House and Senate finalize work Before August Recess
Today
As the Congressional August recess approaches, the House and Senate finalize work on their legislative agendas. First, House members deal with two bills in response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The bills seek to overhaul offshore drilling regulations and extends whistleblower protections to oil and gas workers on the outer continental shelf. Once the House completes its work, members will recess until September 14th.
Before the Senate adjourns for break, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has scheduled debate on U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens and become the fourth female Justice in the Supreme Court's history. The Senate is expected to be in session until the end of next week.
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President: “Auto Companies Have Added 55K Jobs Since Last June”
Today
President Obama spoke from a Chrysler plant in Detroit earlier today, where he discussed the auto industry’s progress since the federal bailout last year. He referred to the Commerce Department quarterly report on the GDP, specifically highlighting that auto companies added 55,000 jobs since last June. Later today he plans to visit a Chrysler plant.
The White House indicated in a report yesterday that a failure to rescue GM and Chrysler would have led to the loss of nearly 1.1 million jobs. In the strongest year of industry job growth since 1999, they have added 55,000 jobs since the bankruptcies. The president has reassured taxpayers that “we are going to get back all the money that we invested in those car companies.”
David Welch of Bloomberg Businessweek joined the Washington Journal this morning to discuss the federal government’s assistance of select U.S. automakers.
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