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
What the Next President Can Do to Clean Up Obama’s Middle East Mess
President Obama sure knows how to get the world’s attention. His public tantrum over Benjamin Netanyahu being invited to speak before a joint session of Congress pretty much assured that the entire globe would tune in to hear the Israeli prime minister enumerate his concerns over a nuclear deal with Iran. This soap opera offers… -
news
History Shows Obama Doesn’t Need Congress to Seal Iran Deal
In a letter to Iran this week, nearly four dozen Republican senators showcased the limitations of a potential unilateral nuclear deal by President Obama, rightly warning that the future U.S. president could reverse the agreement. But in trying to assert their power, the senators skirted over the fact that presidents have executive authority to make… -
opinion
Crackdown on Protesters Raises Questions about Obama Administration’s Burma Policy
Student protests on Tuesday turned sour after police violently broke up a peaceful protest in Letpadan, Burma. Police arrested an estimated 120 protesters, journalists, and Buddhist monks. This crackdown is the latest evidence that the Obama Administration’s headlong embrace of the regime has been misguided from the start. Demonstrators were protesting an education bill passed… -
opinion
What We Can Learn From Obama’s Reaction to the Senate’s Iran Letter
President Obama has not been this mad since last week when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress raising key concerns over the nuclear negotiations with Iran. In response, the White House marshalled as many voices as it could muster to demonize and delegitimize Netanyahu’s address and the concerns he raised…. -
opinion
Obama’s Plan Will Kill Jobs, Hike Heating Costs
Any Wisconsinites starting to wonder whether they are living through “The Long Winter,” as described by Laura Ingalls Wilder, will find no comfort in President Obama’s plans to cut the use of our most affordable and reliable sources of energy. Though we may not be relegated to heating our homes by burning twisted bundles of… -
opinion
Cartoon: Obama on King v. Burwell
Earlier this week, we ran a Q&A with Heritage experts Ed Haislmaier and Andrew Kloster about the King v. Burwell case, which was heard by the Supreme Court Wednesday: What is the King v. Burwell case about? The question before the Supreme Court is whether the Obama administration overstepped its authority in issuing an IRS… -
news
Senate Fails to Override Obama’s Keystone XL Veto. See How Your Senators Voted.
On Wednesday, the Senate failed to override President Obama’s veto of legislation authorizing construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Sixty-two senators voted to authorize construction of the pipeline, five short of the 67 votes needed to override a presidential veto. Thirty-seven voted to sustain the veto. President Obama's ridiculous veto of #Keystone prevented a great… -
news
Can Obama Raise Your Taxes Without Congressional Approval?
The U.S. Constitution requires that tax bills originate in the House of Representatives. So could President Obama really impose a tax hike on Americans through executive action? White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that Obama is “very interested” in raising taxes without congressional approval, according to a report by Townhall. Recently, Sen. Bernie… -
news
What Rick Perry Calls Obama’s Greatest Indictment
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry visited The Daily Signal’s studio at CPAC to critique President Obama’s actions on immigration. The likely 2016 candidate criticized Obama’s disregard for the rule of law and said as president he would work with Congress to craft a solution. So why doesn’t Obama do it? Perry said the president’s greatest… -
opinion
Obama Administration: Leaving Fracking to States?
Although the White House Council of Economic Advisers’ annual report to Congress largely restates the President’s State of the Union address on “middle-class economics,” it includes a welcome suggestion. This glimmer of hope is a lone, but surprising sentence in the report’s energy chapter: “The regulatory structure for addressing local environmental concerns, especially around land… -
news
How Obama’s Veto of the Keystone XL Pipeline Unfolded in Real Time
After its passage in both the House and the Senate, legislation authorizing construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline reached President Obama’s desk today. But, in his first rejection of major legislation as president, Obama didn’t sign it. Twitter users tracked the entire veto process throughout the day. The proposed pipeline would stretch 1,179 miles,… -
opinion
Six Years in, Obama Finally Focuses on ‘Countering Violent Extremism’
Last week, leaders of 60 nations, including some Muslim countries, participated in President Obama’s “Summit on Countering Violent Extremism” in Washington. Unfortunately, regardless of the content of Obama’s speech and the purpose of the conference, the administration's lack of effective action over the last six years undercuts his credibility as a global leader on these… -
opinion
Cartoon: Obama’s Handouts
From Heritage Action CEO Mike Needham's column earlier this week: Allow funding for the Department of Homeland Security to lapse or engage in the legislative process. Those are the only two options Senate Democrats have at this point. Everything else transcribed in the press or recited by television pundits is nothing more than a distraction…. -
news
Study: Obama’s Carbon Rules Could Cost Thousands of Manufacturing Jobs in Your State
A new study predicts that more than a half million manufacturing jobs will be eliminated from the U.S. economy as a result of the Obama administration’s proposed regulations to curb carbon dioxide emissions. “Every state would experience overwhelming negative impacts as a result of these regulations, but especially those with higher-than-average employment in manufacturing and… -
opinion
Why a Federal Judge Temporarily Halted Obama’s Amnesty Plan
The 26 states that sued President Obama over his unilateral amnesty plan for illegal aliens won a major battle on Monday when a federal judge issued a temporary injunction against the plan’s implementation. In a fitting bit of irony, the order was issued on President’s Day, a day when we remember the great men who… -
news
Meet the Lawmaker Picked to Produce a Conservative Alternative to Obama’s Budget
Conservatives are gearing up to draft their alternative to President Obama’s budget, and Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., is the lawmaker behind the push. Republican Study Committee Chairman Bill Flores, R-Texas, tapped Stutzman to lead the group’s Budget and Spending Task Force, which will release a conservative alternative to the president’s budget toward the end of… -
opinion
Obama Routinely Breaches Bipartisan Deals
Among so many of President Obama’s flaws, near the top of the list is that he has never understood the art of the deal. Every successful president has cut deals with the other party to strategically advance his own agenda. Give a little, get a little. Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Reagan and Clinton were masters at… -
opinion
President Obama’s Export Subsidy Hypocrisy
The Obama Administration fired a shot across China’s bow on Wednesday, challenging the country’s export subsidies in a dispute filed at the World Trade Organization (WTO). But, with last year’s renewal of the U.S. Export–Import Bank and the President’s announcement of new manufacturing innovation hubs, this new dispute is dripping with irony. At the center… -
news
Conservatives Question Obama’s Request for Military Force Against ISIS
Conservative lawmakers are raising questions and voicing concerns about President Obama's request to use of military force against the Islamic State, otherwise known as ISIS or ISIL. At today’s Conversations with Conservatives, a Capitol Hill event organized by The Daily Signal, several members of Congress said they were uncertain about the Authorization for Use of… -
news
What You Need to Know About Obama’s War Authorization Against ISIS
President Obama is calling on Congress to pass a three-year authorization of war against ISIS, also known as the Islamic State or ISIL. The draft request, formally called an Authorized Use of Military Force (AUMF), came almost six months after the president began launching attacks against ISIS—first in Iraq, then in Syria. The president’s proposal…