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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.

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Remarks by the President on Housing

Executive Order — Establishing Visa and Foreign Visitor Processing Goals and the Task Force on Travel and Competitiveness

White House — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to improve visa and foreign visitor processing and travel promotion in order to create jobs and spur economic growth in the United States, while continuing to protect our national security, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Policy.

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Executive Order — Establishing Visa and Foreign Visitor Processing Goals and the Task Force on Travel and Competitiveness

Statement by the President on H.R. 1540

White House — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:11:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release Today I have signed into law H.R. 1540, the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012." I have signed the Act chiefly because it authorizes funding for the defense of the United States and its interests abroad, crucial services for service members and their families, and vital national security programs that must be renewed.

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Statement by the President on H.R. 1540

President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the US District Court

White House — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 04:28:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama nominated Judge John Thomas Fowlkes, Jr. and Mr.

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President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the US District Court

Statements on the Departure of Phil Schiliro

White House — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:36:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release WASHINGTON, DC— The White House today released statements on the departure of Assistant to the President and Special Advisor Phil Schiliro. Schiliro was announced as Assistant to the President and Director of Legislative Affairs on November 15, 2008 and served in that role from the beginning of the Obama administration until January of 2011. During that time he presided over the passage of a series of critical pieces of legislation including the Recovery Act, the Affordable Care Act, Wall Street reform and New START, as well as the confirmations of two Supreme Court justices. Since then, he has served as Assistant to the President and Special Advisor, providing counsel to the President on a wide array of issues

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Statements on the Departure of Phil Schiliro

We Can’t Wait: President Signs Memorandum to Modernize Management of Government Records

White House — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:58:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release Today, President Obama took the most significant steps since the Truman Administration to improve the management of federal records.

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We Can’t Wait: President Signs Memorandum to Modernize Management of Government Records

Presidential Memorandum — Managing Government Records

White House — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:38:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES SUBJECT: Managing Government Records Section 1. Purpose. This memorandum begins an executive branch wide effort to reform records management policies and practices. Improving records management will improve performance and promote openness and accountability by better documenting agency actions and decisions. Records transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provide the prism through which future generations will understand and learn from our actions and decisions. Modernized records management will also help executive departments and agencies (agencies) minimize costs and operate more efficiently. Improved records management thus builds on Executive Order 13589 of November 9, 2011 (Promoting Efficient Spending), which directed agencies to reduce spending and focus on mission critical functions. When records are well managed, agencies can use them to assess the impact of programs, to reduce redundant efforts, to save money, and to share knowledge within and across their organizations. In these ways, proper records management is the backbone of open Government. Decades of technological advances have transformed agency operations, creating challenges and opportunities for agency records management. Greater reliance on electronic communication and systems has radically increased the volume and diversity of information that agencies must manage. With proper planning, technology can make these records less burdensome to manage and easier to use and share. But if records management policies and practices are not updated for a digital age, the surge in information could overwhelm agency systems, leading to higher costs and lost records

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Presidential Memorandum — Managing Government Records

Statement by the Press Secretary on Today’s Resolution by the IAEA Board of Governors on Iran

White House — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:17:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency spoke with a unified voice today in its passage of a resolution that holds Iran accountable for its continued failure to live up to its international obligations. Last week, IAEA Director General Amano issued a stark report, laying out in graphic detail Iran’s systematic efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. While the United States was not surprised by these findings, the whole world now knows that Iran not only sought to hide its uranium enrichment program from the world for more than two decades, but also engaged in covert research and development related to activities that can have only one application: building a nuclear warhead for delivery on a ballistic missile. For years, Iran has sought to defend its growing uranium enrichment program on the pretense that it was solely intended to fuel a civilian nuclear energy program. Yet the Director General’s report and today’s action by the Board of Governors expose once and for all the hollowness of Iran’s claims, and reinforce the world’s demands that Iran come clean and live up to its international obligations. The United States commends the Director General and his Secretariat for their carefully prepared report, which is based on years of investigatory work, document analysis, and interviews with key personnel. The President has stated on multiple occasions that we are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. A nuclear armed Iran would represent a grave threat to regional peace and international security. This is why we have worked with others to build a broad international coalition to pressure and isolate the Iranian regime, including through an unprecedented sanctions regime. The United States will continue this pressure until Iran chooses to depart from its current path of international isolation, both in concert with our partners as well as unilaterally

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Statement by the Press Secretary on Today’s Resolution by the IAEA Board of Governors on Iran

White House Hosts African American Policy in Action Leadership Conference

White House — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release White House Releases New Policy Report Outlining the Obama Administration Achievements in the African American Community WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Wednesday, November 8, the White House held an African American Policy in Action Leadership Conference, bringing community leaders from across the country together with a broad range of White House and Cabinet officials for an in-depth series of interactive workshops and substantive conversations on the Administration’s efforts and achievements in the African American community. Participants including community leaders, professors, faith leaders, civil rights leaders, and elected officials, have the opportunity to interact with Administration officials on pressing issues that directly impact African Americans.

Presidential Memorandum — Making it Easier for America’s Small Businesses and America’s Exporters to Access Government Services to Help Them Grow and Hire

White House — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:20:00 +0000

Release Time: For Immediate Release MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES SUBJECT: Making it Easier for America's Small Businesses and America's Exporters to Access Government Services to Help Them Grow and Hire As I outlined in my State of the Union address to the Congress on January 25, 2011, winning the future in the global economy will require a Government that wisely allocates its scarce resources to maximize efficiency and effectiveness so that it can best support American competitiveness, innovation, and job growth. If we are to thrive in the global economy, and make America the best place on Earth to do business, we need to equip our Government with the tools necessary to support innovation and job growth in the 21st century. Accordingly, we must make it easier for businesses to access the full range of Government programs and services without having to waste effort navigating their way through the Federal bureaucracy. At the same time, we must further streamline and coordinate Federal programs to reduce costs and provide customer oriented service

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Presidential Memorandum — Making it Easier for America’s Small Businesses and America’s Exporters to Access Government Services to Help Them Grow and Hire