Thread: Obama ‘cannot guarantee’ benefits checks will be paid if debt deal isn’t reached

Democrats Vote To Deny Veteran Pensions And Protect Illegal Alien Welfare Checks
In a “smash you head against the wall” frustrating kind of way, the Democrats of the Senate have chosen to give hard earned tax payer money to freeloaders rather than those who deserve and have paid their dues. Democrats have denied giving money back to veteran pensions because the proposed budget change would take away from illegal alien welfare funds.

Yesterday we reported that Obama signed a budget that effectively took away from our veterans on a yearly basis. Basically what happened is the cost of living was supposed to be raised only a percentage of the normal rate to veterans as their pensions were paid. It came out to the rise in inflation minus one percent—costing each veteran thousands over the span of their pensions. It was proposed to save $7 billion dollars over the next ten years.

Trying to remedy this fact, Republicans scrambled to come up with a solution. One solution they thought perfectly clear would be to take away from the fund we use to give away free money to the lazy who just don’t feel like working—people on welfare.

http://www.mrconservative.com/2013/1...elfare-checks/

Roll Call :

Obama says he cannot guarantee Social Security checks will go out on August 3
July 27, 2016

President Obama on Tuesday said he cannot guarantee that retirees will receive their Social Security checks August 3 if Democrats and Republicans in Washington do not reach an agreement on reducing the deficit in the coming weeks.

“I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven’t resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it,” Mr. Obama said in an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley, according to excerpts released by CBS News.

The Obama administration and many economists have warned of economic catastrophe if the United States does not raise the amount it is legally allowed to borrow by August 2.

Lawmakers from both parties want to use the threat of that deadline to work out a broader package on long-term deficit reduction, with Republicans looking to cut trillions of dollars in federal spending, while Democrats are pushing for a more “balanced approach,” which would include both spending cuts and increased revenue through taxes.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers are expected to hold another round of negotiations with Mr. Obama at the White House Tuesday afternoon on long-term deficit reduction, though talks have yielded little results to date.

Mr. Obama told Pelley “this is not just a matter of Social Security checks. These are veterans checks, these are folks on disability and their checks. There are about 70 million checks that go out.”

More from the interview:

Mr. Obama’s comments followed remarks from the Senate’s top Republican, who said Tuesday that he did not see a way for Republicans and Democrats to come to agreement on meaningful deficit reduction as long as Mr. Obama remains in office.

“After years of discussions and months of negotiations, I have little question that as long as this president is in the Oval Office, a real solution is probably unattainable,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in remarks on the Senate floor.

Still, McConnell said Republicans would “do the responsible thing” to avoid default, suggesting that a deal on the debt ceiling could be reached without a “real” deficit reduction package.

“The president has presented us with three choices: smoke and mirrors, tax hikes, or default. Republicans choose none of the above. I had hoped to do good, but I refuse to do harm. So Republicans will choose a path that actually reflects the will of the people, which is to do the responsible thing and ensure that the government doesn’t default on its obligations,” he said.

Mr. Obama has repeatedly said he wants a deal that would allow the U.S. to avoid confronting the issue again until after the 2012 elections and vowed on Monday that he would “not sign a 30-day or a 60-day or a 90-day extension.”

“This the United States of America and, you know, we don’t manage our affairs in three-month increments. You know, we don’t risk U.S. default on our obligations because we can’t put politics aside,” Mr. Obama told reporters at the White House yesterday.

http://endingthefed.com/obama-says-h...-august-3.html

See also http://thehill.com/homenews/administ...-be-sent-aug-3

Obama warns Social Security checks might not be sent Aug. 3
By Sam Youngman - 07/12/11 08:15 PM EDT

President Obama upped the ante in the ongoing debt-ceiling debate Tuesday, telling CBS News that without raising the ceiling, he can't guarantee that Social Security checks will be sent Aug. 3.

"I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3 if we haven't resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it," Obama said.

White House press secretary Jay Carney refused to speak on the interview, which is set to air Tuesday night, but he agreed that if the Aug. 2 deadline to raise the ceiling isn't met, "we can't guarantee if there were a default that any specific bill would be paid."

The Treasury Department has said that lawmakers must raise the debt ceiling by that date to avoid a default.
Carney warned again that Aug. 2 is a "hard and fast and real deadline," saying that even though the talks appear to have gone off the rails, "we're in the 'matter of days' phase of these negotiations."

Obama told CBS that more than just Social Security payouts would be endangered if no deal could be reached.

"These are veterans checks, these are folks on disability and their checks," the president said. "There are about 70 million checks that go out."

The White House is pushing hard for a deal that would give Congress time to craft and pass legislation in time to avoid default. But developments this week have illustrated just how far apart the two parties are.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers are scheduled to return to the White House Tuesday afternoon for more talks.

Carney also rejected the idea put forth by Republicans that the debt ceiling is not their problem.

"It is not a Democratic problem. It is not a Republican problem," Carney said. "It is an American problem, and it is something we have to do together.

"The president doesn't have a vote in this. Congress has to act."