Obama Makes a Surprise Visit to the Lincoln Memorial
Obama surprised visitors who were visiting the memorial in Washington when he stopped by for a visit to mark the important achievement that has prevented federal government institutions from essentially shutting down.
The tourists who were visiting the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, on Saturday night were surprised to discover that besides the opportunity to photograph the statue of the 16th president, they also received an unexpected visit from the current president, Barack Obama, who wanted to publicize the alleviation of the crisis that threatened to shut down government institutions.
Friday night Obama and congressional leaders came to a last-minute agreement, which halted many government institutions from shutting down, including that of the national parks and monuments, for the first time in 15 years.
In order to celebrate this monumental accomplishment, Obama decided to arrange a surprise visit to the memorial of Abraham Lincoln, who is considered to be the model of inspiration for the current president.
“Because Congress was able to settle its differences, that's why this place is open today, and everybody's able to enjoy their visit,” said Obama to excited tourists who simply could not stop taking pictures of the president.
"And that's the kind of future cooperation I hope we have going forward," Obama added. “Because this is what America is all about: everybody from different places enjoying those things that bind us together."
The agreement reached between President Obama, Republican House Speaker Jon Weiner* and Senate Majority Leader Democrat Harry Reid came after weeks of discussions and deep-running disagreements. Both houses of Congress approved the funding over the course of the evening for the temporary budget, which includes spending cuts of $2 billion. After the dust had settled, Obama signed the new law.
Also, it was decided this week that Congress will approve funding for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, and includes a $37.8 billion cut in government spending. This has been seen as a compromise of sorts, as the Republicans first sought a $61 billion cut; however, Democrats argued that such deep cuts would hurt economic recovery.
*Editor’s Note: The current Republican House Speaker is John Boehner.
The tourists who were visiting the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, on Saturday night were surprised to discover that besides the opportunity to photograph the statue of the 16th president, they also received an unexpected visit from the current president, Barack Obama, who wanted to publicize the alleviation of the crisis that threatened to shut down government institutions.
Friday night Obama and congressional leaders came to a last-minute agreement, which halted many government institutions from shutting down, including that of the national parks and monuments, for the first time in 15 years.
In order to celebrate this monumental accomplishment, Obama decided to arrange a surprise visit to the memorial of Abraham Lincoln, who is considered to be the model of inspiration for the current president.
“Because Congress was able to settle its differences, that's why this place is open today, and everybody's able to enjoy their visit,” said Obama to excited tourists who simply could not stop taking pictures of the president.
"And that's the kind of future cooperation I hope we have going forward," Obama added. “Because this is what America is all about: everybody from different places enjoying those things that bind us together."
The agreement reached between President Obama, Republican House Speaker Jon Weiner* and Senate Majority Leader Democrat Harry Reid came after weeks of discussions and deep-running disagreements. Both houses of Congress approved the funding over the course of the evening for the temporary budget, which includes spending cuts of $2 billion. After the dust had settled, Obama signed the new law.
Also, it was decided this week that Congress will approve funding for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, and includes a $37.8 billion cut in government spending. This has been seen as a compromise of sorts, as the Republicans first sought a $61 billion cut; however, Democrats argued that such deep cuts would hurt economic recovery.
*Editor’s Note: The current Republican House Speaker is John Boehner.