Obama: Poverty Rate Would've Been Even Higher Without My Policies

The White House released a statement from President Barack Obama today in response to a new Census Bureau report showing that U.S. poverty levels increased remarkably in 2009.

In the statement, Obama said his administration should be credited for taking steps last year to ensure that the historically high poverty figures did not grow even larger.

“Because of the Recovery Act and many other programs providing tax relief and income support to a majority of working families – and especially those most in need – millions of Americans were kept out of poverty last year,” the president said. “The substantial expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) helped inoculate our children from the economic distress experienced by their parents, as there was little change in the percentage of children without health insurance.”

“The Affordable Care Act will build on that success by expanding health insurance coverage to more families,” Obama added.

Measure To Repeal Healthcare Gets First Democratic Signature

Rep. Gene Tayor, a Democrat from Mississippi, became the first Democrat to attach his name to a GOP-backed petition to repeal the healthcare law that passed earlier this year.

The measure, put forth by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), now has 171 co-signatures. If that number reaches 218, King says he’ll bring the repeal measure to the floor for a full vote.

“Adding Rep. Taylor to the discharge petition is a significant step towards repealing Obamacare,” said King. “Rep. Taylor’s decision also means that the effort to repeal Obamacare now has something that the effort to pass Obamacare never achieved: bipartisan support. Americans want the President’s bill repealed, and Americans should ask their Representatives to sign the discharge petition.”

Business Group Goes After Crist

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has launched an ad blitz in Florida to attack Senate candidate Charlie Crist (I) over what the group is calling a “flip-flop” on President Obama’s healthcare law.

“Florida’s voters want a candidate who will consistently stand up for policies that create jobs,” said Bill Miller, national political director for the Chamber. “This ad will remind the state’s voters that Charlie Crist not only flip flopped on health care reform, he’s now supporting this job-killing law.”

The Chamber is endorsing conservative Republican Marco Rubio over Crist, the state’s Governor.