Vermont senator Bernard Sanders (I) spends 8 hours denouncing tax deal
Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – Vermont’s Independent Sen. Bernard Sanders spent over eight hours denouncing the new agreement to extend Bush-era tax cuts to millions of Americans.
Speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sanders spoke out against President Barack Obama’s efforts, saying the deal only increases America’s debt and fails to solve the underlying economic issues that mire the country.
Reading letters from constituents, Sanders took aim at Obama, Senate Republicans, China and others.
“I’m not here to set any great records or to make a spectacle. I am simply here today to take as long as I can to explain to the American people the fact that we have got to do a lot better than this agreement provides,” Sanders said.
Nonetheless, the deal will move forward and is likely to clear Congress before the holidays.
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Congress Reconvenes For “Lame-Duck” Session On Bush Tax Cuts
Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – With a new majority taking control of the House next year, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill on Monday to tackle a backlog of bills during a “lame-duck” session. Their agenda includes whether to extend Bush administration tax cuts for all or only for the middle class and elections to new leadership posts for the coming 112th Congress.
Lawmakers this week will return to work on a dozen annual appropriations bills for the 2011 fiscal year. They passed a stopgap measure on their last day of session in September before the mid-term elections, temporarily funding government operations.
Debate will also focus on tax cuts implemented in 2001 and 2003 that are due to expire in January.
Democrats want a permanent extension of tax breaks for middle class families earning less than $250,000 a year. Republicans, however, want to extend tax cuts for all, including high-income earners.
The GOP proposal would cost the government $3.7 trillion over 10 years, while the Democratic plan would cost $3 trillion.
Together with the 9.6 percent unemployment rate, the issue has been a source of vitriol between Democrats and Republicans during the months before the mid-term elections. But leaders from both parties issued overtures in the past week.
“I’m going to meet with both the Republican and Democratic leaders… and we’re going to sit down and discuss how we move forward,” President Barack Obama said in South Korea on Friday, two days before he returned to the White House.
“My number one priority is making sure that we make the middle class tax cuts permanent, that we give certainty to the 98 percent of Americans who are affected by those tax breaks,” the president added. “I continue to believe that extending permanently the upper-income tax cuts would be a mistake and that we can’t afford it.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who earlier this month backtracked on his comment that the GOP’s overarching goal is to make Obama a one-term president, said in a statement on Thursday, “I’m willing to listen to what the president has in mind for protecting Americans from tax increases.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the fourth highest-ranking lawmaker in his chamber, wants a compromise that would extend tax cuts for families earning $1 million instead of $250,000.
“I hear Sen. McConnell talking about small business but under his plan, people like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates… would get a tax break,” Schumer said on “Face the Nation” on CBS on Sunday. “It would much, much better to raise the limit to $1 million rather than give it to people who are multibillionaires… the only group in America who’s had a gain in income.”
Lawmakers will also take up the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Moscow. The agreement was signed by President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart in April but still requires ratification by the U.S. Congress.
The United States and Russia hold more than 90 percent of nuclear weapons worldwide. The new START replaces a treaty that was signed in 1991 just before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and that expired last year.
The old treaty limited warheads to 2,200 and launch vehicles to 1,600. The new START limits deployed warheads to 1,550 and launchers to 800.
Top Republicans who do not support the current treaty have raised concerns about modernization and missile defense.
“We need to modernize our nuclear force, the weapons that are left, to make sure they continue to be a deterrent,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “We need to make sure that we can employ — deploy missile defense systems that are apart from START.”
“[Sen.] Jon Kyl is working with the administration to get better modernization to make sure that missile defense is not connected to START,” added Graham.
The lame-duck session is scheduled until Friday. No votes were on the calendar on Monday and it is unclear if lawmakers will accomplish the items on their agenda, which could also include a bill in the Senate repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the law against openly gay members of the military.
Side-by-side their work on the floor, they will be electing new leaders for the coming Congress in January, when House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) takes the speakership and current Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) becomes the minority leader. In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will remain at the helm of a caucus made weaker by losses in the elections.
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Obama Confident Republicans Getting Ready For Compromise
Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – President Barack Obama on Sunday looked forward to accountability and responsibility from the newly-elected Republicans in the House.
“My expectation is, when I sit down with Mitch McConnell and John Boehner this week, along with the Democratic leaders, that there are a set of things that need to get done during the lame duck, and that they are not going to want to just obstruct, that they’re going to want to engage constructively,” he said.
The President made the comments Sunday to journalists aboard Air Force One as he returned from a 10-day trip to India, Indonesia, Korea and Japan.
Obama noted that “I believe it is a mistake for us to borrow $700 billion to make tax cuts permanent for millionaires and billionaires. It won’t significantly boost the economy, and it’s hugely expensive. So we can’t afford it.”
The president, however, expressed his willingness to learn “how they (the Republicans) intend to spend–how they intend to pay for it,” as he recalled that, “during the campaign at least, the Republicans expressed some strong feelings about (those tax-cuts).”
“I want to hear from them how strongly they feel about it, particularly given that they’re also saying they want to control the deficit and debt,” he added.
“Campaigning is very different from governing,” noted Obama. “All of us learn that. And they’re (the Republicans) still flush with victory, having run a strategy that was all about saying no.”
The American people “want to see us make progress precisely because they understand instinctually how competitive things are and how we have to step up our game.” Obama hoped that “we should be able at least to get through the lame duck, making sure that taxes don’t go up for middle-class families starting January 1st, that some of the key business provisions that can assure economic growth get done.”
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Indian PM, Obama Agree India Not Stealing American Jobs
New Delhi, India (AHN) – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh insisted Monday that instead of “stealing American jobs,” India was helping “improve the productive capacity and productivity of America.”
Speaking with Singh at a joint press conference at Hyderabad House, U.S. President Barack Obama tried to assuage India’s fears over his views on “outsourcing” by saying that $10 billion in business deals, to be signed during the course of his visit, would create more than 50,000 jobs for Indians.
The two leaders committed themselves to encourage bilateral cooperation in the fields of technology, trade and investment so that living standards could be raised in India while the U.S. economy could be saved from the floundering pathways since the 2008 economic downturn.
Prior to the press conference, Obama and Singh met for a one-to-one talk, during which they discussed issues of bilateral importance including terrorism.
However, Obama’s focus remained on business and benefits emerging from it. “When I go back to the US, a part of the reason that I advertised these 50,000 jobs is I want to be able to say to the American people when they ask me why are you spending time in India when they are taking our jobs. I want to be able to say they actually created 50,000 jobs and that’s why we should not be resorting to protectionist measures. We should not be thinking that it’s just a one-way street.”
Obama’s India visit comes in the dismal backdrop of his Democratic Party’s frustrating performance in the mid-term elections, which is believed to have been a result of the high unemployment level and difficult economic conditions in the past two years.
While Singh welcomed Obama’s remark that the relationship between India and the U.S. would be a “defining partnership of the 21st century,” he also pointed out India’s requirement of about $1 trillion worth of investment into the country’s infrastructure over the next five years.
According to U..S data, Indian companies are the second-largest investor in America with a figure of $4.5 billion, left behind only by the UAE. In return, India received only about 8 percent of its total Foreign Direct Investment from the U.S. in 2009-10.
Perhaps that is why Singh mentioned, “We welcome U.S. investments and high technology in key sectors of our economy, including nuclear energy.”
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Developing: U.S. On Alert After Inbound Packages Contained Explosives
Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – American authorities say packages intercepted overseas contained explosives destined for the United States. President Barack Obama was alerted late Thursday night, according to the White House, and ordered security officials to be on alert.
“Last night, intelligence and law enforcement agencies discovered potential suspicious packages on two planes in transit to the United States,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said. Based on close cooperation among U.S. government agencies and with our foreign allies and partners, authorities were able to identify and examine two suspicious packages, one in East Midlands, United Kingdom and one in Dubai.”
“Both of these packages originated from Yemen. As a result of security precautions triggered by this threat, the additional measures were taken regarding the flights at Newark Liberty and Philadelphia International Airports,” Gibbs added.
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President Barack Obama Says “It Gets Better” In New Anti-Bullying Video
Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – President Barack Obama submitted a video for the “It Gets Better” project, which has featured gay and gay-friendly celebrities speaking out to youths about the current bullying and gay suicide epidemic. President Obama wants to fight against discrimination, against LGBT Americans or anyone.
“Like all of you, I was shocked and saddened by the deaths of several young people who were bullied and taunted for being gay, and who ultimately took their own lives,” President Barack Obama said in the video. “As a parent of two daughters, it breaks my heart. It’s something that just shouldn’t happen in this country.”
“We’ve got to dispel the myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage—that it’s some inevitable part of growing up. It’s not,” President Obama continued. “We have an obligation to ensure that our schools are safe for all of our kids.”
Since the “It Gets Better” project launched, from “Savage Love” columnist Dan Savage, the award-winning project has received videos from celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Tim Gunn, and Kathy Griffin. In their videos, they all encouraged young LGBT adults and anyone currently affected by bulling to stay strong.
President Obama’s video was posted both by Savage on his blog as well as on the White House website.
“I don’t know what it’s like to be picked on for being gay,” President Obama said.” But I do know what it’s like to grow up feeling that sometimes you don’t belong. It’s tough.”
“But what I want to say is this. You are not alone,” he continued.” You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t do anything to deserve being bullied. And there is a whole world waiting for you, filled with possibilities. There are people out there who love you and care about you just the way you are.”
But Savage also challenges President Obama to not just say it gets better, but to make things better. The video comes amidst the administration’s appealing of recent “don’t ask, don’t tell” efforts and the Defense of Marriage Act.
“The president of the United States has the power to do more than assure LGBT kids that it will get better,” Savage said on CNN Friday. “The president of the United States and his administration have the power to make it better.”
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Obama Suggests $50 Billion for Transportation Infrastructure
Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – President Barack Obama said Monday the federal government needs to invest $50 billion in the nation’s transportation infrastructure to create jobs and stimulate the economy. Obama met with mayors and governors at the White House to promote his plan for a “National Infrastructure Bank.”
“Nearly one in five construction workers is still unemployed and needs a job,” Obama said at a press conference. “And that makes absolutely no sense when so much of America needs rebuilding.”
The $50 billion would pay to lay and maintain 4,000 miles of railroad track, rebuild 150,000 miles of roadways, upgrade airport runways and improve the nation’s air traffic control system.
Obama first proposed the infrastructure investments last month but renewed his calls for the program Monday after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the nation’s unemployment rate held steady in September at 9.6 percent, the same as a month earlier. Some economists say the government estimate is too low and that the real figure is closer to 10.1 percent.
“Investing in infrastructure is something members of both political parties have always supported,” Obama said. “There’s no reason why we can’t do this. This is work that needs to be done. There are workers who can do it. All we need is the political will.”
Also on Monday, the Treasury Department released a study saying a lack of infrastructure investment is hurting U.S. economic competitiveness.
“It is clear that persistent neglect of our infrastructure will impact America’s competitive position vis-a-vis the rest of the world,” the report says.
U.S. infrastructure spending dropped by 50 percent since 1960. It stands at 2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). By comparison, China spends about 9 percent of its GDP on infrastructure while most European countries spend about 5 percent.
The study found that 90 percent of the jobs the investment would create would be middle-income.
The White House Council of Economic Advisors says every $1 billion invested in transportation infrastructure would create about 35,000 jobs.
However, Congressional Republicans say the $50 billion program would add to the nation’s deficit at a time it is spiraling out of control.
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has said the proposal is “yet another government stimulus effort.”
He referred to the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which Congress passed last year to lift the nation out of recession. Republicans criticize it for burdening the economy with too much debt. The government would manage the infrastructure bank after collecting revenue from private investors and taxes.
Some of the projects could be built as public-private joint ventures with investors reaping profits after they are completed. Grants for the projects would be awarded based on performance measures that determine whether they provide safety, environmental or economic benefits.
The $50 billion would be part of a $500 billion, six-year bill Congress is considering to pay for nearly all government transportation programs, such as highways, airports, passenger railroads and public transit. Obama met with governors Edward G. Rendell (D-Pa.) and Jack Markell (D-Del.) at the White House to discuss his proposal. They were joined by the mayors of Atlanta, Baltimore, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Columbus, Philadelphia and Charleston, S.C.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) have both said they support the idea of a National Infrastructure Bank.
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Gov. Manchin Trails In WV Senate Race For First Time
Charleston, WV, United States (AHN) – West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin for the first time trails his Republican rival in the Senate race to fill the late Robert Byrd’s seat. A new poll shows the governor, who just received the endorsement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in danger of losing the special election in spite of his popularity.
A Public Policy Polling survey released Tuesday has Manchin behind businessman John Raese, 43 percent to 46 percent.
The lead of Raese is considered within the poll’s 2.6 percent margin of error, but contrasts starkly with the 22-point lead Manchin enjoyed against the conservative in a July survey by R.L. Repass & Partners.
“There are a lot of voters in West Virginia who like Joe Manchin but don’t like the national Democratic party and right now those feelings about Barack Obama and national Democrats are driving their vote intent,” Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling, said in a statement.
Manchin has a 59 percent approval rating overall, making him the second most popular governor polled by PPP in the past year. However, 54 percent of voters want the GOP to gain control Congress after the general election, and only 37 percent want Democrats to retain their hold.
Among Republicans, Manchin has a 42 percent approval rating but only 14 percent support. The governor trails among independents, who choose Raese 56 percent to 30 percent.
The conditions may be extremely favorable for Republicans — more so since 64 disapprove of President Barack Obama and 63 percent oppose the president’s healthcare reform bill — except perhaps for the 24 percent of voters who are “not sure” about what to think of Raese and the 35 percent who said they hold negative views of him.
Among moderates, the GOP nominee has more voters with unfavorable opinions of him, 47 percent, than those with favorable views, 27 percent.
The poll comes after the two candidates received major endorsements.
Raese, chief executive of a steel and limestone company who is advocating for dismantling the U.S. education and energy departments, received the backing of FreedomWorks over the weekend. The conservative group is closely allied with the Tea Party movement.
Manchin, meanwhile, received the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Monday, making him the first Democratic candidate for the Senate this election to win the group’s endorsement.
“He understands the economic challenges our country is facing and has a record of supporting policies that allow businesses to create jobs,” Lisa Rickard, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber, said in an announcement made jointly with the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, however, countered with a statement, “Joe Manchin’s unwavering support for President Obama’s agenda has buried small businesses in new regulations, new taxes, and stifled their ability to create jobs. With thousands of West Virginians still unemployed, the state cannot afford a senator who facilitates President Obama’s big-government vision for our economic future.”
The Chamber’s endorsement is particularly surprising since Raese has an extensive business record. He is chairman of the board of West Virginia Radio Corp. and vice-president of the Morgantown Dominion-Post, a daily newspaper. The conservative ran for the seat of Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) in 1984.
Manchin, 62, is a former secretary of state and is on his second term as governor. Elected chairman of the National Governor’s Association in July, he won each of his two gubernatorial elections with 69 percent and 63 percent of the vote.
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