This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.

Search form

Weekly Wrap Up: Driving America Forward

Summary: 
A quick look at this week on WhiteHouse.gov.

Here's a quick look at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

Correspondents' Dinner: At the annual Correspondents' Dinner, which has been held since 1920, President Obama joked about himself and the coverage he has received from the reporters in attendance. In case you missed it – or if you want to watch it again – you can watch President Obama's speech here.

US-Japan Friendship: On Monday, President Obama met with Prime Minister Noda of Japan at the White House to reaffirm the U.S.-Japan Alliance, a 60-year old partnership and friendship that was exemplified in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the tsunami and nuclear crisis that followed. After a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, the two leaders laid out a new joint vision to guide the alliance for decades to come.

Rebuilding America: Speaking to 3,000 attendees of the Building and Construction Trades Department conference in Washington, D.C. Monday, President Obama made an argument for investing in rebuilding America and urged Congress to get construction workers on the job by passing a bipartisan bill that could guarantee work for millions of construction workers.

2012 Warrior Games: The First Lady joined Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Warrior Games Monday – an event that enables men and women who suffered injuries during a tour of duty to compete in a variety of athletic events. "No matter how seriously you're injured, no matter what obstacles or setbacks you face, you just keep moving forward," the First Lady remarked. "You just keep pushing yourselves to succeed in ways that just mystify and leave us all in awe."

Surprise Trip: President Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday, where he signed an historic agreement – the Strategic Partnership Agreement – that defines how the partnership between the two countries will be normalized as we look toward a responsible end to the war. After his meeting with President Karzai, President Obama met with U.S. troops at Bagram Air Base, and took the opportunity to thank them for the sacrifices that they and their families have made over the past decade of war.

Cinco de Mayo: President Obama hosted a Cinco de Mayo reception Thursday – a few days early – at the White House. Speaking from the Rose Garden, President Obama remarked, "Right now, there are more than 50 million Americans of Latino descent – one sixth of our population. You're our neighbors, our coworkers, our family, our friends. You're starting businesses. You're teaching in classrooms. You're defending this country. You're driving America forward."

Continuing Student Loan Push: On Friday, President Obama headed to Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia, where he continued his push to prevent interest rates on student loans from doubling on July 1st like they are currently scheduled to. "You guys shouldn't have to pay an extra $1,000 just because Congress can't get it together," the President said. "This should be a no-brainer. This is something we need to get done."