Barack Obama News
Read news, analysis, and commentary on Barack Obama, his administration’s legacy, and his continuing impact on national debates.
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The GOP’s Last-Ditch Effort to Partially Repeal Obamacare
Republican senators are pitching one last-ditch effort to repeal Obamacare regulations before a Sept. 30 deadline. A bill, drafted by Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Dean Heller of Nevada, and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, along with former Republican Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, would repeal both Obamacare’s individual and employer…Rachel del Guidice -
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Likely Next Solicitor General Fought for Nuns, Against Disputed Obama Appointees
After racking up victories against the Obama administration before the Supreme Court, Noel Francisco is expected to be confirmed by the Senate to manage the Trump administration’s cases there. “If you asked any conservative attorney in this town, they would put Noel in the top five legal minds,” @Curt_Levey says. >>> Update: The Senate confirmed…Fred Lucas -
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Obama’s Top Campaign Ad Firm Got Nearly $60M in Federal Contracts
Barack Obama’s presidential campaign advertising agency received nearly $60 million in federal contracts after he took office, according to an analysis by The Daily Caller News Foundation Investigative Group. The gravy train for the Washington, D.C.-based ad agency, GMMB, hasn’t slowed since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the analysis found. The liberal Democratic communications powerhouse was…Richard Pollock -
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2 Governors Push Congress for More Money, Leeway Under Obamacare
Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper have teamed to recommend that Congress keep the Obamacare mandate requiring Americans to have health insurance, but allow states the flexibility to find something better in place of the health care law. The two governors’ plan calls for a two-year, $15 billion “stability fund” to help…Fred Lucas -
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Why I and Other Lawmakers Should Live Under Obamacare
For seven years, Republican candidates running for every office from president to dogcatcher campaigned on the need to repeal and replace Obamacare. The spectacular collapse of the repeal effort in the Senate revealed that these promises were, at least for some senators, hollow. As disappointing as the effort in the Senate was to witness, Congress…Rep. Ron DeSantis -
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Trump’s Reversal of Obama Pay Gap Rule Is Good News for Women, Minorities
The Trump administration put a stop this week to an Obama-era rule that would have hurt the wage and employment prospects of all workers, and would have harmed women and minorities the most. The rule would have required companies with 100 or more workers to report detailed salary information to government bureaucrats by sex, race,…Romina Boccia -
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How House Conservatives Plan to Revive Obamacare Repeal, and Why It Could Work
It’s time to “put the screws” to Republican lawmakers who promised to repeal Obamacare, one House member says, and that’s why he supports reviving a successful 2015 attempt to get rid of the health care law. “We certainly can’t give up,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said in a phone interview with The Daily Signal. Gaetz…Rachel del Guidice -
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Obamacare Insurer Lost $57.6 Million in First Half of 2017
Oscar Insurance Corp. is hemorrhaging money on the Obamacare state exchanges, posting a $57.6 million loss in the first half of 2017. Oscar is a health insurance startup that primarily sells Obamacare insurance plans, but the company has consistently had trouble making its business profitable. The company lost $57.6 million thus far in 2017 in Texas, New…Robert Donachie -
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House Conservatives Move to Revive Obamacare Repeal
The House's most conservative caucus hopes to force a vote on a clean Obamacare repeal bill in coming weeks through a rare congressional procedure. The House Freedom Caucus, chaired by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., will encourage members to sign a “discharge petition” allowing a bill similar to the December 2015 repeal of Obamacare—which passed both the House…Thomas Phippen -
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These Obama Regulations Make a Strong Case for Tax Reform
Congress is pivoting to tax reform, which if done correctly, should replace a list of draconian Obama-era regulations that went to extraordinary lengths to keep American companies from leaving the U.S. Ironically, the Obama administration ignored the key incentives that pushed companies to try and leave, chief among them being a sky-high corporate tax rate….Jacob Lubenow -
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How States Can Get Exemptions From Obamacare’s Rules
The Senate’s failure to pass even a watered-down version of health care reform was compounded by its decision to leave Washington rather than finish the job. At this juncture, the nation’s governors and state legislators should use every legal means available to them to reform their health insurance markets to the best of their ability…Robert Moffit -
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Here Are 7 Implications of Ending Obamacare’s Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments
In the wake of Congress’ failure to pass Obamacare repeal and replace legislation, the Trump administration is reportedly debating whether to stop paying Obamacare’s “cost-sharing reduction” subsidies to health insurers. Those payments are the subject of a lawsuit brought two years ago by the House of Representatives arguing that the Obama administration lacked authority to…Edmund Haislmaier -
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How Obamacare Is Eroding Private Insurance
The Senate has now failed to pass legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare. The longer Congress delays or avoids action, the more the problems are likely to grow and compound. The most common and publicized problems with the law have been the skyrocketing premiums and withdrawal of insurers from Obamacare exchanges—consequences that have flown in…Jarrett Stepman -
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3 Republicans Join Democrats to Defeat Obamacare Repeal
Republican Sens. John McCain, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins joined Democrats to keep Obamacare, at least for now. The “skinny repeal” bill managed to get only 49 votes, with every Democrat and the three Republicans voting against the scaled-down version of the repeal and replace bill. Just before 2 a.m. Friday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch…Fred Lucas -
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10 States Ready Legal Action to Undo Obama Amnesty for ‘Dreamers’
A lawsuit by states seeking to end protected status for children whose parents brought them to the U.S. illegally could spare President Donald Trump from personally halting the Obama administration program. “DACA is an unlawful program that must be phased out,” @AGRutledge says. Or, immigration experts say, such litigation could force Democrats in Congress to…Fred Lucas -
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What Comes After ‘Skinny Repeal’ of Obamacare?
Republican senators are reportedly working on a so-called “skinny repeal” of Obamacare. While details remain sparse, no one should mistake this last-minute effort for being the culmination of Republicans’ seven-year promise to repeal and ultimately replace Obamacare. The inconclusive nature of the process stems from a fundamental divide within the Republican Party over how much…Mike Needham -
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What’s at Stake in the Senate’s Last-Ditch Effort to Repeal Obamacare
The Senate narrowly voted in favor of a motion to proceed to debate the health care bill Tuesday, giving Republicans one chance to get something done before Congress likely goes on recess in mid-August. The Senate will continue to participate in what’s called a “vote-a-rama.” The vote-a-rama process was described at length by health care…Jarrett Stepman -
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Victims of Obamacare Have a Warning for Senate Republicans
Families who experienced horror stories under Obamacare gathered at the White House Monday and warned Republicans of political consequences if they did not vote to repeal and replace the law. “I am very fine with sitting at home in 2018 and not voting if that is the only way to get their attention, I’m more…Fred Lucas -
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The Obamacare Facts That Liberals Don’t Want You to Know
Perhaps too often, Americans take the findings of independent government agencies—whether executive or congressional—as fact. The Congressional Budget Office, which has impacted the health care debate, has consistently said that repealing Obamacare would lead to around 22 to 23 million Americans losing their insurance by 2026. This has been a frequent talking point for those…Jarrett Stepman