Rubio to brief GOP on immigration talks

By Daniel Strauss and Molly K. Hooper - 04/05/13 03:15 PM ET

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) plans on briefing Republicans on progress in crafting an immigration reform bill during the next Republican policy luncheon.

Rubio, who has been involved in bipartisan negotiations on crafting an immigration reform bill, said he had been given the green light to update his Republican colleagues next week.

"Earlier this week, I requested and received permission to brief the entire Republican conference during our policy lunch next week. I look forward to briefing you at that meeting," Rubio wrote in a letter to four Senate Republicans on Friday.

Rubio's letter was in response to the four GOP senators, Mike Lee (Utah), Jeff Sessions (Ala.), Chuck Grassley (Iowa), and Ted Cruz (Texas), who urged Rubio and other senators involved in the immigration negotiations to offer more transparency on the bill's progress.

The four senators sent a letter to the Republican senators in the so-called bipartisan Gang of Eight, urging them to release more details on their negotiations in crafting the immigration proposal. Members of the bipartisan group have recently said they plan to unveil their immigration reform bill soon.

"It is time for you to discuss the status of your negotiations, disclose what concessions have been made, and provide details to members of the Judiciary Committee as well as the entire Republican Caucus," the senators wrote in the letter, released Friday. "As members of the Judiciary Committee, we believe it is critical that the public and the entire Senate body be given adequate time to read and analyze the contents of any immigration bill put forth by the Majority. Our Committee has had only three hearings in recent months, barely touching on issues involving enforcement, border security or the creation of a temporary worker program."

They said that they were "deeply concerned" with recent statements made by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) that a basic agreement has been reached by the group on legalizing undocumented workers in the U.S. Schumer is one of eight senators involved in the talks.

"We should not further test the faith of the American people by implementing a major overhaul of the immigration system that prioritizes legalizing law breakers over the long-term needs of the country," their letter stated. 

"In that regard, we are deeply concerned by Senator Schumer’s recent statement that your group has “come to a basic agreement, which is that first, people will be legalized. In other words, not citizens, but they'll be allowed to work, come out of the shadows, travel. Then, we will make sure the border is secure," the GOP senators wrote.

  The senators wanted staffers to brief members of the Republican Committee staff by the end of Monday on the specifics of the immigration reform negotiations.

"Therefore, we ask that your staff be made available to brief Republican Committee staff no later than close of business on Monday, April 8," the senators wrote. "We also request that you personally discuss your group’s proposal with the entire caucus early next week so that all members can raise concerns and questions before the deal is finalized."

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) recently told Rubio that he wanted to move quickly on moving the immigration bill to through his committee once it was unveiled.

"Because the President has failed to lead on this matter, your group has secretly met for months and not consulted with members of the Committee about major changes to our nation’s immigration laws," the senators wrote in the letter. "The time for transparency has come. Given the majority’s rushed timetable, we believe it is time for you to discuss the status of your negotiations, disclose what concessions have been made, and provide details to members of the Judiciary Committee as well as the entire Republican Caucus."  

--This report was updated at 5:10 p.m.

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U.S. struggles with pharmaceutical goals in Asia trade talks

* Drug companies, advocates at odds over goals for pact

* White House undecided on protection for biologic medicines

* U.S. won't make new proposal at next TPP round in May

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - The United States is striving to find an appropriate balance in Asia-Pacific free trade talks between providing strong patent and data protections for U.S. drug manufacturers and ensuring poor people have access to medicine, a U.S. trade negotiator said on Thursday.

"We're looking to promote innovation and R&D (research and development) that results in the development of new medicines. But we are also - and this is just as important - we are trying to promote access to medicines for all," Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Probir Mehta said.

The remarks at a discussion organized by the Washington International Trade Association show the conflicting pressure on President Barack Obama's administration in talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed free trade agreement between the United States and ten countries in the Asia-Pacific region that negotiators hope to conclude this year.

Mehta said the United States would not make a new proposal on pharmaceuticals when TPP negotiators meet in Peru in mid-May for their 17th round of talks but would continue to exchange information on each country's policies "with a view to finding possible common ground."

U.S. drug manufacturers want the strongest possible intellectual property rights (IPR) protections in the pact, but advocacy groups such as Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders are warning TPP countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia that such terms threaten to raise the price of medicines in the region by restricting production of generic drugs.

Former U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk summarized the situation at a meeting of the President's Export Council shortly before he left office this month.

"It is very difficult to convince (other TPP countries) of the need to embrace, accept, and implement robust IPR chapters when, many times, we haves NGOs (non-governmental organizations) from here in the United States that are sitting there and giving them contrary information," Kirk said.

The tension is illustrated in the area of "biologic medicines," where U.S. drug companies such as Pfizer and Eli Lilly and many members of Congress want test data for new drugs protected for 12 years in the TPP pact to delay the development of generic versions.

Congress provided 12 years of data protection for biologics in Obama's healthcare reform legislation, the Affordable Care Act, in line with what many experts say is needed to recoup the average $1.2 billion cost of developing the drugs.

But in annual budgets, the White House has proposed lowering the period of data exclusivity to seven years to encourage faster development of generic versions of the drugs and to save billions in Medicare and Medicaid costs.

So far, U.S. negotiators have not asked for 12 years of data exclusivity for biologics in the TPP, prompting Senator Orrin Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, to recently ask whether the Obama administration was trying to change U.S. law to the lower standard through the TPP talks.

On Thursday, Mehta said "biologic medicines are clearly the future of the biopharmaceutical industry and certainly a very important area of innovation in the United States. But at this point, we are still reflecting on input and discussing this issue with our trading partners."

Although that stance might seem encouraging for groups that favor early availability of generic medicines, Stephanie Burgos, a senior policy adviser at Oxfam America, said she fears the Obama administration is simply waiting until the end of the negotiation to press its demands, forcing poorer TPP countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia to decide whether to accept tough intellectual property provisions or walk away.

"Instead of a compromise, it's like 'let's put this on hold until everything else is agreed' in the hope that countries that are objecting to the provisions won't have the wherewithal to continue objecting," Burgos said.

Jay Taylor, vice president for international affairs at Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of Americas, said generic versions of most drugs are already available in TPP countries and shouldn't be affected by the pact.

"The TPP, if done correctly, should reduce tariffs and extra additive costs to medicines that ultimately hurt patients," Taylor said.

By lifting incomes in the region, it also should make medicines relatively more affordable, he said.

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New UN Report Adds To Worries Ahead Of Renewed Iran Talks

A new report released on Thursday by the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the growth of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has continued apace ahead of renewed negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

Since the release of the last report by the IAEA’s Governor-General in November 2012, Iran has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to a 20 percent level by about 43 kilograms. While Iran has restarted its conversion of some of that stockpile into uranium oxide gas and other forms that are difficult to further enrich to fuel medical research at the Tehran Research Reactor, the associated reduction didn’t counter new enrichment enough to show a decrease in overall levels.

The concern surrounding Iran’s uranium stockpile is not that it’s currently usable in a nuclear weapon — for that it would need to be enriched to 90 percent level, making it highly-enriched. However, the technology required to produce 90 percent enriched uranium is a small step from that required to reach the 20 percent threshold. Approximately 250 kilograms of 90 percent uranium is required to create one nuclear weapon, an amount that Iran has been careful not to reach.

Compounding misgivings about Iran’s nuclear program, however, is the news that its heavy-water reactor based in Arak is slated to become operational in early 2014. Unfortunately, the new reactor has the potential to produce plutonium as a by-product of its usage, which would only add to suspicions about the nature of Iran’s program. Plutonium can still be used in civilian reactors, but lower amounts are necessary to produce simpler — but lower-yield — nuclear weapons than those that utilize uranium. Israeli and U.S. intelligence agencies still believe, however, that Iran has not made a decision to pursue a nuclear weapon at this time.

Adding to the unfortunate news contained in the IAEA report, Iran today announced that it has begun installing more advanced centrifuges in its main enrichment facility Nanatz. The Iranian government had previously informed the IAEA of its plans to do so weeks ago, but started the actual work of getting the equipment into place today. However, today’s IAEA report does indicate that the exact same number of centrifuges remain operational at Natanz as in November, despite an increase in the number fully installed.

All of this heightens the pressure upon negotiators from the P5+1 — the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Russian Federation, and Germany — ahead of their restarted talks with Iran next week in Kazakhstan. Reuters has reported that the group will present Iran with a new package of “substantial and serious” offers to Iran during the negotiations, including eased sanctions on gold and other precious metals.

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Scott Brown in talks for job at Fox News

Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) is in negotiations with Fox News to become a contributor to the network, a spokesperson for the channel said Wednesday.

Brown would be the second former legislator to join the network this year, alongside former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who debuted late last month. Brown, who lost his reelection bid to freshman Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), said last week that he would not seek the seat opened by former Sen. John Kerry's (D-Mass.) appointment as secretary of State.

At the time, Brown said he was not convinced another run for Congress was the best way to advocate for his policy goals.

“I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign in less than four years, and the prospect of returning to a Congress even more partisan than the one I left, was really the best way for me to continue in public service at this time. And I know it’s not the only way for me to advance the ideals and causes that matter most to me," Brown said in a statement.

Earlier Wednesday, the former senator announced he was joining the board of directors of Kadant Inc., a paper company.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute to Kadant and learn more about the challenges of an international business," Brown said in a statement. "Kadant has been on the forefront of designing and manufacturing equipment to recycle and produce paper for decades. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experiences and contributing to the future direction and growth of this global leader."

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Sen. Durbin sees ‘chasm’ in fiscal talks

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Sunday there is still a "chasm" at the heart of talks to reach a deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” as the year-end deadline approaches.

"There still is a chasm there," Durbin said on CBS's Face the Nation. "There's work to be done and not much time left."

But Durbin sounded a tone of optimism in terms of striking a deal in the next two days.    

"I've been around Washington long enough to know that it takes a deadline, it takes a lot of sweat and a lot of worry," Durbin said. "And people reach a point where they finally say, 'Alright, let's try to find the way through this.'"

"It’s happened before," he added. "It can happen again." 

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), who also appeared on the program agreed that both sides are "far apart."

"I don't think anybody knows what's going to happen," he said. 

But Coburn added, "The odds are that we have not seen the leadership on either side of the aisle to solve this problem and why would we think that we're gonna see the leadership in the next 24 hours to solve the problem?"

Coburn said while there are "a lot of disadvantages" with going over the fiscal cliff, there are also some advantages. 

"One of the advantages will be that the American people are going to see what the real cost of their government is -- the actual real cost -- for both the very wealthy. The very, very low will have minimal impact on them, it's about $200 a year," Coburn added.

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Barrasso: Obama ‘slowing down’ fiscal talks

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) on Monday accused President Obama of being disengaged from negotiations on avoiding the “fiscal cliff” as lawmakers race for a deal.

Barrasso, speaking on CBS’s “This Morning,” said that Obama was refusing to address the nation’s spending problems, hampering efforts on Capitol Hill to broker an agreement

"The president is, I think, slowing down the process, not helping," Barrasso said on the show.

Barrasso's comments come as legislators have less than 24 hours before the end-year deadline to prevent tax-rate rises and spending increases from taking effect.

On Sunday, although both chambers of Congress reconvened in anticipation of a deal, Democratic and Republican negotiators were unable to agree on a number of sticking points such as the estate tax and how to offset the cost of the sequester. 

"The bottom line is the president's the only one with a pen who can sign into law something and he ought to be very involved with making sure that he gets something that he can sign that can pass a Republican-controlled House and a Democrat-controlled Senate," Barrasso said. 

In an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Obama placed the blame for the protracted negotiations on Republicans and said he had made a concerted effort to reach a deal. 

"I offered not only a trillion dollars in — over a trillion dollars in spending cuts over the next 10 years, but these changes would result in even more savings in the next 10 years and would solve our deficit problem for a decade," Obama said in the interview.

Barrasso, though, said Monday that Obama had shown little interest in pushing meaningful deficit reduction. 

"The president doesn't seem too eager to actually get involved and find solutions to deal with the number one problem in our country,” he said.

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