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 The President Made A Commitment - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 8/3/09 — Monday, August 03, 2009 —  Q Thanks, Robert. The President has been pretty clear he wants to cut the deficit in half within a decade; he wants a health care overhaul that's deficit-neutral; and during the campaign he promised no tax increase on the middle class. Is there a point where you just say two out of three of these ain't bad? And can you get everything done, all three of these done?MR. GIBBS: The President is committed to doing those things. The President was clear in the campaign about that. I think in some ways those goals overlap. We're not going to make progress on the deficit without dealing with health care. So some of those goals actually work in tandem. I don't think we're going to get the deficit under -- begin to get the deficit under better control until we get the economy moving again. In order to get -- lay that new foundation, the President strongly believes that health care reform is important. The President was clear during the campaign about his commitment on not raising taxes on middle-class families. And I don't think any economist would believe that in the environment that we're in raising taxes on middle-class families would make any sense, and the President agrees. Q Then why didn't Secretary Geithner and Dr. Summers say that they would not raise taxes on those families? MR. GIBBS: Well, having -- I did not watch the shows; I read some of the transcripts -- I think they allowed themselves to get into a little bit of a hypothetical back and forth. I will say this, and I think this is important for all of us to understand, and we've talked about this issue throughout the team that we've been here: We do have big, structural deficits that are going to have to be dealt with in order to meet the President's commitment of cutting this deficit in half and getting us back on a path toward fiscal responsibility. That there's no question about. And I think what they both talked about was, one, we're not going to have -- we're not going to be able to sustain any sort of economic recovery unless or until we do have a path toward fiscal responsibility. But they also said that that shouldn't be done in a -- as a way of burdening middle-class families. So I think the President's commitment on this is clear. We have a lot of big challenges. We're already looking at ways to cut wasteful spending. As part of health care reform, the President has identified half a trillion dollars in spending that he thinks can be cut. We've worked just in the past two weeks on a bipartisan basis to look at a program like the F-22 and cut some of that wasteful spending out of the budget as well. [...] Q Robert, in terms of what Geithner and Summers had to say yesterday, it really wasn't too much of a hypothetical back and forth. It was about the -- do they think it's possible to do deficit reduction. But that's not a -- that's -- MR. GIBBS: Well, we can quibble about whether the word "possible" -- Q No, that's not what the word "hypothetical" -- is it possible to do everything the President wants to do without increasing revenues from the middle class? MR. GIBBS: Right, and I want to just state again clearly here that the President has made a very clear commitment to not raise taxes on middle-class families, period. Q But if economists, including the President's own economists, don't necessarily think that it's possible to do so without raising taxes on the middle class, how is that dealing candidly with the American people? MR. GIBBS: Well, again, Jake, there are a series of things that have to be done. I think you'll actually hear an announcement from Treasury later this afternoon about how much money has to be borrowed versus what they thought was going to have to be borrowed and what will have to be borrowed as a result of financial stabilization. In terms of cutting the amount of money that's needed, again, I think the President has been clear on this. The first thing that we can do -- the most important thing that we can do right now is get our economy growing again. We know that the deficit -- part of the reason that the deficit is up right now is that the economy has slowed down so much that tax revenues -- because it's what happens in an economic slowdown -- have regressed a lot. I think the President -- obviously we're going to have to make some decisions down the road on some of the President's legislative priorities and some of the things that Congress wants to do to evaluate how we move back towards -- on a path toward fiscal sustainability. Q So did Geithner and Summers go off script or were they sort of testing the temperature out there of what something like this would -- MR. GIBBS: I don't know. I know the President has been clear about his commitment on it. Q So there is no -- there's no real scenario there, as the administration sees it, where middle-class taxpayers might be hit with a hike? There's no scenario right now -- MR. GIBBS: The President has been clear, very clear. Q Could I make that even a little more precise? The President, as you well know, is -- not just middle class, but he's been very precise about it: no family -- MR. GIBBS: Let me be precise. Q Go ahead. MR. GIBBS: Let me be precise: The President's clear commitment is not to raise taxes on those making less than $250,000 a year. Q So any implication anybody drew from Geithner and Summers yesterday to the contrary is flatly wrong? MR. GIBBS: I think the President has been clear. I think you heard him reiterate it not that long ago right outside this room in the Rose Garden. Q But you can understand why people took what they said yesterday as Geithner and Summers trying to open the door a little bit? MR. GIBBS: Well, I hope you'll take my reiteration of his clear commitment as an update. Q So they were not -- the door is closed? They did not open the door at all? MR. GIBBS: I am reiterating the President's clear commitment in the clearest terms possible, that he's not raising taxes on those who make less than $250,000 a year. Q Did he speak to them about the fact that they did raise this little bit of a -- MR. GIBBS: We talked about a number of economic issues this morning in the Oval Office as part of the daily briefing. Q So is everybody going to be on message now, that absolutely no tax cuts [sic] for families -- MR. GIBBS: Promising that everybody is going to be on message may be a bar that's too high for me to leap over. Q But that's the goal -- everybody is on -- MR. GIBBS: The goal is to get the economy moving again. The goal is to get our government back on -- Q Without any tax cut [sic] for any family making less than $250,000 -- MR. GIBBS: Our goal is to get our government back on a path toward fiscal sustainability; to lay the long-term foundation for economic growth. And let's also -- one point that I forget that I think is important in this: Within the very first month of the President taking office, 95 percent of Americans received a tax cut. That's everybody in the middle class. The President ran because for eight long years the middle class had borne the brunt of bad economic policies. Even when jobs were being created, even when you saw positive economic growth, for the very first time in our history you actually saw wages for the middle class decline. That's one of the reasons that led the President of the United States to want to run for President of the United States: to protect the middle class, to cut their taxes -- which he did -- and to make sure that their voices were heard in the economic policymaking of this country. Q The door is not open even a millimeter on raising taxes? MR. GIBBS: I hope you'll take seriously what I said. [...] Q Just to clarify, is this confusion on the tax thing -- this is something that Summers and Geithner maybe got caught up in hypothetical questions? Or is this a media interpretation? I mean, who is -- MR. GIBBS: I think a confluence of some of that stuff, sure. [...] Q Were you in the morning meeting on the economic topics you talked about a moment ago? MR. GIBBS: Yes. Q Who else was there? Was Mr. Geithner and Mr. Summers there, I guess? MR. GIBBS: They were there; Peter Orszag, Rahm Emanuel, Anita Dunn. Q Did the President bring up what was discussed in the Sunday talk shows, or did Mr. Summers and Mr. Geithner volunteer -- MR. GIBBS: I don't believe -- Q -- did either one of them volunteer the hypothetical back-and-forth characterization -- MR. GIBBS: I'm sorry, what? Q Did either one of them explain -- MR. GIBBS: No, I made that up all by myself. Q That's how you interpreted it, as a hypothetical back and forth? MR. GIBBS: Well, I read the transcript a few times. And I do think that -- yes, I think there was some -- Q Did the President seek an explanation from either Mr. Summers or Mr. Geithner about what they were trying to do? MR. GIBBS: We talked about it as an issue, but we didn't -- it wasn't sort of -- this wasn't a, you know, like "school is in" type of thing. Q Or a woodshed type of thing? MR. GIBBS: Right. No. [...] Q Robert, not to belabor the tax thing, but when the President was talking to the team this morning, did he say to Geithner and Summers: You guys should not have left this open, it should have been clearer? MR. GIBBS: No. We talked about this going forward. And there were -- Dr. Romer talked about the recent numbers on international manufacturing. Q But did the President reiterate his position on middle-class taxes? MR. GIBBS: Yes. Q In that -- Q In that meeting -- to them? MR. GIBBS: To all of them. Q To make sure there was no confusion? MR. GIBBS: Yes. [...] Q Just to close a loop on taxes, is there any time -- MR. GIBBS: I was pretty sure I did that by at least the end of the second row, but -- (laughter.) Q I want to take one last crack at you. MR. GIBBS: Okay. Q Is there any time limit to -- because one of the things you said to the front row -- MR. GIBBS: This is the hypothetical game I'm not -- again the President -- Q No, but you said in this -- in this environment -- MR. GIBBS: I'm going to say this. I'm going to deal with this and I'll do this one more time. The President was clear; he made a commitment in the campaign; that commitment stands. Q And he will never raise taxes on -- MR. GIBBS: That commitment stands. Q But commitment doesn't mean he'll do it, Robert. I mean, I can be committed to losing -- MR. GIBBS: What else are you going ask then? You asked if the President is going to make his commitment. I'm saying he's made a commitment. Q But that's not completely shutting the door. You can say I'm committed to doing something, but you may not do it. MR. GIBBS: Fine. Ignore everything I've said in the last 45 minutes. Bill. Q Robert, back on health care, yesterday -- MR. GIBBS: If you don't trust what I'm going to tell you, then I don't know why we do this. Q Well, you keep using that "commitment" word -- if someone says yes or no -- is he closing -- MR. GIBBS: The President made a commitment in the campaign. The President made a commitment in the campaign, he's clear about that commitment, and he's going to keep it. I don't know much more clear about the commitment I can be. Q Then why didn't Geithner and Summers say it? MR. GIBBS: They left it to me. (Laughter.) Bill. Elections | Health Care | President Obama | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner | White House Press Corps Labels: Elections, Health Care, President Obama, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 11:53:00 PM  The Details Are Less Important - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 6/25/09 — Sunday, June 28, 2009 — MR. GIBBS: Let me go to Laura real fast. Yes. Q On the energy bill, what is the President or the White House's view on this provision that's come up regarding punishing imports from China and other countries that do not have similar controls on their carbon emissions? And sort of as a corollary to that, how important are the details of this actual bill right now, or is it more important just to get sort of anything out of the House? MR. GIBBS: Well, I've seen very little -- something but not in any detailed way, and we can look through something relating to I think some of these Ways and Means provisions. Again, I haven't -- I have not focused in on that. I think in terms of your larger picture, look, obviously getting something through -- onto the floor and through the House would constitute I think a big step towards progress and create momentum that it's possible to get this done. I think we are at a time and a place where, as the President said today, those that can deny that the planet is getting warmer -- we're past, in many ways, that debate. We have an opportunity to create millions of clean energy jobs. We have an opportunity to further lessen our dependence on foreign oil. And all of that together represents -- would represent a big step forward, and I think the President believes that that would be an important facet of getting something ultimately to his desk that he can sign. Q So, really, the details are less important than just moving the process forward? MR. GIBBS: Well, I mean -- I think obviously the fundamental details are important. I think moving the bill forward is tremendously important. And I think this is the first of quite a few steps, and I would assume that some of those details will be debated even -- will be debated further as this goes to the other side of the Hill and then ultimately when both bodies iron out whatever differences exist. Congress | Global Warming | Legislation | Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Congress, Global Warming, Legislation, Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 1:34:00 AM This Conversation Is A Little Silly - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 5/7/09 — Thursday, May 07, 2009 —  (Chart not to scale due to Spending) MR. GIBBS: Chip. Q When you and the President both are questioned on spending and deficits, you often say the previous administration and the deficits that you inherited. But even that previous administration last year proposed bigger budget cuts than this from discretionary spending. Wouldn't you at least want to exceed what they -- what their goals were? MR. GIBBS: Well, no, no, no. I would reject that notion simply -- again, based on what we proposed this week. I don't think the previous administration sought to close tax loopholes for offshore tax havens at $210 billion. I don't think the previous administration entered into contract and procurement reform that we believe will save tens of billions of dollars -- legislation that's going through the Senate right now. Q That's a pretty good answer. MR. GIBBS: Not bad. Next. (Laughter.) Q But how is -- staying on this a minute -- (laughter) --the President said the following: "During these difficult economic times, Americans are tightening their belts and making tough decisions about where they need to spend." One half of one percent -- how is this truly a tough decision and a tightening of the belt? Why not say, you know what, we're going to do 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent? No, but you want to have a money argument, but the percentage doesn't matter. People are cutting back their spending by 10 percent, companies are cutting -- MR. GIBBS: NBC? Q -- by 5 percent. Trust me, no -- MR. GIBBS: The stock of GE? Q A lot of -- a lot of companies are cutting back by real numbers. One half of one percent doesn't strike us as a real number. MR. GIBBS: Well, I'd -- do this. Let's do this. Let's you and I walk out on the street today. Let's interview maybe a dozen people and ask them whether they think $17 billion is a lot of money. I'm free right after this. Let's go -- Q You're a political guy. You can ask the question. Q And then ask them do they think one half of one percent -- one half of one percent is a lot of money. MR. GIBBS: We can do that. And then let's ask them if $210 billion, which the President proposed on Monday, is a lot of money, or a hundred and some billion dollars in changes to insurance company middlemen as part of Medicare is a lot of money, or contracting and procurement reform in our weapons system is a lot of money. Let's ask them if cutting the budget deficit in half over two years -- over four years is a lot of money. Q Do you still stand by that projection, by the way? Because all of the others -- MR. GIBBS: No, no, don't stand by that -- it's not my projection, Chuck. Q No, it's your -- but budget projections have changed, GDP has changed, unemployment -- tax revenues that are coming in. Do you really still think you can actually cut the deficit in half? MR. GIBBS: Don't believe me saying it. Don't believe me. Simply go up to Congress, go to the Congressional Budget Office, and ask them for the scoring on the budget that passed the House and the Senate. I'm happy for you to go -- don't believe me; go ask the people that keep the score on this, Chuck. I'm simply saying -- Q No, wait a minute. You guys have not changed your -- but the projections get changed in July, do they not, on the budget? MR. GIBBS: There will be a mid-session economic review based on where the economy is. But, look, Chuck, if you're willing to predict where the economy is in July, any of us would be happy to take notes. Q Really quick, does the President support this economic commission that's passed Congress, both Houses? It's got to come to the President's signature. Is he going to support that, even though it's not a bipartisan split; it's a 60-40 -- MR. GIBBS: Six to four. I haven't asked them specifically to evaluate the legislation, but I'm sure if it landed on his desk the President would sign it. Jonathan. Q This conversation is a little silly because in fact he's not cutting $17 billion -- MR. GIBBS: I want to defend both Chucks -- (laughter) and say I don't think it's silly. Q But he's not cutting $17 billion. He's cutting programs worth $17 billion, but there are more than $17 billion worth of expansion, expanded programs, and new programs. There isn't a $17 billion cut from projected budget cuts. MR. GIBBS: Well, there's 17 -- I'll go back and look at the transcript. You just said there are not $17 billion in cuts; there's $17 billion in cuts to programs. Q Right. Q It's not net. Q It's not net, right. Q Not net. MR. GIBBS: No, I get where he's going. Again, the budget is cut -- not based on what I say; what the Congressional Budget Office says -- the budget deficit is cut in half in four years. That's a net, that's an actual cut in spending by the government. Budget | Congressional Budget Office | Legislation | Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Budget, Legislation, Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:22:00 PM Lowering Corporate Taxes By Raising Them - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 5/4/09 — Monday, May 04, 2009 —  Q When the President had a Q&A session with the Business Roundtable, this idea, the tax proposals he's introduced today, came up. And one of the questioners said, Mr. President, would you consider, as you evaluate this policy, reducing corporate income tax rates -- because there is an economic argument that one of the reasons these tax havens flourish is to avoid higher corporate income tax rates around the globe, particularly in the U.S. The President said he would take it under consideration. It's not here today. Can we therefore assume we're not going to see any proposals from this White House on lowering corporate income tax rates anytime soon?MR. GIBBS: Well, I think what the President has laid out here would lower corporate taxes because for 10 years we are instituting certainty in the research and development tax credit. Businesses will pay less taxes by taking advantage of that. But as I said a minute ago, the President believes this is a down payment on tax reform and I think the President would be -- I think the reason the President said he would take that under advisement is the President believes that closing loopholes and using that to bring down the corporate tax rate is exactly what he has in mind. But what that requires is a closing of the loopholes and the tax havens that you talk about that companies are taking advantage of to put money elsewhere to avoid paying taxes here. Q Chairman Baucus said that this needs further study to assess the impact on the plan -- of the plan on U.S. businesses. Mitch McConnell said, I can't endorse a plan that gives preferential treatment to foreign companies at the expense of U.S.-based companies and the 52 million people they employ. At least at this level of bipartisanship, there appears to be some more that Congress would like to learn about this than it presently knows. How do you answer that? MR. GIBBS: Well, we are fortunate that Congress has to the power to call hearings and investigate the topic, but we're happy to have a long discussion about the fairness of tax havens and tax loopholes that let companies avoid paying the taxes -- taxes like you and I pay each day -- and instead reward companies that are investing right here and creating jobs in America. Congress | Legislation | Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Congress, Legislation, Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:46:00 PM Handing Out Tea - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 4/15/09 — Friday, April 17, 2009 —  Q Robert, on taxes, the President can say with justification that he hasn’t raised taxes on anyone making less than $200,000 --MR. GIBBS: No, the President can say with much justification that he’s cut taxes for the largest number of -- Q Not only not raised them, he’s cut them, okay. Okay. MR. GIBBS: Let’s not -- I don’t know if you are handing out tea, but I just want to -- (laughter.) Q My question is that -- is that pledge to not raise taxes on the 95 percent of working families, is that a kind of "read my lips" pledge going forwards? Because the reason I ask this is that the tea party people say it’s no so much they feel that he’s taxing them now, but they’re worried in the future to pay for all these programs he’s simply going to have to raise taxes on the vast majority of people. And even the tax hikes that he sent up on the wealthy to Congress -- to pay for health care, for instance -- had been rejected. So the question is, you know, where else are you going to get the money. I'm wondering if this is a kind of "read my lips" pledge going forward that he will never raise taxes to pay for any program on the 95 percent of working families. MR. GIBBS: Well, whether this is a "read my lips" or however -- it’s a statement and a promise that the President has made. Q But not just up until this point, but going forward -- MR. GIBBS: He didn’t say, I make this promise at or until April 15th of 2009. I think you can assure people across the street that that's not the case. Q Okay, but you're saying that he will not -- MR. GIBBS: I would restate what he said in the campaign, and that is he won’t raise taxes on people that make above $250,000 a year. Q Below. MR. GIBBS: I’m sorry, below. See? (Laughter.) You've even confused me. (Laughter.) Now I'm all flummoxed. Again, I can’t speak to what you said in terms of this notion that people are more concerned about -- they’re not actually concerned about what’s happened now, but they’re concerned about what could happen in the future. Again, I would encourage you to go out there and ask them about the tax cuts that they’ve already gotten. Q Well, I'm not disputing that. I'm talking about -- and I'm not talking about just the tea party people. But when people see Congress saying, okay, we don’t want to eliminate the tax deductions for the wealthy to pay for health care, the question is where else is this money going to come from. MR. GIBBS: I don’t know how much polling NPR has done; I've certainly seen it from other organizations that denote even this week healthy support among the American people for those that make above $250,000 a year to pay more in taxes. Q But that's not my question. I'm talking about is he confident that he can stick to his pledge -- MR. GIBBS: He is. Q -- and not raise taxes. Okay. MR. GIBBS: He is. President Obama | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: President Obama, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 2:29:00 PM Making Work Pay Government - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 4/14/09 — Wednesday, April 15, 2009 —  Q Thanks, Robert. Tomorrow is tax day and a number of conservative groups are organizing these so called "tea parties" across the country; there are going to be grassroots uprising revolts against the administration's policies so far. Is the President aware that these are going on and do you have any reaction to this?MR. GIBBS: I don't know if the President is aware of the events. I think the President will use tomorrow as a day to have an event here at the White House to signal the important steps in the economic recovery and reinvestment plan that cut taxes for 95 percent of working families in America, just as the President proposed doing; cuts in taxes and tax credits for the creation of clean energy jobs. We'll use tomorrow to highlight individual and instances in families that have seen their taxes cut and I think America can be -- Americans will see more money in their pockets as a direct result of the Making Work Pay tax cut that the President both campaigned on and passed through Congress. Q Is anyone monitoring these or kind of paying attention to what's coming out? MR. GIBBS: I've neither monitored them nor spoken with the Spanish about them. (Laughter.) Democracy | President Obama | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Democracy, President Obama, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:46:00 PM Charity Begins With Higher Taxes - Press Conference by the President 3/24/09 — Wednesday, March 25, 2009 —  THE PRESIDENT: Mike Allen, Politico. Hi, Mike.Q Thank you, Mr. President. Are you reconsidering your plan to cut the interest rate deduction for mortgages and for charities? And do you regret having proposed that in the first place? THE PRESIDENT: No, I think it's -- I think it's the right thing to do, where we've got to make some difficult choices. Here's what we did with respect to tax policy. What we said was, that over the last decade, the average worker, the average family have seen their wages and incomes flat. Even at times where supposedly we were in the middle of an economic boom, as a practical matter, their incomes didn't go up. And so what we said, let's give them a tax cut, let's give them some relief, some help -- 95 percent of American families. Now, for the top 5 percent, they're the ones who typically saw huge gains in their income. I fall in that category. And what we've said is for those folks, let's not renew the Bush tax cuts, so let's go back to the rates that existed back in -- during the Clinton era when wealthy people were still wealthy and doing just fine; and let's look at the level in which people can itemize their deductions. And what we've said is let's go back to the rate that existed under Ronald Reagan. People are still going to be able to make charitable contributions. It just means, if you give $100 and you're in this tax bracket, at a certain point, instead of being able write off 36 or 39 percent, you're writing off 28 percent. Now, if it's really a charitable contribution, I'm assuming that that shouldn't be a determining factor as to whether you're given that $100 to the homeless shelter down the street. And so this provision would affect about 1 percent of the American people. They would still get deductions. It's just that they wouldn't be able to write off 39 percent. In that sense, what it would do is it would equalize -- when I give $100, I'd get the same amount of deduction as when some -- a bus driver, who's making $50,000 a year, or $40,000 a year gives that same $100. Right now he gets 28 percent -- he gets to write off 28 percent; I get to write off 39 percent. I don't think that's fair. So I think this was a good idea. I think it is a realistic way for us to raise some revenue from people who benefited enormously over the last several years. It's not going to cripple them; they'll still be well-to-do. And ultimately, if we're going to tackle the serious problems that we've got, then in some cases those who are more fortunate are going to have to pay a little bit more. Q But it's not the well-to-do people, it's the charities. Given what you just said, are you confident the charities are wrong when they contend that this would discourage giving? THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I am. I mean, if you look at the evidence, there's very little evidence that this has a significant impact on charitable giving. I'll tell you what has a significant impact on charitable giving, is a financial crisis in an economy that's contracting. And so the most important thing that I can do for charitable giving is to fix the economy; to get banks lending again, to get businesses opening their doors again, and to get people back to work again. Then I think charities will do just fine. Charity | President Obama | Presidential Press Conference | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Charity, President Obama, Presidential Press Conference, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 1:21:00 PM Willing To Listen But Not Reconsider - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 3/5/09 — Friday, March 06, 2009 —  MR. GIBBS: Jake.Q Senator Baucus, who obviously will play an important role in the formulation of health care policy, said that he has concerns, it's an issue, the tax increase that you guys are proposing when it comes to itemized deductions. You've said everything is on the table when it comes to health care. Are you willing to consider a different revenue stream than that tax increase to fund health care? MR. GIBBS: Well, I do think all issues are on the table. Obviously that was a major -- a major part of the event today, and the ideas that we hope will be gathered from it. Let's, though, just discuss the -- I assume you're talking about the charitable contribution -- Q The itemized deductions for mortgage and -- MR. GIBBS: I mean, a middle-class family donates a dollar to charity, they get 15 cents off their income tax; Bill Gates donates a dollar to charity, he takes 35 cents off his income tax. The proposal that the White House has would simply reduce those levels to the same levels that we saw during the Reagan administration. So I think certainly that's important to understand. But the broader issue of whether all ideas are on the table I think is one that the President brought to this and wanted to hear -- wants to hear from all of those involved as to what their ideas are. I think it's going to be important to have that free flow and that exchange of ideas, to have this debate in an open and transparent way. Q So you're willing to reconsider -- MR. GIBBS: Well, I think the President is correct in saying that he's listening to all the ideas that people bring to the table. Charity | Health Care | President Obama | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Charity, Health Care, President Obama, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:48:00 PM How Many Jobs Did Robin Hood Create - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 2/26/09 — Friday, February 27, 2009 —  Q On jobs, which is the big complaint up on Capitol Hill right now from Republicans, that this plan is a job killer, I mean, the $787 billion plan was all about jobs more than anything else, and now you've got a plan in place that -- how can you possibly tax people making over $250,000 something like $667 billion over the next 10 years and not have a downward effect on jobs? MR. GIBBS: Well, Chip, how did it work in 1994 and 1995 and 1996 and 1997? Q I guess their argument would be, imagine if they didn't have those -- those taxes, how much better it would have been? MR. GIBBS: Isn't it interesting that there's always some little slip? Again, you know -- again, I don't do this by happenstance. There isn't a member of Congress, if they were to file a single taxpayer form, that makes above $200,000 a year. Q Well, Congress. MR. GIBBS: Well –- Q There's a lot of millionaires up there. MR. GIBBS: Well, that's true. But it's on their income. I mean, I think it's interesting, as people listen to those complaining about some aspects of the budget, I think it's just interesting to note -- I think the President was pretty clear on Tuesday -- we're talking about people that earn in excess of a quarter of a million dollars a year. Q And a huge percentage of those people are small business owners. MR. GIBBS: Some of them are, sure. Some of them are big business owners. Some of them are home-run hitters in major league baseball. Some of them run kickoffs back for a living. Some of them are the President of the United States. Q But a lot of them create jobs. MR. GIBBS: Some of them -- certainly, some of them, that's what their job is. But I would reject this overall premise that when we're asking for tax fairness from the American people, that we're -- that this is going to kill jobs. I guess if I follow the logic of the Republicans on Capitol Hill, how do you explain last month's unemployment figures? Current tax rates, 550,000 jobs -- what happened? Q This is a unique moment. (Laughter.) MR. GIBBS: Apparently, it always is. The President believes that he's put forth a budget and a Reinvestment and Recovery Plan that will save and create 3.5 million jobs, get our economy back on track, make the necessary and needed investments for sustained long-term growth in things like health care, education and energy, and do so in a way that's most fair for the American people. And again, I go back to my first thing -- the President ran specifically on the promises that are contained in what he believes is a blueprint and a vision for our future. And that's what the American people -- that's the result they rendered in November. Economy | Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | Unemployment | White House Press Corps Labels: Economy, Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, Unemployment, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 3:31:00 PM Tax Fairness He Can Believe In - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 2/23/09 — Monday, February 23, 2009 —  MR. GIBBS: Jake.Q Without getting ahead of the President, he has made it clear that -- (laughter) -- MR. GIBBS: I'm going to bring him and put him right here, so that I can stand at least two steps behind him. (Laughter.) He, when we do that, won't be taking any questions. So just FYI. Q But he'll just be ahead of you. MR. GIBBS: Slightly. (Laughter.) Q Without doing that, he's made it very clear that at the very least, letting the Bush tax cuts expire is in the game plan. I'm just wondering, there have been other ideas floated out there in terms of tax cuts, whether -- or tax increases, rather, on people who make more than a quarter million dollars a year. If it doesn't make sense to raise taxes this year because of the recession, might it also be problematic for the economy to recover if taxes are raised next year? Would that principle not still apply? MR. GIBBS: Well, I guess it -- some of that depends maybe where we are on the economy. Let's understand where we are in terms of the fiscal -- I'm sorry, in terms of the economic recovery plan. You have one of, if not the largest, tax cut ever enacted in a two-year period, as the President stated this weekend, going into people's paychecks beginning April 1. The President campaigned on a promise to ensure that money would get into people's pockets that had seen their wages decline over the past few years. And he made good on that promise through the recovery plan, and believes that will have a stimulative effect on the economy. The President has also talked about in some form or another letting the tax cuts for the top 1 or so percent either be repealed or expire, because the President believes that after many years of having a tax code that favored the few over the many, that a combination of both the recovery plan and what may or may not be in the budget for future years begins to right the tables a bit on who this tax code is written for and the people that deserve to be part of the benefit now. Q Because -- if I could just follow up -- to be more precise in my question, isn't it true that the people who we're talking about raising their taxes, people who make more than a quarter million dollars a year, whether it's going from 35 to 39.6, or the hedge fund managers going from 15 to 35 or 39.6, or capital gains taxes going from 15 to 20 -- that these are the people who will invest to create the new jobs, and at a time of recession, taking their money and giving it to the government or giving it to other people actually could impede the cause of job growth? MR. GIBBS: Well, I think the President talked about this extensively on the campaign -- Q But that was before the recession became as big as we now see it. MR. GIBBS: I think I would posit that the recession was big at the end of the campaign. Again, I think there's an element first of tax fairness. And I think that -- I think this President understands that there have been many benefits for the few at the expense of a few benefits for the many; that through the recovery plan and in the coming years, the President believes it's important that those that have not seen much in the way of an increase in their paycheck have more money in their pockets. That may require those that shared in great benefits, huge benefits in the tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 -- again, importantly, for those making more than $250,000 a year, I think the top 1 percent of all wage earners in this country -- is fairness that the President believes is important. Economy | President Obama | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Economy, President Obama, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:46:00 PM Health Care Taxes Obama Administration - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 2/3/09 — Tuesday, February 03, 2009 —  Q I'm sorry, can I follow up real quick? You didn't quite answer the question. Was Daschle given any kind of signal, yes or no, from the White House that he should withdraw?MR. GIBBS: I don't know how much more clear I can be. The decision was Senator Daschle's. Q No, no, no, no. He could have decided after he got a signal. Did he get a signal -- just say yes or no -- from the White House? You can answer that question, yes or no. MR. GIBBS: No, from the White House, he did not get a signal. Q From anywhere else? (Laughter.) I just -- words are chosen -- MR. GIBBS: You know what I'm going to do from now on? I'm going to have you guys write down your questions so I don't misinterpret -- Q Words are chosen very careful in this briefing room, as you know, that's why I'm -- MR. GIBBS: I don't know how much more clear I can be with the word "no." Laura, please phrase your question clearly and succinctly. (Laughter.) Q I'll do my best. MR. GIBBS: Speak in slow monotone so that I can understand. (Laughter.) Go ahead. Q I don't know about the slow monotone. But Robert, the President and others have spoken of Senator Daschle's unique qualifications to lead the health reform effort. Given his withdrawal, two questions. One, what impact do you think that will have on the opportunity to get health care reform, which was a heavy lift to start with? And secondly, was there or is there any consideration of keeping him on in the White House post, which does not require a confirmation? MR. GIBBS: The President -- well, Senator Daschle has withdrawn his nomination and withdrawn from serving in the White House in the capacity that we had talked about earlier. As it relates to your first question on health care, I think Senator Daschle would be -- and I think he says it, in essence, in his statement -- that much like the agenda that the President has outlined on any number of subjects, the issue of affordable health care for every American is bigger than one person; and the job of ensuring health care reform will outlast any person nominated for the Secretary of HHS and likely anybody that serves in this administration. This a problem that confounds federal and state governments. It confounds families and businesses large and small. We watch each year as health care prices get higher and higher and higher, and more people slip through the cracks, more businesses are unable to afford to provide health care coverage for their employees. We are hopeful to sign a bill this week that closes that gap for children by expanding the popular Children's Health Insurance Program. I don't think the effort slows down for health care reform, and I think Senator Daschle and others would admit that the effort is far bigger than any one individual. It's so important, it encompasses so much of our economy, and we understand that the system that we currently have whereby Americans pay more for health care and get less from it than virtually any industrialized country on the planet underscores that this is bigger than any one group or any individual. Q But given the fact that you now have to start all over trying to find someone to lead this effort -- MR. GIBBS: Well, we have to -- Q -- to be HHS Secretary, you don't think that this is going to put things back? MR. GIBBS: No, I -- no, because I think there are obviously many people in this administration that are working on this issue right now. We're looking for a new nominee, but the problem has existed for quite some time and the work toward a solution to make health care more affordable won't stop or won't pause while we look for that nominee. Major. Q Since you brought up the process with Secretary Geithner -- Max Baucus, the Chairman of the Finance Committee, has put out a statement saying he thinks that if allowed to stay, Tom Daschle would have been confirmed. John Kerry put out a statement saying it was a mistake to withdraw his nomination. Why would the White House believe it's a good idea to disappoint Democrats, who are their natural allies on health care, by preemptively taking away someone they believed could have been confirmed, as Mr. Geithner was -- despite his tax problems -- and they believe would have been someone that -- MR. GIBBS: Major, I wouldn't -- I think I'd address those questions to Senator Daschle, who, taking all of my answers into account on these subjects, made a decision to withdraw today, a decision that the President accepted. Q But it's the President's health care reform agenda, not Senator Daschle's, and -- MR. GIBBS: Well -- Q -- the natural allies of yours appear to be, A, believing he could have been confirmed, and disappointed that this was done, in their view, prematurely. What is your explanation to them? MR. GIBBS: My explanation to them is if you want to know the decision-making process of Senator Daschle, that's the best person to address that question to. Q How seriously would the White House consider Howard Dean for the Health and Human Services Secretary? MR. GIBBS: I've given -- been given many opportunities to play the name game and I don't want to spin the wheel and start today. Q So assuming that Daschle stays in the private sector, will he be able to lobby the administration on health care? And will he be in any way involved in health care? MR. GIBBS: I assume that Senator Daschle's passion for health care isn't diminished by today's announcement. But Ann, as you know, Senator Daschle has not been and is not a registered federal lobbyist; therefore, based on the rules that the government -- stringent rules that the government sets out, he can't lobby the federal government. Health Care | Nominees | Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Health Care, Nominees, Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, Wall Street, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:52:00 PM One Mistake - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 2/2/09  Q Thank you. On Tom Daschle -- I just want to step back just a minute -- I understand the President's remarks that he absolutely stands by him. But if you could just take a step back, you've got two nominees now who have had to pay more than $100,000 in back taxes. That's an awful lot of money. That's more than most people in the country make in a year, much less that they owe in taxes. What kind of a message does this send, do you think? How are people supposed to kind of get their heads around that and accept that as top people in your administration?MR. GIBBS: Well, let me also step back and say that no one in this building or in this administration is insensitive to the report that we were -- that was given this weekend about Senator Daschle. I think that includes Senator Daschle. He discovered a mistake, mistakes he'd made on his taxes, and he's paid now what he owed and paid interest on that. As it relates to Senator Daschle -- and I know he's meeting with the Finance Committee now -- we believe that the committee and the Senate as a whole will examine not just one mistake in a career, but look at that longer, three-decade career of public service, serving this country, serving the constituents both in South Dakota and across America. The President believes that Senator Daschle is the right person for the very important job of ensuring that we cut costs, reform our health care system, and finally give the American people in health care the outcomes that they deserve. We spend more money on health care than any other nation in the country [sic], but don't get the quality of care that many other countries get. So again, I think the Senate will lay a serious but corrected mistake against that three-decade career in public service. And in the end, the Finance Committee and the Senate as a whole will vote to extend his career in public service so that he can take on the very important task to America to reform that health care system and cut our costs. Q Is the President at all embarrassed by this? And does he see that there's any problem in the vetting that you all do -- MR. GIBBS: I don't think that we believe there's any problem in the vetting. When I say that no one is insensitive to the report in this building, that includes the President of the United States. He understands that. Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:18:00 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 4/15/08 (OPEC, Gas Taxes and McCain) — Tuesday, April 15, 2008 —  Q Dana, another visitor to the White House this week will be British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and he's coming at a time when oil prices are hitting a new peak. Brown is also pushing for oil-producing countries to increase production, rather significantly, to ease prices. Is the President ready to join in a concerted effort, a new push for OPEC, by oil-consuming countries? MS. PERINO: I think it's a little premature to say exactly what the President and Prime Minister Brown will talk about, but certainly economic issues is sure to be high on the agenda. And within that, energy is one of the issues. Let's, I think, let the meeting take place and see if anything comes out of that in terms of a concerted effort. But I think that if you look back to what the President has said, and then the Vice President, across the board, the administration, along with other countries that are dependent on foreign sources of energy, we do believe that because there is a supply and demand problem, that we would like to see more supply. OPEC has disagreed and they think that the market is well-supplied. So, at the same time, the other thing that we have to do as developed countries is to work on technologies that will reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy, but also be clean-burning so that we can prevent pollutants from going into the air, as well as combat the problems -- the challenges that are posed by global climate change. So let's let the meeting take place. Q And what does the President think about Senator McCain's proposal for a gas tax holiday during the summer? MS. PERINO: Well, as I said this morning, I'm not going to comment specifically on the proposal. I know in the world of -- in a campaign, everybody wants a quick reaction. The White House, when new policy proposals are poised to the White House, it's not always necessarily the quickest way to get an answer. In theory and in our philosophy, we are always for lower taxes. And I think what John McCain has laid out is his proposal for how he would get there. But anytime there's a proposal such as that, whether it would come from Senator McCain or Senator Kennedy or Senator Dodd, there's a policy process we go through to look at that. So I'm not going to comment on that one in particular, but I will say that as we near the November time frame, as has happened with other presidential elections, the distinctions between the two parties become very clear, and taxes is going to be one of those core issues that Americans are going to be thinking about, especially in a time when they feel economic uncertainty. And what John McCain is showing today is that he is representing the party for lower taxes. And I think your question is best posed to his opponents. Dana Perino | John McCain | OPEC | Press Briefing | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, John McCain, OPEC, Press Briefing, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:29:00 PM White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 10/2/07 (Iraq War Tax and S-CHIP) — Tuesday, October 02, 2007 — MS. PERINO: Well, we've always known that Democrats seem to revert to type and they are willing to raise taxes on just about anything. There's no need to increase taxes. The President has shown how if we prioritize and if we get the spending bills done in a clean way, we can actually have a surplus in our budget by 2012. We don't see any need to raise the taxes. Q But when you talk about priorities, tomorrow we're expecting the President is going to veto the S-CHIP bill over saving $30 billion, and meanwhile you're spending hundreds of billions of dollars in the war in Iraq -- MS. PERINO: But the President -- the President's first and foremost responsibility is making sure that Americans are safe, including children are safe. And, frankly, that's Congress's main responsibility, as well. And that's where the priorities are. I think that anyone -- I think it's apples and oranges to try to compare S-CHIP to funding for the troops. Q Well, they're all in the same federal budget, you do have to pick priorities on what you're spending money on, don't you? MS. PERINO: What the President wants is for S-CHIP to revert back to what is the original intent of the law, which is that the neediest children should be taken care of first. That's not what the law that they sent to the President does -- well, we don't have it yet, we'll get it soon -- but that's not what that law does. I would also say that, in a time when Democrats are very concerned, supposedly, about people being worried about how they're going to pay for their mortgage, that raising taxes on them doesn't seem like the wisest fiscal policy. In a time when they think that they want to increase funding for children's health care, they're actually wanting to pay for it with a cigarette tax, which includes -- people who smoke are usually -- the majority are in the low-income bracket. And so they're raising taxes on something to pay for a middle-class entitlement. It's just completely irresponsible. Stop the madness on Capitol Hill. Q And yet 70 percent of the public in the latest poll yesterday, an ABC/Washington Post poll, supports that increase in the S-CHIP, but opposes the $190 billion in war funding spending. MS. PERINO: Well, you know, I don't know how all those questions were asked in the poll, and you might want to take a look at that and be a little bit skeptical. But I think that people would agree that we -- well, and also what I said yesterday: Republicans often taken on really unpopular positions because it does sound great to say that you're going to spend a lot more on children's health care, but when you start digging deeper and realize that they've got a funding cliff, that basically in 2011, there's no money left for the S-CHIP program. They don't fund it sustainably. And on this idea of raising taxes on the American people right now to fund a war, well, does that sunset? Do they wait for al Qaeda to wave a white flag and then those taxes are going to go away? Does anyone seriously believe that the Democrats are going to end these new taxes that they're asking the American people to pay at a time when it's not necessary to pay them? I just think it's completely fiscally irresponsible, and the President won't go along with it. Bret. Q Dana, can I follow -- Q Who's paying for this war? Q On that line, Representative Obey said today that Democrats will not pass a supplemental spending bill for the Iraq war until next year, in an effort to pressure the President to change course. All of this, they say, is designed that if you don't want the taxes, end the war. What's the response to all that? MS. PERINO: Well, they're asking -- I don't know exactly what they're asking for; I can't think like they do. But what they're -- I think what they want is for all the troops to come home. And if it's an immediate end to the war that they want, they've already proven several times that they're not going to be able to get that law passed. So if you look also out on the Senate side, I think it was the Gregg-Murray resolutions from last year that said, no matter what your position is on the war, we're not going to risk not funding the troops. And I can't imagine that the Senate is going to go back on their word. And many of these members of Congress went to Iraq over the recess, during August, and I would find it hard to believe that they would tell these troops that they're not going to provide them the funding. Dana Perino | Iraq | Press Briefing | S-CHIP | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Iraq, Press Briefing, S-CHIP, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:41:00 PM
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