Tag Archives: Acting Director

Articles of Interest

Liberal Columnist Blames GOP For Boston Bombings, Then Backs Off

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By Breaking News

While most of the country watched in horror yesterday as rescue workers tried to help the victims of the bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof fired off a tweet to suggest that Senate Republicans are at least partially responsible because they have blocked the confirmation of President Obama’s controversial appointment, B. Todd Jones, to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Jones has served as Acting Director since January.

The reaction was immediate and negative, so Kristof then issued a second tweet to take back what he said.

The bombings were a terrible tragedy, leaving at least 3 dead and 144 injured, according to Fox News. But instead of joining with his fellow Americans in praying for those affected by the blast, Kristof chose to use it to make a political point—and a bad one at that. Even if the ATF had a permanent director, it is unlikely that yesterday’s bombings could have been prevented. And what did Kristof know about the bombings at the time of his tweet? Nothing.

Kristof has since deleted the original tweet.

This article originally appeared at AIM.org and is reprinted here with permission. 

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From: http://www.westernjournalism.com/liberal-columnist-blames-gop-for-boston-bombings-then-backs-off/

White House Press Office

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, OMB Acting Director Jeffrey Zients, CEA Chairman Alan Krueger, NEC Director Gene Sperling, and Director of Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz on the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget, 4/10/13

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By The White House


South Court Auditorium
Eisenhower Executive Office Building
12:43 P.M. EDT
MR. CARNEY: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here. As you know, the President announced today from the Rose Garden that he has submitted — or is submitting his budget to Congress. And you heard him make the very important point that his number-one priority is what it has always been, which is economic growth and job creation that strengthens the middle class.

He also made the very important point that you can grow the economy and strengthen the middle class, and reduce our deficits in a responsible way. You can do both. That’s what he has been doing. As you know, he signed into law $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction, two-thirds of that coming from spending cuts. And the budget he presents today would further reduce the deficit over 10 years by more than $1.8 trillion.

I have with me today four members, top members of the President’s team to discuss the budget with you. I will begin with Jeff Zients, who is the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget. He will then introduce the other participants, and I will remain to field your questions after they make their presentations.

Thank you.

MR. ZIENTS: Thanks, Jay. And good afternoon, everybody. I’m going to do a quick overview of the major components of deficit reduction and the budget, and then I’m going to turn it to Alan to review the economic assumptions, and Gene and Cecilia to walk us through some of the investments and other policy highlights.

As Jay said, the main message of the President’s budget is that we can make critical investments that strengthen the middle class, create jobs, and grow the economy while continuing to reduce the deficit in a balanced way. We can do both balanced deficit reduction and jobs investments.

On the left hand side, in terms of balanced deficit reduction, the budget builds off the deficit reduction achieved to date, and it includes the President’s fiscal cliff compromise offer to Speaker Boehner from last December. Importantly, the budget replaces the indiscriminate cuts of the sequester with balanced deficit reduction. So it turns the sequester off.

At the same time, the President’s budget proposes important job investments to enhance economic growth through skills and competitiveness and in investments in education and R&D. All of these investments are fully paid for, so the investments do not add a dime to the deficit.

On deficit reduction, over the past couple of years, Democrats and Republicans have worked together to cut the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion. Here’s the breakdown of deficit reduction achieved to date: The Budget Control Act capped discretionary spending, saving over $1 trillion. Another $370 billion in savings through 2011 appropriations. The end of last year’s fiscal cliff agreement reduced the deficit by more than $600 billion.

Source: White House Press Office

White House Press Office

Letter from the President — Regarding Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism

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By The White House

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

In accordance with section 5 of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, I hereby designate for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism all funding (including the rescission of funds) so designated by the Congress in the Act pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, as outlined in the enclosed list of accounts.

The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed memorandum from the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

…read more
Source: White House Press Office

News, Politics, Government

Vice President Biden and Attorney General Holder Announce Grants to Help Reduce Domestic Violence Homicides

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By The White House

12 Cities and Counties Receive Grants as Part of New Evidence-Based Prevention Initiative

WASHINGTON, DC – Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder today announced grants to twelve programs across the country to target the urgent need to reduce domestic violence homicides. On average, three women a day die as a result of domestic violence. Research shows that women whose partner threatens them with a gun or other weapon are 20 times more likely to subsequently be murdered than other abused women. Moreover, children, coworkers, neighbors and police officers are also killed as a result of domestic violence. From 2009 to 2012, 40 percent of mass shootings—those with four or more victims killed—started with the shooter targeting their girlfriend, wife or ex-wife.

In total, the Department of Justice will award $2.3 million to twelve sites across the country as part of the new Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Demonstration Initiative (DVHP Initiative). The DVHP Initiative, created by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), helps state and local jurisdictions reduce domestic violence homicides by effectively identifying potential victims and monitoring high-risk offenders. The DVHP Initiative is modeled after programs in Massachusetts and Maryland, where the use of coordinated teams of law enforcement, prosecutors, health professionals and victims services significantly reduced the domestic violence homicide rate.

“Every single day in America, three women die at the hands of their boyfriend, or their husband, or their ex-husband. Many of these women have been threatened or severely abused in the past. We know what risk factors put someone in greater danger of being killed by the person they love – and that also means we have the opportunity to step in and try to prevent these murders. That’s why these grants are so important. They’ll help stop violence before it turns deadly,” said Vice President Biden.

“Domestic violence is a devastating crime – and it claims far too many lives each and every day,” said Attorney General Holder. “With today’s grant announcement, we are strengthening our ability to fight back more effectively – and aggressively – than ever before. And we’re supporting the kinds of evidence-based domestic violence homicide prevention models that will allow us to reliably predict potentially lethal behavior, take steps to stop the escalation of violence and save lives.”

The Vice President and Attorney General announced the grant awards at the Montgomery County Executive Office Building in Rockville, MD, where they were joined by dozens of Maryland law enforcement officers who have been at the forefront of domestic violence homicide prevention efforts in that state.

“While the statistics seem overwhelming, we are not helpless in the face of these terrible crimes,” said Acting Director of the Office on Violence Against Women Bea Hanson. “We hope this evidence-based initiative to reduce domestic violence homicide is a breakthrough in preventing murders and serious injuries across the country.”

The new DVHP Initiative is based on an assessment tool that researchers have identified that can be …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

News, Politics, Government

SEC's Move Against Illinois Stems From Its New Focus On Munis

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By Michael Bobelian, Contributor

Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Illinois with securities fraud for misleading municipal bond holders about the scope of its pension obligations.  “Time after time, Illinois failed to inform its bond investors about the risk to its financial condition posed by the structural underfunding of its pension system,” said George S. Canellos, Acting Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest