Day 80: Obama Encourages Refinancing, Hosts Seder

4931527On his eightieth day in office, President Obama encouraged Americans to take advantage of low mortgage rates to refinance their homes or buy new ones.

He also told Americans to watch out for scams that offer to help homeowners refinance but demand payments in advance.

"I just want everybody who is watching today to know that if somebody is asking you for money up front before they help you with your refinancing, it's probably a scam," the president said.

Mr. Obama also announced that the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs will cooperate to launch an electronic system for storage of veterans' healthcare records called the Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record.

"The care the veterans receive should never be hindered by budget delays," he said.

In addition, news broke that the president was requesting $83.4 billion for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. And in a nod to the Jewish holidays, he hosted a Seder meal for close friends and family to mark Passover.