PRESIDENT OBAMA'S MESSAGE ON CONTINUING EO REGARDING COLOMBIAN NARCOTICS TRAFFICKERS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
Message to the Congress -- Colombia Traffickers

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1622(d), provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency with respect to significant narcotics traffickers centered in Colombia declared in Executive Order 12978 of October 21, 1995, is to continue in effect beyond October 21, 2013.

The circumstances that led to the declaration on October 21, 1995, of a national emergency have not been resolved. The actions of significant narcotics traffickers centered in Colombia continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States and to cause an extreme level of violence, corruption, and harm in the United States and abroad. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12978 with respect to significant narcotics traffickers centered in Colombia.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
October 16, 2013.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S REMARKS DURING NOMINATION OF DR. YELLEN AS FED CHAIR

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
Remarks by the President in Nominating Dr. Janet Yellen as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

State Dining Room

3:16 P.M. EDT

     THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon.  Over the past five years, America has fought its way back from the worst recession since the Great Depression.  We passed historic reforms to prevent another crisis and to protect consumers.  Over the past three and half years, our businesses have created 7.5 million new jobs.  Our housing market is rebounding.  Manufacturing is growing.  The auto industry has come roaring back.  And since I took office, we’ve cut the deficit in half.

I think everybody understands we’ve still got a lot of work to do to rebuild the middle class, but we've made progress.  And we shouldn’t do anything to threaten that progress -- for these hard-won gains have made a difference to millions of Americans.  And, in part, we can thank the extraordinary grit and resilience of the American people; in part, we can thank the dynamism of our businesses.  But a lot of it also has to do with the choices we’ve made as a nation to create more jobs and more growth.  And one of the most important contributors to this whole process has been the Federal Reserve, under the strong leadership of Ben Bernanke.

For nearly eight years, Ben has led the Fed through some of the most daunting economic challenges of our lifetime.  For some time now he’s made it clear that he intends to finish his service as chairman at the end of his term, which is this January.  So, today I just want to take a minute to pay tribute to Ben for his extraordinary service.  But I also want to announce my choice for the next chair of the Federal Reserve, one of the nation’s foremost economists and policymakers -- current Vice Chairman Janet Yellen.

After I became President, I was proud to nominate Ben for a second term.  And while the Fed is, and must always be, independent, I want you to know, Ben, I'm personally very grateful to you for being such a strong partner in helping America recover from recession.

Perhaps it’s no surprise -- as the son of a pharmacist and a school teacher -- that Ben Bernanke is the epitome of calm.  And against the volatility of global markets, he’s been a voice of wisdom and a steady hand.  At the same time, when faced with a potential global economic meltdown, he has displayed tremendous courage and creativity.  He took bold action that was needed to avert another Depression -- helping us stop the free fall, stabilize financial markets, shore up our banks, get credit flowing again.

And all this has made a profound difference in the lives of millions of Americans.  A lot of people aren't necessarily sure what the chairman of the Federal Reserve does, but thanks to this man to the left of me, more families are able to afford their own home; more small businesses are able to get loans to expand and hire workers; more folks can pay their mortgages and their car loans.  It’s meant more growth and more jobs.

And I’d add that with his commitment to greater transparency and clarity, he’s also allowed us to better understand the work of the Fed.  Ben has led a new era of “Fedspeak” and been a little more clear about how the system works.  And that is good for our democracy.

And I have to tell you, as I travel around the world, the job of the Fed chair is not just our top monetary policymaker.  The world looks to the American Fed chair for leadership and guidance.  And the degree to which Ben is admired and respected, and the degree to which central bankers all across the world look to him for sound advice and smart policymaking is remarkable.  He has truly been a stabilizing force not just for our country, but for the entire world.  And I could not be more grateful for his extraordinary service.

And so, Ben, to you and your wife Anna, and your children Joel and Alyssa, I want to thank you for your outstanding service.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)

Now, as I’ve said, the decision on who will succeed Ben is one of the most important economic decisions that I’ll make as President -- one of the most important appointments that any President can make -- because the chair of the Fed is one of the most important policymakers in the world, and the next chair will help guide our economy after I’ve left office.

I’ve considered a lot of factors.  Foremost among them is an understanding of the Fed’s dual mandate -- sound monetary policy to make sure that we keep inflation in check, but also increasing employment and creating jobs, which remains our most important economic challenge right now.

And I’ve found these qualities in Janet Yellen.  She’s a proven leader and she’s tough -- not just because she’s from Brooklyn.  (Laughter.)  Janet is exceptionally well-qualified for this role.  She’s served in leadership positions at the Fed for more than a decade.  As Vice Chair for the past three years, she’s been exemplary and a driving force of policies to help boost our economic recovery.

Janet is renowned for her good judgment.  She sounded the alarm early about the housing bubble, about excesses in the financial sector, and about the risks of a major recession.  She doesn’t have a crystal ball, but what she does have is a keen understanding about how markets and the economy work -- not just in theory but also in the real world.  And she calls it like she sees it.

Janet also knows how to build consensus.  She listens to competing views and brings people together around a common goal. And as one of her admirers says, “She’s the kind of person who makes everybody around her better.”  Not surprisingly, she is held in high esteem by colleagues across the country and around the world who look to the United States, as I said, and the Fed for leadership.

Janet is committed to both sides of the Fed’s dual mandate, and she understands the necessity of a stable financial system where we move ahead with the reforms that we've begun -- to protect consumers, to ensure that no institution is too big to fail, and to make sure that taxpayers are never again left holding the bag because of the mistakes of the reckless few.

And at the same time, she’s committed to increasing employment, and she understands the human costs when Americans can’t find a job.  She has said before, “These are not just statistics to me.  The toll is simply terrible on the mental and physical health of workers, on their marriages, on their children.”  So Janet understands this.  And America’s workers and their families will have a champion in Janet Yellen.
 
So, Janet, I thank you for taking on this new assignment.  And given the urgent economic challenges facing our nation, I urge the Senate to confirm Janet without delay.  I am absolutely confident that she will be an exceptional chair of the Federal Reserve.  I should add that she’ll be the first woman to lead the Fed in its 100-year history.  And I know a lot of Americans -- men and women -- thank you for not only your example and your excellence, but also being a role model for a lot of folks out there.

It’s been said that Janet found love at the Federal Reserve -- literally.  (Laughter.)  This is where she met her husband George, a celebrated economist in his own right.  And their son Robert is an economist as well.  So you can imagine the conversations around the dinner table might be a little different than ours.  (Laughter.)  In fact, I’ve been told their idea of a great family vacation is the beach -- with a suitcase full of economics books.  (Laughter.)  But this is a family affair.  We thank George and Robert for their support as Janet begins this journey.

Again, I want to thank Ben Bernanke for the outstanding work that he’s done, and obviously he will continue to help keep our economy moving forward during the remainder of his tenure here.  So we'll probably have occasion for additional good-byes.  And I know that Janet is very much counting on him to give some good advice as she moves into the chairman spot.

But with this, I’d like to give Janet a chance to say a few words.  (Applause.)

DR. YELLEN:  Thank you, Mr. President.  I'm honored and humbled by the faith that you’ve placed in me.  If confirmed by the Senate, I pledge to do my upmost to keep that trust and meet the great responsibilities that Congress has entrusted to the Federal Reserve -- to promote maximum employment, stable prices, and a strong and stable financial system.

I'd also like to thank my spouse, George, and my son, Robert.  I couldn't imagine taking on this new challenge without their love and support.

The past six years have been tumultuous for the economy and challenging for many Americans.  While I think we all agree, Mr. President, that more needs to be done to strengthen the recovery, particularly for those hardest hit by the Great Recession, we have made progress.  The economy is stronger and the financial system sounder.

As you said, Mr. President, considerable credit for that goes to Chairman Bernanke, for his wise, courageous and skillful leadership.  It has been my privilege to serve with him and learn from him.

While we have made progress, we have farther to go.  The mandate of the Federal Reserve is to serve all the American people, and too many Americans still can't find a job and worry how they’ll pay their bills and provide for their families.  The Federal Reserve can help if it does its job effectively.  We can help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to work hard and build a better life.  We can ensure that inflation remains in check and doesn’t undermine the benefits of a growing economy.
We can, and must, safeguard the financial system.

The Fed has powerful tools to influence the economy and the financial system.  But I believe its greatest strength rests in its capacity to approach important decisions with expertise and objectivity, to vigorously debate diverse views and then to unite behind its response.

The Fed’s effectiveness depends on the commitment, ingenuity and integrity of the Fed staff and my fellow policymakers.  They serve America with great dedication.

Mr. President, thank you for giving me this opportunity to continue serving the Federal Reserve and carrying out its important work on behalf of the American people.  (Applause.)

REMARKS BY FIRST LADY OBMAMA AND FIRST LADY BUSH AT AFRICAN FIRST LADIES SUMMIT

FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE

Remarks by First Lady Michelle Obama and First Lady Laura Bush in a Conversation at the African First Ladies Summit

Serena Hotel
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

9:56 A.M. SAT

MS. ROBERTS: What a great occasion, and what a tremendous honor for me to be here. Thank you so very, very much for inviting me to come to Tanzania. And thank you, Mrs. Kikwete, for hosting this. This is very -- it's important to do.

President Obama said in South Africa on Sunday, quoting the best possible source -- his mother -- (laughter) -- he said that you can measure how well a country does by how it treats its women. And, of course, President Obama's mother said that long before we had the data -- and we now have tons and tons of data to show that the single two biggest factors in development are the education of girls and the economic empowerment of women.

And for all the reasons that you've just delineated, Mrs. Bush -- the importance of the education of girls and the empowerment of women. So my hat's off to all of you, and especially the first ladies of Africa -- who are wearing wonderful hats, by the way -- because you work on these issues every day in your countries, pushing and prodding the powers that be -- and yes, your husbands -- to do the right things; to help your countries by helping the women and girls in your countries. So congratulations to you.

And this is a session where we are going to have some congratulations and also some learning. And in that spirit, I was going to start by saying, why can't the guys get together like this, but now they are getting together. (Laughter.) They're getting together this morning; I think they've probably taken their example from you.

MRS. OBAMA: They're learning from us as women. (Laughter.)

MS. ROBERTS: Exactly. But you know, this question of "First Lady" has always been somewhat fraught. You quoted Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Bush, but it really -- particularly, I know in the United States, Americans have always been a little bit wary about first ladies -- they're not elected, and they can't be fired -- (laughter) -- and they have a whole lot of power. But it can also be a little confining, I think is a fair way to put it.

Martha Washington, our first First Lady, wrote in the first year that she was First Lady, she wrote to her niece that she felt like a "Chief State Prisoner." (Laughter.) But she was able to do good -- she lobbied for all of those veterans that she had been to camp with through the Revolutionary War. And people don’t realize that first ladies have been doing that kind of thing from Martha Washington --

MRS. OBAMA: Absolutely.

MS. ROBERTS: And, Mrs. Obama, you talked about -- you've talked about, wherever you go, there's a light that shines, and that you're able to shine that light on something that needs attention that wouldn’t otherwise get it. Talk about that a little bit.

MRS. OBAMA: That’s absolutely true. I always joke that we have probably the best jobs in the world because, unlike our husbands who have to react and respond to crisis on a minute-by-minute basis -- they come into office with a wonderful, profound agenda, and then they're faced with the reality. (Laughter.)

On the other hand, we get to work on what we're passionate about. And I think that that’s something that I would encourage all first ladies to never lose sight of. You have an opportunity to speak to your passions and to really design and be very strategic about the issues you care most about. And I just found it just a very freeing and liberating opportunity.

MS. ROBERTS: No state prisoner? (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: No, there are prison elements to it. (Laughter.) But it's a really nice prison, so --

MRS. BUSH: But with a chef. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: You can't complain. But there is definitely elements that are confining.

MS. ROBERTS: And she said that before tweeting and cell phones.

MRS. OBAMA: That’s right, 24-hour media.

MS. ROBERTS: And she could cover her hair with that cap. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: Right. But being able to pursue our passions and do things that not only help our country and connect us with the rest of the world, it's a great privilege. So while people are sort of sorting through our shoes and our hair -- (laughter) -- whether we cut it or not --

MRS. BUSH: Whether we have bangs.

MRS. OBAMA: Whether we have bangs. (Laughter.) Who would have thought? I didn’t call that one. (Laughter.)

MRS. BUSH: I said that just because our daughter, Barbara, cut bangs at the same time Michelle did. They commiserated --

MRS. OBAMA: I was doing what Barbara was doing. (Laughter.) I was just following her lead. But we take our bangs and we stand in front of important things that the world needs to see. And eventually, people stop looking at the bangs and they start looking at what we're standing in front of.

MRS. BUSH: We hope.

MRS. OBAMA: They do, and that’s the power of our roles.

MS. ROBERTS: Mrs. Bush, you quoted, again, Lady Bird Johnson, talking about, I have a podium and I'm going to use it. But it's a unique role, and there must be a learning curve. And I remember as you were leaving the White House, you said that at first you were "dense" -- (laughter) -- about how hard it was; how the role is really not something that you understood the power of.

MRS. BUSH: Well, and I should have understood it, because I had a mother-in-law who was a First Lady. I had watched her, of course, the whole time she served in public office with her husband, my father-in-law, President Bush. And so, I really had an advantage that -- the only other First Lady that’s had this advantage was Louisa Adams, whose mother-in-law had been first lady as well.

So I really did come to the White House knowing a lot about the White House and knowing where things were, and we even knew the staff -- the butlers and the ushers -- because we had stayed there so often with President Bush and Barbara. But what I didn’t really understand was how people would listen to the First Lady.

And right after attacks of September 11th when -- I gave the presidential radio address to talk about women in Afghanistan. And right after that, I was in a department store with my daughter, Jenna -- she was a freshman in college and I was in Austin seeing her -- and we want to a department store. And the women who sold cosmetics at the department store said, thank you so much, Ms. Bush, thank you for speaking for the women in Afghanistan. And that was the first time it really occurred to me that people really did hear me, and that I really did have that podium that Lady Bird Johnson knew about and had told us about.

And so, I want to encourage every first lady to speak out and speak up and let people know, because people are watching and they are listening. And you can be so constructive for your country if you speak up about issues that you think are important.

MS. ROBERTS: Did you have an experience like that?

MRS. OBAMA: Absolutely, but I just want to take a moment to commend Mrs. Bush, because she and her staff helped my team with that transition. And that’s a powerful lesson for other leaders, is that there's a lot of give and take when you're campaigning, but when the dust settles, we are all in this together. And Laura has been just so helpful. Her Chief of Staff, Anita McBride, and many of the team members left notes for my staff. My chief of staff calls Anita on a regular basis -- (laughter) -- I think it's daily or weekly or something like that.

But having your predecessors be people who are willing to extend themselves on behalf of the country, to help with that transition makes the world of difference. But nothing prepares you. (Laughter.) Nothing prepares you for this role. I mean, it is so startling that the transition of power in the United States happens so quickly that you don’t have access to the house until the President takes the oath of office.

So, literally --

MRS. BUSH: During the inaugural parade -- one family moves out and the next family moves in. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: Literally. And I remember walking into that house and I didn’t even know where the bathrooms were. (Laughter.) But I had to get ready for a ball. (Laughter.) It was like, and I've got to look nice? It's like, what door is this, and you're opening up all these doors, and you can't find your toothpaste, you don’t know where your kids are. (Laughter.) So that’s day one.

MRS. BUSH: Exactly.

MS. ROBERTS: That’s a daunting experience. One of the things -- we did ask the first ladies of Africa if they wanted to submit some questions, and one of the things that was true throughout the questions was the sense of continuity; that -- was there a way to keep your efforts going after the spotlight does go away. Now, Mrs. Bush, is this one of your ways of doing that?

MRS. BUSH: Yes, this is. But for George and me, through the Bush Institute, we're able to focus on four areas that were so important to us when George was President.

When you are President, every issue comes to the desk of the President of the United States. First ladies have it a little bit easier because we can choose specific issues to focus on, but now that we're home, through the Bush Institute -- the policy institute that’s part of our Bush Presidential Center at SMU -- we are able to continue to work on issues that were important to us.

MS. ROBERTS: And you said, Mrs. Obama, that you want your issues to have a lasting effect, so how do you do that?

MRS. OBAMA: Four to eight years is really a blink of an eye. And you often find that you're just starting to get your teeth into your issues, and then it's time to go. But none of the issues --

MS. ROBERTS: -- your children.

MRS. OBAMA: That’s true, that’s true. (Laughter.) That’s absolutely true. But none of the work that we do and any of us does will be concluded at the end of a term. I tell the young people that I work with around health, the military families that I support, that for me, these issues are -- I say a forever proposition.

This isn't work that I'm just doing

(Audio drops out.)

MRS. OBAMA: -- that I find in this position that there are girls around the world who are looking to us and how we behave and how we carry on our issues. And they're going to be watching us for decades to come.

MS. ROBERTS: There's that prisoner thing again.

MRS. OBAMA: There it is. (Laughter.) Keeps coming --

MRS. BUSH: But there are things that you could establish, like the National Book Festival that I started. I'm the librarian, and so it was a very obvious sort of thing for me to start. I started a Texas book festival in Dallas -- I mean, in Austin, when George was governor, and then started one that the Library of Congress now runs. And so it continues to go on.

But Michelle's right -- we'll never finish with education. We'll never get to rub our hands together and say, oh, we took care of that. There will be another little class of kindergartners. And it's something we'll always work on.

MS. ROBERTS: Well, again, it's like child-raising. Yes, it's like child-raising.

MRS. BUSH: Exactly -- it's never over.

MS. ROBERTS: But, Mrs. Bush, you all talked about the -- agenda and it gets disrupted, but your agenda got disrupted too. And you were on Capitol Hill about to testify before Ted Kennedy's committee about education when September 11th --

MRS. BUSH: That’s right. I mean, of course, things happen that you don’t expect, like what happened to us in the United States on September 11th. And the National Book Festival that I founded, it -- just then the weekend before -- the Saturday before that, September 8th. And then I was scheduled -- in fact, I went onto Capitol Hill on the morning of September 11th because I was going to brief the Senate Education Committee on a summit that I had hosted that summer on early childhood education, and got to the Capitol and joined Senator Kennedy in his office then as we watched on television and started to see the towers fall. And we knew -- he knew and I knew -- that everything had changed for us and for our country, really.

And that’s what happens to presidents also; those kinds of issues come up that you don’t expect, and it changes your whole focus. In fact, in our new presidential museum, the very first part of it is everything that we thought we would be working on -- tax cuts, the book festival, the faith-based and community service projects, tee ball on the South Lawn of the White House -- (laughter) -- our first state dinner, which was with Mexico -- which is where we really expected to spend a lot of our time in the Americas because we were from a border state -- and then September 11th --

MS. ROBERTS: And that’s how you got involved with the women of Afghanistan.

MRS. BUSH: That’s right.

MS. ROBERTS: One of the questions that has come in from the South African -- or from the African first ladies refers to both of you as the mothers of girls -- and you are now the grandmother of a girl.

MRS. BUSH: That’s right, the grandmother of another girl -- baby Margaret Laura. (Applause.)

MS. ROBERTS: And the question of the education of girls -- and you, of course, know how important it is in your own lives, but as I alluded to earlier, one of the things we now have just so much data on is that if you educate a girl, you can save a country. And the first ladies here are saying, what can you do to work with them globally for the education of girls?

MRS. BUSH: Well, we both obviously spend a lot of time on education, especially the education of girls. But the fact is, in the United States, now more girls are graduating from high school than boys. And more girls are in college and more girls are in masters programs -- women are -- than boys. And that --

(Audio interruption.)

MRS. OBAMA: -- Mandela's most important quote of the millions of things he has said is that education is probably the most powerful weapon for change. But a lot of our kids don’t understand that. In the United States, many of them take it for granted. Many of them have a mindset that they can't do it because they've been grown up to be taught that they can't.

So there's a large part of my initiative that’s really trying to get into the heads of these young people and use my story as an example of what -- the power of education. And I tell kids all across the country, I want them to look at me not as the First Lady, but as one of them.

I was a girl who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, my parents didn’t have much money, but they invested in my education. And they invested in my education as equally as they did my brother; there was no different bar. And as a result of that training and preparation, I have had opportunities and I am sitting here now as First Lady of the United States of America because of education. (Applause.)

MS. ROBERTS: It was -- one of the things that the PEPFAR program is doing is not just reaching -- not just treating people -- which is, of course, wonderful -- but getting to the orphans and vulnerable children. I was in -- Ethiopia with Save The Children where this 13-year-old girl that had been through our program stood up and started talking about what was needed in the community, and then the local minister from that region told her she was crazy and she just stood right back up and just went -- and I -- you go, girl. And that really does make a difference in the future.

MRS. BUSH: Well, it is important to reach parents as well. So the parents know that they need to make sure their children are educated -- in whatever way they can.

We know from research that mothers who can bring in a little bit of money, they're more likely to spend their money on their fees for their children's education and on their uniforms and others things they need to go to school. So all of it really works together -- the economic empowerment as well as just the understanding of how important education is.

MRS. OBAMA: And I just want to take a moment to recognize Mama Kikwete's work educating female orphans here, the school she has started. (Applause.) I got an opportunity to sit with some of the children and watch a cultural program. But there are so many young girls that don’t have families, they don’t have role models. And as Mama Kikwete understands, they need a safe place to land, a place where they can get food and shelter and love and direction.

So I applaud Mama Kikwete and all the first ladies who are providing that kind of safe harbor for our young girls. So, congratulations. (Applause.)

MS. ROBERTS: Well, you talk about the role models, and you talked about yourselves as role models, but, Mrs. Bush, you said at one point, I think that our first ladies are a lot more complicated than they get treated in the media. I suspect every first lady here would agree with that. Why do you think that is? Why do you think that it's always those sort of --

MRS. BUSH: Well, I think -- in the United States, it has a lot to do with the way you look. That’s a lot of the discussion about women. That’s a problem everywhere in the United States -- for girls as well. The way you look -- girls worry about all sorts of problems that they shouldn’t have to worry about. They should be worried about what they're doing and how they're being educated instead of whether they look pretty or they look sexy. (Applause.)

But that’s the way we treat women, sadly. And it's obviously when you read in the press -- I mean, it's like talking about the bangs, or somebody writing about them, really -- worse -- the press writing about them.

MS. ROBERTS: Do you think you get put in a box?

MRS. BUSH: Yes, a little bit.

MRS. OBAMA: Absolutely. I constantly get asked, especially in the first term, are you more like Laura Bush, or are you more like Hillary Clinton? And I'm like, is that it? That’s all I -- (laughter) --

MRS. BUSH: Exactly the problem -- everyone said -- reporters -- are you Hillary Clinton or Barbara Bush? And I always just said, well, I think I'll be Laura Bush; I do Laura Bush pretty well, having grown up as her. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: But this is also why it's important for us to make sure that more women use their voices and their power. Because we know, as women, that we're not that complicated, but we are complex. We are deep, diverse, enlightened people in the universe. And the world will be better off when our voices are at the table.

We just bring a different perspective. We are mothers. We are nurturers. We have to juggle a lot. I love my husband, but sometimes when he has, like, five things to do at one time, it's funny to watch it. (Laughter.) You don’t know where you jacket is right now -- (laughter) -- can't find that shoe, Mr. President. (Laughter.) It's a little --

MRS. BUSH: I always think -- but they're good at focus.

MRS. OBAMA: Very focused. Focus. (Laughter.) But I think that that’s the -- and we as women cannot underestimate the value of what we bring, and I think that’s what young girls are taught -- that their voices aren't important; be small, be quiet.

MRS. BUSH: The way we look is more important --

MRS. OBAMA: The way they look is more important --

MRS. BUSH: -- than what they learn and say.

MRS. OBAMA: And we are missing 50 percent of the intellect that could go -- and needs to go to -- that’s true. But I want to keep it fair. I don’t want the men to feel too --

MS. ROBERTS: Left out.

MRS. OBAMA: -- lesser.

MS. ROBERTS: You know, you talked -- just briefly mentioned the campaign trail. And of course, both of you spent a great deal of time on the campaign trail, and wives -- and it has been wives so far -- are sort of in the role of validators, character witnesses for their husbands on the trail. But then you get to the White House and you have another role, which seemed to me to be incredibly difficult, which is that sometimes you have to be the only truth teller.

Now, this is true of all spouses to some degree, but when I have to tell my husband the truth, there's not his political future or the peace of the world riding on it.

MRS. OBAMA: It's just "that tie looks bad." (Laughter.)

MS. ROBERTS: So how do you deal with sometimes being the only person who can tell your husband the truth?

MRS. BUSH: Well, I have that famous story -- I think I told it to the first ladies last year in New York -- about how Barbara Bush, my mother-in-law, said, don’t criticize George's speeches -- (laughter) -- because she criticized her George's speech and he came home for weeks afterwards with letters saying it was the best speech he'd ever given. (Laughter.)

So I took her advice -- this was years ago when George was running for Congress -- and we were driving into our driveway after a campaign event in another town. We were just driving up, and he said, how was my speech? And I said, well, it wasn't really very good, and he drove into the garage wall. (Laughter and applause.)

But I think you have to be really careful, actually -- (laughter) -- with -- tells him the truth. Actually, the President --

PRESIDENT OBAMA SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO HELP COMBAT WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING

FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE

FACT SHEET: U.S. Efforts to Combat Wildlife Trafficking

July 01, 2013

Wildlife trafficking is a multi-billion dollar illicit business that is decimating Africa’s iconic animal populations. Many species -- most notably elephants and rhinoceroses -- now face the risk of significant decline or even extinction. Like other forms of illicit trade, wildlife trafficking undermines security across nations. Well-armed, well-equipped, and well-organized networks of poachers, criminals, and corrupt officials exploit porous borders and weak institutions to profit from trading in illegally taken wildlife.


The United States is committed to combating wildlife trafficking, related corruption, and money laundering. With our international partners, we are working to reduce demand, strengthen enforcement, and building capacity to address these challenges bilaterally, regionally, and multilaterally.



A New Executive Order to Better Coordinate the U.S. Response

Today the President will sign an Executive Order (E.O.) to enhance coordination of U.S. Government efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and assist foreign governments in building the capacity needed to combat wildlife trafficking and related organized crime.

The E.O. establishes a Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking charged with developing a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking. It also establishes an Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking comprised of eight individuals with relevant expertise from outside the Government to make recommendations to the Task Force.



New Assistance to Support Regional Partners

As the President will announce today in Tanzania, the U.S. Department of State will provide an additional $10 million in regional and bilateral training and technical assistance in Africa to combat wildlife trafficking. This will include approximately $3 million in bilateral assistance to South Africa, $3 million in bilateral assistance to Kenya, and $4 million in regional assistance throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

This training and technical assistance aims to:

1) Strengthen policies and legislative frameworks;

2) Enhance investigative and law enforcement functions;

3) Support regional cooperation among enforcement agencies; and,

4) Develop capacities to prosecute and adjudicate crimes related to wildlife trafficking.

In addition, USAID will launch a wildlife technology challenge, which will promote the use of innovative technologies like mobile phone applications and wildlife DNA analysis techniques to assist in combating wildlife trafficking.

The State Department, USAID, and the Department of Interior U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) will also assign a USFWS official to our Embassy in Dar es Salaam to support the Government of Tanzania's efforts to develop an overarching wildlife security strategy.



New U.S. Enforcement and Regulatory Efforts to Combat Wildlife Trafficking

The Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, which was signed into law on January 2013, enables the Secretary of State to offer rewards up for information leading to the arrest, conviction, or identification of significant members of transnational criminal organizations who operate primarily outside the United States.

The law also allows for rewards for information that dismantles such organizations or leads to the disruption of their financial mechanisms. The United States intends to leverage this new authority, as appropriate, to combat the most significant perpetrators of wildlife trafficking.

In addition, the Department of Interior will enhance regulations that directly affect illegal wildlife trafficking of elephants and rhinoceroses. These regulations pertain to U.S. federal laws including the Endangered Species Act, the African Elephant Conservation Act, and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act.



Successes to Date and Building on On-going Activities

These new commitments build on on-going efforts within the U.S. Government, and with foreign governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to reduce demand and strengthen enforcement and institutional capabilities. Representative examples include:


Capacity Building from Asia to Africa

USAID supports over $12 million per year in counter-wildlife trafficking activities, including support for anti-poaching activities in Africa and Asia, capacity building, and demand reduction campaigns in Asia.
The State Department and Department of the Interior / USFWS support the International Law Enforcement Academy in Gaborone, Botswana, which has trained 350 law enforcement officers in wildlife crime investigations since 2002.
To specifically address transcontinental trafficking, USAID is funding a three-year program with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC to improve understanding of current trends in wildlife trafficking and identify priority wildlife trafficking issues on behalf of the broader law enforcement and security communities.
The State Department is providing more than $2 million to support investigation, interdiction, and prosecution efforts in East Asia and the Pacific, including park ranger training and special investigative training for wildlife managers at the U.S. International Law Enforcement Academy in Bangkok.
The USFWS is providing an additional $2 million annually to support the Wildlife Without Borders capacity building program, which aids government agencies and non-governmental partners in enhancing wildlife law enforcement training, promoting best practices for community stewardship of wildlife resources, and addressing other critical conservation needs.
The Department of Justice and the USFWS jointly investigate and prosecute wildlife trafficking cases, working alongside international partners, to provide training and state-of-the-art forensic support for investigating and prosecuting wildlife crimes.

Conservation and Demand Reduction

The USFWS provides $10 million annually to enhance and support wildlife conservation throughout Africa and Asia. The funds support essential wildlife protection activities in 25 African countries, including improving capacity to carry out investigations and prosecutions of wildlife crime; developing effective park law enforcement and management to deter illegal hunting; improving management of key wildlife species and protected areas; and developing community management schemes.
USAID invests $200 million a year in biodiversity conservation, $70 million of which is in Africa. These investments provide support for community-based approaches to natural resources management in Africa, including community-scouting and ranger programs.
In consumer nations in Asia, USFWS supports government partners in awareness and demand reduction campaigns, which include public outreach to discourage consumption, noting the cost to wildlife of purchased exotic items, and highlighting criminal consequences of consuming illegally trafficked or purchased wildlife products.

Building a Coalition of Partnerships

The United States is working with the International Consortium to Combat Wildlife Crime and other interested partners to support the creation of a global network of regional and national Wildlife Enforcement Networks to improve communication and strengthen response actions across enforcement agencies globally. USAID has invested $17 million since 2005 to specifically support improving these regional networks of wildlife enforcement officials, as well as increasing public awareness, reducing demand for wildlife products, and building political will. The United States is also supporting the creation of new networks in central Africa and the Horn of Africa, among others in Asia and South America.
Additionally, the United States encourages participation by governments, civil society, and the private sector in existing partnerships that combat wildlife crime, such as the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT).

Raising the Issue in International Fora

The United States successfully co-sponsored a resolution at the 2013 UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice encouraging UN Member States to classify wildlife trafficking as a "serious" crime as defined in the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. This will facilitate further international cooperation among states that have ratified or acceded to the treaty, and will lead to increased penalties for traffickers.
Through U.S. advocacy, the 2012 APEC Leaders Declaration included commitments to address both the supply and demand for endangered and protected wildlife, including through capacity building and increased enforcement.

WHITE HOUSE PHOTO OF NEETING TO DISCUSS NEWTOWN SCHOOL TRADGEDY

FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
             
Vice President Joe Biden listens to Annette Nance-Holt as she holds a photo of her son Blair, who was shot and killed while riding a bus from school in 2007, during a meeting in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., Jan. 9, 2013. The Vice President, along with Attorney General Eric Holder, met with representatives of victims’ groups and gun safety organizations as part of the Administration’s effort to develop policy proposals in response to the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. Colin Goddard, who was shot four times at Virginia Tech in 2007, is seated second from left. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

7 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TAX DEAL

FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
The Seven Things You Need to Know About the Tax Deal

On the beginning of the New Year, Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. That means middle-class families won't see an increase in their income tax rates. We've avoided the fiscal cliff.

On January 1st, President Obama described the agreement as, "one step in the broader effort to strengthen our economy and broaden opportunity for everybody."

"Under this law, more than 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses will not see their income taxes go up," he said. "Millions of families will continue to receive tax credits to help raise their kids and send them to college. Companies will continue to receive tax credits for the research that they do, the investments they make, and the clean energy jobs that they create. And 2 million Americans who are out of work but out there looking, pounding the pavement every day, are going to continue to receive unemployment benefits as long as they’re actively looking for a job."

We know that that a lot of people have questions about the deal, so we've pulled together some of the most important facts. Here are the seven things you need to know:

U.S. PRESIDENT OBAMA VISITS THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND

President Barack Obama, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Ambassador Kristie Kenney, left, meet with King Bhumibol Adulyadej of the Kingdom of Thailand, at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 18, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE

The first nation on the itinerary for President Obama's Asia trip is Thailand -- America's oldest friend on the continent, with diplomatic ties stretching back nearly 180 years.

Though his stop to the country lasted for less than one full day, the President visited a Buddhist temple at the Wat Pho monastery, met with Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, held a joint press conference with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, and enjoyed a dinner hosted by the prime minister at the Government House in Bangkok.

Before the dinner, President Obama toasted the character and strength of the Thai people.

"Everything that I’ve felt -- your dignity, your resilience, your friendship, your warmth -- that is the foundation of our alliance," he said. "It’s why you were the first Asian nation to reach out to America after we won our independence. It’s why in Asia, to this day, we can say Thailand is our oldest friend. And we are extraordinarily proud of that friendship, and we are especially pleased to see the excellent leadership that, Madam Prime Minister, you are providing as you continue this country’s path of democracy, freedom and development."

A BRIEF HISTORY OF U.S. VOTING

Photo:  Voting In U.S. Election.  Credit:  White House.

FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE

Elections & Voting
One of the most important rights of American citizens is the franchise — the right to vote. Originally under the Constitution, only white male citizens over the age of 21 were eligible to vote. This shameful injustice has been corrected and voting rights have been extended several times over the course of our history. Today, citizens over the age of 18 cannot be denied the right to vote, regardless of race, religion, sex, disability, or sexual orientation. However, in every state except North Dakota, citizens must register to vote, and laws regarding the registration process vary by state.

The path to full voting rights for all American citizens was long and often challenging. The franchise was first extended to African Americans under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution, passed during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. These guaranteed that all male citizens, regardless of their race, would receive equal treatment under the law and not be deprived of their rights without due process. The Fifteenth Amendment is specifically dedicated to protecting the right of all citizens to vote, regardless of their race.

For practical purposes, this was not the end of the voting rights struggle for African Americans. Because of widespread discrimination in some states, including the use of poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and literacy tests, African Americans were not assured full voting rights until President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

Women were denied the right to vote until 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment was passed. Prior to that, women had only been able to vote in select states.

Federal elections occur every two years, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Every member of the House of Representatives and about one-third of the Senate is up for reelection in any given election year. A presidential election is held every fourth year.

Federal elections are administered by state and local governments, although the specifics of how elections are conducted differ between the states. The Constitution and laws of the United States grant the states wide latitude in how they administer elections.

RECENT WHITE HOUSE PHOTOS

FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE

Seen through a wire screen, President Barack Obama conducts a conference call to update New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other New York officials on the ongoing federal government response to Hurricane Sandy, Nov. 1, 2012. The President made the call backstage at the University of Colorado in Boulder. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie look at storm damage along the coast of New Jersey on Marine One, Oct. 31, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
 

AMERICANS KILLED IN LIBYA HONORED AS THEY CAME HOME

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Top U.S. Officials Honor Americans Who Died in LibyaBy Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2012 - As they touched down for the last time on U.S. soil, four Americans killed during attacks this week at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, were honored with eulogies today by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In the audience at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland included Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan E. Rice, former Secretary of State and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin L. Powell, as well as many other top military, State Department and civilian officials, and family members of the fallen patriots.

In four flag-draped caskets, each carried from a C-17 aircraft and into a large hangar by seven Marines, were the remains of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service information management officer Sean Smith, and security officers Tyrone S. Woods and Glen A. Doherty.

The Sept. 11 attacks in Benghazi also wounded three Americans who are recovering at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

At the ceremony, Clinton spoke first, commenting on the life of each State Department hero.

"Today," she said, "we bring home four Americans who gave their lives for our country and our values. To the families of our fallen colleagues I offer our most heartfelt condolences and deepest gratitude."

Sean Smith, who joined the State Department after six years in the Air Force, was respected as a technology expert by colleagues in Pretoria, South Africa, Baghdad, Montreal, and The Hague in the Netherlands. He enrolled in correspondence courses at Pennsylvania State University and had high hopes for the future, Clinton said.

"Sean leaves behind a loving wife, Heather; two young children, Samantha and Nathan; and scores of grieving family, friends and colleagues," she said.

"And that's just in this world," the secretary added, "because online, in the virtual worlds that Sean helped create, he is also being mourned by countless competitors, collaborators and gamers who shared his passion."

Clinton said Tyrone Woods, known by friends as Rone, spent 20 years as a Navy SEAL, serving multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and later earning distinction as a registered nurse and a certified paramedic.

"Since 2010 he protected American diplomatic personnel in dangerous posts from Central America to the Middle East," she said. "Our hearts go out to Tyrone's wife Dorothy and his three sons, Tyrone Jr., Hunter and Kai, born just a few months ago, and to his grieving family, friends and colleagues."

Glen Doherty, called Bub by his friends, also was a former SEAL and an experienced paramedic, the secretary said, who died as he lived -- serving his country and protecting his colleagues.

"Glen deployed to some of the most dangerous places on earth, including Iraq and Afghanistan, always putting his life on the line to safeguard other Americans," Clinton said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Glen's father, Bernard; his mother, Barbara; his brother, Gregory; his sister, Kathleen and their grieving families, friends and colleagues, the secretary added.

Clinton said she was honored to know Ambassador Chris Stevens.

"I want to thank his parents and siblings who are here today for sharing Chris with us and with our country. What a wonderful gift you gave us," she told them.

During a distinguished career in the Foreign Service, Clinton said, Stevens won friends for the United States around the world and made their hopes his own.

"During the revolution in Libya, he risked his life to help protect the Libyan people from a tyrant, and he gave his life helping them build a better country," the secretary added.

People loved to work with Chris, who was "known not only for his courage but for his smile -- goofy but contagious -- [and] for his sense of fun and that California cool," she said, referring to his home in the northern part of the state.

In the days since the attack, so many Libyans have expressed sorrow and solidarity, the secretary said.

"One young woman, her head covered and her eyes haunted with sadness, held up a handwritten sign that said: 'Thugs and killers don't represent Benghazi nor Islam,'" Clinton said.

"The president of the Palestinian Authority, who worked closely with Chris when he served in Jerusalem, sent me a letter remembering his energy and integrity, and deploring, and I quote, 'an act of ugly terror,'" she added.

Others from across the Middle East and North Africa have offered similar sentiments, the secretary said.

"This has been a difficult week for the State Department and for our country. We've seen the heavy assault on our post in Benghazi that took the lives of these brave men. We've seen rage and violence directed at American Embassies over an awful Internet video that we had nothing to do with," she said.

It's hard for Americans to make sense of these events because the events are senseless and unacceptable, Clinton added, referring to multiple protests at U.S. Embassies over a film posted on the Internet that insults the Prophet Mohammed.

In response, protestors also have swarmed the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia and the German Embassy in Sudan, and the State Department website has posted travel alerts advising caution because of possible demonstrations for anyone visiting U.S. Embassies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Jakarta, Indonesia.

"The people of Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Tunisia did not trade the tyranny of a dictator for the tyranny of a mob," Clinton said. "Reasonable people and responsible leaders in these countries need to do everything they can to restore security and hold accountable those behind these violent acts."

More difficult days lie ahead, she added, "but it is important that we don't lose sight of the fundamental fact that America must keep leading the world. We owe it to these four men to continue the long, hard work of diplomacy."

As he took the podium, Obama quoted Scripture as teaching that, "'Greater love hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends.'" And he said a few words about each of the Americans who died in Libya.

"Four Americans, four patriots," the president said. "They loved this country and they chose to serve it and served it well. They had a mission and they believed in it. They knew the danger and they accepted it."

Obama added, "I know that this awful loss -- terrible images of recent days, the pictures we're seeing again today -- have caused some to question this work, and there is no doubt these are difficult days."

In such incidents of anger and violence, he said, even the most hopeful must wonder.

"But amid all the images of this week I also think of the Libyans who took to the streets with homemade signs expressing their gratitude to an American who believed in what we could achieve together," the president said.

"I think of the man in Benghazi with his sign in English," Obama said. "A message he wanted all of us to hear. It said, 'Chris Stevens was a friend to all Libyans. Chris Stevens was a friend.'"

That message is one each American sends every day, he added, that America is a friend.

"Even as voices of suspicion and mistrust seek to divide countries and cultures from one another, the United States of America will never retreat from the world," the president said.

Americans will never stop working for the dignity and freedom that every person deserves, whatever their creed or faith, he added.

"That's the essence of American leadership. That's the spirit that sets us apart from other nations. This was their work in Benghazi and this is the work we will carry on," the president said.

The sacrifice of Doherty, Woods, Smith and Stevens will never be forgotten, he added.

"We will bring to justice those who took them from us," Obama said. "We will stand fast against the violence on our diplomatic missions. We will continue to do everything in our power to protect Americans serving overseas, whether that means increasing security at our diplomatic posts, working with host countries ... and making it clear that justice will come to those who harm Americans."

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SPEAKS ABOUT DROUGHT IN WEEKLY ADDRESS

FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
August 11, 2012

Hi, everybody. Today, I want to talk about something that most of you know already – it’s hot outside. It’s really hot. And if this feels worse than normal, that’s because it is. We just found out that the month of July was the warmest month on record – warmer than any other month since we began keeping track more than a century ago.

But the heat is just half the story. We’re also suffering through one of the worst droughts in over 50 years. More than a fifth of this country is experiencing what we call "extreme" or "exceptional" drought – with states like Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas getting hit harder than most.

That’s bad news for a lot of people, but it’s especially tough on our farmers. Right now, half of the corn crop in America is in poor or very poor condition. Cattle farmers are struggling to feed their animals. Many folks are seeing their livelihoods dry up in front of their eyes. And if we don’t get relief soon, Americans everywhere will start feeling the pinch, with higher prices on grocery store shelves all across the country.

We can’t let that happen. That’s why, at my direction, the Department of Agriculture, led by Secretary Vilsack, has been working with other agencies across the federal government to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help farmers and ranchers fight back and recover from this disaster. Already, we’ve given farmers across 32 states access to low-interest emergency loans.

We’ve opened up more federal land for grazing. And we’re working with crop insurance companies to give farmers a short grace period on their premiums, since some families will be struggling to make ends meet at the end of the year.

This past week, we went even further – announcing an additional $30 million to help get more water to livestock and restore land affected by the drought. We’re making it easier for even more farmers, ranchers and businesses to get emergency loans. And the Department of Transportation is helping more truck drivers deliver supplies to states that need them the most.

This is an all-hands-on-deck response, and we’ll be doing even more in the coming weeks to help families and communities that are suffering right now.

But my Administration can’t do it alone. Congress needs to do its part, too. They need to pass a farm bill that not only helps farmers and ranchers respond to these kinds of disasters, but also makes necessary reforms and gives them some certainty year-round. That’s the single best way we can help rural communities right now, and also in the long-term.

So call your Members of Congress, write them an email, and tell them that now is the time to come together and get this done. Too many Americans are suffering right now to let politics get in the way. Let’s help farmers, ranchers and business owners recover. Let’s make sure that families who already stretch their budgets to the limit don’t have to pay more for groceries this fall.

In the meantime, I’ll keep doing everything I can to help respond to this disaster. Because at times like these, it doesn’t matter if you live in Des Moines or Detroit – we’re Americans first. And if we look out for each other, we’ll come out of this stronger than before.

Have a great weekend, everybody. And stay cool.

THE WHITE HOUSE WARNS OF TAX HIKES IN 2013

FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE

President Obama's Tax Cuts for the Middle Class
　
Unless the House of Representatives takes action before January 1, 2013, taxes will go up on 114 million middle-class families. Nearly everyone in Washington agrees that’s a bad idea. That’s why President Obama is calling for -- and the Senate has already passed -- legislation that will keep the middle class from paying thousands of extra dollars next year.
　
Republicans in the House of Representatives, however, are refusing to extend middle-class tax cuts without also giving massive tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. In fact, House Republicans have proposed their own tax plan that would actually raise taxes on 25 million families making less than $250,000, while giving families making more than $1 million an average tax cut of $160,000 next year.

　
We’ve put together an infographic to help you understand some of the details behind the tax cut extension President Obama is asking Congress to pass, and how it differs with the House Republican proposal. Check it out, and if you agree with President Obama that extending middle-class tax cuts is the right thing to do, share it on your social networks and pass it on to your friends and family.
　

PRESIDENT OBAMA ON TAX CUTS

President Barack Obama holds a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, July 26, 2012. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
President Obama Pushes the House of Representatives on Middle Class Tax Cuts

Kicking off a Cabinet meeting this afternoon, President Obama again pushed the House of Representatives to follow the lead of the Senate and extend tax cuts for the middle class before the looming January 1 deadline.

"[My] administration is focusing on our economy, and how do we make sure that this is an economy in which people who work hard, who act responsibly, can get ahead," the President said.

At midnight on New Year's Eve, tax cuts for 114 million middle class families are set to expire, even though there's broad consensus in Washington about the need for a solution. Without an extension, a typical family of four would be asked to pay an additional $2,200 in 2013.

"[Yesterday], the Senate voted to ensure that 98 percent of Americans don’t see their taxes go up next year, that 97 percent of small businesses don’t see their taxes go up next year," the President told his Cabinet. "It was the right thing to do."

The President said he would push the members of the Cabinet to join him in amplifying that message in the days ahead.

"[One] of the things that I’m going to be doing, my Cabinet members are going to be doing over the next several days, is to make sure that the American people understand that we can provide them certainty right now for next year that their taxes will not go up, and they will then be able to plan accordingly," he told reporters before the meeting.

WHITE HOUSE ON THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT SUPREME COURT RULING

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act ensures hard-working, middle class families will get the security they deserve and protects every American from the worst insurance company abuses. The Court has issued a clear and final ruling on this law.
For a comprehensive overview of the Affordable Care Act, visitWhiteHouse.gov/HealthReform and HealthCare.gov.

Let’s take a look at what today’s ruling means for the middle class:
Insurance companies no longer have unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women more than men.

Soon, no American will ever again be denied care or charged more due to a pre-existing condition, like cancer or even asthma.

Preventive care will still be covered free of charge by insurance companies--including mammograms for women and wellness visits for seniors.

By August, millions of Americans will receive a rebate because their insurance company spent too much of their premium on administrative costs or CEO bonuses.

5.3 million seniors will continue to save $600 a year on their prescription drugs.

Efforts to strengthen and protect Medicare by cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse will remain in place.

6.6 million young adults will still be able to stay on their family's plan until they're 26.
A major impact of the Court's decision is the 129 million people with pre-existing conditions and millions of middle class families who will have the security of affordable health coverage.

We should also remember that under today’s ruling, having health insurance is and will continue to be a choice. If you can’t afford insurance or you’re a small business that wants to provide affordable insurance to your employees, you’ll get tax credits that make coverage affordable. But if you can afford insurance and you choose not to purchase it, the taxpayers will no longer subsidize your care for free.

Given today’s ruling, it’s now time to focus on implementing this law in a smart and non-bureaucratic way that works for the middle class.

As we’ve said, the Court has issued a clear and final ruling on this law. The last thing Congress should do is refight old political battles and start over on health care by repealing basic protections that provide security for the middle class. The President refuses to go back to the way things were.

Right now, Congress needs to work together to focus on the economy and creating jobs. Right now in congress, what’s at stake is how--at this make or break moment for the middle class--we break through Washington gridlock to move our country forward. Right now in Congress, what’s at stake is our chance to seize this moment to build an economy not from the top-down, but one based on a strong and secure middle class.  We need to create secure middle class jobs and an economy built to last where hard work and responsibility are rewarded, everybody gets a fair shot, pays their fair share, and plays by the same set of rules.

Right now, Congress should act on the President’s concrete plans to create an economy built to last by reducing the deficit in a balanced way and investing in education, clean energy, innovation, and infrastructure. It’s time for folks in Washington to work together on behalf of the American people.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S REMARKS ON SUPREME COURT RULING REGARDING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Solicitor General Donald Verrilli in the Oval Office, after learning of the Supreme Court's ruling on the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” June 28, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) 

Remarks by the President on Supreme Court Ruling on the Affordable Care Act
East Room
12:15 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon.  Earlier today, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act -- the name of the health care reform we passed two years ago.  In doing so, they've reaffirmed a fundamental principle that here in America -- in the wealthiest nation on Earth – no illness or accident should lead to any family’s financial ruin.

I know there will be a lot of discussion today about the politics of all this, about who won and who lost.  That’s how these things tend to be viewed here in Washington.  But that discussion completely misses the point.  Whatever the politics, today’s decision was a victory for people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold it.

And because this law has a direct impact on so many Americans, I want to take this opportunity to talk about exactly what it means for you.

First, if you’re one of the more than 250 million Americans who already have health insurance, you will keep your health insurance -- this law will only make it more secure and more affordable.  Insurance companies can no longer impose lifetime limits on the amount of care you receive.  They can no longer discriminate against children with preexisting conditions.  They can no longer drop your coverage if you get sick.  They can no longer jack up your premiums without reason.  They are required to provide free preventive care like check-ups and mammograms -- a provision that's already helped 54 million Americans with private insurance.  And by this August, nearly 13 million of you will receive a rebate from your insurance company because it spent too much on things like administrative costs and CEO bonuses, and not enough on your health care.
There’s more.  Because of the Affordable Care Act, young adults under the age of 26 are able to stay on their parent's health care plans -- a provision that's already helped 6 million young Americans.  And because of the Affordable Care Act, seniors receive a discount on their prescription drugs -- a discount that's already saved more than 5 million seniors on Medicare about $600 each.

All of this is happening because of the Affordable Care Act. These provisions provide common-sense protections for middle class families, and they enjoy broad popular support.  And thanks to today’s decision, all of these benefits and protections will continue for Americans who already have health insurance.  

Now, if you’re one of the 30 million Americans who don’t yet have health insurance, starting in 2014 this law will offer you an array of quality, affordable, private health insurance plans to choose from.  Each state will take the lead in designing their own menu of options, and if states can come up with even better ways of covering more people at the same quality and cost, this law allows them to do that, too.  And I’ve asked Congress to help speed up that process, and give states this flexibility in year one.

Once states set up these health insurance marketplaces, known as exchanges, insurance companies will no longer be able to discriminate against any American with a preexisting health condition.  They won’t be able to charge you more just because you’re a woman.  They won’t be able to bill you into bankruptcy. If you’re sick, you’ll finally have the same chance to get quality, affordable health care as everyone else.  And if you can’t afford the premiums, you'll receive a credit that helps pay for it.

Today, the Supreme Court also upheld the principle that people who can afford health insurance should take the responsibility to buy health insurance.  This is important for two reasons.

First, when uninsured people who can afford coverage get sick, and show up at the emergency room for care, the rest of us end up paying for their care in the form of higher premiums.

And second, if you ask insurance companies to cover people with preexisting conditions, but don’t require people who can afford it to buy their own insurance, some folks might wait until they’re sick to buy the care they need -- which would also drive up everybody else’s premiums.

That’s why, even though I knew it wouldn’t be politically popular, and resisted the idea when I ran for this office, we ultimately included a provision in the Affordable Care Act that people who can afford to buy health insurance should take the responsibility to do so.  In fact, this idea has enjoyed support from members of both parties, including the current Republican nominee for President.

Still, I know the debate over this law has been divisive.  I respect the very real concerns that millions of Americans have shared.  And I know a lot of coverage through this health care debate has focused on what it means politically.

Well, it should be pretty clear by now that I didn’t do this because it was good politics.  I did it because I believed it was good for the country.  I did it because I believed it was good for the American people.

There’s a framed letter that hangs in my office right now.  It was sent to me during the health care debate by a woman named Natoma Canfield.  For years and years, Natoma did everything right.  She bought health insurance.  She paid her premiums on time.  But 18 years ago, Natoma was diagnosed with cancer.  And even though she’d been cancer-free for more than a decade, her insurance company kept jacking up her rates, year after year.  And despite her desire to keep her coverage -- despite her fears that she would get sick again -- she had to surrender her health insurance, and was forced to hang her fortunes on chance.

I carried Natoma’s story with me every day of the fight to pass this law.  It reminded me of all the Americans, all across the country, who have had to worry not only about getting sick, but about the cost of getting well.

Natoma is well today.  And because of this law, there are other Americans -- other sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers -- who will not have to hang their fortunes on chance.  These are the Americans for whom we passed this law.
The highest Court in the land has now spoken.  We will continue to implement this law.  And we'll work together to improve on it where we can.  But what we won’t do -- what the country can’t afford to do -- is refight the political battles of two years ago, or go back to the way things were.

With today’s announcement, it’s time for us to move forward -- to implement and, where necessary, improve on this law.  And now is the time to keep our focus on the most urgent challenge of our time:  putting people back to work, paying down our debt, and building an economy where people can have confidence that if they work hard, they can get ahead.

But today, I’m as confident as ever that when we look back five years from now, or 10 years from now, or 20 years from now, we’ll be better off because we had the courage to pass this law and keep moving forward.

Thank you.  God bless you, and God bless America.