The White House Blog: The First Lady

From the Archives: 'Move Your Body' Flash Workout

How do you get kids all around the country to get moving,  jumping, and doing the dougie in unison? Beyonce, natch.

On May 3 last year—at 1: 42 p.m. to be exact—nearly 600 schools from coast to coast participated in a flash workout, dancing together to Beyonce’s “Move Your Body.” First Lady Michelle Obama even got in on the fun, joining students at Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, D.C. for their rendition of the “Move Your Body” dance. Check it out.

White House Marks Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day

First Lady Michelle Obama answers questions from children of White House staff during ”Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” in the East Room of the White House, April 26, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, and the eighth year the White House has formally participated in this event. Over 180 children of employees of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) spent the morning at the White House discovering the many avenues and career paths their futures may hold.

This year’s theme, Building Opportunities at the White House: Educating and Empowering a New Generation of Leaders was woven throughout the day’s activities. The children started their morning by taking the same Oath of Office their parent’s did when they started working in the Executive Office of the President. From there they heard from the White House Photo Office about the exciting people from around the world that the President, Vice President, First Lady and Dr. Biden have met, and learned about the importance of protecting our national parks from the National Park Service.

The kids got to put their thinking caps on and learn about exciting careers in science, the culinary arts, and national security. First Lady Michelle Obama concluded the event by answering questions from the children, including: What is her favorite part about being First Lady? How many types of fruits and vegetables are in the kitchen garden? And when did Bo join the First Family?

On Board with the First Lady: Michelle Obama Celebrates One Year of Joining Forces

Go behind the scenes as First Lady Michelle Obama travels from Washington DC to Philadelphia, New York City, Shreveport and Jacksonville to honor our servicemen and women and their families. Join us on set at the Colbert Report, on stage with Ellen DeGeneris and on the ground with thousands of nurses and meet the 50,000 person to get a job through the Joining Forces hiring initiatives.

See more:

• View a gallery of the Anniversary events
• See highlights from the first year of Joining Forces in a video or photo gallery

President Obama and Vice President Biden’s 2011 Tax Returns

Today, the President released his 2011 federal income and gift tax returns. He and the First Lady filed their income tax returns jointly and reported adjusted gross income of $789,674. About half of the first family’s income is the President’s salary; the other half is from sales proceeds of the President’s books. The Obamas paid $162,074 in total tax.

The President and First Lady also reported donating $172,130 – or about 22% of their adjusted gross income – to 39 different charities. The largest reported gift to charity was a $117,130 contribution to the Fisher House Foundation. The President is donating the after-tax proceeds from his children’s book to Fisher House, a scholarship fund for children of fallen and disabled soldiers. 

The President’s effective federal income tax rate is 20.5%. The President believes we must reform our tax system which is why he has proposed policies like the Buffett Rule that would ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share while protecting families making under $250,000 from seeing their taxes go up. Under the President’s own tax proposals, including the expiration of the high-income tax cuts and limitations on the value of tax preferences for high-income households, he would pay more in taxes while ensuring we cut taxes for the middle class and those trying to get in it. 

The President and First Lady also released their Illinois income tax return and reported paying $31,941 in state income tax.

Download the Obamas’ tax returns

The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden also released their 2011 federal income tax returns, as well as state income tax returns for both Delaware and Virginia. The Bidens filed joint federal and combined Delaware income tax returns. Dr. Biden filed a separate non-resident tax return for the state of Virginia. Together, they reported adjusted gross income of $379,035. The Bidens paid $87,900 in total federal tax for 2011. They paid $13,843 in Delaware income tax and $3,614 in Virginia income tax. The Bidens contributed $5,540 to charity in 2011.

Download the Bidens’ tax returns

American taxpayers are able to go online and see exactly how their federal tax dollars are spent.  You can visit the taxpayer receipt and after entering a few pieces of information about your taxes, the taxpayer receipt will give you a breakdown of how your tax dollars are spent on priorities like education, veterans benefits, or health care. 

View the President and First Lady’s tax receipt

View the Vice President and Dr. Biden’s tax receipt