Ending the War in Iraq

Posted by White House

Earlier today, President Obama sent a message to the White House email list about ending our combat mission and drawing down the number of troops in Iraq. Check out the email below. You can sign up to receive periodic updates from the President and other senior administration officials here.

Good afternoon,

Shortly after taking office, I put forward a plan to end the war in Iraq responsibly. Today, I'm pleased to report that -- thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians in Iraq -- our combat mission will end this month, and we will complete a substantial drawdown of our troops.

Over the last 18 months, over 90,000 U.S. troops have left Iraq. By the end of this month, 50,000 troops will be serving in Iraq. As Iraqi Security Forces take responsibility for securing their country, our troops will move to an advise-and-assist role. And, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all of our troops will be out of Iraq by the end of next year. Meanwhile, we will continue to build a strong partnership with the Iraqi people with an increased civilian commitment and diplomatic effort.

A few weeks ago, men and women from one of the most deployed brigades in the U.S. Army, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, returned home from Iraq. The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden were at Fort Drum to welcome the veterans home and spoke about their personal experiences as a military family:

Our commitment to our troops doesn't end once they come home -- it's only the beginning. Part of ending a war responsibly is meeting our responsibility to the men and women who have fought it. Our troops and their families have made tremendous sacrifices to keep our nation safe and secure, and as a nation we have a moral obligation to serve our veterans as well as they have served us.

That's why we're building a 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs. We've made one of the largest percentage increase in the VA’s budget in 30 years, and we're dramatically increasing funding for veterans' health across the board. In particular, we're delivering unprecedented resources to treat signature wounds of today's wars—Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Our sacred trust to take care of our veterans goes beyond simply healing the wounds incurred in battle. We must ensure that when our veterans leave the Armed Forces, they have the opportunities they need to further their education and support their families. Through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, some 300,000 veterans and families members have pursued a college degree. Others are taking advantage of job training and placement programs.

My Administration will continue to do our part to support the brave men and women in uniform that have sacrificed so much. But supporting our troops and their families is not just the job of the Federal Government; it's the responsibility of all Americans.

As we mark this milestone in the Iraq war and our troops continue to move out of Iraq, I hope you'll join me in thanking them, and all of our troops and military families, for their service.

Sincerely,
President Barack Obama

Video: The Vice President and Dr. Biden Welcome Troops Home from Iraq

Posted by White House

A few weeks ago, the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden visited Fort Drum in upstate New York to welcome home the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, from Iraq. One of the most deployed brigades in the U.S. Army, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team has participated in three deployments to Afghanistan and four deployments to Iraq.

Watch the Vice President and Dr. Biden honor our troops service and welcome them home.

President Obama Pushes for Up-or-Down Vote on Help for Our Laid Off Friends & Neighbors

Posted by White House

The President opened his remarks today describing some of the people he is focused on as he deals with the economy every day:

Right now, across this country, many Americans are sitting at the kitchen table, they’re scanning the classifieds, they’re updating their resumes or sending out another job application, hoping that this time they’ll hear back from a potential employer. And they’re filled with a sense of uncertainty about where their next paycheck will come from. And I know the only thing that will entirely free them of those worries –- the only thing that will fully lift that sense of uncertainty –- is the security of a new job.

The warnings surrounding America’s economic free fall when the President came into office were grave – “another Great Depression” was one common refrain. It’s undoubtedly good news that those dire warnings are all but forgotten now, as the Recovery Act and other tough choices from the Obama Administration brought us back from the brink, but there is no question that the difficulties facing millions of America’s workers – through no fault of their own – are nothing short of tragic.

That’s why it’s not only imperative to pass the job creation programs the President has supported, such as small business tax cuts and support for the clean energy economy, but to extend unemployment insurance to those still struggling to find work. These are our friends and neighbors, who find themselves in the same situation so many of us have at some point in our lives if we were out of work during a tough economic time – seemingly endless applicants for every job, where even a final round interview seems like hitting the lottery. And that leaves out the fact that because these benefits go to people who will immediately spend them and put them back into the economy, there is wide consensus that it is one of the best ways to stimulate the economy.

And yet, as the President explained, Republicans in the Senate have taken a different perspective in justifying their blocking of unemployment insurance to help our neighbors stay afloat – that is their fault, and they are simply not looking hard enough for work. They say this even as they consistently attack the President over the state of the economy. They claim we cannot afford to extend the benefits, even as they push for massive, permanent tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to be put on the national credit card:

And for a long time, there’s been a tradition –- under both Democratic and Republican Presidents –- to offer relief to the unemployed. That was certainly the case under my predecessor, when Republican senators voted several times to extend emergency unemployment benefits. But right now, these benefits –- benefits that are often the person’s sole source of income while they’re looking for work -– are in jeopardy.
And I have to say, after years of championing policies that turned a record surplus into a massive deficit, the same people who didn’t have any problem spending hundreds of billions of dollars on tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans are now saying we shouldn’t offer relief to middle-class Americans like Jim or Leslie or Denise, who really need help.
Over the past few weeks, a majority of senators have tried -– not once, not twice, but three times –- to extend emergency relief on a temporary basis. Each time, a partisan minority in the Senate has used parliamentary maneuvers to block a vote, denying millions of people who are out of work much-needed relief. These leaders in the Senate who are advancing a misguided notion that emergency relief somehow discourages people from looking for a job should talk to these folks.
That attitude I think reflects a lack of faith in the American people, because the Americans I hear from in letters and meet in town hall meetings –- Americans like Leslie and Jim and Denise -- they’re not looking for a handout. They desperately want to work. Just right now they can’t find a job. These are honest, decent, hardworking folks who’ve fallen on hard times through no fault of their own, and who have nowhere else to turn except unemployment benefits and who need emergency relief to help them weather this economic storm.
Now, tomorrow we will have another chance to offer them that relief, to do right by not just Jim and Leslie and Denise, but all the Americans who need a helping hand right now -- and I hope we seize it. It’s time to stop holding workers laid off in this recession hostage to Washington politics. It’s time to do what’s right -- not for the next election but for the middle class.

As described in the background sent out from the White House, the President was joined by three people typifying the kind of Americans this help will go to – see if they don’t remind you of people you know in your community:

• Jim Chukalas, from Fredon Township, NJ, was laid off as a parts manager at a Honda dealership in 2008. He ran out of Tier III benefits and his Tier IV expired two weeks ago because Congress has failed to act. Jim has persistently searched for work and fights to keep his spirits up for his family’s sake.
• Leslie Macko, from Charlottesville, VA, lost her job as an aesthetician in 2009. She received, and exhausted, Virginia unemployment compensation benefits. She has also exhausted her Tier I benefits and had 4.9 weeks of Tier II EUC for which she is eligible. However, there has been a 6-week delay in the Tier II benefits and once she receives these benefits, she will not be eligible for additional unemployment insurance. She has persistently searched for work, and continues to do so. To pay her rent, utilities, food, and other expenses she has had to borrow money from her father on a monthly basis.
• Denise Gibson from Queens, NY, was laid off as a maintenance supervisor in January and has been receiving unemployment insurance benefits since February. She will receive the benefits only until August unless the extension is passed. She is currently late on her rent and due back in housing court in early August. She is interviewing for jobs and has plans to go to nursing school later this year.
 

Free Preventive Care Coming Soon Thanks to the Affordable Care Act

Posted by White House

Starting in September, insurance plans will be required to pay the entire cost of recommended, preventive services. That means that, without paying a deductible, co-pay or coinsurance, many Americans will be able to take the preventive steps needed to keep themselves and their families healthy. To help raise awareness about this important issue, The First Lady and Dr. Biden recorded this video message:

The newly-launched HealthCare.gov not only provides information about the new rule for prevention and what services will be included, it also lets you compare hospital data and shows you a comprehensive list of the insurance options available to you, your family, or your small business.
And a little background on the importance of these new preventative care benefits. Chronic conditions are impacting America’s men, women and children every day. Nearly one-third of kids are overweight or obese, putting them at risk for conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, and 12% of children have not had a doctor’s visit in the past year. About 210,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will occur among women in the United States during 2010, and an estimated 40,000 women are expected to die from breast cancer this year. But the good news is that, as devastating as these illnesses can be, many of these conditions are preventable. With expanded access to preventive services, individuals can get the information they need to make the health decisions that are right for them. Preventing illness before it starts is key to keeping America healthy but it is also an important step in reducing health care costs. Each year chronic conditions, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, are responsible for 7 of 10 deaths among Americans each year and account for 75% of the nation’s health spending.
To learn more visit HealthCare.gov.

Prevention is a Priority -- Now It's a Reality

Posted by White House

Earlier today, I joined First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to discuss how the Affordable Care Act will give millions of Americans access to preventive care through their private health insurance.

Today, too many Americans today aren't getting the preventive health care they need. Right now, for example, 59 million adults and 11 million children depend on private health insurance that doesn't adequately cover immunizations. And 12 percent of children haven't visited a doctor in the last year.

The statistics are even more troubling in our minority communities. African-American mothers are 2.5 times as likely as white mothers to begin prenatal care in the 3rd trimester, or not receive it at all. And only 37 percent of Latinos were screened for colon cancer in 2007, compared to 57 percent of whites.

Our challenge is to remove the obstacles between patients getting the preventive services that they need to stay healthy. If we fail in this challenge, we all pay the price. If we succeed -- we are on our way to a healthier nation. According to one study, if people got just five types of preventive services when they needed to -- colorectal and breast cancer screening, flu vaccines, counseling to help them quit smoking, and regular aspirin use to prevent strokes -- we could avert 100,000 deaths each year. Use of preventive services can also help bring costs down in a variety of ways. For example, people who are obese have health care costs that are 39 percent above average, and reducing obesity and the diseases related to it could lower premiums overall by 0.05 to 0.1 percent.

Those are just a few of the reasons why President Obama has made improving access to preventive care a priority from his first day in office and why we released new rules requiring all new private health insurance plans with plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010 to cover recommended preventive services without cost-sharing when delivered by a network provider. The new rules mean that services like blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol tests, cancer screenings, routine vaccinations, and well-baby visits will be provided without a deductible, co-pay or co-insurance.

We know that eliminating these costs for regular preventive services can ensure more Americans will use these services. And we know these services can save lives.

At the announcement yesterday, we met Maggie Roberts from California. When Maggie's son was just a toddler, he was diagnosed with cancer during a routine checkup. Because they caught it early, the cancer was successfully treated, and years later he is still cancer-free. It's a powerful story of how important preventive care can be. 

You can learn more about the new preventive benefits available under the law, and get more tips on how to stay healthy by visiting our new website, www.HealthCare.gov.

Wrapping Up My Visit to Iraq

Posted by White House

[Ed. Note: Read Dr. Biden's post about celebrating Independence Day with troops in Iraq yesterday here]Today I started my day off at a breakfast event with civilian volunteers from the U.S. embassy here in Iraq. Just like our soldiers, these individuals are sacrificing a tremendous amount on behalf of our country. This post is particularly challenging, and we owe them a great deal of gratitude for their service.
Afterwards, I met with about a dozen Iraqi women who teach English here in the greater Baghdad area. We talked about their experiences in the classroom, their students, and their hopes and vision for the future of the Iraqi education system.As a teacher, the best part of my job isn't just teaching people how to read or compose sentences, but building their confidence so they can go on and pursue their dreams. These teachers, through pure grit and determination, are shaping and molding the future leaders of Iraq.They were truly inspirational. I wrapped up my trip with a roundtable discussion with service men and women from the Texas National Guard 72nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Having a son who served in the National Guard, I felt a little bit like I was reunited with family.

This group is preparing to redeploy back to the United States next month, and we spent some time talking about National Guard family support programs, including the Family Readiness Group and the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. Members of the National Guard and Reserve face unique challenges as they balance the demands of their military service with their responsibilities at home. In this era when so much is being asked of our service members, relieving some of the burden of stress can make an incredible difference.What an amazing couple of days it has been for me. I'm glad I could share some of it with you.

Celebrating the Fourth of July with Our Troops in Iraq

Posted by White House

Last night, my husband Joe and I flew to Iraq to celebrate the Fourth of July with our troops. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Independence Day than spending it with Americans who are bravely serving our country.

This morning we participated in a naturalization ceremony for about 150 of our soldiers serving here in Iraq. I was honored to be part of this special day with so many brave men and women who have been volunteering to fight for our country even before they took the oath of citizenship.Afterwards, I had lunch with several women soldiers who told me about their experiences serving in Iraq. Many of them are mothers, and one of them is married to a soldier who is also deployed.
They are managing all the challenges of parenting - securing health care, child care and education - while one or both parents are away.It's not easy to be away from loved ones - especially over the holidays. So please, take a minute today and give thanks to our military families serving this Nation around the world.Have a safe and happy Fourth of July, and may God protect our troops.