This Week In
Washington
1.
Former Secretary of State and potential presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton apologized during a press conference for
using a personal (rather than official) e-mail account during her time as secretary of
state.
2.
The Supreme Court heard arguments in King
v. Burwell, a challenge to the government's ability to provide health insurance
subsidies to states without federal exchanges under the Affordable
Care Act.
3.
A group of 47 Republican Senators wrote an open letter
to Iran's leaders, warning that future presidents could overturn any nuclear
deal agreed upon in negotiations if the Senate does not vote to ratify the
treaty.
4.
The Senate failed, by four votes, to overturn President
Obama's veto of a bill to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
5.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported employers
had posted nearly 5 million available jobs at the end of January, the highest
level since the peak of the dot-com bubble in 2001. Job openings are up by 28%
in the past year, and the ratio of unemployed workers per opening has returned to pre-crisis levels.
Next Week In
Washington
1.
DEBT CEILING EXPIRATION: The current suspension of the debt ceiling
ends; the Treasury Department will use extraordinary measures for the next
several months to manage the country’s payments and stave off the risk of default.
2.
FCC HEARING: The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation holds a hearing about the FCC and net neutrality regulation
titled: “Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission.” The House
Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a similar hearing on March 19.
3.
CRUDE OIL EXPORT HEARING: The Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources holds a hearing to review U.S. crude
oil export policy.
4.
DOC FIX DEADLINE: Doctors will see their
Medicare payments cut more than 20% unless Congress steps in by the end of the
month. Congress is likely to pass another temporary fix; Congress has blocked
the payment cuts 17 times in the last 13 years, after mandating the cuts in
1997.
