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
Lame Ducks, Lame Deal: The Boehner-Obama Budget Plan
When I had just started to raise a family, and I struggled to make my small business turn a profit, I had to make decisions about what bills to pay based on priorities and due dates. Sometimes, the struggle to balance the checkbook would be a painful one, and we had to do without some… -
news
Sens. Lee, Sessions Blast Boehner-Obama Budget Deal For Being ‘Drafted in Secret’
The chairman and former chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, a group of the most conservative senators, are urging their colleagues to oppose the budget deal crafted by congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle. Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the current and former chairs of the committee,… -
opinion
What’s Wrong With Obama’s ‘Aggressive’ Plan to Limit School Testing
From the administration that brought you Common Core national standards and tests comes the news that the White House and Department of Education now are worried about too much testing in schools. Take the Obama administration’s concerns with a grain of salt, however: The new recommendations to cap assessments are unlikely to reduce any perceived… -
news
Paul Ryan Will Support Boehner-Obama Budget Deal
Rep. Paul Ryan, the leading candidate to be the next House speaker, announced today he will support the budget deal negotiated by Speaker John Boehner and President Barack Obama. Ryan’s announcement comes a day after he criticized Boehner and Obama’s backroom dealmaking, which led to the spending package. In addition to raising the $18.1 trillion… -
news
Democrats Rally Around Boehner-Obama Budget Deal While Conservatives Resist
House Speaker John Boehner’s budget deal has earned him praise from the White House and congressional Democrats, but conservatives are unhappy with the package, saying the outgoing speaker “burned the barn down.” Flanked by Republican House leadership at a press conference this morning, Boehner officially announced the deal and said he was confident that the… -
opinion
The Boehner-Obama Budget Deal Is Unacceptable. Congress Should Wait Until New Speaker Chosen.
Once again, a massive deal, crafted in secret, unveiled at the 11th hour, is being rushed through Congress under threat of panic. Once again, we have waited until an artificial deadline to force through that which our voters oppose. At its core, this deal with President Barack Obama does two things: First, it lifts federal… -
news
House Speaker Candidates Get a Warning on Boehner-Obama Budget Deal
A founding member of the House Freedom Caucus is calling on candidates for House speaker to oppose what he considers “a monstrosity of a budget deal.” “Anyone who supports this legislation is complicit in supporting ‘the way things are’ in Washington,” Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said in a statement Tuesday. “I call on all candidates… -
opinion
The Boehner-Obama Budget Deal Explained in One Chart
Washington is addicted to spending. The most recent embodiment of this fact is the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. The deal, agreed to by House Speaker John Boehner and President Barack Obama, increases spending (including debt service and offsets) by $85 billion over the next three years. Nearly half of those offsets (including new revenues) are not realized until… -
news
Paul Ryan on Boehner-Obama Budget Deal: ‘This Is Not the Way to Do the People’s Business’
Rep. Paul Ryan, the leading candidate to become the next House speaker, today criticized the massive budget deal negotiated by President Barack Obama and Speaker John Boehner. “This is not the way to do the people’s business,” said Ryan, according to Politico. “And under new management we are not going to do the people’s business… -
news
Will Obama’s New Guidelines Actually Reduce Testing in Schools? Probably Not Much
The Obama administration responded to stacked complaints about excessive testing in schools, announcing new guidelines over the weekend that would scale back ballooned emphasis on standardized tests. Though President Barack Obama said Saturday that the Department of Education would work “aggressively” with states and school districts to curb testing, his plan is expected to affect… -
opinion
How Obama Is Gearing Up to Ignore Lawmakers, Commit US to Significant Carbon Emissions Reductions
Remember that part of the Constitution that gives the executive branch of government the authority to make a commitment with foreign powers to cap carbon emissions levels and then enforce that commitment domestically with onerous environmental regulations? Me neither. But that’s exactly what President Obama plans to do in Paris later this year, where he will… -
opinion
Cartoon: Obama’s Politcally Motivated Veto
Justin Johnson wrote earlier this week on President Obama's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act: Instead of dealing with the bill on its merits, Obama is using the defense bill for political leverage. This is the wrong way to handle our national security. Many Americans rightfully find Washington’s way of doing things disturbing. Instead… -
news
Obama Blocks Defense Bill in Consequential Veto
President Barack Obama used his veto pen Thursday in a rare rejection of an annual defense bill during a publicized photo-op event in the Oval Office. The president’s consequential veto of the $612-billion National Defense Authorization Act will face a Republican-led override attempt in the House Nov. 5, though it is uncertain whether the GOP… -
opinion
How This Proposed Regulatory Freeze Could Actually Keep Obama’s Regulations Around Longer
A proposal offered by Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, to increase the debt limit includes, among other reforms, two overlapping freezes on the writing of new rules by regulatory agencies. The first would be a freeze from the date of the proposal’s enactment to July 2017, and the second freeze would be on “midnight regulations” from Election… -
opinion
Why Obama’s Lack Of Arctic Policy Will Hurt American Interests In the Future
President Obama’s visit to Alaska last month brought deserved attention to the American Arctic. While the president spent most of his trip discussing climate change, both he and Congress should focus more on real challenges in the region such as energy resources, safety and security concerns, and Russia’s aggressive posturing in the Arctic. One way… -
opinion
Why Obama Should Not Be Using Our Military for Political Leverage
President Obama will veto the defense authorization bill today with a photo-op, and by doing so will highlight Washington at its worst. Instead of dealing with the bill on its merits, Obama is using the defense bill for political leverage. This is the wrong way to handle our national security. Many Americans rightfully find Washington’s… -
opinion
Obama’s Guantanamo Bay Deception
The late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the outsized liberal senator from New York, is credited with saying “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” The press and public may want to keep that adage in mind as President Obama threatens to veto the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) over, among… -
opinion
Obama’s ‘Best’ Foreign Policy Achievement
The president now plans to continue a U.S. ground force presence in Afghanistan to help hold off the Taliban until he leaves office. This is an uncommon turnaround for a president who hasn’t changed his mind on foreign policy since drawing his (much-ballyhooed and promptly ignored) “red line” in Syria. So what does this rare… -
opinion
Obama’s Accomplishments as Commander-in-Chief Are Pretty Meager
When serious military historians ponder Barack Obama’s record as commander-in-chief, there’s little likelihood of heated debate. Let’s just say they’re not likely to award him a spot in the pantheon of military masterminds. In assessing the president’s legacy, historians will have plenty of legitimate topics to tussle over: his power as a politician, his practice… -
opinion
Obama’s Decision to Keep U.S. Troops in Afghanistan Is Long Overdue
President Barack Obama’s decision to extend U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan is welcome news. It would have been preferable for him to drop all arbitrary deadlines for withdrawal and commit to keeping the 9,800 U.S. troops in place until a reassessment of the ground situation is taken next year. But this is certainly a step…