• For example, we know that most consumers buy health insurance close to the deadline for enrollment. In Massachusetts, 123 premium paying consumers – or 0.3 percent of the eventual premium paying enrollees – signed up in the first month they could enroll and over 20 percent enrolled in the last month. By the end of a year, 36,000 had purchased coverage.  And we know that young adults bought plans. In Massachusetts the number of uninsured young people plummeted from about 1 in 4 to 1 in 10 within 3 years.
• Today, Massachusetts residents have nearly universal health insurance coverage and the primary attacks against this law – many of which we are hearing again today about the ACA – never proved true.
• Before the Massachusetts plan was enacted, people without insurance coverage could only turn to emergency rooms or community health centers for care. The old Massachusetts Uncompensated Care Pool was a program that reimbursed hospitals, community health centers and providers for care that the poor and uninsured couldn't afford, but as the Massachusetts government makes clear, the program "is not health insurance."  As then-Governor Romney said in pushing for the Massachusetts reforms, "I believe that we should be able to provide for all of our citizens a basic, good, solid health care system and that means that we don't use the inefficient system we have now where half a million people without insurance go to emergency rooms."

Recently President Obama traveled to Massachusetts to discuss the Affordable Care Act, which expanded these principles nationwide.  As current Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick explained in his introduction of the President, there were striking similarities in the roll-outs of the now very successful Massachusetts reforms and the Affordable Care Act in its first few weeks:

"But our launch seven years ago was not flawless. We asked an IT staffer who has been at our Connector since the beginning what the start of implementing reform was like.  And this is what he said, and I’m quoting:  “We didn’t have a complicated eligibility process back then, but we did have outages caused by traffic peaks.  We experienced some issues with data mapping of plan detail that carriers called us on.  Our provider searches were not good, and the website was a constant work in progress over the first few years.  But other than that, it was smooth.”

"Any of this sound familiar, Mr. President?

"So we started out with a website that needed work.  We had a lot of people with a lot of reasonable questions and not a good enough way to get them the answers.  But people were patient, we had good leadership, and that same coalition stuck with it and with us to work through the fixes, tech surge and all.  Why?  Why?  Because health reform in Massachusetts, like the Affordable Care Act, is not a website.  It’s a values statement.  (Applause.)  It's about insuring people against a medical catastrophe.  It's about being our brothers' and our sisters' keeper by helping others help themselves."

There has been a lot of media attention, and some misleading attacks from critics, about some recent notices from insurance companies about changes in some people’s insurance plans.

Press Secretary Jay Carney took this question head-on yesterday. He made some key points:

1. More than three out of every four Americans gets insurance from their employer, Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration. These notices have been sent only to some of the 5% of Americans who get insurance on the individual insurance market.
2. Americans who are currently on the individual market stand to benefit the most from the Affordable Care Act. Even those receiving notices of “cancellation” will be able to enroll in a new plan that does not discriminate based on pre-existing conditions, does not deny them key benefits like maternity, mental health, or prescription drug coverage, and cannot drop you when you’re sick.
3. Americans in the individual market who have a plan that hasn’t been changed by their insurance company (an all-too-familiar occurrence for many) can keep their plan if they choose, even though a plan with better benefits is likely available. 

Watch his response to the question below, or read the transcript below the fold:

Update: President Obama also addressed this issue at length during his remarks on the Affordable Care Act in Boston, Massachusetts today. Massachusetts’s 2006 bipartisan health care law served as a model in drafting the Affordable Care Act, and the state’s experience during its first year of enrollment offers important lessons for what we can expect over the next six months.  Here's what the President said about the insurance company notices:

And since we all benefit, there are parts of this law that also require everybody to contribute, that require everybody to take some measure of responsibility.  So, to help pay for the law, the wealthiest Americans –- families who make more than $250,000 a year –- they've got to pay a little bit more.  The most expensive employer health insurance plans no longer qualify for unlimited tax breaks.  Some folks aren't happy about that, but it's the right thing to do. 

Just like in Massachusetts, most people who can afford health insurance have to take responsibility to buy health insurance, or pay a penalty.  And employers with more than 50 employees are required to either provide health insurance to their workers or pay a penalty -- again, because they shouldn’t just dump off those costs onto the rest of us.  Everybody has got some responsibilities.   

Now, it is also true that some Americans who have health insurance plans that they bought on their own through the old individual market are getting notices from their insurance companies suggesting that somehow, because of the Affordable Care Act, they may be losing their existing health insurance plan.  This has been the latest flurry in the news.  Because there's been a lot of confusion and misinformation about this, I want to explain just what's going on. 

One of the things health reform was designed to do was to help not only the uninsured, but also the underinsured.  And there are a number of Americans –- fewer than 5 percent of Americans -– who've got cut-rate plans that don’t offer real financial protection in the event of a serious illness or an accident.  Remember, before the Affordable Care Act, these bad-apple insurers had free rein every single year to limit the care that you received, or use minor preexisting conditions to jack up your premiums or bill you into bankruptcy.  So a lot of people thought they were buying coverage, and it turned out not to be so good. 

Before the Affordable Care Act, the worst of these plans routinely dropped thousands of Americans every single year.  And on average, premiums for folks who stayed in their plans for more than a year shot up about 15 percent a year.  This wasn’t just bad for those folks who had these policies, it was bad for all of us -- because, again, when tragedy strikes and folks can’t pay their medical bills, everybody else picks up the tab. 

Now, if you had one of these substandard plans before the Affordable Care Act became law and you really liked that plan, you’re able to keep it.  That’s what I said when I was running for office.  That was part of the promise we made.  But ever since the law was passed, if insurers decided to downgrade or cancel these substandard plans, what we said under the law is you've got to replace them with quality, comprehensive coverage  -- because that, too, was a central premise of the Affordable Care Act from the very beginning.

And today, that promise means that every plan in the marketplace covers a core set of minimum benefits, like maternity care, and preventive care, and mental health care, and prescription drug benefits, and hospitalization.  And they can’t use allergies or pregnancy or a sports injury or the fact that you're a woman to charge you more.  They can't do that anymore.   They can't do that anymore. 

If you couldn’t afford coverage because your child had asthma, well, he’s now covered.  If you’re one of the 45 million Americans with a mental illness, you’re now covered.  If you’re a young couple expecting a baby, you’re covered.  You’re safer.  The system is more secure for you and it’s more secure for everybody. 

So if you’re getting one of these letters, just shop around in the new marketplace.  That’s what it’s for... Because of the tax credits that we’re offering and the competition between insurers, most people are going to be able to get better, comprehensive health care plans for the same price or even cheaper than projected.  You’re going to get a better deal.

Now, there’s a fraction of Americans with higher incomes who will pay more on the front end for better insurance with better benefits and protections like the Patient’s Bill of Rights.  And that will actually save them from financial ruin if they get sick.  But nobody is losing their right to health care coverage. And no insurance company will ever be able to deny you coverage, or drop you as a customer altogether.  Those days are over.  And that’s the truth.  That is the truth.  

So for people without health insurance, they’re finally going to be able to get it.  For the vast majority of people who have health insurance that works, you can keep it.  For the fewer than 5 percent of Americans who buy insurance on your own, you will be getting a better deal.

So anyone peddling the notion that insurers are cancelling people’s plan without mentioning that almost all the insurers are encouraging people to join better plans with the same carrier, and stronger benefits and stronger protections, while others will be able to get better plans with new carriers through the marketplace, and that many will get new help to pay for these better plans and make them actually cheaper -- if you leave that stuff out, you’re being grossly misleading, to say the least. 

But, frankly, look, you saw this in Massachusetts -- this is one of the challenges of health care form.  Health care is complicated and it’s very personal, and it’s easy to scare folks. And it’s no surprise that some of the same folks trying to scare people now are the same folks who’ve been trying to sink the Affordable Care Act from the beginning.  And frankly, I don’t understand it.  Providing people with health care, that should be a no-brainer.  Giving people a chance to get health care should be a no-brainer. 

And I’ve said before, if folks had actually good ideas, better ideas than what’s happening in Massachusetts or what we’ve proposed for providing people with health insurance, I’d be happy to listen.  But that’s not what’s happening.  And anyone defending the remnants of the old, broken system as if it was working for people, anybody who thinks we shouldn’t finish the job of making the health care system work for everybody -– especially when these folks offer no plan for the uninsured or the underinsured, or folks who lose their insurance each year -- those folks should have to explain themselves. 

Because I don’t think we should go back to discriminating against kids with preexisting conditions.  I don’t think we should go back to dropping coverage for people when they get sick, or because they make a mistake on their application.  I don’t think we should go back to the daily cruelties and indignities and constant insecurity of a broken health care system.  And I’m confident most Americans agree with me.

So, yes, this is hard, because the health care system is a big system, and it’s complicated.  And if it was hard doing it just in one state, it's harder to do it in all 50 states -- especially when the governors of a bunch of states and half of the Congress aren't trying to help.  Yes, it's hard.  But it's worth it.  It is the right thing to do, and we're going to keep moving forward. We are going to keep working to improve the law, just like you did here in Massachusetts.  

Watch on YouTube

Leading advocacy groups for young Americans have been the biggest supporters of the Affordable Care Act, and have reacted enthusiastically to this new report.  Anne Johnson of Generation Progress said, “Not only do Millennials have access to quality health care and added protections under the Affordable Care Act, but evidence increasingly shows that coverage will be more affordable." Matt Segal at Our Time noted that the insurance plans are high quality, saying "This is indisputably a good deal." 

And follow @whitehouse today on Twitter, where we’ll be tweeting out local stories from across the country, where young people are signing up and looking at their options. Spoiler alert: you'll hear phrases like "peace of mind," "less than a cell phone bill," and "I'm thrilled."

They are productive members of society, brought here as young children, who grew up in our communities and became American in every way but on paper.  And yet, for most of their lives, they’ve had to live in the shadows, barred from giving the full benefit of their talents to the country they love and our economy. 

For the first time last year, they found some relief through the Obama Administration’s deferred action process, but the only way to give DREAMers the peace of mind they need to live productive lives is to fix our broken immigration system through common sense reform.

Unfortunately, a Republican amendment to a spending bill passed by the House yesterday moved in the opposite direction, seeking to strip DREAMers of the protections of the deferred action process.  As Press Secretary Jay Carney said afterwards, “It asks law enforcement to treat these DREAMers the same way as they would violent criminals.  It’s wrong.  It’s not who we are.  And it will not become law.” 

The President remains optimistic about getting reform done, but for those in Congress who need a reminder of why we should encourage DREAMers, and why we should fix our broken immigration system, they should listen to Diana Colon, who met with the President and Vice President in the Oval Office last month along with several other young people:

“All we want to have is that opportunity to fully give back to this country” –that was Diana’s message to the President, and to the rest of America.  Unfortunately, House Republicans sent a very different message back to Dreamers across this country:

Arizona Republic (Valdez): “This shows a very unlikeable Republican face snarling at a bunch of kids who grew up as American as hot dogs and Chevrolet. The GOP doesn’t have an image problem. It has a substance problem. The party remains so beholden to the far right that it can’t see the humanity of decent kids.” [Arizona Central, 6/6/13]

KPCC Southern California: “Riverside Democrat Mark Takano compared the amendment to California's Proposition 187  - the 1994 voter-approved measure that denied many state services to undocumented immigrants. He said Prop 187 turned many California Latinos away from the Republican Party for more than a generation.  ‘Republicans are setting themselves up for the same thing by doing such an inhumane thing—voting against innocent kids brought here through no fault of their own,’ said Takano.” [KPCC (NPR) – Southern California, 6/6/13]

Tampa Bay Times: “Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was one of six Republicans -- and the only from Florida -- to vote today against a measure aimed at an Obama policy that prevents deportations of ‘Dreamers,’ the children of illegal immigrants…Passage brought boos from the gallery…” [Tampa Bay Times, 6/7/13]

Houston Chronicle: "Even those who have already been accepted into deferred action programs — which included 300,000 Dreamers as of May — would be at risk for deportation under the GOP plan. The amendment would also affect other so-called ‘low-priority’ immigrants such as undocumented spouses of U.S. military personnel, treating them the same as violent criminals.  All Texas Democrats voted against the amendment, while 23 of 24 Texas Republicans voted in favor of it. (Dallas Republican Pete Sessions did not vote). In the entire House, just six Republicans voted against the amendment.” [Houston Chronicle – Texas on the Potomac, 6/6/13]

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “Despite GOP claims that the party is courting Hispanic voters, 221 Republican House members — four from Washington — voted in favor of an amendment sponsored by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, the most strident anti-immigrant voice in Congress’ lower chamber… Democratic House members from this state were vocal in opposition to King’s amendment.  ‘I have spoken to a lot of DREAMers in northwest Washington who only want to stay here and continue to contribute to the country they know as home,’ said Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash.  ‘These young people who were brought to this country as children, graduated from our schools and served in the military now want to continue realizing the American Dream.  They are exactly the kind of immigrants who made this country great.’” [Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 6/6/13]

La Opinion: Cámara baja rechaza detener deportaciones de DREAMers [House rejects the measure to stop deportations of DREAMers]

Televisa: Noitcieros Televisa: Cámara de Representantes de EU vota en contra de 'Dreamers' [U.S. House votes against 'Dreamers']

El Universal: Lanzan enmiendas contra “dreamers” Republicanos buscan cortar apoyo a estudiantes indocumentados en EU [Amendments launched against "dreamers": Republicans seek to cut support for undocumented students in the U.S.]

Voz de America: Congreso da portazo a 'dreamers' [Congress slams 'dreamers']

Excelsior: Descobijan en Estados Unidos a los 'dreamers' [Dreamers are not protected in the US]

CNN en Español: La Cámara baja de EU vota contra detener la deportación de estudiantes [The U.S. House of Representatives votes against stopping the deportation of students]

Associated Press: Cámara baja tira ley de Obama sobre deportaciones de dreamers [House of Representatives takes away the law by Obama to stop deportations of Dreamers] 

Of course they’re also beautiful and romantic for first dates, fifth anniversaries, or random weekends when you can’t think of what to do.  Check out NPS.gov to get started , and here’s the page for the White House if you find yourself nearby.

For more Valentine's Day engagement intrigue, here's another charming and bipartisan story about engagements at the US Capitol, which may not be a National Park, but is on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places -- which is still pretty good... I guess.  (Just kidding.)

Watch the President's full remarks here.

In his press conference this morning, the President took questions on anything the White House press corps could think of, but his primary argument was on the economy, the deficits, and the consequences of Congress not acting and allowing America to default on its debt.  He made clear that while he continues to work on everything from streamlining regulations to getting capital to small business, there are things Congress can do right now to grow the economy and create jobs – including putting construction workers back to work rebuilding our country, passing into law trade agreements that will increase exports and create jobs and coming to an agreement to reduce the deficit. As he explained, reducing our deficits has to be done in a fair and balanced way, and that means those in Congress who are looking only at cutting core priorities like education and medical research and cutting Medicare benefits for seniors while excluding even the most egregious tax loopholes for special interests and the very wealthiest Americans need to come to the table:

On Closing Tax Loopholes for Millionaires and Billionaires: 

There’s been a lot of discussion about revenues and raising taxes in recent weeks, so I want to be clear about what we’re proposing here.  I spent the last two years cutting taxes for ordinary Americans, and I want to extend those middle-class tax cuts.  The tax cuts I’m proposing we get rid of are tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires; tax breaks for oil companies and hedge fund managers and corporate jet owners. 

It would be nice if we could keep every tax break there is, but we’ve got to make some tough choices here if we want to reduce our deficit.  And if we choose to keep those tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, if we choose to keep a tax break for corporate jet owners, if we choose to keep tax breaks for oil and gas companies that are making hundreds of billions of dollars, then that means we’ve got to cut some kids off from getting a college scholarship.  That means we’ve got to stop funding certain grants for medical research.  That means that food safety may be compromised.  That means that Medicare has to bear a greater part of the burden.  Those are the choices we have to make.

So the bottom line is this:  Any agreement to reduce our deficit is going to require tough decisions and balanced solutions.  And before we ask our seniors to pay more for health care, before we cut our children’s education, before we sacrifice our commitment to the research and innovation that will help create more jobs in the economy, I think it’s only fair to ask an oil company or a corporate jet owner that has done so well to give up a tax break that no other business enjoys.  I don’t think that’s real radical.  I think the majority of Americans agree with that. 

On Addressing Debt Limit: 

By August 2nd, we run out of tools to make sure that all our bills are paid.  So that is a hard deadline.  And I want everybody to understand that this is a jobs issue.  This is not an abstraction.  If the United States government, for the first time, cannot pay its bills, if it defaults, then the consequences for the U.S. economy will be significant and unpredictable.  And that is not a good thing. 

We don’t know how capital markets will react.  But if capital markets suddenly decide, you know what, the U.S. government doesn’t pay its bills, so we’re going to start pulling our money out, and the U.S. Treasury has to start to raise interest rates in order to attract more money to pay off our bills, that means higher interest rates for businesses; that means higher interest rates for consumers.  So all the headwinds that we’re already experiencing in terms of the recovery will get worse. 

That’s not my opinion.  I think that’s a consensus opinion.  And that means that job growth will be further stymied, it will be further hampered, as a consequence of that decision.  So that’s point number one.

Point number two, I want to address what I’ve been hearing from some quarters, which is, well, maybe this debt limit thing is not really that serious; we can just pay interest on the debt.  This idea has been floating around in some Republican circles.

This is the equivalent of me saying, you know what, I will choose to pay my mortgage, but I’m not going to pay my car note.  Or I’m going to pay my car note but I’m not going to pay my student loan.  Now, a lot of people in really tough situations are having to make those tough decisions.  But for the U.S. government to start picking and choosing like that is not going to inspire a lot of confidence.

Moreover, which bills are we going to decide to pay?  These guys have said, well, maybe we just pay the interest on -- for bondholders.  So are we really going to start paying interest to Chinese who hold treasuries and we’re not going to pay folks their Social Security checks?  Or we’re not going to pay to veterans for their disability checks?  I mean, which bills, which obligations, are we going to say we don’t have to pay?

And last point I want to make about this.  These are bills that Congress ran up.  The money has been spent.  The obligations have been made.  So this isn’t a situation -- I think the American people have to understand this -- this is not a situation where Congress is going to say, okay, we won’t -- we won’t buy this car or we won’t take this vacation.  They took the vacation.  They bought the car.  And now they’re saying maybe we don’t have to pay, or we don’t have to pay as fast as we said we were going to, or -- that’s not how responsible families act.  And we’re the greatest nation on Earth, and we can’t act that way.

On the Need for Congress to Act: 

August 2nd is a very important date.  And there’s no reason why we can’t get this done now.  We know what the options are out there.  This is not a technical problem any longer.  This is a matter of Congress going ahead and biting the bullet and making some tough decisions.  Because we know what the decisions are.  We've identified what spending cuts are possible.  We've identified what defense cuts are possible.  We've identified what health care cuts are possible.  We've identified what loopholes in the tax code can be closed that would also raise revenue.  We’ve identified what the options are.  And the question now is are we going to step up and get this done.

And, you know, Malia and Sasha generally finish their homework a day ahead of time.  Malia is 13, Sasha is 10...They don’t wait until the night before.  They’re not pulling all-nighters.  They’re 13 and 10.  Congress can do the same thing.  If you know you’ve got to do something, just do it. 

And I’ve got to say, I’m very amused when I start hearing comments about, well, the President needs to show more leadership on this.  Let me tell you something.  Right after we finished dealing with the government shutdown, averting a government shutdown, I called the leaders here together.  I said we’ve got to get done -- get this done.  I put Vice President Biden in charge of a process -- that, by the way, has made real progress -- but these guys have met, worked through all of these issues.  I met with every single caucus for an hour to an hour and a half each -- Republican senators, Democratic senators; Republican House, Democratic House.  I’ve met with the leaders multiple times.  At a certain point, they need to do their job.

And so, this thing, which is just not on the level, where we have meetings and discussions, and we’re working through process, and when they decide they’re not happy with the fact that at some point you’ve got to make a choice, they just all step back and say, well, you know, the President needs to get this done -- they need to do their job. 

Now is the time to go ahead and make the tough choices.  That’s why they’re called leaders.  And I’ve already shown that I’m willing to make some decisions that are very tough and will give my base of voters further reason to give me a hard time.  But it’s got to be done.

And so there’s no point in procrastinating.  There’s no point in putting it off.  We’ve got to get this done.  And if by the end of this week, we have not seen substantial progress, then I think members of Congress need to understand we are going to start having to cancel things and stay here until we get it done. 

They're in one week, they're out one week.  And then they're saying, Obama has got to step in.  You need to be here.  I’ve been here.  I’ve been doing Afghanistan and bin Laden and the Greek crisis.  You stay here.  Let’s get it done.

On Putting the Economy Ahead of Politics:  

You know, every day I get letters from folks all around the country who show incredible resilience, incredible determination, but they are having a very, very tough time.  They’re losing their homes.  Some have lost their businesses.  Some have lost work and have not been able to find jobs for months, maybe a year, maybe a year and a half.  And they feel some desperation.  And some folks who are working just are having a tough time paying the bills because they haven’t seen their wages or incomes go up in 10 years, and the costs of everything else have gone up.

And every day that weighs on me.  Every minute of every day that weighs on me.  Because I ran for President precisely to make sure that we righted this ship and we start once again creating a situation where middle-class families and people who aspire to be in the middle class, if they’re working hard, then they’re living a better life.

Now, these structural changes in our economy that have been going on for a decade -- in some cases, longer -- they’re not going to be solved overnight.  But we know what to do.  We know that if we are educating our kids well, then they’re going to be more competitive.  We know that if we are investing in things like infrastructure, it pays off.

I was in Alcoa, in Iowa, one of our most successful companies.  They took a big hit during the recession, but they still invested $90 million in new equipment in a plant that makes airplane wings and parts for automobiles.  And they’ve bounced back.  They’ve hired back all their people and are increasing market share because they made those investments. 

Well, just like a company like Alcoa, America has got to make some investments.  We know that we’ve got to get control of our deficit.  There are some things that aren’t going to solve all our problems but can make progress right now.  And the question is whether or not Democrats and Republicans are willing to put aside the expedience of short-term politics in order to get it done.

And these folks are counting on us.  They desperately want to believe that their leadership is thinking about them and not playing games.  And I think that if all the leadership here in Washington has the faces and the stories of those families in mind, then we will solve this debt limit issue; we will put in place steps like a payroll tax cut and infrastructure development; we’ll continue to fund education; we’ll hold true to our commitment to our seniors. 

These are solvable problems, but it does require us just getting out of the short-term and, frankly, selfish approach that sometimes politics breeds.  We’ve got to think a bit long term.  

 

President Barack Obama listens to a question during a press conference in the East Room of the White House, June 29, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3

President Barack Obama gives a speech to members of both Houses of Parliament at Westminster Hall in London, England, May 25, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Much of the President's trip to Europe so far had seemed to be light-hearted diplomacy, from joining an excited crown in Dublin to toasting the Queen and a tour of Buckingham Palace.  But as President Obama spoke to "the Mother of Parliaments" at Westminster Hall, it was a stark reminder of just closely linked our fates are.  He began with a recounting of our shared history, from "a small scrape about tea and taxes" to sacrificing "side by side to free a continent from the march of tyranny, and help prosperity flourish from the ruins of war." 

Even more stark, though, was the myriad of challenges facing out two nations today.  Turmoil, war and democracy in the Middle East; the ongoing threat of loose nuclear materials and the hope that we can move towards a world where nuclear weapons no longer threaten us; these, along with countless other eruptions and issues around the world, can only be dealt with through international cooperation.  And the U.S. and the UK will always be at the forefront of that.

Right now, though, the American and British people are rightly concerned about their own economies first and foremost, and here too the President laid out a strong case for our importance to each other:

In other words, we live in a global economy that is largely of our own making.  And today, the competition for the best jobs and industries favors countries that are free-thinking and forward-looking; countries with the most creative and innovative and entrepreneurial citizens. 

That gives nations like the United States and the United Kingdom an inherent advantage.  For from Newton and Darwin to Edison and Einstein, from Alan Turing to Steve Jobs, we have led the world in our commitment to science and cutting-edge research, the discovery of new medicines and technologies.  We educate our citizens and train our workers in the best colleges and universities on Earth.  But to maintain this advantage in a world that’s more competitive than ever, we will have to redouble our investments in science and engineering, and renew our national commitments to educating our workforces. 

We’ve also been reminded in the last few years that markets can sometimes fail.  In the last century, both our nations put in place regulatory frameworks to deal with such market failures -- safeguards to protect the banking system after the Great Depression, for example; regulations that were established to prevent the pollution of our air and water during the 1970s. 

But in today’s economy, such threats of market failure can no longer be contained within the borders of any one country.  Market failures can go global, and go viral, and demand international responses. 

A financial crisis that began on Wall Street infected nearly every continent, which is why we must keep working through forums like the G20 to put in place global rules of the road to prevent future excesses and abuse.  No country can hide from the dangers of carbon pollution, which is why we must build on what was achieved at Copenhagen and Cancun to leave our children a planet that is safer and cleaner. 

Moreover, even when the free market works as it should, both our countries recognize that no matter how responsibly we live in our lives, hard times or bad luck, a crippling illness or a layoff may strike any one of us.  And so part of our common tradition has expressed itself in a conviction that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security -– health care if you get sick, unemployment insurance if you lose your job, a dignified retirement after a lifetime of hard work.  That commitment to our citizens has also been the reason for our leadership in the world. 

And now, having come through a terrible recession, our challenge is to meet these obligations while ensuring that we’re not consuming -- and hence consumed with -- a level of debt that could sap the strength and vitality of our economies.  And that will require difficult choices and it will require different paths for both of our countries.  But we have faced such challenges before, and have always been able to balance the need for fiscal responsibility with the responsibilities we have to one another. 

President Barack Obama gives a speech to members of both Houses of Parliament at Westminster Hall in London, England, May 25, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Thousands of people gather at College Green in Dublin, Ireland, to welcome President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, May 23, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Given the enthusiasm of the crowd and the welcome at the President speech in Dublin today, it was understandable that the President so happily embraced his newly pin-pointed Irish heritage, small though it may be:

Now, I knew that I had some roots across the Atlantic, but until recently I could not unequivocally claim that I was one of those Irish Americans.  But now if you believe the Corrigan Brothers, there’s no one more Irish than me. 

The President also obliged with a joke about coming home "to find the apostrophe that we lost somewhere along the way," but he spent the better part of his speech honoring the rich history and spirit of Ireland:

Earlier today Michelle and I visited Moneygall where we saw my ancestral home and dropped by the local pub.  (Applause.)  And we received a very warm welcome from all the people there, including my long-lost eighth cousin, Henry.  (Laughter.)  Henry now is affectionately known as Henry VIII.  (Laughter.)  And it was remarkable to see the small town where a young shoemaker named Falmouth Kearney, my great-great-great grandfather, my grandfather’s grandfather, lived his early life.  And I was the shown the records from the parish recording his birth.  And we saw the home where he lived. 

And he left during the Great Hunger, as so many Irish did, to seek a new life in the New World.  He traveled by ship to New York, where he entered himself into the records as a laborer.  He married an American girl from Ohio.  They settled in the Midwest. They started a family. 

It’s a familiar story because it’s one lived and cherished by Americans of all backgrounds.  It’s integral to our national identity.  It’s who we are, a nation of immigrants from all around the world.

But standing there in Moneygall, I couldn’t help but think how heartbreaking it must have been for that great-great-great grandfather of mine, and so many others, to part.  To watch Donegal coasts and Dingle cliffs recede.  To leave behind all they knew in hopes that something better lay over the horizon.

When people like Falmouth boarded those ships, they often did so with no family, no friends, no money, nothing to sustain their journey but faith -- faith in the Almighty; faith in the idea of America; faith that it was a place where you could be prosperous, you could be free, you could think and talk and worship as you pleased, a place where you could make it if you tried.

And as they worked and struggled and sacrificed and sometimes experienced great discrimination, to build that better life for the next generation, they passed on that faith to their children and to their children’s children -- an inheritance that their great-great-great grandchildren like me still carry with them.  We call it the America Dream.  (Applause.)

It’s the dream that Falmouth Kearney was attracted to when he went to America.  It’s the dream that drew my own father to America from a small village in Africa.  It’s a dream that we’ve carried forward -- sometimes through stormy waters, sometimes at great cost -- for more than two centuries.  And for my own sake, I’m grateful they made those journeys because if they hadn’t you’d be listening to somebody else speak right now.  (Laughter.)

And for America’s sake, we’re grateful so many others from this land took that chance, as well.  After all, never has a nation so small inspired so much in another.  (Applause.)

Irish signatures are on our founding documents.  Irish blood was spilled on our battlefields.  Irish sweat built our great cities.  Our spirit is eternally refreshed by Irish story and Irish song; our public life by the humor and heart and dedication of servants with names like Kennedy and Reagan, O’Neill and Moynihan.  So you could say there’s always been a little green behind the red, white and blue.  (Applause.)

President Barack Obama addresses a crowd of thousands at College Green in Dublin, Ireland, May 23, 2011. Standing behind the President is Ireland's Taoiseach Enda Kenny. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Of course that's only an excerpt, read the rest.  For just a little more color from the trip, the reception in Moneygall was just as enthusiastic, particularly when he did this:

President Barack Obama watches as First Lady Michelle Obama draws a pint at Ollie Hayes’ Pub in Moneygall, Ireland, May 23, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

In the wake of yet more terrible storms, this time in the Midwest, the President called Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to personally extend his condolences and to tell all of the families of Joplin affected by the severe tornadoes that they are in his thoughts and prayers. The President assured the governor that FEMA will remain in close contact and coordination with state and local officials.

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, during his visit to Dublin, Ireland, May 23, 2011. The President and Gov. Nixon discussed the deadly tornado that touched down in Joplin, Mo., Sunday night. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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The President has directed FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to travel to Missouri to ensure the state has all the support it needs. In addition, in anticipation of requests for assistance, a FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) is en route to Joplin. This self-sustaining team will work with FEMA officials already in Missouri to coordinate with state and local officials to identify needs and any shortfalls impacting disaster response and recovery.

The President also released this statement last night:

Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tornadoes and severe weather that struck Joplin, Missouri as well as communities across the Midwest today.  We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbors at this very difficult time. At my direction, FEMA is working with the affected areas' state and local officials to support response and recovery efforts, and the federal government stands ready to help our fellow Americans as needed.

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President Barack Obama delivers remarks to the intelligence community in the lobby of the Old CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., May 20, 2011. The backdrop is the CIA Wall of Stars. The President thanked intelligence community workers for the work they do every day and specifically for their excellent work in tracking down Osama bin Laden. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This afternoon, the President made the third visit of his term out to Langley, although there was a different feeling this time.  As Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper put it, the death of bin Laden was not only a moment of some closure for families of the victimes of his attacks, it was a moment of some closure for the intelligence community.  But of course that community toils on without a break, going through the millions of pages of intelligence found there and hunting down threats around the world.  So standing beside DNI Clapper and CIA Director Panetta, the President thanked them for it:

That’s why I came here.  I wanted every single one of you to know, whether you work at the CIA or across the community, at every step of our effort to take out bin Laden, the work you did and the quality of the intelligence that you provided made the critical difference -- to me, to our team on those helicopters, to our nation.   

After I directed that getting bin Laden be the priority, you hunkered down even more, building on years of painstaking work; pulling together, in some cases, the slenderest of intelligence streams, running those threads to ground until you found that courier and you tracked him to that compound.  And when I was briefed last summer, you had built the strongest intelligence case against -- in terms of where bin Laden was since Tora Bora.

In the months that followed, including all those meetings in the Situation Room, we did what sound intelligence demands:  We pushed for more collection.  We pushed for more evidence.  We questioned our assumptions.  You strengthened your analysis.  You didn’t bite your tongue and try to spin the ball, but you gave it to me straight each and every time.

And we did something really remarkable in Washington -- we kept it a secret.  (Laughter and applause.)  That’s how it should be. 

Of course, when the time came to actually make the decision, we didn’t know for sure that bin Laden was there.  The evidence was circumstantial and the risks, especially to the lives of our special operations forces, were huge.  And I knew that the consequences of failure could be enormous.  But I made the decision that I did because I had absolute confidence in the skill of our military personnel and I had confidence in you.  I put my bet on you.  And now the whole world knows that that faith in you was justified. 

So just as impressive as what you did was how you did it.  It was a tribute to your perseverance, your relentless focus and determination over many years.  For the fight against al Qaeda did not begin on 9/11.  Among you are veterans who’ve been pursuing these murderers for many years, even before they attacked our embassies in Africa and struck the Cole in Yemen.  Among you are young men and women for whom 9/11 was a call to service.  This fight has defined your generation.  And on this wall are stars honoring all your colleagues and friends, more than a dozen who have given their lives in the fight against al Qaeda and its violent allies.

As the years wore on, others began to think that this terrorist might never be brought to justice.  But you never quit.  You never gave up.  You pulled together across this agency and across the community.

No one piece of information and no one agency made this possible.  You did it together -- CIA, National Security Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, everyone at ODNI and the National Counterterrorism Center.  Folks across the country, civilian and military, so many of you here today. 

And that’s exactly how our intelligence community is supposed to work, using every capability -- human, technical -- collecting, analyzing, sharing, integrating intelligence, and then acting on it. 

That’s what made this one of the greatest intelligence successes in American history, and that’s why intelligence professionals are going to study and be inspired by your achievement for generations to come.

Well, let me, first of all, welcome again Prime Minister Netanyahu, who I think has now been here seven times during the course of my presidency.  And I want to indicate that the frequency of these meetings is an indication of the extraordinary bonds between our two countries, as is the opportunity for the Prime Minister to address Congress during his visit here.  I know that’s an honor that’s reserved for those who have always shown themselves to be a great friend of the United States and is indicative of the friendship between our countries.

We just completed a prolonged and extremely useful conversation touching on a wide range of issues.  We discussed, first of all, the changes that are sweeping the region and what has been happening in places like Egypt and Syria and how they affect the interests and security of the United States and Israel, as well as the opportunity for prosperity, growth and development in the Arab world.

We agreed that there is a moment of opportunity that can be seized as a consequence of the Arab Spring, but also acknowledge that there’s significant perils as well, and that it’s going to be important for the United States and Israel to consult closely as we see developments unfold. 

President Barack Obama meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, in the Oval Office, May 20, 2011. (by Pete Souza)

The President also spoke at some length about their discussion of the peace process:

Finally, we discussed the issue of a prospective peace between Israelis and Palestinians.  And I reiterated and we discussed in depth the principles that I laid out yesterday -- the belief that our ultimate goal has to be a secure Israeli state, a Jewish state, living side by side in peace and security with a contiguous, functioning and effective Palestinian state. 

Obviously there are some differences between us in the precise formulations and language, and that’s going to happen between friends.  But what we are in complete accord about is that a true peace can only occur if the ultimate resolution allows Israel to defend itself against threats, and that Israel’s security will remain paramount in U.S. evaluations of any prospective peace deal.

I said that yesterday in the speech, and I continue to believe it.  And I think that it is possible for us to shape a deal that allows Israel to secure itself, not to be vulnerable, but also allows it to resolve what has obviously been a wrenching issue for both peoples for decades now.

I also pointed out, as I said in the speech yesterday, that it is very difficult for Israel to be expected to negotiate in a serious way with a party that refuses to acknowledge its right to exist.  And so for that reason I think the Palestinians are going to have to answer some very difficult questions about this agreement that’s been made between Fatah and Hamas.  Hamas has been and is an organization that has resorted to terror; that has refused to acknowledge Israel’s rights to exist.  It is not a partner for a significant, realistic peace process.  And so, as I said yesterday during the speech, the Palestinians are going to have to explain how they can credibly engage in serious peace negotiations in the absence of observing the Quartet principles that have been put forward previously.

So, overall, I thought this was an extremely constructive discussion.  And coming out of this discussion, I once again can reaffirm that the extraordinarily close relationship between the United States and Israel is sound and will continue, and that together, hopefully we are going to be able to work to usher in a new period of peace and prosperity in a region that is going to be going through some very profound transformations in the coming weeks, months and years.

Read the Fact Sheet: President Obama: Advancing Israel's Security and Supporting Peace

Watch the President's full remarks here.

Also watch the online discussion that took place afterwards with questions from all over the world via Twitter, or learn more from two White House fact sheets:

• Fact Sheet: Economic Support for the Middle East and North Africa
• Fact Sheet: "A Moment of Opportunity" in the Middle East and North Africa

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, Sen. John Kerry, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan E. Rice, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and George Mitchell, U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, listen as President Barack Obama delivers a speech on the Middle East and North Africa at the State Department in Washington, D.C., May 19, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Watch President Obama give the Commencement Address to the Coast Guard Academy, here. 

The President gave his last Commencement Address of the season this afternoon at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.  He spent the bulk of his time walking the graduating class down memory lane of the years of tough training and education they had endured, but first he spoke about his personal experience with the Coast Guard:

I have to say, it is a personal pleasure to be here, because since the day I took office, the United States Coast Guard has played a special role in my presidency and with my family.  I’ve seen the Coast Guard’s precision when some of you -- the Class of 2011 -- marched in the parade during my inauguration.  You looked pretty good on that day, too.  (Laughter.)  It was a little colder that day, if you recall.  (Laughter.)

I’ve seen your devotion to duty -- all along the Gulf Coast -- when the Coast Guard, including members of this class, worked day and night, tirelessly, as you led the largest environmental cleanup in our nation’s history.

I’ve seen your pride, when I was in, of all places, Afghanistan.  I was in Bagram, thanking our troops for their service.  And I was giving a shout-out to every service -- Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines.  And then, way in the back of the crowd, a voice shouted out: “and Coast Guard!”  (Laughter.)  There was no ocean in sight.  (Laughter and applause.)  Not a body of water visible anywhere.  (Laughter.)  But the Coast Guard was there, serving with honor, as you have in every major conflict that our nation has ever fought.

Cadets file into Leamy Hall to take their seats at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduation ceremony in New London, Conn., May 18, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

President Barack Obama and Ensign Jennifer Proctor make the 'shaka' sign as they pose for a photo during the 130th Coast Guard Academy Commencement ceremony in New London, Conn., May 18, 2011. Proctor and President Obama, who both graduated from the same high school in Hawaii, are joined by her father, U.S. Army Col. James Proctor. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Watch the President's full remarks here.

This afternoon the President welcomed some of the most influential people of our time to the White House, from Members of Congress and Supreme Court Justices to Elie Wiesel, who he called "a dear friend of mine and an inspiration to the world."  As he explained, they are just the latest generations in a long tradition that has helped shape our country and the world:

This month is a chance for Americans of every faith to appreciate the contributions of the Jewish people throughout our history –- often in the face of unspeakable discrimination and adversity.  For hundreds of years, Jewish Americans have fought heroically in battle and inspired us to pursue peace.  They’ve built our cities, cured our sick.  They’ve paved the way in the sciences and the law, in our politics and in the arts.  They remain our leaders, our teachers, our neighbors and our friends.

Not bad for a band of believers who have been tested from the moment that they came together and professed their faith.  The Jewish people have always persevered.  And that’s why today is about celebrating the people in this room, the thousands who came before, the generations who will shape the future of our country and the future of the world.

President Barack Obama greets Elie Wiesel during a reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month in the East Room of the White House, May 17, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Watch the President's full remarks after this bilateral meeting here.

Today President Obama welcomed His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, who he described as his "good friend."  During remarks after their meeting, the President discussed some of the topics of conversation:

We discussed the situation in Libya, and are grateful for the support of a wide range of Arab countries in our efforts to make sure that humanitarian assistance and humanitarian protection occurs inside of Libya.  We discussed the rapid transformation that’s taking place in places like Egypt and Tunisia, and we both agreed that it’s critical that not only does political reform proceed, but economic reform accompanies those changes there, because so much of what’s taking place has to do with the aspirations of young people throughout the Arab world for their ability to determine their own fate, to get an education, to get a job, to be able to support a family.  And that means some of the old structures that were inhibiting their ability to progress have to be reworked. 

His Majesty discussed the reform efforts that are taking place inside Jordan as well, and we welcome the initiatives that His Majesty has already embarked on, and feel confident that, to the extent that he’s able to move these reforms forward, this will be good for the security and stability of Jordan, but also will be good for the economic prosperity of the people of Jordan.  And so we’re very pleased to support him on that front.

The President also reinforced his commitment to resolving the Israel and the Palestinian conflict:

We also discussed the situation with respect to Israel and the Palestinian conflict.  And we both share the view that despite the many changes, or perhaps because of the many changes that are taking place in the region, it’s more vital than ever that both Israelis and Palestinians find a way to get back to the table and begin negotiating a process whereby they can create two states that are living side by side in peace and security.

Jordan, obviously, with its own peace with Israel, has an enormous stake in this.  The United States has an enormous stake in this.  We will continue to partner to try to encourage an equitable and just solution to a problem that has been nagging the region for many, many years.

Finally, I just want to say that we continue to appreciate all the security and counterterrorism cooperation that we receive from the Jordanians.  It is very important in terms of our own security, and that partnership we expect to continue. 

President Barack Obama meets with King Abdullah of Jordan in the Oval Office, May 17, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

"Every commencement is a day of celebration," said the President at the commencement for Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, "But this one is especially hopeful."  BTW, as the school is known, was the winner of the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge, chosen as a finalist on the basis of its inspiring turn-around story and voted the winner by the public after each finalist school submitted a video making its case.  The President continued:

This one is especially hopeful because some people say that schools like BTW just aren’t supposed to succeed in America.  You’ll hear them say, “The streets are too rough in those neighborhoods.”  “The schools are too broken.” “The kids don’t stand a chance.” 

We are here today because every single one of you stood tall and said, “Yes, we can.”  (Applause.)  Yes, we can learn.  Yes, we can succeed.  You decided you would not be defined by where you come from but by where you want to go, by what you want to achieve, by the dreams you hope to fulfill. 

Supporting these kinds of turnarounds has been a focus of the President’s education policies, from the national Race to the Top contest where states competed to show real reform plans, to School Improvement Grants that demand uprooting entrenched problems, the President has insisted that funding go to states, communities and schools who have refused to give up, and shown their commitment to change so that their kids would be prepared for the competitive world that awaits them after graduation.

President Barack Obama sits with Principal Alisha Kiner as they watch a performance at the Booker T. Washington High School commencement ceremony at Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tenn., May 16, 2011. The high school was the winner of the 2011 Race To The Top Commencement Challenge. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Speaking at BTW, where graduation rates went from 55% in 2007 to 81.6% in 2010, the President was clearly inspired to see the faces that represent that kind of change.  And as he said, his passion for education is based on his own experience not only as a father, but as a child growing up years ago.  He spoke to the graduates on a personal level about the lessons he learned.

On support from our teachers and families:

And understand, this isn’t just an issue for me.  I’m standing here as President because of the education that I received.  As Chris said, my father left my family when I was two years old.  And I was raised by a single mom, and sometimes she struggled to provide for me and my sister.  But my mother, my grandparents, they pushed me to excel.  They refused to let me make excuses.  And they kept pushing me, especially on those rare occasions where I’d slack off or get into trouble.  They weren’t that rare, actually.  (Laughter.)  I’m sure nobody here has done anything like that.   (Laughter.)

I’m so blessed that they kept pushing; I’m so lucky that my teachers kept pushing -- because education made all the difference in my life.  The same is true for Michelle.  Education made such a difference in her life.  Michelle’s dad was a city worker, had multiple sclerosis, had to wake up every day and it took him a couple hours just to get ready for work.  But he went to work every day.  Her mom was a secretary, went to work every day, and kept on pushing her just like my folks pushed me. 

The President also explained how through education we “learn how to learn,” so that we can learn how to think through real life problems, and gives us substance in a world filled with distractions:

Education also teaches you the value of discipline -- that the greatest rewards come not from instant gratification but from sustained effort and from hard work.  This is a lesson that’s especially true today, in a culture that prizes flash over substance, that tells us that the goal in life is to be entertained, that says you can be famous just for being famous.  You get on a reality show -- don't know what you’ve done -- suddenly you’re famous.  But that's not going to lead to lasting, sustained achievement.

And finally, with the right education, both at home and at school, you can learn how to be a better human being.  For when you read a great story or you learn about an important moment in history, it helps you imagine what it would be like to walk in somebody else’s shoes, to know their struggles.  The success of our economy will depend on your skills, but the success of our community will depend on your ability to follow the Golden Rule -- to treat others as you would like to be treated. 

We’ve seen how important this is even in the past few weeks, as communities here in Memphis and all across the South have come together to deal with floodwaters, and to help each other in the aftermath of terrible tornadoes.

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Watch the President's and the Vice President's full remarks here.

It was a beautiful day in the Rose Garden to honor the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) TOP COPS.  The Vice President spoke first, reiterating the commitment that he and the President have to supporting America's law enforcement, from giving states the funding they need to keep them on the job, to better communication resources, to supporting their rights as workers.  The President spoke to that commitment as well, and also commended the outstanding officers who had earned this year's title of "Top Cops":

This is the third year I’ve had the honor of welcoming America’s Top Cops to the White House.  It’s kind of like the Heisman Trophy presentation for law enforcement.  But I just spent a little time with these men and women inside, and I can tell you with certainty, they carry themselves with such humility.  They don't say to themselves “This is it –- this year I made Top Cop.”  “I’m going to train, put in long hours, and go to Washington and stand with the President.”  That's not why they do what they do every single day.
 
None of them put together a PR package for our consideration.  Some of them are still recovering from gunshot wounds suffered in the line of duty.  Some have heavy hearts for partners who’ve been lost, and they commit themselves to their memory.  And all would put forward others in their units who they would say are just as brave, or just as dedicated, or just as capable, or just as deserving of this recognition.
 
But, you know, a moment came when their actions earned recognition.  It wasn’t talk; it was what they did.  They didn’t know it that morning, as they pinned on a badge, or strapped on a vest, or holstered a weapon.  But that day, something would happen that would make them worthy of this honor -– whether it was a random act of bravery, or a successful outcome that was the results of months or even years of painstaking and dangerous police work.
 
The men and women we honor today have responded with courage under withering fire to defend the innocent.  They’ve skillfully rescued women and children from armed gang members, and have saved the life of a shooting victim when there wasn’t time for paramedics to arrive.  They’ve carried out a dangerous and deadly sting operation to get drugs off the streets.  They’ve burst into a white-hot building to save paralyzed senior citizens whose beds were engulfed in flames.  They’ve doggedly pursued an 18-year-old cold case until justice was done.  And they’ve investigated last year’s attempted Times Square bombing, successfully extracting a full confession and a wealth of actionable intelligence leading to arrests that have made this country safer.
 
Think about the strong stuff that takes.  Think about the character it takes to refuse to close the books on a case forgotten by all but the victims’ families; the coolness it takes to talk down an armed and hostile criminal; the courage it takes to run into flames or press forward through a hail of bullets when every natural instinct would say, “Stop.  Think about yourself.  Survive.”
 

Watch the President's full remarks here.

In a debate where the participants on all sides are too often portrayed as caricatures, the President sought to break through the stalemate by reminding us all that it is a debate about real people.  Speaking in El Paso, Texas, he talked about the graduates from 181 countries at Miami Dade Community College, who erupted with applause as the American flag came out before the President’s commencement address there recently.  He talked about a Marine who came from Papua New Guinea and deployed to Iraq three times – when asked about becoming an American citizen, he said, “I might as well.  I love this country already.” 

He was also up front about the legitimate frustrations that American citizens, including those who immigrated legally, can feel:

Others avoid immigration laws by overstaying their visas.  Regardless of how they came, the overwhelming majority of these folks are just trying to earn a living and provide for their families.  (Applause.)   But we have to acknowledge they’ve broken the rules.  They’ve cut in front of the line.  And what is also true is that the presence of so many illegal immigrants makes a mockery of all those who are trying to immigrate legally.

President Barack Obama shakes hands with people in the crowd following remarks on immigration reform at Chamizal National Memorial Park in El Paso, Texas, May 10, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Perhaps his central argument for fixing an immigration system that we all know is broken, however, was that it’s an integral part of America winning the future and creating a stronger economy for our kids:

So one way to strengthen the middle class in America is to reform the immigration system so that there is no longer a massive underground economy that exploits a cheap source of labor while depressing wages for everybody else.  I want incomes for middle-class families to rise again.  (Applause.)  I want prosperity in this country to be widely shared.  (Applause.)  I want everybody to be able to reach that American dream.  And that’s why immigration reform is an economic imperative.  It’s an economic imperative.  (Applause.)

And reform will also help to make America more competitive in the global economy.  Today, we provide students from around the world with visas to get engineering and computer science degrees at our top universities.  (Applause.) 

But then our laws discourage them from using those skills to start a business or a new industry here in the United States.  Instead of training entrepreneurs to stay here, we train them to create jobs for our competition.  That makes no sense.  In a global marketplace, we need all the talent we can attract, all the talent we can get to stay here to start businesses -- not just to benefit those individuals, but because their contribution will benefit all Americans. 

Look at Intel, look at Google, look at Yahoo, look at eBay.  All those great American companies, all the jobs they’ve created, everything that has helped us take leadership in the high-tech industry, every one of those was founded by, guess who, an immigrant.  (Applause.)

So we don’t want the next Intel or the next Google to be created in China or India.  We want those companies and jobs to take root here.  (Applause.)  Bill Gates gets this.  He knows a little something about the high-tech industry.  He said, “The United States will find it far more difficult to maintain its competitive edge if it excludes those who are able and willing to help us compete.”

So immigration is not just the right thing to do.  It’s smart for our economy.  It’s smart for our economy.  (Applause.)  And it’s for this reason that businesses all across America are demanding that Washington finally meet its responsibilities to solve the immigration problem.  Everybody recognizes the system is broken.  The question is, will we finally summon the political will to do something about it?  And that’s why we’re here at the border today. 

The President also spoke about another piece of legislation that has been stalled in the stalemate over all things immigration-related -- the DREAM Act:  

And we should stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents.  (Applause.)  We should stop denying them the chance to earn an education or serve in the military.  And that’s why we need to pass the DREAM Act.  (Applause.)  Now, we passed the DREAM Act through the House last year when Democrats were in control.  But even though it received a majority of votes in the Senate, it was blocked when several Republicans who had previously supported the DREAM Act voted no.

That was a tremendous disappointment to get so close and then see politics get in the way.  And as I gave that commencement at Miami Dade, it broke my heart knowing that a number of those promising, bright students -- young people who worked so hard and who speak about what’s best in America -- are at risk of facing the agony of deportation.  These are kids who grew up in this country.  They love this country.  They know no other place to call home.  The idea that we’d punish them is cruel.  It makes no sense.  We’re a better nation than that.  (Applause.) 

So we’re going to keep fighting for the DREAM Act. We’re going to keep up the fight for reform.  (Applause.)  And that’s where you come in.  I’m going to do my part to lead a constructive and civil debate on these issues.  And we’ve already had a series of meetings about this at the White House in recent weeks.  We’ve got leaders here and around the country helping to move the debate forward. 

But this change ultimately has to be driven by you, the American people.  You’ve got to help push for comprehensive reform, and you’ve got to identify what steps we can take right now -- like the DREAM Act, like visa reform -- areas where we can find common ground among Democrats and Republicans and begin to fix what’s broken.

Again turning to the real people affected by this issue, he told the story of José Hernández, who went from picking cucumbers and strawberries with his parents as a child to flying 100 miles above the surface of the Earth on the shuttle Discovery:

Think about that, El Paso.  That’s the American Dream right there.  (Applause.)  That's what we’re fighting for.  We are fighting for every boy and every girl like José with a dream and potential that's just waiting to be tapped.  We are fighting to unlock that promise, and all that holds not just for their futures, but for America’s future.  That's why we’re going to get this done.  And that's why I’m going to need your help.

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Check out an infographic below on the President's approach to gas prices, or download the full size version.

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President Barack Obama delivers remarks to troops at Fort Campbell, Ky., May 6, 2011. Vice President Joe Biden stands at left. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

It was an emotional week, from the relief of the President's announcement that Osama bin Laden was dead to the somber rememberance of the victims in New York City.  It ended on a note of gratitude, as the President and Vice President went to Fort Campbell, Kentucky to welcome troops home from a deployment in Afghanistan after a private meeting honoring the military and intelligence professionals involved in the operation against bin Laden.

The Vice President:

I know many of you have just gotten home in the past few weeks -- so welcome home.  And I know from experience that your families want more than anything to spend time with you.  And so, every time I show up at a welcome home ceremony, I’m always worried about getting in the way.  Because I remember when my son came back home from Iraq after a year, there were all these ceremonies.  And I kept saying, hell, man, stop, I want to see my kid.  (Laughter.)

So, anyway, I get it.  So let me just say how much gratitude the President and I have, and all Americans do, for you all.  You guys have been in the fight from the beginning.  And the risk you’ve taken, the incredible sacrifices you’ve made, the comrades you’ve lost, the losses you’ve personally endured -- you’ve been in some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world.

I’ve been there a number of times, back up those damn mountains.  I’d get a helicopter to go down 9,800 feet, and all I got on is a vest -- a bulletproof vest and a helmet and I’m out of breath climbing up about 40 clicks -- 40 feet.  And you guys are up there, 60 to 80-pound packs running around.  God, you’re amazing.  You just are amazing.  I’m in awe of the job you do, in awe of the job you do.  (Applause.)

As I said back in February, I want to also thank your families.  They made sacrifices as well, those intangible sacrifices -- those missed births and those missed birthdays, those missed graduations, those missed -- an occasional funeral. Perhaps more than anything else, just being missed, just not having you home.

The President:

They’re America’s “quiet professionals” -- because success demands secrecy.  But I will say this.  Like all of you, they could have chosen a life of ease.  But like you, they volunteered.  They chose to serve in a time of war, knowing they could be sent into harm’s way.  They trained for years.  They’re battle-hardened.  They practiced tirelessly for this mission.  And when I gave the order, they were ready.

Now, in recent days, the whole world has learned just how ready they were.  These Americans deserve credit for one of the greatest intelligence military operations in our nation’s history.  But so does every person who wears America’s uniform, the finest military the world has ever known.  (Applause.)  And that includes all of you men and women of 101st.  (Applause.)

You have been on the frontlines of this fight for nearly 10 years.  You were there in those early days, driving the Taliban from power, pushing al Qaeda out of its safe havens.  Over time, as the insurgency grew, you went back for, in some cases, a second time, a third time, a fourth time.

When the decision was made to go into Iraq, you were there, too, making the longest air assault in history, defeating a vicious insurgency, ultimately giving Iraqis the chance to secure their democracy.  And you’ve been at the forefront of our new strategy in Afghanistan.

Sending you -- more of you -- into harm’s way is the toughest decision that I’ve made as Commander-in-Chief.  I don’t make it lightly.  Every time I visit Walter Reed, every time I visit Bethesda, I’m reminded of the wages of war.  But I made that decision because I know that this mission was vital to the security of the nation that we all love.

The jobs numbers this morning gave a positive sign on the first question, with another 268,000 private sector jobs in April bringing the total to more than 2 million over the past 14 months.  The answers to the other two questions can be seen in part in factories like the one the President visited today in Indiana -- Allison Transmission.  It’s a business that is creating jobs making transmissions for hybrid vehicles after a boost from a matching grant out of the President’s clean energy investments.

President Barack Obama examines a part held by Mike Clements during a tour of Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, Ind., May 6, 2011. Plant manager Mike Clements stands at right. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

As the President put it, “This is where the jobs of the future are at”:

This is the kind of company that will make sure that America remains the most prosperous nation in the world.  See, other countries understand this.  We’re in a competition all around the world, and other countries -- Germany, China, South Korea -- they know that clean energy technology is what is going to help spur job creation and economic growth for years to come.

And that's why we’ve got to make sure that we win that competition.  I don't want the new breakthrough technologies and the new manufacturing taking place in China and India.  I want all those new jobs right here in Indiana, right here in the United States of America, with American workers, American know-how, American ingenuity.  (Applause.)

He added that this is also how we’re going to get gas prices under control: 

But if we can transition to new technologies, that's what’s going to make a difference over the long term.  That's how we’re going to meet the goal that I’ve set of reducing the amount of oil that we import by one-third by the middle of the next decade.  We can hit that target.  We can hit that target. 

Now, in the short term, we still need to do everything we can to encourage safe and responsible oil production here at home.  In fact, last year, American oil production reached its highest level since 2003.  So I want everybody to remember that if people ask -- because sometimes I get letters from constituencies saying, why aren’t we just drilling more here?  We’re actually producing more oil here than ever.  But the challenge is we’ve only got about 2 to 3 percent of the world’s oil reserves and we use 25 percent of the world’s oil.  So we can’t just drill our way out of the problem. 

If we’re serious about meeting our energy challenge we’re going to have to do more than drill.  And that’s why the real solution is clean, homegrown energy.  The real solution is advanced biofuels -- and there’s a lot of good biofuel work being done here in Indiana.  It means that we’ve got to have natural gas vehicles.  We’ve got a lot of natural gas that can be produced here in the United States of America.  It means making our cars and trucks more energy-efficient, because if we use less oil, that reduces demand; that brings the price down; and you will see the impact at the pump.  That’s what’s going to make a difference and that’s why what you’re doing here is so important.

We put together a graphic to help summarize the President’s approach – check it out below, or download it, print it, send it to your family, or hang it on your wall to add a splash of color:

Download Full Size.

In New York City this afternoon, there was a profound mix of old grief and perhaps some new closure just a few days after the death of somebody responsible for such immense suffering in that city.   The President didn’t speak as he laid a wreath at the National September 11th Memorial. And he kept it private when he met with 9/11 family members afterwards.  But speaking separately to police officers from the city and firefighters at the "Pride of Midtown" Firehouse, Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9 -- which lost 15 firefighters at the World Trade Center on 9/11 -- the President had messages for all of America.

To the firefighters:

This is a symbolic site of the extraordinary sacrifice that was made on that terrible day almost 10 years ago.  Obviously we can't bring back your friends that were lost, and I know that each and every one of you not only grieve for them, but have also over the last 10 years dealt with their family, their children, trying to give them comfort, trying to give them support.

What happened on Sunday, because of the courage of our military and the outstanding work of our intelligence, sent a message around the world, but also sent a message here back home that when we say we will never forget, we mean what we say; that our commitment to making sure that justice is done is something that transcended politics, transcended party; it didn’t matter which administration was in, it didn’t matter who was in charge, we were going to make sure that the perpetrators of that horrible act -- that they received justice.

So it’s some comfort, I hope, to all of you to know that when those guys took those extraordinary risks going into Pakistan, that they were doing it in part because of the sacrifices that were made in the States.  They were doing it in the name of your brothers that were lost.

To the police:

And so since that time I know a lot of you have probably comforted loved ones of those who were lost.  A lot of you have probably looked after kids who grew up without a parent.  And a lot of you continue to do extraordinary -- extraordinarily courageous acts without a lot of fanfare.  What we did on Sunday was directly connected to what you do every single day.  And I know I speak for the military teams, the intelligence teams that helped get bin Laden in saying that we know the sacrifices and courage that you show as well, and that you are part of the team that helped us achieve our goal, but also help us keep our citizens safe each and every day.

So I couldn't be prouder of all of you.  I couldn't be more grateful to you.  And I hope that you know that the country will continue to stand behind you going forward, because there are still going to be threats out there and you're still going to be called on to take courageous actions and to remain vigilant, and you're going to have an entire country behind you when you do it.

Watch video of the Medal of Honor presentation here.

The event to award the Medal of Honor to Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano and Henry Svehla, two heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Korean War, was long scheduled, but the timing made for a meaningful coincidence on a day when America is beaming with pride over those who serve today.

The President began his remarks on that note:

I think we can all agree this is a good day for America.  Our country has kept its commitment to see that justice is done. The world is safer; it is a better place because of the death of Osama bin Laden. 

Today, we are reminded that, as a nation, there’s nothing we can’t do —- when we put our shoulders to the wheel, when we work together, when we remember the sense of unity that defines us as Americans.  And we’ve seen that spirit -— that patriotism -— in the crowds that have gathered, here outside the White House, at Ground Zero in New York, and across the country -- people holding candles, waving the flag, singing the National Anthem -- people proud to live in the United States of America.

And we’re reminded that we are fortunate to have Americans who dedicate their lives to protecting ours.  They volunteer.  They train.  They endure separation from their families.  They take extraordinary risks so that we can be safe.  They get the job done.  We may not always know their names.  We may not always know their stories.  But they are there, every day, on the front lines of freedom, and we are truly blessed. 

The President read a poem on the enduring legacy of those who serve, and welcomed the families of those being honored today:

Today, we are joined by two American families who six decades ago gave our nation one of their own —- Private First Class Henry Svehla and Private First Class Anthony Kaho’ohanohano.

They did not grow old.  These two soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice when they were just 19 and 21 years old.  Age did not weary them.  In the hearts of their families, they remain forever young —- loving sons, protective brothers, hometown kids who stood tall in America’s hometown -- in America’s uniform.

Today, we remember them.  And we honor them with the highest military decoration that our nation can bestow -- the Medal of Honor.  In so doing we also honor their families, who remind us that it is our extraordinary military families who also bear the heavy burden of war. 

It would be well worth your while to read the entire transcript to learn the full stories of these two men’s sacrifices, but here are brief excerpts of the President’s retellings.

On Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano:

With the enemy advancing, with his men outnumbered, Tony made a decision.  He ordered his squad to fall back and seek cover.  And then Tony did something else.  He stayed behind.  Machine gun in hand, he laid down fire so his men could get to safety.  He was one American soldier, alone, against an approaching army.  When Tony was wounded in the shoulder, he fought on.  He threw grenade after grenade.  When his weapon ran out of ammunition, he grabbed another.  And when he ran out of ammo, he reached for the only thing left -- a shovel.  That’s when the enemy overran his position.  And in those final moments, the combat was hand to hand.  

President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Honor posthumously to Private First Class Anthony T. Kaho'ohanohano, U.S. Army, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, May 2, 2011. Pfc. Kaho'ohanohano's nephew George Kago'ohanohano accepted the medal for the family. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

On Henry Svehla:

And as Henry and his company neared the top of one hill, the rocky slopes seemed to explode with enemy fire.  His unit started to falter, and that’s when Henry made his move.  He stood up.  He looked ahead.  And he charged forward into a hail of bullets.  Those who were there describe how he kept firing his weapon, kept hurling grenades, and how -- even after being wounded in the face -- he refused medical attention and kept leading the charge.  That’s when an enemy grenade landed among his men.  Every human instinct, every impulse, would tell a person to turn away. But at that critical moment, Henry Svehla did the opposite.  He threw himself on that grenade.  And with his sacrifice, he saved the lives of his fellow soldiers.

President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Honor posthumously to Private First Class Henry Svehla, U.S. Army, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, May 2, 2011. Pfc. Svehla's sister, Dorothy Mathews, accept the medal for the family. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Read the Transcript | Download Video (mp4) | Download Audio (mp3)

That’s why President Obama supports responsible stem cell research and it’s why we’re pleased with a court decision that paves the way for stem cell research to continue.  Earlier today, a court ruled that a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s ability to support stem cell research was unlikely to succeed and allowed federally supported stem cell research to continue.

The ruling was a victory for scientists and the patients who will benefit from their work. And the ruling will help ensure our nation remains at the forefront of scientific and medical research and innovation.  As President Obama said tonight to the students of Miami Dade College at their commencement , “America will only be as strong as our pursuit of scientific research and our leadership in technology and innovation.”

Stem cell research has the potential to cure diseases that have touched virtually every American family. We’re committed to realizing this potential and supporting responsible research that could develop new treatments, improve public health and deliver relief to patients in America and around the world. 

UPDATE: This event has now concluded.