In an address on Friday, President Barack Obama says the stimulus bill is helping Americans by extending unemployment benefits by 20 weeks for some states, pushing the first time home buyer tax credits through April 2010 and cutting taxes for small businesses. (3:21)
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) accused President Barack Obama of breaking a campaign pledge by not providing sufficient transparency in the formation of health care reform legislation.
“If you remember candidate Obama said ‘when I introduce this health care legislation and we go to negotiate it, we’re going to negoatiate in the open, it’s going to be a transparent process. I’ll even put it on C-SPAN, so the American people can see who’s around the table,”‘ said Westmoreland. (0:30)
While honoring former Senator Edward Brooke with the Congressional Gold Medal, President Barack Obama jokes that the fact that he was admired by liberals and conservatives alike makes him a “coalition builder.” (0:15)
President Barack Obama honors former Senator Edward Brooke with the Congressional Gold Medal and calls on members of Congress to grace his spirit by being competitive at the polls and working together selflessly.(0:18)
President Barack Obama calls it a great privilege to honor former Senator Edward William Brooke with the Congressional Gold Medal. (0:17)
Travis Martinez – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and fellow Republicans argued on Wednesday against cuts in benefits for Medicare and Medicare Advantage recipients.
“Poll after Poll shows that America’s seniors are the group that has the greatest concerns about government takeover of health care, that’s because proposals cut Medicare benefits that seniors rely on,” said Boehner.
The Republican Leader used Wednesday’s press conference to promote the his party’s healthcare website, healthcare.gop.gov, where users can view “better solutions” to fix the nation’s health care system.
House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), who also attended the press conference, invoked words from President Barack Obama’s campaign.
Responding to then-Senator Obama’s pledge that Americans who like their health care plan would not be forced to give it up, Pence said, “ I guess he wasn’t talking about American senior citizens,” adding that “under recent legislation, $162 billion will be cut from the popular Medicare Advantage.”
By Travis Martinez – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service
President Barack Obama along with congressional leaders awarded former Senator Edward William Brooke with the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday. Brooke was recognized for the years of work he did on civil rights issues, and for being the first popularly elected African-American senator in U.S. history.
“It is a great privilege to be here today as we confer the Congressional Gold Medal on a man who’s spent his life breaking barriers and bridging divides across this country,” said the President.
Brooke served in the Senate from 1967 until 1979. During this time, he became known as a leading advocate for affordable housing, and against discrimination in housing. A 25-year military veteran, Brooke also served as the Attorney General of Massachusetts prior to his career in Congress.
The ceremony also included a tribute to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, who lost his battle with cancer two short months ago. Kennedy served side by side with Brooke in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate delegation. Members of Kennedy’s family, including his wife Victoria, and son, current Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D), attended the ceremony.
In a speech delivered Wednesday morning, President Barack Obama addresses the need for small businesses to have the ability to access capital so that “they can lend to small businesses in their communities.” (0:29)
President Barack Obama calls on Congress to increase Small Business Administration (SBA) loans to $5 million so that small franchises can grow. (0:23)
President Barack Obama honors Alpha Troop 1st Squadron 11th Armored Calvary, the legendary “Black Horse Regimen,” by awarding it the Nation’s highest honor for a military unit, The Presidential Unit Citation. (0:43)
