Barack Obama News
Read news, analysis, and commentary on Barack Obama, his administration’s legacy, and his continuing impact on national debates.
-
opinion
Memo to Poorer Countries: Congress Isn’t Going to Fund Obama’s Green Climate Fund
PARIS—One week into the Paris climate change negotiations, and it’s now doubtful whether President Barack Obama will be able to make good on his promise to provide billions of dollars to the “Green Climate Fund.” The goal of this fund is to give U.S. taxpayer dollars to poorer nations in order to subsidize their climate… -
opinion
In Wake of ISIS Attacks, Obama Delivers National Address With No New Strategies
President Barack Obama clearly meant to convey the seriousness of the situation we currently face as a nation from the terrorist group known as the Islamic State (ISIS) by delivering his third address to the nation from the Oval Office Sunday night. The address, however, did not contain any new strategy, or any new ideas,… -
opinion
Is the Obama Administration Trying to Wreck the Military?
You’ll find charts galore in the 2016 Index of U.S. Military Strength, but two at the start of the detailed report are particularly troubling. One shows the overall state of our military. It’s not “very strong” or even “strong,” according to the foreign-policy experts who wrote the index, but “marginal” for all branches except one—the… -
opinion
Cartoon: Obama’s Climate Agenda
Nick Loris wrote earlier this week on the president's opening remarks at the Paris climate conference: President Obama’s opening remarks at the Paris climate agreement were effectively an apology for industrial progress. At the kickoff of the talks, Obama remarked, “I’ve come here personally, as the leader of the world’s largest economy and the second-largest emitter,… -
opinion
Why Won’t the Obama Administration Label the Massacre of Christians in Iraq, Syria Genocide?
The intent of the Islamic State (ISIS) is to eradicate all Christians from their self-declared “caliphate.” This past May, ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi released a video that made very clear their intent to destroy individuals who self-identify as Christians through whatever means possible, by death or forced removal. He stated that “coexistence with Jews… -
news
5 Ways Paul Ryan Wants Republicans to Do More Than Oppose Obama
Paul Ryan doesn’t want a time machine. Instead, the recently elected House speaker urges Republicans to offer their own legislative agenda rather than try to “time-travel back to 2009” and reverse President Obama’s policy victories. In his first major speech since picking up the gavel as the House speaker, Ryan on Thursday outlined the problems he… -
opinion
Obama Apologizing to the World for US on Climate Is Ridiculous
President Obama’s opening remarks at the Paris climate agreement were effectively an apology for industrial progress. At the kickoff of the talks, Obama remarked, “I’ve come here personally, as the leader of the world’s largest economy and the second-largest emitter, to say that the United States of America not only recognizes our role in creating… -
opinion
With Obama Asleep at the Wheel, Congress Must Take a Stand on Foreign Policy
Terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Bamako. Brussels in lockdown, worldwide terror alerts from the State Department and Russian planes being shot down in Turkey. The world is on fire and President Obama’s foreign policy is a mess, so Congress must step up and lead. Now that Congress has returned from its Thanksgiving vacation it… -
opinion
Obama’s Address on Terrorism Today Is Too Little, Too Late
This time there were no petulant attacks on Republicans or cringe-inducing vows that working on climate change would deliver “a powerful rebuke to the terrorists.” It may have taken opinion polls scraping 40 percent. Or maybe it was withering criticism from even members of his own party. Whatever it was, President Barack Obama finally sought… -
opinion
Once Again, Obama Wants You to Push Liberal Views During a Holiday Dinner
The Obama administration would like to you set aside some quality time with family and friends on Thanksgiving to promote a political opinion. Explaining how lawmakers should “pass a law that would prevent somebody who’s on the terror watch list from being able to buy a gun,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest decided to… -
opinion
Obama Administration Announces 144 Big Regulations Right Before Thanksgiving
President Obama is nothing if not predictable. Required by law to release plans for new regulations twice a year, the administration has consistently done so just before major holidays, when few are paying attention. Thus, it was no surprise to see his fall 2015 regulatory agenda released last Friday, as many Americans focused on Thanksgiving… -
opinion
3 Ways Our Next President Must Reverse Obama’s Failed Foreign Policy Doctrine
There is a reason President Obama’s poll numbers for stuff like fighting terrorism are falling faster than the thermometer. By most objective measures, the president has been a poor steward of our national security, and Americans are arguably less safe today than when Obama took office. The number and frequency of Islamist related terror plots… -
news
How Senate Republicans Plan to Use Budget Process to Block Obama’s International Climate Change Pact
Senate Republicans, girding for another budget battle in early December, are vowing to use the process to undercut President Barack Obama’s chances of brokering an international climate pact expected to emerge from negotiations in Paris. The GOP lawmakers want to leverage their appropriations power to block $3 billion pledged by the Obama administration to help developing countries manage… -
opinion
On ISIS, Barack Obama Refuses to Lead
Following the ISIS attacks on Paris, to say that President Obama looks weak on the world stage would be an understatement. And Monday’s performance at the G-20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, was an embarrassment. In tone, his remarks were defiant, arrogant, and dismissive. In substance, he offered no ideas or proposals for combating the ISIS threat. Indeed,… -
news
Paul Ryan Calls Out Obama on ISIS Strategy
House Speaker Paul Ryan called out President Barack Obama for his threat to veto a bill that would put a pause on Syrian refugees coming to the United States. Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News Wednesday, Ryan called it “remarkably unpresidential” to threaten to veto the bill. “I think the president is playing politics with… -
news
Obama Administration Seeks to Quell Fears About Syrian Refugee Program
Officials overseeing the government refugee program Syrian refugees would be part of to come to the United States sought Thursday to quell the American people’s fears about the program, calling it “rigorous” and “robust.” During a hearing held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, Obama administration officials who oversee the U.S…. -
news
Republicans Introduce Resolutions Declaring Obama’s Paris Climate Deal Should Need Senate Approval
Sen. Mike Lee on Thursday introduced a resolution “expressing the sense of Congress” that President Barack Obama should submit an international climate deal expected to be struck in Paris next month to the Senate for its approval. The measure was filed as a “concurrent resolution,” meaning it represents the views of both chambers of Congress,… -
news
Senate Republicans Vow ‘No Money’ for Obama’s International Climate Deal If Congress Can’t Approve It
Senate Republicans emphasized Wednesday that they will fight the Obama administration for the right to review an international climate deal expected to be struck in Paris next month. At a hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, GOP lawmakers insisted they should be able to review and vote on a deal that… -
opinion
After Paris, Obama’s Abandonment of Leadership
On Nov. 12, President Barack Obama said of ISIS: “What is true is that from the start, our goal has been first to contain, and we have contained them.” On Nov. 13, ISIS-connected terrorists left 129 people dead and 352 wounded in Paris. ISIS naturally dominated Obama’s Monday press conference at the G20 summit in…