What Government Did Today » Congress

Remarks by the President on the Veterans Job Corps

White House — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:30:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release Fire Station #5 Arlington, Virginia 11:30 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Thank you! Thank you, guys. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Everybody, please have a seat. Well, good morning, everybody.

View post:
Remarks by the President on the Veterans Job Corps

Notice — Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in or in Relation to Côte d’Ivoire

White House — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:24:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release NOTICE – - – - – - – CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO THE SITUATION IN OR IN RELATION TO CÔTE D'IVOIRE On February 7, 2006, by Executive Order 13396, the President declared a national emergency, pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706), to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the situation in or in relation to Côte d'Ivoire and ordered related measures blocking the property of certain persons contributing to the conflict in Côte d'Ivoire. The situation in or in relation to Côte d'Ivoire, which has been addressed by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 1572 of November 15, 2004, and subsequent resolutions, has resulted in the massacre of large numbers of civilians, widespread human rights abuses, significant political violence and unrest, and fatal attacks against international peacekeeping forces.

See original here:
Notice — Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in or in Relation to Côte d’Ivoire

Message — Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in or in Relation to Côte d’Ivoire

White House — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:24:00 +0000

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C.

Continued here:
Message — Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in or in Relation to Côte d’Ivoire

Message — Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in or in Relation to Côte d’Ivoire

White House — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:24:00 +0000

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 declared in Executive Order 13396 of February 7, 2006, with respect to the situation in or in relation to Côte d'Ivoire is to continue in effect beyond February 7, 2012.

Original post:
Message — Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in or in Relation to Côte d’Ivoire

Remarks by the President on Housing

White House — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:18:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release James Lee Community Center Falls Church, Virginia 11:05 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody! (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Everybody please have a seat. Have a seat. It is great to be back in Falls Church. (Applause.) Thank you for having me. Last week, in my State of the Union, I laid out my blueprint for an economy that’s built to last. And I want to assure you I am not going to go over the whole thing again this morning. (Laughter.) That was a long speech. I'm not going to repeat the whole thing. (Laughter.) But I do want to talk about some of the issues that I discussed last week because the blueprint we put forward was one that focuses on restoring what have always been this country's greatest strengths — American manufacturing, American energy, skills and education for American workers so that we can compete with anybody around the world in this 21st century economy, and most importantly, the American values of fairness and responsibility. Fairness and responsibility. (Applause.) Now, we know what happens, because we've just seen it — what happened when we stray from those values. We saw what happened over the past decade when we strayed from those values — especially when it comes to the massive housing bubble that burst and hurt so many people. Millions of families who did the right and the responsible thing, folks who shopped for a home that they could afford, secured a mortgage, made their payments each month — they were hurt badly by the irresponsible actions of other people who weren’t playing by the same rules, weren’t taking the same care, weren’t acting as responsibly. By lenders who sold loans to people who they knew couldn’t afford the mortgages; and buyers who bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford; and banks that packaged those mortgages up and traded them to reap phantom profits, knowing that they were building a house of cards. It was wrong. It was wrong. It triggered the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. And it has been the single biggest drag on our recovery from a terrible recession. Crushing debt has kept millions of consumers from spending. A lack of building demand has kept hundreds of thousands of construction workers idle. Everybody involved in the home-building business — folks who make windows, folks who make carpets — they've all been impacted. The challenge is massive in size and in scope, because we've got a multitrillion-dollar housing industry. And economists can tell you how it’s affected all sorts of statistics, from GDP to consumer confidence. But what’s at stake is more than just statistics. It’s personal. I’ve been saying that this is a make-or-break moment for the middle class. And this housing crisis struck right at the heart of what it means to be middle class in America: our homes — the place where we invest our nest egg, place where we raise our family, the place where we plant roots in a community, the place where we build memories. It’s personal. It affects so much of how people feel about their lives, about their communities, about the country, about the economy. We need to do everything in our power to repair the damage and make responsible families whole again. Everything we can. (Applause.) Now, the truth is it’s going to take more time than any of us would like for the housing market to fully recover from this crisis. This was a big bubble, and when it burst it had a big effect. Home prices started a pretty steady decline about five years ago. And government certainly can’t fix the entire problem on its own. But it is wrong for anybody to suggest that the only option for struggling, responsible homeowners is to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom. (Applause.) I refuse to accept that, and so do the American people.

See the rest here:
Remarks by the President on Housing

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 1/31/12

White House — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:48:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 1:15 P.M.

View post:
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 1/31/12

On One-Year Anniversary of Startup America Initiative President Obama Sends Startup America Legislative Agenda to Congress

White House — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:44:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release Administration Takes Immediate Steps to Accelerate Startup and Small Business Growth Today, on the one-year anniversary of both the White House Startup America Initiative and the private-sector Startup America Partnership, President Obama sent a Startup America Legislative Agenda to Congress which will expand tax relief and unlock capital for startups and small businesses that are creating jobs. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will take steps to attract and retain foreign-born entrepreneurs and highly-skilled immigrants so they can start up the next generation of small businesses and great American companies. The Administration also unveiled several new agency actions to accelerate the growth of young, job-creating companies, at the same time that new entrepreneur-led regional coalitions are launching throughout the nation. “One year ago today, I called for an all hands on deck effort to ensure that America remains the best place on Earth to turn a great idea into a successful business. The private sector responded, with the Startup America Partnership launching new entrepreneurial networks all across the country. Today, we’re taking new steps that build on that progress, and I urge Congress to send me a common-sense bipartisan bill that does even more to expand access to capital and cut taxes for America’s entrepreneurs and small businesses,” said President Obama.

Here is the original post:
On One-Year Anniversary of Startup America Initiative President Obama Sends Startup America Legislative Agenda to Congress

Remarks by the President at the House Democrats Issues Conference

White House — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:13:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release Hyatt Regency Hotel Cambridge, Maryland 1:36 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Thank you! Thank you, everybody. (Applause.) Thank you. All right, everybody have a seat. Now, let me begin by saying I was told that on a CD that I've just received — (laughter) — that all of you participated in a rendition of Al Green. (Laughter.) What I did not realize was that you also had a reverend who can preach as good as Al Green in John Larson. (Applause.) I kept on looking for the collection plate getting passed. (Laughter.) But, John, thank you for that rousing introduction. To the leader of this august body and soon to be once again Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi — (applause.) To the rest of the leadership team — Steny Hoyer, Jim Clyburn, Xavier Becerra, and the best possible chair we could have for the DNC, Debbie Wasserman Schultz. (Applause.) We've got an all-star team assembled and ready to get to work

Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney en route Joint Base Andrews, 1/27/2012

White House — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:29:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release Aboard Air Force One En Route Joint Base Andrews 12:11 P.M. EST MR.

Original post:
Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney en route Joint Base Andrews, 1/27/2012

Statement from the President on the Departure of Aneesh Chopra

White House — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:45:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC — The White House today announced the departure of Aneesh Chopra, Assistant to the President and the federal government’s first Chief Technology Officer (CTO). President Obama said, “As the federal government’s first Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra did groundbreaking work to bring our government into the 21st century. Aneesh found countless ways to engage the American people using technology, from electronic health records for veterans, to expanding access to broadband for rural communities, to modernizing government records

The rest is here:
Statement from the President on the Departure of Aneesh Chopra