The seemingly endless legal and political trouble the Republican party is currently enduring is having a notable impact on the party's ability to push its agenda in Congress. So desperate is the GOP's situation that tomorrow all 231 House Republican members will take a field trip across the street from the Capitol to the Library of Congress, where they will hold a four-hour meeting on a variety of topics, including trying to build consensus on the upcoming budget reconciliation legislation and even the future of their own leadership. Many observers inside and outside of Congress see the upcoming vote on the budget reconciliation bill in the House as a "make or break" moment for the currently upended GOP leadership structure. In fact, some House Republicans who have pushed for harsher budget cuts in the reconciliation bill have promised to force a leadership election in January if Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R-MO) cannot muster the 218 votes necessary to pass the budget cuts. All signs indicate that the retreat tomorrow may be a pivotal moment for the budget reconciliation legislation this year in Congress and for the future of the House GOP leadership. Contact your Representatives today to tell them to stand up to the radical agenda expressed by the budget reconciliation bill in the House and reject the damage it will cause to communities and neighborhoods across the country. It's time for America to move in a new direction.

The President's Tax Panel formally released its recommendations for tax reform to Treasury Secretary John Snow. There are not many surprises in this release as much of the panel's thinking and proposal was shared during its last public meeting on October 18. The full report can be read at the panel's website (www.taxreformpanel.gov) and the executive summary and letter to Secretary Snow are available on our website. AP: Panel Recommends Major Tax Law Changes