Hensarling vs. Obama: GOP Skeptical About Obama's 2011 Budget

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Republicans Blast President Obama On His Budget


The bipartisan feelings between President Barack Obama and House Republicans barely survived the weekend.

Republicans are ripping into Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget today, criticizing the spending increases, record deficits and tax increases on the wealthy.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) hinted at hypocrisy in the White House’s budget, which was delivered to Capitol Hill this morning. He said that Obama spoke about “the importance of fiscal responsibility” at his conference’s retreat in Baltimore last weekend but delivered a budget that “spends too much, taxes too much and borrows too much.”

Boehner said the budget is filled with “reckless spending and more unsustainable debt.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), like all other Republicans, blasted the budget.

“This budget provides a startling figure that should stop us all in our tracks,” McConnell said. “According to the administration’s budget, the interest on the federal debt is expected to be nearly 6 trillion dollars over the next decade. We’ve all heard about interest-only loans, but this is the equivalent of an average of $600 billion dollars in interest every year. That’s an astonishing number.”

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) had little praise of the president’s spending plan, saying in a statement that it “spends more than any other in history, creates the largest deficits in history, and imposes the largest tax increases in history — at a time when our country can least afford it.”

Democrats defended Obama’s budget and dismissed the Republican criticisms as predictable.

Taking the Senate floor Monday afternoon, Majority Leader Harry Reid defended the President's budget, saying Obama's plan prioritized putting Americans back to work and "smartly" invested in infrastructure, science and technology.

Reid continued by going after Republicans for their "no" votes on both the "Pay-as-you-go" and the Conrad-Gregg debt reduction commission amendments last week—calling their dissent "a real shame" and a "partisan game."

"The Republicans voted in unison against pay-as-you-go, a simple concept that we should only spend what we as a government have. Some Republicans [who] sponsored the legislation creating the deficit reduction commission voted against their own bill. Had they voted with us, the bill would have passed," Reid said. "Our economy and our future cannot afford partisan games like that."

Still, after Obama’s widely praised question and answer session with Republicans, the GOP leaders tried to find something nice to say.

Boehner said Obama’s funds for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq “ensures our troops…have the resources they need to succeed in their mission.”

Cantor, however, did add that Obama’s spending freeze, “is a step in the right direction, but one that is far too small considering the fiscal situation we face.”

Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), who asked Obama on Friday if his budget would triple the nation’s debt, thinks he got the answer to his lingering question Monday.

“This budget sends a clear signal to American taxpayers who are tired of the spending, deficits and bailouts — and who recognize that they are not working — that the president is taking the policies they have rejected to a new high,” Hensarling said. “This is clear evidence that the president is ignoring the will of the American taxpayers who want Washington to go on a diet.”

Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), the top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, said the budget has “too many new taxes, too much new spending and too much debt, all of which will discourage hiring and further reduce Americans’ job security.”

“While I am glad to see the budget seeks to increase exports of American-made goods and services, those efforts are far outweighed by trillions of dollars in job-killing tax hikes,” Camp said in a statement.



View Larger Map


Sources: Politico, MSNBC, Fox News, Youtube, Google Maps

U.S. Deficit Out Of Control! $1.6 Trillion! Freeze Not Enough!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama White House To Paint Grim Fiscal Picture


The White House will predict a $1.6 trillion U.S. budget deficit in the 2010 fiscal year, a fresh record and the biggest since World War Two as a share of the economy, a congressional source told Reuters on Sunday.

The grim forecast adds to the challenges facing President Barack Obama, who is emphasizing a message of fiscal discipline but is also seeking stimulus measures to boost the struggling economy in the near term.

Obama's budget proposal, which will be released at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, will predict a narrowing of the deficits to $700 billion by fiscal 2013 before they gradually rise back to $1 trillion by the end of the decade, the Capitol Hill source said.

He will submit his spending blueprint for the 2011 fiscal year that begins October 1 and runs through September 30 next year.

Obama is trying to strike a balance between long-term deficit reduction and easing the pain of double-digit unemployment through proposals such as tax credits to encourage business hiring and tax breaks for middle class families.

He is to deliver remarks on the U.S. fiscal situation at 10:45 a.m. EST.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Criticized by Republicans as a big spender, Obama used his State of the Union address last week to tell Americans he would dig the country out of a "massive fiscal hole."

That hole is even deeper than previously believed, according to the estimate by the White House's Office of Management and Budget.

The estimate for the current 2010 fiscal year that ends September 30 is significantly higher than the $1.35 trillion figure forecast by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office last week.

Despite the difference, both estimates indicate that the deficit will continue to hover near 10 percent of gross domestic product, a level not seen since World War Two, when measured as a percentage of the economy.

Last year, the government posted a $1.4 trillion deficit, equivalent to 9.9 percent of GDP.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

THREE-YEAR FREEZE WON'T BE ENOUGH

In his budget, Obama will propose a three-year freeze on some domestic programs to save $20 billion next year and $250 billion over the coming decade.

But that will not be enough to get deficits down permanently to the 3 percent of GDP that most economists consider sustainable.

Deficits are projected to fall as the economy recovers, but they will still average roughly 4.5 percent of GDP over the coming decade, according to the estimate.

Deficits are expected to rise again toward the end of the decade due to the increasing cost of retirement and healthcare programs as the "baby boom" generation retires.

Obama has warned that the burgeoning U.S. debt could unnerve U.S. financial markets, driving up borrowing costs and putting future economic growth at risk.

China, the biggest foreign holder of U.S. Treasuries, has urged the United States to get its fiscal house in order.

The bleak numbers could help build support for a bipartisan commission proposed by the White House that would recommend ways to address the budget problems.

Obama and his fellow Democrats face a growing voter backlash for the aggressive spending measures they have taken to stimulate the economy.

But Democrats point out that most of the fiscal mess has been inherited from the previous administration of Republican George W. Bush, who cut taxes and created an expensive prescription drug-benefit while pursuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The recession, which began in December 2007, also worsened the fiscal picture by depressing government revenues while forcing up spending on unemployment benefits and other safety-net programs.

The U.S. economy returned to growth last year after the worst downturn since the 1930s.


Sources: Reuters, NY Times, The Daily Beast, MSNBC, CNBC

Virginia Foxx Needs To Step Down! Criticizes Obama But Gets Autograph

On the heels of Pres. Obama extending an Olive Branch to Republicans in hopes of building positive bi-partisan communication between GOP and Democrat Congressional members, as always Rep. Virginia Foxx finds a way to screw things up.

In fact U.S. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC)never ceases to amaze me with her frequent foolish, snide, foot-in-mouth comments.

Why would she seek to sabotage yesterday's historic efforts for Unity by posting a negative Twitter Comment about Pres. Obama?

"Pres. Obama gave us another lecture. Our guys asked great questions. Need Independent Fact Checker for his comments. Got Autograph."

How Stupid are those statements??

What's even more bizarre is that she gets his autograph!

Now why would you want to obtain the autograph of someone whom you obviously don't respect?

Is it so you can sell it on Ebay??

Rep. Foxx's behavior consistently makes the Republican Party appear Illiterate and Stupid, thus scaring away anyone considering looking to Republicans for constructive Solutions.

This includes: Black Voters, Independent Voters, Gay Voters, etc.,

How can someone so narrow-minded represent her constituents well?

Although I'm not a Republican, I'd say its high time she stepped down.

Elected Incumbents like Rep. Foxx only help to divide Republicans and Democrats thus creating continued Capitol Hill Gridlock on issues important to the American people.

Politicians (especially Incumbents) need to frequently search within themselves and ask why they sought a role in Public Office.

If they aren't there for Voters or Constructive Progress, than GET OUT and make room for people who are!

We all understand Politicians are still Human Beings who possess their own perspectives on everyday life issues, however it wouldn't hurt to use a little tact or to hold one's tongue versus spewing out whatever comes to mind.

To Rep. Virginia Foxx I repeat "Its Time For You To Step Down" or....

Cease making foolish remarks which hurts your party, causes Southern Politicians to look Stupid and makes Congress appear even more dysfunctional.

North Carolina can do better. So much better.







Virginia Foxx Slams Obama, Gets Autograph


North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx criticized President Obama after his address to House Republicans but had no qualms about walking away with a souvenir.

"Pres gave us another lecture. Our guys asked great questions. Need independent fact checker for his comments. Got autograph," the Republican congresswoman tweeted Friday afternoon at the House Republican retreat.

A follow up tweet she sent shortly after read, "Am concerned that Pres thinks health care bill is centrist. He did not accept the scalpel and it is a great tool."

Her remarks followed a rare question-and-answer session with the president and the GOP caucus.

About 300 lawmakers, family members and aides attended the meeting, which was broadcast live. The event was for the most part civil, with a few moments of heated discussion.

Obama accused Republicans of frequently mischaracterizing his policy proposals, particularly in the health care debate. Republicans, in turn, complained that the White House and congressional Democrats had ignored their ideas, locked them out of the policy-making process, and unfairly labeled them as obstructionists.

"Both sides can take some blame for a sour climate on Capitol Hill," Obama said, adding that Democrats and Republicans "need to be careful" in choosing their rhetoric. "A tone of civility instead of slash and burn would be helpful."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Virginia Foxx: Matthew Shepard's Murder Not a Hate Crime


Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) has done it again. Earlier this month she dropped the racially charged term "tar baby" on the House floor. Today, she said the murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard in 1998 was not a hate crime.

"It's really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing [hate crimes] bills," Foxx said on the House floor during debate on the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Foxx opposes a bill being considered that would extend federal hate crimes protections to cover crimes committed because of a person's gender, sexual orientation or disability.

She called Shepard's murder a "very unfortunate incident" but said "we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay."

And guess who was in the House gallery to hear Foxx say this? Matthew Shepard's mother, Judy, according to Democratic sources.

To refresh your memory on what happened to her son> two men tied the University of Wyoming college freshman to a fence and savagely pistol whipped and beat him to death. Before doing it, one of the killers tauntingly said to Shepard, "It's Gay Awareness Week."

Ironically, Foxx is part of a GOP leadership team tasked with finding embarrassing, "You-Tube worthy moments" of vulnerable Democratic freshmen and sophomores.

Here's what gay liberal blogger John Arivosis has to say about Foxx's comments. Stay tuned: there will be plenty more outrage from the gay rights community.

UPDATE: The Human Rights Campaign, a leading Washington based gay-rights group, is furious with Congresswoman Foxx.

"Vile lies, like the one spread by Rep. Foxx today on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives about Matthew's brutal hate-fueled murder, continues to underscore how extreme anti-LGBT opponents have become," says Brad Luna, a spokesman for HRC. "It is no longer acceptable in this day and age to just come right out and say you don't like gay people. Instead, extremist opponents of equality must resort to these types of malicious and twisted lies. Rep. Foxx should be ashamed of herself."

HRC also notes the following groups have endorsed the hate-crimes bill opposed by Foxx: the National Sheriffs Association; International Association of Chiefs of Police; 26 state Attorneys General; the National District Attorneys Association; the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; the Anti-Defamation League; the NAACP; the National Council of La Raza; the Presbyterian Church; the Episcopal Church; and the National Disability Rights Network.



View Larger Map


Sources: CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post, Rachel Maddow Show, Google Maps

GOP House Leaders Blame Pelosi For Dysfunction, Partisanship

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

House GOP aims Fire At Dem. Leaders


After a spirited back-and-forth with President Barack Obama on Friday, House Republicans re-focused their barbs on a familiar target: House Democratic Leadership.

Obama’s hour-and-a-half exchange with House Republicans didn’t leave either side with much renewed hope for bipartisanship, but GOP leaders muted their criticism of the president after his forceful performance, instead blasting Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

House Minority Leader John Boehner and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor have spent much of the last year bashing Obama and his policies, blaming the president for failing to acknowledge their legislative suggestions.

But after their direct confrontation with Obama, the pair praised the president for spending 90 minutes with them, saying it was a forum “we need to have more of" and expressing confidence that Obama would follow through on more dialogue with Hill Republicans.

Instead, Pelosi and Hoyer were their targets. Boehner and Cantor bashed the House Democrats’ leadership style and placed the future of this session of Congress squarely on Pelosi and Hoyer’s backs.

“It’s really up to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer to carry through,” Boehner said. “I think the president will carry through in terms of having more meetings with us, having more discussions with us, but there’s got to be more than just discussions.”

Pelosi's team quickly pushed back. "Republican leaders continue to complain about the absence of bipartisanship, but they are ignoring some of the facts: More than 100 Republican-sponsored bills passed the House (many with unanimous support), and many other major bills received Republican support," said Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami. "All you hear from Republicans is their opposition to the Recovery Act (which included jobs and middle-class tax cuts), health insurance reform and Wall Street reform."

Pelosi and Boehner will meet next week, a confab scheduled before the retreat, a Democratic leadership aide said.

But Boehner said Democratic leaders have all but closed the door on bipartisanship: They "looked up and said, 'We have a 40-vote majority; we're just going to go it our way.'"

“I think the speaker and the majority leader need to assess how they’re running the House,” he said. “This is not the way the founders envisioned the House working.”

Of course, Boehner wasn't ready to let Obama off the hook entirely.

About two hours after the event ended, Boehner's office issued a news release accusing Obama of repeating "discredited talking points during dialogue with House GOP."


Sources: Politico, MSNBC

Pres. Obama Loses Cool During GOP Retreat

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

President Obama Rumbles With House GOP


President Barack Obama on Friday accused Republicans of portraying health care reform as a "Bolshevik plot" and telling their constituents that he’s "doing all kinds of crazy stuff that's going to destroy America."

Speaking to House Republicans at their annual policy retreat here, Obama said that over-the-top GOP attacks on him and his agenda have made it virtually impossible for Republicans to address the nation’s problems in a bipartisan way.

“What happens is that you guys don’t have a lot of room to negotiate with me,” Obama said. "The fact of the matter is, many of you, if you voted with the administration on something, are politically vulnerable with your own base, with your own party because what you've been telling your constituents is, ‘This guy's doing all kinds of crazy stuff that's going to destroy America.' ''

Obama’s comments came in the midst of an extraordinary back-and-forth with Republican House members — a scene straight out of the House of Commons that played out live on cable TV.

Republicans invited Obama to appear at their annual conference; the president accepted — and then surprised them by asking that cameras and reporters be allowed into the room.

Republicans immediately agreed to the request, but they may be regretting it now.

Again and again, Obama turned the Republicans questions against them — accusing them of obstructing legislation for political purposes and offering solutions that won’t work.

"I've read your legislation. I take a look at this stuff. And the good ideas we take," Obama said. "It can't be all or nothing, one way or the other … If we put together a stimulus package in which a third of it is tax cuts that normally you guys would support, and support for states and the unemployed and helping people stay on COBRA, that certainly your governors would support … and maybe there are some things in there, with respect to infrastructure, that you don't like … If there's uniform opposition because the Republican caucus doesn't get 100 percent or 80 percent of what you want, then it's going to be difficult to get a deal done, because that's not how democracy works."

House Minority Leader John Boehner, who introduced Obama to his colleagues and gave the president a stack of Republican policy proposals, said afterward that the event had been “a good first step in having more of a dialogue.”

Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake said the event had helped his party by showing that Republicans have offered alternatives to Obama’s plans.

"The real effort here was to convince people out there that we have offered solutions, we've offered things,” Flake said. “For him to say, ‘Yes, I've read your proposal; it's a substantive proposal’ — that's good. That's a huge thing for Republicans."

House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana began Friday’s question-and-answer session by asking Obama whether he’d embrace “across the board” tax cuts as a way to revive the economy, and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) asked him to support a line-item veto to help achieve a balanced budget.

Obama pushed back hard, accusing Republicans of putting party before principle and voting against his 2009 stimulus plan but then attending “ribbon cuttings” for stimulus projects in their own districts.

If Republicans believe in both across-the-board tax cuts and a balanced budget, Obama said he’d like to see their math.

The afternoon started on a more conciliatory note, with Obama saying in opening remarks hat he expects Republicans to challenge his ideas — and that he understands that there are sometimes fundamental policy differences between the parties.

"Having differences of opinion, having a real debate about matters of domestic policy and national security, that's something that's not only good for our country, it's absolutely essential,” he said.

But he also criticized the Republicans for reflexively opposing his policies — even when, he said, they were in line with GOP principles. And the encounter got progressively more raucous from there.

Obama urged Republicans to come to the table and work with him on policy compromises, saying Americans "didn't send us to Washington to fight each other in some political steel-cage match."

What voters don’t want, he said, is "for Washington to continue being so Washington-like."

The president asked the Republicans to support his proposal to provide small businesses with a $5000 tax credit for each new employee they add — an idea Republicans panned before he even made the offer. He also asked them to support his plan to freeze nonmilitary discretionary spending for three years.

"Join me," Obama asked. "Nothing in this proposal that runs contrary to the ideological predisposition of this caucus."

"We have seen some party-line votes that have been disappointing," he said, recalling the stimulus fight. "I didn't understand then, and I still don't understand, why we got opposition in this caucus for almost $300 billion in badly needed tax cuts for the American people" and other assistance and infrastructure projects.

Obama jabbed: "Let's face it, some of you have been at the ribbon-cuttings for some of these important projects in your communities."

Continuing on a confrontational tack, Obama defended key components of his agenda, including the proposed fee on bailed-out banks — telling Boehner: "If you listen to the American people, John, they’ll tell you they want their money back."

At the end of his remarks — before taking questions —– Obama told Republicans it's time to make a choice between aiming for "success at the polls" or "lasting success" for the country. "Just think about it for a while," he said. "We don't have to put it up for a vote today."

Freshman Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) went after the president harder, accusing him of breaking promising about transparency, lobbyists and partisanship.

“I can look you in the eye and tell you we have not been obstructionists,” he said.

Obama acknowledged that Chaffetz had a “legitimate complaint” about not putting health care negotiations on C-SPAN — as the president had vowed they would be — but he also asked Chaffetz what he was doing within his own caucus to make sure that Republicans were working with him in bipartisan way.

Midway through the questions and answers, Pence said that there would be just a few more questions.

Obama said he wasn’t in any hurry to leave.

"I'm having fun,” Obama said. “This is great."

Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) seemed to enjoy the experience a little less.

Price said he’s asked to meet with Obama every week for a year but that his question-and-answer round — about health care proposals Republicans have offered — was the first time they’ve actually spoken.

“He didn't even address the question,” Price grumbled afterward. “He distorted the premise and refused to even answer the question."

Price said Republicans had proven that they have ideas, that Obama has received them and that he wouldn’t answer their questions.

"I don't know that you could get any more out of that than we did,” he said.


Sources: MSNBC, Politico

GOP & Obama Meet In The Middle; GOP Shines!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama Takes Tough Questions From House GOP


President Obama and House GOP Leaders promised greater efforts to step back from the partisan brink Friday, acknowledging that Washington's toxic political climate has made it increasingly tough to tackle major problems.

The pledge was immediately called into question, however, as the two parties repeatedly expressed sharply differing viewpoints during a rare meeting at a House Republican retreat in Baltimore.

Obama accepted an invitation from House GOP Leaders to address their caucus. His speech Friday was followed by an often pointed question-and-answer session.

"House Republican leaders are grateful for Obama's willingness to come ... and have a frank and honest conversation," said Rep. Mike Pence, R-Indiana. "We welcome the dialogue with the president."

The president accused Republicans of frequently mischaracterizing his policy proposals, particularly in the health care debate.

Republicans, in turn, complained the White House and congressional Democrats had ignored their ideas, locked them out of the policy-making process and unfairly labeled them as obstructionists.

"Both sides can take some blame for a sour climate on Capitol Hill," Obama said, adding that Democrats and Republicans need to be careful in choosing their rhetoric. "A ton of civility instead of slash and burn would be helpful."

The president highlighted what he said was problematic GOP rhetoric on his health care proposals. Republicans, he said, had characterized the proposed program as some "kind of Bolshevik plot."

In fact, he said that much of his plan was similar to what Republicans had proposed during the failed Clinton-era push to overhaul health care.

Both sides need to "close the gap a little bit between rhetoric and reality," the president argued. Calling his health care plan "some wild-eyed plot to impose big government in every aspect of our lives" leaves little room for bipartisan negotiation, Obama said.

The president questioned how Republicans could negotiate in good faith after using such rhetoric without exposing themselves to conservative primary challengers.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he tried to be honest about differences over administration proposals.

"I truly believe a government takeover of health care ... is the essence of their bill," Boehner said.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama conceded there's been a failure on his part to "try to foster better communications even if there's disagreement."

He has promised regular meetings with GOP leaders in the future. Boehner welcomed the gesture but said it is equally important for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to give Republicans a greater role in the legislative process.

Bipartisanship "isn't about taking one little Republican idea and throwing it in a 2,000-page bill," he said after Obama argued that Democratic leaders had taken GOP proposals into account in the health care debate.

"If you're really serious about building a bipartisan product ... you need to do it from the beginning."

Republicans criticized the president for failing to fulfill a promise to televise all the health care negotiations on C-SPAN. Obama called the criticism "legitimate" but noted the overwhelming majority of committee hearings on the legislation had been conducted in front of TV cameras.

After the bills had cleared the committees, however, it became a "messy process," he conceded.

"I take responsibility for not having structured it in a way where it was all taking place in one place that could be filmed," he said.

Obama and Republicans strongly criticized each other on a range of issues tied to taxes and spending.

GOP leaders said Obama's $862 billion stimulus plan had been ineffective and repeatedly urged the president to consider an across-the-board tax cut.

Obama said it would be wrong to slash taxes for the richest Americans or the banking sector in a weak economy. He also argued that the stimulus program had saved key jobs in GOP districts across the country.

"There is not a single person in here who, had it not been for what was in the stimulus package, wouldn't be going home to more teachers laid off, more firefighters laid off, more cops laid off," he said.

"The component parts of the Recovery Act are consistent" with what many Republicans say are important, he said.

The stimulus helped in terms of "rebuilding our infrastructure, tax cuts for families and businesses, and making sure that we were providing states and individuals some support when the roof was caving in."

The president said he agrees with the GOP emphasis on fiscal responsibility but hinted that Republicans could do more to help control spending, including curtailing legislative earmark requests for their own districts.

He also said he is willing to work with Republicans on the enactment of a line-item veto.

"There's not a president out there that wouldn't like that," he said.

Despite their disagreements, both sides agreed the day's dialogue was a step in the right direction.

"I hope that the conversation we begin here doesn't end here, that we can continue our dialogue in the days ahead," Obama said.

The day "went very well," Boehner replied later. "There are issues we do agree on" and Republicans will work to find "common ground."

We should "set aside perhaps the things that the president believes in that we philosophically don't, but if there is some common ground we ought to go ahead forward with those," said Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Virginia.

Friday's meeting, he said, was "the kind of discussion, frankly, that we need to have more of."


View Larger Map


Sources: CNN, MSNBC, Google Maps