All Monitor Breakfast
How Reince Priebus is trying to position the GOP for big wins in NovemberReince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, discusses efforts to move his organization away from being a ' 'U-Haul' trailer of cash' for presidential nominees.
Election 2014 could be year of the 'anti-incumbent,' pollsters sayAt a time when Congress is 'universally despised,' the climate for Election 2014 could be especially unfavorable for incumbents, more than anti-Democrat or anti-Republican, Celinda Lake of the bipartisan Battleground Poll said March 25.
Voters pessimistic about the economy, positive about pot, new poll saysThe Battleground Poll of registered voters, produced by a pollster from each party, found anger at incumbents in Congress, pessimism about the economy,聽and more openness to legalizing pot.
Republican chairman predicts 'tsunami' victory in NovemberReince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, outlined Tuesday how the GOP is expanding its presence in minority communities and emphasizing issues like Obamacare.
Why Rep. Dave Camp rolled out tax reform plan in an election yearGOP Rep. Dave Camp wants his recently unveiled tax reform plan to bring simplicity to a US tax code that is '10 times the size of the Bible with none of the good news.' It won't get traction this election year, but it starts the conversation.
Sen. Bob Corker 'disappointed' in US handling of Syrian humanitarian crisisAt a Monitor Breakfast, Sen. Bob Corker, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also expressed concern about the situation in Ukraine.
Skimpy pay raises for federal workers a worry for Obama budget directorObama's fiscal 2015 budget calls for a 1 percent raise for federal workers. Recent years have been worse, with pay freezes. There's no 'crash' yet in workforce quality, but OMB Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell worries it could happen.
Top GOP taxwriter pushes overhaul of tax code: We can't 'afford to wait'Top GOP taxwriter Dave Camp aims to simplify the massive US tax code to promote growth. He says he's aware of the political risks, especially in an election year, and is willing to take them.
Union defeat at VW plant: NLRB shouldn't muzzle community leaders, Corker saysAt a wide-ranging Monitor Breakfast meeting with reporters, Bob Corker, the ranking senator on the Foreign Relations Committee, also voiced concern over Russia and Ukraine.
CBO chief: Partisan slings and arrows are of no effect on its reportsThe White House didn't like the recent Congressional Budget Office report showing that a $10 minimum wage would cost the economy 500,000 jobs. Director Douglas Elmendorf defends both the report and the CBO's work in hyperpartisan times.- Minimum wage hike would cost 500,000 jobs? CBO director defends the estimate.A number of economists from the White House and beyond have criticized a CBO report on the effects of potentially boosting the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. But CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf isn鈥檛 backing off.
Obama adviser: 'Some optimism' for expecting US economy to strengthenGene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, hopes Republicans' tactic of contesting each increase of the national debt ceiling is permanently 'off the table.' He also offers cautious hope that the economy will keep improving.- No debt ceiling crisis? Obama economic adviser sees investment boon.A boost to long-term investment in the US may result, now that Congress appears poised to raise the national debt ceiling without provoking another showdown, says Gene Sperling of Obama's National Economic Council.
Immigration reform: a link between path to citizenship and better economy?'Economic logic' indicates that a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants would be good for the US economy, Jason Furman, chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, said at a recent Monitor Breakfast.聽- Obama adviser: Charges of class warfare are 'hyperventilation' by the richThe president鈥檚 top economist, Jason Furman, at a Monitor-hosted breakfast,聽also offered an upbeat assessment for the US economy in 2014 and for passage of a debt-ceiling increase.
Robert Gates: US should give Iraq 'wide range of military assistance'But US military aid for Iraq should be contingent on evidence that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is reaching out to Sunnis, says former Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Iraq's government is lately battling attacks from聽Al Qaeda-linked insurgents.聽
AT&T CEO: To reduce income inequality, spur business investmentTop strategy for stimulating the economy is to cut the tax rate for businesses, says AT&T chief Randall Stephenson, who joined Business Roundtable president John Engler at a recent Monitor Breakfast. An invigorated economy would help narrow the rich-poor gap, he adds.- Robert Gates: In Iraq, US achieved its 'minimal objectives'Meeting with reporters Friday, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the US聽accomplished what it intended to in Iraq, but thinks it could push the leadership to do a better job governing the Sunnis.
- CEOs say 'a growing pie' should be US economic policy goal in 2014AT&T's Randall Stephenson, chairman of the Business Roundtable, said US economic growth has been 'substandard,' and could be much higher. He called for tax reform and immigration reform to help drive investment.
Poverty plays role in ho-hum global ranking of US students, educator says'Things like poverty ... really matter,' Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, says in assessing results of international student achievement tests. To do better, the US needs to value public education more, she adds.