Ed. Note: In honor of National Public Lands Day, Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will also visit Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, located along the banks of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., and join volunteers as they plant trees, install logs for erosion control, and collect lotus plants to help preserve and enhance the National Park’s environment. In addition to the events the Department of the Interior has planned, the National Forest Service has75 volunteer opportunities in National Forests throughout the country. To learn more about National Public Lands Day visit: www.publiclandsday.org.

Tomorrow I will join more than 170,000 volunteers across the country as we roll up our sleeves to help preserve and improve our nation’s public lands.

At 2,200 sites across the country – from neighborhood green spaces to city parks, and from our beaches to our national parks – we’ll be celebrating two important occasions: National Public Lands Day and National Hunting and Fishing Day.

Ed. Note: For more information, visit the Department of Health and Human Services violence against women website and the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women.

Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a reception at the Naval Observatory Residence marking the 16th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, in Washington, DC September 22, 2010. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Last night, more than a hundred advocates and college students from around the country gathered at the home of Vice President Biden to mark the 16th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The Vice President spoke passionately about his ongoing commitment to ending violence against women and girls and the next steps we must take to change societal attitudes about violence.

Written and championed by then-Senator Biden, VAWA focused on improving the criminal justice response to domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault. Since 1994, VAWA has sent 4 billion dollars to states and local communities to develop specialized law enforcement units, provide services to victims, improve prosecution of these crimes, and train professionals about domestic violence and sexual assault. In many ways, VAWA has been successful. Since the passage of the Act, domestic violence has dropped by 58%.
In spite of all this progress, we still have much work to do. Three women still die every day at the hands of husbands or boyfriends. Domestic violence causes two million injuries a year and untold amounts of human suffering. Domestic violence shelters are still full, hotlines are ringing, and for every victim who has come forward, many more are suffering alone.

Even more alarming, young women between the ages of 16-24 have the highest rates of relationship violence, and one in five women will be sexually assaulted while they are in college. Vice President Biden pointed out that we must focus on changing attitudes of our young people so that violence against women is not acceptable.  He also noted that we must reach young people with the new technologies—like texting and other online media—that they use to communicate.  The Vice President is committed to working with teens and college students to meet this challenge and he applauded those who have already joined this effort and were gathered at his home last night.

Check back on this blog for photos, video, and interviews from the event!

Last night, we got a preview of the Congressional Republican “Pledge to America.” This morning – at a small business that would likely benefit from the President’s plan to help small businesses – they unveiled the full thing. As news reports have already noted, there weren’t many new ideas in it, and the document was largely fluff obscuring a return to the same old special interest policies that caused this recession.  But a close look at what the real-life implications of their “pledge” would be if enacted are nothing short of alarming:

Cut Taxes for Millionaires and Billionaires While Adding Trillions to the Deficit:  We have been through this before. So let’s be clear again. Under the Obama plan, every American family will receive a tax cut up to the first $250,000 of their income. For those who make more than $250,000, this change would leave their tax rates on income above $250,000 at or below the rates that existed when President Clinton was in office and when the economy created 23 million jobs. As for the Congressional Republican plan, their pledge is to continue hold middle class tax relief hostage in order to provide an average tax cut of $100,000 to millionaires and billionaires. And the price is one we simply can’t afford: $700 billion. This tax cut would be, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, just about the worst way to jumpstart our economy and help create jobs.

Add Trillions to the Deficit: The Congressional Republican plan would add trillions to the deficit, including more than $1 trillion in additional unaffordable tax cuts over the next decade and more than $1 trillion in the subsequent decade from repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Raise Taxes for 110 Million American Families and Put Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs at Risk. As part of their pledge, Congressional Republicans want to cancel unspent Recovery Act funds and stop tens of thousands of job-creating projects, from highway construction to clean energy and environmental cleanup, putting the jobs of hundreds of thousands of Americans at risk.  One key part of the remaining Recovery Act funds is the Making Work Pay tax credit. So cancelling all Recovery Act funds represents a pledge to raise taxes on over 110 million American families in every paycheck –a tax hike for the largest number of middle class Americans in history. Taxes for businesses on Main Street would go up, too. Tens of thousands of businesses across the country would see their taxes rise by $27 billion, making it harder to keep current employees and hire new ones. The Congressional Republican agenda puts the jobs of hundreds of thousands of Americans at risk, as Recovery Act funding would be pulled from tens of thousands of highway construction, clean energy, environmental clean-up, and other projects already underway in big cities and small towns across America. In addition, rolling back the Recovery Act would threaten the jobs of tens of thousands of Americans as clean energy businesses lose funding for solar plants, wind farms, battery factories and other projects across America.

Oppose Real Relief for Small Businesses: Congressional Republicans have consistently opposed the Administration’s efforts to cut taxes for small businesses. They voted against the 8 small business tax cuts the President has already signed, including tax cuts to encourage investment, job growth and health care. Following their event this morning, House Republican leaders will be voting – presumably against – another 8 small business tax cuts, including zero capital gains for key investments in small businesses. Instead of supporting these tax cuts, they’ve devised a bankrupt definition of ‘small business’ in an effort to justify unaffordable tax cuts for the rich. Let’s be clear what this proposal would do:

• It would provide hedge fund managers, lobbyists and law partners a tax cut worth tens of thousands of dollars.
• If you were one of the 25 highest paid hedge fund managers who took home $1 billion a year, this proposal could allow you to avoid paying a dime of taxes on $200 million of your income, while your secretaries and assistants continue paying taxes on all of their income.  
• This proposal could require us to borrow up to a half trillion dollars over ten years to pay for tax cuts that we cannot afford and that will not primarily help the real small businesses in this country.   

Put Health Insurance Companies Back In Control: Congressional Republicans have pledged to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a series of special interest proposals under the guise of reform. This is a plan that would have real consequences for the American people and small businesses. Their agenda claims to protect people with preexisting conditions, but it would repeal the Affordable Care Act’s ban on discriminating against uninsured Americans, including children, who have a preexisting condition.   It would raise taxes by more than $40 billion on up to 4 million small businesses that provide health benefits to their employees.   It would result in premium increases by eliminating the billions of dollars in cost savings measures, and will increase the deficit by more than $1 trillion dollars.  It would mean that seniors will pay more for their prescription drugs, and their new free preventive Medicare benefits would be cut.  And it would mean that millions of Americans would have to give up their new Patient’s Bill of Rights protections that take effect today.

Return to the Era of Recklessness and Irresponsibility on Wall Street: Instead of supporting the Wall Street reform bill that would stop the practice of bailing out financial companies through programs like TARP, Congressional Republicans voted against it. Now, they are pledging to permanently end it. But TARP spending authority is already set to expire on October 3rd – less than two weeks from now – and thanks to the management of Secretary Geithner and the Treasury Department, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office expects the program to cost less than 10 percent of the $700 billion authorized. And the bank program, which was the subject of most controversy, is on track to make a substantial profit for taxpayers. The only thing it sounds like Congressional Republicans want to end is the Administration’s housing assistance program, which would mean 650,000 people will be denied a chance to receive a permanent mortgage modification that saves them an average of $500 per month.

Return to the Fiscal Policies that Turned a Record Surplus into a Record Deficit: Congressional Republicans have little credibility when it comes to dealing with our nation’s long-term fiscal challenges.  After all, these are the same House Republicans who helped transform a record $236 billion surplus into a record $1.3 trillion deficit, by failing to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, two wars and a costly expansion of Medicare. These are the same House Republicans who all voted against reinstating common sense Pay-As-You-Go rules that helped balance the budget during the Clinton Administration. And they are calling for this newfound responsibility in budgeting at the same time as they are pushing to add trillions to future deficits by repealing health reform and extending tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. And when it comes to entitlements, let’s remember what their solution was when they were in charge: privatize Social Security and turn Medicare into a voucher program. And while some House Republican leaders are trying to distance themselves from their previous position in favor of privatization, others are continuing to push these same radical plans. 

Return to Failed Budgets of the Past: After years of fiscal irresponsibility, Congressional Republicans are now pledging to stop their spending spree. But what they’ve proposed would return us to the same failed Bush policies that got us into this mess. Their plan would result in dramatic cuts in basic government services, including:

• Head Start would have to slash 200,000 children from its rolls. 
• 110,000 fewer children from working families would receive child care subsidies.
• The FBI would cut 2,700 agents. 
• Federal prisons would cut 3,800 correctional officers.
• The Federal government could detain 12,000 fewer people because of their immigration status at any one time.
• NASA would have to severely cut back its operations—cuts that would require the agency to abandon the international space station, immediately shut down the shuttle program, and eliminate aeronautics and cross-cutting space technology programs

Dan Pfeiffer is White House Communications Director 

Congressional Republican small business schedule today:

10:00: Unveil agenda mentioning small business 18 times.
2:30: Return to Capitol to vote against help for small business.

Congressional Republicans visited Tart Lumber Company, a small business in Sterling, Virginia where they laid out their “Pledge to America,” which will do nothing more than take America back to the same failed economic policies that caused this recession and hurt the very small business where they are holding their event.

The “Pledge to America”  mentions small businesses not once, but eighteen times.  But what it fails to mention is the impact the Republican  agenda actually  would have on small businesses.

In addition to hiking taxes for 110 million middle-class families and millions of businesses, the Congressional Republican have consistently opposed the 8 small business tax cuts that the President has already signed into law including:

1. A New Small Business Health Care Tax Credit
2. A New Tax Credit for Hiring Unemployed Workers
3. Bonus Depreciation Tax Incentives to Support New Investment
4. 75% Exclusion of Small Business Capital Gains
5. Expansion of Limits on Small Business Expensing
6. Five-Year Carryback of Net Operating Losses
7. Reduction of the Built-In Gains Holding Period for Small Businesses from 10 to 7 Years to Allow Small Business Greater Flexibility in Their Investments
8. Temporary Small Business Estimated Tax Payment Relief to Allow Small Businesses to Keep Needed Cash on Hand

And it doesn’t end there, the same Republicans in Congress are expected to vote against another Small Business Jobs Bill in the House TODAY….that’s right…they are expected to vote against a bill that would potentially benefit the very small business where they are rolling out their agenda.

The potential benefits to Tart Lumber in the Small Business Jobs Bill include:

1. Businesses like Tart will be able to immediately write off its first $500,000 in equipment investment next year.
2. Investors in firms like Tart would receive zero capital gains on their investments.   
3. A new Small Business Lending Fund will make capital more available to firms like Tart
4. By expanding successful SBA lending programs, firms like Tart will have expanded opportunities to get the loans they need to grow.

As a recap, Republicans in Congress were not always against assistance for small businesses.  In fact,  the same Small Business Jobs Bill they are expected to vote against today is made up of Republican ideas including zero capital gains on investments and business expensing write offs.  Unfortunately Republicans in Congress are once again putting partisan obstruction ahead of essential assistance for small businesses, even those they use as backdrops.  

Jen Psaki is Deputy Communications Director

At the beginning of the President’s speech this morning to the United Nations General Assembly, the President spoke first of the great challenges facing America – an economy only now being brought back from the brink of total disaster, and defeating Al Qaeda.  He spoke of what’s been done on both fronts, from international cooperation on financial stability, to withdrawal from Iraq and refocusing on Afghanistan – “There is much to show for our efforts, even as there is much more work to be done,” he said.  He spoke also about the ongoing international commitment to hold Iran accountable on its nuclear program.  And he concluded his speech with a focus on human rights, a forceful denunciation of tyranny, and a call for the world to come together for global development as he described yesterday -- "The world that America seeks is not one we can build on our own," he said.

But the bulk of his speech was on a topic that saw a spark of hope a few weeks ago here at the White House:

And we all have a choice to make.  Each of us must choose the path of peace.  Of course, that responsibility begins with the parties themselves, who must answer the call of history.  Earlier this month at the White House, I was struck by the words of both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.  Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “I came here today to find a historic compromise that will enable both people to live in peace, security, and dignity.”  And President Abbas said, “We will spare no effort and we will work diligently and tirelessly to ensure these negotiations achieve their cause.”

These words must now be followed by action and I believe that both leaders have the courage to do so.  But the road that they have to travel is exceedingly difficult, which is why I call upon Israelis and Palestinians -- and the world -- to rally behind the goal that these leaders now share.  We know that there will be tests along the way and that one test is fast approaching.  Israel’s settlement moratorium has made a difference on the ground and improved the atmosphere for talks. 

And our position on this issue is well known.  We believe that the moratorium should be extended.  We also believe that talks should press on until completed.  Now is the time for the parties to help each other overcome this obstacle.  Now is the time to build the trust -- and provide the time -- for substantial progress to be made.  Now is the time for this opportunity to be seized, so that it does not slip away.

Now, peace must be made by Israelis and Palestinians, but each of us has a responsibility to do our part as well.  Those of us who are friends of Israel must understand that true security for the Jewish state requires an independent Palestine -- one that allows the Palestinian people to live with dignity and opportunity.  And those of us who are friends of the Palestinians must understand that the rights of the Palestinian people will be won only through peaceful means -- including genuine reconciliation with a secure Israel.

I know many in this hall count themselves as friends of the Palestinians.  But these pledges of friendship must now be supported by deeds.  Those who have signed on to the Arab Peace Initiative should seize this opportunity to make it real by taking tangible steps towards the normalization that it promises Israel. 

And those who speak on behalf of Palestinian self-government should help the Palestinian Authority politically and financially, and in doing so help the Palestinians build the institutions of their state. 

Those who long to see an independent Palestine must also stop trying to tear down Israel.  After thousands of years, Jews and Arabs are not strangers in a strange land.  After 60 years in the community of nations, Israel’s existence must not be a subject for debate.

Israel is a sovereign state, and the historic homeland of the Jewish people.  It should be clear to all that efforts to chip away at Israel’s legitimacy will only be met by the unshakeable opposition of the United States.  And efforts to threaten or kill Israelis will do nothing to help the Palestinian people.  The slaughter of innocent Israelis is not resistance -- it’s injustice.  And make no mistake:  The courage of a man like President Abbas, who stands up for his people in front of the world under very difficult circumstances, is far greater than those who fire rockets at innocent women and children.

The conflict between Israelis and Arabs is as old as this institution.  And we can come back here next year, as we have for the last 60 years, and make long speeches about it.  We can read familiar lists of grievances.  We can table the same resolutions.  We can further empower the forces of rejectionism and hate.  And we can waste more time by carrying forward an argument that will not help a single Israeli or Palestinian child achieve a better life.  We can do that. 

Or, we can say that this time will be different -- that this time we will not let terror, or turbulence, or posturing, or petty politics stand in the way.  This time, we will think not of ourselves, but of the young girl in Gaza who wants to have no ceiling on her dreams, or the young boy in Sderot who wants to sleep without the nightmare of rocket fire.

This time, we should draw upon the teachings of tolerance that lie at the heart of three great religions that see Jerusalem’s soil as sacred.  This time we should reach for what’s best within ourselves.  If we do, when we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that will lead to a new member of the United Nations -- an independent, sovereign state of Palestine, living in peace with Israel.  (Applause.)

President Barack Obama addresses the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters September 23, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Regional Innovation Clusters are an important element of the President’s innovation agenda and a good example of how federal agencies can collaborate to maximize the impact of existing federal investments in key areas like energy and agriculture.

Regional Innovation Clusters are geographic concentrations of firms and industries that do business with each other and have common needs for talent, technology, and infrastructure.  Clusters make full use of a region’s unique assets, from infrastructure to workforce to available capital, to increase collaboration and create a climate for businesses to grow and thrive.  Innovation clusters build on existing industry and resources, foster creative environments that encourage knowledge sharing and tailored training and educational activities, and anchor jobs in America rather than shipping jobs overseas.

We know that this cluster strategy works. From well known places like Silicon Valley and the Research Triangle in North Carolina to lesser known places like Dayton’s Tech Town, Tucson’s Arizona Bioscience Park, and the Middle Georgia Economic Alliance, clusters are helping to connect communities to career and educational opportunities, secure higher paying jobs, and stabilize regions.

This week, the administration will announce the 40+ winners of three signature regional innovation initiatives:

1. I6 Challenge: Administered by the Department of Commerce/Economic Development Administration, NSF and NIH – EDA will fund 6 winning grants up to $1,000,000 each for up to two years. NIH and NSF will award a total of up to $6 million to their SBIR grantees that are associated or partnered with the winning teams. The i6 Challenge rewards innovative ideas that accelerate technology commercialization and new venture formation across the U.S.
2. Regional Cluster Initiative and Advanced Technology Initiative: The Small Business Administration–will announce 10 winners with a funding commitment of $600,000 per winner.
3. Rural Business Opportunity Grants: The Department of Agriculture will announce 9 grants with a funding commitment of up to $250,000 per winner.

In addition to these three new initiatives, just last month, the Department of Energy announced that the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster is the winner of the $129 m Energy Regional Innovation Cluster Pilot – a project that will spur regional economic growth while making buildings more energy efficient.

Americans have an unparalleled capacity to come up with innovative and entrepreneurial solutions. Federal agency support for organically-led regional clustering efforts is an encouraging step towards restoring and enhancing our economy. 

This morning we launched a new section of WhiteHouse.gov dedicated to health reform, a key feature of which is the interactive map with 50 stories from 50 states, giving a snapshot of the kinds of working people all across American who are just starting to get benefits from health care reform.  A lot of these people, like Gail from New Hampshire whose surprise call from the President was caught in the video below, are benefiting from a series of changes going into full effect this week that have been called the Patient's Bill of Rights.  These changes include things like ending discrimination based on pre-existing conditions in kids, allowing kids to stay on their parents' plans until they're 26, making sure you don't lose coverage just for being sick, an end to lifetime limits and much more.

Gail joined the President in a backyard in Falls Church, Virginia to talk to some other middle class folks about their experiences.  One of them was Dawn from Florida:

Earlier today, President Obama sent an email to the White House email list about the Patient's Bill of Rights - which goes into effect tomorrow - and the brand new WhiteHouse.gov/HealthReform.  If you didn't get today's email, be sure to sign up for the White House email list now.

On Thursday, Congressional Republicans plan to announce their “agenda.” They claim that this agenda is the product of listening to the American people through an online initiative called America Speaks Out – indeed they have hidden the details of their agenda for months claiming that they wanted to give Americans a chance to help guide them. “I would expect the ideas that come out of this Web site and the involvement of our members will lead to ideas that we can attempt to implement today,” said House Republican Leader Boehner during the somewhat bungled unveiling. 

We hope so too, particularly since the idea that has drawn the most interest in their job creation section with overwhelming support is one that President Obama has been pushing – and Congressional Republicans have been opposing – for years:

Stop the outsourcing of jobs from America to other countries that do not pay taxes into the U.S. and stop the tax breaks that are given to these companies outsourcing.

Here’s a rundown of Congressional Republicans’ voting record on this idea: