WHITE HOUSE VIDEO MESSAGE: Continuing to strengthen our economy in 2014

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

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EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM ET, SATURDAY, January 11, 2014

WHITE HOUSE VIDEO MESSAGE: Continuing to strengthen our economy in 2014

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s message, Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff for the Domestic Policy Council Carlos Monje Jr. discussed the progress of the Administration to create jobs and strengthen our economy. Over the past year our businesses have added 2.2 million new jobs and Hispanic unemployment continues to fall. And the President and the White House will work to ensure a better bargain for the middle class so that anyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead.

The audio of the address and video of the message is available online HERE. 

Remarks by Carlos Monje

White House Video Message

The White House

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Hi, everybody.  Yesterday, we learned that in 2013, our businesses created 2.2 million new jobs – including 87,000 last month.  And Hispanic unemployment continues to fall – but there is still more work to be done.

Across our broader economy, there are signs of progress.  Our manufacturing and housing sectors are rebounding.  Our energy, technology, and auto sectors are booming.  Thanks in part to the reforms in the Affordable Care Act, health care costs now eat up less of our economy – over the past four years, costs have grown at the slowest rate on record and we’ve cut our deficits by more than half. 

Thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the American people, our economy is growing stronger.  But our success as a country depends on more than the success of our broader economy – it depends on the success of the American people.  It depends on your ability to make ends meet, provide for your families, and, with a little hard work, feel like you can get ahead.

We’ve got to keep creating jobs that offer new opportunity, and make sure those jobs offer the wages and benefits that let you rebuild some security.  We’ve got more kids to educate, and families to get covered with health insurance, and an immigration system to fix.  And we’ve got to make sure this recovery leaves no one behind. 

This will be a year of action. And that action should begin by extending unemployment insurance for Americans who were laid off in the recession through no fault of their own.  This vital economic lifeline that helps people support their families while they look for a new job.  And it demands responsibility in return by requiring that they prove they’re actively looking for work.  But Congress just let that lifeline expire for 1.3 million Americans.  And if this doesn’t get fixed, it will actually hurt about 14 million Americans over the course of this year.  The President will continue to work with Republican and Democrats in Congress to extend unemployment insurance and remove this unnecessary burden for families and our economy.

And at the end of the month, the President will deliver his State of the Union Address, to mobilize the country around the national mission of making sure our economy offers everyone who works hard a fair shot at opportunity and success.

Thanks, and have a great weekend. 

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