Barack Obama

White House: Our Jobs Message Is Catching Fire

Susan Crabtree | October 28, 2011, 1:55PM

The White House is pushing ahead with its strategy of taking executive action to circumvent Congressional GOP opposition on job creation, on Friday unveiling a new presidential memorandum aimed at helping private businesses in hard economic times.

As President Obama struggles to build support for many components of his jobs bill in Congress, he continued to roll-out unilateral steps as part of his new "We Can't Wait" theme. Obama on Friday signed two business-friendly memorandums: one that would shorten the time it takes for federal research to translate into commercial products in the marketplace, and another creating a website, known as BusinessUSA, to make it easier for companies to learn about federal export opportunities and other government services.

"Today, I am directing my administration to take two important steps to help American businesses create new products, compete in a global economy, and create jobs here at home," Obama said in statement.

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Solyndra

Key GOPer Supported Loan Guarantee Under Issa Attack

Susan Crabtree | October 28, 2011, 6:00AM

Rep. Darrell Issa in recent days has moved on from bashing the Obama administration's support for the failed solar-company Solyndra to training his sights on another federal loan guarantee -- $730 million for the U.S. subsidiary of a Russian steel company.

During an interview on Fox News Thursday, Issa said the loan for Severstal North America, which is based in Dearborn, Mich. "never should have passed the sniff test."

"We'd like to have a reversal on the commitment," Issa said of the $730 million Severstal loan. "...One of the great scandals here is, remember, this is just making steel, and as a matter of fact, the type of steel for which there's an excess in the market. But more importantly, the jobs that are being, quote, created here are being moved from other plants. So this is an example, no jobs created, not green energy, not necessary to make this happen, and not a U.S. investor. So on every possible count, the American people care about, this loan never should have passed the sniff test."

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John Kline

GOP Opposes Obama's Decision To Lower Student Loan Payments by 5%

Susan Crabtree | October 26, 2011, 4:48PM

Rep. John Kline (R-MN), who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee, isn't happy with President Obama's executive action aimed at helping students pay back college loans.

House Republicans, he said, believe the presidential push to scale back students' monthly payments will only increase overall student debt and do nothing to curb unemployment.

"Sadly, the President has once again chosen to put politics before policy, touting a plan that will do nothing to help the nation's unemployed workers," Kline said in a statement Wednesday.

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Condoleezza Rice

Qaddafi Wrote Song For Rice: 'Black Flower in the White House'

Susan Crabtree | October 26, 2011, 10:35AM

In what may well be the most awkward personal moment in U.S. diplomatic history, in her new memoir Condoleezza Rice recalls a creepy 2008 meeting with then-Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi that ended with Qaddafi showing her photos of herself he had collected and a serenade of a song he had a famous Libyan composer write for her.

Rice's reaction? Run away, run away!!

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House Republicans

House GOPers Were For Withholding Biz Tax Before They Were Against It

Susan Crabtree | October 26, 2011, 6:10AM

House Speaker John Boehner with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the foreground.

House Republicans are crowing about leading efforts to repeal an impending 3 percent withholding tax on government contractors as yet another way they're rolling back the regulatory burden on businesses to help spur economic growth and job creation.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) on Tuesday touted the withholding repeal, which the House plans to take up Thursday, and pressed President Obama to jump on the bandwagon.

"We're bringing up 3% withholding bill to help gov'ts & their contractors at all levels work in a more efficient way so prices don't go up," Cantor tweeted. "Hope the President will join us in supporting this because this is a provision in his bill & we have used a pay-for that he's embraced."

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Veterans

White House: 'We Can't Wait' To Put Vets Back To Work

Susan Crabtree | October 25, 2011, 12:33PM

A soldier helps guard the Rumelia Oil Field in southern Iraq on April 2, 2003.

As part of its new "We Can't Wait" for Congress theme, the White House has announced an initiative to help veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars get back to work.

The latest effort, part of a comprehensive plan to transition veterans from the battlefield to the workplace, challenges community health centers around the country to hire 8,000 veterans over the next three years.

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Joe Biden

Biden's Office Complains After Reporter Ambush

Susan Crabtree | October 25, 2011, 9:47AM

Vice President Joe Biden

Vice President Joe Biden's office is none too pleased with a tricky reporter ambush of him that got ugly and went viral last week.

Biden, never one to shy away from reporters even after a career of headline-making gaffes and wisecracks, is drawing the line. Biden's office has complained to the Senate press gallery about a confrontation he had with a conservative reporter, The Hill reports.

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Housing/Foreclosures

Obama Rolls Out New 'We Can't Wait' Slogan On Housing, Economy

Susan Crabtree | October 24, 2011, 2:04PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama is heading straight into the heart of the housing crisis -- Nevada -- to unveil a series of executive branch steps to give the economy a shot in the arm, beginning with new rules making it easier for underwater homeowners to refinance their mortgages.

The White House is calling the new roll-out the "We-Can't-Wait" program, a not-so-subtle jab at Republicans in Congress, who have spent the last two weeks blocking Obama's job bill. Las Vegas' economy was one of the hardest hit by the housing crisis.

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