Reuters reports: Obama to work to pass Bush trade deals WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Barack Obama wants to win approval of stalled free trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, but more work is needed on two of the pacts, Democratic lawmakers said on Wednesday. “The president-elect wants to …
Earlier today, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY), told reporters that the tax cut provisions in the economic stimulus plan will be cut, without offering further details. You may remember that earlier in 2008, Chairman Rangel was investigated for violating a number of House ethics rules, which …
The Washington Post reports today: An influential group of large U.S. corporations and environmental organizations have forged a detailed blueprint for limiting greenhouse gases in the hope of shaping and pushing forward climate change legislation this year. The U.S. Climate Action Partnership says its ability to reach consensus is a …
Looking ahead to today’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Attorney General nominee Eric Holder, ranking member Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) says he is worried about Holder’s “ability to maintain his independence from the president.” This is the wrong question. The proper question is one of judgment: Does the nominee …
The Sino-American trade conflict I wrote on last month has just become more likely. Chinese trade numbers show exports declining and imports collapsing at the end of 2008, the latter plunging 21% in December. The grave weakness in imports puts paid to the once-popular but unfounded notion that China could …
One big worry for big government lovers who are pushing for Obama’s stimulus plan to include more government spending and less tax cuts is that “there’s a limited supply of ‘shovel-ready’ projects that can be started soon enough.” Thanks to mother nature this worry is now entirely misplaced. As the …
A number of news outlets reported yesterday that 61 former Guantanamo Bay detainees, or about 11 percent of those who have been released, returned to the battlefield to fight the United States. While this is distressing, it is not news. The Heritage Foundation has long recognized that any system designed …
The Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus noticed that Obama’s labor secretary nominee Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) was a little less than forthcoming at her Senate confirmation hearing yesterday: Should President Obama lift the Bush-era executive order requiring that federally funded construction projects be open to both union and nonunion contractors? “Senator, …
Defending the Troubled Asset Relief Program The Washington Post’s Steven Pearlstein writes: Of course, because money is fungible, critics can always say that the Treasury money is now being used to pay excessive salaries or dividends, or finance unnecessary acquisitions — or, for that matter, to clean the toilets or …
