U.S. TOUTS TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a proposed trade agreement under negotiation by Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. The agreement seeks to enhance trade and investment among TPP partner countries; promote innovation, economic growth and development; and support job creation and retention.  Graphic Credit:  DOD.

WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET ON STEPS TO ATTRACT FOREIGN INVESTORS AND CREATE JOBS THROUGH EXPANDING SELECTUSA

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE  
March 23, 2015

FACT SHEET: President Obama to Announce New Steps to Attract Foreign Investors and Create Jobs through the Continued Expansion of the SelectUSA Initiative

The United States is the bright spot in the global economy, further proof that the President’s middle class economic agenda is working. More than 12 million jobs have been created over the last 60 months, and wages are beginning to rise again. In fact, U.S. businesses have added more than 200,000 jobs per month every month for 12 consecutive months—the first time that’s happened in 37 years.

Global investors have taken notice and are accelerating their investment in the United States, already home to more foreign direct investment than any other country in the world.  Foreign businesses have injected an average of $67 billion a quarter into the U.S. economy over the last three quarters, compared with an average of $49 billion quarterly from 2009 to 2013, according to Department of Commerce data released last week.

To maintain this momentum, today the President will announce new Administration initiatives to bring job-creating investment from around the world to the United States at the second SelectUSA Investment Summit.

Investment Announcements: Summit participants have already announced at least $13 billion in U.S. investments over the last year and an estimated 32,500 new U.S. jobs, according to data compiled by fDi Markets.
Further Expansions to SelectUSA:  Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker will create the first-ever federal advisory committee focused on attracting and retaining foreign direct investment into the United States. SelectUSA will strengthen its partnership with states and expand customized trainings for first-time investors.
Administrative Actions to Recruit and Retain Global Talent: The Department of Homeland Security will clarify guidelines for global companies seeking to staff new and expanding U.S. operations with specialized knowledge related to their company or industry without impacting job opportunities for U.S. workers.
Second SelectUSA Investment Summit

Established by the President in 2011, SelectUSA is the first-ever government wide program to promote and facilitate job-creating business investment into the United States. Today, more than 2,600 people—including 1,300 companies from more than 70 countries and over 500 U.S. economic development officials from across the country—will attend the second SelectUSA Investment Summit for two days of matchmaking, information sessions, and presentations.

The United States is the world’s premier destination for investment and home to more foreign direct investment than any other country in the world. During the past year alone, 170 of the foreign firms attending the Summit have announced U.S. investments valued at about $13 billion and expected to create more than 32,500 U.S. jobs, according to data compiled by fDi Markets. The announcements come as the U.S. enjoys accelerated inflows of foreign direct investment in recent quarters.

This surge in FDI follows President Obama’s 2013 announcement of an aggressive enhancement and expansion of his SelectUSA investment-promotion initiative—and the results are billions in returns on taxpayer investment.

Since 2011, SelectUSA has helped facilitate more than $20 billion of investments in the United States, generating thousands of jobs and spurring economic growth. The program doubled the number of investors and U.S. economic development organizations (EDOs) it served last year to over 1,000, and is on track to increase its client base by more than 50 percent this year.

Actions to Enhance SelectUSA and Increase U.S. Attractiveness to Investors

Today, the Administration will announce further expansion of its assistance to U.S. economic development organizations and to international investors, through new partnerships with states, enhanced online tools, and a SelectUSA training program that was piloted at the Summit. Specifically:

New partnership with state economic development organizations: SelectUSA will convene at the Summit the first semi-annual gathering of a collaborative platform for federal and state economic development officials. The partnership will improve state-federal coordination, inform SelectUSA services and programs, and promote high standards in investment-promotion activities across the country.

Federal advisory committee: Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker will establish the first-ever federal advisory committee to solicit formal input on the development and implementation of strategies and programs to attract and retain foreign direct investment in the United States.

Improved online tools for investors: SelectUSA has made available on its site for the first time a database of state-level incentives. The Department of Commerce has also made the website clustermapping.us, a joint project of the Harvard Business School and the Economic Development Administration, available to investors and economic developers. The Cluster Mapping website provides data and tools that make it easier for investors to identify regional concentrations of specific industries and locate potential economic partners. SelectUSA is committed to further improving online tools so that investors can more fully consider the advantages offered by the United States.

New and improved foreign direct investment data coming out this year:  The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) will begin to report new data this year about the impact of foreign direct investment on the U.S. economy, and FDI contributions to employment. The data will allow investors and policymakers to distinguish and assess patterns of “greenfield” investments that establish new U.S. businesses.

Launch of SelectUSA Academy:  Through 2014, SelectUSA provided consultation for U.S. economic developers, seminars in at least 25 countries for investors, and a 101 series of webinars on infrastructure investing.  This culminated in the first-ever SelectUSA Academy, held March 22nd, the evening before the Summit kick-off.  Building on the success of this effort, SelectUSA will expand online and on-site training programs for investors and EDOs.
U.S. to be featured at 2016 Hannover Messe: Today, U.S. and German officials announced that the United States, led by the Department of Commerce, will be the featured official “Partner Country” for the 2016 Hannover Messe. Hannover Messe is the largest industrial trade fair in the world, attracting approximately 6,500 exhibitors and 250,000 visitors every year. As Partner Country, the United States will be featured to a global audience as a supplier of high quality products and a prime location for business investment.

Policy Guidance for L-1B Visas:  Policy Guidance for L-1B Visas:   U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will increase clarity around the adjudication of the L-1B non immigrant visa that allows international companies to temporarily deploy workers with specialized knowledge to the United States when launching or conducting operations here. This long-anticipated policy guidance, which will be released for public feedback, is of particular interest to global companies participating in the SelectUSA Investment Summit.
Surging Interest in the U.S. as Place to Locate Businesses and Create Jobs

Record attendance at the Summit—more than twice as large as the inaugural 2013 event—reflects growing global interest in the United States as a place to launch and expand operations, invest in research and development, and create jobs.  In fact:

Foreign direct investments have surged the last three quarters of 2014, compared with the year-earlier period. New Commerce Department data released last week showed that global investors pumped an average of $67 billion every quarter into the U.S. economy in the last three quarters of 2014, compared with an average of $50 billion per quarter in recent years.

Surveys show investors rate the U.S. as top destination for investment. After eclipsing China, Brazil, and India in 2013 to take the top spot in A.T. Kearney’s FDI Confidence Index, the United States remains “the prime destination” for investment in the world, according to the consulting firm’s survey of C-suite executives. More than half of large manufacturers will increase U.S. hiring by 5 percent or more in 2015, according to an October survey by the Boston Consulting Group.

ON ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE, PRESIDENT OBAMA MAKES REMARKS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
March 19, 2015
Remarks by the President on Energy and Climate Change
Department of Energy
Washington, D.C.
11:28 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, It is wonderful to be here at the Department of Energy with some of our outstanding private sector partners.  Secretary Ernie Moniz is in Geneva doing some important work on behalf of our national security, but I want to thank him and his team at the Department of Energy, as well as our folks over at EPA.  And Administrator Gina McCarthy is here, as well as Christy Goldfuss at the Council on Environmental Quality.

This has been a team effort to make sure that we are doing everything we can to boost the energy efficiency of the American economy.  And since we’ve said it’s important, we thought it was important for us to lead by example here at the federal government.  As you know, I just took a tour of the solar-powered roof upstairs.  And those panels are not just for show -- they produce power that the government doesn’t then have to buy off the grid.  And more and more businesses and more and more homeowners are following suit not because it’s simply good for the environment, but because it’s good for their bottom lines.

Thanks in part to the investments that we’ve made over the past six years, the United States is rapidly becoming a leader in solar energy.  Last year was the biggest year for solar power in our history.  And, in fact, the solar industry is adding jobs 10 times faster than the economy as a whole.

So we’re proving that it is possible to grow our economy robustly while at the same time doing the right thing for our environment and tackling climate change in a serious way.

Over the past six years, we’ve done more than ever to to combat climate change.  Last year, the federal government used less energy than at any time in the past four decades.   And in a historic joint announcement that many of you saw, China committed to limiting their emissions for the first time.

So today, America once again is going to be leading by example.  This morning, I signed an executive order that will do two things.  First, we’re going to cut the federal government’s greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent from the 2008 levels within the next 10 years.  Second, we’re going to increase the share of electricity that the federal government uses from renewable sources to 30 percent within the next 10 years.  These are ambitious goals, but we know that they’re achievable goals.

And I want to thank the executives of some of our leading companies in the country who are here, because they’re stepping up and making similar commitments.  Folks from IBM to GE, Northrop Grumman -- some of our biggest Fortune 100 companies are setting their own ambitious goals.  And, cumulatively, what this is doing is allowing us across the economy to not only hit some key targets that are going to be required in order for us to reduce climate change, but they’re also saving money, helping their bottom line, and they’re giving a boost to the industry as a whole -- because as we get economies of scale, and demand for solar and wind and other renewable energies grows, obviously that can help drive down the overall price, make it that much for efficient, and we start getting a virtuous cycle that is good for the economy and creates jobs here in America.

So we very much want to thank our private sector partners.  You guys have done an outstanding job.  And because of the prominence of many of the companies here, and the fact that they’ve got a whole bunch of suppliers up and down the chain, what you do with respect to energy efficiency is going to have a ripple effect throughout the economy.  And we’re very pleased with that.

So thank you very much.  Thank you, guys.

Q    -- Iran?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m sorry, we’re talking about energy, and it’s a great story, so hopefully you’ll focus on it.  Thank you, guys.

END
11:33 A.M. EDT

EXPORT-IMPORT BANK REPORTS PROVIDING MORE THAN $5 BILLION FINANCING FOR SMALL BUSINESS EXPORTS

FROM:  U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK 
Ex-Im Bank Finishes Fiscal Year Strong, Providing over $5 Billion to Finance U.S. Small Business Exports and Supporting over 160,000 American Jobs

Washington, D.C. – The Export-Import Bank today unveiled its total authorizations and the value of the U.S. exports it supported in Fiscal Year 2014, including its strong support for small businesses, which accounted for nearly 90 percent of the Bank’s customers. Last year, Ex-Im Bank’s financing again supported American jobs and boosted U.S. exports by filling private sector financing gaps and leveling the playing field for U.S. businesses as they compete overseas.

“Ex-Im is proud to serve as a backstop, filling in gaps in the private sector and ensuring that the American export economy remains vibrant in a world of market ebbs and flows,” said Chairman Fred P. Hochberg. “This year’s numbers are reflective of a strong economic recovery and of Ex-Im Bank’s continued record of supporting quality American jobs while generating a surplus for the American taxpayer.”

Key FY 2014 Highlights:

In FY 2014, Ex-Im Bank authorized approximately $20.5 billion to support 164,000 U.S. jobs.

Of the 3,746 transactions Ex-Im Bank approved in FY 2014, 3,347, or almost 90 percent, supported American small businesses.

Of the total dollar amount authorized by Ex-Im Bank in FY 2014, small business authorizations accounted for 24.7 percent, or more than $5 billion.

The total value of exports supported by Ex-Im Bank amounted to almost $27.5 billion, $10.7 billion (39 percent) of which accounted for small business export value.

Ex-Im Bank authorized $2 billion, a record-high dollar value, for sub-Saharan African transactions.

Approximately $675 million in deficit-reducing receipts was transferred to the U.S. Treasury's General Fund.

LABOR SECRETARY PEREZ'S STATEMENT ON FEBRUARY EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS

FROM:  U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT 
Statement of Labor Secretary Perez on February employment numbers

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the February 2014 Employment Situation report released today:
"The nation's economic recovery continued in February, with the creation of 175,000 new jobs (162,000 of them in the private sector). For four years uninterrupted now — 48 consecutive months — private-sector employment has grown, to the tune of 8.7 million new jobs. The unemployment rate remained essentially unchanged from January, a full point lower than it was a year ago and below 7 percent for the third straight month following 60 straight months above it.
"February's numbers were resilient, despite the weather. We're moving in the right direction, but this recovery can and must move more quickly, changing more lives and helping more people realize their highest dreams. President Obama believes in opportunity for all — in giving everyone who's willing to work hard the chance to succeed. That's why, for example, he recently took action to launch two new manufacturing innovation hubs that will lead to good jobs. That's why he continues to fight for comprehensive immigration reform that will grow the economy by $1.4 trillion over the next decade. That's why he directed us at the Labor Department to issue $150 million in Ready to Work Partnership grants that will help the long-term unemployed find work.

"The president's budget for fiscal year 2015 provides a road map for accelerating economic growth and expanding opportunity. He proposes major new investments in infrastructure — because upgrading our roads, ports and power grids not only puts people to work right away, it facilitates long-term growth across the economy. The Labor Department budget empowers people, helping them acquire the skills they need, to ensure we're connecting ready-to-work Americans with ready-to-be-filled jobs. The president is also proposing a new Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative that includes a multibillion-dollar effort to strengthen our community colleges and promote apprenticeship programs, which are a tried-and-true workforce development strategy.

"The president and I are eager to work with Congress on these initiatives and others. But absent leadership from Capitol Hill, the president will take action wherever and whenever possible to help more families secure their foothold in the middle class. This will be a year of action — to accelerate this recovery and create more opportunity for more people."

PRESIDENT OBAMA, VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN AT U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS RECEPTION

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
Remarks by the President and the Vice President at U.S. Conference of Mayors Reception
East Room
January 23, 2014
5:30 P.M. EST

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, welcome to the White House.  My name is Joe Biden.  I work for President Obama.  (Laughter.)  Best job I ever had.

Hey, folks, look, there's a reason the President and I like talking to mayors.  You're the one group of elected officials that get things done, in large part because you have no option but to get things done.  (Laughter.)  And also, most of the innovation is coming from you all.

Today, I got further evidence of that when I talked with a few of you about what we can do together on the jobs, skills and workforce development.  We promised, back in 2009, there would be -- we'd be a strong partner with you, and I'm confident in saying that because of the man I'm about to introduce, we've kept that promise.

President Obama understands cities better than most American presidents have in American history.  He knows cities face unique challenges when it comes to building infrastructure and creating jobs, and that’s why he nominated a big city mayor, Anthony Foxx -- he doesn’t have all the money in the world, but he's ready to help.

And also, I've gotten a chance to work directly with so many of you during the Recovery Act.  The only reason it worked, the only reason there was less than 1 percent waste or fraud -- including with our Republican friends who investigated -- is because of you.  You made it work.  You're used to getting things done on time -- mostly under budget -- and getting answers back to people immediately.  And it never ceases to amaze me the tough political decisions, you guys and women, you make every single day in doing your job -- to save your neighborhoods, to rebuild and balance your budgets, and to bring jobs back to your communities.

So I'm honored to have you here, we're honored to have you here.  And I'm really honored to introduce the best friend the cities have ever had in this White House, President Barack Obama.  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much.  Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Please have a seat.

Well, welcome to the White House.  It is great to have you.  For those of you who have been here before, welcome back.  I see a lot of friends and a lot of familiar faces around the room, but I've also already had a chance to meet some newly elected mayors.  So to all of you, congratulations -- and make sure you're shoveling the snow.  (Laughter.)  Just a little piece of advice.  It's been cold.

We've got more than 250 mayors here from more than 45 states and territories.  You represent about 40 million Americans.  And over the last five years, thanks in part to the partnerships that we've been able to forge with mayors in this room and across the country, we've accomplished some big things on behalf of the American people.

But you know as well as anybody that while our economy is growing stronger, and we are optimistic about growth this year and in subsequent years, we've got a lot more work to do to make sure that everybody has a chance to get ahead.  If they're willing to work hard and take responsibility, they've got to be able to participate in that growth.  And every day, mayors are proving that you don’t have to wait for the gridlock to clear in Congress in order to make things happen.

Now, Mayor Greg Stanton in Phoenix and Mayor Ralph Becker in Salt Lake City have ended chronic homelessness among veterans.  (Applause.)  In San Antonio, Mayor Castro has launched an early childhood education program designed to reach more than 22,000 four year olds over the next eight years.  In Fresno, Mayor Ashley Swearengin is spearheading projects to develop her city's downtown, including a high-speed rail station that's going to help attract jobs and businesses to the Central Valley.  In Philadelphia, Mayor Nutter is helping young people reach higher during their summers by working with partners across the city to create thousands of summer jobs.  In Tampa, Mayor Bob Buckhorn has gone, in his words, "all in," helping his constituents get covered with quality, affordable health insurance.

So mayors from both parties are a part of the climate task force, helping to make sure that cities have what it takes to withstand changes that may be taking place in our atmosphere in the years to come.  More than a thousand mayors across America have signed agreements to cut dangerous carbon pollutions.  I want to work with Congress whenever and wherever I can, but the one thing I'm emphasizing to all my Cabinet members is we're not going to wait.  Where Congress is debating things and hasn't been able to pull the trigger on stuff, my administration is going to move forward and we're going to do it in partnership with all of you.  I've got a pen and I've got a phone.  And that's all I need.  (Applause.)

Because with a pen I can take executive actions.  With a phone I can rally folks from around the country to help grow the economy and restore opportunity.  And that's what today, hopefully, has been about.  You've met with members of the administration.  You've gotten to know each other, but also, hopefully, they've given you some insight into where we see the most promising programs, things that are working, best practices.  And we want to cooperate and coordinate with you as effectively as we can to make sure that whatever works is getting out there and hitting the streets and actually having an impact on people's lives.  And, frankly, there are a lot of things that folks in this town could learn from all of you.

And I want to close by personally saying how much it means to me to have you here today.  As Joe mentioned, I know a little something about cities.  I got my professional career started as somebody working in some of the toughest neighborhoods in Chicago.  But I also saw how hard work can transform communities block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood.  And to see the resilience and the strength of people, and the incredible vibrancy that cities bring to not just those who live within the boundaries of cities but entire regions, that's what you understand.  And I want to make sure that I've got your back in everything that you do.

So I want to say thank you to all of you for making sure that your constituents are well-served.  But, as a consequence, America is well-served.

STATEMENT BY LABOR SECRETARY PEREZ REGARDING DECEMBER EMPLOYMENT

FROM:  LABOR DEPARTMENT 

Statement of Labor Secretary Perez on December employment numbers
WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the December 2013 Employment Situation report released today:
"The U.S. economy closed out 2013 by adding 74,000 jobs, bringing the 2013 total to nearly 2.2 million new jobs. With 87,000 new private-sector jobs in December, that makes 8.2 million jobs created by the private sector over the last 46 straight months. The December unemployment rate fell to 6.7 percent.

"The economy continues to recover, but we are clearly not out of the woods. Far too many Americans are still struggling to find jobs and secure a foothold in the middle class. Long-term unemployment in particular remains a persistent challenge, stuck at a staggering high: 3.9 million Americans, representing 37.7 percent of all unemployed workers, have been unemployed for at least 27 weeks.
"I've met recently with many of them — hard-working Americans who, despite their most diligent efforts, have just been unable to find work, some for as long as a few years. Their lives are a daily struggle, as they rapidly deplete their savings and face looming foreclosure on their homes. One woman described keeping her thermostat at 58 degrees, wearing a coat and hat around the house, to cut back on heating costs. They are not lazy or complacent; they want nothing more than the dignity of work. But they're caught in a terrifying spiral: the longer you've been out of a job, the harder it is to get a job.

"To give them the immediate relief they so badly need, the first order of business for Congress is to pass an extension of emergency unemployment benefits that expired on Dec. 28 for 1.3 million people. It's the right thing to do to extend a lifeline to fellow Americans down on their luck, and it's the smart thing to do to stimulate the economy.

"But we need to go beyond stopgap measures. The best way to help unemployed Americans is to create jobs and grow the economy at a faster clip. Last month's bipartisan budget deal demonstrated that members of Congress can muster the will to agree on constructive solutions to tough problems. In that same spirit, they must now get to work on the middle-class jobs agenda put forward by President Obama. Let's resolve in the New Year to fix our broken immigration system, invest in education and skills development, rebuild our infrastructure, increase the minimum wage and take other steps to create and expand opportunity for the American people."

DEPUTY SECRETARY OF LABOR'S BLOG ON LABOR RIGHTS DIALOGUE IN THE AMERICAS

FROM:  U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT 
Labor Rights Dialogue in the Americas
by SETH HARRIS on NOVEMBER 26, 2013 

Just this month, at a meeting of the Organization of American States, Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the need to redefine the U.S. relationship with our hemispheric neighbors. This new era, Secretary Kerry said, will require us to make decisions together “as partners to advance the values and the interests that we share.” Two weeks ago, at the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor (the labor component of the OAS) in Medellin, Colombia, I saw this new era of shared responsibility and values-based partnerships in action.
Labor ministers and deputy ministers from across the Americas and the Caribbean discussed some of our region’s most important labor issues – workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively, the relationship between economic growth and job creation, income inequality, social protections and social dialogue, youth unemployment, and others. A great deal of work remains to be done to ensure workers a fair share of our region’s prosperity and expanding trade.  Many countries need stronger labor inspectorates and more aggressive implementation of existing labor laws. Others need law reform to meet international labor standards.  I was heartened that workers’ rights and employment are leading issues for the countries that attended the IACML. Nonetheless, the United States must remain engaged and continue to lead if there is to be a leveling up of labor standards among our trading partners and neighbors.

The wave of joblessness caused by the Great Recession significantly increased risks for working families across this hemisphere. And the recovery from the recession has been uneven.  Unemployment remains unacceptably high in some regions and among certain populations, including younger workers, workers with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and racial minorities.  The United States has aggressively advocated for macroeconomic policies across the world that are principally focused on promoting job creation. But merely creating more jobs is not enough.  New jobs must be decent jobs that deliver a fair income, voice and security in the workplace, social protection, opportunities for social integration, and equality of opportunity. Stable, sustainable jobs like these will expand growth in local and national economies.  Jobs that shift unacceptable levels of risk onto workers will not.

Among the greatest threats to decent jobs in our region is precarious work. Precarious work denies millions of workers – domestic workers, migrant workers, part-time workers, temporary workers, other workers in the informal sector – workplace benefits, employment security, and legal protections. In the United States, we often speak of workers being paid “under the table,” including employees who are misclassified as “independent contractors” and, as a result, do not benefit from unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, and minimum wage and overtime protections, among other things.  In other words, workers bear essentially all workplace risks, and employers assume none.

Our partners in the Americas and the Caribbean generally agree on the need for effective standards to protect workers and help move them from the informal sector to more stable employment. I emphasized in my remarks at the IACML that agreement is just the beginning. We must not allow a permanent – and growing – division of our workforces into one group of well-protected workers in the formal economy and a second, expanding group of workers who do not receive basic protections and benefits because they toil in an informal sector. I challenged our hemispheric partners to meet the conditions of the IACML Declaration relating to precarious work before our next meeting in two years.

During my remarks, I also highlighted the need for effective unemployment insurance systems as one form of social protection against recessions and narrower economic downturns. Unemployment insurance systems do not benefit only the workers who receive payments. Unemployed workers use their benefits to pay bills, buy groceries, and otherwise support their families. Certainly, these funds provide a measure of security for the millions of working families in the U.S. who receive them. And without them, some unemployed workers in the Americas and the Caribbean are forced into precarious work because they must find some way to support their families after losing a job. But unemployment benefits also ensure continued consumer spending where it would otherwise be absent at a time when national economies need it most. Seventy percent of the American economy is built on consumer spending, and the economies of many of our neighbors operate similarly. Unemployment insurance systems can act as automatic stabilizers during economic downturns. I urged our neighbors to work with us to establish unemployment insurance systems in their countries. I am delighted to report that Mexico is about to create its first national UI system, and we have had discussions with other countries in the region about following suit.

In addition to the formal conference, the IACML offered opportunities to engage in bilateral meetings with selected partners in the region. In 2011, President Obama and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed the Colombian Action Plan Related to Labor Rights associated with the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. Ever since, the Labor Department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs has been working closely with the Colombian government to implement the Action Plan. Recognizing some of the advances Colombia has made in the last two years, but also acknowledging that there is a great deal more work to be done, I had a frank conversation with Colombian Labor Minister Rafael Pardo regarding the steps required to satisfy the Action Plan. Minister Pardo and I also agreed to continue meeting into 2014 in order to continue implementation of the Action Plan commitments.

At the end of the same week, I also participated in an International Forum on Employment and Social Security Public Policy hosted by the Mexican Labor Minister Alfonso Navarrete in Mexico City. I spoke on a panel about the importance of innovation in the U.S. skills training system as a driver for growth, and a necessity in a modern, developed economy. Corporations increasingly look to the availability of skilled labor – or at least, an infrastructure that can produce a pipeline of skilled workers – when making decisions about where to site new factories and other facilities. Skills training, driven by regional business needs and available job openings, is a necessity. President Obama has made innovative programs to create and expand these pipelines a key element of his economic agenda. Programs like the Labor Department’s Trade Adjustment and Community College Career Training grants and Workforce Innovation Fund, with their emphasis on partnerships with employers to identify the skills their businesses demand, can and should be models of innovative approaches to workforce development throughout the Americas and the Caribbean. The recently announced CareerConnect grants program, a joint project of the Labor and Education Departments, similarly seeks to bring employers and high schools together to ensure that graduates are ready to compete in 21st-century labor markets. We expect it will create a host of models worth emulating.

These trips to Medellin, Colombia, and Mexico City, Mexico, are part of an expanding effort in the Labor Department to engage aggressively with our partners, particularly our trading partners, to elevate labor standards around the world. No one conference or meeting will achieve our result. We made important progress at the IACML and the Mexico City forum, but U.S. engagement must remain focused, constant and values-based. Secretary Perez and I are committed to maintaining that effort throughout President Obama’s second term.

Seth D. Harris is the U.S. deputy secretary of labor.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S WEEKLY ADDRESS FOR NOVEMBER 23, 2013

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

Weekly Address: Working with Both Parties to Keep the Economy Moving Forward

WASHINGTON, DC— In his weekly address, President Obama said our economy is moving in the right direction. We have cut our deficits by more than half, businesses have created millions of new jobs, and we have taken significant steps to reverse our addiction to foreign oil and fix our broken health care system.

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online atwww.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, November 23, 2013.

Remarks for President Barack Obama

Weekly Address

The White House

November 23, 2013

Hi, everybody.  Over the past couple months, most of the political headlines you’ve read have probably been about the government shutdown and the launch of the Affordable Care Act.  And I know that many of you have rightly never been more frustrated with Washington.

But if you look beyond those headlines, there are some good things happening in our economy.  And that’s been my top priority since the day I walked into the Oval Office.

After decades in which the middle class was working harder and harder just to keep up, and a punishing recession that made it worse, we made the tough choices required not just to recover from crisis, but to rebuild on a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth.

Five years later, we have fought our way back.  Our businesses have created 7.8 million new jobs in the past 44 months.  Another 200,000 Americans went back to work last month.

The American auto industry has come roaring back with more than 350,000 new jobs – jobs churning out and selling the high-tech, fuel-efficient cars the world wants to buy.  And they’re leading the charge in a manufacturing sector that has added jobs for the first time since the 1990s – a big reason why our businesses sell more goods and services “Made in America” than ever before.

We decided to reverse our addiction to foreign oil.  And today, we generate more renewable energy than ever, more natural gas than anybody, and for the first time in nearly 20 years, America now produces more oil than we buy from other countries.

We decided to fix a broken health care system.  And even though the rollout of the marketplace where you can buy affordable plans has been rough, so far, about 500,000 Americans are poised to gain health coverage starting January 1^st.  And by the way, health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years.

And one more thing: since I took office, we’ve cut our deficits by more than half.  And that makes it easier to invest in the things that create jobs – education, research, and infrastructure.

Imagine how much farther along we could be if both parties were working together.  Think about what we could do if a reckless few didn’t hold the economy hostage every few months, or waste time on dozens of votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act rather than try to help us fix it. 

In the weeks ahead, I’ll keep talking about my plan to build a better bargain for the middle class.  Good jobs.  A good education.  A chance to buy a home, save, and retire.  And yes, the financial security of affordable health care.  And I’ll look for any willing partners who want to help.

Because of your hard work and tough sacrifices over the past five years, we’re pointed in the right direction.  But we’ve got more work to do to keep moving that way.  And as long as I’m President, I’ll keep doing everything I can to create jobs, grow the economy, and make sure that everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead.  Thanks, and have a great weekend.

OVER $803 MILLION IN EARNINGS FROM EXPORT-IMPORT BANK

Photo Credit:  Wikimedia.

FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK

Export-Import Bank Earns Over $803 Million for Taxpayers
During Fiscal Year Just Ended; October 5, 2012

Since 2008 Bank Operations Net $1.6 Billion to Help Reduce Deficit

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- In what promises to be a fourth record-setting year for export finance authorizations and jobs, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has announced that in the fiscal year that ended September 30, 2012 the Bank earned for U.S. taxpayers $803.7 million dollars above the cost of all operations. The Bank transferred the funds this week to the U.S. Treasury’s General Fund.

"I’m proud that the Bank is able to contribute to reducing the deficit while at the same time helping create and sustain the jobs of America’s talented export workers," said Fred P. Hochberg, chairman and president of Ex-Im. "Although we’ve not finished closing the books on Fiscal Year ’12, it looks like we’ll again have another record-setting year. To do that at no cost to taxpayers while earning over $800 million is a testament to Ex-Im’s dedicated staff and the many private and public sector partners that work with us everyday."

From fiscal years 2008 through 2012 Ex-Im Bank sent a net amount of $1.6 billion to the U.S. Treasury.