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
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 -
- News
‘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 -
- News
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 -
- News
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 -
- News
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 -
- News
‘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 -
- News
11 Things Said by GOP White House Hopefuls at the Iowa Freedom Summit
Some of the likeliest Republican candidates for president tried out their messages in front of a mostly friendly crowd at today’s Iowa Freedom Summit. The speakers offered plenty of rhetorical red meat to an audience dominated by conservatives, but also set out to emphasize some policy positions at the gathering in Des Moines sponsored by…Ken McIntyre -
- News
White House Chief of Staff: Hillary Would Be a ‘Very Good President’
In the wake of a State of the Union address heavy on confidence and promise, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough today charted a “urgent” and aggressive future for Democratic power. After declaring that the White House “feels quite good” about the State of the Union, McDonough went on to hint that presumed presidential…Josh Siegel -
- News
Cuba Releases 53 Political Prisoners, White House Claims
The White House said today that Cuba has released all 53 prisoners it promised to free as part of a deal to normalize relations with the United States. “We welcome this very positive development and are pleased that the Cuban government followed through on this commitment,” a senior Obama administration official said in a statement…Josh Siegel -
- News
White House Faces Backlash for Absence at Anti-Terrorism Rally
UPDATE: The Obama administration admitted this afternoon that it erred in not sending a more prominent official to the anti-terrorism march yesterday in Paris. During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said: I think it’s fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there. ……Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Does the White House ‘Micromanage’ the Military? Here’s What Gen. Martin Dempsey Thinks
On Fox News Sunday, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey was asked if he agrees with the president’s recent statement that threat of terrorism from Afghanistan is gone. “The chairman of the Joint Chiefs, as the senior military leader of the nation, tends to be rather cautious and careful,” said Dempsey. “And he…Kate Scanlon -
- News
Romney Floats Trial Balloon to Slow Jeb Bush’s Early ‘Rise’ in Quest for White House
Jeb Bush’s moves to attract supporters and donors this week put the 2016 race for the White House into sharper focus earlier in the new year than other presidential hopefuls probably anticipated. One apparent result: Mitt Romney, the Republican standard-bearer in 2012, told a group of donors Friday that he is “seriously considering” a third…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
White House Threatens to Veto Jobs, Energy and Common Sense
For good reason, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate’s first order of business would be a vote to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Building the northern leg of the pipeline means jobs, economic growth and 830,000 barrels of oil per day from a friendly, reliable trading partner in Canada. Even the Obama administration’s…Nicolas Loris