The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

October 14, 2014

Letter from the President -- Budget Program Revision for the Commodity Credit Corporation for Fiscal Year 2015

October 14, 2014

Dear Mr. Speaker:

Consistent with section 5 of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714c) and the Government Corporation Control Act (31 U.S.C. Chapter 91), I hereby notify the Congress of a budget program revision for the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. The revisions total up to $300 million and reflect the payments that the United States is making, pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Brazil of October 1, 2014, in connection with termination of the World Trade Organization (WTO) "Cotton dispute" (WT/DS267) brought by Brazil with respect to which the WTO made adverse rulings regarding certain United States cotton programs and export credit guarantees (GSM-102).

For FY 2015, the budget estimates for CCC, as amended by the Mid-Session Review, of $6.074 billion in net outlays would be increased by $300 million, to $6.374 billion.

The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. I concur with the Director's comments and observations.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

October 14, 2014

Readout of Lisa Monaco’s Meeting with New York City Officials

The Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, Lisa Monaco, met at the White House this afternoon with New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton to discuss strengthening federal, state, and local coordination on counterterrorism issues as well as the U.S. government’s response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. On counterterrorism, they reviewed threat streams overseas associated with al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and the Khorasan Group, and discussed measures to take to better protect the U.S. homeland from potential threats posed by these groups as well as homegrown violent extremists. They specifically noted the threat from foreign fighters, including Western passport-holders, and the comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to counter it. On Ebola, they reviewed the status of additional airport screening measures that were implemented at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport on Saturday and that will be rolled out later this week at Newark and other domestic airports. They also reviewed ongoing efforts to prepare hospitals and healthcare workers nationwide, including in New York City, to identify and treat Ebola patients safely and effectively.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

October 14, 2014

FACT SHEET: U.S. Efforts to Assist the Nigerian Government in its Fight against Boko Haram

In April 2014, the world was horrified to learn that the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram had abducted approximately 270 girls from their school in Chibok, Nigeria. In the six months since, some girls have been reunited with their families, but most remain in captivity, and Boko Haram has continued to terrorize the region. This year alone, the group has abducted hundreds of men, women, girls and boys and killed 3,000 people in Nigeria. President Obama has directed that the U.S. government do everything it can to help the Nigerian government find and free the abducted girls and, more broadly, to combat Boko Haram in partnership with Nigeria, its neighbors, and other allies. This support takes many forms but the goal is singular: to dismantle this murderous group.

Advisory Support to the Nigerian Government

The United States is assisting the Nigerian government to undertake more concerted, effective, and responsible actions to ensure the safe return of those kidnapped by Boko Haram, including through on-the-ground technical assistance and expanded intelligence sharing.

Multi-Disciplinary Team

In May, the United States dispatched a multi-disciplinary team to Abuja to advise the Nigerians on how to secure the safe return of those kidnapped, encourage a comprehensive approach to address insecurity, and establish a capacity to respond more effectively in the future. These officials provide guidance to the Nigerian government on conducting a comprehensive response to Boko Haram that protects civilian populations and respects human rights.
The team includes civilian and humanitarian experts, U.S. military personnel, law enforcement advisors and investigators as well experts in hostage negotiations, strategic communications, civilian security, and intelligence. The team continues to facilitate and coordinate information sharing and the provision of assistance for survivors and their families.

Expanded Intelligence Sharing

The U.S. government also has provided the Nigerian government with Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) to aid Nigeria’s efforts to locate the missing girls.

Sanctions Against Boko Haram

In recent years, we have helped isolate Boko Haram’s leaders by leveraging our own authority to designate them as terrorists and by encouraging the United Nations to do so as well.

In June 2012, the State Department designated Boko Haram’s top commanders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. In June 2013, the State Department added Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s official leader, to our Rewards for Justice Program and offered up to $7 million for information leading to his capture.
In November 2013, the State Department designated Boko Haram and Ansaru, a splinter faction, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, and as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. This designation empowers U.S. law enforcement and the Treasury Department to pursue these violent extremist organizations.
The United States worked closely with Nigeria to pursue terrorist designations at the UN Security Council for Boko Haram, which were approved and took effect on May 22, 2014. These designations prohibit arms sales, freeze assets, restrict movement, and encourage regional cooperation.

Continued Engagement to Counter Boko Haram

The United States is committed to supporting efforts by Nigeria and its neighbors to combat the threat of Boko Haram more effectively and in a manner that respects human rights through a variety of assistance programs designed to advance regional cooperation, bolster rule of law, and strengthen security institutions.

President Obama announced Nigeria’s participation in the Security Governance Initiative (SGI) during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in August. SGI is a new Presidential initiative in which the United States and Nigeria will work to improve security sector institution capacity to protect civilians and confront challenges and threats, with integrity and accountability. To support a longer term focus, SGI involves multi-year funding commitments of increased U.S. support and requires sustained, high-level leadership and commitment by partner countries to pursue policies in support of the agreed upon goals.
Nigeria is a partner in the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, a U.S. government effort to enhance regional security sector capacity to counter violent extremism, improve country and regional border and customs systems, strengthen financial controls, and build law enforcement and security sector capacity.
The State and Defense Departments are launching a $40 million Global Security Contingency Fund for Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria to counter Boko Haram. The program will provide technical expertise, training, and equipment to the four countries to develop institutional and tactical capabilities to enhance their respective efforts to counter Boko Haram, and to lay the groundwork for increased cross-border cooperation to counter Boko Haram.
We work closely with other international partners, including the United Kingdom, France, and Canada, to enable information-sharing, alignment, and coordination on international strategies and programs to counter such threats in the region.

Support to Populations Affected by Boko Haram

Boko Haram is inflicting untold hardship on the people of Nigeria, with repercussions for men, women, girls, and boys throughout northeast Nigeria. The United States provides assistance to affected populations, including support to health, water, and sanitation services; the delivery of emergency relief supplies; and protection services, including psycho-social support for survivors of Boko Haram violence. The United States further invests in helping Nigeria to build security and increase opportunity in northeast Nigeria, including through education programs for girls and boys; maternal and child health services; and programs to strengthen democracy and governance and counter violent extremism by engaging leaders across society, including women.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provides trauma counselling to survivors and their families, including those directly affected by the Chibok abduction, through a $4.5 million, five-year (2010-15) program. USAID also recently completed its third training for psycho-social support teams based in Borno--the locus of Boko Haram's violence. The role of these social workers, health care providers, and other community members is to sensitize communities to prevent stigma against abductees when they return, and to provide psycho-social first aid to girls and their families.
USAID is starting two new programs that will address critical educational needs for both girls and boys in northern Nigeria. A $20-30 million crisis response program will provide basic education to internally displaced persons and others affected by the violence in the northeast. In addition, a flagship five-year, $120 million program will strengthen education systems so that they can provide greater access and improve reading among primary school children.
In support of the contributions women make to peace and prosperity, USAID is promoting women in leadership and peacemaking through a series of conferences and workshops. Training exercises in Kano and Sokoto states promoted tolerance across ethnic and religious lines through engagement with influential religious, traditional, and women leaders. Women participants came out with a plan to use “naming ceremonies” (common across most Nigerian cultures) to carry out campaigns against hate speech and electoral violence. Interfaith media dialogues discussed how women and other stakeholders can prevent electoral violence in the run up to the February 2015 elections and how women can contribute to Nigeria’s political and economic progress.
USAID is launching the Nigeria Regional Transition Initiative to improve stability and strengthen democratic institutions in northeast Nigeria. The initiative will focus on building the resistance of communities vulnerable to the effects of violent extremist organizations, weak governance, and insecurity through increased positive engagement between government and communities; increased access to credible information; and support to reduce youth vulnerability to violent extremist influences.
The State Department supports efforts to facilitate dialogue between local women activists and security-sector personnel and to highlight the role of female law-enforcement officers. State also supports a Hausa-language multi-media platform which includes a free-to-air satellite TV channel designed to serve northern Nigeria. The channel highlights the rich cultural diversity of northern Nigeria while offering programming with themes that reject political violence and violent extremism. It also includes programming intended to meet the needs of mothers with young children. One show highlights as role models women who have overcome obstacles and now own their own businesses or have obtained higher education. The objective is to show that any girl can grow up to be a strong contributor to her society.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

October 13, 2014

Readout of the President’s Meeting on the Domestic Preparedness and Response to Ebola

The President met this afternoon with members of his public health and national security team to receive an update on the response to the diagnosis of a second Ebola case in Dallas, Texas. The President was briefed on the status of the investigation into the apparent breach in infection control protocols at the Dallas hospital and remedial actions underway to mitigate similar breaches in the future. Secretary Burwell and Dr. Frieden described the surge in personnel and other resources to Dallas to assist in the investigation as well as other measures to heighten awareness and increase training for healthcare workers throughout the country. The President reinforced that this investigation should proceed as expeditiously as possible and that lessons learned should be integrated into future response plans and disseminated to hospitals and healthcare workers nationwide.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

October 13, 2014

Readout of the President’s Call with French President Francois Hollande

President Obama spoke by phone this afternoon with French President Francois Hollande to coordinate actions to contain the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and to discuss to the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). On the Ebola outbreak, the two leaders agreed that more must be done, and quickly, to establish treatment facilities in the affected African nations, and that all countries must play a role to stop the spread of this disease and to save the lives of those afflicted. They also discussed additional measures that may be taken to stem the spread of Ebola outside the region already affected, including passenger screening upon departure and arrival. On ISIL, the President thanked President Hollande for France’s significant contribution to the coalition’s efforts to strike ISIL targets in Iraq and to provide training to the Iraqi Security Forces. The two leaders discussed ongoing efforts to counter ISIL forces in the region and the need for coalition partners to take action to counter the threat from ISIL.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

October 13, 2014

Readout of the President’s Call with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

President Obama spoke this afternoon with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to review the international response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the need for more robust commitments and rapid delivery of assistance by the international community. Citing the threat the epidemic poses, the President stressed the need for all UN member states to support the UN appeal, and to provide the personnel, equipment, and supplies required to stop the epidemic at its source and halt the devastating impact of this crisis on the affected countries and their citizens. Both leaders agreed that, given the threat posed by Ebola, at this crucial juncture members of the international community must redouble their resolve and commitment to stay the course and decisively address the Ebola crisis.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

October 12, 2014

Readout of the President’s Call with Secretary Burwell

This morning the President was briefed on the diagnosis of a second case of Ebola in Dallas, Texas, by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco. The President later spoke with Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell, who updated him on the response to the diagnosis. The President during the conversation directed that:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) investigation into the apparent breach in infection control protocols at the Dallas hospital move as expeditiously as possible;
The additional officers CDC has dispatched to Dallas work closely with state and local authorities as well as hospital staff to review infection control procedures and the use of personal protective equipment;
Lessons learned from that inquiry are shared quickly and broadly; and,
Federal authorities take immediate additional steps to ensure hospitals and healthcare providers nationwide are prepared to follow protocols should they encounter an Ebola patient.

The President concluded the call by requesting that Secretary Burwell continue to update him on the response.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

October 11, 2014

Remarks by the President at a DNC Event -- San Francisco, CA

W Hotel
San Francisco, California

7:16 P.M. PDT

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, San Francisco! (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. It is good to --

AUDIENCE: Obama! Obama! Obama!

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you so much. All right, that’s it. (Applause.) Enough. It is, as usual, a rowdy San Francisco crowd. (Applause.)

A couple of acknowledgments I want to make. First of all, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee in the house. (Applause.) Congresswoman Barbara Lee in the house. (Applause.) No relation, by the way. (Laughter.) Except they’re both very powerful advocates for the good people of this area. And can we all say a big thanks to Maxwell for performing tonight. (Applause.) He came to perform at the White House --

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT: What are you saying? (Laughter.) Oh, yeah. (Laughter.) He’s a good-looking guy, I understand. He can sing, I know.

It is wonderful to be here. Let me just talk a little bit about the context that we find ourselves in. Now, obviously the news lately has been dominated by what’s taking place overseas. And a lot of the news has been scary to people, and understandably so.

We have ISIL emerging out of the chaos in Syria and Iraq. We have Ebola in West Africa. We have Russian aggression in Ukraine. And what ties these things together is the fact that on each and every one of these issues -- whether it’s mobilizing the world to push back ISIL and go against violent extremism; whether it is responding robustly to help the people of Liberia and Guinea and Sierra Leone, but also the entire world deal with this heartbreaking epidemic; when it comes to mobilizing world opinion and sanctions to blunt Russian aggression against Ukraine -- at the center of it, leading it, is the United States of America. (Applause.)

When problems happen around the world, they call us. And the reason is not just because we have greater capacity, but it’s also because of our values and our vision, and the principles that we abide by, and our willingness to extend ourselves, even when something is not directly affecting us right now. We understand that it’s in our interest over the long term to make sure that we’ve got a world that’s more just and more compassionate and more prosperous, and where children have opportunity.

Now, that kind of leadership depends on us also showing leadership here at home. And the good news is, is that over the last six years we have been able to make real, genuine, documentable progress in the wake of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. (Applause.)

The economy was contracting faster than any time in our lifetimes. We were losing 800,000 jobs a month. And because we had a Democratic Congress that was willing to act, even when it wasn’t politically convenient, cooperating with our White House, we were able to make sure that from 10 percent unemployment we went down now to 5.9. (Applause.) That we were able to create over 10 million jobs over the last 55 months -- the longest stretch of uninterrupted private-sector job growth in our history.

We’ve been able to do it while cutting our deficits by more than half. (Applause.) We’ve been able to do it while also providing over 10 million people health care who didn’t have it before. (Applause.) And making sure, even as we provided more health care to more people, that we also did it smarter so that health care inflation has started to come down, and now individual families and businesses are paying less than they otherwise would have for their health care, and the federal government is saving billions of dollars in the process.

We’ve increased our energy production. We’ve doubled our clean energy production. Solar power increased by 10 times; wind power by three times. Doubled fuel efficiency standards on cars. And as a result, not only are consumers saving money in their pockets, but we’ve also reduced our carbon emissions more than any other advanced nation.

We’ve reduced the dropout rate. We’ve increased college attendance rates. (Applause.) Math scores are up. Reading scores are up. We’re revamping our job training program so that people are able to train for the jobs that are actually out there. We’ve reoriented how we think about the challenge of drugs in our society so that, for the first time in 40 years, we’ve actually been able to reduce the prison population and the crime rate at the same time. (Applause.)

There’s almost no economic measure by which we’re not doing better than we were six years ago. (Applause.) But here’s the challenge: People are still feeling anxious. People are still worried. And the reason is not because the economy is not growing. The reason is not because unemployment has stayed static; it’s gone down. The reason is not because deficits have skyrocketed as some have predicted; we’ve actually brought them to a point where they’re manageable. The reason that people are feeling anxious is because for about 20, 30 years now, the trend has been that gains in the economy go to folks at the very top, and ordinary folks -- the middle class, people working to get into the middle class -- their income and wages have not gone up.

So as I travel across the country, people will say, you know what, yes, my house has recovered some of its value and I’m not as scared about being laid off, but at the end of the month it’s still hard paying the bills, and I’m still worried about saving for retirement, and it’s still hard for me to even figure out how I’m going to help my child go to college. And if you’re a young person right now, you’re worried about student loan debt.

And so as a consequence, even though the economy is getting better and stronger, people don’t always feel it in their own lives. Now, some of these are long-term trends -- globalization, technology. But some of it is that we’re not taking the steps that would grow the economy even faster and give workers a stronger position to be able to get wages that are higher, and incomes that are higher, and more stability and security in their lives.

And the reason we haven’t pursued that policy is not because I haven’t proposed them. It’s not because I haven’t fought for them. It’s because we don’t have a Congress right now that is willing to move to them forward. (Applause.) So we know that if we increased the minimum wage, which hasn’t gone up in seven years, that would help 28 million people. And we know that we should not have a society in which if you work full-time, you’re raising a family in poverty. But that’s what’s going on right now.

We know that if we strengthen our fair pay law so that women are getting paid the same as men for doing the same job -- (applause) -- that that won’t be just good for those families, it will be good for everybody. Because we can’t have half our population suffering from inequalities that don’t make any sense, that are outdated, that belong back in the ‘50s, not in 2014.

We know if we rebuild our infrastructure -- not just our roads and our bridges, but a smart grid to save energy, and a new air traffic control system, and new airports and high-speed rail -- that doesn’t just put folks with hard hats back to work, it benefits the entire economy, with ripple effects that mean more hiring and mean more opportunities.

We know that if we invest in early childhood education, every dollar we invest we get seven dollars back -- because more kids graduate, fewer kids go to jail. (Applause.) We know it pays off in the long term.

And all these ideas historically have not been partisan ideas. And yet, we’ve got a House of Representatives in particular, and a small faction within the other party, that simply says no to every single step that could be taken to help working families.

Q Yes, sir!

THE PRESIDENT: All right, so I got a lot “Amens,” I got a lot of “Yes, sirs” -- (applause) -- but the question now is, what are we going to do about it? I heard, when I mentioned the other party, I heard a few “boos.” And I always say, don’t boo, vote. Vote. (Applause.)

The fact is that our vision is shared by the majority of Americans. The majority of Americans believe in raising the minimum wage. A majority of Americans believe in investing in early childhood education. A majority of Americans think we should rebuild our infrastructure. A majority of Americans think we should be investing in the research and technology and innovation that’s always been the hallmark of the American economy. A majority of Americans believe in equal pay for equal work. So on the issues, the public is on our side.

But there’s a congenital problem that we have as Democrats, and that is, in non-presidential elections, in midterm elections, we don’t vote. We don’t vote. So my main argument today is that it’s nice that you all came here to hear Maxwell -- (laughter) -- or look at Maxwell -- (applause). It’s nice that some of you took a picture with me. I’m glad to do it. But the main thing that I need right now is votes. (Applause.) We’ve got to mobilize, we’ve got to organize. We’ve got to knock on doors. We’ve got to make phone calls. If our people vote, if our -- if young people vote, if women vote, if people of color vote, if people who care about the environment vote, if people who care about LGBT rights vote -- that’s a majority. That’s a majority.

So the issue now is for us to have enjoyed this event, but recognize over the next several weeks we’re going to have to fight harder. We’re going to have to work harder. We’ve got to feel the same sense of urgency as we do during presidential elections. If we do that, then we’re going to keep the Senate Democratic. If we do that, we can make progress in the House. If we do that, issues like immigration reform that we know are going to be good for this nation, we can finally move forward on. (Applause.)

We live in cynical times. And Washington feeds that cynicism. But I always tell people: Cynicism didn’t put a man on the moon. Cynicism never cured a disease. Cynicism never built a business. Cynicism is a choice. Hope is a better choice.

When I started on this journey with many of you, we talked about hope. And my hope has not wavered. My hope is based on all the American people I’ve met around this country during these many years that I’ve been campaigning, and I know the core decency of the American people. They want to do the right thing. They don’t think of themselves as Democrats or Republicans first; they think of themselves as Americans. And they’re hoping for that same kind of leadership in Washington. And if that decency is reflected in organizing and mobilizing and effort and a sense of purpose, then there’s going to be a bright future not just for this generation, but for generations to come.

Thank you, everybody. God bless you. Love you. Let’s get to work. (Applause.)

END 7:31 P.M. PDT

Weekly Address: America Is a Place Where Hard Work Should Be Rewarded

David Hudson

October 11, 2014
06:00 AM EDT

In this week's address, the President made the case for why it's past time to raise the minimum wage. Increasing the national minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would benefit 28 million Americans, and make our economy stronger. While Republicans in Congress have blocked this commonsense proposal, a large and growing coalition of state and local leaders and owners of businesses large and small have answered the President's call and raised wages for their residents and employees.

This progress is important, but there is more that can be done. No American who works full time should have to raise a family in poverty. That's why the President will continue to push Congress to take action and give America its well-deserved raise.

Transcript | mp4 | mp3

Weekly Address: America Is a Place Where Hard Work Should Be Rewarded

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President made the case for why it’s past time to raise the minimum wage. Increasing the national minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would benefit 28 million Americans, and make our economy stronger. While Republicans in Congress have blocked this commonsense proposal, a large and growing coalition of state and local leaders and owners of businesses large and small have answered the President’s call and raised wages for their residents and employees. This progress is important, but there is more that can be done. No American who works full time should have to raise a family in poverty. That’s why the President will continue to push Congress to take action and give America its well-deserved raise.

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, October 11, 2014.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
October 11, 2014

Hi, everybody. For the first time in more than 6 years, the unemployment rate is below 6%. Over the past four and a half years, our businesses have created more than 10 million new jobs. That’s the longest uninterrupted stretch of private sector job creation in our history.

But while our businesses are creating jobs at the fastest pace since the ‘90s, the typical family hasn’t seen a raise since the ‘90s also. Folks are feeling as squeezed as ever. That’s why I’m going to keep pushing policies that will create more jobs faster and raise wages faster – policies like rebuilding our infrastructure, making sure women are paid fairly, and making it easier for young people to pay off their student loans.

But one of the simplest and fastest ways to start helping folks get ahead is by raising the minimum wage.

Ask yourself: could you live on $14,500 a year? That’s what someone working full-time on the minimum wage makes. If they’re raising kids, that’s below the poverty line. And that’s not right. A hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.

Right now, a worker on the federal minimum wage earns $7.25 an hour. It’s time to raise that to $10.10 an hour.

Raising the federal minimum wage to ten dollars and ten cents an hour, or ten-ten, would benefit 28 million American workers. 28 million. And these aren’t just high schoolers on their first job. The average worker who would benefit is 35 years old. Most low-wage workers are women. And that extra money would help them pay the bills and provide for their families. It also means they’ll have more money to spend at local businesses – which grows the economy for everyone.

But Congress hasn’t voted to raise the minimum wage in seven years. Seven years. And when it got a vote earlier this year, Republicans flat-out voted “no.” That’s why, since the first time I asked Congress to give America a raise, 13 states, 21 cities and D.C. have gone around Congress to raise their workers’ wages. Five more states have minimum wage initiatives on the ballot next month. More companies are choosing to raise their workers’ wages. A recent survey shows that a majority of small business owners support a gradual increase to ten-ten an hour, too. And I’ve done what I can on my own by requiring federal contractors to pay their workers at least ten-ten an hour.

On Friday, a coalition of citizens – including business leaders, working moms, labor unions, and more than 65 mayors – told Republicans in Congress to stop blocking a raise for millions of hard-working Americans. Because we believe that in America, nobody who works full-time should ever have to raise a family in poverty. And I’m going to keep up this fight until we win. Because America deserves a raise right now. And America should forever be a place where your hard work is rewarded.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.