Today in Washington D. C. - Dec 5, 2007

From Senate & News Sources: After waiting almost the entire year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is ready to address the alternative minimum tax. Unfortunately, it’s the House bill that includes over $80 billion in tax hikes to offset the one-year AMT fix. Republicans do not believe it is necessary to permanently raise other taxes to prevent Americans from being affected by an ill-conceived tax that was never meant to be collected anyway. Reid filed cloture on the motion to proceed to the House AMT bill last night, claiming the move was necessary due to Republican resistance to Democrats’ AMT plans. But Republicans have repeatedly offered AMT relief this year, and Democrats have voted against it every time. Democrats’ dithering on AMT relief will likely delay $75 million in tax refunds next year.

The Washington Post reports today that some Democrats on the Hill are thinking of tying troop funding for Iraq to the Iraqi government’s ability to meet political benchmarks, instead of withdrawal requirements. Of course, the best thing to do would still be to just pass a clean bill to get our troops the money they need to fight the war and avoid forcing the Pentagon to furlough civilian employees.

Today, a new Gallup poll finds that “Public views of the U.S. troop surge in Iraq have improved over the past month, and Americans’ outlook about winning the war is brighter than it was in September.” Even rank-and-file Democrats in Congress are beginning to acknowledge the positive effects of the surge in Iraq, though Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seem to remain oblivious to the facts on the ground.

In other news, The Washington Post and National Review Online have editorials today discussing the latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran and noting some implications of its conclusions that haven’t been getting much media attention.

On The Floor: The Senate reconvenes at noon today. Senate will consider the motion to proceed to the House-passed alternative minimum tax bill (H.R. 3996). The House bill includes $82.5 billion in tax hikes.

Yesterday, the Senate voted 77-18 to pass the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement (H.R. 3688). There is still no schedule for the balance of the week. Possible bills that could come up: FISA reform (S. 2248), the farm bill (H.R. 2419), energy legislation (H.R. 6/H.R. 3221), and Iraq funding coupled with withdrawal requirements (H.R. 4156).

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is currently holding a markup of its latest bill on climate change (S. 2191). The hearing can be seen live on CSPAN2 until the Senate reconvenes.

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