From the White House – Weekly Address
In his weekly address, President Obama discusses progress in American energy and highlights that we are now producing more oil at home than we buy from other countries for the first time in nearly two decades. We reached this milestone in part not only because we’re producing more energy, but because we’re wasting less energy, and as a result, we are also reducing our carbon emissions while growing the economy.
From the White House – Weekly Address
In this week’s address, President Obama commemorates Veterans Day Weekend by thanking the brave men and women who have worn this country’s uniform. The President says he is proud of their service and will do everything possible to ensure America always has their back and always honors their sacrifice.
From the White House – Weekly Address
In this week’s address, President Obama says that in order to keep growing the economy and creating good jobs, Washington must end its cycle of manufactured crises and self-inflicted wounds. It’s time for both parties to work together to pass a budget that reflects our priorities – making smart cuts in things we don’t need and closing wasteful tax loopholes, while investing in areas that create opportunities for the middle class and our future generations.
Surprise!! The media has found some people who paid less for inferior health insurance policies than they will pay for policies that actually cover their accidents and illnesses!!!
The media calls this a “shocking development” and evidence that the Affordable Care Act is a ginormous failure.
This guy (along with most thinking humans) has a different take on it.
Before the Affordable Care Act, the worst of these plans routinely dropped thousands of Americans every single year. And on average, premiums for folks who stayed in their plans for more than a year shot up about 15 percent a year. This wasn’t just bad for those folks who had these policies, it was bad for all of us — because, again, when tragedy strikes and folks can’t pay their medical bills, everybody else picks up the tab.So anyone peddling the notion that insurers are cancelling people’s plan without mentioning that almost all the insurers are encouraging people to join better plans with the same carrier, and stronger benefits and stronger protections, while others will be able to get better plans with new carriers through the marketplace, and that many will get new help to pay for these better plans and make them actually cheaper — if you leave that stuff out, you’re being grossly misleading, to say the least. (Applause.)
From the White House – Weekly Address
In this week’s address, President Obama discusses the launch of the Health Insurance Marketplace for the Affordable Care Act, which gives millions of Americans the opportunity to have access to affordable and reliable healthcare-many for the first time.
"It is time. Let's go get it done!" -President Obama on fixing our broken immigration system this year #ImmigrationReform
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 24, 2013
"It's good for our economy, good for our national security…and we should do it this year." -Obama on passing #ImmigrationReform
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 24, 2013
"The Senate has already passed an #ImmigrationReform bill by a wide, bipartisan majority." -Obama on why the House should #JustVote
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 24, 2013
The party that shut down the government in an attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act wants to fire the person in charge of implementing the program … because the web site does not work well:
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Tuesday that the secretary must be “held accountable” for Obamacare’s rocky online rollout.
Republicans have been fiercely critical of the Obamacare web portal’s glitch-ridden Oct. 1 launch. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) called for the HHS secretary’s resignation a few weeks ago, asserting “Americans are tired of the Sebelius spin.”
Hate Affordable Care Act and vote 44 times to repeal it. Check.
Hate Affordable Care Act and shut down the government to delay/defund it. Check.
Call for the resignation of the person in charge of implementing the health care law you despise … wait … NOW I get it.
Nice try, GOP. Guess what? You can also sign up via telephone
By phone
We can help you complete the entire application process from beginning to end with information you provide over the phone, including reviewing your options and helping you enroll in a plan. We can also answer questions as you fill out an online or paper application. We’re available 24/7.
1-800-318-2596
TTY: 1-855-889-4325
Impeach the president for knowing that the web site was having problems and not jumping in to help with the code? Sounds like a plan …
“Benghaziiii!!! IRSSSSSSSS!!!!! Bad website coooooooode!!!!”
From the White House – Weekly Address
In this week’s address, President Obama said that now that the Federal government is reopened and the threat of default is lifted from the economy, there are three places Washington can take action to serve the American people. First, it’s time for a balanced, responsible approach to the budget that grows the economy and shrinks our long term deficits. Second, we must fix our broken immigration system. And finally, Congress should pass a farm bill to give rural communities the opportunity to grow. The President said it’s time to put aside politics and work on behalf of the American people and the country we love.
President Obama: "To all my friends in Congress, understand that how business is done in this town has to change."
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 17, 2013
President Obama: "You don’t like a particular policy, or a particular President, then argue for your position and win an election."
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 17, 2013
President Obama: "I have a simple message for all the dedicated and patriotic federal workers…thank you for your service. Welcome back."
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 17, 2013
President Obama’s agenda for moving forward:
– Balanced approach to budget, cut deficits, grow economy
– Fix Immigration
– Pass Farm Bill
Full transcript below the fold.
UPDATE Wednesday, 10/16 at 10:20pm Eastern:
House votes to reopen government and raise debt ceiling:
The bill passed 285-144; 144 Republicans voted against it. The Senate had previously passed the bill 81-18. It now heads to the White House, where President Obama has said he would sign it.Upon Obama’s signature, the first government shutdown in 17 years will end after 16 days.
UPDATE Wednesday, 10/16 at 5pm Eastern:
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH): “… blocking the bipartisan agreement reached today by the members of the Senate will not be a tactic for us.”
Chamber of Commerce: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced Wednesday that it supports the new Senate plan to end the shutdown and raise the debt ceiling, and it will include the measure as a key vote.
Clown King Ted Cruz (R-TX): Cruz told a gaggle of reporters that he has “no objections” to the Senate holding a vote
The much ballyhooed Senate bill (re-open the government until January 15th, raise the debt ceiling through February 15th, conference on budget) which was to be voted on and sent to the House of Representatives was held after the House floated their “counteroffer”: a bill festooned with poison pills ornaments including big sloppy kisses to the Catholic bishops and medical device lobbyists.
The White House was quick to reject what it called the latest “ransom demand” (take that whiney White House reporters!!) and the ball is back in the Senate’s court.
This afternoon President Obama and Vice President Biden will meet with Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. The Fitch warning will likely be one of the topics:
“Fitch continues to believe that an agreement will be reached to end the current political impasse and raise the U.S. debt ceiling,” the agency said in a press release. “Even if the debt limit is not raised before or shortly after 17 October, we assume there is sufficient political will and capacity to ensure that Treasury securities will continue to be honoured in full and on time.”
While Fitch said that it remained confident Congress would ultimately reach a deal to raise the debt ceiling ahead of the Oct. 17 deadline, future ratings of U.S. holdings would be dependant on the “manner and duration of the agreement and the perceived risk of a similar episode occurring in the future.”
Translation: “We are looking around desperately to see if there are enough adults in Congress to justify our belief that the United States is credit worthy”.