Politics Today: Scrutiny for Bailout Funds
Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in Politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:
**President Obama continues health care push...
**TARP Inspector General to testify on how bailout money is being spent...
Today, he meets with members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the three House committees charged with health care reform.
Just prior to that meeting, he'll deliver remarks on health care. Later, he sits down with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.
Tomorrow, he'll hold a prime time news conference where he's expected to kick it off with remarks on health care; Thursday, he heads to Cleveland for a town meeting-style event on the issue.
While criticism from Republicans builds, skepticism from some in his own party ramps up and talk of his deadline slipping increases, the president is becoming more aggressive in his push.
"I want this done now," Mr. Obama told PBS' Jim Lehrer yesterday. "Now, if there are no deadlines, nothing gets done in this town. You've been around here long enough to know that you have to say, get this done. If somebody comes to me and says, it's basically done; it's going to spill over by a few days or a week - you know, that's different."
While he's still calling for an August deadline for the House and Senate, Mr. Obama added yesterday that he wanted a final bill – something to sign into law – "by the end of the year."
"President Obama is becoming more personally invested in rallying the public and Congress behind a healthcare overhaul, even as some Republicans raise the stakes in the debate by claiming that defeating his plan would undermine his presidency," write the Los Angeles Times' Christi Parsons and Noam N. Levey.
"Leaving little doubt that his popularity and political capital are on the line, Obama has scheduled a stream of public appearances this week to push his top domestic priority -- including television interviews, a town hall meeting and a prime-time news conference set for Wednesday night. ...
"[T]he White House was pushing forward with a strategy developed on the campaign trail last year and honed in the early legislative battles over the federal stimulus package and global warming: Obama will take his case directly to the American people."
Monday, Republicans ramped up their criticism of the Democrats' handling of health care.
5173860"Emboldened by divided Democrats and polls that show rising public anxiety about President Obama's handling of health care and the economy, Republicans on Monday launched an aggressive effort to link the two, comparing the health-care bills moving through Congress to what they labeled as a failed economic stimulus bill," report the Washington Post's Perry Bacon Jr. and Michael A. Fletcher.
"And the news Monday that the Obama administration would delay release of a congressionally mandated report on the nation's economic conditions only stoked the rhetoric, spawning GOP speculation that the White House is trying to avoid bad news amid the health-care debate."
Meantime, the ad wars over health care continue.
"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents three million employers, plans to introduce a sharply worded multimedia advertising campaign in the next several days pushing back against the key planks of Democrats' health overhaul proposals," adds the Wall Street Journal's Janet Adamy.
"The group plans to run television and print advertisements in the Washington area and about a half dozen states with lawmakers who hold key votes in the debate, including Maine, Arkansas, Louisiana and Nebraska.
"The ads will take aim at Democrats' proposals to create a public health insurance plan and raise taxes on the wealthy. The campaign also will emphasize the significance of existing employer-provided health insurance plans, which currently cover about 170 million Americans."
Wall Street Journal's Janet Adamy, "Ten Questions on the Health-Care Overhaul"
New York Times' David M. Herzenhorn and Robert Pear, "Democrats May Limit Tax Increases for Health Care Plan"
Washington Post's Dan Eggen, "Industry Cash Flowed to Drafters of Reform"
"As the watchdog of the government's massive bailout of the financial sector, Neil M. Barofsky had a simple question: What had the nation's banks done with all their bailout money? Can't be answered, said the Treasury Department, because of the way banks move money internally," write the Times' Tom Hamburger and Peter Nicholas. …
"So Barofsky started asking financial institutions himself, getting answers from more than 300 that had received federal bailout money and learning to what extent they had used the money to increase their lending, buy competitors or build their cash reserves.
"The banking survey, and the refusal of Treasury officials to conduct it themselves, were revealed as Barofsky issued a stinging report Monday that complained of a lack of transparency in the Obama administration's management of the giant financial services bailout program."
Meantime, Politico's Eamon Javers reports that Barofsky will point out today that " A series of bailouts, bank rescues and other economic lifelines could end up costing the federal government as much as $23 trillion ... a staggering amount that is nearly double the nation's entire economic output for a year. If the feds end up spending that amount, it could be more than the federal government has spent on any single effort in American history.
"For the government to be on the hook for the total amount, worst-case scenarios would have to come to pass in a variety of federal programs, which is unlikely ... Still, the enormity of the IG's projection underscores the size of the economic disaster that hit the nation over the past year and the unprecedented sums mobilized by the federal government under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to confront it."
Tonight, President Obama is joined by Charley Pride, Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss and Union Station at a White House celebration of country music.
GITMO
CBSNews.com, "Task Forces on Gitmo Detainees: We Need More Time"
Wall Street Journal's Jonathan Weisman and Evan Perez, "Detainees' Trial Plan Is Unveiled"
Tribune's Greg Miller and David G. Savage, "Gitmo deadlines fail: January closing?"
Politico's Josh Gerstein, "White House: Guantanamo Bay still closing in January"
FOREIGN POLICY
Associated Press' Maria Danilova, "Biden meets with Ukraine president"
NY Times' Mark Landler, "Clinton Urges Stronger U.S.-India Ties"
SOTOMAYOR
Wall Street Journal's Jess Bravin, "Sotomayor's Written Answers: No Open Book"
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Bloomberg News' Nicholas Johnston and Kate Andersen Brower, "Obama's Policy Hurdles Rise After Six Months of Record Spending"
Politico's Andy Barr, "Poll: Public losing trust in President Obama"
CBS News' Jennifer DePinto, "How Do Obama's Ratings Compare?" https://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/07/20/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5175377.shtml
Wall Street Journal's Cam Simpson, "Obama Hones Immigration Policy"
NY Times' Louis Uchitelle, "Obama's Strategy to Reverse Manufacturing's Fall"
CONGRESS
Wall Street Journal's Stephen Power, "GOP Targets Backers of Climate Bill"
Washington Post's Shailagh Murray, "Democrats Fear Defections on GOP Gun Proposal"
Politico's David Rogers, "White House gains momentum in F-22 fight"
ECONOMIC STIMULUS
NY Times' Janie Lorber, "Tracking Web Site That Tracks Spending"
CBSNews.com's Stephanie Condon, "USDA Hits Back at Misleading Stimulus Reporting"
LOBBYING
NY Times' David D. Kirkpatrick and Ron Nixon, "Lobbies Adopt Tone of Accord With President"
Politico's Zachary Abrahamson, "Packed agenda leaves lobbyists loaded"
SARAH PALIN
Anchorage Daily News, "Another Palin ethics complaint filed by McLeod"
SEN. JOHN ENSIGN
Politico's Manu Raju and John Bresnahan, "Republicans stay neutral on John Ensign's future"
Las Vegas Review-Journal's Molly Ball, "Affair admission leads to cancellation of bash"
CALIFORNIA BUDGET
LA Times' Shane Goldmacher and Evan Halper, "Budget accord reached"
FUTURE RACES
Politics Daily's Jill Lawrence, "Republicans Have Reasons for Hope in 2010"
2009 NJ Governor: Newark Star-Ledger's Josh Margolin and Claire Heininger, "Chris Christie introduces Monmouth Sheriff Kim Guadagno as GOP lieutenant gov. candidate"
2009 VA Governor: Richmond Times-Dispatch's Tyler Whitley, "Top Kaine donor Sheila Johnson endorses McDonnell"
2009 VA Governor: Washington Post's Rosalind S. Helderman, "Business Leaders Are Major Prize In Va. Race"
2010 NY Governor: CQ Politics, "Paterson's Popularity Edges Up"
2010 CT Senate: Washington Post's Lori Montgomery and Binyamin Applebaum, "Sen. Dodd Looks to Distance Himself From Financial Firms"
2010 IL Senate: Chicago Tribune's Rick Pearson, "U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk officially in Senate race"
2010 NH Senate: Manchester Union Leader's John DiStaso, "Ayotte closer to Senate run"
2010 NY Senate: NY Daily News' Elizabeth Benjamin, "Carolyn Maloney can't make mistakes like 'N-word' flap in challenging Kirsten Gillibrand"
2010 OH Senate: Columbus Dispatch's Mark Niquette, "Democrats trade jabs in bid for Voinovich Senate seat"
2010 PA Senate: Allentown Morning Call's Scott Kraus, "In Allentown, Democrats are getting to know Joe Sestak"
2012 Presidential: Politico's Jonathan Martin, "Tim Pawlenty readies for national stage"