Beltway Insider: Obama Returns to Washington to Battle Boehner; Hurricane Sandy Pork Package; Newtown Begins New Year
- Details
- Category: Beltway Insider
- Published on Saturday, 29 December 2012 23:05
- Written by Janet Walker
President Obama returned to Washington earlier this week, cutting his holiday break short, to meet with lawmakers in a last ditch effort to avert the ever looming Fiscal Cliff that would end the Bush Era Tax cuts.
According to Gallup, President Obama’s job approval, over the past week, dropped two percentage points, to 54% of those polled approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness rose four percentages point to 40%.
Teetering on the Edge of the Fiscal Cliff
After Spending Christmas in Hawaii with his family and attending the memorial services for Senator Dan Inouye President Obama made his way back to the chilly east coast to be on hand if lawmakers can agree on legislation that would avert the Fiscal Cliff.
As of December 28, 2012 President Obama and GOP Rep. John Boehner turned Fiscal Cliff negotiations over to Majority leader Senator Harry Reid (D. Nevada) and Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell (R. Kentucky) allowing cooler heads to prevail. Boehner indicated the House of Representatives would act on whatever the Senate could produce.
The general consensus is leaning toward the inability of leaders to come together for any real legislation before the expiring December 31, 2012 deadline. If in two days, no concrete legislation is drafted President Obama will ask congress to pass skeleton legislation allowing for expiring unemployment benefits to continue and preserve tax rates on households with a combined income of less than 250,000K.
Super Storm Sandy Emergency Funding Package
Super Storm Sandy, the October apocalyptic hurricane that ravaged the eastern seaboard and caused close to 50Billon in damage, may prove to be the costliest hurricane in history if Congress approves the Hurricane Sandy Emergency Funding package. The initial bill approved by Congress provided 60.4Billion in aid for the 21 states devastated by the cataclysmic Hurricane.
The Hurricane Sandy Emergency Funding package according to Beltway Insiders is packed full of additional monies earmarked for areas outside of the Hurricane Assistance boundaries. It is also a three year spending bill that grants spending authority to a congress that has not proven they are fiscally responsible. Portions of the Funding package have been passed and final vote date has not been scheduled.
Sandy Hook Elementary School Shootings
The last of the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting were laid to rest. The students and teachers from the elementary school have been on Christmas break since the senseless tragedy. Sandy Hook Elementary school will remain closed with students returning, in January, to a school that was decommissioned last year.
Adam Lanza, the troubled twenty year old who shot his way into the locked building on December 14, 2012 remains unclaimed in the Newtown morgue.
Vice-President Biden has been charged with the task of crafting legislation to address both Gun Control legislation while maintaining the freedoms associated with the Second Amendment and appeasing those who would vote against any bill that would take away any of the freedoms.
For more information on President Obama: www.whitehouse.gov
For more information on President Obama: http://www.barackobama.com/
Sources: Wikipedia, NBCnews.com
