What Government Did Today

Today, as families across the country are filing their taxes, the Obama Administration is launching a new online tool that will enable the Federal government to prevent the waste of taxpayer dollars on improper payments. The Do Not Pay tool will prevent the kind of payment errors that have occurred in government for too long,  such as sending funds out to dead people or entering into contracts with companies who have attempted to defraud the government. In his 2013 Budget, the President put forward a series of proposals that would save taxpayers $102 billion over the next decade by reducing payment errors and improving collection of outstanding debts owed to the government

Excerpt from: 
We Can’t Wait: Protecting Taxpayer Dollars from Wasteful Payment Errors and Fraud

Today in Washington, President Obama and President Rousseff reviewed the accomplishments of the presidential-level Strategic Energy Dialogue (SED).  On the occasion of President Obama’s March 2011 visit to Brazil, they announced the creation of this Dialogue to support the two countries’ common goals of developing safe, secure and affordable supplies of energy for economic growth, energy security, and the transition to a clean energy economy.  Priority areas of cooperation in the SED include oil and natural gas, biofuels, clean energy and efficiency, and clean energy.  Since then, the United States and Brazil have undertaken collaborative activities with the goal of strengthening our energy relationship, increasing bilateral trade in energy-related goods and services, and enhancing national and shared energy security.  In January, the two governments also committed, through the U.S.-Brazil Commercial Dialogue, to develop a work plan related to the energy sector to further enhance the private sector’s role in the SED.  The partnerships resulting from this Dialogue will seek to create jobs in both countries, make energy supplies more secure, and help address the challenge of global climate change. Oil and Natural Gas The United States and Brazil have held technical workshops and events involving government regulators and private industry to exchange information and share best practices on common oil and gas issues.  This work included a workshop on offshore technology in Rio de Janeiro in October 2011 and a video conference on disaster response and the use of dispersants in February 2012.  These activities brought together the expertise of the U.S.

The rest is here:
Fact Sheet: The U.S.-Brazil Strategic Energy Dialogue

During their meeting on April 9, 2012, President Obama and President Rousseff directed the establishment of the U.S.-Brazil Defense Cooperation Dialogue (DCD), and announced that Secretary of Defense Panetta and Minister of Defense Amorim will hold the first DCD meeting in Brazil on April 24, 2012.  The DCD will facilitate strengthened cooperation between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Brazil’s Ministry of Defense, and between our nations’ militaries.  This cooperation is closer today than at any point in more than 35 years, as highlighted by the following examples:  U.S.-Brazil Defense Cooperation Agreement Signed in April 2010 by then-Secretary of Defense Gates and then-Brazilian Defense Minister Jobim (and pending ratification by Brazil’s Senate), this Agreement would promote cooperation in areas such as research and development, logistics support, technology security, and the acquisition of defense products and services.  It also would encourage information exchanges, combined military training and education, joint military exercises, exchanges of students and instructors, naval ship visits, and defense-related commercial initiatives.  General Security of Military Information Agreement Signed in November 2010 by Secretary Gates and Minister Jobim (and pending ratification by Brazil’s Senate), this Agreement would facilitate the sharing of classified defense and military information between the United States and Brazil

More: 
Fact Sheet: U.S.-Brazil Defense Cooperation

Today we’re announcing the first ever White House Code Sprint. This is a call to developers around the country to use the Summer Jobs+ API to build job search apps for your favorite browsers, social networking platforms, smart phones and feature phones.

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Announcing the Summer Jobs+ Code Sprint

Ed. note: Once each decade, the Census Bureau releases the individual records of an official Census taken 72 years earlier.

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From the Archives: The 1940 Census

Editorial Note: This is the third in a three part part series ( Part One  and Part Two ) on Master Sergeant (retired) Jeffrey Mittman and his journey from being wounded in Iraq to his employment with the Department of Defense and includes a forward by Major (ret) Arturo R.

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A Wounded Warrior Embraces the New Normal: Part Three

Ed note: This was originally published on thecommerceblog , the offical blog of the Department of Commerce This month, more than a million visitors from across the country and around the world are coming to our nation’s capital to see the cherry blossom trees that bloom each spring among some of America’s most treasured historical landmarks. From the purchase of airline tickets to dining in area restaurants to staying in hotels, these visitors are infusing millions of dollars into the community and supporting local businesses.

Originally posted here: 
Making America a Top Tourist Destination: Commerce and Interior Keep Up Efforts to Increase Visitation

Three years ago, I was asked to participate in the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, out of which grew the First Lady’s  Let's Move! initiative . In May 2010, we submitted a report to the President that made a series of recommendations for addressing the challenges of obesity and hunger, both of which stem from a lack of access to good, healthy food.  The report identified local food systems as a strategy to combat food access problems, and specifically called upon the USDA "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" Initiative to provide technical and financial assistance to help communities grow and process their own food, and create jobs at the same time.      I’m pleased to report that we’ve made a lot of progress since 2009 – and we have two new tools to help communities learn about what we’ve done and tap into USDA resources to develop their own solutions

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Increasing Access to Locally Grown and Healthy Food

Release Time:  For Immediate Release One year ago, the President put forward a comprehensive plan in the Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future that outlined the Administration’s all-of-the-above approach to American energy – a strategy aimed at reducing our reliance on foreign oil, saving families and businesses money at the pump, and positioning the United States as the global leader in clean energy. On Monday, the President will receive a new progress report, showcasing the Administration’s historic achievements in each of these areas.

Originally posted here:
The Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future: One-Year Progress Report

Release Time:  For Immediate Release Administration Proposes New National Network to Support Manufacturing, Takes Immediate Action to Create a Pilot Manufacturing Institute On Friday, President Obama will continue to highlight the successful trend of insourcing – companies from around the world bringing jobs back and making new investments here in the United States – at the Rolls-Royce Crosspointe jet engine disc manufacturing facility in Prince George County, Virginia. The President’s Blueprint for An Economy Built to Last lays out a number of ways we can encourage insourcing, support investment in our manufacturing sector, and create good jobs here in the United States, and today’s announcements build on those efforts. The President will announce a new proposal for a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, to build a network of up to fifteen Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation around the country, serving as regional hubs of manufacturing excellence that will help to make our manufacturers more competitive and encourage investment in the United States

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President Obama to Announce New Efforts to Support Manufacturing Innovation, Encourage Insourcing