Tag Archives: Topic: White House

WSJ.com: The political furor over President Obama’s birth-control mandate continues to grow, even among those for whom contraception poses no moral qualms, and one needn’t be a theologian to understand why. The country is being exposed to the raw political control that is the core of the Obama health-care plan, and Americans are seeing clearly for the first time how this will violate pluralism and liberty.

News from The Associated Press: The Republican-led House is trying Wednesday to give President Barack Obama the line-item veto, a constitutionally questionable power over the purse that has been sought by both Republican and Democratic presidents.

Investors.com: . . . 67 million now relying on some federal program, according to a newly released study by the Heritage Foundation.

ADF President and General Counsel at National Review Online: If the federal government can succeed in forcing people to violate their faith, it will have the power to force anyone to do anything. It is therefore sad but not surprising that Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius took to USA Today this week to spin rather than explain her boss’s decision to force people and entities all over the country to fund abortifacients, contraception, and sterilization against their consciences.

LifeSiteNews.com: Even as the United States’ Catholic bishops have launched an all-out campaign against the Obama administration’s birth control mandate and urged their flocks to resistance, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has invoked the support of “fellow Catholics” to justify her position in favor of the mandate.

Mr. Obama could amend that order or issue a new one to order federal contractors not to discriminate in their workplaces on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

News from The Associated Press: A political adviser to President Barack Obama said Tuesday the administration didn’t intend to “abridge anyone’s religious freedom” with its regulation requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control for their workers.

LifeSiteNews.com: s a formidable tide of Christian opposition began rising this week, including at least 115 U.S. bishops, the nation’s leading abortion lobby is leaping to defend the Obama administration order that will force religious institutions to provide free birth control next year.

Washington Examiner: Gallup released their annual state-by-state presidential approval numbers yesterday, and the results should have 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue very worried

Religion Clause: Q What about the constitutional right to freedom of religion?…
MR. CARNEY: I don’t believe there are any constitutional rights issues here, but I would refer you to others to discuss that. … I understand that there’s controversy … and we will continue to work with religious groups to discuss their concerns. But on the other side of this was the important need to provide access to women to the preventive services that they require….

Washington Times: While the Obama campaign has consistently touted its grassroots, small-donor fundraising appeal, the reach of the tentacles of a few hundred Hollywood executives and financial moguls is astonishing.

Freedom From Religion Foundation: The Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent a cautionary letter to President Barack Obama asking him to once again disassociate the Oval Office from the so-called annual “National Prayer Breakfast” taking place on Thursday, Feb. 2. Obama is scheduled to once again participate.

LifeNews.com: At least three Catholic bishops have said they will not comply with the mandate the Obama administration put in place recently in Obamacare that will force religious employers to pay for birth control, contraception and drugs that may cause abortions in their health care plans.

Pat Buchanan at Townhall: Now, not only is this a battle the Church must fight, it is a battle the Church can win if it has the moral stamina to say the course. In forcing the Church to violate its own principles, Obama has committed an act of federal aggression, crossing the line between church and state to appease his ACLU and feminist allies, while humiliating the Catholic bishops.

David Skeel at WSJ.com: The high court calls for accommodating religion. The White House pushes back.

Telegraph: Michelle Obama has risked the wrath of cash-strapped Americans by indulging in a $50,000 shopping spree at Agent Provocateur.

NYTimes.com: The system for reviewing presidential appointments is broken. The Senate has a constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on the naming of judges and high-ranking executive branch officials. But the process has been hijacked by cynical partisanship and cheap tricks.

Findlaw: But is the President of the United States bound by the same limitations as mere mortal lawyers? Not according to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In fact, Gingrich claims that the POTUS can simply “ignore” a Supreme Court decision that he deems “fundamentally wrong.”

ADF President and General Counsel Alan E. Sears at LifeNews.com: What was reported, rather, is that our president has a dream. One substantially at odds with the dream that fired Dr. King’s imagination and eloquence so memorably on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial nearly 50 years ago.

Tulsa Today: Veteran White House reporter Keith Koffler on his blog WhiteHouseDossier.com late last night posted a stunning story that President Barack Obama will ignore an order by an Atlanta judge to appear in court Thursday for a hearing in a case challenging his qualifications under the Constitution to be president. So is this the new state of the union, in which no one must obey the law?

WSJ.com: -Senate Republicans won’t launch a direct legal challenge to the White House’s contentious move to use recess appointments to install senior officials at a new consumer financial agency and the National Labor Relations Board, a senior GOP leadership aide said.

Wall Street Journal transcript.

ADF Attorney Casey Mattox at the SpeakUpMovement.org University Blog: Even at the time of Roe, some were concerned that legalized abortion would lead to compelled participation in abortion, a concern that was not misplaced as ACLU attorneys were working in Montana to force Catholic hospitals to perform sterilizations. The Supreme Court acknowledged but dismissed that concern, holding only that “the attending physician, in consultation with his patient, is free to determine, … the patient’s pregnancy should be terminated.”

Kilker and her partner, Sara Nelson, are traveling to D.C. from Colorado today, and Kilker’s case, though being touted as a sign of the administration’s success, is a stark sign of current limitations of the law for LGBT employees in the workplace . . .

CNSnews.com: President Barack Obama says the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade is the chance to recognize the “fundamental constitutional right” to abortion and to “continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.”

News from The Associated Press: More than 70 nominees to judgeships and senior federal agency positions are awaiting the next move from Republicans, who can use Senate rules to block votes on some or all of Obama’s picks.

Statement by the President on Roe v. Wade Anniversary | The White House.

ADF Attorney Matt Bowman at the Christian Post: In one of the lesser-known manipulations of U.S. law to advance the pro-abortion agenda, the President’s Department of Justice has for several years been availing itself of a statute originally written to stop violence to instead seek massive fines and injunctions against peaceful pro-life advocates who offer alternatives to women on public sidewalks. But this politicization of the law in favor of abortion yielded a mixed record this week.

CBS Atlanta 46 (includes video): A judge has ordered President Barack Obama to appear in court in Atlanta for a hearing on a complaint that says Obama isn’t a natural-born citizen and can’t be president.

The Hill: Most healthcare plans will be required to cover birth control without charging co-pays or deductibles starting Aug. 1, the Obama administration announced Friday.

Bloomberg: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in a telephone call yesterday, told Obama “Canada will continue to work to diversify its energy exports,” according to details provided by Harper’s office. Canadian Natural Resource Minister Joe Oliver said relying less on the U.S. would help strengthen the country’s “financial security.”

ADF President and General Counsel Alan E. Sears at Townhall : On December 6, President Barack Obama’s support for the demands of the “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender” agenda rose to the next level when he issued a memorandum directing federal agencies abroad to “improve protections for LGBT asylum seekers and to strengthen opposition to criminalization of LGBT status or conduct.” The key phrase in the directive was Obama’s claim that so doing is but another part of the “United States’ commitment to promoting human rights.”

Reuters: South Carolina will sue the administration of President Barack Obama over its rejection of the state’s new requirement that voters provide a photo ID, Attorney General Alan Wilson said on Tuesday.

The Hill: The Obama administration will reject the Keystone XL pipeline Wednesday afternoon, according to a source closely following the issue.

TheHill.com: Some legal experts, including those who have sided with President Obama on other constitutional issues, think there is a good chance the courts could overturn his recent recess appointments.

Times 247: The Obama administration is launching a new space arms-control initiative that critics say will lead to restrictions on U.S. military activities in space, a key U.S. strategic war-fighting advantage.

AthensNews.com: Ohio U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, recently threatened to file a lawsuit against President Barack Obama over his recent controversial recess appointments.

Baptist Press: “It is problematic under current regulations,” said Erik Stanley, a senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, which is campaigning to roll back IRS curbs on believers’ speech. But if the IRS concludes that the church violated the IRS code, the ADF “will represent the church, just as it would represent any church for what is said from the pulpit,” he said.

TheHill.com: He must stick to the $1.047 trillion spending cap he agreed to with GOP leaders, which means he will call for less discretionary spending than he did last year. Senior administration officials fear a backlash from the left and are trying to prepare their allies to expect a disappointing budget, sources say.

Weekly Standard (includes video):On the Sunday before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett visited Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to give a political speech, in support of her boss (Barack Obama) and congressional Democrats . . .

MercatorNet.com: However, not everyone in the US is as sure as the President that his administration “continues to stand with all who are denied the ability to choose, express, or live their faith freely”. Just the day before, an open letter signed by leaders of some of the largest religious communities in the country voiced their concern that religious freedom is at risk in America because of the campaign to change the definition and meaning of marriage.

LifeNews.com: NIH Director Francis Collins has approved four more human embryonic stem cell lines as eligible for federal taxpayer funding. The latest approval brings the total to 146.

My Way News – AP: President Barack Obama will ask Congress on Friday for greater power to shrink the federal government, and his first idea is merging six sprawling trade and commerce agencies whose overlapping programs can be baffling to businesses, a senior administration official told The Associated Press.

DOJ: The convening of periodic pro forma sessions in which no business is to be conducted does not have the legal effect of interrupting an intrasession recess otherwise long enough to qualify as a “Recess of the Senate” under the Recess Appointments Clause. In this context, the President therefore has discretion to conclude that the Senate is unavailable to perform its advise-and-consent function and to exercise his power to make recess appointments.

Bloomberg: In September 2010, President Barack Obama nominated New York lawyer Caitlin Halligan to replace John Roberts on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington. Halligan waited for more than a year as her file made its way through the Senate.

TheHill.com: In a memo, Justice argued the pro-forma sessions held every third day in the Senate do not constitute a functioning body that can render advice and consent on the president’s nominees. It said the president acted consistently under the law by making the appointments.

Obama asks Congress for $1.2 trillion increase in nation’s borrowing limit – The Washington Post: President Barack Obama is asking Congress for another $1.2 trillion increase in the nation’s debt limit. The request is largely a formality.

The Washington Post: President Barack Obama said Wednesday he wants to reward companies that invest in America and eliminate tax breaks for companies that don’t, and he’s planning new tax proposals to do it.

Reuters: The White House on Thursday refused to say whether lawyers at the U.S. Justice Department gave the green light to President Barack Obama’s controversial appointments to two agencies but experts said the department almost certainly did provide advice.

Bruce Ackerman at WSJ: Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, writing for all eight Republican members on the Judiciary Committee, has asked Attorney General Eric Holder to elaborate the Justice Department’s position on the key issues.

Christianity Today: To have so many candidates in the current campaign say faith is a significant part of their lives and has a major impact on how they think about politics and policies—this is unique.” So says Gary Scott Smith, professor of history at Grove City College in Pennsylvania.

NPR (includes audio): Americans’ religious liberties are under attack — or at least that’s what some conservatives say.

Michael McConnell at WSJ.com: It’s a mistake to excuse Obama’s disregard for the Constitution. Precedents set now will be exploited by the next administration.

The Daily Caller: Referencing a New York Times report, Johnson said that Obama “gives lip service to gay equality,” but “will not support gay marriage before the election because of the opposition of African Americans, as reflected in his polling, and the need to assure maximum support from African American voters in November.”

TheHill.com: White House Chief of Staff William Daley is stepping down from his post, according to a senior administraiton official.

Turtle Bay and Beyond – International Law, Policy, and Institutions: Currently, USAID is now in the process of creating briefs such as the “Human Rights Considerations in Addressing HIV among Men who Have Sex with Men” and funding related programs in accordance with the Presidential directive.

Fox News: The official said Thursday the new rule would let children and spouses of citizens ask the government to decide on the waiver request before the illegal immigrant heads to his or her home country to apply for a visa

Human Events: “Business as we know it in the Senate is over for this administration in terms of accomplishing anything legislatively or finding any cooperation from this side of the aisle,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R. –Wyo.). “He has poisoned the well.”

NJ.com: The move, which has effectively derailed the nomination of U.S. Magistrate Patty Shwartz to the Third Circuit, marks the first time a judicial appointee of President Obama has been held up by a senator from his own party.

The Washington Post: The White House will propose a 0.5 percent pay increase for civilian federal employees as part of its 2013 budget proposal, according to two senior administration officials familiar with the plans.

The Washington Post: “It is disappointing that a former constitutional law professor does not understand that the president is not a dictator or a king who can simply ignore the Constitution whenever he feels frustrated by the system of checks and balances wisely put in place by our Founders,” Paul said in a statement.

The Hill: Rick Santorum said the Senate should sue over President Obama’s decision Wednesday to appoint Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and name three members to vacancies on the National Labor Relations Board.

TheHill.com: President Obama is confident he had the authority to recess-appoint Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday.

News from The Associated Press: President Barack Obama insists the United States will maintain what he calls the best-equipped military in history despite deep and looming defense budget cuts.

The Hill: Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who chairs a House subcommittee that oversees the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), on Wednesday said President Obama’s decision to recess-appoint a director for the CFPB is a move against transparency and accountability.

Human Events: “Breaking from this precedent lands this appointee in uncertain legal territory, threatens the confirmation process and fundamentally endangers the Congress’s role in providing a check on the excesses of the executive branch,” he said.

John Ellwood at The Volokh Conspiracy: In October 2010, my former boss at DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel, Steve Bradbury, and I wrote this op-ed arguing that such pro forma sessions at which no business is conducted do not interrupt a recess of the Senate within the meaning of the Recess Appointments Clause, and thus do not interfere with the President’s recess appointment authority.

The Hill: President Obama plans to circumvent Senate GOP opposition and recess appoint his nominee to head a new consumer bureau.

TheHill.com: President Obama is under strong pressure from liberals to use his recess-appointment power during the congressional break, but doing so would break 20 years of precedent, putting him in a tough position.

WorldNetDaily: For the first time in dozens of court cases challenging Barack Obama’s eligibility to be president, a judge has ruled that Obama must, in order to be a candidate on the Georgia ballot for president in 2012, meet the constitutional demands for candidates for the office.

Fox News: In a scathing statement, the head of the ACLU, and other leading civil liberties and human rights groups who were among President Obama’s most ardent campaign supporters said the President’s decision to sign a sprawling defense bill including controversial detainee provisions would tarnish his legacy.

State.gov: Human rights are inalienable and belong to every person, no matter who that person is or whom that person loves. Since January 2009, Secretary Clinton has directed the Department to champion a comprehensive human rights agenda—one that includes the protection of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The Department uses its full range of diplomatic and development tools to press for the elimination of violence and discrimination against LGBT people worldwide, particularly those forced to flee their homes or countries.

LaTimes.com: The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that plaintiffs who claimed that President Obama was not born in the United States and is therefore not eligible to hold the office have no standing to sue him.

The Hill: Twelve liberal House members are urging the Obama administration to rewrite the rules for foreign aid so it’s clear that information and counseling on abortion — and the procedure itself, in some cases — can be covered.

LifeNews.com: In case you missed it, the appeal that was filed in the federal embryonic stem cell lawsuit regarding taxpayer funding, Sherley and Deisher et al. v. Sebelius et al., is moving forward.