The White House Blog: The Vice President

Investing in the Potential of the Next Generation

Vice President Joe Biden holds an event on College affordability with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia, April 3, 2012. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Ed note: This post is updated with a correction to the number of children who would lose access to Head Start.

Yesterday, the Vice President had a powerful message for the graduating seniors, parents, and teachers at Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia – one that students across the country should hear and one that drives this Administration’s commitment to higher education. He told the Maury students:

You are the most qualified generation in history. And we have an obligation. We have an obligation to equip you or at least give you the opportunity to go out and plumb that potential.

For months now, Vice President Biden has been traveling around the country talking about the importance of college and the need to make it more affordable. But the graduating seniors and parents the Vice President spoke to and heard from yesterday know all too well that college isn’t as accessible as it used to be. And when college isn’t accessible, the potential of the next generation is at risk. As a result of rising tuitions and the tough economy, more and more families are facing difficult choices about how or even if they can finance a college education for their children.

As the Vice President said yesterday, that’s why this Administration has consistently focused on making college more affordable and accessible for low-income and middle-class families. Since President Obama and Vice President Biden took office, this Administration has supported college affordability and access through multiple measures:

• We increased the maximum Pell award from $4,731 in 2008 to $5,550 today. Nearly 10 million students go to college with the help of a Pell grant each year.
• We made our education spending go further by ending subsidies for banks that act as middlemen for federal student loans.
• We created a tax credit that provides up to $2,500 per year – that’s $10,000 over four years – to help students and their families pay for tuition, fees and books. An estimated 9.4 million families are expected to claim this tax credit for 2011.
• We reformed the way students pay back their federal loans, so students will be able to cap their monthly payments at 10 percent of their discretionary income. This will help make sure that graduates aren’t forced to choose between paying for food or rent or their college loans. 

Vice President and Dr Biden Celebrate Women's History Month

Dr. Jill Biden gives remarks at a reception in honor of Women's History Month at the Naval Observatory on March 26, 2012. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, the Vice President and Dr. Biden hosted a reception last night in honor of Women’s History Month to celebrate the history, accomplishments, and contributions of women across the spectrum of American life, from academia and science, business and labor, philanthropy and advocacy, athletics and the arts, to the military and government. 

Speaking to a distinguished crowd of women (and some men) who are at the pinnacle of their careers, the Vice President applauded their courage and achievements over the last few decades, saying “you’ve empowered entire generations” of women. He continued, “I’ve learned it from Jill, I learned it from my sister, and I’ve learned from the over thousand hours of hearings we held in the Violence Against Women Act that the single most important thing that empowers young women is powerful women – powerful women.” 

Dr. Biden praised the guests for their "courage, strength and resilience." In addition, she paid special tribute to several members of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Female Engagement Team, known as the FETs, who attended the reception. These women volunteer to join otherwise all-male Marine patrols in Afghanistan, where they build relationships with Afghan women – a population mostly off-limits to male troops – learn about the country’s culture, and support our battlefield operations in Afghanistan. To highlight the incredible work of FETs, the Vice President and Dr. Biden also installed this photo exhibit of Female Engagement Teams at work in Afghanistan on the walls of the Naval Observatory.

Vice President Biden interviews with Telemundo, Univisión, and CNN en Español

Vice President Biden interviewed with Telemundo, Univisión and CNN en Español this week after returning from a visit to Mexico and Honduras as part of the administration’s sustained, high-level engagement with the Americas. The Vice President’s visit comes in advance of the President’s participation in the Summit of the Americas this April in Colombia, which will focus on leveraging Hemispheric connections and partnerships to improve the lives of people throughout the region.

In addition to discussing his visit, the Vice President talked about the DREAM Act, immigration reform, and what it meant to him to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe – one of the most visited Roman Catholic sites in the world and the most holy Roman Catholic site in Mexico.  

Both Telemundo and Univision will air larger portions of the interview on their Sunday shows Enfoque and Al Punto so tune in, but here are clips of the interviews they have already run.

Take a look at the Vice President’s comments to Jose Diaz Balart from Telmundo: On the DREAM Act| On his visit to the Basilica

To see the Vice President’s interview with CNN en Español: Click Here

For an excerpt of the Vice President’s comments to Maria Elena Salinas from Univisión: Click Here

To read more about the Vice President’s trip to Mexico and Honduras Click Here, and for a blog post on his visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe Click Here. See a slideshow of the Vice President's triphere.

And don’t forget to tune in on Sunday!

Luis Miranda is White House Director of Hispanic Media

Vice President Biden Travels to Mexico and Honduras

Vice President Joe Biden greets Mexican President Felipe Calderon at Los Pinos in Mexico City, Mexico, March 5, 2012. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

This week, Vice President Biden traveled to Mexico and Honduras as part of the administration’s sustained, high-level engagement with the Americas. The Vice President’s visit comes in advance of the President’s participation in the Summit of the Americas this April in Colombia, which will focus on leveraging Hemispheric connections and partnerships to improve the lives of people throughout the region.

On Monday, Vice President Biden met with President Calderon at Los Pinos, the Presidential Palace in Mexico City. On the agenda was the close U.S.-Mexico partnership including a wide range of economic and security issues related to a shared border that sees more than a million legal crossings and more than $1 billion in trade every day.

While in Mexico City, Vice President Biden also met with presidential candidates from the country’s three major political parties – Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, Enrique Peña Nieto, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party and Josefina Vázquez Mota of the National Action Party. He learned about each candidate’s vision for Mexico, as well as the future of the U.S.-Mexico relationship, but also expressed that he and President Obama look forward to working with whomever the people of Mexico elect.