Congress Finally Funds DHS in FY 2015
 
The House on March 3 passed a bill to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 by a vote of 257-167.  To the ire of many Republicans, the bill does not include provisions to block President Obama's November 2014 executive actions on immigration.  Republicans wanted to use the bill to repeal the executive actions, but Democrats united against them and Republicans were unable to coalesce around an alternative strategy.  After a messy fight, several failed votes, and a one-week extension of DHS funding, a number of Republicans broke rank and joined with Democrats to pass the "clean" bill through an arcane legislative tactic.  The Senate passed the same bill on February 27.  President Obama signed the bill on March 4, accusing Congress of waiting "far too long" to fund critical homeland security operations.  Read more: Washington Post
 
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Addresses Congress
 
On March 3, at the invitation of House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress.  The White House was frustrated with the address, as it was not consulted about the invitation and feared Netanyahu would undercut negotiations with Iran on a nuclear deal.  Adding to the tension, President Obama did not meet with the Prime Minister as the White House cited a policy of not meeting with heads of state just prior to that leader’s upcoming national election.  In addition, many congressional Democrats boycotted the Prime Minister’s speech believing it a partisan political stunt or because they support the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran.  In his congressional address, Netanyahu described the agreement being pursued by negotiators as one that "doesn't block Iran's path to the bomb; it paves Iran's path to the bomb.”  The Prime Minister’s speech highlighted Israel’s concern with a nuclear Iran, cast doubts on the President’s view that Iran can be a trusted partner in anti-ISIS activities, and concluded that a bad nuclear deal with Iran is worse than no deal at all.  By overtly opposing the coming deal, Netanyahu drove another wedge between a Republican-controlled Congress and a Democratic president who may view the deal with Iran as one of the most important initiatives of his second term.  Read more: Washington Post

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February Jobs Report Shows Strong Gains
 
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on March 6 that the economy added 295,000 jobs in February, with the unemployment rate dropping from 5.7 percent to 5.5 percent.  February marks the 12^th straight month of job gains over 200,000.  Wage growth disappointed, however, as average hourly earnings rose only 0.1% in February.  The largest job gains occurred in food and alcohol services and establishments, professional and business services, construction, healthcare, transportation, and warehousing.  January’s jobs report was slightly revised to show 239,000 jobs rather than the 257,000 that was initially reported.  Read more: Business Insider

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NCLB Rewrite Pulled from Floor in House
 
On February 27, the House unexpectedly pulled consideration of H.R. 5, the Education and Workforce Committee re-write of the No Child Left Behind education authorization over concerns that it may not pass.  Conservative groups such as Club for Growth and Heritage Action expressed their disapproval of the bill, causing conservative support to wane.  Representative John Kline (R-MN), the Chair of the Education Committee, told the press he remains “very hopeful we’ll bring it up as soon as we get back because it’s already out there, we’ve already completed debate and amendments.”  Meanwhile, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee continues to work on a bi-partisan rewrite of the federal education authorization.  Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) says “the law is broken, and a lot of it’s our fault for leaving it eight years overdue.  It’s malpractice for us not to fix it, and that’s helping a lot because I think that’s recognized on both the Democratic and Republican sides.”  Read more: The Hill

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Supreme Court Begins Hearing Arguments Over ACA Subsidies Case
 
The Supreme Court on March 4 took up King v. Burwell, the latest case against the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which surrounds the legality of providing subsidies to individuals and families who purchase health insurance in the federally-run exchange.  The challenger claims the law was written in a way that only those who purchase health care from a state-run exchange are eligible.  Should the challenger prevail, roughly seven million people would be forced to purchase insurance without financial assistance, many of whom would be unable to do so.  This could result in the collapse of insurance markets in about three dozen states, threatening the ACA.  The Court's four liberal members voiced strong support for the Administration's position, but Chief Justice John Roberts, who cast the deciding vote in the 2012 case regarding the individual mandate, remained mostly silent.  Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, a Regan appointee who is considered a swing vote on the Court, seems to remain in play.  "There's a serious constitutional problem if we adopt your argument," he told lawyers for the challengers.  Read more: New York Times

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