Business & Economy

Overnight Finance: McConnell aims to wrap up trade this week

TALK OF THE NATION, via Tim Devaney: “South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, flanked by Democrats and Republicans from her state, said Monday her government would seek to move the Confederate flag from the state capitol grounds.” http://bit.ly/1BHKDmc

TOMORROW STARTS TONIGHT: MCCONNELL WANTS TO PASS TRADE BILLS THIS WEEK. Jordain Carney: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Monday that he wants to wrap up work on two trade bills before the Senate leaves for a week-long recess, pressing senators to have ‘a little more trust.'”

{mosads}– WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN: “The Senate is expected to take a procedural vote on agreeing to a House-passed trade promotion authority (TPA) bill on Tuesday. Under McConnell’s plan, a separate trade adjustment assistance (TAA) measure is being added to a trade preferences bill that the Senate will take up on Wednesday.” http://bit.ly/1Lx0DaD

THIS IS OVERNIGHT FINANCE. And we’re wishing all of the dads out there a happy belated Father’s Day. Tweet: @kevcirilli; email: kcirilli@digital-release.thehill.com; and subscribe: http://digital-release.thehill.com/signup/48

TUNE IN TONIGHT: I’ll be on Fox News with Greta Van Susteren talking about the latest political headlines. 7 pm ET. Don’t miss it.

LEGISLATIVE DAYS UNTIL EX-IM’s CHARTER EXPIRES: 4. 

MCCARTHY: EX-IM WILL ‘PROBABLY’ COME TO HOUSE, via me: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said in an interview published on Monday that legislation to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank will ‘probably’ come to the House some time after the bank’s charter lapses on Friday. McCarthy, who opposes the bank’s reauthorization, noted in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that the Senate had a “semi-test vote” earlier this month, when the bank received “overwhelming support.”

“I think what will probably happen at the end of the day, the Senate looks like they have votes. It’ll probably come to the House,” McCarthy said. He did not predict whether it would be reauthorized. Most observers expect supporters of the bank to attempt to attach a reauthorization amendment to another legislative vehicle, such as a transportation funding bill, in July. http://bit.ly/1RqTOsE

— QUOTABLE, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on the Senate floor: “Republicans have resolved to govern by staggering from one crisis to another crisis. One today, one next week. Unless the Republican leader acts in just five days, for example, we’ll see the consequences of another manufactured crisis.” http://bit.ly/1JeUHp5

YELLEN FIGHTS BACK AGAINST HENSARLING. Pete Schroeder has the story: “Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen pushed back against GOP charges she was impeding a congressional investigation. In a letter sent to lawmakers Monday, Yellen defended the Fed’s refusal to hand over certain documents to House investigators, again reiterating that doing so could undermine an open criminal investigation underway by the Fed’s Inspector General and the Justice Department into a leak of sensitive Fed information.

— YELLEN, IN HER OWN WORDS: “Because this investigation is currently active, the OIG has indicated to us and to you that providing access at this time to records and information related to the OIG and Department of Justice’s investigation would risk jeopardizing that ongoing criminal investigation, and that the Department of Justice shares that concern.”

— THE BACKSTORY, via Schroeder: “The letter, sent to House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) reiterates Yellen’s previous stance that the Fed would be unable to provide certain documents to lawmakers – a claim that Hensarling labeled as ‘willful obstruction’ in a June 17 letter to Yellen. Hensarling’s panel subpoenaed the Fed for records in May, leading to Yellen’s refusal to comply, citing the investigation. Yellen said she hopes the current probe will be wrapped up quickly, freeing her to comply with congressional requests.” http://bit.ly/1eEJCRD

BLOGGIN’ BEN STRIKES AGAIN, via Schroeder: “Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is ‘appalled’ Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is preparing to bump Alexander Hamilton from the $10 bill. Lew announced earlier this month that, beginning in 2020, Hamilton would share the currency note with a to-be-determined woman. But Bernanke wrote on his blog that the demotion is undeserving of a top-notch public official. Instead, Lew should have set his sights on removing President Andrew Jackson from the $20 bill, with Bernanke calling him ‘a man of many unattractive qualities and a poor president.'” http://bit.ly/1N1Q4g2

CEO PAY NOT LINKED TO TALENT. Pedro Nicolaci da Costa for WSJ: “The rapid rise in pay for corporate executive officers, which stands in contrast to the stagnant wages of many Americans, is a key driver of inequality that’s not clearly tied to talent or performance, a new report from a liberal think tank finds.

“The Economic Policy Institute report says this means CEO pay could be reduced without hurting economic growth or productivity.  EPI says top U.S. CEOs make 300 times more than typical American workers, down from a peak of 376 times in 2000 but well above levels seen in the preceding four decades.” http://on.wsj.com/1K7U68W

TRAGIC – – 15 STATES HAVEN’T RECOVERED JOBS LOST IN RECESSION: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. MarketWatch has the story: http://on.mktw.net/1SCRn8S

SIDESHOW: SANDERS WELCOMES WARREN BACKERS’ SUPPORT, via me: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday welcomed the support of progressives who previously tried to draft Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) into the race.

“Elizabeth Warren is a good friend. Like millions of her supporters around the country, I have great respect and admiration for her,” said Sanders.

His comments come after Ready For Warren announced last week they were ending their effort to convince Warren to run for the White House and have opted to launch another progressive movement, called Ready To Fight, supporting Sanders. http://bit.ly/1BxvdAp

 

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