Capitol View: March 22, 2011 Archive

Franken supports Libya action, wants to know how much it costs

Posted at 3:05 PM on March 22, 2011 by Brett Neely (3 Comments)
Filed under: MPR in D.C., U.S. Senate

More members of Minnesota's Congressional delegation are weighing in on American military operations in Libya.

DFL Sen. Al Franken said today he supports the mission. But in a statement to MPR News, Franken also suggested that the Obama administration needs to better explain the mission's goals.

"While I personally believe that Qaddafi should go, people need to understand that the purpose of the force we're using is specifically to protect civilians, not to coerce a regime change," Franken said.

At a time when Congress is debating how deeply to cut spending, Franken also called on President Obama to clarify the financial costs of the military operations in Libya.

Here's the full statement:

"The Libyan government's violence against its own people is completely unacceptable," said Sen. Franken. "Innocent civilians in Libya must be protected from massacre by Qaddafi and that is why I support the action the president has taken so far. Our participation is limited in scope and duration, the president has stated categorically there will be no U.S. ground troops deployed, and we are working in partnership with an international coalition enforcing a U.N. resolution."

"While I personally believe that Qaddafi should go, people need to understand that the purpose of the force we're using is specifically to protect civilians, not to coerce a regime change. The president also needs to clarify how much this operation is going to cost American taxpayers, and how it's going to be paid for. I look forward to the Administration consulting with Congress in more detail on that and other issues related to this operation."

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Chamber backs Paulsen's medical device tax repeal

Posted at 3:50 PM on March 22, 2011 by Brett Neely (2 Comments)
Filed under: MPR in D.C., U.S. House

One of Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen's top priorities in this Congress is to repeal a new tax on medical devices, and he just got a new ally: the U.S. Chamber of Congress, the nation's biggest business lobby.

The 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices is part of the health care overhaul passed last year, and the money raised by the tax is supposed to go toward the law's implementation starting in 2013. Paulsen has introduced legislation to eliminate the tax.

"This new 2.3 percent tax on virtually all medical devices beginning in 2013 will lead to increased health care costs, undercutting one of the primary goals of health care reform," said R. Bruce Josten, the Chamber's top lobbyist.

The Chamber's support is significant. The organization carries considerable clout in Washington and spent $132 million lobbying lawmakers and the federal government last year, more than any other organization, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Paulsen is very close to the medical device industry, which has a considerable presence in his district and in Minnesota. Yesterday, Paulsen launched the bipartisan congressional Medical Technology Caucus website.

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