Obama to Govs: Stimulus Check's in the Mail

Desperate for cash, they embrace measure DC counterparts spurn

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s relationship with DC Republicans is on the rocks, but he couldn’t be getting along better with GOP governors, reports the New York Times. Why? Follow the money. Struggling to balance their budgets, the governors don’t care which party help comes from. “The essence of a recovery package is essential to get our nation’s economy moving,” says Vermont’s Jim Douglas. More»

Team searches for ways to bolster economy

(NEWSER) - With economic recovery looking sluggish at best , President Obama is considering a national infrastructure program, alongside a wave of tax cuts for businesses and individuals. Up for discussion are additional tax cuts for small businesses, a possible payroll tax cut for businesses and individuals, and other tax breaks aimed at encouraging businesses to hire, sources tell the Wall Street Journal . More»

Dismisses GOP demands to start from scratch as 'bogus talk'

(NEWSER) - Arnold Schwarzenegger had a private chat with Barack Obama yesterday, following a National Governors Association meeting at the White House, and crossed party lines to back the president for the second time in as many days. He applauded Obama for bringing Republicans into the health care discussion, and chided Republicans for demanding that Democrats throw out their bill and start over. “I think any Republican that says you should start from scratch, I think that’s bogus talk, and that’s partisan talk,” he said. More»

Obama defends stimulus, pushes health reform

(NEWSER) - The White House is cracking down on its critics—and on laggards within the Democratic Party, too. Republican naysayers on the economic stimulus and health care are getting the roughest treatment, Politico reports. After Kentucky Sen. Jon Kyl railed against the efficacy of stimulus spending, four Cabinet secretaries wrote to his state's governor saying, "If you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to your state, as Sen. Kyl suggests, please let me know." More»

(NEWSER) - When the stimulus was in the works, President Obama went to great lengths to show he was sacrificing his top pet project—a clean-coal power plant to be built in Illinois—on the altar of fiscal responsibilities. “It shows that we’re serious,” a rep for Nancy Pelosi said at the time. “There will not be earmarks in this bill.” But the plant is getting stimulus cash after all—$1 billion of it, Politico reports. More»