Orszag Curiously Circumspect About Unemployment Insurance Extension (VIDEO)

Appearing on the Charlie Rose show Tuesday night, White House budget chief Peter Orszag was surprisingly noncommittal about the idea of extending unemployment insurance to people whose benefits have run out.

Despite Republican stalling in the Senate, the passage of a 13-week extension of
unemployment insurance benefits appears inevitable. [Update: Late Wednesday, it passed the Senate.]

It's the sort of thing you would expect the Obama White House to be excited about - a popular measure that will help people in need, and serve as a bit of a stimulus to boot.

But Orszag initially hesitated in expressing support for the legislation, and then only said he "expected" there to be some extension of unemployment benefits.

And when Rose asked if any members of the administration, particularly top economic advisor Larry Summers, are against the extension, Orszag initially sidestepped the question -- "I don't want to speak about the views of individual member of the economic team or other parts of the administration" -- before saying, "I have not heard any commentary suggesting that anyone is opposed to extending unemployment benefits."

I don't want to speak about the views of individual members of the economics team or other parts of the administration, but I don't think that's the view that's coming from the administration or, frankly, from any members of the economics team... I don't think, I have not heard any commentary suggesting that anyone is opposed to extending unemployment benefits.

Comments

[jazzman]

They just extended unemployment insurance so whatever Orzag was up to everything turned out allright so this article is much ado about nothing. Take it down.

[jws2346]

Eek, my IQ must be somewhere in the range of 1 or 2 on a scale of 1 through 10 and 4 bein' average. I didn't see anything controversial or news worthy of that interview.

[Shashi0224]

Misleading headline. Come on Huffpo, stick with the truth and stop putting spin on headlines.......

[BoiseLib]

Everyone is disgusted by this policy of misleading headlines, but hp ignores all and continues to sensationalize.

[Chris]

IS there any point in which the government should stop paying unemployment benefits?

[Beachchick]

Peter Orszag wasn't noncommittal. Members of the Obama admin are thoughtful and careful with their words. It's not like there is a functional, ethical or sane media environment. Who can possibly govern effectively under these circumstances? The U.S. is a nuthouse.

There is no doubt in my mind that Obama deserved the Nobel.

[escribacat]

He seemed pretty clear to me. Where's the story here?

[Edmonsky]

Dylan Ratigan wrote:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dylan-ratigan/why-keep-geithner_b_341908.html
“This is why I think we must ask if U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is still the right person for the job. It has become clear recently that, back in his previous role as New York Federal Reserve Governor, he unnecessarily gave billions of dollars of US tax money to banks and insurance companies with few strings attached.”

This is yellow journalism at its worst. TARP is an Act of Congress enacted October 3, 2008 and signed into law by President George Bush. It is known as Public Law 110-343 (Pub.L. 110-343, 122 Stat. 3765. TARP allows the US Dept. of the Treasury to purchase or insure up to $700 billion of troubled assets. New York Federal Reserve is not part of US Treasury authorized to pay TARP money.

[calchala]

What was wrong with the clip?

[N8tracks]

What was so Circumspect about that clip?

[calchala]

Right, and he dismissed that any administration official thought that, including Summers. This is just part of Arianna's war against Summers and Geithner.

[jozzie]

Do you get the feeling that nothing trustable ever goes on in the White House?

[Solja]

No. I get the feeling that the media is constantly picking at the plaster trying to find news. This was not a find.

[Sam418]

They have a lot of blogs and 24 hour news outlets to fill up these days.

[Edmonsky]

Xlntcat:
Thank you for your enlightened views. How would Larry Summers oppose extending unemployment benefits and still has his job in the White House. Smearing Larry Summers and Tim Geithner is the best entertaining sport amongst the progressives.

[Solja]

I agree.

[dandypuddin]

Larry Summers. He would have been the one opposing extensions. Why Obama has any faith in that man, I've no idea.

[jozzie]

Obama is in the White House because he agreed to bring Summers with him.

So maybe it's the other way around: Why Summers has any faith in Obama, you have no idea.

[Sam418]

Your premise if flawed. Most Obama voters had never even heard of Summers.

[N8tracks]

The man just said no one in the White House expressed those thoughts. Americans really are stupid.

[clearthinker2008]

A lot of Americans are stupid, but then again generalizations are too..some Americans are stupid, some are not. If you are not from America I'm sure you can find some stupid people where you live.

[OB-GYN]

Unemployment is here to stay for quite some by most pundits words. Contingency plans will be needed and yes, the federal government must be the leader in this.

How about a small tax generated by each Wall Street trade etc.. It would make this nightmare seem more equitable and palatable.

[jonahbasset]

"How about a small tax generated by each Wall Street trade etc.. It would make this nightmare seem more equitable and palatable."

Works for me!

[Solja]

OMG. Can you even imagine the head spinning coming from the scaremongers and the NoMongers on the far right? It'd be like Obama took over every state in the union.

[Chris]

Why do you want to lessen union pensions?

[factotem]

Orzsaq is so weasely. Gives me the creeps.

[xlntcat]

He is just very, very smart and a geek. People with really high IQ frequently have trouble relating to others. From early childhood they have experience the world differently and lived on a different plain from their peers. At age 7, my son has the mental age of a 16 year old living in the body of a child with the emotional age of 7. It makes it difficult to find a place where you fit in.

[sharonb01]

I raised a couple of those, had to home school 'em - the system kept mixing them in with 'overachievers' (perfectly nice kids who just love to write their spelling words ten times each, neatly). Your little one is seven? May I respectfully suggest that you get him his own toolbox and scour yardsales for broken appliances to take apart? It may distract him from unauthorized chemistry experiments. Good luck to you - and remember, keep your sense of humor.

[jozzie]

Cosign.

[ladyskeptik]

If Larry Summers opposed extending unemployment insurance then he should be fired for that alone.

If it comes out that Summers is inside the Whitehouse championing Wall Street bankers and opposing millions of unemployed Americans, President Obama will lose the increasingly fading credibility he has on the economy.

[xlntcat]

The president proposed asking congress to extend unemployment benefits months ago. It is very unlikely that Summers or any member of his economic team would oppose him on this. Before you doubt the president's credibility, try questioning the credibility of unethical journalist. The interviewer was asking the Budget man about something that doesn't involve his office and it is possible that he had had no conversations with anyone regarding extending unemployment benefits. This is like Elizabeth Warren wanting to take on the U S Treasury about credit cards when their office had no authority or involvement with anything whatsoever to do with credit cards. By the way, Elizabeth Warren's job of overseeing TARP funds had nothing to do with credit cards either, but it was something to distract herself with to excuse not doing her job.

[N8tracks]

You should stop at "if".

[Solja]

READING IS FUNDAMENTAL!

[clearthinker2008]

Did you even read a little of that piece?