Obama ‘Exasperated’ By ‘Unnecessary’ Government Shutdown

@AFP

Washington (AFP) – President Barack Obama said Wednesday he was “exasperated” by a government shutdown but would not negotiate with Republicans until they agree to fund federal operations with no conditions.

“Absolutely I am exasperated, because this is entirely unnecessary,” Obama said in an interview with CNBC.

Obama said the crisis could be solved quickly if House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner called a vote on a bill to fund the government, stripped of provisions designed to gut his health care bill which caused previous funding measures to die in the Senate.

He also called on Congress to vote to raise the US debt ceiling before the middle of the month, when the US government will run out of money to pay its bills in a scenario that could trigger a debt default.

“If and when … that vote takes place and the government reopens, and if and when they vote to make sure Congress pays our bills on time so America does not default on costs it’s already accrued, then I am prepared to have a reasonable, civil negotiation around a whole slew of issues,” Obama said.

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

How A Stuttering President Confronts A Right-Wing Bully

Donald Trump mocks Joe Biden’s stutter,” the headlines blare, and I am confronted (again) with (more) proof that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee hates people like me.

Keep reading...Show less
Trump at Trump Tower

Former President Donald Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan

NEW YORK, March 25 (Reuters) - Donald Trump faces a Monday deadline to post a bond to cover a $454 million civil fraud judgment or face the risk of New York state seizing some of his marquee properties.Trump, seeking to regain the presidency this year, must either pay the money out of his own pocket or post a bond while he appeals Justice Arthur Engoron's February 16 judgment against him for manipulating his net worth and his family real estate company's property values to dupe lenders and insurers.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}