Thursday, Aug 6 2015
August Break Begins With Big-Ticket Items Left On Senate's To-Do List
Also in the news, a top health policy aide to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, will leave Capitol Hill to join a lobbying firm.
The New York Times: Cybersecurity Bill Is Latest to Be Delayed in Senate
The Senate headed into its August recess on Wednesday without voting on a cybersecurity bill, adding it to a contentious to-do list for September that includes a push to disapprove the Iran nuclear deal and a spending fight mired in abortion politics. ... In addition, Republicans' return to the thorny abortion debate — this time by inserting a bill to defund Planned Parenthood into the calendar ahead of the cybersecurity measure — left too little time to finish the computer security legislation. Presidential politics has also frequently played a part, with four Republican senators set to participate in primary debates on Thursday. (Steinhauer, 8/5)
The Hill: Top Boehner Health Aid Leaving For Lobbying Firm
Charlotte Ivancic, Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) top health policy aide, is leaving his office to join the lobbying firm Tarplin, Downs & Young, the firm announced Wednesday. Ivancic led the negotiations for Boehner on the repeal of Medicare's Sustainable Growth Rate this year. The elimination of the annual Washington headache of automatic cuts to doctors under Medicare, after negotiations with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was a significant achievement. (Sullivan, 8/5)