White House News
The Daily Signal provides coverage of the White House agenda, press briefings, and policy decisions affecting the country at large.
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- News
White House Sends Nominee to Export-Import Bank’s Board of Directors, But It’s Unlikely to Go Anywhere
President Barack Obama named a new nominee to the Export-Import Bank’s Board of Directors Monday. But the nominee is likely to move slowly, if at all, through the Senate Banking Committee, which hinders the controversial agency’s ability to extend financing to some of its largest beneficiaries. In a statement released Monday, the White House said…Melissa Quinn -
- News
White House Issues Correction to Obama’s Terrorism Speech
In his Oval Office address to the nation Sunday night, President Obama incorrectly claimed that one of the San Bernardino terrorists arrived in the United States under the visa waiver program. The White House acknowledged the mistake shortly after the speech. White House issues correction to Obama's speech tonight pic.twitter.com/EgIBgVIKBR — Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) December…Robert B. Bluey -
- Opinion
Time for the White House to Develop a Serious Arctic Agenda
Washington is waking up to the fact that America is an Arctic nation. But, as in a doomed polar expedition, the administration seems to be aimlessly wandering in the policy tundra. President Obama’s recent trip to Alaska only raises more questions over whether the White House really has a serious Arctic agenda. Shifts in the…James Carafano -
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Obama Issues Executive Order Requiring Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors
President Barack Obama took Labor Day to sign an executive order that will require federal contractors to provide employees with up to seven days of paid sick leave, condemning Republicans for a “constant attack on working Americans.” The White House estimated that the order will impact more than 300,000 workers who currently do not receive such…Natalie Johnson -
- News
Petition for White House to Watch Planned Parenthood Videos Needs Over 80,000 More Signatures
A recent “We the People” petition is pushing for the Obama administration to watch the Planned Parenthood videos released by the Center for Medical Progress. It still needs over 80,000 signatures for a response from the administration. The online petition forum on the White House website, We the People, has 16,374 people as of Friday afternoon who…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
White House Gets It Right on Occupational Licensing
Free-market advocates have long criticized excessive occupational licensing as a drag on the U.S. labor market and an impediment to growth. The Obama administration, it seems, is finally listening. The White House Report In a major report published in July, the White House acknowledged the growing costs of occupational licensing and called on state leaders…David Allen -
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Conservatives, White House Upset With Education Law Rewrite for Different Reasons
The House passed a rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act in a razor-thin vote Wednesday night, ignoring a White House veto threat and pushing on with legislation that would ease the federal government’s role in public education. The bill passed by a mere five votes in the final 218-213 roll call. No Democrats…Natalie Johnson -
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Bobby Jindal’s 4 Goals If He Wins the White House
He is prone to go on with a policy wonk’s enthusiasm for the subject at hand, but Bobby Jindal joined the Republican race for president with a speech that boiled down a four-point agenda into 54 words. “We’ve had enough of talkers, it’s time for a doer,” @BobbyJindal says. If elected president, the Louisiana governor…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
The White House Is Not Being Serious About Defeating ISIS
Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, could be in for a rough ride when they go before the House Armed Services Committee this week to explain the Obama administration’s strategy toward Iraq. There is a widespread and growing criticism that the “No Boots on the Ground Plus…Steven Bucci -
- Opinion
Iran Hijacked a Ship. The White House Should Demand the Release of Ship, Crew.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized a cargo ship Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, after first firing a shot across the bow of the ship, Maersk Tigris, registered in the Marshall Islands. The ship issued a distress call before it was boarded, hijacked and diverted to an Iranian port. The U.S. Navy dispatched the…James Phillips -
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‘Yesterday Is Over,’ Marco Rubio Declares in Entering White House Race
Announcing his candidacy for president in his hometown of Miami, Sen. Marco Rubio this evening underlined a generational divide between himself and Democratic favorite Hillary Rodham Clinton and depicted the coming campaign as one to reach a better future and not rehash the past. “Yesterday is over and we are never going back.”—@marcorubio “Now, the…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Cyber Breach at the White House: Time to Increase Cyber Defenses and Deter Cyber Aggression
In a CNN report released yesterday, U.S. officials determined that Russian hackers penetrated the unclassified network of the White House, which serves the executive office of the President. According to the report, this attack stems from the State Department’s e-mail system breach that occurred over much of the last year. Although the information infiltrated was…David Inserra -
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Senate’s 2016 White House Hopefuls Use Budget to Message Voters
The first budget resolution to clear the Senate in four years exposed a divide between four lawmakers who look to be rivals for the Republican nomination for president. Although largely symbolic and perhaps short-lived, the split had Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida voting in favor of the Republican budget…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
What’s Wrong with Obama’s Energy, Emissions Executive Order
President Obama signed Thursday an executive order to require executive agencies to improve energy efficiency and cut greenhouse gas emissions. One has to hope the order will save taxpayers money, because it won’t make a dent in global temperatures. Headlines have focused on the top line features of the plan, requiring executive branch departments and…Katie Tubb -
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GOP White House Hopefuls Welcome Israeli Leader’s Washington Visit
A much-anticipated speech by Israel’s prime minister to a joint meeting of Congress on the nuclear threat posed by Iran gave prospective Republican candidates for president an opportunity, and many of them took it. By the time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins his address today at 11 a.m. EST (about 6 p.m. in Israel), these White House…Ken McIntyre -
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White House Clarifies Obama’s Comments on Paris Kosher Deli Attack
During a recently-released interview, President Obama told Vox that the culprits of an attack in Paris were “a bunch of violent, vicious zealots who behead people or randomly shoot a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris.” Last month, a gunman identified as Amedy Coulibaly took hostages in the Jewish deli Hyper Cacher in…Kate Scanlon -
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How Much Will Chris Christie’s White House Bid Cost New Jersey Taxpayers?
As his first official step in a likely run for the White House, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has formed a political action committee to raise money, hire a staff and fund his campaign trips. For New Jersey taxpayers, the bad news will be an increase in Christie’s out-of-state political sojourns and the cost of…Mark Lagerkvist -
- Opinion
Are Bergdaghl Leakers Afraid White House Will Whitewash Desertion Case?
So what is going on with Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl investigation? And what role, if any, does the White House have in this potential criminal case? In the last 24 hours, Fox News contributor retired Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer said two sources told him Bergdahl “will be charged with desertion.” Respected NBC Pentagon reporter Jim “Mik”…Cully Stimson -
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‘Wouldn’t Bet Against Me,’ Scott Walker Says of White House Run
After all the buildup, will Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker opt out of the Republican race for president? Don’t bet on it. That was Walker’s message last night in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, fresh off the launch yesterday of a new website and well-received appearances over the weekend at two key gatherings…Ken McIntyre -
- News
Your 529 Plan Is Safe. Here’s Why the White House Changed Course.
President Obama is abandoning his controversial plan to tax the interest on 529 savings accounts, the White House announced Tuesday. The 529 plans are savings accounts in which parents and families can invest after-tax dollars. If the money is used for specified college costs, they don’t have to pay federal tax on the interest accumulated in…Kate Scanlon