Portman: Obama 'compelling' on debt ceiling, but spending cuts necessary

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said Tuesday that while President Obama may have sounded "compelling" as he urged House Republicans to raise the debt ceiling, the president fundamentally misunderstood the need for dramatic budget change.

“It is a compelling message saying we need to pay the bills that we’ve racked up. But it misses the whole point," Portman told Fox News. 

The Ohio lawmaker went on to compare the $16.4 trillion debt ceiling to credit card debt, equating Obama's stated unwillingness to bargain over an extension to a free-spending teenager.

"Think about it in terms of a credit card," Portman said. "If you have a son or daughter who exceeds the limits, what do you do? The first thing you do is probably rip up the card. The second thing you do is say, ‘We need to change our spending habits.’ This is what the president won’t do.” At a press conference Monday, Obama said the threat of default was "irresponsible" and "absurd," demanding that the House GOP extend the debt ceiling separate of negotiations on a comprehensive debt deal.

“They will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the American economy,” Obama said. “The full faith and credit of the United States of America is not a bargaining chip.”

But Portman said such a step could only be taken alongside spending cuts.

“Yes, we need to raise the debt limit at some point, but we have to do it in the context of getting the spending under control," Portman said.

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Walmart Pledges To Hire Veterans Seeking Employment

Walmart U.S. president and CEO William Simon is expected to announce on Tuesday that the company will hire any U.S. veteran who wants a job provided that the veteran has left the military within the last year and has not been dishonorably discharged.

“Let’s be clear; hiring a veteran can be one of the best decisions any of us can make,” Simon will say according to his prepared remarks. “Veterans have a record of performance under pressure. They’re quick learners, and they’re team players. These are leaders with discipline, training, and a passion for service. There is a seriousness and sense of purpose that the military instills, and we need it today more than ever.”

First Lady Michele Obama, who, along with Dr. Jill Biden, heads up the Obama administration’s “Joining Forces” program designed to put returning veterans to work, applauded Walmart’s “historic” decision. “We all believe that no one who serves our country should have to fight for a job once they return home,” Mrs. Obama said in a statement. “Wal-Mart is setting a groundbreaking example for the private sector to follow.”

The unemployment rate for veterans, while steadily falling, has remained much higher than the national average, as servicemembers returning from war have struggled to find work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this month that he unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans was at 10.8 percent (well above the national average of 7.8 percent). However Veterans Affairs noted that “the annual jobless rate for post-9/11 Vets was 9.9 percent in 2012; a significant drop from the annual average in 2011 of 12.1 percent.”

“The military instilled in you a sense of pride, honed your leadership skills and drew on the deep sense of purpose you carry throughout everything you do,” says Walmart’s “Careers With A Mission” website, “Continue making the most of these traits without compromise at Walmart.” The company says it hopes to hire more than 100,000 veterans under the new program.

Walmart became involved in the Obama administration’s “Joining Forces” program in 2011, announcing that it “guarantees a job at a nearby store or club for all military personnel, and military spouses, employed at Walmart and Sam’s Club who move to a different part of the country because they or their spouse have been transferred by the United States military.”

“They like military people because they have a sense of hierarchy and a commitment to the organization they are in,” Nelson Lichtenstein, a labor historian at the University of California who wrote a book on Walmart, told the New York Times. “And that’s important to Wal-Mart.”

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Statement by the Press Secretary

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

On Monday, January 14, 2013, the President signed into law:

H.R. 443, which authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to convey specified properties from the United States to the Maniilaq Association in Kotzebue, Alaska;

H.R. 1464, the "North Korean Child Welfare Act of 2012," which requires the Department of State regularly to brief Congress on efforts to advocate for the best interests of North Korean children;

H.R. 2076, the "Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012," which clarifies that assistance provided by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security at the request of State and local law enforcement officials in the investigation of mass killings and other violent acts is within the scope of Federal employment;

H.R. 4212, the "Drywall Safety Act of 2012," which directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a final rule, or adopt an alternative standard, that would limit the sulfur content contained in drywall; establishes a mandatory drywall labeling requirement; and updates current remediation guidance for homeowners;

H.R. 4365, which specifies that the Thrift Savings Plan accounts of Federal employees are subject to Federal tax levy under the Internal Revenue Code;

H.R. 4606, which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue right-of-way permits for natural gas pipelines located within the boundary of Glacier National Park in Montana;

H.R. 6029, the "Foreign and Economic Espionage Penalty Enhancement Act of 2012," which increases the maximum fines for stealing trade secrets with the intent to benefit foreign entities from $500,000 to $5 million for individuals and from $10 million to the greater of $10 million or three times the value of the stolen trade secret for organizations;

H.R. 6060, the "Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2012," which extends Department of the Interior's authority to spend up to $6 million annually through Fiscal Year 2019 for the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Implementation Program and the San Juan River Basin Program;

H.R. 6328, the "Clothe a Homeless Hero Act," which requires the Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration to make every reasonable effort to transfer unclaimed clothing recovered at airport security checkpoints to local veterans' organizations or other local charitable organizations for distribution to homeless or needy veterans and veterans' families;

H.R. 6364, the "World War I Centennial Commission Act," which establishes the World War I Centennial Commission to plan activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I;

H.R. 6586, the "Space Exploration Sustainability Act," which extends from July 1, 2016, through December 31, 2020, authority for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to make certain payments to Russia related to work on the International Space Station; and extends, to entities that apply for licenses in calendar year 2013, authority for the Department of Transportation to pay claims for damages resulting from commercial space launches or reentries above the amount of insurance required by Federal law;

H.R. 6621, which amends various provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act enacted in September 2011 and other provisions of Federal patent law;

H.R. 6655, the "Protect Our Kids Act of 2012," which establishes a Commission to study and provide recommendations to reduce fatalities resulting from child abuse and neglect; and extends and amends the authority of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Contingency Fund;

S.J. Res. 44, which grants the consent of Congress to the State and Province Emergency Management Assistance Memorandum of Understanding entered into between States in the upper Midwest and the Provinces of central Canada;

S. 3331, the "Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012," which provides intercountry adoption accreditation standards for the adoption of children from countries which are not parties to the Hague Adoption Convention;

S. 3454, the "Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013," which authorizes fiscal year 2013 appropriations for U.S. intelligence-related activities and establishes and amends various intelligence-related authorities;

S. 3472, the "Uninterrupted Scholars Act (USA)," which authorizes, in certain circumstances, the release of child education records without parental consent, and eliminates parental notification requirements for information requested for certain court proceedings;

S. 3630, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Waterford, Wisconsin, as the Captain Rhett W. Schiller Post Office;

S. 3662, the "Lieutenant Ryan Patrick Jones Post Office Designation Act," which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Westminster, Massachusetts, as the Lieutenant Ryan Patrick Jones Post Office Building; and

S. 3677, which makes a technical correction to clarify that the requirement that Federally-regulated lending institutions deposit flood insurance premiums and fees in an escrow account on behalf of borrowers only applies to "residential" improved real estate.

Before taking questions from the assembled journalists, the President took a moment to reflect on the past four years, and look ahead to his agenda for the next term, which includes new jobs, new opportunity, and new security for the middle class

President Obama talks about the bipartisan agreement that Congress reached this week which prevented a middle-class tax hike, congratulates the newly sworn-in members of Congress, and looks forward to working with the new Congress in the new year to continue to grow our economy and shrink our deficits in a balanced way.

We'll soon reach a milestone in Afghanistan -- when Afghan forces take full responsibility for their nation's security and the war draws to a close.

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European Court Rules Religion Does Not Justify Anti-Gay Discrimination

Lilian Ladele, who refused to officiate same-sex civil partnership ceremonies.

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled against two British Christians who claimed their religious beliefs entitled them to discriminate against gays and lesbians. In one case, Lilian Ladele was a city registrar who refused to officiate civil partnership ceremonies between same-sex couples as part of her duties. In another, Gary McFarlane was a counselor for a confidential sex therapy and relationship counseling organization who refused to provide support for same-sex couples. In both cases they were removed from their positions, so both brought complaints that their religious beliefs had been violated.

In its ruling against them, the Court argued that their beliefs did not justify the discrimination against same-sex couples:

The Court considered that the most important factor to be taken into account was that the policies of the applicants’ employers – to promote equal opportunities and to require employees to act in a way which did not discriminate against others – had the legitimate aim of securing the rights of others, such as same-sex couples, which were also protected under the [European Convention on Human Rights]. In particular, in previous cases the Court had held that differences in treatment based on sexual orientation required particularly serious justification and that same-sex couples were in a relevantly similar situation to different-sex couples as regards their need for legal recognition and protection of their relationship.

The authorities therefore had wide discretion when it came to striking a balance between the employer’s right to secure the rights of others and the applicants’ right to manifest their religion. The Court decided that the right balance had been struck.

This judgment represents a significant blow to conservatives’ argument that their religious beliefs entitle them to discriminate against the LGBT community. Indeed, they are entitled to hold their anti-LGBT beliefs, but not to infringe on others’ rights.

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The Five Gun Safety Laws That Gun Owners Support

Vice President Joe Biden is slated to deliver his suggestions for a series of gun violence prevention measures to the President today. Most likely, stronger gun regulations will be among the measures Biden proposes. And while the gun lobby may argue that such laws are out of step with the opinions of gun owners, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that people who have a firearm in their home actually support a lot of gun safety measures.

Here are the top five gun laws that most gun owners would like to see:

1. Universal background checks. The poll found that a huge majority of gun owners — 86 percent — would like to see every single person who wants to purchase a firearm go through a background check. Currently, the so-called ‘gun show loophole’ allows some purchasers (those who buy used guns and those who buy at gun shows) to forgo a background check, setting up a system where criminals can easily purchase weapons.

2. Background checks for ammunition purchasing. As the law currently stands, ammunition can be purchased in bulk online with absolutely no background check. This is how mass murderer James Holmes was able to stockpile so much ammunition without anyone noticing. Seventy six percent of gun owners surveyed by the Washington Post want to see this law changed by instituting background checks for buying ammunition.

3. Ban on extended magazines. Extended magazine clips have been a focus of the recent gun law debate. Such clips, when used in mass killings, prove exceptionally deadly since, paired with an assault weapon, the gunman rarely has to stop and reload. Adam Lanza, the gunman responsible for the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, used extended clips, as did Holmes. There’s no reason why a clip with more than is necessary to hunt, or for self protection, and 55 percent of gun owners want to see them outlawed.

4. Gun database. The United States already has a database of those who cannot buy guns — the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, NICS — but has much weaker methods of tracking the guns sold in the United States. Sixty two percent of gun owners like the idea of a database of guns purchases, so that the government has some handle on how many guns are out there. There have been reports that such a database, and a database of gun violence, might be among Biden’s suggestions.

5. Assault weapons ban. There’s not quite a majority of gun owners who support an assault weapons ban, but at 45 percent popularity, it’s close to tied between those who support and those who oppose. An assault weapons ban would block military-grade weapons, like those used by Lanza and Holmes, from sale on the public market. There’s evidence that such bans reduce the number of firearms deaths.

The support for each of these measures demonstrates that the gun lobby is out of step with everyday gun owners. NRA representatives insist that Congress won’t pass ammunition clip bans, for example, and say that background checks are “unnecessary” and expensive. But even NRA members support more regulations on guns than the lobby would like to indicate.

And members of Congress will soon have an opportunity to stand with the gun owners who support these stronger gun laws. Eight bills have already been introduced in the House that deal with these issues, and more are likely to be introduced after Biden presents the findings of his task force to President Obama.

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Reid, Pelosi and Clinton are right: POTUS can act to avoid a debt-ceiling crash

If America is faced with a national default because of Republican obstruction against raising the debt ceiling, in my opinion President Obama has authority under Article 4 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to act unilaterally if necessary to avoid a debt ceiling-induced default. If default is the only other option, the president should exercise this authority.

Unilateral presidential action to avoid a debt-ceiling default is the second worst option, and should be avoided if at all possible. Unilateral action sends an awful message to financial markets. While I believe such action would be reluctantly approved by a narrow Supreme Court majority after an inevitable challenge, judicial approval is not certain. Bipartisan and comprehensive budget, spending and revenue negotiations on all outstanding issues is a far more desirable outcome.

Former President Bill Clinton has championed the option of presidential authority if needed. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has also championed this authority. And now Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), Senate Democratic Policy Committee Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Democratic Conference Secretary Patty Murray (Wash.) have supported this authority in a recent letter. I applaud them all.

President Obama is right in stating that America is not a deadbeat nation and that Republicans should stop holding the good faith and credit of the United States hostage. I would add that America must stop acting like a banana republic on matters of budgets, spending and taxes. These constant last-minute fiascos, the abuse by both parties of creating intense fear among Americans as a political tactic and the constant dangers of both real and self-induced catastrophes are unworthy of the United States and must end.

President Obama has expressed doubt about unilateral presidential action. To the degree he prefers to avoid this option, he is right. To the degree he may be forced to choose between unilateral action and default, he should state as soon as possible, as firmly as possible, that unilateral action may be the second worst choice but default would be, by far, the worst choice.

The proper solution is a bipartisan budget deal that is significant and moves far beyond the debt-ceiling issue. The president won the 2012 election. Senate Democrats were huge winners in the 2012 election. House Democrats gained seats and won more national popular votes than House Republicans in the last election. Democrats have won three out of the last four national elections. So any bipartisan agreement should be tilted toward the Democratic position.

At the same time, all House Republicans also won their seats in the 2012 election, which gives them some moral and political right to some concessions from Democrats, in proportion to the will of voters, expressed in elections, to achieve an agreement.

The president and Democrats should avoid the danger of hubris and overreaching. The Republicans must end the use or threats of legislative blackmail, extortion, obstruction, hostage-taking and willingness to force a default that could cause a crash because of an extremism and distemper that threatens to make the GOP a minority party for a generation.

Bipartisanship is preferable to constitutional confrontation. But if the only alternatives are to submit to legislative blackmail by Republicans or accept a disastrous national default, the authority of the president is constitutionally locked and loaded. The president would be supported by a large majority of voters if he chooses to use it, and if necessary, he should.

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First Lady and Wal-Mart team up for veterans initiative

A spokeswoman for Michelle Obama said Tuesday the First Lady would work with Walmart on an initiative to employ veterans, after the company announced a pledge to offer a job to any honorably discharged veteran in his or her first 12 months off active duty.

"The First Lady’s team was very excited and pleased by Walmart’s new national commitment to employ America’s veterans and immediately expressed an interest in working with Walmart and the entire business community to build upon and expand this commitment," Obama's deputy communications director Semonti Stephens said in an email. "In the next several weeks the White House will convene Walmart and other major American employers to discuss Walmart’s plan and encourage other businesses to make similar significant veterans employment commitments to train and employ America’s returning heroes."

Walmart has estimated it could hire more than 100,00 veterans over the next five year in stores, clubs, distribution centers and its home office.

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ObamaCare Mandate May Be ‘Mandate Plus’

Can’t get enough of Obamacare’s individual mandate? Get ready for “mandate plus.”

The Obama administration always said there was a practical reason it needed the mandate, which starts next year. It wasn’t to be mean to people — it was supposed to pull in enough healthy customers to help pay for all the sick people who will get coverage. That’s why the White House stuck with it all the way to the Supreme Court — however unpopular politically, it was the best tool to make the new health system work.

Continue Reading (Also on POLITICO: Insurers' hikes already taking toll)

Here’s the catch: The individual mandate penalties will be pretty weak as they are phased in over two years — only $95 when they start in 2014, much less than it costs to buy insurance. And yet, everyone with pre-existing conditions will have to be accepted for coverage right away.

That’s why insurance companies are telling the administration the mandate won’t be enough for the first two years. They want more incentives — such as a late enrollment fee — to get healthy people to sign up quickly. Without getting the healthy folks in, the fear is that everyone’s health insurance premiums could shoot through the roof when all those sick people get their coverage.

The idea is being called “mandate plus” — because some of the ideas were floated by health experts last year as replacements, in case the Supreme Court struck the mandate down. Now that the mandate is here to stay, insurance companies and some policy experts say the other ideas should go hand in hand with the coverage requirement to make the whole system work — and be affordable.

The states could impose some of these incentives, too, and they could become a future lobbying battleground. But right now, the insurers are focused on persuading the Department of Health and Human Services to add them on its own.

(Also on POLITICO: Obamacare: 5 states to watch)

“The key really is, how do you get younger people to buy coverage?” said Justine Handelman, vice president for legislative and regulatory policy at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. “If you can jump in and out every time you need services, costs will go up.”

The mandate is the “stick” that’s supposed to prevent that, by making people pay a penalty (or as the Supreme Court called it, a tax) if they don’t get health coverage when they’re eligible. When the mandate is at full strength in 2016, people will pay $695 or 2.5 percent of their income, whichever is greater.

But from a practical perspective, it’s really not that much of a stick in the first two years. Next year, if you don’t get health insurance, you’d pay $95 or 1 percent of your income — a little less than you might pay for an iPod Nano. In 2015, you’d pay $325 or 2 percent of your income.

(PHOTOS: 10 alarmist quotes on health law ruling)

“Certainly, we are concerned that the penalty is just $95 in the first year, which is far below the cost of coverage,” Handelman said.

That’s why some insurers want HHS to give them more sticks.

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National Security Brief: Number Of Military Suicides Hit Record High

The Washington Post reports that “the U.S. military lost more service members to suicide than combat last year as the number of troops who took their lives rose to a record high.” Nearly 350 active duty servicemembers committed suicide last year while 229 troops were killed in combat in Afghanistan, according to the Post. The AP reported last June that military deaths from suicide outnumbered combat deaths by a 2-to-1 ratio. A month after the AP report, a Pentagon-funded study reported for the first time, scientific data pointing to “intense psychological suffering and pain” as the main cause of military suicides.

In other news:

The New York Times reports: Nearly three years ago, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood delivered a speech urging Egyptians to “nurse our children and our grandchildren on hatred” for Jews and Zionists. In a television interview around that time, the same leader described Zionists as “these bloodsuckers who attack the Palestinians, these warmongers, the descendants of apes and pigs. That leader, Mohamed Morsi, is now president of Egypt — and his comments may be coming back to haunt him.”

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Monday pledged American assistance to the French in its campaign to root out extremist militants in Mali.

The Pentagon says that it has improved its most lethal bunker busting bomb, which is now capable of “effectively prosecuting selected hardened, deeply buried targets.”

The Washington Post reports: “Rape has become a “significant and disturbing feature” of the war in Syria, one that many refugees cite as their leading reason for fleeing the country, according to a report released Monday by a New York-based humanitarian organization.” Meanwhile, Syrian warplanes have killed dozens of civilians, including 20 children, in the last few days of bombing Damascus suburbs.

A Washington think tank reported this week that Iran is on track to produce enough material for at least one nuclear bomb by the middle of 2014.

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Justiceline: January 15, 2013

Welcome to Justiceline, ThinkProgress Justice’s morning round-up of the latest legal news and developments. Remember to follow us on Twitter at @TPJustice

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