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Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday blamed America’s struggle with inflation on “Putin’s war in Ukraine.” Anchor Jake Tapper said, “You heard Secretary Yellen say this week she got it wrong about inflation. In July, you told Bloomberg that inflation would be temporary about a year ago. As recently as six months ago, you were calling inflation, quote, a short-term problem, not a long-term problem. so, you got it wrong, too.”

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Sunday said the federal government is working to avoid supply disruptions after Colonial Pipeline, the operator of the country’s largest fuel pipeline, temporarily suspended all operations due to a ransomware attack on Friday. “This is what businesses now have to worry about,” Raimondo said during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Unfortunately, these sorts of attacks are becoming more frequent. They’re here to stay.” President Joe Biden has been briefed on the ransomware attack and the F.B.I. said it’s working closely with Colonial Pipeline and government partners to address the situation. The Department...

There has been a lot of news dropping today. But there’s one thing that’s incredibly important not to miss. Remember how Joe Biden insisted that he wouldn’t be raising taxes on the middle class? That ultimately his ‘plan’ was only going to hit the people making over $400,000, who needed to “pay their fair share” and you ordinary Americans weren’t going to be hit? You knew that was a lie, right? Anyone with any sense, anyone who has been watching Democrats for years should know that was a lie. It was only just a matter of time before they admit,...

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has been ordered to be deposed due to his decision to reinstate a citizenship status question in the upcoming 2020 census. A U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman of the Southern District of New York "Secretary Ross must sit for a deposition because… his intent and credibility are directly at issue, had an unusually strong personal interest and that he went through with this action despite "strong and continuing opposition" from the U.S. Census Bureau… there is a “heightened risk in the current political climate” that the question will lead to a lower response rate “because of...

The Senate voted Monday to confirm billionaire investor Wilbur Ross as secretary of commerce in President Trump's Cabinet. Ross was approved by a vote of 72-27, with 20 Democrats and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, joining 51 Republicans to vote "aye." Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., did not vote due to his ongoing recovery from back surgery. The Senate later voted 67-31 to move forward on the nomination of Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., to lead the Interior Department. A final vote on Zinke's confirmation could occur on Tuesday or Wednesday. Ross is the 14th member of Trump's Cabinet to be cofirmed, with...

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to select Wilbur Ross Jr. to head the Commerce Department, said two people familiar with the deliberations, a decision that would put a billionaire investor known for buying up failed companies in charge of the agency tasked with cultivating economic growth.

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/beyond_the_echo_chamber/ Friday, February 6th, 2009 at 12:55 pm Advice from "beyond the echo chamber" We just learned the economy lost another 600,000 jobs last month. It's a staggering number, and it underscores just how deep this crisis is – and, as the President pointed out this morning, it’s accelerating. That's why he created the Economic Recovery Advisory Board -- to solicit ideas from "beyond the echo chamber of Washington, DC." "I’m not interested in groupthink, which is why the Board reflects a broad cross-section of experience, expertise, and ideology," he said. "We’ve recruited...

John Bryson sits on the board of troubled electric car manufacturer Coda, which is waist-deep in Chinese investment and debt.    John Bryson, President Barack Obama’s nominee for commerce secretary, may be best known as co-founder of the radical activist group Natural Resources Defense Council and as CEO of Edison International, parent company of giant electric utility Southern California Edison. But one of his biggest obstacles to Senate confirmation may be his relationship with troubled Chinese-backed electric car company Coda Automotive.Bryson has been a vocal advocate for Coda since 2008. He sits on the firm’s board of directors and is...

On May 31, President Obama said he would nominate John E. Bryson for the position of United States Commerce Secretary. Bryson, who was the former Chairman and CEO of Edison International, spoke in front of the UN on September 1, 2009 at the International Energy Conference and praised California's regulatory system on energy, and called for the same to be applied to the United States as a whole. However, he didn't stop there. He went on to say they should place the same regulations globally: "The academic debate around this has often been should we send price signals, or should...

Republican Sen. Judd Gregg has withdrawn his nomination for U.S. commerce secretary. The stated reason is his disagreement with the Obama Administration over the stimulus bill. The real reason is probably the humiliation he has suffered over reports Obama is taking the 2010 census away from him. I am sure he disagrees with the stimulus and the partisan way it was rammed through the Senate. However, I doubt that is reason enough to withdraw. The stimulus bill does provide a good cover for his withdrawal over the census issue.

From the moment I heard that Barack Obama had tapped Republican Senator Judd Gregg as Commerce Secretary, I thought, "This aint good." Ordinarily, I would want to see a conservative Republican serving in a powerful economic capacity in a Democrat administration - but not this time. I don't want to see another Republican co-opted into a liberal mouthpiece: that's what Olympia Snowe, Arlen Specter, and Susan Collins are for. We don't need any more Republicans like them. Had I thought that Gregg would have had any real influence over the Obama administration, I probably would have thought differently. But I...

The Congressional Black Caucus is lobbying President Barack Obama to pick African-American technology executive John Thompson to be his commerce secretary. Thompson is chairman and chief executive officer of Symantec Corp, the software security company best known for its Norton computer protection products. He is expected to step down in early April. In a letter to Obama, the caucus members stressed that Thompson is the only African-American leading a major technology company. The letter, sent last week and obtained Thursday by The Hill, also lists the seven black Cabinet members chosen by President Clinton during his two terms. Obama has...

Richardson on Sunday took his name out of consideration, saying an ongoing federal investigation could cause an "untenable delay in the confirmation process." A federal grand jury in Albuquerque reportedly is looking into a possible "pay-to-play" connection between a Beverly Hills financial company's large contributions to Richardson political action committees and nearly $1.5 million the company received for work on a state construction program... The governor at a news conference Monday explained his decision a little more, saying "the ongoing investigation would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process... ~~snip~~The governor denied any wrongdoing ..." "As you might...

We all know Gov. Bill Richardson likes to travel, and we all know he has a sweet tooth for executive jets like the $5.5 million Cessna purchased by his administration. But he's probably going to be flying a lot more on commercial airlines — in coach — once he's confirmed as Barack Obama's commerce secretary. Sure, the federal government has jets, but their use by Cabinet secretaries and others is restricted. Also, as a federal employee, Richardson will face restrictions on how he can finance travel on private jets and rules on when he can accept free plane rides from...

Gov. Bill Richardson expects to remain New Mexico's chief executive into February and until then will split his time between the Roundhouse and Washington, D.C., as he awaits a Senate confirmation hearing on his nomination as U.S. commerce secretary. Richardson held a joint news conference Thursday at the Capitol with Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who will become New Mexico's 27th governor upon his departure, to disclose preliminary plans for the transition in New Mexico leadership. Richardson, who has said he won't resign as governor until he is confirmed for President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet, said he expects to remain governor until...

Check out this gold-plated resume: Seven-term member of Congress; special envoy to North Korea, Iraq, Cuba and Sudan; U.N. ambassador; energy secretary; governor; and five-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. You would think such an overachiever would be a shoe-in for secretary of state in the Barack Obama administration, especially if that person was also a member of a highly sought-after ethnic group that gave two-thirds of its votes to Obama and helped him win four battleground states... ~~snip~~ Now I wonder what message it sends that President-elect Obama has apparently passed over [New Mexico Gov. Bill] Richardson and...

(CNN) - Gov. Bill Richardson showed up to his press conference with President-elect Barack Obama Wednesday morning without the beard he has been sporting since dropping out of the presidential race in January, sparking his new boss to tell reporters he is "deeply disappointed with the loss of the beard." "I'm going to answer this question about the beard," said Obama, when Richardson was asked where the facial hair went. "I think it was a mistake for him to get rid of it. I thought that whole Western, rugged look was really working for him. "For some reason, maybe because...

Sen. Byrd during a June 21, 2000 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on then-Energy Secretary Bill Richardson.

Are you not inspired and uplifted by the story of Carlos Gutierrez? When Gutierrez was but six years old, he and his family left their home in Havana, Cuba, for a vacation in Miami, unaware that they would never return to their homeland. Fidel Castro and his communists took over the island, confiscated the pineapple exporting business and property of Carlos Gutierrez’s father, and prohibited his family from returning. The Gutierrez family was forced to start anew in an unfamiliar place with an uncertain future. Carlos’s father worked for Heinz and began another business, though it was hit hard by...

Saturday: President Bush gave his radio address. Sunday: The Bush's returned to DC from Crawford. Monday: Bush met with the King of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, in the Oval Office. The president named Carlos Gutierrez, chief executive officer of the Kellogg Company, as his new Commerce Secretary nominee, to replace Don Evans. Per Yahoo News, "President Bush was targeted for assassination by Colombia's biggest Marxist rebel group this week when he visited the Caribbean port city of Cartagena, a top Colombian official said on Nov. 27." In what may be his final official overseas trip, Secretary of...