C M Y K A3
DAILY 03-11-10 MD SU A3 CMYK
THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2010 KLMNO S A3
POLITICS THE & NATION
Outside Beltway, Obama
pounds health-care drum
The president is delivering to clear set of campaign-style oppo-
HE MAKES CASE
his audiences a sharply populist nents, namely insurance compa-
warning that doing nothing nies, a recalcitrant Republican
IN MISSOURI
about the health-care system opposition and a Washington po-
would reward the insurance in- litical culture he campaigned
dustry and Wall Street investors, against in 2008.
Speech assails insurers,
easy targets in communities anx- As he did in suburban Phila-
ious about the economy. He is delphia earlier this week, Obama
GOP, ‘gamesmanship’
also calling on the public to make framed the debate in his 35-
its opinion known to members of minute speech in St. Charles as a
Congress as he works to secure choice between doing something
by Scott Wilson enough House votes to pass the about the health-care system or
measure before he leaves the leaving it unchanged, even as in-
st. charles, mo. — President country late next week. surance companies announce
Obama made an impassioned double-digit rate increases.
case Wednesday for his health-
Wavering Democrats
“I don’t believe we should give
care proposal, delivering a folksy, At the same time, Obama in- either the government or the in-
partisan argument for reform as tends to lobby wavering House surance companies more control
industry groups prepare a multi- Democrats to vote for a Senate over health care in America,”
million-dollar advertising cam- version of the legislation and to Obama said. “I want to give you
MELINA MARA/THE WASHINGTON POST
paign to defeat it. support the subsequent reconcil- more control over health care in Haitian President René Préval met with Senate leaders including Harry M. Reid, left, on Wednesday.
Stripping off his suit jacket iation process, which Republi- America.”
and pushing up his sleeves with- cans have characterized as an un- His visit to Missouri, a state he
in minutes of entering a stuffy justified use of majority power. lost in 2008 by less than one per-
high school gym in this St. Louis Among the rewards Obama is centage point, came against a
Haiti asks U.S. for direct aid
suburb, Obama criticized his Re- ready to offer, White House offi- backdrop of mounting industry
publican opposition, Washing- cials said, are election-year visits opposition to his proposal. reconstruction of the impover- legislators appeared reluctant to
ton’s wasteful spending and ris- to competitive congressional dis- The U.S. Chamber of Com-
President Préval
ished nation. Congressional offi- release funds to his government.
ing insurance premiums. He tricts, where a presidential ap- merce has announced a $10 mil- cials say they expect the White “It is not in the habit of the U.S.
spoke with evident anger about pearance can bring in hundreds lion advertising campaign op-
wants cash channeled
House to request up to $3 billion Congress to give direct financial
“political gamesmanship” in of thousands of dollars in cam- posing Obama’s proposal. Dem-
through his government
in a special package for Haiti’s re- aid to other countries’ budgets,”
Washington leading to “terrible paign funds. onstrators in St. Charles building. he said.
consequences,” as he evoked the “The president has breathed displayed signs reading “Health Préval appeared more focused “We must find a formula” to fill
outsider’s message that he deliv- some new life into this effort,” Care Strictly a Power Grab.” by Mary Beth Sheridan Wednesday on short-term prob- the gap, he said, such as U.S. sup-
ered successfully in his 2008 said Dan Pfeiffer, the White A senior administration offi- lems — providing shelter for those port for a project rather than
campaign. House communications director. cial said the advertising effort Haitian President René Préval living in the ruins as Haiti’s rainy cash. Obama, he said, “under-
“Congress owes America an “The opportunity to get this done “validates our argument that the pleaded Wednesday for U.S. help season approaches, and getting stood very well. He’s going to sup-
up-or-down vote,” he said over exists, but it won’t last forever.” bill is good for American families plugging a multimillion-dollar seed to farmers in time for spring port us.”
raucous applause, which greeted For much of the past year, the and not necessarily good for the budget gap caused by the Jan. 12 planting. In a Rose Garden ceremony
his remarks at several points. White House health-care strat- insurance industry.” earthquake but said he got a cool “Our priorities are, first and with Préval, Obama appeared
“The time for talk is over. It’s egy revolved around maintaining reception from congressional foremost, . . . protection of those sympathetic to the Haitian lead-
time to vote.” momentum behind the politi-
‘This gets harder’
leaders wary of handing over people who today are homeless er’s concerns about the impend-
Obama’s appearance at St. cally vulnerable initiative. The ef- But the official, who spoke cash. and who must be relocated,” Pré- ing rainy season. “The challenge
Charles High School was the fort faltered, though, as Repub- about internal White House Préval, who arrived in Wash- val said after meeting with Presi- now is to prevent a second dis-
most visible element of his end- lican critics convinced more and strategy on the condition of ano- ington on Monday night, said that dent Obama at the White House. aster,” Obama said.
game strategy to push through more Americans that it was an nymity, said the gathering oppo- his government’s revenue “And in parallel, we must prepare But a spokesman for the Na-
health-care legislation. Unfold- unwieldy and expensive govern- sition from the chamber and oth- plunged 80 percent after the for the rainy season.” tional Security Council, Ben
ing inside and outside the Capital ment intrusion. When Demo- er groups “should be a warning earthquake and that the losses Préval identified two priorities Chang, declined to say whether
Beltway, the effort is designed to crats lost a special election in sign to members of Congress.” would blast a $350 million hole in for the broader task of rebuilding the president supported provid-
revive the sense that passage is Massachusetts, and with it the “This gets harder and not easi- Haiti’s budget this year. Haiti: encouraging people to ing cash to Haiti’s government.
inevitable, a feeling that evapo- Senate supermajority, the health- er as time goes by,” the official “We are facing some urgency move from the overcrowded cap- He said only that U.S. authorities
rated when Democrats lost their care bill appeared moribund. said. now. We are 1 million people liv- ital by providing education, have made it clear that “together
filibuster-proof Senate majority But late last month Obama in- White House press secretary ing in the street,” Préval told re- health care and jobs in the prov- with the rest of the international
in January. One senior adminis- troduced his own 11-page health- Robert Gibbs told reporters Tues- porters and editors at The Wash- inces; and setting up a donors’ community, we are committed to
tration official described the final care proposal. He then followed day that Obama had not made ington Post. trust fund to be overseen by an working to help Haiti address
phase as “working both sides of it up with a seven-hour televised any phone calls to undecided The earthquake was the worst agency that would track the both its short-term and long-term
the street.” work session with Democratic lawmakers so far this week. Oba- natural disaster in the Western spending. needs.”
and Republican congressional ma planned to meet at the White Hemisphere in decades, killing Scores of Haitian officials and Préval has repeatedly com-
A populist message
leaders, indicating at its conclu- House on Thursday with the Con- more than 230,000 people and international development ex- plained to U.S. officials about
Obama is visiting media mar- sion that he would do whatever it gressional Black Caucus and the destroying much of Port-au- perts have been hammering out earthquake assistance bypassing
kets that touch multiple congres- takes to pass a bill. Congressional Hispanic Caucus Prince, Haiti’s capital and home an assessment of Haiti’s post- his office. A recent staff report by
sional districts, particularly in “We will continue this momen- in separate sessions on health- to one-third of the country’s 9 mil- earthquake needs, expected in the the Senate Foreign Relations
swing states such as Missouri tum, as you’ve seen in the last few care legislation. lion people. The U.S. government next few days. But several U.S. of- Committee said his frustration
and Pennsylvania, which he vis- weeks,” said Rahm Emanuel, the “We are not backing down, we has pledged more than $700 mil- ficials said they had seen few spe- was “valid.” However, the report
ited earlier this week. He might White House chief of staff. “And are not quitting St. Charles, and lion in disaster aid, part of a flood cifics about the government’s added, “it is not reasonable for
head to Cleveland early next we must keep people focused on we are going to get this done,” of international assistance. ideas. him to define the solution to each
week for a town hall-style ap- the price of failure.” Obama concluded. Then he wad- Préval said little of that money Cheryl Mills, chief of staff to problem as being resolved with
pearance to discuss health care, In recent days, Obama has re- ed into the cheering crowd to has gone to his government. For Secretary of State Hillary Rod- just money. The GOH [govern-
White House aides said Wednes- duced his argument to a simple shake scores of hands. years, the United States and many ham Clinton, said in an interview ment of Haiti] does not have any-
day. campaign-style choice with a
wilsons@washpost.com other donors have preferred to this week that the U.S. govern- thing approximating the capacity
channel funds through the United ment would look at the Haitian to address the problems and run
Key senators balk at move on student loans
Nations and other nongovern- plan and pick several areas on the programs to address them.”
mental organizations, citing con- which to concentrate, probably In his visit to The Post, Préval
cerns about corruption and bu- including agriculture, health, se- emphasized that he has taken
would be unwise to risk the loans in the weak economy. reaucratic dysfunction. curity and energy. measures to reduce the waste and
They fear effect
health-care bill by including the Meanwhile, the potential savings Préval was in Washington to “In coordination with the gov- fraud associated with past Hai-
education measure. from knocking private lenders brief the Obama administration ernment of Haiti and the donor tian governments. His aides noted
of adding it on to The group also wrestled with out of the system has diminished on the relief operation and Haiti’s community, we want to be able to that progress on reining in cor-
health-care legislation
new estimates showing that a as one in five colleges has already needs. U.S. officials have been focus our investments where we ruption was one factor in the
plan to increase subsidies for turned to government lending. anxious to hear about his plans can have greatest impact,” said International Monetary Fund’s
low- and middle-income families Rather than saving $50 billion ahead of an international donors’ Mills, who is Clinton’s point per- decision last year to forgive $1.2
by Lori Montgomery to purchase health insurance over the next decade, the student conference on March 31 that son on Haiti. billion of Haiti’s debt.
and Shailagh Murray would cost the government more loan initiative is now projected could be pivotal in launching the Préval told The Post that U.S.
sheridanm@washpost.com
than anticipated. That has re- to increase deficits by about $5
As they push to finish health- quired additional adjustments to billion, according to preliminary
care legislation by the end of the the bill to keep its overall cost to estimates provided to Democrat-
month, Democratic leaders in around $950 billion over the ic lawmakers. Including it in the
Congress are weighing whether next decade. Aides predicted that health-care package could wreck
to add another of President Oba- talks could drag on for several efforts to meet the deficit-reduc-
ma’s priorities to the package: a days. tion goals required under recon-
popular proposal to overhaul the “We’ve resolved a number of ciliation, aides said.
federal student loan program. issues and, seriously, made a lot Advocates of the loan program
Today Until Mon., March 15th
The move could clear the way of good progress,” Emanuel told urged congressional budget lead-
for Obama to claim victory on reporters as the meeting broke ers Tuesday simply to use the old
To Prevent
two of his most significant do- up. estimate when putting the recon-
mestic initiatives in a single sign- The projected cost of Obama’s ciliation package together. But
ing ceremony. Administration of- plan to expand Pell Grants and Conrad resisted, according to BANKRUPTCY SALE
ficials and House leaders have diminish the role of the private people familiar with the meet-
pressed aggressively for the addi- sector in the student loan pro- ing, arguing it is no longer valid.
tion in recent days. But key sena- gram has exploded over the past
murrays@washpost.com
tors are objecting to the move, year as more people seek college
montgomeryl@washpost.com
arguing that political resistance
65% OFF
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ing cost of the education meas-
ure could jeopardize efforts to
push health-care reform to final
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“I think it threatens the OR HEAT PUMPS
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Budget Committee Chairman
Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) “It would
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