This Week In
Washington
Top 5
Stories
1. President Obama
acknowledged the rollout of the Affordable Care Act "has been rough,"
and extended the law's grandfather clause to allow insurers to continue
enrolling consumers through 2014 in plans that do not meet the law's
requirements.
Look ahead: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said House
Democrats have their own plan to resolve the insurance cancellations triggered
by the health care law.
2 2. The Health and
Human Services Department released the long-awaited enrollment numbers for the
Affordable Care Act, revealing 106,185 people have selected a plan using the
exchanges.
Look ahead: Government and contract workers report HealthCare.gov can
handle only half its projected volume, and technical issues may not be resolved
by the Nov. 30 deadline set by the administration.
3 3. The budget
conference committee remains far from a deal, with House Budget Committee
Chairman Paul Ryan and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray
negotiating on behalf of their respective parties.
Look ahead: Ryan conceded the panel—which will not
convene again until after Thanksgiving—may miss the Dec. 13 deadline for an
agreement.
4 4. The Obama administration
is urging the Senate to hold off on strengthening sanctions against Iran, with
Secretary of State John Kerry telling the Banking Committee on Wednesday the
move could jeopardize negotiations.
Look ahead: A faction of Armed Services Committee members
is pushing the Banking Committee to lead the charge on sanctions, in order to
avoid attaching the controversial measure to the defense-authorization bill.
5 5.
The Senate on
weighed the nomination of Janet Yellen to lead the Federal Reserve; the Fed
vice chairwoman told lawmakers that while the economy has made "good
progress" since the recession, the central bank's quantitative easing
measures should continue.
Look ahead: If confirmed by the Senate as expected,
Yellen will arguably be the most powerful woman in Washington.
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