Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) says that Democrats aren’t talking about the fact that their healthcare bill will force a huge financial burden upon states, many of which are currently experiencing massive budget deficits. (:44)
By Sam Wechsler – Talk Radio News Service
Health care reform will drive down the federal deficit, President Obama said at a news conference Friday at the G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy. Obama also discussed Iran, saying he hopes to soon welcome the politically-embroiled nation into the international community.
Obama said he understands Republicans’ concern for the U.S.’s massive budget deficit, but said “what cannot be denied is that the only way to get a handle on our medium and long term budget deficits is to corral and contain health care costs.” Obama said that while it is not absolutely necessary, he wants to pass a health care reform bill by the August congressional recess.
“My biggest job is to explain to the American people why this is so important and give them confidence that we can do better than we’re doing right now,” said Obama.
As for the nuclear weapons program in Iran, President Obama stated that he would evaluate that at the G20 meeting in September.
“The international community has said ‘here’s a door you [Iran] can walk through that allows you to lessen tensions and more fully join the international community.’ If Iran chooses not to walk through that door you have on record, the G8 to begin with, but I think potentially a lot of other countries that say we need to take further steps,” said Obama.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates describes the three objectives of the Defense budget: to take care of the forces, to rebalance the Department’s programs and to start a reform on how and what the Department buys. (0:44)
By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the proposed international affairs budget is a “major investment” as she testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday. Clinton said in her opening statement that President Obama’s 2010 budget request for the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development is $48.6 billion.
Clinton explained that she knew what a significant request and said, “We know that this request comes when some agencies are experiencing cutbacks. But it is an indication of the critical role the State Department must play to help advance our nation’s interests, safeguard our security, and make us a positive force for progress worldwide.”
Clinton offered a description of how the State Department and the USAID should exercise their global leadership effectively. The description included the “three D’s” that she said must be harnessed. The “three D’s” are diplomacy development and defense according to Clinton.
There are many issues that the State Department and the USAID are currently dealing with and Clinton said, “We need good people and we need enough of them.” According to Clinton’s opening statement, that is why the 2010 budget request includes $283 million to accommodate the hiring of over 740 new Foreign Service personnel. This increase in the budget coincides with the President’s promise of expanding the Foreign Service.
Clinton said the State Department and the USAID will have the opportunity to use “smart power to implement smart policies.” The top three priorities of focus are: urgent challenges and regions of concern,including Afghanistan and Pakistan, Iraq, and the Middle East; transnational challenges; and development assistance.
Clinton closed her opening statement by saying to Committee Chairman John Kerry, “Mr. Chairman, we’re pursuing all of these policies because it is the right thing to do, but also because it is the smart thing to do. No country benefits more than the United States when there is greater security, democracy, and opportunity in the world.”
By Jonathan Bronstein, Talk Radio News Service
When financial giants Bear Stearns and AIG crashed, the American government came to their rescue to maintain stability of the economy. When “too big to fail” Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae did fail, the American government stepped in and prevented their demise.
However, “If a fiscal meltdown comes, there will be no one to bail out
America,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), adding that the U.S.’s lack of a responsible fiscal policy for the last 30 years has placed the nation in dire economic straits.
Hoyer spoke yesterday at the Bipartisan Policy Committee.
America’s 2009 budget is contending with a $1.7 trillion deficit, which will only inflate the national debt to $11 trillion. More than $3 trillion of that debt is held by foreign lenders, specifically China.
“Our debt has never been higher…(This) is our sad, debt-ridden fiscal state,” said Hoyer. As a result “hundreds of billions of dollars every year – hundreds of billions that could strengthen our national defense, or help young Americans go to college, or fund research for the next energy breakthrough – will instead go to interest payments, merely to keep us solvent.”
Hoyer stressed that Congress must take the lead and reform the nation’s economic policy in order to prevent such a devastating, demoralizing and dangerous event from ever occurring.
The first, and most important way to reshape America’s fiscal future is to reform the entitlement programs, such as Social Security Medicare and Medicaid.
“We will not bring our debt down if we do not reform entitlements,” Hoyer said, but cautioned that it will not be possible without bipartisan support. He cited Social Security reform in 1986, which was only possible because of a compromise between the Democratic Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neil, and President Ronald Reagan.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) discusses how reckless fiscal policy moved from Main Street, to Wall Street, to Congress, and how this irresponsibility drastically hurt America because everyone, including the government, lived “beyond its means.” (0:29)
By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service
>House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) called congressional voting cards “the most dangerous credit card in the history of the world”, because then enable Congress and the president to engage in reckless spending. This was not Boehner’s first criticism of Obama, but his statement came on the 101st day of the Obama Administration, a time which Boehner has criticized as being pock marked with excessive borrowing, reckless spending and a massive growth in government.
Boehner said that Democrat’s “record on spending and debt is staggering, but our economy is growing weaker, and it’s not going to get any better by growing the size of the government here in Washington.”
Boehner believes that the Democratically controlled Congress has enabled and contributed to the recklessness, and thinks it is up to the Republicans to put a stop to it. Republicans must be “the party of better solutions” if they are going to stand up to the Democrats in Congress, Boehner said, adding that he hopes Democrats will be committed to a bipartisan policy approach..
Citing the elections of 2008, Boehner said “out brand has been tarnished”, but to help the party serve the American people, Republicans must stand up to the Obama Administration when disagreements arise, and to offer alternative solutions.
Leader Boehner applauded President Obama on his strategy towards Afghanistan and Iraq, but showed concern at Obama’s greater national security policy.
“The big question continues to be: what is the Administration’s overarching plan to fight terrorism? Judging from their recent decision to release 30 terrorist detainees with no plan on where to put them, it continues to beg the question,” referring to Obama’s closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center without knowing where the detainees will be sent.
by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service
The campaign to Rebuild and Renew America Now!, a coalition of 116 national and over 700 state and local progressive, labor and advocacy organizations working together to pass the President’s budget held a press conference this afternoon and said they are confident that Congress will do what is best for the American people, and that is to pass it. Alan Charney, the Program Director for US Action said that the budget is “transformative,” and said that it will set the U.S. on a road to long term recovery. (00:41)
by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service
This afternoon, on the eve of President Obama’s 100th day in office, progressive leaders addressed the budget and how it will improve health care, clean energy and education.
The campaign to Rebuild and Renew America Now!, a coalition of 116 national and over 700 state and local progressive, labor and advocacy organizations working together to pass the President’s budget held a press conference this afternoon and said they are confident that Congress will do what is best for the American people, and that is to pass it.
Alan Charney, the Program Director for US Action said that the budget is “transformative.”
“This blueprint totally reverses the failed economic policies of the past and sets us on a road to long term recovery,” said Charney
Tom McMahon, the Acting Executive Director of Americans United for Change criticized the Conservatives and blamed them for leading our nation into one of the most deepest recession in decades.
“Their best and in fact, only prescription for this ailing economy is more and more tax breaks for big corporations that have outsourced American jobs and more tax breaks for multi-millionaires that never manage to trickle down to anyone else and more short change investments in things that will actually grow the economy, like health care and education,” said McMahon.
The coalition members said that a clean energy legislation, health care reform and education are the most pressing issues that they hope the budget will improve.
“Congress now has the choice to stand up for our students and vote for a budget that works or they can continue to play into the pockets of the student lenders,” said Carmen Berkley, the President of the United States Student Association (USSA) and the United States Student Association Foundation (USSAF).
Berkley said that student lenders are ruining credit and dreams of students who are wanting to go to college.
Berkley also said that by eliminating programs that don’t work, like the family federal education loan program, it will put $94 billion more into the Pell grant program for students.
“We know that Congress will make an investment in students this week that works for students and their families,” said Berkley.
By Kayleigh Harvey – Talk Radio News Service
In response to a question by Congressman John Culberson (R-TX), at the House Appropriations Committee Meeting on the Supreme Court budget for the fiscal year 2010, about whether the Supreme Court would consider showing posting video of their oral arguments on their website for the public to see, Justice Clarence Thomas said, “We have discussed that, and discussed it and discussed it.” In concluding his point he hinted that their was disagreement amongst the Supreme Justices’ on whether this change would be harmful to the institution.
