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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EXCLUSIVE: $2 Million Obama-Era Program Gets 17 People Jobs
A government-funded job training program that promised to turn hundreds of residents of Kentucky's coal country into computer coders so far has spent $2 million to place 17 people in tech jobs and may have left others worse off, The Daily Signal has learned. The program, a private-public partnership between state and federal agencies and…Kelsey Bolar -
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Conservative Groups Call on Senate to Repeal Obamacare
Senate Republicans should repeal Obamacare or prepare to face consequences, say leaders of conservative groups. “Now is the time to act after eight years of promising to repeal Obamacare,” said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins during a conference call with reporters, urging Republicans to move forward with a proposed measure that would repeal the…Elle Rogers -
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7 Years of Promising Obamacare Repeal Leaves Republicans Just 1 Option
Obamacare is failing. It has done little to fulfill its original promise of producing more choice and lower costs, and worse, has set off a cascading set of problems that will increasingly hurt the American people. When President Donald Trump was asked Tuesday if the bill to repeal Obamacare was dead, he responded: I don’t…Jarrett Stepman -
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Most of Obama’s Green Policies Persist at Department of Defense
As Congress considers green projects in a military spending bill, the Trump administration hasn’t staked out a strong case on whether to roll back the Obama administration’s aggressive push for biofuels, wind, solar, and other renewables in the military. “The Pentagon has bought into climate change because it makes it politically more acceptable,” @myronebell says….Fred Lucas -
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Repealing This Obamacare Tax Would Signal That Tax Reform Is Alive
The Senate is seriously considering keeping Obamacare’s 3.8 percent net investment income tax as part of its most recent repeal and replace proposal. Rather than falling back on the simple story that the tax will just be paid by the rich, this is an important opportunity for the Senate to explain that taxes on investment…Adam Michel -
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Obamaphone Fraud as High as 65%
A massive portion of Obamaphone recipients are receiving the benefit after lying on their applications, according to a new 90-page report from the Government Accountability Office. An undercover sting operation showed ineligible applications were approved 63 percent of the time, and a review found that 36 to 65 percent of beneficiaries in various categories had lied in easily detectable…Luke Rosiak -
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Ohio Is Already Rolling Back Parts of Obamacare. How Other States Can Do the Same.
For years, most Americans have looked to Washington for relief from Obamacare. To be sure, Congress must pass and the president must sign a full repeal of Obamacare so that states and citizens can regain their health care freedom and decision-making. But even while Obamacare remains law, states have the tools to stop and roll…Wes Goodman -
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EPA Poised to Undo Obama’s Federal Power Grab
A highly controversial rule from the Obama administration may finally be on its way out. On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it is going to put an end to the Obama administration’s federal power grab known as the “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule. Specifically, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers are…Daren Bakst -
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Anthem Health Drops Out of 2 More State Obamacare Exchanges
Health insurance provider Anthem announced Wednesday that it will drop out of the state exchanges in Wisconsin and Indiana, marking the latest sign that insurance companies are finding it difficult to continue offering Obamacare plans. The company said it will keep offering plans outside the exchanges in those states, but will stop offering Obamacare plans…Robert Donachie -
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How the Senate Can Begin to Undo the Damage of Obamacare
The Senate plans to release a draft of its counterpart to the House-passed American Health Care Act Thursday. The House bill contains a number of sound proposals to begin to reverse the damage Obamacare caused. These include a major reform of federal Medicaid funding, allowing states to opt out of some onerous Obamacare insurance mandates,…Edmund Haislmaier -
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3 Tips for Discussing Obamacare
Americans love coffee, and they love to customize it. Me, I’m a medium, one Splenda, soy latte kind of girl. Choice is a good thing, and it’s one of the things that make America, well, America. Yet sadly, if you stand up for choice in healthcare, it’s likely that the people in your lives —…Beverly Hallberg -
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5 Ways Obamacare Proves That Government-Run Health Care Is a Disaster
Obamacare has failed to deliver the health care reform Americans deserve. The Senate now has an opportunity to reform health care and walk our country back from the single-payer edge. After seven years of Obamacare, it’s important to remember the many ways Obamacare has failed us—and why consumer-friendly, market-driven health care should remain the goal….Sen. John Barrasso -
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Trump’s Labor Secretary Is About to Violate the President’s Agenda. Why He Should Delay This Obama-Era Rule.
A costly and burdensome rule issued by the Obama administration is set to go into effect Friday, barring action from the Department of Labor to delay it. Unfortunately, the new secretary of labor isn’t acting. Instead, he is tacitly undermining the president’s agenda on financial regulation. The rule at hand is the fiduciary rule. President…Norbert Michel -
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Encouraging News for Americans Harmed by Obamacare Contraception Mandate
Among Obamacare’s many problems, one of the most troubling is its mandate that nearly all insurance plans must cover abortion-inducing drugs and contraception. As Congress moves to repeal and replace the onerous health care law, the Trump administration is taking steps to free Americans with conscience objections from this onerous requirement, known as the “HHS…Melanie Israel -
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Mattis Should Hit Pause on Obama-Era Decision to Let Transgender Individuals Serve in Military
Secretary of Defense James Mattis has an important decision to make soon, which may have significant readiness implications for the armed forces On June 30, 2016, then-Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced a change in policy to allow transgender individuals to serve openly in the U.S. armed forces, effective at the latest by July 1,…Thomas Spoehr -
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In Aftermath of New Study, GOP Furthers Resolve to Replace Obamacare
The American Health Care Act is in the hands of the Senate, where Republican lawmakers sound positive about the task of drafting their version of the Obamacare repeal legislation. “We’re continuing to work on policy outcomes to bring the conference together, and most critically to lower health insurance premiums so that health care is more…Rachel del Guidice -
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In 3 Charts, the Biggest Revelations From New Obamacare Study
Health care costs continue to rise under Obamacare. A report released Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services shows a significant hike in the average cost of individual plans since 2013 in 39 states. In 2013, the average annual cost of a premium for an individual health care plan was $2,784. By 2017,…Paul Runko -
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Premiums Doubled Once Obamacare Took Full Effect, Report Says
Obamacare introduced new regulations into the health care marketplace that contributed to premiums doubling after the legislation took full effect in 2014, according to a report the Department of Health and Human Services released Tuesday evening. HHS compared premiums in the exchange marketplaces in 2013, one year before Obamacare regulations took full effect, to premiums in…Robert Donachie