Showing posts with label THE WHITE HOUSE PRESIDENT OBAMA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label THE WHITE HOUSE PRESIDENT OBAMA. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STATEMENT ON THE VOLCKER RULE

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
Statement by the President on the Volcker Rule

Five years ago, a financial catastrophe on Wall Street was rapidly fueling a punishing recession on Main Street that ultimately cost millions of jobs and hurt families across the country.  So as we prepared steps to rescue our economy and put Americans back to work, we also put in place tough rules of the road to make sure a crisis like that never happened again – rules that reward sound financial practices, allow honest innovation and strengthen the financial system’s ability to support job creation and durable economic growth.

As part of this Wall Street reform, we fought to include the Volcker Rule – a rule that makes sure big banks can’t make risky bets with their customer’s deposits.  The Volcker Rule will make it illegal for firms to use government-insured money to make speculative bets that threaten the entire financial system, and demand a new era of accountability from CEOs who must sign off on their firm’s practices.

Our financial system will be safer and the American people are more secure because we fought to include this protection in the law.  I thank Paul Volcker, a former Chairman of the Federal Reserve and advisor I trust, for helping to create this important safeguard.  I also thank Secretary Lew and the regulators who worked diligently to finalize the rule by the end of this year as we called on them to do.  I encourage Congress to give these regulators adequate funding to effectively and efficiently implement the rule, which will help protect hardworking families and business owners from future crisis, and restore everyone’s certainty and confidence in America’s dynamic financial system.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S REMARKS AT CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE CONNECT ED

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
Remarks by the President at Champions of Change ConnectED Event

South Court Auditorium
November 21, 2013

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, hello, everybody.  Have a seat, have a seat.  And thank you, Misa, for the introduction and, more importantly, what you are doing in the classroom every single day, which is making such a big difference.  And I want to welcome all of you who are here.  This is one of my favorite events we do periodically.  It gives me an opportunity to say thanks and recognize people who are making extraordinary contributions in their local communities.  And we’re learning from you, seeing what works, seeing what has an impact.

We call them Champions of Change:  people who have done some innovative work that hopefully can be replicated in other parts of the country once they have good models that are having success.  And today, we are honoring 10 educators who use technology to support one of our country’s top priorities, and that’s preparing our kids and our workers for the competition that they’re going to face in a 21st century global economy.

In an age when the world’s information is just a click away, we’ve got to bring our schools and our libraries into the 21st century.  That’s why five months ago I launched an initiative that we’re calling ConnectED to bring high-speed Internet to 99 percent of American students over the next five years.  And this is going to be a top priority for me.  It’s going to take some hard work across my administration, but I’m committed to getting it done.

Because this is not just about wiring schools; it’s about changing students’ lives.  It’s about using technology to give students a chance to learn at their own pace, whether they’re catching up on a subject or moving ahead to the next level.  It’s about giving teachers a better data set so they can see exactly what’s working and what isn’t for particular students.  It’s about unleashing a new market for educational devices and apps that will create jobs and spur innovation.

And it’s about supporting outstanding, innovative educators like our Champions for Change.  Because of their work in North Dakota, young people with autism are using educational apps to discover abilities that they didn’t even know that they had.  In Colorado, preschoolers have now obtained access to a digital discovery center that helps them to get a great education from the earliest age.  In Georgia, students at an after-school technology club are learning skills that are going to help them succeed in college and throughout their careers.  And today’s Champions of Change are helping to give our students what every parent wants for their child -- the chance to go as far as their talents and hard work will take them.

So to all of our Champions for Change, we want to thank you for your extraordinary efforts.  As long as I’m President, I’m going to keep working not only to support the great work that educators and librarians are doing across the country but more fundamentally to make sure that young people are getting every opportunity that they deserve to thrive and succeed in this modern economy.  And I see some young people here and they look like they’re doing pretty good.  (Laughter.)  Although they may be bored by me making too long a speech.  (Laughter.)

Thank you very much, everybody.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STATEMENT REGARDING NOMINEES TO THE FEDERAL BENCH

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
Statement by the President

I am deeply disappointed that Senate Republicans have once again refused to do their job and give well-qualified nominees to the federal bench the yes-or-no votes they deserve. The D.C. Circuit, considered the Nation’s second-highest court, has three vacancies. These are judgeships created by Congress. Chief Justice John Roberts and the Judicial Conference of the United States believe that these vacancies should be filled, not removed. And my constitutional duty as President is to nominate highly qualified individuals to fill these vacancies.

Patricia Millett, Nina Pillard, and Judge Robert Wilkins have all received the highest possible rating from the non-partisan American Bar Association. They have broad bipartisan support, and no one has questioned their merit. Yet Senate Republicans have blocked all three from receiving a yes-or-no vote. This obstruction is completely unprecedented. Four of my predecessor’s six nominees to the D.C. Circuit were confirmed. Four of my five nominees to this court have been obstructed. When it comes to judicial nominations, I am fulfilling my constitutional responsibility, but Congress is not. Instead, Senate Republicans are standing in the way of a fully-functioning judiciary that serves the American people.

The American people and our judicial system deserve better. A majority of the United States Senate supports these three extraordinary nominees, and it is time for simple yes-or-no votes without further obstruction or delay.

Search This Blog

Translate

White House.gov Press Office Feed