West Wing Week: 03/01/13 or “Hope Springs Eternal”

This week, the President urged Congress to take a responsible approach to deficit reduction instead of the indiscriminate across-the-board spending cuts called the sequester. He also met with the Prime Minister of Japan, America's Governors, and the country's only all-black Ranger unit, and unveiled a truly moving monument to Rosa Parks.

Friday, February 22^nd

• Prime Minister Abe of Japan visited the White House for a bilateral meeting with the President, where they discussed the important relationship between the two countries.
• The White House Office of Digital Strategy hosted programmers from across the country for an Open Data Day Hackathon where participants were given access to We the People Petitions' API in an effort to find ways to make the online platform both more detailed and more user-friendly.

Monday, February 25^th

• The President, Vice President, First Lady, and Dr. Biden spoke at the Meeting of the National Governors Association. The President praised governors for working across party lines, and called for the same kind of cooperation in Washington.

Tuesday, February 26^th

• The President traveled to Newport News, Virginia to visit a ship building facility, and highlight the devastating impact the sequester would have on jobs and middle class families, and to urge Congress to take action to replace these arbitrary cuts with balanced deficit reduction.
• West Wing Week caught up with the President & CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries to hear his take on what's at stake in the sequester negotiations.

Wednesday, February 27^th

• The President was one of the leaders on hand at the Capitol for the unveiling of a monument honoring civil rights icon, Rosa Parks.
• The President honored African American History Month by spending it with members of the 2nd Ranger Infantry Company, a Ranger light infantry company active during the Korean War, and the United States’ first and only all-black Ranger unit.
• Secretary Duncan helped host a White House event in South Court auditorium called Taking Action: Creating Model Emergency Management Plans for Schools, Institutions of Higher Education, and Houses of Worship, as part of the President's plan to protect our children and communities by reducing gun violence.
• The President attended a gathering of the Business Council, where he spoke about pursuing a balanced approach to deficit reduction.

Thursday, February 28^th

• The President met with both the Commander in Chief of the VFW and with the National Commander of the American Legion.