Latest News:  
Beijing   Cloudy/Light rain    13 / 7 ℃  City Forecast

English>>World

Obama's big test: breaking Congressional gridlock to avert "fiscal cliff"

By Matthew Rusling (Xinhua)

16:21, November 29, 2012

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's first big test after re-election is averting the impending "fiscal cliff," a feat he cannot pull off without reaching across the cavernous partisan gap and working with opponents in Congress.

The "fiscal cliff," the tax hikes and spending cuts due to kick in at yearend if Congress and the White House cannot agree on a budget, could spark another recession even as the economy struggles to recover from the worst downturn in decades.

At issue is whether Democrats and Republicans can agree on taxes on upper income earners. Obama wants to increase their tax rates, arguing they must pay their fair share, while Republicans contend upper earners are the economy's driving force and taxing them will hurt an economy that continues to struggle toward recovery.

Agreeing on anything, let alone such a major issue, will be no easy task, as Congress remains bitterly divided after a presidential election earlier this month that left much unchanged, with Republicans still controlling the House, Democrats still comprising the Senate majority and Obama still in the White House.

Hammering out an agreement will require strong leadership from the White House, but critics charge Obama with shirking his leadership roll. Opponents say Friday's planned trip to the Philadelphia area in a bid to drum up support for an upper income tax hike shows Obama is in permanent campaign mode.

"I think he should get off the campaign trail and spend his time at the White House," said former Republican Senator from Ohio George Voinovich at a Brookings Institution panel Wednesday.

【1】 【2】



We recommend:

The popular dances that drive people 'crazy'

Kim Jong Un inspects horse riding training ground

Heartbreaking children under war threat

N. Korea’s Kim visits Ministry of State Security

World's weirdest baths you cannot imagine

N. Korean’s real life through the lens

Email|Print|Comments(Editor:朱蕤、姚春)

Related Reading

Leave your comment0 comments

  1. Name

  

Selections for you


  1. Anti-aircraft artillery regiment in training

  2. Chinese navy fleet enters West Pacific

  3. Christmas is around the corner

  4. TCM preventive treatment of discease

  5. Death toll hits 11 in NE China capsizing

  6. Ice train to withstand extreme cold

  7. Sexy models pose for 2013 FC Barcelona Calendar

  8. Belgian Farmers Spray Milk At Police In Protest

Most Popular

Opinions

  1. Will China run out of water by 2030?
  2. What’s behind pupils' bread and milk lunch?
  3. China's solar panel seeking revival at home
  4. Currency swaps to take on bigger role
  5. China's rise opportunity, rather than threat
  6. China's economy picking up steam
  7. Debt crisis handicaps EU foreign affairs
  8. US not a bystander of Israeli-Palestinian conflict
  9. What a successful woman needs ?
  10. Commentary: Experimental financial reforms

What’s happening in China

Detective-Conan-themed Lawson convenience store opens in Shanghai

  1. Official probed for drug gang links
  2. Change your name to 'Liu Xuemei'
  3. Billionaire quits political post
  4. Fired officials aided poachers
  5. Whistle-blower arrested for economic crimes