Obama Defends Geithner — Says He Would Not Accept A Resignation
In an interview with CBS, President Obama stood by Tim Geithner’s performance as Treasury Secretary, joking that he would not accept a resignation even if it were ever offered: “Sorry, Buddy, you’ve still got the job.”
Biden Economic Adviser: Bonus Tax May Have “Gone Too Far”
Jared Bernstein, the top economic adviser to Vice President Biden, told ABC’s This Week that the bonus tax bill from the House may have “gone too far,” and that there are serious concerns about its constitutionality. “That said, let’s see what comes out of the Senate,” said Bernstein. “He [President Obama] has not said he won’t sign this bill. Let’s see what comes out of the Senate. Let’s see what gets to his desk.”
No Obama Or Biden Events Today
President Obama and Vice President Biden do not have any public events scheduled for today.
Shelby: Geithner “Won’t Last Long” If He Keeps Going Down This Road
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) expressed his lack of confidence in Geithner, though he stopped just short of calling for a resignation. “Well, I said last week he works for the president, and I can tell you what, if he keeps going down this road, I think that he won’t last long,” said Shelby. “I think he’s probably on shaky grounds now, at least with the Congress and a lot of the American people.”
Conrad To Present Budget Plan
Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) said he will be presenting his own budget plan, to address President Obama’s policy priorities without as much of a strain on the deficit: “It acknowledges in the short term, yes, we have got to have added deficits and debt to give lift to this economy, but longer term, we have got to pivot.”
Schwarzenegger, Rendell, Bloomberg Back Infrastructure Spending
Appearing on Meet The Press, Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) and Ed Rendell (D-PA), plus New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I), all said the country needs to spend $1.6 trillion on infrastructure to get the economy working. Schwarzenegger said: “In order for the economy to thrive and live up to 100 percent of its potential, you need to move people and goods around very quickly, and so if that falls behind then the economy falls behind.”
Gregg: Obama Budget Will Bankrupt The Country
Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, Sen. Judd Gregg said that President Obama’s budget plan would bankrupt the country. “There’s no other way around it,” said Gregg. “If we maintain the proposals that are in this budget over the ten-year period that this budget covers, this country will go bankrupt. People will not buy our debt, our dollar will become devalued. It is a very severe situation.”
Wasserman Schultz Reveals Battle With Cancer
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) has revealed that she has secretly fought breast cancer for the past year, undergoing seven major surgeries even as she worked in Congress. “I’m a very focused, methodical person, and I wasn’t going to let this beat me,” said Wasserman Schultz. “I wasn’t going to let it interfere with my life.”
