Government Programs 2012 Archive | PBS NewsHour

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	2012 DECEMBER Dec. 27, 2012 As EPA Chief Steps Down, an Evaluation of Obama's Environmental Policy So Far Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson announced she is stepping down after almost four years. Jeffrey Brown talks to Kenneth Green of the Fraser Institute and Michael Brune of the Sierra Club for debate on whether President Obama's environmental agenda and record have been successful or disappointing.

	Dec. 26, 2012 In Photos: Comparing Washington, D.C. in 1913 and Today A hundred years ago, the streets of Washington, D.C., were packed with women demanding the right to vote. These days, the issues that generate debate include the looming "fiscal cliff" and gun control. View our slideshow comparing archived photos from 1913 and the same sites today.

	Dec. 21, 2012 Kerry as Secretary of State: Two Takes President Obama on Friday nominated Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as secretary of state to replace outgoing Secretary Hillary Clinton. Kerry's long career in the Senate as well as his appreciation for quiet diplomacy make him an appealing candidate, some analysts said.

	Dec. 19, 2012 Providing Appropriate Security at Embassies and Preventing Future Attacks Abroad The State Department was held responsible for the lack of embassy security and accurately measuring risks that led to attacks on the U.S. consulate in Libya. Jeffrey Brown talks to Reps. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., who say what's important is not who is to blame but how to prevent such attacks in the future.

	Dec. 19, 2012 Report Finds State Dept. at Fault for 'Systemic Failures' of Benghazi Security An outside accountability review board has released its report on the deadly Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Jeffrey Brown examines the report, which blames the State Department for "systemic failures" in security that led to the deaths of four Americans.

	Dec. 14, 2012 More Than 100,000 Young Immigrants Granted Temporary Reprieve From Deportation When Congress failed to pass the DREAM Act, President Obama issued the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The federal initiative has given young people, brought to the U.S. illegally before the age of 16, the chance to defer deportation. Ray Suraez profiles three young immigrants who have applied for the program.

	Dec. 10, 2012 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano Discusses Immigration Agenda President Obama and Congress have stated immigration reform will be a top priority in the president's second term. Ray Suarez speaks with Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano about border security, comprehensive immigration reform and the role of Homeland Security to shape political agenda and legislation in Congress.

	Dec. 3, 2012 Ask Larry: How Do I Get More Social Security from My Ex? Outliving your ex-spouse is one way to get a larger Social Security payment.



	NOVEMBER Nov. 28, 2012 Fiscal Cliff Primer: Understanding The Battles, What's At Stake Behind closed doors, the talks continue. But negotiations between President Obama and congressional leaders on the so-called "fiscal cliff" seem to be going nowhere. But what is really at stake and how do the two sides argue their cases? We have a guide.

	Nov. 19, 2012 Ask Larry: Can I Collect SS After My Partner of 30 Years Passes? In this week’s installment of Ask Larry, the social security guru discusses benefits for domestic partners plus a warning from a reader on what appears to be a scam.



	OCTOBER Oct. 31, 2012 Is Sandy a 'Cassandra'? How Cities Should Prepare for Future Natural Disasters Extreme storms of recent history have made local governments take notice both of their preparedness and the likelihood that climate change is making such disastrous events more and more common. Joseph Romm of Center for American Progress and American Enterprise Institute's Kenneth Green share their perspectives with Ray Suarez.

	Oct. 16, 2012 News Wrap: Supreme Court Rules on Ohio Voting Law, Won't Block Early Voters In other news Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with President Obama on an Ohio voting matter -- early voting in that state will not be blocked during the three days leading up to Election Day. Also, Americans on Social Security will be receiving an annual inflation-based cost of living adjustment of about $21 per month.



	SEPTEMBER Sept. 19, 2012 Justice Department Reports on Faulty Gunwalking Operation Along U.S. Border The Justice Department's internal watchdog released a report detailing the faulty execution and management failures of Operation Fast and Furious, a sting intended to curb illegal gun trafficking across the U.S.-Mexico border. Jeffrey Brown talks to The Wall Street Journal's Evan Perez.

	Sept. 17, 2012 Medicare Patients Aren't Getting Sicker or Older, But Doctors Are Charging More The Center for Public Integrity investigated how Medicare billing changed over the past decade and found doctors were billing at much higher rates. Hari Sreenivasan talks to Center for Public Integrity's Fred Schulte to understand why doctors are 'upcoding' more and why electronic medical records could be driving higher prices.

	Sept. 14, 2012 Award-Winning Physical Therapist at Walter Reed on Why He Loves His Job You've heard of the Oscars, the Grammys and the Emmy's, but what about the Sammys? These awards were created 11 years ago to honor the very best public servants in the federal government.

	Sept. 6, 2012 What Deductions Might Romney Cut? Two Eminent Economists Duke it Out Bill Clinton blistered the Republicans on a variety of points last night but prominent among them, to an economics correspondent, was his attack on the Romney/Ryan budget plan and its tax cut for the upper crust.



	AUGUST Aug. 8, 2012 Are American Companies Ignoring Significant Cyber Threats? Last week Congress failed to reach an agreement on how to beef up cyber security. On Monday the NewsHour solicited your questions on this topic to ask Joel Brenner, the author of "America the Vulnerable: Inside the New Threat Matrix of Digital Espionage, Crime, and Warfare," who spoke with Margaret Warner on Wednesday.

	Aug. 6, 2012 Recess Roundup: Legislation on Hold Till Congress Returns Congress left town -- though didn't quite officially adjourn -- last week with heaps of unfinished business.

	Aug. 3, 2012 Political Checklist: A Sequestration Campaign In this week's Political Checklist, I chatted with senior correspondent Margaret Warner about the politics of defense cuts as the campaigns and both parties on Capitol Hill are sparring over automatic slashes set for next year.



	JULY July 31, 2012 Some Filipino Vets Still Awaiting Recognition World War II ended almost 70 years ago but some Filipino veterans are still waiting for recognition of their services. "We are just asking for fair treatment," Celestino Almeda said. Almeda is one of approximately 4,000 applicants for compensation who were not granted veteran status and are contesting that decision.

	July 9, 2012 President Obama Set to Renew Battle Over Bush Tax Cuts Three days after a third consecutive disappointing jobs report, President Obama intends to shift his attention Monday to the issue of tax fairness, calling on Congress to pass a one-year extension of the Bush tax cuts for families making less than $250,000 a year.

	July 5, 2012 Arguments Brew at State Level Over Medicaid Expansion Health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser takes a closer look at the arguments over Medicaid expansion and the states that want to opt out rather than take federal money.

	July 5, 2012 How the Medicaid Expansion Could Impact Your State Now that the Medicaid expansion under the health care reform law is optional for states, officials throughout the country are pledging to boycott that part of the Affordable Care Act. If your state opts out, how many people could be affected? Check out our interactive map.

	July 5, 2012 Could Current Medicaid Recipients Lose Coverage From Supreme Court Ruling? Tonight on the PBS NewsHour, our Health Unit takes a look at what's becoming a controversial part of the federal health care reform law: the expansion of Medicaid to cover up to 17 million uninsured adults.

	July 5, 2012 Why a U.S. Circumcision Push Failed in Swaziland In the country with the highest HIV infection rate in the world, a U.S. effort to circumcise 80 percent of all men aged 15 to 49 in a year ended with roughly a quarter undergoing the procedure. What went wrong?

	July 3, 2012 How Will the Health Care Law Work? Americans Ask, We Answer Susan Dentzer of the journal Health Affairs answers specific questions about the health care law from Americans visiting the National Mall. Among the questions, what will the law mean for small businesses, how soon can someone with pre-existing conditions buy coverage and how will the law get funded?

	July 2, 2012 In Wake of Health Reform Decision, Medicaid Expansion in the Crosshairs Some state officials who oppose the Affordable Care Act are embracing the Supreme Court's ruling that they can opt out of the Medicaid expansion. And if a number of key states decide to do so, the consequences could be big.



	JUNE June 28, 2012 In Real Health Care Terms, What Does the Court Decision Mean for Citizens? Susan Dentzer, editor in chief of the journal Health Affairs and an analyst for the NewsHour gives an overview of the possible implications of the high court's ruling.

	June 21, 2012 What's at Stake for Medicaid as Supreme Court Weighs Health Reform? The future of the nation's largest health insurance program -- Medicaid -- hangs in the balance of the Supreme Court's decision on the 2010 health law. The state-federal program which covers 60 million poor and disabled people would be greatly expanded under the law -- or could be jeopardized entirely without it.



	APRIL April 23, 2012 Social Security Slated to Run Dry in 2033, Trustees Warn Social Security will exhaust its trust fund in 2033 -- three years earlier than previous projections, the program's trustees announced Monday. Ray Suarez, Nancy Altman of Social Security Works and the Heritage Foundation's David John discuss its long-term health amid a retiring baby boomer population and a weakened economy.

	April 23, 2012 Aging Population, Costs Worsen Medicare's Long-term Prognosis The outlook for the Medicare program, which covers nearly 50 million elderly and disabled people, was only slightly worse than findings from last year. Once again, trustees forecast that Medicare's hospital fund would start running out of money in 2024.

	April 6, 2012 Medicare 'Less Generous' Than Private Plans, Study Finds On average, Medicare recipients receive less coverage than the typical elderly employee of a large company, according to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. If recent proposals to cut Medicare spending or squeeze the program's benefits go forward, the gap could widen.



	MARCH March 28, 2012 Medicaid Expansion: Good or Bad for America? If the health care reform law pushes forward, 16 million more Americans will receive health care coverage through the federal Medicaid program. For perspective, we turn to Tom Miller of the American Enterprise Institute and Ron Pollack of Families USA. Our question: Is the Medicaid expansion good or bad for America?

	March 20, 2012 To Receive Welfare, Should Drug Test Be Required? Since the recession hit, welfare applications have soared in Colorado. Some states have proposed tightening welfare eligibility, in part to deal with limited state budgets. One emerging trend across the country: requiring recipients to pass a drug test. Ray Suarez reports.

	March 6, 2012 Plants Boldly Go Where They've Never Gone Before Nationwide, gardeners are experimenting with newly assigned plant hardiness zones, using an updated USDA guide that shows which plants will survive the coldest temperatures in any region.



	FEBRUARY Feb. 16, 2012 Pelosi: Payroll Tax Cut Deal Will 'Boost' Economy House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi told the NewsHour's Judy Woodruff in an interview Thursday that the deal forged on Capitol Hill to extend a payroll tax cut and continue unemployment insurance benefits will create jobs and help the economy.

	Feb. 13, 2012 Obama, Republicans Square Off Over $3.8 Trillion Budget Plan Unveiling a $3.8 trillion budget blueprint on Monday, President Obama cast the plan as an essential tool to spur economic growth and noted that tough choices would put the country "on a more sustainable fiscal path." Republicans called the plan a "campaign document." Ray Suarez reports.

	Feb. 10, 2012 Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme? Security was originally designed as a "pay-as-you-go" system in which each succeeding generation of workers is supposed to take care of the last. all workers are charged a "payroll" tax, as are their employers. (The employee half has been suspended again until Feb. 29.) That money is supposed to provide for today's retirees.



	JANUARY Jan. 18, 2012 Richard Cordray: From 'Jeopardy!' to Controversial Presidential Appointment Paul Solman talks to Richard Cordray about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Republican opposition, his record on being tough on crime, and 'Jeopardy!'

	Jan. 13, 2012 The Strange, Animal-Killing Side Effects of Tax Policy Changes I don't want to jeopardize my family because I tried to make the country a better place." Arthur Laffer, economist to Ronald Reagan and famous for the Laffer Curve theory, which we explored on Wednesday's NewsHour in 'Taxes: How High is Too high?', had reason to be concerned.

	Jan. 5, 2012 Panetta on Pentagon Budget: 'Cutting Almost $500 Billion Is Not Chump Change' In an interview Thursday after his news conference at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Jeffrey Brown that the United States seeks to be a power in the Pacific and that defense budget cuts announced Thursday will be hard on the military and families, but he hopes a smaller, more flexible armed forces will emerge.

	Jan. 5, 2012 Could a Higher Import Tariff Pay for Medicare and Get the U.S. Out of Debt? If we put a 15 percent tariff on all imported goods, how much money would that tax generate each year? How long to pay off the national debt if spending was halted at current levels? Could it make Social Security solid for the next 50 years?