“We’ve got computers and phones ready to go, and we’re building up our volunteer teams. We phonebank twice a week, and we’re canvassing on Saturday and Sunday. We’re writing letters to the editor—we’re getting the community excited!”

—Neighborhood Team Leader Gabby, on how her team in Wooster got ready for last night’s office opening

A few weeks ago at a grocery store in Gary, Indiana, Obama 2012 volunteers Jacqui and Carolyn registered voters for the nationwide day of action. Listen to them chat with shoppers on their way out of the store to make sure they’re all set to vote in November, and register a few new voters.

Now, it’s your turn—the next weekend of action starts this Saturday, and there are people in every community who aren’t registered to vote. Sign up for a voter registration event where you live.

Find an event

The proposal laments that voters “still aren't ready to hate this president” but lays out a plan to portray him as “slick” and “cocky”—and notes that they need to hire an “extremely literate conservative African-American” to insulate against charges of racism.

It says the President ran as a “metrosexual, black Abe Lincoln” and includes plans to spend millions on inflammatory TV ads using everything from Rev. Jeremiah Wright to images of the September 11th attacks to show the truth about Obama's alleged secret plan to destroy America.

In the words of one of these guys, they want to “do exactly what John McCain would not let us do” in the last election. And the plan was for it to be financed by a single billionaire.

This is going to be worse than we could have imagined. President Obama needs your help to stop it before it starts.

Pitch in today to fight these attacks and show them this only makes us stronger.

Donate

"Throughout his distinguished career, Gary Blankinship has served his country with great courage and commitment," said President Obama. "It is my honor to nominate him to continue protecting the American people as a United States Marshal."

Gary Blankinship: Nominee for United States Marshal for the Southern District of Texas
Gary Blankinship was employed by the Houston Police Department from 1982-2012 where he worked his way through the ranks to the position of Senior Police Officer.  Prior to his service with the Houston Police Department, Mr. Blankinship was employed by the Harris County Sheriff’s Department.  He has also served as Vice President for the National Association of Police Organizations.  Mr. Blankinship currently resides in Pasadena, Texas with his wife, Lisa.

“I am pleased to nominate these distinguished individuals to serve on the United States District Court bench,” said President Obama.  “I am confident they will serve the American people with integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice.”

Matthew W. Brann:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
Matthew W. Brann has been a partner at the law firm of Brann, Williams, Caldwell & Sheetz since 1995, where he concentrates his practice in the area of tort, contract, commercial, and real property litigation.  Prior to joining the firm as an associate in 1991, Brann served as a law clerk with the Court of Common Pleas in Bradford County, Pennsylvania.  Brann received his J.D. in 1990 from the Dickinson School of Law and his B.A. in 1987 from the University of Notre Dame.

Judge Malachy Edward Mannion:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
Judge Malachy Edward Mannion has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania since 2001.  Apart from a four-year stint as a partner at the law firm of Hourigan, Kluger, Spohrer & Quinn PC in the mid-90s, Judge Mannion spent the fifteen years prior to his appointment to the bench serving as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  While a federal prosecutor, he served as Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force from 1989 to 1993.  From 1980 to 1986, Judge Mannion was an Assistant District Attorney in the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.  He began his legal career as an associate at the law firm of Bartels, Pykett & Aronwald.  Judge Mannion received his J.D. in 1979 from Pace University School of Law and his B.S. in 1976 from the University of Scranton.

Derek J. Mitchell, of Connecticut, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Union of Burma.

Gary Blankinship, of Texas, to be United States Marshal for the Southern District of Texas for the term of four years, vice Ruben Monzon, resigned.

Matthew W. Brann, of Pennsylvania, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, vice Thomas I. Vanaskie, elevated.

Malachy Edward Mannion, of Pennsylvania, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, vice A. Richard Caputo, retired.

I transmit herewith, for the advice and consent of the Senate to its ratification, the Protocol Amending the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, done at Paris on May 27, 2010 (the "proposed Protocol"), which was signed by the United States on May 27, 2010. The existing Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, done at Strasbourg on January 25, 1988, entered into force for the United States on January 4, 1995 (the "existing Convention"). I also transmit, for the information of the Senate, the report of the Department of State, which includes an Overview of the proposed Protocol.

The proposed Protocol amends the existing Convention in order to bring it into conformity with current international standards on exchange of information, as reflected in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Model Tax Convention on Income and Capital and the current U.S. Model Income Tax Convention. Furthermore, it updates the existing Convention's rules regarding the confidentiality and permitted uses of exchanged tax information, and opens the existing Convention to adherence by countries other than OECD and Council of Europe members. The Protocol entered into force on January 6, 2011, following ratification by five parties to the existing Convention.

I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable consideration to the proposed Protocol and give its advice and consent to its ratification.

BARACK OBAMA

I transmit herewith, for the advice and consent of the Senate to their ratification, the Convention between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Chile for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital, signed in Washington on February 4, 2010, with a Protocol signed the same day, as corrected by exchanges of notes effected February 25, 2011, and February 10 and 21, 2012, and a related agreement effected by exchange of notes (the "related Agreement") on February 4, 2010.  I also transmit for the information of the Senate the report of the Department of State, which includes an Overview of the proposed Convention, the Protocol, and related Agreement.

The proposed Convention, Protocol, and related Agreement (together "proposed Treaty") would be the first bilateral income tax treaty between the United States and Chile.  The proposed Treaty contains comprehensive provisions designed to address "treaty shopping," which is the inappropriate use of a tax treaty by residents of a third country, and provides for a robust exchange of information between the tax authorities in the two countries to facilitate the administration of each country's tax laws.

I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable consideration to the proposed Treaty and give its advice and consent to the ratification thereof.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
          May 17, 2012.

Today, we launched a new section on LetsMove.gov dedicated to helping schools, communities and families start their own gardens. Find out how you can get started on a garden of your own with checklists for schools, communities and kitchens.

Do you have questions about the Let’s Move! initiative or how to get your garden growing this spring?

On Friday, May 18th at 1:00 pm ET, we’re holding a special session of White House Office Hours with Sam Kass, White House Chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives, to answer your questions on Twitter.

Join Sam for Office Hours at 1:00 p.m. ET on Friday, May 18th. Here's how it works:

• Ask your question on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat
• Sam Kass, Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives, responds to your questions in real-time via Twitter from @LetsMove
• Follow the Q&A through the @WHLive or @LetsMoveTwitter accounts
• If you miss the live event, the full Q&A will be posted on LetsMove.gov and Storify.com/LetsMove

First Lady Michelle Obama and Sam Kass, Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives, join students for the spring White House Kitchen Garden planting on the South Grounds, March 26, 2012. Helping here are girls from Girl Scout Troop 60325 in Fairport, N.Y. March 26, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)

These days, I'm the office manager at the New Jersey campaign HQ, and I help run phone banks a few times a week. I'm our team's data lead, so I also help make sure all of our data is entered. I put together volunteer packets, collect "I'm in" cards, and try to get as much information on the ground as I can to help re-elect President Obama.

My father was very sick in 2008, so I wasn't as involved as I wanted to be. I didn't want to miss out the second time around, so I started driving into New York City to make phone calls. When I had the chance to apply as an organizing fellow, I jumped on it right away.

Of all President Obama's policies, the one that hits closest to home is the Affordable Care Act. My father passed away from terminal lung cancer three years ago, and we fell through the Medicare Doughnut Hole. Health care was always a big priority in my family—to have it implemented was huge. I had always thought of it as a pipe dream. It was momentous when it passed—just jubilation.

Just like the rest of the country, people in New Jersey care most about the economy, and the idea of a fair shake for everybody. People really believe they haven't gotten one, and they feel this President is the only one out there fighting to give them a chance. That's why they're so ready to get out and support him. I'm overwhelmed every day by the people who come into the office, and the ones I meet at events—people I never thought I would talk with. I've even met a few who voted Republican the last time around. But everyone is impacted by the work President Obama is doing, and they really do care. It's exciting to see.

My favorite part of volunteering with the campaign—well, first of all, I'm a political dork, so I enjoy the constant political chatter. But other than that, I love meeting other people who are just as passionate as I am about re-electing the President—staff, other volunteers, and organizing fellows. Everyone is putting in so much effort and trying so hard to re-elect the President that it makes getting up and volunteering easy. I have tremendous appreciation for all the work the people around me are doing.

A few months back, I would sometimes bump into people who were still deciding whether to get involved—I see it less and less these days. The next six months are going to be a big battle—just look at the kinds of spending we're up against, and the negative ads the other side is putting out—but we can win if everyone is willing to step up.

Here's what makes my state a little different: We're compact. There are such diverse needs from northern New Jersey to the southern tip, but you can reach the whole thing in one day. You can touch all the bases and see what people need. I don't think you can do that anywhere else, and it's pretty cool.

Wherever you're organizing, stay in touch with Sami by following @OFA_NJ on Twitter.

Volunteer

Obama for America Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter dismantles Karl Rove’s distortions in his new $25 million deceptive ad campaign. Watch Cutter lay out the truth about President Obama's record, and then share this video with your friends and family.

We’ve made considerable progress in the fight against Alzheimer’s and other dementias, but much more needs to be done right away, because people who face the challenges of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s need help now.

The Obama administration has announced an historic $156 million commitment to address what is needed to confront Alzheimer’s disease. The National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease is a roadmap that will help us meet our goal to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. This is a truly national plan, based on a strong partnership with every part of the Alzheimer’s community, including scientists, patient advocates, and people living with the disease.

This plan lays out a blueprint for expanding research in prevention and treatment and getting the most-promising drugs from discovery into clinical trials. We will also figure out ways to move best practices out of the research journals and into exam rooms as soon as possible.

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Today, I am nominating our first U.S. Ambassador to Burma in 22 years, Derek Mitchell, whose work has been instrumental in bringing about this new phase in our bilateral relationship. We also are announcing that the United States will ease its bans on the exportation of financial services and new investment in Burma.  Opening up greater economic engagement between our two countries is critical to supporting reformers in government and civil society, facilitating broad-based economic development, and bringing Burma out of isolation and into the international community.

Of course, there is far more to be done. The United States remains concerned about Burma’s closed political system, its treatment of minorities and detention of political prisoners, and its relationship with North Korea. We will work to establish a framework for responsible investment from the United States that encourages transparency and oversight, and helps ensure that those who abuse human rights, engage in corruption, interfere with the peace process, or obstruct the reform process do not benefit from increased engagement with the United States.  We will also continue to press for those who commit serious violations of human rights to be held accountable. We are also maintaining our current authorities to help ensure further reform and to retain the ability to reinstate selected sanctions if there is backsliding.

Americans for decades have stood with the Burmese people in their struggle to realize the full promise of their extraordinary country. In recent months, we have been inspired by the economic and political reforms that have taken place, Secretary Clinton’s historic trip to Naypyidaw and Rangoon, the parliamentary elections, and the sight of Aung San Suu Kyi being sworn into office after years of struggle. As an iron fist has unclenched in Burma, we have extended our hand, and are entering a new phase in our engagement on behalf of a  more democratic and prosperous future for the Burmese people.

Today Jon Carson is the Director of the Office of Public Engagement at the White House. In the video below, he talks about his first job -- working on a farm in Wisconsin. He bailed hay, which meant spending his summer days unloading hay onto an elevator in a hot and dusty barn. His hard work paid off however, because this job is where he also earned his first raise.

So far, employers have listed more than 300,000 jobs, mentorships, and other employment opportunities this summer through Summer Jobs+.

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• Derek J. Mitchell – Ambassador to the Union of Burma, Department of State

The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Anhlan P. Nguyen – Member, Board of Directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation
• Quyen N. Vuong – Member, Board of Directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation

President Obama said, “These individuals have demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout their careers.  I am grateful they have chosen to take on these important roles, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

Ambassador Derek J. Mitchell, Nominee for Ambassador to the Union of Burma, Department of State
Ambassador Derek J. Mitchell is Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma, with the rank of Ambassador, having been appointed by President Obama in August 2011.  Previously, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs.  Before joining the Administration in 2009, Ambassador Mitchell served as Senior Fellow and Director for Asia in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).  He concurrently served as founding Director of the CSIS Southeast Asia Initiative, which was inaugurated in 2008.  From 1997 to 2001, Ambassador Mitchell was Special Assistant for Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.  During this time, his roles included Senior Country Director for China, Taiwan, Mongolia, and Hong Kong (2000-2001), Director for Regional Security Affairs (1998-2000), Senior Country Director for the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore (1998-1999), and Country Director for Japan (1997-1998).  Before joining the Department of Defense, he worked at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs as Senior Program Officer for Asia and the Former Soviet Union (1996-1997), and as Program Officer for Asia (1993-1996).  He began his career as Assistant to the Senior Foreign Policy Adviser to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.  Ambassador Mitchell received a B.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Anhlan P. Nguyen, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation
Anhlan P. Nguyen is currently an IT project portfolio manager at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Chair of the Board of Directors for the Vietnamese Culture and Science Association.  In 1998, Ms. Nguyen established the National Youth Leadership Development Camp in 1998, and in 1990 she helped found the Vietnamese Youth Center of Toronto.  Ms. Nguyen won the Women’s Leadership Empowerment Award by the Texas Women Empowerment Foundation in 2011 and was named one of the “Top 25 Women of Houston” by Comerica Bank and the Steed Society in 2010 for her leadership and community involvement. In addition, she won the Outstanding Community Leader Award from the Youth Leadership Council of Houston in 2004 and was selected as one of five outstanding young Houstonians by the Junior Chamber of Commerce in 2000.  Ms. Nguyen has a B.S. and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Toronto, Canada.

Quyen N. Vuong, Appointee for Member, Board of Directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation
Quyen N. Vuong is the Executive Director of the International Children Assistance Network in San Jose, CA, an organization she co-founded in 2000.  She is also a board member of the Pacific Links Foundation, an organization she co-founded in 2001, and a founding member of the Vietnamese American Non-Governmental Network, created in 2004.  Ms. Vuong serves on the Board of Directors of the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation, the Community Advisory Committee for San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum, and the Advisory Board for the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution for Mission College.  She received a Fulbright in 1989 and worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Hong Kong.  Ms. Vuong holds a B.A. in Economics from Yale University, and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

“Supporting veterans and military families means doing everything we can to serve you as well as you’ve served our country.”
—First Lady Michelle Obama

Veterans and military families are coming together to help President Obama continue the progress he’s made to bring servicemembers home and make sure veterans and military families get the opportunities and benefits they deserve.

Watch the message from President Obama and the First Lady, then sign up to join Veterans and Military Families for Obama—or pass it on to someone you know in the military community.

The Honorable Judith R. Fergin, U.S. Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of
Timor-Leste, will lead the delegation.

Member of the Presidential Delegation:

The Honorable Nisha Desai Biswal, USAID Assistant Administrator for Asia

Thursday is the fourth day of National Women’s Health Week. Women often play a leading role in making medical decisions for their families, but their own health needs are often unmet, which is why President Obama worked to make health care more accessible and affordable for women across the country through his health reform law, the Affordable Care Act.

For example, women who purchase health insurance on the individual market pay an additional $1 billion each year because insurance companies charge them more than men, simply because of their gender. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, health insurers will be prohibited from discriminating against women by charging higher premiums.

President Obama’s health reform law also requires new health insurance plans to cover preventive services such as mammograms, pap smears, and well-woman visits with no co-pay or deductible. Because of this provision in the Affordable Care Act, more than 20.4 million women with private health insurance have received preventive health services at no additional cost.

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MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

SUBJECT:  Implementing the Prison Rape Elimination Act

Sexual violence, against any victim, is an assault on human dignity and an affront to American values.  The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) was enacted with bipartisan support and established a "zero tolerance standard" for rape in prisons in the United States.  42 U.S.C. 15602(1).

My Administration, with leadership from the Department of Justice, has worked diligently to implement the principles set out in PREA.  Today, the Attorney General finalized a rule adopting national standards to prevent, detect, and respond to prison rape.  This rule expresses my Administration's conclusion that PREA applies to all Federal confinement facilities, including those operated by executive departments and agencies (agencies) other than the Department of Justice, whether administered by the Federal Government or by a private organization on behalf of the Federal Government.

Each agency is responsible for, and must be accountable for, the operations of its own confinement facilities, and each agency has extensive expertise regarding its own facilities, particularly those housing unique populations.  Thus, each agency is best positioned to determine how to implement the Federal laws and rules that govern its own operations, the conduct of its own employees, and the safety of persons in its custody.  To advance the goals of PREA, we must ensure that all agencies that operate confinement facilities adopt high standards to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse.  In addition to adopting such standards, the success of PREA in combating sexual abuse in confinement facilities will depend on effective agency and facility leadership and the development of an agency culture that prioritizes efforts to combat sexual abuse.

In order to implement PREA comprehensively across the Federal Government, I hereby direct all agencies with Federal confinement facilities that are not already subject to the Department of Justice's final rule to work with the Attorney General to propose, within 120 days of the date of this memorandum, any rules or procedures necessary to satisfy the requirements of PREA and to finalize any such rules or procedures within 240 days of their proposal.

This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with the requirements of Executive Order 13175 of November 6, 2000 (Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments).

This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

The Director of the Office of Management and Budget is hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA

Before ordering a Spruce Street (roast turkey, prosciutto, roasted red peppers and sharp provolone), the President said:

"One of the items on that to-do list would be to provide tax breaks for companies like these that are hiring new employees or raising the wages and salaries of their existing employees. Either way, what that does is it gives them an incentive as they're expanding to say, 'Maybe we hire an extra two people. Maybe we hire an extra three people. Maybe we hire an extra ten people.'"

When the President returned to the White House, he sat down for lunch with leaders from Congress. On the menu? Some of the hoagies from Taylor and another example of why lawmakers should act to help boost the economy.

Learn more about how President Obama is helping small businesses to grow and create jobs.

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date.  In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency with respect to Burma that was declared on May 20, 1997, is to continue in effect beyond May 20, 2012.

The Burmese government has made progress in a number of areas including releasing hundreds of political prisoners, pursuing cease fire talks with several armed ethnic groups, and pursuing a substantive dialogue with Burma's leading pro democracy opposition party.  The United States is committed to supporting Burma's reform effort, but the situation in Burma continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.  Burma has made important strides, but the political opening is nascent, and we continue to have concerns, including remaining political prisoners, ongoing conflict, and serious human rights abuses in ethnic areas.  For this reason, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency with respect to Burma and to maintain in force the sanctions that respond to this threat.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
         May 17, 2012.

CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO BURMA

On May 20, 1997, the President issued Executive Order 13047, certifying to the Congress under section 570(b) of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997 (Public Law 104 208), that the Government of Burma had committed large scale repression of the democratic opposition in Burma after September 30, 1996, thereby invoking the prohibition on new investment in Burma by United States persons contained in that section.  The President also declared a national emergency to deal with the threat posed to the national security and foreign policy of the United States by the actions and policies of the Government of Burma, invoking the authority, inter alia, of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1701 1706.

Because the actions and policies of the Government of Burma continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, the national emergency declared on May 20, 1997, and the measures adopted to deal with that emergency in Executive Orders 13047 of May 20, 1997; 13310 of July 28, 2003; 13448 of October 18, 2007; and 13464 of April 30, 2008, must continue in effect beyond May 20, 2012.

Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency with respect to Burma.  This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
         May 17, 2012.

Today Commerce Secretary John Bryson presented 41 U.S. companies and organizations with “E” Awards and “E Star” Awards recognizing their significant contributions to the expansion of U.S. exports. These awards fall into two categories. The “E” Award for Exports honors manufacturers and service businesses, demonstrating a sustained increase over several years in selling U.S. products and services to overseas consumers. The “E” Award for Export Service honors export service providers that demonstrate how over several years they have assisted businesses to increase their exports.

The “E” Award was created by President John F. Kennedy on December 5, 1961, “to award suitable recognition to persons, firms, and organizations making significant contributions to the increase of American exports.” The “E Star” Award, which was authorized by the Secretary of Commerce in 1969, recognizes previous “E” Award winners for their continuing significant contributions to U.S. export expansion.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the “E” Award and since its inception, more than 2,500 companies and organizations have been recognized for their excellence in exporting. The honorees this year are the largest group to be recognized with the “E” Awards and “E Star” Awards for their export achievements and the diversity of industries and communities represented is impressive. The 2012 recipients come from across the United States, from Bakersfield, Calif., to Baton Rouge, La., Bolingbrook, Ill., and Bradford, Pa. Of the companies recognized at today’s ceremony, 35 are small or medium-sized enterprises, 20 are manufacturers, and 17 companies are both.

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Watch the conversation live at 2:30 p.m. EST on The Times’s homepage or on the New York Times Google+ page, and join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #NYTHangout. For more work on U.S. work at the United Nations, follow @AmbassadorRiceand @USUN on Twitter and ‘Like’ Ambassador Rice on Facebook.

Ed. Note: Follow the White House on Google+ for news, behind-the-scenes photos and chances to join White House Hangouts with administration officials.

Watch the conversation live at 2:30 p.m. EST on The Times’s homepage or on the New York Times Google+ page, and join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #NYTHangout. For more work on U.S. work at the United Nations, follow @AmbassadorRiceand @USUN on Twitter and ‘Like’ Ambassador Rice on Facebook.

Ed. Note: Follow the White House on Google+ for news, behind-the-scenes photos and chances to join White House Hangouts with administration officials.

“Erika, Reen and Dave (and our dog, Rosa!) are proud Obama supporters and volunteers. We have been registering voters every weekend in Arizona—and someone always asks us where we got our shirts and other gear.”

The Hartle-Schutte family has an easy answer for folks who are curious about their Obama shirts, buttons, hats, and stickers: You can get it all at the Obama 2012 store. Scroll over the gear in the photo to get your own piece of the campaign. And if you’ve got a photo of yourself decked out for President Obama, you can send it to us here.

President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Honor to Rose Sabo-Brown, widow of Specialist Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., U.S. Army, in the East Room of the White House, May 16, 2012. Specialist Sabo received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions in combat on May 10, 1970, while serving in Se San, Cambodia. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

In a poignant ceremony today in the East Room, President Obama awarded a Medal of Honor for valor above and beyond the call of duty to an Army Specialist who died while serving in Cambodia in 1970. 

The story of Leslie H. Sabo, Jr.'s courage and sacrifice was almost lost to history. In 1999, Alton Mabb, a Vietnam veteran from the 101st, was doing research at the National Archives when he found a file that included a proposed citation for the Medal of Honor for Leslie Sabo. Mabb began the work to make sure Sabo was recognized for the heroic actions that saved the lives of his comrades, who meant more to him than life.

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THE PRESIDENT: Please be seated. Thank you, General Rutherford. Good afternoon, everyone. We gather today to present the Medal of Honor for valor above and beyond the call of duty. In so doing we celebrate the soldier, the life that produced such gallantry -- Specialist Leslie H. Sabo, Jr.

Today is also a solemn reminder that when an American does not come home from war, it is our military families and veterans who bear that sacrifice for a lifetime. They are spouses, like Rose Mary, who all these years since Vietnam still displays in her home her husband’s medals and decorations. They are siblings, like Leslie’s big brother George, who carries the childhood memories of his little brother tagging along at his side. And they are our veterans, like the members of Bravo Company, who still speak of their brother Les with reverence and with love.

Rose, George, Bravo Company, more than 100 family and friends -- Michelle and I are honored to welcome you to the White House. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration that America can bestow. It reflects the gratitude of the entire nation. So we’re joined by members of Congress and leaders from across our armed forces, including Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta; Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Sandy Winnefeld; from the Army, Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno; and from the Marine Corps, the Commandant, General Jim Amos.

We’re honored to be joined by Vietnam veterans, including recipients of the Medal of Honor. And we’re joined by those who have carried on Les’s legacy in our time, in Iraq and Afghanistan -- members of the 101st Airborne Division, the legendary “Screaming Eagles.”

This gathering of soldiers, past and present, could not be more timely. As a nation, we've ended the war in Iraq. We are moving towards an end to the war in Afghanistan. After a decade of war, our troops are coming home. And this month, we’ll begin to mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, a time when, to our shame, our veterans did not always receive the respect and the thanks they deserved -- a mistake that must never be repeated. And that’s where I want to begin today, because the story of this Medal of Honor reminds us of our sacred obligations to all who serve.

It was 1999, around Memorial Day, and a Vietnam vet from the 101st was at the National Archives. He was doing research for an article. And there, among the stacks, an archivist brought him a box. And he took off the lid. And inside, he found a file, marked with the name “Leslie H. Sabo, Jr.” And there it was -- a proposed citation for the Medal of Honor. And so this Vietnam veteran set out to find answers. Who was Leslie Sabo? What did he do? And why did he never receive that medal? Today, four decades after Leslie’s sacrifice, we can set the record straight.

I just spent some time with Rose and George and the Sabo family. Last week marked 42 years since Les gave his life. This soldier, this family, has a uniquely American story. Les was actually born in Europe, after World War II, to a family of Hungarian refugees. And as the Iron Curtain descended, they boarded a boat for America and arrived at Ellis Island, past the Statue of Liberty. They settled in the steel town of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. Les’s father worked hard, pulled his family into the middle class. And when Les was a teenager, the family went to the county courthouse together, raised their hands and became proud American citizens.

They say that Les was one of the nicest guys you’d ever want to meet. He loved a good joke. He loved to bowl -- he could have given me some tips. (Laughter.) Rose says he was pretty good-looking, too. That’s what I hear.

He’d do anything for anybody. And when George went to college, Les looked after their mom. When George went to night school, Les helped care for his three young sons. When Les fell in love with Rose -- who couldn’t wait to start a life together -- he slipped the ring on her finger, right there in his car, while stopped at a red light. (Laughter.) And as he headed out for Vietnam, he stopped at a shop and ordered some flowers -- for his mom, for Mother’s Day, and for Rose, for her birthday.

For Les and Bravo Company, those early months of 1970 were a near constant battle. Pushing through jungles and rice paddies in their heavy packs. Enduring incredible heat and humidity. The monsoon rains that never seemed to stop. An enemy that could come out of nowhere and then vanish just as fast. For his bravery in battle, Les earned the respect of his comrades. And for his family, he wrote home every chance he could.   

When American forces were sent into Cambodia, Bravo Company helped lead the way. They were moving up a jungle trail. They entered a clearing. And that’s when it happened -- an ambush. Some 50 American soldiers were nearly surrounded by some 100 North Vietnamese fighters. Said Les’s comrades: “The enemy was everywhere” -- in bunkers, behind trees, up in the trees, shooting down. And they opened up on them.

And Les was in the rear -- and he could have stayed there. But those fighters were unloading on his brothers. So Les charged forward and took several of those fighters out. The enemy moved to outflank them. And Les attacked and drove them back. Ammo was running low. Les ran across a clearing to grab more. An enemy grenade landed near a wounded American. Les picked it up and he threw it back. And as that grenade exploded, he shielded that soldier with his own body.

Throughout history, those who have known the horror of war -- and the love behind all great sacrifice -- have tried to put those emotions into words. After the First World War, one soldier wrote this: “They are more to me than life, these voices, they are more than motherliness and more than fear; they are the strongest, most comforting thing there is anywhere: they are the voices of my comrades.”

And those were the voices Leslie Sabo heard that day: his comrades -- pinned down, at risk of being overrun. And so, despite his wounds, despite the danger, Leslie did something extraordinary. He began to crawl straight toward an enemy bunker, its machine guns blazing. Those who were there said the enemy zeroed in with everything they had. But Les kept crawling, kept pulling himself along, closer to that bunker, even as the bullets hit the ground all around him.

And then, he grabbed a grenade and he pulled the pin. It’s said he held that grenade and didn’t throw it until the last possible moment, knowing it would take his own life, but knowing he could silence that bunker. And he did. He saved his comrades, who meant more to him than life.

Leslie Sabo left behind a wife who adored him, a brother who loved him, parents who cherished him, and family and friends who admired him. But they never knew. For decades, they never knew their Les had died a hero. The fog of war, and paperwork that seemed to get lost in the shuffle, meant this story was almost lost to history.

And so today we thank that Vietnam vet who found Les’s files in the Archives and who was determined to right this wrong -- that's Tony Mabb, who joins us here today. Where's Tony? Tony, thank you. (Applause.)

We salute Les’s buddy, George Koziol, who, wounded in his hospital bed, first drafted the citation we’ll hear today and who spent the last years of his life fighting to get Les the recognition that he deserved.

And most of all, we salute the men who were there in that clearing in the jungle. More than two dozen were wounded. Along with Les, seven other soldiers gave their lives that day. And those who came home took on one last mission -- and that was to make sure America would honor their fallen brothers. They had no idea how hard it would be, or how long it would take.

Instead of being celebrated, our Vietnam veterans were often shunned. They were called many things, when there was only one thing that they deserved to be called -- and that was American patriots. In two weeks, on Memorial Day, Michelle and I will join our Vietnam veterans and their families at The Wall to mark the 50th anniversary of their service. It will be another chance for America to say to our Vietnam veterans what should have been said when you first came home: You did your job. You served with honor. You made us proud. And here today -- as I think Les would have wanted it -- I’d ask the members of Bravo Company to stand and accept the gratitude of our nation. (Applause.)

So yes, this Medal of Honor is bestowed on a single soldier for his singular courage. But it speaks to the service of an entire generation, and to the sacrifice of so many military families. Because, you see, there is one final chapter to this story.

You’ll recall that as he shipped out to Vietnam, Les stopped at that flower shop. Well, the day he gave his life was Mother’s Day. And on that day the flowers he had ordered arrived for his mom. And the day he was laid to rest was the day before Rose’s birthday. And she received the bouquet he had sent her -- a dozen red roses. That’s the kind of guy -- the soldier, the American -- that we celebrate today.

Les’s mother and father did not live to see this day. But in his story we see the shining values that keep our military strong and keep America great. We see the patriotism of families who give our nation a piece of their heart -- their husbands and wives, their sons and their daughters. And we see the devotion of citizens who put on the uniform, who kiss their families goodbye, who are willing to lay down their lives so that we can live ours in peace and in freedom.    

No words will ever be truly worthy of their service. And no honor can ever fully repay their sacrifice. But on days such as this we can pay tribute. We can express our gratitude. And we can thank God that there are patriots and families such as these. So on behalf of the American people, please join me in welcoming Rose for the reading of the citation. (Applause.)

MILITARY AIDE: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Specialist Four Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., United States Army for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.

Specialist Four Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. distinguished himself by conspicuous acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at the cost of his own life while serving as a rifleman in Company B, 3rd Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division in Se San, Cambodia, May 10th, 1970.

On that day, Specialist Four Sabo and his platoon were conducting a reconnaissance patrol when they were ambushed from all sides by a large enemy force. Without hesitation, Specialist Four Sabo charged an enemy position, killing several enemy soldiers. Immediately thereafter, he assaulted an enemy flanking force, successfully drawing their fire away from friendly soldiers and ultimately forcing the enemy to retreat. In order to re-supply ammunition, he sprinted across an open field to a wounded comrade. As he began to reload, an enemy grenade landed nearby. Specialist Four Sabo picked it up, threw it, and shielded his comrade with his own body, thus absorbing the brunt of the blast and saving his comrade’s life. 

Seriously wounded by the blast, Specialist Four Sabo nonetheless retained the initiative and then single-handedly charged an enemy bunker that had inflicted severe damage on the platoon, receiving several serious wounds from automatic weapons fire in the process. Now mortally injured, he crawled towards the enemy emplacement and, when in position, threw a grenade into the bunker. The resulting explosion silenced the enemy fire, but also ended Specialist Four Sabo's life.

His indomitable courage and complete disregard for his own safety saved the lives of many of his platoon members. Specialist Four Sabo’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness, above and beyond the call of duty, at the cost of his life, are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Company B, 3rd Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, and the United States Army.

(The Medal of Honor is presented.) (Applause.)

   THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank everybody for their attendance. Please give another round of applause to the Sabo family. (Applause.) I hope that everybody enjoys the reception. I hear the food is pretty good around here. (Laughter.)

   God bless you. God bless our troops. God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)  

 END        3:46 P.M. EDT

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1:31 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY:  Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the White House.  It is awesome to see you all here.  Before I get started -- rather, before I take your questions, I have a readout of the President’s meeting with congressional leaders.

Today, President Obama, over sandwiches from Taylor Gourmet, a shop many of you have sampled, met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi here at the White House.  The President urged the leaders to act on additional measures to create jobs and strengthen the economic recovery, including the five items on the President’s "To-Do" list for Congress -- like the tax cuts for small businesses that the President discussed with local entrepreneurs earlier today at Taylor Gourmet.

The Congress "To-Do" list also includes items like helping veterans find jobs, and assistance to responsible homeowners -- in other words, the kind of priorities that Republicans and Democrats should be able to work together on to help the economy and support the middle class.

The President emphasized the need for Congress to avoid refighting old political fights, and act to prevent interest rates on student loans from doubling on July 1.  The President also made clear that he refuses to allow a replay of last summer’s self-inflicted political crisis that eroded confidence and hurt the American economy.

The President reminded the leaders that he has signed into law over $2 trillion in deficit reduction, bringing domestic spending to its lowest level as a share of the economy since the Eisenhower administration.  The President reiterated that any serious bipartisan approach to tackle our deficit must be a balanced approach, and he made clear his willingness to work with Republicans and Democrats to stake out an agreement along those lines, but was just as clear that he would not accept an approach that asks middle-class families and senior citizens to make sacrifices without asking for anything more from millionaires and billionaires. 

With that I will take your questions.

Jim from the Associated Press.

Q    Thank you, Jay.  On that point then, did the President raise the issue that Boehner raised yesterday regarding the debt ceiling?  And does the President feel that he’s in a better bargaining position, given that the Bush tax cuts end December 31st, the mandatory spending cuts begin next year -- does he feel that he can, one, negotiate that kind of balanced approach that he’s talking about in a better way than he could in the summer?  And can he indeed separate the debt ceiling debate from that debate?

MR. CARNEY:  The topic did come up.  The Speaker raised it and the President made clear, as I just said, that we’re not going to recreate the debt ceiling debacle of last August.  It is simply not acceptable to hold the American and global economy hostage to one party’s political ideology.  It is the responsibility of Congress to ensure that the United States of America pays its bills, that it maintains its creditworthiness, that it fulfills its obligation and maintains the full faith and credit that it has long enjoyed. 

It is also important that Congress act together with the President to deal with our medium- and long-term fiscal challenges.  That’s why the President has put forward a balanced approach to those challenges in his budget that cuts the deficit by over $4 trillion, that incorporates the $2 trillion in domestic spending cuts that the President has already signed into law -- non-defense discretionary cuts that bring that portion of the budget to its lowest level since Dwight Eisenhower was President, since before many -- most of the people in this room were born.  Present company excluded, I guess. 

Q    Does that give him more leverage?

MR. CARNEY:  I don’t want to game out how -- what the future looks like.  What the President is intently focused on is, A, the need for Congress to work together on the kinds of things that are in the "To-Do" list, as well as student loans, as well as the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization, as well as the transportation bill. 

These are all things that have traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support.  These are all things that should pass with bipartisan support that the President should be able to sign into law if members of Congress come together and do the right thing and basically surprise the American people by demonstrating that in an election year and despite our differences, that we can get the things done that need to be done.

It is also -- as the President made clear in the meeting, it is also the case that if Republicans in the Congress end their intransigence and adopt the balanced approach to our deficit and debt challenges that everyone else overwhelmingly believes -- and adopt what everyone else overwhelmingly believes is the right approach, which is a balanced approach, which includes not just discretionary spending cuts, not just entitlement reforms but also revenues -- then there is ample opportunity here to put into place a long-term budget that both ensures we continue to grow our economy and create jobs, and significantly reduces our deficits and debt.

Q    Was there any discussion about invoking the 14th Amendment in order to avoid that kind of brinksmanship?

MR. CARNEY:  I do not believe so.

Q    On one other subject, if I may.  Yesterday you -- when you were asked about Bain, you said, well, those are campaign ads.  But today, the President --

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I said a great deal more than that, but they were, in fact, a campaign ad -- it was a question based on a campaign ad.

Q    Well, today, the Vice President raised -- issues that were raised in that campaign ad, so I was wondering if you could talk specifically about what is it about how Romney ran Bain that informs us how well he would govern.

MR. CARNEY:  I think, again, this is the kind of question specifically about the campaign that is best directed to the campaign, to the President's campaign. 

The broader point, which I made yesterday, is that the President looks forward to discussing with the American people and debating with his opponent what the right vision for America's future is when it comes to the economy, and what the President's record shows about what he believes is the right way to go, and what his opponent's record shows about the approach he might take -- both his record and what he has said.  That’s what elections are all about. 

And I think one area of agreement that I've noticed here is that we all think the economy is the number-one issue.  And the President very strongly believes, as you've heard him say, that in order to ensure that we continue to see the economy grow, to ensure that we continue to see jobs created, and to ensure that the middle class in this country is secure and expands and continues to be the backbone of the nation, we need to invest in the right areas like education and innovation and infrastructure, research and development, clean energy.  We need to deal with our deficit and debt in a way that does not ask senior citizens and the middle class to bear all the burden, but asks everyone to do their fair share.

And that’s a vision that he'll put forward and looks forward to debating in the campaign season.

Q    Again, what is it about Bain that --

MR. CARNEY:  Again, that is a specific question for the campaign, and while a part of me would enjoy the opportunity to engage with that, I would ask you to take a purely campaign question based on a campaign ad --

Q    So it is purely --

MR. CARNEY:  -- well, the Vice President -- he was speaking at a campaign event about the Republican nominee, or presumptive nominee.  I think you can ask the campaign about that.

Q    So he's representing the campaign but not the White House?

MR. CARNEY:  Jim, what’s your question exactly?  If it’s about campaign tactics and why --

Q    No, I mean, just why can't you answer the question about Bain, that’s all.  What is it about Bain that makes it an important issue in this campaign?

MR. CARNEY:  I mean, I can interpret what the campaign has said, which is that the experience of loading up companies with debt, pulling out profits, and in many cases having companies fail and workers lose their jobs, and prior to losing their jobs lose their pensions and other benefits, is not the kind of experience that the President thinks, the campaign thinks, is the right experience that you would want to then apply to the country. 

But again, I think this is a question that the campaign can answer more fully.

Q    That’s the kind of risk, though, that is inherent to a private equity -- 

MR. CARNEY:  Sure.

Q    -- and the President has used the argument about risk when he’s talked and defended the loans to Solyndra.  So is there a difference in tackling risk and --

MR. CARNEY:  I would say that being President entails many other responsibilities, obligations and decisions that go beyond whether or not -- the decision to invest in a certain company or invest in a sector like clean energy. It’s an aspect of it, but it is not the complete experience that informs how you make decisions as President.

Q    Jay, can you talk about the atmospherics of today’s meeting?  And also, did Speaker Boehner’s comments yesterday about the debt ceiling change the tone of the meeting?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, the President had lunch with the leaders alone.  I was not in there.  No staff was in there.  I spoke with the President afterwards.  My sense is the tone was congenial, the discussion was productive, the sandwiches were delicious -- and that while the topic was raised and discussed, there was no other issue associated with -- or no problem associated with Speaker Boehner’s remarks yesterday.

Q    What portion of the meeting was taken up by that?  And I know the President wanted to talk about --

MR. CARNEY:  I think my readout of the meeting and the percentage of time spent on the various topics is a fair representation of the percentages of the meeting and how they broke down.

Q    But the President did call a meeting to talk about his "To-Do" list.

MR. CARNEY:  And they spent some time talking about that.  They spent some time talking about the fact that -- and I think this was noted not just by the President but by others in the room, and members of both parties -- that, in fact, the President and this Congress, Republicans and Democrats, have worked together to get a number of things done despite their differences, despite the fact that this is an election year.  And as I’ve noted before, that includes extending the payroll tax cut.  It includes extending unemployment insurance.  It includes the STOCK Act and the so-called JOBS Act.  And it includes the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, among other things.

And the kinds of initiatives that are included in the President’s "To-Do" list for Congress are similar to those in that they should be able to garner bipartisan support.  They are the kinds of things that, whether it’s the assistance to small businesses or assistance to veterans, have traditionally enjoyed both Democratic and Republican support, and should this time enjoy bipartisan support.

So there was a significant portion of the meeting dedicated to that -- the items on the "To-Do" list and other things like the surface transportation bill and the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act that are other examples of the kinds of things that should be able to get done in spite of the fact that it’s an election year.

Let me move around here.  Olivier, weren’t you -- yes.

Q    Yes.  Not that long ago you said it was maybe time to admit defeat on the ceasefire plan in Syria.  And then yesterday you came out and you sounded a lot more positive about it.  You said it had tamped down the violence there.  What’s changed?  Why the change in tone?  Do you think it’s -- it's still time to admit -- or possibly time to admit defeat?  What’s the state of play?

MR. CARNEY:  I would simply say that we support the Annan plan.  We remain very skeptical about Assad’s willingness to comply with the Annan plan.  We note that he has yet to comply fully with any of the six points within it.  We support it, however, because while it is not being fulfilled -- compliance is not being met by Assad, it has served to reduce the violence somewhat, which obviously is a good thing, and it serves as a foundation for the future political reconciliation that will be required, and it is essential for the better future that the Syrian people so obviously deserve.

Q    Are you aware of media reports that other Gulf states are providing weapons to Syria’s opposition?  And are they doing that with either the tacit or explicit support from this administration?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I’m certainly aware of the reports and I think you know where we are on this -- we, the United States.  We continue to provide non-lethal support to the opposition.  And while I can only speak for the United States, we know that others are pursuing different types of support, and I’d refer you to them to characterize the nature of their actions.  Our position on this hasn’t changed.

Norah.

Q    The Speaker’s office has put out his readout of what happened inside the meeting, and according to them, the Speaker directly asked the President whether he would propose any cuts along with raising the debt ceiling and the President said no.  Is that correct?

MR. CARNEY:  The Speaker said, should we -- are you saying that we should pass a clean debt ceiling, which is a little different, but the essence is the same.  And the President’s point was we should not hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage to one party’s political agenda.  It is the absolute responsibility of Congress to ensure that the United States of America is good on its word, that it pays its bills.

It is also the case that we need to take action in a balanced way to deal with our deficit and debt.  That has always been our position.  It is embodied in the President’s budget.  It is embodied in the efforts the President made last summer to try to reach a so-called grand bargain, and it is his position today. 

And I would note that it is widely accepted now -- although, regrettably, not universally accepted -- that the primary stumbling block to bipartisan cooperation on this issue is the absolute intransigence, the absolute refusal of Republicans to accept what bipartisan commissions accept, what Democrats, independents and Republicans out in the country accept, which is that we need a balanced approach to this; that we need to -- in order to get control of our deficit and debts, we need not only to cut significantly -- as we have already -- domestic, non-defense discretionary spending, we need to introduce reforms in our entitlement systems that strengthen them and, in the President's vision, reduce costs, health care costs, without burdening seniors, and we need to make sure that everybody does their fair share, we need to include revenues as part of the package.

I note -- and it stuns me, Norah.  If I could just point out -- because your question reminds me of something I read at some ungodly hour this morning since my son woke up early -- which is that Chairman Paul Ryan of the Budget Committee was on television last night and he chastised the President for disavowing the Bowles-Simpson Commission without mentioning that he himself was a member of the Bowles-Simpson Commission and voted no.  He voted no to the balanced approach that the Bowles-Simpson Commission recommended -- a balanced approach which is mirrored by the President's own budget; a balanced approach which is universally, by those who've looked at this who aren't elected members of Congress or the Republican Party, viewed as the essential answer to the challenge. 

Q    Okay.  Paul Ryan voted against it, but the President also didn’t endorse it or enact any of it.  So I think -- 

MR. CARNEY:  The President put forward a budget proposal that embodies the balanced approach that the Simpson-Bowles Commission -- which he appointed -- recommended.  That is a fact.

That balanced approach is nowhere evident in the Ryan budget, it's nowhere evident in the rhetoric of House Republican leaders, regrettably.  Because overwhelmingly, that’s where we have to go to successfully overcome the challenges that we face when it comes to our medium and long-term deficit and debt.

Q    Today we have the President of the United States insisting on a clean debt increase. 

MR. CARNEY:  What the President --

Q    Hold on, let me just -- the President is insisting on one position, and the Speaker is also insisting that he will not increase the debt limit unless there are spending cuts.  So are we headed, again, to another one of these debacles?

MR. CARNEY:  I think you have to ask the Speaker of the House whether or not he intends or he believes that it is the right thing to do for the American people, the American economy, to play chicken with the full faith and credit of the United States government.  The President says we're not --

Q    Where is the compromise?

MR. CARNEY:  The compromise is a balanced approach that everybody who is not an elected member of Congress, of the Republican Party, has identified as the right solution.

Q    Why can't you increase the debt limit on balanced cuts?

MR. CARNEY:  The compromise is the President is willing to cut non-defense discretionary spending to its lowest level since the Eisenhower administration.  This President has signed into law non-defense discretionary spending cuts that brings that portion of our budget to its lowest level as a percentage of GDP since Ike was President -- before you were born -- significantly.

That demonstrates against the charge that Democrats don’t want spending cuts a significant compromise.  He cuts discretionary spending.  He has put forward entitlement reforms that, as you know, are sometimes difficult for Democrats to accept.  But he has successfully made the point that we need -- that if we take a balanced approach, we do not need to, and we should not and must not, ask middle-class Americans and senior citizens to bear all the burden of overcoming our deficit and debt challenges -- which is what the Ryan budget does. 

It says, you know what, we're going to give more tax cuts to the wealthy; we're going to dramatically cut investments in education, innovation, research and development.  And how are we going to pay for all this?  Well, there's a magic asterisk, for one thing; he doesn’t really say.  But the answer is, we're going to stick it to the middle class -- because we're not going to ask the wealthiest Americans who have, unlike the middle class, done exceptionally well over the past 10 years or so, to contribute, to do their fair share.

That’s just not an approach that the President believes is right, and doesn’t represent in any way a willingness to compromise.

Q    And just a quick response to Speaker Boehner, who, this morning in his press conference before he came over here, asked, where is the President's plan to tackle our looming debt crisis?  Can you answer that?

MR. CARNEY:  The Speaker knows exactly where it is. You know exactly where it is.  He presented a budget that does just that -- that cuts our deficits by over $4 trillion and ensures that we continue to invest in the areas of the economy and in the middle class that --

Q    Is that the President's budget is --

MR. CARNEY:  It is -- look, it cannot be that the way to get to an answer is compromise, A, and then you refuse to compromise, B. 

The President's budget proposal reflects the priorities of bipartisan commissions; it reflects the approach of Republicans on --

Q    But his own party won't even bring it up for a vote.

MR. CARNEY:  But where are the Republicans?  Where have they demonstrated a willingness to compromise?  Where have they demonstrated a willingness to do what everyone on the outside -- including a majority of the American people, including a majority of the Republicans in this country -- believe is the right thing to do, which is to say there are three legs to this stool, and we need all three of them to make the stool stands.  And that means discretionary cuts, it means entitlement reforms and it means revenues.

Q    At today's meeting was the President saying, I'm not going to budge, and the Speaker saying, I'm not going to budge? 

MR. CARNEY:  Look, there is a lot that the Congress and the President can work together to get done, as they discussed as well.  And the President looks forward to Congress taking action on the "To-Do" list and on other items, like making sure student loans don’t double -- the interest rates on student loans don't double in the next couple of months, making sure that the Violence Against Women Act gets reauthorized in a bipartisan way, as it has consistently over the years, making sure that we keep construction workers on the job working to rebuild our infrastructure.

These are things that the American people want done.  These are things that Republicans, Democrats have traditionally supported together.  These are things that the President has indicated he wants to sign into law.  And I think there's an opportunity here for Congress to act on them and prove that even in this environment and even in this election year they are willing to do the work that the American people sent them here to do.

Jared.

Q    Jay, was there an agreement in the room among the parties that there shouldn’t be this hostage-taking or chicken-playing, or whatever metaphor you want to use?  Were the rest of the parties in agreement on that?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, you should ask the leaders themselves.  I can simply characterize what the President's view was and what he expressed in the meeting about how he simply will not accept an approach that tries to recreate the self-inflicted political wounds that caused harm to the economy last summer.

Q    Was that in agreement even among the Democratic leaders?

MR. CARNEY:  I simply -- you're putting words into my readout, which I didn’t include.

Q    I’m asking you --

MR. CARNEY:  And I said that I’m not going to characterize what the other leaders think.  I’m simply characterizing what the President said.

Jake.

Q    Just a quick point of clarification.  The $4 trillion in deficit reduction, about $2 trillion of that is from winding down the war in Iraq.

MR. CARNEY:  No, that’s --

Q    It's separate?

MR. CARNEY:  That figure is too high.  As the original Ryan budget does, it includes OCO, which is the acronym, which stands for something that means what you’re talking about.  (Laughter.)  And it demonstrates the savings from policy decisions that this President made to end the war in Iraq and to put us on a path of ending the war in Afghanistan -- policy decisions that are hugely significant not just as foreign policy and national security matters, and not just for the men and women who are sent overseas to fight on our behalf, but for budgetary reasons -- and policy decisions, which, by the way, leaders -- at least some of the leaders in the other party reject, those who say we should still have American soldiers in Iraq, those who say that we should not have a timetable for ending the war in Afghanistan. 

You can’t have it both ways.  You can't say you’d rather reverse those policies, continue to have troops in Iraq, prolong our stay in Afghanistan, which, of course, requires money to pay for them, and then say but you can’t count that savings that are a result of concrete policy decisions. 

Paul Ryan thought they were legitimate in his first budget proposal.

Q    Well, not really. 

MR. CARNEY:  He did.  There were in -- go look at the Ryan budget.

Q    I did.

MR. CARNEY:  And it’s in there.

Q    There is one way of scoring in which it’s in there and then the way of scoring that they presented where it’s not -- but that’s not really what I want to talk about.

MR. CARNEY:  These are concrete savings from a budget -- from policy decisions that the President of the United States put in place, that others, were they in the Oval Office, would not have put in place, with all the resulting costs.

Q    In six and a half months, we’re facing this potential debacle, this $8 trillion.  How much energy does the President intend to devote to trying to solve this problem before it reaches a crisis in December?

MR. CARNEY:  The President has put forward a budget proposal that solves -- I mean, if you’re talking about --

Q    I’m talking about negotiating with congressional leaders.

MR. CARNEY:  -- dealing with the sequester, which, by the way, the Congress voted for the Budget Control Act.  The Congress assigned itself the task of coming up with a balanced solution -- coming up with a solution -- the only successful one has to be balanced if it’s going to be bipartisan -- in order to avoid the sequester, which no party wants to see enacted.

Q    Right.  Congress failed.

MR. CARNEY:  Congress continues to have that opportunity.

Q    Absolutely.  Congress failed.  I’m with you.  We have this problem six and half months from now --

MR. CARNEY:  But it is a part of the American ethic that when you get knocked down, you get up and you keep trying.  And that’s what Congress ought to do.  They ought to come together, work out a balanced approached.  The President has put forward concretely and specifically the ideas that he thinks should guide that approach.  The policy choices here are pretty clear.  There’s been a lot of debate and discussion and serious-minded negotiation on these subjects.

So there’s an opportunity that remains, as the President made clear in the meeting and as I made clear in my readout of the meeting -- it remains for the kind of bipartisan compromise around a balanced approach that the budget the President put forward represents.

Q    So just to clarify, the answer is, no, the President --

MR. CARNEY:  That’s not true at all.  I mean, they talked about it today.  The key stumbling block here --

Q    Is that the Republicans in the House refuse to raise any taxes.

MR. CARNEY:  Refuse to acknowledge that the only way to do this, the only way to come together and get this done, is to adopt the balanced approach that not just the President, but just about everyone else who’s looked at this has deemed the right way to do it. 

And as I’ve said on a number of issues, the President accepts the fact that just because he says he believes it’s the right thing to do, Republicans may not then do it, but they have constituents they need to answer to.  And one of the more remarkable things about the apparent desire to recreate the debacle of last summer that was precipitated by the same approach the Speaker of the House suggested we adopt again is that the American people thought it was a terrible thing.  And I don’t think they would reward leaders who suggest that the right way to fulfill their responsibility as leaders is to risk tanking the American economy.  That’s just terrible.  That’s not leadership.  That’s a failure of leadership. 

And the right way to get something done is to agree that you’re not going to get everything you want, and look at what so many people have put forward as the necessary path for bipartisan compromise.

Q    The $1.2 -- I think it’s $1.2 trillion in cuts that are the sequester cuts that automatically kick in.  If the Bush tax cuts -- $4 trillion worth -- expire, would that eliminate the need to sequester $1.2 trillion in cuts?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, mathematically it might be so.  I haven’t done the analysis myself.  But the President, as you know, believes we should extend tax cuts for the middle class and we absolutely should end unnecessary tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Q    Right, I know, but you also feel that not everybody is going to get everything they want.  So I was just wondering, is it possible --

MR. CARNEY:  Well, that wouldn't represent everything we want.

Q    Is there a mechanism in there -- it’s a technical question -- if the $4 trillion in tax cuts expire, does that negate the need for $1.2 trillion in --

MR. CARNEY:  I think you’re talking about apples and oranges here.  And I think there are a lot of things that people have talked about that rise to --

Q    Not really.

MR. CARNEY:  -- that will be dealt with, if they haven’t been by then, by the end of the year.

Q    It’s $4 trillion in revenue.

MR. CARNEY:  Right.  But there are a number of issues that -- there’s the Bush tax cuts, there’s the sequester.  I’m not going to negotiate how that plays out now --

Q    I'm not asking you to negotiate.  But take the question --

MR. CARNEY:  As a technical thing, if you’re asking me does $4 trillion account for $1.2 trillion --

Q    Would it then negate it?

MR. CARNEY:  It doesn’t negate it.  These are policy decisions that policymakers have to make about where they think this country ought to go in terms of the policies we ought to adopt that will help grow the economy and deal with our fiscal challenges.  And there are a lot of decisions to be made. 

What is helpful in this case is that the universe of options has been pretty thoroughly explored over the last several years as we’ve had commissions and negotiations and budget proposals put forward.  And the consensus, the broad consensus that has emerged from this prolonged debate is that we need to take a balanced approach to this.  We need to deal with these challenges by cutting non-defense discretionary spending significantly, which the President has already agreed to do and signed into law.  We need to introduce reforms into our entitlement system that strengthen those programs and produce savings in health care.  And we need to increase revenues so that we don’t have to deal with our deficit and debt in a way that puts all the burden on the middle class and senior citizens, because that’s just not the right thing to do and it would be bad for our economy.  It would be bad to adopt a proposal that, lacking any other detail provided in it, would potentially cut investments in education and border security and all sorts of other programs -- innovation -- by something on the order of 19 percent.

Q    These commission recommendations you keep talking about there’s a consensus about -- President Obama has not endorsed any of them, right?

MR. CARNEY:  The President has through his actions and his proposals endorsed the balanced approach that is represented by the Simpson-Bowles Commission, by the Domenici-Rivlin Commission.

Q    But he didn’t support --

MR. CARNEY:  The numbers are not exactly the same.  And in fact, what is off --

Q    But he doesn’t support their recommendations?

MR. CARNEY:  Not all of them in their specifics, but  -- they have far greater defense cuts.  Does Paul Ryan support that?  They have far greater tax revenues.  These are just two areas where it -- you guys should be calling out folks who say, well, we should be supporting this commission, when, in fact, it includes proposals that they wouldn’t come near to with a 10-foot pole.

The President’s proposal actually proposed in his budget fewer defense cuts and fewer -- and less revenues than Simpson-Bowles.  Another example of his willingness to compromise.

So the outline of what needs to be done is clear.  It has been clear for a long time.  It is supported broadly by the American people.  It is supported by Democrats, independents and Republicans, bipartisan commissions, graybeards, young academics, all sorts of experts.

Q    A Senate Democrat today agreed to vote to reject the President’s budget.  I wondered what the administration’s response is to that.  And what does it say that Democrats haven’t proposed a budget in more than three years?

MR. CARNEY:  Look, we prefer that the Senate and Congress overall function efficiently.  As you know, the vote that you referred to is yet another gimmick, and that’s why it will get the -- that the tally will come out the way it does.  It represents a decision by Republicans to, instead of acknowledging that the only solution here is a bipartisan solution, to sort of waste time with gimmicks. 

There is an avenue here, as I’ve been discussing and I’ll stop waxing on about it, but the approach that we need to take is clear to everyone except apparently a significant portion of the Republicans in Congress.

Alexis, and then Ed.

Q    Jay, Secretary Geithner said this week, as you know, that Treasury possesses the tools on the debt ceiling to extend that probably into the new year to try to separate it from the lame duck session and another cliff.  So I just want to clarify -- is it the President’s preference to try to extend it as far away from the December lame duck session as possible to keep those --

MR. CARNEY:  I think I would refer you to the Treasury Department.  I don’t know enough -- I don’t recall that specific statement by Treasury and I won’t venture into the measures that Treasury takes in dealing with those kinds of situations as it did last year and as it has in the past.

The President’s preference is that Congress adopt a balanced approach to our deficit and debt challenges.  I think he’s been pretty transparent about that.  He’s been pretty transparent about his willingness to accept cuts in programs that in a different situation he would rather not cut, but that represents a compromise.  He recognizes the need to introduce some reforms in Medicare and Medicaid so that we can strengthen those programs and ensure that those guarantees remain for our citizens.

And he also believes strongly that we need to make changes in our tax system so that it’s more balanced, so that a middle class that was squeezed in the decade prior to the recession does not get further squeezed and burdened with the responsibility alone of resolving our deficit and debt challenges, but that the wealthiest Americans who -- as you know, you guys have all reported on this -- who, in that same period when the middle class saw its income stagnate or decline, saw its incomes increase dramatically.

I think that balanced approach is entirely sensible.  And that’s why it has earned the support of so many outside observers, including former Republican office holders.  And the President believes that’s the way we have to go.

Q    Let me follow up on the "To-Do" list.  Can you remind us -- the President was not supportive of a House Republican version of tax cuts for small business earlier, and obviously that’s something he’s pushing today.  Can you just remind us, what is the gap between the Republican approach and the President’s preferred approach?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I’ve forgotten the specifics of some of the Republican proposals that you mention, but I think one of the concerns was that the need here is to boost job creation, and the President’s proposals that he talked about today would reward small businesses for hiring -- for an increase in hiring, a specific benefit tied to job creation.  I think some of the proposals you’re talking about were judged by outside independent economists as having not necessarily a positive near-term impact on job creation or economic growth. 

And also this is a fundamental difference here about  -- Republicans tend to identify law firm partners and hedge fund managers as small businesses.  We disagree.  So I think those small businessmen and women disagree.  So I think that’s probably where some of the differences lie.

Ed.

Q    Thanks, Jay.  You said a moment ago it's up to Congress to adopt a balanced approach.  Doesn’t it also take presidential leadership for him at some point to say, we've been kicking around all these plans since last summer -- Bowles-Simpson, et cetera, the Ryan budget -- you criticize one, they criticize the other -- doesn’t it take presidential leadership to say, here's the plan, let's rally the Congress and the nation behind it?

MR. CARNEY:  The President has done that.  He's put forward a plan that represents --

Q    But it's just -- eight or nine plans are out there, but he hasn't rallied the country and said --

MR. CARNEY:  Ed, the premise of your question is that -- is that presumably the President needs to compromise just like Congress needs to compromise, Republicans in the House need to compromise.  Is it not evidence of a willingness to compromise that this President, this Democratic President, has signed into law cuts in domestic, non-defense discretionary spending that bring that portion of the budget to its lowest level since Dwight Eisenhower?  Is that not evidence of a willingness to take seriously --

Q    I've heard you say that, and every expert that has looked at that has said that’s a drop in the bucket.  It's nice, it's a good start, but it's a drop in the bucket.

MR. CARNEY:  Ironically, it's a drop in the -- it's especially a drop in the bucket if, as the House Republicans insist, you want to get all of your savings out of non-defense discretionary spending, you want to increase defense spending, you want to give more tax cuts to the wealthy and then you want to squeeze all the programs that include investments in education, border security, innovation, research and development.  That is not a balanced approach.  That is not a -- not only is it not fair to middle-class Americans and seniors and others who would bear the burden of that approach, it's bad for the economy.

Where do they think education fits into our economic future?  There was that moment of great clarity when the President was out on the road talking about the need to ensure that we didn’t -- that Congress acted so that interest rates on student loans didn’t double, and I think a spokesman for one of the House leaders said that the President was out there talking about education because he didn’t want to talk about the economy.  And it was a great moment of clarity because, as the President made clear, education is elemental to economic growth.
 
Education, especially in the 21st century, will be decisive in the competition to win the race for the strongest, most prosperous economy in the 21st century.

Q    The President has given those speeches, but, as Jake was asking, what is the President going to do between now and the next six-and-a-half months to prevent this?  Because he can keep reading those talking points, Republicans can read their talking points --

MR. CARNEY:  He's not reading the talking points.

Q    But you're saying it's elemental and all of that, but that doesn’t stop --

MR. CARNEY:  Ed, he's put forward a plan that represents and includes things that have already taken place in terms of signing into law significant spending cuts, significant entitlement reforms, and a plan that includes revenues -- an approach that has been endorsed by bipartisan commissions, by Democrats, independents and Republicans. 

The question that you ask I think should be posed to leaders in Congress:  What are you going to do to demonstrate your willingness to compromise?  What steps will you take to prove that you're not simply pursuing an ideological agenda when the path here is so clear, the need for a balanced approach is so obvious, and yet the refusal to acknowledge that and adopt it is the obvious stumbling block here?

Q    There was this debt summit yesterday, and Alan Simpson, who's been talked about here, said that he knows for a fact that former President Clinton went to President Obama at some point in recent months and said, "for god sakes, you did this by executive order, you got 11 out of 18 votes; that’s 60 percent."  And Alan Simpson said Clinton would have said, "I would wrap my arms around that thing and take it."  He would have.  And he claims Bill Clinton told that to President Obama.  Are you aware of that?  And what do you say when -- this is somebody that President Obama appointed, Alan Simpson -- even though he's a Republican -- to this commission, and he's saying, look, you're never going to get 100 percent; you got 60 percent.  As you said, Paul Ryan didn’t even vote for it, but you got 60 percent.  Why not --

MR. CARNEY:  No House Republicans voted for it.

Q    Why not wrap your arms around it -- he appointed them -- and say, here's the plan?  This is Alan Simpson talking.

MR. CARNEY:  No, no, no, Ed.  First of all, I was not present for a conversation between former President Clinton and President Obama.  I'm not sure that former Senator Simpson was present for the conversation he recounts either.  I don’t know.  What I can tell you is that the President appointed that commission, including its chairman, because when the President endorsed the idea legislatively, Republicans who had supported it in the past suddenly fled.  They decided not to support it, so it had to be an executive action -- because, once again, when the President endorsed it, the Republicans who had previously supported it decided they couldn’t.  It's the President's commission demonstrating his commitment to dealing with our fiscal challenges.

The proposal that the Bowles-Simpson Commission put forward represents the balanced approach that the President took.  It is his proposal -- his budget is so much closer to the Bowles-Simpson proposal that you are celebrating in your question than the Ryan budget that the question that you need to ask is, why won’t House Republicans in particular move closer to the Bowles-Simpson approach?

Q    He's the President.  Why didn’t he bring Bowles-Simpson up here to this podium and say, this is my plan, wrap his arms around him and say, let’s go, Republicans?

MR. CARNEY:  Find me a House Republican plurality that will vote for the Bowles-Simpson that includes dramatically more significant --

Q    Force it for a vote.  Have Harry Reid bring it up.

MR. CARNEY:  I’m sorry, I didn’t realize -- you should ask the Speaker of the House to bring it up.  In fact, there was a Bowles-Simpson -- a version of Bowles-Simpson that came up, and I think 10 people in the Republican Party voted for it.

Q    It was the President’s commission.  Ask the Democrats to bring it up for a vote.

MR. CARNEY:  I’m not sure -- I’m looking for the water there.  (Laughter.)  But the fact of the matter is, Ed, and we can debate this, but the fiscal commission the President created put forward a proposal that called for defense cuts, that called for nondefense discretionary cuts, that called for revenues, it called for entitlement reforms.  The levels are different in different areas, but the President’s budget reflects that entirely.

The Republican budget, the budget that has been put forward by Paul Ryan and embraced by Republicans across Capitol Hill and Republicans who want to be President does not represent that balanced approach.  The questions about why you don’t support a balanced approach should be asked of Republicans.

Roger.

Q    Thank you.  Shift topics here toward G8 this weekend.  There’s a report out that the U.S. is going to ask G8 for support for release of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.  Is that true?

MR. CARNEY:  I have no comment on the SPR.  I have no information to impart on that subject.

Q    Okay, a quick follow-up then.  Oil prices have been drifting down over the past two months -- I’m sure you’re aware of that.  Is it still critical to release oil at some point in the next month?

MR. CARNEY:  That’s another way of asking a question about the SPR that I have no information on for you.

Q    One last try.  Is the SPR on the agenda for G8?

MR. CARNEY:  I think the global economy is on the agenda for the G8.  The global oil market is part of the global economy, but I don’t know that specifically that issue is on the agenda.

Q    Jay --

MR. CARNEY:  I’ll get to you.  I’m mixing it up.  You’re after NBC here.

Q    Thanks, Jay.  Going back to the meeting --

MR. CARNEY:  Dan, I’m sorry.  I get in this peripheral thing where -- NBC, CNN -- go.

Q    Going back to the meeting -- some of the other topics that were discussed, did the President or congressional leaders find any common ground on the "To-Do" list on the bill to keep student loan rates low?

MR. CARNEY:  I would hesitate to characterize what the leaders themselves said and I think you should ask them, but I think that, broadly speaking, based on my discussion with the President, that there was a constructive discussion about the initiatives that Congress could act on in the near future, and that included the President’s "To-Do" list that he raised.  It included things like the VAWA, the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization.  It included the surface transportation bill and the need to take action on student loans. 

So I wouldn’t want to say there was an agreement to get a specific thing done on a specific day, but I think there was a healthy and positive discussion about the fact that there are many items on the agenda right now in the pipeline that represent opportunities to achieve some bipartisan successes.

Q    So just to be clear, there was no tangible agreement on any of these topics --

MR. CARNEY:  Well, in the end I think it’s -- Congress has to vote on legislation so it wouldn’t -- votes have to be taken, processes have to move forward.  So we’ll leave it up to Congress to act, but there are a number of opportunities here for bipartisan cooperation.  The leaders discussed that.  The President discussed that with them.  And I think that it was noted in the room -- in the private dining room here off the Oval Office -- that there have been some bipartisan successes already between this Congress and the President.  And I think that is evidence against the otherwise prevailing consensus that nothing can get done, that actually things can get done if we put our minds to it.

Q    And, Jay, going back to Syria quickly, we started off -- the United States started off sort of engaging beyond the political realm when it comes to Syria.  Now, as you’ve just stated, the United States is increasing its non-lethal assistance.  How would you specifically define where we stand right now?

MR. CARNEY:  Where we stand on Syria?

Q    Yes.

MR. CARNEY:  We continue to be very concerned about the violence in Syria by the failure of the Assad regime to fulfill any of its obligations under the Kofi Annan plan.  We are concerned but not surprised that U.N. observers -- I think you’re aware of this -- in Syria have faced incidents of violence while on the ground. 

The onus remains on the regime to implement the elements of the Annan plan, all of them.  We have to give the Annan effort and the U.N. supervising mission in Syria a chance to succeed, because those efforts coupled with our ongoing -- and international efforts -- to increase pressure on the regime and support the opposition remain the best option for the political transition that Syrians so desperately want and deserve.

Q    And how long do you give them a chance to succeed?  I mean, the violence is still continuing there.  At what point do you say this plan has failed?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, there’s no question -- and I think we’ve been extremely blunt about the fact that we remain very skeptical of Assad’s intentions.  We are working with our international partners through the "Friends of Syria" as well as at the United Nations and on the Security Council.  And we will, when appropriate and as necessary, discuss next steps.

But we are now supporting the Annan plan, supporting that mission because it has brought about some positive developments, at the very least, a reduction, not an elimination, of violence.  And as I said, it embodies the best option here for the political transition that Syrians so desperately want.

Dan.

Q    Just to follow on Kristen’s question on the "To-Do" list.  You keep striking an optimistic tone and saying that this is something that Congress should act on.  But will they?  I mean, what are the chances that anything on that list will get done?

MR. CARNEY:  Let me consult my magic eight ball here. 

Q    Well, I mean --

MR. CARNEY:  No, I think I am -- look, I can't guarantee, and no one should, that Congress will do one thing or the other.  What I do think has already been proven is that even in this environment, with this Congress, the capacity remains to pass legislation with bipartisan majorities.  We’ve seen that with the extension of the payroll tax cut.  We’ve seen that with the passage of the STOCK Act and the JOBS Act, with the recent passage of the reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank -- which is not a huge thing, but an important piece of business that will help our exports to continue to grow and be a vibrant part of our economy. 

These are steps that we can take with Congress to do the people’s business.  And the list that the President put together contains a series of other initiatives that fall into that vein that represent the kinds of things that have traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support.   And the other things I’ve talked about -- VAWA reauthorization, resolving the student loan issue to ensure that millions of students across the country don’t have their interest rates doubled on their student loans -- these are things that can be done.  And I’m optimistic and the President is optimistic because they are so self-evidently necessary and achievable.

Q    Yet when you listen to folks up on the Hill or some of the pundits, there seems to be so much skepticism around this that anything will actually happen, and that this is --

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I don’t know that there is skepticism --

Q    -- that won’t get you anything.

MR. CARNEY:  I don’t know that there is skepticism about the ability to get some things done -- that remains I suppose skepticism about the ability of this Congress to tackle some of the big issues because they failed to do as recently as last fall when they had the super committee to deal with, the task assigned to them by the Budget Control Act.

But it is a fact that this Congress, notwithstanding all the due skepticism and cynicism, extended the payroll tax cut, extended unemployment insurance, passed the STOCK Act and the JOBS Act.  And these are things the President supported and was able to sign into law.  And the other items that he put forward are similar in that they can enjoy bipartisan support.

And I think what your question elucidates is that while there are things that we obviously disagree on, even though that is the case, there are things that we can agree on.  And it is good for the American people, good for the American economy, good politics, I would suggest, for members of Congress to get some things done that will help the economy and help the middle class. 

Q    And another question on China and North Korea.  Just wondering if the White House has seen any evidence at all of China putting more pressure on North Korea to essentially change its ways, abandon any future nuclear tests.

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I have nothing new to report to you on that.  We obviously have ongoing consultations with the Chinese as well as others in the region and around the world about North Korea.  We have, as you know, because I've discussed it in the past, as have others, encouraged the Chinese to use their influence with the North Koreans to affect their behavior, and that continues to be our position.  But I don't have anything new to report to you on that.

Q    You said me.

MR. CARNEY:  Yes, Victoria, I said you.  I knew there was somebody -- I was trying to -- you are my last question.  Thank you.

Q    At the G8 summit, is the President going to encourage the Europeans to move away from austerity towards more of a growth strategy?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I can tell you that the President's message to the Europeans and the position that he will bring to the G8 that he is hosting at Camp David is the same message that -- and position that he brought to Cannes for the G20, which is that -- we have been saying for some time now that growth has to be a factor in Europe, as I think the Secretary of State said, and a balanced approach that includes austerity, dealing with fiscal challenges as well as the need to grow the economy is the approach that we recommend, that we have adopted here.  And it has, in the United States, produced, as I've been saying in answer to other questions, more than two years straight of economic growth and more than two years straight of private sector job creation. 

But that message is the same as it was in Cannes, and the President is in regular consultation with his European counterparts.  Secretary Geithner as well, as you know, has been working very closely with the Europeans.  We continue to believe that the -- we know that the Europeans have it within their capacity to deal with this challenge and that they have taken some important steps.  They need to take further steps to --

Q    What steps?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, we're not prescribing actions here, but I think that it's -- there are two areas here that need to be  -- that they have been addressing and will continue to address, which is the need to build the firewall that's necessary to meet the challenges posed there and to, in various countries, adopt the reforms that are necessary. 

Now, the balanced approach that we've talked about, that Secretary Clinton talked about today and Secretary Geithner and others have talked about in the past -- the President -- is one that we believe has worked here for us, is the right approach that you need to address the need for growth in Europe and the need to put people to work, including and especially young people in Europe.  And that I'm sure will be, broadly speaking, the message the President will have when he meets with leaders at Camp David on Friday.

Thanks very much.

END  
2:27 P.M. EDT

By my count, we're going to hit 2 million donors to this campaign in the next hour or two.

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Following extensive outreach and research, the Council determined that providing opportunities for employment for disconnected youth was key, and that if these communities could pull together to move these young people onto critical pathways toward education, employment, and ongoing civic participation, the benefits would be far-reaching. The result is Summer Jobs Plus:

read more

Miami, Florida

The case of Dade Behring in Miami, where some 850 jobs were lost while Romney led Bain has been well-documented. But there’s a new wrinkle: The company under Bain’s leadership sought and received millions of dollars in tax breaks for creating jobs in Puerto Rico—shortly before closing its facilities, costing nearly 300 jobs.
—The Miami Herald

Las Vegas, Nevada

In Winnemucca, 166 miles northeast of Reno, Rich Stone, owner of a dry cleaner next to the former Stage Store, remembers the retailer as a fine fit for the community.

Since it closed, residents of the small town of 8,900 and surrounding Humboldt County can’t buy non-Western-themed clothes there. They have to travel to Reno or shop online, Stone said.

“It’s a void,” said Stone, who is also a city councilman and a Republican. “We lose a lot of sales tax revenue.”
—Las Vegas Sun

Des Moines, Iowa

“He led a pack of wolves that went in and fed upon these communities and took jobs away,” Sagar said.

Sagar pointed to two specific instances in which Bain profited from dismantling companies: Stage, a clothing store that had locations in many small Iowa cities, and GST Steel, a Kansas City steel firm.
—The Des Moines Register

For the rest of the story about how Mitt Romney’s decisions impacted communities across the country, check out romneyeconomics.com.

Nearly 2 million companies that make new hires or increase wages would receive a tax credit under the small business hiring income tax credit President Obama is calling on Congress to pass.

The tax credit, the third item on President Obama’s job-creating To-Do List for Congress, would encourage more than $200 billion in new hiring and pay raises by providing a 10 percent income tax credit on wages added in 2012. The credit would be available to all companies, but would be capped at $500,000 per business to specifically spur small business hiring. And, companies that claim the credit would be able to do so on a quarterly basis, which means businesses would see tax relief sooner rather than later after making new hires.

By providing targeted tax relief to the businesses that are expanding and making investments in their workforce, the Small Business Hiring Credit will grow the economy, create jobs, and strengthen the recovery. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office recently found that this type of targeted credit is the single most effective business tax option for boosting hiring and spurring economic growth.

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Erin, a mother of two young girls, thanks President Obama for standing up for women's health—and explains why, this November, "the dreams of all our daughters are at stake, and they're counting on us to fight for them."

Hear why protecting a woman's right to choose is so important to Erin and her family—then, let us know what supporting women's health means to you.

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President Barack Obama and Small Business Administrator Karen Mills, left, participate in a roundtable with small business owners at Taylor Gourmet in Washington, D.C., May 16, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

When Casey Patten and David Mazza moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, they were consistently disappointed by their inability to find a decent hoagie. So the two friends decided to take matters into their own hands. In 2008, they opened Taylor Gourmet -- with all the sandwiches named after streets in their former hometown. And it became a hit.

They've since expanded operations to three additional locations and seen their hoagies reviewed in the Washington Post, New York Times, and Travel & Leisure.

Today, they got a visit from President Obama.

He stopped by their newest restaurant on 14th Street in Washington, DC to talk about how his To-Do List for Congress would help small business owners like Patten and Mazza.

Before ordering a Spruce Street (roast turkey, prosciutto, roasted red peppers and sharp provolone), the President said:

One of the items on that “To-Do” list would be to provide tax breaks for companies like these that are hiring new employees or raising the wages and salaries of their existing employees. Either way, what that does is it gives them an incentive as their expanding to say, maybe we hire an extra two people. Maybe we hire an extra three people. Maybe we hire an extra ten people. 

When the President returned to the White House, he sat down for lunch with leaders from Congress. On the menu? Some of the hoagies from Taylor and another example of why lawmakers should act to help boost the economy.

Learn More

• President Obama Calls for a Simpler Refinancing Process
• President Obama: "Stop rewarding companies who ship jobs overseas"
• Moving America's Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs Forward: A Report from the National Economic Council

They've since expanded operations to three additional locations and seen their hoagies reviewed in the Washington Post, New York Times, and Travel & Leisure.

Today, they got a visit from President Obama.

He stopped by their newest restaurant on 14th Street in Washington, DC to talk about how his To-Do List for Congress would help small business owners like Patten and Mazza.

Before ordering a Spruce Street (roast turkey, prosciutto, roasted red peppers and sharp provolone), the President said:

One of the items on that “To-Do” list would be to provide tax breaks for companies like these that are hiring new employees or raising the wages and salaries of their existing employees. Either way, what that does is it gives them an incentive as their expanding to say, maybe we hire an extra two people. Maybe we hire an extra three people. Maybe we hire an extra ten people. 

When the President returned to the White House, he sat down for lunch with leaders from Congress. On the menu? Some of the hoagies from Taylor and another example of why lawmakers should act to help boost the economy.

Learn More

• President Obama Calls for a Simpler Refinancing Process
• President Obama: "Stop rewarding companies who ship jobs overseas"
• Moving America's Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs Forward: A Report from the National Economic Council

Name: Robert Diamond
Job Title: National Veterans and Military Families Vote Director; New York State Director
Hometown: Staten Island, New York
Based in: New York, New York

Q1. What does a day at work look like to you?
They are long! My days are a combination of running the campaign's national Veterans and Military Families program and managing our campaign activities on the ground across New York state. I spend most of my day in meetings and on conference calls with headquarters in Chicago, with my staff in New York, and with elected officials and supporters across the state and country. I am often on the road traveling around New York to meet with our amazing volunteers, and at least one week a month I’m in Chicago to work in person with our national team at the campaign HQ. And somewhere around 11:00 p.m. each day, I settle in to read and answer all the emails I manage to never get to during the day.

Q2. How did you first come to the campaign?
I served as an officer in the United States Navy for seven years, and I am a veteran of the war in Iraq. The issues facing our nation's veterans and their families are something I care deeply about. President Obama has made these issues a centerpiece of his administration and he has accomplished more for veterans and military families than anyone in nearly 40 years. It is because of his commitment to our returning servicemembers that I am fighting every day to re-elect him. We still have so much work to do for the veteran and military communities, and President Obama is the right person to lead those efforts.

Q3. What's your favorite part of your job?
Meeting with our volunteers. The best part of my job is to get out of the office often and hit the road. Whether it’s speaking at a house party in Binghamton, New York, or meeting with veterans in Virginia, I am refreshed and energized every time I have the privilege to spend time and speak with our volunteer supporters. The energy and passion they bring to this campaign is palpable. We are building the largest grassroots political campaign in American political history, and being out there with those supporters is what it’s all about.

Q4. What's the most unexpected part of your job?
Again, it’s the volunteers. I am astonished on a daily basis with the level of time, energy, and effort our volunteers pour into this campaign. From our neighborhood teams to our interns at the New York headquarters, we have the most loyal, dedicated, and talented group of volunteers anyone could ask for. They step up and work hard every day to re-elect President Obama. They are out every day on the streets, registering voters, making phone calls, and organizing in their communities, because they demand a say in the future direction of this country. I am humbled by them, and they motivate me to work harder each and every hour of this campaign.

Q5. Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I am about to become a dad. My beautiful wife Tory and I are expecting a baby girl this May. I am fighting every day in this campaign to build a better future for our daughter. And, at 6'6", I am also the tallest staff member on the campaign!

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Office of Communications

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release

May 15, 2012

Remarks of Cecilia Muñoz, Domestic Policy Council Director, As Prepared for Delivery

The Hamilton Project at Brookings

National Press Club

As prepared for delivery –

Thank you.  And thank you to the Hamilton Project not just for inviting me to be part of the impressive group discussing this important issue, but also for holding a forum attempting to get beyond the rhetoric to examine the character and implications of the problem.  Immigration reform is all too often viewed through all kinds of lenses but rarely is it viewed through the most important one, which is a clear-eyed analysis of what’s in the country’s best interest.   I firmly believe that if policymakers in this town were using this particular lens, the divisive debate about immigration reform would be in the rear-view mirror by now.  That’s why I’m grateful that you’re hosting this forum today, and that you have invited so many thoughtful people to examine the question of how we can get back to building an immigration system that demands both responsibility and accountability through a comprehensive legislative reform.  I’m honored to be among them.

I work on a broad range of domestic policy issues for the President; in this particular moment, in which we are recovering from a recession of historic proportions -- a moment in which we can see significant progress with so much more progress still to be made -- my job is to help advance the President’s priorities, particularly those which create jobs, and strengthen our economic future.  

You have heard the President talk about his vision for an economy built to last; one that creates secure American jobs.  I have the privilege of serving on a team that is focused on priorities that are fundamental to that vision. Priorities like promoting clean energy manufacturing, and making sure our students and our workers have the preparation and skills they need for the jobs being created in this 21^st century economy. 

Immigration reform is very much a part of this mix for President Obama.  Since his days in the U.S. Senate, and even as far back as his tenure in the Illinois State Senate, the President has understood that immigration reform is an economic imperative that impacts communities and families in very tangible ways.  That’s why as a State Senator he cosponsored Illinois’ version of what has come to be known as the DREAM Act.   That’s why as a freshman in the US Senate he championed comprehensive immigration reform.   And that’s why as President he has spoken out often about immigration reform, and sought to elevate the debate on immigration policy by bringing stakeholders from diverse communities across American society together to promote mutual understanding and seek common ground.

My words today won’t begin to be as eloquent as his, but the President crystallizes the essential point   by calling for an immigration system that is consistent with our history as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.   And he addresses the reality that reform is integral to our goal of promoting innovation and entrepreneurship; and it’s vital to maintaining our competitive edge in an increasingly global economy.  

In the speech he gave a year ago in El Paso, the President pointed out that a full 25 percent of recent high-tech startups in the U.S. were founded by immigrants.  That led to 200,000 jobs here in the United States.   Forty percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children.   And immigrants are also fueling job creation by starting small businesses on main streets across the country. 

The President understands that among the strongest arguments for immigration reform is that, as we grow an economy designed to be competitive across the globe, we shortchange ourselves if we continue to perpetuate an outdated and badly broken immigration system. 

So from the moment the President took office, there has been no question about where we stand as an Administration on the urgency of reforming our immigration system. The challenge has been finding partners on the other side of the aisle to join the President in seeking common ground on this priority.  More than three years later, this remains the central challenge. 

Six years ago, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill with 23 Republican votes.   Today,   despite the fact that some of the very same Senators still serve in that chamber -- not a single Senate Republican has been willing to engage with the President to craft a bipartisan immigration reform proposal.   And while some of our friends on the other side of the aisle – and quite frankly some in the advocacy community - are quick to blame the President for failing to move immigration reform forward, the simple fact is that the other party has denied him even a single partner in an enterprise which requires some modicum of bipartisanship in order to make progress. 

And that is not for lack of trying. The President has hosted multiple meetings at the White House with members of both parties, from both chambers, with a variety of views on how to move forward.  The President has gone to the Senate Republican caucus, where he had an extraordinary and frank conversation about his interest in working in a bipartisan manner to enact immigration reform.  We have prepared legislative language at the request of Congressional leaders, and developed a comprehensive policy blueprint which you’ll find on the White House website. 

The President has given major speeches inside and outside of Washington on this topic.  He has met with stakeholders from the business community, the faith community, the labor movement, state and local government, law enforcement, and immigrant advocates to exhort them to help him lift up the issue.  And we have enlisted a large cross section of the Cabinet in these efforts to press for reform and develop policy proposals that work for business, workers, and families. In fact, if you have an idea of something that we haven’t done that could break the logjam, we’re listening.  

But we face a simple fact:  no immigration bill has passed the U.S. Congress in at least a generation – and possibly ever – without bipartisan support.   We came close with the DREAM Act in the lame duck session of 2010.  It passed the House for the first time ever, and achieved a high-water mark for Democratic support in the Senate.   And if 5 of the Senate Republicans who had previously voted for the proposal had done it again this time, the DREAM Act would be the law of the land right now.

The simple fact is that Republicans, including those who believe in this issue, have abandoned immigration reform and the DREAM Act.   And until they find a way back to the conversation, immigration reform will remain stalled.

It is hard to overstate what the Republicans’ unwillingness to engage on this issue has cost the country.  First and foremost, it has undoubtedly cost us jobs.   Last April, the President hosted a meeting with a range of leaders from around the country who care about this issue. He heard about the many obstacles the companies face under current law, such as one company’s efforts to try to keep a valued employee who happened to be from Spain.   They were ready to give up and relocate the employee out of the country – and if they had hundreds of jobs would have gone with him.   The President hears stories like this over and over from business leaders as he travels around the country.   We lose jobs, and we lose talent when DREAM Act students can’t put the education they have earned to good use, and when foreign students at our best universities are unable to stay and put their talent to use here in the United States. 

The effect of inaction is that we have a system that tolerates a large number of people here illegally, while punishing those who try to follow the rules.   For example, under our existing legal immigration system, families wait intolerable periods of time in order to reunite with their loved ones in the U.S.    And immigrants who have proven invaluable to the American companies that have hired them often must wait years for a green card to become available for them to stay and fully integrate into our country as legal permanent residents and eventually citizens. 

Further, while Congress obfuscates, individual states have filled the vacuum with unfortunate results.   Attempts at immigration control in states like Arizona and Alabama have divided communities and created controversy.  They have come at a high cost, and yet accomplished nothing towards the goal of fixing what’s broken about our immigration system.  A patchwork of harsh laws in various states cannot result in anything resembling a coherent or effective immigration policy.   For that, we need the Congress of the United States to step up and do its job.

As we seek  to create the space for a meaningful debate on immigration reform, the Administration is using the administrative tools we have available under existing law to improve the processing of immigration benefits, and make sound strategic choices about how we conduct enforcement.   They’re not perfect tools.  In fact, they’re not even close -- remember that it’s the law itself which is fundamentally broken – but we’re making use of what we can.  

USCIS has worked to reform and streamline our immigration system, making it easier for employers, immigrants and families to navigate through the bureaucracy. They have reduced barriers to citizenship by keeping citizenship application fees constant and providing tools to help applicants through the naturalization process. USCIS has also begun reducing barriers to accessing existing immigration visa programs for high-skilled immigrants, and launched the innovative “Entrepreneurs in Residence” initiative to streamline existing pathways for foreign-born entrepreneurs to come and create businesses in the U.S. 

Only a few months into the Administration, DHS announced the capacity to actually let people know the status of their immigration petitions on the internet and via text message.   It sounds simple, but for anyone who knows the history here, this was nothing short of a revolution.   And USCIS has begun an important rulemaking process that will facilitate family immigration by addressing a serious barrier in the law which requires Americans to risk years of separation from their loved ones, particularly spouses and children, in order to process a family visa petition.   By proposing to process a waiver before these families separate, the Administration is advancing legal immigration and the reunification of families, both fundamental principles under the law.

The Administration has also taken important steps to develop a strategic approach to immigration enforcement.   The results at the U.S./Mexico border have been striking.  Border crossings are at a 40-year low; the border is by many measures more secure than it has ever been.   It’s clear that a strategic approach to enforcement at the border is having an impact.   For those who have been saying we must address the border before we can talk about immigration reform, our response is:  No more excuses. Let’s start talking.  It’s time.  

DHS has taken a similar strategic approach to enforcement in the interior.   This approach is based on the notion that enforcement must be vigorously conducted, but it should also be strategically sound. 

Enforcement is our responsibility under the law – even a law which badly needs to be reformed.   But at a time when there are 11 million people living and working in the United States without proper documentation, the traditional scattershot approach – where the agency simply attempts to round up as many people as it can find – is outmoded and ineffective.   Instead, DHS has taken a series of carefully crafted steps to devise a strategy for enforcement, and develop a set of priorities to guide their work. 

Consistent with the best law enforcement practices and principles, DHS has prioritized for removal those convicted of serious crimes, previous deportees who have re-entered the U.S., and those who have arrived most recently.    Among those with criminal convictions, DHS has further refined its priorities to distinguish the more serious offenders from others.  As a result, while the number of annual deportations has remained steady, the composition of those who are removed has shifted substantially.    As a result, of those removed from the country in FY 2011, 55 percent had been convicted of crimes. That represents an 89 percent increase from FY 2008, when convicted criminals represented only 30 percent. And of all removals, 90 percent fit within DHS priorities.

In addition, DHS, with the assistance of DOJ, has embarked on an unprecedented effort to review the approximately 300,000 cases in the pipeline for deportation to make sure that they are consistent with these priorities.  If they are not, DHS is considering on a case-by-case basis whether to close these cases. 

For the first time, there is a sense that, since it is unreasonable to expect any law enforcement agency to remove 11 million people who are unlawfully in the country, it is entirely reasonable to establish that some of these individuals are higher priorities for removal than others.   As the President has pointed out, it makes no sense to be focusing enforcement resources on students who have grown up here and who seek to further their education or serve in the military.  Or to separate parents from their children.   

These developments have injected more coherence and rationality to the enormous task of immigration enforcement.    But it is unreasonable to expect that these tools, no matter how faithfully applied, can fix what is broken about our immigration system.   And it is unreasonable to expect these positive reforms to prevent injustices from occurring within the system.

For those who expect immigration enforcement to succeed in removing 11 million people who are largely integrated into our workforce and the fabric of our communities, I can tell you that immigration enforcement alone will be insufficient to fix the problem.   And for those who believe it is a travesty of justice to ever separate a parent from a child, I can say that even the imposition of rational priorities to immigration enforcement will be insufficient to prevent those tragedies from occurring.  

These are both symptoms of a broken system, and it is a mistake to think that administrative tools alone are a sufficient remedy.    The Administration hopes to set standards for immigration enforcement that will endure and provide rationality to a necessary and important law enforcement function, and we will always look for ways to strengthen these efforts.   But if we want to address the problem of illegal immigration at its core, Congress needs to accept its responsibility.

Immigration reform is a priority for President Obama and it will remain one until we get the job done.  

So let me be as clear as I can be:  if there’s an opening, if there are partners willing to step forward across the aisle to craft a proposal that can win bipartisan support, we are ready to engage.    But let’s be fully transparent:  even the very modest proposals that have inched forward in the last year, like a bipartisan bill that rearranges how we use the per-country caps, have stalled.  And the prevailing philosophy on the other side of the aisle is grounded in the notion that we should aggressively remove as many people as possible, and pass laws aimed at making life so miserable for the remaining immigrants and their families that they will deport themselves.    This isn’t even a remotely credible strategy.   And it comes at a very high price.

Some have offered hope that a focus on the DREAM Act might offer a way out of the morass.   The DREAM Act is an Administration priority, and we note with interest the conversation about a possible alternative being developed by a single Republican senator.   While we haven’t seen an actual proposal, I will say to you the same thing we have said to DREAM Act students themselves:  we are listening, and our door remains open to any serious partner willing to walk through it and make progress.   At the same time, what we have heard so far, including from the Speaker of the House and other Republicans in Congress is that no such proposal has a chance in his chamber.

Despite the Speaker’s dose of realism, what has been true for the last three years will remain true:  if there is a path forward, we will find it and we will walk down it, and we will welcome as many partners as we can find.    And what I can say about this President and his Administration is that Immigration reform will remain front and center as an economic imperative and a priority. We will work with any serious partner ready to make progress and fix this problem. Our existing blueprint outlines our policy preferences, but we are open to creative approaches – to any conversation that gets this going.

We will apply some basic principles in reviewing future proposals to fix our broken system.  Any serious proposal should strengthen our nation economically; maximize the extent to which the people who come and live here, do it legally, by holding employers and immigrants accountable under the law; maximize pathways to earn full integration, including paying taxes, learning English, and participating fully in our civic life– because we are, and must remain, one country, indivisible; be consistent with the best values of our nation and our immigration history --  family, fairness and equity under the law; and we must secure our border using enforcement mechanisms that are both effective and humane.

We are doing this work at a time of great challenge for our country.   I can point to the many ways in which the debate on immigration reform is fundamental to who we are as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws, and to who we are as a people.   How we conduct this debate says a great deal about who we are as Americans.  That’s why this forum today is so important. This is how we move the conversation forward; this is how we elevate the debate. This is how we create the space for Congress to move forward and act on immigration reform.

The President’s voice is strong, but it’s stronger when it is heard alongside others. So I ask all of you to not let this conversation end here today. The more conversations we can have like the ones we have had today all across the country the better. It could be the real game changer that moves action forward, and to a real legislative debate on reform. 

Last year in El Paso the President called on the American people to stand up and help us build a movement for reform. It’s a movement that as he noted has been gathering strength from coast to coast, with people of faith, local and state law enforcement, business leaders, and regular Americans who see the same promise of the American Dream in new immigrants that someone once saw in their grandparents or great grandparents when they first set foot in this great country. So we launched a page on whitehouse.gov/immigration to ask everyone who could make the time, to set up a roundtable in their community, engage in this important conversation and to let us know how we can help move this debate forward.

One of the first folks we heard back from was Paul Bridges, the Mayor of Uvalda, Georgia. The Republican mayor of Uvalda Georgia. In a town of 600, Mayor Bridges gathered a dozen community leaders. His note to us was simple. “All I can say is IT WAS AWESOME!...People are talking and people want immigration reform.” This conservative mayor in a conservative Southern State also has stood up against Georgia’s anti- immigration law  . He explained that it not only “runs counter to America’s greatest values,” these are his words, he added that it “threatens to run my town’s economy to the ground.”

Immigration reform is an economic imperative. The challenge laid out by the President, to create an economy built to last, an economy which protects the middle class and the pathways for those seeking to enter the middle class, is not distinct from the challenge of rebuilding an immigration system that works.  And if we are going to be as successful as we must be in building the 21^st century economy that ensures America’s place as first in the world in innovation – as the President likes to say, the place where we develop the best stuff and build it – we must break through the obstruction in the immigration debate.   Your voices are already making a difference. Let’s make sure they continue to be heard.  This is how we will forge our future. Thank you again.

Campaign Manager Jim Messina takes a look at our April fundraising numbers—and how they translate to office openings, registered voters, and new team members in states across the country between now and November.

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10:44 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, listen, what I just want to say to the reporters who are here:  You've got three small businesses who are outstanding examples of American entrepreneurship, whether it's food services, retail, construction.  All across the country, you're seeing examples of folks who have confidence in the economy and have confidence in America, and it's their ingenuity and their hard work that's allowed them to be successful. 

But organizations like the SBA have also made a difference, because sometimes private financing isn't willing to take a chance on a couple of young guys who have an idea about starting a great hoagie shop.  Sometimes, it may be that a smaller business like a construction business where it's relatively capital intensive is going to have difficulty competing with some of the larger companies in terms of buying the equipment that they need.

And so actions by Congress and good execution by the Small Business Administration can make a big difference in helping these folks see -- it's not going to do it for them, it's not going to make up for bad service or a bad product, but when you've got a great service or a great product and people are willing to work really hard, then action by government and the SBA can help give them a hand up and get them started. 

And this is the reason why we think it's so important for Congress to act right now.  The economy is recovering, but we've still got a long way to go.  Too many folks are still out of work.  We’ve got some headwinds, the situation in Europe, and still a difficult housing market. 

And so we want to sustain momentum.  And one of the ways that we can sustain momentum is for Congress to take some actions right now -- even though it’s election season, even though there’s gridlock, even though there’s partisanship -- take some actions right now that would really make a difference.  And we’ve put together a handy “To-Do” list; it’s very short.  I’ve been talking about it over the last couple of weeks. 

One of the items on that “To-Do” list would be to provide tax breaks for companies like these that are hiring new employees or raising the wages and salaries of their existing employees.  Either way, what that does is it gives them an incentive as their expanding to say, maybe we hire an extra two people.  Maybe we hire an extra three people.  Maybe we hire an extra ten people. 

And they will have additional resources to continue to grow and to continue to expand.  It’s something that in the past has been an idea that garnered support from Democrats and Republicans.  There’s no reason why we shouldn’t act on that right now, the same way that we should be allowing all families to refinance, because if they’ve got an extra $3,000 in their pocket, then they can buy more hoagies or go shop for some outstanding organic foods. 

And it’s the same reason why all the other items on the “To-Do” list could really make a difference.  For example, some of these small businesses may be interested in hiring a veteran, and we’ve already done a lot of work on veterans hiring.  A lot of the items on the “To-Do” list is a Veterans Job Corps that could potentially put some veterans who are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan to work rebuilding America. 

So my message to Congress -- and I’m going to have a chance to see the congressional leadership when I get back to the White House -- I’m going to offer them some hoagies while they’re there -- is let’s go ahead and act to help build and sustain momentum for our economy.  There will be more than enough time for us to campaign and politick, but let’s make sure that we don’t lose steam at a time when a lot of folks like these are feeling pretty optimistic and are ready to go.

All right.  Thank you, everybody.

END               
10:50 A.M. EDT

Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the "order") declaring a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Yemen and others to threaten Yemen's peace, security, and stability.

The order does not target the entire country of Yemen or its government, but rather targets those who threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen, including by obstructing the implementation of the agreement of November 23, 2011, between the Government of Yemen and those in opposition to it, which provides for a peaceful transition of power that meets the legitimate demands and aspirations of the Yemeni people for change, or by obstructing the political process in Yemen. The order provides criteria for the blocking of property and interests in property of persons determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to:

have engaged in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen, such as acts that obstruct the implementation of the agreement of November 23, 2011, between the Government of Yemen and those in opposition to it, which provides for a peaceful transition of power in Yemen, or that obstruct the political process in Yemen;

be a political or military leader of an entity that has engaged in the acts described above;

have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the acts described above or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order; or

be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order.

The designation criteria will be applied in accordance with applicable Federal law including, where appropriate, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

I have delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the authority to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President

by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order. All agencies of the United States Government are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of the order.

I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.

BARACK OBAMA

Yemen’s transition represents an important step forward for the Yemeni people, who deserve the opportunity to determine their future. The United States strongly supports Yemen’s political transition and will continue to work with our international partners, including the Gulf Cooperation Council, to help Yemen chart a more secure, democratic, and prosperous path forward.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, find that the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Yemen and others threaten Yemen's peace, security, and stability, including by obstructing the implementation of the agreement of November 23, 2011, between the Government of Yemen and those in opposition to it, which provides for a peaceful transition of power that meets the legitimate demands and aspirations of the Yemeni people for change, and by obstructing the political process in Yemen. I further find that these actions constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat. I hereby order:

Section 1. All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person, including any foreign branch, of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in: any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to:

(a) have engaged in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen, such as acts that obstruct the implementation of the agreement of November 23, 2011, between the Government of Yemen and those in opposition to it, which provides for a peaceful transition of power in Yemen, or that obstruct the political process in Yemen;

(b) be a political or military leader of an entity that has engaged in the acts described in subsection (a) of this section;

(c) have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the acts described in subsection (a) of this section or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or

(d) be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.

Sec. 2. I hereby determine that the making of donations of the type of articles specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to section 1 of this order would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national emergency declared in this order, and I hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this order.

Sec. 3. The prohibitions in section 1 of this order include but are not limited to:

(a) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; and

(b) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

Sec. 4. The prohibitions in section 1 of this order apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the effective date of this order.

Sec. 5. Nothing in section 1 of this order shall prohibit transactions for the conduct of the official business of the United States Government by employees, grantees, or contractors thereof.

Sec. 6. (a) Any transaction that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

(b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

Sec. 7. For the purposes of this order:

(a) the term "person" means an individual or entity;

(b) the term "entity" means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization; and

(c) the term "United States person" means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.

Sec. 8. For those persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States, I find that

because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render those measures ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in this order, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to section 1 of this order.

Sec. 9. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government consistent with applicable law. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of this order.

Sec. 10. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to submit the recurring and final reports to the Congress on the national emergency declared in this order, consistent with section 401(c) of the NEA (50 U.S.C. 1641(c)) and section 204(c) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1703(c)).

Sec. 11. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

BARACK OBAMA

“My mom was like a lot of women in America … she worked hard.

“She pulled herself and her family out of poverty by going back to school. She raised two boys into adulthood. She helped pay the bills as a full-time special education teacher.

“And, during the course of her decade-long battle with cancer, she suffered indignities at the hands of a health care system where too often the question was 'How are you paying?' rather than 'How can I help you?'

“For me, this election is about women like my mom—women who fight hard and give back to their families, their workplaces and their communities.

“There is no doubt in my mind: President Obama stands with women like my mom.

“He’s fought hard for equal pay for equal work. He’s worked to expand access to free preventative care and screenings that could have helped save the lives of women like my mom. He’s taken on the tough job of improving the public schools that my mom dedicated her career to. And he’s stood steadfast against attacks on the rights of women to make their own health decisions.

“With a record like this, I know my mom would be proud of my work to re-elect the President. I also know she’d be honored that President Obama is standing up for women like her.”

—Chris, New Mexico

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama will visit a small business in the Washington, DC area where he will urge Congress to act on the “To Do List,” specifically highlighting the need to invest in small businesses and jumpstart new hiring and entrepreneurship by passing legislation that gives a 10 percent income tax credit for firms that create new jobs or increase wages in 2012 and that extends 100 percent expensing in 2012 for all businesses. This stands in contrast to the proposal put forward by House Republicans, which could actually discourage hiring and new investments this year.
 
While at the small business, the President and Small Business Administrator Karen Mills will hold a roundtable discussion with a group of small business owners that would benefit from the President’s small business proposal. The roundtable is pooled press.
 
Following this visit, the President will return to the White House to meet with Congressional leadership where he will stress the importance of acting on the economic agenda he laid out last week as part of the Congressional To Do List. This meeting will include House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
 
In addition, today, the National Economic Council will release a report that highlights the investments the Obama Administration has made to keep America’s small businesses moving forward and calls on Congress to do its part to make it easier for small businesses to grow and create jobs.
 
And next week, members of the Cabinet and Senior Administration officials will be participating in National Small Business Week events and speaking about the President’s efforts to help small businesses. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner will be in Baltimore on Thursday visiting a small business; National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will speak during National Small Business Week events. Small Business Administrator Karen Mills will join Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan and Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu to highlight the role small businesses played in one million green retrofits. Federal Bureau of Investigation, NASA, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Labor, Department of Justice, Department of Treasury, Department of Transportation and the General Services Administration will participate in business matchmaking sessions to find innovative small business contractors.

Congress’ To Do List

1. Reward American Jobs, Eliminate Tax Incentives To Ship Jobs Overseas: Congress needs to attract and keep good jobs in the United States by passing legislation that gives companies a new 20 percent tax credit for the cost of moving their operations back to the U.S. and pay for it by eliminating tax incentives that allow companies to deduct the costs of moving their business abroad.

2. Cut Red Tape So Responsible Homeowners Can Refinance: Congress needs to pass legislation to cut red tape in the mortgage market so that responsible families who have been paying their mortgages on time can feel secure in their home by refinancing at today’s lower rates.

3. Invest in a New Hire Tax Credit For Small Businesses: Congress needs to invest in small businesses and jumpstart new hiring by passing legislation that gives a 10 percent income tax credit for firms that create new jobs or increase wages in 2012 and that extends 100 percent expensing in 2012 for all businesses.

4. Create Jobs By Investing In Affordable Clean Energy: Congress needs to help put America in control of its energy future by passing legislation that will extend the Production Tax Credit to support American jobs and manufacturing alongside an expansion of the 30 percent tax credit to investments in clean energy manufacturing (48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit).

5. Put Returning Veterans to Work Using Skills Developed in the Military: Congress needs to honor our commitment to returning veterans by passing legislation that creates a Veterans Jobs Corps to help Afghanistan and Iraq veterans get jobs as cops and firefighters, as well as other jobs serving their communities.

The President’s plan for congressional action has two key components:
 
Congress needs to invest in small businesses to jumpstart new hiring by passing legislation that gives a 10 percent income tax credit for firms that create new jobs or increase wages in 2012 and that extends 100 percent expensing in 2012.
 
• Encourage an additional $200 billion to $300 billion in new wages and jobs this year with a Small Business Jobs and Wages Tax Credit:
 
o Credit for New Wages:  The plan would provide firms with a 10 percent income tax credit for new wages added in 2012. This would encourage both new hiring and providing raises to existing workers. The credit would be limited to $500,000 per firm in order to focus the benefit on small businesses. 
 
o Focused on Middle Class Workers: Because the credit is based on Social Security wage base, companies would receive no credit for increasing wages above $110,100. Unlike the House Republican proposal, the President’s proposal ensures that companies that offer raises only to already well-paid executives would be ineligible for the tax relief. 
 
o Directly tied to new hires and pay increases:  Because the credit is tied to increases in payroll, the benefit is only available only to companies that make new hires or offer employee pay-raises – directly encouraging growth and jumpstarting hiring. This stands in contrast to proposals put forward by Congressional Republicans that would cut taxes of hedge fund managers, law partners and many of the wealthiest Americans regardless of whether they employed or hired a single worker.
 
o Helps 2 Million Small Businesses: This credit would help nearly 2 million actual small businesses with employees.
 
o More than $20 billion in tax relief to encourage an additional $200 to $300 million in new wages and jobs: The President’s plan will provide more than $20 billion in direct tax relief targeted to small businesses in 2012 and 2013, according to a score from the independent, non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation. This $20 billion in direct tax relief could encourage an additional $200 billion to $300 billion in new wages and jobs this year.
 
• Support business investment this year with 100 percent expensing for 2012:  The President is proposing an extension of the 100 percent expensing provision that he signed into law in December 2010, which rewards firms for making investments by allowing them to deduct the full value of those investments through 2012. Extending 100 percent expensing for an additional year would put an additional $50 billion in the hands of businesses in 2012 and 2013. Most of this relief would be recouped by the Treasury as businesses regain their strength. 
 
o What Others Have Said About Expensing:
 
 The National Federation of Independent Business called expensing a “big victory” for small business: “Bottom line – just about every small business can write-off the full amount of investments they want to make in 2010 and 2011.” (December 2010).
 
 In a 2010 letter signed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, more than 80 business groups – representing industries from aerospace and wireless to builders, contractors, and retail stores – wrote that “bringing back bonus depreciation will encourage companies of all sizes to invest in newer, more efficient, and more environmentally-friendly equipment, which will help large and small businesses alike.”
 
• President Obama’s plan would help 2 million actual small businesses with employees, in contrast to the “small business” tax cut proposed by Republicans in the House, which is an unacceptable giveaway to wealthiest Americans: President Obama small business tax cuts focus on wages and investment – tangible steps firms are taking to hire workers, raise wages or invest to grow whereas the House Republicans provide across-the-board tax cuts (a 20 percent deduction) to anyone with self-employment income – and even to companies that lay off workers or reduce pay.

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama will visit a small business in the Washington, DC area where he will urge Congress to act on the “To Do List,” specifically highlighting the need to invest in small businesses and jumpstart new hiring and entrepreneurship by passing legislation that gives a 10 percent income tax credit for firms that create new jobs or increase wages in 2012 and that extends 100 percent expensing in 2012 for all businesses. This stands in contrast to the proposal put forward by House Republicans, which could actually discourage hiring and new investments this year.
 
While at the small business, the President and Small Business Administrator Karen Mills will hold a roundtable discussion with a group of small business owners that would benefit from the President’s small business proposal. The roundtable is pooled press.
 
Following this visit, the President will return to the White House to meet with Congressional leadership where he will stress the importance of acting on the economic agenda he laid out last week as part of the Congressional To Do List. This meeting will include House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
 
In addition, today, the National Economic Council will release a report that highlights the investments the Obama Administration has made to keep America’s small businesses moving forward and calls on Congress to do its part to make it easier for small businesses to grow and create jobs.
 
And next week, members of the Cabinet and Senior Administration officials will be participating in National Small Business Week events and speaking about the President’s efforts to help small businesses. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner will be in Baltimore on Thursday visiting a small business; National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will speak during National Small Business Week events. Small Business Administrator Karen Mills will join Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan and Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu to highlight the role small businesses played in one million green retrofits. Federal Bureau of Investigation, NASA, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Labor, Department of Justice, Department of Treasury, Department of Transportation and the General Services Administration will participate in business matchmaking sessions to find innovative small business contractors. 
 
 
Congress’ To Do List

1. Reward American Jobs, Eliminate Tax Incentives To Ship Jobs Overseas: Congress needs to attract and keep good jobs in the United States by passing legislation that gives companies a new 20 percent tax credit for the cost of moving their operations back to the U.S. and pay for it by eliminating tax incentives that allow companies to deduct the costs of moving their business abroad.

2. Cut Red Tape So Responsible Homeowners Can Refinance: Congress needs to pass legislation to cut red tape in the mortgage market so that responsible families who have been paying their mortgages on time can feel secure in their home by refinancing at today’s lower rates.

3. Invest in a New Hire Tax Credit For Small Businesses: Congress needs to invest in small businesses and jumpstart new hiring by passing legislation that gives a 10 percent income tax credit for firms that create new jobs or increase wages in 2012 and that extends 100 percent expensing in 2012 for all businesses.

4. Create Jobs By Investing In Affordable Clean Energy: Congress needs to help put America in control of its energy future by passing legislation that will extend the Production Tax Credit to support American jobs and manufacturing alongside an expansion of the 30 percent tax credit to investments in clean energy manufacturing (48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit).

5. Put Returning Veterans to Work Using Skills Developed in the Military: Congress needs to honor our commitment to returning veterans by passing legislation that creates a Veterans Jobs Corps to help Afghanistan and Iraq veterans get jobs as cops and firefighters, as well as other jobs serving their communities.

The President’s plan for congressional action has two key components:
 
Congress needs to invest in small businesses to jumpstart new hiring by passing legislation that gives a 10 percent income tax credit for firms that create new jobs or increase wages in 2012 and that extends 100 percent expensing in 2012.
 
• Encourage an additional $200 billion to $300 billion in new wages and jobs this year with a Small Business Jobs and Wages Tax Credit:
 
o Credit for New Wages:  The plan would provide firms with a 10 percent income tax credit for new wages added in 2012. This would encourage both new hiring and providing raises to existing workers. The credit would be limited to $500,000 per firm in order to focus the benefit on small businesses. 
 
o Focused on Middle Class Workers: Because the credit is based on Social Security wage base, companies would receive no credit for increasing wages above $110,100. Unlike the House Republican proposal, the President’s proposal ensures that companies that offer raises only to already well-paid executives would be ineligible for the tax relief. 
 
o Directly tied to new hires and pay increases:  Because the credit is tied to increases in payroll, the benefit is only available only to companies that make new hires or offer employee pay-raises – directly encouraging growth and jumpstarting hiring. This stands in contrast to proposals put forward by Congressional Republicans that would cut taxes of hedge fund managers, law partners and many of the wealthiest Americans regardless of whether they employed or hired a single worker.
 
o Helps 2 Million Small Businesses: This credit would help nearly 2 million actual small businesses with employees.
 
o More than $20 billion in tax relief to encourage an additional $200 to $300 million in new wages and jobs: The President’s plan will provide more than $20 billion in direct tax relief targeted to small businesses in 2012 and 2013, according to a score from the independent, non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation. This $20 billion in direct tax relief could encourage an additional $200 billion to $300 billion in new wages and jobs this year.
 
• Support business investment this year with 100 percent expensing for 2012:  The President is proposing an extension of the 100 percent expensing provision that he signed into law in December 2010, which rewards firms for making investments by allowing them to deduct the full value of those investments through 2012. Extending 100 percent expensing for an additional year would put an additional $50 billion in the hands of businesses in 2012 and 2013. Most of this relief would be recouped by the Treasury as businesses regain their strength. 
 
o What Others Have Said About Expensing:
 
 The National Federation of Independent Business called expensing a “big victory” for small business: “Bottom line – just about every small business can write-off the full amount of investments they want to make in 2010 and 2011.” (December 2010).
 
 In a 2010 letter signed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, more than 80 business groups – representing industries from aerospace and wireless to builders, contractors, and retail stores – wrote that “bringing back bonus depreciation will encourage companies of all sizes to invest in newer, more efficient, and more environmentally-friendly equipment, which will help large and small businesses alike.”
 
• President Obama’s plan would help 2 million actual small businesses with employees, in contrast to the “small business” tax cut proposed by Republicans in the House, which is an unacceptable giveaway to wealthiest Americans: President Obama small business tax cuts focus on wages and investment – tangible steps firms are taking to hire workers, raise wages or invest to grow whereas the House Republicans provide across-the-board tax cuts (a 20 percent deduction) to anyone with self-employment income – and even to companies that lay off workers or reduce pay.

Joe Soptic worked at GST Steel in Kansas City for nearly 30 years. He earned a good salary, bought a house and a car, sent his daughter to college—his family felt secure in the middle class. Joe and his coworkers made high-quality American steel, and they were proud of it.

“There was a real sense of community among the workers. We watched out for one another, we enjoyed coming to work every day, our jobs were good jobs.”

But their hard work and responsibility never fully paid off. In 1993, Mitt Romney led a group of investors who took control of GST Steel. They cut costs, began extracting big profits in the form of dividends, and heaped debt on what had been a successful company. By 1995, the company's total debt had grown to $378 million, and there were mounting concerns that the employee pensions were being dangerously underfunded.

By 2001, the company's debt had grown to $500 million, and GST Steel was forced into bankruptcy.

Joe lost his job and only received a portion of the pension he had earned. Luckily, Joe found a new job as a school custodian, but it paid one-third of his previous salary and his wife was no longer covered by his health insurance plan.

Mitt Romney and his partners, on the other hand, walked away with more than $12 million in profit.

“It’s upsetting what Mitt Romney and his partners did to us here in Kansas City. They came in, they bought the plant and then made as much money off it as they could. Once there wasn’t any more money they thought they could make, they closed it down and filed for bankruptcy—with no concern for the folks who worked there.”

Joe’s not the only one: More than 750 workers lost their jobs when GST Steel closed. Learn the full story, and find out the truth behind Mitt Romney’s business experience—visit romneyeconomics.com today.

Joe Soptic worked at GST Steel in Kansas City for nearly 30 years. He earned a good salary, bought a house and a car, sent his daughter to college—his family felt secure in the middle class. Joe and his coworkers made high-quality American steel, and they were proud of it.

“There was a real sense of community among the workers. We watched out for one another, we enjoyed coming to work every day, our jobs were good jobs.”

But their hard work and responsibility never fully paid off. In 1993, Mitt Romney led a group of investors who took control of GST Steel. They cut costs, began extracting big profits in the form of dividends, and heaped debt on what had been a successful company. By 1995, the company's total debt had grown to $378 million, and there were mounting concerns that the employee pensions were being dangerously underfunded.

By 2001, the company's debt had grown to $500 million, and GST Steel was forced into bankruptcy.

Joe lost his job and only received a portion of the pension he had earned. Luckily, Joe found a new job as a school custodian, but it paid one-third of his previous salary and his wife was no longer covered by his health insurance plan.

Mitt Romney and his partners, on the other hand, walked away with more than $12 million in profit.

“It’s upsetting what Mitt Romney and his partners did to us here in Kansas City. They came in, they bought the plant and then made as much money off it as they could. Once there wasn’t any more money they thought they could make, they closed it down and filed for bankruptcy—with no concern for the folks who worked there.”

Joe’s not the only one: More than 750 workers lost their jobs when GST Steel closed. Learn the full story, and find out the truth behind Mitt Romney’s business experience—visit romneyeconomics.com today.

President Barack Obama welcomes Major League Soccer champions, the LA Galaxy, to honor their 2011 season and their MLS Cup victory, to the East Room of the White House, May 15, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

President Obama welcomed the LA Galaxy to the White House this afternoon to congratulate the team on its 2011 Major League Soccer Cup Championship.

The team, which has three of soccer’s biggest stars on its roster-- David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and Robbie Keane--won a tough championship match after going undefeated at home all season long.

“So everyone who's a part of this club -- the staff, the players, the fans back in L.A. -- together you pulled off one of the toughest feats in team sports:  You lived up to the hype.  You combined star power, hard work; it paid off,” President Obama said.

After the ceremony in the East Room, the team took questions from young soccer players as part of a Let’s Move! event encouraging kids to take up sports as part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

Today Gene Sperling is the Director of the National Economic Council. In the video below, he talks about his first job as a ball boy. He swept the court and cleaned up after the players, which he thought was "way cool." More importantly, he learned what makes you stand out as a great employee.  

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Today, just one percent of Americans are fighting our wars, but we need 100% of Americans to be supporting our troops and their families –not just during Armed Forces Week, but all year long. That’s why we launched the Joining Forces Initiative last year to encourage all Americans to find ways to honor, recognize and support our veterans and military families.  

Today, we are pleased to announce that we have a new way to thank those who serve their country in the military. 

Starting on Armed Forces Day, this Saturday, May 19, we will be offering all active duty military a free annual pass that will grant access to service members and their dependents,to more than 2,000 sites across the country, including National Parks. 

The annual pass will be accepted at all public land sites that charge entrance or standard amenity fees, including those managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps. 

Vice President Joe Biden, with Son Hunter Biden, and granddaughters Naomi, Finnegan, and Maisy Biden, on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, July 27, 2010. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

From Yosemite to Acadia to the Grand Canyon, we are putting out a welcome mat for our military families at America’s most beautiful and storied sites.  

read more

1:00 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY:  Before I take your questions, I have an announcement.  Tomorrow morning, the President will visit a small business in the D.C. area, where he will urge Congress to act on his "To-Do" list, specifically highlighting the need to invest in small businesses and jumpstart new hiring by passing legislation that gives a 10 percent income tax credit for firms that create new jobs or increase wages in 2012, and that extends 100 percent expensing in 2012 for all businesses.

Following this visit, the President will return to the White House to meet with congressional leadership, where he will stress the importance of acting on the economic agenda he laid out last week as part of the congressional "To-Do" list.  This meeting --

Q    Is it all the --

MR. CARNEY:  This meeting will include, Chuck --

Q    Sorry.

MR. CARNEY:  -- House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

And with that, I will take your questions.

Ben.

Q    Thanks, Jay.  A couple topics.  Does the White House have any reaction to the political paralysis in Greece as that story unfolds, and the potential impact that that could have on the U.S. economy?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I'll take the second part first.  The President has said, and I and others have said, that there are certainly challenges posed to the global economy by the eurozone crisis.  It is one of the headwinds that we face.  It is another reason why we need to take every action that is fully within our control to assist the economic recovery that we've been experiencing, to further insulate ourselves from the kinds of things that could happen globally that could affect our economic growth. 

And that would include having Congress act on the items in the "To-Do" list that I just mentioned, by eliminating tax incentives to businesses to ship jobs overseas and rewarding them for bringing jobs back from overseas to this country; cutting red tape so responsible homeowners can refinance, which the President discussed in Reno recently; invest in a new higher tax credit for small business, which the President will talk about tomorrow; create jobs by investing in affordable clean energy, an industry of the future that is vital to our economic growth going forward; and put returning veterans to work using skills developed in the military. 

These are the kinds of things that, even in an election, should garner bipartisan support.  And the President will urge the leadership of Congress to take them up tomorrow.  Those are the things that we can do.

As for the situation in Europe, our position is as it was, which is that we believe that Europe has both the capacity and the will to deal with the sovereign crisis, the eurozone crisis. We have actively consulted with and counseled and offered advice to our European counterparts.  Secretary Geithner, as you know, spends a lot of time on this issue, as does the President.  We monitor things very closely.  We believe that the Europeans have taken important and significant steps towards dealing with this issue, including both building the resources necessary to deal with it, but also, in different countries, taking essential steps towards reform that are required in order to deal with this situation.

So obviously this is an ongoing situation in Europe -- both in Greece and elsewhere, and we monitor it very closely.

Q    On a different economic front, does the President believe in the basic concept of venture capitalism that is in investment, it’s a risky business; some companies will prosper and grow, some will fail, some jobs could be lost, but that's how it works?  Does he believe in that concept?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I know you’re asking a rhetorical question because he speaks to this and spoke to it as recently as yesterday, and the answer is absolutely yes.  He believes very firmly in the -- that the free market system is the greatest creator of wealth that the world has ever known and that we need to have a strong and vibrant financial sector in this country.  We have in the past, and we need to going forward.

We also need to have rules in place that ensure that our financial sector is transparent and continues to be viewed as highly credible and professional both within this country and abroad, and rules that ensure that American taxpayers are not left holding the bag as they were in the wake of the financial crisis that befell this nation in 2007-2008. 

That's why the President fought so hard for Wall Street reform against, unfortunately, Republicans and Wall Street lobbyists.  That's why he’s fighting so hard against rearguard efforts by Wall Street lobbyists and Republicans to repeal or water down or by other means diminish the effect of the kinds of reforms that need to be in place so that American taxpayers don't get left holding the bag as they were as a result of the recent financial crisis.

Q    Well, I don't mean it to be rhetorical.  I’m asking as a matter of policy and consistency.  If the President’s view is as you just said, why is it okay in general, but it’s not okay in the case of Mitt Romney, where he can --

MR. CARNEY:  Well, first of all, you’re asking about I believe a campaign ad, and I would refer you to the campaign to talk about campaign-specific matters.  I think the issue is what vision does this President have for the country going forward.  What does he believe we need to be doing now, right away, as with the congressional "To-Do" list, and what we need to be doing moving forward to ensure that this recovery continues, to ensure that it continues to create jobs, and to ensure that we don't go back to the policies that led to the greatest job loss we’ve seen since the Great Depression, to the worst economic contraction we’ve seen since the Great Depression?

It’s not a question of whether the financial sector, or private equity specifically, is important or valid.  It’s whether or not it’s the vision that you bring to the job -- what you would do in office, what you think the right prescriptions are.  We’ve seen from the Republicans in Congress what prescriptions, unfortunately, they think are the answer to our economic challenges.  And it’s a prescription that was filled already once in the early part of this century and contributed mightily to the worst recession since the Great Depression.  They want to refill that prescription and add a little steroids in it, and say, let’s do it all over again.  The President thinks that’s a bad idea. 

Yes.

Q    Jay, could you confirm that the FBI is opening an investigation into JPMorgan?  And is there a concern that --

MR. CARNEY:  Well, you can imagine that I don’t talk about FBI investigations.  I would refer you to the FBI, the Department of Justice.

Q    On another topic then -- House Speaker John Boehner said today that for the next debt ceiling increase, the size of cuts and reforms to non-discretionary programs will have to be bigger than the increase.  There are concerns among investors and some voters that -- about the end-of-year fiscal situation.  I wondered how does the White House plan to address that.  Is it time to start talking about that now instead of waiting and increasing that uncertainty?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, as you heard Secretary Geithner say today, and as we have said all along, we cannot hold the full faith and credit of the United States government hostage to one party’s political agenda.  We saw what happened when this occurred last summer.  It was very harmful to our economy.  And we fully expect that members of Congress will agree that we must avoid a similar charade this year.

It can’t possibly be the case that the right prescription for what we need to do right now is to engage in the kind of political brinksmanship that, unfortunately, congressional Republicans engaged in last year.  So we’re not going to do that.  It wouldn’t be good for our economy.

Q    So what are you going to do to avoid that?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, a couple of things -- well, I’ll say more broadly that the President believes, but not just the President; Democrats believe, but not just Democrats; independents believe, but not just independents; Republicans believe across the country that the way to deal with our deficit and debt challenges is by taking a balanced approach, by including not just significant spending cuts, which the President has already signed into law, not just including reforms to our entitlements, which the President has put forward in his own budget proposals and has agreed to in negotiations with Republicans, but to include revenues. 

Everyone except for elected members of Congress of the Republican Party agrees with that general proposition that we need to take a balanced approach to our deficit and debt challenges.  Bipartisan commissions that include Republicans and Democrats, unelected or no longer holding office, agreed with that, and the polls show that Americans of all political persuasions agree with that.

And the reason why that's so important is because we can meet the challenges.  We can do what the President’s budget does, which is reduce our deficits by over $4 trillion in a balanced way so that no sector of society is having to shoulder the entire burden; that seniors aren’t being asked to pay for it by a system that would voucherize Medicare and result in much higher costs for seniors in order to protect the wealthiest Americans from doing their fair share.  I mean, that's just -- that's not an approach that most Americans want to see put into practice. 

So I think everyone in Congress understands what the American people understand, is that we need to address this in a balanced way.  And the President has long said that he is willing and ready to do just that.  It’s embodied in his budget proposal. It was clearly evident in the negotiations from last summer.  And I think nothing that we’ve seen since -- everything that we’ve seen since only reinforces the idea that this is the approach that needs to be taken.

Q    So is he telling them to restart these negotiations?

MR. CARNEY:  I think that what Congress needs to do now -- because this is all about the American economy, right?  That is what Americans care most deeply about.  We are still emerging from the worst recession since the Great Depression.  We are -- there are still American families out there who are very concerned about the economy, who are anxious about it, people whose houses are still underwater or who are still looking for work.

What we need to do is address that issue right now.  And there is a “To-do" list that the President has put forward to Congress of items that would have a tangible, direct effect on economic growth, a tangible, direct effect on the security -- the economic security of the middle class.  Congress needs to do that -- and not start talking about -- playing political gamesmanship again.

Next.  Dan.

Q    Thank you.  On "The View," the President offered a glowing review of Jamie Dimon, and I’m wondering why he thought that was necessary in light of the fact that he’s running this large company that made such a bad bet and might be under investigation now for that bet?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, first of all, I think you need to look at the entire statement the President made when discussing --

Q    I did.

MR. CARNEY:  -- the situation at JPMorgan.  I think that your characterization of it is actually not quite accurate.  What the President said --

Q    -- smart banker and --

MR. CARNEY:  What the President said --

Q    What does he think of him as an individual?

MR. CARNEY:  What the President said is that even a well-run bank, led by someone who is viewed as a wise head of a company and head of a bank, can make a seriously bad decision, a seriously bad decision that can bring about significant losses in the -- at least based on what we know now -- $2 billion range, maybe more. 

You’re right that I’m not -- there is an SEC investigation. I’m not going to get into the details of the transactions here.
But what the President was saying, the point he was making is that this is a perfect example of why we need to make sure we have Wall Street reform, why we need to have those rules in place.  Because what we know is that while the bank will be held accountable for whatever losses result from a bad decision like this, the taxpayers won’t be.  And that is essential, because we cannot have happen what happened in 2007 and 2008, where you had financial institutions that were too big to fail, that in the economic situation that we found ourselves in then required taxpayer assistance in order to keep the economy from going off a cliff.

And the reason why the President fought so hard for Wall Street reform, the reason why he insisted that Wall Street reform include the Consumer Protection Bureau, include the so-called Volcker Rule, and he fought hard against the resistance of Republicans, against the mighty efforts of very well-paid lobbyists representing Wall Street firms, is because he believes the American taxpayer should not be left holding the bag. 

That's the point he was making, is that it is a perfect example of the fact that even when a bank like this one makes a bad -- can make a bad decision, what if one that is not as well run or as well managed or has the track record that this one does makes a mistake?  We need to have a system in place and rules in place that banks that make catastrophically bad decisions can be wound down without the taxpayer being harmed, and that banks that make seriously bad decisions that result in big losses can handle them themselves and do not require any federal intervention.

That's the essence of why we need Wall Street reform.  And that is why, in the wake of what we’ve just seen on Wall Street, it is even more alarming and astounding that there are those who remain -- on Capitol Hill and elsewhere, including those who would be President, who say we should repeal Wall Street reform. We should go back to a system where Wall Street writes its own rules, and where, when disastrously bad decisions are made, the taxpayer is left to pick up the pieces.  The President is not going to go there.

Q    On Syria, today there was a -- U.N. convoy monitors I believe who were hit by an explosion from an IED.  They're all okay, at least what’s being reported.  But what else can the U.S. do to try to intervene there, in that the violence continues?  It’s been months and months of saying that the Assad regime is -- days are numbered, yet this violence continues.  What else?  What additional pressure?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, Dan, I appreciate the question.  We are deeply concerned by the escalating violence on the ground in Syria and the country’s deepening sectarianism along obviously with the regime’s failure to allow for a political transition while the opportunity remains.  The longer that Assad clings to power, the greater his destabilization of Syria and the region. 

That's why we’re working with allies and partners to pressure Assad to step down as soon as possible so that a Syrian-led democratic transition can be completed.  We continue to believe that a political solution is the best way to address this crisis. 

As far as what we're doing -- in concert with our international partners, we are using all financial and diplomatic tools available to us to achieve our policy goals.  We are increasing pressure on the Assad regime to step aside.  We are supporting international efforts to broker a political solution to end the regime's violence.  We are strengthening with our international partners the Syrian opposition.  And we are addressing the worsening humanitarian situation and planning for a range of additional measures that may be necessary to protect the Syrian people and prevent this conflict from widening.

Jake.

Q    Just to follow on Dan's question on JPMorgan Chase.  I guess I'm not really understanding what either the President yesterday or what you're saying now.  Are you crediting the Wall Street reform bill with the fact that JPMorgan Chase didn't have to be bailed out?  Are you saying -- is there some direct correlation between what happened or what didn't happen and the law that passed?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, again, I can't get into details of the specific transactions here because they're under investigation.  What I can say is that Wall Street reform -- the Wall Street reform bill, among many other components of it, insisted that financial institutions be better capitalized, that they have the resources -- greater resources to deal with and handle losses.  That was a major component of Wall Street reform.  And what the President was saying yesterday is that if we have a situation where even a well-run bank or one that's recognized as being well-run can make a bad decision like this that results in significant losses, it's an excellent illustration of why we need to have the kind of Wall Street reform that the President put into place so that the taxpayer is held harmless when financial institutions that maybe are less well-run make bad decisions and incur losses, perhaps even losses that threated a financial institution's existence.  We can't have a situation where the taxpayer then has to come in to the rescue again, but that there must be a way for those banks to be unwound where the -- only the bank and its investors bear the burden of the bad decision-making and not taxpayers.

So, again, I'm not going to -- because of the fact that this particular series of transactions is under investigation, I can't make a point-to-point correlation between Wall Street reform and this.  But I can say that the overall idea here was to ensure that the American taxpayer is insulated from the kinds of decision-making that can take place on Wall Street that can result in losses.  I mean, it is the nature of -- we can't prevent bad decisions from being made.  What we can do is take steps to ensure that average, working-class and middle-class Americans don't get stuck with the bill for bad decisions that are made.

Q    Does the President favor any further steps that might be taken on Wall Street when it comes to regulation?  Are there other measures he thinks --

MR. CARNEY:  Well, as you know, implementation of Wall Street reform is still underway.  There is a rulemaking process that's still underway.  And the President insists that -- as he insisted, for example, that the Volcker Rule be part of Wall Street reform, he insists that the Volcker Rule be implemented in a way to make sure it’s very strong. 

But that process is -- or that’s certainly his view.  Obviously there are independent agencies involved in the rulemaking.  But he believes firmly that we need to make sure that Wall Street reform is implemented in a way that is true to the intent and spirit of the legislation.

As you know, millions and millions of dollars have been spent since the passage of Wall Street reform to try to subvert the intent and spirit of the law.  And a lot of money is being spent do elect to office those who would repeal Wall Street reform.  And the President simply believes that -- and that’s why he fought so hard for it -- that that’s not just bad for Wall Street, because a functioning system that includes rules of the road that everybody follows and includes a transparent system is vital for the success and growth of the financial sector, but it’s bad for the whole economy and it’s bad for the middle class.

So he’ll argue strenuously, and I’m sure we’ll have this debate in the months coming forward, that it is in the interest of all Americans, on Main Street and Wall Street, that we have effective rules in place that make sure we do not have a repeat of what we saw in 2007 and 2008.

Q    Jay, the President has been making a very strong case against Mitt Romney’s form of capitalism as he practiced it at Bain Capital.  Does the President believe that Bain Capital and the private equity measures that were taken there are significantly different from the ones taken by the Blackstone Group?

MR. CARNEY:  I will -- the comparative is not the point here.  The issue is -- first of all, when you’re talking about campaign ads and stuff, I would refer you to the campaign.  What the President believes is that there is absolutely a place for a vibrant and successful financial sector, financial industry that includes private equity.  The point is what vision would you bring to the job?  What policies would you implement based on that vision?  And a policy that leads to the creation of massive amounts of debt, to the withdrawal of profits and in the failure of a company or a state or a sector is not an approach that he believes would be healthy to replicate for the United States.

Q    I get that.  It's just that the campaign has been fairly critical of some members of the Blackstone Group for "betting against America," being "less than reputable," and also, obviously, against Bain Capital.  But the President -- correct me if I'm wrong -- went to a fundraiser last night at the home of the president of the Blackstone Group -- Hamilton "Tony" James. And I guess my question is, just as an American, as a citizen, I don't understand which ones you're criticizing and which ones you're not.  Because it seems like the ones you're criticizing are the ones that belong to people supporting Mitt Romney or affiliated with Mitt Romney, but the same exact types of organization -- in the case of Blackstone, the same exact organization -- if they support President Obama, then they're totally kosher. 

MR. CARNEY:  I think the distinction that you're failing to see, Jake, is one that the campaign, I'm sure, will be happy to spell out for you in more detail.  But the issue is not whether businesses acting lawfully should maximize profits or pursue business appropriately.  The President thinks that's fine and is a good thing and is healthy for our financial sector and our broader economy broadly speaking.  The issue is what vision do you bring to the office?  What policies would you implement?  And are those policies informed by the vision and by your experience?
And as for

Q    -- his ideas --

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I mean, I think we have to -- anybody who runs for office puts forward his or her ideas about what they would do in office.  And I think that anyone who runs for office who says, not only do I want to -- as the Republicans in Congress say and others say -- not only do we think that the prescription for our economic challenges is to reintroduce all the policies that contributed mightily to the mess that we got into in 2008, 2007, but to double down on those policies; to not just extend massive unpaid tax cuts principally benefiting the wealthy, but maybe give -- well, actually definitely give the most well-off Americans significantly more tax cuts that are basically unpaid for, or how they're paid for is unspecified; an approach that says I was for those two wars and the fact that they were unpaid for under the previous administration, and this President is wrong for ending one of those wars and wrong for having a strategy to end the second war -- that's a debate that we'll have.  But that vision is not the vision that this President believes is the right one for the country going forward.

I'm going to move around a little bit.

Q    That's not fair.

Q    You just go with the same exact order every time --

Q    That's so unfair.  You call on the boys and then when it comes to Norah, you go to the back.

MR. CARNEY:  Come on. 

Q    If you're going to move around, move around from the beginning.  I think that's a fair way to --

Q    That's a good idea.  We like that.

MR. CARNEY:  Fair enough.  Norah.

Q    Does the President agree that the next debt ceiling increase should be offset with equal amount of spending cuts?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I addressed this question moments ago.  The games that were played by House Republicans, the apparent glee with which some of them approached the prospect of the United States of America defaulting on its obligations, are not ones that this President is willing to entertain again.  It's bad for the economy.  But the proposition --

Q    This is a simple question.  This is a yes or no --

MR. CARNEY:  The proposition that you just put forward was the very same proposition that was put forward last year.  And we cannot hold the full faith and credit of the United States government hostage to a political ideology and to an approach to deficit and debt reduction that is not endorsed by anything like a majority of the American people, or even a majority of Republicans.  So we're not doing that.

Congress should take action now on the items the President has put forward that can help this economy continue to grow, the items that can help secure the middle class, help homeowners refinance their homes, help veterans get jobs, help in a variety of ways to ensure that this recovery continues along the path that it's been going.

Q    Does he believe that it should be -- the debt ceiling increase should be offset by an equal amount of spending cuts?  No?

MR. CARNEY:  The President does not believe that the full faith and credit of the United States, its commitment to pay its bills and its obligations, should be held hostage to a political ideology.  And that is the formulation that you're articulating. Because this President has already signed into law non-defense discretionary spending cuts that bring that portion of the budget to its lowest level since Dwight Eisenhower was President.  So this President's commitment to serious but sensible spending cuts is demonstrated not just in rhetoric but in law.  He signed into law additional spending cuts that bring the total to $2 trillion, and he has put forward a deficit and debt reduction plan that would reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years.  But he's doing it in a balanced way.

What he will not do is -- and is absolutely confident that the American people agree with him here -- is have a repeat of the kind of political brinksmanship that House Republicans engaged in last year that caused harm to our economy.  And I don't think anybody wants to revisit that.  I think the idea that we might want to go down that road again suggests to me that maybe somebody wants to test the proposition that you can't get to zero in your approval rating.  I mean, Congress tried last year -- it got to single digits.  But perhaps they want to set a record.  But the President is not going to enable them in that cause.

Q    One more and then I'll -- to move on.  But the President's challenger, Mitt Romney, today is accusing the President of fanning a prairie fire of debt in this administration, and talking also about the debt ceiling -- excuse me, rather the stimulus package as borrowed and wasted, we still owe the money, we're still paying interest on it.  He says it was the biggest, most careless one-time expenditure by the federal government in history.  Do you want to respond to that?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, what's great about this is I know that the media that's covering statements like that will fully vet it and put it into context, because what it seems to me the governor -- former governor neglected to mention is that the greatest contributor to our deficit right now is the profligate spending by the previous administration -- two unpaid-for massive tax cuts that benefited primarily the wealthiest Americans, that Governor Romney supported; two unpaid-for wars that Governor Romney has said we should still be engaged in -- that we should not have ended the war in Iraq, for example, as the President did, that we should not have a timetable for ending the war in Afghanistan as President Obama has -- as well as other measures.

Don't forget that when the last Democratic President left office in January 2001, there were surpluses, budget surpluses as far as the eye could see.  After eight years, not only were there massive deficits that this President inherited, there was an economic catastrophe unfolding in this country and around the globe. 

What I didn't hear you say in the recitation of the critique was that the person giving the speech wants to repeat all the policies that helped lead to both those massive deficits and the greatest recession since the Great Depression.  He wants to reverse the policies that this President put into place that reversed the cataclysmic decline in our economy, that now has us growing for 11 straight quarters instead of shrinking at 9 percent -- which we now know we did in the last quarter that the previous President was in office -- that has us creating private sector jobs for 26 straight months, more than 4 million private sector jobs created over those 26 months, more than a million in just the last six months -- compared to the 800,000-per-month job loss that this country was experiencing when President Obama was sworn into office, due in no small measure to the policies that had been in place in the previous administration and which the current presumed nominee of the Republican Party fully supported and endorsed at the time.

Chuck.  I'm sorry -- Wendell.  He was making all the noise so I was going to call on him, but I appreciate that you didn’t, so you’re next.  (Laughter.)

Q    In light of all you said about the economy and the President’s assertion --

MR. CARNEY:  I could say more.

Q    -- that the fall election will turn on the economy, what do you make on the new Gallup-USA Today poll that indicates most people feel the economy would be better off if Mitt Romney was elected and more people feel the economy would be -- will be worse off if the President is reelected?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I’ll say a couple of things.  I think that poll also suggested that there was greater optimism about the economy that we’re experiencing right now, which I can recite to you the fact that under this President’s leadership, we took a situation that was -- had this economy in cataclysmic decline and reversed it and had it growing again, took a situation where the economy was shedding jobs at a rate of hundreds of thousands per month and have a situation where it’s now been growing jobs, creating jobs for 26 straight months.

What is absolutely true, what the President says every time he addresses this issue -- and he addresses it frequently and will continue to address it -- is that we are not nearly finished with this recovery, that we have work to do, and that many Americans are still understandably anxious about the economy that we have and about where it’s going for them personally and where it’s going nationally.

What I assume and am confident of is that the debate this fall will be about the economy and what vision is the right vision for the future.  And as I think I’ve just discussed, the President believes strongly that we need to continue to make smart investments in our economy -- in education and innovation, in infrastructure -- to build the foundation that we need for the future in clean energy and other sectors.  We need to do everything we can to secure and protect and grow the middle class. 

I think that when you look at what the middle class went through even in the years immediately prior to the great recession, that even as massive tax cuts were being bequeathed upon the wealthiest Americans, the middle class was getting squeezed, seeing their income flat-line or decline. 

There’s work to be done.  And the President -- we understand, and the President fully expects and looks forward to a debate about what vision for our future is the right vision. And he’s confident that the vision that he has, a vision that he’ll continue to put forward, is one that a majority of Americans will believe is preferable to a vision that embraces the policies of the past and doubles down on them.

Q    You say there’s work to be done.  Clearly there’s work to be done putting people back to work.  But do you mean there’s also work to be done persuading the country that the President’s vision is the right one?

MR. CARNEY:  In terms of campaign strategy and how that is enacted, I would refer you to the campaign.  The President will continue to talk about the things that we need to do now to help our economy grow, and he will continue to talk about the things that we need to do moving forward to help our economy grow and create jobs.  And one thing I think we can agree on is that that is the focus that the American people have, and that will almost assuredly be the focus of the debate this summer and fall.

Q    On another matter, the President’s first term is set to wrap up with more empty seats on the federal bench than there were when he started.  There are 76 open seats now, only 30 nominees.  Why so few judicial nominees?

MR. CARNEY:  One thing we know for sure is that the pace of confirmations has never been slower.  And --

Q    It’s about the same as the previous two Presidents.

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I disagree with that.  And we continue to work with the Senate to get qualified nominees confirmed by the Senate as appropriate.  We had some progress recently where a number of nominees both to the bench and to the administration were moved forward.  And what I think is absolutely the case and indisputable, Wendell, is that we’ve never had a situation where nominees to whom no serious objection is put forward, nominees who clear committee overwhelmingly, nominees who are absolutely qualified for the post that they’ve been nominated for, are then held up interminably for political reasons.  That's not how it should be.  And we’ve obviously made the case against that kind of highly politicized behavior.

Yes.

Q    Jay, on the congressional meeting, you talk about all the short-term things that you want to do -- there’s no mention of tax reform, no mention of the end-of-the-year stuff, no mention of the sequester -- all of the things that sort of are going to create this six-weeks lame-duck-apooloza after the election.

MR. CARNEY:  Did you coin that term?  It's pretty good.

Q    -- and others try all sorts of ends in "geddon." 

MR. CARNEY:  The problem with that is it’s going to take up a significant portion of 140 characters.  So you want to shorten it up.  (Laughter.)   

Q    But what is the -- now, obviously, me just asking the question, you’re going to say, sure, it might come up.  But is that an agenda item at this point?  Or is everybody just sort of fait accompli that nothing happens till the election?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I think that a number of subjects will undoubtedly be discussed tomorrow when the President meets with the congressional leadership.  What the President is keenly focused on is the need for Congress to act on measures that could help the economy now, that could help provide greater security to middle-class Americans now, that could assist veterans returning from Afghanistan or returned from Iraq now.  He has and is always prepared to discuss a broad and substantial vision for -- and budget document for how we need to move forward with our longer-term economic challenges.  And as I think I’ve said quite eloquently today, the vision --

Q    If you do say so yourself,

MR. CARNEY:  -- the vision that he puts forward is one that's shared by a significant majority of the American people.

Q    A tax code that's about to just explode in many forms with the expiration of all sorts of things is not of the same sense of urgency that these --

MR. CARNEY:  What it is urgent and what most Americans feel is urgent is that we need to take steps to help the economy continue to grow, to help it create jobs now. 

Q    So reforming the tax code doesn't do that?

MR. CARNEY:  The President’s position on all of these issues is well known.  What has been a consistent obstacle to reaching an agreement on a broader sort of 10-year budget plan is, as you know, the refusal of Republicans to seriously accept the idea that we should take a balanced approach to our budget and deficit --

Q    -- why you’re bringing the leaders in and why isn’t that what you guys are saying?

MR. CARNEY:  -- the thing --

Q    -- reforming the tax code?

MR. CARNEY:  -- the same thing we’ve said basically, consistently now for 18 months or so, and these very same leaders have discussed this issue many times.  I’m not saying that it won’t be addressed.  But what there are -- what is on the table, what the President will put forward, is the ability of Congress to take action like it has earlier this year, in spite of the fact that it’s an election year, to work and achieve passage of  -- work on and achieve passage of legislation that can enjoy bipartisan support, that did enjoy bipartisan support, the items the President has put forward should garner bipartisan support, and all of them will help the economy now.

There’s no question that on the broader sort of long-term vision for our budget and our tax code that that debate will surely be joined as the months progress.  The President has a very distinct opinion --

Q    -- seven months is a long time now --

MR. CARNEY:  What the President -- the President put forward a budget proposal that could be acted on tomorrow if there was a willingness by Republicans to accept the basic proposition that a vast majority of Americans accept, that every bipartisan commission that's been appointed to look into this issue endorses, and that is that we need a balanced approach to deficit and debt reduction.

Q    On Syria, quickly, to follow up on Dan’s question, is it fair say -- and we got all caught up in other issues -- when you sort of -- AP asked you this question and you sort of -- it seemed like you had a prepared -- that we are either reevaluating our policy -- is that a fair way to describe sort of how we’re dealing with Syria today, that it’s not working and we’re reevaluating?  How would you describe --

MR. CARNEY:  What I’ve said even prior to today is that, for example with the Kofi Annan plan, that we are highly skeptical that it will succeed because Assad has shown so little willingness to implement any of the six provisions within it. 

However, it is important to continue to support that, which we do, because it has accomplished two things, which is some lessening of the violence and a framework by which we can continue to pursue political transition there, and a mechanism by which we’ll garner further international support for that kind of transition.  But that's not -- I think our skepticism about Assad’s intentions is not something that I’m making clear for the first time today.

Q    The political issues in Europe -- I’ll not say instability, but issues -- and losing maybe one of your best allies in dealing with international issues like this in Sarkozy, is this -- who are our leading partners in dealing with this?

MR. CARNEY:  With Syria or with -- well, there’s a number of partners, both within the United Nations on the Security Council, within the broader context of allies and partners, and with specifically the group of Syria nations that we -- through which we pursue the policy objectives that I outlined earlier.

I think that what we’ve seen since the veto of an earlier resolution at the United Nations Security Council is a growing awareness of the fact that -- or recognition of the fact that Assad is the problem here.  His refusal to comply thus far with the Annan plan only reinforces that.  And I think that, as I’ve said in the past, that if that plan ultimately fails, that we will then return to the Security Council and discuss with members the steps that we need to take, as well as more broadly, with our international partners in the Group of Syria, measures that we need to take.

Q    I just wanted to follow up on the questions about the debt ceiling.  I mean, Speaker Boehner has clearly laid down his marker and you’re saying you don’t want to go through this same brinkmanship mess that we went through before.  What are you going to do different to -- other than just say you don’t want to go through it -- to make sure it doesn’t happen?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, you’re talking a hypothetical.  The President signed into law the Budget Control Act, which was negotiated with Republican leaders including the Speaker of the House that extended the debt ceiling for a certain period of time.  The whole country experienced the downside of the kind of brinksmanship that Republicans were willing to engage in, and the economy suffered accordingly.

The President is not going to do that again.  It’s not good for the economy, it’s not good for the American people, and it’s not necessary.  The full faith and credit of the United States government should not be held hostage to the political ideology of one segment of one party.

Q    Well, when you say he won't do it, meaning what?  The debt ceiling is going to be reached -- the new limit will be reached at some point.

MR. CARNEY:  I have no prediction -- I’m not going to game out what’s going to happen eight months from now.  What I will tell you is that we’re not going to engage -- it’s just there are things that we need to do right now, tangible things rather than political gamesmanship, but tangible things we can do to help this economy right now.  And I think that one thing that most Americans vividly remember from last summer with I think great disappointment is the willingness of some, for reasons of ideology and politics, to play with the fate of our creditworthiness as the United States of America.  That’s just not something the President as President believes we should be doing again.

Hans.

Q    If I can just follow up on what Dan was asking about -- the ABC interview.  It seemed like the President -- and we can argue on how effusive he was -- but for our purposes here, does the President consider --

MR. CARNEY:  Just between you and me?

Q    Just you and me, yeah -- and the President.  Does he consider Jamie Dimon a friend?

MR. CARNEY:  Look, he's met with Jamie Dimon on a number of occasions.  He obviously brings to the table a lot of experience and insight about our financial markets and our financial sector. I'm not going to characterize the personal relationship, but I will say that, as you know, he's met with him on a number of occasions. 

His point was simply that what has transpired in the last week or so -- less than a week -- only illustrates the need further for Wall Street reform, and that when a bank that Bloomberg or Reuters or CNBC and others has identified as a well-run bank, and a leader of that bank has been identified as a successful leader of a well-run bank -- when even that institution can make a bad decision that results in significant losses, it only reminds us of the need to make sure that we have the rules in place that are necessary to protect the American taxpayer from having to -- ever having to bail out financial institutions again like it did in 2007 and 2008.

Q    Just a quick follow-on.  You mentioned that he's met with him I think 16 times -- he's been at the White House -- six direct meetings with the President.  But there seems to have been a shift and Dimon has certainly been critical of the Dodd-Frank reforms, its implementation.  Does the President think that Dimon's criticism or commentary on Dodd-Frank has been helpful?

MR. CARNEY:  Has been helpful?

Q    Yeah.

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I think the President disagrees with those who argue that we don't need Wall Street reform.  He disagrees with those who argue that --

Q    But that's not Dimon's point.  Dimon's point has always been there needs to be regulation.  His point has been that the way that the Fed is interpreting the Volcker Rule has not been properly thought out.

MR. CARNEY:  Well, first of all, the Volcker Rule and other rules that are being written out of the legislation are still in progress, so I can't go into great detail about that process, which is being conducted by independent agencies.  Secondly, I think that what we saw in the last few days demonstrates the strength of the President's position that we need strong rules in place -- that we need a strong Volcker Rule, that we need strong Wall Street reform in place, and that those who argue otherwise are wrong, in his view.  They're entitled to their opinion, certainly.  But we have to have rules of the road in place that protect middle-class Americans, hardworking Americans from poor decisions made on Wall Street so that they're not left having to pay the bill.

Q    So does the President believe that Dimon is wrong on Volcker?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, the President believes that those who believe that we don't need a Volcker Rule are wrong, or that we don't need a Volcker Rule that is strong enough to be effective are not -- he just disagrees with them.

Mark.

Q    Jay, can you clarify for me what the reason is President Obama won’t be going to the APEC meeting in Russia?

MR. CARNEY:  Sure.  As we made -- I think the President himself mentioned when he met with then-President Medvedev in Seoul, he will not be traveling to Russia before the U.S. election in November.  We’re not able to travel to Russia because, broadly speaking, of our election process here and the calendar that imposes on the candidates, and one of those candidates is the President of the United States.

Q    Will he send somebody else?

MR. CARNEY:  But he looks -- I would refer you to -- well, I’ll have to take the question.  I’m not sure.  But he very much looks forward to meeting President Putin in a month in Mexico.

Q    Thanks, Jay.

MR. CARNEY:  Yes, Joe, and then Jon-Christopher.

Q    Jay, today the Senate is going to vote on refinancing the Export-Import Bank.  If they pass it, which seems likely,  will the President sign it today?

MR. CARNEY:  We do support that measure.  We’ve argued that it is absolutely necessary to ensure that assistance is provided so that our exports can continue to grow, and we look forward to its passage.  And I think it’s another example of what I was trying to say earlier, that there are things that we can do, working together, to help our economy grow now, rather than engaging in the kind of political posturing and fights that we’ve engaged in, in the past.

Q    Do you suspect there will be, like, a signing ceremony or something --

MR. CARNEY:  I don't have anything for you on that.

Q    Jay.

MR. CARNEY:  Jon-Christopher.

Q    Yes.  It seems that now the Justice Department is launching a criminal probe into the JPMorgan $2 billion trading loss.  It could take it beyond the borders of the U.S.  In light of these revelations and the upcoming G8 meeting, does the administration plan to discuss coordinating regulations to ensure that global banks simply don't move their risky trading out of the U.S. to another country?

MR. CARNEY:  First of all, as I mentioned earlier, I’m not going to comment on either possible investigations or the existing one by the SEC.

As for that issue, I think I would refer you to the Treasury Department.  I think we’ve long said that the G20 is the forum principally for this kind of broader economic discussion.  Obviously, the economy will be a topic of -- a major topic of discussion at the G8, but I don't have anything specifically for you on that.

Thanks, all, very much.

END  
1:50 P.M. EDT

Last year marked the highest level of financing in the Bank’s 77-year history, as they supported thousands of U.S. companies, hundreds of thousands of jobs, and brought us closer to the goal I set of doubling our nation’s exports by the end of 2014.  Over the last several months, I’ve met with business leaders here in Washington, visited workers at companies like Boeing, and urged Congress to reauthorize the Bank to keep building on this progress.  And I’m glad to see it get done.

Now Congress needs to keep going.  Last week, I proposed several common-sense ideas that will help small businesses, reward companies that bring jobs back to America, invest in clean energy and veterans, and help responsible homeowners save money on their mortgages.  Congress should continue to do the right thing by acting on proposals we know will grow our economy and create jobs.  In the meantime, I look forward to signing this bill into law.

H.R. 298, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Cedar Park, Texas, as the Army Specialist Matthew Troy Morris Post Office Building;

H.R. 1423, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Ardmore, Oklahoma, as the Specialist Micheal E. Phillips Post Office;

H.R. 2079, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in East Rockaway, New York, as the John J. Cook Post Office;

H.R. 2213, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Iuka, Mississippi, as the Sergeant Jason W. Vaughn Post Office;

H.R. 2244, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Geneva, New York, as the Corporal Steven Blaine Riccione Post Office;

H.R. 2660, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Tomball, Texas, as the Tomball Veterans Post Office;

H.R. 2668, the "Brian A. Terry Memorial Act," which designates the station of the United States Border Patrol in Bisbee, Arizona, as the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station;

H.R. 2767, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Westfield, Massachusetts, as the William T. Trant Post Office Building;

H.R. 3004, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Yountville, California, as the Private First Class Alejandro R. Ruiz Post Office Building;

H.R. 3246, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Ballwin, Missouri, as the Specialist Peter J. Navarro Post Office Building;

H.R. 3247, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Chesterfield, Missouri, as the Lance Corporal Matthew P. Pathenos Post Office Building;

H.R. 3248, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Saint Charles, Missouri, as the Lance Corporal Drew W. Weaver Post Office Building; and

S. 1302, which authorizes the General Services Administration to convey a reversionary interest in a parcel of real property to the city of Tracy, California.

James: When [our team] first started, I said, ‘For each member on the team, we want to have five one-on-one meetings to recruit other supporters.’ Let me tell you—they looked at me like I was crazy. But we ended up being champions for the number of one-on-ones in our area. And we did the same thing with phonebanking, and we even exceeded our goals so we helped out other teams with their goals. Now our team is pumped up, and we’ve got that teamwork mentality, and we’re going to get out there and do voter registration.

Edwina: By being out there [registering voters], whether we’re at the church or at the barbershop or wherever, the community knows us and trusts us. We’d say, ‘Don’t just bring yourself; you go and get the rest of your family, and we’ll teach them about their voting rights.’ Then, they would bring their cousins and their friends.

James: It’s a real personal thing; just a really gratifying thing. It’s about building those relationships.

Edwina: In this area, high school graduates celebrate by having open houses, where they invite all their friends and the whole neighborhood. So what we’re going to do this May and June is talk to the parents and give them a clipboard with a laminated sample of the voter registration form. If you take one of the packets to an open house, and get someone there who’s familiar with those kids, you’ll register all of those kids. It makes it easy for them. They get what registering to vote is and why it matters—it’s just a matter of showing them how to do it.

While the South Lansing team is out in their community, they’re not only registering voters—they’re also encouraging other supporters to get involved.

Edwina: We went over to the University of Michigan to talk to some of the student groups affiliated with the black alumni organization. And my husband talked to [the students] about getting involved—and they just didn’t know they could get involved like that! They all said, “We can do this? We want to do voter reg!” You know, with a lot of these kids, there’s so much frustration in their lives, it’s tough. But by giving them this information, you’re showing them that they’re valuable: that they can do something in their community.

If you’re ready to register voters in your community, sign up now for a weekend of action event coming up this Saturday and Sunday.

Find an event near you

James: When [our team] first started, I said, ‘For each member on the team, we want to have five one-on-one meetings to recruit other supporters.’ Let me tell you—they looked at me like I was crazy. But we ended up being champions for the number of one-on-ones in our area. And we did the same thing with phonebanking, and we even exceeded our goals so we helped out other teams with their goals. Now our team is pumped up, and we’ve got that teamwork mentality, and we’re going to get out there and do voter registration.

Edwina: By being out there [registering voters], whether we’re at the church or at the barbershop or wherever, the community knows us and trusts us. We’d say, ‘Don’t just bring yourself; you go and get the rest of your family, and we’ll teach them about their voting rights.’ Then, they would bring their cousins and their friends.

James: It’s a real personal thing; just a really gratifying thing. It’s about building those relationships.

Edwina: In this area, high school graduates celebrate by having open houses, where they invite all their friends and the whole neighborhood. So what we’re going to do this May and June is talk to the parents and give them a clipboard with a laminated sample of the voter registration form. If you take one of the packets to an open house, and get someone there who’s familiar with those kids, you’ll register all of those kids. It makes it easy for them. They get what registering to vote is and why it matters—it’s just a matter of showing them how to do it.

While the South Lansing team is out in their community, they’re not only registering voters—they’re also encouraging other supporters to get involved.

Edwina: We went over to the University of Michigan to talk to some of the student groups affiliated with the black alumni organization. And my husband talked to [the students] about getting involved—and they just didn’t know they could get involved like that! They all said, “We can do this? We want to do voter reg!” You know, with a lot of these kids, there’s so much frustration in their lives, it’s tough. But by giving them this information, you’re showing them that they’re valuable: that they can do something in their community.

If you’re ready to register voters in your community, sign up now for a weekend of action event coming up this Saturday and Sunday.

Find an event near you

Thomas Hart Armbruster, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

David Bruce Wharton, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Zimbabwe.

WITHDRAWAL SENT TO THE SENATE:

Arunava Majumdar, of California, to be Under Secretary of Energy, vice Kristina M. Johnson, resigned, which was sent to the Senate on November 30, 2011.

3:12 P.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Hey, again, guys.  I got to hang out with the kids earlier.  We got quick pictures, but we are excited to have you guys here at the White House.  We’re in the State Room.  The State Dining Room is where we greet special official guests, and you guys count as our special official guests.  We’re excited to have you here.

I want to start by thanking all of you kids for joining us here at the White House today.  Tell me -- yell out -- tell me the organizations you’re representing -- somebody?  See, you guys are from all over the place -- some here, some from all over the country, right?

Well, thanks for coming and visiting us.  I also want to thank the members of the L.A. Galaxy soccer team for taking the time to come and answer some questions, and share some wisdom and some advice for all of you.  So let’s give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.)

So as soccer players, you know who these guys are, don’t you?

CHILDREN:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  They’re pretty cool, right?  They are some of the best soccer players in the entire country and the entire world.  Amazing, huh?  And they’re here!  They’re right there, they’re right there.

And I want to congratulate them -- join in with my husband in congratulating them on winning the third MLS Cup.  Very cool, very cool. 

But one of the things I want you guys to remember -- all the kids here to remember, is that these stars were not born superstar athletes.  They weren’t superstar soccer players from the beginning.  In fact, many of them started out just like many of you -- playing on a team at school, or just kicking a ball around on the playground with their friends.  But they stuck with it.  And I tell this to my girls all the time.  I mean, you get to the point when there are things that you enjoy, they get to the point where they start getting hard -- that’s when you know you’re getting good, and you have to stick through it even when it starts getting hard. 

For some of you, soccer has always been fun, will always be fun, but sometimes, when you start growing, you get to the point where you really have to work hard.  Well, they all hit that wall, and they stuck with it.  They practice for hours every day doing all their drills and scrimmages, doing everything that their coaches and mentors told them to do.  And that’s how they got to be national champions.  But remember, they didn’t do all of this just because they wanted to win their games.  Winning is great, right?  We all know how to win.  Winning is the easiest thing in the world to do.  But what is the toughest thing?  Is learning how to lose, right?

So they didn’t do it just to win.  They didn’t do it because they wanted to grow up to be famous.  They played soccer because they love the sport.  And they played because it was challenging and fun, and because it made they feel strong and healthy.  And that’s what sports like soccer are all about.  And they’re learning about new skills.  They’re learning how to compete.  They’re learning how to lose gracefully, how to win with dignity.  All of that stuff is important with sports. 

And that’s one of the reasons why when the weather is nice -- because it was raining; we were supposed to be outside, but they said there were would be thunderstorms.  We’re usually outside.  We’ve been hosting all kinds of fitness activities and clinics on the South Lawn.  Have some of you guys participated in those?  Nobody has had -- I thought -- we’ve had -- (laughter) -- yes, we’ve had some fun on the South Lawn.  We were supposed out there today, but because they projected thunderstorms, we thought we wouldn’t have you out there getting struck by lightning.  That wouldn’t look good.  (Laughter.)  So we brought you inside.

But we’ve been hosting these clinics on the South Lawn, which is our backyard here at the White House, because we want to show kids just like you that there are all kinds of ways to be active, and that being active is also a whole lot of fun.  So a lot of what we do while there are soccer drills and things like that going on, we’re doing a lot of playing around and laughing, and realizing that that’s what being healthy is about.  It’s not always work; most of the time it’s a lot of fun.

And that’s also why in connection with the Olympic and Paralympic Games that are coming up -- you guys know about that?  You know that we’re going to be in London competing with teams all across the world.  You know that?  And I’m going to be leading the delegation.  I’m not playing a sport or anything -- (laughter) -- I am not an Olympian.  But I get to lead the delegation that represents the United States. 

But as part of the Olympic Games, the U.S. Soccer Federation has made a really important commitment that I got to announce yesterday.  They’re going to be working to help increase opportunities for kids to get involved in a whole variety of sports, especially soccer.  Soccer has really stepped up. 

They’re going to be hosting more clinics and more after-school programs in cities all across the country so that more kids like you get exposure to opportunities that maybe normally you wouldn’t, or it gives you even a little more excitement to get even more committed into your sport. 

Because the Federation also knows and these guys up here know that being active and learning new skills doesn’t just help you become a better soccer player or a better athlete.  It gives you the energy that you need to keep you from getting sick, to do well in school, to be able to focus on your bigger dreams -- because there is life after soccer.  There is something more important than sports, and that’s becoming a well-rounded person.

And being healthy and eating the right foods, and staying active is a part of that.  And that’s what everybody here is trying to promote.  And that’s why I’m so pleased with our U.S. Olympic Federation and all the teams that have made a commitment to invest in kids like you across the country. 

So that’s one of the reasons why we’re here.  But we’re also here because this team, these guys, they wanted to talk to you.  They’re here because they were getting congratulations from the President, but they also said they wanted to talk to kids just like you.  And I’m really pleased that you guys are so interested in taking the time not just to play the game but to spend time with young people, talking to them about a whole range of things.  So they are here for you. 

And I’m going to leave and let them step up.  But feel free to ask them any kind of questions.  And I’ve already talked to you all -- you all are not shy.  None of them are.  Right?  So speak up, ask questions.  Ask about anything you have on your mind.  Don’t be nervous.  You’re at home.  And have fun, okay?  And keep playing hard, working hard, doing well in school, and eat your vegetables.  (Laughter.)  All right? 

All right, I’m going to get out of here and let these guys take over.  Thanks so much.  (Applause.)

END
3:19 P.M. EDT

President Barack Obama, with Chuck Canterbury, president, Grand Lodge Fraternal Order of Police, arrives at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service, an annual ceremony honoring law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in the previous year, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. May 15, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama was at the U.S Capitol today for a ceremony where he paid tribute to law enforcement officials who were killed in the line of duty in the previous year. The serive is part of the annual Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week. 

In his remarks, the President acknowledged and thanked the families of those who have fallen, and highlighted the courageous acts of those we lost. He also praised the bravery of all those who serve as law enforcement officers across our country:

Every American who wears the badge knows the burdens that come with it -- the long hours and the stress; the knowledge that just about any moment could be a matter of life or death.  You carry these burdens so the rest of us don’t have to. 

And this shared sense of purpose brings you together, and it brings you to our nation’s capital today.  You come from different states and different backgrounds and different walks of life, but I know that you come here as a community:  one family, united by a quiet strength and a willingness to sacrifice on behalf of others. 

The rest of us can never fully understand what you go through.  But please know that we hold you in our hearts -- not just today, but always.  We are forever in your debt.  And it is on behalf of all of us, the entire American people, that I offer my thoughts, my prayers, and my thanks.

Today more than 80 percent of U.S. exports of consumer and industrial products to Colombia become duty-free as part of the U.S. – Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. This includes agricultural and construction equipment, building products, aircraft and parts, fertilizers, information technology equipment, medical scientific equipment, and wood. Also, more than half of U.S. exports of agricultural commodities to Colombia become duty-free, including wheat, barley, soybeans, high-quality beef, bacon, and almost all fruit and vegetable products.

The agreement also provides significant new access to Colombia’s $180 billion services market, supporting increased opportunities for U.S. service providers. For example, Colombia agreed to eliminate measures that prevented firms from hiring U.S. professionals, and to phase-out market restrictions in cable television.

Prior to the enactment of this agreement, the average tariff that U.S. manufactured goods faced entering Colombia was 10.8 percent. With entry into force today, Colombia’s average tariff rate for manufactured goods from the United States has been reduced to 4 percent.

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2:12 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Everybody, please have a seat.  Have a seat.  Well, welcome to the White House, everybody.  And congratulations to the L.A. Galaxy on your third MLS Cup.  (Applause.)  Number three.   

Before we start, I want to acknowledge an L.A. native and my outstanding Secretary of Labor -- I don't know how her game is, but she's a fan.  Hilda Solis is here.  (Applause.)  We’ve got some proud members of the California delegation, the House of Representatives who are here.  We're thrilled to have them. 

I’m not going to flatter myself by assuming these cameras are for me.  (Laughter.)  I want to thank the Galaxy for letting me share in the spotlight.  (Laughter.)  The truth is, in America, most professional soccer players have the luxury of being able to walk around without being recognized.  But not these guys.  This is the Miami Heat of soccer.  (Laughter.)  And together, they represent one of the most talented lineups that MLS has ever seen.

You’ve got Robbie Keane, all-time leading scorer of the Irish national team.  (Applause.)  Cousin of mine.  (Laughter.)  Robbie arrived halfway through last season, scored his first goal in the first 21 minutes of his first game.  His teammates were so happy to have him that they filled his locker with what they called the "pleasures of Ireland" -- Guinness, Bailey’s, and Irish Spring.  (Laughter.)  Hopefully Robbie has broadened their horizons a little bit since then.

We also have a young up-and-comer on the team, a guy named David Beckham.  (Laughter.)  I have to say I gave David a hard time -- I said half his teammates could be his kids.  (Laughter.) We're getting old, David.  Although you're holding up better than me.  (Laughter.) 

Last year, at the age of 36, David had his best year in MLS, leading the team with 15 assists.  He did it despite fracturing his spine halfway through the season, injuring his hamstring the week before the championship game.  He is tough.  In fact, it is a rare man who can be that tough on the field and also have his own line of underwear.  (Laughter.)  David Beckham is that man.  (Laughter.) 

And then there’s the captain, Landon Donovan -- (applause)  -- who has done more for American soccer than just about anybody. Landon’s eye for the net, his will to win are legendary, and once again, he stepped up when his teammates needed him most.

After going undefeated at home last season, the Galaxy was struggling in the cold and rainy championship match.  But then, in the 72nd minute, David headed the ball to Robbie, who made a perfect pass to Landon, who chipped in the game-winner.  And that set off an all-night celebration in L.A. -- although my understanding is that David had to get up for carpool duty at 8 a.m. -- (laughter) -- so his day was ending a little early. 

So the big names came through in the clutch, but they didn’t do it alone.  For a group with so much firepower, this team shone on defense, recording 17 shutouts.  They were led by two local guys -- Omar Gonzalez -- give it up -- (applause) -- and      A.J. DeLaGarza -- (applause) -- who won a national championship at Maryland.  Now they've got another title to their resumes. 

And of course a lot of credit goes to Coach Bruce Arena.  He took this team from worst to first in just four years.  And I want to take this opportunity to apologize to Bruce.  When I called to congratulate him on winning the Cup, the team was in Indonesia; it was in the middle of the night.  Thank you for taking my call and acting like you actually wanted to talk to me. (Laughter.) 

So everyone who's a part of this club -- the staff, the players, the fans back in L.A. -- together you pulled off one of the toughest feats in team sports:  You lived up to the hype.  You combined star power, hard work; it paid off.  And I also want to thank you for doing a little Q&A with some of the younger players after we’re done.  As a soccer dad, I know you’ve inspired a lot of kids.  And today you’re giving them an experience that they will never forget. 

So, again, give a big round of applause to the L.A. Galaxy.  (Applause.)  Congratulations.  Best of luck this season.  (Applause.)
 
END             
2:20 P.M. EDT

Four years ago, Ed Prouty owned his own HVAC business in New Hampshire. It was tough going, business had dropped away as the economic downturn hit.

“We’re just hanging on,” Ed said back then. “This is the worst we’ve ever seen in the 25 years I’ve been in business.”

With the presidential election heating up that summer, Ed made a small donation to Barack Obama. He didn’t know it at the time, but that donation made Ed the 2 millionth donor to the 2008 campaign. A few weeks later, he got a phone call from the candidate himself.

Four years later, things have changed for Ed.

“My business improved as the economy improved, so much so that I was able to retire five months ago,” Ed explains. “I turned 66 and just knew it was time.

“But if it wasn’t for the upturn in the economy, Social Security, and Medicare, I wouldn’t have been able to retire, and neither would any of my friends.”

Ed now splits his time between Maine and his retirement home in Florida, where he’s enjoying the sunshine and some relaxation after running his own business for 29 years:

“It’s a wonderful, wonderful, place.”

Ed is clear about who he'll be voting for this November:

“When I think about where we were four years ago and where we are now, there’s no choice. Everyone knows that there’s more to improve, but if it hadn’t been for the decisions President Obama made, saving the autoworkers, rescuing the industry, we’d have ended up in the second Great Depression.

“He’s done a great job and we need to let him keep on that path.”

Four years ago, Ed stepped up and pitched in what he could afford, helping to elect Barack Obama. Now, you could be the 2 millionth donor to this campaign: make a donation of $3 or whatever you can afford today.

Donate

The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires high-level federal officials to publicly disclose their personal financial interests. The public filing system serves to prevent financial conflicts of interest by providing for a systematic review of the finances of government officials. Those finances are set forth in annual disclosures which are reviewed and certified by ethics officials.  Neither the President nor the Vice President have any conflicts of interest, and their reports have been reviewed and certified by the independent Office of Government Ethics. We are continuing this Administration's practice of posting these forms online here in the interests of transparency:

• View the President's 2011 financial disclosure report (pdf)
• View the Vice President's 2011 financial disclosure report (pdf)

White House staff are also completing their forms and we anticipate they will be available here next month, also in electronic form.

"I won't back down when it comes to defending the freedom of women. Change is a president who will stand up for choice."
—Barack Obama, September 20th, 2008

Four years ago, Barack Obama promised to stand up for women's health. Take a look at how he's followed through—then share this video with your friends and family.

There was no shortage of groups to sign up for or ways to get involved at the Alexandria field office opening in Virginia this weekend.

There was no shortage of groups to sign up for or ways to get involved at the Alexandria field office opening in Virginia this weekend.

During a visit with ABC’s “The View” yesterday, Whoopi Goldberg asked President Obama to talk about JPMorgan Chase’s recent trading losses, and how we can tackle risky dealings on Wall Street. The President said:

This is why we passed Wall Street reform. The whole point was that even if you’re smart, you can make mistakes. And since these banks are insured, backed up by taxpayers, we don’t want you taking risks where eventually we might end up having to bail you out again. Because we’ve done that, been there, didn’t like it … That’s exactly why Wall Street reform is so important.

Catch other highlights from the President’s interview with “The View” at ABC.com—then find out more about President Obama's record on Wall Street reform.

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Tuesday is the second day of National Women’s Health Week, and an opportunity for all women to prioritize their health well-being by scheduling annual screening and exams.

President Obama’s health reform law requires that new health insurance plans cover preventive services such as mammograms, pap smears, and well-woman visits with no co-pay or deductible. Because of this provision in the Affordable Care Act, more than 20.4 million women with private health insurance have received preventive health services at no additional cost.

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11:25 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  Thank you, Chuck, for that very kind introduction.  Chuck is a proud police officer, he’s the proud parent of a police officer, and he has dedicated his life to law enforcement and their families.  So I want to thank him for his extraordinary service.

I want to recognize the entire Fraternal Order of Police and its leadership, including Jim Pasco, for all your work on behalf of those who wear the badge.  I’d like to recognize FOP Auxiliary President Linda Hennie, all the members of the FOP Auxiliary, members of Congress including Speaker Boehner, Congressman Hoyer, and Senator Leahy, as well as members of my administration.  And most of all, I want to acknowledge and thank the families of those who have fallen.  

As Scripture tells us, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.    

Our country’s law enforcement officers use force when they have to.  They are well armed and they are well trained.  But they never forget that theirs is a mission of peace.  Their job is to keep the peace, to allow all of us to enjoy peace in our neighborhoods and for our families.  And today, with heavy hearts, we honor those who gave their lives in the service of that mission.  Their families are in our thoughts and prayers, as we remember the quiet courage of the men and women we have lost.
 
These are officers like Detective John Falcone, of Poughkeepsie, New York.  In February, Detective Falcone responded to a shot fired call on Main Street.  And when he arrived on the scene, he saw a man holding a gun with one hand, and a small child with the other.

In a situation like that, every instinct pushes us towards self-preservation.  But when the suspect fled, still holding the child, Detective Falcone didn’t think twice.  He took off in pursuit, and tragically, in the struggle that followed, he was shot and killed.  He is survived by his parents.

But there’s another survivor as well:  A three-year old child who might not be alive today had it not been for the sacrifice of a hero who gave his life for another. 

This willingness to risk everything for a complete stranger is extraordinary.  And yet, among our nation’s law enforcement officers, it is also commonplace.  Last summer, the North Platte River was running high near Douglas, Wyoming.  When a teenage girl got caught in the current, Deputy Bryan Gross, of the Converse County Sheriff’s Office, jumped in after her.

The girl was eventually pulled from the water, but Deputy Gross was swept away.  And he is survived by his wife, Amy.  Today, we remember a man who swore to protect his neighbors, and who kept that promise no matter what the cost.  
 
I suspect that at that moment, Deputy Gross wasn’t trying to be a hero; he was just doing his job.  You can find that bravery, the courage to do your duty, day in and day out, in so many officers across our country.

One of those officers was Deputy Sheriff Suzanne Hopper, from Clark County, Ohio.  Deputy Hopper was known as the “go-to person” in her department; no task was too large or too small.

And on New Year’s Day, 2011, Deputy Hopper arrived at a crime scene and began a preliminary investigation, just as she had done many times during her 12 years of service.  But as she was photographing evidence, a man opened the door of his trailer and fired at her with his shotgun, killing her.  And today, we remember not just a fine officer, but a wife, a mother, and a stepmother.
 
Like all those we honor today, Deputy Hopper is also survived by the fellow officers who she meant so much to, and who meant so much to her.  Last week, her childhood friend, Sergeant Kris Shultz, posted her flag at a memorial in Ohio.  He made a promise in her memory.  He said, “To honor her, we will keep going, and continue to do what we've done, no matter how hard it is at times.”

We will keep going.  There is no pledge that better honors the memory of those we have lost.  And there are no memories -- there are no words that better capture the unbreakable spirit of those who wear the badge.

Because even in the face of tragedy, I know that so many of you will return home and continue to do what you have always done.  Some of you will kiss your husbands or wives goodbye each morning, and send them out the door not knowing what might happen that day.  Some of you are children and parents, sisters and brothers, whose pride is mixed with worry.

And of course, there are the officers themselves.  Every American who wears the badge knows the burdens that come with it -- the long hours and the stress; the knowledge that just about any moment could be a matter of life or death.  You carry these burdens so the rest of us don’t have to.

And this shared sense of purpose brings you together, and it brings you to our nation’s capital today.  You come from different states and different backgrounds and different walks of life, but I know that you come here as a community:  one family, united by a quiet strength and a willingness to sacrifice on behalf of others.

The rest of us can never fully understand what you go through.  But please know that we hold you in our hearts -- not just today, but always.  We are forever in your debt.  And it is on behalf of all of us, the entire American people, that I offer my thoughts, my prayers, and my thanks.

May God shine a light upon the fallen and comfort the mourning.  May he protect the peacemakers who protect us every day.  And may he bless, now and forever, the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END               
11:33 A.M. EDT

The guiding principle behind VAWA and each of its subsequent reauthorizations has been an unyielding commitment to the notion that no sexual assault or domestic violence victim should be beaten, hurt or killed because they could not access the support, assistance and protection that they need.  In enacting VAWA in 1994, Congress acknowledged that the criminal justice system chronically failed to respond to the crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, too often blaming victims and refusing to hold offenders accountable as violent criminals.  In reauthorizing VAWA in 2000, Congress included new VAWA programs and provisions to help particularly vulnerable populations, including younger victims, immigrant victims, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.  In the 2005 reauthorization, Congress once again strengthened the Act to improve the health care response to domestic violence, to include a new focus on prevention, and to expand protections for children exposed to violence. 

This year, the VAWA reauthorization bill passed by the Senate in April would remove barriers faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) victims, whose needs often are overlooked by law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and victim service providers. LGBT victims experience domestic violence at roughly the same rate as the general population.  Nonetheless, recent surveys show that LGBT victims frequently are turned away when attempting to access services. For example, according to a 2010 survey by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 45% of LGBT victims were denied services when they sought help from a domestic violence shelter, and nearly 55% were denied protection orders. 

Without LGBT-specific training, criminal justice personnel often underestimate the physical danger involved in same-sex relationships or fail to identify a primary aggressor and instead arrest both victim and perpetrator.  Even well-intentioned service providers may generate outreach materials that do not accurately or fully reflect the experience of LGBT victims, and thus inadvertently discourage individuals who have suffered abuse from seeking needed care.  In all these cases, bias or a lack of understanding contributes to an environment where the needs of LGBT victims are underserved.

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“I know firsthand how important it is to support President Obama. I’m a member of the LGBT community, a breast cancer survivor, and I lost my job in the economic downturn. It doesn’t get any more personal than that. Going forward, the candidate that best serves my interests and concerns is Barack Obama.”
—Sherie

“I helped him get elected in 2008 and I certainly want to get him re-elected. I think he is doing a great job. Keeping us on the path that we are on is so important. As a labor person, and a union member, I want to work to elect someone who supports labor, and that is definitely President Obama.”
—Will

First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, and others watch as President Barack Obama signs the Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 (VOW to Hire Heroes Act) in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building South Court Auditorium, Nov. 21, 2011. The legislation provides tax credits to help put veterans back to work. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Last November, the President signed into law the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. Included in this law is a new program designed to help put veterans who aren’t eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill back to work – interested veterans can start to apply today!

The Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) offers up to 12 months of training assistance to unemployed veterans age 35-60. The re-training program will help our nation’s heroes gain meaningful training in a new skill that will increase their employability.

To qualify, a veteran must:

• Be at least 35 but no more than 60 years old
• Be unemployed on the day of application
• Have an other than dishonorable discharge
• Not be eligible for any other VA education benefit program (e.g.: the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Assistance)
• Not be in receipt of VA compensation due to unemployability
• Not be enrolled in a federal or state job training program

Participants may receive up to 12 months of assistance equal to the monthly full-time payment rate under the Montgomery GI Bill–Active Duty program (currently $1,473 per month). DOL will provide employment assistance to every Veteran who participates upon completion of the program. VA will begin accepting applications online starting May 15, 2012.

read more

5:56 P.M. EDT
 
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Well, first of all, let me thank Tony and Amie for hosting us here today.  Describing what it's like to have people move furniture out of six of your rooms -- (laughter) -- and I've been assured that it will all be put back where it was.  (Laughter.)
 
I want to thank all of you for being here.  And frankly, because this is a nice, intimate setting, I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking at the top; I want to spend most of the time answering your questions, taking your comments, having a conversation.
 
I tell you, though, I couldn't make the argument too much better than Tony just made it.  When I ran in 2008, it was based on the premise that America was built on the idea that anybody can make it if they try; that everybody gets a fair shot, everybody does their fair share, everybody plays by the same rules.  And that idea had been slipping away for too long.  So you'd seen a decade of sluggish job growth; incomes and wages had flatlined even as the cost of health care and college were going up.  And the question was, how do we restore that sense of balance?
 
Now, this is all before we had a sense that we were going to be experiencing the worst financial crisis and the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes.  And over the last three and a half years, obviously we have had extraordinary challenges -- challenges unlike any that we've seen.  And there are a lot of folks still hurting out there -- a lot of people who are still looking for work or underemployed; a lot of folks whose homes are still underwater; a lot of people who are fearful or anxious about the future.
 
But we've made progress.  The good news is, is that over the last two years we've created more than 4 million jobs -- a million jobs in the last six months -- close to the last six months alone.  We have been able to restore the greatness of the U.S. auto industry at a time when a lot of folks thought it would liquidate.  We've doubled clean energy production.  We've been able to start seeing manufacturing come back to our shores in a way that a lot of people hadn't anticipated.  The financial system, although it is still healing, is in obviously much better shape than it was back in 2007, 2008. 
 
So we've made some progress.  Now, the reason I'm running is we haven't made enough yet.  We still have a long way to go.  And this election is going to present as stark a choice in terms of visions for the future as any election that we've seen in a very long time.  I believe that the free market is the greatest wealth generator ever devised by man, and it's at the heart, at the core of who we are.  I think risk-takers and innovators should be rewarded.  I think all of us benefit from the freedom of free enterprise.
 
But if you look at our history, what we also realize is that what makes our markets work and what allows us then to go out and pursue our individual dreams is that there are some things we've done in concert.  There are some things that we've done as a common enterprise -- making sure that our schools are teaching our kids the skills that they need to compete in a new economy; making certain that we're investing in science and research so that the next medical breakthrough or the next great business idea takes root right here in the United States; making sure we're investing in roads and bridges and airports and broadband lines and wireless networks that allow -- that provide a platform for businesses and individuals to succeed; and making sure that we've got basic rules of the road in place so that the markets function in a transparent, clear way so that small investors have confidence if they invest on Wall Street they're not going to get bilked by somebody who has more information than them; that we make sure that our financial system is stable and that we're not going to tip over into a situation where, because of somebody's miscalculation or sometimes just because of panic, suddenly the whole system is at risk; making sure that we have a basic safety net so that seniors who have worked all their lives can count on Social Security and Medicare; that the most vulnerable among us are cared for through programs like Medicaid; and making sure that something like health care is not the luxury of a few, but is something that if people are playing by the rules and working hard they can count on, and they don't have to worry about losing their home because their child gets sick.
 
And in this campaign, what's going to be tested is whether that view, which says, yes, we believe in individual initiative and we believe in risk-taking and we believe in markets and entrepreneurship, but we also believe in doing some things together, because all of us prosper from that -- whether that's a better idea or the better idea is just, everybody is on their own; we slash taxes more for those of us who have been incredibly fortunate and blessed by this system; slowly those rungs on the ladder to upward mobility start to fray; people are left to fend for themselves.  There is a theory that that, somehow, is going to unleash the kind of growth that we imagine for this country.  And my argument is, is that we tried it and it doesn't work.  It's not good for the markets.  It's not good for business.  It's not good for consumers.  It's not good for our kids.  It's not good for our future.
 
And that's ultimately what this election is going to be about.  When you cut through all the other stuff -- there's going to be a lot of noise and a lot of day-to-day skirmishes and arguing -- but ultimately it's going to come down to, whose vision do you believe?  And I think we've got the facts and the evidence on our side.  And the fact that you're all here today tells me that you're interested in that same kind of vision -- one in which our kids succeed but, you know what, other people's kids succeed, too.  Because I think that will be a better America and a better world for our kids as well.
 
This is going to be a tough election.  This is going to be a close election precisely because there are folks out there who are still hurting.  But I'm pretty confident that if we work hard, if we stay true to that vision, that it's the one that the American people believe in as well.
 
So I'm grateful for your help.  I'm looking forward to your questions.  And I hope you are ready to get to work.  All right, thank you.  (Applause.)
 
END
6:04 P.M. EDT
 

85-year-old volunteer Vivian Carter and team leader Margaret Hagerman, friends and Obama organizers in Northwest Indiana

Team Gary in Northwest Indiana gets together every Saturday to volunteer—and while they’re all working hard to get President Obama re-elected, they have fun together, too. During a recent voter registration drive, new and veteran volunteers showed up to enjoy some coffee, show off their Obama 2012 buttons, and make some calls to folks in their community.

Listen in as team leaders Margaret and Vivian talk about how the Obama campaign is bringing people together in Gary.

Connect your local team and pitch in at this weekend’s voter registration drive, wherever you live.

Get involved

While Ohio volunteer teams were already hard at work for President Obama going into last week's rally, Andrew, a Wayne County field organizer, says the event definitely provided some motivation for the coming months:

"I know two of the volunteers actually got to shake hands with the President, so everyone's pretty hyped up about it. It was a great way to transition to our office opening—now, we're going to have this fun event and get down to business, and people are definitely fired up after that. I know I am.

"We were making calls all the time leading up to the rally, and then I headed to Columbus while the teams stayed back and kept up the phone banks. They were able to run on their own for a couple days, which was a great sign.

"Now we're focused on this Wednesday's office opening in Wooster. We're getting in touch with local organizations who might want to come out and support the campaign. We're just trying to reach out to as many people as we can to make sure everyone knows it's happening and has the opportunity to be there—which often comes down to making a lot of phone calls."

When asked why it's so important to open offices in cities across Ohio, Andrew explains:

"There are people out here who want to fight for the President just like we do in the big cities, and it's great to have a place where we can meet and get to know each other and have some fun. It's just about people getting together—whether you're in a rural area or an urban area.

"In Wooster and all over the state, we'll be working as hard as we can over the next six months to get the President re-elected. We always want to keep building and bringing people on board, letting them know that if you support President Obama, there's always an opportunity to get involved."

Join folks in Ohio and across the country this Saturday and Sunday for the Voter Registration Weekend of Action.

Find an event near you

4:12 P.M. CDT
 
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Wow!  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  See, now, usually when I come on stage I have to pull the mic up.  With Vince, one of the few people I have to pull the mic down for.
 
You all, thank you so much.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Let me tell you, I am beyond thrilled to be with all of you today.
 
Let me start by thanking Vince, not just for that kind introduction -- now, I feel bad now.  (Laughter.)  He was not with his mother to come introduce me.  I just love -- don’t you love him?   
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Let me tell you, my husband loves Vince Carter.  So he has just been amazing.  We are so proud of him not just for the athlete that he is, but for the citizen, the man, the father the role model.  Let's give him a round of applause.  (Applause.)
 
I also want to recognize a couple of other people.  Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson for her leadership -- who is here looking good -- and her service.  And I want to give a big shoutout to my dear friend and his family, Hall-of-Famer Emmitt Smith -- (applause) -- your family.  They are here.  They have just been amazing.  They brought their mentees with them, as well as their kids.  And they are just -- they have just been tremendous supporters and friends.  And I love you all so dearly.  I really do.
 
And finally, I want to thank all of you -- truly -- for taking the time out of what are I know busy lives to be with me today.  And I know that you all are here and busy, but I know you've got families to raise and jobs to do.  But there is a reason why you all have taken the time to be here, and it's not just because we all support one extraordinary man who is our President.  And I am biased.  (Applause.)  I think we have an amazing President. 
 
And it’s not just because we want to win an election -- which we do.  But we’re here because of the values we believe in.  We're here because of the vision for this country that we all share.  We’re doing this because we want all of our children to have good schools –- the kind of schools that push them, and inspire them, and prepare them for good jobs and an excellent future.  We want that for all our kids.
 
We want our parents and our grandparents to be able to retire with dignity because we believe that after a lifetime of hard work, these people who have given us everything should be able to enjoy their golden years.  (Applause.) 
 
We're here because we want to restore that basic middle-class security for all of our families because we believe that in America, folks shouldn’t go bankrupt because somebody gets sick, and that folks shouldn’t lose their home because someone loses a job.  Not in America.  We believe that responsibility should be rewarded, and hard work should pay off.  And we believe that everyone should do their fair share and play by the same rules. 
 
These are basic American values -- basics.  They’re the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.  As many of you know, my father was a blue-collar city worker, worked for the city water plant his entire life.  My father grew up -- my family grew up on the South Side of Chicago in a little-bitty apartment -- South Side!  South Side!  (Laughter.)  And neither of my parents had the chance to go to college. 
 
But let me tell you something they did do, which was just as important -- they saved and they sacrificed, and, let me tell you, they poured everything they had into me and my brother because they wanted us to have the kind of education they could only dream of. 
 
And while pretty much all of my college tuition came from student loans and grants, my Dad still had to pay a small portion of that tuition himself.  And every semester, he was determined to pay his portion on time.  My Dad was so proud to be sending his kids to college, and he could not bear the thought of me or my brother missing that registration deadline because his check was late.  Like so many people that we all know in this country, my father took great pride in being able to earn a living that allowed him to handle his business, his responsibilities to his family, to pay all of his bills and to pay them on time.  That’s what gave him a sense of being.
 
And really, more than anything else, that is what’s at stake in this election.  That’s what we're fighting for.  It’s that fundamental promise that no matter who you are or how you started out, if you work hard you can build a decent life for yourself -- and an even better life for your kids.  It is that promise that binds us together as Americans.  That is it.  That’s what makes us who we are. 
 
And from now until November, let me tell you, Barack needs all of you to get out there and tell everyone you know about our values, about our vision, and about everything that’s at stake in this election.  That’s what we need you to do.
 
You can start by telling them about how Barack fought for tax cuts for working families and small businesses, because an economy built to last starts with the middle class and with folks who are creating jobs and putting people back to work.  (Applause.)  I want you to remind people how back when Barack first took office -- remember -- our economy was losing an average of 750,000 jobs a month.  That’s what he inherited.  But let them know that for the past 26 months, we’ve actually been gaining private sector jobs –- a total of more than 4 million jobs in two years.  (Applause.)  Make sure they know that. 
 
So while -- let's be clear -- we still have a long way to go to rebuild our economy, we still have more work to do, today, millions of people are collecting a paycheck again.  Millions of people like my dad are able to pay their bills again.  Make sure they know that.
 
You can also remind people about how so many folks in Washington were telling Barack to let the auto industry go under with more than a million jobs on the line.  Remember that?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  But what happened?  Your President had the backs of American workers.  He put his faith in the American people.  And today, as a result, the auto industry is back on its feet again and people are back to work, providing for their families again.  (Applause.)  Make sure people understand.
 
You can tell people how, because we passed health reform, insurance companies will have to cover preventative care -- things like contraception, cancer screenings, prenatal care at no extra cost.  (Applause.)  Because of health reform, millions of our senior citizens have saved an average of more than $600 a year on their prescription drugs.  Make sure they understand that.  And because of that reform, our kids can now stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26 years old.  And that is now how 2.5 million of our young people are now getting the health care they need.  2.5 million.  (Applause.)  
 
You can tell people how Barack is working to raise standards in our public schools and make college more affordable for millions of young people so by the end of this decade, more Americans will have a college degree than any other country in the world.  That’s his vision for this country.  (Applause.)  

You can tell people how Barack has been fighting hard for the DREAM Act because he believes that it’s time to stop denying citizenship to responsible young people just because they’re the children of undocumented immigrants.  (Applause.) 
 
You can remind folks that Barack kept his promise to bring our troops home from Iraq.  (Applause.)  And remind them about how our brave men and women in uniform finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks.  Let them know, remind them.  And we need you all to make sure you tell them that our troops no longer have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love because Barack finally ended "don't ask, don't tell."  (Applause.)
 
You can tell people that it’s now easier for women to get equal pay for equal work, and that’s because of the very first bill he signed into law -- the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  Remind them about that.  And let them know that Barack signed this bill because he knows that closing that pay gap can mean the difference between women losing $50, $100, $500 from every paycheck, or having that money in their pockets to buy gas and groceries, and put clothes on the backs of their kids.  You let them know that Barack did this because when so many women in this country are now breadwinners for our families, women’s success in this economy is the key to families’ success in this economy.  (Applause.)  They have to understand. 
 
And finally, don’t forget to tell them about those two brilliant Supreme Court Justices Barack appointed, and how for the first time in history our daughters and our sons watched three women take their seats on our nation’s highest court.  (Applause.)
 
But also let people know that all of that -- and more -- is what's at stake this November.  It's all on the line.  In the end, it all boils down to one simple question:  Will we continue the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made?  Or will we allow everything we’ve fought for to just slip away? 
 
I mean, we in here, we know what we need to do, right?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  We cannot turn back now.  We need to keep moving forward, keep moving forward.  (Applause.) 
 
And more than anything else, that’s what we’re working for –- the chance to finish what we started; the chance to keep fighting for the values we believe in and the vision we all share.  That’s what my husband has been doing every single day as President. 
 
And let me tell you something -- over the past three and a half years, I have had the chance to see up close and personal what being President looks like.  (Laughter.)  So let me share something with you.  I’ve seen how the issues that come across a President’s desks -- always the hard ones.  The problems with no easy solutions; the judgment calls where the stakes are so high, and there is no margin for error.  I have seen this.
 
And as President, you're going to get all kinds of advice and opinions -- I tell you -- from all kinds of people.  Going to flood you.  But at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as President, all you have to guide you are your life experiences, are your values, is that vision.  That’s all you have in the end. 
 
In the end, when you’re making those impossible choices, it all boils down to who you are and what you stand for.  And we all know who my husband is, don't we? 
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  And we certainly all know what he stands for.  (Applause.)
 
He’s the son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills.  That’s who Barack is.  He’s the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn every day to catch a bus to a job at the bank -- his grandmother.  And she worked hard to help support his family, and she was good at her job.  But like so many women she hit that glass ceiling, and men no more qualified than she was were promoted up the ladder ahead of her. 
 
So let me tell you something -- Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.  He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential.  And today, as a father, let me tell you, he knows what it means to want desperately something better for your kids.  Those are the experiences that have made him the man and the President he is today, and we are blessed to have him.  (Applause.)
 
So remind people of that.  Remind people that when it comes time to stand up for the American workers and American families, you know what my husband is going to do.  When it's time to make that choice about protecting our rights and our freedoms, you know where Barack stands.  And when we need a leader to make those hard decisions to keep this country moving forward, you know you can count on Barack Obama, because that is what he’s been doing every single day as President of the United States.  He has proven. 
 
But I have said this before, and I will say it again, and again, and again -- he cannot do this alone.  Barack needs your help. 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes, we can!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Yes, we can.  Yes, we must.  Yes, we must.  
 
He needs you to make those calls.  He needs you -- more importantly -- to register those voters.  He needs you to take those “I’m in” cards -- because I know you've got them.  Take them.  Use them.  Sign up your friends and your neighbors and your colleagues.  Sign them up.  Convince them to join you in giving just a little part of their lives each week to this campaign -- just a little bit. 
 
And as Barack has said, this election will be even closer than the last one -- that you can count on.  And what I want you all to know and really understand -- if you have any doubt about the difference that you can make, I just want you to remember that in the end, this election could all come down to those last few thousand people we register to vote.  That is true.  It could all come down to those last few thousand folks we help get to the polls on November the 6th. 
 
And I just want you to think for a minute about what these kinds of numbers mean when they’re spread out over an entire state.  It might mean that registering just one more person in your community.  It means that helping just one more person get out and vote on Election Day.  That could be the difference -- one more person.   
 
So consider this as you're working and as you're bringing people into the fold and you're multiplying yourselves.  With every door you knock on, with every event you host, with every conversation that you have, I want you to remember that this could be the one that makes the difference.  Think like that -- this could be the one.  Because that is the kind of impact that each of us can have.  That’s why we invest so much time in our grassroots work and people on the ground connecting, and talking, and explaining, and reminding, and educating, and giving people the information that they need.  Because all it takes, potentially, is one more person from each of you -- one more person.
 
But I’m not going to kid you, this journey is going to be long and it is absolutely going to be hard, and there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way.  But just understand that that is how change always happens in this country.  It always happens that way.  Real change can be slow, but if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, keep doing what we know is right, then eventually we’ll get there.  You know why?  Because we always do.  We always have, we always do, we always will.  Maybe not in our lifetimes -- remember this -- but maybe in our children’s lifetimes, maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes. 
 
Because in the end, when it's all said and done, that’s what this is all about.  That’s what I think about when I tuck my girls in at night.  I think about the world that I want to leave for them.  Everything I do is for the next generation -- all these kids in this room.  It is about them.
 
I think about how I want to do for them what my Dad did for me, and so many who came before.  I want to give them a foundation for their dreams.  I want to give them opportunities worthy of their promise.  I want to give them that sense of limitless possibility –- all of our kids -- that belief that here in America, there’s always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it.  (Applause.)  That’s what we're doing for our kids.  That is our vision.  (Applause.)  
 
So let me tell you something Dallas, we can’t turn back now.  (Applause.)  We have come so far, but we have so much more to do for our children.
 
So let me ask you one last question:  Are you in?
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Are you -- no, no -- are you in in?  (Laughter.)  I mean, are you ready to roll up your sleeves and work, and talk, and get people signed up, and call on the phone, and talk to the people who don’t want to talk to you, and convince the neighbor that doesn’t understand?  Are you ready to do that work?  Are you ready to find 10 more people like you -- all the kids out there, there's stuff you can do, right?  Young people, talk to your parents.  Make sure they're registered to vote.  This is about your future right?  We are fighting for you. 
 
So if you're in, I'm way in.  If you haven't noticed, I am so far in.  (Laughter.)   
 
So I hope that all of you are fired up.  (Applause.) I hope you all are ready to go.  I cannot wait to see you out there in the campaign trail in the weeks and months ahead.
 
Thank you all for your prayers, your love, your work.  (Applause.)  God bless you all.
 
END
4:32 P.M. CDT

“I need to sit down…”

That’s what Beth, a teacher in New Jersey, said when she found out she was one of the grassroots supporters who had won the chance to meet President Obama at a fundraiser at George Clooney’s house.

Karen, a working mom in Florida, got that call, too:

Karen: “I didn’t want to get my hopes up! But when we knew for certain, it was nerve-wracking, and exciting.”

Beth: “When we got on the plane it was the best feeling ever. But I had trouble sleeping—I was smiling too much to sleep! My husband was just as excited. He always voted Republican until Barack Obama. He admires the President so much, and he’s been really frustrated by Republican road-blocking.

“When we arrived at George Clooney’s and we were introduced as the contest winners, a bunch of guests immediately came running up to take pictures with us! Oh my goodness, what a crazy twist. Jerry said right away, ‘I see George Clooney; lets thank him for making this possible.’ Jerry’s the kind of guy who can talk to anyone about anything, and they hit it off.”

Karen, who brought her husband Patrick along, had been thinking about what they wanted to say to the President from the moment they heard about the contest.

Karen: “I wanted to thank President Obama for having courage to pursue the presidency as a person of color—and for then staying true to what he wanted to do from the very beginning, making America a place where everyone has the same opportunities.

“When the President arrived, we went into George Clooney’s living room. The anticipation of actually meeting him … I didn’t want to mess up! But the President was so calm and down to earth, it put us right at ease.”

Beth: “It was like meeting a friend. As a teacher, I thanked him for his STEM initiatives. And we talked about his daughters, what sports they’re in, and how he misses having time with them now that they’re older and busy with activities. He said when they run into the house they go blasting by and give him a peck on the cheek. The day before we left the President spoke out in support of gay marriage, and when I saw how he talked about his daughters’ reaction … it’s neat that he cared about how they see the world.”

Karen: “After we chatted we took some group pictures. My mom and my dad both have pictures of the Obama family on their mantles—I think they cut them out from somewhere—and I’m so happy I can give them a real picture of the President now. As Floridians, my husband and I are ready to do our part—we’re talking about hosting a grassroots fundraising party at our home sometime soon.”

Beth: “In his speech during the dinner, the President said we can’t be complacent—that the last election was like lightning in a bottle, and that it can’t happen the same way twice. People need to be involved now more than ever.”

Volunteer

4:40 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you!  (Applause.)  Well, it is wonderful to be with all of you.  There are a couple of special acknowledgements I want to make.  First of all, I just want to thank Ricky Martin for being here today.  (Applause.)  Those of you who haven’t caught “Evita” yet, go out there.  I’m sure there’s still tickets available.  (Laughter.)  But you know that he’s going to be spectacular in it.  And I’m so grateful for him stepping out and being willing to support me in this way.

I want to thank Donald and Shelley Rubin for not only making this extraordinary event possible, but all that they’ve done for the civic life of New York.  Please give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.)

I want to thank Raj Goyale, who helped to put this together.  And he’s got two beautiful daughters, one of whom he’s still holding like this, and it’s -- (laughter) -- it reminds me of when Malia and Sasha were like this, and now they're like this.  (Laughter.)  But I want to thank Raj for this.

Your outstanding Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman is in the house, so please give him a big round of applause as well.  (Applause.) 

So we’ve been busy.  (Laughter.)  We’ve got a few things to do here.  I’m here to ask for your help, but I’m also here because your country needs your help.  When we ran four years ago I think we all understood that the campaign wasn’t just about me.  It was about the commitment we made to each other to make sure that this country lived up to the meaning its creed.  The idea that all of us, if we worked, if we tried, we could make it here in America -- regardless of what we look like, where we came from, who we loved, what our surnames were; the notion that those basic values of responsibility and hard work, of giving back, that that’s what built this country and we built it together.  And we felt like we had lost some of those core values.

When I was first elected, we were looking backwards at a decade of manufacturing moving overseas and the middle class struggling with flat wages and flat incomes, even though the cost of everything from college to health care had been skyrocketing.  We had seen recklessness by some on Wall Street, almost bringing the economy to its knees.  An auto industry that was on the verge of collapse.  A foreign policy that had not gained us the kind of respect that we needed in the world, and had cost us over a trillion dollars.

And so we understood we had a lot of work to do.  And the month that I took office we were losing 800,000 jobs that month, and we had already lost 4 million, and we’d lose another 3 million after that.  And so these have been tough times.  It’s been tough times for the country, tough times for a lot of families all across America.

But the good news is the American people have proven to be tougher.  And so for all the challenges that we’ve gone through, we have seen families across America willing to cut back on things they didn’t need, to make sure that they were looking after their kids and doing the things that they did needed to do.  There were some people who had to go back and retrain because the industries that they were in were no longer operating at that same capacity.  We’ve seen businesses that had to scale back but did everything they could to keep their workers.

And because of all these individuals efforts and, frankly, some tough but good decisions that we made early on, we’re weathering this storm and we’ve seen the country start to come back.  Four million jobs created over the last two years alone.  Just in the last six months, over a million jobs.  The auto industry all the way back, so that GM is now once again the biggest carmaker in the world and producing better cars, because we doubled fuel efficiency standards on cars so that by the middle of the next decade everybody is going to be getting 55 miles a gallon, and that will save the average family about $8,000.  And we’ll be taking a whole bunch of carbon out of the atmosphere so that we can make sure that all these wonderful kids who are in attendance are inheriting a planet that hasn’t been wrecked because we didn't take the proper decisions.  (Applause.)

We’ve doubled our production of clean energy, even as our oil production is higher and our imports of oil from other countries are lower. 

We ended the war in Iraq as promised, and we’re now winding down the war in Afghanistan.  (Applause.)

And so we’ve done a lot over these last three and a half years to make sure that the country was able to manage through this crisis that we have not seen in our lifetimes before.  But we -- I did not just run and you didn't just support me just to get back to the status quo.  And we know that there are still families out there that are having a tough time, people whose homes are still underwater.  We still know that there are too many children all across America who don't have the kind of opportunities that we want them to have and that America needs them to have.

And so we now come to this point, this election where the American people are going to have a choice, and this choice is going to be as important as any choice that we’ve made in a very long time; in some ways, more important than 2008 -- because we’ve got a very clear contrast this time. 

John McCain believed in climate change and believed in immigration reform.  On some issues, there was a sense of independence.  What we’ve got this time out is a candidate who said he’d basically rubber-stamp a Republican Congress who wants us to go backwards and not forwards on a whole range of issues.

They’ve got an economic theory that basically says the only way to grow the economy is to slash everybody’s taxes further, especially the wealthiest Americans, to dismantle government in so many ways.  And that somehow, if everybody -- the most powerful in our society are left to do whatever it is that they want, that somehow we’re going to be better off.

And we’ve just got a completely different vision about how America has succeeded.  And it’s rooted in fact and it’s rooted in history.  (Laughter.)  It’s based on what we’ve seen, because the ideas that they're putting forward have been tried.  We tried them between 2000 and 2008, and it resulted in the most sluggish job growth that we’ve ever seen, resulted in all kinds of phony financial profits and debt, and resulted in the worst financial crisis and economic crisis we’ve seen since the 1930s.  So we -- it’s not as if they're offering any new ideas.  They're basically saying you’re on your own, and when everybody is on their own, somehow we’re better off.

And we’ve got a contrasting vision that says we are stronger together; that America was built together; that all of us have responsibilities; that we thrive in a free market where risk takers and innovators are rewarded for taking a bet, taking a chance.  But we also understand that we grew because we made a decision at some point we were going to have public schools where every kid -- immigrants who showed up here in New York City fleeing wars in Europe, that they could come here and suddenly go into a public school and learn, and end up winning Nobel prizes and starting Fortune 500 companies.  That was how we built this country.

We built this country around the idea that everybody should have access to a great college education.  And so, as a consequence, we set up -- President Lincoln, the first Republican President, set up land grant colleges all across this country, where the kid of a farmer could suddenly go and learn something new, and all of us would become more productive because of it.

This country was built because together we built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Interstate Highway System.  That's how we sent a man to the moon, that's how the Internet was invented -- because we did these things together.

My grandfather went to college on the GI Bill because we understood that that would help make everybody rich.  We didn't do those things just because it was good for one group or one individual.  We did it because we understood that when everybody has got a shot, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, we all do better.  And that's what’s at stake in this election.  Those are the contrasting visions.  And we know which direction this country needs to go in.

This is a country that needs to invest in clean energy because we don't need to be subsidizing big oil companies to the tune of $4 billion a year.  We need to double down on solar and wind and biofuels that are going to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and clean up our environment.  We know that it’s important for us to make sure that young people are able to afford to go to college -- everybody, not just some.

We know that we have to invest in science and technology and stem cell research, and all the things that can help lead to amazing medical and scientific breakthroughs.  We know that we’ve got to rebuild this country, which is why I want to spend half of the money that we’re saving on wars we’re no longer fighting to build our roads and our bridges and our airports. 

And we also know that if we’re going to restore a sense of middle-class security, that we’ve got to make sure that we’re rewarding businesses that are investing here in the United States, not businesses that are shipping jobs overseas.  We know these things. 

And we can do it.  And we can do it in a balanced way.  And one of the big arguments we’re going to have over the next four or five months is, how do we pay for stuff?  And I happen to believe that it makes sense for us to make these investments, to make sure that Social Security and Medicare are still there for the next generation; to make sure that we’re not kicking poor kids and people with disabilities, and seniors who don’t have any other means off of Medicaid just to balance our budgets.  I think that I can afford to pay a little bit more and, frankly, some of the people in this room can afford to pay a little bit more, so that we can bring down our debts in a responsible way -- cutting out waste, cutting out programs that don’t work anymore, but also making sure that everybody is paying their fair share.

And at root, so much of this has to do with a belief that not only are we all in this together, but all of us are equal in terms of dignity and in terms of respect, and everybody deserves a shot.  (Applause.)  So part of what we’ve been spending a lot of time doing is just making sure that those ideals that we profess are made real. 

The first bill I signed, the Lilly Ledbetter Act -- a simple proposition -- equal pay for equal work.  I don’t want my daughters treated differently than my sons.  (Applause.)  That’s the reason why we’re fighting for comprehensive immigration reform -- because I believe that a child who’s here, raised with our kids, playing with our kids, has as much talent as our kids, the notion that somehow they would not have the capacity, the ability to proclaim themselves Americans and to fulfill their American Dream -- that’s not who we are and that’s not what we’re about.  (Applause.)

The announcement I made last week about my views on marriage equality -- same principle.  The basic idea -- I want everybody treated fairly in this country.  We have never gone wrong when we expanded rights and responsibilities to everybody.  That doesn’t weaken families; that strengthens families.  (Applause.)  It’s the right thing to do.

On each and every one of these issues there is a fundamental difference between the candidates.  And when we passed health care reform, we did it because a country this wealthy, we shouldn’t have 30 million people without health insurance.  That’s not an efficient way to go.  We shouldn’t have people showing up at emergency rooms that we end up having to pay for indirectly because we couldn’t give them preventive care.  I don’t want women being charged more than men for their ailments.  That’s not right.  I want to make sure that seniors who have been paying into Medicare, that they’ve got Medicare that they can count on in their Golden Years.  (Applause.)  And we’ve got to make some changes, but we’re not going to voucherize that program. 

It’s been said that this election is going to be about values, and I absolutely agree.  It’s about the economic values we have, about the values that I believe are what makes America so special -- the idea that everybody gets a fair shot, everybody does their fair share, everybody plays by the same set of rules.  So everything we do -- from Wall Street reform, making sure that banks aren’t taking risks with other people’s money that taxpayers may have to end up bailing out later, to repealing DOMA -- (applause) -- to getting the DREAM Act passed, to investing in our schools, to rebuilding manufacturing in America -- all of these things are designed to make sure that we’re restoring middle-class security for all those folks out there that are struggling for their small portion of the American Dream.

And the good news is I think the American people are on our side on this.  When you ask them specifically about all these issues, they ultimately choose the vision that I’m presenting over the one that the other side is presenting.  The only thing that’s holding us back is the fact that things are still tough out there.  There are still too many people without work, and there are still too many people who are struggling to get by even if they’ve got work. 

And what’s also going to make this a very close race is the fact that you’ve got special interests and these super PACs that are spending money on negative ads in unprecedented ways.  And their message is going to be very simple:  You’re frustrated, you’re dissatisfied, and it’s Obama’s fault.  You can boil down the message.  (Laughter.)  We were traveling around trying to prevent a doubling of student loan rates, and the Republicans said, he’s trying to distract from the economy.  Well, now, the last I checked, making sure our kids got a good education and weren’t loaded down with debt, that had something to do with our economy.  But what they really meant was, this distracts from our basic argument that you’re frustrated and it’s Obama’s fault.  (Laughter.)  And they will spend hundreds of millions of dollars trying to drill that home. 

But I’m not worried.  And the reason I’m not worried is because of you -- because I believe that if we are getting our message out effectively, if we are describing not only what we’ve done over the last three and half years; not only the 2.5 million young people who have health insurance who wouldn’t otherwise have it because they can stay on their parents’ plan; not just everything that we’ve done to make sure that we’re changing the rules on things like people being able to visit their loved ones in hospitals; not just everything that we’ve done in terms of restoring the auto industry -- but when we describe what we plan to do for the future, if we can get that message out effectively, I believe we’ll win.  But more importantly, the country will win. 

But I’m going to need all of you.  This is going to be a tough race.  It is going to be a tight race.  Nobody should be taking this for granted, especially when I come to New York sometimes people go around and say, I don't know anybody who is not supporting you, Barack.  (Laughter.)  I say, you live in Manhattan, man.  (Laughter.)

This is going to be a challenging race.  But we can win as long as all of you are activated, as long as all of you are motivated, as long as you’re doing everything you can -- not just making phone calls, not just raising money, but I want folks out hitting the streets, knocking on doors, talking to your family, talking to your friends.

In 2008, a lot of people were skeptical, but we showed them that when ordinary folks are motivated, they can't be stopped.  When they decide it’s time for change to happen, change happens.  And that's going to happen this time as well.

I used to say in 2008, I’m not a perfect man and I’m not going to be a perfect President, but I’d always tell you what I thought, I always would tell you where I stood, and I’d work every single day -- every day I would wake up thinking about how I could make your lives better and making sure that every kid out there has the same kind of amazing possibilities that Malia and Sasha have.  And that promise I’ve kept.

So I still believe in you.  I hope you still believe in me.  And if you do, I’m absolutely positive we’re going to win this election.  (Applause.)

Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless America. 

END
5:01 P.M. EDT

Frank Paul Geraci, Jr., of New York, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of New York, vice David G. Larimer, retired.

Fernando M. Olguin, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California, vice Jacqueline H. Nguyen, elevated.

“I am honored to put forward these highly qualified candidates for the federal bench,” President Obama said.  “They will be distinguished public servants and valuable additions to the United States District Court.”

Judge Frank Paul Geraci, Jr.: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Western District of New York
Judge Frank Paul Geraci, Jr. has served as a Monroe County Court Judge in Rochester, New York since 1999, where he primarily handles criminal felony matters.  From 1992 through 1998, he was a judge on the Rochester City Court, where he presided over various types of civil cases, criminal misdemeanors, and pre-trial felony matters.  Judge Geraci was a partner at the Law Firm of Geraci & Feldman from 1987 until his election to the bench.  Previously, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of New York from 1983 to 1987 and as a Special Assistant District Attorney in the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office from 1978 to 1983.  Judge Geraci received his J.D. in 1977 from the University of Dayton Law School and his B.A. in 1973 from the University of Dayton. 

Judge Fernando M. Olguin: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California
Judge Fernando M. Olguin currently serves as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California, a position he has held since 2001.  Previously, he spent six years as a named partner in the firm of Traber, Voorhees & Olguin, where he primarily handled housing and employment matters.  From 1994 to 1995, he was the Education Program Director at the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund.   Judge Olguin was a Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice from 1991 to 1994.  He began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Carl A. Muecke of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.  Judge Olguin received his J.D. and M.A. in 1989 from the University of California at Berkeley and his B.A. with honors in 1985 from Harvard University.

President Barack Obama sits with Barnard College President Debora Spar, left, and Chairwoman Jolyne Caruso-Fitzgerald before he delivers a commencement address for Barnard College graduates at Columbia University in New York, May 14, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

This afternoon, President Obama offered some advice to the 2012 graduates of Barnard College in New York:

After decades of slow, steady, extraordinary progress, you are now poised to make this the century where women shape not only their own destiny but the destiny of this nation and of this world.

But how far your leadership takes this country, how far it takes this world -- well, that will be up to you. You’ve got to want it. It will not be handed to you. And as someone who wants that future -- that better future -- for you, and for Malia and Sasha, as somebody who’s had the good fortune of being the husband and the father and the son of some strong, remarkable women, allow me to offer just a few pieces of advice. That's obligatory. Bear with me.

My first piece of advice is this:  Don’t just get involved.  Fight for your seat at the table.  Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.

Barnard is one of the famous "Seven Sisters" -- private female liberal arts colleges founded to offer first class education to women before many elite institutions allowed their admittance. It counts Maya Soetoro-Ng, President Obama's sister, among its alumni.

This was President Obama's first commencement address of 2012. You can read his full remarks here.

After decades of slow, steady, extraordinary progress, you are now poised to make this the century where women shape not only their own destiny but the destiny of this nation and of this world.

But how far your leadership takes this country, how far it takes this world -- well, that will be up to you. You’ve got to want it. It will not be handed to you. And as someone who wants that future -- that better future -- for you, and for Malia and Sasha, as somebody who’s had the good fortune of being the husband and the father and the son of some strong, remarkable women, allow me to offer just a few pieces of advice. That's obligatory. Bear with me.

My first piece of advice is this:  Don’t just get involved.  Fight for your seat at the table.  Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.

Barnard is one of the famous "Seven Sisters" -- private female liberal arts colleges founded to offer first class education to women before many elite institutions allowed their admittance. It counts Maya Soetoro-Ng, President Obama's sister, among its alumni.

This was President Obama's first commencement address of 2012. You can read his full remarks here.

Ugandan and other regional forces continue to pursue the LRA and keep its leadership on the run.  The United States joins regional governments and the African Union in calling on abductees and remaining members of the LRA to depart the ranks of the LRA and peacefully surrender.  Support is available to help those who defect and peacefully surrender to return to their home communities and build a new life.

While the capture of Acellam is an important step forward, the LRA continues to pose a deadly threat to civilians.  The United States is committed to supporting the people and governments of the region in their collective efforts, in coordination with the African Union and United Nations, to protect civilians and end this threat.  A small number of U.S. military advisors continue to assist Uganda and other regional forces pursuing the LRA and seeking to protect local populations.  As President Obama has said, “it is part of our regional strategy to end the scourge that is the LRA, and help realize a future where no African child is stolen from their family and no girl is raped and no boy is turned into a child soldier.”

2:42 P.M. CDT
 
 
MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you so much, everyone.  Wow.  I've never been introduced as an athlete, so that’s pretty cool.  But it's a little intimidating with you guys up here.  But I want to thank you, Natalie. 
 
I am thrilled to be here with all of you today.  I want to, again, start by thanking Natalie for that very kind introduction.  I also want to recognize Scott Blackmun, the U.S. Olympic Committee, the Partnership for a Healthier America, and, of course, all of the phenomenal athletes who have taken the time to be with us here today.  Thanks to all of you for your hard work, your advocacy, and your leadership in connection with this year's Olympic and Paralympic Games.
 
I am beyond proud to be leading the U.S. delegation to the opening ceremonies in London this summer.  And I want you to know that I'll be doing this both as a First Lady who is honored to represent my country, and I'll be doing it as a lifelong Olympic fan.
 
See, one of my happiest memories center around watching the Olympic Games on TV when I was a little girl -- cheering on Mary Lou and Nadia and Carl Lewis, and so many others.  And like so many young people, I was awed and inspired by those athletes, and as I watched their amazing feats of speed and endurance and grace I would dream about how maybe one day, if I worked hard enough, I too could achieve something great.

So when I'm sitting in that stadium in London cheering on Team U.S.A., I'll be thinking about all those young people cheering them on at home.  I’ll be thinking about the power of the Games to truly inspire a generation, and I'll be thinking about how our Olympic and Paralympic athletes can serve as role models for our young people; as examples of the values we want our kids to learn. 
 
This summer, our children will learn the stories of athletes like Jessica Long, a Paralympic swimmer.  As a child, Jessica watched other kids walking up and down a hill in her neighborhood park and she spent an entire day practicing on her prosthetic legs, falling down over and over again until she could climb that hill too.  Her advice to others about how to succeed is very simple.  She says:  "You have to practice.  You will have days when you hate it, and days when you love it.  But you have to stick with it." 
 
And then there's John Orozco, a gymnast from the Bronx who I just got to meet today.  Starting when he was just nine years old, John's mother would drive him an hour or more each way to the gym, six or seven days a week, and he would often practice until 9 at night and then stay up past midnight to finish his homework.  He soon began working at the gym between practices to make money, and when he received his first paycheck, I understand he turned it over to his parents and he told them, he said, "Here Dad.  Put this in for the mortgage."
 
This summer, so many athletes like Jessica and John will show our young people that the Olympic and Paralympic Games aren't just about who wins the gold or who sets a new record.  They're about trying to your hardest and triumphing over adversity, and helping others do the same.  And thanks to the commitments from the U.S. Olympic Committee and 10 of its governing bodies, this year, young people will be learning those values for themselves in schools and parks and athletic facilities all across this country. 
 
Now, when we first met with these organizations, we challenged them to commit to helping 1 million kids get active in their communities.  So that was our first target -- one million kids.  And of course, we thought that was pretty ambitious.  But let me tell you, they not only met that goal, they added another 700,000 more to that commitment.  So this year, 1.7 million young people will be participating in Olympic and Paralympic sports in their communities. 
 
Many of these kids will be playing sports for the very first time, or some of these sports for the very first time.  And that is so important, because sometimes, as all of you know, all it takes is that first lesson or that first clinic or that first class to get a child excited about a new sport.  All it takes is one opportunity, and once they're engaged, that’s when coaches and instructors can step in and become mentors.  That’s when discipline and teamwork can become daily lessons.  That’s when being active can become a lifelong habit.
 
So today, I want to thank all of the organizations who have made such important commitments to our young people.  And I hope that they will keep expanding on their programming all across this country.  It is so important to so many of our kids who could be the next Olympians, the next ones standing on this stage.
 
So I want to also thank our Olympians and our Paralympians for being such tremendous role models.  You can tell when you first meet these folks with one meeting that there's a special something there.  And I hope that they will keep working with our young people, and keep inspiring them to reach their fullest potential.
 
And most of all, I want to thank all the parents and all the caregivers out there who are encouraging our children to be active every day.  Because we all know that in the end, we as parents are our children's first and best role models.  No matter what they see on TV, in the end, it is up to us to make sure that they grow up healthy. 
 
And this summer, my hope is that together with our children, we can support Team U.S.A. not just by cheering them on, but by striving to live up to the example they set.  In the end, some of these athletes, again, will bring home the gold.  But let me tell you something -- all of them will make our country proud.  They're already doing it.  And all of them will inspire a generation of young people to get active, to strive for excellence, and to pursue whatever dreams they may hold in their hearts.
 
And I wish all of our athletes the very best of luck this summer.  I cannot wait to get there to London to cheer them on.
 
Thank you all.  Thank you for this commitment.  God bless.
 
END
2:50 P.M. CDT

Volunteer

On the campaign trail, Mitt Romney points to his private sector experience as his chief qualification to be president.

So we took a look at that experience, and put together a new site, RomneyEconomics.com, on it.

Let me sum up how Romney economics works:

Romney and his partners bought companies across the United States, often loading them up with debt in the process.

Too often, they slashed pensions, benefits, and jobs, while paying themselves and their shareholders straight from the debt they'd accumulated.

Because of that debt, several of these businesses went bankrupt, leaving workers without jobs, without pensions, and without health care—all while Romney and his partners walked away with millions.

Everyone understands that businesses rise and fall—and sometimes fail—and no one is challenging Romney's right to run his business as he saw fit or questioning private equity as a whole.

But when a handful of people make a fortune by putting thousands out of work and bankrupting once-healthy businesses, it's legitimate to question whether those are the values America needs in a president—and whether those are the values that will create an economy built to last, with a strong, secure middle class.

On the campaign trail, Mitt Romney claims that what he and his partners did is the very best of what capitalism can be. He claims to know how to create jobs based on that experience, but even his former partners admitted their business was never about creating jobs—it was about creating wealth for investors.

Just listen to the workers of GST Steel: Mitt Romney came in, ravaged it with debt, and it ended up filing for bankruptcy. 750 workers lost their jobs and health care, and Romney's managers left their pension fund $44 million short. The 113-year-old steel mill closed its doors, and Romney's company made a 150% profit on their initial investment.

As RomneyEconomics.com shows, stories like that happened time and time again. That approach, where a few people do very well no matter what the cost to others, is the last thing we need in a president.

Romney's economics would be a disaster for the middle class. We can't afford an economy where even when the company fails, the financial wizards walk away with millions, while the workers who have invested years growing the company are left holding the bag. That won't make our economy—or our country—stronger.

It's up to us to spread the truth behind Mitt Romney's business record. We don't need to spin it here—the facts speak for themselves.

So take a look around the site—check out the year-by-year statistics and hear from the workers and managers affected by Mitt Romney and his business partners. Then share these stories far and wide.

There's too much at stake in this election not to.

Visit RomneyEconomics.com

Dallas, Texas – Today, First Lady Michelle Obama joined U.S. Olympians, Paralympians and London hopefuls to announce a nationwide commitment to get more than 1.7 million American children active as part of her Let’s Move! initiative to solve the problem of childhood obesity in a generation.   Through commitments to the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), U.S. Paralympics, the U.S. Olympians Association, and USOC National Governing Bodies for sport, including USA Cycling/USA BMX, USA Soccer, USA Swimming, USA Track & Field, US Tennis Association, USA Field Hockey and USA Volleyball, these organizations will provide beginner athletic programming to more than 1.7 million kids in 2012. PHA has also created a website, www.ahealthieramerica.org/olympics, to help families find affiliated sports programs in their area.

Mrs. Obama, who will lead the Presidential Delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London this summer, is working to turn the inspiration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games into action by getting more kids healthy and active. In March, Mrs. Obama welcomed Mrs. Samantha Cameron, wife of British Prime Minister David Cameron, to the United States by hosting a mini-Olympics event for local school children and two weeks ago, Mrs. Obama spoke at the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Warrior Games.

“This year, 1.7 million young people will be participating in Olympic and Paralympic sports in their communities – many of them for the very first time.  And that is so important, because sometimes all it takes is that first lesson, or clinic, or class to get a child excited about a new sport,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “So this summer, together with our children, we can support Team USA not just by cheering them on, but by striving to live up to the example they set. In the end, some of these athletes will bring home the gold, but all of them will make our country proud, and all of them will inspire a generation of young people to get active, to strive for excellence, and to pursue whatever dreams they may hold in their hearts.”

“We’re incredibly honored to have Mrs. Obama join us in Dallas to celebrate the accomplishments of America’s finest athletes and announce new ways we can all work together to increase access to sport for young children,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “The Let's Move! initiative is an important one and something the entire Olympic family in the United States is eager to support.”

“This summer, Team USA will inspire us all with their skill, their grace and their abilities. Because of today's commitments, the inspiration will not end after the closing ceremonies,” said PHA President and CEO Larry Soler. “The First Lady's leadership has brought together a group of organizations that are committed to helping more than a million young people engage in sports in ways that were previously unavailable to them.  It's important for us to remember that being active and moving more doesn't mean you have to train like our nation’s elite athletes - but being active is part of a healthy lifestyle. And the more opportunities our kids have to move, the healthier lives they will lead.”

“It was extremely important to my parents that I was active from an early age,” said Natalie Coughlin. “I started swimming competitively at age 6 to make friends, be active and be healthy.  It wasn't important to my parents that I win ribbons or trophies, but it was important that I was active and dedicated to something in addition to school.  Not only did it feed my competitive drive and help me be healthy, but it made me a better student and a better kid. To join with the First Lady and spread that message is truly an honor.”

Mrs. Obama has been leading a nationwide effort to combat childhood obesity so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight.  The Let’s Move! initiative is a comprehensive, collaborative, and community-oriented initiative that has sought to engage every sector of society to tackle head-on the many different factors that lead to childhood obesity.  Today’s announcement is a significant step towards providing children across the country with many different opportunities to become physically fit and stay active.

The Partnership for a Healthier America secured the following commitments from several National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC). PHA and USOC will work with each of these groups to evaluate and monitor their progress with these efforts.

USA Cycling/USA BMX will offer free 30-day memberships to tracks and free races/clinics at 350 BMX tracks nationwide this summer. These efforts will engage approximately 88,000 young people, an increase of 40% from 2011.

USA Field Hockey will launch the “FUNdamental Field Hockey” program to introduce kids ages 7-11 to the sport of Field Hockey at 250 locations.  This program will engage 15,000 kids this year.

USA Gymnastics will challenge its local member clubs to host introductory clinics and events for National Gymnastics Day on September 22, 2012.  These events will reach approximately 40,000 kids – an increase of 80% over USA Gymnastics’ youth engagement last year.  

The US Olympians Association recently kicked off a “Walk to London” initiative through which 5,456 children will walk a total of 5,456 miles – the distance from Los Angeles to London – at 20 free community-based walks from April 8 through June 23. More than 250 Olympians and Paralympians will participate as walk leaders, and each walk will host other clinics and sports expos alongside the route.

US Paralympics will facilitate 300 Paralympic Ambassador visits to schools and community centers and provide training for an additional 1,000 local leaders. US Paralympics will also work with local partners to establish 80 new Paralympic Sports Clubs to reach a total of 250 clubs by the end of this year.  The organization estimates that they will engage a combined 87,500 young people through these programs, an increase of 40% over last year.

The US Soccer Federation will engage 12,000 youth in 13 cities through the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Soccer for Success program, which provides free, afterschool programming to urban youth.  In 2011, the program reached 8,000 kids in 8 cities.

USA Swimming will enroll 530,000 new learn-to-swim participants in its “Make a Splash” program at more than 500 local partner sites.  Additionally, USA Swimming will engage 70,000 new youth members through its local chapters.  In all, USA Swimming will provide beginner programming to 600,000 young people in 2012. 

The US Tennis Association (USTA) will introduce 620,000 youth to tennis by training 4,000 physical education professionals in the “10 & Under Tennis” curriculum.  USTA will also expand its National Junior Tennis and Learning Network (NJTL) to reach 100,000 youth through local partner sites.  Additionally, USTA will involve 30,000 youth in Kids Tennis Clubs that provide afterschool and summer programming in communities across the country.  In all, USTA will reach 750,000 new kids this year.

USA Track& Field will expand its youth programming by 35% this year to reach 120,000 kids across the country.  USATF will do this by engaging 80,000 youth in local track clubs and by facilitating beginner clinics and Olympian visits for 40,000 students through its Win with Integrity and Track in a Box programs for schools.

USA Volleyball will introduce 30,000 children to volleyball in 2012 by enhancing their “Grow the Game Together” programming, launching a new “Move with a New Player” program,  and expanding its existing youth outreach with partners including the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and the YMCA.

In addition, USA Basketball, as part of its Hoops for Troops initiative, will host a series of events and clinics for military families this summer in collaboration with Let’s Move!, the First Lady’s Joining Forces Initiative, and the Department of Defense.  These efforts will coincide with the 2012 USA Basketball Men's and Women's National Team tour and the World Basketball Festival in July.

The USOC will support its National Governing Bodies as they work to fulfill these commitments throughout the year.  In addition, the USOC will utilize the platform of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to promote active, healthy lifestyles through multiple communications channels, events, and media opportunities.

For me, improving my health started with an eye-opening conversation I had with our family pediatrician when my girls were very young. He asked me, simply, "What are you all eating?" And as I answered his question, I realized our family needed to make some changes—and so we did. We started eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking more water, watching our portions, and eating less takeout.

I also changed my mindset. I started thinking about exercise as an investment in myself instead of a chore, and I started focusing on the example I wanted to set for my girls. My schedule was dominated by career and kids–not to mention a very busy husband—but thinking about exercise this way made it a priority, even if I had to get up earlier to do it.

In addition to eating right and exercising, the First Lady says she makes time for an important—and frequently overlooked—aspect of women's health care:

I also make sure I get routine physicals and screenings, which are crucial parts of every woman's health care. Unlike diet and exercise, however, women's preventive screenings don't often get the attention they deserve. But studies show that staying up to date on preventive health care can help women avoid conditions like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

It used to be that even many women with health insurance would skip these check-ups because of the cost. In fact, before the health reform law that my husband signed back in 2010, some insurance companies would routinely charge women 50 percent more than men for the same coverage because they needed more frequent access to preventive services like mammograms and cervical screenings. Fortunately, the new health care bill makes that discrimination against women illegal starting in 2014, and today, insurance companies are required to cover life-saving cancer screenings and other preventive services like contraception and immunizations without a co-pay.

So, here's the bottom line for us women: No more excuses. Today, we're more empowered than ever before to take control of our lives and our health. Whether it's pushing ourselves a little harder at the gym, calling our doctors to make sure we're up to date on our screenings, or reminding our girlfriends that they can access these preventive health care services without a co-pay–we can all truly make a difference, not just for ourselves, but for our mothers and daughters, our grandmothers and granddaughters, and all the women in our lives who we love.

Check out the full article for more of the First Lady's advice for healthy women.

1:28 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Please, please have a seat.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

Thank you, President Spar, trustees, President Bollinger.  Hello, Class of 2012!  (Applause.)  Congratulations on reaching this day.  Thank you for the honor of being able to be a part of it. 

There are so many people who are proud of you -- your parents, family, faculty, friends -- all who share in this achievement.  So please give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  To all the moms who are here today, you could not ask for a better Mother’s Day gift than to see all of these folks graduate.  (Applause.)

I have to say, though, whenever I come to these things, I start thinking about Malia and Sasha graduating, and I start tearing up and -- (laughter) -- it's terrible.  I don't know how you guys are holding it together.  (Laughter.) 

I will begin by telling a hard truth:  I’m a Columbia college graduate.  (Laughter and applause.)  I know there can be a little bit of a sibling rivalry here.  (Laughter.)  But I’m honored nevertheless to be your commencement speaker today -- although I’ve got to say, you set a pretty high bar given the past three years.  (Applause.)  Hillary Clinton -- (applause) -- Meryl Streep -- (applause) -- Sheryl Sandberg -- these are not easy acts to follow.  (Applause.) 

But I will point out Hillary is doing an extraordinary job as one of the finest Secretaries of State America has ever had.  (Applause.)  We gave Meryl the Presidential Medal of Arts and Humanities.  (Applause.)  Sheryl is not just a good friend; she’s also one of our economic advisers.  So it’s like the old saying goes -- keep your friends close, and your Barnard commencement speakers even closer.  (Applause.)  There's wisdom in that.  (Laughter.)  

Now, the year I graduated -- this area looks familiar -- (laughter) -- the year I graduated was 1983, the first year women were admitted to Columbia.  (Applause.)  Sally Ride was the first American woman in space.  Music was all about Michael and the Moonwalk.  (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Do it!  (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT:  No Moonwalking.  (Laughter.)  No Moonwalking today.  (Laughter.)

We had the Walkman, not iPods.  Some of the streets around here were not quite so inviting.  (Laughter.)  Times Square was not a family destination.  (Laughter.)  So I know this is all ancient history.  Nothing worse than commencement speakers droning on about bygone days.  (Laughter.)  But for all the differences, the Class of 1983 actually had a lot in common with all of you.  For we, too, were heading out into a world at a moment when our country was still recovering from a particularly severe economic recession.  It was a time of change.  It was a time of uncertainty.  It was a time of passionate political debates. 

You can relate to this because just as you were starting out finding your way around this campus, an economic crisis struck that would claim more than 5 million jobs before the end of your freshman year.  Since then, some of you have probably seen parents put off retirement, friends struggle to find work.  And you may be looking toward the future with that same sense of concern that my generation did when we were sitting where you are now. 

Of course, as young women, you’re also going to grapple with some unique challenges, like whether you’ll be able to earn equal pay for equal work; whether you’ll be able to balance the demands of your job and your family; whether you’ll be able to fully control decisions about your own health. 

And while opportunities for women have grown exponentially over the last 30 years, as young people, in many ways you have it even tougher than we did.  This recession has been more brutal, the job losses steeper.  Politics seems nastier.  Congress more gridlocked than ever.  Some folks in the financial world have not exactly been model corporate citizens.  (Laughter.) 

No wonder that faith in our institutions has never been lower, particularly when good news doesn’t get the same kind of ratings as bad news anymore.  Every day you receive a steady stream of sensationalism and scandal and stories with a message that suggest change isn’t possible; that you can’t make a difference; that you won’t be able to close that gap between life as it is and life as you want it to be.

My job today is to tell you don’t believe it.  Because as tough as things have been, I am convinced you are tougher.  I’ve seen your passion and I’ve seen your service.  I’ve seen you engage and I’ve seen you turn out in record numbers.  I’ve heard your voices amplified by creativity and a digital fluency that those of us in older generations can barely comprehend.  I’ve seen a generation eager, impatient even, to step into the rushing waters of history and change its course.

And that defiant, can-do spirit is what runs through the veins of American history.  It’s the lifeblood of all our progress.  And it is that spirit which we need your generation to embrace and rekindle right now.

See, the question is not whether things will get better -- they always do.  The question is not whether we’ve got the solutions to our challenges -- we’ve had them within our grasp for quite some time.  We know, for example, that this country would be better off if more Americans were able to get the kind of education that you’ve received here at Barnard -- (applause) -- if more people could get the specific skills and training that employers are looking for today. 

We know that we’d all be better off if we invest in science and technology that sparks new businesses and medical breakthroughs; if we developed more clean energy so we could use less foreign oil and reduce the carbon pollution that’s threatening our planet.  (Applause.)  

We know that we’re better off when there are rules that stop big banks from making bad bets with other people’s money and -- (applause) -- when insurance companies aren’t allowed to drop your coverage when you need it most or charge women differently from men.  (Applause.)  Indeed, we know we are better off when women are treated fairly and equally in every aspect of American life -- whether it’s the salary you earn or the health decisions you make.  (Applause.)  

We know these things to be true.  We know that our challenges are eminently solvable.  The question is whether together, we can muster the will -- in our own lives, in our common institutions, in our politics -- to bring about the changes we need.  And I’m convinced your generation possesses that will.  And I believe that the women of this generation -- that all of you will help lead the way.  (Applause.)

Now, I recognize that’s a cheap applause line when you're giving a commencement at Barnard.  (Laughter.)  It’s the easy thing to say.  But it’s true.  It is -- in part, it is simple math.  Today, women are not just half this country; you’re half its workforce.  (Applause.)  More and more women are out-earning their husbands.  You’re more than half of our college graduates, and master’s graduates, and PhDs.  (Applause.)   So you’ve got us outnumbered.  (Laughter.)

After decades of slow, steady, extraordinary progress, you are now poised to make this the century where women shape not only their own destiny but the destiny of this nation and of this world.

But how far your leadership takes this country, how far it takes this world -- well, that will be up to you.  You’ve got to want it.  It will not be handed to you.  And as someone who wants that future -- that better future -- for you, and for Malia and Sasha, as somebody who’s had the good fortune of being the husband and the father and the son of some strong, remarkable women, allow me to offer just a few pieces of advice.  That's obligatory.  (Laughter.)  Bear with me.

My first piece of advice is this:  Don’t just get involved.  Fight for your seat at the table.  Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.  (Applause.)

It’s been said that the most important role in our democracy is the role of citizen.  And indeed, it was 225 years ago today that the Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia, and our founders, citizens all, began crafting an extraordinary document.  Yes, it had its flaws -- flaws that this nation has strived to protect (perfect) over time.  Questions of race and gender were unresolved.  No woman’s signature graced the original document -- although we can assume that there were founding mothers whispering smarter things in the ears of the founding fathers.   (Applause.)  I mean, that's almost certain.

What made this document special was that it provided the space -- the possibility -- for those who had been left out of our charter to fight their way in.  It provided people the language to appeal to principles and ideals that broadened democracy’s reach.  It allowed for protest, and movements, and the dissemination of new ideas that would repeatedly, decade after decade, change the world -- a constant forward movement that continues to this day.

Our founders understood that America does not stand still; we are dynamic, not static.  We look forward, not back.  And now that new doors have been opened for you, you’ve got an obligation to seize those opportunities. 

You need to do this not just for yourself but for those who don’t yet enjoy the choices that you’ve had, the choices you will have.  And one reason many workplaces still have outdated policies is because women only account for 3 percent of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies.  One reason we’re actually refighting long-settled battles over women’s rights is because women occupy fewer than one in five seats in Congress.

Now, I’m not saying that the only way to achieve success is by climbing to the top of the corporate ladder or running for office -- although, let’s face it, Congress would get a lot more done if you did.  (Laughter and applause.)  That I think we’re sure about.  But if you decide not to sit yourself at the table, at the very least you’ve got to make sure you have a say in who does.  It matters.

Before women like Barbara Mikulski and Olympia Snowe and others got to Congress, just to take one example, much of federally-funded research on diseases focused solely on their effects on men.  It wasn’t until women like Patsy Mink and Edith Green got to Congress and passed Title IX, 40 years ago this year, that we declared women, too, should be allowed to compete and win on America’s playing fields.  (Applause.)  Until a woman named Lilly Ledbetter showed up at her office and had the courage to step up and say, you know what, this isn’t right, women weren’t being treated fairly -- we lacked some of the tools we needed to uphold the basic principle of equal pay for equal work.

So don’t accept somebody else’s construction of the way things ought to be.  It’s up to you to right wrongs.  It’s up to you to point out injustice.  It’s up to you to hold the system accountable and sometimes upend it entirely.  It’s up to you to stand up and to be heard, to write and to lobby, to march, to organize, to vote.  Don’t be content to just sit back and watch. 

Those who oppose change, those who benefit from an unjust status quo, have always bet on the public’s cynicism or the public's complacency.  Throughout American history, though, they have lost that bet, and I believe they will this time as well.  (Applause.)  But ultimately, Class of 2012, that will depend on you.  Don’t wait for the person next to you to be the first to speak up for what’s right.  Because maybe, just maybe, they’re waiting on you. 

Which brings me to my second piece of advice:  Never underestimate the power of your example.  The very fact that you are graduating, let alone that more women now graduate from college than men, is only possible because earlier generations of women -- your mothers, your grandmothers, your aunts -- shattered the myth that you couldn’t or shouldn’t be where you are.  (Applause.)

I think of a friend of mine who’s the daughter of immigrants.  When she was in high school, her guidance counselor told her, you know what, you’re just not college material.  You should think about becoming a secretary.  Well, she was stubborn, so she went to college anyway.  She got her master’s.  She ran for local office, won.  She ran for state office, she won.  She ran for Congress, she won.  And lo and behold, Hilda Solis did end up becoming a secretary -- (laughter) -- she is America’s Secretary of Labor.  (Applause.)

So think about what that means to a young Latina girl when she sees a Cabinet secretary that looks like her.  (Applause.)  Think about what it means to a young girl in Iowa when she sees a presidential candidate who looks like her.  Think about what it means to a young girl walking in Harlem right down the street when she sees a U.N. ambassador who looks like her.  Do not underestimate the power of your example. 

This diploma opens up new possibilities, so reach back, convince a young girl to earn one, too.  If you earned your degree in areas where we need more women -- like computer science or engineering -- (applause) -- reach back and persuade another student to study it, too.  If you're going into fields where we need more women, like construction or computer engineering -- reach back, hire someone new.  Be a mentor.  Be a role model.

Until a girl can imagine herself, can picture herself as a computer programmer, or a combatant commander, she won’t become one.  Until there are women who tell her, ignore our pop culture obsession over beauty and fashion -- (applause) -- and focus instead on studying and inventing and competing and leading, she’ll think those are the only things that girls are supposed to care about.  Now, Michelle will say, nothing wrong with caring about it a little bit.  (Laughter.)  You can be stylish and powerful, too.  (Applause.)  That's Michelle’s advice.  (Applause.)

And never forget that the most important example a young girl will ever follow is that of a parent.  Malia and Sasha are going to be outstanding women because Michelle and Marian Robinson are outstanding women.  So understand your power, and use it wisely.  

My last piece of advice -- this is simple, but perhaps most important:  Persevere.  Persevere.  Nothing worthwhile is easy.  No one of achievement has avoided failure -- sometimes catastrophic failures.  But they keep at it.  They learn from mistakes.  They don’t quit.

You know, when I first arrived on this campus, it was with little money, fewer options.  But it was here that I tried to find my place in this world.  I knew I wanted to make a difference, but it was vague how in fact I’d go about it.  (Laughter.)  But I wanted to do my part to do my part to shape a better world.

So even as I worked after graduation in a few unfulfilling jobs here in New York -- I will not list them all -- (laughter) -- even as I went from motley apartment to motley apartment, I reached out.  I started to write letters to community organizations all across the country.  And one day, a small group of churches on the South Side of Chicago answered, offering me work with people in neighborhoods hit hard by steel mills that were shutting down and communities where jobs were dying away.

The community had been plagued by gang violence, so once I arrived, one of the first things we tried to do was to mobilize a meeting with community leaders to deal with gangs.  And I’d worked for weeks on this project.  We invited the police; we made phone calls; we went to churches; we passed out flyers.  The night of the meeting we arranged rows and rows of chairs in anticipation of this crowd.  And we waited, and we waited.  And finally, a group of older folks walked in to the hall and they sat down.  And this little old lady raised her hand and asked, “Is this where the bingo game is?”  (Laughter.)  It was a disaster.  Nobody showed up.  My first big community meeting -- nobody showed up.

And later, the volunteers I worked with told me, that's it; we’re quitting.  They'd been doing this for two years even before I had arrived.  They had nothing to show for it.  And I’ll be honest, I felt pretty discouraged as well.  I didn't know what I was doing.  I thought about quitting.  And as we were talking, I looked outside and saw some young boys playing in a vacant lot across the street.  And they were just throwing rocks up at a boarded building.  They had nothing better to do  -- late at night, just throwing rocks.  And I said to the volunteers, “Before you quit, answer one question.  What will happen to those boys if you quit?  Who will fight for them if we don’t?  Who will give them a fair shot if we leave?

And one by one, the volunteers decided not to quit.  We went back to those neighborhoods and we kept at it.  We registered new voters, and we set up after-school programs, and we fought for new jobs, and helped people live lives with some measure of dignity.  And we sustained ourselves with those small victories.  We didn’t set the world on fire.  Some of those communities are still very poor.  There are still a lot of gangs out there.  But I believe that it was those small victories that helped me win the bigger victories of my last three and a half years as President.

And I wish I could say that this perseverance came from some innate toughness in me.  But the truth is, it was learned.  I got it from watching the people who raised me.  More specifically, I got it from watching the women who shaped my life. 

I grew up as the son of a single mom who struggled to put herself through school and make ends meet.  She had marriages that fell apart; even went on food stamps at one point to help us get by.  But she didn’t quit.  And she earned her degree, and made sure that through scholarships and hard work, my sister and I earned ours.  She used to wake me up when we were living overseas -- wake me up before dawn to study my English
lessons.  And when I’d complain, she’d just look at me and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”  (Laughter.)  

And my mom ended up dedicating herself to helping women
around the world access the money they needed to start their own businesses -- she was an early pioneer in microfinance.  And that meant, though, that she was gone a lot, and she had her own struggles trying to figure out balancing motherhood and a career.  And when she was gone, my grandmother stepped up to take care of me. 

She only had a high school education.  She got a job at a local bank.  She hit the glass ceiling, and watched men she once trained promoted up the ladder ahead of her.  But she didn’t quit.  Rather than grow hard or angry each time she got passed over, she kept doing her job as best as she knew how, and ultimately ended up being vice president at the bank.  She didn’t quit.

And later on, I met a woman who was assigned to advise me on my first summer job at a law firm.  And she gave me such good advice that I married her.  (Laughter.)  And Michelle and I gave everything we had to balance our careers and a young family.  But let’s face it, no matter how enlightened I must have thought myself to be, it often fell more on her shoulders when I was traveling, when I was away.  I know that when she was with our girls, she’d feel guilty that she wasn’t giving enough time to her work, and when she was at her work, she’d feel guilty she wasn’t giving enough time to our girls.  And both of us wished we had some superpower that would let us be in two places at once.  But we persisted.  We made that marriage work. 

And the reason Michelle had the strength to juggle everything, and put up with me and eventually the public spotlight, was because she, too, came from a family of folks who didn’t quit -- because she saw her dad get up and go to work every day even though he never finished college, even though he had crippling MS.  She saw her mother, even though she never finished college, in that school, that urban school, every day making sure Michelle and her brother were getting the education they deserved.  Michelle saw how her parents never quit.  They never indulged in self-pity, no matter how stacked the odds were against them.  They didn't quit.

Those are the folks who inspire me.  People ask me sometimes, who inspires you, Mr. President?  Those quiet heroes all across this country -- some of your parents and grandparents who are sitting here -- no fanfare, no articles written about them, they just persevere.  They just do their jobs.  They meet their responsibilities.  They don't quit.  I'm only here because of them.  They may not have set out to change the world, but in small, important ways, they did.  They certainly changed mine. 

So whether it’s starting a business, or running for office, or raising a amazing family, remember that making your mark on the world is hard.  It takes patience.  It takes commitment.  It comes with plenty of setbacks and it comes with plenty of failures. 

But whenever you feel that creeping cynicism, whenever you hear those voices say you can’t make a difference, whenever somebody tells you to set your sights lower -- the trajectory of this country should give you hope.  Previous generations should give you hope.  What young generations have done before should give you hope.  Young folks who marched and mobilized and stood up and sat in, from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall, didn’t just do it for themselves; they did it for other people.  (Applause.) 

That’s how we achieved women’s rights.  That's how we achieved voting rights.  That's how we achieved workers’ rights.  That's how we achieved gay rights.  (Applause.)  That’s how we’ve made this Union more perfect.  (Applause.)

And if you’re willing to do your part now, if you're willing to reach up and close that gap between what America is and what America should be, I want you to know that I will be right there with you.  (Applause.)  If you are ready to fight for that brilliant, radically simple idea of America that no matter who you are or what you look like, no matter who you love or what God you worship, you can still pursue your own happiness, I will join you every step of the way.  (Applause.)

Now more than ever -- now more than ever, America needs what you, the Class of 2012, has to offer.  America needs you to reach high and hope deeply.  And if you fight for your seat at the table, and you set a better example, and you persevere in what you decide to do with your life, I have every faith not only that you will succeed, but that, through you, our nation will continue to be a beacon of light for men and women, boys and girls, in every corner of the globe.

So thank you.  Congratulations.  (Applause.)  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END 
2:00 P.M. EDT

1. On November 22, 2006, the United States entered into the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (the "Agreement") and on June 28, 2007, the United States and Colombia amended the Agreement. The Congress approved the Agreement, as amended, in section 101(a) of the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act (the "Implementation Act") (Public Law 112-42, 125 Stat. 462).

2. Section 105(a) of the Implementation Act authorizes the President to establish or designate within the Department of Commerce an office that shall be responsible for providing administrative assistance to panels established under chapter 21 of the Agreement.

3. Section 201 of the Implementation Act authorizes the President to proclaim such modifications or continuation of any duty, such continuation of duty-free or excise treatment, or such additional duties, as the President determines to be necessary or appropriate to carry out or apply Articles 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, and 3.3.13 and Annex 2.3 of the Agreement.

4. Consistent with section 201(a)(2) of the Implementation Act, Colombia is to be removed from the enumeration of designated beneficiary developing countries eligible for the benefits of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).

5. Section 3103 of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (title XXXI of the Trade Act of 2002, Public Law 107-210) (ATPDEA) amended section 204(b) of the Andean Trade Preference Act (19 U.S.C. 3203(b)) (ATPA) to provide that certain preferential tariff treatment may be provided to eligible articles that are the product of any country that the President designates as an "ATPDEA beneficiary country" pursuant to section 204(b)(6)(B) of the ATPA, as amended. In Proclamation 7616 of October 31, 2002, Colombia and Peru were designated as beneficiary countries under the ATPDEA.

6. Consistent with section 201(a)(3) of the Implementation Act, Colombia is removed from the enumeration of beneficiary countries under the ATPA (19 U.S.C. 3202(a)(1)). Consequently, Colombia is also removed from the enumeration of beneficiary countries under the ATPDEA.

7. Consistent with section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the "1974 Act") (19 U.S.C. 2483), I have determined that other technical and conforming changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) are necessary to reflect that Colombia is no longer eligible to receive the benefits of the GSP, the ATPA, and the ATPDEA.

8. Section 201(d) of the Implementation Act authorizes the President to take such action as may be necessary in implementing the tariff-rate quotas set forth in Appendix I to the General Notes to the Schedule of the United States to Annex 2.3 of the Agreement to ensure that imports of agricultural goods do not disrupt the orderly marketing of commodities in the United States.

9. Section 203 of the Implementation Act sets forth certain rules for determining whether a good is an originating good for the purpose of implementing preferential tariff treatment provided for under the Agreement. I have determined that it is necessary to include these rules of origin, together with particular rules applicable to certain other goods, in the HTS.

10. Section 203(o) of the Implementation Act authorizes the President, after receiving a request from an interested entity, to determine that a fabric, yarn, or fiber is or is not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner in Colombia or the United States; to establish procedures governing the submission of a request for any such determination and ensuring appropriate public participation in any such determination; to add to the list of the United States as set forth in Annex 3-B of the Agreement any fabric, yarn, or fiber determined to be not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner in Colombia and the United States; or to remove from the list in Annex 3-B of the Agreement any fabric, yarn, or fiber that the President has previously added to that list.

11. Section 208 of the Implementation Act authorizes the President to take certain enforcement actions relating to trade with Colombia in textile and apparel goods.

12. Subtitle B of title III of the Implementation Act authorizes the President to take certain actions in response to a request by an interested party for relief from serious damage or actual threat thereof to a domestic industry producing certain textile or apparel articles.

13. Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended, established the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA), consisting of representatives of the Departments of State, the Treasury, Commerce, and Labor, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative, with the representative of the Department of Commerce as Chairman, to supervise the implementation of textile trade agreements. Consistent with section 301 of title 3, United States Code, when carrying out functions vested in the President by statute and assigned by the President to CITA, the officials collectively exercising those functions are all to be officers required to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

14. Section 501(a) of the Implementation Act amended section 208(a) of the ATPA (19 U.S.C. 3206(a)) to extend the duration of duty-free treatment under the ATPA until July 31, 2013. I have determined that a modification to the HTS is necessary to reflect this amendment.

15. Section 201 of the Omnibus Trade Act of 2010 (the "Trade Act of 2010") (Public Law 111-344, 124 Stat. 3611), amended section 208(a)(1) of the ATPA (19 U.S.C. 3206(a)(1)) to provide that no duty-free treatment or other preferential treatment extended to beneficiary countries under the ATPA shall remain with respect to Peru after December 31, 2010. I have determined that a modification to the HTS is necessary to reflect this amendment. Consequently, Peru is removed from the enumeration of beneficiary countries under the ATPA and the ATPDEA.

16. Section 1952(a) of the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-188, 110 Stat. 1755) amended title V of the 1974 Act, to provide, in part, that the President may not designate as an eligible article under the GSP "[t]extile and apparel articles which were not eligible articles for purposes of this title on January 1, 1994, as this title was in effect on such date." I have determined that a modification of general notes 4 and 10 to the HTS is necessary to reflect this amendment.

17. Presidential Proclamation 8332 of December 29, 2008, implemented U.S. tariff commitments under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement and incorporated by reference Publication 4050 of the United States International Trade Commission (the "Commission"), entitled "Modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Implementing the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement." Annex II to that publication included certain errors in the quantities specified under certain tariff-rate quotas and references to relevant tariff lines. I have determined that a modification to the HTS is necessary to correct those errors.

18. Presidential Proclamation 8405 of August 31, 2009, modified certain rules of origin under the North American Free Trade Agreement and incorporated by reference Publication 4095 of the Commission, entitled "Modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to Adjust Rules of Origin Under the North American Free Trade Agreement." Certain rules of origin were incorrectly deleted from the HTS. I have determined that a modification to general note 12 to the HTS is necessary to restore those rules of origin.

19. Presidential Proclamation 8771 of December 29, 2011, modified the HTS to conform to amendments made to the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System and incorporated by reference Publication 4276 of the Commission, entitled "Modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Under Section 1206 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988." Annex II to that publication included incorrect rates of duty for certain articles for the years 2016 through 2018. I have determined that a modification of general note 31 to the HTS is necessary to reflect the correct rate of duty for these articles.

20. Presidential Proclamation 8783 of March 6, 2012, implemented U.S. tariff commitments under the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement and incorporated by reference Publication 4308 of the Commission, entitled "Modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to Implement the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement." Annex II to that publication included an error in the staged duty applied to two tariff subheadings. I have determined that a modification to the HTS is necessary to correct that error.

21. Section 604 of the 1974 Act authorizes the President to embody in the HTS the substance of relevant provisions of chapter V of that Act, and of other Acts affecting import treatment, and of actions taken thereunder, including the removal, modification, continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or other import restriction.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including but not limited to section 604 of the 1974 Act, section 1952(a) of the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996, section 201 of the Trade Act of 2010, sections 105(a), 201, 203, 208, 501, and subtitle B of title III of the Implementation Act, and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and having made the determination under section 101(b) of the Implementation Act necessary for the exchange of notes, do hereby proclaim:

(1) In order to provide generally for the preferential tariff treatment being accorded under the Agreement, to set forth rules for determining whether goods imported into the customs territory of the United States are eligible for preferential tariff treatment under the Agreement, to provide certain other treatment to originating goods of Colombia for the purposes of the Agreement, and to reflect Colombia's removal from the list of beneficiary developing countries under the GSP, and from the list of beneficiary countries under ATPA and ATPDEA, the HTS is modified as set forth in Annex I of Publication 4320 of the Commission, entitled "Modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to Implement the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement," which is incorporated by reference into this proclamation.

(2) The modifications to the HTS made in paragraph (1) of this proclamation shall be effective with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after the relevant dates indicated in Annex I of Publication 4320.

(3) In order to implement the initial stage of duty elimination provided for in the Agreement and to provide for future staged reductions in duties for originating goods of Colombia for purposes of the Agreement, the HTS is modified as provided in Annex II of Publication 4320, effective on the dates specified in the relevant sections of such Annex and on any subsequent dates set forth for such duty reductions in that Annex.

(4) In order to implement section 501(a) of the Implementation Act, the HTS is modified as set forth in section A of Annex III of Publication 4320.

(5) The modifications to the HTS set forth in section A of Annex III of Publication 4320 shall be effective with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after November 5, 2011.

(6) The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to exercise the authority of the President under section 105(a) of the Implementation Act to establish or designate an office within the Department of Commerce to carry out the functions set forth in that section.

(7) The CITA is authorized to exercise the authority of the President under section 203(o) of the Implementation Act to determine that a fabric, yarn, or fiber is or is not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner in Colombia and the United States; to establish procedures governing the request for any such determination and ensuring appropriate public participation in any such determination; to add any fabric, yarn, or fiber determined to be not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner in Colombia and the United States to the list in Annex 3-B of the Agreement; or to remove from the list in Annex 3-B of the Agreement any fabric, yarn, or fiber that the President has previously added to that list.

(8) The CITA is authorized to exercise the authority of the President under section 208 of the Implementation Act to direct the exclusion of certain textile and apparel goods from the customs territory of the United States and to direct the denial of preferential tariff treatment to textile and apparel goods.

(9) The CITA is authorized to exercise the functions of the President under subtitle B of title III of the Implementation Act to review requests, and to determine whether to commence consideration of such requests; after an appropriate determination, to cause to be published in the Federal Register a notice of commencement of consideration of a request and notice seeking public comment; to determine whether imports of a Colombian textile or apparel article are causing serious damage, or actual threat thereof, to a domestic industry producing an article that is like, or directly competitive with, the imported article; and to provide relief from imports of an article that is the subject of an affirmative determination as to damage or threat.

(10) The United States Trade Representative (USTR) is authorized to fulfill the obligations of the President under section 104 of the Implementation Act to obtain advice from the appropriate advisory committees and the Commission on the proposed implementation of an action by Presidential proclamation; to submit a report on such proposed action to the appropriate congressional committees; and to consult with those congressional committees regarding the proposed action.

(11) The USTR is authorized to modify U.S. note 33 to subchapter XXII of chapter 98 of the HTS in a notice published in the Federal Register to reflect modifications pursuant to paragraph (7) of this proclamation by the CITA to the list of fabrics, yarns, or fibers in Annex 3-B of the Agreement.

(12) In order to reflect Peru's removal from the list of beneficiary countries under the ATPA and the ATPDEA, the HTS is modified as set forth in section B of Annex III to Publication 4320.

(13) The modifications to the HTS set forth in section B of Annex III to Publication 4320 shall be effective with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after January 1, 2011.

(14) In order to reflect the amendments to title V of the 1974 Act, general notes 4 and 10 to the HTS are modified as set forth in section A of Annex IV to Publication 4320.

(15) The modifications to the HTS set forth in section A of Annex IV to Publication 4320 shall be effective with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after January 1, 1996.

(16) In order to provide the intended tariff treatment to certain goods of Oman under the terms of general note 31 to the HTS, subchapter XVI of chapter 99 and general note 31 to the HTS are modified as set forth in section B of Annex IV to Publication 4320.

(17) The modifications to the HTS set forth in section B of Annex IV to Publication 4320 shall be effective with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after January 1, 2009.

(18) In order to provide the intended tariff treatment to certain goods of Canada or of Mexico under the terms of general note 12 to the HTS, general note 12 is modified as set forth in section C of Annex IV to Publication 4320.

(19) The modifications to the HTS set forth in section C of Annex IV to Publication 4320 are effective with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after February 3, 2007.

(20) In order to provide the intended tariff treatment to goods of Korea under the terms of general note 33, the HTS is modified as set forth in section D of Annex IV to Publication 4320.

(21) The modifications to the HTS set forth in section D of Annex IV to Publication 4320 are effective with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, as set forth in section D of Annex IV to Publication 4320.

(22) All provisions of previous proclamations and Executive Orders that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation are superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

Yesterday, DOT helped launch a national dialogue on strengthening transportation choices for America’s military veterans, wounded warriors, and their families. This online conversation, “Strengthening Transportation Choices So We Can Serve Those Who Have Served Their Country,” is open until June 8, and we invite those interested in helping veterans and service members to participate by visiting veteransdialogue.ideascale.com.

The benefits Americans enjoy today wouldn't be possible without the courageous service of our nation's veterans. So when they return home, we must turn our sincere appreciation of the men and women who bravely protect and defend the United States of America into action. We must help them and their families find meaningful work, a good education, and quality medical care—none of which is possible without access to reliable, affordable transportation.

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You can watch the President’s speech live at 1:10 p.m. ET on whitehouse.gov/live.

10:40 A.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY:  Good morning, everyone.  Thanks for being here. Welcome aboard Air Force One as we make our way to New York City, where, as you know, the President will give the commencement address at a prestigious all-women’s college, a graduate of which we have in our presence as I speak. 

He looks very much forward to speaking to the young people there today about the challenges that they face, that we face as a nation, what we can do working together to overcome those challenges, and then specifically, what young women face -- the challenges they face, and observations he’ll make about how they can help shape the future that awaits them.

With that, I will take your questions.

Q    Jay, does the President thinks that if the Dodd-Frank provisions were fully implemented it could have prevented what we’re seeing right at JPMorgan?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I'll make two comments about that.  First, there’s an investigation into what happened at JPMorgan that the SEC is conducting, so I can't go into detail about the specific transaction or series of transactions that led to this loss.  What I can say is that this event only reinforces why it was so important to pass Wall Street reform and why it is so important to fully implement Wall Street reform. 

And as you know, the President fought very hard against Republicans and Wall Street lobbyists to get Wall Street reform passed.  He fought very hard to ensure that the Consumer Protection Bureau was part of it.  He fought very hard to ensure that the Volcker Rule was part of it, against a concerted effort to prevent that from happening.

Ever since it’s passed, there’s been millions and millions of dollars spent by Wall Street lobbyists to try to water down, delay and render ineffective the rules that need to be put into place.  The President has fought back.  And I think that this event merely reinforces why the President was right to take on this fight and why we still need to make sure it’s implemented.

Q    Does the President think that it shows that -- or the culture on Wall Street that led to the 2008 collapse -- that it still exists, that Wall Street still doesn’t get it?

MR. CARNEY:  I would say a couple of things.  We can't prevent bad decisions from being made on Wall Street.  What was so important about the rules that were put into place and are being put into place through Wall Street reform, the President’s Wall Street reform, is that we can prevent the taxpayer from bearing the burden of the mistakes that Wall Street makes.  And one important fact to note here is that those who are suffering losses because of what happened here are shareholders and the bank itself and not average Americans who had nothing to do with these transactions or this event.

So that is a very important development, because the President’s commitment was that we can't have it happen again where the failure of some banks or the reckless behavior of some individuals on Wall Street could cause the kind of financial crisis that we saw in 2008 and with all of its negative impacts on the American economy and the average American middle-class family.  That’s why it was so important to put these rules into place and why it’s so important to make sure that we resist the efforts of Republicans and Wall Street lobbyists to undo them.

I mean, it is amazing, given the events that we’ve seen in these last few days, that there are still those who want -- who are out there arguing that we should repeal Wall Street reform, that we should let Wall Street write its own rules again.  Those who take them at their word, bankers who say, oh, we promise that we’ll never let happen what happened in 2008, you can trust us -- well, look --

Q    What do you mean by "those"?

MR. CARNEY:  The President -- well, the many who still argue that -- who resisted the Wall Street reforms in the beginning and who resist it--

Q    Do you put Jamie Dimon in that category?

MR. CARNEY:  I’m not pinpointing or naming individuals or entities.  I’m simply saying that I think this is quite evident that -- this is strong evidence that having these rules of the road in place are essential to making sure that taxpayers don't get left holding the bag and that poor decisions on Wall Street don't undermine our financial system in the way that happened in 2008, and we have to remain ever vigilant. 

Q    -- one more time.  Any signs of concerns about contagion from these losses?

MR. CARNEY:  I would refer you to the Treasury Department.  That's beyond my level of expertise. 

Q    Has the President spoken with Jamie Dimon since --

MR. CARNEY:  I don't think so. 

Q    Is the President aware -- see the Newsweek magazine cover this week, and if so, does he have any thoughts about that?

MR. CARNEY:  I don't know that he's seen it and I haven't spoken to him about it. 

Q    I think in the past he's said that he's read Andrew Sullivan's blog -- have you seen the blog item, and what do you  -- what's your --

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I saw -- I did see -- I haven't read the story yet, but I certainly saw his incredibly powerful and moving blog post last week in the wake of the President's interview with Robin Roberts.  But I have not seen the story.  Look, I think --

Q    Do you have -- does the White House have a reaction to that cover?  I mean, does it minimize the debate at all or does it --

MR. CARNEY:  What we said last week and what the President said and what we've said all along about his firm commitment to the rights of all Americans and the rights of gay and lesbian Americans and the LGBT community is reflected in the support that he has in that community.  And that commitment has been incredibly strong from day one since he became President. 

And he'll continue to fight for the rights of all Americans and oppose efforts to deny rights to individuals or to discriminate against groups of individuals.

Q    Can you talk a little bit about the message that the President will be delivering to the Barnard graduates today?

MR. CARNEY:  Beyond what I said?  I'll let the President get into the specifics, but he'll talk about the challenges we face, in particular the challenges that young people and young women face, and how they can work to overcome them, we can work together to overcome those challenges.

Q    -- think of the ad that's out today?  It's from the campaign, but the President obviously gave his approval to it.  Can you talk a little bit about why he felt that now was the appropriate time to go after Romney and his record at Bain?

MR. CARNEY:  The question is about campaign tactics.  I will --

Q    But the President did give his approval to it. 

MR. CARNEY:  It was a question about why do this as a campaign tactic, and I'll refer you to the campaign for that.  I think the broader point that we've been making for several years now is that the primary objective that we have as an administration, the President has as President, is making sure that we take every step we can to protect the middle class, to build the middle class, and to grow the middle class in this country because that is so important to the economic future that we need to have. 

I think there will be a debate about what vision makes the most sense for the future of this country, and the President certainly believes that one that is focused on making sure everybody gets a fair shot and a fair shake, everybody plays by the same set of rules is one that is preferable and has a far better chance of succeeding than an approach that is basically -- that says to the middle class, you're on your own, that the best approach here is to double down on the policies that led to the worst recession since the Great Depression, to not just extend tax cuts for the wealthy that were put into place in the years before the great recession but increase those tax cuts for the wealthy, at the expense of the middle class, at the expense of seniors, at the expense of investments in areas like education, innovation, infrastructure.  He just thinks that's wrong.  And you'll be hearing, I'm sure, a lot from him in the coming weeks and months as he makes that case.

Q    Do you have a readout of Brennan's meeting in Yemen this weekend?  And what were some of the military ideas that came out of that?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I don't have specifics for you, but, yes, John Brennan did visit Yemen and met with a variety of officials from the Yemeni government, and reiterated our firm support to Yemen, both political, economic and military support.  We obviously have a keen interest in working with the Yemeni government in the fight against extremism there, and that was certainly part of the discussion.  But the relationship is broader than that.

Q    Yesterday, Senator Lieberman said that he will hold hearings on the Secret Service scandal.  I'm wondering if the White House believes that is necessary to have -- and especially to have the director, who has not spoken in public about this, answer to the public and say something about this -- and also whether you've seen the report that they've delivered -- that's not been made public -- to Congress about their own investigation, whether you're satisfied. 

MR. CARNEY:  I'll have to -- I haven't personally seen the report.  I don't know that we've seen the report.  But the -- and I don't have an observation to make about whether or not holding hearings -- obviously oversight is important and we wouldn't suggest otherwise. 

Q    I mean, the Secret Service is -- they're done with their investigation.  Are you confident that this won't happen again, that this is --

MR. CARNEY:  I think the President and I have made clear that we feel very strongly that -- the President feels strongly that inappropriate behavior where it took place needed to be investigated and needed to be dealt with.  But he has, whenever asked, made the point that he believes that the vast majority of members of the Secret Service, the men and women of the Secret Service perform their job professionally, with great dedication, and do so in order to help protect our democracy, and not just the lives of Presidents and their families but, in doing that, they perform a great service for our democracy.  But I don't have --

Q    Do you have a view on whether hearings are necessary?

MR. CARNEY:  Again, I certainly think oversight is -- properly conducted, is valid.

Q    There have been reports coming from Russia that the President will be skipping the APEC summit there in the fall.  Can you confirm that?  And do you worry at all about the perception that the relationship with Russia is getting a little tense there with Vladimir Putin back in power?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I've addressed it a little bit in the past.  The President spoke with President Putin and will be meeting with President Putin at the G20 in Mexico and looks very much forward to that.  The fact of the matter is we have a comprehensive relationship with Russia that's built on working together in areas where we agree and that has borne significant successes, that approach, and then be very clear about where we disagree but not letting those disagreements undermine the overall relationship. 

And that was true under President Medvedev when Vladimir Putin was prime minister, and it will continue to be true now that Mr. Putin has returned to the presidency and Mr. Medvedev is now prime minister.

Q    Can you confirm he's skipping --

MR. CARNEY:  I'm not aware of any foreign travel that we’d be taking, with the exception of the Mexico trip, before November, but I’ll have to take the question.

Q    Any reaction to the latest uncertainty in Greece?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I would simply say what I’ve said in the past, which is that Europeans are capable of dealing with this eurozone crisis.  They’ve taken some very important steps.  They need obviously to take more.  And we are in regular contact and consult regularly with our counterparts in Europe both at the presidential level, but also certainly at the level of the Secretary of the Treasury.

Q    Thank you.

MR. CARNEY:  Thank you.

END
10:53 A.M. EDT

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

On May 15, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation to establish the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and codified a commitment to the health of our people and our land.  One hundred and fifty years later, USDA continues to realize that vision of service by applying sound public policy and science to an evolving food and agriculture system. 

The USDA has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the American people for generations.  During the Great Depression, the Department helped bring an end to the Dust Bowl by promoting soil conservation.  Through two World Wars, the Victory Garden Program fed troops and families around the world.   The USDA worked to bring electric power to rural communities, establish the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance and School Lunch Programs, implement our Nation's food safety regulations, and protect our forests and private lands.  For one-and-a-half centuries, USDA has empowered communities across our country and helped ensure we leave our children a future rich with promise and possibility.

Today, USDA continues to serve the public interest by providing leadership on agriculture, natural resources, safe and nutritious food, research, and a broad spectrum of related issues.  With partners across the public sector and throughout industry, USDA is working to develop and expand markets for agricultural products, grow our businesses and our economy, and protect the quality of our food supply and our environment.  As part of the White House Rural Council, the Department is striving to expand opportunity for millions of families by promoting job growth and investing in infrastructure that will drive progress in the 21st century.  Through the Feed the Future initiative, USDA is supporting America's commitment to combat hunger and improve food security worldwide.  And with the America's Great Outdoors initiative, USDA is supporting community-based conservation initiatives that will preserve our natural heritage for generations to come.

As we commemorate this historic milestone, we pay tribute to the men and women of USDA, past and present, who have faithfully served our Nation for 150 years.  For their commitment, our fields grow richer, our abundance grows greater, and our country stands stronger.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 15, 2012, as the 150th Anniversary of the United States Department of Agriculture.  I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the United States Department of Agriculture for its lasting contributions to the welfare of our Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

Since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been an essential tool in helping to protect victims of domestic and sexual violence.  Since the passage of the Act, annual incidents of domestic violence have dropped by more than 60 percent. Over the years, Congress has continued its commitment to addressing violence against women by working with advocates, law enforcement officials, court systems, and victims in order to build on what we have learned and make improvements to the Act in each subsequent reauthorization.  This was recently demonstrated by the Senate’s VAWA reauthorization bill (S. 1925), introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) which  passed last month with strong bipartisan support. 

The Leahy-Crapo VAWA reauthorization bill addresses many pressing issues facing all victims of domestic violence, including those in Indian Country.  Rates of domestic violence against Native women in Indian Country are now among the highest in the United States and the Leahy-Crapo bill directly confronts this epidemic.    

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Since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been an essential tool in helping to protect victims of domestic and sexual violence.  Since the passage of the Act, annual incidents of domestic violence have dropped by more than 60 percent. Over the years, Congress has continued its commitment to addressing violence against women by working with advocates, law enforcement officials, court systems, and victims in order to build on what we have learned and make improvements to the Act in each subsequent reauthorization.  This was recently demonstrated by the Senate’s VAWA reauthorization bill (S. 1925), introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) which  passed last month with strong bipartisan support. 

The Leahy-Crapo VAWA reauthorization bill addresses many pressing issues facing all victims of domestic violence, including those in Indian Country.  Rates of domestic violence against Native women in Indian Country are now among the highest in the United States and the Leahy-Crapo bill directly confronts this epidemic.    

read more