Obama Calls For ‘Sitting At The Same Table’ On Spending Cuts
In this weekend’s YouTube address, President Obama called for a bipartisan dialogue on spending cuts.
“We need to come together, Democrats and Republicans, around a long-term budget that sacrifices wasteful spending without sacrificing the job-creating investments in our future,” said Obama. “My administration has already put forward specific cuts that meet congressional Republicans halfway. And I’m prepared to do more. But we’ll only finish the job together – by sitting at the same table, working out our differences, and finding common ground. That’s why I’ve asked Vice President Biden and members of my Administration to meet with leaders of Congress going forward.”
GOP Rep. Black: We’ll Cut ‘ObamaCare,’ Financial Reform, And EPA
In this weekend’s Republican address, Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) said that government should get out of the way of the private sector — and listed many major regulations that House Republicans will be looking at.
“We’re hoping to find things that could have been discovered if Washington had been doing its work in an open and transparent way. There’s no better example of this than the 1099 paperwork mandate in ObamaCare. The House passed a bill this week to repeal it,” said Black. “And soon, we’re going to vote to cut wasteful mandatory spending programs – not just in ObamaCare, but also in the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill that’s drying up credit for our small businesses. We’ve also got our eye on EPA rules that are hurting job creation and creating higher gas prices.”
David Koch: I Didn’t Even Know Walker’s Name
The New York Times got a response from Republican financier David Koch to the infamous prank call made by blogger Ian Murphy, who posed as Koch, to Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI), in which Walker boasted of his plans to trick Democrats into returning to the state, and of his passion for defeating the public employee unions. “It’s a case of identity theft,” said Koch, also adding: “I didn’t even know his [Walker’s] name before this brouhaha erupted.”
Obama Takes First Steps On Road To 2012 Elections
Reuters reports: “President Barack Obama took the first steps on the road to the 2012 elections on Friday, presiding over the first of many fund-raising events to ensure his Democrats can compete against the Republicans. He cited an improving U.S. economy in a signal that he believes it will help his bid for re-election. ‘Now what we’re seeing is that having gone through the toughest time in recent memory, the country is on the rebound, the country is on the move,’ Obama said.”
Senate To Debate Rival Spending Bills Next Week
Reuters reports: “Senate Democrats on Friday pushed for a vote next week on their new proposal to trim $6 billion from spending while protecting President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul and other priorities. Democrats offered their measure as an alternative to a bill passed by the Republican-led House of Representatives last month that would cut about $61 billion in spending. Republicans immediately rejected the Democrats’ offer as being woefully inadequate.”
Obama Faces Pressure On Trade Deals
Roll Call reports: “The Obama administration is coming under increasing pressure from frustrated pro-trade lawmakers in the House and Senate to move ahead on three key trade deals. United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk’s testimony to the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday comes more than a week after the release of the administration’s 2011 trade agenda, a plan that was met with a cool reception from trade proponents because of its vague language on the Colombia and Panama free-trade agreements.”
Peter King: From IRA Supporter To Counter-Terror Advocate
The Washington Post reports on how Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who is set to hold hearings on what he describes as “the extent of the radicalization” of American Muslims, is often accused of a double-standard on terrorism issues in light of his long history of support for the Irish Republican Army. But King denies the charge. “I [wanted] a peace agreement, a working agreement, where the nationalist community would feel their rights would be respected,” King told the paper. “I felt that the IRA, in the context of Irish history, and Sinn Fein were a legitimate force that had to be recognized and you wouldn’t have peace without them.
