The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 18, 2012

Presidential Memorandum -- Implementing Provisions of the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 Relating to the Keystone XL Pipeline Permit

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT: Implementing Provisions of the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 Relating to the Keystone XL Pipeline Permit

The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 requires a determination, within 60 days of enactment, of whether the Keystone XL pipeline project as set forth in the permit application filed on September 19, 2008 (including amendments) (the "Keystone XL pipeline project") would serve the national interest. The State Department had previously explained, on November 10, 2011, that it was seeking additional information concerning whether that project served the national interest, as necessary to grant the permit. Based on its experience and in order to consider relevant environmental issues and the consequences of the project on energy security, the economy, and foreign policy, the State Department indicated that its review could be complete as early as the first quarter of 2013.

I have determined, based upon your recommendation, including the State Department's view that 60 days is an insufficient period to obtain and assess the necessary information, that the Keystone XL pipeline project, as presented and analyzed at this time, would not serve the national interest.

Accordingly, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and in furtherance of Executive Order 13337 of April 30, 2004 to the extent compatible with this memorandum, I direct you to submit the report to the Congress as specified in section 501(b)(2) of the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 and to issue a denial of the Keystone XL pipeline permit application.

This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

You are hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 18, 2012

Statement by the President on the Keystone XL Pipeline

Earlier today, I received the Secretary of State’s recommendation on the pending application for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.  As the State Department made clear last month, the rushed and arbitrary deadline insisted on by Congressional Republicans prevented a full assessment of the pipeline’s impact, especially the health and safety of the American people, as well as our environment.  As a result, the Secretary of State has recommended that the application be denied.  And after reviewing the State Department’s report, I agree. 
 
This announcement is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people.  I’m disappointed that Republicans in Congress forced this decision, but it does not change my Administration’s commitment to American-made energy that creates jobs and reduces our dependence on oil.  Under my Administration, domestic oil and natural gas production is up, while imports of foreign oil are down.  In the months ahead, we will continue to look for new ways to partner with the oil and gas industry to increase our energy security –including the potential development of an oil pipeline from Cushing, Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico – even as we set higher efficiency standards for cars and trucks and invest in alternatives like biofuels and natural gas.  And we will do so in a way that benefits American workers and businesses without risking the health and safety of the American people and the environment.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 18, 2012

New Report: States Moving Forward to Implement Health Reform’s Affordable Insurance Exchanges

Twenty-eight States are on their way toward establishing a key component of health care reform—Affordable Insurance Exchanges—according to a report issued today by the White House.

“States are taking strong steps to implement health reform,” said White House Deputy Chief of Staff Nancy-Ann DeParle. “The Obama Administration is working in partnership with State leaders across the country.  We will ensure Americans in every State have access to an Exchange and the same kinds of insurance choices as Members of Congress.”

Affordable Insurance Exchanges are State-based, one-stop marketplaces where consumers can choose a private qualified health insurance plan that fits their health needs.  Beginning in 2014, Exchanges will offer consumers the same kinds of insurance choices that members of Congress will have.

The report released today highlights how some States are moving forward to build Affordable Insurance Exchanges. The States profiled are not necessarily the States most advanced in establishing an Exchange; instead, they illustrate the diversity of approaches and progress being made.  Some of the actions in the report include:

• Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R), a physician, issued an Executive Order that created the Alabama Health Insurance Exchange Study Commission on June 2, 2011, which recommended that Alabama establish its own Exchange called the “Alabama Health Insurance Marketplace.” The legislature, which meets in February, is expected to take up legislation to establish an Exchange.
• Colorado passed a bipartisan bill to establish the independent Colorado Health Insurance Exchange, which was signed into law on June 1, 2011. The Colorado Exchange has started public education about health reform and the Exchange at its website, www.getcoveredco.org. Organizations such as the Colorado branch of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry have been active participants in the creating the small business component of the Exchange. 
• In Nevada, unanimous, bipartisan legislation authorized the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, which was signed into law by Governor Brian Sandoval (R) on June 16, 2011.  Its board has been appointed, executive director named, and application submitted for its next round of funding for building the Exchange.

The report outlines some of the steps the Administration has taken to ensure all Americans have access to an exchange beginning in 2014. These include developing the information technology and business systems necessary to facilitate Exchanges in multiple states.

Developing Exchanges is just one of the ways States are implementing health reform. In the nearly two years since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, States have enforced the patient protections like banning lifetime dollar limits on coverage and ensuring coverage of proven prevention services. Forty-three States and the District of Columbia are participating in the new premium rate review system where insurers must justify the rationale for any double-digit insurance premium increase.  All States have received Affordable Care Act grants to improve prevention and public health. And the Affordable Care Act has already made an incredible difference to millions of Americans:

• 2.5 million more young adults have health insurance.
• As of October 2011, more than 2.65 million seniors got a 50 percent discount on their prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole.
• Insurance companies can no longer drop your coverage when you get sick or put a lifetime cap on the amount of care you can receive.

To read the report issued today, visit http://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/01-18-12_exchange_report.pdf
For more information on the Affordable Care Act, visit www.healthcare.gov. 
 

The President and First Lady Welcome the St. Louis Cardinals to the White House

Megan Slack
Megan Slack
January 17, 2012
09:26 PM EDT
President Obama and Mrs. Obama welcome the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals to the White House

First Lady Michelle Obama reacts to a joke by President Barack Obama as the President and Mrs. Obama welcome the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals to the White House to honor the team and their 2011 World Series victory, in the East Room, Jan. 17, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Today, the President and First Lady hosted the St. Louis Cardinals at the White House to congratulate the team on its World Series win last year.

The Cardinals, who President Obama called “the greatest comeback team in the history of baseball,” made the playoffs after rallying from a ten and a half game deficit with just 31 games left in the regular season. At one point, the team had less than a 4 percent chance of even making the playoffs.

The Series itself was an unforgettable one, the President said:

Of course, the most memorable moment was Game Six of the World Series.  I’ve got to say, that has to be one of the best baseball games of all time. Unbelievable game.  I will tell you guys, I had a bunch of early-morning stuff the next day, and you kept me up.  It was painful waking up the next morning.  But what an incredible game. 

Related Topics: Veterans

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 17, 2012

Statement from NSC Spokesman Tommy Vietor on Violence in South Sudan

The United States continues to be deeply disturbed by the recent interethnic clashes in Jonglei State in the Republic of South Sudan that are causing tremendous human suffering, displacement, and death.  The long-running cycle of violence between certain tribes, particularly the Murle and Lou Nuer, has escalated to an alarming series of revenge attacks in recent weeks, and we urge all sides to refrain from further provocative or retaliatory acts.

We welcome the South Sudanese government’s launch of an investigation into these attacks and its deployment of additional military and police forces to the region, and we support efforts by the UN and non-governmental organizations to provide urgently-needed humanitarian assistance to those who fled the fighting.  We believe that it is important for the South Sudanese government to respond not only with immediate measures to stem the escalating cycle of attacks between these tribes, but also to address the root causes of violence between them.  In particular, we urge the South Sudanese government to address the lack of security in these communities, and we urge the leaders of these communities to engage each other in a peaceful manner to come to a long-term resolution to the violence.  We also note the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) with respect to conflict prevention and civilian protection, and call upon the South Sudanese government and the UN to continue working closely together on this vitally important mission.  We further call upon the UN to provide any additional support that is needed by UNMISS to carry out its responsibilities in South Sudan.

President and First Lady Honor the 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals

January 17, 2012 | 11:30 | Public Domain

The President and First Lady host the 2001 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals at the White House.

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Remarks by the President and First Lady Honoring the 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals

3:33 P.M. EST

        MRS. OBAMA:  Please be seated.  Hello, everyone.

        AUDIENCE:  Happy birthday!

        MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, thank you!

        THE PRESIDENT:  It’s her birthday!

        MRS. OBAMA:  It’s my birthday.

        THE PRESIDENT:  It’s her birthday today.

        MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  And this is a great way to spend -- no, you don’t have to sing, that’s very sweet of you.  My husband is not used to me being at these events, because I usually don’t come, but I had to be here and welcome you all to the White House.

        And I want to thank you all for being here as we celebrate another world championship for the St. Louis Cardinals.  (Applause.)  

        And that is not easy to say as a Cubs fan.  (Laughter.)  But I have to say, you all make it a lot easier to say with all of the good work that you do in the community, especially everything that you all do for military families -- and that is why I’m here.  (Applause.)  And I got to see that firsthand when Jill Biden and I visited Game One of the World Series, which was very cool, which Major League Baseball dedicated to our nation’s military families.  And that was just amazing.  I mean, you all threw out all the stops.  It was a powerful experience for all of us, and we’re grateful.  It truly captured the strength, service and sacrifice of our troops, veterans and their families.  As an example, we have two special guests with us here today -- Marine Lance Corporal James Sperry and Hannah.  Hey, Hannah!  Would you guys stand up?  (Applause.)

        I had the pleasure of hanging out with these guys in the box, and Hannah stayed awake for most of the game.  (Laughter.)  She ate a lot of hot dogs.  She had a great time.  And it was a wonderful experience.  And I just have to tell you that Lance Corporal Sperry is a perfect illustration of what our troops and wounded warriors display every day throughout this country.  He’s a veteran of Iraq, and he sustained multiple wounds from a rocket-propelled grenade, and he still feels the effects today.  But since he’s returned home, that hasn’t stopped him.  And that’s what we see.  It hasn’t stopped him from being a first responder during last spring’s devastating tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri; it hasn’t stopped him from being a mentor to other wounded warriors; and it certainly hasn’t stopped him from being a phenomenal dad to a very beautiful, brave little girl -- who I really like a lot.  (Laughter and applause.)

        So I want to give a special thank you to the Cardinals for saving a couple of seats for these guys on the plane, and they’ve been able to be here today, and hopefully everybody treated you well here.  And I want to thank the Cardinals and Major League Baseball as a whole for supporting the “Joining Forces” initiative.  Together, we’re showing that it doesn’t matter who you are -- whether you’re a Cardinal or a Cub fan, or even a White Sox guy -- (laughter) -- we all can find a way to give something back to our troops and families who’ve given us so much.  

        So with that, I want to thank you and congratulate you, and introduce your proud President, Commander-in-Chief, and sports-fan-in-chief, my husband, Barack Obama.  (Applause.)

        THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  It is wonderful to be here.  It is wonderful to be joined by my wife.  It is her birthday today.  When we first married, it was a little controversial that she was 20 years younger than me, but -- (laughter) -- now it seems to have worked out okay.  (Laughter.)  

        MRS. OBAMA:  I’m 48.  (Laughter.)

        THE PRESIDENT:  And I want to join her in congratulating the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals.  (Applause.)  I won’t lie, I’m a little disappointed I had to leave my White Sox jacket in the closet for another year.  (Laughter.)  But this is a special team, both because of what they do for our military and their families, but also what they did on the field last season.  And I know we’ve got Mayor Slay from St. Louis and some members of Congress who agree with me.  I see the delegation here; they’re beaming.  (Laughter.)  They are quite pleased.  

        Now, when we talk about baseball, we’re talking about a sport, obviously, with a long history.  Over 200,000 games have been played since Major League Baseball began.  Seventeen thousand players have gone through the league.  So this is a sport that has seen it all.  

        But every once in a while, something happens that we have never seen before -- something unique.  And that’s why it is my pleasure to stand here with the greatest comeback team in the history of baseball.  (Applause.)

        Last August, with just 31 games to play in the regular season, the Cardinals were 10 and a half games out of the playoff race.  At one point, they had a less than 4 percent mathematical chance of making the playoffs.  In Las Vegas, they were 500-to-1 longshots to win the World Series.  And when Chris Carpenter pulled the team together for a meeting, his message was simple:  Let’s not embarrass ourselves.  (Laughter.)  But through skills and guts, and I think the team would agree just a little bit of luck -- just a touch -- this team made the playoffs.  And even though they trailed in each of the series that followed, they somehow had the spirit and the determination and the resolve to survive.

        Of course, the most memorable moment was Game Six of the World Series.  I’ve got to say, that has to be one of the best baseball games of all time.  Unbelievable game.  (Applause.)  I will tell you guys, I had a bunch of early-morning stuff the next day, and you kept me up.  (Laughter.)  It was painful waking up the next morning.  But what an incredible game.  Five times, the Cardinals found themselves trailing; twice, they were down to the last strike.  Then Mr. Freese here hits the first walk-off homer of his entire career, to send it into Game Seven.  Then the Cardinals put the Rangers away for good.

        This team essentially played two months of elimination games, both to get into the playoffs, and then to win it all.  But in Tony La Russa’s words, “Sometimes you can’t be afraid to make a mistake.  Sometimes you just roll the dice and you let it go.”  That’s what the former teammate of these folks, Albert Pujols, did, when he joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only player to hit three home runs in a World Series game.  That’s what the outstanding ace, Chris Carpenter, did when he pitched the lights out against the Phillies, and then came back to put the nail in the coffin against the Rangers.  That’s what David Freese did in Game Six -- not bad for a kid who grew up dreaming of playing for the Cardinals.  And even though he can’t be here today, that’s what Tony La Russa did, winning his third title and then stepping down with the third most wins of any manager in history.

        I will point out that he began as a White Sock, so -- (laughter.)

        MRS. OBAMA:  Let it go.  (Laughter.)

        THE PRESIDENT:  Everyone on this team follows the Cardinals’ way:  They play all 27 outs; they never quit; they carry on the legacy of so many great Cardinals that have come before them.

        Last year, I was honored to present Stan “The Man” Musial with one of the highest honors a President can bestow, the Medal of Freedom.  And you could see Stan coming from about a mile away, because he was wearing that bright red blazer.  There’s no question he will always be a Cardinal at heart.  And now this team is part of that long line of heroes.

        So I want to congratulate not only the players, the owners, all the managers and team officials, but also the fans, for a historic year.  And I also want to thank them for visiting Walter Reed this morning, spending some time with our wounded warriors over there.  That’s what this organization is all about; it represents baseball at its best.  And I wish them all the best this season.  

        Congratulations.  (Applause.)  Fantastic.  Tell me what I got here.  Tell me what I got.

        MR. DEWITT:  Thank you for those warm remarks and nice hospitality here.  We’ve got a couple of gifts for you and Mrs. Obama.

        THE PRESIDENT:  There you go.

        MR. DEWITT:  A World Series jersey with your name on the back, number 44.

        THE PRESIDENT:  That’s nice right there.  (Laughter.)  There we go.

        MR. DEWITT:  One for each.  One for each.  (Applause.)  And a bat for each.  And a World Series bat.

        THE PRESIDENT:  Okay.  I’m a little bit worried about giving my wife a bat, though.  (Laughter.)  If I mess up --

        MRS. OBAMA:  I’ll take my bat.  (Laughter and applause.)

END 3:43 P.M. EST

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President Obama's Bilateral Meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan

January 17, 2012 | 6:27 | Public Domain

President Obama and King Abdullah of Jordan speak after their bilateral meeting at the White House.

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Remarks by President Obama and His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan

Oval Office

3:07 P.M. EST

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good afternoon, everybody.  It is a great pleasure for me to once again welcome His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan, as well as his delegation. 

We have very few countries around the world that are better friends and better partners than the Jordanians.  The fact that they are in such a difficult neighborhood makes the relationship between our two countries that much more important.

And so I want to publicly express my appreciation for His Majesty’s leadership not only in forging a strong bilateral relationship, but also all the multilateral efforts that he is engaged in to encourage peace and prosperity during what has been an extraordinary time. 

The last time we met, the face of the region was very different.  Since that time, you’ve seen new governments emerging in Egypt, in Libya; transitions taking place and a new government in Tunisia; transitions taking place in Yemen; and now obviously great volatility in Syria.  Throughout this period we consulted closely with the Jordanians, and we value the advice and the thoughtful leadership that His Majesty provides.

We spent a great deal of time discussing a number of key subjects.  We talked about the importance of us continuing to consult closely together to encourage the Palestinians and the Israelis to come back to the table and negotiate in a serious fashion a peaceful way forward.  And the Jordanians have taken great leadership on this issue, and we very much appreciate their direction on this issue.

We discussed as well the extraordinary efforts that have been made by His Majesty, as well as the Prime Minister, in guiding political reform inside of Jordan.  I think His Majesty has been ahead of the curve in trying to respond to the legitimate concerns and aspirations, both politically and economically, of the Jordanian population. And so we have said that we want to be as helpful as we can in encouraging this ongoing reform process that’s taking place.

We also talked about a number of regional issues, including Iraq and Iran, but uppermost on our minds right now is the issue of Syria.  His Majesty was the first Arab leader to publicly call on President Assad to step down, in the face of the terrible brutality we’ve been seeing inside of Syria. 

I want to thank him for his willingness to stand up.  As a consequence, Jordan has been part of an overall Arab League effort to encourage this sort of peaceful transition inside of Syria that is needed. 

Unfortunately, we’re continuing to see unacceptable levels of violence inside that country, and so we will continue to consult very closely with Jordan to create the kind of international pressure and environment that encourages the current Syrian regime to step aside so that a more democratic process of transition can take place inside of Syria.

Finally, Jordan, just like the rest of the world, has been grappling with a very difficult economic environment, and we are proud to have been able to provide some timely assistance in areas like food security this week.  I think wheat from the United States will be arriving that will help to make sure that there’s bread in Jordan. 

But there’s more work to do.  And so through a wide range of bilateral efforts, including the Millennium Challenge grant and other mechanisms, what we’re trying to do is encourage entrepreneurship, market-based reforms, small business and medium-sized businesses developing and prospering inside of Jordan.  And we pledge to continue to work in strong partnership with His Majesty to make sure that all the people of Jordan have the kind of opportunity that they deserve.

So, generally speaking, our bilateral relationship could not be stronger.  And I want to thank, once again, His Majesty for being not only a leader in the region but also being a great friend of the United States.

Thank you.

HIS MAJESTY KING ABDULLAH:  Mr. President, thank you very much.  It’s obviously a great honor for me and my delegation to be back here in Washington.  We so much appreciate the historical support that we always get from our friends in the United States to Jordan’s challenges.  And again, our personal friendship, which is very, very strong, has allowed us to look at the challenges that the Israelis and Palestinians face, as you just mentioned. 

Although this is still in the very early stages, we have to keep our fingers crossed and hope that we can bring the Israelis and Palestinians out of the impasse that we’re facing.  We’re in coordination on a regular basis with the President, as well as with his administration.

We’re very, very grateful to the economic support that you’re showing Jordan in this very difficult time.  As we move into political reform, obviously the economy and the situation that challenges the livelihood of Jordanians is very, very important as we move forward.  But we are very, very optimistic.  We had the opportunity to talk about the full impact with the President this afternoon.

So, again, sir, wonderful to be back.  We will be in close consultation with you on all these issues.  And thank you for your kind words and your wonderful support to our country.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good.  Thank you very much, everybody.

END
3:15 P.M. EST

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President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness Approves New Report

January 17, 2012 | 1:23:10 | Public Domain

The President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness votes to approve a new report detailing recommendations to the President on strengthening our economy.

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Opening and Closing Remarks by the President to the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness

State Dining Room

11:13 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Please, have a seat, everybody.  For those of you who I have not seen since before the break, Happy New Year. 

I am extraordinarily grateful for all the work that you have done.  I want to start off by thanking Jeff for his continued outstanding leadership of this Jobs Council.  I think that the plan is for me to maybe just open up with a few remarks and then we’ve got a whole bunch of presentations, so I don’t want to take too much time.  Is that all right with you, Mr. Chairman?

MR. IMMELT:  That’s great.

THE PRESIDENT:  One of the things that’s been striking about this Jobs Council is how focused and how hard-working everybody has been around this table.  This has not been a show council.  This has been a work council.  And because of the extraordinary commitments that each and every one of you have made, we have generated I think as good a set of proposals as we have seen coming out of the private sector to help to guide and steer our economic agenda and our approach to jobs and growth over the next couple of years.

In each of the earlier meetings, we discussed the key role that we all play in accelerating growth and improving America’s competitiveness, and that the economic recovery has to be driven by the private sector.  We have moved aggressively to implement your recommendations.  As I think you’ve heard, of your 35 executive action recommendations, we’ve taken action on 33 of them; we’ve completed the implementation of 16 of them.  And I’ll highlight a couple of examples.

Building on some of the Job Council’s National Investment Initiative recommendations, last week the Vice President and I hosted a forum on the increasing trend of insourcing -- companies choosing to invest in the United States.  And Intel and DuPont participated, along with several dozen other companies.  We discussed tangible ways that we can encourage domestic investment, and I announced a number of new initiatives and new tax proposals to provide further incentives for companies to increase investment in the United States, including expanding on SelectUSA, one of the recommendations in your last report.  And we actually had a company there that had benefitted from the services of SelectUSA, and it confirmed the power and capacity of one-stop shops and a coordinated approach from the federal government for somebody who is interested in investment here in the United States.

I’ve personally emphasized to the White House team and to the Cabinet the importance of aggressively implementing the recommendations of this Job Council.  I have been tracking implementation of your recommendations.  And we’ve seen substantial progress across the board.

Let me highlight a couple other areas where your ideas and focus have had significant impact.  First, on permitting:  This is something that I know that Matt and others really emphasized.  As we all agreed, we needed to make a big investment in this country in infrastructure to assure our competitiveness.  We also agreed that we can’t be bogged down by red tape and bureaucracy if we’re actually going to get every bang for the buck.  Building on administration efforts to streamline permitting, I issued an executive order to expedite review of job-creating infrastructure projects, and to track their progress on a new public dashboard.  All 14 projects are on track.  Most importantly, we’re using these projects to learn lessons that we can scale across a whole range of projects throughout the federal government moving forward.  And I want you to know that, as a result of your input, we’re going to establish a permitting project manager effort overseen by OMB, to establish performance metrics, track progress against goals, and adapt best practices across agencies.  So, you see, Mark can cross this off -- check this off his list.  (Laughter.)  I know he was coming here -- he was going to make sure that happened; it’s happening.

A second example:  On regulatory review -- and we’re going to have an opportunity for Jeff and Cass to expand on what we’ve been doing in this area -- but I tasked federal agencies to cut inefficient or excessively burdensome regulations, and issued an executive order to independent agencies to look back at their regulations for inefficiencies and excessive burdens.  Currently, we’re estimating savings of $10 billion over 10 years by implementing just a fraction of the reforms that have already been proposed and identified.  Cass is going to provide you with a fuller update in a moment, but the preliminary results are exciting -- and this includes, by the way, the independent agencies.  So, for example, the FCC, prompted by our request but also due to some excellent work by Julius Genachowski, they’ve already eliminated 190 rules -- 190.  And that gives you some sense of the scale of the work that can be done as a consequence of some of your recommendations.

I announced last Friday that I’m going to ask Congress to give me authority to reorganize the government, to make it work better for the American people while eliminating duplication and waste and inefficiencies.  Much of this was embodied in some of the recommendations that you had in particular areas. 

My legislative proposal would create a consolidation authority that would for the first time require that any reorganization proposal reduce the size of government and cut costs.  So this is not just a matter of moving boxes around.  The question is, can you actually achieve better integration, better streamlining, better efficiency, and ultimately better consumer service and better payoff for taxpayers.

The first proposal we identified was to consolidate the six agencies focusing primarily on business and trade into a new department with a single mission:  to spur job create and expand the U.S. economy. 

And this new department would consolidate the core business and trade functions of six agencies.  It would be focused solely on helping entrepreneurs and businesses of all size to grow and to compete and to hire, while also cutting costs and provide better customer service.

So I make these points just to say that not only have you guys exceeded all expectations in providing specific, thoughtful recommendations.  Hopefully, we’ve at least met your expectations in follow-through and implementation; what we haven’t seen is a bunch of white paper sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust.  We have tried to take very seriously everything that you proposed, and to try to integrate it into not only legislative proposals but also the executive proposals out there.

So I read your first-year report.  I was pleased to see that there’s consistency and shared urgency about America playing to win.  Education, innovation, streamlining regulations, energy, manufacturing -- all these are critical issues, and they’re all interwoven and they impact each other.

I recognize a lot of these issues are difficult.  They’ve proven challenging for decades.  The good news is on each of these fronts we’ve made progress this year.  I feel confident in being able to say that every one of the agencies in this government has been focused on how do they improve, get smarter, get better, get faster, become more focused on delivering good value to the end user.  And I believe that we’ve made genuine progress on all these fronts.  We would not have made this progress without this Jobs Council.  And I think it will pay off in terms of solidifying this recovery and allowing us to move forward in a way where it actually translates into jobs, which has obviously been our principal and primary focus:  making sure that we’re creating a fair shot for every American who wants to work hard and get out there and succeed in this economy.

So with that, Jeff, I just want to say thank you for being able to provide such outstanding leadership for this effort.  And with that, I’m looking forward to hearing all the good work that’s already been done.

MR. IMMELT:  Thanks, Mr. President. 

* * * * *

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I just, again, want to thank all of you for the seriousness and effort that you’ve put into this Jobs Council.  We’re going to continue to gather recommendations from you and are going to continue to try to implement them as quickly as we can.

Those where we think there’s an issue, we’ll get back to you, and there will be an iterative process where we’ll be in discussions in terms of how we can achieve some of the goals that have been set. 

I want you to know that obviously this year is an election year, and so getting Congress focused on some of these issues may be difficult.  But we have been struck by the degree of capacity we have administratively to at least chip away at some of these problems.  Oftentimes, it’s hard to get the kind of comprehensive solutions that you want without legislative involvement.  But those small, incremental steps, they add up, and we’re going to continue to make sure that we push that as hard as possible.

I did notice that we didn’t have time to talk about manufacturing, although Jeff, I know that you and Rich Trumka and others have spent a good deal of time on it.  In some ways that’s all right because essentially that whole insourcing conversation was really a manufacturing conversation.  And I was incredibly impressed with the potential at least for us to start getting manufacturing back in the United States in selective industries -- understanding that if you’ve got -- if you’ve got products that involve high volume, lots of labor, unskilled labor, that it’s going to be difficult to move those back.

On the other hand, where you have skilled labor, our competitive advantages are accelerating.  And we’re going to really be pushing hard on that front along with issues like basic research, et cetera, partly because my understanding -- and John and others, I think you guys helped -- Steve Jobs and others -- helped educate me on the fact that if all our manufacturing facilities move offshore that it’s actually hard over time to keep our R&D here because so much of this ends up being a matter of seeing how something works in an applied fashion and tinkering with it and going back at it.

MR. IMMELT:  We’ve set a goal here, Mr. President, to try to get back four points of global market share and value added in manufacturing.  We think we can do that.  People like Paul and I that travel the world, I think we see the U.S. more competitive today than we have in the last 20 or 25 years, so that’s -- I think that’s another great initiative here.

THE PRESIDENT:  It’s a good news story.  It merges directly with our export initiative and the great work that people like Fred and Ron and others are doing.  So we’re going to keep on pushing that.  You’ll see that is a significant focus in our State of the Union as well.

So thank you, everybody.  Great work.  Appreciate it.

MR. IMMELT:  Thanks, Mr. President.  (Applause.)

END
12:35 P.M. EST

Close Transcript

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 17, 2012

Remarks by the President and First Lady Honoring the 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals

East Room

3:33 P.M. EST

        MRS. OBAMA:  Please be seated.  Hello, everyone.

        AUDIENCE:  Happy birthday!

        MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, thank you!

        THE PRESIDENT:  It’s her birthday!

        MRS. OBAMA:  It’s my birthday.

        THE PRESIDENT:  It’s her birthday today.

        MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  And this is a great way to spend -- no, you don’t have to sing, that’s very sweet of you.  My husband is not used to me being at these events, because I usually don’t come, but I had to be here and welcome you all to the White House.

        And I want to thank you all for being here as we celebrate another world championship for the St. Louis Cardinals.  (Applause.)  

        And that is not easy to say as a Cubs fan.  (Laughter.)  But I have to say, you all make it a lot easier to say with all of the good work that you do in the community, especially everything that you all do for military families -- and that is why I’m here.  (Applause.)  And I got to see that firsthand when Jill Biden and I visited Game One of the World Series, which was very cool, which Major League Baseball dedicated to our nation’s military families.  And that was just amazing.  I mean, you all threw out all the stops.  It was a powerful experience for all of us, and we’re grateful.  It truly captured the strength, service and sacrifice of our troops, veterans and their families.  As an example, we have two special guests with us here today -- Marine Lance Corporal James Sperry and Hannah.  Hey, Hannah!  Would you guys stand up?  (Applause.)

        I had the pleasure of hanging out with these guys in the box, and Hannah stayed awake for most of the game.  (Laughter.)  She ate a lot of hot dogs.  She had a great time.  And it was a wonderful experience.  And I just have to tell you that Lance Corporal Sperry is a perfect illustration of what our troops and wounded warriors display every day throughout this country.  He’s a veteran of Iraq, and he sustained multiple wounds from a rocket-propelled grenade, and he still feels the effects today.  But since he’s returned home, that hasn’t stopped him.  And that’s what we see.  It hasn’t stopped him from being a first responder during last spring’s devastating tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri; it hasn’t stopped him from being a mentor to other wounded warriors; and it certainly hasn’t stopped him from being a phenomenal dad to a very beautiful, brave little girl -- who I really like a lot.  (Laughter and applause.)

        So I want to give a special thank you to the Cardinals for saving a couple of seats for these guys on the plane, and they’ve been able to be here today, and hopefully everybody treated you well here.  And I want to thank the Cardinals and Major League Baseball as a whole for supporting the “Joining Forces” initiative.  Together, we’re showing that it doesn’t matter who you are -- whether you’re a Cardinal or a Cub fan, or even a White Sox guy -- (laughter) -- we all can find a way to give something back to our troops and families who’ve given us so much.  

        So with that, I want to thank you and congratulate you, and introduce your proud President, Commander-in-Chief, and sports-fan-in-chief, my husband, Barack Obama.  (Applause.)

        THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  It is wonderful to be here.  It is wonderful to be joined by my wife.  It is her birthday today.  When we first married, it was a little controversial that she was 20 years younger than me, but -- (laughter) -- now it seems to have worked out okay.  (Laughter.)  

        MRS. OBAMA:  I’m 48.  (Laughter.)

        THE PRESIDENT:  And I want to join her in congratulating the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals.  (Applause.)  I won’t lie, I’m a little disappointed I had to leave my White Sox jacket in the closet for another year.  (Laughter.)  But this is a special team, both because of what they do for our military and their families, but also what they did on the field last season.  And I know we’ve got Mayor Slay from St. Louis and some members of Congress who agree with me.  I see the delegation here; they’re beaming.  (Laughter.)  They are quite pleased.  

        Now, when we talk about baseball, we’re talking about a sport, obviously, with a long history.  Over 200,000 games have been played since Major League Baseball began.  Seventeen thousand players have gone through the league.  So this is a sport that has seen it all.  

        But every once in a while, something happens that we have never seen before -- something unique.  And that’s why it is my pleasure to stand here with the greatest comeback team in the history of baseball.  (Applause.)

        Last August, with just 31 games to play in the regular season, the Cardinals were 10 and a half games out of the playoff race.  At one point, they had a less than 4 percent mathematical chance of making the playoffs.  In Las Vegas, they were 500-to-1 longshots to win the World Series.  And when Chris Carpenter pulled the team together for a meeting, his message was simple:  Let’s not embarrass ourselves.  (Laughter.)  But through skills and guts, and I think the team would agree just a little bit of luck -- just a touch -- this team made the playoffs.  And even though they trailed in each of the series that followed, they somehow had the spirit and the determination and the resolve to survive.

        Of course, the most memorable moment was Game Six of the World Series.  I’ve got to say, that has to be one of the best baseball games of all time.  Unbelievable game.  (Applause.)  I will tell you guys, I had a bunch of early-morning stuff the next day, and you kept me up.  (Laughter.)  It was painful waking up the next morning.  But what an incredible game.  Five times, the Cardinals found themselves trailing; twice, they were down to the last strike.  Then Mr. Freese here hits the first walk-off homer of his entire career, to send it into Game Seven.  Then the Cardinals put the Rangers away for good.

        This team essentially played two months of elimination games, both to get into the playoffs, and then to win it all.  But in Tony La Russa’s words, “Sometimes you can’t be afraid to make a mistake.  Sometimes you just roll the dice and you let it go.”  That’s what the former teammate of these folks, Albert Pujols, did, when he joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only player to hit three home runs in a World Series game.  That’s what the outstanding ace, Chris Carpenter, did when he pitched the lights out against the Phillies, and then came back to put the nail in the coffin against the Rangers.  That’s what David Freese did in Game Six -- not bad for a kid who grew up dreaming of playing for the Cardinals.  And even though he can’t be here today, that’s what Tony La Russa did, winning his third title and then stepping down with the third most wins of any manager in history.

        I will point out that he began as a White Sock, so -- (laughter.)

        MRS. OBAMA:  Let it go.  (Laughter.)

        THE PRESIDENT:  Everyone on this team follows the Cardinals’ way:  They play all 27 outs; they never quit; they carry on the legacy of so many great Cardinals that have come before them.

        Last year, I was honored to present Stan “The Man” Musial with one of the highest honors a President can bestow, the Medal of Freedom.  And you could see Stan coming from about a mile away, because he was wearing that bright red blazer.  There’s no question he will always be a Cardinal at heart.  And now this team is part of that long line of heroes.

        So I want to congratulate not only the players, the owners, all the managers and team officials, but also the fans, for a historic year.  And I also want to thank them for visiting Walter Reed this morning, spending some time with our wounded warriors over there.  That’s what this organization is all about; it represents baseball at its best.  And I wish them all the best this season.  

        Congratulations.  (Applause.)  Fantastic.  Tell me what I got here.  Tell me what I got.

        MR. DEWITT:  Thank you for those warm remarks and nice hospitality here.  We’ve got a couple of gifts for you and Mrs. Obama.

        THE PRESIDENT:  There you go.

        MR. DEWITT:  A World Series jersey with your name on the back, number 44.

        THE PRESIDENT:  That’s nice right there.  (Laughter.)  There we go.

        MR. DEWITT:  One for each.  One for each.  (Applause.)  And a bat for each.  And a World Series bat.

        THE PRESIDENT:  Okay.  I’m a little bit worried about giving my wife a bat, though.  (Laughter.)  If I mess up --

        MRS. OBAMA:  I’ll take my bat.  (Laughter and applause.)

END 3:43 P.M. EST

President Obama Meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House

Colleen Curtis
Colleen Curtis
January 17, 2012
06:14 PM EDT

 

President Obama today praised His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan for his leadership in encouraging peace and prosperity throughout the Middle East during what the President described as "an extraordinary time."

Developments since the two leaders last met include new governments emerging in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia and a transition taking place in Yemen, as well as the current volatility in Syria. Today's conversation included those topics, and also the importance of both countries continuing to encourage the Palestinians and the Israelis to seriously negotiate a peaceful way forward.

The President highlighted the efforts that have been made by King Abdullah and Jordan's Prime Minister in guiding political reform inside their country. "I think His Majesty has been ahead of the curve in trying to respond to the legitimate concerns and aspirations, both politically and economically, of the Jordanian population," he said. President Obama said the most pressing issue at the moment is the situation in Syria:

His Majesty was the first Arab leader to publicly call on President Assad to step down, in the face of the terrible brutality we’ve been seeing inside of Syria. 

I want to thank him for his willingness to stand up.  As a consequence, Jordan has been part of an overall Arab League effort to encourage this sort of peaceful transition inside of Syria that is needed.  

Unfortunately, we’re continuing to see unacceptable levels of violence inside that country, and so we will continue to consult very closely with Jordan to create the kind of international pressure and environment that encourages the current Syrian regime to step aside so that a more democratic process of transition can take place inside of Syria.

 

Related Topics: Middle East and North Africa, Foreign Policy