The Price of Politics (68 page)

and Simpson-Bowles commission,
37
,
41

and stimulus package final bill,
24
–25

and supercommittee proposed by,
235
,
295
,
304
,
308
,
359
–62

and tax cut extensions,
77
–78

and White House staff/Republican leadership negotiations on debt crisis (July 2011),
251
,
254
,
258
,
271
,
272
,
273
,
277
,
279
,
281

Reid, Landra,
370

Renner, Jeremy,
325

reporters.
See
media

retirement programs, federal civilian and military,
201
,
202
,
221
,
263
,
291
,
316

Richmond, Cedric,
25

“A Roadmap for America’s Future” (Ryan plan),
84
–86

Romney, Mitt,
13

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano,
12

Rove, Karl,
158

“Rubik’s cube problem,” debt ceiling crisis as,
279
,
294
,
305
,
346
,
355

Russia, START treaty with,
63
,
65
,
71
–72,
77
,
79

Ryan, Paul,
65
–66,
82
–83

and Boehner,
135

on Budget Control Act of 2011,
356

budget plan of,
82
–87,
96
,
97
,
102
,
115
,
164
,
174
,
205
,
319
,
335
,
379

and Cantor,
65
–66,
148
,
255
,
267

on debt ceiling crisis negotiations,
180
,
356

on deficit as
3
percent of GDP proposal,
34

and Gang of Six,
255

at George Washington University Speech (April 13, 2011),
99
–100,
103
–6

on health care reform and Medicare,
82
–87,
117
,
152
,
155
–56

and Hensarling,
360

and Obama,
84
–86

on Simpson-Bowles commission,
65
–68

and White House staff/Republican leadership negotiations on debt crisis (July 2011),
246
–47

Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders
(Ryan, Cantor, and McCarthy, 2010),
65
–66

S&P (Standard & Poor’s),
230
,
265

Schaper, Nick,
57

Schiliro, Phil,
20
,
22
,
35
,
38
,
75

Schumer, Chuck,
77
,
148
,
149

Schwartz, Allyson,
84

security/non-security firewall,
352
–55

Seidenberg, Ivan,
47
–48,
51
–53

Senate Appropriations Committee,
101
,
221
,
223

Senate Budget Committee,
101

Senate Finance Committee,
101

September 11, 2001,
65
,
118

sequestration, as trigger mechanism,
215
,
224
,
326
–27,
339
–46,
360
,
366

SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate) formula, Medicare,
31
–32,
115
,
205
,
222
,
266

Simpson, Alan,
42
–44,
44
–45,
59
,
60
,
65
,
66
,
67
,
99
,
106

Simpson-Bowles commission (National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform)

Conrad’s proposal for,
28
–29,
36
–37,
88
,
172

executive order forming,
41
,
42
–45

on federal civilian retirement programs,
221

$4 trillion deficit reduction plan,
59
,
125

and Gang of Six,
252
,
255

and George Washington University Speech (April 13, 2011),
99
–100,
102
–7

health care reform proposals,
59
,
66
–67

Obama on,
28
–29,
41
,
44
–45,
67
–68

Pelosi on,
65

and presidential budget proposal for 2011,
32
–34

primary surplus in 2015, goal of,
114

proposal of January 10, 2010,
59
–60,
65
–68

revenue proposals of,
141
–42

vote on proposal,
59
,
60
,
65
–68,
191
–92

60 Minutes
,
49

small business,
13
,
18
,
42
,
62
,
64
,
65
,
162
,
309
,
359

Smith, Kevin,
324

SNAP or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps),
120
–21,
124
,
131
,
132
,
160
,
201
–2,
214
,
216
,
221

Social Security.
See also
payroll tax

average income of Medicare recipients from,
87

and Boehner-Obama debt ceiling crisis negotiations (June-July 2011),
163
,
164
,
169

cost-of-living adjustments for,
361
,
362

eligibility age,
237
,
323

at joint congressional leadership meeting with Obama on debt ceiling crisis,
190
,
193

Reagan-O’Neill deal on (1983),
89
,
96
,
179
,
362

Ryan on,
83
–84,
379

Simpson-Bowles commission proposals regarding,
59

and supercommittee negotiations,
361
,
362

and White House staff/Republican leadership negotiations on debt crisis (July 2011),
237
,
261
,
270
,
275
,
283
,
284
,
286
–87

South Korea, free trade agreement with,
108

Sperling, Gene,
72
–73

and Biden working group,
110
–11,
116
,
117
,
141
,
142

and Boehner,
235

and Boehner-Obama negotiations on debt ceiling crisis (June-July 2011),
146
,
147
,
155
–56,
161
,
164
–65,
174
–75,
183
–85

and budget proposal,
96
,
97

as Clinton veteran,
72
–73,
89
,
90

and congressional plan on debt ceiling crisis (July 2011),
305

and continuing resolutions on the budget,
92
,
93

and Gang of Six,
251
–52,
253
,
256

and Geithner,
73

at George Washington University Speech (April 13, 2011),
102
–3,
105
,
106
,
108

and Jackson,
185

and joint congressional leadership meetings on debt ceiling crisis,
212
,
215
,
218
,
224
,
231

and meetings with Obama, Pelosi, and Reid on debt ceiling crisis,
151
–53,
281
,
288

as National Economic Council head,
89

and payroll tax cut two-month extension (December 2011),
370

and sequestration trigger,
339
,
341
,
344

and tax cut extension,
72
–73,
74
,
76

and White House staff/Republican leadership negotiations on debt crisis (July 2011),
269
,
275
,
281
,
288
,
290
,
302

Spratt, John,
60

Standard & Poor’s (S&P),
230
,
265

START (strategic arms reduction treaty),
63
,
65
,
71
–72,
77
,
79

State Department,
115
,
352
,
354

State of the Union addresses,
68
,
324

Steel, Michael,
180
,
310
,
311
,
312

Stewart, Don,
310

stimulus package

adequacy of,
30
,
58

boost to economy from,
206

child tax credit in,
76

House Republican Economic Recovery Working Group recommendations,
13
–14,
16

joint congressional leadership meetings with Obama on

January 5, 2009,
5
–9

January 23, 2009,
13
–14

Obama’s chief economic advisors on,
9
–12

passage of final bill,
24
–25

voting on H.R. 1,
16
–22

Stockman, David,
33

Stombres, Steve,
9
,
16
,
243
,
245
,
246
–47,
248
,
260
,
266
,
269
,
271
,
288
,
289
,
367
–68

strategic arms reduction treaty (START),
63
,
65
,
71
–72,
77
,
79

Summers, Larry,
9
–10

and Blue Dog leadership,
20

on Budget Control Act of 2011,
356

and business community,
50

on congressional control over spending laws,
263

and deficit,
27

departure from Obama administration,
50
,
81
–82,
89

at joint congressional leadership meeting (November 30, 2010),
63

and Obama,
9
–10,
50
,
81
–82

Orszag and,
11

and presidential budget proposal for 2011,
30
–31,
34
,
35

and Simpson-Bowles commission,
43
,
44

and stimulus bill H.R. 1 vote,
23

on stimulus package,
9
–10

on tax rates,
71

on unemployment,
10
,
63

Sunstein, Cass,
327

supercommittee

appointment, negotiations, and failure of,
359
–63

deficit reduction amounts to be identified by,
295
,
303
,
304
,
310
,
316
,
322
,
340
,
342
,
346
,
355
,
356
,
359
,
362
,
366

McConnell interview on,
363
–64

as part of congressional plan on debt ceiling crisis (July 2011),
304
,
307
–8,
322

Reid’s proposal for,
235
,
295
,
304
,
308

and sequestration,
327
,
366

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP (food stamps),
120
–21,
124
,
131
,
132
,
160
,
201
–2,
214
,
216
,
221

Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula (Doc Fix), Medicare,
31
–32,
115
,
205
,
222
,
266

Tanner, John,
22

TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program),
7
,
297

tax code progressivity,
144
,
145
,
146
,
175
–76,
181
,
214
,
263

tax code reform

and Boehner-Obama negotiations on debt ceiling crisis,
144
,
145
,
157
–58,
166
,
172
–76,
179
,
180
–81

corporate tax reform,
48
,
50
–51,
138
,
141
,
152
,
173
,
211
,
242

and Gang of Six,
255
,
256
,
259

and joint congressional leadership meetings with Obama on debt ceiling crisis,
190
,
212
–15,
231

and Simpson-Bowles commission,
59
,
60

and supercommittee,
362

and White House staff/Republican leadership negotiations on debt crisis (July 2011),
242
,
247
,
248
,
263
,
267
,
274
–75

tax cuts.
See also
payroll tax

announcement of extension,
78
–79

Baucus’s vote in favor of original Bush tax cuts,
125

and Biden working group,
112
–13

costs of,
78
,
79

ending for top tax brackets and extending for middle and lower income brackets.
See
decoupling

estate tax rates,
64
,
74
,
75
,
158
,
175
,
193