The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 27, 2013

Presidential Proclamation -- National Hunting and Fishing Day, 2013

NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY, 2013

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Through hunting and fishing, in traditions handed down from generation to generation, families strengthen their bonds and individuals forge connections with the great outdoors. They rise before dawn to cast a line on a misty stream or wait patiently in a stand as a forest awakes. Parents help toddlers reel in their first catch, and young hunters master the call of a wild turkey. On National Hunting and Fishing Day, we celebrate these longstanding traditions and recommit to preserving the places in which they flourish.

Working across all levels of government and alongside nonprofits, private organizations, and conservation advocates, my Administration launched the America's Great Outdoors Initiative. This program engages Americans at the grassroots level to protect and restore our cherished lands and waters and to help reconnect all Americans, regardless of their age or background, to the outdoors. Anglers and hunters have played an integral role, living up to their legacy as some of our Nation's strongest defenders of wild places.

In addition to its significance as a time-honored tradition, outdoor recreation supports millions of jobs. Hunting and fishing form a large part of this essential industry, bolstering tourism, strengthening America's economy, and funding conservation through fishing licenses or duck stamps.

Today, as we reflect on the value hunting and fishing bring to our lives -- from fortified family bonds to a renewed appreciation for nature -- let us ensure future generations will have the same opportunity to take part in this experience.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 28, 2013, as National Hunting and Fishing Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 27, 2013

Statement by the President

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

3:42 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  Before I discuss the situation in Congress, let me say a few things about two important opportunities in our foreign policy. 
 
Just now, I spoke on the phone with President Rouhani of the Islamic Republic of Iran.  The two of us discussed our ongoing efforts to reach an agreement over Iran’s nuclear program.  I reiterated to President Rouhani what I said in New York -- while there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward, and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution. 
 
I’ve directed Secretary Kerry to continue pursuing this diplomatic effort with the Iranian government.  We had constructive discussions yesterday in New York with our partners -- the European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China -- together with the Iranian Foreign Minister.  Going forward, President Rouhani and I have directed our teams to continue working expeditiously, in cooperation with the P5-plus-1, to pursue an agreement.  And throughout this process, we’ll stay in close touch with our friends and allies in the region, including Israel. 
 
We’re mindful of all the challenges ahead.  The very fact that this was the first communication between an American and Iranian President since 1979 underscores the deep mistrust between our countries, but it also indicates the prospect of moving beyond that difficult history. 
 
I do believe that there is a basis for a resolution.  Iran’s Supreme Leader has issued a fatwa against the development of nuclear weapons.  President Rouhani has indicated that Iran will never develop nuclear weapons.  I have made clear that we respect the right of the Iranian people to access peaceful nuclear energy in the context of Iran meeting its obligations.  So the test will be meaningful, transparent, and verifiable actions, which can also bring relief from the comprehensive international sanctions that are currently in place.  
 
Resolving this issue, obviously, could also serve as a major step forward in a new relationship between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran -- one based on mutual interests and mutual respect.  It would also help facilitate a better relationship between Iran and the international community, as well as others in the region -- one that would help the Iranian people fulfill their extraordinary potential, but also help us to address other concerns that could bring greater peace and stability to the Middle East. 
 
A path to a meaningful agreement will be difficult, and at this point, both sides have significant concerns that will have to be overcome.  But I believe we’ve got a responsibility to pursue diplomacy, and that we have a unique opportunity to make progress with the new leadership in Tehran.  I also communicated to President Rouhani my deep respect for the Iranian people. 
 
As I said before, this comes on the same day that we can accomplish a major diplomatic breakthrough on Syria, as the United Nations Security Council will vote on a resolution that would require the Assad regime to put its chemical weapons under international control so they can ultimately be destroyed.  This binding resolution will ensure that the Assad regime must keep its commitments, or face consequences.  We’ll have to be vigilant about following through, but this could be a significant victory for the international community, and demonstrate how strong diplomacy can allow us to secure our country and pursue a better world.  
 
Now, America’s security and leadership don't just depend on our military strength, or our alliances, or our diplomacy.  First and foremost, America’s strength depends on a strong economy where our middle class is growing and everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead.  So let me say a few words about the situation that’s developed over the past few weeks on Capitol Hill. 
 
Here at home, the United States Congress has two pressing responsibilities:  pass a budget on time, and pay our bills on time.  
 
If Congress chooses not to pass a budget by Monday -- the end of the fiscal year -- they will shut down the government, along with many vital services that the American people depend on.  The good news is, within the past couple of hours, the United States Senate -- Democrats and Republicans -- acted responsibly by voting to keep our government open and delivering the services the American people expect.  Now it’s up to Republicans in the House of Representatives to do the same.  I say that because obviously Democrats have a great interest in making sure that these vital services continue to help the American people.  
 
So far, the Republicans in the House of Representatives have refused to move forward.  And here’s the thing -- unlike the last time they threatened this course of action, this debate isn’t really about deficits.  In fact, our deficits are falling at the fastest pace that they have in 60 years.  By the end of this year, we will have cut our deficits by more than half since I took office.  So that’s not what this is about.  And in fact, if you’ve been following the discussion, the Republicans in the House don't even make a pretense that that’s what this is about.
 
Instead, the House Republicans are so concerned with appeasing the tea party that they’ve threatened a government shutdown or worse unless I gut or repeal the Affordable Care Act. 
 
I said this yesterday; let me repeat it:  That's not going to happen.  More than 100 million Americans currently, already have new benefits and protections under the law.  On Tuesday, about 40 million more Americans will be able to finally buy quality, affordable health care, just like anybody else.  Those marketplaces will be open for business on Tuesday no matter what -- even if there’s a government shutdown.  That’s a done deal.  
 
As I’ve said before, if Republicans have specific ideas on how to genuinely improve the law, rather than gut it, rather than delay it, rather than repeal it, I’m happy to work with them on that through the normal democratic processes.  But that will not happen under the threat of a shutdown.
 
So over the next three days, House Republicans will have to decide whether to join the Senate and keep the government open, or shut it down just because they can’t get their way on an issue that has nothing to do with the deficit. 
 
I realize that a lot of what’s taking place right now is political grandstanding.  But this grandstanding has real effects on real people.  If the government shuts down on Tuesday, military personnel -- including those risking their lives overseas for us right now -- will not get paid on time.  Federal loans for rural communities, small business owners, families buying a home will be frozen.  I’m already starting to get letters from people worried that this will have an impact on them directly.  Critical research into life-saving discoveries will be immediately halted.  
 
The federal government has a large role across the country and touches the lives of millions of people, and those people will be harmed.  And even the threat of a shutdown already is probably having a dampening effect on our economy; we saw that the last time these kinds of shenanigans were happening up on Capitol Hill.
 
So to any Republican in Congress who is currently watching, I’d encourage you to think about who you’re hurting.  There are probably young people in your office right now who came here to work for you, without much pay, because they believed that public service was noble.  You’re preparing to send them home without a paycheck.  You’ve got families with kids back in your districts who serve their country in the federal government, and now they might have to plan how they’re going to get by if you shut the government down.
 
Past shutdowns have disrupted the economy, and this shutdown would as well.  It would throw a wrench into the gears of our economy at a time when those gears have gained some traction.  And that’s why many Republican senators and many Republican governors have urged Republicans to knock it off, pass a budget, and move on.  Let’s get this done.
 
This brings me to Congress’s second responsibility.  Once they vote to keep the government open, they also have to vote within the next couple of weeks to allow the Treasury to pay the bills for the money that Congress has already spent.  I want to repeat:  Raising the debt ceiling is simply authorizing the Treasury to pay for what Congress has already authorized.  
 
Failure to meet this responsibility would be far more dangerous than a government shutdown.  It would effectively be an economic shutdown, with impacts not just here, but around the world.  We don’t fully understand what might happen, the dangers involved, because no Congress has ever actually threatened default.  But we know it would have a profound destabilizing effect on the entire economy -- on the world economy, because America is the bedrock of world investment.  The dollar is the reserve currency.  The debt that is issued by the Treasury is the foundation for our capital markets.  That’s why you don’t fool with it.
 
Now, some Republicans have suggested that unless I agree to an even longer list of demands -- not just gutting the health care law, but cutting taxes for millionaires, or rolling back rules on big banks and polluters, or other pet projects that they’d like to see and they’ve been trying to get passed over the last couple of years -- that they would push the button, throw America into default for the first time in history and risk throwing us back into a recession.
 
Now, I am willing to work with anybody who wants to have a serious conversation about our fiscal future.  I’ve demonstrated that by putting forward serious reforms to tax and entitlement programs that would bring down our long-term deficits.  I have said in the past, and I will continue to say, that I’m willing to make a whole bunch of tough decisions -- ones that may not be entirely welcomed by my own party.
 
But we’re not going to do this under the threat of blowing up the entire economy.  I will not negotiate over Congress’s responsibility to pay the bills that have already been racked up.  Voting for the Treasury to pay America’s bills is not a concession to me.  That’s not doing me a favor.  That’s simply carrying out the solemn responsibilities that come with holding office up there.  I don’t know how I can be more clear about this.  Nobody gets to threaten the full faith and credit of the United States just to extract political concessions.  No one gets to hurt our economy and millions of innocent people just because there are a couple of laws that you do not like.  
 
It has not been done in the past; we’re not going to start doing it now.  I’m not going to start setting a precedent not just for me, but for future Presidents where one chamber in Congress can basically say each time there needs to be a vote to make sure Treasury pays its bills, we’re not going to sign it unless our particular hobbyhorse gets advanced.
 
Imagine if you had a Republican President and a Democratic Speaker, and the Democratic Speaker said, well, we’re not going to pass a debt ceiling unless we raise corporate taxes by 40 percent; or unless we pass background checks on guns; or whatever other list of agenda items Democrats were interested in.  Does anybody actually think that we would be hearing from Republicans that that was acceptable behavior?  
 
That's not how our constitutional system is designed.  We are not going to do it.  The American people have worked too hard to recover from a bunch of crises -- several of them now over the last couple of years inflicted by some of the same folks in Congress that we’re talking about now -- to see extremists in Congress cause another crisis.
 
And keep in mind, by the way, this whole thing has to do with keeping the government open for a few months.  The continuing resolution -- the bill that's designed to avert a government shutdown -- basically just funds the government for another couple months so we could be doing this all over again.  I’m sure the American people are thrilled about that.
 
And that's why we’ve got to break this cycle.  My message to Congress is this:  Do not shut down the government.  Do not shut down the economy.  Pass a budget on time.  Pay our bills on time.  Refocus on the everyday concerns of the American people.  
 
There will be differences between Democrats and Republicans.  We can have all kinds of conversations about how to resolve those differences.  There will be areas where we can work together.  There will be areas where we disagree.  But do not threaten to burn the house down simply because you haven’t gotten 100 percent of your way.  That's not how our democracy is supposed to work. 
 
Every day that this goes on is another day that we’re not focused on doing what we need to be focused on, which is rebuilding this great country of ours so that our middle class is growing and everybody has got opportunity if they're willing to work hard.  That's what I’m focused on.  That's what Congress should be focused on as well.
 
Thank you very much, everybody. 
 
END
3:57 P.M. EDT
 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 27, 2013

U.S.-India Joint Declaration on Defense Cooperation

India-United States defense cooperation and engagement has increased significantly over the past decade, in step with the overall deepening of India-U.S. relations.  We continue to work toward achieving the full vision of expanded defense cooperation set forth in the 2005 New Framework Agreement.

In this context, India and the United States endorse the following general principles for fulfilling this vision:

  • The United States and India share common security interests and place each other at the same level as their closest partners.  This principle will apply with respect to defense technology transfer, trade, research, co-development and co-production for defense articles and services, including the most advanced and sophisticated technology.  They will work to improve licensing processes, and, where applicable, follow expedited license approval processes to facilitate this cooperation.  The United States and India are also committed to protecting each other’s sensitive technology and information.
    

  • 
		The United States continues to fully support India’s full membership in the four international export control regimes, which would further facilitate technology sharing.
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  • 
		The two sides will continue their efforts to strengthen mutual understanding of their respective procurement systems and approval processes, and to address process-related difficulties in defense trade, technology transfer, and collaboration. 
    • 



The two sides look forward to the identification of specific opportunities for cooperative and collaborative projects in advanced defense technologies and systems, within the next year.  Such opportunities will be pursued by both sides in accordance with their national policies and procedures, in a manner that would reflect the full potential of the relationship.


           

    


  

  

      



        

      

        
        
The White House

        
Office of the Press Secretary

        

          

            For Immediate Release          

          

            September 27, 2013          

          

        

      

      
U.S.-India Joint Statement

      

      
The Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and the President of the United States of America Barack Obama met this morning followed by a working luncheon at the White House.  Marking their third bilateral summit, the two Leaders reflected proudly on the transformation of United States-India relations during the last decade, affirming that the partnership between the two democratic nations is stronger today than at any point in its 67-year history.


Rooted in common democratic values and strong people-to-people ties, the United States and India have developed a comprehensive global strategic partnership, both in name and in substance, that has made their citizens safer and more prosperous.


President Obama and Prime Minister Singh pledged to make the next decade equally as transformative, challenging their governments to reach the full potential of this partnership, particularly in the areas of security cooperation, bilateral trade and investment, energy and environment, higher education, and global architecture.


The Leaders called for expanding security cooperation between the United States and India to address 21st century challenges in the areas of counter-terrorism, cyber, space, and global health security. 


Applauding bilateral defense cooperation, including trade and military exercises, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved to date in defense relations.  They emphasized the need for more intensive defense cooperation on both sides.  The Leaders reaffirmed their desire to further strengthen defense trade cooperation, endorsing a Joint Declaration on Defense Cooperation as a means of enhancing their partnership in defense technology transfer, joint research, co-development, and co-production.  President Obama encouraged the further participation of U.S. firms in partnering India’s efforts to enhance its defense capacities.  President Obama also welcomed India’s decision to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise hosted by U.S. Pacific Command in 2014.


Affirming their deep concern over the continuing threat posed by terrorism, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh stressed the need for joint and concerted effort, including dismantling of terrorist safe havens, and disrupting all financial and tactical support for terrorism.  The Leaders decided to significantly expand information sharing and intelligence cooperation to address threats to their respective nations, including strengthening the bilateral relationship to exchange information on known and suspected terrorists.  The Leaders emphasized the importance of expanding homeland security cooperation to enhance exchanges on megacity policing strategies, securing the global supply chain and anti-counterfeiting efforts.  India welcomed the U.S. offer of membership in the U.S. “Global Entry” Trusted Traveler Network Program, to facilitate expedited entry of Indian travelers to the United States.


Noting that two-way trade has increased fivefold since 2001 to nearly $100 billion, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh agreed that there are no insurmountable impediments to bilateral trade increasing an additional fivefold.  President Obama expressed confidence that the ongoing Indian economic reforms and policy measures to liberalize India’s economy would accelerate economic growth, opening greater avenues for trade and creating jobs in both countries.  In this respect, the Leaders recognized in particular the role and contribution of the Indian and U.S. Information Technology (IT) industry and the IT enabled service industry in strengthening India-U.S. trade and investment relations.


The Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to concluding a high-standard Bilateral Investment Treaty that will foster openness to investment, transparency, and predictability, and thereby support economic growth and job creation in both countries.  The Leaders welcomed progress toward increased engagement by experts from both governments, underlining the need for expeditious progress to address all trade and investment policy issues of bilateral concern so as to remove obstacles and improve the business environment in both countries.  In this respect, both sides agreed to consider establishing a Joint Committee on Investment in Manufacturing.


The Leaders also committed their officials to work toward a successful outcome at the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Bali.


The Leaders welcomed the robust cooperation in cutting-edge scientific research and joint collaboration in science, innovation, and entrepreneurship, for the benefit of citizens in both countries.  The United States welcomed the invitation by India for the United States to be Partner Country in India’s Science and Technology Summit in 2014.


President Obama and Prime Minister Singh discussed ways to strengthen bilateral efforts to promote energy efficiency, clean energy, and address climate change.


In the civil nuclear power sector, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh noted that, with government-to-government procedures agreed, commercial negotiations between U.S. companies and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) are proceeding.  They welcomed the announcement that NPCIL and U.S. nuclear company Westinghouse have concluded a Preliminary Contract to develop a nuclear power plant in Gujarat in India.  Building on this, the Leaders urged NPCIL and U.S. companies Westinghouse and General Electric-Hitachi to expedite the necessary work to establish nuclear power plants in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.  Both sides reaffirm their commitment to the full and timely implementation of the India-U.S. Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.


The U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE), launched by the two Leaders in 2009, is expected to pave the way for energy to millions of Indian households.  To expand the availability of clean energy resources to more people, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh endorsed the proposal to launch  Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy (PEACE), a PACE initiative, to rapidly deploy innovative renewable energy solutions to those who currently lack access to energy.


Recognizing that climate change is a defining challenge of our time and that there are mutual benefits to intensifying cooperation, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh announced the establishment of an India-U.S. Climate Change Working Group to develop and advance action-oriented cooperation, as well as to begin an enhanced dialogue focusing on working closely in developing an ambitious climate change agreement for the post-2020 period, and on strengthening bilateral efforts in this regard.


The two leaders agreed to immediately convene the India-U.S. Task Force on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to discuss, inter alia, multilateral approaches that include using the expertise and the institutions of the Montreal Protocol to phase down the consumption and production of HFCs, based on economically viable and technically feasible alternatives, and include HFCs within the scope of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol for accounting and reporting of emissions.


The Leaders are committed to support the full implementation of the agreed outcomes under the UNFCCC with its ongoing negotiations.  They strongly welcomed the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to mobilize political will through 2014 toward the successful adoption of a protocol, another legal instrument, or an agreed outcome with legal force under the convention applicable to all parties by 2015, during COP-21 that France stands ready to host.  They also supported complementary initiatives, through multilateral approaches that include using the expertise and the institutions of the Montreal Protocol to phase down the production and the consumption of HFCs, based on the examination of economically viable and technically feasible alternatives.  They will continue to include HFCs within the scope of UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol for accounting and reporting of emissions.


President Obama and Prime Minister Singh emphasized the dangers that high oil prices can pose to the global economy and the need to increase oil market transparency and emergency response collaboration, through closer coordination and bilateral dialogue. 


President Obama and Prime Minister Singh believe that the United States and India should look to each other as partners of first resort in addressing global challenges. 


The Leaders reflected on the important strategic partnerships the United States and India have formed with Afghanistan, reaffirming their commitment to supporting a smooth security and political transition.  The Leaders recognized that violent extremists continue to pose challenges to Afghanistan’s security and stability and, in this context, emphasized the need for coordinated international support to help build the capacity of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.  They noted that both India and the United States will remain committed to contribute to peace, stability, and development in Afghanistan during the critical transformation decade (2015-2024).


President Obama and Prime Minister Singh strongly condemned the September 26 terrorist attack in Samba in Jammu and Kashmir.  They reiterated their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed their commitment to eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, and disrupting terrorist networks including Al-Qa'ida and the Lashkar-e-Taiba.  The Leaders called for Pakistan to work toward bringing the perpetrators of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice.


In the spirit of their continuing non-proliferation cooperation, the Leaders reviewed the close cooperation of the United States and India to realize India’s intention of joining the multilateral export control regimes.  The President reaffirmed the United States support for India’s early membership in these groups.  Looking ahead to the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, India and the United States also will deepen their cooperation, including through the 2010 Memorandum of Understanding with India’s Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, to strengthen global nuclear security.


The Leaders stressed the need for diplomacy to resolve outstanding issues relating to Iran’s nuclear program, and called on Iran to comply with its IAEA and UN Security Council obligations. 


The two Leaders also deplored the use of chemical weapons in Syria, stressing that the global norm against the use of chemical weapons by anyone and anywhere must be maintained.


Consistent with the U.S. rebalance to Asia and India’s Look East policy, the Leaders expressed a desire to partner more closely with other Asia-Pacific countries, including greater coordination with Japan, China and ASEAN, among others, including through the evolving institutional architecture of the region.  The Leaders share a commitment to support regional multilateral institutions as they continue to develop into effective bodies built on international rules and norms that can address shared challenges.


Noting the contributions of Indian peacekeepers to global peace and stability for 60 years, the Leaders decided to expand their United Nations peacekeeping cooperation, including capacity-building efforts with third countries.  Reaffirming that in the years ahead, the United States looks forward to a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh agreed that both their nations bear a responsibility to ensure that the Security Council continues to effectively play the role in maintaining international peace and security envisioned in the United Nations Charter.


Building on ongoing consultations between India and the United States on East Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia, and the trilateral dialogue mechanisms with Afghanistan and Japan respectively, the Leaders agreed to expand their consultations to include a dialogue on the Indian Ocean Region, to deepen coordination on cross-cutting issues including maritime security and conservation of natural resources.


The Leaders resolved to work together to end extreme poverty, including through expanding efforts to end preventable child deaths through the Child Survival Call to Action.  Fifty years after the launch of India’s own agricultural “Green Revolution,” the Leaders applauded their countries’ work together with African partners Kenya, Malawi, and Liberia to provide capacity building and exchange best practices for food security. 


Looking forward, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh recognized that increased cooperation in these areas will strengthen the United States-India strategic partnership, highlighting shared democratic values and the capabilities the United States and India have to work together across Asia and around the globe.  The two countries have crossed a threshold in their relations where both recognize that successes at home and abroad are further advanced by their cooperation. 


Today’s meeting demonstrates that the interests of the United States and India continue to converge, and this partnership will indeed be a defining one for the 21st century.


           

    


  

  

      



        

      

        
        
The White House

        
Office of the Press Secretary

        

          

            For Immediate Release          

          

            September 27, 2013          

          

        

      

      
Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Singh of India after Bilateral Meeting

      

      
Oval Office


12:40 P.M. EDT


THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I've asked for Prime Minister Singh's indulgence to begin my remarks on the issue of Syria.  As many of you are now aware, yesterday the United States and Russia were able to hammer out an agreement, partnering with the other members of the P5 and the Security Council, around Syria eliminating its chemical weapons and ultimately having them destroyed by the international community. 


This is something that we have long sought.  And the fact that we now have a framework that will be voted on, perhaps as soon as today, perhaps over the weekend or Monday, that would be legally binding, that would be verifiable and enforceable, where there will be consequences for Syria's failure to meet what has been set forth in this resolution, I think is a potentially huge victory for the international community. 


Realistically, it's doubtful that we would have arrived at this point had it not been for a credible threat of U.S. action in the aftermath of the horrific tragedy that took place on August 21st, where chemical weapons killed over 1,000 people, including more than 400 children.  But I've always expressed a preference for resolving this diplomatically, and I appreciate all our international partners in working very hard over the past several days to make sure that we could arrive at a resolution that not only deters and prevents additional chemical use, but actually goes beyond what could have been accomplished through any military action, and that is the removal of chemical weapons -- one of the largest stockpiles in the world -- from Syria so that they can actually be destroyed.


I think it's also worth noting that in the Security Council resolution there is an explicit endorsement of the Geneva I process to try to deal with the underlying conflict in Syria and the need for a political transition there that can bring about peace and allow the millions of people who’ve been displaced and harmed by this conflict to return to their homes and try to rebuild their lives, and to rebuild a country that’s been shattered now by civil war.


So we are very hopeful about the prospects for what can be accomplished, but obviously there is a lot of work to be done.  I think rightly, people have been concerned about whether Syria will follow through on the commitments that have been laid forth and I think there are legitimate concerns as to how technically we are going to be getting those chemical weapons out while there’s still fighting going on, on the ground. 


Nevertheless, this represents potentially a significant step forward and I think indicates what I had hoped for when I spoke at the United Nations just this week -- that we have an international community that is not just gathering to talk but also is able to take concerted action on behalf of enforcing international norms and preserving everybody’s security, including those in the region and obviously the people of Syria themselves.


Now, I also want to say how glad I am to have Prime Minister Singh here today.  He has been a great friend and partner to the United States and to me personally during his tenure as Prime Minister of India.  And I think all of us recognize that as the world’s two largest democracies, countries that have for a very long time been invested in the peace and prosperity of their own people, that there is a natural convergence between the United States and India.  Part of that has to do with the incredible people-to-people ties that exist.  Indian-Americans make extraordinary contributions to the United States every single day -- businessmen, scientists, academics, now Miss America is of Indian-American descent, and I think it’s a signal of how close our countries are. 


And what we’ve been able to do during the time that I’ve been President and certainly preceding me, throughout Prime Minister Singh’s tenure, is to try to make sure that our government-to-government cooperation matches the great affection and affinity that exists between the Indian and American peoples.


We’ve made enormous progress on the issue of civilian nuclear power and, in fact, have been able to achieve just in the last few days an agreement on the first commercial agreement between a U.S. company and India on civilian nuclear power. 


We have a wide-ranging security cooperation in battling terrorism, and something that Prime Minister Singh obviously is deeply concerned about, given the impact of terrorism on India.  All of us remember the horrible events that took place in Mumbai, but as recently as the last few days, India continues to suffer from terrorist attacks.  And our hearts go out to the families that have been impacted.


We have enormous commercial ties between our two countries. And, in fact, bilateral trade between our two countries has gone up by 50 percent just over the last several years, indicating the degree of progress that has been made.  And India, as a significant not just regional power but world power, has worked closely with us on a whole range of issues from climate change to how we can help feed the world, alleviate poverty, and deal with disease.


We also had an opportunity to discuss the tensions that continue to exist in the subcontinent.  We both have a shared interest in making sure that Afghanistan continues on its path to a peaceful, democratic country, and both share an interest in making sure that we help Afghans stand up for the rights of all groups inside of Afghanistan, that the rights of women and minority groups are protected, and that the upcoming election happens in a way that maintains and continues to strengthen stability in that troubled country.


And we had a chance to discuss Pakistan and our shared interest in seeing a peaceful reduction of tensions on the subcontinent, and we want to very much thank Prime Minister Singh for what has been a consistent interest in improving cooperation between India and Pakistan.


So, across the board, Prime Minister Singh has been an outstanding partner.  India continues to grow at an amazing rate, but as Prime Minister Singh indicates, obviously there are a lot of people in India that are still trapped in poverty.  His primary priority has been to alleviate that poverty and give all the people of India opportunity.  And we want to make sure that we’re strong partners in helping him to realize that vision, because we believe that if there’s a strong India that that’s good for the world and it’s ultimately good for the United States of America.


So, Mr. Prime Minister, welcome.  And thank you so much for all your efforts to continue to strengthen ties between our two countries.


PRIME MINISTER SINGH:  Mr. President, there is very little that I can add to your eloquent statement.  I’ve always believed that India and America are indispensable partners.  And during the time that I have been Prime Minister, and particularly during the time that President Obama and I have worked together, I think President Obama has made an outstanding contribution to strengthening, widening and deepening of our cooperation in diverse fields. 


When I came to America in 2005, in addressing the United States Congress, I said there are partnerships based on principles and partnerships based on pragmatism.  And I then said that in the case of Indo-American cooperation, both principles of our commitment to democracy, shared values, rule of law, and pragmatism both combine to make us strong, durable partners.  And I’m very happy to say that in the last five years that I have worked together with President Obama that process has strengthened in every possible way. 


India and America are working together to give our cooperation a new sense of purpose, widening and deepening in diverse directions.  We are cooperating in expanding the frontiers of trade, investment and technology.  Our bilateral trade today is $100 billion.  American investments in India are $80 billion.  And they are growing despite the slowdown in the global economy.


And outside the area of trade, technology and investment, we are exploring avenues of cooperation in new areas -- new areas like energy cooperation, clean coal technologies, energy-efficient technologies, cooperation in the field of environment, cooperation in the field of defense and security-related, cooperation with regard to intelligence gathering and counterterrorism.  In all these areas, India needs the United States to be standing by our side.  And I am very pleased to note that President Obama has imparted a powerful impetus to that process of our two countries being on the same page.


The President briefed me about his initiatives both with regard to Syria and with regard to Iran, and I complimented him for his vision, for his courage in giving diplomacy yet another chance.  India fully supports these initiatives because 6 million Indians live in West Asia and the Middle East.  They earn their livelihood there, which is an important part of sustaining our values of freedom.  Therefore, anything that contributes to peace and stability in the Middle East, in Iran, in Syria, is something which is in the interest of the global economy; it is certainly in the interest of people in the region in which I and India is placed.


We also discussed our relations and our approach to dealing with Afghanistan and Pakistan.  I explained to President Obama the difficulties that we face given the fact that the epicenter of terror still remains focused in Pakistan.  And I look forward to meeting with President Nawaz Sharif, even though the expectations have to be toned down given the terror arm which is still active in our subcontinent. 


Overall, I have come here to thank President Obama for all that he has done to strengthen, to widen and deepen cooperation between our two countries.  I explained to the President that India is a poor country.  Our basic task is to improve the standard of living of our people, to get rid of mass poverty, ignorance and disease, which still afflict millions and millions of our people.  And in that struggle, we want America to stand by our side.  And in the President, the United States has a leader who realizes and recognizes the contribution that a resurgent India can make not only to fighting poverty, but also to global peace and prosperity.


PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you so much. 


END

	12:53 P.M. EDT


           

    


  

  

    





  

          


  

    

      
West Wing Week 09/27/13 or, "42 44"

      

        
                        September 27, 2013                  

        
                   |  Public Domain        
      

      

        
Welcome to this week's West Wing Week, this week we take you from Pennsylvania Ave to the heartland of America, to the Rocky Mountains, to the Big Apple and south of the boarder for a packed week of travel with the President and Vice President.

      

      

      
Download mp4 (221MB) 

            

              
        




 
    



  

  

    


    

    

      

        
West Wing Week 09/27/13 or, "42 44"

        

          

            Adam Garber

            Adam Garber
September 27, 2013 
 12:00 AM EDT
          

                      

              
              
              

            

                  

        


          
Welcome to this week's West Wing Week. This week we take you from Pennsylvania Ave. to the heartland of America, from the Rocky Mountains, to the Big Apple and south of the border for a packed week of travel with the President and Vice President.


 




            
          
          
                      
Related Topics: Pennsylvania

          
          

                            

      

          


    



  

  

      



        

      

        
        
The White House

        
Office of the Press Secretary

        

          

            For Immediate Release          

          

            September 26, 2013          

          

        

      

      
Statement by the Press Secretary on the UK Announcement Regarding the Next NATO Summit

      

      
The United States welcomes the announcement by British Prime Minister Cameron, endorsed by NATO allies, that the United Kingdom will host the 2014 NATO Summit, when NATO Leaders will meet collectively for the first time since the President hosted the Chicago Summit in May 2012.  As the President and NATO Secretary General Rasmussen discussed in May, the 2014 NATO Summit will be an opportunity to recognize the contributions of the International Security Assistance Force coalition since 2003 and review progress of Afghan forces as they assume responsibility for security across Afghanistan.  The 2014 NATO Summit will also reinforce the importance of strengthening NATO and allied capabilities to address today’s security challenges and continue to enhance NATO’s partnerships across the globe.  Additionally, Leaders will review implementation of the NATO Strategic Concept, which was agreed by the President and allied Leaders during the 2010 Lisbon Summit, and pursue NATO’s further transformation to ensure it builds the capabilities required to address future challenges.


As the President has said, for more than 60 years, NATO has proven itself as the most successful alliance in history.  The President looks forward to discussing the many security challenges we share with our NATO allies and partners next year in the United Kingdom.


           

    


  

  

    





  

          


  

    

      
President Obama Speaks on the Affordable Care Act

      

        
                        September 26, 2013                  

                   | 51:30        
                   |  Public Domain        
      

      

        
President Obama says that he worked to pass the Affordable Care Act because in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one should go broke just because they get sick. Thanks to the new law, millions of Americans who don't have health insurance will finally be able to buy quality, affordable health insurance starting October 1.

      

      

      
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Read the Transcript

            

              
        




 
      

      
Remarks by the President on the Affordable Care Act

      
Prince George’s Community College

	Largo, Maryland


10:50 A.M. EDT


THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Maryland!  (Applause.)  Hello, PGCC! (Applause.)  It’s good to be back in PG County.  (Applause.)   


Give it up for one of the hardest-working, most effective  governors in the country, Governor Martin O’Malley.  (Applause.)


Well, it is great to be with all of you here today --


AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you!


THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  It’s wonderful being here. (Applause.) 


We also have a few folks who work so hard on behalf of the people of Maryland every single day:  Senator Ben Cardin is here. (Applause.)  Congressman Steny Hoyer is here.  (Applause.)  And Congresswoman Donna Edwards is here.  (Applause.)  


And all of you are here.  (Applause.)  Sometimes you just need to escape Beltway politics for a little bit -- even if you're just a mile or two outside the Beltway.  


Now, I know that a lot of you have seen some of the antics going on in Congress right now.  (Laughter.)  So I wanted to take a little bit of time today to speak with you -- the people who send us to serve -- about something that is critical to our families, critical to our businesses, critical to our economy.  And that is the reforms that we are making to our health care system.


There’s been a lot of things said, a lot of misinformation, a lot of confusion.  But there are few things more fundamental to the economic security of the middle class and everybody who’s trying to get into the middle class than health care. 


For a long time, America was the only advanced economy in the world where health care was not a right, but a privilege.  We spent more, we got less.  We left tens of millions of Americans without the security of health insurance.  By the time the financial crisis hit, most folks’ premiums had more than doubled in about a decade.  About one in 10 Americans who got their health care through their employer lost that coverage.  So the health care system was not working.  And the rising costs of health care burdened businesses and became the biggest driver of our long-term deficits. 


But this has always been about more than just statistics.  Everywhere I went as I ran for President back in 2007, 2008, everyplace I've gone as President, I would hear stories from folks just like you of insurers that denied a child coverage because he had a preexisting condition like asthma; of cancer survivors that had to choose between their home or their health care; of small businesses who wanted to do the right thing by their employees but had seen their insurance premiums go up so high that they just couldn't do it anymore. 


And these stories were personal for me, because I remember my mother worrying about how she was going to deal with her finances when she got very sick.  I remember the fear Michelle and I felt when Sasha was a few months old and she got meningitis.  And we raced to the hospital and they had to give her a spinal tap.  And we didn’t know what was wrong and we were terrified, never felt so scared or helpless in all of my life.  But we were fortunate enough to have good health insurance. 


And I remember looking around that emergency room and thinking -- what about the parents who aren’t that lucky?  What about the parents who get hit with a bill of $20,000 or $30,000 and they’ve got no idea how to pay for it?  What about those parents whose kids have a chronic illness like asthma and have to keep on going back to the emergency room because they don't have a regular doctor, and the bills never stop coming?  Who is going to stand up for them?


In the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one should go broke just because they get sick.  (Applause.)  


In the United States of America, health care is not a privilege for the fortunate few -- it is a right.  And I knew that if we didn’t do something about our unfair and inefficient health care system, it would keep driving up our deficits, it would keep burdening our businesses, it would keep hurting our families, and it would keep holding back economic growth.


That's why we took on a broken health care system.  That's why, with the help of folks like Steny and Ben and Donna, we got it through Congress.  That’s why we’ve been implementing it.  That’s why we are going to see it through.  The Affordable Care Act is here.  (Applause.)


I don’t have to tell you it was a challenge to get it done. (Laughter.)  A lot of special interests who liked the system just the way it was fought us tooth and nail.  Then Republicans decided it was good politics to fight it, even though the plan we proposed drew on a lot of Republican ideas. 


But despite all the obstacles, the Affordable Care Act passed both houses of Congress.  I signed it into law.  (Applause.)  The Supreme Court ruled it constitutional.  (Applause.)  Republicans in Congress have now voted more than 40 times to undermine or repeal it.  Their candidate for president ran on a platform to repeal it.  And at every step, they’ve been unsuccessful.  (Applause.)


Now, five days from now -- five days from now -- on October 1st, millions of Americans who don’t have health insurance because they’ve been priced out of the market or because they’ve been denied access because of a preexisting condition, they will finally be able to buy quality, affordable health insurance.  (Applause.)  In five days.  (Applause.) 


Preexisting conditions, whether it’s back pain or allergies that were sticking you with sky-high premiums, those no longer will prevent you from getting affordable coverage that you need. That’s going to happen in five days. 


Now, of course, the closer we’ve gotten to this date, the more irresponsible folks who are opposed to this law have become. Some of the same Republicans who warned three years ago that this law would be “Armageddon” -- that’s what they said -- “Armageddon” -- now they’re threatening steps that actually would badly hurt our entire economy -- not because of the Affordable Care Act but because of what they’re threatening to do. 


Some have threatened a government shutdown if they can’t shut down this law.  Others have actually threatened an economic shutdown by refusing to pay America’s bills if they can’t delay the law.


AUDIENCE:  Booo --


THE PRESIDENT:  That’s not going to happen as long as I’m President.  (Applause.)  The Affordable Care Act is here to stay.  (Applause.) 


And so today, I want to speak plainly, clearly, honestly, about what it means for you and for the people you care about.

	Now, let’s start with the fact that even before the Affordable Care Act fully takes effect, about 85 percent of Americans already have health insurance -– either through their job, or through Medicare, or through the individual market.  So if you’re one of these folks, it’s reasonable that you might worry whether health care reform is going to create changes that are a problem for you -- especially when you’re bombarded with all sorts of fear-mongering. 


So the first thing you need to know is this:  If you already have health care, you don’t have to do anything.  In fact, for the past few years, since I signed the Affordable Care Act, a lot of you have been enjoying new benefits and protections that you didn’t before even if you didn’t know they were coming from Obamacare.  (Applause.)


Let me just give you a few examples.  Because of the Affordable Care Act, more than 100 million Americans have gotten free preventive care like mammograms and contraceptive care with no copays.  (Applause.)  


Because of the Affordable Care Act, 3 million young adults under age 26 have gained coverage by staying on their parents’ plan.  (Applause.)


Because of the Affordable Care Act, millions of seniors on Medicare have saved hundreds of dollars on their prescription medicine.  They’ve been getting their prescription drugs cheaper. (Applause.)


Because of the Affordable Care Act, just this year, 8.5 million families actually got an average of $100 back from their insurance companies because the insurance companies spent too much on things like overhead, and not enough on actual Medicare  -- medical care.  (Applause.)


Because of the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies can no longer put lifetime limits on the care your family needs, or discriminate against children with preexisting conditions.  And starting on January 1st, they won’t be able to charge women more for their insurance just because they're women.  (Applause.)  That's a good thing.


So tens of millions of Americans are already better off because of the benefits and protections provided by the Affordable Care Act.  Like I said, they may not know why that rebate check came in the mail.  (Laughter.)  They may not notice that they're not having to copay for some preventive care that they received.  But they're getting those benefits.  That's already happening.  That's already in place today.  It’s been going on for several years.


Those are the benefits of Obamacare -- the law that Republicans want to repeal.  Although it’s interesting -- when you ask Republicans whether they’d repeal the benefits I just mentioned, when you say to them, well, do you think it’s the right thing to do to let young people stay on their parents’ plans so they can keep insurance, or do you want to prevent seniors from getting more discounts on their prescription drugs, then they’ll say, no, no, no, we like those.  Those things are okay.  (Laughter.)  So they don't like Obamacare in theory, but some of the component parts, at least those that poll well, they don't mind. 


But that's already in place.  Now, here’s the second thing you need to know.  If you’re one of over 40 million Americans who don’t have health insurance –- including hundreds of thousands of folks right here in Maryland –- starting on Tuesday, five days from now, you’ll finally have the same chance to buy quality, affordable health care as everybody else.


AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thanks, Mr. President!  (Applause.)


THE PRESIDENT:  And I want to break this down for you.  I want you to know exactly how it works.  The major reason why people don’t have health insurance is either they don’t have a job, or they do have a job but their employer doesn’t offer health insurance, or they’re self-employed.  If you’ve ever tried to buy health insurance on your own, you know it is really, really expensive.


AUDIENCE:  Yes!


THE PRESIDENT:  It’s even worse if you have a preexisting condition –- and up to half of all Americans have a preexisting condition.  See, the reason it's really expensive if you're buying it on your own is because you're not part of a big group, you're not part of a group plan.  And what groups do is they spread risk between sick and healthy people, between older and younger people.  And groups -- because insurance companies want the business of groups -- that’s a lot of customers -- they'll negotiate a better deal with a group than they will with an individual. 


So if you're on your own, you're out there trying to negotiate with an insurance company, they're looking and they're saying, well, you take it or leave it, I'm going to charge you a whole lot of money.  And if you've got a preexisting condition, they'll say, we don’t even want to insure you because we think you might get sick later on and we don’t really want to pay, we just want to take in premiums. 


So if you're not part of a group, you're either uninsurable, or you need to spend a small fortune on insurance that oftentimes is not very good.  That’s what's happening right now.  The Affordable Care Act was designed to solve that problem.  And here’s how we do it.


Starting on Tuesday, every American can visit HealthCare.gov to find out what’s called the insurance marketplace for your state.  Here in Maryland, I actually think it's called MarylandHealthConnection.gov.  (Applause.)  MarylandHealthConnection.gov.  But if you go to HealthCare.gov, you can look and they'll tell you where to go.  They'll link to your state. 


Now, this is real simple.  It’s a website where you can compare and purchase affordable health insurance plans, side-by-side, the same way you shop for a plane ticket on Kayak -- (laughter) -- same way you shop for a TV on Amazon.  You just go on and you start looking, and here are all the options. 


It’s buying insurance on the private market, but because now you’re part of a big group plan -- everybody in Maryland is all logging in and taking a look at the prices -- you’ve got new choices.  Now you've got new competition, because insurers want your business.  And that means you will have cheaper prices.  (Applause.) 


So you enter in some basic information about yourself, what level of coverage you’re looking for.  After that, you’ll be presented with a list of quality, affordable plans that are available in your area.  It will say clearly what each plan covers, what each plan costs.  The price will be right there.  It will be fully transparent. 


Before this law, only a handful of states required insurance companies to offer you instant price quotes, but because of this law, insurers in all 50 states will have to offer you instant price quotes.  And so if you’ve ever tried to buy insurance on your own, I promise you this is a lot easier.  It's like booking a hotel or a plane ticket. 


And here's another thing about these new plans.  If you’re one of those folks who has a preexisting condition, these plans have to offer you coverage.  They can't use your medical history to charge you more than anybody else.  If you couldn’t afford coverage for your child because he had asthma, he's covered.  If you couldn’t afford coverage because you were told heartburn was a preexisting condition, you're covered.  (Laughter.)  If you’re one of the 45 million Americans with a mental illness, you are covered. 


If you’re a young adult or entrepreneur striking out on your own, you’re covered.  (Applause.)  If you’re a young couple who previously had insurance that didn’t include maternity benefits and now suddenly you need some maternity benefits, you’re covered.  (Applause.)  If you lose your job and your health care with it, you’re covered.  (Applause.)   


So all those things that would deny you coverage in the past, that were the cruelties of a broken health care system, on January 1st, when these plans take effect --


AUDIENCE MEMBER:  October 1st.


THE PRESIDENT:  No, no, no, no -- hold on.  (Laughter.)  Hold on.  I know what I'm talking about.  You sign up starting on Tuesday.  (Laughter.)  The plan will take effect on January 1st. And when these plans take effect, all those things change forever.


Now, what about choice and cost?  In states where the federal government helps run these marketplaces, the average American will have more than 50 different plans to choose from, with different levels of coverage.  And because insurance companies are competing against one another for your business, a lot of Americans will pay significantly less for their insurance than they do now.  Premiums are going to be different in different parts of the country, depending on how much coverage you buy.  But 95 percent of uninsured Americans will see their premiums cost less than was expected.  And many families, including more than two-thirds of all young adults who buy health care through these online marketplaces, are also going to be eligible for tax credits that bring down the cost down even further.  (Applause.)


So let me be specific.  Right here in Maryland, average 25-year-old -- have we got any 25-year-olds here?  (Applause.)  All right, so we've got a few.  Some of you raised your hand -- I'm not sure you're -- (laughter.) 


Here in Maryland, average 25-year-old making $25,000 a year could end up getting covered for as little as $80 a month -- $80 a month.  (Applause.)  Here in Maryland, a family of four making $60,000 a year could get covered for as little as $164 a month. 


It’s the same story across the country.  In Texas, average 27-year-old making $25,000 could get covered for as little as $83 a month.  In Florida, a family of four making $50,000 could get covered for as little as $104 a month. 


And keep in mind the government didn’t set these prices.  The insurance companies -- they proposed these prices because they want to get in with these big groups, with all these new customers.  The insurance companies are saying these marketplaces, this law, will work.  They're putting money on the line because they think it will work.  Competition, choice, transparency -- all these things are keeping costs down. 


Knowing you can offer your family the security of health care -- that’s priceless.  Now you can do it for the cost of your cable bill.  Probably less than your cellphone bill.  (Laughter and applause.)  Think about that.  Good health insurance for the price of your cellphone bill, or less. 


And let’s say you’re a young woman, you just turned -- I’m interested in this, because I got two daughters, right?  Let’s say you just turned 26.  Let’s say you can’t stay on your parents’ plan anymore.  If you buy health care through the marketplace, your plan has to cover free checkups, flu shots, contraceptive care.  So you might end up getting more health care each month than you’re paying for the premiums.


All told, nearly 6 in 10 Americans without health insurance today will be able to get covered for $100 or less.  It would actually be 8 in 10 if every governor were working as hard as Governor O’Malley to make the Affordable Care Act work for their citizens.  (Applause.) 


Unfortunately, we’ve still got a few Republican governors who are so opposed to the very idea of the law -- or at least they’re doing it for politics -- that they haven’t lifted a finger to help cover more people.  Some of them have actually tried to harm the law before it takes effect.


But a lot of Republican governors are putting politics aside and doing the right thing.  (Applause.)  And they deserve congratulations for that.  It wasn’t easy for them.  But you’ve got conservative governors in Ohio, in Michigan, in Pennsylvania and Arizona -- about eight Republican governors in all, they’ve decided to expand Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act to cover more people in their states.  And millions of Americans without insurance will get coverage through these programs.


So that’s what the Affordable Care Act is.  That’s what all the fuss is about.  We’re giving more benefits and protections for folks who already have health insurance, and we created a new market -- basically a big group plan -- for folks without health insurance so that they get a better deal, and then we’re providing tax credits to help folks afford it. 


You would think that would not be so controversial.  (Laughter.)  You would think people would say, okay, let’s go ahead and let’s do this so everybody has health insurance coverage.  The result is more choice, more competition, real health care security. 


And one question people ask:  How is it possible to do all this and keep costs down?  Well, part of what we did was build into the law all sorts of measures to assure that the growth of health care costs would start slowing down.  And it has.  See, under the old system, doctors and hospitals, they were rewarded not for the quality of care, but for the quantity of care.  They’d get paid for the number of procedures they did instead of whether they were working or not.  Now, there are penalties for hospitals with high readmission rates.  And last year, surprisingly enough, for the first time ever, hospital readmission rates for Medicare patients actually fell.  (Applause.)  Right?  That means fewer taxpayer dollars go to providers that don’t serve their patients well. 


Over the past five years, we’ve more than doubled the adoption of electronic health records for physicians.  So that means they can track what’s going on better and make fewer mistakes.  New technology startup companies are coming up with new inventions to monitor patient health, prevent infections.  There’s innovation going on all across the country.  As a consequence, today, Medicare costs per enrollee are rising at the slowest rate in years.  Employer-based health care costs are growing at about one-third the rate of a decade ago. 


All told, since I signed the Affordable Care Act into law, we have seen the slowest growth in health care costs on record.  (Applause.)


So let’s think about this.  If you got health insurance, you’re getting better protections, better benefits.  If you don't have health insurance, you're now getting to be part of a group plan.  And health care costs overall are rising much more slowly than they did before we signed the law.  So far, so good.  So what’s all the fuss about?  What is it that everybody -- what is that these Republicans are just so mad about?


AUDIENCE:  Booo --  


THE PRESIDENT:  No, no, no, look, I want to be honest.  There are parts of the bill that some folks don’t like.  To help pay for the program, the wealthiest Americans –- families who make more than $250,000 a year -– will have to pay a little bit more.  Extremely costly health insurance plans will no longer qualify for unlimited tax breaks.  And most people who can afford health insurance now have to take responsibility to buy health insurance, or pay a penalty.  (Applause.) 


Right?  Now, the reason we do that is, when uninsured people who can afford to get health insurance don’t, and then they get sick or they get hit by a car, and they show up at the emergency room, who do you think pays for that? 


AUDIENCE:  We do. 


THE PRESIDENT:  You do, in the form of higher premiums.  Because the hospitals, they've got to get their money back somehow.  So if they're treating somebody who doesn’t have health insurance, they jack up premiums for everybody who does have health insurance.  It’s like a hidden tax of $1,000 per family every year who has got health insurance.  So we're saying that’s not fair.  If you can afford to get health insurance, don’t dump the costs on us.  The law also requires employers with more than 50 employees to either provide health insurance for your workers or pay a penalty. 


Now, some folks say, well, that’s not fair.  But if you are an employer, you can afford to provide health insurance, you don’t, your employees get sick, they go to the emergency room or they end up on Medicaid because you're not doing what you're doing -- you should be doing -- why is it everybody else should be bearing those costs? 


Now, there are some folks who disagree with me on this.  They say that violates people's liberty, telling them they've got to get health insurance.  Well, I disagree.  So did Congress when it passed this bill into law.  It is unfair for folks to game the system and make the rest of us pay for it.  (Applause.)  It's unfair for responsible employers who are doing the right thing, giving their employees health insurance, to get undercut by some operator that’s not providing health insurance for their employees.  That puts the employer who's doing the right thing at a disadvantage, right? 


So this idea that you've got responsibilities -- everybody  -- that’s what Massachusetts did when they passed their health care plan a few years ago.  And, by the way, today, in Massachusetts, almost everybody is covered and the system works pretty well.  (Applause.) 


All right, let me just wrap up by saying this:  Like any law, like any big product launch, there are going to be some glitches as this thing unfolds.  Folks in different parts of the country will have different experiences.  It's going to be smoother in places like Maryland where governors are working to implement it rather than fight it.  (Applause.)  But somewhere around the country, there's going to be a computer glitch and the website's not working quite the way it's supposed to, or something happens where there's some error made somewhere -- that will happen.  That happens whenever you roll out a new program.  And I guarantee you, the opponents of the law, they'll have their cameras ready to document anything that doesn’t go completely right, and they'll send it to the news folks and they'll say, look at this, this thing is not working.


But most of the stories you'll hear about how Obamacare just can't work is just not based on facts.  Every time they have predicted something not working, it's worked.  (Applause.)  I mean, they said that these rates would come in real high and everybody's premiums would be sky high.  And it turns out, lo and behold, actually, the prices came in lower than we expected -- lower than I predicted.  That’s how well competition and choice work.  (Applause.) 


They said this would be a disaster in terms of jobs.  There's no widespread evidence that the Affordable Care Act is hurting jobs.  One of John McCain's former economic advisors admitted just this week -- and I'm quoting here -- “I was expecting to see it.  I was looking for it," but "it’s not there.”  It’s not there.  (Applause.) 


The reason is reforming health care is going to help the economy over the long term.  Not only will it help lower costs for businesses, not only will it help families, it will free up entrepreneurship in this country.  Because if you’ve got a great idea for your own business but you’ve never tried it because your spouse had a preexisting condition and you didn't want to lose your employer-based coverage, you've got the ability now to get your own coverage.  That's security.  That’s freedom.


So we’re now only five days away from finishing the job.


AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Five days away.


THE PRESIDENT:  Five days.  (Applause.)  Starting on Tuesday, you can sign up.  But you don't have to sign up on Tuesday.  You've got six months to enroll in these new plans.  You can go to the website; you can check it out; you can see if what I'm saying is true.  (Laughter.)  You can sign up next week. You can sign up next month.  You can sign up two months from now, three months from now.  But you can sign up. 


Tell your friends, tell your classmates, tell your family members about the new health care choices.  Talk to folks at your church, in your classroom.  You’re going to a football game, basketball game -- talk to them.  Tell them what the law means. 


And over the next few months, state and local leaders from across the country are going to hold events to help get the word out.  Go out there and join them.  Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is in Texas right now, working with folks on the ground to make sure this law works for Texas families.  All across the country, people are getting ready.  All kinds of people are working hand-in-hand because we’re all in this together -- that’s when America is at its best.  That’s what this country is all about.


But we need you to spread the word.  But you don't have to take my word for it.  If you talk to somebody who says, well, I don't know, I was watching FOX News and they said this was horrible -- (laughter) -- you can say, you know what, don't take my word for it, go on the website.  See for yourself what the prices are.  See for yourself what the choices are.  Then make up your own mind. 


That's all I'm asking.  Make up your own mind.  I promise you, if you go on the website and it turns out you're going to save $100, $200, $300 a month on your insurance, or you'll be able to buy insurance for the first time, even if you didn't vote for me -- (laughter) -- I’ll bet you’ll sign up for that health care plan.  (Applause.)


So you don’t need to listen to the politicians.  You don’t need to listen to me.  Just go check it out for yourself.  Make up your own mind whether this works for you. 


Look, part of the reason I need your help to make this law work is because there are so many people out there working to make it fail.  One of the biggest newspapers in the country recently published an editorial I thought was pretty good.  They said, the Republicans in Congress are poisoning Obamacare, then trying to claim it’s sick.  (Laughter.)  That’s exactly what’s been happening. 


I mean, they have tried to put up every conceivable roadblock.  They cut funding for efforts to educate people about what’s in the law.  Some of them said if their constituents called them, we won’t even try to explain to them what’s in the law.  They actually opened up an investigation into people who try to help churches and charities understand how to help people sign up for the law. 


Some of the tea party’s biggest donors -- some of the wealthiest men in America -- are funding a cynical ad campaign trying to convince young people not to buy health care at all.  I mean, think about it.  These are billionaires several times over. You know they’ve got good health care.


AUDIENCE:  Right!  (Applause.)


THE PRESIDENT:  But they are actually spending money on television, trying to convince young people that if you’ve got the choice between getting affordable health care or going without health care, you should choose not having any health care.  Now, do you think if you get sick or you get hurt, and you get stuck with a massive bill, these same folks, they’re going to help you out? 


AUDIENCE:  No!


THE PRESIDENT:  Are they going to pay for your health care?


AUDIENCE:  No!


THE PRESIDENT:  It is interesting, though, how over the last couple years, the Republican Party has just spun itself up around this issue.  And the fact is the Republicans’ biggest fear at this point is not that the Affordable Care Act will fail.  What they’re worried about is it’s going to succeed.  (Applause.)  I mean, think about it.  If it was as bad as they said it was going to be, then they could just go ahead and let it happen and then everybody would hate it so much, and then everybody would vote to repeal it, and that would be the end of it. 


So what is it that they’re so scared about?


AUDIENCE MEMBER:  You!  (Laughter and applause.) 


THE PRESIDENT:  They have made such a big political issue out of this, trying to scare everybody with lies about “death panels” and “killing granny” -- (laughter) -- right?  “Armageddon.”  So if it actually works, they’ll look pretty bad.  If it actually works, that will mean that everything they were saying really wasn’t true and they were just playing politics. 


AUDIENCE:  That's right!


THE PRESIDENT:  Just the other day, one Republican in Congress said we need to shut this thing down before the marketplaces open and people get to see that they’ll be getting coverage and getting these subsidies because -- and I’m going to quote him here -- he said, “It’s going to prove almost impossible to undo Obamacare.”  (Laughter.)  Right?  So in other words, we’ve got to shut this thing down before people find out that they like it.  (Laughter and applause.)  That’s a strange argument.  Don’t you think that’s a strange argument?


AUDIENCE:  Yes!


THE PRESIDENT:  And the closer we get, the more desperate they get.  I mean, over the last few weeks the rhetoric has just been cranked up to a place I’ve never seen before.  One congressman said that Obamacare is “the most dangerous piece of legislation ever passed.”  (Laughter.)  Ever.  In the history of America, this is the most dangerous piece of legislation.  (Laughter.)  Creating a marketplace so people can buy group insurance plans -- the most dangerous ever.


You had a state representative somewhere say that it’s “as destructive to personal and individual liberty as the Fugitive Slave Act.” 


AUDIENCE:  Booo --


THE PRESIDENT:  Think about that.  Affordable health care is worse than a law that let slave owners get their runaway slaves back.


AUDIENCE:  No!


THE PRESIDENT:  I mean, these are quotes.  I’m not making this stuff up.  And here’s one more that I’ve heard -- I like this one -- we have to -- and I’m quoting here -- “We have to repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens.”  Now, I have to say -- that one was from six months ago -- I just want to point out we still have women -- (laughter) -- we still have children, we still have senior citizens.  (Applause.)


All this would be funny if it wasn’t so crazy.  And a lot of it is just hot air.  A lot of it is just politics.  I understand that.  But now the tea party Republicans have taken it to a whole new level because they’re threatening either to shut down the government, or shut down the entire economy by refusing to let America pay its bills for the first time in history -- unless I agree to gut a law that will help millions of people.


AUDIENCE:  Booo --


THE PRESIDENT:  Think about this.  Shutting down the government just because you don’t like a law that was passed and found constitutional, and because you don’t like the idea of giving people new access to affordable health care -- what kind of idea is that? 


Think about how that would impact Maryland.  This is an area where lots of people would be badly hurt by a government shutdown.  A lot of people around here wake up and go to serve their country every single day in the federal government -- civilians who work at military bases, analysts, scientists, janitors, people who process new veterans’ and survivors’ benefit claims.  They’d all have to stay home and not get paid.  And we all know it would badly damage the economy.


Whatever effect Obamacare might have on the economy is far less than even a few days of government shutdown.  (Applause.)   I mean, even if you believe that Obamacare somehow was going to hurt the economy, it won't hurt the economy as bad as a government shutdown.  And by the way, the evidence is that it’s not going to hurt the economy.  Obamacare is going to help the economy.  And it’s going to help families and help businesses.  (Applause.)


As for not letting America pay its bills, I have to say, no Congress before this one has ever – ever -- in history been irresponsible enough to threaten default, to threaten an economic shutdown, to suggest America not pay its bills, just to try to blackmail a President into giving them some concessions on issues that have nothing to do with a budget. 


I mean, this is the United States of America.  We’re not a deadbeat nation.  We don't run out on our tab.  We don't not pay our note.  We are the world’s bedrock economy, the world’s currency of choice.  The entire world looks to us to make sure that the world economy is stable.  You don't mess with that.  (Applause.)  You don’t mess with that. 


And that's why I will not negotiate on anything when it comes to the full faith and credit of the United States of America.  (Applause.)  


We’re not going to submit to this kind of total irresponsibility.  Congress needs to pay our bills on time.  Congress needs to pass a budget on time.  Congress needs to put an end to governing from crisis to crisis.  (Applause.)  


Our focus as a country should be on creating new jobs and growing our economy, and helping young people learn, and restoring security for hardworking, middle-class families.  (Applause.) 


This is not about the fortunes of any one party.  This is not about politics.  This is about the future of our country.  If Republicans do not like the law, they can go through the regular channels and processes to try to change it.  That's why we have elections.  So they can go through the normal processes and procedures of a democracy, but you do not threaten the full faith and credit of the United States of America.  (Applause.)


And, meanwhile, we're going to keep implementing the law. 


AUDIENCE MEMBER:  It's the law!


THE PRESIDENT:  It's the law.  And like I said, there are going to be some glitches along the way.  Every law has hiccups when it’s first starting off.  People forget, by the way, Medicare Part D -- passed by my predecessor, George Bush, passed by a Republican House of Representatives -- the prescription drug bill passed into law 10 years ago was even more unpopular than the Affordable Care Act before it took into effect.  Everybody was saying what a disaster it was going to be.  The difference was Democrats worked with Republicans to make it work even better.  (Applause.)  Steny remembers this.  Even though Democrats weren't happy that the law wasn’t paid for and was going to add hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit, and we weren't negotiating a better deal with the drug companies, everybody worked -- once it was the law -- to try to make it work.  And today, about 90 percent of seniors like their prescription drug coverage.


So we may not get that same level of cooperation from Republicans right now.  But the good news is I believe eventually they’ll come around.  Because Medicare and Social Security faced the same kind of criticism.  Before Medicare came into law, one Republican warned that “one of these days, you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it once was like in America when men were free.”  That was Ronald Reagan.  And eventually, Ronald Reagan came around to Medicare and thought it was pretty good, and actually helped make it better.


So that’s what's going to happen with the Affordable Care Act.  And once it's working really well, I guarantee you they will not call it Obamacare.  (Laughter and applause.) 


Here is a prediction for you:  A few years from now, when people are using this to get coverage and everybody is feeling pretty good about all the choices and competition that they've got, there are going to be a whole bunch of folks who say, yes, I always thought this provision was excellent.  (Laughter.)  I voted for that thing.  You watch.  (Laughter.)  It will not be called Obamacare.  (Laughter.) 


But I’m always willing to work with anybody from either party.  If you’ve got a serious idea for making the Affordable Care Act better, or making our broader health care system better, I'm happy to work with you -- because that’s what the majority of the American people want.  They don’t want posturing; they want governing.  They don’t want politics; they want us to work together to make the lives of ordinary Americans a little bit better, a little bit more secure.  (Applause.)


So, Maryland, I’m asking for your help.  (Applause.)  I need your help.  (Applause.)  We may have some very well-funded opponents.  We may have some very talkative opponents.  But you're going to be the best, most credible messengers to spread the word about this law and all the benefits that the American people stand to get and have earned. 


So tell your friends, tell your family.  Get covered.  Get on that website.  Answer the questions of folks who don’t know what this is all about.  Point them to HealthCare.gov.  Teach them how to use the website.  Make sure they sign up.  Let's help our fellow Americans get covered.  (Applause.)  


Then let's keep on working to rebuild the middle class.  (Applause.)  Let's go and focus on creating more good-paying jobs.  Let's build more ladders of opportunity for everybody willing to work hard.  (Applause.)  Let's make sure the United States of America keeps being a place where you can make it if you try. 


Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)


END

	11:42 A.M. EDT

      
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The White House

        
Office of the Press Secretary

        

          

            For Immediate Release          

          

            September 26, 2013          

          

        

      

      
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

      

      
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:


    

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		Dana J. Hyde – Chief Executive Officer, Millennium Challenge Corporation
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  • 
		Mark E. Lopes – United States Executive Director, Inter-American Development Bank 
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The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:


    

  • 
		Renée J. James – Member, President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee
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  • 
		Frank F. Islam – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
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  • 
		Amalia Perea Mahoney  – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
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  • 
		Shonda L. Rhimes – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
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		David M. Rubenstein – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
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  • 
		Alexandra C. Stanton – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
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  • 
		Walter F. Ulloa – General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 
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President Obama said, “I am grateful that these impressive individuals have chosen to dedicate their talents to serving the American people at this important time for our country.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”


President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:


Dana J. Hyde, Nominee for Chief Executive Officer, Millennium Challenge Corporation


Dana J. Hyde is the Associate Director for General Government Programs in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a position she has held since 2011.  Previously, Ms. Hyde served as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources at the Department of State from 2009 to 2011.  Ms. Hyde was Counsel on the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission) from 2003 to 2004.  She practiced law as part of the international arbitration group at WilmerHale from 2001 to 2002, and was also an attorney in the Washington office of Zuckerman, Spaeder, LLP from 1998 to 2000.  From 1997 to 1998, Ms. Hyde was Special Assistant to the Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice.  From 1993 to 1995, Ms. Hyde served as a Special Assistant to the President in the Office of Cabinet Affairs at The White House.  From 1989 to 1991, Ms. Hyde was a Legislative Assistant at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).  Ms. Hyde received a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.


Mark E. Lopes, Nominee for United States Executive Director, Inter-American Development Bank


Mark E. Lopes is the Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Latin America and Caribbean Bureau at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a position he has held since 2010.  From 2007 to 2010, Mr. Lopes served as the Senior Policy Advisor for the International Development and Foreign Assistance subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  Prior to this, he served on detail to the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.  From 1999 to 2001, he served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay.  His government service began in 2003 as a Presidential Management Fellow, where he served in a variety of roles at USAID.  Mr. Lopes received a B.M. from Berklee College of Music and an M.P.P. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.


President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:


Renée J. James, Appointee for Member, President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee


Renée J. James is the President of Intel Corporation, a position she has held since May 2013.  Previously, from 2005 to 2013, Ms. James served in various roles at Intel Corporation, including Executive Vice President, Senior Vice President, Vice President, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and General Manager of the Software & Services Group.  From 1998 to 2000, she was Chief Operating Officer of Intel Online Services, Intel's datacenter services business.  Previously, Ms. James served as Assistant General Manager of Intel Online Services and as Technical Assistant to Intel Chairman.  She joined Intel in 1987 as a Product Manager.  Ms. James has been a Director on the Vodafone Group Plc Board of Directors since 2011.  She was an Independent Director on the VMware Inc. Board of Directors from 2007 to 2013 and a Director of Intel Online Solutions Board of Directors from 1998 to 2000.  She received a B.A. and a M.B.A. from the University of Oregon.


Frank F. Islam, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts


Frank F. Islam is CEO of FI Investment Group, LLC, which he founded in 2007.  In 1994, he founded QSS Group, Inc., an information technology company, and served as CEO until 2007.  He is a member of the International Advisory Council of the United States Institute of Peace, the Maryland Governor’s International Advisory Council, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the Brookings Institution.  He is President of the Frank Islam & Debbie Driesman Charitable Foundation and a member of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.  Mr. Islam received a B.S. and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder.


Amalia Perea Mahoney, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts


Amalia Perea Mahoney was the Director of Galeria Amalia Mahoney, an art gallery in Chicago specializing in Latin American Art, from 1995 to 2001.  She is a Steering Committee Member of the Women’s Board at the Goodman Theatre of Chicago and the University of Chicago Women’s Board.  She is President of Friends of the St. Columbanus Food Pantry, and a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Chicago Committee of Human Rights Watch, Arts Club of Chicago, and the Aspen Institute Society of Fellows.  Ms. Mahoney received a B.A. from Loyola University Chicago.


Shonda L. Rhimes, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts


Shonda L. Rhimes is a writer, producer, and the President of Shondaland, a production company she established in 2004.  She is the creator of the television series Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal.  In 2007, she received the Golden Globe for Outstanding Television Drama, the Television Producer of the Year award from the Producers Guild of America, and the Lucy Award for Excellence in Television from Women in Film.  She has received three Emmy nominations and won the Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series from the NAACP from 2007 to 2011 and again in 2013.  Ms. Rhimes received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.


David M. Rubenstein, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts


David M. Rubenstein is Co-CEO of The Carlyle Group, which he co-founded in 1987.  He was first appointed to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2004, reappointed in 2009, and was elected Chairman by the Board in 2010.  From 1977 to 1981, Mr. Rubenstein was Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy at the White House.  He is a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Duke University, and Vice-Chairman of the Boards of the Brookings Institution and the Council on Foreign Relations.  He is President of the Economic Club of Washington, and a member of the Boards of The University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the Institute for Advanced Study.  Mr. Rubenstein received a B.A. from Duke University and a J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School.


Alexandra C. Stanton, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 


Alexandra C. Stanton is CEO of Empire Global Ventures LLC, a position she has held since 2011.  From 2006 to 2008, she was Chief of Staff for the Empire State Development Corporation.  She was a Special Assistant to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1999 to 2000.  Ms. Stanton is Vice President of Doctors of the World USA, Vice-Chair of J Street and Vice President of the Board of the Parrish Art Museum in Watermill, New York.  Ms. Stanton received a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.


Walter F. Ulloa, Appointee for General Trustee, Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts


Walter F. Ulloa is Chairman and CEO of Entravision Communications Corporation, a position he has held since its foundation in 1996.  From 1989 to 1996, he was involved in the development and management of the entities that preceded Entravision.  Mr. Ulloa started his career in 1976 at KMEX-TV in Los Angeles, California.  He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Loyola Marymount University and a member of the Board of Directors of the L.A. Music Center, LA84 Foundation, and La Plaza de la Cultura y Artes.  Mr. Ulloa received a B.S. from the University of Southern California and a J.D. from Loyola Law School.