Political Quick Hits: February 8th Edition
Here’s your weekly quick look at few developing stories in the political arena:
- President Obama on Monday continued to call for Congress to pass a package of new laws aimed to decrease gun violence in America. President Obama’s ban on semi-automatic weapons now looks increasingly unlikely. However, it’s believed that the Senate will now try to pass legislation which will expand background checks and limit ammunition magazines. Even though a majority of Americans support new gun control measures, the passing of any new measures faces an uphill battle in Congress (CNN)
- On Tuesday, President Obama called on Congress to pass a short-term solution to deal with the major automatic spending cuts which are set to hit the Pentagon and other federal programs/agencies March 1st. President Obama wants to replace them temporarily with a new debt-reduction package that includes new tax revenue. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday also said the recent Congressional spending battles in the past two years have helped shrink record budget deficits but have also slowed down economic growth. (Washington Post)
- President Obama nominated Sally Jewell to be the next Interior Secretary. Jewell is president and CEO of outdoor company, REI. Jewell, a native of Great Britain, has won numerous environmental awards and also is a member of several boards, including for the National Parks Conservation Association and Initiative for Global Development. Jewell is expected to be easily confirmed. The Interior Secretary oversees the health and conservation of the nation’s public lands. (USA TODAY)
- The postmaster general announced on Wednesday that the U.S. Postal Service intends to stop Saturday delivery of most mailers, letters, and catalogs in August to help with their budget issues. Packages, mail-order medicines, priority and express mail would still be delivered on Saturday under these changes. This decision is coming under heavy criticism from many including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who said he questions the “legality” of the decision. (CBS News)
- Finally, the State of the Union is on Tuesday, tune into youngvoterlive.com as we host #BarackTalk, an open forum for youth activists and citizens to address the most important political topics of 2013.
