This Week In Washington DC, March 13, 2015

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.