CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
Jan. 11, 2009 – 11:46 a.m.
Obama Outlines Timeline for Heavy Agenda
By David Clarke, CQ Staff
President-elect Barack Obama said Sunday he wants a stimulus package enacted by mid-February while conceding that the economy’s problems will require delaying some of the initiatives he promised on the campaign trail.
In an interview with ABC’s “This Week,” Obama emphasized the need to do something quickly to turn around the struggling economy but said he expects Congress to make changes to his proposal.
“One of the things that we’re trying to set a tone of is that, you know, Congress is a co-equal branch of government. We’re not trying to jam anything down people’s throats,” he said.
In recent days Obama has launched a public relations blitz to sell the need for quick enactment of an economic recovery package that would cost about $800 billion. On Saturday, his transition team released a report estimating that by the fourth quarter of 2010, the stimulus plan would result in 3.7 million more jobs than there would be without the plan.
On Jan. 9 the Labor Department announced the unemployment rate has jumped to 7.2 percent.
The emerging package is expected to be made up of tax cuts, spending on infrastructure projects, and aid for states struggling with budget shortfalls.
There has been some pushback in Congress from Democrats, particularly in the Senate, on Obama’s tax proposals.
The largest tax piece of the stimulus bill is expected to be a new refundable income tax credit that would effectively lower payroll taxes by $500 per worker. Some in the Senate have questioned whether that will do enough to stimulate the economy and whether that money would be better spent on such programs as energy projects.
There has been more hand-wringing in Congress over the business tax provisions Obama’s team has outlined, including a proposal to offer a $3,000-per-job tax credit for businesses that hire new workers and another to allow businesses to use losses from 2008 or 2009 to offset taxable income from five prior years and receive an immediate refund.
House Minority Leader John A. Boehner , R-Ohio, said he wasn’t sure a package could be completed by mid-February and emphasized Republicans are concerned by amount of spending being discussed.
“We want to lower taxes on middle-class American families, small businesses. On the other side of the coin, most Americans are really skeptical about government spending. And so, why couldn’t we tax less and spend less as we put this package together?” he said on CBS’ Face the Nation.
Obama signaled he is willing to make changes to his business tax proposals.
“We don’t have pride of authorship,” he said.
The president-elect said, however, that tax cuts have to be a key part of the package because there is only so much spending that can be utilized quickly.
“We’re making a series of investments that point to the future, as well as just dealing with rebuilding our roads, bridges, etc.,” he said. “But there are only so many projects that you can do quickly of that sort.”
During the presidential debates both Obama and his rival, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, said they did not believe economic difficulties would cause them to slow or discard parts of their agenda.
In the interview aired Sunday, however, Obama said some of his priorities would have to be delayed.
“Not everything that we talked about during the campaign are we going to be able to do on the pace that we had hoped,” he said.
Obama declined to say whether he wanted President Bush to request the release of the remaining $350 billion left in the financial bailout package (PL 110-343).
Under the financial bailout law enacted in October, once Treasury requests the second $350 billion in funding, Congress will have 15 days to act on a resolution of disapproval. That measure would be considered under expedited rules, but it could be vetoed. That means a two-thirds majority of each chamber would be required to deny the administration the money.
There is widespread discontent in Congress over how the first half of the $700 billion has been administered by the Treasury Department and unless changes are made to the program it appears unlikely Congress would vote to approve the second portion.
Boehner, who voted in favor of the rescue package, said Congress should not release the second $350 billion.
“I think until there is a demonstrated need in our economy and a plan to address that need, I think it would be irresponsible for Congress to release the additional money,” he said.
Obama said he wanted more oversight and transparency on how the $350 billion is spent and said some of the funds need to be used to help stem mortgage foreclosures.
“I think that when you look at how we have handled the home foreclosure situation and whether we’ve done enough in terms of helping families on the ground who may have lost their homes because they lost their jobs or because they got sick, we haven’t done enough there,” he said.
Obama also reiterated that he is prepared to take steps to deal with the growing deficit and debt on the government’s books, but did not offer any specifics saying he would reveal more when he releases his initial budget request next month.
Last week the Congressional Budget Office projected the deficit for fiscal 2009, which ends Sept. 30, would be $1.2 trillion. Moderate Democrats in both chambers, who support enacting a costly stimulus bill, want the incoming administration early in the year to at least commit to starting a process that would address the nation’s growing long-term debt.
Obama said the budget will have to be carefully scrubbed — even suggesting that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will be scrutinized.
“What we have to do is to take a look at our structural deficit: How are we paying for government? What are we getting for it? And how do we make the system more efficient?” he said. “Everybody is going to have to give. Everybody is going to have to have some skin in the game.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., said repealing tax cuts on those making more than $250,000 a year before they expire at the end of 2010 would be one way to deal with the ballooning deficit.
“I don’t think we can wait until they expire. I think they need to be repealed — not in this legislation,” she said on CNN’s Late Edition referring to the stimulus bill. “It doesn’t have to be right away, because right away we have to do the economic recovery package. But what I am saying is the sooner they are repealed, the less negative impact they will have on growing our deficit.”
Republicans have warned, and some Democrats are concerned as well, that raising taxes now would hurt the economy.
“I certainly agree with her goal,” said Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin , D-Ill. “We may have a difference in timing. The Obama administration believes that increasing taxes on any Americans at this point may not be the right medicine.”
David Clarke contributed to this story.
Comments
The nation owes more than thanks to three unlikely modern day patriots: professional poker player, musician, and retired attorney, Leo Donofrio; life long Democrat and former Pennsylvania assistant attorney general, Phil Berg; and Soviet emigree and attorney, Dr. Orly Taitz (she's also a dentist). While Mr. Donofrio painstakingly established the airtight case that BHO could not be an Article II "natural born citizen" (at BHO's birth, dad was British/Kenyan, not American, citizen) Leo's Stay of the 12/15/08 electoral college vote was denied by SCOTUS as procedurally unripe. Nevertheless, since no congressman and senator objected on 1/8/09 to Congress' count and certification of the electoral vote which would have turned resolution of Obama's eligibility issue over to Congress -- rendering moot the Berg and Taitz (Lightfoot) cases -- Berg finally does achieve standing on the issue of actual harm, to be addressed at the Friday 1/9/09 SCOTUS Conference on Writ of Certiorari. Obama's failure to submit evidence of his constitutional qualification for the 1/9/09 conference will mean he cannot thereafter challenge Berg's request to enjoin the 1/8/09 Congressional electoral count and certification, albeit retroactive, scheduled for SCOTUS conference Friday 1/16/09. Moreover, Chief Justice Roberts has scheduled a full Court conference on the Lightfoot case Friday 1/23/09 in the event there needs to be a Constitutionally mandated action, the Inauguration itself, to enjoin retroactively. Now that BHO is in checkmate and cannot be POTUS, he can be a patriot as well. He need not subject the nation to the expense and trauma of requiring SCOTUS to overrule his 'Presidency'. BHO can and should voluntarily step down with Biden becoming Acting POTUS under the 20th Amendment, and under the agreement all potential claims by the Government for itself and on behalf of others against BHO are released.
Ted: blah, blah, blah total bs.
K: Ted may have a few inaccuracies in the comsequences and such, but he is correct on one point: Obama is NOT Constitutionally eligible to be President of the United States Republic.
Ted - It is interesting to note that you use the formal and proper use of "Mr." and "Dr.", and "Chief Justice" when referring to individuals that support your claim. More interesting, however, is your use of "BHO", and your lack of using Mr. Obama's name or title (how about Senator Obama, Mr. Obama, President-elect Obama?). More often than not, those that refer to Mr. Obama's middle name want to instill some not-so-subtle negative connotation to promote their biased agenda or personal prejudice. I doubt your deliberate and overuse of "BHO" was meant to celebrate the diversity of our country.
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