Obama: We Must Cut Government Waste
In this weekend’s YouTube address, President Obama discussed the need to cut the costs of government and to eliminate wasteful programs, and announced the appointments of Jeffrey Zients as Chief Performance Officer, and Aneesh Chopra as Chief Technology Officer:
Obama says that the circumstances of the economy forced him to expand the federal deficit. But nevertheless, he added: “Without significant change to steer away from ever-expanding deficits and debt, we are on an unsustainable course.”
GOP Response Video: Congressman Praises Tea Parties
In this weekend’s RNC response YouTube, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) lambasted big spending by the Democrats — and praised the Tea Parties from this past week:
“In fact, thousands of Americans turned out on Tax Filing Day to say they’ve had enough of the high taxes and borrowing to bankroll Washington’s spending spree,” said McCarthy. “I attended one of these Tea Parties in my hometown of Bakersfield, California, and believe me, the message was heard loud and clear.”
Obama At Summit Of The Americas
President Obama is attending the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. He attended a multilateral meeting of the UNASUR countries at 8 a.m. ET, a plenary session at 9:30 a.m. ET, a head of state official photo session at 12 p.m. ET, and a working lunch at 12:30 p.m. ET. He will attend a plenary session at 2:30 p.m. ET, another at 4:15 p.m. ET, and an official dinner and cultural show at 8 p.m. ET.
No Biden Events Today
Vice President Biden is spending the day in Washington, D.C. He does not have an y public events scheduled.
Obama Seeks “Equal Partnership” At Summit
At the Summit of the Americas, President Obama sought to present a new “equal partnership” between the United States and the rest of the Western Hemisphere. “There is no senior partner or junior partner,” said Obama. “There is just engagement based on mutual respect.” Obama also said the U.S. seeks a “new beginning” with Cuba: “I know there is a longer journey that must be traveled in overcoming decades of mistrust, but there are critical steps we can take toward a new day.”
Obama Meets Chávez At Summit
President Obama met up with Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez at the Summit of the Americas, where Chávez gave Obama a “gift” of a book, The Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent, by Eduardo Galeno. Obama joked to a reporter: “I thought it was one of Chávez’ books. I was going to give him one of mine.” And Chávez said of Obama: “I think President Obama is an intelligent man, compared to the previous U.S. president.”
Bush Makes First Post-Presidency Overseas Trip
Former President George W. Bush made his first overseas trip to the Boao Forum in China, telling humorous stories about his time in office and his experiences now as a private citizen. Bush also reiterated that he will not publicly criticize his successor: “He was not my first choice, but now that this election was made, it speaks volumes about the United States of America.”
Specter Lines Up Support Within GOP Caucus
CQ reports that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) is lining up support in his caucus against right-wing primary challenger Pat Toomey. Specter has received donations from ten GOP Senators, including such conservatives as Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Lamar Alexander, Richard Shelby, Saxby Chambliss and others.
