sequestration

Senate Democrats, GOP to Stage Votes on Rival Budget Cuts

Posted on 02/28/2013 by | General News | Comments

PoliticsBy Andrew Taylor of The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Across-the-board spending cuts all but certain, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate are staging a politically charged showdown designed to avoid public blame for any resulting inconvenience or disruption in government services. The two parties drafted alternative measures to replace the cuts, but officials conceded in advance the rival measures were doomed. At the White House, President Barack Obama invited congressional leaders to discuss the issue with him on Friday …

Medicare Doctor Pay: Why Is It So Hard To Fix?

Posted on 02/28/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsBy Mary Agnes Carey, Senior Correspondent, Kaiser Health News While physicians have sidestepped drastic Medicare payment cuts for 2013, doctors’ groups and lawmakers are gearing up for yet another battle to scrap the formula that forces Congress to consider the “doc fix” on a yearly basis. For doctors, the nail-biter has become a familiar but frustrating rite. Lawmakers invariably defer the cuts prescribed by a 1997 reimbursement formula, which everyone agrees is broken beyond repair. But the deferrals are always temporary …

Pressure Rising to Avoid Cuts in Health Programs

Posted on 02/20/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal Health | PoliticsBy Mary Agnes Carey, Senior Correspondent, Kaiser Health News Pressure is mounting for Washington to find a way to avoid the automatic spending reductions set to begin March 1, with President Barack Obama Tuesday urging Congress to stop the “meat-cleaver approach” that he says will undermine U.S. military strength and “eviscerate job creating investments in education and energy and medical research.” But while both Democrats and Republicans say they don’t want the billions of dollars in cuts to kick in, there’s …

Obama Presses GOP to Halt Automatic Spending Cuts

Posted on 02/19/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsBy Jim Kuhnhenn and Julie Pace, White House Correspondents, The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Staking out his ground ahead of a fiscal deadline, President Barack Obama lashed out against Republicans, saying they are unwilling to raise taxes to reduce deficits and warning that the jobs of essential government workers, from teachers to emergency responders, are on the line. Obama spoke as a March 1 deadline for automatic across-the-board spending cuts approached and with Republicans and Democrats in an apparent …

What Washington Politicians Really Mean When They Talk About Our Benefits

Posted on 02/14/2013 by | AARP Media Relations Team | Comments

Money & Savings | PoliticsThis originally appeared at The Huffington Post. This week before the President’s State of the Union address, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that the President won’t advocate for raising the age of Medicare beneficiaries but that he’s absolutely willing to cut our Social Security benefits.  Carney’s tune dramatically changed the narrative from the 2012 campaign by saying said that the President wouldn’t “ask seniors to bear the burden of further deficit reduction alone.”  During the 2012 election candidates …

Obama Rallies Democrats, Scorns GOP Fiscal Plans

Posted on 02/8/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsBy Jim Kuhnhenn of The Associated Press LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — Assertive even as he preached humility, President Barack Obama vowed to confront Republicans on the budget deficit and urged Democrats on Thursday to stick with him on guns and immigration. He scorned a GOP plan to avoid imminent across-the-board spending cuts, declaring flatly “we’re on the right side of this argument.” In an address meant to motivate House Democrats during their annual retreat, Obama cast his overarching agenda as …

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »