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Weekly Wrap Up: the French Visit, the President Raises the Wage for Federal Contractors, and More

Summary: 
This week, President Obama welcomed French President François Hollande, and raised the minimum wage for federal contractors. The White House Chefs prepared a beautiful state dinner and POTUS tasted a very tasty chip! Check out what you missed in this week's wrap up.

This week, President Obama welcomed French President François Hollande and raised the minimum wage for federal contractors. The White House Chefs prepared a beautiful state dinner and POTUS sampled a very tasty chip! Check out what you missed in this week's wrap up.


Bonjour, President Hollande

On Tuesday, President Obama, Vice President Biden, and the First Lady welcomed French President François Hollande to the White House – the first state visit by a French president in nearly 20 years.


The President Uses His Pen,
Raises the Wage

Instead of continuing to wait for Congress to take action, President Obama is doing what he can to help raise working Americans' wages.

In his 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama announced his intention to move forward using his own authority and raise the minimum wage for workers on new and replacement Federal service contracts to $10.10 an hour. On Wednesday, the President used his pen and signed an Executive Order making this vision a reality.


Step into the Kitchen

On Monday, Chefs Cris Comerford and Bill Yosses took over the White House Instagram account to take you into the kitchen ahead of Tuesday's state dinner in honor of French President Hollande.

For behind-the-scenes video from the kitchen and the official menu for the French State Dinner, keep reading.


"That's a Tasty Chip"

You know that feeling when you really appreciate a good snack? Turns out, the President does, too.

As you can see in this week's West Wing Peek, while touring the Michigan Biotechnology Institute last Friday, President Obama viewed examples of a highly innovative potato breeding project, aimed at increasing nutritional value and disease resistance. That meant: potato chips!


ACA Valentines

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than making sure your friends, family, and loved ones are covered.

Check out more ACA Valentines and share your favorite with your social networks.


As always, to see even more of this week's events, watch this week's episode of West Wing Week below: