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
How Obama’s New Overtime Pay Mandates Hurt Employees
President Barack Obama has pitched his new overtime regulations as a way to raise wages. However, even economists who support the change admit that’s unlikely to happen. Instead, they expect employers to cut workers’ pay by an offsetting amount. So how will this new overtime rule affect the economy? Primarily by forcing salaried workers to…James Sherk -
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Obama ISIS Strategy Under Fire
The Obama administration continues to have difficulty in gaining support for its failing strategy to defeat the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL). Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey inadvertently ignited a firestorm on Tuesday when they testified before the Senate Armed Services…James Phillips -
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Bobby Jindal: Greece Is a ‘Warning Sign of Where We Could Be Headed’ Under Obama
MANCHESTER, N.H.—While speaking at a town hall Tuesday night in New Hampshire, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said that the Democratic presidency of Barack Obama is “taking us down the path towards socialism." “You want to see our future, look at Greece,” said Jindal, who is running to be the Republican nominee for president in 2016….Kate Scanlon -
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Let Them Have Solar Panels: New Obama Plan Doesn’t Help Poor, But Reducing Regulations Would
The White House is planning to give more than a half a billion dollars in government and private funding for solar panel installations for low and moderate-income households. Too bad the White House is simultaneously hurting those same struggling Americans by pushing energy regulations that will hike their utilities costs. The Obama administration plans to modify…Nicolas Loris -
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Congress Questions Obama Administration’s ‘Anemic’ Training Program to Defeat ISIS
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing this morning, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey outlined and defended the Obama administration’s strategy against ISIS. While Dempsey believes the U.S. military response to defeat ISIS is “appropriately matched to the complexity of the environment,” Carter…Chelsea Scism -
- Opinion
5 Questions Obama Must Answer About the Potential US Embassy in Cuba
On Wednesday, President Obama announced that the U.S. and Cuba have reached an agreement on reestablishing diplomatic relations. As part of his normalization bid with the Castro regime, the president has granted the dictatorship another in a series of dangerous concessions. But after Obama’s statement today, there are many questions that have yet to be answered….Ana Quintana -
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Obama’s ‘Minimal’ World Leadership Brings Jimmy Carter, Chris Christie Together
In a rare alignment of two very different politicians, Jimmy Carter and Chris Christie agree in their belief that America is less respected in the world than it was when President Obama took office in 2009. “I can’t think of many nations where we have a better relationship than we did when [Obama] took over,”…Ken McIntyre -
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Supreme Court Rules Against Obama’s Energy Regulation
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday delivered a significant setback to the Obama administration and its environmental plan to curb emissions from power plants. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency must consider the financial costs of regulations to power plants. >>> Commentary: Ruling Against EPA a ‘Victory for Common…Alex Anderson -
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Senate Passes Obama’s Trade Bill in Razor-Thin Vote
The Senate revived the key piece to President Obama’s trade agreement Tuesday, granting the president expanded powers to negotiate an ambitious Pacific trade deal. The 60-37 procedural vote narrowly cleared the Senate, giving Trade Promotion Authority enough momentum to move toward a final vote in the House Wednesday in what is expected to be smooth…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
Obama’s Lack of Strategy Shows Again He’s No Churchill
During a news conference last week at the G-7 meeting in Germany, President Barack Obama acknowledged that his administration does not have a “complete strategy” to defeat the Islamic State group. That much is obvious. What’s as troubling as his strategic failure is the president’s explanation of why he has failed. Obama defended himself with the…Ted Bromund -
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Why Give Obama Authority to Negotiate ‘Most Progressive Trade Agreement’ in History?
The recent defeat of Congressional efforts to pass a package of trade legislation including Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) provides a great opportunity to rethink the kinds of trade agreements Americans need in 2015. Opposition to the TPA/TAA deal came from both the left and the right, making it clear that…Terry Miller -
- Opinion
The Lie Obama Keeps Repeating About the Poor in America
President Obama recently acknowledged what every sane person knows to be true: The best anti-poverty program is a job. Obama said this at a recent conference on poverty. But he continues to repeat a falsehood over and over. This is the claim that the poor work just as hard as the rich do. Well, yes,…Stephen Moore -
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When Obama Leaves Office, the Military Will Be Smaller Than It Was Prior to 9/11
A “tiger mom” might go ballistic if her child came home with a “needs improvement” on his kindergarten report card. But most adults wouldn’t panic. They know there is time to get the kid up to standard before the deadline for that Harvard application falls due. Defending America is different. A sub-par grade for military…James Carafano -
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Obama Once Called This a Fund for Corporate Welfare. Now Congress Could Kill It.
Congress does two things well: nothing and overreact. Well, I have some good news: Doing nothing when it comes to the Export-Import Bank is exactly what we need right now. That’s because the charter for the Export-Import Bank, which provides taxpayer-backed loans to foreign countries and companies to pay for U.S. products, is set to…Ed Feulner -
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Obama, It’s Time to Stop Shifting the Blame and Develop an ISIS Strategy
In Washington, a gaffe is defined as a statement in which a politician inadvertently tells the truth. President Obama has been roasted this week for a gaffe he made at the G-7 summit in Germany on Monday when he said “We don’t yet have a complete strategy” when asked about U.S. efforts to train Iraqis to…James Phillips -
- Opinion
Cartoon: Obama and the Supreme Court
This week, President Obama said of an Obamacare case set to be decided this month, "This should be an easy case. Frankly, it probably shouldn't even have been taken up." The Heritage Foundation's Hans von Spakovsky and Elizabeth Slattery wrote about Obama's comments in a column this week: It’s déjà vu all over again….Glenn Foden -
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It’s Decision Day on Obama’s Trade Agenda: What You Need to Know
Today, the House will either advance—or imperil—President Obama’s trade agenda when it votes on legislation to give him more power to ink deals with other nations. For Obama to win the power he craves, he will have to lean heavily on Republicans—and hope just enough Democrats side with him—showcasing the odd alliances that have defined…Alex Anderson -
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Obama: King v. Burwell ‘Easy Case’ That Supreme Court Probably ‘Shouldn’t’ Have Taken Up
President Obama suggested Monday that the Supreme Court should never have taken up King v. Burwell, the latest challenge to his health care law. “This should be an easy case. Frankly, it probably shouldn’t even have been taken up,” Obama said to reporters following the G-7 summit. The Supreme Court will decide whether the Internal…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
The Real Trouble With Obama’s Rhetoric
Since 2009, everyone has been waiting for a clear articulation of President Obama’s grand strategy. Indeed, careers have been made analyzing what this mysterious thinking might be. The administration has of course released documents like the 2015 National Security Strategy. But regrettably neither the military community nor the defense civilian establishment takes seriously such generic…Arthur Milikh -
- Opinion
Obama’s Economy Is Unusually Slow. Here’s How to Fix It.
The U.S. economy shrank by 0.7 percent last quarter, according to a revised estimate from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The contraction may be a temporary aberration, as it was last year. Or, it might signal the onset of a more troubling slowdown. But one thing is for sure: The Obama recovery is unusually lethargic. Since…Joel Griffith