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USDA commemorates the “New Year of the Trees”

United States Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Natural Resources and Environment Harris Sherman next to the freshly planted Dawn Redwood for the Celebration of Tu B’Shevat “The New Year of the Trees” event at the USDA Headquarters, Wednesday, February 8, 2012. (Photo by Lance Cheung, USDA)

This post originally appeared on the US Department of Agriculture blog.

It is written in the Talmud – a central text of Judaism – that ‘just as my parents planted for me, so I will plant for my children.’ Here at USDA, we’re planting trees across the country and in Israel to bring the wide-ranging benefits of trees, both ecological and spiritual, to future generations.

Today, USDA Natural Resources and Environment Under Secretary Harris Sherman planted a tree next to the USDA’s Washington DC headquarters in commemoration of Tu B’Shevat, “The New Year of the Trees.” This event brought together the local Jewish community and government leaders alike to share their common bond of conserving our natural resources and leaving a healthier world for the next generation. 

Help for Responsible Homeowners, Veterans Jobs Corps, and Startup America Anniversary: Deputies' Download

In a speech last Wednesday in Falls Church, Virginia, the President proposed that responsible borrowers should be allowed to refinance their mortgages and ultimately save an average of $3000 per year. This proposal complements the ongoing efforts of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Justice to implement reforms that will prevent the mistakes of the housing bubble from repeating themselves and provide homeowners with a Bill of Rights.

At an Arlington, Virginia fire station on Friday, President Obama made good on another State of the Union promise by unveiling his plans for a Veterans Jobs Corps that will connect post-9/11 veterans with jobs that specifically cater to their skills and their passion for service, such as being police officers, firefighters, or park rangers. For the more business-minded, the Small Business Administration will provide a series of online seminars to help veterans become entrepreneurs.  

Also last week, the White House marked the first anniversary of Startup America with some key announcements. As he promised during the State of the Union, President Obama sent proposals to Congress on Tuesday to support American startups. Gene Sperling, Steve Case, and Aneesh Chopra held a Google+ hangout to discuss these ideas and answer your questions. Also on Tuesday, President Obama held a Cabinet meeting, the first since he elevated Karen Mills, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, to a Cabinet-level official. To continue exploring more ways to create steady, long-term jobs, a group of universities responded to the Startup America Policy Challenge by announcing a contest of their own to develop the best “policy business plans,” while the White House Business Council and the White House Council on Women and Girls co-hosted the New York Urban Economic Forum, highlighting female entrepreneurs.

The promise of American manufacturing, the power of producing tangible goods that people want to buy, was on full display at the Washington Auto Show, where the President stopped by last Tuesday. The resurgent auto industry has added 170,000 jobs since the summer of 2009 and has experienced its largest growth in market share in almost two decades. This week’s jobs report, which showed that the U.S. added 257,000 new jobs in January for its 23rd straight month of job growth, provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to heal from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

President Barack Obama is shown the American Pride Chevrolet Camaro, as Ed Welburn, Vice President of Global Design for General Motors, explains design and manufacturing details of the car during a visit to the Washington Auto Show at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Jan. 31, 2012. Gerard Murphy, President of the Washington New Automobile Dealers Association, is at left. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Realizing the Value of our Cross Border Trade with Mexico

“The U.S.-Mexico border is open for business.” That is the refrain I and others who work on border issues tirelessly deliver wherever we can. But with the media’s relentless focus on immigration, drug-trafficking, and cartel violence, we know that we must provide and promote objective evidence to support our message. A report recently released by Arizona State University’s North American Center for Transborder Studies(NACTS) and NDN’s New Policy Institute(NPI), entitled “Realizing the Value of our Cross Border Trade with Mexico” does both.

The report only confirms the overwhelming evidence that the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration(ITA) has assembled conclusively establishing that Mexico and, by extension the U.S.-Mexico border, is vital to the long-term health of the U.S. economy. However, all of that evidence is for naught if Americans are not made aware of it.