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Read all posts from September 2012
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At the Yemen Donor Conference in Riyadh, which I attended on September 4, I was impressed by how far Yemen has come in the past year. But I think what really made this conference stand out is that we focused on what happens after the conference, and how key “quick impact” programs will benefit from the commitments made and deliver the greatest impact to the most critical challenges facing Yemen.
Last year, Yemen negotiated a political solution that allowed the country to pull itself from the brink of conflict and begin implementing long-overdue political, military, and economic reforms. Yet Yemen is embarking on this promising path under the shadow of significant challenges, including nearly 40 percent unemployment and a dire humanitarian crisis in which ten million people – nearly half of Yemen’s population – go to bed hungry every night. And, Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, could potentially run out of water in a decade.
The Yemeni government’s “Transitional Program for Stabilization and Development” – which was presented at the conference – describes plans to rebuild the economy, advance the political transition, enhance security and the rule of law, and significantly improve the welfare of the Yemeni population. At the conference, Yemen agreed to a “Mutual Accountability Framework,” which outlines the relationship between Yemeni goals to restore political, security and economic stability and the supporting role of donor countries.
Yemen cannot carry out its ambitious agenda without significant international support. The Donor Conference, hosted in Riyadh by Saudi Arabia, the World Bank and the Yemeni government, was critical to rallying this support and strengthening donor coordination. During the conference, partner countries pledged nearly 6 billion dollars and I had the opportunity to emphasize the strong commitment of the United States as a friend and partner to Yemen during this incredibly important time.
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While there is more work that remains to be done, today’s employment report provides further evidence that the U.S. economy is continuing to recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression. It is critical that we continue the policies that are building an economy that works for the middle class as we dig our way out of the deep hole that was caused by the severe recession that began in December 2007. To create more jobs in particularly hard-hit sectors, President Obama continues to support the elements of the American Jobs Act that have not yet passed, including further investment in infrastructure to rebuild our Nation’s ports, roads and highways, and assistance to State and local governments to prevent layoffs and to enable them to rehire hundreds of thousands of teachers and first responders. To build on the progress of the last few years, President Obama has also proposed an extension of middle class tax cuts that would prevent the typical middle class family from facing a $2,200 tax increase next year.
Today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that private sector establishments added 103,000 jobs last month, and overall non-farm payroll employment rose by 96,000. The economy has now added private sector jobs for 30 straight months, for a total of 4.6 million jobs during that period.
The household survey showed that the unemployment rate declined from 8.3 percent to 8.1 percent in August.
Employment rose notably in leisure and hospitality (+34,000), professional and business services (+28,000), health care and social assistance (+21,700), and wholesale trade (+7,900). Manufacturing lost 15,000 jobs, including a 7,500 drop in motor vehicles and parts, which is partly payback for there having been relatively few seasonal auto plant shutdowns in July. Over the past 30 months, manufacturers have added more than 500,000 jobs. Government lost 7,000 jobs, as state government payrolls fell by 6,000 and local governments shed 4,000 jobs. Since February 2010, State and local governments have lost 504,000 jobs.
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This week, the President visited Fort Bliss two years after he marked the end of major combat operations in Iraq and visited with victims of Hurricane Isaac. Meanwhile, the White House released its top secret beer recipe and the new White House app, and "We the People" got its three millionth signature.
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From day one, the President and First Lady have made opening the doors of the White House a priority. "It’s the “People’s House,” as Mrs. Obama often calls it, “It’s a place that is steeped in history, but it’s also a place where everyone should feel welcome. And that's why my husband and I have made it our mission to open up the house to as many people as we can."
And, because experiencing the White House shouldn't be limited to the those who are able to visit in person, the Obama Administration has taken steps to offer unprecedented access to the “People’s House” virtually, from an online interactive tour, to Google Art Project platform and the “Inside the White House” video series.
In the spirit of openness, White House curator William Allman sat down for a special session of Office Hours today on Twitter to answer your questions about the art and history of the White House. During the chat, he discussed who manages the art, the oldest piece in the building, the Obama’s favorite and more.
Check out the full Q&A below or on Storify, and take a tour of the White House yourself through the Google Art Project.
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September 05, 2012
05:00 PM EDTYou know summer is at a close and fall is upon us when the NFL regular season begins, and today, the Dallas Cowboys and last year’s NFL Champion New York Giants will kick-off the season at home.
This past June President Obama hosted the 2012 NFL Champion Giants at the White House to congratulate them on their victory -- just as he's hosted past champions, including the Steelers, the Saints, the Packers, and even the 1985 Chicago Bears.
In honor of tonight's kickoff, we've pulled together some highlights of NFL Champions’ visits to the White House. Check it out.
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President Obama throws a football on Soldier Field. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan present a jersey to President Obama. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Obama welcomes the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants to the South Lawn. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Obama leans on a football while making a phone call in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Obama receives a Green Bay Packers stock certificate from Charles Woodson at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
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The First Lady, Roger Goodell, Eddie George and Tony Dungy, huddle during a "Let's Move!" event. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)
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Ed. Note: Do you have questions about the history of the White House? Join us for a special session of "Office Hours" on Twitter with White House curator William Allman at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 5th. Ask your questions now with #WHChat and follow the Q&A live @WHLive.
The White House isn’t just a home to First Families or meeting space for world leaders. It’s also known as "The People’s House" -- a place that should be open to everyone. And that’s why President and Mrs. Obama have made it a priority to invite young people, military families, and Americans of all ages to join them here at the White House.
And, because experiencing the White House shouldn't be limited to the those who are able to visit in person, the Obama Administration has worked hard to offer unprecedented access that opens up the People's House to virtual visitors as well.
So, whether you're at home in California or at school in Maine, let your fingers do the walking and take this as your formal invitation to see the White House. Here's three great ways to get started.
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Under the Administration’s Campaign to Cut Waste, we are scrutinizing every dollar of Federal spending to make sure that funds are spent efficiently and effectively. As part of the campaign, last fall, in Executive Order 13589, “Promoting Efficient Spending,”the President charged Federal agencies with tightening their belts to find efficiencies and savings in areas such as printing, fleet, and travel. That effort is paying off. Federal agencies are hard at work executing on plans to achieve administrative cost savings in these areas. Agencies achieved over $2 billion in reduced costs in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period of time in 2010, and we’re announcing today that agencies achieved another $2 billion in savings in the second quarter. That puts us at $4 billion dollars in savings – well on track to meet and exceed our goal of $8 billion by the end of FY 2013.
But perhaps just as important as the savings themselves is the fact that they are indicative of innovative management practices Federal agencies are implementing to get the most out of every dollar. We are spending less money, and we’re spending it smarter in order to get the most bang for our buck.
For instance, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is consolidating its cell phone contracts. An analysis of USDA’s cellular inventory showed that USDA had over 700 plans and about 36,000 lines of service. The number of plans has been reduced considerably, and about 1,700 unused and obsolete lines have been discontinued, resulting in savings of approximately $4.7 million this year alone.
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President Barack Obama is surrounded by local and federal officials as he delivers a statement on the ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Isaac in LaPlace, Louisiana, Sept. 3, 2012. Standing with the President from left were FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Rep. Jeff Landry, Rep. Cedric Richmond, Saint John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom, Sen. David Vitter, Sheriff Mike Tregre, Sen. Mary Landrieu and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama yesterday made his way to St. John's Parish in Louisiana to take in the damage from Hurricane Isaac and meet with officials responding to the disaster.
The President highlighted the “extraordinary work” done by local first responders who worked around the clock to rescue residents stranded by high water in a place that hadn't flooded in 17 years.
"Some of the folks that we just walked by literally had to be saved by boat. They were in their homes, trapped. The waters came in so quickly," he said. "But because of the great work of law enforcement, National Guard, Coast Guard, making sure that folks were out in rescue mode rapidly, even in some cases at risk of their own lives, no lives were lost."
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Update: The signatures threshold for petitions on the We the People platform to receive an official response from the White House has changed since this blog post was published. See the latest signature thresholds.
Last year, the White House launched a new tool called We the People, offering a powerful and simple way to petition the Obama Administration to take action on a range of issues. If a petition gathers enough signatures, policy officials review it and publish an official response.
From the beginning, We the People's popularity exceeded our expectations. Over 600,000 signatures were received in the first 11 days and within two weeks, 81 petitions had reached the initial signature threshold of 5,000 signatures within 30 days. Raising the threshold to 25,0000 signatures within 30 days allowed us to balance our resources and focus on providing quality response and follow-up engagement. However, since October 3, 2011, we've still had an additional 30 petitions cross the new threshold. View a map of petition signatures by location.
Many times, petitions posted on We the People have a real impact on policy-making. For example, the popularity of two petitions concerning online piracy (a.k.a. SOPA & PIPA) crystallized the Administration’s position on the issue, which was first detailed in a response on We the People. In response to a petition demanding stronger oversight of commercial breeders who sell puppies online, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced they were developing a proposed rule that would cover internet breeders under the Animal Welfare Act. Once the rule was open for public comment, petition signers were invited to comment.
Check out a couple key facts and figures about the We the People platform below.
Ready to create or sign a petition now? Get started at WhiteHouse.gov/WeThePeople.
View the fullpage version of this infographic.
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Today, we're excited to announce some big changes to the way you connect with the White House. More Americans rely on tablets and smart phones for news and information than ever before and we've certainly seen these trends reflected at WhiteHouse.gov. Over the past two years the number of mobile visits to the site has tripled, reaching 15.17% of total traffic. In order to meet this growing demand, we've relaunched the entire White House mobile program, making it even easier to see what's going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
First, we revamped the mobile version of WhiteHouse.gov, giving it a new look and making more than 99% of the site available to mobile users. We've also released new versions of the White House apps for the iPhone and Android, rebuilding them from the ground up and adding several new features. For the first time, these apps are also fully compatible with the iPad and Android tablets.
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Ed. note: This is cross-posted from Work in Progress
On the first Monday of September, we honor the workers who built the world’s strongest economy. This Labor Day, as the U.S. Department of Labor approaches our centennial celebration, I take extra pride in the historic efforts of today’s workers to drive our recovery by learning new skills and adapting to new challenges.
For more than two centuries, the prospect of work has drawn people to our shores to pursue new opportunities and dreams of a better life. The demands on our workers have changed over the generations, but we’ve always risen to the occasion.
Watch Secretary Solis' Labor Day message.
During the Industrial Age, factory workers saw their knowledge and paychecks grow as they mastered new processes to mass produce everything from automobiles to armaments. Following the Great Depression, more than 6 million women joined the workforce, clocking in at shipyards, lumber mills and foundries, and their production helped us win the Great War. And the Internet age carried the talents of our workers across the globe, as our ideas and products reached new markets and brought the world closer together.
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Ed. Note: There's been a lot of buzz online recently about the recipe for the White House Honey Ale and White House Honey Porter, including a popular petition on We the People, the White House's online petition platform.
With public excitement about White House beer fermenting such a buzz, we decided we better hop right to it.
Inspired by home brewers from across the country, last year President Obama bought a home brewing kit for the kitchen. After the few first drafts we landed on some great recipes that came from a local brew shop. We received some tips from a couple of home brewers who work in the White House who helped us amend it and make it our own. To be honest, we were surprised that the beer turned out so well since none of us had brewed beer before.
As far as we know the White House Honey Brown Ale is the first alcohol brewed or distilled on the White House grounds. George Washington brewed beer and distilled whiskey at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson made wine but there's no evidence that any beer has been brewed in the White House. (Although we do know there was some drinking during prohibition…)
Since our first batch of White House Honey Brown Ale, we've added the Honey Porter and have gone even further to add a Honey Blonde this past summer. Like many home brewers who add secret ingredients to make their beer unique, all of our brews have honey that we tapped from the first ever bee-hive on the South Lawn. The honey gives the beer a rich aroma and a nice finish but it doesn't sweeten it.
If you want a behind the scenes look at our home-brewing process, this video offers some proof.
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President Obama marks the second anniversary of the end of our combat mission in Iraq by thanking our nation’s extraordinary men and women in uniform for their service.
Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3
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