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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) met with President Obama for one hour in the East Room of the White House yesterday.
CPC Co-Chair, Congressman Raul Grijalva, said that 50 of the 77 Caucus
members attended, and they honed in on two major issues: their
commitment to only supporting a healthcare reform bill that includes a public plan option that is "more than a gesture"; and the $83 billion war supplemental.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) met with President Obama for one hour in the East Room of the White House yesterday.
CPC Co-Chair, Congressman Raul Grijalva, said that 50 of the 77 Caucus
members attended, and they honed in on two major issues: their
commitment to only supporting a healthcare reform bill that includes a public plan option that is "more than a gesture"; and the $83 billion war supplemental.
"It was a serious meeting," Rep. Grijalva said. "It moved quickly, there was a lot of candor from both sides."
Presenting the Caucus' case for healthcare reform were Representatives
Yvette Clark, Tammy Baldwin, Jan Schakowsky, and Jim McDermott.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich spoke with the President about a
single-payer system.
Rep. Grijalva said members made it clear that the Caucus' support
for any healthcare bill hinges on a public plan option that is "robust...
[and] competitive with the private sector." President Obama called
himself "an ally", but said it was up to Congress to deliver him the
kind of bill to which the Caucus is committed.
With regard to the $83 billion war supplemental, Rep. Grijalva said
the Caucus expressed its concern that "we're making the same mistake --
everything is going into militarization, not institutional reform,
human and capital development, healthcare... those kinds of things." They
pointed out to the President that the counterinsurgency strategy
calls for 80 percent of the resources to be devoted to
non-military/political solutions, and 20 percent to the military. But
the supplemental devotes $76 billion for the military and approximately
$7 billion for diplomatic efforts and foreign aid.
Obama said that the supplemental reflects the mess he inherited from
his predecessor and the consequent short-term security needs. He said
the Caucus should look at the FY2010 budget to see the kinds of
investments that he supports.
Beyond the supplemental, the Caucus cited four other priorities with
regard to Afghanistan and Iraq: no permanent bases; a timetable for
exit; the aforementioned 80-20 allocation of resources; and the need to
cease using drones due to civilian casualties.
Rep. Grijalva reported that President Obama said "he's not going to
be caught in a quagmire. We'll be revisiting this decision every week,
every month...."
Taking the lead in discussing security issues were Representatives John Tierney, Barbara Lee, Keith Ellison, and Mike Honda.
Grijalva said this wasn't a meeting where they "pinned down" the
President and that "he handles tough questions very well." There was
mutual respect and the meeting "helped solidify the relationship
between the CPC and the White House."
The meeting was a good one for conveying the Caucus' key concerns on critical issues which will loom large in the next 100 days and beyond.
It also represented an important and hopeful moment for the CPC itself.
Rep. Grijalva explained, "It was good for the Caucus to be unified.
There was no questioning the opinions the Caucus members gave to the
President. With 50 people -- very few of us were able to speak -- and
it demonstrates that members were there to support the Caucus and
support each other. That's significant. Today everybody hung together
and stuck to these two issues. I think that kind of discipline is very
important."
Rep. Grijalva is right. At a time when the significantly smaller Blue Dog Caucusthreatens
to impede passage of a much needed budget and real healthcare reform,
the CPC's work as a more unified team -- allied with the work of
millions of progressives across the country -- could translate to real
reform at the federal level.
In the past, Caucus members have had a hard time doing their politics
together. This afternoon's meeting with President Obama may signal a
new unity that bodes well for the tough fights ahead.
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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) met with President Obama for one hour in the East Room of the White House yesterday.
CPC Co-Chair, Congressman Raul Grijalva, said that 50 of the 77 Caucus
members attended, and they honed in on two major issues: their
commitment to only supporting a healthcare reform bill that includes a public plan option that is "more than a gesture"; and the $83 billion war supplemental.
"It was a serious meeting," Rep. Grijalva said. "It moved quickly, there was a lot of candor from both sides."
Presenting the Caucus' case for healthcare reform were Representatives
Yvette Clark, Tammy Baldwin, Jan Schakowsky, and Jim McDermott.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich spoke with the President about a
single-payer system.
Rep. Grijalva said members made it clear that the Caucus' support
for any healthcare bill hinges on a public plan option that is "robust...
[and] competitive with the private sector." President Obama called
himself "an ally", but said it was up to Congress to deliver him the
kind of bill to which the Caucus is committed.
With regard to the $83 billion war supplemental, Rep. Grijalva said
the Caucus expressed its concern that "we're making the same mistake --
everything is going into militarization, not institutional reform,
human and capital development, healthcare... those kinds of things." They
pointed out to the President that the counterinsurgency strategy
calls for 80 percent of the resources to be devoted to
non-military/political solutions, and 20 percent to the military. But
the supplemental devotes $76 billion for the military and approximately
$7 billion for diplomatic efforts and foreign aid.
Obama said that the supplemental reflects the mess he inherited from
his predecessor and the consequent short-term security needs. He said
the Caucus should look at the FY2010 budget to see the kinds of
investments that he supports.
Beyond the supplemental, the Caucus cited four other priorities with
regard to Afghanistan and Iraq: no permanent bases; a timetable for
exit; the aforementioned 80-20 allocation of resources; and the need to
cease using drones due to civilian casualties.
Rep. Grijalva reported that President Obama said "he's not going to
be caught in a quagmire. We'll be revisiting this decision every week,
every month...."
Taking the lead in discussing security issues were Representatives John Tierney, Barbara Lee, Keith Ellison, and Mike Honda.
Grijalva said this wasn't a meeting where they "pinned down" the
President and that "he handles tough questions very well." There was
mutual respect and the meeting "helped solidify the relationship
between the CPC and the White House."
The meeting was a good one for conveying the Caucus' key concerns on critical issues which will loom large in the next 100 days and beyond.
It also represented an important and hopeful moment for the CPC itself.
Rep. Grijalva explained, "It was good for the Caucus to be unified.
There was no questioning the opinions the Caucus members gave to the
President. With 50 people -- very few of us were able to speak -- and
it demonstrates that members were there to support the Caucus and
support each other. That's significant. Today everybody hung together
and stuck to these two issues. I think that kind of discipline is very
important."
Rep. Grijalva is right. At a time when the significantly smaller Blue Dog Caucusthreatens
to impede passage of a much needed budget and real healthcare reform,
the CPC's work as a more unified team -- allied with the work of
millions of progressives across the country -- could translate to real
reform at the federal level.
In the past, Caucus members have had a hard time doing their politics
together. This afternoon's meeting with President Obama may signal a
new unity that bodes well for the tough fights ahead.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) met with President Obama for one hour in the East Room of the White House yesterday.
CPC Co-Chair, Congressman Raul Grijalva, said that 50 of the 77 Caucus
members attended, and they honed in on two major issues: their
commitment to only supporting a healthcare reform bill that includes a public plan option that is "more than a gesture"; and the $83 billion war supplemental.
"It was a serious meeting," Rep. Grijalva said. "It moved quickly, there was a lot of candor from both sides."
Presenting the Caucus' case for healthcare reform were Representatives
Yvette Clark, Tammy Baldwin, Jan Schakowsky, and Jim McDermott.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich spoke with the President about a
single-payer system.
Rep. Grijalva said members made it clear that the Caucus' support
for any healthcare bill hinges on a public plan option that is "robust...
[and] competitive with the private sector." President Obama called
himself "an ally", but said it was up to Congress to deliver him the
kind of bill to which the Caucus is committed.
With regard to the $83 billion war supplemental, Rep. Grijalva said
the Caucus expressed its concern that "we're making the same mistake --
everything is going into militarization, not institutional reform,
human and capital development, healthcare... those kinds of things." They
pointed out to the President that the counterinsurgency strategy
calls for 80 percent of the resources to be devoted to
non-military/political solutions, and 20 percent to the military. But
the supplemental devotes $76 billion for the military and approximately
$7 billion for diplomatic efforts and foreign aid.
Obama said that the supplemental reflects the mess he inherited from
his predecessor and the consequent short-term security needs. He said
the Caucus should look at the FY2010 budget to see the kinds of
investments that he supports.
Beyond the supplemental, the Caucus cited four other priorities with
regard to Afghanistan and Iraq: no permanent bases; a timetable for
exit; the aforementioned 80-20 allocation of resources; and the need to
cease using drones due to civilian casualties.
Rep. Grijalva reported that President Obama said "he's not going to
be caught in a quagmire. We'll be revisiting this decision every week,
every month...."
Taking the lead in discussing security issues were Representatives John Tierney, Barbara Lee, Keith Ellison, and Mike Honda.
Grijalva said this wasn't a meeting where they "pinned down" the
President and that "he handles tough questions very well." There was
mutual respect and the meeting "helped solidify the relationship
between the CPC and the White House."
The meeting was a good one for conveying the Caucus' key concerns on critical issues which will loom large in the next 100 days and beyond.
It also represented an important and hopeful moment for the CPC itself.
Rep. Grijalva explained, "It was good for the Caucus to be unified.
There was no questioning the opinions the Caucus members gave to the
President. With 50 people -- very few of us were able to speak -- and
it demonstrates that members were there to support the Caucus and
support each other. That's significant. Today everybody hung together
and stuck to these two issues. I think that kind of discipline is very
important."
Rep. Grijalva is right. At a time when the significantly smaller Blue Dog Caucusthreatens
to impede passage of a much needed budget and real healthcare reform,
the CPC's work as a more unified team -- allied with the work of
millions of progressives across the country -- could translate to real
reform at the federal level.
In the past, Caucus members have had a hard time doing their politics
together. This afternoon's meeting with President Obama may signal a
new unity that bodes well for the tough fights ahead.