Senate Confirms John Bryson As Commerce Secretary

By Andrea Salazar

The Senate Thursday approved John Bryson to head the Department of Commerce.

Obama made the nomination five months ago, but Republican objections to Bryson’s views on the environment delayed his confirmation.

Following the Senate’s 74-26 vote, the president released a statement touting Bryson’s experience in the public and private sectors.

“John Bryson will be a key member of my economic team, working with the business community to promote job creation, foster growth, and help open up new markets around the world for American-made goods,” Obama said.

Carney Doesn't See Job Growth In GOP Jobs Plan

By Mike Hothi

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney criticized Republicans today for not putting forward a plan that would help create jobs.

“It is unfortunate but true that though the Republicans have put forward economic plans, they have not put forward a plan that would in any way have a measurably positive impact on economic growth or job creation over the next 12 to 18 months,” Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One.

The Senate Republican plan Carney was referring to includes a combination of tax cuts, a moratorium on new regulations, an end to restrictions on off-shore oil exploration, a repeal of President Obama’s healthcare law and a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

But Carney remains optimistic that the Senate will take up the President’s jobs bill. “We are confident that Senator Reid will be able to say something about the scheduling of a vote in the relatively near future.”

Last week, Senate Democrats failed to get enough votes to move Obama’s jobs bill to a final vote. Now, it looks as though the Senate will break up the bill and vote on it piece by piece. The first component that could see action would involve keeping public educators on the job.

“That is our expectation, that the first measure will be teachers,” Carney said.

That measure, valued at roughly $35 billion, would also help states keep first responders on the job.

Former CBO Director Doubts Supercommittee Can Prevent Further Decline

Former Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Robert Penner said Wednesday that he believes the Congressional supercommittee will be unable to prevent the U.S. government from facing a debt crisis similar to Greece.

Speaking at a meeting with the National Economists Club, Penner said he believes ideological differences between the group’s members will prevent them from finding the $4 trillion in savings Penner says are needed to stabilize the debt-GDP ratio.

“We will get enough from the committee to ease the pain from sequester but they wont make real structural changes,” Penner, who served in the CBO during the Reagan administration, said.

The supercommittee, a 12 member body evenly divided among party and chamber, is currently tasked with finding over $1.5 trillion in savings. If they are unable to advance a plan by late November, then $1.2 trillion in autmoatic cuts will be made among the U.S. military and domestic programs.

Obama Will Sign Border Bill On Friday

The White House released the following statement from President Barack Obama today following the Senate’s vote to pass a $600 million bill aimed at beefing up security along the nation’s southwest border:

“I have made securing our Southwest Border a top priority since I came to office.  That is why my administration has dedicated unprecedented resources and personnel to combating the transnational criminal organizations that traffic in drugs, weapons, and money, and smuggle people across the border with Mexico.  Today’s action by Congress answers my call to bolster the essential work of federal law enforcement officials and improve their ability to partner with state, local, and tribal law enforcement.  The resources made available through this legislation will build upon our successful efforts to protect communities along the Southwest border and across the country.  And this new law will also strengthen our partnership with Mexico in targeting the gangs and criminal organizations that operate on both sides of our shared border. So these steps will make an important difference as my administration continues to work with Congress toward bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform to secure our borders, and restore responsibility and accountability to our broken immigration system.”

A White House spokesman said that the President will sign the measure into law sometime tomorrow.

Senate Confirms New Intelligence Head

The Senate held a voice vote to confirm retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper as the new Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The position oversees the nation’s 16 spy agencies. Clapper becomes the fourth director of an agency that has been around since 2004. Clapper has promised better coordination between his agency and the CIA…

-Robert Hune-Kalter