US President Barack Obama’s quest to bridge Washington’s sharp political divides was dealt another blow on Thursday with the surprise exit of his commerce secretary pick, Republican Judd Gregg.
Gregg’s withdrawal, over “irresolvable conflicts,” complicated Obama’s attempt to win Republican support for his US$789 billion economic stimulus package and other key agenda items.
The New Hampshire senator’s decision appeared to irritate the Obama administration after he made his decision public just as the president began a speech appealing to Republicans to drop objections to the plan, which was expected to finally clear Congress yesterday.
Gregg said he was pulling out because of differences on the massive package and the reorganization of the Census Bureau, which is part of the Commerce Department.
In a first reaction, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, who was traveling with Obama in Illinois, betrayed some frustration, saying that the Republican had “reached out to the president and offered his name for secretary of commerce.”
“He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace and move forward with the president’s agenda,” Gibbs said.
“Once it became clear after his nomination that Senator Gregg was not going to be supporting some of President Obama’s key economic priorities, it became necessary for Senator Gregg and the Obama administration to part ways,” Gibbs said. “We regret that he has had a change of heart.”
Gregg’s move dealt a fresh blow to Obama’s attempts to govern in a bipartisan manner and ease the bitter political partisanship that has engulfed US politics over the last two decades.
It was also another complication as he attempts to fill out his Cabinet.
Gregg was the second nominee for commerce secretary to withdraw: New Mexico Governor and former presidential candidate Bill Richardson stepped down over an inquiry into contracting orders in his home state.
Obama also lost another high-profile nominee, former senator Tom Daschle, who was his pick to serve as secretary of health and human services but saw his nomination consumed by a storm over unpaid taxes.
Gregg’s shock move on Thursday overshadowed Obama’s latest pitch for Republican support for his stimulus plan, delivered at a manufacturing plant run by Caterpillar Inc, a construction machine giant.
In an earlier repudiation of Obama’s political olive branch, not a single Republican voted for an initial version of the bill in the House of Representatives and only three broke ranks to back it in the Senate.
“It is time for Congress to act, and I hope they act in a bipartisan fashion,” Obama said during his visit to Caterpillar, which recently laid off more than 20,000 people.
“But no matter how they act, when they do, when they finally pass our plan, I believe it will be a major step forward on our path to economic recovery,” Obama said.
The president argued that the massive bill would unleash economic growth and recreate the jobs of millions of Americans who have fallen victim to the worst economic slump since the 1930s.
“The head of Caterpillar said that if Congress passes our plan, this company will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off — and that’s a story I’m confident will be repeated at companies across the country,” Obama said.
Obama’s visit to his home state of Illinois was the latest of a string of campaign-style appearances that has also narrowed in on hard-hit economic zones in Indiana and Florida.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese