White House news

• Jordanian king, Obama to meet after pilot's killing

  03-02-2015 23:15
  
  US President Barack Obama will host Jordan's King Abdullah II later Tuesday in a hastily arranged meeting just hours after a video emerged of a caged Jordanian pilot being burned alive by the Islamic State group. The White House said Obama would welcome the king to the Oval Office at 6:00 pm (2300 GMT) as Islamic State militants drew international condemnation for killing the 26-year-old Maaz al-Kassasbeh. Obama earlier decried the "cowardice and depravity" of the Islamic State, s
  
  Read more

• Obama threatens to veto bills restricting regulations

  03-02-2015 23:13
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama would veto two Republican House bills that would place restrictions on how the government applies regulations.
  
  Read more

• A4A Urges Rejection of White House Proposal to Hike Taxes on Air Travelers

  03-02-2015 23:10
  
  Airlines for America , the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today opposed the FY 2016 White House budget proposal, citing several unnecessary tax increases, most notably a dramatic hike of the passenger airport tax ) from $4.50 to $8.
  
  Read more

• Vaccine debate tests first-time White House hopefuls

  03-02-2015 22:58
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — For a pair of first-time presidential hopefuls, the sudden injection of the childhood vaccine debate into the 2016 campaign is a lesson in how unexpected issues can become stumbling blocks. Long-held positions can look different under the glare of the national spotlight.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Obama to meet Jordan's King Abdullah at White House

  03-02-2015 22:55
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will meet with Jordan's King Abdullah at the White House at 6:00 p.m. EST (2300 GMT), the White House said in a statement. The meeting was added to Obama's schedule. The president earlier expressed condolences to the people of Jordan after the death of a Jordanian hostage at the hands of Islamic State militants. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Eric Walsh)
  
  Read more

• White House issues veto threat for House small business bill

  03-02-2015 22:47
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday issued a veto threat for a U.S. House of Representatives bill called the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act that it said would add new costly requirements for regulations affecting small businesses. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Will Dunham)
  
  Read more

• White House issues veto threat for House bill on regulatory process

  03-02-2015 22:41
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House issued a formal veto threat on Tuesday for a U.S. House of Representatives bill called the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act that would create new judicial reviews of regulations. The bill in the Republican-controlled House would "introduce needless uncertainty into agency decision-making and undermine the ability of agencies to provide critical public health and safety protections," the White House said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Edit
  
  Read more

• Obama to meet Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday - source

  03-02-2015 22:26
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Jordan's King Abdullah in Washington on Tuesday, a source familiar with the situation said. The White House said previously that a meeting between the two men was not on the schedule. The king is cutting short a visit to Washington after news of the killing of a Jordanian pilot by Islamic State militants. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Will Dunham)
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• GOP Ready to Rumble on Obama’s Tax and Spend Budget

  03-02-2015 22:02
  
  White House Budget Director Shaun Donovan wanted to talk about President Obama’s spending plans for aiding the middle class and keeping the economy on a solid path of recovery with a new $4 trillion budget request brimming with new spending programs and higher taxes. “Every year since the president took office he has proposed the same approach to the fiscal challenge facing our government,” said Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), the new chair of the Budget Committee. The hearing before the Senate Bud
  
  Read more

• In meeting with Jordan's King, Vice President Biden reinforces 'ironclad support'

  03-02-2015 21:12
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday and "reinforced America's ironclad support" for Jordan and its role in the coalition fighting Islamic State militants, the White House said. Biden offered his condolences to the family of slain Jordanian hostage Mouath al-Kasaesbeh, and called for the release of hostages held by Islamic State. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Sandra Maler)
  
  Read more

• Ryan and Lew: Finding the Ways and Means for a Budget Compromise

  03-02-2015 21:03
  
  Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew have faced each other across a committee room in a number of hearings over the years, frequently contentiously. Lew was there to discuss the President Obama’s budget request for fiscal year 2016, and to be sure, Ryan is no fan of the proposal, which he had publicly derided as “envy economics” for its tax treatment of the wealthy over the weekend. Today, let’s focus on where we can find common ground. Paul went on to identify several a
  
  Read more

• US move to restore Cuba ties under fire in Congress

  03-02-2015 20:45
  
  Plans to restore ties with Cuba came under fire Tuesday in the first volley of a long battle in the Republican-led Congress amid accusations the Obama administration is conceding too much with few guarantees on human rights. Potential 2016 White House hopeful Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who has been loudly critical of the change to the decades-old policy, presided over a packed Senate subcommittee hearing to examine the impact of the US policy. "I have deep reservations and in
  
  Read more

• The Moment to Arm Ukraine

  03-02-2015 20:18
  
  The new figure represents an ominous turning point in the battle between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists that was supposed to have halted under a September ceasefire agreement. The past few weeks have been marked by a surge in deadly attacks, including bus bombings, the capture of Donetsk airport by the rebels, and indiscriminate shelling, and now the White House is reportedly considering sending lethal aid to Ukraine. "What's being discussed is perhaps we should begin pro
  
  Read more

• NASA Europa Mission Gets White House Approval

  03-02-2015 20:12
  
  The quest to explore Jupiter's ocean-harboring moon Europa has taken a big step forward. The White House's fiscal year 2016 budget request for NASA, which was released Monday (Feb. 2), allocates $18.5 billion to the space agency, including $30 million to formulate a mission to Europa, perhaps the solar system's best bet to host alien life. NASA has been studying a potential Europa mission for a while now, but the new budget proposal signals a commitment from the White House that w
  
  Read more

• Ukraine arms request to fight rebels divides US, Germany

  03-02-2015 19:49
  
  "Germany will not support Ukraine with weapons," Ms. Merkel said after meeting with Hungary's prime minister Victor Orban in Budapest. Merkel said she prefers the pressure exerted by economic sanctions on Russia and negotiations to "solve or at least mitigate the conflict,” The Associated Press reports. Having provided nonlethal aid – including protective vests, night-vision goggles, and gas masks – to Ukraine for several months, the US is now considering supplying the country with antita
  
  Read more

• Bill to address veterans' suicide heads to White House

  03-02-2015 19:44
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill aimed at reducing a suicide epidemic among military veterans is on its way to the president for his signature.
  
  Read more

• U.S. studying Islamic State video of burning Jordanian pilot

  03-02-2015 19:27
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence agencies are studying a video released on Tuesday by Islamic State that purports to show the burning of a Jordanian pilot, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Earnest said the intelligence community is working to verify the authenticity of the video and determine when it was recorded. (Reporting By Julia Edwards)
  
  Read more

• Obama believes no law needed for parents to vaccinate children

  03-02-2015 19:19
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama believes there should not need to be a law to get parents to vaccinate their children, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said on Tuesday. More than 100 people have been infected by the measles as parents have opted not to vaccinate their children from the virus. (Reporting By Julia Edwards)
  
  Read more

• White House says authenticating Jordanian hostage video

  03-02-2015 18:38
  
  The White House said on Tuesday the U.S. intelligence community was working to authenticate a video purporting to show Islamic State burning a Jordanian pilot hostage alive, and it condemned the militant group. "The United States strongly condemns ISIL’s actions and we call for the immediate release of all those held captive by ISIL," White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement, using another acronym for Islamic State.
  
  Read more

• Obama administration pushes business tax reform in Congress

  03-02-2015 17:52
  
  By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Tuesday said it saw room for compromise with Congress on a potential overhaul of the business tax code, but a top Republican lawmaker said the two sides remained at loggerheads over taxes on small companies. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew appeared before lawmakers to explain a White House budget proposal that would raise taxes on the wealthy and create new taxes on international companies to increase spending in areas like highways a
  
  Read more

• White House Budget Asks For $10K Electric-Car Credit, Natural-Gas Cars Added

  03-02-2015 16:48
  
  President Barack Obama is once again attempting to spur sales of electric cars and alternative-fuel vehicles through increased incentives. The Federal government currently offers a tax credit of $7,500 to buyers of new electric cars ($2,500 for plug-in hybrids), but the proposed budget would see that raised to $10,000. It would also convert the tax credit to a purchase rebate--something Obama has tried to do before. In addition, not every potential buyer may have enough income to use the maximum
  
  Read more

• Obama administration urges Congress to focus on business tax reform

  03-02-2015 16:46
  
  The Obama administration on Tuesday said it saw room for compromise with Congress on a potential overhaul of the business tax code, but a top Republican lawmaker said the two sides remained at loggerheads over taxes on small businesses. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew appeared before lawmakers to explain the White House budget proposal that would raise taxes on the wealthy and create new taxes on international companies to increase spending in areas like highways and education. Much of that agenda h
  
  Read more

• Why Presidential Hopefuls Love to Hate Washington, DC

  03-02-2015 16:29
  
  During an appearance at the American Action Network’s headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue on Friday, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told the audience that he would never become a creature of the city he was visiting. As much as I love coming here, I love going home more,” Walker said at the event, hosted by longtime GOP fundraiser and AAN co-founder Fred Malek. In bashing D.C. even as he spoke from offices where one can practically see the White House from the window, Walker was carrying out a
  
  Read more

• Obama to announce data collection modifications: NYT

  03-02-2015 14:34
  
  The Obama administration on Tuesday will announce new rules offering slight adjustments to how U.S. intelligence agencies handle data collected on Americans and foreigners, the New York Times reported. National Security Agency analysts now will be required to delete information accidentally collected about U.S. citizens "that has no intelligence purpose," the newspaper said. The new rules will formalize the White House's review of the NSA's monitoring of foreign leaders, the
  
  Read more

• Netanyahu's strongman image boosts ratings, countering U.S. rift

  03-02-2015 13:56
  
  * Israel holds election on March 17 * Right-wing prime minister seeking fourth term * Netanyahu seen as strong on defence * But report into spending of public funds looms By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Israeli voters' security concerns have boosted Benjamin Netanyahu's popularity in the past month, helping him to skirt criticism of a widened rift with the White House as he aims for a fourth election success. The same monthly opinion poll, conducted on Sunday and published in the
  
  Read more

• NASA May Ax Long-Lived Mars Rover Opportunity Mission Next Year

  03-02-2015 13:44
  
  NASA's long-lived Mars rover Opportunity mission is poised to lose its funding in 2016, but that financial future is not etched in stone, space agency officials say. The White House unveiled its proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2016 today (Feb. 2), and it does not include money for Opportunity, according to NASA budget documents. But NASA has not officially axed Opportunity — or the agency's prolific Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which finds itself in the same budgeta
  
  Read more

• In the Obama White House, It’s Deficits as Far as the Eye Can See

  03-02-2015 12:15
  
  The Obama administration appears to have resigned itself to a federal government that runs deficits in perpetuity, something that has deficit hawks in despair as they read the president’s budget proposal for Fiscal 2016. What’s surprising is that, according the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, a balanced budget isn’t even a long-term goal anymore, if it ever was in the first place. CEA Chairman Jason Furman fielded questions from reporters after the administration’s
  
  Read more

• Coin.co Welcomes Edmund C. Moy to its Advisory Board

  03-02-2015 11:00
  
  NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Coin.co, the NYC-based payment processing company that provides easy and secure bitcoin payment options to enterprise-level organizations, proudly announces its newest addition to its Board of Advisors, The Honorable Edmund C. Moy. As the 38th Director of the U.S. Mint, Moy has unique experience with the Federal Reserve, U.S. Department of the Treasury, The White House, and Congress—bringing keen perspective to the Coin.co team on government and regulatio
  
  Read more

• Why chain India to the past with n-energy, asks Indian-American expert

  03-02-2015 10:56
  
  Washington, Feb 3 (IANS) Noting that the US has not set up a new nuclear installation for decades, an Indian-American academic has accused President Barack Obama of hypocrisy in pushing India on a technology the US won't even touch. "Why chain India to the past and risk another Chernobyl, Fukushima, or Bhopal when it could be leapfrogging into the future?" asked Vivek Wadhwa, Director of Research, CERC, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, in a column in the Washington Post. The rate at
  
  Read more

• EMILY's List to honor Hillary Clinton

  03-02-2015 09:41
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton will be honored next month by EMILY's List, a Democratic fundraising powerhouse, as she considers a potential 2016 presidential campaign that could make her the first woman to win the White House.
  
  Read more

• Obama aims to shore up health law as 2nd-year deadline nears

  03-02-2015 09:12
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is seeking to shore up support for his health care law by putting its beneficiaries on display at the White House.
  
  Read more

• Robbie Keane was back in the White House with his buddy Obama

  03-02-2015 08:56
  US President honoured the LA Galaxy and LA Kings on Monday afternoon.
  
  Read more

• White House budget proposal boosts NASA's Mars dreams

  03-02-2015 06:40
  
  Washington, Feb 3 (IANS) A White House proposal by US President Barack Obama to increase spending for NASA has been welcomed by the US space agency that will boost its chances to reach Mars and other deep space missions. The $18.5 billion budget request for the fiscal year 2016 - a $500 million boost over the 2015 budget - includes funding for developing a mission to Jupiter's moon Europa, and the agency's asteroid redirect mission (ARM), NASA chief Charles Bolden said during an address at Kenne
  
  Read more

• White House Budget Gives NASA $18.5 Billion Or $500 Million Over Last Years Total

  03-02-2015 06:10
  
  The current White House budget proposal would provide NASA with $18.5 billion — enough money to fund the organization’s big ticket projects and long-range goals. If approved the budget would provide a$500 million boost over last year’s total for the space agency. Among NASA’s biggest plans is a deep space mission to Mars. If the budget is […]
  
  Read more

• NASA budget seeks boost for commercial space taxis

  03-02-2015 02:04
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Feb 2 (Reuters) - - NASA wants to hike spending by 50 percent on a program to help two commercial companies develop space taxis to ferry crew to the International Space Station, the agency's 2016 spending plan shows. The move is part of the Obama Administration's proposal to boost NASA's budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 to $18.5 billion, a $519 million increase over the current year. The plan includes an increase to $1.24 billion in spending to help Boeing and p
  
  Read more

• Chris Christie: Can the governors' governor upgrade to the White House?

  03-02-2015 01:34
  
  As the 2016 presidential campaign enters a season of pre-release screenings, and White House hopefuls are beginning to preview their on-the-stump stories and vie for buzz and all-important campaign cash, perhaps no other aspiring nominee is better prepared for this moment than Gov. Chris Christie (R) of New Jersey. While Christie’s relentless grass-roots networking and travel schedule continue, observers point out that the master of retail politics, too, is no slouch when it comes to wooing th
  
  Read more

• $155 Billion Doesn’t Buy Us Safe Food—Should We Start From Scratch?

  03-02-2015 01:28
  
  As it stands now, as The Associated Press noted, “the FDA would be responsible for the safety of a frozen cheese pizza, for example, but USDA takes over part of the duties if the pizza has meat on it.” All of which leaves what critics see as a potentially deadly grey area of lax of missing regulation in between the two agencies. Today, President Obama proposed a solution to the country’s food safety woes—foodborne illnesses alone cost $15.6 billion annually, according to the USDA—in
  
  Read more

• White House adviser: More weapons not the answer to Ukraine crisis

  03-02-2015 00:32
  
  The United States believes economic sanctions remain the best way to influence Russia on the Ukraine crisis and that injecting more weapons would not necessarily solve the problem, Deputy White House national security adviser Ben Rhodes said on Monday. "We still think that the best way to influence Russia's calculus is through those economic sanctions that are biting deep into the Russian economy," Rhodes said in an interview with CNN.
  
  Read more

Follow @NwslWhiteHouse on Twitter!