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Saturday, June19th, 2010 At this moment, our nation is facing a host of big and difficult challenges. And more than anything else, whats required to meet those challenges right now is a sense of cooperation and common purpose among our leaders. What we need is a willingness in Washington to put the publics interests first a willingness to score fewer political points so that we can start solving more problems.Thats why I was disappointed this week to see a dreary and familiar politics get in the way of our ability to move forward on a series of critical issues that have a direct impact on peoples lives.In the United States Senate, we have legislation that would boost our economic recovery and help Americans whove been affected by the worst recession in generations. Weve certainly made progress since we were losing 750,000 jobs per month around the time I took office. Our economy is growing again, and weve added jobs for five straight months. But there are still millions of Americans out of work, and millions more who are struggling to pay the bills. The legislation in the Senate right now would extend unemployment benefits to those workers who lost their job through no fault of their own. It would provide relief to struggling states that would help save the jobs of thousands of teachers and cops and firefighters. There are also provisions in this legislation that would extend the tax credit for first-time homebuyers, as well as tax cuts to keep research and development jobs here in the United States.Unfortunately, the Republican leadership in the Senate wont even allow this legislation to come up for a vote. And if this obstruction continues, unemployed Americans will see their benefits stop. Teachers and firefighters will lose their jobs. Families will pay more for their first home.All we ask for is a simple up or down vote. Thats what the American people deserve. Just like they deserve an up or down vote on legislation that would hold oil companies accountable for the disasters they cause a vote that is also being blocked by the Republican leadership in the Senate. Right now, the law places a $75 million cap on the amount oil companies must pay to families and small businesses who suffer economic losses as a result of a spill like the one were witnessing in the Gulf Coast. We should remove that cap. But the Republican leadership wont even allow a debate or a vote.And as we speak today, 136 men and women who Ive nominated for key positions in the federal government are awaiting a vote on the floor of the Senate. All are highly qualified. Very few are controversial. The vast majority already have support from both parties. But most of them are seeing their nominations intentionally delayed by Republican leaders, or even blocked altogether. They cannot get a vote. What this means is that, at a moment when our country is facing so many challenges a time when we need all hands on deck we cannot get the qualified people we need to start the jobs they were appointed to do.Look, the nature of our democracy is that well always have disagreements and debates - even heated ones. Thats healthy and its important. But lets argue over genuine differences over ideas and policies. And lets go into those debates with an open mind a willingness to find common ground and a conviction that, in the end, one way or another, we will have a vote to decide them. Next week, Ill be meeting with a bipartisan group of Senators to discuss how we can transition away from our dependence on fossil fuels and embrace a clean energy future. I dont expect that well agree on a solution right away. In fact, I know that there will be plenty of disagreement and different ideas. But at least it shows that Republicans and Democrats can still sit down together in an attempt to tackle the big challenges facing our nation.I know the political season is upon us in Washington. But gridlock as a political strategy is destructive to the country. Whether we are Democrats or Republicans, weve got an obligation that goes beyond caring about the next election. We have an obligation to care for the next generation. So I hope that when Congress returns next week, they do so with a greater spirit of compromise and cooperation. America will be watching. Thanks. Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly AddressSaturday, Junne12th, 2010 More than a decade ago, Congress set up a formula that governs how doctors get paid by the Medicare program. The intent was to slow the growth of Medicare costs, but the result was a formula that has proposed cutting payments for Americas doctors year after year after year. These are cuts that would not only jeopardize our physicians pay, but our seniors health care.Since 2003, Congress has acted to prevent these pay cuts from going into effect. These votes were largely bipartisan, and they succeeded when Democrats ran Congress and when Republicans ran Congress which was most of the time. This year, a majority of Congress is willing to prevent a pay cut of 21% - a pay cut that would undoubtedly force some doctors to stop seeing Medicare patients altogether. But this time, some Senate Republicans may even block a vote on this issue. After years of voting to defer these cuts, the other party is now willing to walk away from the needs of our doctors and our seniors.Now, I realize that simply kicking these cuts down the road another year is not a long-term solution to this problem. For years, I have said that a system where doctors are left to wonder if theyll get fairly reimbursed makes absolutely no sense. And I am committed to permanently reforming this Medicare formula in a way that balances fiscal responsibility with the responsibility we have to doctors and seniors. In addition, were already taking significant steps to slow the growth of Medicare costs through health insurance reform not by targeting doctors and seniors, but by eliminating 50% of the waste, fraud, and abuse in the system by 2012. This not only strengthens Medicare, it saves taxpayer dollars.Im absolutely willing to take the difficult steps necessary to lower the cost of Medicare and put our budget on a more fiscally sustainable path. But Im not willing to do that by punishing hard-working physicians or the millions of Americans who count on Medicare. Thats just wrong. And thats why in the short-term, Congress must act to prevent this pay cut to doctors.If they dont act, doctors will see a 21% cut in their Medicare payments this week. This week, doctors will start receiving these lower reimbursements from the Medicare program. That could lead them to stop participating in the Medicare program. And that could lead seniors to lose their doctors.We cannot allow this to happen. We have to fix this problem so that our doctors can get paid for the life-saving services they provide and keep their doors open. We have to fix this problem to keep the promise of Medicare for our seniors so that they get the health care they deserve. So I urge Republicans in the Senate to at least allow a majority of Senators and Congressmen to stop this pay cut. I urge them to stand with Americas seniors and Americas doctors.Thanks. Saturday, June26th, 2010 This weekend, Im traveling to Toronto to meet with members of the G20. There, I hope we can build on the progress we made at last years G20 summits by coordinating our global financial reform efforts to make sure a crisis like the one from which we are still recovering never happens again. Weve made great progress toward passing such reform here at home. As I speak, we are on the cusp of enacting the toughest financial reforms since the Great Depression.I dont have to tell you why these reforms are so important. Were still digging ourselves out of an economic crisis that happened largely because there wasnt strong enough oversight on Wall Street. We cant build a strong economy in America over the long-run without ending this status quo, and laying a new foundation for growth and prosperity.Thats what the Wall Street reforms currently making their way through Congress will help us do reforms that represent 90% of what I proposed when I took up this fight. Well put in place the strongest consumer financial protections in American history, and create an independent agency with an independent director and an independent budget to enforce them.Credit card companies will no longer be able to mislead you with pages and pages of fine print. You will no longer be subject to all kinds of hidden fees and penalties, or the predatory practices of unscrupulous lenders.Instead, well make sure credit card companies and mortgage companies play by the rules. And youll be empowered with easy-to-understand forms, and the clear and concise information you need to make the financial decisions that are best for you and your family.Wall Street reform will also strengthen our economy in a number of other ways. Well make our financial system more transparent by bringing the kinds of complex trades that helped trigger this crisis trades in a $600 trillion derivatives market finally into the light of day.Well enact whats called the Volcker Rule to make sure banks protected by a safety net like the FDIC cant engage in risky trades for their own profit. Well create whats called a resolution authority to help wind down