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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- News
House Conservatives: Budget Using Boehner-Obama Spending Levels Is Unacceptable
House conservatives are closing ranks as the next battle over the federal budget looms. They’re pushing Republican leadership for a budget that lowers the top-line spending number and reflects conservative policy priorities. They want what Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., called “a budget that Republicans support.” First they’ll have to scrap the numbers negotiated by outgoing House…Philip Wegmann -
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There’s an Alternative to the Boehner-Obama Budget Deal (and It’ll Save Billions)
President Barack Obama released his final budget this week. It’s a budget that embraces the spending agreement Obama negotiated with outgoing House Speaker John Boehner last year. Republicans in Congress will make the next move. And it’s important that Congress not bless the Boehner-Obama spending agreement in its budget. The Boehner-Obama budget-buster passed Congress with only 79…Paul Winfree -
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Obama Should Call ISIS’ Actions Against Christians ‘Genocide’
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly passed a resolution referring to the Islamic State (ISIS)’s killing of religious minorities under its control as “genocide” in the Middle East. Now, it is the United States’ turn to act. In its resolution, the parliament recognized that “religious and ethnic minorities, such as Christian (Chaldean/Syriac/Assyrian, Melkite, and Armenian), Yazidi, Turkmens, Shabak,…Travis Weber -
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The Delusion Behind Obama’s Budget
President Barack Obama’s $4.1 trillion budget plan is out. Alas, it’s more of the same. It calls for raising taxes but does nothing to rein in the nation’s out-of-control debt, which is estimated to exceed $19 trillion. You would think that Obama knew better. The dangers are plain to see. Without some check on social…Kim Holmes -
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Supreme Court Halts Obama’s Aggressive Climate Agenda
In a major setback to the Obama administration’s climate agenda, the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote blocked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Clean Power Plan from taking effect until the legal challenges from states and industry groups fully play out. Twenty-five states, four state agencies, and dozens of industry groups challenged the Clean…Nicolas Loris -
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Here’s Why Republicans Are Mocking Obama’s Final Budget Proposal
President Obama’s final budget proposal, which increases government spending by $4.15 trillion, got a chilly reception Tuesday in Congress. Many Republicans already are dismissing the spending plan outright. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., snarkily tweeted a survey asking what the mountain pictured on the cover of Obama’s budget proposal symbolized. Options: debt, regulations, taxes, or all of…Philip Wegmann -
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Obama’s Budget, Explained in 30 Seconds
The Daily Signal recaps the $4.1 trillion budget proposal President Barack Obama sent Congress on Tuesday for fiscal year 2017. Learn about some of the major details inside, including a $2.6 trillion tax hike with a component that would raise the price of gas by 22 cents per gallon. >>> Why Republicans Are Mocking Obama’s…Kelsey Bolar -
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What Obama Got Wrong in 2017 Budget
President Barack Obama released his 2017 Fiscal Year Budget to Congress. Here is what Heritage Foundation researchers had to say about Obama’s budget: Energy Education Health Care Regulation and Spending Trade Agriculture Taxes Defense Energy Obama’s ‘Oil Fee’ Is a Regressive Gas Tax President Obama’s budget calls for a $10-per-barrel tax on oil, to pay for mass transit,…Rob Kuhlman -
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Why GOP Chairmen Decided to Snub Obama’s Budget Chief
Budget chairmen in the House and Senate have chosen to dismiss President Obama’s new budget plan before seeing it, saying they would concentrate instead on reforming the process and reining in spending. House Budget Chairman Tom Price, R-Ga., and Senate Budget Chairman Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., last week announced that neither of their committees would call White House Budget…Leah Jessen -
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How’d Your Senators Vote on Obama’s Judge Pick?
Senate Democrats have delivered on their end of a bargain with Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, confirming Rebecca Ebinger to a lifetime appointment as a district judge in Iowa. Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, brokered the deal in December: His committee would advance three of President Obama’s liberal nominees for federal judgeships in exchange…Philip Wegmann -
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Obama’s Dismal Fiscal Legacy
President Obama is submitting his final budget to Congress this week. Regardless of the contents of this budget, the president’s fiscal legacy is largely already written, and it’s a story of failed leadership, broken promises, and a more burdensome government for the American people. A Legacy of Higher Debt. Since President Barack Obama took office,…Romina Boccia -
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GOP-Controlled Senate Is About to Approve Another Obama Judge
Though President Barack Obama’s time in office is drawing to a close, the Senate pipeline for judicial nominees remains open. On Monday, the Senate will consider Rebecca Ebinger for a lifetime judicial appointment as a district judge in Iowa. Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has advocated for Ebinger and negotiated a deal for…Philip Wegmann -
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House Panel Probes Whether Obama Administration Misled Americans on Debt Limit
Republican congressmen say the Obama administration misled the American people to believe that the debt limit has to be raised to accommodate more government spending because breaching it would result in a calamitous default. “Our nation’s creditworthiness should not be hindered by the administration’s lack of trustworthiness,” Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., chairman of the House Financial Services…Mariana Barillas -
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Obama’s New Oil Tax Would Hike Gas Prices 22 Cents a Gallon
“Gas prices are too cheap!”—said no one ever. Wait, scratch that: The president himself actually believes that gas prices should be higher. Though those were not his exact words, President Barack Obama is now calling for a $10-per-barrel tax on oil, to pay for mass transit, high-speed rail, self-driving cars, and other infrastructure projects he believes…Nicolas Loris -
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Sen. Ben Sasse: Conservatives Don’t Need a ‘Republican Barack Obama’
Sen. Ben Sasse issued some tough love today at the Conservative Policy Summit in Washington, D.C.: Electing a Republican president, he said, won’t solve America’s problems. “The idea that a ‘strong man’ can save us isn’t true,” Sasse, R-Neb., said. “What America needs is a constitutional recovery, not a Republican Barack Obama.” If Sasse disappointed…Kelsey Bolar -
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America’s Economic Freedom Has Rapidly Declined Under Obama
Millions of people around the world are emerging from poverty thanks to rising economic freedom. But by sharp contrast, America’s economic freedom has been on a declining path over the past decade. America’s declining score in the index is closely related to rapidly rising government spending, subsidies, and bailouts. According to the 2016 Index of…Anthony B. Kim -
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Obama’s Regulations to Close Gender Wage Gap Will Hurt Your Pay, Workplace Flexibility
New reporting requirements introduced by the Obama administration today would require companies to report to the federal government what they pay their employees by race, gender, and ethnicity. While this may sound relatively harmless on the surface, the new reporting requirements and threats employed by government bureaucrats about how this data will be used against…Romina Boccia -
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How the Obama Administration Let ISIS Happen
Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter’s recent op-ed regarding the campaign against ISIS confirmed what many already knew: When confronting ISIS, the Obama administration does the bare minimum required to make it look as if it is doing something, while in reality it is doing very little. President Barack Obama entered office with a hell-bent desire to “end…Luke Coffey -
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Senate Confirms Another Obama Judge With Only 2 Republicans Voting No
President Barack Obama continued to reshape the federal judiciary Wednesday with the confirmation of another judge to a lifetime appointment. He is the third this month approved by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate. John Michael Vazquez won confirmation late Wednesday on a vote of 84-2 to be a U.S. district judge in New Jersey. Vazquez had the…Rob Bluey -
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$12 Billion Obama Plan Would Give Lunches to Poor Children in the Summer
The Obama administration proposes to provide free lunch to millions of children who lose access to the subsidized meals once the school year comes to a close. Under the program announced Wednesday, low-income families who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals during the academic year would receive an electronic benefits card loaded monthly with…Natalie Johnson