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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opinion
Obama’s New Death Tax Threatens Family Farms and Businesses
We all knew President Barack Obama’s lame-duck presidency would be bad, but for the millions of Americans who work at family farms and businesses, it’s about to get a lot worse. As Heritage Foundation tax expert Curtis Dubay wrote at The Daily Signal, Obama is trying to sneak in a tax hike in his twilight… -
news
Obama Could Be First Modern President to Serve 2 Terms and Have Only 1 Veto Overridden
President Barack Obama could likely face his first veto override of his presidency this week—which will probably also be the last given his pending exit in January 2017. The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, generally referred to as the 9/11 bill, will return to the Senate Wednesday and to the House as early as… -
opinion
Utahns Fear Obama Will Heed Environmentalists, Not Them, on National Monument Designation
This past Monday marked the 20th anniversary of President Bill Clinton using the Antiquities Act to create the 1.5 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. For most Utahns, this date is not a cause for celebration. It’s a source of anger toward what many see as an out-of-touch and overbearing federal government Infamously,… -
opinion
What Obama’s Education Secretary Got Wrong About Homeschoolers
Homeschooling has been growing in popularity in recent years, and now accounts for about 3.4 percent of the school-age population. That’s more than double the percentage (1.7 percent) of homeschooling families in 1999. That’s great news for families who have chosen to give a customized, tailor-made education to their children, and for the millions of… -
news
Conservatives Aim to Block Obama’s Plan for More Refugees
As President Barack Obama used his final address before the United Nations General Assembly to urge world leaders to help protect refugees, Republicans in Congress threatened to use their budget powers to restrict who is admitted into the U.S. While refugee resettlement has enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress historically, some Republicans want confirmation from U.S. intelligence leaders that… -
opinion
Obama’s Absurd Double Standard on Defense Spending
This week we learned that the Obama administration has requested $2.6 billion in emergency funding for Louisiana flood relief. While the specifics of the Louisiana flood relief request should be thoughtfully considered, the very nature of this request highlights the Obama administration’s absurd double standard on budget issues. Back in July, President Barack Obama announced… -
news
3 International Commitments Obama Wants to Tie the US to Before Leaving Office
Before leaving office, President Barack Obama could commit the United States to two actions affecting its nuclear arsenal, and a third on much smaller weapons. “We will continue to review … steps to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our security strategy,” @StateDept says. Ahead of Obama’s final trip to the United Nations General… -
news
US Has Duty to Ensure Internet Freedom, Cruz Says at Hearing on Obama Plan
The internet, an “oasis of freedom,” could become much less free if the United States doesn’t keep guardianship over it, Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday during a hearing on Capitol Hill. “The internet is one of the most revolutionary forces ever unleashed on the world,” Cruz, R-Texas, said during the Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing. “People… -
news
How Hispanics, Blacks Have Fared in Obama Economy
President Barack Obama will be speaking this week for the last time during his presidency to annual dinners for black and Hispanic members of Congress, even as his record for the two largest minority groups in the country is at best questionable, based on government numbers. A Census Bureau report this week found wages have climbed… -
news
Meet Native Americans Fighting Obama’s Push to Conserve Public Land
The latest front in a debate over the reach of U.S. control of federal land is a 1.9 million-acre retreat of mesas and canyons located in Utah’s poorest county. The stakes are large for this remote land, which President Barack Obama is considering designating as a national monument, in his continued pursuit of being the… -
opinion
Obama’s Parting Gift to Planned Parenthood
What do you give to a cash-flush abortion business and political ally that has everything? More taxpayer dollars, of course. In his remaining few months in the Oval Office, President Barack Obama has found a new way to direct more taxpayer money to his friends at Planned Parenthood. The Department of Health and Human Services… -
opinion
The Disturbing Steady Drip of Revelations About Obama’s Iran Cash Deal
Allegations that President Barack Obama’s administration doled out ransom payments to Iran in exchange for prisoners have been fueled by new revelations about additional cash payments beyond the initial $400 million transfer that the administration already admitted. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Obama administration, which had transferred $400 million in European currencies to… -
opinion
Back Again: This Time Obama Administration Wants a Taxpayer Bailout for Puerto Rico
Less than two months after Congress passed a package aimed to provide financial relief for Puerto Rico, the Obama administration is already at it again—this time seeking an outright taxpayer bailout for the U.S. territory through additional Medicaid funds and access to the earned income tax credit. Why does Puerto Rico need help? After decades… -
opinion
Obama Administration Still Hasn’t Implemented Alert System to Protect Police, 15 Months After It Passed Congress
Following the Dec. 20, 2014, ambush murders of New York Police Department Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, police officers and their supporters called upon Congress and the Obama administration to take action to help reduce the likelihood of similar events occurring in the future. A clarion call was struck for Congress to enact the… -
opinion
3 Ways Obama’s New Overtime Rule Will Hurt Employees
In an alleged attempt to increase the income of certain salaried employees, the Obama administration issued a new overtime rule, set to take effect Dec. 1, that will almost certainly do more harm than good for the employees it seeks to help. Currently, employers only have to pay the overtime time-and-a-half rate to salaried employees… -
news
What Obama Is Doing to Seal His Environmental Record
Before his last day in office, President Barack Obama wants to impose new fuel-efficiency standards and establish a green energy plan for North America to top off an environmental legacy including major international agreements and a massive expansion of regulations and subsidies. “He will be leaving office with a very strongly negative legacy,” predicted Nick… -
news
Doctors Sue Obama Administration for Forcing Them to Perform Gender Transition Procedures
Five states and a group of religiously-affiliated hospitals and physicians are suing the Obama administration over a federal mandate that forces doctors to perform gender transition procedures on adults and children against their medical judgment. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in a Texas federal court, attempts to roll back a rule imposed by the Department of… -
opinion
Obama Administration Suffers Loss in Case of Transgender Funeral Director
When families lose loved ones, they often seek out funeral homes for solace and comfort and, for people of faith, spiritual consolation as well. At such a delicate time, the last thing grieving families expect is a debate over whether male funeral home employees should be allowed to dress like women at their loved one’s… -
opinion
Obama’s Cash Deal Encourages Iran to Take More Hostages
The trickle of disturbing leaks about the Obama administration’s flawed and risky Iran policy continues to grow. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that “New details of the $400 million U.S. payment to Iran earlier this year depict a tightly scripted exchange specifically timed to the release of several American prisoners held in Iran.” Although… -
news
What Buildings Obama’s New Transgender Bathroom Regulation Affects
Biological sex will no longer determine restroom accessibility in thousands of federally operated facilities across the country. A new regulation from the Obama administration allows individuals to use whatever bathroom they decide is consistent with their gender identity when visiting or working at properties managed by the General Services Administration, the government agency responsible for…