White House On Defense After Sebelius Remark On Health Law

The White House insisted on Wednesday that healthcare costs are falling after a member of President Obama’s Cabinet said some people could see their insurance premiums rise under the Affordable Care Act.

"I would actually point to the results that we're already seeing from the Affordable Care Act, which is a savings of $2.1 billion, and the analysis from the [Congressional Budget Office] that actually says, in the future, we're gonna see rates that are lower for higher benefits," deputy press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday.

Health and Human Service Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters late Tuesday that “there may be a higher cost associated with getting into that market" where "folks will be moving into a really fully insured product for the first time," according to The Wall Street Journal.

That made Sebelius the first Obama administration official to acknowledge that insurance premiums could increase under the law.

Earnest said he had not read Sebelius’s remarks, but pointed to a blog post from Alan Krueger, the chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, about the slowed growth of healthcare spending in recent years.

"[He] said that, 'Each year from 2009 to 2011 national health expenditure data shows the real rate of annual growth in overall health spending was between 3 percent and 3.1 percent,' which is actually the lowest rate of growth since reporting began in 1960," Earnest said, sidestepping the question of whether there will be an increase in premium costs for some people as a result of the law.

Earnest provided a sharper critique of a report by the Society of Actuaries that showed insurers would be on the hook an average 32 percent more per claims on individual insurance policies because of the law. The study also suggested those cost increases would be passed along to some consumers.

The White House spokesman said he wasn't "particularly surprised" that a study "conducted by a health insurance company that's critical of the Affordable Care Act" would come up with such results.

"The reason that the Affordable Care Act was put in place was to ensure that we were expanding access to healthcare for every American, but also because we wanted to actually protect consumers who were repeatedly victimized by insurance companies," Earnest said. "So it's not particularly surprising to me that an insurance company would conduct a study that was critical of a piece of legislation that was promising to hold them accountable for their actions."

Major parts of the healthcare law are slated for implementation next year. Republican critics have argued that the bill will result in increased rates, especially in the individual and small-group insurance markets.

In the same interview where she conceded that premiums could rise, Sebelius argued individuals "are really going to see much better benefit for the money that they're spending," and said government subsidies would help offset some price increases.

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In Defense of Utopia (Part I)

The 20th century was a difficult century for the utopian vision — the quest for an ideal society free from humanity’s chief miseries. The Communist revolutions in Russia and China were supposed to usher in egalitarian utopias where all social needs were met by benevolent state planning. Instead these Communist revolutions produced brutal authoritarian regimes where privileged bureaucracies ruled over the masses and lagged far behind the advanced West in meeting social needs.

In the advanced West, social democrats pursued a gentler utopian ideal that envisioned an egalitarian society of abundance with social control of the economy and enhanced democracy in the workplace and throughout society. But the welfare state model ran into troubles starting in the 1970’s as economic growth slowed and the inefficiencies of the system became ripe targets for conservative political forces. Support for the socialist ideal began to falter. The coup de grace was administered by the fall of the Soviet Union and the Eastern European states. Socialist societies turned their backs on the idea and embraced capitalism with gusto. Even Western European parties that still called themselves socialist abandoned any pretense that they were seeking to create an actual socialist society.

There was also a utopian impulse in America, though it had its roots in the more diffuse political traditions of liberalism and progressive reform. The idea here was that society could gradually perfect itself through a process of continuous reform that would weed out injustice and deliver prosperity for all. That idea came to a head with the Great Society of the 1960’s but sputtered out soon thereafter, battered first by counter-cultural and political radicalism and then by a nascent conservatism fueled, as in Europe, by economic problems that exposed underlying governmental inefficiencies. Over time, the liberal movement backed far away from the Great Society and its expansive vision of social justice and became resolutely focused on maintaining American social programs or, at best, their modest expansion.

Counter-cultural and political radicalism had their own utopian impulse of course. In the 1960’s, visions of society ranging from participatory democracy (Students for a Democratic Society) to communal bliss (hippies) to endless Marxist-Leninist revolution (Maoists) danced in the heads of young radicals. But such hubris did not survive the grimmer atmosphere of the 1970’s, not to mention the pressures of the life-cycle as these young radicals entered their thirties and forties.

As the Left’s utopian dreams faded, surging conservatives attacked vigorously. They argued that all of the left’s failings and especially its visions of a future society were attributable to their fundamentally unrealistic beliefs about human nature. People were selfish and acquisitive, not cooperative and solidaristic as the Left mistakenly believed. Therefore, the vision of society we should all strive for is a society without government and taxes where selfishness would be unleashed and individuals could shape their own destiny free of the oppressive hand of the state. This Ayn Rand-style libertarian utopia became an inspiration to legions of conservative activists.

There are still some true believers in this utopia left — some have recently been elected to office. But their dream of a perfectly unregulated capitalism has little mass appeal in our post-financial crisis world and will have less as the economy improves. The ideas underlying their vision of utopia have been tried and found wanting; their lease on utopia is up.

But the idea of utopia can and should live on. Utopia is fundamentally an expression of man’s ability to dream of a better world. It provides inspiration to those seeking social change, providing a model for the society they seek to create. Without that inspiration, there is little long-term commitment to substantial change, which inevitably saps energy from reform efforts. Reform, after all, is the process of getting things done, but utopia is how you decide what needs to be done. Lacking that guidance, we have been experiencing a “sticky” status quo at the very time when large-scale change is necessary to deal with problems like climate change, economic polarization and financial instability.

But things don’t have to be this way. We are better situated than ever before to pursue a utopian dream that is reasonable and realistic and won’t degenerate into authoritarianism or economic collapse.

So where is the new utopian vision to come from? The first task will be to reawaken hope in the future by rejecting the limits and assumptions of the current debate.

The key limit is not that today’s left still embraces a socialist or (in America) a “Great Society” utopia as a concrete goal. It is rather that they have given up on end goals altogether. It is as if these old utopias are the only ones the left could ever aspire to and, since these goals are no longer feasible or desirable, the left must do without. This leads to the uninspiring vision of a society that is, at best, a little bit better than the one we have today. Hardly the stuff of dreams and movements.

Moreover, the left finds itself drawn to an idealized past, since it now lacks a vision of a fundamentally better future. This generally takes the form of touting the Golden Age of the postwar welfare state, roughly the 1946-1973 period, as some sort of model for society. It is true that wages and incomes rose much faster in that period than since, that there was far less economic inequality, that unions were much stronger and that basic institutions of the welfare state were not only safeguarded but expanded. But as utopia, that’s pretty weak beer. And there is the inconvenient fact that this so-called Golden Age was not so golden for blacks, women, gays and other outsiders. (Ironically, it is this aspect of the Golden Age–a stable, traditional social order–that is recalled with fondness by many on the right and held up on their side as a sort of model.)

Linked to this backward-looking viewpoint is a continued failure to grasp that the traditional working class — the bulwark of the postwar welfare state — is no longer the leading force for progress. Their place has been taken by a diverse modernizing coalition: minorities, members of the Millennial generation, singles (especially women), seculars, socially liberal, college-educated whites and urbanized Americans, especially in large metropolitan areas. This coalition has quite a different sensibility than the traditional working class and are quite unmoved by appeals to an idealized past of happy workers with steadily rising living standards.

What would inspire them is quite different and it is here that today’s progressivism must develop a new vision. That is the subject of Part II of this essay.

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Four Ways The Supreme Court Could Knock Out The Defense Of Marriage Act

Next week marks a rare moment in the Roberts Court’s history, an opportunity for this Supreme Court to actually make the law better than it was before they decided to weigh in on an issue. Although Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Court’s ostensible swing vote, is a hardline conservative on campaign finance, health care and corporate immunity to the law, his record on gay rights is relatively moderate. Kennedy authored two of the most important gay rights decisions in the Court’s history and is viewed as a likely vote to strike down the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act.

As with so many things involving the Supreme Court, however, the devil is in the details. The Court’s decision in the DOMA case, United States v. Windsor, could extend the Constitution’s promise of marriage equality to all Americans, but it could just as easily reach a more narrow result or even sow significant seeds of confusion in the the law governing married couples. Broadly speaking, here are four ways the Supreme Court could halt DOMA, arranged in order from most desirable to least desirable:

Marriage Equality For All: The simplest, and most obvious solution, is for the justices to just follow the Constitution. The Constitution guarantees “the equal protection of the laws” to all people within the United States, and this guarantee is most robust when applied to groups that have experienced a “‘history of purposeful unequal treatment‘ or been subjected to unique disabilities on the basis of stereotyped characteristics not truly indicative of their abilities.” As LGBT Americans are undoubtedly such a group, the Court should simply strike down all marriage discrimination laws and declare that every state must come into compliance with the Constitution.Marriage Equality In New York, Punt On Alabama: Although marriage discrimination cannot be squared with the Constitution, Justice Kennedy has a history of deciding gay rights cases on very narrow grounds. Neither of his two leading gay rights opinions followed the ordinary framework applied to laws that deny equal rights to a group historically subject to irrational prejudice, instead relying on novel and narrow reasoning. For this reason, it is possible that the Court will strike DOMA — thus extending federal marriage rights to same-sex couples — but punt on the larger question of whether every state must comply with the Constitution. If this happens, a key question is whether the justices apply “heightened scrutiny” to DOMA, a kind of skeptical constitutional analysis that will make it very difficult for any anti-gay law to withstand court review in the future.No Jurisdiction: Easily the messiest way the justices can resolve this case is by ruling that they do not have jurisdiction to hear it in the first place — a real possibility in light of the fact that they scheduled 50 minutes of argument time on the question of whether the Court has jurisdiction. If the answer is “no,” the result could be a big, sloppy mess. Normally, when the Supreme Court decides that it lacks jurisdiction over a case, it also holds that the case should never have been brought in federal court to begin with. This case, however, presents an usual circumstance where the Supreme Court may not have jurisdiction to hear an appeal even though nearly everyone agrees that the trial court that sided with the plaintiff challenging DOMA was within its lawful authority when it did so.Because the circumstances of this case are so unusual, it’s not entirely clear what happens if the Court holds that they lack jurisdiction. One well-known attorney told ThinkProgress that it would mean DOMA is invalid in New York and New England, where federal appeals courts struck it down, but valid elsewhere. Professor Marty Lederman says the answer depends on why the Court concludes it lacks jurisdiction, but one possibility is that the administration could simply cease enforcement of DOMA “in the absence of any possibility of judicial resolution.” This is obviously a messy solution, and it is one that would lead to DOMA awkwardly lurching back to life if an anti-gay president takes office in the future.The Tenth Amendment Nonsense: The First Circuit’s decision striking down DOMA includes an odd states’ rights section that resembles some of the arguments conservatives used to challenge Medicaid. This kind of argument could resonate with Justice Kennedy or even Justice Clarence Thomas, who has previously described an anti-gay law as “uncommonly silly.” Indeed, if all five conservatives embrace this view, they could potentially do significant damage to the social safety net under cover of a decision that most progressives would celebrate. Nevertheless, this outcome is unlikely, as at least one member of the conservative bloc is unlikely to join any pro-gay decision.

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White House Announces New Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control

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Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You: April 1, 2013

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For Immediate Release March 19, 2013 White House Announces New Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control

Today, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon announced that Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall will be moving to a new position on the National Security Staff as the White House Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control.  She will take up her duties on April 8. 
 
National Security Advisor Donilon said, “As one of the President’s closest advisors for the past four years, Liz’s leadership and advice have been instrumental as we have successfully strengthened our alliances and partnerships across Europe, helped to revitalize NATO, and worked with Europe to advance the President’s global agenda.  Liz brings deep expertise and a track record of accomplishment in defense issues and in proliferation prevention.  The President will look to her to bring significant energy and capability to his second term as we pursue the ambitious goals he set forth in his Prague speech in 2009 and prepare our military to defend the American people and our allies against the threats we face today and in the future.”

During the Clinton Administration, Dr. Sherwood-Randall served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, where she played a central role in the denuclearization of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. She has also held positions at Harvard University, Stanford University, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Brookings Institution, and previously served as the Chief Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy Advisor to Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

Blog posts on this issue March 19, 2013 11:00 AM EDTPromises Kept: Ending the Iraq War and Supporting Our Service Members, Military Families and Veterans

Ten years after the start of the Iraq War, President Obama remains committed to our service members, military families and veterans.

March 18, 2013 7:58 PM EDTAffordable Care Act at Three: Consumer Protections

The Affordable Care Act brings an end to some of the worst insurance industry practices that have kept affordable health coverage out of reach for millions of Americans, especially when they needed it most. Under the health care law, consumers can be confident that their insurance will protect them if they get sick and their families won’t be crushed by medical bills.

March 18, 2013 7:12 PM EDTPresident Obama Hosts a Celebration of Women's History Month at the White House

The President vowed that he and his entire administration will do everything they can to ensure equality and opportunity for all women.

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GOP senator applauds move to ramp up West Coast missile defense

By Molly K. Hooper - 03/17/13 10:41 AM ET

The top-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Sunday praised the administration’s decision to bolster the West Coast missile defense, after threats from North Korea.

“I think all of us applaud the efforts to beef up our missile defense on the west coast,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on “Fox News Sunday” of efforts to deal with the potential nuclear threat from the rogue nation.

The senator, though, acknowledged the threat from North Korea is not “imminent.”

“I don’t think the threat is imminent, I don’t think they have the delivery mechanisms that are necessary to really harm us but I think it’s really good that we’re taking those precautionary measures to make sure they do not do damage,” Corker said.

The ranking member told host Chris Wallace, that he’s going to be speaking with the Pentagon and State Department this week to hash out the “technical issues.”

The administration announced last week that it would augment its missile-defense capabilities in Alaska by deploying additional missile interceptors on the West Coast.

“The reason we're advancing our program here for homeland security is to not take any chances, is to stay ahead of the threat and to assure any contingency,” said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

The move came after North Korea ramped up its rhetoric against the United States and South Korea and on the heels of a recent nuclear test.

Pyongyang has in recent weeks threatened to declare the end of the armistice which ended the Korean War and criticized new sanctions passed by the United Nations Security Council and military training exercises being held by Seoul and Washington.

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Defense Secretary Promises To Examine Military’s Policy For Convicting Rapists

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s response to Congressional inquiries about what, if anything, he can do following an overturned sexual assault conviction in the Air Force lays bear just how far the military has to go in providing justice to victims of sexual violence.

At issue is Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin decision to overturn a jury’s conviction in the case of Lt. Col. James Wilkerson on charges of aggravated sexual assault. Wilkerson’s reinstatement in the Air Force last week, where his only punishment appears to be his removal from the possibility of promotion, and the dismissal of the jury’s ruling sparked outrage.

Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) wrote to Secretary Hagel, demanding to know what action could be taken in the case. In his response [PDF], Hagel informed the senators that Lt. Gen. Franklin’s decision as the convening authority — or the officer who initiated a court-martial — “cannot be changed, either by the Secretary of the Air Force or by the Secretary of Defense per title 10 U.S.C. 860.”

However, the Secretary added that a review of the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s statutes on convening authorities had already been launched:

I have directed the Secretary of the Air Force, in coordination with the Acting General Counsel of the Department of Defense, to review this case to assess whether all aspects of the UCMJ were followed, and, after consultation with the Secretaries of the Army and the Navy, to report to me on whether the case points to changes that should be considered in the UCMJ, or in the military services’ implementation of the UCMJ and, if so, what changes should be made.

Senator Boxer appeared to take Hagel’s letter well, issuing a press statement praising the swift response. “I am heartened that Secretary Hagel is taking immediate action to review the facts of this troubling case and acknowledges that it is high time to take a hard look at how the military handles sexual assault cases,” Boxer said.

Despite Boxer’s enthusiasm, it appears that the actions available to Hagel are limited under current legislation. While the 2013 NDAA put into place several reforms to better prevent and respond to sexual assault, none of them deal with the issues at play in the case of Wilkerson. Rep. Jackie Spier (D-CA) in response to the situation, has announced that she’ll introduce legislation on Tuesday to specifically reform the convening authority.

Spier’s legislation could be part of the solution suggested by Yale Law Professor Eugene Fidell to “abandon the command-centric aspect” of the military’s justice system. Fidell is in favor of implementing such changes as adding a military trial bench, two tiers of specialized appellate courts, and a clemency and parole system. Along with removing the authority of commanders to block courts-martial in the first place, Fidell believes that the U.S. military’s justice system could in this way shift away from its 18th century foundations. “The switch should not be in the hands of a non-lawyer,” Fidell said, in an interview with ThinkProgress.

All told, sexual assault remains an under-reported phenomenon within the military, with an estimated 19,000 instances of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) thought to have occurred in 2011 alone. Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a public statement last week acknowledged that officials in the military often “look the other way” in instances of sexual violence.

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Statement from the President on the Confirmation of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense

Statement from the President on the Confirmation of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense | The White House Skip to main content | Skip to footer site map The White House. President Barack Obama Get Email UpdatesContact Us Go to homepage. The White House Blog Photos & Videos Photo Galleries Video Performances Live Streams Podcasts 2012: A Year in Photos

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2012: A Year in Photos

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For Immediate Release February 26, 2013 Statement from the President on the Confirmation of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense

 

With the bipartisan confirmation of Chuck Hagel as our next Secretary of Defense, we will have the defense secretary our nation needs and the leader our troops deserve.  From the moment he volunteered for military service in Vietnam, Chuck has devoted his life to keeping America secure and our armed forces strong.  An American patriot who fought and bled for our country, he understands our sacred obligations to our service members, military families and veterans.  

I will be counting on Chuck’s judgment and counsel as we end the war in Afghanistan, bring our troops home, stay ready to meet the threats of our time and keep our military the finest fighting force in the world.  Most of all, I am grateful to Chuck for reminding us that when it comes to our national defense, we are not Democrats or Republicans, we are Americans, and our greatest responsibility is the security of the American people.

 

Blog posts on this issue February 27, 2013 3:23 PM ESTRosa Parks has a Permanent Place in the U.S. Capitol

President Obama is on hand for the unveiling of the new Rosa Parks statue in the U.S. Capitol

February 27, 2013 12:00 PM ESTCatching Up with the Curator: Watch Meeting--Dec. 31st 1862--Waiting for the Hour

To mark African American History Month, as well as the 150th anniversary of the year the Emancipation Proclamation, we talked with White House Curator Bill Allman about a painting called Watch Meeting--Dec. 31st 1862--Waiting for the Hour that hangs near the Oval Office in the West Wing.

February 26, 2013 3:00 PM ESTPresident Obama Calls for a Responsible Approach to Deficit Reduction

President Obama strongly believes we need to replace the arbitrary cuts known as the sequester with balanced deficit reduction, and today he was at a shipyard in Newport News, VA to talk about what failing to do so will mean for middle class families.

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Sequestration's impact on national defense

By Del. Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam) - 02/27/13 04:45 PM ET

Since the enactment of the Budget Control Act, there has been almost unanimous opposition to sequestration and its meat-ax approach to deficit reduction. These automatic cuts come on top of $1.5 trillion in cuts already enacted through the BCA, with a large percentage absorbed by the Department of Defense alone. It’s clear that further cuts through sequestration would harm our defense industrial base and local economies; however, partisan gridlock and an unwillingness to compromise has made it difficult for Congress to reach a long-term and balanced solution.

While spending more on defense doesn’t necessarily make us safer, tighter purse strings means we need to target spending in more strategic ways; however, sequestration does not allow for strategic cuts. Sequestration, as many have testified, would cripple DoD’s operations and maintenance accounts and weaken our country’s military readiness. Moreover, the second- and third-order effects on our sustainment industrial base will further impact the readiness of our military. In the long run, sequestration will cost our government more than what we find in immediate savings. Ultimately, the readiness of our military is critical to protecting our nation’s sea, air, land, and cyberspace security, including our ability to support our allies across the globe. And while it is possible to have a leaner, more flexible military, it is critical to prioritize funds that ensure our forces are postured effectively and well-resourced to carry out their missions.

Defense spending has been greatly reduced in recent years. This reduction in DoD’s overall budget reflects our struggling economy and the end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As such, our national defense strategy has shifted with a renewed engagement in the Asia-Pacific theater. The realignments of U.S. Marines on Guam and throughout the Pacific is just one example of how our military is shifting to respond to emerging threats in an increasingly vital region. As such, it is incumbent on policymakers in Washington to look further down the line and do more than just a patch-and-repair job. It is important to protect funding for current operations and it is necessary to make critical investments to ensure our country’s long-term security. Asia-Pacific requirements, in particular, must be prioritized, and it will require difficult decisions in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill.

These deep, indiscriminate cuts would affect more than immediate threats to our national security and defense. As the largest federal agency in United States and the world’s largest single employer, the Department of Defense plays a major role in sustaining our nation’s workforce and promoting economic growth. Moreover, further cuts to defense would affect businesses that depend on federal contracts and slow progress on military construction projects currently underway, potentially derailing others indefinitely. The impacts of sequestration may not be felt immediately, but it behooves leadership in Congress to prevent the sequester from crippling our country’s ability to address threats to our national security and defense. Congress did not create the last economic recession and it would be irresponsible to allow sequestration to move forward. These drastic, unnecessary cuts would inevitably lead to a recession, just like nations in Europe who have adopted draconian austerity measures.

Bordallo is the Guam delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the ranking member on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness.

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Statement from the Vice President on the Confirmation of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense

Statement from the Vice President on the Confirmation of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense | The White House Skip to main content | Skip to footer site map The White House. President Barack Obama Get Email UpdatesContact Us Go to homepage. The White House Blog Photos & Videos Photo Galleries Video Performances Live Streams Podcasts 2012: A Year in Photos

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Issues Civil Rights It Gets Better Defense End of Iraq War Disabilities Economy Jobs Reform and Fiscal Responsibility Strengthening the Middle Class A Plan for Refinancing Support for Business Education Energy & Environment Ethics Foreign Policy Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Immigration Reform Taxes Tax Receipt The Buffett Rule Rural Urban Policy Veterans Joining Forces Technology Seniors & Social Security Service Snapshots Creating Jobs Health Care Small Business PreK-12 Education Women Violence Prevention Now Is The Time

To do something about gun violence

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For Immediate Release February 26, 2013 Statement from the Vice President on the Confirmation of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense

I’ve travelled across the world with Chuck Hagel, and I’ve seen him in action in the United States Senate. Wherever he is, his talent and dedication to our country are clear. He feels a deep commitment to our men and women in uniform, and as the head of the Pentagon I know their interests will always be close to his heart. Most importantly, I know the President will be able to rely on Chuck’s sound, unvarnished judgment on any issue where our troops are involved. For that and many more reasons, I’m looking forward to working with Secretary Hagel.

Blog posts on this issue February 27, 2013 3:23 PM ESTRosa Parks has a Permanent Place in the U.S. Capitol

President Obama is on hand for the unveiling of the new Rosa Parks statue in the U.S. Capitol

February 27, 2013 12:00 PM ESTCatching Up with the Curator: Watch Meeting--Dec. 31st 1862--Waiting for the Hour

To mark African American History Month, as well as the 150th anniversary of the year the Emancipation Proclamation, we talked with White House Curator Bill Allman about a painting called Watch Meeting--Dec. 31st 1862--Waiting for the Hour that hangs near the Oval Office in the West Wing.

February 26, 2013 3:00 PM ESTPresident Obama Calls for a Responsible Approach to Deficit Reduction

President Obama strongly believes we need to replace the arbitrary cuts known as the sequester with balanced deficit reduction, and today he was at a shipyard in Newport News, VA to talk about what failing to do so will mean for middle class families.

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Obama administration brief: Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional

President Obama’s administration said Friday that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional, filing a brief weeks ahead of scheduled arguments before the Supreme Court.

In its brief, the Justice Department said that DOMA, which defined marriage as only between a man and a woman, “violates the fundamental constitutional guarantee of equal protection.”

“The law denies to tens of thousands of same-sex couples who are legally married under state law an array of important federal benefits that are available to legally married opposite-sex couples,” the brief added.

Obama has already ordered his administration not to defend DOMA, and announced he supported same-sex marriage during the heat of last year’s presidential campaign.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments next month on the case of Edith Windsor, who was forced to pay taxes on the estate of her deceased partner, Thea Spyer. 

The couple had married in Canada, and their marriage was recognized in their home state of New York at the time Spyer died in 2009. But Windsor was forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in estate taxes that would not have been required if her deceased spouse had been a man. 

House Republicans have taken up the defense of DOMA, which overwhelmingly passed Congress in 1996 and was signed by former President Clinton. 

Congressional Democrats are currently pushing measures that would repeal DOMA, in addition to groups’ legal efforts to have the law ruled unconstitutional. 

The Supreme Court is also scheduled to hear arguments about California’s Proposition 8, a ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage approved in 2008.

According to reports, the administration plans to file a brief in that case that supports the constitutionality of same-sex marriage.

“I have to make sure that I'm not interjecting myself too much in this process, particularly when we're not a party to the case,” Obama told a San Francisco television station this week. 

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GOP Rep. Open To Closing Loopholes To Avoid Defense Cuts

Virginia Rep. Scott Rigell (R) would consider raising new revenue through the closure of tax loopholes in order to avoid part of the automatic budget cuts that will take effect March 1, he said Thursday. Rigell was among the Republicans who hinted at support for ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy during debate over the so-called “fiscal cliff,” when a last-minute deal raised tax rates on Americans making more than $450,000 but pushed sequestration off until March.

Now, Rigell is again calling for talks about revenues to avoid defense cuts that would hit his district, the Wall Street Journal reports:

Rep. Scott Rigell (R., Va.), whose Hampton Roads district is home to the largest naval base in the world and relies heavily on Pentagon spending, said he is reaching the point where he will consider whatever Senate Democrats offer up, even if that includes closing tax loopholes.

“I want our leadership to consider it and not reject it outright,” he said.

With a week to go before the cuts begin, President Obama reached out to Republican leaders to negotiate a replacement for the sequester. Obama has proposed raising revenue through the closure of tax loopholes, a position many Republicans support, but Democrats want to put new revenues toward deficit reduction. Republicans prefer to use revenue gained from loopholes to lower current tax rates.

Other Republicans, including Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), have previously indicated that they would consider raising revenues to avoid defense cuts.

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Defense Department Offers Limited Benefits To Military Same-Sex Partners

It took 17 months, but the Defense Department has finally issued guidance about benefits that can be extended to the same-sex partners of military servicemembers now that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” no longer requires that they hide their identities. The list does not address some serious issues of concern, including health care, housing, and survivor benefits because of the Defense of Marriage Act, but does allow servicemembers to designate specific protections to their partners, including some through the recognition of a domestic partnership. Here are a few of the new benefits:

Service Members Group Life Insurance BeneficiaryVeterans’ Group Life Insurance BeneficiarySurvivor Benefit Plan Beneficiary for RetireesCasualty NotificationDesignation of Persons Having Interest in Status of a Missing MemberHospital Visitation PrivilegesDesignation of Persons Authorized to Direct Disposition of Remains of Members of the Armed ForcePresentation of the Flag of the United StatesDependent ID cardsCommissary PrivilegesExchange PrivilegesMorale, Welfare, and Recreation programsEmergency LeaveYouth ProgramsFamily Center ProgramsChild CareLegal AssistanceJoint Duty Assignments

The memo announcing the benefits notes that should the Defense of Marriage Act no longer apply to the department, policy will be to “construe the words ‘spouse’ and ‘marriage’ without regard to sexual orientation, and married couples, irrespective of sexual orientation, and their dependents, will be granted full military benefits.” It also contains a new process for same-sex couples to declare to the military that they are, in fact, domestic partners, which presumably even couples that are already married would have to fulfill to receive the benefits.

OutServe-SLDN praised outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta for “getting us a few steps closer to full equality.”

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Remarks by the President and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Fort Myer, Virginia

4:18 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  In the years between the world wars, a young married couple in Italy packed up what few belongings that they had and boarded a boat for a new world.  They passed under the Statue of Liberty and went through the lines of Ellis Island. 

Carmelo and Carmelina Panetta had no money and spoke little English.  But they had a dream of a better life.  They worked hard.  They went West, to California.  They started a family and taught their sons that if they studied and worked, if they gave back to this country, that they, too, could share in America’s promise.

Today we pay tribute to their son -- Leon Panetta -- a man who hasn’t simply lived up to the American Dream but has helped to protect it for all of us. 

Leon, our presence here today -- members of Congress, Deputy Secretary Carter, General Dempsey and the members of the Joint Chiefs, service secretaries, and the men and women of the greatest military that the world has ever known -- all this is a reflection of our personal appreciation to you and the gratitude of a nation that you have helped to keep strong and to keep free. 
By the time I came to office, Leon Panetta was already regarded as one of our nation’s finest public servants, with an extraordinary career across more than four decades.  He and Sylvia had settled into the good life -- their beautiful Monterey; their beloved walnut farm.  Now, Leon will deny it, but I hear he was growing restless; he wanted less time on the tractor and enjoying good weather and more time in the office; less time in California, more time in Washington, interacting with the West Wing and members of Congress.  Who wouldn’t?  (Laughter.)   And so we gave him his wish. 

Leon, I’ll always be grateful that you agreed to return to public service.  And, Sylvia, I am so grateful that you put up with him.  Your leadership of the CIA will forever be remembered for the blows that we struck against al Qaeda and perhaps the greatest intelligence success in American history -- delivering justice to Osama bin Laden.  (Applause.)  

By then, Leon had every right to expect that he could return home.  And I’ll admit that when we first asked him to stay on and lead the Pentagon, his answer was simple:  No.  (Laughter.)  But I kept asking.  I am persistent -- that's how Michelle married me.  I just kept at it.  And it is a testament to Leon’s patriotism, to his sense of duty that he agreed to serve on this one last tour. 

And perhaps it was the memory, during World War II, of his parents opening up their homes to GIs headed for the Pacific.  Perhaps it was because Leon served himself, as a young lieutenant in the Army.  Perhaps it was the experience of watching his youngest son deploy to Afghanistan.  What we do know is this:  As our nation’s 23rd Secretary of Defense, every action Leon Panetta has taken, every decision that he has made, has been with one goal in mind:  Taking care of our sons and our daughters in uniform, and keeping America safe. 

And just think of the progress under his watch.  Because we ended the war in Iraq, and are winding down the war in Afghanistan, our troops are coming home, and next year our war in Afghanistan will come to an end.  We’ve put the core of al Qaeda on the path to defeat, and we've been relentless against its affiliates.  Because we have a sacred obligation to our troops -- to take care of them like they’ve taken care of us -- we’re improving treatment for our wounded warriors, stepping up support for our military families, and doing more than ever to help our newest veterans transition to civilian life -- and that includes the jobs our veterans need as we do some nation-building here at home.

Because we believe in opportunity for all Americans, the tenure of Secretary Leon Panetta, this son of immigrants, this first-generation American, will be remembered for historic progress in welcoming more of our fellow citizens to military service; for the formal and final repeal of "don't ask, don't tell"; for opening combat roles to our incredible women in uniform.  In short, for making our military -- and our nation --that much stronger. 

Because we forged a new defense strategy, we’ll be better prepared for the future, better prepared to meet the threats that we face without larger military footprints; better prepared against cyber-attacks; better prepared to advance our interests in the Asia Pacific region; and after more than a decade of war, better prepared for the broadest range of contingencies. 

Keeping us prepared will be the mission of my nominee to be the next Secretary of Defense -- a combat veteran with the experience, judgment and vision that our troops deserve, Chuck Hagel.

And since we are now just weeks away from deep, automatic cuts to federal spending, including defense, let me say this.  There is no reason -- no reason -- for that to happen.  Putting our fiscal house in order calls for a balanced approach, not massive, indiscriminate cuts that could have a severe impact on our military preparedness. 

So here today, for the sake of our prosperity, for the sake of all these men and women in uniform, and all their brothers and sisters in uniform that they represent, now is the time to act -- for Democrats and Republicans to come together in the same spirit that Leon Panetta always brought to public service -- solving problems, not trying to score points.  Doing right for the country, not for any particular political agenda.  Sustaining our economic recovery, balancing budgets -- Leon knows something about it -- but also maintaining the finest military in history.

Leon, this, too, will be part of your legacy, for no one has raised their voice as firmly or as forcefully on behalf of our troops as you have.  You've served with integrity and decency and grace.  You're a reminder of what public service ought to be.  You’ve led with heart and you've led with humor.  Indeed, they say that you’ve never seen our Wounded Warriors smile as wide or heard them laugh as loud as when they get a visit from their Secretary of Defense.  And whatever the challenge, Leon, you always give it to us straight -- sometimes in words that can’t be repeated here in public.  (Laughter.)  

Today we want to make sure to thank Sylvia and the entire Panetta family for sharing their husband, their father, and their grandfather with the rest of us; for sharing Bravo, the First Dog of the Pentagon.  Sylvia, Leon’s service has also been your sacrifice.  And we promise, this time he really is coming home.
Leon, from your first day in uniform until today, your dedicated service to America has spanned nearly 50 remarkable years.  And as you review these fine troops one last time, as you return home and walk your farm, know that the grand arc of your life speaks to our larger American story.  For you can say with confidence and with pride that you’ve fulfilled the hopes that brought Carmelo and Carmelina Panetta to these shores all those years ago.  You've made them proud.  You’ve helped to keep alive the American Dream for not only your children and grandchildren, but for all of our children and grandchildren.  And for that, we will be eternally grateful.

So, Leon, as your parents would say, grazie.  God bless you, and God bless these United States of America. 

Ladies and gentlemen, our Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta.  (Applause.)

SECRETARY PANETTA:  Thank you very much.  Mr. President, I’m deeply touched by your moving words about me, about my family, more importantly, about the men and women who serve in the Department of Defense.  All of us are truly honored by your presence, and I thank you.

Let me also take this moment to thank Michelle and Jill Biden for the work -- outstanding work that they’ve done in leading the Joining Forces initiative, which has provided great support for military families who have done so much for us.

Marty Dempsey, I appreciate your kind remarks.  Marty and I have testified before Congress -- this is the 11th time yesterday that we’ve done that -- and we’ve also done 10 press conferences together.  We are developing a very convincing case for collecting hazard pay in these jobs.  (Laughter.) 

As we used to say when I was in the Army, there isn’t anyone I’d rather be in the foxhole with than Marty Dempsey.  I cannot tell you what a privilege it has been to work with you and to work with all of the service chiefs.  We’ve dealt with some very tough issues, and there is no way -- no way -- that I could have done this job without your support, without your loyalty and without your dedication.

Members of Congress, leaders of the administration, leaders of the Department of Defense, distinguished guests, many dear friends who we’ve known over the years, Sylvia and I are very thankful to all of you for coming here today.  This is without question the fanciest send-off I’ve ever gotten in Washington.  (Laughter.) 

Let me remember the words of President Harry Truman who once said, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.”  And that's just what I did.  (Laughter.)  And I am grateful that Bravo is here today.  Bravo was in all of the meetings when we planned the bin Laden operation, and he also sat in on many of the sensitive meetings and discussions that I had at the Pentagon.  And I want you to know that he has never told a soul what he heard.  (Laughter.)  He is definitely not a leaker.  (Laughter.)  At least according to that definition of the word.  (Laughter.) 

You’ve heard of the movie, Zero Dark Thirty.  The producer is seriously considering a new movie about Bravo, entitled, Zero Bark Thirty.  (Laughter.)

It’s been 50 years of public service, and I have always, and will always, cherish the deep and lasting friendships that I’ve made here in Washington.  And I’m extremely grateful that so many of those friends could be here this afternoon.

I have spent a long time in this town.  As the son of immigrants, as the President pointed out, I have truly lived the American Dream.  Being an Italian American in Congress, at senior levels in the executive branch has been, for me, a very unique experience.  I have never lost my awe by the sight of the Capitol and the White House at night.  It still is a very special experience.

I can also remember when I was first elected to the House of Representatives, there was a member that I think the President may recall by the name of Frank Annunzio, from Chicago, who came up to me and said, “Panetta -- that’s Italian.”  I said, “Yes, it is.”  He said, “Good.  I want you to join the Italian caucus.”  Of course, I was not going to say no to an Italian from Chicago. (Laughter.)  He said, great.  He said, “We don’t do much on issues, but we eat good.”  (Laughter.)  And that was true. 

Many years later, when I came to Langley as President Obama’s Director of Central Intelligence, I got a mug from my family with a big “C-I-A,” standing for California Italian American.  (Laughter.)   

In all seriousness, Mr. President, I want to express my deepest thanks to you for the opportunity to serve this country again as a member of your administration.  It had been a tremendous honor and a tremendous privilege these past four years, and especially now as the 23rd Secretary of Defense.  I hope that in some small way I have helped to fulfill the dream of my parents -- the dream that they wanted, and the dream that all of us want, of giving our children a better life. 

It’s been for me a hell of a ride.  I will never forget the pride and exhilaration when I walked out of the White House after the President announced the success of the bin Laden operation and I could hear the chants of those people who were gathered around the White House and in Lafayette Park yelling, “U.S.A!  U.S.A!” 

Thank you, Mr. President, for your strong support in what was a very tough decision.  The memory of that operation and the team that helped put it together -- both the intelligence team and the military team -- will be with me forever. 

I’ll remember traveling to combat theaters and bases around the world, looking into the eyes of brave men and women who are putting their lives on the line every day for this country.  I’ll remember the moments when we’ve honored veterans of past wars, and when we’ve been inspired by servicemembers and wounded warriors returning from today’s wars. 

And I’ll always remember the moments of grief, when this nation has rendered final honors to our fallen heroes, and when we’ve had to comfort their families.  Writing notes of condolences to those families who have lost loved ones has been, for me, one of my toughest jobs. 

These moments of selflessness, these moments of sacrifice, of courage, of heroism, give me a renewed sense of pride in our country, and it gives me an optimism for the future.  I’ve witnessed a new generation of Americans ask themselves what they could do for their country.  And I have seen the profound difference that talented men and women with a sense of duty and sacrifice can make in the life of this nation and in the life of our world. 

For more than a decade of war, our democracy has depended on the men and women of the United States military to bear the awesome burden and to preserve our freedom.  They have done everything the nation asked them to do, and more.  And I will have no greater honor in my life than to have been able to lead them as Secretary of Defense.

I learned a long time ago that there’s not much you can accomplish in Washington on your own.  You need a team behind you.  And at the Department of Defense I’ve been blessed with an exceptional team -- from senior civilian and military leaders all the way the chain of command.  And together, I’m proud of the important achievements that we’ve been able to accomplish for the nation. 

We developed and we have begun implementing a new defense strategy for the 21st century that protects the strongest military power in the world and meets our responsibility to fiscal discipline.  We're bringing, as the President said, more than a decade of war to a responsible end -- ending the war in Iraq, giving the Iraqi people a chance to secure and govern themselves.  And in Afghanistan, our campaign is well on track to completing that mission.  We're committed to an enduring relationship with the Afghan people so that they, too, can govern and secure themselves in the future. 

We've kept pressure on al Qaeda, and we're going after extremists wherever you may hide.  And we have shown the world -- we have shown the world -- that nobody attacks the United States of America and gets away with it.  (Applause.) 

We are keeping faith -- keeping faith with and caring for our returning veterans and wounded warriors.  I am particularly proud that we've expanded opportunities for everyone to serve in our military in a democracy.  In a democracy, everybody should be given a chance to meet the qualifications needed to serve this country.  This is a basic value that we fight to protect.

Despite the progress we've made together, there’s no question that there remains some very significant challenges -- the dangers and instability abroad, budget constraints, political gridlock here at home.  But one thing I have learned is that you cannot -- you cannot -- be involved in public service and not be optimistic about the future. 

I am confident that under the leadership of the President and the leaders in the Congress that we can, and we must, stay on the right path to build the military force we need for the 21st century. 

Winston Churchill once wrote, "The future is unknowable, but the past should give us hope."  This is a time of uncertainty.  But my career in public service gives me hope that the leaders of this nation will come together to resolve the challenges facing this country, and to seize the opportunities of the 21st century. 
We've overcome wars.  We've overcome disasters.  We've overcome economic depressions and recessions.  We've overcome crises of every kind throughout the history of our country.  And throughout our history, the fighting spirit of our fellow Americans has made clear that we never, never, never give up.  Our forefathers, pioneers, the immigrant families that came here all fought together to give our children that better life.  We cannot fail to do the same.

None of us in public service -- none of us in public service -- could carry on that fight without the love and support of our families.  Everything I've been able to accomplish in my wife -- in my life -- wife and life together -- has been because of the support of my family.  My immigrant parents, my family, my sons, their families -- but most of all, Sylvia. 

We've been married 50 years.  She has endured extended absences and long hours and the demands that come with public service.  But she has always been there.  And I will never be able to thank her enough for her constant love and support.  Her Valentine gift is both of us going home together.  (Applause.)  

It has been the honor of my life to have served in the position as Secretary of Defense.  And wherever I go and whatever I do, I will thank God every day for the men and women in this country who are willing to put their lives on the line for all of us.  They have responded to the call of the bugle with courage and with selfless dedication to country.  My prayer as I leave is that we all have the same courage and dedication to protecting our nation -- the United States of America, the home of the free and the brave.

God bless America.  God bless you.  And God bless the men and women in the Department of Defense.  (Applause.)

END
4:45 P.M. EST

Check out all the ways you can get involved with President Obama's State of the Union Address.

With less than three weeks before devastating, across the board cuts - the so-called "sequester" - are slated to hit, affecting our national security, job creation and economic growth, we must make sure we are having a debate over how to deal with these looming deadlines that is based on facts- not myths being spread by some Congressional Republicans who would rather see these cuts hit than ask the wealthiest and big corporations to pay a little bit more.

President Obama urges Congress to act to avoid a series of harmful and automatic cuts—called a sequester—from going into effect that would hurt our economy and the middle class and threaten thousands of American jobs.

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