President Barack Obama will talk about the economy in Kansas City today, focusing on his executive orders that are aimed at helping middle-class families.
Obama touched down in Air Force One shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday at Kansas City International Airport Wednesday, where an invitation-only crowd of well-wishers greeted President Barack Obama.
Four Kansas Citians who had written to the president were treated to dinner at Arthur Bryant's. The president's press secretary, Kansas City native Josh Earnest, reached out to the invitees earlier this week.
Earnest told KCUR today that the concerns of those people — a single mother trying to put her son through college, for instance — are among the top items on Obama's domestic policy agenda.
"The fact is what the president has sought to do is to use his executive authority to take action on a range of things, from making it easier for middle-class families to save for retirement, or insuring that equal work leads to equal pay or lowering the cost of a college education," Earnest said.
It's "pretty ironic," Earnest said, that Obama is talking about helping middle-class families when House Republicans are reportedly planning to file a taxpayer-funded lawsuit aimed at impeaching the president.
While there was talk of impeachment from the House GOP last week, they have since backed away from the idea, at least publicly. The Washington Post reported that Democrats raised 2.1 million in online donations over the weekend using speculation that Republicans were seeking Obama's impeachment.
Obama is expected to speak for about 25 minutes at the Uptown Theatre today. KCUR will carry the president's speech live on Up To Date.
