Statements and Releases

Tuesday: President Barack Obama to Sign Landmark Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

The United States and the 2009 Summit of the Americas: Securing Our Citizens' Future

New $100 Million Microfinance Growth Fund for the Western Hemisphere

The global credit crisis is having a significant and harmful impact on the availability of finance for micro and small businesses that provide a majority of the jobs in the Hemisphere. This is one of the factors jeopardizing recent hard won gains in reducing poverty. While the region has a wealth of microfinance institutions, these lenders are now confronting a serious shortage of private finance from both international and local sources. As the supply of lending is shrinking, the demand for smaller loans is expanding as job loss escalates and the newly unemployed are falling back on micro and small enterprises as their sole source of income. To address this shortfall, the Treasury Department brought together key U.S. and multilateral institutions to develop a rapid response

Weekly Address: President Obama Discusses Efforts to Reform Spending, Government Waste; Names Chief Performance Officer and Chief Technology Officer

In his weekly address, President Barack Obama announced that Jeffrey Zients, a CEO, management consultant and entrepreneur, will join the administration as the Chief Performance Officer, and that Aneesh Chopra, Virginia’s Secretary of Technology, will serve as the Chief Technology Officer. Zients will also serve as Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget. He will work to streamline processes, cut costs, and find the best practices throughout the government.

President Obama Announces More Key Treasury Appointments

Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key posts at the Department of the Treasury: Herbert M. Allison, Jr., Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability, who will also have the title Counselor to the Secretary and be an advisor on policy matters; and William J. Wilkins, Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service and an Assistant General Counsel in the Department of the Treasury.

Vice President Joe Biden to Deliver Spring 2009 Commencement Addresses

Vice President Joe Biden will serve as commencement speaker at Syracuse University, Wake Forest University, and the United States Air Force Academy this year.

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 4/17/2009

Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals for key administration posts: Christine M. Griffin, Deputy Director of Office of Personnel Management; Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, United States Department of Agriculture; Rajiv Shah, Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, United States Department of Agriculture; Michael Nacht, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Global Strategic Affairs), Department of Defense; Mercedes Márquez, Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, Department of Housing and Urban Development; Raymond M. Jefferson, Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment and Training, Department of Labor; Robert S. Litt, General Counsel, Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and William F. Brinkman, Director of the Office of Science, Department of Energy.

Middle Class Task Force Holds Meeting on College Affordability

Today in St. Louis, Missouri, the Middle Class Task Force is holding a meeting, titled “Making College More Affordable for our Families.”

Briefing Room