WATCH: Kyl's Final Senatorial Appearance On Weekend News Shows

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Retiring Arizona Senator Jon Kyl has been on his share of the Sunday news shows over the years - not as many as his Arizona colleague, John McCain, but who could top him?  Yesterday was Kyl's final appearance as a Senator, and he again sat next to New York Democrat Chuck Schumer and they went back and forth on the "fiscal cliff" negotiations.

Nothing much newsworthy came out of this discussion.  Here is the video and the transcript:



The entire transcript can be found here, but I have included a couple of the excerpts below the jump.


KARL: Give me your odds. I said 50/50...(CROSSTALK)SCHUMER: I think a little higher than that.KARL: Senator Kyl?KYL: I don't disagree with Chuck. And I also would say that the way you opened the program does not under- or overstate the consequences. If we are not able to reach an agreement, it will be dire. And that's from everybody from the Congressional Budget Office, which is nonpartisan, as you know, to the Fed chairman, probably at least another million jobs lost, an unemployment rate over 9 percent, and putting us back into recession. So responsible people on both sides of the aisle do need to try to come together, and there is a significant effort underway right now.* * *KARL: And let's remember. All the tax cuts are set to expire on January 1st, so I've got to ask you, Senator Kyl, a lot of Republicans, a lot of your colleagues, people you greatly respect have said, you know what, why don't we do $250,000? We've got to do what we can do.Let's take a look. Senator Cornyn, who's going to replace you as the number-two Republican in the Senate, said, "I believe we're going to pass the $250,000 and below sooner or later. We really don't have much leverage there because those rates go up by operation of law December 31st. I would focus on areas we have more leverage."So why would the president agree to raise that limit a dollar when you have so many Republicans that have said, you know what...KYL: I don't think you have "so many Republicans." That was one statement, and the context of it was, what is realistic as a deal, given the president's adamant position that he wouldn't compromise on anything above $200,000?Let's just get back to the theory, because Chuck had it right the first time. The more people you sweep up in this big tax increase, the worst it's going to be for the economy, the worse it's going to be for small business, and most importantly, the worse it's going to be for workers.Let me just point out two interesting statistics. Over half of the dividends paid by corporations go to people 65 years of age and older. In fact, a majority of adult Americans own stock or -- let me just make this point -- so when the dividend rate goes up to 68.6 percent, which is the combined corporate and dividend rate, A, corporations aren't going to pay dividends, and, B, if you are one of those seniors that get a dividend in your retirement, you're going to be taxed 68 percent. And, secondly, the death tax, 55 percent rate...



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WATCH, READ: Arizona's Congressional Delegation's Statements On "Fiscal Cliff" Pullback

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The House of Representatives voted last night, 257-167, to approve the stopgap measure to pull back from some aspects of the so-called "fiscal cliff"; Arizona's delegation voted along party lines, although both Arizona Republican Senators approved it on New Year's Eve.  Roughly one-third of the House Republicans voted to approve it, although none of Arizona's five GOP members did so.


I expected my e-mail box to be full this morning with released statements from our Congressional delegation.  Apparently because of the holiday, however, only Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD5) sent out an e-mail.  Other statements had to be hunted down on Facebook pages or elsewhere.  They are reproducted below.

First, however, Schweikert was on CNN shortly before the vote, decrying the bill that he was being forced to vote on.  Though he pulled back (slightly) from calling it "baloney", he spared no other words:



None of the Arizona delegation spoke on the House floor yesterday.

Although we did not see the details of the increased spending (yet), we did start to look at the bill itself that was passed last night.  The table of contents is below the Representatives' statements.

Rep. Ron Barber (D-CD8):  “We finally took the necessary step to extend tax cuts for more than 98 percent of Americans,” Barber said after tonight’s vote. “But our job is far from over. We again have failed to substantively address our nation’s growing debt and deficit.”
“We owe the American people far better than this,” Barber added. “The dangerous political maneuvers that took us over the cliff are irresponsible and I call on my colleagues to stop the political gamesmanship and come together in a bipartisan manner to finish the job.”“While our debt is increasing by nearly $4 billion per day, we have voted to delay by two months making the common-sense spending cuts that we all know are necessary to give certainty to Americans, to businesses and to our entire economy.”Rep. Paul Gosar (R-CD1): "Tonight I kept my promise to the people of Arizona to make the right choice even when it's not the popular choice. The bill passed tonight raised taxes $41 for every $1 cut; this is not how we get our nation back on track. Those of us who voted for the Budget Control Act which allowed the debt ceiling to raise in exchange for meaningful cuts learned tonight, as President's Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush once learned, that promises for future cuts rarely if ever come. I remain committed to solving our nation’s problems now, not a month from now, not a year from now but now. This “deal” does not do that and therefore I could not vote for it."
Gosar went on to say, "As a healthcare provider I understand the significance of a patient acknowledging that they have a disease. It is only with this recognition that they can fully participate in their own treatment and overcome it. Our nation has developed an illness - out of control spending, borrowing and taxing. Simple economics and common sense give us the cure. However, before we can start treatment for our addiction we as a nation have to recognize that we are sick and be willing to stop. Tonight's vote is a painful reminder that many still aren't willing to see the constant decline in our nations fiscal health and well being."
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-CD6):  "In the twelve years I've been voting in the House, it has been a rare occasion when I have agreed with all aspects of a bill. That's the nature of the legislative process. Sometimes you just have to plug your nose and vote for bills that, on balance, take you in the right direction. I wish I could do that tonight, with what is likely to be my last vote in the House.
"To be sure, this bill has some good parts. It takes what have been temporary tax cuts for the vast majority of taxpayers and makes them permanent. But it fails to address the root of our nation's number one problem - overspending. In fact, it makes the situation far worse. If taxes are going to be raised on anybody, you would think the resulting revenue would be used to address our debt and deficit, not make it worse. Yet that's what we are doing here."I'm voting no."
Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD5):  “Sadly, a new year brings more of the same.  

“Only in Washington would a bill that spends more, taxes more, and creates more debt, without addressing our out-of-control spending be called a ‘balanced approach.’
“Further, this is not a compromise and it certainly does nothing to address our entitlement crisis or the $16 trillion in debt that continues to grow every day.
“Any fix to our economic woes will be nothing more than window dressing until we address our spending problem.
“However bleak this fiscal cliff ‘solution’ may look, I am only more determined to continue to do what Arizonans sent me to Washington to do—fight to reduce the size and cost of government.
“Our fight is just beginning.”
*********Table of Contents of the approved measure:(c) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for2 this Act is as follows:Sec. 1. Short title, etc.TITLE I—GENERAL EXTENSIONSSec. 101. Permanent extension and modification of 2001 tax relief.Sec. 102. Permanent extension and modification of 2003 tax relief.Sec. 103. Extension of 2009 tax relief.Sec. 104. Permanent alternative minimum tax relief.TITLE II—INDIVIDUAL TAX EXTENDERSSec. 201. Extension of deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondaryschool teachers.Sec. 202. Extension of exclusion from gross income of discharge of qualified principalresidence indebtedness.Sec. 203. Extension of parity for exclusion from income for employer-providedmass transit and parking benefits.Sec. 204. Extension of mortgage insurance premiums treated as qualified residenceinterest.Sec. 205. Extension of deduction of State and local general sales taxes.Sec. 206. Extension of special rule for contributions of capital gain real propertymade for conservation purposes.Sec. 207. Extension of above-the-line deduction for qualified tuition and relatedexpenses.Sec. 208. Extension of tax-free distributions from individual retirement plans forcharitable purposes.Sec. 209. Improve and make permanent the provision authorizing the InternalRevenue Service to disclose certain return and return informationto certain prison officials.TITLE III—BUSINESS TAX EXTENDERSSec. 301. Extension and modification of research credit.Sec. 302. Extension of temporary minimum low-income tax credit rate for nonfederallysubsidized new buildings.Sec. 303. Extension of housing allowance exclusion for determining area mediangross income for qualified residential rental project exempt facilitybonds.Sec. 304. Extension of Indian employment tax credit.Sec. 305. Extension of new markets tax credit.Sec. 306. Extension of railroad track maintenance credit.Sec. 307. Extension of mine rescue team training credit.Sec. 308. Extension of employer wage credit for employees who are active dutymembers of the uniformed services.Sec. 309. Extension of work opportunity tax credit.Sec. 310. Extension of qualified zone academy bonds.Sec. 311. Extension of 15-year straight-line cost recovery for qualified leaseholdimprovements, qualified restaurant buildings and improvements,and qualified retail improvements.Sec. 312. Extension of 7-year recovery period for motorsports entertainment complexes.3† HR 8 EASSec. 313. Extension of accelerated depreciation for business property on an Indianreservation.Sec. 314. Extension of enhanced charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory.Sec. 315. Extension of increased expensing limitations and treatment of certainreal property as section 179 property.Sec. 316. Extension of election to expense mine safety equipment.Sec. 317. Extension of special expensing rules for certain film and television productions.Sec. 318. Extension of deduction allowable with respect to income attributable todomestic production activities in Puerto Rico.Sec. 319. Extension of modification of tax treatment of certain payments to controllingexempt organizations.Sec. 320. Extension of treatment of certain dividends of regulated investmentcompanies.Sec. 321. Extension of RIC qualified investment entity treatment under FIRPTA.Sec. 322. Extension of subpart F exception for active financing income.Sec. 323. Extension of look-thru treatment of payments between related controlledforeign corporations under foreign personal holding companyrules.Sec. 324. Extension of temporary exclusion of 100 percent of gain on certainsmall business stock.Sec. 325. Extension of basis adjustment to stock of S corporations making charitablecontributions of property.Sec. 326. Extension of reduction in S-corporation recognition period for built-ingains tax.Sec. 327. Extension of empowerment zone tax incentives.Sec. 328. Extension of tax-exempt financing for New York Liberty Zone.Sec. 329. Extension of temporary increase in limit on cover over of rum excisetaxes to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.Sec. 330. Modification and extension of American Samoa economic developmentcredit.Sec. 331. Extension and modification of bonus depreciation.TITLE IV—ENERGY TAX EXTENDERSSec. 401. Extension of credit for energy-efficient existing homes.Sec. 402. Extension of credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property.Sec. 403. Extension of credit for 2- or 3-wheeled plug-in electric vehicles.Sec. 404. Extension and modification of cellulosic biofuel producer credit.Sec. 405. Extension of incentives for biodiesel and renewable diesel.Sec. 406. Extension of production credit for Indian coal facilities placed in servicebefore 2009.Sec. 407. Extension and modification of credits with respect to facilities producingenergy from certain renewable resources.Sec. 408. Extension of credit for energy-efficient new homes.Sec. 409. Extension of credit for energy-efficient appliances.Sec. 410. Extension and modification of special allowance for cellulosic biofuelplant property.Sec. 411. Extension of special rule for sales or dispositions to implement FERCor State electric restructuring policy for qualified electric utilities.Sec. 412. Extension of alternative fuels excise tax credits.4† HR 8 EASTITLE V—UNEMPLOYMENTSec. 501. Extension of emergency unemployment compensation program.Sec. 502. Temporary extension of extended benefit provisions.Sec. 503. Extension of funding for reemployment services and reemployment andeligibility assessment activities.Sec. 504. Additional extended unemployment benefits under the Railroad UnemploymentInsurance Act.TITLE VI—MEDICARE AND OTHER HEALTH EXTENSIONSSubtitle A—Medicare ExtensionsSec. 601. Medicare physician payment update.Sec. 602. Work geographic adjustment.Sec. 603. Payment for outpatient therapy services.Sec. 604. Ambulance add-on payments.Sec. 605. Extension of Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for lowvolumehospitals.Sec. 606. Extension of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program.Sec. 607. Extension for specialized Medicare Advantage plans for special needsindividuals.Sec. 608. Extension of Medicare reasonable cost contracts.Sec. 609. Performance improvement.Sec. 610. Extension of funding outreach and assistance for low-income programs.Subtitle B—Other Health ExtensionsSec. 621. Extension of the qualifying individual (QI) program.Sec. 622. Extension of Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA).Sec. 623. Extension of Medicaid and CHIP Express Lane option.Sec. 624. Extension of family-to-family health information centers.Sec. 625. Extension of Special Diabetes Program for Type I diabetes and for Indians.Subtitle C—Other Health ProvisionsSec. 631. IPPS documentation and coding adjustment for implementation of MSDRGs.Sec. 632. Revisions to the Medicare ESRD bundled payment system to reflectfindings in the GAO report.Sec. 633. Treatment of multiple service payment policies for therapy services.Sec. 634. Payment for certain radiology services furnished under the Medicarehospital outpatient department prospective payment system.Sec. 635. Adjustment of equipment utilization rate for advanced imaging services.Sec. 636. Medicare payment of competitive prices for diabetic supplies and eliminationof overpayment for diabetic supplies.Sec. 637. Medicare payment adjustment for non-emergency ambulance transportsfor ESRD beneficiaries.Sec. 638. Removing obstacles to collection of overpayments.Sec. 639. Medicare advantage coding intensity adjustment.Sec. 640. Elimination of all funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund.Sec. 641. Rebasing of State DSH allotments.Sec. 642. Repeal of CLASS program.Sec. 643. Commission on Long-Term Care.Sec. 644. Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan program contingency fund.5† HR 8 EASTITLE VII—EXTENSION OF AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMSSec. 701. 1-year extension of agricultural programs.Sec. 702. Supplemental agricultural disaster assistance.TITLE VIII—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONSSec. 801. Strategic delivery systems.Sec. 802. No cost of living adjustment in pay of members of congress.TITLE IX—BUDGET PROVISIONSSubtitle A—Modifications of SequestrationSec. 901. Treatment of sequester.Sec. 902. Amounts in applicable retirement plans may be transferred to designatedRoth accounts without distribution.Subtitle B—Budgetary EffectsSec. 911. Budgetary effects.

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Gabby Giffords, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Meet, Discuss Gun Regulations

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Retired Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, retired Cpt. Mark Kelly, met briefly yesterday with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, apparently to discuss gun regulations in the wake of recent shooting sprees.   Bloomberg has been an outspoken proponent of additional regulations and heads up Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and his office released a photo from the meeting.

The New York Post first reported on the meeting, which took place yesterday afternoon.  Of course, Giffords was the primary target of well-armed Jared Loughner two years ago, and Loughner killed six people and wounded 12 that fateful January 8.

Giffords retired from Congress to focus on her recovery, and has made limited public appearances since.  Giffords and Kelly did express their strong disappointment with the NRA's recent response to the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.  On December 21, Kelly posted the following on his Facebook page:

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WATCH: Rep. Flake's House Farewell Speech, Says Congress At Its Best Is Often Late At Night

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Arizona Rep.-today-becoming-Senator Jeff Flake (R-CD6) delivered his House farewell speech on December 20, 2012.  (Arizona's Politics blames the holidays for not having found and posted this sooner.)

He lamented that more people do not see the genuine moments of debate and persuasion, noting that those moments "frequently happen(s) late at night when members are less concerned about whether folks are watching at home; I wish more people would tune in during such non-scripted discussions. It represents Congress at its best."

Flake also noted that he - like many in the House - used to refer to the Senate Chamber as "enemy territory", and that he will now have to repent for that. "But, at least my penance will be practiced during a six-year term," he joked to an audience of a few House members serving two-year terms.



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Arizona Rep. Kyrsten Sinema Getting Lots Of National Attention

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The new/old Arizona members of the House of Representatives are about to get sworn in.  And, though returning Reps. Matt Salmon (R-CD5) and Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1) - two of only eight people to be making a return to the House this year - are getting their share of attention from the media, so is freshman Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-CD9).

I heard Sinema on NPR's Talk of the Nation program yesterday, along with another incoming Democrat and Republican.  She often stood out during that 17-minute panel discussion, with direct and humorous answers.  (Audio below, interview begins at approximately the 13-minute mark.)


Yesterday, she also received the full-length profile treatment from the Washington Post.

It could be an interesting session for Arizona politics watchers.


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WATCH, READ: Arizona's Congressional Delegation's Statements On "Fiscal Cliff" Pullback

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The House of Representatives voted last night, 257-167, to approve the stopgap measure to pull back from some aspects of the so-called "fiscal cliff"; Arizona's delegation voted along party lines, although both Arizona Republican Senators approved it on New Year's Eve.  Roughly one-third of the House Republicans voted to approve it, although none of Arizona's five GOP members did so.


I expected my e-mail box to be full this morning with released statements from our Congressional delegation.  Apparently because of the holiday, however, only Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD5) sent out an e-mail.  Other statements had to be hunted down on Facebook pages or elsewhere.  They are reproducted below.

First, however, Schweikert was on CNN shortly before the vote, decrying the bill that he was being forced to vote on.  Though he pulled back (slightly) from calling it "baloney", he spared no other words:



None of the Arizona delegation spoke on the House floor yesterday.

Although we did not see the details of the increased spending (yet), we did start to look at the bill itself that was passed last night.  The table of contents is below the Representatives' statements.

Rep. Ron Barber (D-CD8):  “We finally took the necessary step to extend tax cuts for more than 98 percent of Americans,” Barber said after tonight’s vote. “But our job is far from over. We again have failed to substantively address our nation’s growing debt and deficit.”
“We owe the American people far better than this,” Barber added. “The dangerous political maneuvers that took us over the cliff are irresponsible and I call on my colleagues to stop the political gamesmanship and come together in a bipartisan manner to finish the job.”“While our debt is increasing by nearly $4 billion per day, we have voted to delay by two months making the common-sense spending cuts that we all know are necessary to give certainty to Americans, to businesses and to our entire economy.”Rep. Paul Gosar (R-CD1): "Tonight I kept my promise to the people of Arizona to make the right choice even when it's not the popular choice. The bill passed tonight raised taxes $41 for every $1 cut; this is not how we get our nation back on track. Those of us who voted for the Budget Control Act which allowed the debt ceiling to raise in exchange for meaningful cuts learned tonight, as President's Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush once learned, that promises for future cuts rarely if ever come. I remain committed to solving our nation’s problems now, not a month from now, not a year from now but now. This “deal” does not do that and therefore I could not vote for it."
Gosar went on to say, "As a healthcare provider I understand the significance of a patient acknowledging that they have a disease. It is only with this recognition that they can fully participate in their own treatment and overcome it. Our nation has developed an illness - out of control spending, borrowing and taxing. Simple economics and common sense give us the cure. However, before we can start treatment for our addiction we as a nation have to recognize that we are sick and be willing to stop. Tonight's vote is a painful reminder that many still aren't willing to see the constant decline in our nations fiscal health and well being."
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-CD6):  "In the twelve years I've been voting in the House, it has been a rare occasion when I have agreed with all aspects of a bill. That's the nature of the legislative process. Sometimes you just have to plug your nose and vote for bills that, on balance, take you in the right direction. I wish I could do that tonight, with what is likely to be my last vote in the House.
"To be sure, this bill has some good parts. It takes what have been temporary tax cuts for the vast majority of taxpayers and makes them permanent. But it fails to address the root of our nation's number one problem - overspending. In fact, it makes the situation far worse. If taxes are going to be raised on anybody, you would think the resulting revenue would be used to address our debt and deficit, not make it worse. Yet that's what we are doing here."I'm voting no."
Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD5):  “Sadly, a new year brings more of the same.  

“Only in Washington would a bill that spends more, taxes more, and creates more debt, without addressing our out-of-control spending be called a ‘balanced approach.’
“Further, this is not a compromise and it certainly does nothing to address our entitlement crisis or the $16 trillion in debt that continues to grow every day.
“Any fix to our economic woes will be nothing more than window dressing until we address our spending problem.
“However bleak this fiscal cliff ‘solution’ may look, I am only more determined to continue to do what Arizonans sent me to Washington to do—fight to reduce the size and cost of government.
“Our fight is just beginning.”
*********Table of Contents of the approved measure:(c) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for2 this Act is as follows:Sec. 1. Short title, etc.TITLE I—GENERAL EXTENSIONSSec. 101. Permanent extension and modification of 2001 tax relief.Sec. 102. Permanent extension and modification of 2003 tax relief.Sec. 103. Extension of 2009 tax relief.Sec. 104. Permanent alternative minimum tax relief.TITLE II—INDIVIDUAL TAX EXTENDERSSec. 201. Extension of deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondaryschool teachers.Sec. 202. Extension of exclusion from gross income of discharge of qualified principalresidence indebtedness.Sec. 203. Extension of parity for exclusion from income for employer-providedmass transit and parking benefits.Sec. 204. Extension of mortgage insurance premiums treated as qualified residenceinterest.Sec. 205. Extension of deduction of State and local general sales taxes.Sec. 206. Extension of special rule for contributions of capital gain real propertymade for conservation purposes.Sec. 207. Extension of above-the-line deduction for qualified tuition and relatedexpenses.Sec. 208. Extension of tax-free distributions from individual retirement plans forcharitable purposes.Sec. 209. Improve and make permanent the provision authorizing the InternalRevenue Service to disclose certain return and return informationto certain prison officials.TITLE III—BUSINESS TAX EXTENDERSSec. 301. Extension and modification of research credit.Sec. 302. Extension of temporary minimum low-income tax credit rate for nonfederallysubsidized new buildings.Sec. 303. Extension of housing allowance exclusion for determining area mediangross income for qualified residential rental project exempt facilitybonds.Sec. 304. Extension of Indian employment tax credit.Sec. 305. Extension of new markets tax credit.Sec. 306. Extension of railroad track maintenance credit.Sec. 307. Extension of mine rescue team training credit.Sec. 308. Extension of employer wage credit for employees who are active dutymembers of the uniformed services.Sec. 309. Extension of work opportunity tax credit.Sec. 310. Extension of qualified zone academy bonds.Sec. 311. Extension of 15-year straight-line cost recovery for qualified leaseholdimprovements, qualified restaurant buildings and improvements,and qualified retail improvements.Sec. 312. Extension of 7-year recovery period for motorsports entertainment complexes.3† HR 8 EASSec. 313. Extension of accelerated depreciation for business property on an Indianreservation.Sec. 314. Extension of enhanced charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory.Sec. 315. Extension of increased expensing limitations and treatment of certainreal property as section 179 property.Sec. 316. Extension of election to expense mine safety equipment.Sec. 317. Extension of special expensing rules for certain film and television productions.Sec. 318. Extension of deduction allowable with respect to income attributable todomestic production activities in Puerto Rico.Sec. 319. Extension of modification of tax treatment of certain payments to controllingexempt organizations.Sec. 320. Extension of treatment of certain dividends of regulated investmentcompanies.Sec. 321. Extension of RIC qualified investment entity treatment under FIRPTA.Sec. 322. Extension of subpart F exception for active financing income.Sec. 323. Extension of look-thru treatment of payments between related controlledforeign corporations under foreign personal holding companyrules.Sec. 324. Extension of temporary exclusion of 100 percent of gain on certainsmall business stock.Sec. 325. Extension of basis adjustment to stock of S corporations making charitablecontributions of property.Sec. 326. Extension of reduction in S-corporation recognition period for built-ingains tax.Sec. 327. Extension of empowerment zone tax incentives.Sec. 328. Extension of tax-exempt financing for New York Liberty Zone.Sec. 329. Extension of temporary increase in limit on cover over of rum excisetaxes to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.Sec. 330. Modification and extension of American Samoa economic developmentcredit.Sec. 331. Extension and modification of bonus depreciation.TITLE IV—ENERGY TAX EXTENDERSSec. 401. Extension of credit for energy-efficient existing homes.Sec. 402. Extension of credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property.Sec. 403. Extension of credit for 2- or 3-wheeled plug-in electric vehicles.Sec. 404. Extension and modification of cellulosic biofuel producer credit.Sec. 405. Extension of incentives for biodiesel and renewable diesel.Sec. 406. Extension of production credit for Indian coal facilities placed in servicebefore 2009.Sec. 407. Extension and modification of credits with respect to facilities producingenergy from certain renewable resources.Sec. 408. Extension of credit for energy-efficient new homes.Sec. 409. Extension of credit for energy-efficient appliances.Sec. 410. Extension and modification of special allowance for cellulosic biofuelplant property.Sec. 411. Extension of special rule for sales or dispositions to implement FERCor State electric restructuring policy for qualified electric utilities.Sec. 412. Extension of alternative fuels excise tax credits.4† HR 8 EASTITLE V—UNEMPLOYMENTSec. 501. Extension of emergency unemployment compensation program.Sec. 502. Temporary extension of extended benefit provisions.Sec. 503. Extension of funding for reemployment services and reemployment andeligibility assessment activities.Sec. 504. Additional extended unemployment benefits under the Railroad UnemploymentInsurance Act.TITLE VI—MEDICARE AND OTHER HEALTH EXTENSIONSSubtitle A—Medicare ExtensionsSec. 601. Medicare physician payment update.Sec. 602. Work geographic adjustment.Sec. 603. Payment for outpatient therapy services.Sec. 604. Ambulance add-on payments.Sec. 605. Extension of Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for lowvolumehospitals.Sec. 606. Extension of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program.Sec. 607. Extension for specialized Medicare Advantage plans for special needsindividuals.Sec. 608. Extension of Medicare reasonable cost contracts.Sec. 609. Performance improvement.Sec. 610. Extension of funding outreach and assistance for low-income programs.Subtitle B—Other Health ExtensionsSec. 621. Extension of the qualifying individual (QI) program.Sec. 622. Extension of Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA).Sec. 623. Extension of Medicaid and CHIP Express Lane option.Sec. 624. Extension of family-to-family health information centers.Sec. 625. Extension of Special Diabetes Program for Type I diabetes and for Indians.Subtitle C—Other Health ProvisionsSec. 631. IPPS documentation and coding adjustment for implementation of MSDRGs.Sec. 632. Revisions to the Medicare ESRD bundled payment system to reflectfindings in the GAO report.Sec. 633. Treatment of multiple service payment policies for therapy services.Sec. 634. Payment for certain radiology services furnished under the Medicarehospital outpatient department prospective payment system.Sec. 635. Adjustment of equipment utilization rate for advanced imaging services.Sec. 636. Medicare payment of competitive prices for diabetic supplies and eliminationof overpayment for diabetic supplies.Sec. 637. Medicare payment adjustment for non-emergency ambulance transportsfor ESRD beneficiaries.Sec. 638. Removing obstacles to collection of overpayments.Sec. 639. Medicare advantage coding intensity adjustment.Sec. 640. Elimination of all funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund.Sec. 641. Rebasing of State DSH allotments.Sec. 642. Repeal of CLASS program.Sec. 643. Commission on Long-Term Care.Sec. 644. Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan program contingency fund.5† HR 8 EASTITLE VII—EXTENSION OF AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMSSec. 701. 1-year extension of agricultural programs.Sec. 702. Supplemental agricultural disaster assistance.TITLE VIII—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONSSec. 801. Strategic delivery systems.Sec. 802. No cost of living adjustment in pay of members of congress.TITLE IX—BUDGET PROVISIONSSubtitle A—Modifications of SequestrationSec. 901. Treatment of sequester.Sec. 902. Amounts in applicable retirement plans may be transferred to designatedRoth accounts without distribution.Subtitle B—Budgetary EffectsSec. 911. Budgetary effects.

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READ: U.S. Budget Deficit To Go Up More This Year; CBO Analysis Of "Fiscal Cliff" Pullback Legislation

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The U.S. federal budget deficit will increase approximately $330 Billion this year (and $4 Trillion over next ten years) as a result of yesterday's pullback from the so-called "fiscal cliff", according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

The lion's share ($207 Billion this year) of that is due to the extension of the "Bush tax cuts" for those earning under $400,000/450,000.  However, the other sections of the pullback bill cost a lot of money:  extensions of business tax credits will add $63.0 Billion to this year's deficit, extending unemployment compensation benefits will add $22.4 Billion, preventing cuts in payments to physicians for Medicare payments adds $10.6 Billion, and other health-related expenditures adds $13.0 Billion.

http://1.usa.gov/TwvLhW

Here is a copy of the bill.


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Rep. Schweikert Believes Fiscal Cliff Pullback Measure Is Step In The Wrong Direction

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Earlier, Arizona's Politics posted Arizona Rep. David Schweikert's CNN interview from last night and his statement about the measure that passed the House of Representatives without his vote (nor the votes of Arizona's other four GOP members).  He focused on the unbalanced nature of the deal and the spending nature of it.  We contacted Schweikert's office to get more details; he believes that this was not a "stopgap" or a "first step", but actually "a step in the wrong direction".

Since most news coverage has focused on the portion regarding the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts, Arizona's Politics decided to dig a bit deeper.  In addition to publishing the Table of Contents to the actual bill in the initial post, we posted  the analysis of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office and contacted Congressman Schweikert's office.

The CBO analysis does indeed give more details on how much the spending side was impacted, with an increase of $50 Billion this year ($332B over 10 years) over what was planned to be spent.  Much of that is short term increased spending on preventing cuts to physicians for Medicare payments and extending unemployment benefits. (What is still unclear to Arizona's Politics and needs further digging is how much revenue was raised in the pullback deal by allowing temporary Bush-era tax cuts to expire on those earning over $400,000/450,000, as well as other revenue increases.)

Schweikert's spokesperson, Rachel Semmel, declined to say - without checking with the Congressman first - which of the spending measures in yesterday's bill he would vote against on an individual basis.  However, taken as a whole, she noted that this "did nothng to solve our debt crisis."  When asked whether Schweikert thought that it was at least a first step, or even a stopgap measure, she stated that he would not and that "David would say it is a step in the wrong direction."  He believes that the deal should have been "addressing spending and curbing entitlement spending", the real problems.


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WATCH, LISTEN: Rep.-Soon-To-Be-Senator Flake Said "Fiscal Cliff" Pullback Needed To Pass Before Voting "Nay"

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In further searches (in between snatches of real work) for reactions by Arizona's Congressional delegation, I came across this Channel 9 (Tucson) report from yesterday in which reporter Craig Smith reached Reps. Jeff Flake (R-CD6) and Raul Grijalva (D-CD7) shortly before last night's vote.  Flake, who will become one of Arizona's two Senators tomorrow, indicated his issues with the "fiscal cliff pullback" deal, but said that it needs to pass.  With that, he voted against it.



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DOJ Gave Millions to Illegal Alien 'Sanctuaries,' Report Finds

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DOJ Gave Millions to Illegal Immigrant 'Sanctuaries,' Report Finds

The Department of Justice has spent tens of millions of dollars this year to compensate more than two dozen states, counties and cities for their costs of jailing illegal immigrants -- even though those communities have adopted policies that obstruct immigration enforcement, according to a recently released report.

"Subsidizing Sanctuaries: The State Criminal Alien Assistance Program," a report from the Center for Immigration Studies, found that the federal grant program commonly known as SCAAP allocated $62.2 million -- more than 15 percent of its $400 million total -- to 27 jurisdictions that are widely considered to be "sanctuary communities."

Some of those jurisdictions -- including San Francisco, Chicago and California's Santa Clara County -- are even trying to opt-out of Secure Communities, a program that automatically alerts Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials when criminal illegal immigrants are booked into jail, according to the report.

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies and a co-author of the report, said that the grant system as currently structured makes little sense.

"Basically, the federal government is subsidizing through this grant program jurisdictions that on the one hand are complaining about the cost of illegal immigration and demanding reimbursement from the federal government, while at the same time they have policies in place that make their locality a magnet for illegal aliens," Vaughan told FoxNews.com.

"And that's just illogical," she said.

According to Department of Justice figures cited in the report, five of the top 10 SCAAP grants to localities and two of the top 10 grants to states went to jurisdictions that are considered sanctuaries. That includes $14.2 million to Los Angeles County, $13.4 million to New York City and $88 million to the state of California.

Rather than award SCAAP grants to jurisdictions that incur costs of incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens, Vaughan said federal officials should use the grant program as an incentive for communities to participate in immigration enforcement programs like Secure Communities or the 287(g) program, which trains deputies to check the immigration status of individuals they arrest and has identified more than 180,000 illegal immigrants for deportation nationwide
since 2006.

In a statement obtained by FoxNews.com, U.S. Rep. Gary Miller, R-Calif., said he disagreed with funding sanctuary cities using SCAAP grants and called on the Obama administration to take action.

"In its lawsuit challenging the Arizona immigration law, the Obama administration claims that the law creates a patchwork of immigration enforcement," Miller's statement read. "If this is the case, then the Obama administration should also sue sanctuary cities, for their policies are arguably a 'patchwork' of immigration enforcement as well. It is time for the administration to end its double standard."

To that end, Miller has authored legislation -- the Loophole Elimination and Verification Enforcement Act, or LEAVE -- that would prohibit sanctuary communities from receiving both Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security funds.

"I hope the next Congress will take up this commonsense proposal and penalize sanctuary cities for their irresponsible policies," Miller's statement concluded.

In a statement to FoxNews.com, the Department of Justice said it administers the SCAAP grants in accordance with legislation authorizing the program and passed by Congress.

"Funding under this program is provided to any eligible jurisdiction that incurs costs associated with detaining criminal aliens," the statement read. "SCAAP does not inhibit, but rather supports the accountability process by reimbursing local agency costs for detaining illegal aliens who commit crimes."

The statement continued, "Making any jurisdiction ineligible for these funds could have an unintended consequence -- creating a disincentive to detain criminals who are greater flight risks and pose a danger to our communities. The Department of Justice is committed to providing support to our state and local partners to protect the safety of communities."

Bob Dane, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform
, suggested that the number of sanctuary communities would reduce significantly if the DOJ grants were discontinued.

"One of the best fixes is to deny state and federal funding to the places that harbor illegal aliens," Dane said. "The entire country is slowly but surely moving from a sanctuary mentality to a 'fix it' mentality, but you've got these remaining pockets of resistance, many of them in big cities."

Dane continued, "You hit 'em where it hurts, in the wallet, and maybe they'll get it. We're reimbursing cities for a problem of their own making."

Source - http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/11/12/doj-gave-millions-sanctuary-communities-report-finds/

On The President's Desk: Allowing Pascua Yaqui Tribe To Determine Its Membership

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A measure sponsored by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-CD7) (and co-sponsored by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-CD1-->CD4) has made it to the President's desk, and will permit the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to determine its own membership.

H.R. 4413 is a one sentence resolution amending federal law "To allow the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to determine the requirements for membership in that tribe."  It removes the previous language that set forth four different clauses, and states that "membership of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe shall consist of any United States citizen of Pascua Yaqui blood enrolled by the tribe."

The Pascua Yaqui Tribe has a small amount of land in Pima County and has a number of members living in the Phoenix-area community of Guadalupe.  They recently celebrated the 34th anniversary of the U.S. government's recognition of their tribe.

It is expected that President Obama will sign the measure shortly.

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WATCH: Sen. Jon Kyl's Retirement Speech On Senate Floor Today; "It IS Difficult To Say Goodbye"

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Retiring Arizona Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) gave his valedictory speech on the Senate floor this afternoon.   He finished by saying that "It's been an honor, really the privilege of a lifetime, to serve, and it IS difficult to say goodbye.  But I will depart Capitol Hill with enormous faith in the American people, a profound appreciation for the miracle of the American republic and a resilient optimism in America's future."

Kyl served three terms (18 years) representing Arizona in the U.S. Senate, and has been the Republicans' Minority Whip since 2008.




By the way, the Senator spoke for almost exactly 30 minutes.

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WATCH: McCain On Benghazi Report, Hillary Not There Because She's Physically Unable

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Arizona Senator John McCain sat down yesterday with his most-frequent interviewer, Fox News' Greta Van Susteren, and discussed the Benghazi Accountability report.  The Senate Foreign Relations Committee met yesterday and this morning on the report.

McCain told Van Susteren that he has never known Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to back down from a fight and that he believes that she is not testifying this week because she is legitimately physically unable to do so.



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HERE WE GO AGAIN!?!: New Senator Follows Obama's Footsteps

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How long 'til we see non-ironic mentions of this, with demands for birth certificates and college transcripts, and whispers of Manchurian candidates?  Hawaii's new U.S. Senator, Brian Schatz (D), has these similarities with the current President.

1) Midwestern roots. Schatz born in Michigan, Obama's mother from Kansas.
2) Grew up in Hawaii.  BOTH attended same independent school there, Punahou School.
3) Went to college in California.  Only part of the time for Obama.)
4) Visited Kenya!!!
5) Schatz worked in non-profit sector, Obama was community organizer.
6) State legislative experience.
7) Got to U.S. Senate in non-traditional way. Obama in election where Democratic and Republican front-runners (former Senator and incumbent, respectively) withdrew. Schatz named by Governor.
8)  Abrahamic faiths. Obama is Christian who is sometimes accused of being a Muslim.  Schatz is Jewish.

One can only imagine what Schatz and Obama are plotting TOGETHER on Air Force One tonight!!!  (Hmm, if Schatz runs in 2016, he would have spent the same amount of time in the Senate as Obama did.)

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WATCH: Kyl's Final Senatorial Appearance On Weekend News Shows

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Retiring Arizona Senator Jon Kyl has been on his share of the Sunday news shows over the years - not as many as his Arizona colleague, John McCain, but who could top him?  Yesterday was Kyl's final appearance as a Senator, and he again sat next to New York Democrat Chuck Schumer and they went back and forth on the "fiscal cliff" negotiations.

Nothing much newsworthy came out of this discussion.  Here is the video and the transcript:



The entire transcript can be found here, but I have included a couple of the excerpts below the jump.


KARL: Give me your odds. I said 50/50...(CROSSTALK)SCHUMER: I think a little higher than that.KARL: Senator Kyl?KYL: I don't disagree with Chuck. And I also would say that the way you opened the program does not under- or overstate the consequences. If we are not able to reach an agreement, it will be dire. And that's from everybody from the Congressional Budget Office, which is nonpartisan, as you know, to the Fed chairman, probably at least another million jobs lost, an unemployment rate over 9 percent, and putting us back into recession. So responsible people on both sides of the aisle do need to try to come together, and there is a significant effort underway right now.* * *KARL: And let's remember. All the tax cuts are set to expire on January 1st, so I've got to ask you, Senator Kyl, a lot of Republicans, a lot of your colleagues, people you greatly respect have said, you know what, why don't we do $250,000? We've got to do what we can do.Let's take a look. Senator Cornyn, who's going to replace you as the number-two Republican in the Senate, said, "I believe we're going to pass the $250,000 and below sooner or later. We really don't have much leverage there because those rates go up by operation of law December 31st. I would focus on areas we have more leverage."So why would the president agree to raise that limit a dollar when you have so many Republicans that have said, you know what...KYL: I don't think you have "so many Republicans." That was one statement, and the context of it was, what is realistic as a deal, given the president's adamant position that he wouldn't compromise on anything above $200,000?Let's just get back to the theory, because Chuck had it right the first time. The more people you sweep up in this big tax increase, the worst it's going to be for the economy, the worse it's going to be for small business, and most importantly, the worse it's going to be for workers.Let me just point out two interesting statistics. Over half of the dividends paid by corporations go to people 65 years of age and older. In fact, a majority of adult Americans own stock or -- let me just make this point -- so when the dividend rate goes up to 68.6 percent, which is the combined corporate and dividend rate, A, corporations aren't going to pay dividends, and, B, if you are one of those seniors that get a dividend in your retirement, you're going to be taxed 68 percent. And, secondly, the death tax, 55 percent rate...



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