On Sunday (December 18), President Barack Obama issued a brief message acknowledging that American troops had left Iraq:

Early this morning, the last of our troops left Iraq.

As we honor and reflect on the sacrifices that millions of men and women made for this war, I wanted to make sure you heard the news. Bringing this war to a responsible end was a cause that sparked many Americans to get involved in the political process for the first time. Today’s outcome is a reminder that we all have a stake in our country’s future, and a say in the direction we choose.

Thank you.

Barack

On Saturday, the president addressed the recent payroll two-month tax cut extension, calling it a “lifeline that would have been lost for more than two and a half million people in the first two months of next year if Congress had not acted”. While President Obama went on to commend the work the Senate has done, House Speaker John Boehner said House Republicans oppose the extension and suggested the House and Senate come together and develop a plan to extend the cut for a year in an appearance on Sunday’s Meet the Press.

According to a statement from White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer, “If House Republicans refuse to pass this bipartisan bill to extend the payroll tax cut, there will be a significant tax increase on 160 million hard-working Americans in 13 days that would damage the economy and job growth.” In addition, President Obama will not leave for his family vacation in Hawaii until the issue has been resolved, the statement also mentioned. View the president’s remarks on the two-month extension below.

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