Learn more about the events featured in this week's video:
January 21, 2011:
January 24, 2011:
January 25, 2011:
January 26, 2011:
January 27, 2011
From day one, this Administration has operated on the premise that security is a shared responsibility. No matter who you are – a student, a small business owner, a first responder, a member of the military, or a civilian – we all play a part.
This involves trust and confidence in the American public, as well as the notion that candor and common awareness of the threats we all face, coupled with concrete steps that individuals, families, communities, businesses, and governments can take to prepare for emergencies and disasters, deliver far better security than the federal government can provide acting alone.
Because of the trust we have in Americans to share in our collective security, today I announced the end of the old system of color-coded alerts. In its place, we will implement a new system that is built on a clear and simple premise: when a threat develops that could impact you, the public – we will tell you. We will provide whatever information we can so you know how to protect yourselves, your families and your communities.
The new system, called the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS), reflects the reality that we must always be on alert and ready. Under the new, two-tiered system, DHS will coordinate with other federal entities to issue formal, detailed alerts regarding information about a specific or credible terrorist threat. These alerts will include a clear statement that there is an “imminent threat” or “elevated threat.” The alerts also will provide a concise summary of the potential threat, information about actions being taken to ensure public safety, and recommended steps that individuals and communities can take.
When we have information about a specific, credible threat, we will issue a formal alert providing as much information as we can. Depending on the nature of the threat, the alert may be sent to a limited, particular audience like law enforcement, or a segment of the private sector, like shopping malls or hotels.
The alerts will be more focused to a two-tier system – “imminent” or “elevated threat.” At a minimum, alerts will include a statement of whether there is an imminent or elevated threat.
Or, the alert may be issued more broadly to the American people distributed—through a statement from DHS—to the news media as well as via our website and social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and our blog.
Since a major change like this can’t happen overnight, today we are beginning a 90-day implementation period in which federal, state and local governments, law enforcement entities, private and non-profit sector partners, airports, and other transport hubs will transition to this new system. We are committed to making sure that we launch NTAS in the right way so it can be the most effective system possible not only for the public, but for all of our partners. During the implementation period, the old system will remain in place.
The alerts will be specific to the threat. They may recommend certain actions, or suggest looking for specific kinds of suspicious behavior. And the alerts will have a specified end date, which will be extended only if additional information becomes available or if the threat evolves.
This means that the days are numbered for the automated recordings at airports about a color code level that were too often accompanied by little practical information. This new system is built on the common-sense belief that we are all in this together, and that we all have a role to play.
NTAS was developed in that same collaborative spirit: it was largely the work of a bi-partisan task force that included law enforcement, former mayors and governors, and members of the previous administration.
We know that we cannot achieve 100 percent protection against terrorism 100 percent of the time – but by empowering the American public to share the responsibility for safeguarding our communities, and by working with partners across the country, we can – and will – continue to do everything we can to keep our communities and fellow Americans safe.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama laid out his vision for winning our future. Part of accomplishing this important goal means fixing our nation’s broken immigration system. The President again reiterated his deep commitment to addressing this issue because it’s critical to strengthening our global competitiveness and boosting our economy. Last July, the President outlined his vision for commonsense, comprehensive immigration reform grounded in the principles of responsibility and accountability:
Over the last two years, the President has taken his responsibility to enforce our immigration laws and secure our borders very seriously. This Administration dedicated unprecedented resources to secure our borders, implemented smarter, more strategic interior and worksite enforcement policies, and improved our legal immigration system.
These efforts have had real results. Our borders are more secure than ever. Apprehensions along the border reflect far fewer attempts to cross illegally while seizures of illegal currency, drugs, and guns are dramatically up – leading to increased criminal arrests and prosecutions. In FY 2010 the Administration increased the number of convicted criminals removed from our country by more than 23,000, which represents a more than 70 percent increase from the previous Administration.
Additionally, we have more than doubled the number of worksite enforcement investigations conducted in FY 2010 as compared to FY 2008. These investigations have led to millions of dollars of fines levied against employers who have violated immigration laws. We have also improved our legal immigration system by reducing backlogs of immigration applications and devoting critical funding to promote innovative citizenship preparation and integration programs in communities throughout the country.
We all benefit from the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that immigrants bring to our shores. Indeed, it has made us the engine of the global economy and a beacon of hope around the world. I was reminded of this last Independence Day when I had the honor of speaking at a naturalization ceremony right in the shadow of the Statute of Liberty on Ellis Island. We honored and celebrated 143 new citizens from 57 countries, each with their own unique story of how they came to America and what they have done to make it their home. Among the group were individuals who came to our country as young children, college students, working professionals, and victims of oppression.
In his State of the Union address, the President called on Republicans and Democrats to work with him on this critical issue. He acknowledged that the debate will not be easy, but the American people expect their leaders to come together to tackle the important issues confronting our nation. Winning the future and building a competitive America demands an immigration system that works.
We need comprehensive immigration reform that respects our nation’s laws while continuing our rich tradition as a nation of immigrants and that strengthens our efforts to secure our borders while allowing immigrants to contribute fully to our country and our economy. In the coming weeks, that’s the consensus the President and his Administration will seek to build.
Read their full bios of the invitees we interviewed below and learn about the other guests that joined the First Lady in her box in our interactive feature.
Staff Sergeant Brian Mast (Washington, DC)
Staff Sergeant Brian Mast is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and joined the United States Army Reserves after graduating from high school in 1999. Four years ago he joined the Special Forces and was trained in bomb disposal. Staff Sergeant Mast deployed to Afghanistan in July 2010. He was seriously injured by a roadside bomb on September 19, 2010. He lost both legs just below the knee and an index finger. Staff Sergeant Mast suffered a broken arm, shrapnel wounds, and a damaged ear drum in the blast and is currently recovering at Walter Reed. Staff Sergeant Mast, his wife, Brianna, and their son, Magnum, met the Vice President and Dr. Biden at a Thanksgiving dinner for military families that the Bidens hosted at the Vice President’s Residence in November 2010.
Ursula M. Burns (Norwalk, CT)
Ursula M. Burns is the chief executive officer of Xerox Corporation. She joined Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineer summer intern and later assumed roles in product development and planning. From 1992 through 2000, Ms. Burns led several business teams including the office color and fax business and office network printing business. In 2000, she was named senior vice president, Corporate Strategic Services, heading up manufacturing and supply chain operations. She then took on the broader role of leading Xerox's global research as well as product development, marketing and delivery. In April 2007, Ms. Burns was named president of Xerox, expanding her leadership to also include the company's IT organization, corporate strategy, human resources, corporate marketing and global accounts. At that time, she was also elected a member of the company's Board of Directors. Ms. Burns was named chief executive officer in July 2009. Ms. Burns earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic Institute of NYU and a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University. Ms. Burns was named by the President to help lead the White House national campaign on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education in November 2009, and is on the board of Change the Equation, a coalition of over 100 CEOs focused on STEM education that the President announced in September 2010. She was appointed vice chair of the President’s Export Council in March 2010.
Kendra Baker and Zachary Davis (Santa Cruz, CA)
Business partners Kendra Baker and Zachary Davis had a dream of opening an organic, homemade ice cream shop in Santa Cruz, California, but had trouble finding a lender that would help finance their dream. With the help of a Recovery Act SBA loan of $250,000, Kendra and Zack were able open the doors to The Penny Ice Creamery in August 2010. The SBA Recovery Act funding allowed them to not only open the shop, but also to employ eleven people, purchase American-made equipment, and to hire nearly twenty local businesses to design and renovate the space. Kendra and Zack were so thankful for the financing help, that they posted a video on YouTube thanking the Administration and Members of Congress for their Recovery Act SBA loan. As a result of the video, the Vice President called them in November 2010 to thank them for the video and wish them good luck.
Diego Vasquez (Phoenix, AZ)
Diego Vasquez, currently a freshman at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona, was a member of the 12 person team from Cesar Chavez High School in Laveen, Arizona that won a grant through the Lemelson-MIT Program’s InvenTeams initiative for their design of a fully adjustable motorized chair for persons who could primarily use it for physical therapy. The team decided to design the chair after seeing a friend with a disability and fellow student have some difficulty at school. The students and their families held a tamale “bake sale” so that the entire team could travel to MIT to attend EurekaFest, the Lemelson-MIT Program’s annual celebration of invention. For many members of the team, flying to Eurekafest was their first time on a plane. Diego hopes to become an aerospace engineer. Diego met the President at the October 2010 White House Science Fair where he represented his team and demonstrated their chair.
Editor’s Note: This post is part of a series where readers can meet average Americans already benefiting from the health reform law, the Affordable Care Act.
When Kayla Holmstrom was just 9 years old, she was in a motorcycle accident. While her insurance plan covered her medical expenses, she contracted chronic osteomyelitis, a chronic bone infection. Since contracting the disease she has had over 25 surgeries on her leg and her infection could flare up at any time.
Kayla is now studying to become a nurse at South Dakota State University and would have lost her coverage under her parent’s plan when she turned 24. But thanks to the Patient’s Bill of Rights that was a part of the Affordable Care Act, Kayla can stay on her parent’s health insurance plan until her 26th birthday.
Before reform passed, too many young adults like Kayla struggled to get the care they need:
The Affordable Care Act will help 1.2 million young adults remain on their parent’s health insurance plan and drive down costs for all Americans. The law also provides additional protections for people like Kayla by making it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against anyone with a pre-existing condition.
And the Affordable Care Act helps everyone in Kayla’s generation by reducing the deficit by a trillion dollars through provisions that crack down on waste, fraud and abuse, and stop hundreds of billions in unfair and irresponsible subsidies to insurance companies that are now paid by taxpayers.
Listen to Kayla’s story here:
Today, President Obama and senior officials from around the Administration will be answering your questions about the State of the Union Address and the President’s vision to win the future. You can watch all the live question-and-answer sessions today on WhiteHouse.gov/live.
Here’s the lineup for today on WhiteHouse.gov/live:
11:30 a.m. EST: Economy Roundtable with Austan Goolsbee, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers
1:00 p.m. EST: Foreign Policy Roundtable with Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor
2:30 p.m. EST: Live YouTube interview with President Barack Obama
3:15 p.m. EST: Education Roundtable with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
4:30 p.m. EST: Health Care Roundtable with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
If you haven’t already, be sure to watch the President’s State of the Union Address.
Learn more about the events featured in this edition of West Wing Week:
January 14th, 2011:
January 17th, 2011:
January 19th, 2011:
2010 was a historic year for the General Services Administration (GSA). With a portfolio including 350 million square feet of public buildings, 200,000 federal vehicles, and a flow of goods and services throughout government totaling $95 billion, GSA has the capacity to impact every corner of government in every region of the country. In 2010, President Obama set a bold agenda for GSA to change the way the government does business by:
GSA delivered. Here’s a look back at 2010 and a look forward to 2011:
Established the Federal Government as a Leader in the Sustainable Building Market
In order to meet President Obama’s goals of a 28% reduction in Federal greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by 2020 and a net-zero-energy building requirement by 2030, GSA began sustainable construction and retrofit projects around the country, employing 500 businesses and creating jobs in all 50 states. Moving forward, all GSA construction projects will achieve at least a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for GSA’s use of cutting-edge and sustainable design and technology.
Reduced Carbon Emissions and Saved Taxpayer Money by Greening the Federal Automobile Fleet
After President Obama called for a 30% reduction Federal vehicle petroleum use by 2020, GSA doubled the Federal government’s hybrid fleet, replacing 22,000 of the least fuel efficient cars and trucks with more fuel efficient vehicles, including almost 9,000 hybrids. The increase in fuel efficiency will reduce Federal petroleum consumption by over 20 million gallons of gas, saving taxpayers almost $65 million over five years.
Used Government as a “Green Proving Ground” for Innovative, Sustainable Technologies
GSA is the government’s “green proving ground,” where new sustainable technologies and systems can be tested and best practices can be brought to the market. Because GSA owns and operates buildings in every climate and most altitudes in the country, GSA has a unique position as a test bed for learning what works -- and what doesn't -- in green and sustainable building. GSA is installing solar panels, geothermal wells, chilled beams, advanced lighting and metering systems, and vegetative and reflective roofs across the nation, providing projects that develop skills and create local green sector architecture, engineering, and construction jobs.
Incentivized Sustainability for Companies Doing Business with the Federal Government
More than 60 companies enrolled in the GreenGov Supply Chain Partnership and Small Business Pilot, a voluntary collaboration between the federal government and its suppliers to create a greener, more efficient supply chain. GSA and the Council on Environmental Quality will jointly host a year of trainings for these businesses to learn how to develop GHG inventories and take steps to reduce their GHG emissions. GSA will use data from the program to develop contracting incentives for all companies bidding to do business with the Federal government to measure and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Equipped All Government Agencies to Measure and Reduce Their Greenhouse Gas Emissions
President Obama called on all Federal agencies to measure their GHG emissions by January 30, 2011 and submit plans to reduce those emissions. GSA created a free, web-based Carbon Footprint Tool for Federal agencies to use in completing their comprehensive GHG inventories, including carbon emissions, water usage, GHG emissions related to commuting, and the return on investment agencies can expect from adopting sustainable lighting, technology solutions, and other products. The Carbon Footprint Tool gives every agency the ability to quickly identify areas for GHG emissions reduction so they can set reduction targets and monitor their progress year after year.
A Look Forward
GSA’s progress toward a more sustainable government in 2010 will have lasting impacts. Construction and retrofit projects will proceed around the country, continuing to create jobs and positively impact the economic recovery in every state. GSA will continue to accelerate the addition of hybrid vehicles to the Federal fleet, saving taxpayer dollars. And GSA will continue to pursue bipartisan solutions that support American businesses, create jobs, and leverage the purchasing power of the government to drive a clean energy economy.
On January 21, 2009, the President and First Lady entered the White House and signaled their commitment to creating a more open and accessible White House by surprising guests attending public tours. Two years later, approximately 1.5 million visitors have walked through the gates of the people’s house. Mrs. Obama is marking the second year by continuing this tradition today – taking some time to greet visitors as they come in for public tours for the third time.
Don't miss a live stream of the First Lady with Obama family dog Bo surprise White House visitors at 10:45 AM EST on WhiteHouse.gov/live.
Yesterday, we launched Voices of Health Reform to feature stories of Americans who are benefitting from the Affordable Care Act.
In the latest installment, we’re highlighting the story of Betsy Burton, of Salt Lake City, Utah. Betsy started the King's English book store 33 years ago in Salt Lake City and pays the full cost of health benefits for many of her employees, even as premium costs rise.
Betsy is one of millions of Americans who will benefit from the tax credits included in the new law that will make it easier for small business to provide coverage to their workers.
Today, small businesses pay 18 percent more for health insurance premiums than large businesses. The Affordable Care Act changes that by providing tax credits for small businesses that offer employees health insurance. Up to 4 million small businesses could be eligible for relief from high health insurance premiums and, according to the independent Congressional Budget Office, the tax credit will save small businesses $40 billion by 2019. And small business owners like Betsy are benefiting from the tax credit today.
The tax credits are just one of the ways the health reform law will help small businesses. The law will also help level the playing field with large employers by allowing small businesses to band together to get a fairer deal from insurance companies through the creation of competitive private health insurance markets called Exchanges that go into effect in 2014. Exchanges help organize the health insurance marketplace to help consumers and small businesses shop for coverage in a way that permits easy comparison of available plan options based on price, benefits and services, and quality. Pooling people together can help bring costs down and Exchanges will make our health care system more transparent and competitive by making it easier for consumers to compare costs and benefits.
Betsy feels very strongly about providing insurance to her employees and is thrilled that the new tax credits for small business owners will make it easier for her to give them the benefits they have earned and deserve.
Listen to her story:
Today, the President hosts Hu Jintao, President of the People’s Republic of China, at the White House for a State Visit, marking the third State Visit of the Obama Administration. President Hu’s visit highlights the importance of expanding cooperation between the United States and China on bilateral, regional, and global issues, as well as the friendship between the peoples of our two countries. The President, who visited China in November 2009, looks forward to welcoming President Hu to Washington to continue building a partnership that advances our common interests and addresses our shared concerns.
Watch the Arrival Ceremony, State Dinner toasts, and more on WhiteHouse.gov.
9:00 AM EST: Arrival Ceremony
Members of Congress, the Cabinet, local, and community leaders welcome the Chinese delegation at an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.
10:30 AM EST: The First Lady Celebrates Educational Exchanges with China (Watch this live stream on the State Department's website or embedded in this blog post.)
Continuing her focus on engaging young people on the world stage, Mrs. Obama visits Howard University students, as well as students from other colleges and universities, to discuss the China State Visit, and encourage students to study abroad. Supporting the President’s “100,000 Strong” initiative, the First Lady will hear from an assembled student panel about their cultural studies.
1:05 PM EST: President Obama and President Hu hold a Joint Press Conference
7:35 PM EST: The President and the First Lady attend the State Dinner with President Hu
President Obama and President Hu each deliver a toast at the Official State Dinner at the White House.
Today, Republicans in the House of Representatives are voting on a bill to repeal the new freedoms, control over health care decisions, and cost savings the health care law---the Affordable Care Act---provides the American people. As Secretary Geithner noted this morning, repeal would be bad for business and bad for the economy.
Repealing the Affordable Care Act would also have a significant effect on families’ bank accounts. Stephanie Cutter, an Assistant to the President who has been working on implementing the health reform law, takes to the White House White Board to explain what repealing it would mean for family premium costs and American jobs:
Cross-posted from the Treasury Department's blog.
This week the House will vote on a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010. Repeal of the Affordable Care Act would deny 32 million uninsured Americans access to health insurance. Repeal would mean children with pre-existing conditions could once again be denied coverage, young adults would be thrown off their parents’ policies, and the chronically ill who have already enrolled in pre-existing condition insurance plans would have their coverage cancelled. This would be a major setback for the tens of millions of people affected and would harm economic growth as a result.
Repealing the Affordable Care Act would be bad for business and bad for the economy. We are at a crucial stage of the economic recovery. While the private sector has expanded payrolls for 12 straight months, the unemployment rate remains at an unacceptable level. Given where we are, we must do things that help bolster the recovery, and repealing the Affordable Care Act would be a step in the wrong direction.
The ACA helps businesses and the overall economy by eliminating hidden costs that currently contribute to higher health care premiums charged to businesses and the government. For example, health care costs for the uninsured are currently passed on through higher premiums to those to those who pay for health insurance – an estimated cost of an additional $1,000 per worker with family coverage each year. Expanding health insurance coverage to nearly 95 percent of Americans will help to bring down premiums by removing this added cost.
In the absence of reform, health care costs are projected to rise at an unsustainable rate, which will make it increasingly difficult for both businesses and the government to provide health insurance. The ACA includes many provisions that will slow this unsustainable cost growth, including adding to investment in preventive care, linking provider incentives to outcomes, and providing additional tools to control Medicare costs through the Independent Payment Advisory Board. In addition to benefitting businesses that are facing rising costs of providing health insurance, slowing the growth of health care costs significantly improves fiscal sustainability by saving the federal government more than $100 billion in the first ten years and considerably more in the second ten years. We need to take serious steps, including fully implementing the ACA, to bring down future government spending. Failure to address our long-term fiscal problems will lead to higher interest rates, lower business investment and slower overall economic growth.
The Affordable Care Act makes small businesses more competitive by making health insurance more accessible and more affordable. Many have struggled to compete with larger businesses and attract the best workers because of difficulties in providing health insurance. The Affordable Care Act changes that. It helps offset health care costs for small businesses through a tax credit that is worth up to 35 percent of health insurance premiums and is available immediately. And this credit will rise to 50 percent starting in 2014. The health insurance exchanges created under the law will begin in 2014 and allow small businesses to pool their buying power and benefit from reduced administrative costs. Small businesses will also benefit from additional protections under the ACA. For example, the ACA prohibits insurers from inflating premiums when a small business employs a sick worker.
The ACA also ensures that workers will have continuous access to affordable health care, regardless of their employment status or where they work. This increases the flexibility and dynamism of the labor market, as workers will be able to transition between jobs without worrying about losing their insurance. A dynamic labor market contributes to U.S. productivity and competitiveness through increased entrepreneurship and better matches between employees and employers.
Finally, the benefits of the ACA go beyond these immediate effects on the economy and businesses. By reducing wasteful spending and promoting high quality care, the ACA redirects our limited resources away from unnecessary health spending towards more important priorities that will make Americans healthier, will create jobs, and will help generate economic growth.
The Affordable Care Act provides Americans certainty that they will have continuous access to affordable health insurance. And it provides businesses and the government certainty that health care costs will be contained in the future. Additional certainty encourages businesses and families to invest, laying the foundation for stronger economic growth. This is exactly what we need at this crucial stage of the economic recovery.
Visit : Florida Villas, San Francisco MoversWhen the Vice President landed in Afghanistan yesterday, where he is spending most of the week, it was another chapter in the Vice President's role dealing with that country that has stretched not just throughout this Administation, but back to a visit nine years ago when the Taliban was first driven from power. Vice President Biden was there to get a first-hand assessment of progress on the ground as the United States continues to move towards empowering Afghanistan for full independence, and his remarks in a joint press conference with President Karzai told the story of this tough endeavor:
When I was last in Afghanistan just before our administration took office -- it was two years ago this month, and President-elect Obama asked me, as you recall, Mr. President, to once again get a firsthand look and have a discussion with you. And now since then we have with the leadership of my -- the team that's here on the right, the President’s team, we have a strategy and the resources in place to accomplish the goal of a stable and growing and independent Afghanistan able to provide for its own security, and in the process to be able to, at the same time, to disrupt and dismantle and defeat ultimately al Qaeda in Pakistan and the little appearance there is in Afghanistan.
A stable, sovereign Afghanistan that is not a haven for terrorists is critical toward that goal. And to that end we’re engaged in working -- and I had the opportunity to go to a training facility today -- working with your military to train up a first-class military organization that will be eventually in the position to meet all of the Afghan security needs. And toward that end I'd like to thank your Minister of Defense for taking me on the tour earlier today.
In the meantime our military is breaking the momentum of the insurgents and the radicalized portion of the Taliban. Our diplomats are working hard along with the President to promote regional cooperation, including with your neighbor, Pakistan.
And I want to recognize the contribution toward this effort over the past several years of a significant American diplomat who passed away, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who had unparalleled skills and tenacity that -- where he spent almost two years as our special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan before he passed away last month.
And over the past two years the United States has sent some of America’s most capable troops into enclaves where -- that have long been operated -- the insurgency and the Taliban of being able to operate with impunity. And we’ve also substantially increased our civilian effort here in Afghanistan with diplomats and development experts side by side with our military and your soldiers and your police and your personnel, Mr. President. And as a result, I think it’s fair to say we have largely arrested the Taliban momentum here in some very important areas, particularly in Helmand and Kandahar.
But these gains, as you pointed out to me, Mr. President, as we know, are fragile and reversible. And as the President knows, sustaining them is going to require the Afghans to assume the responsibility for security and governance. And it’s going to require more pressure -- more pressure on the Taliban, from Pakistan’s side of the border, than we’ve been -- we’ve been able to exert so far. And there are many hard days that lie ahead.
But we know that in order to maintain the support and commitment of the people of Afghanistan and the American people, we must work with our Afghan partners to improve the provision of basic services, to promote transparency and accountability, to strengthen the institutions, and advance the efforts of reconciliation with the Taliban of which we spoke for some time; the Taliban who’ve rejected Al Qaeda and renounce violence and are prepared to embrace the Afghan constitution.
None of this, as the President has pointed out to me and we have discussed and we know, is going to be easy. But, Mr. President, in concert with your government and our NATO allies, we now have a viable path outline to move forward. And again, I'd like to compliment you publicly on Lisbon. I think it was a very, very useful conference, and I think we’re finally all on the same page.
And this year, NATO is going to begin to transition responsibility over the security in certain provinces to the government of Afghanistan, while the United States begins a condition-based reduction of our forces starting in July. And all of this will advance our shared U.S.-Afghani objective of having an Afghan National Security Force in the lead throughout all of Afghanistan by 2014, as President Karzai wisely proposed -- there was a first to move forward on.
Together, we will work on a framework for future bilateral relations and a lasting friendship with the Afghan people and the American people. And going forward, we’ll continue to train and advise the forces and to provide civilian assistance.
Let me say it plainly, Mr. President, it is not our intention to govern or to nation-build. As President Karzai often points out, this is the responsibility of the Afghan people, and they are fully capable of it. As President Obama said it in a slightly different way, he said, “It’s Afghans who must secure their country. And it’s Afghans who must build their nation.” And we stand ready to help you in that effort. And we will continue to stand ready to help you in that effort after 2014.
Last Tuesday, President Obama signed into law the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Bill. The bill represents another step in the Administration’s continued commitment to ensuring that the men and women of our Armed Forces, who have served our country with distinction, receive the benefits they have earned. It provides Veterans the ability to use their benefits for vocational and on-the-job training, expands eligibility for the benefit to National Guardsmen and women who are activated for domestic assistance, provides Active Duty troops with additional assistance to purchase books, and allows for severely injured Veterans and their caregivers to have additional time to use their benefits.
Since the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, over 400,000 Veterans and their families have taken advantage of the opportunity to pursue a higher education. The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Bill will expand that opportunity, furthering the President’s promise to take care of our nation’s Veterans.
As the Director of Veterans outreach and Veteran myself, I meet with Veterans, their families, and Veteran advocates. Time and time again, I hear from Veterans looking for more support regarding education upon their return. Education is the bedrock of this country and having accessible education for our troops is a top priory for the Administration. The passing of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Bill last week was a great example of bipartisan teamwork combined with the potent advocacy of our Veterans Service Organizations. It was another great step towards honoring the service of our Nation’s Veterans and providing our troops with the education they deserve.
The Obama Administration looks forward to continuing to support our troops in the weeks, months and years ahead. As President Obama’s said "It's about how we treat our Veterans every single day of the year. It’s about making sure they have the care they need and the benefits that they’ve earned when they come home. It's about serving all of you as well as you’ve served the United States of America."
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Today’s employment report shows that private sector payrolls increased by 113,000 in December, capping 12 consecutive months of growth that added 1.3 million private sector jobs to the economy during 2010, the strongest private sector job growth since 2006. The unemployment rate fell 0.4 percentage point to 9.4 percent last month.
The overall trend of economic data over the past several months has been encouraging, due in large part to the initiatives passed by this Administration, but we still have a ways to go. The measures we worked with Congress to pass last month that continue tax cuts for the middle class and extensions to unemployment insurance are vital to sustaining the recovery. The Administration will also continue to focus on actions that the President has recommended to increase growth and job creation, such as providing incentives to encourage businesses to invest and hire here at home, investing in education and infrastructure, and promoting exports abroad.
In addition to the increases last month, the estimates of private sector job growth for October (now 193,000) and November (now 79,000) were revised up. Including today’s revisions, private sector employers have added an average of 128,000 jobs per month in the 4th quarter, the highest quarterly average in almost four years.
Overall payroll employment rose by 103,000 last month. Among the sectors with the largest payroll employment growth were leisure and hospitality (+47,000), education and health services (+44,000), temporary help services (+15,900), and manufacturing (+10,000). Local government (-20,000) and construction (-16,000) were among the sectors that subtracted from the total.
Even though the unemployment rate fell sharply in December, it is still unacceptably high and we need robust employment growth in order to recover from the deep job losses that began over two years ago. The overall trajectory of the economy has improved dramatically since then, but there will surely continue to be bumps in the road ahead. The monthly employment and unemployment numbers are volatile and employment estimates are subject to substantial revision. Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.
Today, nearly 300,000 American men and women are serving overseas, often in harsh conditions and at grave risk. For many of these brave men and women, the challenge of everyday life experienced by their families back home is a significant worry, as loved ones struggle with car payments, credit card bills, and trying to find the cash needed to cover unexpected expenses.
Regrettably, the evidence is clear: servicemembers and their families are sometimes easy targets for unscrupulous lenders. Even families that stay with mainstream lenders can struggle as the impact of separation and frequent moving takes a financial toll, leaving a family mired in debt and trying to digest reams of fine print.
Today, we have good news to report.
Holly Petraeus will take on a new role at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Implementation Team, directing our effort to establish an Office of Servicemember Affairs.
I had been at the consumer agency for only a couple of weeks when I met Holly. After we introduced ourselves, she got straight to the point: despite strong efforts by the Department of Defense and others, too many military families find themselves in financial trouble, scrambling hard to deal with mounting debts or falling into the arms of a predatory lender.
Holly was then serving as the Director of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Military Line, a partnership between the BBB and the Department of Defense Financial Readiness Campaign that provides consumer education and advocacy for servicemembers and their families. She knew the challenges facing military families. Her son, brother, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all served in our armed forces. Her husband, General David Petraeus, is serving now as Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces in Afghanistan.
Holly was doing her best to help by teaching financial education classes to military personnel and in other ways, but she thought that as a country we needed to do more—and she thought the new consumer agency was the way to get things done. She listed one idea after another, focusing on better law enforcement, tighter rules, and stronger financial education. She wanted to see action now.
Wow, I thought. This woman is fired up.
It soon became clear that Holly would be the perfect person to guide the establishment of the office. She is the kind of leader we need.
Holly understands—from both her personal experience as a military spouse and her work at BBB—that men and women in our armed forces encounter unique financial obstacles.
Recently-enlisted servicemembers often experience their first steady paycheck and their first opportunity to be lured into easy credit offers. Far too many also get tangled in debt traps. A recent online survey commissioned by the FINRA Foundation found that almost one in four of the enlisted personnel or junior NCO respondents had used a high-cost alternative borrowing method, such as a payday or auto title loan, in the previous five years. The same survey found that mainstream credit products can also pose problems: in the previous year, 53 percent of the enlisted personnel and junior NCOs had made only the minimum payment on a credit card, and 30 percent had made a late payment.
Financial problems can be a dangerous distraction for our troops. As Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Clifford L. Stanley wrote last year, servicemembers “and their families are under increasing stress. When we have asked in surveys about the causes, servicemembers responded that finances were second only behind work and career concerns and ahead of deployments, health, life events, family relationships and war/hostilities.” Financial problems can also lead troops to lose their often essential security clearances. For example, the Department of the Navy reported in 2007 that financial management issues accounted for 78 percent of security clearance revocations and denials for Navy personnel.
Those who serve in the military should be able to focus on their jobs and their families without having to worry about getting trapped by abusive financial practices. America’s national security depends on that basic premise. As Undersecretary Stanley wrote, the “personal financial readiness of our troops and families equates to mission readiness.” Secretary of the Army John McHugh similarly has argued that “Soldiers who are distracted by financial issues at home are not fully focused on fighting the enemy, thereby decreasing mission readiness.”
In her role at the new agency, Holly will continue her work to strengthen consumer financial protection for servicemembers. The Office of Servicemember Affairs will work in partnership with the Department of Defense to help ensure that: military families receive the financial education they need to make the best financial decisions for them; complaints and questions from military families are monitored and responded to; and federal and state agencies coordinate their activities to improve consumer protection measures for military families.
This month, Holly and I will visit Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas, where all three of my brothers took basic training. We will hear from servicemembers and financial counselors about the unique lending circumstances and challenges facing military communities. In this and in our later trips, we will ask many questions, listen to our troops, and apply what we learn directly to our efforts.
The goal of the new agency is to provide basic consumer protection and to be a voice for American families. Military families have unique challenges, and now they have a unique advocate to ensure that their special concerns get the attention they deserve.
View:Florida Villas, San Francisco MoversThis week, President Obama signed The National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA), bipartisan legislation that will help individuals and families across the country whose lives are touched by Alzheimer’s disease. This legislation represents the next step in our strong, continued commitment to supporting Alzheimer’s research and health and long-term care services for affected individuals.
Alzheimer’s disease currently affects 5.3 million Americans, a number which is expected to increase fourfold by 2050. Additionally, there are nearly 11 million unpaid caregivers and the Nation spends an estimated $172 billion in annual costs.
Signing NAPA builds on a commitment made to individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease at a meeting that was held at the White House on World Alzheimer’s Day last September. We brought together leading Alzheimer’s disease advocates, researchers, health and long-term care experts, and others to commemorate World Alzheimer’s Day.
Developing a national plan to respond to this disease is critical for making sure that we are supporting individuals and families as effectively as possible and making important research investments to develop effective therapeutics and change the trajectory of this disease. The Obama Administration looks forward to implementing this legislation.
View:Florida Villas, San Francisco MoversThis week, Republicans in the House of Representatives unveiled a bill that will repeal the Affordable Care Act and take us back to the days when insurance companies controlled the health care people could receive. This doesn’t come as a surprise, as Republican leaders have been threatening repeal since President Obama signed the reforms into law on March 23, 2010. But what is surprising is how carelessly they are disregarding the consequences of taking away the new freedoms, control over health care decisions, and the cost savings the law provides the American people, including
Taking away these freedoms from the American people by repealing the law will put insurance companies back in control of health care—leaving Americans once again to worry about:
In addition, repealing the law will add more than a trillion dollars to the deficit—money we don’t have and debt that will be forced onto future generations of Americans. And without the additional support that the law provides states, it will be that much more difficult for them to provide their residents with affordable coverage options.
Today, the Secretary Sebelius released an op-ed outlining the devastating impact repeal will have on the American people and the Department of Health and Human Services released state-by-state reports to show just how devastating repealing the law will be.
View:Florida Villas, San Francisco Movers
The President released the statement below after Gibbs' announcement:
View:Florida Villas, San Francisco MoversFor the last six years, Robert has been a close friend, one of my closest advisers and an effective advocate from the podium for what this administration has been doing to move America forward. I think it’s natural for him to want to step back, reflect and retool. That brings up some challenges and opportunities for the White House – but it doesn’t change the important role that Robert will continue to play on our team.
Each semester the White House welcomes over 100 interns into 18 different departments across the Administrations. While each experience is one-of-a-kind, the program maintains the overarching theme of public service. White House Interns agree, sharing their reflections on their truly unique time with the program:
“More than experience in government, this internship is the embodiment of the President's promise to increase civic engagement.”
-White House Office of Legislative Affairs Intern
“I participated in meaningful and fulfilling projects and learned volumes about the many ways the Executive Branch reaches out to communities throughout the United States.”
-White House Communications Department Intern“I return to school this fall eager to find ways to further engage in public service and continue to communicate the efforts of our government to improve lives of everyday Americans. “
-White House Department of Scheduling and Advance Intern
The application deadline for the Summer 2011 White House Internship Program is 11:59PM on Sunday, January 9. Don’t miss your chance to become a part of the next class of White House Interns! For more information and to apply please visit the White House Internship program page.
View:Florida Villas, San Francisco MoversPresident Obama and Jay Leno trade jokes at the 2010 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, D.C.
As part of the It Gets Better Project, President Obama shares his message of hope and support for LGBT youth who are struggling with being bullied.
President Obama speaks at the 2010 University of Michigan commencement ceremony in Ann Arbor, MI.
President Obama speaks about restoring security for middle class families after a lost decade of declining wages, eroding retirement security and escalating health care and tuition costs.
The President hails Paul McCartney's contribution to popular music and song during a ceremony to present the singer with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize.
The President addresses the American people from the Oval Office for the first time on the ongoing Administration-wide response to the BP oil spill and America's clean energy future.
Vice President Joe Biden responds to Joe Barton's statements about BP during a White House Press Briefing.