This Week in Washington DC, March 27, 2014

This Week In Washington

Top 5 Stories This Week

1.      President Obama and international leaders moved to further isolate Russia, with the G-7 members agreeing to suspend their participation in the G-8, and NATO countries committing to bolster the alliance's security operations.

Look ahead: The leaders vowed to impose stricter economic sanctions against Russia in the event of further military incursions into Ukraine, but budget constraints could reduce NATO's role as a deterrent.

2.      The administration is seeking an overhaul of the NSA's bulk data-collection practices, which would leave records in the hands of phone companies and require the agency to obtain a court order for searches.

Look ahead: Administration officials and congressional leaders are nearing consensus on a plan to reform the NSA program—a proposal from House Intelligence Committee leaders would require retroactive, rather than prior, judicial consent.

3.      The Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Sebelius, which address the question of whether for-profit corporations may gain a religious exemption from the legal requirement to provide coverage for contraception.

Look ahead: A ruling in the case could have broad implications, including laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

4.      The White House, which has previously declined to extend the March 31st open-enrollment deadline, will allow individuals to sign up for coverage until mid-April if they are able to demonstrate that they began the enrollment process before the deadline.

Look ahead: Individuals may seek an extension for a range of reasons, and the government will grant it on an honor system.

5.      The House passed a temporary "doc fix" bill on a voice vote, preventing a 24% reduction in physician reimbursements under Medicare.

Look ahead: The Senate is expected to take up and past the measure later today.

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This Week in Washington, March 20, 2014

This Week In Washington
Top 5 Stories This Week

1.      President Obama authorized expanded sanctions against Russia after Vladimir Putin signed a treaty annexing Crimea, while the Ukrainian government announced plans to withdraw its troops and relocate them to the mainland.

Look ahead: NATO is considering deeper involvement in Ukraine, while the E.U. weighs additional sanctions. Obama vowed the US will not mount a "military excursion" in the country.

2.      Following its first meeting since Janet Yellen took over as Federal Reserve chair, the Federal Open Market Committee announced plans to reduce its monthly asset purchases by $10 billion, as expected, and eliminated the 6.5% unemployment threshold from its forward guidance on interest rates.

Look ahead: The Fed will rely on additional metrics to gauge the economy's health.

3.      House Speaker John Boehner described a bipartisan Senate deal to extend emergency unemployment benefits as "unworkable" after the National Association of State Workforce Agencies warned that some states could attempt to opt out due to the bill's additional costs and strict requirements.

Look ahead: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid characterized the issues raised by NASWA as "resolvable," and urged Boehner to work toward solutions.

4.      With two weeks remaining in the open enrollment period that ends March 31, Health and Human Services Department announced a "weekend wave" sent the total enrollment number over 5 million.

Look ahead:  The White House is pulling out all the stops to enroll as many young people in coverage as possible before the deadline.

5.      The search continues for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, as authorities consider satellite footage of possible debris from the aircraft, amid reports Malaysian officials waited days to release information gleaned from British satellite company Inmarsat on the plane's potential flight path.

Look ahead: Experts warn the items could be unrelated to the jetliner, and even if a link can be established, the passage of time since a crash would complicate efforts to find the rest of the wreckage.

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This Week In Washington DC, March 6, 2014

This Week In Washington

Top 5 Stories This Week

1.      The Crimean Parliament requested to join the Russian Federation; the E.U. has frozen the assets of ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and the U.S. has imposed visa restrictions on Russians and Ukrainians suspected of involvement in the matter.

Look ahead: The U.S. and E.U. joined the Ukrainian government in refusing to recognize the Crimean parliament vote, but a referendum on the move is set for March 16. The E.U. is weighing economic sanctions against Russia.

2.      The White House released the president's FY 2015 budget, which calls for an expansion of the earned-income tax credit for the working poor, as well as additional funding for antipoverty programs.

Look ahead: The administration estimates the plan would yield a $564 million deficit for the fiscal year.

3.      The administration released a host of final regulations that ease reporting requirements for businesses and allow insurers to keep selling individual policies that don't meet Obamacare's requirements.

Look ahead: Officials said the two-year extension should prevent a mass cancellation of policies, a prospect that could have harmed Democratic candidates this cycle.

4.      Leaders on the political right are gathering at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where opening day speakers include Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, as well as Rep. Paul Ryan and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Look ahead: A number of key story lines to watch at CPAC involve 2016 contenders.

5.      The National Archives and Records Administration released the first batch of documents from the Clinton administration, which had been withheld under the Presidential Records Act.

Look ahead: Observers are mining the records for information that could impact a Hillary Clinton presidential bid in 2016.

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