Obama’s State of the Union checklist
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President Obama tonight will give his State of the Union address, but after days of official leaks, the broad outlines are already known.
“I think he looks at the State of the Union as a time in which to update the American people on what’s been done and where we go from here going forward,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday.
Expect a forceful Obama, a continuation of the presidential tone that he unveiled in recent weeks as he took on the banks and played to a populist crowd in Ohio. Asked about the president’s tone, Gibbs played it coy, allowing that Obama may discuss the recent the election in Massachusetts, surprisingly won by a Republican who captured a long-held Democratic seat.
“I don’t doubt that at times he’ll be feisty,” Gibbs said. “But, again, I think the key in this speech, what he’ll discuss more than anything, is getting our economy moving again.”
That help for the economy will probably include tax credits for small businesses and Obama’s oft-repeated call for creating green jobs.
If the economy and job creation is No. 1 on the presidential checklist, then fiscal responsibility is a close second.
The White House has made it known that Obama is seeking a three-year spending freeze on the discretionary portion of the more than $3.5-trillion federal budget.
Gibbs confirmed the official leak, saying the president hopes to continue “the bipartisan effort to get our fiscal house in order and make progress on the deficit by freezing non-security discretionary spending over the next three years.”
The Senate on Tuesday rejected a bipartisan committee to recommend ways of coping with the federal deficit expected to hit $1.3 trillion in fiscal 2010, but Obama will probably call for a presidential task force to at least make non-binding suggestions.
Obama is also likely to push his focus on helping the middle class while strengthening controls on Wall Street. Controlling the financial institutions is part of Obama’s announced plan to restructure and save the economy. The president is expected to explain his priorities in tonight’s speech.
Obama is also expected in coming days to announce a freeze on salary and bonuses for top political officials, a symbol of his seriousness and as an example for the private sector.
The middle class initiative announced this week includes tax credits for child and elderly care, help for college students in getting out of debt and incentives to increase retirement savings.
Other domestic issues likely to get some presidential attention include immigration reform, safely on the back burner in the first Obama year, but expected to move forward in this midterm election year when Latino votes are again important for Democratic hopes. Obama will probably propose tougher borders along with some sort of path for citizenship for the 12 million to 20 million undocumented workers in the United States.
The executive can do many things in enforcing existing immigration laws, focusing on employers, for example, rather than undocumented workers, but chances of comprehensive congressional action remain slim.
Also only a slim possibility is action on climate issues.
Gibbs said that both issues were still on the presidential radar though the way forward would remain tough.
“I think one of the things the president will -- has talked about and one of the things you’ll hear him mention tomorrow and in the coming days, similar to what I’ve said on cap and trade, and that is that if -- we’ve started a process on this and if Congress can put together the way forward, a coalition to get the way forward, then it’s something we’ll work through,” he told reporters.
Other previously announced initiatives include: an $8.8-billion boost in federal funding in the next fiscal year to help military families with child care, counseling, financial services and other programs, a signature issue for First Lady Michelle Obama.
And Obama is expected to address bioterrorism issues.
Also on military affairs, Obama is expected to address the current “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays. As a candidate, Obama promised to lift the ban on gays serving openly in the military.
But the biggest domestic issue remains healthcare, the signature issue of 2009 that is still unfulfilled.
There are two versions of the healthcare overhaul bill that separately passed the House and the Senate. Many people expect the chambers to find their common ground on consumer and insurance company issues and for the bill to be passed piecemeal.
Obama, in Ohio, however, noted that breaking the bills into smaller pieces had some problems, but it is not clear how Democrats can proceed with a larger bill. Congress is looking to Obama to outline the next steps.
But with two wars under way, in Iraq and Afghanistan, foreign affairs will still be on the agenda. Expect Obama to describe efforts to combat terrorism around the world, the ongoing nuclear disputes with Iran and North Korea and to again make a pitch for Haiti relief.
Lastly, expect some surprises.
-- Michael Muskal
