WHITE HOUSE VIDEO: HOLIDAYS AT THE WHITE HOUSE

WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING ON U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC RELATIONS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
Press Briefing by Senior Administration Officials on the Fact Sheet on Strengthening U.S.-China Economic Relations
Aboard Air Force Two
En Route Seoul, South Korea

6:33 P.M. (Local)

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  This is SAOs, so everyone knows -- SAOs.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Okay.  Well, I mean, I think you heard the Vice President talk about the importance of the relationship on a whole variety of dimensions.  We’ve been talking a lot about the security dimensions during his visit, but of course a very important piece of the agenda is on economic and trade issues.  And maybe you’ve heard the Vice President talk about how we have a stake in each other’s success, about the need for practical cooperation that helps demonstrate to the American people and also to the Chinese people that this relationship is working, that this kind of a visit is generating and advancing the kind of cooperation that we’re trying to do across the board, but especially in the economic and trade space.

And in the course of this visit and during the Vice President’s meetings, we’re working on a number of issues on energy, on climate, on food and drug safety.  Coming out of these discussions, coming out of some discussions on the sidelines of the visit, we reached agreement on a number of things that my colleague will be able to outline in detail both what they are and the significance of them as you see in the fact sheet.

But I guess the sort of broader point or just the sort of context-setting point is that we’ve been talking a lot on this visit about the ADIZ issue, about some of the security issues in the relationship, but I just sort of want to make the broader point that this is -- that this set of issues is actually a very big piece of business here.  And we are constantly trying to use visits like this to advance our agenda on a whole number of aspects.  And the economic and trade one is the way that we used part of the Vice President’s time, but also in some of the discussions leading up to this visit.

And this will continue past the visit.  We have our Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, which is where we have our top economic and trade negotiators getting together in just a week or so.  So they’re going to continue that.  And the Vice President talked about some things with his Chinese counterparts that they’re going to be able to continue to work on over the course of the coming days and weeks.

So why don’t I turn to my colleague to talk a little bit about what we are announcing today.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Hi.  So just to start off on the climate side obviously is the two largest emitters -- we have a special responsibility and opportunity working together.  And today, we reaffirmed the agreements on the HFCs that the two presidents had reached in Sunnylands originally, and expanded in St. Petersburg.  We also reached agreement that China would work with us to design and then implement much more aggressive emissions controls and standards for vehicles -- low-sulfur fuel and vehicle emissions, known as the China VI standards, which is the first time that they’ve committed to that.

We also reached agreement that there would be effort and resources devoted on both sides to the work of the energy -- the climate -- sorry, the climate working group that was set up, as my colleague mentioned, at the S&ED.  And there were five areas in that to be looked at by that working group.  And it was agreed today that we would make significant progress, concrete progress by the next S&ED, which is in the summer of 2014.  So it’s really giving a push forward to that work.

We also agreed to work together in the UNFCCC negotiations and to work in close cooperation and leader-level discussions.  And we’re, as you know, moving towards the 2015 COP in Paris of the UNFCCC, so this is going to be a very important period going forward in the multilateral -- in those multilateral negotiations.

On energy transparency, China agreed today to make important steps towards greater transparency by providing more complete and more frequent data releases on their energy situation -- production, consumption and stocks -- and to have stronger cooperation with this process called JODI, J-O-D-I, which is the Joint Organizations Data Initiative.

Secondly, we reached agreement to information -- to cooperate basically on the management of strategic petroleum reserves with annual meetings and information exchanges.  We also -- China agreed to participate in a peer review of fossil-fuel subsidies, which is the next step in the implementation of the G20 commitment to phase out, and they reaffirmed the commitment to phase out inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies.  This is all consistent with their move towards better pricing of energy.

And finally, on energy, they agreed -- China agreed to  -- we agreed to work with them to open up their shale gas to investment and development.

And then on the food and drug safety and innovation, we import a lot of food from China now and it’s important for both parties that this should be safe, and we have some FDA inspectors on the ground in China, but not enough.  And China today agreed to increase the number -- increase the visas supplied for these inspectors, and we’ll reach agreement in January 2014 on how that will be operationalized.  But I know that the FDA will be very pleased.

We also reached an important agreement on things called APIs, which are these bulk chemicals that can be used in drug manufacture.  And China agreed to begin to develop a framework for -- a regulatory framework for these chemical compounds.  And there will be more work on that, but it’s an important step forward in drug safety.

And then finally, on innovation, is this issue about patents for pharmaceuticals, that as technologies change, manufacturers want to add elements to patents.  And there was -- China affirmed that this kind of development of patents would be possible now, which supports drug innovation and will be an important win for our industry.

So that’s the main items in those buckets.

Q    Could I ask a very general question about TPP that just sort of interests me.  Did you get any sense from your conversations that the Chinese are viewing TPP less as a competing regional trade pact than as something that they might find attractive down the road?  In other words, has their sentiment toward TPP evolved?  Is there any evidence of that?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  We didn’t cover that in our discussions here.  There have been statements beforehand, in the recent past, about -- and I think you see in the region more interest, more openness to TPP, obviously with Korea’s announcement of interest and some other countries.  So I think that there’s some prospect that there’s more growing acceptance that TPP will be an open architecture agreement that will provide rules and standards for the whole region.

Q    Did you guys get into any of the issues, kind of escalating concerns about WTO disputes that both had with each other on trade enforcement?  That would be one.  And second, since this was a pretty large portfolio being laid out, did you guys consider the sort of old model of what Ron Brown or Al Gore used to do of bringing either business leaders on the trip or NGO leaders?  This is a very sizable portfolio, but the constituencies that often were part of these sorts of delegations weren’t on this trip.  Had that been part of any calculation?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, let me just say a couple of things about that.  I mean, first of all, the Vice President spoke to a large --

Q    (Inaudible.)

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  -- the AM Cham, the U.S.-China Business Council, two of the main business groups --

Q    But you didn’t have, like, the CEO of GE or the CEO of Mylan, or who all are going to benefit from a lot of these -- I mean, I’m not critiquing, I’m just wondering if it had  -- it’s not that important, but --

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, I guess I would just say that, I mean, we didn’t -- you’ve seen the delegation that we had on this trip.  The focus of these three areas that we’re sort of working on really are sort of focused on regulatory and policy issues with China, and between China and the United States, that will obviously have an impact on our companies trying to do business in China, trying to improve this as --

Q    How about the WTO disputes?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  On that, I would say in the discussions that the Vice President had during this trip, he raised a whole range of economic concerns that we have, as well as talked about opportunities for economic cooperation.  So the kinds of issues we just made -- we reached agreement on, are the kinds of things that were talked about in the meetings.  He also raised a number of other issues and concerns that we have across a range of issues, many of which he talked about in his speech, so I won’t really repeat those.  But he talked about interest-rate liberalization, he talked about concerns we have around the WTO and some of the specific cases that we have concerns about.  He talked about some of the third plenum reforms that are suggesting things may be going in a positive direction, but the need to speed up implementations.

So that was a kind of type of issues that he was talking about in the economic area across the meetings over the last couple of days.

Q    Just on that point, because it interested me in the briefing last night, it sounded like Xi laid out this very ambitious agenda, but said a lot of this won’t really be feasible for 10 or 20 years, and the Vice President said, well, we need things that happen in the here and now.  Is that a question of selecting reforms that can be done immediately, or is he just simply saying to the President, you have to move faster, you can’t expect us to wait 10 or 20 years?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, I think there are a number of different areas that they talked about in terms of -- in the context of the third plenum reforms, both what Xi indicated he’s focused on, but also some of the longstanding concerns that we have that the Vice President raised and discussed in his meetings with Xi and other Chinese leaders about some of the areas of reform, the concerns that we have and what we’d like to see going forward.

In terms of the pace, obviously some of the issues on the agenda are large, structural changes that they’re trying to make in terms of rebalancing their economy that are pretty fundamental issues that are going to obviously take a long time to develop.  But I guess I’ll turn to my colleagues as well on this.

What we’ve laid out here is an example of the kinds of here-and-now issues that not only address specific concerns that we’re trying to resolve today, but also connect to the larger structural issues that they were discussing in these meetings.  So there’s kind of a linkage between the kinds of issues we’re raising, the kinds of issues we’re trying to resolve, the type of cooperation we’re seeking, and the larger reform agenda that the two leaders were discussing in their meetings.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I agree with that.  And I think that I mentioned in the area of energy and climate, and the fossil-fuel subsidy review, and the vehicle-emission standards, part of that is support for the kind of shift in their economy that they’ve laid out and that they want to do, and there are areas where we can work together on that.

Q    To dovetail on Mark’s question, the Vice President talked in this trip about the third plenum reforms really being things that the United States would like to see.  At the same time, we’re not seeing the kind of commitment by China to make political reforms that the United States perhaps would like to see.  Does this administration think that the economic reforms can be carried out without political reforms happening at the same time?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, on that I would just point you to the Vice President’s speech today, where I think he actually spoke directly to that connection and that issue.  So I don’t want to go beyond what he said today, because I think he actually laid it out quite well.  He talked about the reform agenda, he talked about the kinds of things that have been laid out in the third plenum.

Q    But he didn’t talk about whether one can be done without the other.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, I don’t know.  I mean, I would go to what he said, because he actually -- I thought he spoke pretty directly.

Q    Another question is, during the debt ceiling debate, Chinese government and central bank authorities began to sort of publicly criticize U.S. policy and responsibilities over the reserve currency status of the dollar.  Did that kind of thing come up?  Or was that a momentary impulse during the debt ceiling debate, and given the spate of things that you guys work on, that Chinese economic authorities didn’t continue that complaint about the dollar and sort of responsible management of it?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  It didn’t come up.  I mean, there was general agreement that both economies were doing well, and there was notice that -- the Chinese noticed that our economy was growing, and unemployment was coming down, although of course we have more work to do.  So the other issue did not --

Q    (Inaudible) tone --

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Absolutely not.  Absolutely not.

Q    That’s interesting.  Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Great.  Thanks.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S WEEKLY ADDRESS FOR DECEMBER 7, 2013

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE

Weekly Address: Calling on Congress to Extend Unemployment Benefits this Holiday Season

WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama said that before Congress leaves for vacation, they should extend unemployment benefits for 1.3 million hardworking Americans who will lose this lifeline at the end of the year. For families, unemployment benefits can mean the difference between hardship and catastrophe, and it is also one of the most effective ways to boost our economy. This holiday season, Congress should do the right thing for the American people and make it easier for our economy to keep growing and adding jobs.  

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online atwww.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, December 7, 2013.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
December 7, 2013

Hi, everybody.  The holiday season is a time for remembering the bonds we share, and our obligations to one another as human beings.

But right now, more than one million of our fellow Americans are poised to lose a vital economic lifeline just a few days after Christmas if Congress doesn’t do something about it.

Our top priority as a country should be restoring opportunity and broad-based economic growth for all Americans.  And yesterday, we learned that our businesses created about 200,000 jobs in the month of November.  That’s more than 8 million new jobs in the last 45 months.  And the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in five years.

But we need to do everything we can to help businesses create more good jobs that pay good wages even faster.  Because the hole that we’re still digging out of means that there are still millions of Americans looking for work – often because they’ve been laid off through no fault of their own. 

We also have to look out for the Americans working hard to get those jobs.  That’s why, as a country, we offer temporary unemployment insurance – so that job-seekers don’t fall into poverty, and so that when they get that job, they bounce back more quickly. 

For many families, it can be the difference between hardship and catastrophe.  It makes a difference for a mother who suddenly doesn’t know if she’ll be able to put food on the table for her kids.  It makes a difference for a father who lost his job and is looking for a new one.  Last year alone, it lifted 2.5 million people out of poverty, and cushioned the blow for many more.

But here’s the thing: if Members of Congress don’t act before they leave on their vacations, 1.3 million Americans will lose this lifeline.  These are people we know.  They’re our friends and neighbors; they sit next to us in church and volunteer in our communities; their kids play with our kids.  And they include 20,000 veterans who’ve served this country with honor. 

If Congress refuses to act, it won’t just hurt families already struggling – it will actually harm our economy.  Unemployment insurance is one of the most effective ways there is to boost our economy.  When people have money to spend on basic necessities, that means more customers for our businesses and, ultimately, more jobs.  And the evidence shows that unemployment insurance doesn’t stop people from trying hard to find work.

Just this week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted that allowing benefits to expire will be a drag on our economic growth next year.  A report by the Department of Labor and my Council of Economic Advisors estimated that it could cost businesses 240,000 jobs.  And without the ability to feed their families or pay the bills, many people currently looking for work could stop looking for good.

So extending unemployment insurance isn’t just the right thing to do for our families – it’s the smart thing to do for our economy.  And it shouldn’t be a partisan issue.  For decades, Congress has voted to offer relief to job-seekers – including when the unemployment rate was lower than it is today. 

But now that economic lifeline is in jeopardy.  All because Republicans in this Congress – which is on track to be the most unproductive in history – have so far refused to extend it.

So this holiday season, let’s give our fellow Americans who are desperately looking for work the help they need to keep on looking.  Let’s make it easier for businesses to attract more customers, and our economy to grow.  And together, let’s keep doing everything we can to make this country a place where anyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S WEEKLY ADDRESS FOR NOVEMBER 28, 2013

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
Weekly Address: Wishing the American People a Happy Thanksgiving

Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address -- Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Hi, everybody.  On behalf of all the Obamas – Michelle, Malia, Sasha, Bo, and the newest member of our family, Sunny – I want to wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

We’ll be spending today just like many of you – sitting down with family and friends to eat some good food, tell stories, watch a little football, and most importantly, count our blessings.

And as Americans, we have so much to be thankful for.

We give thanks for the men and women who set sail for this land nearly four centuries ago, risking everything for the chance at a better life – and the people who were already here, our Native American brothers and sisters, for their generosity during that first Thanksgiving.

We give thanks for the generations who followed – people of all races and religions, who arrived here from every country on Earth and worked to build something better for themselves and for us.

We give thanks for all our men and women in uniform – and for their families, who are surely missing them very much today.  We’re grateful for their sacrifice too.

We give thanks for the freedoms they defend – the freedom to think what we want and say what we think, to worship according to our own beliefs, to choose our leaders and, yes, criticize them without punishment.  People around the world are fighting and even dying for their chance at these freedoms.  We stand with them in that struggle, and we give thanks for being free.

And we give thanks to everyone who’s doing their part to make the United States a better, more compassionate nation – who spend their Thanksgiving volunteering at a soup kitchen, or joining a service project, or bringing food and cheer to a lonely neighbor.  That big-hearted generosity is a central part of our American character.  We believe in lending a hand to folks who need it.  We believe in pitching in to solve problems even if they aren’t our problems.  And that’s not a one-day-a-year belief.  It’s part of the fabric of our nation.

And we remember that many Americans need that helping hand right now.  Americans who’ve lost their jobs and can’t get a new one through no fault of their own.  Americans who’ve been trapped in poverty and just need that helping hand to climb out.  Citizens whose prayers and hopes move us to act.

We are a people who are greater together than we are on our own.  That’s what today is about.  That’s what every day should be about.  No matter our differences, we’re all part of one American family.  We are each other’s keeper.  We are one nation, under God.  That core tenet of our American experience has guided us from the earliest days of our founding – and it will guide us to a future that’s even brighter than today.

Thank you, God bless you, and from my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S REMARKS AT DREAM WORKS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
Remarks by the President on the Economy -- DreamWorks
DreamWorks
Glendale, California
12:50 P.M. PST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  (Applause.)  Oh, it is good to be in L.A.!  (Applause.)  It is colder in D.C. at the moment, colder in Chicago, and 70-degree weather is something to be thankful for.

And it is great to be at DreamWorks Animation.  I would like to work here.  (Laughter.)  I have asked Jeffrey.  The only concern I had was the lights were kind of dim in the offices and -- (laughter) -- I'm pretty sure I'd fall asleep.  But there’s a natural connection between me and DreamWorks.  I don't know if you know this, but my ears were one of the inspirations for “Shrek.”  (Laughter.)  That's true.  True story.

Mellody was being very modest when she said she had a front-row seat.  Mellody was one of my earliest supporters back when nobody could pronounce my name.  And her and John Rogers at Arial Capital helped to co-chair some of my first fundraisers. And they’d have to drag some straggly group in, kicking and screaming, and write a check and listen to this young senator who had a lot of ideas but not necessarily any realistic prospects to win.  And she went through a lot of ups and downs with me and my career and is just a great, great friend.  So I want to thank her publicly for all the support that she’s given us.  (Applause.)

We’ve got some folks here who are fighting for the people of Southern California every single day and I just want to acknowledge them.  We've got the Mayor of Glendale, Dave Weaver. (Applause.)  We've got three of your outstanding members of Congress -- Brad Sherman, Adam Schiff, Karen Bass.  They are all doing a great job.  (Applause.)

I want to thank all of you for being here.  And I want to thank your CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, for inviting me.  (Applause.) Jeffrey, like Mellody, has been a friend and a supporter through thick and thin.  And I think his place in the entertainment industry is legendary -- I don't need to puff him up too much.  (Laughter.)  He has a healthy sense of self.  (Laughter.)  But he is a great friend and somebody whose counsel and advice I value. And I'm incredibly grateful to be here at this wonderful institution that he helped to build.

And I’ve come here today because this is one of America’s economic engines.  Not just DreamWorks, but this whole cluster of companies that generations have grown up knowing -- Disney and Warner and Universal and others.  When you think about it, what finance is to New York, what the auto industry is to the Midwest, what technology is to Northern California, entertainment is to this part of the country.

And most of us have spent a lot of time thinking about our favorite movies or TV shows, but we don’t often think about the entire infrastructure and industry behind the scenes.  Hundreds of thousands of middle-class jobs -- they’re not always on the marquee -- jobs for electricians, and carpenters, and sound mixers, and makeup artists, and designers, and animators depend on this incredible industry here in southern California.

Entertainment is one of America’s biggest exports.  And every day, you sell a product that’s made in America to the rest of the world.  Every time somebody buys movie tickets, or DVDs, or distribution rights to a film, some of that money goes back to the local economy right here.

And believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy.  It’s part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us such a world power.  You can go anywhere on the planet and you’ll see a kid wearing a “Madagascar” T-shirt.  (Laughter.) You can say, “May the Force be with you” -- they know what you’re talking about.  (Laughter.)

Hundreds of millions of people may never set foot in the United States, but thanks to you, they’ve experienced a small part of what makes our country special.  They’ve learned something about our values.  We have shaped a world culture through you.

And the stories that we tell transmit values and ideals about tolerance and diversity and overcoming adversity, and creativity that are part of our DNA.  And as a consequence of what you’ve done, you helped shape the world’s culture in a way that has made the world better.

They might not know the Gettysburg Address, but if they’re watching some old movie, maybe “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” or “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” or “Will and Grace” and “Modern Family,” they’ve had a front-row seat to our march towards progress, even if their own nations haven’t made that progress yet.  And young people in countries all around the world suddenly make a connection and have an affinity to people who don’t look like them and maybe originally they might have been fearful of, and now suddenly they say, oh, this person is like me -- which is one of the powers of art, but that’s what you transmit.

And that is a remarkable legacy.  Now, it’s also a big responsibility.  When it comes to issues like gun violence, we’ve got to make sure that we’re not glorifying it, because the stories you tell shape our children’s outlook and their lives.  Earlier this year, leaders from this town sat down with Vice President Biden to talk about what Hollywood could do to help keep our kids safe.  This was in the wake of Sandy Hook.  And those conversations need to continue.  The stories we tell matter.  And you tell stories more powerfully than anybody else on the Earth.

But I want to make clear, even as we think long and hard about the messages we send, we should never waver from our commitment to the freedom that allows us to tell those stories so well.  Protecting our First Amendment rights are vital to who we are.  And it’s also good business, because in the global race for jobs and industries, the thing we do better than anybody else is creativity.  That’s something that can’t be copied.  It’s one of the reasons why even with new markets and new technologies, there’s still no better place to make movies and television and music than right here in the United States.

Entertainment is one of the bright spots of our economy.  The gap between what we can do and what other countries can do is enormous.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Woo!

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, that’s worth cheering for.  (Applause.) And that means that we’ve got to do what it takes to make sure that this industry, and every great American industry, keeps that competitive edge so that more folks can find career paths like many of you have, and get good middle-class jobs that allow you to support a family and get ahead.

Nothing is more important than that right now.  And as Mellody mentioned, when I came into office, we were going through a severe crisis.  Five years later, America has largely fought our way back.  We’ve made the tough choices required not just to help the economy recover, but to rebuild it on a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth.

We refocused on manufacturing and exports, and today, our businesses sell more goods and services made in this country to the rest of the world than ever before.  Our manufacturers are adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s, led by an American auto industry that’s come roaring back.  American cars are really good now.  (Laughter.)

We decided to reverse our dependence on foreign oil.  So today, we generate more renewable energy than ever -- doubled our renewable energy -- more natural gas than anybody.  For the first time in nearly 20 years, America now produces more of our own oil than we buy from other countries.  It’s good news.  (Applause.)

When I took office, America invested far less than countries like China did in wireless infrastructure and we’ve now narrowed that gap, and we have helped companies unleash jobs and innovation and become a booming app economy that’s created hundreds of thousands of jobs.  Six years ago, only 5 percent of the world’s smartphones ran on American operating systems.  Today, more than 80 percent do.  (Applause.)

And, yes, we decided to fix a broken health care system.  (Applause.)  And it’s interesting -- I was talking to some of the studio execs here, and I said, look, the rollout of the new health care marketplace was rough and nobody was more frustrated about the problems with our website than I am.  And yet, here in Southern California and here across this state, there are thousands of people every single day who are getting health care for the first time -- for the first time -- because of this.  (Applause.)  And, by the way, the website is continually working better, so check it out.  (Laughter.)

But as a country, we're now poised to gain health coverage for millions of Americans, starting on January 1st, and that includes more than 350,000 here in California who have already signed up.  And thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act, health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years.  Employer-based health care costs are growing at about one-third the rate of a decade ago.  And that means that if the studios here or your employers aren't having to spend as much on health care, they can hire more folks and reinvest more in the business, and come up with those cool technologies that -- I don’t exactly understand how they work, but -- (laughter) -- were really neat to look at.  (Laughter.)

And, by the way, we've done all this while bringing down our deficits.  (Applause.)  After years of trillion-dollar deficits, we reined in spending.  You would think sometimes listening to folks in Washington that we haven't made any progress on that front.  We wound down two wars.  We changed a tax code that was too skewed towards the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the middle class.  You add it all up, we’ve cut our deficits by more than half, and they continue to go down faster than any time since World War II.  (Applause.)

So all told, our businesses created 7.8 million new jobs over the past 44 months.  America has gone farther, recovered faster than most other industrialized nations.  But, as Mellody said, we've got more work to do.  The stock market is doing great, corporate profits soaring, but too many Americans aren’t sharing in that success.  And everybody here who works at DreamWorks -- a really good place to work.  I'm going to ask Jeff if maybe I can work here.  (Applause.)  But all of you have friends and family and neighbors who aren't as lucky.  And you know there are still a lot of folks who are struggling out there. And my top priority is making sure that this country remains a country where everybody who is willing to work hard can get ahead.

And we'd be a lot further along without some of the dysfunction and obstruction we've seen in Washington.  (Applause.)  We would be a lot further along if we could just get folks to act with some sense -- (laughter) -- if we didn’t have one wing of one party that was a little less obsessed with repealing health care for 40 million people, more concerned with making sure the law works.  If they hadn't spent 40 votes trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they might have actually taken some votes on rebuilding our infrastructure, or instituting early childhood education for young people across this country, or investing more money in basic research that helps to create the amazing technologies that many of you utilize.  Any of the serious proposals I've put forward that would be creating jobs right now, they could have been taking votes on that.

Instead of rooting for failure, or refighting old battles, Republicans in Congress need to work with us to improve those things about the Affordable Care Act that aren't working as well as they should, and implement policies to strengthen the middle class and create jobs.  (Applause.)

A couple of weeks ago, House Republican leaders handed out a piece of paper to their members and on the top it said, “Agenda 2014.”  I'm not making this up.  Below that, it was blank.  (Laughter.)  It was a blank sheet of paper -- nothing to create jobs or grow the economy or strengthen the middle class.

And I’ve put forward my plans to create new jobs and even the odds for the middle class.  And I’ve put forward plans that gives some Republicans some of the things that they want in exchange for ideas that will create good jobs right now.  And so far, they won’t consider them.

Some people have heard me say my list of top five movies -- “The Godfather,” one and two, have to be on it.  But it turns out Marlon Brando had it easy, because when it comes to Congress, there’s no such thing as an “offer they can’t refuse.”  (Laughter.)  I mean, I just keep on coming back.  (Laughter.)  I'm going to keep on trying, though.  (Laughter.)  I am, because we've got no choice.  (Applause.)

The American people agree with us that jobs, growing the economy should be our number-one priority.  And we've got to make some investments to make that happen.  And we've got to give a better bargain to the middle class and everybody who is working to join the middle class.  And that means building on those cornerstones of what makes for a strong middle class -- good jobs, a good education, a home of your own, health care when you get sick, a secure retirement even if you're not rich.  So we can help manufacturers bring more jobs back to America by investing in American clean-energy technology, and putting people to work building roads and bridges and schools and high-speed broadband networks that attract businesses from around the world.

We can prepare our children and our workers for the global competition that they’ll face -- expanding high-quality preschool education, redesigning our high schools, investing in community colleges and job training, and tackling rising college costs, so that young people can afford it.  We can help responsible homeowners afford a mortgage or refinancing at today’s low rates, help build a rock-solid housing system for decades to come, instead of boom and bust.

We can bring the promise of a secure retirement back to reach for middle-class families, finding new ways to make it easier for workers to save, and strengthening Social Security, and getting immigration reform done so that undocumented workers are paying their fair share of taxes, but they're not living in the shadows -- (applause) -- and we're attracting the best and the brightest from all around the world.

As I was getting a tour of DreamWorks, I didn't ask, but just looking at faces, I could tell there were some folks who are here not because they were born here, but because they want to be here and they bring extraordinary talents to the United States.  And that's part of what makes America special.  And that's part of what, by the way, makes California special, because it's always been this magnet of dreamers and strivers.  And people coming from every direction saying to themselves, you know, if I work hard there I can have my piece of the American Dream.

We're going to continue to make progress on all those fronts.  And, yes, we are going to continue to implement the health care law.  The product is good.  People want it.  And we should not live in a country where people are going bankrupt just because they get sick.  And anybody who is going to keep on pushing against that, they will meet my resistance, because I am willing to fix any problems that there are, but I'm not going to abandon people to make sure that they've got health insurance in this country.  That is not something we're going to do.  (Applause.)  And the good news is, as I said, thousands of Californians are already signing up.

I read a really powerful story over the weekend I just want to mention about uninsured folks in Kentucky who are signing up in droves in one of the poorest counties in the country.  Some of them can't imagine what having health insurance would be like.  And you read these stories and you realize how important it is for folks in Kentucky -- a state, by the way, that did not vote for me -- (laughter) -- and if Kentucky can do it, than every state should be able to do it.

We should be able to expand Medicaid all across the country. There are millions of people who, right now, even under the law, may not get health care that they deserve because their governors have refused to do it just for political reasons -- expanding Medicaid.  Fortunately, California, obviously, is not one of them.  But this is a fight that we're going to keep fighting, because it's worth fighting.  And that's what Mellody referred to.

It's true.  I'm not an ideological guy, but there are some things I really believe in.  And part of what I believe in is that the essence of this country, what makes this place special, is this idea that Hollywood is glorified and held up, but I actually think it’s true that here, more than anyplace else, no matter what you look like, where you come from, what your last name is, who you love, you should be able to make it if you're willing to work hard.  That's what I believe.  (Applause.)

And there’s certain values that make that a reality.  I have my critics, obviously, but since were here in Hollywood, I want to think about something that the late, great Chicago film critic, Robert [Roger] Ebert said -- and I was fortunate to get to know Roger Ebert and was always inspired by how he handled some really tough stuff.  “Kindness,” he wrote, “covers all of my political beliefs.”  Kindness covers all of my political beliefs.

And when I think about what I'm fighting for, what gets me up every single day, that captures it just about as much as anything.  Kindness; empathy -- that sense that I have a stake in your success; that I'm going to make sure, just because Malia and Sasha are doing well, that's not enough -- I want your kids to do well also.  And I'm willing to help to build good schools so that they get a great education, even if mine are already getting a great education.

And I'm going to invest in infrastructure and building things like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Hoover Dam and the Internet -- (laughter) -- because I'm investing for the next generation, not just this one.  And that's what binds us together, and that's how we've always moved forward, based on the idea that we have a stake in each other’s success.  And that's what drives me.  And that's what will continue to drive me.

I believe that every kid should have opportunity.  I believe our daughters should have the same opportunities as our sons.  I believe that Jeffrey’s kids should be able to aspire to whatever they can dream of, but I also want to make sure that the person who’s cleaning up Jeffrey’s office, that their kid has that same possibility.

And we may have different ideas and different policies on how to do things, but that shouldn’t negate that that core vision is what we're fighting for, and we should be able to sit down together and to keep dreaming and keep working, and to make sure that the American Dream that's been described here in Southern California is sustained for generations to come.

And what’s stopping us is not policy details; it’s not technical issues.  It’s to summon the courage to put politics aside once in a while and remember that we've got more in common than our politics would suggest.  And as long as I've got the privilege of serving as your President, that's what I'm going to keep on making sure that I do -- to put politics aside once in a while and work on your behalf.  (Applause.)

So, thank you, DreamWorks, for what you do.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Jeffrey, for your hospitality.  God bless you.  God bless America.  (Applause.)  Can't wait to see your next movie.  (Applause.)

PARDON THE TURKEY

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE

Remarks by the President at Pardoning of the Thanksgiving Turkey

North Portico

1:30 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody, and happy Thanksgiving. 

The office of the presidency -- the most powerful position in the world -- brings with it many awesome and solemn responsibilities.  This is not one of them.  (Laughter.)  But the White House Turkey Pardon is a great tradition.  And I know Malia loves it -- as does Sasha. 

Generally speaking, Thanksgiving is a bad day to be a turkey.  Especially at a house with two dogs.  So I salute our two guests of honor -- Caramel and Popcorn -- for their bravery. They came all the way from outside Badger, Minnesota to be with us.  They, like my Chief of Staff, are Vikings fans.  (Laughter.) I’m not sure that they know -- (turkeys gobble) -- uh-oh.  (Laughter.)  See.  I'm not sure they know that that my Bears are heading to Minnesota on Sunday, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm going to give them a break.  (Laughter.) 

We are also excited to have students from Badger High School here.  (Applause.)  Where are you guys?  There they are, right there.  And finally, let me say thank you to John Burkel,  chairman of the National Turkey Federation.  Give him a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  

Now, 80 turkeys on John’s farm competed for the chance to make it to the White House, and stay off the Thanksgiving table. It was, quite literally, the hunger games.  (Laughter.)  and then, after weeks of vocal practice and prepping for the cameras, the two tributes, Caramel and Popcorn went head-to-head together for America’s vote as top gobbler. 

The competition was stiff, but we can officially declare that Popcorn is the winner -- (applause) -- proving that even a turkey with a funny name can find a place in politics.  (Laughter.)   As for Caramel, he’s sticking around, and he’s already busy raising money for his next campaign.  (Laughter.)   
On a more serious note, later today, Michelle, Malia, Sasha, and I will bring a couple less fortunate turkeys to a great organization that works to help out our neighbors here in D.C. who need it most.  And I want to thank Jaindl’s Turkey Farm in Orefield, Pennsylvania, for donating those dressed birds for the fifth year in a row.  This is a reminder that this is a season to not only be thankful for the incredible blessings that we have, but also to remember the neediest and generously serve those who are not as fortunate.

This is a quintessentially American holiday, and during this time we give thanks to our friends and our family, for citizens who show compassion to those in need, and for neighbors who help strangers they’ve never met.  We give thanks for the blessings of freedom and opportunity that previous generations worked so hard to secure for.  And we give thanks for the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform who serve our nation around the world. 

For those of you who are watching, you keep us safe.  You make us proud, and you remind us of our own obligations to build on the work of our predecessors and leave something better for our own kids.

So on behalf of the Obama family, I want to wish everybody a very happy Thanksgiving.  Tomorrow, as we gather with our own friends and family, we’ll count ourselves lucky that there’s more to be thankful for than we can ever say, and more to be hopeful for than we can ever imagine.

And now, before these turkeys get away -- with the power vested in me, I want to grant Popcorn a full reprieve.  Come on. (Laughter.)  Popcorn, you have a full reprieve from cranberry sauce and stuffing.  We wish you well.  And we’re going to give Carmel a break as well.

All right?  (Laughter.)  Congratulations, everybody.  (Applause.)   Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.  See you, Popcorn. (Applause.)  Get out of the rain.  (Laughter.)

END

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S REMARKS ON IMMIGRATION REFORM IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
Remarks by the President on Immigration Reform -- San Francisco, CA

Betty Ong Chinese Recreation Center
San Francisco, California

11:55 A.M. PST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  (Applause.)  Well, hello, San Francisco!  (Applause.)  It is great to be back in California.  It is great to be with all of you.  I love San Francisco.  (Applause.)  You got great food.  You got great people, beautiful scenery -- no more super villains because Batkid cleaned up the streets.  (Applause.)  Love Batkid.  (Laughter.)  

I want to start by thanking Geetha for the wonderful  introduction and the great work that she’s doing.  Give her a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  I want to thank your Mayor, Ed Lee.  (Applause.)  Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom.  (Applause.)  I want to recognize some wonderful members of Congress who are fighting every day for the people of California -- Mike Honda -- (applause) -- Eric Swalwell, Judy Chu.  They are all doing great work every single day.  (Applause.)

We have a special guest, Janet Napolitano, who is now overseeing the entire UC system and going to be doing a great job.  (Applause.)  We miss her back in Washington, but she is going to be outstanding leading the University of California.

Now, before I begin, I want to say a few words about the news from the weekend.  I'm here to talk about immigration reform, but I'm also here in my capacity as Commander-in-Chief, and this weekend, together with our allies and our partners, the United States reached an agreement with Iran -- (applause) -- on a first step towards resolving our concerns over its nuclear program.

Now, some of you may recall that when I first ran for President, I said it was time for a new era of American leadership in the world -- one that turned the page on a decade of war, and began a new era of our engagement with the world.  And as President and as Commander-in-Chief, I’ve done what I said.  We ended the war in Iraq; we brought our troops home.  Osama bin Laden met justice; the war in Afghanistan will end next year.

And as the strongest, most powerful nation on the face of the Earth, we’ve engaged in clear-eyed and principled diplomacy  -- even with our adversaries -- in order to begin to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons and to place the first real constraints in a decade on Iran’s nuclear program.  Because I firmly believe in what President Kennedy once said:  He said, “Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.”  I believe that.  And this diplomacy, backed by the unprecedented sanctions we brought on Iran, has brought us the progress that was achieved this weekend.

For the first time in a decade, we’ve halted the progress on Iran’s nuclear program.  Key parts of the program will be rolled back.  (Applause.)  International inspectors will have unprecedented access to Iran’s nuclear-related facilities.  So this will help Iran from building a nuclear weapon.  And over the coming months, we’re going to continue our diplomacy, with the goal of achieving a comprehensive solution that deals with the threat of Iran’s nuclear program once and for all.

And if Iran seizes this opportunity and chooses to join the global community, then we can begin to chip away at the mistrust that’s existed for many, many years between our two nations.

None of that is going to be easy.  Huge challenges remain.  But we cannot close the door on diplomacy.  And we cannot rule out peaceful solutions to the world’s problems.  We cannot commit ourselves to an endless cycle of conflict.  And tough talk and bluster may be the easy thing to do politically, but it’s not the right thing for our security.  It is not the right thing for our security.  (Applause.)

Now, this progress, and the potential it offers, reminds us of what is possible when the United States has the courage to lead -- not just with the force of arms, but with the strength of our diplomacy and our commitment to peace.  That’s what keeps us strong.  That’s what makes us a beacon to the world.  That’s how I’ll continue to lead so long as I’m President of the United States.

And that spirit -- not just what we can criticize or tear down or be against, but what we can build together -- that’s what brings me here today.  Because it’s long past time to fix our broken immigration system.  (Applause.)  We need to make sure Washington finishes what so many Americans just like you started. We’ve got to finish the job.

And it’s fitting that we’re here in Chinatown, just a few miles away from Angel Island.  In the early 1900s, about 300,000 people -- maybe some of your ancestors -- passed through on their way to a new life in America.  And for many, it represented the end of a long and arduous journey -- they’d finally arrived in a place where they believed anything was possible.

And for some, it also represented the beginning of a new struggle against prejudice in a country that didn’t always treat its immigrants fairly or afford them the same rights as everybody else.  Obviously, Asians faced this, but so did the Irish; so did Italians; so did Jews; and many groups still do today.

That didn’t stop those brave men and women from coming.  They were drawn by a belief in the power of opportunity; in a belief that says, maybe I never had a chance at a good education, but this is a place where my daughter can go to college.  Maybe I started out washing dishes, but this is a place where my son can become mayor of San Francisco.  (Applause.)  Maybe I have to make sacrifices today, but those sacrifices are worth it if it means a better life for my family.

And that’s a family story that will be shared by millions of Americans around the table on Thursday.  It’s the story that drew my great-great-great-great-grandfather from a small village in Ireland, and drew my father from a small village in Kenya.  It’s the story that drew so many of your ancestors here -- that America is a place where you can make it if you try.

And here’s something interesting:  Today, more than one in four residents born outside the United States came here from Asian countries -- many through our family immigration system.  They’re doctors and business owners, laborers, refugees.  This rec center’s namesake, Betty Ong, was a hero on 9/11.  (Applause.)  But she was also the daughter of immigrants who grew up not far from here.  And we’re honored to have her family with us here today.  (Applause.)

But too often when we talk about immigration, the debate focuses on our southern border.  The fact is we’re blessed with immigrants from all over the world who’ve put down roots in every corner of this country.  Here in San Francisco, 35 percent of business owners are immigrants -- and your economy is among the fastest growing in the country.  That’s not an accident.  That’s the impact that our talented, hardworking immigrants can have.  That’s the difference they can make.  They’re hungry and they’re striving and they’re working hard and they’re creating things that weren’t there before.

And that’s why it is long past time to reform an immigration system that right now doesn’t serve America as well as it should. We could be doing so much more to unleash our potential if we just fix this aspect of our system.

And I know out here in California that you watch the news and you share the country’s not very sunny view of Washington these days.  For the last few months, you’ve seen a lot of headlines about gridlock and partisan bickering, and too often one faction of one party in one house of Congress has chosen courses of action that ended up harming our businesses, or our economy, or our workers.  Or they want to refight old political battles rather than create jobs and grow the economy and strengthen the middle class, or take 40 more votes to undermine or repeal the Affordable Care Act -- (laughter) -- instead of passing a single serious jobs bill, despite the fact that Americans want us to focus on jobs and business and growth.  And, by the way, thousands of Californians are signing up every day for new health care plans all across this state.  (Applause.)

So even as we’re getting this darn website up to speed -- (laughter) -- and it's getting better -- states like California are proving the law works.  People want the financial security of health insurance.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thanks to you!

THE PRESIDENT:  And even if you’re already insured, reach out to a friend or neighbor who’s not and help them get covered.

But when it comes to immigration reform, we have to have the confidence to believe we can get this done.  And we should get it done.  And, by the way, most Americans agree.  The only thing standing in our way right now is the unwillingness of certain Republicans in Congress to catch up with the rest of the country.
I met the other day with the CEOs of some of America's biggest companies.  And I'm positive not all of them voted for me.  (Laughter.)  I'm pretty sure.  (Laughter.)  Maybe some of them, but definitely not all of them.  But the thing they wanted to talk about, their top priority was the fact that we invite the brightest minds from around the world to study here -- many of them enrolled in the University of California system -- and then we don't invite them to stay.  We end up sending them home to create new jobs and start new businesses someplace else.  So we're training our own competition, rather than invite those incredibly talented young people, like Geetha, to stay here and start businesses and create jobs here.

I hear from folks who’ve been separated from their families for years because of green card backlogs who desperately want their loved ones to be able to join them here in America.  I hear from young DREAMers who are Americans through and through in every way but on paper, and they just want a chance to study and serve and contribute to the nation that they love.  (Applause.)

I talk to business owners who play by the rules, but get frustrated because they end up being undercut by those who exploit workers in a shadow economy -- aren't getting paid overtime, aren't required to meet the same obligations.  And so those companies end up losing out on business.

Right now, I'm seeing brave advocates who have been fasting for two weeks in the shadow of the Capitol, sacrificing themselves in an effort to get Congress to act.  And I want to say to Eliseo Medina, my friend from SEIU, and the other fasters who are there as we speak, I want them to know we hear you.  We're with you.  The whole country hears you.

And there are plenty of leaders –- Democrat and Republican  –- who don’t think it’s fair that we’ve got 11 million people in this country, including more than a million from Asia, with no real way to come forward and get on the right side of the law.  It’s not smart.  It’s not fair.  It doesn’t make sense.  And we have kicked this particular can down the road long enough.  Everybody knows it.

Now, the good news is we know what the solutions are.  There is bipartisan hope of getting it done.  This year, the Senate passed an immigration reform bill by a wide, bipartisan majority, and it addresses the key issues that need to be addressed.  It would strengthen our borders.  It would level the playing field by holding employers accountable if they knowingly hire undocumented workers.  It would modernize our legal immigration system so that we eliminate the backlog of family visas and make it easier to attract highly skilled entrepreneurs from beyond our borders.  It would make sure that everybody plays by the same rules by providing a pathway to earned citizenship for those who are living in the shadows –- a path that includes passing a background check, and learning English, and paying taxes and a penalty, and getting in line behind everyone trying to come here the right way.

And each of these pieces would go a long way towards fixing our broken immigration system.  Each of them has been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past.  There’s no reason we can’t come together and get it done.

And what's more, we know the immigration reform that we're proposing would boost our economy and shrink our deficits.  Independent economists have said that if the Senate bill became law, over the next two decades, our economy would grow by $1.4 trillion more, and it would reduce our deficits by $850 billion more.

And you don’t have to be an economist to figure out that workers will be more productive if they’ve got their families here with them, they're not worried about deportation, they're not living halfway around the world.  This isn’t just the right thing to do -– it’s the smart thing to do.

Of course, just because something is smart, fair, good for the economy, and supported by business, labor, law enforcement and faith leaders -- (laughter) -- Democratic and Republican governors, including the Governor of this state –- just because all that is in place doesn’t mean we'll actually get it done, because this is Washington, after all, that we’re talking about and everything is looked through a political prism.  And, look, let's be honest, some folks automatically think, well, if Obama’s for it, then I've got to be against it even if I was, before that, I was for it.

But I want to remind everybody, to his great credit, my Republican predecessor, President Bush, was for reform.  He proposed reform like this almost a decade ago.  I was in the Senate.  I joined 23 Senate Republicans back then supporting reform.  It's worth remembering that the Senate bill that just passed won more than a dozen Republican votes this past summer.  And some of them even forget that I'm -- sometimes people forget I'm not running for office again.  Michelle doesn’t forget.   (Laughter and applause.)  So you don’t have to worry about this somehow being good for me.  This is good for the country.   It's the right thing to do for the American people.

And I believe, ultimately -- not always in the short term -- but ultimately, good policy is good politics.  Look at the polls right now, because the American people support immigration reform by a clear majority.  Everybody wins if we get this done.  So there's no reason we shouldn’t get immigration reform done right now.  None.  If there is a good reason I haven't heard it.

And, by the way, if there's a better plan out there than the one that Democrats and Republicans have already advanced together, if there are additional ideas that would make it even better, I’m always willing to listen to new ideas.  My door is always open.  But right now it’s up to Republicans in the House to decide if we can move forward as a country on this bill.  If they don’t want to see it happen, they’ve got to explain why.

The good news is, just this past week Speaker Boehner said that he is “hopeful we can make progress” on immigration reform. And that is good news.  I believe the Speaker is sincere.  I think he genuinely wants to get it done.  And that’s something we should be thankful for this week.  And I think there are a number of other House Republicans who also want to get this done.  Some of them are hesitant to do it in one big bill, like the Senate did.  That’s okay.  They can -- it’s Thanksgiving; we can carve that bird into multiple pieces.  (Laughter.)  A drumstick here -- (laughter) -- breast meat there.  But as long as all the pieces get done -- soon -- and we actually deliver on the core values we’ve been talking about for so long, I think everybody is fine with it.  They're not worried about the procedures.  They just want the result.

But it’s going to require some courage.  There are some members of the Republican caucus who think this is bad politics for them back home.  And they're free to vote their conscience, but what I’ve said to the Speaker and others is, don't let a minority of folks block something that the country desperately needs.  And we can’t leave this problem for another generation to solve.  If we don’t tackle this now, then we’re undercutting our own future.

So my message to Congress is rather than create problems, let’s prove Washington can get something done.  This is something that has broad-based support.  We’ve been working on it for a decade now.  This reform comes as close as we’ve gotten to something that will benefit everybody, now and for decades to come.  And it has the potential to enrich this country in ways that we can’t even imagine.

And I’ll just give you one example to wrap up.  Andrew Ly is here today.  Where’s Andrew?  He’s around here somewhere.  There he is.  Now, Andrew has got an amazing story.  Andrew grew up in Vietnam, and he and his four brothers tried three times to flee to the United States.  Obviously, the country was going through all kinds of difficulties.  So three times, they tried; three times, they failed.  On the fourth try, their boat –- filled with 140 refugees -- is that right, Andrew -– was attacked by pirates.

But the Lys and their family eventually made it to Malaysia, and then they eventually made it here to San Francisco.  And they learned English, and they worked as handymen, and they worked as seamstresses.  And eventually, Andrew and his brothers earned enough money to buy a small bakery.  And they started making donuts, and they started selling them to Chinese restaurants.  And with a lot of hard work and a little luck, the Sugar Bowl Bakery today is a $60 million business.  (Applause.)

So these humble and striving immigrants from Vietnam now employ more than 300 Americans.  They’re supplying pastries to Costco and Safeway, and almost every hotel and hospital in San Francisco.  And I don't know if Andrew brought me any samples, but -- (laughter) -- they must be pretty good.  (Laughter.)  

And Andrew says, “We came here as boat people, so we don’t take things for granted.  We know this is the best country in the world if you work hard.”  That’s what America is about.  This is the place where you can reach for something better if you work hard.  This is the country our parents and our grandparents and waves of immigrants before them built for us.  And it falls on each new generation to keep it that way.  The Statue of Liberty doesn’t have its back to the world.  The Statue of Liberty faces the world and raises its light to the world.

When Chinese immigrants came to this city in search of “Gold Mountain,” they weren’t looking just for physical riches.  They were looking for freedom and opportunity.  They knew that what makes us American is not a question of what we look like or what our names are -- because we look like the world.  You got a President named Obama.  (Laughter and applause.)  What makes us American is our shared belief in certain enduring principles, our allegiance to a set of ideals, to a creed, to the enduring promise of this country.

And our shared responsibility is to leave this country more generous, more hopeful than we found it.  And if we stay true to that history -- if we get immigration reform across the finish line -- and it is there just within our grasp, if we can just get folks in Washington to go ahead and do what needs to be done -- we’re going to grow our economy; we’re going to make our country more secure; we’ll strengthen our families; and most importantly, we will live --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Mr. Obama --

THE PRESIDENT:  -- most importantly, we will live up --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  -- my family has been separated for 19 months now --

THE PRESIDENT:  -- most importantly, we will live up to our character as a nation.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I’ve not seen my family.  Our families are separated.  I need your help.  There are thousands of people --

THE PRESDIENT:  That’s exactly what we’re talking about.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  -- are torn apart every single day.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s why we’re here.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Mr. President, please use your executive order to halt deportations for all 11.5 undocumented immigrants in this country right now.

THE PRESIDENT:  What we’re trying --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Do you agree

AUDIENCE:  Obama!  Obama!  Obama!

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  -- that we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform at the same time we -- you have a power to stop deportation for all undocumented immigrants in this country.
THE PRESIDENT:  Actually I don’t.  And that’s why we’re here.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  So, please, I need your help.

THE PRESIDENT:  Okay --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Stop deportations!

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Stop deportations!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  All right.

AUDIENCE MEMBERS:  Stop deportations!  Stop deportations!

THE PRESIDENT:  What I’d like to do -- no, no, don’t worry about it, guys.  Okay, let me finish.

AUDIENCE MEMBERS:  Stop deportations!  Yes, we can!  Stop deportations!

THE PRESIDENT:  These guys don’t need to go.  Let me finish. No, no, no, he can stay there.  Hold on a second.  (Applause.)  Hold on a second.

So I respect the passion of these young people because they feel deeply about the concerns for their families.  Now, what you need to know, when I’m speaking as President of the United States and I come to this community, is that if, in fact, I could solve all these problems without passing laws in Congress, then I would do so.

But we’re also a nation of laws.  That’s part of our tradition.  And so the easy way out is to try to yell and pretend like I can do something by violating our laws.  And what I’m proposing is the harder path, which is to use our democratic processes to achieve the same goal that you want to achieve.  But it won’t be as easy as just shouting.  It requires us lobbying and getting it done.  (Applause.)

So for those of you who are committed to getting this done, I am going to march with you and fight with you every step of the way to make sure that we are welcoming every striving, hardworking immigrant who sees America the same way we do -- as a country where no matter who you are or what you look like or where you come from, you can make it if you try.

And if you’re serious about making that happen, then I’m ready to work with you.  (Applause.)  But it is going to require work.  It is not simply a matter of us just saying we’re going to violate the law.  That’s not our tradition.  The great thing about this country is we have this wonderful process of democracy, and sometimes it is messy, and sometimes it is hard, but ultimately, justice and truth win out.  That’s always been the case in this country; that’s going to continue to be the case today.  (Applause.)

Thank you very much, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless America.  (Applause.)

END

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S REMARKS AT DCCC EVENT IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
November 25, 2013
Remarks by the President at DCCC Event -- Seattle, WA

Private Residence
Seattle, Washington  


7:24 P.M. PST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you!  Thank you, guys.  (Applause.)  Sit down.  You already did that.  Thank you.  Thank you, everybody.  Have a seat.  Have a seat.

Well, first of all, let me just thank Jon for the second time for his incredible hospitality.  And I think it’s fair to say that between Nancy and me and Steve Israel, we do a lot of events.  I will say that this particular space is one of the more spectacular venues for an event.  (Applause.)  And we couldn’t have a more gracious host.  The only problem when I come to Jon’s house is I want to just kind of roam around and check stuff out, and instead I’ve got to talk.  (Laughter.)  But Jon, thank you for your friendship. We’ve very grateful.

A few other people I want to acknowledge.  First of all, our once Speaker and soon to be Speaker again, Nancy Pelosi.  We are thrilled to be with her.  (Applause.)  Someone who has an incredibly thankless job, but does it with energy and wisdom -- and I was going to say joy, but I’m not, I don’t want to kind of overdo it -- (laughter) -- but is doing an outstanding job -- Steve Israel, who is heading up the DCCC.  Thank you so much, Steve, for the great job that you’re doing.  (Applause.)

We’ve got some outstanding members of Congress here.  Congressman Rick Larsen is here.  Where’s Rick?  There he is.(Applause.)  Congresswoman Suzan DelBene is here.  (Applause.)  Congressman Derek Kilmer is here.  Where’s Derek? There he is -- (applause) -- who just informed me that his four-year-old at the Christmas party is going to sing me at least one patriotic song. (Laughter.)  And I’m very excited about this.  She has a repertoire of five songs, and we’re trying to hone in on what one song she is going to do.

And you’ve got a former outstanding member of Congress, who now is doing a great job as the Governor of this great state -- Governor Jay Inslee is here.  (Applause.)  And Trudi, who’s keeping him in line at all times.  (Applause.)  And I want to thank John Frank, who also spent a lot of time on this event.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)

Now, the great thing about these kinds of events is I spend most of my time in a conversation with you, as opposed to just making a long speech.  Let me make a couple of observations.  Number one, Jay claims he arranged it, but when we landed, we were flying over Mt. Rainier -- pulled into the airport, came off the plane, and the sunset was lighting the mountain.  And it was spectacular, and reminded me of why it is that I love the Pacific Northwest so much.

Now, part of it -- I was saying to somebody, part of it may also be that I always feel the spirit of my mom here, because I graduated from Mercer Island High.  (Applause.)  But you guys have got a good thing going here, and it’s not just the Seahawks. I just want to make that point.  (Applause.)

Point number two, obviously, there are such enormous challenges that we face all across this country and internationally, and this year we’ve seen issues ranging from the tragedy of Sandy Hook to disclosures at the NSA to the shutdown and the potential of default to continuing issues surrounding the Middle East and peace there.  And so it’s understandable, I think, that sometimes people feel discouraged or concerned about whether or not we can continue to make progress.  And one thing that I always try to emphasize is that if you look at American history, there have been frequent occasions in which it looked like we had insoluble problems -- either economic, political, security -- and as long as there were those who stayed steady and clear-eyed and persistent, eventually we came up with an answer; eventually we were able to work through these challenges and come out better on the other end.

And that’s true today as well.  After seeing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, we’ve now seen 44 straight months of job growth.  We’ve doubled our production of clean energy.  We are actually importing less oil than ever before, producing more energy than ever before.  We’ve reduced the pace of our carbon emissions in a way that is actually better than the vast majority of industrialized nations over the last five years.

We’ve been able to not only create the possibility of all people enjoying the security of health care, but we’ve also been driving down the cost of health care, which benefits people’s pocket books, their businesses.  Our institutions of higher learning continue to be the best in the world.  And you’re actually -- because of the productivity of our workers, we’re actually seeing manufacturing move back to America in ways that we haven’t seen in decades.

 A lot of the reason that we’re making progress is because of the inherent resilience and strength of the American people, but a lot of it is because folks like Nancy Pelosi and some of the members of Congress, or even former members of Congress who are here made some tough decisions early on in my administration.  And we’re starting to see those bear fruit and pay off.

And so I’m incredibly optimistic about our future.  But I’m also mindful of the fact that we have some barriers, some impediments to change and progress.  And the biggest barrier and impediment we have right now is a Congress -- and in particular, a House of Representatives -- that is not focused on getting the job done for the American people, but is a lot more focused on trying to position themselves for the next election or to defeat my agenda.

 And that’s unfortunate, because that’s not what the American people are looking for right now.  And the truth is, is that there are a lot of ideas -- things like early childhood education, or rebuilding our infrastructure, or investing in basic science and research -- there are a whole range of -- immigration reform -- a whole range of ideas that if you strip away the politics, there’s actually a pretty broad consensus in this country.

I’m not a particularly ideological person.  There are some things, some values I feel passionately about.  I feel passionate about making sure everybody in this country gets a fair shake.  I feel passionate about everybody being treated with dignity and respect regardless of what they look like or what their last name is or who they love.  I feel passionate about making sure that we’re leaving a planet that is as spectacular as the one we inherited from our parents and our grandparents.  I feel passionate about working for peace even as we are making sure that our defenses are strong.

So there are values I care about.  But I’m pretty pragmatic when it comes to how do we get there -- and so is Nancy, and so is Jay.  And so more than anything, what we’re looking for is not the defeat of another party; what we’re looking for is the advancement of ideas that are going to vindicate those values that are tried and true, and that have led this country to the spectacular heights that we’ve seen in the past.

 But to do that we’re going to need Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, because there’s just a lot of work to be done right now.  Between now and next November, I’m going to do everything I can and look for every opportunity to work on a bipartisan basis to get stuff done.  There will not be a point in time where I’ve got an opportunity to get something done where I don't do it simply because of politics.  But those opportunity have been few and far between over the last several years, and the American people can’t afford to wait in perpetuity for us to grow faster, create more jobs, strengthen our middle class, clean our environment, fix our immigration system.

And so if we don't have partners on the other side, we’re going to have to go ahead and do it ourselves.  And so the support that you’re providing today and the support that you’ve provided time and again is making all the difference in the world.  And it’s part of what gives me confidence that we’re going to be successful over the long term.

So thank you.  We appreciate it.

And with that, let me take some questions.  (Applause.)

NSC SPOKESPERSON MAKES STATEMENT ON UK SHIFT TOWARD CLEANER ENERGY

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
Statement by NSC Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden on UK Announcement on Clean Energy

We are delighted that the United Kingdom is joining the United States in shifting public financing toward cleaner energy sources.  This is an important component of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, and we look forward to working with the UK to encourage other countries to implement similar polices.

The President’s Climate Action Plan calls for an end to U.S. support for public financing of new coal-fired power plants overseas except for plants deploying carbon capture and sequestration technologies or in the world’s poorest countries, and encourages other countries to adopt similar policies.

READOUT: WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL'S CALL WITH PRESIDENT HADI OF YEMEN

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
Readout of Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco's Call with President Hadi of Yemen

Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco called President Abdo Rabu Mansour Hadi of Yemen today to reaffirm the U.S. government’s strong support for Yemen’s political transition.  Ms. Monaco commended the National Dialogue for its efforts to develop a shared vision for a more just and democratic Yemen, and expressed U.S. support for President Hadi’s efforts to bring the National Dialogue to conclusion and move forward with implementation of the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative.  She praised the contributions that Yemeni women, youth, and civil society have made to the National Dialogue, and expressed the hope that they will continue their engagement in subsequent stages of the transition.   Ms. Monaco also reaffirmed the U.S. government’s commitment to stand with the Yemeni government and people as they implement the National Dialogue’s outcomes, foster economic development, and combat the security threat from al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula.

PRESS BRIEFING FROM PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 10/15/13

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

12:44 P.M. EDT

MR. CARNEY:  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.  Thanks for being here.  Before I take your questions, I just wanted to note that earlier today the President was briefed by senior staff on the effects of the lapse in appropriations -- the so-called shutdown.  And among the items that he was briefed on was the fact that small businesses are feeling the impact of shutdown as key federal efforts that support small business have been halted.

Due to the shutdown -- as you know, now in its 15th day -- the SBA cannot approve new guarantees of loans provided by banks to small businesses.  In a typical month, the Small Business Administration approves loans to more than 4,000 small businesses, and halting these loans represents over $1 billion in lost loan assistance to small businesses, thereby jeopardizing thousands of jobs -- and, again, another consequence of the wholly unnecessary, completely manufactured crisis that is doing harm to our economy, harm to our small businesses, and was brought about by one faction of one party in one house in one branch of government making ideological demands and thereby shutting down the government.

With that, I take your questions.  Julie.

Q    Thanks, Jay.  I want to just get a sense of the state of play at this point.  Is it the White House’s understanding that there is a deal in the Senate that's been finalized between Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell that would lift the debt ceiling and reopen the government?

MR. CARNEY:  The President is pleased with the progress that we've seen in the Senate.  It is important to note that the process that's been undertaken in the Senate is bipartisan, that Senators Reid and McConnell have been engaging one another, Democrats and Republicans have been engaging on this issue.  And it’s all built around the fundamental premise that we should not have shut down the government, that we should reopen the government, and that we must ensure that the United States pays its bills on time, as it always had, and we should do -- the Congress should take those actions in a way that does not have partisan strings attached and that ensures the kind of stability for our economy and for our middle class that they need.

So we're pleased with the progress.  I would refer you to the Senate leaders for the status of those discussions.  But we certainly believe that there’s a potential there for a resolution to this unnecessary, manufactured crisis that can allow us to get back to the important business of helping grow the economy and create jobs and taking action to improve the lives of middle-class Americans that elected officials were sent here to do.

Q    Is the White House confident that that resolution could pass both the Senate and the House ahead of the Thursday deadline for the debt ceiling?

MR. CARNEY:  For congressional timing and how --

Q    But you guys know the state of play.

MR. CARNEY:  There is no question that we are very close to a very important deadline and time is of the essence.  So I think that is why you see some very serious-minded efforts being undertaken in the Senate.  And we would hope that the House would also approach this important deadline with the same understanding of just how serious it is.

Q    And in 2011, the U.S. credit rating was downgraded just because the government got so close to a default.  Is the White House or Treasury hearing from any of the rating agencies now that we are, again, very close to that deadline without a resolution?

MR. CARNEY:  I would refer you to the Treasury Department for those kinds of conversations, if they’re taking place.  That wouldn't be something I would brief on from here.

We know from past experience, the difficult lessons learned from 2011, that the serious flirtation with default that House Republicans engaged in two years ago led to some pretty negative consequences for our economy, including, as you know, the United States being downgraded for the first time.

Q    But the President in his briefings that you say he’s getting every day, is he getting anything from any of these officials about how the rating agencies --

MR. CARNEY:  That would not be something that I would brief on from here because obviously issues that have to do with market sensitivities are not ones that I would address here.

Roberta.

Q    Last week, the President said in a worse-case scenario, there are things that he will do.  And what if Thursday comes and there’s no deal.  Have you -- has the White House started implementing any of those contingency plans already ahead of -- because we’re so close?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I would not go further than what the President or the Treasury Secretary have said about that, and I would refer you to Treasury.  Treasury Secretary Jack Lew testified, as you know, last week where broadly this issue was discussed.

But we are obviously focused on working with members of Congress, leaders in Congress, on an effort to do what we’ve said was essential all along, which was open the government and make sure that the United States pays its bills by extending the debt ceiling, and doing that in a way that we don't simply put us on a trajectory to re-create this crisis again in a few weeks.

So we’re encouraged by the progress that we’ve seen in the Senate, but we’re far from a deal at this point and so we hope that progress continues.

Q    What is there about the Senate deal, though, that doesn't re-create the crisis in a few months down the road?  What is there in it that doesn't mean we’re going to be doing this all over again in --

MR. CARNEY:  Again, there’s not a bill for me to analyze for you right now.  What I would --

Q    Right, but the pending -- the shape of the pending --

MR. CARNEY:  I think that every participant in this exercise would, hopefully, understand that it should not be repeated -- not in a few weeks and not in a few months.  And when it comes to the fundamental responsibility of Congress to ensure that the United States does not default, not ever.  That’s certainly the President’s view.

That is why he has been so insistent that we cannot engage in a process here that then becomes normalized where a minority in Congress, a faction of one party in one house can threaten the full faith and credit of the United States if it does not get what it could not get through the normal legislative process or through elections.  So those are the stakes when it comes to the essential responsibility of Congress to ensure that the Department of Treasury can pay our bills.

Q    There do seem to be, though, some strings attached in the deal as it appears to be sort of coalescing or developing.  What does the White House make of those strings?

MR. CARNEY:  Again, I’m not going to analyze details of a bill that we haven’t seen yet and that has not emerged yet.

Brianna.

Q    Jay, some of the -- it seems like the key parts, at least, of the Senate bill -- the reinsurance, the income verification -- President Obama said, “Nobody gets to threaten the full faith and credit of the United States just to extract political concessions.”  But if you're open to that, as presumably the White House is because they're talking to Senate Democrats, isn’t that concessions?

MR. CARNEY:  Again, I think what we have seen --

Q    Isn't that setting the precedent that he said he won’t?

MR. CARNEY:  What we have seen in the process thus far that Senator Reid has engaged in is a proposal that would reopen the government and remove the threat of a first-ever U.S. default by raising the debt ceiling.  We don’t need any more self-inflicted wounds from Congress.  The economy is already paying a price, as outside analysts have noted.  There is already a cost to the economy and, therefore, to growth and jobs from this behavior.

And it’s important, as I think so many Americans believe, that it stop, that Congress simply fulfill its basic responsibilities to open the government, to fund it at, again, levels that were set by Republicans, so that we can get about the business of negotiating in good faith over longer-term budget proposals.  I'm not going to --

Q    But there are provisions on -- you are talking about the short-term increase in the debt ceiling and the CR.  If you’re not going to talk about the Obamacare provisions, which are also on the table -- I mean, you’re talking about the short-term debt ceiling and CR provisions.  I mean, even if these are sort of small-fry gives on Obamacare, doesn’t it violate the principle that the President set out there that he will not negotiate on Obamacare?

MR. CARNEY:  Again, until we have a proposal that has emerged from these negotiations in the Senate, I’m not going to analyze it with you piece by piece.  What I can say is we’ve been encouraged by the progress, and we believe -- and the President believes it’s very important that when it comes to the debt ceiling that we not do what a previous effort in the House would have done, which is try to create a scenario where budget negotiations and the renewal of government funding are once again tied directly to the essential responsibility of Congress to pay our bills -- and right before the holidays, which would have been -- would be a terrible outcome to this process, as every business owner will tell you -- and I think many of them have told you, and many of them have told their representatives in Congress.

Q    So does he hold firm to that assertion that he will not negotiate when it comes to Obamacare on the full faith and credit of the U.S. or on the government being shut down?

MR. CARNEY:  Yes.  He has made clear that -- he’s made clear two things, Brianna, as you know.  He is willing, within the context of broader budget negotiations, within the context of serious-minded and earnest discussions about how to improve the Affordable Care Act, to look at any proposal that might do that  -- going to Obamacare.  And that’s true on broader budget issues.

But some of the ideas that we’ve seen this morning, when it comes to sort of demanding ransom, to try to rally tea party members, in exchange for opening the government or raising the debt ceiling, that’s not acceptable and it has not been through this whole process.

Q    Speaker Boehner -- real quickly, is there nothing in the Boehner proposal that’s acceptable to you?

MR. CARNEY:  Reopening the government and extending the debt ceiling, that’s acceptable.

Q    The Obamacare provisions included in the Senate deal?

MR. CARNEY:  Again, I think two things.  One, as I understand it, there’s not a proposal in the House to talk about now, based on the press conference given by House Republican leaders.  And based on some of the reporting I’ve seen since then, that’s because they’re now going back to try to add some sweeteners for tea party members.

And the better course of action is the one being undertaken by Democrats and Republicans in the Senate.  Instead of trying to once again craft a measure to ensure full Republican support in the House, why not work on a measure that could get bipartisan support in the House, the way that Republicans and Democrats are trying to do in the Senate?  That’s certainly what I think is best for the American people.  It’s the kind of process that the President supports.  So, with regards to proposals that we haven’t seen, it’s hard to --

Q    But aren’t you cherry-picking which parts you’ll talk about?  Because you’re talking about the short-term funding and debt ceiling increase, but you won't talk about the other items.

MR. CARNEY:  Talking about the shutdown and the need to raise the debt ceiling -- yes, that’s what we’ve been talking about for weeks.

Q    But the time frame of it.

MR. CARNEY:  No, look, we’ve said all along that we want a debt ceiling increase for as long as possible because of the need to remove uncertainty from this process.  I mean, the very uncertainty that has been created by this manufactured crisis is what we need to avoid as an economy going forward, and what Washington needs to avoid, because it is already causing harm to the economy.  It is already causing uncertainty among Americans, which, in turn, has them making decisions about how they spend their money, which has a negative impact potentially on the economy.  And that creates a cascading effect that can only be bad, which is why we need to, here in Washington, why Congress needs to fulfill its basic responsibilities:  reopen the government, and make sure that the full faith and credit of the United States is upheld, as it has been in the past.

Jon.

Q    Jay, what exactly is the deadline?

MR. CARNEY:  For?

Q    Raising the debt ceiling, for default?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, those are two different things, as we’ve been explicitly clear about.  On October 17th, as the Treasury Secretary has noted many times, the United States runs out of borrowing authority, and beyond that point we only have cash on hand available to pay our bills.

The Treasury Secretary has testified to this on Capitol Hill and is obviously far more of an expert than I, so I would point you to his testimony and public statements about that fact.  But as everyone knows, in order to meet all of our obligations as a country, the United States needs borrowing authority in order to make sure that all of our bills are paid.  All of the obligations that Congress has made, all of the bills that Congress has incurred will come due.  And if we can only pay those bills with cash on hand, that is a problem.  And that is what --

Q    I’m just trying -- everybody has their countdown clocks, everything going on, and they seem to be counting down to midnight tomorrow.  But is it midnight tomorrow when the calendar strikes the 17th, or is there another day after that?

MR. CARNEY:  As much as I’d like to improve the quality of the countdown clocks -- (laughter) -- I would have to refer you to Treasury on the minute and the hour.

Q    Okay, well, more important than the countdown clocks, when does Congress need to act by?  Do they need to pass something by tomorrow?  Can something pass on Thursday?  Will the sky fall if it doesn't pass on Friday?  When is the deadline that they have got to produce something?  Is it tomorrow?

MR. CARNEY:  Jon, the deadline for --

Q    Midnight tomorrow?

MR. CARNEY:  -- avoiding uncertainty has passed.  The deadline for not shutting the government down has long since passed.  So Congress has already failed to act in a timely fashion.  But we hope that Congress will act quickly to resolve these issues now.

Q    I guess what I’m asking -- when is too late, Jay?  I’m just trying to figure out when is too late.

MR. CARNEY:  I’m not sure what that means.  They need to act as soon as possible, because what is absolutely true is that every day we’re in shutdown there is harm done to hundreds of thousands of Americans and, indirectly, to many, many more, and there’s direct harm done to our economy.  And every day that we get closer to the point beyond which we’ve never been, which is where the United States does not have borrowing authority, creates more trouble for our economy and uncertainty globally, which has a negative impact on our economy.

Q    Obviously, there’s a lot of anxiety in the bond market because of this.  Can bondholders be reassured that they will still receive their interest after tomorrow, after Thursday?

MR. CARNEY:  Jon, those are the kinds of questions that I think are best directed to the Treasury Department.  What is unquestionably the case is that when people talk about prioritization, they are talking about default by another name.  When people talk about paying some bills but not others, they are talking about entering a realm that this country and this government has never been in, which is picking and choosing who gets paid and when they get paid.  And that has tremendous negative consequences for our economy, not all of which are knowable beyond the fact that we know they're bad.

Q    No question.  But do you have a game plan?  Obviously, this is no longer hypothetical.  There’s a real possibility Congress doesn't act -- whatever the deadline exactly is.  Do you have a game plan of what to do?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, this is obviously something that the Treasury Department would have jurisdiction over, so I would refer you to Treasury.

Q    And one specific question.  This idea of suspending the medical device tax, I believe it’s been referred to as a ransom payment for part of this deal.  The Speaker’s office is saying that this idea was actually proposed by White House staff in negotiations last week.  Is that true or not?

MR. CARNEY:  That is not true.  What we have always said is that discussions of the medical device tax or other elements within the Affordable Care Act that lawmakers want to talk about in an effort to improve the Affordable Care Act we are willing to have, but not in the context of or as ransom for opening the government.  That is why a provision like that appears in the latest proposal that seems to be going nowhere from House Republicans -- because it’s an effort to try to buy votes from tea party Republicans who shut this government down in the first place.  And so there’s --

Q    So just to be clear, they're not telling the truth about that?

MR. CARNEY:  Again, that is not -- the conversations that have been had here and up on Capitol Hill about the medical device tax, as far as we’re concerned, have been about our willingness -- as the President said and others -- in a broader context; not ransom for opening the government, not ransom for Congress doing its job to pay our bills, but within the context of the President’s willingness to hear ideas about ways we can improve, as opposed to undermine or dismantle or defund Obamacare.  We’re willing to have that.  But we’re not going to pay ransom -- the President is not going to pay ransom from the American people to the tea party in order to open the government.

Q    I'd like to follow that and --

MR. CARNEY:  Sure.

Q    -- pin you down a little more closely.  Thursday, the Speaker’s spokesman said specifically that a White House official asked for repeal of the medical device tax.

MR. CARNEY:  That's just not the case.  That's just not the case.

Q    I’m not saying it’s in connection with any other part of the plan, but simply that it was asked for by the White House.

MR. CARNEY:  You’re saying that separate from anything, the White House proposed a change to the Affordable Care Act?  Obviously, that's not the case.  The issue of the medical device tax has been obviously in the air for the last several weeks.  And when I’ve had this question and others have taken this question, we have made clear that we would be willing to talk about lawmakers who want to address that provision, as well as other ideas that lawmakers might have about making changes to the Affordable Care Act that strengthen it or improve it.

When it comes to the medical device tax, I think it’s very important to note that those who portray themselves as paragons of fiscal responsibility and discipline often propose making that change without acknowledging the fact that it would raise the deficit.  So that's an important point to acknowledge, too.

But again, we have never said we would agree to paying ransom, making changes to the Affordable Care Act simply to placate tea party Republicans who shut this government down over their opposition to the Affordable Care Act.

Q    Just to be clear, in Thursday’s meeting, you’re saying --

MR. CARNEY:  I think I’ve answered this, Bill, three times.

Q    -- no one here asked for repeal of the medical device tax?

MR. CARNEY:  Correct.

Q    There are people on Wall Street and in Washington who speak openly about the real crunch point being November 1st, as opposed to Thursday the 17th.

MR. CARNEY:  On October 17th, as was made clear to Congress in a letter from the Treasury Secretary, we cease to have borrowing authority.  We only have cash on hand.  And as everyone knows who understands how this process works, that means we do not -- that is a scenario by which we will not be able to pay all our bills because of the fact that we need to borrow money in order to pay our bills.

And these are bills that Congress has incurred.  These are obligations that Congress has made.  This is not new debt.  This is not new spending.  There’s a lot of misrepresentation of that by those who claim that they came to Congress with a mandate never to raise the debt ceiling.  Because that has nothing to do with spending, okay?  It is just a --

Q    But this has to do with a feeling that any obligations like Social Security and other payments come due on November 1, and that between the 17th and the 1st --

MR. CARNEY:  What I can tell you is that we have a huge number of payments as a country that need to be made every day, and that there’s a series of obligations that the United States government has to fulfill.  For details about how that process works, I refer you to the Treasury Department.  But if anybody -- we've seen a lot of talk from deficit -- not deficit -- debt limit deniers and default deniers and they have been roundly shot down, that talk has been, by experts in the field, including CEOs and financial industry experts, including many of whom I think tend to have the ear of Republican lawmakers.

It is absolutely not the responsible thing to do to allow us as a nation to enter territory we've never been in before, which is to not have the authority to pay our bills.

Ed.

Q    Thank you.  Nice to talk to you.  I wanted to ask you about the President’s role in the final hours here.  Yesterday there was supposed to be a meeting with leaders in both parties. Today his schedule just has House Democratic leaders, not both parties.  Senator McCain, a short time ago on the Senate floor -- and he’s obviously been critical in recent days of his own party and has said that they need to come to a deal -- but a short time ago he said it’s a mistake for Democrats to reject Speaker Boehner’s latest proposal.  He said it’s, in his words, “a serious proposal.”  So my question is, does the President plan to, A, let the congressional leaders work this out in the final hours, or does he see that his role in the final hours -- because this is so critical, as you say -- that he will play some direct role in trying to force a deal?

MR. CARNEY:  I have no doubt the President will be in contact with congressional leaders of both parties as this process continues.  As you know, Ed, but didn’t include in your question, we postponed the meeting yesterday because of the progress that was being made in the Senate --

Q    True.  I wasn’t trying to --

MR. CARNEY:  So it is the President’s intention -- and it’s reflected by the meetings and conversations he’s been having with leaders, as well as the fact that he invited every member of Congress to the White House last week for discussions on this issue -- to engage directly with lawmakers as they try to resolve this issue, and try to do it in a way that, hopefully, reflects the bipartisan spirit that we've seen in the Senate process.  And we continue to hope that that will bear fruit and will produce something that can, in the end, lead to a resolution that opens the government, provides the authority to the Treasury for the United States to pays its bills, so that we can then focus on some of the bigger issues that we face as a country, instead of getting distracted by these manufactured crises that only do harm to the economy, only do harm to the American people, and apparently, according to a lot of Republican commentators, do a lot of harm to the Republican Party.  We need to get beyond this, for the sake of the country.

Q    Two other quick topics on some of the big issues you're talking about.  NSA -- The Washington Post has another revelation today saying that they’re collecting -- the NSA is collecting email contact lists not just of foreigners but of Americans.  How do you justify that?

MR. CARNEY:  As you know, I'm not in a position to discuss specific tools or processes, but as you know, the National Security Agency is focused on discovering and developing intelligence about valid foreign intelligence targets, such as terrorists, human traffickers and drug smugglers.  They are not interested in personal information about ordinary Americans.  Moreover, they operate in accordance with rules either approved by the Attorney General or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, as appropriate, designed to minimize the acquisition, use and dissemination of any such information.

So, again, the purpose here is to discover and develop intelligence about foreign intelligence targets.  That is the mission and that is purpose of the various methods that the NSA employs.

Q    But part of what you said is they’re not interested in private information of Americans, except The Washington Post says they collect the telephone numbers of Americans, the street addresses of Americans, business information, family information. So doesn’t that contradict what you're saying?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, no, Ed, in fact, they are not interested in the personal information of ordinary Americans.  They target foreign intelligence -- their targets are terrorists, human traffickers, drug smugglers and the like, and they gather foreign intelligence.  There are minimization procedures in place approved by the Attorney General and the FISA Court that are designed to minimize the acquisition, use and dissemination of any such information -- information that might be collected as part of the effort to target terrorists and the like.

Q    Last question.  Your predecessor, Robert Gibbs, had some interesting things to say about the health care rollout yesterday.  He said that it’s been botched.  And he said that when it gets fixed, “I hope they fire some people that were in charge of making sure that this thing was supposed to work.”  How do you react to that?  And since Republican Senator Pat Roberts has called for Secretary Sebelius to be fired, does she still have the full confidence of the President?

MR. CARNEY:  The Secretary does have the full confidence of the President.  She, like everyone else in this effort, is focused on our number-one priority, which is making the implementation of the Affordable Care Act work well.  People are working 24/7 to address the problems and isolate them and fix them when it comes to the website and enrollment issues.

The fact is the President wants these matters addressed because he wants to make sure that Americans across the country have the best possible consumer experience as they look at their options and the plans available to them and see the fact that for so many of them there’s affordable health insurance out there that was never there before.

And I think it’s important to note that even amidst this early stage of the enrollment process, and even though there have been challenges with the website, there are Americans across the country who are, through call centers and through the websites and through the states, getting access to this information and making -- seeing what choices are available to them, and enrolling if they’re ready to enroll.

And that includes a woman in Illinois who bought health insurance for her family with a savings of about $390 a month from their current average, according to the Chicago Tribune. In Mississippi, a woman who was skipping medication for years was able to enroll herself and her husband for a plan that will cost $60 a month.

I noticed last week in Utah, a father in a family of five, a small business owner, who said, “It took us half a dozen tries over several days, but he was able to strike gold on Saturday” -- silver, actually -- I'm quoting the Salt Lake Tribune -- with family health coverage purchased on the Affordable Care Act’s online exchange.  After plugging in particulars about his family of five, the Salt Lake City business owner was able to compare 38 plans and apply for tax credits to put towards his monthly premiums.  He settled on a silver-level plan that retails for about $850 a month.  After tax credits, his family will pay just $123 a month.  “It’s a great deal.  I'm thrilled to have coverage.”

So this is why we're doing this.  These are the people we're focused on helping.  And the President is committed and has instructed his team to work 24/7 to resolve the issues that have arisen when it comes to implementation.  But the purpose here is to provide benefits to those Americans who have struggled for so long without access to affordable health insurance.

Q    Without litigating the details and the countdown clocks one more time, very briefly, I want to ask you about October 17, if I can, quickly, and some of the urgency associated with that date.  When the sequester went into effect, there were predictions from this podium, dramatic predictions about long lines at airports, about special education funding.  Without denying the impact of a default when such a thing would take place, does that in any way undermine the White House’s or this administration’s credibility when it says October 17th is some form of a D-Day, when, in fact, the 18th, 19th, 20th may come and the sky may not fall -- what is the risk of that?

MR. CARNEY:  I would simply say that there is nobody in this field who understands how financial markets work and understands what the impact of default would be on the global economy who accepts the absurd position taken by the debt limit or default deniers.  This is a serious matter.  And we've been through this, and I've read quotes to you from numerous financial industry experts, numerous CEOs -- President Reagan, among others, who noted the importance of maintaining the full faith and credit of the United States.  And what we know is that on October 17th, we seize to have borrowing authority.  That means we can only pay our bills with cash on hand.

And we are the largest economy in the world and we have a lot of obligations and our obligations exceed our income.  And that is why we have to ensure that Treasury is able to borrow in order to pay our bills.

Q    If those obligations don't exceed our income for a matter of days, without specificity -- I'm not Jack Lew so I don't know the exact detail -- but the Treasury Department has indicated that there’s like a $6 billion payment on October 31st, $11 billion payment shy of that.  So the potential exists that we could go five, six, seven, eight days and nothing really happens. Isn't that a potential risk?

MR. CARNEY:  What’s at risk is even flirting with the idea that we should try to wait until the very last moment before a bill comes due that we can't pay.  This is the United States.  And the idea that we're going to send a signal to the world that it’s an acceptable proposition -- this is what some Republicans on Capitol Hill seem to be conveying -- that we can cross that threshold and just hope that we can resolve this before we have to delay a payment, already, once you get to that deadline, you’ve entered territory that we've never entered before.  And that sends a signal I think globally that there is uncertainty about the fidelity here in the United States to the principle that we always pay our bills on time.

And that is why this line has never been crossed, why administration after administration, both Democratic and Republican, has taken the position that we should never cross this line.  It’s why businessmen and women, CEOs who understand the impact that this would have on what they do and on the American economy have called on Congress to quit even flirting with the prospect of default.

So, again, for details on what would happen if we were to cross that line I would refer you to the Treasury Department.  We are focused on working with Congress to prevent that, as every member of Congress who cares about the American economy should be focused on at this time.

Q    Former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta this week said, “When you're operating by crisis I think there’s enough blame to go around.”  Does the President agree with one of his closest allies in the recent past that he should also bear some of the blame for the situation we're in right now?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, here’s what I would tell you.  There is no question, as we've discussed in the past, that there are no winners in a situation like this -- not the American people, not the American economy, and not members of either political party. And any politician who plays this as a political game, hoping to win, is making a mistake -- A.

B, the President’s position has been crystal-clear:  Don't shut the government down.  Once they shut it down -- reopen the government.  He’s asking for nothing in return.  He’s making no demands on Congress, insisting on nothing from them in order to sign a bill that would reopen the government with no strings attached.  The same when it comes to the responsibility of Congress to raise the debt ceiling.  There’s only one party to this process that has been saying, we would flirt with default, we would even allow default if we don't get what we want.

We are in a shutdown now, the 15th day of a government shutdown, the first shutdown in 17 years, because one faction of one party in one house of Congress decided that it was so opposed to a law that had been passed by Congress, signed into law by the President, upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States, and litigated -- to use your word -- in a presidential campaign in which the candidate who took their position lost, that they shut the government down over not achieving their aim, which was to do away with it.

So the President’s position has been that he has demanded nothing in return for Congress simply keeping the government open and simply doing its job to ensure that the United States does not default.

Q    Last question, very briefly -- an op/ed from the China State News Agency --

MR. CARNEY:  I missed that this morning.

Q    Okay, I'm sorry you missed it.  I'll read it for you, the quote is here.  They said, among other things, “It’s perhaps a good time for the befuddled world to start considering building a de-Americanized world.”  What’s the White House’s message to the Chinese?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I don't have a message to any particular country.  I would simply say that it is an important fact that the full faith and credit of the United States, the principle that has existed for centuries that this country pays its bills and pays them on time -- and that includes paying investors from around the world -- the principle that this economy is a safe bet, and the safest bet, that investment in our country is as safe as any investment anywhere should not be compromised.  And those who would compromise it are flirting with something -- are risking something that has immense value to the nation and to the American people.

Carol.

Q    I wanted to follow on Brianna’s question just to clarify.  Is the President negotiating on whether or not to reopen the government and raise the debt limit?

MR. CARNEY:  Our position has been no ransom for reopening the government, no ransom for Congress fulfilling its responsibility to pay the U.S. bills.

Q    I understand.  Is he or is he not negotiating?  It’s a yes or no question.

MR. CARNEY:  Well, it depends on what you mean by “negotiate.”  He’s been having conversations with lawmakers.  What he will not do, what he has firmly made clear again and again is give the tea party its ideological agenda in exchange for Congress opening the government or Congress raising the debt ceiling so that the United States doesn’t default.  That has been his position all along.

It’s, I think, helpfully clear in its simplicity:  Open the government.  Pay our bills.  Stop threatening default.  Stop doing harm to our economy.  Stop doing harm to the American people.

And that's been our position all along.  And my goal coming out here wasn’t to reiterate those points that we've been saying for so long.  It was to make clear that we see progress in the Senate; we see in the Senate process the kind of bipartisan effort that is the path to resolving these kinds of issues when it comes to the simple responsibilities that Congress maintains  -- opening the government, funding it, making sure Congress pays its bills.  And we hope that all of Congress takes the appropriate action to ensure that they do not continue to inflict harm on the American economy.

Q    One other thing I want to clarify.  Since you’ve been talking, a spokesman for Speaker Boehner has said that for you to say that a senior administration official in Thursday’s meeting did not proactively raise the medical device issue is astoundingly dishonest and that it was a senior administration official who proposed it in those talks.  So can you just clarify --

MR. CARNEY:  I think I've answered the question three times --

Q    -- nobody from the White House raised the issue?

MR. CARNEY:  No, no, what I -- look, there have been conversations about the medical device tax because Republicans have been putting it on the table and others have been talking about it.  What we have always said is that we have never, ever proposed or agreed to pay ransom in exchange for opening the government.  And the proposal that had a brief existence this morning, apparently, before I guess the tea party pulled it down, contained within it a demand to placate the tea party related to the Affordable Care Act in exchange for opening the government.  And our position has always been we're not paying ransom for that.

So, again, it is astoundingly disingenuous to suggest that our position has ever been that we're going to pay ransom to the tea party in order for the Congress, for House Republicans, to open the government.

Q    May I ask on one other topic -- there's been a lot of focus on the shutdown, but it was not long ago we were all talking about Iran.  And has the President had any reaction to the talks that have been going on and the offer that the Iranians put on the table?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I'm not sure there's an offer.

Q    Well, their proposal.

MR. CARNEY:  I think that there was a P5-plus-1 meeting in Geneva, the first day of it, and the Iranian delegation made a presentation and the P5-plus-1 and Iran spent the day discussing the presentation.  We're not going to negotiate this in public or go into the details of what was in their proposal.  We certainly want to make clear that no one -- despite the positive signs that we've seen -- no one should expect a breakthrough overnight.

These are very complicated issues -- in some cases, very technical issues.  And as the President has said, the mistrust here is very deep.  But we hope for progress in Geneva.  And although we appreciate the recent change in tone from the Iranian government on this issue, we will be looking for specific steps that address core issues, such as the pace and scope of its enrichment program, the transparency of its overall nuclear program and its stockpiles of enrichment.

The P5-plus-1 is seeking an agreement that ultimately resolves all of the international community's concerns about Iran's nuclear program. And while we negotiate, we will continue to keep up the economic pressure on Iran, which has brought about the occasion for at least the prospect of making progress.

Q    Can you characterize at all how you guys viewed the presentation?  Did you find it encouraging?  Was it a step in the right direction?  How did the President respond to that?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I would simply say that after day one, we're hopeful that we will make progress in Geneva.  But beyond that, I wouldn't characterize the presentation or the status of conversations.

Margaret.

Q    Thanks, Jay.  Polling on this shutdown and default stuff has been just clearly bad for congressional Republicans.  It's not been great for everyone else either, but probably like worse for them, right across the board.  How do you think that should affect the way they proceed?  And how do you think that should affect how the White House proceeds and how much you should concede is the pressure is for you to make concessions?

MR. CARNEY:  Margaret, as the President said I think last week that there are no winners here and it's not the right thing to do to look at this as a partisan, zero-sum game.  The right thing to do is to make no partisan demands as part of Congress doing its basic job -- funding the government, making sure the United States pays its bills on time.

The President is more than eager to sit down and work with lawmakers of both parties to discuss a broader budget agreement in which we can, hopefully, find compromise when it comes to making necessary investments in key areas like education and innovation and infrastructure, while making balanced but tough choices when it comes to continuing the project of reducing our deficit and managing our long-term debt.

That's been evident in the proposals he has put forward, and he wants to get back to that.  But the context for that is budget negotiations where there are no guns on the table, where the threat of shutdown or the threat of continued shutdown is removed, the threat of default is removed, and lawmakers with good intentions from both parties, as well as the White House, can try to find a broader agreement on our budget priorities.  That would be good for the economy.  It would be good for the country.  And I think it would probably be good for everyone in Washington of both parties.

Q    The polling that's well done reflects at least a snapshot in time of how the public is feeling about a particular issue.  Do you feel that the broad spectrum of polling that's out there has been well done and does reflect a public sentiment?  Everybody looks at polling. You guys look at polling.  The Republicans look at polling.  What is the polling telling you about how the public feels and how both sides should proceed?

MR. CARNEY:  Margaret, I would just say that Americans are justifiably frustrated by dysfunction in Washington, by a decision from any quarter -- in this case a decision clearly made by House Republicans -- to shut the government down over a partisan dispute, or to threaten default for partisan reasons.  And, again, how the public views it I think is reflected in what's been played out here, which is that the President has taken a position where he has asked for nothing in return for Congress doing its job.  He is eager to sit down and have tough negotiations and conversations with Republicans and Democrats about our budget priorities, but only after these basic responsibilities are fulfilled, that the government reopen and the threat of default be removed.

Q    I'll try it one more way.  Do you think that Senate and House Republicans are paying attention to the polling?  Do you see any reflection of that --

MR. CARNEY:  Again, I just don't think that's the way we want to look at this here.

Q    You mean at the podium or in general?

MR. CARNEY:  I mean in general.  Look, here's the thing, whatever analysis you make of the data that you cite -- and I think there's a consensus that reflects what you said -- we wish it weren't so.  We wish instead Congress had simply kept the government open.  We wish instead that the House had allowed for a process by which Congress, without drama and delay, ensure that the United States would pay its bills into the future.

Just like we wish for the country, for deficit reduction, for our economy that the House would follow the Senate's lead and pass comprehensive immigration reform with a big bipartisan vote. That might be good for the Republican Party.  Analysts say so.  Republicans say so.  We hope they do it.

The President believes it's very important in our country to have two strong parties, and to have parties with sincere differences but lawmakers who are willing to make compromises and politicians who are willing to make compromises without sacrificing their principles but are willing to compromise in order to do the essential business of the American people and move our country forward.  That's the approach he has always taken.

And one of the things that has been particularly difficult in these last several years is that we've seen a highly partisan wing of one party drive the train, if you will, when it comes to how we move forward on these issues.  And that makes it very difficult.

Q    But you don't want to say from the podium that the polling bolsters the tact that the President has taken not to negotiate?

MR. CARNEY:  Again, the President's simple proposition has not been -- I think it's important, because if you shorthand it and say he doesn't want to negotiate, that ignores an entire calendar year in which he has been explicitly asking Republicans to sit down with him and negotiate on budget priorities.  He put forward a budget that reflected that.  He had numerous meetings and meals and conversations with Republicans in the Senate and the House about these very issues.

But he does not believe that our partisan differences should be the excuse for shutting down the economy -- in the worst-case scenario, if there were to be default -- or shutting down the government.  Because that's just using the American people and the American economy as pawns in this partisan dispute and that's not the right way to do things.  We ought to make sure that these essential functions are funded, make sure that the United States pays its bills.  And then, we should negotiate.

Tommy.

Q    Thanks, Jay.  I have three questions.

MR. CARNEY:  Three?

Q    Yes, sorry.  It's been a while.  First of all, I don't know if you're aware of this, but when I had a heart attack three years ago, I was uninsured and I haven't been able to get insurance ever since then.  But listening to all the pressure on the President to negotiate -- a lot of it from inside this room  -- made me think, is there a chance the President would be willing to delay Obamacare for a year if Republicans were to agree to delay heart attacks for a year?

MR. CARNEY:  Tommy, you know the President's position is that we need to implement the Affordable Care Act.  And when it comes to the millions of Americans across the country who have had a very hard time getting access to affordable health insurance, we need to focus on those folks and continue the business of implementing the Affordable Care Act, so that on January 1st, those Americans will be able to purchase this insurance, quality insurance at affordable rates for the first time.  Does that answer your question?

Q    Just for what it's worth, I was able to enroll in the exchange about a week and a half ago.  I haven't picked a plan yet, though.

My second question, I was talking to my mom this morning -- right out here, actually -- and she asked me to ask you to please open the government back up again.  And I know you can't just do that.  But she is really worried about her Social Security check. And I told her, don't worry, Mom, we'll get it taken care of.  I don't want you to worry.  But Steve Rattner last night said that October 23rd is one of these drop-dead dates that start to pile up.  And so I guess my question is should she be worried?

MR. CARNEY:  What I would say about that, which goes to the issue of the debt ceiling, is that the United States government through Congress has made a lot of commitments and has a lot of obligations, and those include the commitments and obligations that the Congress has made and we have made to America's seniors. And we need to never even contemplate the possibility that the timely provision of benefits to those seniors would be jeopardized by a decision by one faction of one party of one house of one branch of government to wage an ideological battle here in Washington.

So that's why -- I mean, that crystallizes the fact that there are real people who depend on some basic things.  And everybody in Washington -- Democrats and Republicans and independents -- should sort of agree to the principle that we ought to at the very least ensure that those people are taken care of and that the essential functioning of government is allowed to proceed and that the basic premise that the United States always pays its bills on time is not jeopardized.  So that's the position the President has taken.

Q    Last question -- do you remember the last debt ceiling deal there was a plan floated, it was called the McConnell plan, where Congress would authorize a debt ceiling increase for I think it was a year, a year and a half.  And it would hold a vote every so often, so that Republicans could vote no but it would require two-thirds majority to overrule, so it gave the President the authority.  Is something like the McConnell plan in the air now, being discussed now?  And if not, why not?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, I would basically direct you to Congress for the various plans under discussion and the plans that have been adopted in the past for how they fulfill their responsibility invested in them through the Constitution to pay our bills.  So Congress has the authority, whether it's to devise a scheme or a plan along the lines that you talk about, or simply just to take the vote and raise the debt ceiling.  That's not an authority that the President has.  That's an authority Congress has.

Q    Haven’t heard any conversations about that?

MR. CARNEY:  I'd just refer you to the Senate.

April and then, John and then, Julia -- and then, we'll go.

Q    Jay, basically you're saying Thursday -- and from what you said at the podium -- that you're not going to be able to pay all of your bills.  What should the American public be bracing for?  I mean, you're calmly almost screaming “fire.”

MR. CARNEY:  I'll just be clear that on Thursday the United States runs out of its borrowing authority.  And that means that the Treasury only has cash on hand to meet the obligations that the United States government has.

Q    Did you or did you not say that you're not going to be able to pay all of your bills?

MR. CARNEY:  Because we -- what I'm saying is the Treasury is the place to go for specific timetables about when bills come due and how that works.  What I'm saying is that as a nation, the reason why we need to raise the debt ceiling is to ensure that the Treasury can borrow money to make sure we meet all our obligations.  Inevitably, if your obligations exceed what you take in, you're in a situation where default is a possibility.  But the Treasury is the right place to address those questions.

And, look, again, April, I don't have the list of many outside experts who aren't crying “fire” -- they're crying “stop.”  Stop threatening the American and global economy with the prospect of default and just do the responsible thing and pass a bill that extends the debt ceiling, so that this is not even something that can happen or be contemplated.  So that's not us, certainly not us alone.  I think many folks from the business world and from both sides of the aisle here in Washington have acknowledged that we don't want to cross that line, because the consequences would be very negative.

Q    Jay, I'm not putting any blame anywhere, I'm just asking what should the American public be bracing for?  Because many persons already have had their paycheck stopped.  Many persons are concerned about government subsidies to programs.  Thursday, Friday, whenever -- when you're not able to pay all of your bills, what should the American public be bracing for?

MR. CARNEY:  No, I understand, April.  And I would just say, A, we hope we do not get to the point where that's a reality.  It's entirely within Congress's and, in many cases, the Speaker of the House's power to ensure that that does not happen.  Broadly speaking, I've said that there is reason to be concerned, given the disposition we've seen in Congress -- in particular among House Republicans, although some Senate Republicans as well -- to flirt with default, flirt with crossing that threshold beyond which we don't have borrowing authority.  And that's very dangerous.

We believe that there's a majority in both houses to ensure that, if given the chance, to ensure that this is not something that ever comes about.

I'm going to have to go, because I know there's Medal of Honor pre-positioning.

Q    I just have this last question.  As we deal with this, what is the construct as to why we're here?  We know it's partisan agendas and politics.  And Sunday, we saw situations at the White House, come to the White House where race was involved. Many persons are saying part of this now has to do with race, because the President is indeed an African American, a black man. Is race a part of this stalemate, this conversation?

MR. CARNEY:  April, I don't believe that that's the issue here.  I believe that this is a decision by -- Republicans shut the government down not because every Republican wanted it, but because Republican leaders in the House were listening to a faction within their own conference.  And it's important that when it comes to reopening the government a majority of the House be allowed to vote on a clean CR, for example, as we've talked about for a long time, and when it comes to the essential responsibility to ensure that the United States pays its bills, that Congress be able to take that action so that this threat is removed and everybody -- Republicans and Democrats -- can get about the business of discussing and negotiating over our budget priorities.

I’ve really got to go -- John, last one.

Q    Two quick ones -- I'll use shorthand here.  Does the President support the reinsurance provision --

MR. CARNEY:  John, I'm not going to negotiate over items of proposed bills that haven't been written or submitted.

Q    And can I get your reaction to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell deciding to suspend negotiations until the House does or does not act today?

MR. CARNEY:  Again, we have seen progress in the Senate and we hope to see continued progress in the Senate.  We’ve seen a bipartisan approach in the Senate that we would hope that the House could emulate.

Julia, you get the last one.

Q    On the Affordable Care Act, can you give us both a timeframe for when you anticipate federal exchanges will be fully functional, what entities are working on it, and just as important, who pays for this fix?  Is this part of the contract, or is this an additional cost to the federal government?

MR. CARNEY:  Those are all questions for HHS and CMS.  I can tell you that, at the President’s direction, people are working 24/7 to resolve the problems that have arisen and taking steps to make sure that those many, many millions of Americans who are interested in the options available to them to purchase affordable health insurance, in many cases for the first time, have the best consumer experience possible.

And there are a lot of people hard at work on this.  But for details of the work being done and the process in place, I’d refer you to HHS.

Thanks, everybody.

END