Breaking: Obama Delays Key Economic Report Breaking: Obama Delays Guantanamo Report Breaking: Lawmakers Delay Health Care Vote Breaking: Obama Delays Health Care Vote Deadline Breaking: Voters Delay Health Care Bill Support Breaking: Obama Brushed Aside As The Fat Lady Sings
Jul 21, 2009 18 Comments ›› Pat Dollard
The Obama administration is delaying release of a congressionally mandated report on the nation’s economic conditions, spawning speculation that it is trying to tamp down bad economic news to avoid further complicating the already fraught legislative debate over health care reform.
The report, which is normally published by late July, is being delayed by several weeks, the administration acknowledged on Monday.
Asked about the speculation that the delay is linked to the ongoing health care debate, Baer responded: “I don’t deal in speculation. What I know is that in transition years past both the full budgets and Mid-Session Reviews have come out later than in non-transition years and this year will be no different.”
The report, which takes the measure of economic growth, job creation and budget deficits, will update assumptions that undergirded the administration’s budget for next year.
Gitmo review delayed 6 months
Obama puts vow in doubt
The move came on the same day the president pushed back the release of a congressionally mandated report on the nation’s economic conditions, and the White House began to extend a self-imposed deadline for overhauling the nation’s health care system.
Pushing back the deadline on how to handle 229 Gitmo detainees, among them five suspects in the Sept. 11 attacks, including accused mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed illustrates just how complicated it is to solve the campaign issue that Mr. Obama this month called ?one of the biggest challenges of my administration.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, was blunt in his criticism over the delay.
Bipartisan majorities of both houses and the American people oppose closing Guantanamo without a plan, and several important questions remain unanswered. But it became increasingly clear over time that the administration announced its intent to close the facility before it actually had a plan, he said.
Six months after Mr. Obama signed the closure order, fewer than 20 of about 245 inmates have been transferred out of the U.S. military base in Cuba.
The White House put a positive spin on the delay, although none of the senior administration officials who briefed reporters Monday night agreed to be named.
Washington (AP) – Lawmakers from both parties are telling the White House they will go on vacation next month and leave behind — and incomplete — President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
White House officials sought a massive reworking of the nation’s health care system before Congress left on August recess, but key lawmakers signaled on Sunday the administration would be disappointed. Work was set to continue Monday on the Senate’s version, although officials acknowledge they are far from finished with a plan that could cost taxpayers trillions over the next decade and reshape how Americans receive care.
In his most recent remarks, President Obama has stopped mentioning what had been his mantra — that the House and Senate finish their health-care bills by the August recess — and switched to a less specific call to fast action.
The increased flexibility follows resistance by key senators in both parties to what they have called an “artificial deadline.”
Heading into a critical period in the debate over health-care reform, public approval of President Obama’s stewardship on the issue has dropped below the 50 percent threshold for the first time, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Obama’s approval ratings on other front-burner issues, such as the economy and the federal budget deficit, have also slipped over the summer, as rising concern about spending and continuing worries about the economy combine to challenge his administration. Barely more than half approve of the way he is handling unemployment, which now tops 10 percent in 15 states and the District.
The president’s overall approval rating remains higher than his marks on particular domestic issues, with 59 percent giving him positive reviews and 37 percent disapproving. But this is the first time in his presidency that Obama has fallen under 60 percent in Post-ABC polling, and the rating is six percentage points lower than it was a month ago.
Obama has taken on a series of major problems during his young presidency, but he faces a particularly difficult fight over his effort to encourage Congress to pass an overhaul of the nation’s health-care system.
The legislation has run into problems in the House and Senate, as lawmakers struggle to contain spiraling costs and avoid ballooning the deficit.
Since April, approval of Obama’s handling of health care has dropped from 57 percent to 49 percent, with disapproval rising from 29 percent to 44 percent. Obama still maintains a large advantage over congressional Republicans in terms of public trust on the issue, even as the GOP has closed the gap.
The erosion in Obama’s overall rating on health care is particularly notable among political independents: While positive in their assessments of his handling of health-care reform at the 100-day mark of his presidency (53 percent approved and 30 percent disapproved), independents now are divided at 44 percent positive and 49 percent negative.
After some hesitation and a time shift, three major broadcast networks have agreed to carry Barack Obama’s latest primetime news conference.
CBS, which airs only repeats that evening, agreed early Monday to cover the conference.
But for NBC, Fox and ABC, the decision was tougher. During a summer that’s otherwise strewn with repeats, Wednesday includes all of their top-rated reality programs.
Fox declined outright to air the news conference. NBC and ABC fell into line late Monday after the White House shifted the event’s time from the previously announced 9 p.m. to the lesser-watched hour of 8 p.m.
The stakes were particularly high for NBC, which airs the most-watched show of the summer, “America’s Got Talent,” at 9 p.m. This week, the reality hit includes a heavily promoted interview with “Britain’s Got Talent” singing sensation Susan Boyle.
Sources said that NBC demonstrated reluctance to carry Obama’s news conference live. Faced with the prospect of only one or two major broadcasters — CBS and ABC — covering the event, the White House moved its start time to 8 p.m.
