What You Need to Know: 03.18.09

A.I.G. Chief Asks Bonus Recipients To Give Back Half
"As the lucrative bonuses paid to employees of the American International Group fueled fresh outrage at the White House and on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, the embattled chief executive of A.I.G. said that he had asked some recipients to give at least half the money back.

The chief executive, Edward M. Liddy, made the announcement during his testimony on Wednesday afternoon before a Congressional committee investigating the problems at the insurance giant."

Biden: Officials must 'get it right' on stimulus
"Vice President Joe Biden issued a stern warning to local officials Wednesday, urging them to "get it right" when it comes to spending money from the administration's $787 billion economic stimulus package.

"The work you are doing is being watched very closely, not just by me, but by everybody," Biden said.

Biden spoke at a conference of city and county officials who are charged with overseeing stimulus spending in their communities. The officials were invited for a day of schooling on how to make the massive spending program work, and to hear from Cabinet and administration officials."

President's Budget Strategy Under Fire
"Senior members of the Obama administration are pressing lawmakers to use a shortcut to drive the president's signature initiatives on health care and energy through Congress without Republican votes, a move that many lawmakers say would fly in the face of President Obama's pledge to restore bipartisanship to Washington.

Republicans are howling about the proposal to expand health coverage and tax greenhouse gas emissions without their input, warning that it could irrevocably damage relations with the new president."

Team Effort in the House to Overhaul Health Care
"Three powerful House committee chairmen have agreed to work together on legislation to overhaul the health care system, starting with the view that most employers should help finance coverage and that the government should offer a public health insurance plan as an alternative to private insurance.

The unified approach contrasts with the competition and rivalry among committee chairmen that helped sink President Bill Clinton’s plan for universal health insurance 15 years ago.

The three chairmen, George Miller and Henry A. Waxman of California and Charles B. Rangel of New York, all Democrats, have a combined total of more than 100 years of service in the House."

Obama Names Judge to Appeals Court
"President Obama yesterday made his first judicial appointment, naming U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton to the federal appeals court, a choice excoriated by some conservatives even as the White House touted him as the type of moderate who could cool the nation's long-simmering judicial battles.

The White House held out Hamilton as a prototype for the nominees Obama will seek as he reshapes the federal appeals courts -- and by extension, the laws governing contentious social issues such as abortion and affirmative action -- during his presidency. Currently, there are 17 vacancies on the nation's appeals courts, which are organized into 12 circuits across the country."