Aug 17, 2012 by whitehouse
Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the White House hosted PTA day and the annual Iftar dinner, the President addressed the drought and spoke with the Curiosity team, and the Administration began accepting applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. That’s August 10th to August 16th or, “Dream Day.”
Earlier today, Mitt Romney held a surprise press conference and, even more surprisingly, busted out a white board and attempted to explain his tortured position on Medicare.
We decided to pull out our own whiteboard and give you the facts. Watch ThinkProgress’ Igor Volsky break things down:
And here’s a handy infographic showing how the Romney campaign has been all over the map on Medicare since naming Paul Ryan as Romney’s running mate:
The changing rhetoric also presents serious policy problems. Romney’s implied policy of steering clear of Medicare reductions would greatly complicate his goal of reducing all federal spending from 24 percent of the GDP to 20 percent by 2016, which would require unsustainable cuts to other government programs. His specific promise to restore the $716 billion will also backfire and shorten the life of the Medicare trust fund “toward the end of what would be his first term in office.” The campaign has not yet specified how it would extend its solvency.
BOTTOM LINE: No matter how hard they tried, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan can’t wipe away their plan to turn Medicare into a voucher plan that will increase seniors’ health care costs by thousands of dollars each year.
Seven tax return questions Mitt Romney left unanswered today.
Paul Ryan was caught lying (twice) about his multiple requests for stimulus funds.
The Bush tax cuts saved 57 CEOs more than $1 million each last year.
College degrees cost 1,120 percent more than they did 30 years ago.
Paul Ryan talked tough on China today, but he was in a small minority of House Members who voted against cracking down on China’s currency manipulation.
Extreme Iowa Rep. Steve King (R) says he’ll be a big player in a Romney-Ryan White House.
A new Republican Swift Boat-style group has emerged.
Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State restricted early voting even further.
The Lily-White Emmy’s.
New Romney Plan: Make Medicare Insolvent by 2016 Yesterday, we discussed the Romney campaign’s attempt to distract from the Romney-Ryan plan to end Medicare as we know it and replace it with a voucher system that will increase seniors’ health care costs by thousands of dollars. The Romney campaign was also under fire for attacking [...]
The Romney-Ryan Plan to Cut & Then End Medicare Having picked the architect of the Republican plan to end Medicare as we know it as his running mate, Mitt Romney and his “I am rubber, you’re glue” campaign is now trying to paint President Obama as the real threat to seniors’ health care and economic [...]
Meet Mitt Romney’s Radical VP Choice On Saturday, Mitt Romney showed once again that he’s unable or unwilling to stand up to the most extreme voices in his party. He picked Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), architect of “the most extreme budget plan passed by a house of Congress in modern times,” as his running mate. [...]
Why Title IX Is So Important In honor of the U.S. women’s soccer team’s amazing gold medal performance at the Olympics, we thought it would be important to revisit one of the policies that helped make it possible: Title IX. ThinkProgress’ Travis Waldron, who writes a weekly sports column on Alyssa Rosenberg’s culture blog, offers [...]
As ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on July 31, 2012
CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 6131 would have no significant effect on discretionary spending over the 2013-2017 period. Enacting H.R. 6131 could result in collections of additional civil and criminal penalties, which would affect both revenues and direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that those effects also would be insignificant.
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As reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on July 31, 2012
CBO estimates that implementing S. 3410 would have no significant effect on discretionary spending over the 2013-2017 period. Enacting S. 3410 could result in collections of additional civil and criminal penalties, which would affect both revenues and direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that those effects also would be insignificant.
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As ordered reported by the Committee on House Administration on July 19, 2012
H.R. 6122 would authorize the Librarian of Congress to accept gifts of securities for immediate disbursement, personal property valued at $25,000 or less, and certain services. Under current law, the Librarian can receive and use gifts of money. The bill also would require the Librarian to report annually on accepted gifts that exceed $1,000 in value.
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If True, This Would Be The Most Heartless Case Of Corporate Cruelty We’ve Heard Of All Week |
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The Tax Calculator For Anyone Opposed To Putting Their Cash Through A Shredder |
“It was one of the proudest accomplishments of the Democratic-led House to pass the DREAM Act with a bipartisan vote in 2010; it was one of our great disappointments to see action blocked by Republicans in the Senate. Democrats will continue to push to pass the DREAM Act and to enact bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders, upholds the rule of law, protects our workers, unites families, and provides a pathway to legalization.”
August 15, 2012
“Democrats will always stand strong for Social Security, for Medicare, and for our nation’s seniors.”
August 14, 2012
“Congressman Cardoza saw the need for national action to stem the foreclosure crisis firsthand in his own district. He has been a dogged advocate in demanding action, progress, and accountability in addressing the housing needs for the people of California’s Central Valley and for all Americans.”
August 14, 2012
“This partisan lawsuit wastes taxpayer dollars and resources, and is a distraction from the urgent business before Congress: acting to create jobs and grow our economy. It is also designed to distract the Justice Department from its critical job of challenging state laws designed to restrict the rights of Americans to vote.”
August 13, 2012
“There is no question that former Governor Romney now owns the Republican, Ryan budget that puts millionaires ahead of Medicare and the middle class. Congressman Paul Ryan led House Republicans in voting to end the Medicare guarantee, which increases costs on seniors and weakens America’s great middle class in order to give tax breaks to millionaires, Big Oil and corporations that ship jobs overseas.”
August 11, 2012
“From his first days in the House, Congressman Clarke made his presence known as a fierce fighter for the rights and protections of homeowners – in Detroit and nationwide – hardest-hit by the foreclosure crisis. Hailing from the ‘motor city,’ he worked to ensure that manufacturing jobs stay on our shores and pay our workers a decent wage, and he acted to invest in new technologies. He pushed legislation to protect our homeland security and promote a responsible foreign policy.”
August 08, 2012
“Throughout his time in the House, Congressman Carnahan has advanced his top priority – putting people to work – by advocating investments in transportation and infrastructure, and by working to keep good-paying jobs at home. As a leader on foreign affairs, he promoted a vision of American leadership founded in active engagement on the global stage. As a powerful voice for the members of our Armed Forces, he acted to ensure that we serve our veterans as well as they have served us.”
August 08, 2012
“The devastating actions of this lone gunman have no place in our country and in our society. This shooting was not simply an assault on a single congregation of Sikhs; it was an offense against peaceful, innocent people. We condemn this attack in the strongest terms possible.”
August 06, 2012
Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced today that she has named Liz Pardue as her office’s new Deputy Director of Floor Operations. Pardue begins her duties this month.
August 03, 2012
“We now know that Republicans’ partisan political brinksmanship cost taxpayers at least $1.3 billion in borrowing costs. Yet Speaker Boehner and his Republican colleagues are threatening more of the same, pledging to hold the debt limit, the American economy, and middle class tax cuts hostage once again.”
August 03, 2012
