Scott Horsley

Scott Horsley is a White House correspondent for NPR News. He reports on the policy and politics of the Obama Administration, with a special emphasis on economic issues.

The 2012 campaign is the third presidential contest Horsley has covered for NPR. He previously reported on Senator John McCain's White House bid in 2008 and Senator John Kerry's campaign in 2004. Thanks to this experience, Horsley has become an expert in the motel shampoo offerings of various battleground states.

Horsley took up the White House beat after serving as a San Diego-based business correspondent for NPR where he covered fast food, gasoline prices, and the California electricity crunch of 2000. He reported from the Pentagon during the early phases of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Before joining NPR in 2001, Horsley was a reporter for member station KPBS-FM, where he received numerous honors, including a Public Radio News Directors' award for coverage of the California energy crisis.

Earlier in his career, Horsley worked as a reporter for WUSF-FM in Tampa, Florida, and as a news writer and reporter for commercial radio stations in Boston and Concord, New Hampshire. Horsley began his professional career as a production assistant for NPR's Morning Edition.

Horsley earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and an MBA from San Diego State University.

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Politics
5:57 pm
Wed May 15, 2013

White House Addresses Benghazi Emails, IRS Audits

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 7:39 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, BYLINE: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, BYLINE: And I'm Audie Cornish.

The Obama administration is doing some intensive damage control this evening. Tonight, the president announced that the acting commissioner of the IRS, Steven Miller, is being pushed out over heightened scrutiny given to Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations.

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U.S.
8:02 pm
Tue May 14, 2013

IRS Inspector General Faults 'Ineffective Management'

Audie Cornish talks to Scott Horsley about the IRS Inspector General's report on the agency's audit of conservative groups.

It's All Politics
3:32 am
Thu May 9, 2013

Democrats Hope For A Bright Future In The Lone Star State

Credit Eric Gay / AP
Voters leave the Old Blanco Courthouse in Blanco, Texas, after casting their ballots in November 2012. Democrats hope demographics and a new organizational push give them a brighter future in Texas.

Originally published on Thu May 9, 2013 5:51 am

President Obama travels to Texas on Thursday for the second time in as many weeks. He will talk about job training and economic opportunity, but he may have a political opportunity on his mind as well.

Obama lost Texas by more than 1 million votes last year. But Democrats believe their fortunes in the Lone Star State may soon change, thanks to demographics and a new organizational push.

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It's All Politics
4:37 pm
Wed May 1, 2013

The Federal Deficit Is Actually Shrinking

Credit Jacquelyn Martin / AP
The Treasury Department announced this week it will pay down some of its debt for the first time in six years.

Originally published on Thu May 2, 2013 1:33 pm

During the housing bust, taxpayers were forced to bail out mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But thanks to the real estate recovery, Fannie Mae could end up paying tens of billions of dollars back to the Treasury this summer.

That's just one of the factors behind a better bottom line for the federal government. This week, the Treasury Department announced it will pay down some of its debt for the first time in six years.

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Politics
4:43 pm
Tue April 30, 2013

Obama Defends Positions At Surprise News Conference

Originally published on Tue April 30, 2013 8:01 pm

President Obama held a news conference on Tuesday, the 100th day of his second term.

Politics
5:00 pm
Mon April 29, 2013

Months In, Vacancies Remain In Obama's Second-Term Cabinet

Originally published on Mon April 29, 2013 5:48 pm

President Barack Obama added one more new face to his cabinet. Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx was nominated Monday to be the next Transportation Secretary.

Business
4:42 pm
Tue April 23, 2013

Online Retailers Take Opposite Sides On Sales Tax Bill

Credit Ross D. Franklin / AP
Humberto Manzano Jr. moves a pallet of goods at an Amazon.com fulfillment center in Phoenix in 2010. Amazon has endorsed a bill making its way through the Senate that would require more online retailers to collect sales tax.

Originally published on Tue April 23, 2013 8:04 pm

More online retailers would have to collect sales tax under a bill making its way through the U.S. Senate this week. The measure won strong bipartisan backing on a procedural vote Monday, and President Obama has said he would sign it.

The political battle over the bill pits online retailers against brick-and-mortar stores — and, in some cases, against other online sellers.

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Politics
5:10 am
Sat April 13, 2013

Obama, Republicans Agree On Tax Loopholes, But Little Else

Credit J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Copies of President Obama's budget plan for fiscal year 2014 are distributed to Senate staff on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

Originally published on Sat April 13, 2013 12:50 pm

President Obama's newly released tax return shows his effective income tax rate was 18.4 percent last year. He'll likely pay a somewhat higher rate in 2013, and that tax bill would be even bigger if Congress were to adopt the recommendations in the president's own budget, unveiled this week.

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U.S.
5:01 pm
Thu April 11, 2013

Army Chaplain Awarded Medal Of Honor For Korean War Heroism

Originally published on Thu April 11, 2013 5:49 pm

Amid renewed tensions on the Korean peninsula, President Obama awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor to Army Captain Emil Kapaun, a military chaplain who was taken prisoner during the Korean War.

Around the Nation
7:23 pm
Wed April 3, 2013

Obama Highlights Colorado's Action On Gun Control Legislation

Originally published on Wed April 3, 2013 8:50 pm

President Obama was in Denver on Wednesday to rally support for gun control laws. Colorado has stepped up on both background checks and ammunition magazines, and Democrats there fear backlash next year.

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