The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
February 13, 2012

Remarks by the President on the Budget

Northern Virginia dale, Virginia

11:12 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Virginia!  Thank you, NOVA!  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.  Everybody who has a chair please have a seat.  I know not everybody has a chair. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  (Laughter.)  Great to be here.

First of all, I want to thank Mike for the wonderful introduction.  Please give Mike a big round of applause.  (Applause.) 

It is great to be back here at NOVA.  I’ve been here so many times I’m about three credits short of graduation.  (Laughter.)  But there are a couple of reasons that I keep on coming back.  First of all, I think that Dr. Templin and the whole administration here is doing a great job, so I want to give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  The other reason is because Jill Biden keeps talking up how great you are.  And just as I do what Michelle tells me to do, I also do what Jill Biden tells me to do.  (Laughter.) 

In addition, by the way, I just want to acknowledge that we also have our Secretary of Labor here, Hilda Solis, who's doing an outstanding job.  (Applause.)

But the main reason I keep on coming back is I think this institution is an example of what's best about America.  Some of you may have your eye on a four-year college.  Some of you may be trying to learn new skills that could lead to a new job, like Mike, or a job that pays more, gives you more opportunity.  But all of you are here because you believe in yourselves, you believe in your ability, you believe in the future of this country.  And that’s something that inspires me and you guys should take great pride in. 

Now, the truth is, the skills and training you get here will be the best tools you have to achieve the American promise -- the promise that if you work hard, you can do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement. 

And the defining issue of our time is how to keep this promise alive today -- for everybody.  Because we've got a choice:  We can settle for a country where a few people do really, really well, and everybody else struggles to get by.  Or we can restore an economy where everybody gets a fair shot, everybody does their fair share, everybody plays by the same set of rules -- from Washington to Wall Street to Main Street.  That’s the America we believe in.  (Applause.) 

Now, we're still recovering from one of the worst economic crises in three generations.  We've got a long way to go before everybody who wants a good job can find one; before middle-class Americans regain that sense of security that’s been slipping away for too long -- long before the recession hit. 

But over the last 23 months, we’ve added 3.7 million new jobs.  (Applause.)  American manufacturers are creating jobs for the first time since the 1990s.  The economy is growing stronger.  The recovery is speeding up.  And the last thing we can afford to do right now is to go back to the very policies that got us into this mess in the first place.  We can't afford it.  (Applause.)  The last thing we need is for Washington to stand in the way of America's comeback.  (Applause.) 

Now, what does that mean concretely?  For starters, Congress needs to stop taxes from going up on 160 million Americans by the end of this month.  And if they don’t act, that's exactly what will happen.  (Applause.)  Congress needs to pass an extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance without drama, and without delay, and without linking it to some other ideological side issues. 

We've been through this before, remember?  We've seen this movie.  We don't need to see it again.  The time for self-inflicted wounds to our economy has to be over.  Now is the time for action.  Now is the time for all of us to move forward.

But preventing a tax hike on the middle class -- that's only the beginning, that's just starters.  In the State of the Union, I outlined a blueprint for an economy that is built to last -– an economy built on new manufacturing, and new sources of energy, and new skills and education for the American people.

Today, we’re releasing the details of that blueprint in the form of next year’s budget.  And don’t worry, I will not read it to you.  (Laughter.)  It's long and a lot of numbers.  But the main idea in the budget is this:  At a time when our economy is growing and creating jobs at a faster clip, we've got to do everything in our power to keep this recovery on track.

Part of our job is to bring down our deficit.  And if Congress adopts this budget, then along with the cuts that we’ve already made, we’ll be able to reduce our deficit by $4 trillion by the year 2022 -- $4 trillion.  I’m proposing some difficult cuts that, frankly, I wouldn’t normally make if they weren’t absolutely necessary.  But they are.  And the truth is we’re going to have to make some tough choices in order to put this country back on a more sustainable fiscal path.

By reducing our deficit in the long term, what that allows us to do is to invest in the things that will help grow our economy right now.  We can’t cut back on those things that are important for us to grow.  We can't just cut our way into growth. We can cut back on the things that we don’t need, but we also have to make sure that everyone is paying their fair share for the things that we do need. 

We need to restore American manufacturing by ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, giving them to companies that are creating jobs right here in the United States of America.  (Applause.)  That’s something that everybody should agree on. 

We need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by ending the subsidies for oil companies, and doubling down on clean energy that generates jobs and strengthens our security.  (Applause.)

And to make sure our businesses don’t have to move overseas to find skilled workers, we’ve got to invest in places like NOVA, and make sure higher education is affordable for every hardworking American.  (Applause.)

That’s what I want to focus on today -- what we need to do in terms of higher education, and community colleges in particular.  Employers today are looking for the most skilled, educated workers.  I don’t want them to find them in India or China.  I want businesses to find those workers right here, in the United States.  The skills and training that employers are looking for begins with the men and women who educate our children. 

All of us can point to a teacher who’s made a difference in our lives -- and I know I can.  So I want this Congress to give our schools the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best teachers.  And in return, they also need to give schools the flexibility to stop just teaching to the test, and replace teachers who aren’t helping kids learn.  That’s something that we can do.  (Applause.)

So making sure we’ve got the most skilled workers starts early.  It starts with K-12 -- it starts before K-12, making sure every child is prepared.  And when an American of any age wants to pursue any kind of higher education -- whether it’s that high school grad who's just trying to get that first couple years of college education, or somebody like Mike who's in the process of retraining -- whether it’s two years or four years or more, we’ve got to make sure that education is affordable and available to everybody who wants to go.

Now, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling this July.  That's pretty important. (Applause.)  That's in our budget.  We’re saying to Congress, now is not the time to make school more expensive for young people.  And they can act right now to make that change.

They also need to take the tuition tax credit that my administration put in the budget over these last few years -– a tax credit that saves families thousands of dollars on tuition -– and we need to make that permanent.  It shouldn’t be temporary, it should be permanent.  (Applause.)

So between the increases we've provided in Pell grants, these tax credits, keeping interest rates low -- all that is going to help.  And millions of students across the country have benefitted from that.  But students and taxpayers can’t just keep on subsidizing skyrocketing tuition -- we're going to run out of money.  So that’s why I've asked states and colleges to do their part to keep costs down. 

We're putting colleges and universities on notice:  You can't just keep on raising tuition and expect us to keep on coming up with more and more money.  Because tuition inflation has actually gone up even faster than health care.  That’s hard to do.  (Laughter.) 

So what we're saying to states, colleges and universities -- if you can't stop tuition from going up, then funding you get from taxpayers will go down.  Because higher education cannot be a luxury; it is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.  That’s part of the American promise in the 21st century.  (Applause.)

So that’s what we need to do to get more Americans ready for the jobs of the future.  But what about the jobs that are open today?  I talked about this at the State of the Union.  There are millions of jobs open right now, and there are millions of people who are unemployed.  And the question is how do we match up those workers to those jobs?  What about the companies that are looking to hire right now?

I hear from business leaders all the time who want to hire in the United States, but at the moment, they cannot always find workers with the right skills.  Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do those jobs.  Think about that.  At a time when millions of Americans are looking for work, we shouldn't have any job openings out there.  They should all be getting filled up.

Here in America, we’ve got the best workers and some of the fastest-growing companies in the world.  There’s no reason we can’t connect the two.  And places like NOVA are proving that we know how to do it.  This institution proves we know how to do it. (Applause.) 

So let's say you are a single parent, or a returning veteran, or somebody who just wants a shot at a better-paying job.  You’re a hard worker, you’re a fast learner, you’re motivated.  You know there are companies looking to hire.  You just need to figure out how to acquire some of the specific skills, the specialized skills that the companies need, and you need to figure that out as quickly as possible -– hopefully without taking on tons of debt.

Everybody in America should be able to get those skills at a community college like NOVA.  And companies looking to hire should be able to count on these schools to provide them with a steady stream of workers qualified to fill those specific jobs.

That's why Mike was sharing his story.  As Mike mentioned, he worked in the mortgage and real estate industry for 10 years, but when business declined after 9/11, he decided to start over. So he began selling building materials.  Then the bottom fell out of the housing market, so Mike had to start all over again.  He's got a knack for computers.  So he figured he’d try a career in cybersecurity, where there is a lot of hiring -- that is going to be a growth industry. 

Luckily for Mike, NOVA is home to a program called CyberWatch.  So he signed up -- even though he's driving a limo on the side, he's still got to pay the bills.  So he's working while going to school.  But in December, Mike earned two certificates -- and, by the way, finished with a 4.0.  So we're proud of that.  (Applause.)   Now he’s working towards his Associate’s degree.  And when he graduates, Mike will have access to a network of over 40 companies and government agencies to help him find a job.

So we need more stories like Mike’s.  That’s why my administration is helping community colleges redesign training programs, so students can learn the skills that are most in demand in industries like health care sciences and advanced manufacturing.  And that’s why we’re making a national commitment to train 2 million Americans with skills they need to get a job right now, or start their own business right now.  (Applause.)

We’ve lined up more companies that want to help.  We’ve already got model partnerships between major businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places like Charlotte and Orlando and Louisville -- they're already up and running.  We know how they work.  And that's why I’ve asked Dr. Biden Secretary Solis to take a bus tour through several states, including Ohio and Kentucky and North Carolina, to highlight businesses and community colleges that are working together to train workers for careers that are in demand right now.  We've got to make these examples a model for the entire nation.

And we also need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers -- places where folks can learn the skills that local business are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing.  This should be an engine of job growth all across the country, these community colleges, and that’s why we’ve got to support them.  That’s why it’s such a big priority.  (Applause.)

So an economy built to last demands that we keep doing everything we can to help students learn the skills that businesses are looking for.  It means we have to keep strengthening American manufacturing.  It means we’ve got to keep investing in American energy.  We've got to double down on the clean energy that’s creating jobs.  But it also means we've got to renew the American values of fair play and shared responsibility.

The budget that we’re releasing today is a reflection of shared responsibility.  It says that if we’re serious about investing in our future and investing in community colleges, and investing in new energy technology, and investing in basic research, well, we’ve got to pay for it.  And that means we've got to make some choices. 

Right now, we’re scheduled to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was intended to be a temporary tax cut for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.  We’ve already spent about that much.  Now we’re scheduled to spend another trillion.  Keep in mind, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households.  You’ve heard me say it -- Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.  That’s not fair.  It doesn’t make sense at a time when we've got to pull together to get the country moving. 

I don’t need a tax break.  We don’t need to be providing additional tax cuts for folks who are doing really, really, really well.  Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans?  Or do we want to keep investing in everything else -- education, clean energy, a strong military, care for our veterans?  We can't do both -- we can't afford it. 

Some people go around, they say, well, the President is engaging in class warfare.  That’s not class warfare.  That’s common sense.  That’s common sense.  (Applause.)  Asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary when it comes to his tax rate -- that’s just common sense.  Because Warren Buffet is doing fine, I'm doing fine.  We don’t need the tax breaks.  You need them.  (Applause.)  You're the ones who see your wages stall.  You're the one whose costs of everything from college to groceries has gone up.  You're the ones who deserve a break. 

And we don’t begrudge success in America; we aspire to it.  Everybody here -- I want everybody here to go out there and do great.  I want you to make loads of money if you can.  That’s wonderful.  And we expect people to earn it -- study hard, work hard for it.  So we don’t envy the wealthy.  But we do expect everybody to do their fair share, so that everybody has opportunity, not just some. 

And given where our deficit is, it's just a matter of math that folks like me are going to have to do a little bit more.  Because Americans understand if I get a tax break I don’t need and the country can’t afford, then one of two things is going to happen:  Either that means we have to add to our deficit, or it means you've got to pay for it.  It means a senior has got to pay for it, in terms of suddenly their Medicare benefits are costing more.  It means a student suddenly sees their interest rates go up higher at a time when they can't afford it.  It means a family that's struggling to get by is having to do more because I'm doing less. 

That’s not right.  It's not who we are.  Each of us is here only because somebody, somewhere, felt a responsibility to each other and to our country’s future.  That's why they made investments in places like NOVA.

Here in America, the story has never been about what we can do just by ourselves; it’s about what we can do together.  It’s about believing in our future, and the future of our country.  You believe in that future.  That's why you’re working hard. That's why you’re putting in the long hours.  That's why Mike is doing what he's doing.  Some of you are balancing a job at the same time as you're going to school.  You're scrimping and scratching to make sure that you can pay tuition here.  You know that doing big things isn’t easy, but you haven’t given up.

That’s the spirit we've got to have right now.  We don't give up in this country.  We look out for each other.  We pull together.  We work hard.  We reach for new opportunities.  We pull each other up.  That’s who we are.  (Applause.)  And if we work together in common purpose, we will build an economy that lasts, and remind people around the world why America is the greatest country on Earth.

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

END                                                     
11:35 A.M. EST
 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
February 11, 2012

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Extending the Payroll Tax Cut for the Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama urged Congress to quickly pass the payroll tax cut extension to prevent a tax hike on 160 million hardworking Americans who are still recovering from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.  This is not the time for a self-inflicted wound on the recovery or placing an added burden on middle class families, so Democrats and Republicans must pass this commonsense tax cut without drama or delay.  We overcame the same standoff over the payroll tax cut extension in December with the help of the American people, and President Obama once again calls on all Americans to tell their elected leaders to do their jobs, put aside partisanship, and extend this tax cut for the middle class.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
Saturday, February 11, 2012

Hello, everybody.

In recent weeks, we’ve seen signs that our economy is growing stronger and creating jobs at a faster clip.  While numbers and figures will go up and down in the coming months, what cannot waver is our resolve to do everything in our power to keep stoking the fires of the recovery.

And the last thing we should do is let Washington stand in the way.

You see, at the end of the month, taxes are set to go up on 160 million working Americans. If you’re one of them, then you know better than anyone that the last thing you need right now is a tax hike.  But if Congress refuses to act, middle class taxes will go up.  It’s that simple.

Now, if this sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve been here before.  Back in December, Congress faced this exact same predicament.  Ultimately, thanks to your voices, they did the right thing – but only after a great deal of bickering and political posturing that put the strength of our economy and the security of middle class families at risk.  We can’t go through that again.

Congress needs to stop this middle class tax hike from happening.  Period.  No drama.  No delay.  And no ideological side issues that have nothing to do with this tax cut.  Now is not the time for self-inflicted wounds to our recovery.  Now is the time for common-sense action.  And this tax cut is common-sense.  If you’re a family making about $50,000 a year, this tax cut amounts to about $1,000 a year.  That’s about $40 in every paycheck.  I know there are some folks in this town who think $40 isn’t a lot of money.  But to a student or a senior who’s trying to stretch the budget a little bit further?  To a parent who’s filling up the tank and looking at rising gas prices?  To them, $40 can make all the difference in the world.

And so can your voice.  I hope you’ll pick up the phone, send a tweet, write an email, and tell your representative that they should get this done before it gets too late.  Tell them not to play politics again by linking this debate to unrelated issues. Tell them not to manufacture another needless standoff or crisis.  Tell them not to stand in the way of the recovery.  Tell them to just do their job.  That’s what our middle class needs.  That’s what our country needs.

In the wake of the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes, we’re getting things going again.  And we’re going to keep at it until everyone shares in America’s comeback.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

Weekly Address: Extending the Payroll Tax Cut for the Middle Class

Matt Compton
Matt Compton
February 11, 2012
05:30 AM EDT

President Obama urges Congress to extend the payroll tax cut to prevent a tax hike on 160 million hardworking Americans.


 
 Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3

Tell us what $40 means to you and your family. What would you have to go without or give up if Congress doesn’t act?

Related Topics: Economy, Taxes

Weekly Address: Extending the Payroll Tax Cut for the Middle Class

February 11, 2012 | 2:43 | Public Domain

President Obama urges Congress to extend the payroll tax cut to prevent a tax hike on 160 million hardworking Americans.

Download mp4 (96MB) | mp3 (3MB)

Read the Transcript

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Extending the Payroll Tax Cut for the Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama urged Congress to quickly pass the payroll tax cut extension to prevent a tax hike on 160 million hardworking Americans who are still recovering from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.  This is not the time for a self-inflicted wound on the recovery or placing an added burden on middle class families, so Democrats and Republicans must pass this commonsense tax cut without drama or delay.  We overcame the same standoff over the payroll tax cut extension in December with the help of the American people, and President Obama once again calls on all Americans to tell their elected leaders to do their jobs, put aside partisanship, and extend this tax cut for the middle class.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
Saturday, February 11, 2012

Hello, everybody.

In recent weeks, we’ve seen signs that our economy is growing stronger and creating jobs at a faster clip.  While numbers and figures will go up and down in the coming months, what cannot waver is our resolve to do everything in our power to keep stoking the fires of the recovery.

And the last thing we should do is let Washington stand in the way.

You see, at the end of the month, taxes are set to go up on 160 million working Americans. If you’re one of them, then you know better than anyone that the last thing you need right now is a tax hike.  But if Congress refuses to act, middle class taxes will go up.  It’s that simple.

Now, if this sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve been here before.  Back in December, Congress faced this exact same predicament.  Ultimately, thanks to your voices, they did the right thing – but only after a great deal of bickering and political posturing that put the strength of our economy and the security of middle class families at risk.  We can’t go through that again.

Congress needs to stop this middle class tax hike from happening.  Period.  No drama.  No delay.  And no ideological side issues that have nothing to do with this tax cut.  Now is not the time for self-inflicted wounds to our recovery.  Now is the time for common-sense action.  And this tax cut is common-sense.  If you’re a family making about $50,000 a year, this tax cut amounts to about $1,000 a year.  That’s about $40 in every paycheck.  I know there are some folks in this town who think $40 isn’t a lot of money.  But to a student or a senior who’s trying to stretch the budget a little bit further?  To a parent who’s filling up the tank and looking at rising gas prices?  To them, $40 can make all the difference in the world.

And so can your voice.  I hope you’ll pick up the phone, send a tweet, write an email, and tell your representative that they should get this done before it gets too late.  Tell them not to play politics again by linking this debate to unrelated issues. Tell them not to manufacture another needless standoff or crisis.  Tell them not to stand in the way of the recovery.  Tell them to just do their job.  That’s what our middle class needs.  That’s what our country needs.

In the wake of the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes, we’re getting things going again.  And we’re going to keep at it until everyone shares in America’s comeback.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

Close Transcript

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
February 10, 2012

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

  • William P. Doyle – Commissioner, Federal Maritime Commission
  • Richard A. Lidinsky, Jr. – Chairman, Federal Maritime Commission
  • James M. Demers – Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation 
  • Naomi A. Walker – Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
  • Katrina McFarland – Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Department of Defense
  • Kenneth Merten – Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia, Department of State

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

  • David Kotelchuck - Member, Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
  • Loretta R. Valerio – Member, Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
  • Karen L. Jefferson – Member, National Historical Publications and Records Commission
  • Martin C. Faga - Member, Public Interest Declassification Board
  • William H. Leary - Member, Public Interest Declassification Board

President Obama  said, “It gives me great confidence that such dedicated and capable individuals have agreed to join this Administration to serve the American people. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

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

William P. Doyle, Nominee for Commissioner, Federal Maritime Commission  
William P. Doyle is the Chief of Staff at the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA). Since April 2008, he has also served as the Director of Permits, Scheduling , and Compliance at the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects. From 2002 to 2008, Mr. Doyle was the Deputy General Counsel and the Director of Government and Legislative Affairs of MEBA.  Prior to joining MEBA, he served as a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Marine Engineer from 1992 to 2001. Mr. Doyle received his J.D. from the Widener University School of Law and his B.S. in Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Richard A. Lidinsky, Jr., Nominee for Chairman, Federal Maritime Commission
Richard A. Lidinsky, Jr., is the Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), having been appointed by the President in September 2009.  Prior to joining FMC, Mr. Lidinsky worked in the maritime trade industry for nearly 40 years, holding a number of positions in both business and government.  From 1986 to 2006, he worked at the global maritime company Sea Container Ltd., where he established its Washington D.C. office and served as Vice President for Governmental Affairs.   From 1975 to 1986, he served as Director of Tariffs and national Port Affairs at the Maryland Port Administration.  Mr. Lidinsky also served as a member of the Sealift Transportation Committee of the National Defense Transportation Association; as Board Director on the Defense, Transportation and Port Security Committee of the British-American Business Association; and as a High-Level Expert to the U.S. NATO Delegation on the Ports and Intermodal Transportation Committee from 1995-2005.  He received his J.D. from the University of Maryland and his B.A. from the School of Government and Public Administration of American University.

James M. Demers, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
James M. Demers is the President of Demers & Blaisdell, formerly known as The Demers Group, which he founded in 1996.  Previously, he served as Vice President for Government Affairs at The Associates Corporation in Dallas, TX (1991-1996) and Marine Midland Bank in New York, NY (1990-1991). Before that, Mr. Demers worked as a stockbroker at Dean Witter in Portsmouth, NH (1989-1990).  In 2008, the Secretary of State for New Hampshire appointed Mr. Demers to the New Hampshire International Trade Advisory Committee.  He received an M.B.A. from Southern New Hampshire University and a B.A. from the University of Miami.

Naomi A. Walker, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Naomi A. Walker is the Deputy Director of Government Affairs, Director of State Government Relations at American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). In 2009 she served as the Associate Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor and before that, the Director of State Government Affairs at the AFL-CIO.  She also established the National Labor Caucus of State Legislators in 2001. Before joining the AFL-CIO in 1997, Ms. Walker served as the Field Director of the Preamble Center for Public Policy.  From 1993 until 1996, she was the Midwestern Regional Organizer for the Children’s Defense Fund. Ms. Walker received her B.A. in Public Policy Studies from Duke University.

Katrina McFarland, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Department of Defense
Katrina McFarland has served as the President of Defense Acquisition University (DAU) since December 2010.  Before joining DAU, she was the Director for Acquisition for the Missile Defense Agency, from 2006 to 2010.  From 1992 to 2005, she worked for the U.S. Marine Corps System Command, holding several positions including Director of Management and Air Defense Systems.  From 1990 to 1992, Ms. McFarland worked for the Department of National Defense in Ottawa, Ontario, where she carried out Procurement Head of Electronics duties.  She began her career in 1986 as a general engineer at Marine Corps Headquarters.  Ms. McFarland received her B.S. from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada.

Ambassador Kenneth Merten, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia, Department of State
Ambassador Kenneth Merten currently serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Haiti.  Prior to serving as Ambassador in Haiti, he was the Deputy Executive Secretary at the Department of State.  A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ambassador Merten joined the Foreign Service in 1987.  His previous overseas assignments have included Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, Economic Section Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Economic Officer at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bonn, Germany, and Vice Consul in Port-au-Prince.  Ambassador Merten’s Washington assignments have included two tours in the State Department Operations Center, Executive Assistant in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, and Cuba Desk Officer.  Ambassador Merten holds a B.A. from Miami University in Ohio, an M.P.A. from American University, and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Miami University.

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

Dr. David Kotelchuck, Appointee for Member, Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
Dr. David Kotelchuck is Professor Emeritus at Hunter College of the City University of New York.  From 1989 to 2010, Dr. Kotelchuck was Director of the graduate Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences program at Hunter College, and Deputy Director of the New York/New Jersey Education and Research Center. He was also an associate professor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine from 1992 to 2011, a lecturer in physiology and physics at the Harvard School of Public Health from 1979 to 1980, and Assistant Professor of Physics at Vanderbilt University from 1962 until 1967.  In 2008, he received the Alice Hamilton award from the Occupational Health and Safety section of the American Public Health Association.  Dr. Kotelchuck received his B.A. in Physics from Johns Hopkins University, a Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University. and an M.P.H in Occupational Health and Safety from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Loretta R. Valerio, Appointee for Member, Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
Loretta R. Valerio has served as an Ombudsman assisting New Mexico claimants under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) since 2007.  Appointed by Governor Bill Richardson, Ms. Valerio has intervened to expedite and improve the claims adjudication for hundreds of EEOICPA claimants.  Ms. Valerio was appointed to this position after seven years of contractor work as a local caseworker and outreach staff for the U.S. Department of Labor administering EEOICPA.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Valerio was a contractor employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the major Department of Energy nuclear weapons sites, where she was involved in the administration of safety related operations, training and communications at the site.

Karen L. Jefferson, Appointee for Member, National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Karen L. Jefferson is the Records Manager at the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center.  She has over 35 years of experience as an archivist working at Howard University, Duke University, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Ms. Jefferson is an active member and Fellow of the Society of American Archivists and a founding member of the Academy of Certified Archivists.   Ms. Jefferson received a B.A. in History from Howard University and an M.S. in Library Science from Clark Atlanta University.

Martin C. Faga, Appointee for Member, Public Interest Declassification Board
Martin C. Faga was the President and Chief Executive Officer of The MITRE Corporation for six years, retiring in 2006.  Before joining MITRE, Mr. Faga served from 1989 until 1993 as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space.  At the same time, he served as director of the National Reconnaissance Office, responsible to the Secretary of Defense and the Director of Central Intelligence for the development, acquisition, and operation of all U.S. satellite reconnaissance programs.  Mr. Faga has been awarded the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Air Force Exceptional Civilian Service Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.  In 2004, he was awarded the Intelligence Community Seal Medallion.  He was first appointed to the Public Interest Declassification Board in October 2004, and again in January 2009.  He has also served on the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.  Mr. Faga graduated from Lehigh University with a B.S. and an M.S. in electrical engineering.

William H. Leary, Appointee for Member, Public Interest Declassification Board
William H. Leary was Special Adviser to the National Security Advisor and Senior Director for Records and Access Management on the National Security Staff until the beginning of 2011.  In that capacity, he had served as Chair of the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel and Chair of the Records Access and Information Security Interagency Policy Committee.  A strong proponent of governmental transparency, Mr. Leary was one of the primary executive branch officials behind the creation of the Public Interest Declassification Board in 2000 and the development of President Obama’s Executive Order 13526 on Classified National Security Information.  Prior to joining the National Security Council staff, he served as the Deputy Director of the Agency Services Division at the National Archives and Records Administration for five years.  From 1968 until 1973, Mr. Leary taught American history at the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary, and the University of South Alabama.  He received his B.A. in Foreign Affairs and M.A. and A.B.D. in history, all from the University of Virginia.

President Obama Signs Rep. Gabby Giffords' Final Bill

Matt Compton
Matt Compton
February 10, 2012
06:46 PM EDT
Representative Gabrielle Giffords' Final Bill (February 10, 2012)

President Obama signs H.R. 3801, the Ultralight Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act of 2012, in the Oval Office, Feb. 10, 2012. This bill was the last piece of legislation that former Representative Gabrielle Giffords sponsored and voted on in the U.S. House of Representatives. Vice President Joe Biden, former Representative Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly attended the signing ceremony. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today, President Obama signed the last piece of legislation that Congresswoman Gabby Giffords authored before her retirement.

The new law is designed to clamp down on ultralight planes that are used to smuggle drugs into the United States.

In a statement, President Obama said, "I’m confident that while this legislation may have been her last act as a Congresswoman, it will not be her last act of public service."

This final bill from Rep. Giffords passed Congress unanimously.

Related Topics: Arizona Tragedy, Homeland Security

President Obama Speaks at Briefing with The Arc

February 10, 2012 | 4:10 | Public Domain

The President stops by a White House Community Leaders Briefing to speak to 150 of The Arc’s leaders, members, advocates, and staff from across the country. The Arc is one of the largest national community-based organizations advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Download mp4 (40MB) | mp3 (4MB)

President Obama Speaks on Contraception and Religious Institutions

February 10, 2012 | 6:50 | Public Domain

The President announces a new policy that will ensure that women have access to free preventive care, including contraception, no matter where she works. Religious employers will not be required to provide contraception, but insurance companies will be required to directly provide it to all women, free of charge.

Download mp4 (65MB) | mp3 (6MB)

Read the Transcript

Remarks by the President on Preventive Care

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

12:15 P.M. EST

Q    Here we go.

THE PRESIDENT:  Here we go.

Q    Here he is.

THE PRESIDENT:  Here I am.

Q    "Hello, everybody."

THE PRESIDENT:  That was pretty good. 

Q    I've been working on that.

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  (Laughter.)  I was actually going to say good morning.  But I guess it's afternoon by now. 

As part of the health care reform law that I signed last year, all insurance plans are required to cover preventive care at no cost.  That means free check-ups, free mammograms, immunizations and other basic services.  We fought for this because it saves lives and it saves money –- for families, for businesses, for government, for everybody.  That’s because it’s a lot cheaper to prevent an illness than to treat one. 

We also accepted a recommendation from the experts at the Institute of Medicine that when it comes to women, preventive care should include coverage of contraceptive services such as birth control.  In addition to family planning, doctors often prescribe contraception as a way to reduce the risks of ovarian and other cancers, and treat a variety of different ailments.  And we know that the overall cost of health care is lower when women have access to contraceptive services.

Nearly 99 percent of all women have relied on contraception at some point in their lives –- 99 percent.  And yet, more than half of all women between the ages of 18 and 34 have struggled to afford it.  So for all these reasons, we decided to follow the judgment of the nation’s leading medical experts and make sure that free preventive care includes access to free contraceptive care.

Whether you’re a teacher, or a small businesswoman, or a nurse, or a janitor, no woman’s health should depend on who she is or where she works or how much money she makes.  Every woman should be in control of the decisions that affect her own health. Period.  This basic principle is already the law in 28 states across the country. 

Now, as we move to implement this rule, however, we’ve been mindful that there’s another principle at stake here –- and that’s the principle of religious liberty, an inalienable right that is enshrined in our Constitution.  As a citizen and as a Christian, I cherish this right.

In fact, my first job in Chicago was working with Catholic parishes in poor neighborhoods, and my salary was funded by a grant from an arm of the Catholic Church.  And I saw that local churches often did more good for a community than a government program ever could, so I know how important the work that faith-based organizations do and how much impact they can have in their communities. 

I also know that some religious institutions -– particularly those affiliated with the Catholic Church -– have a religious objection to directly providing insurance that covers contraceptive services for their employees.  And that’s why we originally exempted all churches from this requirement -– an exemption, by the way, that eight states didn’t already have. 

And that’s why, from the very beginning of this process, I spoke directly to various Catholic officials, and I promised that before finalizing the rule as it applied to them, we would spend the next year working with institutions like Catholic hospitals and Catholic universities to find an equitable solution that protects religious liberty and ensures that every woman has access to the care that she needs.

Now, after the many genuine concerns that have been raised over the last few weeks, as well as, frankly, the more cynical desire on the part of some to make this into a political football, it became clear that spending months hammering out a solution was not going to be an option, that we needed to move this faster.  So last week, I directed the Department of Health and Human Services to speed up the process that had already been envisioned.  We weren’t going to spend a year doing this; we're going to spend a week or two doing this. 

Today, we've reached a decision on how to move forward.  Under the rule, women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive services -– no matter where they work.  So that core principle remains.  But if a woman’s employer is a charity or a hospital that has a religious objection to providing contraceptive services as part of their health plan, the insurance company -– not the hospital, not the charity -– will be required to reach out and offer the woman contraceptive care free of charge, without co-pays and without hassles. 

The result will be that religious organizations won’t have to pay for these services, and no religious institution will have to provide these services directly.  Let me repeat:  These employers will not have to pay for, or provide, contraceptive services.  But women who work at these institutions will have access to free contraceptive services, just like other women, and they'll no longer have to pay hundreds of dollars a year that could go towards paying the rent or buying groceries. 

Now, I've been confident from the start that we could work out a sensible approach here, just as I promised.  I understand some folks in Washington may want to treat this as another political wedge issue, but it shouldn’t be.  I certainly never saw it that way.  This is an issue where people of goodwill on both sides of the debate have been sorting through some very complicated questions to find a solution that works for everyone. With today’s announcement, we've done that.  Religious liberty will be protected, and a law that requires free preventive care will not discriminate against women.   

We live in a pluralistic society where we're not going to agree on every single issue, or share every belief.  That doesn’t mean that we have to choose between individual liberty and basic fairness for all Americans.  We are unique among nations for having been founded upon both these principles, and our obligation as citizens is to carry them forward.  I have complete faith that we can do that.

Thank you very much, everybody.

Close Transcript

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
February 10, 2012

MONDAY: President Obama to Award 2011 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal

On Monday, February 13, 2012 at 1:45 PM ET, President Obama will award the 2011 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal in the East Room.  The First Lady will also attend.  This event will be open press and will also be live streamed at www.WhiteHouse.gov/Live.

At Monday’s event, the President will deliver remarks and present the awards to the following individuals and organizations:

2011 National Medal of Arts

  • Will Barnet
  • Rita Dove
  • Al Pacino
  • Emily Rauh Pulitzer
  • Martin Puryear
  • Mel Tillis
  • United Service Organization
  • André Watts

2011 National Humanities Medal

  • Kwame Anthony Appiah
  • John Ashbery
  • Robert Darnton
  • Andrew Delbanco
  • National History Day
  • Charles Rosen
  • Teofilo Ruiz
  • Ramón Saldívar
  • Amartya Sen

Note: André Watts is not expected to be in attendance.

Below are the 2011 National Medal of Arts Citations which will be read at the ceremony:

Will Barnet for his contributions as an American painter, printmaker, and teacher.  His nuanced and graceful depictions of family and personal scenes, for which he is best known, are meticulously constructed of flat planes that reveal a lifelong exploration of abstraction, expressionism, and geometry.  For over 80 years, Mr. Barnet has been a constant force in the visual arts world, marrying sophistication and emotion with beauty and form.

Rita Dove for her contributions as an American poet and author.  Ms. Dove creates works that are equal parts beauty, lyricism, critique, and politics.  Ms. Dove has worked to create popular interest in the literary arts, serving as the United States’ youngest Poet Laureate and advocating on behalf of the diversity and vitality of American poetry and literature.

Al Pacino for his contributions as an actor and director to American film and theater.  Mr. Pacino is an enduring and iconic figure, who came of age in one of the most exciting decades of American cinema, the 1970s.  His signature intensity as an actor was originally honed for the stage, under the tutelage of Lee Strasberg, and he has become one of the most outstanding and accomplished American artists.

Emily Rauh Pulitzer for her contributions as a curator, art collector, and philanthropist.  Mrs. Pulitzer has dedicated herself to connecting art and viewers through her generosity in caring for well-established institutions like the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the Harvard Art Museums, and The Museum of Modern Art; as well as having the vision to create a new destination in St. Louis with the founding of The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.

Martin Puryear for his contributions as an American sculptor.  Mr. Puryear transforms mundane and utilitarian materials – wood, stone, and metal – into evocative talismans that quietly and powerfully explore issues of history, culture, and identity.  His unwavering commitment to manual skill and traditional building methods offer a seductive alternative to our increasingly digital world.

Mel Tillis for his contributions to country music.  Mr. Tillis famously overcame a stutter to develop his iconic style, both poetic and down-to-earth.  Having written over 1,000 songs and recorded more than 60 albums, Mr. Tillis brought his unique blend of warmth and humor to the great tradition of country music.  He remains one of the most inventive artists of the golden generation of singer-songwriters.

United Service Organizations for contributions to lifting the spirits of America’s troops and their families through the arts.  Through hundreds of events each year in 160 locations across 27 states and 14 countries, the USO continues the tradition begun by Bob Hope of bringing iconic American artists to entertain the troops who are protecting America’s freedom and culture at home and abroad.

André Watts for his contributions as an American pianist and teacher.  Having debuted with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic at the age of 16, Mr. Watts has been a perennial favorite with the most celebrated orchestras and conductors around the world.  His superb technique and passionate intensity have been the hallmarks of a 45-year career of recitals, broadcasts, and recordings that have broadly shared his interpretations of an extensive repertory from Mozart through Rachmaninoff.

Below are the 2011 National Humanities Medal Citations which will be read at the ceremony:

Kwame Anthony Appiah for seeking eternal truths in the contemporary world. His books and essays within and beyond his academic discipline have shed moral and intellectual light on the individual in an era of globalization and evolving group identities.

John Ashbery for his contributions to American letters. Since his first book was published in 1956, he has been awarded nearly every prize available for poetry, including a Pulitzer Prize and the Grand Prix de Biennales Internationales de Poésie. One of the New York School poets, he has changed how we read poetry and has influenced generations of poets.

Robert Darnton for his determination to make knowledge accessible to everyone. As an author he has illuminated the world of Enlightenment and Revolutionary France, and as a librarian he has endeavored to make his vision for a comprehensive national library of digitized books a reality.

Andrew Delbanco for his insight into the American character, past and present. He has been called “America’s best social critic” for his essays on current issues and higher education. As a professor in American studies, he reveals how classics by Melville and Emerson have shaped our history and contemporary life.

National History Day, a program that inspires in American students a passion for history. Each year more than half a million children from across the country compete in this event, conducting research and producing websites, papers, performances, and documentaries to tell the human story.

Charles Rosen for his rare ability to join artistry to the history of culture and ideas. His writings—about Classical composers and the Romantic tradition—highlight how music evolves and remains a vibrant, living art.

Teofilo Ruiz for his inspired teaching and writing. His erudite studies have deepened our understanding of medieval Spain and Europe, while his long examination of how society has coped with terror has taught important lessons about the dark side of western progress.

Ramón Saldívar for his bold explorations of identity along the border separating the United States and Mexico. Through his studies of Chicano literature and the development of the novel in Europe and America, he beckons us to notice the cultural and literary markings that unite and divide us.

Amartya Sen for his insights into the causes of poverty, famine, and injustice. By applying philosophical thinking to questions of policy, he has changed how standards of living are measured and increased our understanding of how to fight hunger.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
February 10, 2012

Remarks by the President on Preventive Care

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

12:15 P.M. EST

Q    Here we go.

THE PRESIDENT:  Here we go.

Q    Here he is.

THE PRESIDENT:  Here I am.

Q    "Hello, everybody."

THE PRESIDENT:  That was pretty good. 

Q    I've been working on that.

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  (Laughter.)  I was actually going to say good morning.  But I guess it's afternoon by now. 

As part of the health care reform law that I signed last year, all insurance plans are required to cover preventive care at no cost.  That means free check-ups, free mammograms, immunizations and other basic services.  We fought for this because it saves lives and it saves money –- for families, for businesses, for government, for everybody.  That’s because it’s a lot cheaper to prevent an illness than to treat one. 

We also accepted a recommendation from the experts at the Institute of Medicine that when it comes to women, preventive care should include coverage of contraceptive services such as birth control.  In addition to family planning, doctors often prescribe contraception as a way to reduce the risks of ovarian and other cancers, and treat a variety of different ailments.  And we know that the overall cost of health care is lower when women have access to contraceptive services.

Nearly 99 percent of all women have relied on contraception at some point in their lives –- 99 percent.  And yet, more than half of all women between the ages of 18 and 34 have struggled to afford it.  So for all these reasons, we decided to follow the judgment of the nation’s leading medical experts and make sure that free preventive care includes access to free contraceptive care.

Whether you’re a teacher, or a small businesswoman, or a nurse, or a janitor, no woman’s health should depend on who she is or where she works or how much money she makes.  Every woman should be in control of the decisions that affect her own health. Period.  This basic principle is already the law in 28 states across the country. 

Now, as we move to implement this rule, however, we’ve been mindful that there’s another principle at stake here –- and that’s the principle of religious liberty, an inalienable right that is enshrined in our Constitution.  As a citizen and as a Christian, I cherish this right.

In fact, my first job in Chicago was working with Catholic parishes in poor neighborhoods, and my salary was funded by a grant from an arm of the Catholic Church.  And I saw that local churches often did more good for a community than a government program ever could, so I know how important the work that faith-based organizations do and how much impact they can have in their communities. 

I also know that some religious institutions -– particularly those affiliated with the Catholic Church -– have a religious objection to directly providing insurance that covers contraceptive services for their employees.  And that’s why we originally exempted all churches from this requirement -– an exemption, by the way, that eight states didn’t already have. 

And that’s why, from the very beginning of this process, I spoke directly to various Catholic officials, and I promised that before finalizing the rule as it applied to them, we would spend the next year working with institutions like Catholic hospitals and Catholic universities to find an equitable solution that protects religious liberty and ensures that every woman has access to the care that she needs.

Now, after the many genuine concerns that have been raised over the last few weeks, as well as, frankly, the more cynical desire on the part of some to make this into a political football, it became clear that spending months hammering out a solution was not going to be an option, that we needed to move this faster.  So last week, I directed the Department of Health and Human Services to speed up the process that had already been envisioned.  We weren’t going to spend a year doing this; we're going to spend a week or two doing this. 

Today, we've reached a decision on how to move forward.  Under the rule, women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive services -– no matter where they work.  So that core principle remains.  But if a woman’s employer is a charity or a hospital that has a religious objection to providing contraceptive services as part of their health plan, the insurance company -– not the hospital, not the charity -– will be required to reach out and offer the woman contraceptive care free of charge, without co-pays and without hassles. 

The result will be that religious organizations won’t have to pay for these services, and no religious institution will have to provide these services directly.  Let me repeat:  These employers will not have to pay for, or provide, contraceptive services.  But women who work at these institutions will have access to free contraceptive services, just like other women, and they'll no longer have to pay hundreds of dollars a year that could go towards paying the rent or buying groceries. 

Now, I've been confident from the start that we could work out a sensible approach here, just as I promised.  I understand some folks in Washington may want to treat this as another political wedge issue, but it shouldn’t be.  I certainly never saw it that way.  This is an issue where people of goodwill on both sides of the debate have been sorting through some very complicated questions to find a solution that works for everyone. With today’s announcement, we've done that.  Religious liberty will be protected, and a law that requires free preventive care will not discriminate against women.   

We live in a pluralistic society where we're not going to agree on every single issue, or share every belief.  That doesn’t mean that we have to choose between individual liberty and basic fairness for all Americans.  We are unique among nations for having been founded upon both these principles, and our obligation as citizens is to carry them forward.  I have complete faith that we can do that.

Thank you very much, everybody.