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Read all posts from September 2013
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September 25, 2013
12:38 PM EDTOne year ago today, President Obama announced the Administration’s commitment to lead the fight against human trafficking during a seminal speech at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting. During his remarks, the President announced new initiatives from across the Administration to help redouble our efforts to combat trafficking both at home and abroad.
Over the past year, we’ve made great strides and increased our efforts in order to realize the President’s vision. However, we still have so much more to do.
The President said in his remarks one year ago, “It ought to concern every person, because it is a debasement of our common humanity. It ought to concern every community, because it tears at our social fabric. It ought to concern every business, because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation, because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime. I’m talking about the injustice, the outrage, of human trafficking, which must be called by its true name – modern slavery.”
In an effort to build on the work the Administration has done over the past year, and to renew the President’s call to action, today we are participating in a discussion at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting on this issue and the Administration is announcing a series of new commitments to combat trafficking. Some of these new initiatives include:
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today is launching a national initiative to strengthen screening, increase training, and develop data-driven solutions for health care workers to better identify trafficking victims and provide appropriate assistance;
- The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council today are releasing a report that summarizes existing research and evidence on the topic of child sex trafficking and recommends approaches for addressing these issues and guiding future studies in this field;
- The U.S. Department of State is hosting today in Cambodia the first in a series of anti-trafficking “TechCamps” to take place in locations around the world and designed to bring together expert technologists and civil society organizations that are working with victims on the ground to design low-cost, easy-to-implement tools to combat trafficking; and
- Training programs are being introduced or expanded to strengthen awareness and response among law enforcement, industries including the travel industry and the global payment services industry, and government employees across various Federal agencies.
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September 25, 2013
10:32 AM EDT
President Barack Obama delivers remarks during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, N.Y., Sept. 23, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
On September 23 and 24, President Obama joined Heads of State from all around the world at the opening of the 68th session of the U.N. General Assembly. Over the course of the two days, the President led a high-level event on supporting civil society, engaged in bilateral discussions with Nigerian, Lebanese, and Palestinian leaders, and addressed the General Assembly.
The President’s speech to the General Assembly outlined the United States’ perspective on the challenges that the international community is confronting with the Syrian crisis, the destabilization of the region, and the conflicts between and within countries in the Middle East and North Africa. In his remarks, the President:
- Stated that there must be a “strong Security Council Resolution” to verify that the Asad regime is keeping its commitments with respect to chemical weapons and “there must be consequences” if they fail to do so;
- Announced an additional $340 million in U.S. humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria, on top of the more than $1 billion that the United States has already provided, and urged other countries to increase their aid as well;
- Emphasized the U.S. commitment to resolving the issue of Iran’s nuclear weapons, noting that resolution of that issue could “serve as a major step down a long road towards a different relationship—one based on mutual interests and mutual respect;”
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September 25, 2013
06:00 AM EDT
At the center of the Affordable Care Act is the premise that we need to make health care more affordable and accessible for more Americans, and a new report released today demonstrates just how affordable insurance will be. The report, released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), finds that in state after state, affordable options will be available through the Health Insurance Marketplace in 2014.
Nearly all eligible uninsured Americans (about 95%) live in states with average premiums below earlier projections. And nearly all consumers (about 95%) will have a choice of health insurance companies, each of which offers a number of different plans. Competition and transparency are driving a new set of affordable options for consumers -- it is how the law was designed. This new report shows the real impact it could have – a working a family with income of $50,000 could pay less than $100 per month for the lowest bronze plan, after tax credits.
The Marketplace will be run in partnership with States or fully by the HHS in 36 states. In these states, on average, consumers will have a choice of 53 health plans (bronze, silver, gold, and platinum plans). Young adults will have the additional option of low-cost catastrophic or youth plans. And, about one in four of these insurance companies are newly offering plans in the individual market, a sign of healthy competition.
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President Barack Obama delivers remarks during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, N.Y., Sept. 23, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly this morning, President Obama expressed optimism at the prospects for diplomacy in solving a range of long-simmering conflicts across the globe.
"For decades, the United Nations has in fact made a difference -- from helping to eradicate disease, to educating children, to brokering peace," he said. "But like every generation of leaders, we face new and profound challenges, and this body continues to be tested. The question is whether we possess the wisdom and the courage, as nation-states and members of an international community, to squarely meet those challenges; whether the United Nations can meet the tests of our time."
Specifically, he focused his remarks on three themes -- the civil war in Syria and the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime, the potential for diplomatic engagement with Iran, and a revival of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
Discussing Syria, the President said that we've seen progress in recent days.
"The Syrian government took a first step by giving an accounting of its stockpiles," he said. "Now there must be a strong Security Council resolution to verify that the Assad regime is keeping its commitments, and there must be consequences if they fail to do so."
The President also told the General Assembly that he has hopes for a diplomatic solution to Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons -- despite decades of mistrust.
"I don’t believe this difficult history can be overcome overnight -- the suspicions run too deep," he said. "But I do believe that if we can resolve the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, that can serve as a major step down a long road towards a different relationship, one based on mutual interests and mutual respect."
Finally, the President urged the entire international community to rally behind the pursuit of peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
"Friends of Israel, including the United States, must recognize that Israel’s security as a Jewish and democratic state depends upon the realization of a Palestinian state, and we should say so clearly," he said. "Arab states, and those who supported the Palestinians, must recognize that stability will only be served through a two-state solution and a secure Israel. All of us must recognize that peace will be a powerful tool to defeat extremists throughout the region, and embolden those who are prepared to build a better future."
Watch the video here:
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September 24, 2013
03:00 PM EDT
President Barack Obama tosses a Soccket ball in the air at the Ubongo Power Plant in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, July 2, 2013. As it is used, the ball is able to create and store kinetic energy as a battery. Standing with the President, from left, are: Paul Hinks, CEO Symbion Power; Jay Ireland, President and CEO of GE Africa; President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania; Victor Angel, Vice President of Product Development at Uncharted Play; and Jessica Matthews, Co-founder and CEO of Uncharted Play. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Millions of African communities need access to reliable, affordable power to grow their businesses and transform their lives. Power Africa, an initiative President Obama announced during his trip to Africa this summer, is building on Africa’s enormous power potential, helping countries responsibly develop newly-discovered vast oil and natural gas reserves and build out power production and transmission to meet their energy needs with the goal of doubling electricity access across sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, with more than 85 percent of those in rural areas lacking access to electricity, many are calling for a new wave of off-grid, renewable approaches to energy generation, opening access to communities outside the mainstream.
To accelerate the delivery of electricity to rural populations, the U.S. African Development Foundation has teamed up with GE Africa to launch the $2 million, three-year Power Africa Off-Grid Energy Challenge. The first Request for Proposals is open from September 17 to October 16, with the call to African applicants with initiatives in Kenya and Nigeria to expand markets, test innovations, and leverage financing to increase the delivery of off-grid energy to marginalized populations. Successful proposals may also introduce innovative payment and collection methods that can extend the reach of power delivery – both areas of significant need and opportunity. This initial funding round will award $500,000 of grants, of up to $100,000 each, followed by an additional $1.5 million of grants in the next two years.
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September 24, 2013
12:35 PM EDTThis afternoon, the Senate unanimously confirmed Todd Hughes to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Like all of the President’s judicial nominees, Hughes has the intellect, experience, integrity, and temperament to be a successful judge. He is also gay.
The United States Courts of Appeals are the second-highest courts in the nation – a level just below the Supreme Court – and there has never been an openly gay judge to serve on a Court of Appeals until now. Hughes’s historic confirmation is yet another “first” among President Obama’s federal judges. Many of the President’s circuit judges have broken new diversity barriers – including three Hispanic, two Asian American, and one African American -- who are “firsts” in their respective courts.
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President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the economy at the Ford Kansas City Stamping Plant in Liberty, Mo., Sept. 20, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Last Friday, President Obama delivered remarks at a suburban Kansas City, MO Ford Motor Co. stamping plant – a plant that recently had to bring on a shift of 900 workers to keep up with the demand for the new F-150.
Five years ago, plants like the one near Kansas City were closing their doors. The auto industry was flat-lining, and GM and Chrysler were about to go bankrupt. “I refused to let that happen,” the President said. “So we worked with labor, we worked with management. Everybody had to make some sacrifices. Everybody put some skin in the game. We bet on the American worker. We bet on you. And today, that bet has paid off because the American auto industry has come roaring back.”
President Barack Obama greets Ford employees from the driver's seat of a Ford truck after delivering remarks on the economy at the Ford Kansas City Stamping Plant in Liberty, Mo., Sept. 20, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
The President spoke just hours after the House passed a budget bill that would fund the government through mid-December while defunding Obamacare, a move that could leave 11 million Americans without health insurance.
“Unfortunately, right now the debate that is going on in Congress is not meeting the test of helping middle-class families,” the President said. “It’s just they're not focused on you. They're focused on politics. They're focused on trying to mess with me. They're not focused on you.”
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Last week Vice President Joe Biden led a diplomatic delegation to Mexico to launch the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue and meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto.
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Ed. Note: Earlier today, Senior Advisor Dan Pfeiffer sent a message to the White House email list on the fiscal debate here in Washington. Didn't get the message? Sign up for updates.
Right now, Congress has two jobs: to pass a budget that invests in the middle class and to pay the bills it has already incurred.
But instead of doing their jobs, a few reckless Republicans in Congress are so obsessed with refighting old political battles over Obamacare that they're threatening to shut down the government and stop paying the country's bills.
On Friday, these House Republicans voted to shut down the government unless the Senate and the President agree to defund Obamacare. This week, instead of playing those games, the Senate is set to send a simple budget resolution back to the House -- one that keeps the government open for a few months while leaders continue to work on a budget that creates jobs and cuts the deficit in a balanced way. That's a reasonable solution.
But some Republicans still care more about scoring political points on Obamacare than keeping the government open and our economy moving forward.
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Today, at the UN General Assembly, I had the privilege of co-hosting an event to mark the one year anniversary of the launch of the Equal Futures Partnership – a coalition of countries who have committed to take action to remove barriers to opportunity and promote equality for women and girls in our countries.
I was joined by, Secretary Kerry, World Bank President Jim Young Kim, and Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues Catherine Russell, together with representatives from 23 countries, to talk through the progress we’ve made, and to reaffirm our commitment to the partnership.
When the Partnership was originally announced by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and I, one year ago, we were acting in response to President Obama’s challenge to his fellow heads of state to take new measures to break down barriers to women’s political and economic empowerment. The United States and 12 other governments launched the Equal Futures Partnership, and committed to specific actions to advance equality in our respective countries.
After our successful launch a year ago, we welcomed progress reports from founding members and new commitments to join from others at the World Bank’s annual spring meetings, hosted by World Bank President Jim Kim and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.
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Ed. Note: This is cross-posted from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. You can see the original post here.
Today we’ve reached yet another milestone on the road to affordable health care: 100 days to coverage.
For years, millions of Americans have been denied the security and peace of mind of having health insurance. Too many have been priced out, locked out, or dumped out by insurance companies.
But thanks to the Affordable Care Act, all of that is changing. January 1, 2014 -- 100 days from today --marks a New Day, when coverage will be more accessible and affordable. On that day, coverage begins for those who signed up in the Health Insurance Marketplace by December 15, 2013.
The Marketplace is a new, simpler way to purchase health insurance –all in one place. You can go online to find and compare options, see if you qualify for lower costs, and select coverage that meets your needs and budget.
Here’s what else is happening on January 1:
- Health insurance plans can't refuse to cover you or charge you more just because you have a pre-existing health condition, such as diabetes or asthma.
- More people than ever will qualify for Medicaid.
- Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to limit lifetime coverage for essential health benefits.
- The small business tax credit expands.
Of course, the New Year isn’t the only important date coming up. October 1, 2013, marks the beginning of an intense six-month long open enrollment and public education campaign. You can enroll through the end of March.
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On Tuesday, September 24, President Obama will join former President Bill Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting for a conversation about the benefits and future of health care reform in America, and access to health care around the globe.
Update: This event has concluded. You can watch the full video below.
For more information:
- Learn more about the Health Insurance Marketplace, launching October 1.
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On Sunday, President Obama spoke at a memorial service to honor the victims of the Navy Yard shooting, and to thank first responders for their work.
“We know that no words we offer today are equal to the magnitude, to the depths of that loss,” the President told the families of the victims. “But we come together as a grateful nation to honor your loved ones, to grieve with you, and to offer, as best we can, some solace and comfort.”
President Obama explained that this is the fifth time since taking office that he’s grieved with communities ripped apart by gun violence:
And so, once again, we remember our fellow Americans who were just going about their day doing their jobs, doing what they loved -- in this case, the unheralded work that keeps our country strong and our Navy the finest fleet in the world. These patriots doing their work that they were so proud of, and who have now been taken away from us by unspeakable violence.
Once more we come together to mourn the lives of beauty and to comfort the wonderful families who cherished them. Once more we pay tribute to all who rushed towards the danger, who risked their lives so others might live, and who are in our prayers today, including Officer Scott Williams. Once more our hearts are broken. Once more we ask why. Once more we seek strength and wisdom through God's grace.
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September 21, 2013
06:20 PM EDTTune in on Monday from 3 to 4 p.m. at whitehouse.gov/live or youtube.com/whitehouse as President Obama hosts a High Level Event on Supporting Civil Society in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.
Civil society representatives play a critical role -- voicing the views of citizens, holding governments accountable, and forging solutions that improve people’s lives. For example, in Brazil, civil society recruited a thousand volunteer accountants to participate in a crowd-sourced review of the federal budget. Their work helped eliminate millions of dollars in waste. When many governments turned a blind eye, it was groups of citizen activists who organized themselves to sound the alarm and demand dignity who first generated the momentum to combat HIV-AIDS. Today, civil society groups work for and with small farmers, champion the cause of girls’ education, and run relief supplies into the most dangerous corners of Syria.
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In his weekly address, President Obama says the economy is making progress five years after the worst recession since the Great Depression, but to avoid another crisis, Congress must meet two deadlines in the coming weeks: pass a budget by the end of the month to keep the government open, and raise the debt ceiling so America can pay its bills. Congress should vote to do these now, so that we can keep creating new jobs and expanding opportunity for the middle class.
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Today, Friday, September 20, 2013 marks the commemoration of National POW/MIA Recognition Day, where the nation honors those service members who endured captivity and whose remains have yet to be recovered. The day serves as a stark reminder of the risks and sacrifices that American service members and their families make every day.
As President Obama said in his proclamation marking National POW/MIA Recognition Day, “America remains steadfast in our determination to recover our missing patriots. Our work is not finished until our heroes are returned safely to our shores or a full accounting is provided to their loved ones.” As the POW/MIA flag flies over the White House today, it is a reminder that this administration will never forget its commitment to care for our service members and their families.
The Obama Administration is engaged in a sustained effort to achieve the fullest possible accounting of missing service members by locating, recovering, and repatriating their remains. We are determined to fulfill the nation’s duty to its veterans and bring closure to the families of these brave service members. The overwhelming majority of missing in action are veterans of the wars in Vietnam and Korea, and the Second World War. Over 80,000 Americans remain missing and on this day we honor their brave service - they will never be forgotten.
One recent step the Obama Administration has taken to sustain our effort to achieve the fullest possible accounting of missing service members is to reinvigorate our side of the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs with a charter. For over twenty years, this commission’s important work has contributed to the recovery and identification of the remains of fallen U.S. service members.
A relatively small number of people—service members, their families, and civilians—now volunteer to shoulder the burden of serving in the armed forces. It is therefore imperative that the nation strives to acknowledge that service and sacrifice; that we pay our respects to the fallen, and that we meet our sacred responsibility to care for the wounded.
The Obama Administration is committed to providing military families with the benefits and opportunities they've earned. Though less than one percent of the nation serves in the military, 100 percent can help. To see how you can best support those who serve, please visit joiningforces.gov.
Tanya Bradsher is an Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement. She serves as the lead for Veterans, Wounded Warriors, and Military Family Outreach.
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I was joined yesterday by members of the Small Business Majority Network Council at the White House to discuss the President’s plans to grow the economy, support small businesses, and back the entrepreneurial spirit that makes America great.
Without question, it has been the resilience and creativity of American small business owners which has sparked and sustained our recovery from the worst economic crisis since the great depression.They have helped us achieve 40 straight months of job growth, and created the majority of the 7.2 million American jobs generated in that timeframe.
We were joined for the second half of the meeting by Chris Jennings, the President’s advisor on health reform, who provided insight on how businesses and their employees can take advantage of expanded coverage options and new benefits made available under ObamaCare. We also talked through the nuts and bolts of Open Enrollment, which begins in October and goes through March and will help millions of uninsured Americans afford the coverage they need.
The President’s commitment to small business has been front and center since he took office. He has enacted 18 small business tax cuts. He has battled back the forces of the recession to dramatically expand access to capital. And he has streamlined processes to encourage more government contracting to small businesses.
The strength and vitality of the U.S. economy is, and always has been, inextricably linked to the success of our small businesses. The men and women who get up every day, flip signs from closed to open, and make our country run.This is who we are, and this is who we must continue to fight for.
To learn more about the President’s support for small businesses visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/economy/business/small-business.
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Ed. note: Today at 12:50 pm ET, President Obama will deliver remarks at the Ford Kansas City Stamping Plant in Liberty, MO, highlighting the progress we have made since the beginning of the financial crisis five years ago and the work that lies ahead to continue strengthening our economy and deliver a better bargain for the middle class. Watch live at whitehouse.gov.
In the early hours of September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers announced it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, setting off shock waves through the global economy that had devastating implications for families and businesses. In the months before the President took office, the economy was shrinking at a rate of more than 8 percent and we were losing 800,000 jobs a month.
There's no diminishing the severity of the challenge we've overcome together, and we’ve got a lot more work to do to rebuild an economy where everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead.
But five years after Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy, we want to help everyone get the context and see the full picture. To mark the anniversary, we've asked senior staff from across the Obama administration to sit down and talk about the moments when key decisions were made — the factors they weighed, the results of the actions that President Obama took.
Check out a behind-the-scenes look of the decision-making process that you won't find anywhere else.
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Update: Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, the Google+ Hangout with Secretary Moniz and Administrator McCarthy has been cancelled.
Less than three months ago, President Obama delivered an address at Georgetown University that underscored the moral obligation we have to leave our children a planet that’s not polluted or damaged. The President issued a Climate Action Plan for his second term that laid out commonsense steps to reduce carbon pollution and address the effects of climate change both here and across the globe.
Today, the Administration issued a Climate Action Plan progress report detailing important implementation milestones on everything from cutting carbon pollution, preparing the United States for the impacts of climate change and ways we are leading global efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, advance international negotiations and promoting new actions to promote energy efficiency. Check out highlights from our progress since the President announced the Climate Action Plan.
Want to know more about President Obama's Climate Action Plan? Join us Monday, September 23rd at 12:15 p.m. EDT for a White House Google+ Hangout with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, and moderated by Lisa Hymas, Senior Editor of Grist.org.
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In June, President Obama laid out the case for action on climate change and the steps his Administration will take to address it. In his Climate Action Plan, the President announced steps to cut the emissions of carbon pollution, prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change, and lead international efforts to combat global climate change.
Three months later, the Administration is well on its way implementing the President’s plan. Already, the Administration has announced new renewable energy projects on public lands, we are taking steps to make our communities more resilient to the effects of severe weather, and we are working with our international partners to reduce emissions of powerful greenhouse gasses. At home and abroad, we are making real progress, and we have results to show for it.
Today, the EPA announced another milestone by re-proposing carbon pollution standards for new power plants. With this announcement, the EPA is taking responsible, steady steps to cut carbon pollution, protect the air we breathe, and develop affordable, American-made clean energy. For years we have had limits in place for arsenic, mercury and lead that power plants can release, and today we are taking a common-sense step to reduce the carbon pollution that is contributing to higher rates of asthma attacks and more frequent and severe floods and heat waves. The President is serious about taking on the challenge of climate change, and with today’s announcement we are proving that we can deliver on that promise.
Here are some more highlights from our progress since the President announced the Climate Action Plan.
Progress Report: President Obama’s Climate Action Plan
Taking Action for Our KidsLess than three months ago, President Obama delivered an address at Georgetown University that underscored the moral obligation we have to leave our children a planet that’s not polluted or damaged. The President issued a Climate Action Plan for his second term that – building on the accomplishments of the first four years – advances policies to cut carbon pollution, keeping our air and water clean and protecting our kids.
