Obama preparing fiscal task force to approve unpopular measures

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White House preparing fiscal task force

By Andy Sullivan
Reuters
Tuesday, January 19, 2010; 10:19 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House and congressional Democrats have reached a tentative deal to set up a task force that could make it easier for lawmakers to approve tax increases, spending cuts or other unpopular measures needed to reduce budget deficits, lawmakers and aides said on Tuesday.

The proposed commission would enable President Barack Obama to say he is taking steps to reduce record budget deficits over the long term during his State of the Union address next week without having to spell out how he would do so.

It also would breathe new life into a similar proposal that is expected to be rejected by the Senate as soon as this week.

"I think there is a way to get an executive order which will provide for votes in either house, in both houses, under certain circumstances which are being discussed," said House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Tuesday morning, before he met with Vice President Joe Biden and other Democrats at the White House.

(Excerpt) Read more at Washington Post.com ...

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Obama Cuts Deal that Will Reduce Social Security, Medicare and all Entitlements (surrender?)

Baltimore Chronicle ^ | 1/20/10 | James Ridgeway
Posted on Thursday, January 21, 2010 8:12:29 AM by Libloather

Obama Cuts Deal that Will Reduce Social Security, Medicare and all Entitlements

by James Ridgeway

20 January 2010

The Obama administration literally collapsed yesterday. Any pretense of liberal change was washed away in a closed door deal to cut entitlements. While the Massachusetts voters were casting their ballots to install the upstart Republican Scott Brown to Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, President Obama was hammering out an agreement with Democratic leaders to support a plan to issue an executive order to cut entitlements, including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

The effect of this plan, if accepted by Congress, will be to override the already weakened health care reform legislation.

It represents a capitulation to conservatives in both parties, and would leave Democratic liberals accepting unconditional surrender not only on health care, but on the most basic of all New Deal programs. It reaches far beyond actions by the Reagan and Bush administration.

As the Washington Post explains this morning:

Under the agreement, President Obama would issue an executive order to create an 18-member panel that would be granted broad authority to propose changes in the tax code and in the massive federal entitlement programs — including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — that threaten to drive the nation’s debt to levels not seen since World War II.

(Excerpt) Read more at baltimorechronicle.com ...