News on The White House

Speaker Boehner succumbs on tax deal

2011-12-22T14:30:21Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on Thursday bowed to pressure from both within and outside his party and agreed to a short-term deal to extend a payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans.

In what could be an end to a toxic stalemate, Boehner informed Reuters) - The top Senate Republican on Thursday sought to break a year-end stalemate with Democrats over extending a payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans, an issue that has split his party and raised the risk of a U.S. economic downturn in 2012.

Reuters) - The top Senate Republican on Thursday sought to break a year-end stalemate with Democrats over extending a payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans, an issue that has split his party and raised the risk of a U.S. economic downturn in 2012.

The White House has taken its battle with Republican lawmakers over a crucial tax extension to Twitter, inviting Americans to weigh in on what the extra $40 per paycheck means to them.

US President Barack Obama has scolded Republ...

White House says hopeful about payroll tax vote

2011-12-19T13:00:10Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House expressed hope on Monday that Republicans in the House of Representatives would support a short-term payroll tax cut agreement the Senate has passed and commit to finalizing a full-ye...

White House condemns threat to sink tax cut deal

2011-12-18T20:30:17Z

The White House reacted angrily Sunday to a threat by the top Republican in the House of Representatives to torpedo a two-month payroll tax cut extension already approved by the Senate.

The US Senate passed a two-month payroll tax holiday extension on Saturday, guara...

Obama aide: Republicans playing politics on taxes

2011-12-18T14:00:26Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House accused House of Representatives Republicans on Sunday of playing politics with the fate of the payroll tax c...

Keystone pipeline looms large in U.S. tax-cut talks

2011-12-16T16:00:31Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers intensified efforts on Friday to extend payroll tax relief for Americans, and it appeared likely that language to speed approval of a controversial oil pipeline might be part of a deal.

With Senate leaders huddling in offices near the Senate chamber in search of a payroll tax cut deal, the The White House and lawmakers held frantic talks to ease a pre-Christmas standoff Thursday, seeking to avoid a government shutdown which would deepen the American public's disdain for its leaders.

After a day of vitriol on Wednesday, President Barack Obama's Democrats and his Repu...

White House plays for time in pre-Christmas showdown

2011-12-15T01:30:21Z

The White House asked Congress to pass a temporary spending measure to head off the prospect of a government shutdown as a bitter pre-Christmas standoff escalated with Republicans.

The vast functions of the US government will creak to a halt unless a new one-trillion-dollar" class="inform">dollar spending plan to fund ope...

Democrats mull dropping millionaire surtax

2011-12-14T20:00:14Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats on Wednesday signaled a willingness to drop a proposed surtax on millionaires, but remained at odds with Republicans in efforts to extend an expiring payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans.

Obama discussed abandoning the surtax, which Republi...

Tax fight gets nastier as government shutdown looms

2011-12-14T14:00:13Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday faced the prospect of an imminent government shutdown for the third time this year as a fight between lawmakers in Congress over taxes and spending turned nastier.

With time running out for a deal, President Bar...

Lawmakers in showdown over payroll tax cuts

2011-12-14T06:00:18Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican and Democratic lawmakers were locked in an end-of-year fight on Tuesday that threatens a government shutdown, an effective tax hike for 160 million Americans and the loss of benefits for millions of unemployed.

With just days left to resolve the crisis, both parties accused each other of "playing politics" with Americans' livelihoods even as they tried to ga...

House adopts Republican tax cut, pipeline plan

2011-12-13T16:30:45Z

Defying a White House veto threat, the US House of Representatives voted Tuesday to tie a payroll tax cut extension to the swift approval of the controversial "Keystone XL" US-Canada oil pipeline.

Reuters) - The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives defied a White House veto threat on Tuesday and passed a bill to expedite approval of the Reuters) - President Barack Obama defended his leadership style on Sunday and said he would keep standing up to Congress as another stand-off over taxes and deficits brewed on Capitol Hill.

In an interview on

White House rejects Republican payroll tax proposal

2011-12-09T15:00:17Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House rejected on Friday the latest proposal from Republicans in Congress on a payroll tax cut, saying its costs needed to be offset in a balanced away and not with budget cuts exempting the rich.

"We are open to looking at other ways to pay for this, but they have to be economically responsible an...

Keystone overshadows U.S.-Canada border deal

2011-12-07T14:30:17Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he wanted answers to the environmental questions about the Keystone XL pipeline, whose delay overshadowed a new U.S.-Canadian border agreement announc...

Obama hones populist message to push economic agenda

2011-12-05T10:00:26Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Obama's aides have persistently tried to paint Republicans as the party of the rich, with mixed results.

Now, the White House sees signs the me...

Boehner says payroll tax cut good for economy

2011-12-01T15:31:02Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican in Congress said on Thursday that extending a payroll tax cut for workers would boost the U.S. economy, putting himself at odds with members of his party who are skeptical of its benefits.

Minutes after declaring "I'm not an economist. I don't know what kind of impact it's going to have," Speaker of the House of Representatives

Boehner: Tax cut extension would help economy

2011-12-01T12:01:27Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. Republican in Congress, in an abrupt shift, agreed with President Barack Obama on Thursday that extending a popular payroll tax cut would boost the struggling U.S. economy.

"I don't think there is any question that the...

White House: Republican tax cut plan falls short

2011-12-01T11:30:49Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday that Republican proposals to extend a popular payroll tax cut fell substantially short of what President Barack Obama was proposing.

A Reuters) - Republicans in Congress on Tuesday threw their support behind a payroll tax cut extension, trying to blunt charges ahead of 2012 elections of favoring wealthy Americans over middle-class workers.

Until Tuesday, Republicans had been lukewarm on extending President Barack Obama's payroll tax cut for wor...

Debt-reduction panel spirals toward failure

2011-11-20T17:00:26Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A months-long effort to set U.S. finances on a sustainable course appeared likely to end in failure on Monday as lawmakers in Congress were unable to bridge a deep divide over taxes and benefits.

Republican and Democratic participants cast doubt on any possibility of agreement in appearances on Sunday talk shows. Without some unexpected breakthrough, aides said, a 12-m...

Debt-reduction panel careening toward failure

2011-11-20T11:30:10Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The congressional deficit-reduction committee is likely on Monday to concede failure in its efforts to strike a deal, barring an unforeseen breakthrough to bridge deep partisan differences over taxes and spending, congressional aides said.

The announcement of failure would come on Monday, aides from the Republican and Democratic camps told Reuters on Sunday, shortly af...

Obama taps insider to head tax policy at US Treasury

2011-11-14T14:00:23Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has picked an administration insider as assistant secretary for tax policy at the U.S. Treasury, the White House

Obama taps insider to head tax policy at Treasury

2011-11-14T14:00:19Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has picked an administration insider as assistant secretary for tax policy at the Treasury, the White House said on Monday, as lawmakers weigh overhauling the U.S. tax code to help curb the deficit...

Analysis: Obama risks hurting 2012 push with economy warnings

2011-10-20T11:01:12Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's grim warnings about the state of the U.S. economy could backfire on him by undermining a key goal of his re-election campaign -- restoring the confidence of Americans.

In his drive to push a $447 billion jobs package through Congress to spur hiring, the president ...

Fiscal fix needed for jobs, investment: Blackrock

2011-09-15T07:00:10Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States needs to use fiscal as well as monetary policy to boost the economy if it wants to convince cash-rich corporations to start hiring and investing, Bob Doll, chief equity strategist of Reuters) - President Barack Obama was set Monday to step up his campaign to win support for a $447 billion jobs plan he hopes will salvage the struggling American economy as well as boost his 2012 re-election prospects.

Obama was due at a 10:40 a.m. EDT appearance in the Reuters) - After learning the economy added no new jobs in August, investors say they are ready for bold ideas from Washington to put people to work.

The problem is, few are convinced that politicians can deliver, particularly with the 2012 election barely a year off and acrimony among Democrats and Reuters) - President Barack Obama, facing waning confidence among Americans in his economic stewardship, plans to lay out a $300 billion job-creation package on Thursday, CNN reported, citing Democratic sources.

The proposed new spe...

Extending the Payroll Tax Cut Is a Cop-out

2011-09-05T10:30:30Z

Shell-shocked consumers aren’t putting the money into the economy, and neither would firms.

It’s an idea bad enough, by today’s standards of leadership, to attract broad bipartisan support: Next week, President Obama is likely to propose another temporary cut in payroll taxes ...

Biden say U.S. needs more stimulus, business mad at S&P

2011-08-26T08:00:19Z

ON BOARD AIR FORCE TWO (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden said on Friday the U.S. economy needed more stimulus to get it moving, putting in a plug for government intervention shortly before the White House unveils new proposals to boost job growth.

At the end of a tr...

Contours of Obama jobs package coming into focus

2011-08-24T22:30:09Z

VINEYARD HAVEN, Massachusetts (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is finalizing a jobs package that could include a program to refurbish school buildings nationwide and tax breaks to encourage firms to hire workers.

The package, to be unveiled in early September, is Obama's chance to convince skeptical voters he can bring do...

Analysis: Dueling narratives emerge from debt fight

2011-08-05T15:00:14Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House and Republicans are competing to shape the first draft of history after an epic battle over the debt, but the next chapter could be critical in deciding who wins the message war.

Now that the threat of a crippling U.S. default has been averted, dueling narratives are...

Obama to keep pushing payroll tax cut extension

2011-08-01T09:30:12Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will continue to push for an extension of the payroll tax cut despite that not being part of a deficit-cutting deal reached by lawmakers, the White House said on Monday.

White House spokesman

Lawmakers to vote on last-minute debt deal

2011-08-01T07:30:35Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional leaders rushed to line up Republican and Democratic votes on Monday for a White House-backed deal to raise the U.S. borrowing limit and avert an unprecedented debt default.

With scars still fresh from the months-long debate over increasing the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, a new bat...

For Obama, Bush tax cuts shadow further debt talks

2011-07-31T23:00:08Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has one important tool in its arsenal to influence congressional talks over further deficit reduction measures in the coming months: the expiry of Bush-era tax cuts at the end of 2012.

After President Barack Obama

White House: expiry of Bush tax cuts to spur reform

2011-07-31T19:30:11Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House officials said on Sunday the spending cuts laid out under a new deficit deal would not take effect until 2013 and the expiry of Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans would spur broad tax reform.

Speaking to reporters after Preside...

Obama to discuss progress on U.S. financial reform

2011-07-17T16:00:06Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will meet on Monday with top U.S. regulators to discuss progress on implementing the legislation he signed a year ago overhauling the country's financial regulatory system.

The meeting is set for 2:15 p.m. EDT at the

Obama, Republicans dig in over tough US debt talks

2011-07-13T06:30:27Z

US President Barack Obama will on Wednesday hold a fourth straight day of tough budget talks with his Republican foes after a key White House critic floated a plan to avert an early August debt default.

Obama gave only a lukewarm welcome on Tuesday to Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

Obama, Republicans feud over US debt deal

2011-07-12T19:30:29Z

US President Barack Obama will Wednesday hold a fourth straight day of tough budget talks with his Republican foes, as a key White House critic floated a plan to avert an early August debt default.

Obama gave only a lukewarm welcome on Tuesday to Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

Timeline: The debt debate

2011-07-11T22:30:17Z

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama and top lawmakers will meet again on Monday in search of a deal on slashing the budget deficit and raising the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling before the United States defaults.

Obama wants to strike a deal well before August 2, when th...

As deadline looms, Obama hunts for debt deal

2011-07-03T19:30:27Z

President Barack Obama and his Republican foes face off again next week in talks on reining in runaway US debt, amid a White House warning that they have just weeks to avert an economic meltdown.

"I'm confident that the Democrats and Republicans in Congress can find a way to give som...

Senate Democrats seek new economic stimulus

2011-06-22T10:00:26Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the Senate on Wednesday called on Vice President Joe Biden to include new economic stimulus spending in deficit-reduction talks as a way of lowering the 9.1 percent jobless rate that is hobbling the economic recovery.

Senate Maj...

Summers calls for new boost to economy

2011-06-13T05:00:12Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former White House aide Larry Summers on Sunday urged expanded tax cuts on U.S. workers' wages, warning that America's economy was at risk of years of Japan-style stagnat...

Treasury yet to determine price and timing of GM share sale

2011-06-01T11:00:39Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Treasury has yet to determine a target price or timeframe for selling its remaining shares in General Motors Co, a White House official said on Wednesday.

Reuters) - A push to overhaul the U.S. corporate tax code will take a back seat to negotiations on the deficit and debt ceiling over the next two months, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday.

Geithner said the Obama adminis...

Obama to offer deficit reduction plan

2011-04-10T17:00:09Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With one budget fight behind him, President Barack Obama will offer a long-term plan for deficit reduction this week in preparation for bigger U.S. spending battles ahead, the White House said on Sunday.

Senior White House advi...

White House, Republicans in new stimulus spat

2011-02-17T20:30:27Z

The White House and its Republican foes opened a new skirmish over President Barack Obama's 800-billion-dollar stimulus plan Thursday, on the second anniversary of the bill's enactment.

Vice President Joe Biden, who was charged with ensuring the massive infrastructure spending and tax cutting bill was no...

Obama seeks corporate tax break cuts for revenue

2011-02-14T10:30:16Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama revived earlier proposals to raise tens of billions by cutting tax breaks enjoyed by America's biggest companies, ideas that have floundered in Congress for several years.

Obama's 2012 budget request released on Monday proposes to raise $129 billion over 10 years by...

White House proposes unemployment aid for states

2011-02-08T15:30:44Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will propose giving financial relief to U.S. states struggling with high unemployment insurance debt, the White House said on Tuesday, hoping that a lifeline now will avoid bailouts later.

Many states hav...

State of the Union speech to focus on jobs: Obama

2011-01-22T14:30:08Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Saturday he would use his annual State of the Union address to urge both parties to act to lift U.S. growth and create m...

Obama names Immelt head of new economic panel

2011-01-20T22:00:11Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will name General Electric Co. Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt to head a new advisory panel focused on promoting economi...

Obama names GE's Immelt head of new economic panel

2011-01-20T22:00:10Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will name General Electric Co. Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt to head a new advisory panel focused on promoting economi...

Obama seeks inspiration from Clinton boom

2011-01-07T16:30:12Z

US President Barack Obama Friday sought to channel the economic alchemy of the Clinton boom years, as he named policy veteran Gene Sperling to a top White House job.

Obama also argued that current economic trends were heading in a favorable direction, after high unemployment -- the legacy of the worst economi...

Obama names Sperling to top economic job

2011-01-07T09:30:22Z

US President Barack Obama will on Friday tap expertise polished in the fondly remembered Clinton-era economic boom years with the choice of policy veteran Gene Sperling for a top White House job.

The move will be the latest step in a staff shuffle that has seen Obama refresh his economic and political teams t...

Obama readies retooled administration

2011-01-05T18:30:59Z

President Barack Obama Wednesday worked on a "major retooling" of his administration, seeking fresh recruits to challenge resurgent Republicans as he set the stage for his 2012 reelection bid.

On the day Republicans took control of the House of Representatives...

Obama to name new economic team Friday

2011-01-05T15:00:46Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will announce on Friday whom he has picked to replace Larry Summers as his top economic adviser, with Gene Sperling seen as the front run...

Former White House economic chief Summers returning to Harvard

2011-01-05T11:00:14Z

BOSTON (Reuters) - Former White House chief economic advisor Lawrence Summers returns to Harvard University this month to resume teaching and take on a new leadership role, the sch...

Obama courts Big Labor after meeting Big Business

2010-12-16T18:30:24Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will seek to shore up support for his economic agenda from Big Labor in White House talks on Friday, just days after he tried to mend fences with Big Business at a similar meeting.

Obama will meet leaders...

Obama courts business to spur hiring

2010-12-15T13:00:44Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, trying to improve strained relations with the corporate world, prodded America's top business executives on Wednesday to spend more money to boost U.S. hiring and the economy.

"We focused on jobs and investm...

Analysis: No turning point yet in Obama relations with business

2010-12-15T07:30:23Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. businesses are heartened by President Barack Obama's push to extend Bush-era tax cuts, but they are not ready to declare a breakthrough in an often-tense relationship with the White House.

Obama's first two ye...

Obama

2011-01-04T09:32:11Z

President Barack Obama, with first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia, 12, left, and Sasha, 9, right, returns to the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011, after a family vacation in Hawaii. (AP Phot...

APTOPIX Obama

2010-12-22T15:34:09Z

President Barack Obama laughs during a news conference on the White House complex in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Obama GOP Big Deal

2010-12-20T11:01:37Z

President Barack Obama, left, shakes hands with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., right, after signing the $858 billion tax deal into law in a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the Wh...

Obama Tax Cuts

2010-12-19T09:01:23Z

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks on stage before President Barack Obama signing of the$858 billion tax deal into law in a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House ...

Disastrous Year YE

2010-12-19T08:30:35Z

FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2010 file photo, a pedestrian walks down Pennsylvania Ave., in front of the White House as the snow continues to fall in Washington. The strong early year blizzards _ nicknamed Snowmageddon _ paralyzed the U.S. mid-Atlantic. (AP Photo/Pa...