Today in Politics
Democrats Fret as Lynch Nomination Languishes
Good Thursday morning from Washington, where Hillary Rodham Clinton set the Internet aflutter with a late-night tweet saying that she wanted the public to see her emails and that she had asked the State Department to release them. The Supreme Court is again considering the future of the Affordable Care Act, and we look at whether this is the last hope for Republican dreams of dismantling the law. But first up, after months of limbo, Democrats are more than ready to get a move on with Loretta E. Lynch’s confirmation as attorney general.
Senate Democrats are increasingly alarmed about the fate of Ms. Lynch, with no announced plans for floor consideration of her nomination as attorney general and just the bare minimum number of Republicans necessary for confirmation expressing support for her.
Republicans say opposition to Ms. Lynch has grown since a January confirmation hearing where she defended President Obama‘s actions on immigration, indicating that Republicans see a vote against her as a way to vent frustration over the president’s moves.
Senator Susan Collins of Maine intends to back Ms. Lynch, joining three other Republicans on the Judiciary Committee who supported her. If all 46 Democrats back her, that gives Ms. Lynch 50 votes, with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as a potential tiebreaker in her favor. Supporters of Ms. Lynch want a stronger showing and are holding out hope for backing from Republicans such as Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who said she remained undecided.
Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, has given no indication of when he intends to bring the nomination to the floor, though his aides say she is assured of a vote at some point.
Hoping to spur action, Democrats are stepping up their push for a resolution on Ms. Lynch, who would be the nation’s first African-American, female attorney general. Senators Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont and Charles E. Schumer of New York are circulating a letter to Mr. McConnell saying that Democrats are “troubled that her nomination continues to languish.”
“There is simply no credible reason for further delay,” it says.
— Carl Hulse
Stay tuned throughout the day @NYTpolitics for First Draft updates
Is Health Law Hearing a Last Hope for Republicans?
For all the damage that a loss in the Supreme Court would do to President Obama‘s health care law, a White House win might cause even more pain for his Republican adversaries.
For years, conservatives have raged against the Affordable Care Act, seeking any way possible to repeal what is likely to be Mr. Obama’s signature domestic accomplishment. They have voted more than 50 times to legislate it out of existence. And they have sought help from the judicial branch, only to be rejected by the Supreme Court in their first challenge, in 2012.
Now, the fate of the law once again rests with the nine justices, who heard arguments from both sides on Wednesday. The court appeared to be split on the issue, but the observers said the justices were tough in grilling the lawyers who are challenging the law.
If conservatives lose for a second time in the highest court, it would be a blow to the movement against the Affordable Care Act. It would signal that the court is in no mood to get rid of the health law and would force the conservative legal movement back to the drawing board.
Republican lawmakers are still fashioning plans to overhaul the Affordable Care Act, perhaps with the hope that 2016 brings a Republican president who would actually sign such legislation. And Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio is still pursuing a lawsuit claiming that Mr. Obama exceeded his authority by unilaterally changing the timeline for its execution.
Michael S. Greve, a law professor at George Mason University, said he and his colleagues wouldn’t give up if they came up short again at the Supreme Court. “In any law that size, there are bound to be things nobody has seen,” he said. “Those shoes, too, might well drop.”
But execution of the law, which already provides health insurance for 11.5 million people, would march on. For Mr. Obama, the rewards of the court case could be as large as the risks.
— Michael D. Shear
Awaiting Ruling, G.O.P. Seeks Health Act Alternatives
The legal campaign to destroy the Affordable Care Act may be nearing the end of the road, but the Republican legislative search for a viable replacement appears to be finally gaining steam.
Senior Republicans in Congress — hoping for a Supreme Court decision in King v. Burwell that would force the issue — have begun uniting around serious ideas that are likely to live beyond the Supreme Court’s final judgment. Those plans would not cover as many uninsured as the Affordable Care Act, but that is not necessarily the point. Where Democrats have long emphasized expanding coverage, Republicans have stressed lowering cost.
On Monday, Representatives Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, Fred Upton of Michigan and John Kline of Minnesota, the chairmen of the committees that control health policy, proposed in The Wall Street Journal what they called an “off ramp” from the Affordable Care Act. States would be able to opt out of its individual and employer coverage mandates, and insurance policies would no longer have to meet the minimum standards the law sets.
But the House plan would maintain generous tax credits for the purchase of private insurance policies, including “refundable” tax credits for those who earn too little to owe income taxes. The three would keep the Affordable Care Act’s most popular elements: allowing children to stay on their parents’ policies until age 26, prohibiting lifetime coverage limits and protecting people with existing health problems.
In the Senate, Republicans are rallying around an even broader health proposal written by Senators Orrin G. Hatch of Utah and Richard M. Burr of North Carolina. Even a freshman, Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, took to The Journal’s editorial page to propose a major expansion of Cobra to ensure that people do not lose insurance coverage if the Supreme Court decides against the administration.
“Republicans need to unify around a specific set of constructive, longer-term solutions, and then turn the 2016 presidential election into a referendum on two competing visions of health care,” he wrote. “Simply opposing Obamacare isn’t enough. Republicans must address this country’s health care crises: cost and uninsurance.”
Through the magic of congressional budget rules, known as reconciliation, large parts of the emerging Republican plans could be passed by Congress with a simple majority. President Obama would still be able to veto the legislation, but if Republicans are ready to legislate, their majorities in both houses could give them the tools.
— Jonathan Weisman
Bulletins: Clinton Emails, Rubio Skips Iowa, Van Hollen Runs
Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Twitter that she had asked the State Department to release tens of thousands of work-related emails that she sent from her personal email account when she was secretary of state. She asked the department to prepare the release so it could determine whether parts should be redacted because they contain information that could be damaging to national security.While attention around Mrs. Clinton has been focused on her email use, her team quietly brought on a new lawyer for her campaign-in-waiting two months ago.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida withdrew from an agriculture forum in Iowa planned for Saturday, one of the largest gatherings of Republican 2016 presidential hopefuls so far, reducing the R.S.V.P.s from 11. Mr. Rubio, who has increasingly signaled that he will enter the race, cited a family wedding that conflicted with the Iowa Ag Summit.
The race to replace retiring Senator Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland is officially on. Representative Chris Van Hollen, also a Democrat, said on Wednesday that he was listening to those who had urged him to run and that he looked forward to “a healthy exchange of ideas” in his campaign.
Sledding Gets Political Ahead of Washington Snow
Congress wasn’t about to wait around to see how much snow accumulated in Washington on Thursday. The House and Senate called it a week on Wednesday, setting off the usual commentary about the capital’s inability to weather significant weather.
“This place can’t manage precipitation of any type,” said Representative Charlie Dent, Republican of Pennsylvania. “Where I live, we deal with it. But not here.”
With Congress gone, why not allow people to take advantage of the hill in Capitol Hill on what could be a serious sledding day? Eleanor Holmes Norton, the congressional delegate from the District of Columbia and a resident of the neighborhood, wrote to the Capitol Police, urging them to overturn a ban on sledding on the Capitol grounds.
“This could be the last snowstorm the D.C. area gets this winter, and may be one of the best for sledding in years,” she said, calling for a one-time waiver and a later review of the ban. Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, tweeted his support.
Alas for sledders, Ms. Norton’s request got the cold shoulder from Capitol authorities.
— First Draft
What We’re Watching Today
President Obama will be snowed in at the White House. A daily briefing and lunch with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. are the only events on his schedule.
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia is expected to hold a conference call with national religious leaders about the impact of a Supreme Court ruling against the Affordable Care Act.
Local lawmakers in Washington are holding an event on the D.C. statehood movement.
Economic data on jobless claims, factory orders and labor market productivity are set to be released.
Our Favorites From Today’s Times
Setting up secure, private email domains was no small task for the Clintons.
As the Justices heard arguments over the Affordable Care Act, the tea leaves were difficult to read.
Democrats are helping President Obama by giving him some needed breathing room while negotiating with Iran.
Jeremy W. Peters, one of our Capitol Hill and campaign reporters, is recapping Season 3 of “House of Cards.” If you’re binge-watching, read them all. If not, take them in one at a time.
What We’re Reading Elsewhere
Justice Antonin Scalia showed his faith in Congress, suggesting it would act to fix the damage done to the Affordable Care Act if the Supreme Court invalidated subsidies for some Americans, Talking Points Memo reports.
National Review Online notes that Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky is unhappy with the “gossipy” news media for tracking his clapping during the congressional speech of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Jeffrey Toobin of The New Yorker wonders if Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. tipped his hand by asking just one question during the oral arguments on Wednesday.
Speaker John A. Boehner has been undercut by the conservative wing of the Republican Party on many occasions, and Politico looks at how he might begin to rethink his job.
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