Weekly Address: President Obama's Overseas Trip Focused on Better Relations with Asia and Creating Jobs at Home

WASHINGTON – In this week’s address, President Barack Obama described the progress made during his trip to Asia, and detailed steps the administration is taking to spur job creation.  The President explained how increasing exports to Asia Pacific nations can create hundreds of thousands of jobs in America and described the upcoming jobs forum which will host CEOs, labor unions, economists, and nonprofits.

The full audio of the address is HERE. The video can be viewed online at www.whitehouse.gov.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, November 21, 2009

Hi.  I’m recording this message from Seoul, South Korea, as I finish up my first presidential trip to Asia.  As we emerge from the worst recession in generations, there is nothing more important than to do everything we can to get our economy moving again and put Americans back to work, and I will go anywhere to pursue that goal. 

That’s one of the main reasons I took this trip.  Asia is a region where we now buy more goods and do more trade with than any other place in the world – commerce that supports millions of jobs back home.  It’s also a place where the risk of a nuclear arms race threatens our security, and where extremists plan attacks on America’s soil.  And since this region includes some of the fastest-growing nations, there can be no solution to the challenge of climate change without the cooperation of the Asia Pacific.

With this in mind, I traveled to Asia to open a new era of American engagement.  We made progress with China and Russia in sending a unified message to Iran and North Korea that they must live up to their international obligations and either forsake nuclear weapons or face the consequences.  As the two largest consumers and producers of energy, we developed a host of new clean energy initiatives with China, and our two nations agreed to work toward a successful outcome at the upcoming climate summit in Copenhagen – an outcome that leads to immediate action to reduce carbon pollution.  And I spoke to young men and women at a town hall in Shanghai and across the internet about certain values that we in America believe are universal:  the freedom of worship and speech; the right to access information and choose one’s own leaders. 

But above all, I spoke with leaders in every nation I visited about what we can do to sustain this economic recovery and bring back jobs and prosperity for our people – a task I will continue to focus on relentlessly in the weeks and months ahead. 

This recession has taught us that we can’t return to a situation where America’s economic growth is fueled by consumers who take on more and more debt.  In order to keep growing, we need to spend less, save more, and get our federal deficit under control.  We also need to place a greater emphasis on exports that we can build, produce, and sell to other nations – exports that can help create new jobs at home and raise living standards throughout the world. 

For example, if we can increase our exports to Asia Pacific nations by just 5%, we can increase the number of American jobs supported by these exports by hundreds of thousands.  This is already happening with businesses like American Superconductor Corporation, an energy technology startup based in Massachusetts that’s been providing wind power and smart grid systems to countries like China, Korea, and India.  By doing so, it’s added more than 100 jobs over the last few years. 

Increasing our exports is one way to create new jobs and new prosperity.  But as we emerge from a recession that has left millions without work, we have an obligation to consider every additional, responsible step we can take to encourage and accelerate job creation in this country. That’s why I’ve announced that in the next few weeks, we’ll be holding a forum at the White House on jobs and economic growth. I want to hear from CEOs and small business owners, economists and financial experts, as well as representatives from labor unions and nonprofit groups, about what they think we can do to spur hiring and get this economy moving again.

It is important that we do not make any ill-considered decisions – even with the best of intentions – particularly at a time when our resources are so limited.  But it is just as important that we are open to any demonstrably good idea to supplement the steps we’ve already taken to put America back to work.  That’s what I hope to achieve in this forum.  

Still, there is no forum or policy that can bring all the jobs we’ve lost overnight.  I wish there were, because so many Americans – friends, neighbors, family members – are desperately looking for work.  But even though it will take time, I can promise you this:  we are moving in the right direction; that the steps we are taking are helping; and I will not let up until businesses start hiring again, unemployed Americans start working again, and we rebuild this economy stronger and more prosperous than it was before.  That has been the focus of our efforts these past ten months – and it will continue to be our focus in the months and years to come. 

Thanks. 

Recovery Act Reaches 10,000 Transportation Projects Nationwide

Washington, DC – Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the Department of Transportation has jumpstarted more than 10,000 transportation projects across America thanks to its swift allocation of Recovery Act dollars.  As of this week, state agencies reported a total of 10,041 approved

“Just nine months in, tens of thousands of people are on the job at highway, bridge, rail and airport improvement projects across the country thanks to the quick action by the Department of Transportation putting Recovery Act dollars to work,” said Vice President Biden.  “These projects are not only providing new opportunities for hard-hit workers and businesses during tough economic times, but helping lay a strong foundation to support our 21st century economy.  This is a significant milestone on the road to recovery, but we continue to work every day to create more jobs and drive economic growth.”

“From the beginning of the Recovery Act, it has been our top priority to get money out the door quickly to create jobs and boost the economy,” said Secretary LaHood. “In less than ten months, we have spurred construction of 10,000 transportation projects across the country – many of which would have been stalled or shelved altogether without Recovery Act dollars. In addition to being economically crucial, these projects are critical investments in our national infrastructure.”

In the last week, the DOT has approved hundreds of additional transportation projects across the country, topping 10,000 projects. In Florida, a $71.2 million Recovery Act funded project will construct a new four-lane highway to relieve traffic congestion in the Jacksonville area. In Kentucky, a $25.5 million project will reconstruct approximately 5 miles of US 150 through Rockcastle County. A $37.6 million project in Lee County, North Carolina will widen the 1.8 mile Sanford Bypass to ease congestion on one of the state’s most critical highway corridors. In Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, a $22.9 million project will repair and replace pavement along I-81.

To date, the U.S. Department of Transportation has made $48.1 billion available for highway, road, transit, bridge and airport construction and repairs nationwide.  Of that, $30.6 billion already has been obligated to fund 10,041 approved projects in 53 U.S. States and Territories, with 6,547 transportation projects underway.

DOT agencies have been doing their part to make Recovery Act funds available to states as quickly as possible for local shovel-ready transportation projects. The FAA has awarded 99 percent of its funding, $1.2 billion, for 355 airport improvement projects; FHWA has approved $20.2 billion for more than 8,500 road, bridge and highway projects; FTA has awarded $7.4 billion to state and local transit agencies for new vehicles, facility renovations and maintenance; FRA has approved 93 percent of funding available under the Amtrak Capital Grants program; and MARAD has spent 96 million, or 100 percent of its ARRA program funds, for capital improvements to small shipyards. This winter, DOT will also announce $8 billion in grants to launch high speed rail in America, and another $1.5 billion in TIGER Discretionary Grants.

English

THE WHITE HOUSE
Oficina del Secretario de Prensa
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PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA                                                                      6 de noviembre, 2009

 Declaraciones de la Presidenta del Consejo de Asesores Económicos Christina Romer sobre la Situación del Empleo en Octubre

 “El informe de hoy sobre empleo contiene indicios de esperanza para la recuperación y a la vez, dolorosa evidencia de que continúa la vulnerabilidad en el mercado laboral.

El empleo por nómina se redujo en 190,000 en octubre, siguiendo la firme tendencia hacia la moderación de pérdida de empleos que empezó la primavera pasada. Asimismo, la pérdida de empleos en agosto y setiembre, disminuyó considerablemente en la revisión. Algo importante es que los trabajos en servicios temporales, usualmente uno de los primeros sectores en ver mejoras en el empleo, aumentaron en 33,700. La industria automotriz también presentó generación de empleo. Éstos son indicios alentadores de que están funcionando las medidas sin precedente del gobierno para estabilizar la economía y colocarnos camino a la recuperación.

Sin embargo, la tasa de desempleo aumentó cuatro décimas porcentuales y alcanzó el 10.2 por ciento. Que esto ocurriera a pesar del aumento en el PIB real del último trimestre refleja la típica brecha entre la reducción del desempleo y el crecimiento del PIB, además de los excepcionales aumentos en la productividad registrados recientemente. Alcanzar una tasa de desempleo de dos dígitos es un sombrío recordatorio de que nos queda mucho por hacer antes de que las familias estadounidenses experimenten las alzas en el empleo y la reducción en el desempleo que necesitan y merecen”.

Para ver estas declaraciones y el recuadro en el Internet visite : http://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2009/11/06/employment-situation-october

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