Political News
White House: Connecting America
Today the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the National Broadband Plan, called for in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to identify ways to expand access to broadband and promote economic growth and job creation.
White House: A Simple Graph
It seems at first a simple graph; a few skinny bars reaching various heights along a non-descript x-axis. By most accounts it is a simple depiction I suppose—a graph in this instance showing the number of pallets of relief aid that flowed across beaches the Navy created in response to the earthquake in Haiti.
White House: In the DC Area? Don't Miss this Event with President Obama
On the morning of Friday, March 19, 2010, as we draw even closer to health reform putting Americans in charge of their health care, President Obama will speak on the urgent need for reform in Fairfax, Virginia at George Mason University’s Patriot Center – get directions here. Doors open at 9:00AM EDT and the event kicks off at 11:30AM.
There are no tickets needed for this event, just show up – but if you are in the area and on Facebook by all means rsvp to our Facebook event.
Just as a heads up, no signs or banners are permitted, and those who come are encouraged to limit personal items and not bring bags or purses
In the meantime, here's a video from his last health reform event:
White House: Growth, Prosperity, Broadband
Moments ago the President issued a statement on the National Broadband Plan just released by the Federal Communications Commission:
America today is on the verge of a broadband-driven Internet era that will unleash innovation, create new jobs and industries, provide consumers with new powerful sources of information, enhance American safety and security, and connect communities in ways that strengthen our democracy. Just as past generations of Americans met the great infrastructure challenges of the day, such as building the Transcontinental railroad and the Interstate highways, so too must we harness the potential of the Internet. Expanding broadband across the nation will build a foundation of sustained economic growth and the widely shared prosperity we all seek.
I commend Chairman Julius Genachowski, the Commissioners, and the FCC staff for their hard work in developing the National Broadband Plan.
White House: Reflecting on the 54th UN Commission on the Status of Women
In his proclamation for Women’s History Month on March 2, President Obama said, "Our nation's commitment to women's rights must not end at our own borders, and my Administration is making global women's empowerment a core pillar of our foreign policy."
White House: Send in Your Ideas
The First Lady has set an ambitious goal for all of us -- to solve the challenge of childhood obesity in this Nation within a generation. We’ve got a lot of work to do!
That’s why the President asked me to chair a new interagency Childhood Obesity Task Force. The task force is developing an action plan for how federal, state, and local governments, along with the private and nonprofit sectors, can come together and take specific steps to achieve this goal. (You can see the full Presidential Memorandum creating the Task Force and requesting the action plan within 90 days here.)
White House: Mr. President Goes to Yellowstone
Last summer, I had the honor of travelling with the President his family to Yellowstone National Park. The Obama family followed a long tradition of American Presidents visiting our nation National Parks including President’s Chester A. Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton.
The National Park system is a fundamentally American and democratic idea: protecting our nation’s finest landscapes, preserving our history and culture, and providing places of recreation and respite for all Americans to enjoy. As Secretary of the Interior, I’m proud to continue this tradition of investing in and protecting these places that define us as a nation.
White House: Open for Questions: Secretary Sebelius & the Home Stretch on Health Reform
“After over a year of debate, the final package is only days away from getting the up-or-down vote Americans deserve” – so said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius after another step forward in the House Budget Committee yesterday. As we move closer to reform, though, we want to make sure you have every opportunity to get your questions answered on what it would mean for you and your family. Of course you can find a lot of those answers in our section of WhiteHouse.gov dedicated to the President’s proposal, but there’s no better person to go deeper into the issues than Secretary Sebelius, so we hope you’ll join us tomorrow at 5:15PM EST for another online video chat where she’ll take your questions live. In addition, we’ll be trying something new by conducting the chat through Ust
White House: Sunshine Over Washington D.C.
This Sunshine Week, as we join individuals and organizations across the country in recognizing the vital importance of openness in government, we wanted to look back on the many areas where we have opened government up and let the sunshine in—and also look forward to how we will build on our efforts so far to promote transparency. The White House today issued this Memorandum from the Chief of Staff and the White House Counsel taking due note of our successes—and urging the agencies to redouble these efforts in our second year in key areas such as Freedom of Information Act compliance.
Talking Points Memo: Rhetorical Flourish Watch
David Kurtz http://talkingpointsmemo.com/
White House: One Step Closer
Today, comprehensive health reform came one step closer to becoming a reality. This afternoon, the House Budget Committee voted to advance the legislation to the next phase in the process. After over a year of debate, the final package is only days away from getting the up-or-down vote Americans deserve.
This is good news for all the Americans suffering in the current system. Across the country, millions of Americans have seen their health insurance premiums skyrocket or have been denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Health care costs are crushing business, family, and government budgets. And without action, we know these problems will only get worse.
Today, the Budget Committee took an important step forward toward giving these families and small business owners some relief. It’s time for Congress to finish the job and pass reform that will give Americans control over their health care choices.
White House: Philotimo
While most people will have to wait to honor Greek Independence Day, three hundred Greek-Americans, Greeks, and Greek-lovers descended upon the White House Tuesday night to celebrate three weeks early. As the President joked, the Greeks never need an excuse to have a good time.
White House: "I'm Here Because of Natoma"
This afternoon the President was in Ohio as the year-long battle to finally reform America's health insurance system draws towards a close – and he took the opportunity to remind everybody why he has fought so hard for so long against such powerful interests. He was introduced by Connie Anderson, the sister of Natoma Canfield – a woman whose awful but all-too-common struggles have served as a brutal symbol of what is wrong with our system for millions of others.
White House: Shared Responsibility and Accountability for Our Children’s Education
This morning Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, Fox News’ Fox and Friends, CNN’s American Morning and MSNBC’s Morning Joe to talk about the President’s new blueprint for an updated Elementary and Secondary Education Act to overhaul No Child Left Behind. From his appearance on Good Morning America:
White House: So, You Want to Boost Exports? Have I Got a Program for You!
Last week, President Obama gave an important economic speech about his goal for the US to double our exports over the next five years. Get this right, and we’re talking about two million good jobs making stuff here and selling it to other countries.
The President announced a set of initiatives that will help our firms sell into foreign markets, but I’d like to talk briefly about another policy the President and Vice-President have been touting of late: the (somewhat inauspiciously named) 48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit.