Biden reassures Md. seniors: ‘Nobody is going to mess with your benefits’

October 6th, 2009 Health care issues: Medicare cutsA look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: Will seniors' Medicare benefits be slashed to pay for health care overhaul? THE POLITICS: Democrats are proposing to reduce the ballooning costs of Medicare to keep the program solvent. They want to root out waste to find the savings, and to reduce payments to some providers.

October 2nd, 2009 Biden: 'Less bad is not our measure of success'WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden says Friday's news that unemployment jumped to 9.8 percent in September doesn't shake his confidence that "we are going to recover" from the slump. The government reported a one-tenth of a percentage point jump in the unemployment rate, from 9.7 percent in August to 9.8 percent last month.

September 23rd, 2009 Biden tells seniors overhaul won't hurt MedicareSILVER SPRING, Md. — Vice President Joe Biden sought to reassure nervous seniors Wednesday that they won't see cuts in their Medicare benefits if the nation's health care system is revamped.

September 23rd, 2009 Senators spar on health bill's effect on seniorsWASHINGTON — Sweeping health care legislation cleared its first hurdles in the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday as Democrats turned back a series of proposed changes by Republicans who attacked it as a threat to Medicare. Yet even as they prevailed on politically charged votes, majority Democrats also tacitly conceded one point — that despite a pledge by President Barack Obama, some seniors who receive coverage from private insurers could lose some of the optional benefits they enjoy.

September 22nd, 2009 Budget chief contradicts Obama on Medicare costsWASHINGTON — Congress' chief budget officer on Tuesday contradicted President Barack Obama's oft-stated claim that seniors wouldn't see their Medicare benefits cut under a health care overhaul. The head of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Douglas Elmendorf, told senators that seniors in Medicare's managed care plans could see reduced benefits under a bill in the Finance Committee.

September 17th, 2009 Biden: Iraq won't alter troop withdrawal timingBAGHDAD — Vice President Joe Biden says he is confident that Iraq will not alter the timetable for the withdrawal of American troops. Biden told reporters in Baghdad on Thursday that there are a number of steps that would have to be taken before Iraq could call a referendum that could alter the so-called status of forces agreement.

September 7th, 2009 VP Joe Biden pledges to back workers in Pa. stopPITTSBURGH — Vice President Joe Biden told a rally at Pittsburgh's Labor Day parade that organized labor was the backbone of the country and that he and Sen.

September 1st, 2009 US reassures Poland on missile defense plansWASHINGTON — The United States is assuring Poland that it has not made a decision on where to deploy a European missile defense system but will keep Warsaw informed. U.S. national security adviser James Jones gave the message Tuesday to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Gdansk, where the two officials are attending WWII remembrance ceremonies.

August 12th, 2009 AARP tells Obama: No health plan endorsement yetWASHINGTON — A group usually seen as one of Barack Obama's allies in the health care debate — AARP — says the president went too far Tuesday when he said the seniors lobby had endorsed the legislation pending in Congress. AARP is sensitive to the issue because polls show that Medicare beneficiaries are worried their health care program will be cut to subsidize coverage for the uninsured.

July 23rd, 2009 Obama says Medicare benefits won't be cutWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says cutting Medicare costs won't mean cuts in benefits to seniors. He says his goal instead is to change how those benefits are delivered, to make them more efficient.

June 29th, 2009 Obama reassures gay rights activistsWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is reiterating his support for gay rights causes, telling activists that he's a friend who will fight for them and with them while in the White House. The president and first lady Michelle Obama are holding an East Room reception Monday afternoon to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the birth of the modern gay rights movement.

June 22nd, 2009 Biden heading to Georgia, UkraineWASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Georgia and Ukraine in July. Biden's office says the trip will come during the week of July 20-24.

June 14th, 2009 Biden still has his eye on the Oval OfficeWASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden isn't ruling out his own presidential aspirations. The two-time presidential candidate says the current lineup is the right one, with Biden as President Barack Obama's No.

June 5th, 2009 Biden: Tough times but hopeful signs in economyWASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden says the highest unemployment rate in more than 25 years underscores the tough times many Americans still face, but that the slowing rate of job losses reflects some "signs of hope" too. Biden said he will join President Barack Obama on Monday in seeking to ramp up the pace this summer of the massive economic stimulus effort that Congress approved earlier this year.

May 10th, 2009 Biden offering words of advice to Syracuse gradsSYRACUSE, N.Y. — Vice President Joe Biden is offering some words of advice to this year's graduating class at Syracuse University.