Today in Washington D. C. - Jan15, 2009

Yesterday, the Senate resumed consideration of the omnibus public lands bill (S.22). The Senate voted 68-24 to invoke cloture on the bill. Reid has said that after the lands bill is completed, he wants the Senate to take up a retread from last year, the Lilly Ledbetter bill.

In Senate confirmation hearings for President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet appointments, problems are surfacing for some of Obama’s picks, notably for treasury secretary nominee Timothy Geithner, labor secretary nominee Rep. Hilda Solis, and Attorney General nominee Eric Holder. It came to light that Geithner “failed to pay $34,000 in taxes and employed a housekeeper without proper immigration papers,” according to The Associated Press. The AP story went on to point out that “the delinquent-tax part of the new disclosure, in particular, is a huge liability for Geithner, given that as treasury secretary he would oversee the Internal Revenue Service.”

A Washington Post columnist detailed that Obama’s Labor nominee doesn’t want to talk about labor policy. Solis declined to offer her views on whether federal construction projects should be open to both union and non-union bids, on state right-to-work laws, and most importantly on potential card check legislation and commented "How can senators consent if they have no clue what policies they might be consenting to?”

Today at noon, the Senate will resume consideration of the omnibus public lands bill (S.22). After 10 minutes of debate, senators will vote on final passage of the bill. Following that vote, the Senate will vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to the Ledbetter bill (S. 181). It is likely that the Ledbetter bill will garner enough votes to move to its consideration, as Republicans are looking to offer amendments, provided that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid doesn’t block them from doing so. The Ledbetter bill is designed to eliminate statutes of limitations on suing employers over discrimination. In other words, 2o, 30 , 40 years later a business could be sued no matter what the merits or lenght of time that has passed. A litigation nightmare.

Later in the day, the Senate could vote on a resolution of disapproval of release of the second installment of TARP funds. If the resolution is defeated, the Treasury department will get the $350 billion it is seeking.

Early this morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee began its hearing on the nomination of Eric Holder to be attorney general. In addition, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) to be interior secretary, the Foreign Relations Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of Susan Rice to be U.N. ambassador, and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of Gov. Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) to be homeland security secretary.

Of the four Senate confirmation hearings, primary attention is focused on the confirmation of Eric Holder to be attorney general. Republicans are concerned about a number of problems that have surfaced about Holder’s previous work, in and out of the Justice Department. Republicans particularly wish to hear more about Holder’s connections with impeached Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and the extent of the work he performed for Blagojevich in 2004. The Los Angeles Times reports today: GOP senators “want to know the details of that arrangement, and why Holder initially left out any mention of it -- and of his relationship to the now-disgraced Illinois governor -- in the disclosure form that he was required to file with the committee for his confirmation.”

Roll Call presented issues that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, is looking to explore at the hearing today: “Specter, in a floor speech earlier this month, listed a number of areas of concern for Republicans, notably Holder’s role in pardons for millionaire Clinton donor Marc Rich and a group of Puerto Rican terrorists at the end of the Clinton administration. . . . Specter is also expected to grill Holder today on the extent of his work for Blagojevich. In 2004, the Illinois governor hired Holder to conduct a review of allegations that organized crime was involved in the state’s issuing of a controversial gaming license.”

In an editorial today, The Washington Post says, “Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee should press attorney general nominee Eric H. Holder Jr. today about his role in and his rationale for supporting or not standing in the way of questionable pardons and commutations granted by President Bill Clinton.” The Post writes that “Mr. Holder must be candid in addressing the pardons to put to rest any possible questions about his motives or his ability to stand up to the White House.”

Meanwhile, CQ Today raises another issue noting that Holder would be the official to implement any decision from the Obama administration to “undo the retroactive legal immunity for telecommunications companies” that participated in the terrorist surveillance program. Any changes to the program would be made in light of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court’s recent ruling that the program passes legal muster, as The New York Times reports today.

All of this, of course, comes on the heels of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson’s sudden withdrawal on Jan. 4 from consideration as commerce secretary because of a federal investigation into how his political donors received a transportation contract. However, it is expected, unless other items surface, that most nominees will be confirmed without issues. Of interest is the comparison of nominees. In the past, Senator Hillary Clinton, the nominee for Secretary of State, was seen as "the liberal," but in comparison with many of president-elect Obama's other nominees, Clinton seems to be relatively more conservative than the others. As the world turns, another day and events in Washington D. C. reveal interesting insights and shadows.

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