkowski plans to run their views by Alaskans in the weeks ahead.

6:00a.m. AKST

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Hearing

Topic: “Fixing No Child Left Behind: Innovation to Better Meet the Needs of Students.”

Witnesses:

• Robert Balfanz, Research Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Center for Social Organization of Schools
• Ken Bradford, Assistant Superintendent, Louisiana Department of Education
• Josh Davis, Vice President for External Affairs, Delta Health Alliance
• Katie Duffy, CEO, Democracy Prep Public Schools
• Susan Kessler, Executive Principal, Hunter Lane High School
• James McIntyre Jr., Superintendent, Knox County Schools
• Henriette Taylor, Community School Coordinator, Historic Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Elementary School

Watch the entire hearing by clicking here.

U.S. House Events

Transparent and Independent Oversight

Alaskan Impact: Inspectors generals can be incredibly helpful in holding governmental agencies accountable, as Alaskans have recently seen in such cases as the VA clinic in Wasilla, or attempting to clean up the Department of Justice after Senator Ted Stevens’ trial. Last year, Senator Murkowski co-sponsored the Inspector General Empowerment Act to ensure IG reports remain independent and accessible, specifically within the DoJ. Today the House Oversight Committee heard from various Inspectors General on how they will guarantee their reports hold the agencies they represent accountable.

6:15a.m. AKST

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Hearing

Topic: “Inspectors General: Independence, Access and Authority.”

Witnesses:

• Michael Horowitz, Inspector General, Justice Department
• Arthur Elkins Jr., Inspector General, Environmental Protection Agency
• Kathy Buller, Inspector General, Peace Corps

Watch the entire hearing by clicking here.