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Obamacare cleared its second big legal hurdle in three years on Thursday, and Nancy Pelosi is overjoyed.
"So jubilant about this," Pelosi said at the beginning of her weekly press conference. "It's a victory for common sense and for all American families."
In a 6-3 decision Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Obamacare's insurance subsidies, keeping markets in 34 states intact and preserving coverage for more than 6 million Americans. But the White House's win may also bring comfort to congressional Republicans, who would've had to come up with and agree on a solution to maintain people's coverage if the Court had ruled against the subsidies—with red states potentially being the hardest hit. Just ahead of the ruling, Republicans hadn't gotten very far.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has another suggestion for a woman to go on the $10 bill: Frances Perkins.
Perkins was the first woman appointed to the President's Cabinet, serving as Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945 under President Franklin Roosevelt. During that time, she oversaw much of the New Deal and helped implement such landmark policies as the first minimum wage and overtime laws and the 40-hour workweek.
The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that it would put a woman who has played a major role in American history on the $10 bill by the year 2020 in time for the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage. The agency will be asking Americans to suggest women in town-hall meetings and online forums.
The U.S. Constitution clearly states, "The Congress shall have power to … regulate commerce with foreign nations." Congress has a responsibility to assert this right and forge consensus on trade and globalization.
In order to succeed in the global economy, it is necessary to move beyond stale arguments of protectionism vs. free trade.
To do so, we must recognize that workers' rights, consumer and intellectual protections, and environmental safeguards must be just as enforceable as the protection of the economic interests of investors.
Work together
The overwhelming vote last week to slow down "fast track" trade authority is a clear indication that it's time for Republicans and Democrats to work together to negotiate a better deal for the American people.