From the Archives: President Obama Says, "Get Tested"

Colleen Curtis
Colleen Curtis
December 01, 2011
11:19 AM EDT

Watch President Obama's remarks on National HIV Testing Day here.

Today is World AIDS Day. In the United States, roughly 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV and about 50,000 become newly infected each year.  Since the beginning of the epidemic 30 years ago, more than 600,000 Americans have lost their lives to HIV and AIDS.  Today, there are more than 200,000 Americans living with HIV who don’t know it. Regular testing is important: If people know they are HIV positive, they can take steps to protect themselves and their partners, and live longer and healthier lives.

During a visit to Kenya in 2006, then-Senator Barack Obama and his wife Michelle highlighted the importance of testing for HIV by getting tested themselves at a local clinic.

Related Topics: Foreign Policy, Health Care

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 01, 2011

Presidential Proclamation -- World AIDS Day, 2011

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

On World AIDS Day, 30 years after the first cases of HIV/AIDS were reported, we stand with the individuals and communities affected by HIV and recommit to progress toward an AIDS free generation.

My Administration is taking action to turn the corner on the HIV/AIDS pandemic by investing in research that promises new and proven methods to prevent infection and better therapies for people living with HIV. In the past year, the National Institutes of Health has reported important progress. We now know that treatment of HIV not only improves clinical outcomes, but can also dramatically reduce the risk of transmission. Studies on the use of antiretroviral medications to prevent infection of HIV negative individuals show promising results. And research is ongoing to devise new prevention methods that may one day offer innovative ways to prevent the spread of HIV, like microbicides that can curb the risk of infection in women. By pursuing the next breakthrough treatment in the fight against HIV, continuing research to develop a vaccine, and incorporating new scientific tools into our programs, we are taking important steps toward an AIDS free generation.

To combat the HIV epidemic in the United States, we are implementing the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy in our country's history, which calls for strong, coordinated policy initiatives, enhanced HIV/AIDS education, collaboration across the Federal Government, and robust engagement with individuals, communities, and businesses across America. As part of these efforts, we are embracing the best science available to prevent new HIV infections, and we are testing new approaches to integrating housing, prevention, care, and substance abuse and mental health services related to HIV/AIDS. We are implementing the Affordable Care Act, which mandates new consumer protections and new options for purchasing health insurance for all Americans by 2014, including those with HIV. We are also striving to secure employment opportunities for people living with HIV by working to end discrimination based on HIV status.

To address the global HIV pandemic, we are working with nations around the world to advance comprehensive prevention efforts and provide lifesaving medicine to millions of people living with HIV. We are integrating cutting edge science into the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) that will do even more to prevent new HIV infections, including more effective drug regimens to prevent mother to child HIV transmission and low cost approaches like voluntary medical male circumcision. When combined with other proven approaches, such as condoms, HIV testing and counseling, and programs to support behavior change, these advances can dramatically reduce HIV incidence and save lives. As we move forward, we will maintain our commitment to rigorously measuring the impact of these approaches, revising them appropriately, and incorporating new ideas and technologies as they become available.

Recognizing that a coordinated strategy is essential to our success, we are partnering with a wide variety of stakeholders to promote HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, and treatment. Here at home, States, tribes, territories, and local governments are vital partners in implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and we are joined by a host of public and private supporters and collaborators in PEPFAR. Partnerships with corporations, foundations, faith-based institutions, academic institutions, and other organizations are critically important to the fight against HIV, and we will work to strengthen these ties in the years ahead.

At this pivotal time in the worldwide response to HIV, the United States is preparing to welcome the global community to Washington, D.C., for the 19th International AIDS Conference in July 2012. We look forward to working with and learning from people living with HIV, clinicians, researchers, practitioners, and advocates from across the globe. On this World AIDS Day, let us reflect on the people we have lost and those we hold dear who are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. And as we pay tribute to the past and current heroes in the struggle against this disease, let us recommit to bringing an end to this tragic pandemic and pursuing an AIDS-free generation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States do hereby proclaim December 1, 2011, as World AIDS Day. I urge the Governors of the States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials of the other territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and the American people to join me in appropriate activities to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS and to provide support and comfort to those living with this disease.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 01, 2011

FACT SHEET: The Beginning of the End of AIDS

Today is a remarkable day. Today, we come together, as a global community, across continents, faiths and cultures, to renew our commitment to ending the AIDS pandemic - once and for all.
--President Obama, December 1, 2011

Combating a Global Pandemic

Since AIDS was identified 30 years ago, the United States has played a leading role in achieving scientific progress, and in translating science into programs. The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), established by President George W. Bush and a bipartisan Congress and expanded by President Obama, has put that science into action to save the lives of millions in the developing world. Today, President Obama announced new prevention goals for PEPFAR. 

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
Under the Obama Administration, PEPFAR has continued to achieve extraordinary results. In Fiscal Year 2011 alone, the United States supported:

  • Lifesaving antiretroviral treatment for more than 3.9 million people.
  • For prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT):
    • HIV testing and counseling for more than 9.8 million pregnant women.
    • Antiretroviral prophylaxis for more than 660,000 HIV-positive pregnant women.
    • 200,000 infant HIV infections averted.
  • Care and support for nearly 13 million people, including more than 4.1 million orphans and vulnerable children.

Combination prevention
These results, along with encouraging scientific advances, create an exciting moment on global AIDS, with an opportunity to use existing tools to push the rate of new infections downward  dramatically. To do so, the United States is working to support an optimal mix of combination prevention tools in each country in which PEPFAR works. This means prioritizing combinations of activities based on sound scientific evidence that will have the maximum impact on reducing new HIV infections and saving lives.

Expanded efforts in the areas described below will dramatically reduce new HIV infections and save lives. This expansion will occur in concert with other proven interventions, such as HIV testing and counseling, programs focused on people living with HIV and populations at higher risk for infection, and behavioral supports.

Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT): Pediatric HIV can be eliminated worldwide.  No scientific or technical barriers stand in the way.  PEPFAR has been the global leader in the effort to prevent mother to child transmission, and the prevention of 200,000 infant infections in FY 2011 by PEPFAR programs represents accelerating progress toward this goal. In June, PEPFAR and UNAIDS led an effort that outlined a path for achieving virtual global elimination of new pediatric HIV infections by 2015, assuming a continuing and shared commitment among donor and partner countries.  To capitalize on this opportunity, over the next two years the United States will reach more than 1.5 million HIV-positive pregnant women with antiretroviral drugs to prevent them from passing the virus to their children.

Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC): PEPFAR is leading the world in support for a rapid expansion of voluntary medical male circumcision. In the past few years, research has proven that this low-cost procedure reduces the risk of female-to-male transmission by more than 60 percent—and the benefit is life-long.  Approximately one million male circumcisions for HIV prevention have been done in recent years, with the United States providing the support for three-quarters of them. Building on this, over the next two years, PEPFAR will support more than 4.7 million voluntary medical male circumcisions in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Treatment as Prevention: The effect of antiretroviral treatment in saving lives has long been known. Recent science has shown that treatment is also highly effective in preventing transmission to others.  A study published in May 2011 showed that effective treatment of a person living with HIV reduced the risk of transmission to partners by 96%, on par with a vaccine. In FY 2011, PEPFAR reached 3.9 million with treatment, laying a foundation for heightened efforts. By the end of 2013, PEPFAR will directly support more than 6 million people on antiretroviral treatment – two million more than our previous goal.

Condoms: When used consistently and correctly, male and female condoms are highly effective in preventing sexual transmission of HIV. In heterosexual relationships where one partner is HIV-positive and the other is HIV-negative, when condoms were consistently used, HIV- negative partners were 80% less likely to become infected than persons in similar relationships in which condoms were not used. For this reason, the United States has long been a leading provider of condoms for HIV prevention in the developing world, and over the next two years will distribute more than 1 billion condoms.

Smart Investments

The President believes that we must make smart investments with each dollar available.  Using our wealth of scientific evidence and programmatic experience, we must support the interventions that have the largest impact and deliver them effectively and efficiently. With this focus, U.S. investments through PEPFAR have delivered exceptional and increasing results. In the area of treatment, PEPFAR has driven down its cost per year per patient on treatment from over $1100 to $335 in FY 2011. This translates into more lives being saved, and this continued focus on lowering costs and finding efficiencies will allow us to achieve these ambitious targets with existing resources. Some of the ways we’ve lowered costs include:

  • Instituting more efficient procurement via a new pooled supply chain management system.
  • Expanded use of generic antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) – over 98% of the ARV packs purchased by PEPFAR are generic, up from 15% in 2005, due in large part to the expedited Food and Drug Administration drug approval process that has approved 137 generics to date.
  • Switching from air to land and sea freight – delivering live-saving drugs on-time and for less money.
  • Maximizing investments through better coordination with the Global Fund and the elimination of parallel systems.

PEPFAR is one of the key platforms upon which the Obama Administration is building the Global Health Initiative, which supports one-stop clinics offering an array of health services while driving down costs, driving up impact, and saving more lives. Through PEPFAR investments, we have put systems of care in place that countries are leveraging to improve their citizens’ overall health.

Shared Responsibility
Investments in global health are a pillar of American leadership – advancing our national interests, making other countries more stable and the U.S. more secure.  They are also an expression of our values. The global AIDS response is a shared responsibility that cannot be met by one nation alone and today President Obama called on the global community to join the United States in this undertaking. The President has written to leaders of other nations that have demonstrated notable leadership on HIV/AIDS, expressing his desire to work together to meet the shared global responsibility. 

PEPFAR is working with partner countries to build their capacity to lead their national responses and increase their own AIDS funding. Progress toward country ownership is essential for AIDS programs to be sustainable for the long term. In addition to governments, country ownership means embracing the efforts of civil society, including faith-based groups and groups of people affected by our programs. The U.S. is calling on other donors (including governments, foundations, and the private sector) to join us in increasing their investments. This includes supporting and strengthening the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. The U.S. is the largest donor to the Fund, providing more than $5.8 billion through 2011. In 2010, the U.S. made its first-ever multi-year pledge to the Fund, and the U.S. stands by this historic pledge.  The U.S. is also a strong supporter of the Fund’s efforts to transform its operations at both the country and headquarters levels, in order to become more efficient and effective and save as many lives as possible.

The International AIDS Conference, returning to U.S. soil for the first time in over 20 years in July 2012, will provide an important platform at which the United States will communicate this shared responsibility message.

Fighting the Domestic HIV/AIDS Epidemic

In the United States, roughly 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV and about 50,000 become newly infected each year.  Since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 600,000 Americans have lost their lives to HIV and AIDS.  The Obama Administration has mounted a comprehensive and aggressive response to refocus our collective efforts to respond to the domestic HIV epidemic:

Creating a Coordinated National Response to the HIV Epidemic

National HIV/AIDS Strategy: The National HIV/AIDS Strategy is the Nation’s first comprehensive plan to fight the domestic epidemic. The Strategy provides a roadmap for moving the nation forward in addressing the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic with clear and measurable targets to be achieved by 2015.  The development of the NHAS is an important effort to reflect on what is and is not working in order to improve the outcomes that we receive for our public and private investments.

  • The Federal Implementation Plan.  In conjunction with the Strategy, the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) released the Federal Implementation Plan, which outlines initial critical actions to be taken by Federal agencies in 2010 and 2011.
  • The Agency Operational Plans.  Released in February 2011, these plans detail activities and new initiatives across lead federal agencies to implement the Strategy.
  • Ongoing Efforts to Improve Coordination across Government.  The Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health was tasked with improving operational coordination across key departments and agencies, including HHS, Housing and Urban Development, Departments of Justice and Labor, the Veterans’ Administration, and the Social Security Administration.
  • Engaging Communities.  The Obama Administration has taken extraordinary steps to engage the public.  While developing the Strategy, the White House Office of National AIDS Policy hosted 14 community discussions across the country and organized a series of expert meetings on HIV-specific topics. This fall ONAP convened five “Dialogues” across the country to support state and local implementation of the Strategy.

Increasing Access to Care
Today, President Obama announced he is directing $50 million in increased funding for domestic HIV/AIDS treatment and care because every American with HIV should have access to the highest quality of care available.

  • Of the $50 million, $15 million will be directed to the Ryan White Part C program for HIV medical clinics across the country, targeting areas with HIV infections have increased and HIV care and treatment services are not readily available.   This additional funding will allow services to 7,500 more patients across the country.
  • $35 million in increased funding will go to state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs to support grants to states to help nearly 3,000 individuals with HIV/AIDS access life-saving HIV/AIDS drugs.  Currently, there are more than 6,500 Americans with HIV/AIDS who are on waiting lists for lifesaving medications.  Earlier this year, there were more than 9,000 people on waiting lists, the Administration negotiated additional funding that enabled States to reduce the size of their waiting lists by nearly one-third.

This is part of the broader effort to ensure all people with HIV get the maximum benefit from the latest treatments:

  • Prioritizing HIV in the Federal Budget. President Obama has continually demonstrated his commitment to implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy by prioritizing HIV in the federal budget, increasing prevention funding every year fiscal year. This included a $30 million increase in FY 2011 at a time when CDC’s budget experienced a sharp reduction in total funding.  The Administration has also prioritized funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a component of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.  In FY 2011, the ADAP budget totaled $885 million, up from $815 million in FY2009.
  • Increasing Healthcare Options through the Affordable Care Act.  People living with HIV have more to gain from the enactment of health reform than nearly any other group.  People with HIV have higher rates of uninsurance, they are more likely to face barriers in accessing medical care, and they often experience higher rates of stigma and discrimination than other groups.  The Affordable Care Act builds on what works in our current system.  It seeks to expand Medicaid for the lowest income people; it strengthens and improves Medicare, and makes private insurance work better for all Americans, including people with HIV.  The Affordable Care Act also prohibits discrimination on the basis of HIV status, bans lifetime limits on insurance coverage, and is phasing out annual limits in coverage.
  • Extending the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. In 2009, President Obama signed a four-year reauthorization of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, the largest federal program specifically dedicated to providing HIV care and treatment.  It funds heavily impacted metropolitan areas, states, and local community-based organizations to provide life-saving medical care, medications, and support services each year to more than half a million people:  the uninsured and underinsured, racial and ethnic minorities, people of all ages.

Focusing on Reducing New HIV Infections

  • Testing Makes Us Stronger. More than 200,000 Americans living with HIV don’t know it.  This week, CDC launched a new initiative – Testing Makes Us Stronger – to enable more Americans get tested.  If people know they are HIV positive, they can take steps to protect themselves and their partners, and live longer and healthier lives.
  • Shifting Focus to High Impact Prevention.  Thirty years into the epidemic, we have a full toolbox of effective HIV prevention interventions.  At the same time, not all interventions are equally effective, can be taken to scale, or are appropriate for all populations.  CDC has articulated a new vision for its major HIV prevention program with state and local health departments that identifies required activities, and a range of recommended optional activities to optimize impact.
  • Ensuring Resources Follow the Epidemic.  As part of HHS’s operational plan for 2011, the agency has started tracking how federal funds are allocated on the basis of gender, race, and risk factors to compare and better align with the demographics of the epidemic.  This is a new tool for ensuring that resources follow the epidemic.  Further, beginning in FY2012, CDC’s funding for health departments will be awarded using a formula, based on living HIV/AIDS cases, which gives the most current picture of the HIV epidemic and moves away from counting cumulative cases and only counting AIDS, not HIV cases.

Making Significant Policy Changes

  • Elimination of the HIV Entry Ban. From 1987 to 2010 HIV-positive travelers and immigrants have been banned from entering or traveling through the United States without a special waiver.  President Obama lifted this ban in January 2010.  The elimination of this ban is a major step in ending the stigma associated with HIV.
  • International AIDS Conference. After the elimination of the HIV entry ban, the Obama Administration worked with the International AIDS Society to announce that the International AIDS Conference will return to the United States (Washington, DC) in July 2012 for the first time in more than 20 years.  This will bring more than 25,000 researchers, clinicians, individuals living with HIV, and others to Washington to engage with each other on new research, best practices in the field, and effective policy options at this premier international scientific gathering.
  • Comprehensive Support for Injection Drug Users.  In 2009, Congress modified its ban on federal funding for syringe services programs.  In 2010, the Obama Administration issued guidance that permits federal domestic and global funds to be used for syringe services programs when they are part of a comprehensive evidence-based intervention to prevent HIV infection and reduce drug use.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 30, 2011

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Sheraton Hotel
New York, New York

9:09 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, New York!  (Applause.)  It is good to be in New York in the holiday season.  (Applause.)  Everybody is out and about, there's a little nip in the air.  Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center up and lit.  Something about this time of year makes this city feel like anything is possible.  (Applause.) 

It is great to be here.  And I see some familiar faces in the crowd, so thank you for being here. 

We have some special guests.  All of you are special, but I want to make sure that you acknowledge them.  First of all, the head of the DNC, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is here. (Applause.)  She's doing an outstanding job.  One of the finest public servants we have up and coming, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is in the house.  (Applause.)  The New York City public advocate, Bill de Blasio is here.  (Applause.)  And give it up for the folks who performed for you -- Ali Wentworth and Regina Spektor -- thank you.  (Applause.) 

Now, I am here today because I need your help.  But I'm also here because the country needs your help.  There was a reason why so many of you worked so hard on our 2008 campaign, and it wasn’t because you thought that it was going to be a cakewalk to elect Barack Hussein Obama.  (Laughter.)  If you were going for easy that was not the route to take.  You did not take a poll that told you that this was going to be a sure thing.  And besides, our campaign was not about me -- it was about a vision that we shared for America.  It wasn’t a narrow, cramped vision of an America where everybody is fending for themselves.  It was a vision of a big and a compassionate America, where everybody who works hard has a chance to get ahead.  Not just those at the very top; not just those born into wealth or privilege -- a vision that says the more Americans who succeed, the more America succeeds.

That's the vision that we share.  That's the change that we believed in.  And we knew it wasn’t going to come easy, and we knew it wasn’t going to come quickly.  But three years later, because of what you did in 2008, we have already started to see what change looks like.

Think about it.  Change is the first bill I signed into law -- a law that says you get an equal day's work -- somebody who puts in an equal day's work should get equal day's pay -- (applause) -- because our daughters should be treated just like our sons and have the same opportunities.  That's change.

Change is the decision we made to rescue the auto company from collapse, even when some politicians were saying we should let Detroit go bankrupt.  Change is more than 1 million jobs that we saved, and the local businesses that are picking up again -- (applause) -- and the fuel-efficient cars that are now rolling off the assembly lines with that word, Made In America, stamped on them.  (Applause.) 

Change is the decision we made to stop waiting for Congress to do something about our addiction to oil and finally raise fuel-efficiency standards for the first time in 30 years.  (Applause.)  And because of that, by the next decade, we'll be driving cars that get 55 miles a gallon -- at least.  That's what change is.

Change is the fight we won to stop handing out $60 billion worth of tax subsidies to banks and put that $60 billion into student loans.  And today, millions of students are getting more help going to college at a time when they need it most.  That's because of your work in 2008.  (Applause.) 

Change is health care reform that we passed after a century of trying.  (Applause.)  Reform that will finally ensure that in the United States of America, nobody is going to go bankrupt because they get sick.  And you've got a million young people who are already with health insurance today, on their parent's plan because of the laws that we passed.  (Applause.)  Change is the millions of Americans who can no longer be denied or dropped from their health insurance at a time when they need the care the most.  That's what change is.

Change is the fact that for the first time in history, you don't have to hide who you love in order to serve the country that you love -- ending "don't ask, don't tell."  (Applause.)  Change is keeping one of the first promises I made in 2008:  By the end of December, the war in Iraq will be officially over, our troops are coming home.  (Applause.)  They will be rejoining their families for the holidays.  (Applause.) 

And it hasn’t made us weaker; it's made us stronger.  We've refocused our efforts on the terrorists who actually carried out 9/11.  And thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, al Qaeda is weaker than it has ever been and Osama bin Laden will never walk this Earth again.  (Applause.)  That's because of what you did in 2008. 

A lot of this wasn’t easy.  Some of it was risky.  It came in the face of tough opposition and powerful lobbyists and special interests who spent millions of dollars to keep things the way they were.  It's no secret that the steps we took haven’t always been politically popular with the crowd in Washington.  But all this progress was made because of you.  Because you stood up and made your voices heard.  Because you knocked on doors, and you made phone calls and sent out emails.  And you kept up the fight for change long after the election was over. 

You should be proud of what got done.  It should make you hopeful.  But it can't make us complacent -- because everything that we fought for during the last election, and everything that we still have to do to make sure this country gives a fair shot to everybody, is at stake in 2012. (Applause.)  Every single thing that we care about is at stake in this next election.  The very core of what this country stands for is on the line.  The basic promise that no matter who you are, no matter where you come from, this is a place where you can make it if we try.

I just came from another fundraising event at the home of somebody now extraordinarily successful -- his parents were Holocaust survivors.  And he described, in introducing me, how they were able to come over here with almost nothing and yet still provide a good public education for their kids, and still give them a leg up and allow them to succeed.  And the question is, 20 years from now, 30 years from now, are we going to be able to say the same thing about the next generation coming up.

The crisis that struck in the months before I took office put more Americans out of work than at any time since the Great Depression.  And if you actually look at a chart, three months before I was sworn in we lost 4 million jobs; three months after I was sworn in we lost another 4 million.  A few months later, because of our economic policies, the economy started to grow again and people started going to work again.  And we've had private sector job growth for 21 consecutive months.  (Applause.)

But that 8 million that lost their jobs, it has been brutal. And it was the culmination of a decade in which the middle class fell further and further behind.  More good jobs in manufacturing left our shores.  More of our prosperity was built on risky financial deals, or on a housing bubble, and we racked up greater piles of debt even as our incomes fell and our wages flat-lined and the cost of everything from college to health care kept on going up.

These problems didn’t happen overnight, and they weren’t going to be solved overnight.  And it's going to take more than a few years to meet the challenges that had been decades in the making.  The American people understand that.  But what the American people don't understand are leaders who refuse to take action at such a critical time in this nation's history.  They're sick and tired of watching people who are supposed to represent America put party ahead of country, or the next election ahead of the next generation.

President Kennedy used to say, after he took office, what surprised him most about Washington was finding out that things were just as bad as he'd been saying they were.  (Laughter.)  And I can relate to that.  (Laughter.)  When you've got the top Republican in the Senate saying almost from the get-go that his number-one concern, his party's number-one priority, wasn't to fix the economy, wasn't to put people back to work, but was to beat the President, then you get a sense that things really aren't on the level.

That's how you end up with Republicans in Congress voting against all kinds of jobs proposals that they supported in the past:  tax cuts for workers, tax cuts for small businesses, rebuilding roads and bridges, putting cops and teachers back to work.  And they're at it again right now. 

Last year, right around this time, both parties came together to cut payroll taxes for the typical household by $1,000 this year.  And that helped boost the economy at a time when it was weak -- and it is still weak, so we should be doing the same thing.  Except the tax cut is set to expire by the end of this month, and if that happens, a typical middle-class family will see $1,000 tax increase at the worst possible time for the economy and for these families.

So what I've said is, let's not just extend that tax cut another year to help folks get back on solid footing, let's expand it.  Let's give the typical working family a $1,500 tax cut.  And while we're at it, let's cut taxes for small businesses who are creating jobs in America.  Some Republicans used to love these tax cuts, until I proposed them.  (Laughter.)  Suddenly they've started lining up against them.  A lot of them have sworn -- they've taken an oath, "We're never going to raise taxes as long as we live" -- religion. 

But now they're voting against this tax cut, and as a consequence, you could potentially see working folks see an extra $1,000 coming out of their paycheck this year.  They'll fight with everything they have to protect the tax cuts of the wealthiest Americans, but they've got no problem breaking the oath when it comes to raising taxes on middle-class families, just to score some political points. 

And they may think that's a smart political strategy -- although I'm noticing that over the last couple of days they've been realizing this may not work out so well for them -- (laughter) -- it's not a strategy to create jobs.  It's not a strategy to help middle-class families who have been working two to three shifts just to put food on the table.  And it's not a strategy to help America succeed -- and we've all got a stake in that.

If you were able to come to this fundraiser, you've probably got a job and you're doing pretty well, relatively speaking.  But you know what, our success depends on everybody's success.  If you've got a business, you need customers.  If you're a law firm, you need clients.  If you've got a restaurant, you need somebody who can afford to buy dinner at your restaurant.  If you are a parent, then it's not good enough that you can get a good education for your child, because your child's success is going to depend on how well educated every child is in this country. 

We have a choice in 2012.  The question is not whether people are still hurting or whether the economy is growing as fast as it should be -- it is not.  A lot of folks are still hurting out there.  Of course the economy is still struggling.  The question is what are we going to do about it; what vision do we have for where we want to take this country?  And it is not a technical question, it is a values question.  It's about who we are, what we believe in.  (Applause.) 

And that's the debate that we're going to have to have over the next year.  It's about where we're going to go.

The Republicans in Congress and the candidates who are running for President -- I hope all of you are watching these Republican debates.  (Laughter.)  You need to see what's going on to get a sense of what's at stake.  (Laughter.)  They've got a very specific idea about where they want to take this country.  They want to reduce the deficit, which we need to do, not in a balanced way, but by gutting our investments in education, by slashing spending in research and technology, by letting our infrastructure -- our roads and our bridges and our airports -- crumble. 

Now, I believe that since I already signed a law that reduced our deficit by a trillion dollars and I proposed to do another $2.5 million in deficit reduction, I've got some credibility in saying that I'm prepared to make some tough decisions to close that gap.  But we've got to do it in a way that is fair for everybody.  And that means asking the wealthiest among us to do our fair share; that we don't just ask for sacrifices from seniors, we don't just ask for sacrifices from union members, we don't just ask for sacrifices from teachers, we ask for sacrifices from the people who are in the best position to sacrifice.  (Applause.) 

That's a fundamental difference in -- it's a fundamental difference in our vision about where we want to take this country. 

The Republicans in Congress and on the campaign trail want to make Medicare a form of private insurance that seniors have to shop for with a voucher that most independent analysts say won't cover the full cost of their health care.  Now, I believe we can lower the cost of Medicare -- and we need to -- with reforms that still guarantee a dignified retirement that our seniors have earned.  That's what I believe.  That is a values question.  It is not just a technical question.

They think the best way for America to compete for new jobs and businesses is to follow other countries in a race to the bottom.  So their attitude is, well, since places like China allow companies to pay much lower wages, let's roll back our minimum wage.  Let's eliminate our right to organize here at home.  Since other countries allow corporations to pollute as much as they want, we need to get rid of our regulations that protect us from dirty air and dirty water. 

I don't think we should have any more regulations than the health and safety of the American people require.  And I've already made reforms that will save businesses billions of dollars.  We've put in place fewer regulations than the Bush administration -- although the benefits have been a lot higher.

But I don't believe that a race to the bottom is a race that America should try to win.  We should be in a race to the top.  And that is a race we can win.  We shouldn’t be competing -- (applause) -- we shouldn’t be competing to see if we can pay the lowest wages; we should be competing to see if our schools are the envy of the world.  If we're giving our workers the best skills and the best training, and we're putting a college education within the reach of every young person who wants to go. That should be the race that we're trying to win.  (Applause.)

We should be in a race to give our businesses the best access to the newest airports and the newest roads and the newest bridges, the most Internet access.  We should be in a race to support the scientists and researchers who are trying to make the next breakthrough in clean energy or medicine, and make it happen right here in the United States of America.  That's the race we should be in.  (Applause.) 

We should be in a race to make sure that the next generation of manufacturing takes root not in Asia, not in Europe, but in Detroit and Cleveland and Pittsburgh and here in New York.  I don't want this country to just be known for buying and consuming.  I want us to be known for building and selling products all around the world.  That's what we should be focused on.  (Applause.) 

And this competition for new jobs and new businesses, middle-class security -- that's a race we can win.  That's a race we can win. 

You know, I took a trip to Asia, and here sometimes the pundits and the newspapers and the TV commentators love to talk about how America is slipping and America is in decline and -- you know what, that's not what you feel when you're in Asia.  They're looking to us for leadership.  They know that America is great not just because we're powerful, but also because we have a set of values that the world admires; that we don't just think about what's good for us, but we're also thinking about what's good for the world.  That's what makes us special.  That's what makes us exceptional. 

But we can't win this race, and we can't continue American leadership, with an attitude that says, it's every American for themselves.  We're not going to win it if our whole philosophy is built on handing out more tax cuts to people who don't need them and weren't even asking for them, and telling companies, don't worry, you can play by your own set of rules regardless of the consequences, and hope that the success of the wealthiest few translates somehow into prosperity for everybody else.  That is not how America was built.  That theory does not work.  It didn't work when Herbert Hoover called it "trickle-down economics" before the Depression.  It didn't work when we tried it in the last decade.  It won't work today. 

It won't work because we aren't a country that practices survival of the fittest.  We believe in the survival of the nation, and we believe that we all have a stake in each other's success.  (Applause.)  We believe that if we can attract outstanding teachers to the profession by giving him or her the pay that they deserve, and that teacher goes on to educate some real smart kid, the next Steve Jobs, we all benefit.  That's good for all of us.  If we provide faster Internet service to rural America, and that store owner out in some small town is now selling his goods all around the world, that's good for all of us.  If we build a new bridge that saves a shipping company time and money, workers and customers all over the country will do better.  If we have rules in place that protect consumers from unscrupulous financial practices, that will be good for the consumer, and by the way, that will be good for the financial system.  (Applause.)

This idea has not been, historically, a Democratic or a Republican idea; this is an American idea.  The first Republican President -- pretty good President, guy named Abraham Lincoln -- (laughter) -- launched the Transcontinental Railroad, the National Academy of Sciences, the first land-grant colleges -- government programs in the middle of a Civil War.  It was a Republican -- Teddy Roosevelt -- who called for a progressive income tax, saying, you know what, I want each generation to have opportunity, and we don't want just a small segment of our society that is able to amass more and more political power.  It was a Republican -- Dwight Eisenhower -- who built the Interstate Highway System.  Republicans participated with FDR in giving millions of returning heroes, including my grandfather, the chance to go to college on the G.. Bill.  This is an American idea.

And that same spirit of common purpose, it still exists.  I see it every single day -- maybe not always in Washington, but out in America, it's there.  Here in New York, it's there.  It's in small towns, it's in big cities.  You talk to folks on Main Streets, you talk to folks in town halls, you go to a diner -- our politics may be divided, but most Americans still understand we will stand or fall together.  (Applause.)  And no matter who we are, no matter where we come from, we're one nation, and we're one people.  And that's what's at stake in this election.  That's what this election is all about.

Now, I know it has been three wrenching years for this country.  And when you look back at 2008, I think a lot of folks thought, boy, this is so exciting and it's going to just -- we're going to snap our fingers and as soon as we get in there everything will be solved.  And after all that's happened in Washington, it may be tempting to believe that, you know what, change isn't as possible as we thought.  But I've got to remind people of what I said not just during the campaign, but even on the night we won.  I said real change, big change, is hard.  It takes time.  It takes more than a single term.  It may take more than a single President.  It requires ordinary citizens who are committed to keep -- continuing the fight, to keep pushing, to keep inching this country closer to its highest ideals.

It’s how this nation was created; a band of colonists deciding, you know what, we’re going to try this new idea -- a government of and by and for the people.  It’s how the greatest generation was able to overcome more than a decade of war and the Depression to build the largest middle class in history.

It’s how young people fought against billy clubs and fire hoses and dogs to ensure that their kids and their grandkids could grow up in a country where there was no barrier to who you can become. 

Change has always been hard.  But it’s possible.  I’ve seen it and I have lived it, and so have many of you.  So, you know, I’ve been saying at some of these fundraisers and events around the country -- you know, I know I’m a little grayer than I was.  (Laughter.)  And I know that the cynicism has risen again since the last election.  And I know that folks are frustrated with Washington.  But the only way to end the game-playing and the point-scoring that passes for politics this day is to send a message in this election that we are not backing down, we are not giving up; that we are going to keep pushing, and we continue to fight, and we still hope, and we are still going after change that we believe in.  (Applause.)

And I’m going to need you to do it.  I’ve often -- I’ve said -- I said this all the time during the campaign:  I am not a perfect man; I will not be a perfect President.  But there are some things I can promise you.  I will always tell you what I believe in.  I will always tell you where I stand.  And every single day I am thinking about you, your families, our kids, and how we can make America work for everybody.  That’s always been my promise.  And I’ve kept that promise.

So if you’re willing to keep pushing through all the frustrations that we may see, and if you keep reminding yourselves of all that we’ve accomplished so far, and if you keep your eyes on that prize -- all the things that we can accomplish over the next five years -- that change will come.  (Applause.) 

If you are willing to work harder in this election than you did in the last election, change will come.  (Applause.)  If you are willing to get on the phone again and knock on doors again, change will come.  (Applause.)  If you stick with me on this, change will come.  (Applause.)  Press on, everybody.  Change will come. 

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

END
9:36 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 30, 2011

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Private Residence
New York, New York

6:17 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, let me begin by just thanking Jac and Phyllis -- and their adorable grandchildren.  (Laughter.)  And their children -- I don't want to skip over a generation.  (Laughter.)  But the grandchildren are really my buddies.  This guy says he's going to be a future president.  (Laughter.)  So I'm just kind of warming up the seat for him.  (Laughter.)

But in addition to the Rosens, I want to make sure that everybody had a chance to say hello to somebody who has been a dear friend and is an outstanding DNC Chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz.  (Applause.)

I'm going to keep my remarks very brief at the top, because what I want to do is spend as much time in dialogue and answering questions as possible.

When I came into office, we knew that this was going to be an extraordinary time in the life of the country, and in the world.  I don't think any of us realized what an extraordinary transformation would be taking place over these last several years.  They've been tough years.  They've been tough years for the American people.  They've been tough for the world.  And we're not out of the woods yet.  But I begin any meeting like this by saying that we should remind ourselves how much we've accomplished over the last three years.   

When we came into office, the economy was contracting at 9 percent.  It has grown over the last 3 years -- not as fast as we'd like, but we have been able to sustain a fairly steady pace of growth.  When I came into office, we had lost 4 million jobs before I was sworn in, and 4 million jobs in the three months after I was sworn in.  About six months later, we were creating jobs, and we've had private sector job growth for 20 consecutive months. 

Along the way, in addition to preventing a financial meltdown and preventing a second Great Depression, we were able to pass a historic health care bill that's going to make sure that 30 million people have coverage.  We were able to pass a Wall Street reform package that, although some folks in New York are still grousing about it -- (laughter) -- is going to ensure that we do not have the same kinds of crisis that we had in the past.  We were able to make sure that we ended the war in Iraq, as promised, and by the end of this year we're going to have all of our troops out, which is going to be an extraordinary homecoming for families all across America.  Thanks to the great work of folks like Debbie, we were able to end practices like "don’t ask, don't tell," make sure that we expanded college loans for millions of students all across the country.

So a huge amount of progress has been made, but what we also know is we've still got a lot more work to do.  On the domestic front -- Jack and I were just downstairs talking -- the housing market and the real estate market is still way too weak and we've got to do more.  We're doing some stuff administratively.  We're hoping that we can get a little more cooperation from Congress to be more aggressive in tackling the housing market and the real estate market.

We still have to put people back to work.  And I was just in Pennsylvania talking about why it's so important to make sure that we pass a -- continue, essentially, a payroll tax cut that helps small businesses and individual families so that there's more money in circulation and businesses can really latch on to this recovery and start expanding their payrolls.

Internationally, we've been managing I think an extraordinary period not just of two wars, which we're now winding down, but, as Jack alluded to, enormous tumult in the Middle East.  And so far, at least, what we've been able to do is manage it in a way that positions America to stand on the side of democracy, but also be very firm with respect to the security of our allies.  And obviously, no ally is more important than the state of Israel. 

And as Jack alluded to, this administration -- I try not to pat myself too much on the back, but this administration has done more in terms of the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration.  And that's not just our opinion, that's the opinion of the Israeli government.  Whether it's making sure that our intelligence cooperation is effective, to making sure that we're able to construct something like an Iron Dome so that we don't have missiles raining down on Tel Aviv, we have been consistent in insisting that we don't compromise when it comes to Israel’s security.  And that’s not just something I say privately, that’s something that I said in the U.N. General Assembly.  And that will continue.

We do have enormous challenges in making sure that the changes that are taking place in Egypt, the changes that are taking place throughout the region do not end up manifesting themselves in anti-Western or anti-Israel policies.  And that’s something that we’re going to have to pay close attention to, and work diligently on in the months to come.

In the meantime, there are other regions in the world in which we’re making enormous progress.  I mean, we’ve been able to not only reset relations with Russia, manage relations with China, but we’ve also been able to mobilize world opinion around U.S. leadership in a way that many people had thought had been lost when I came into office back in 2008.

So the bottom line is this:  Over the last three years we have made enormous progress.  People aren’t feeling all that progress yet because we had fallen so far and some of the problems that we faced -- whether it was on health care or energy or employment -- those are problems that had been building up over decades.  And we never anticipated that we would solve them over night because these problems weren’t created overnight.  But the trajectory of the country at this point is sound. 

The question is, in 2012 does it continue?  And, frankly, we’ve got another party that -- how will I say this charitably -- (laughter) -- in the past I think has been willing at times  to put country ahead of party, but I'd say over the last couple of years, has not.  Everything has become politicized, from the most modest appointment to getting judges on the bench, to trying to make sure the economy grows -- everything has been looked at through a political lens.  And that is what people are tired of. And, frankly, that’s the reason that Congress right now is polling at 9 percent. 

People want Washington to work on behalf of the American people, not on behalf of folks in Washington and special interests.  And that has been a great challenge.  This election in 2012 is going to pose a decision for the American people in terms of what direction we want to go in.  There’s fundamental differences in terms of direction.

Their view is that less regulation, a shriveled government that is not doing much for people in terms of giving them a ladder up into the middle class, that that’s their best vision; that we don't invest in science, that we don't invest in education, that we don't invest in infrastructure and transportation -- all the things that made us a great power, they seem willing to abandon for ideological reasons. 

And I was so moved listening to Jack’s story, because Jack is exactly right -- his story is our story.  It’s my story; it’s your story.  At some point our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents came to this country seeking opportunity.  And they had to work hard; they had to hold themselves personally responsible, they had to take risks.  But they also knew that there was a country here where if you did try hard, then somebody might give you a little bit of help; that we were in it together, there were ladders of opportunity that existed.

And that’s what we have to rebuild for the 21st century.  And that requires us to make some decisions about, are we going to have the best schools in this country, are we going to have the best infrastructure, are we going to do what it takes, so these guys end up being part of an America where everybody can still make it if they try; regardless of whether they came from Russia, or they came from Poland, or they came from Mexico, or they came from Kenya, that they’re going to have a chance to succeed, and live out the same kind of dreams that the Rosen family has been able to live out.

Our kids are going to be fine.  And I always tell Malia and Sasha, look, you guys, I don't worry about you -- I mean, I worry the way parents worry -- but they’re on a path that is going to be successful, even if the country as a whole is not successful. But that’s not our vision of America.  I don't want an America where my kids are living behind walls and gates, and can’t feel a part of a country that is giving everybody a shot.

And that’s what we’re fighting for.  That’s what 2012 is going to be all about.  And I’m going to need your help to do it. (Applause.)

So, thank you, very much.  (Applause.)

END
6:27 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 30, 2011

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Gotham Bar and Grille
New York, New York

7:30 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.  You're making me blush.  (Laughter.)

Well, because I see so many good friends around this room, I am not going to give a long speech.  What I like to do when I see you guys is just have a good conversation.

We are going through a very interesting time in Washington. We have spent the last two or three months insisting that Congress needs to act but that we are not going to wait for them to act, because the American people expect that we're going to be doing some things to make sure that we're putting people back to work and we're getting the economy growing again.

And we're starting to see just a hint of a response out of Congress.  Last week, part of our American Jobs Act, which provided tax benefits for companies that hire veterans was actually passed and signed into law.  Over the last couple of days, Mr. Boehner and Mr. McConnell have both indicated that it probably does make sense not to have taxes go up for middle-class families, particularly since they've all taken an oath not to raise taxes.

And so it's possible that we see some additional progress over the next couple of weeks that can continue to help strengthen the economy and get us through what has been a very difficult period not just for the United States, but obviously for the world economy.

We still have a lot of headwinds ahead of us.  Europe is probably the biggest one.  And I'm spending an awful lot of time making transatlantic calls -- because when you look at what's happening in Europe, both to the banks and for countries like Italy that need to refinance their debt, that can have a profound impact on what happens here.  But I am cautiously hopeful that they end up recognizing that they need to do the right thing, and we're providing them as much assistance as we can to make sure that the situation is stabilized, because it will have an impact all around the world.

In the meantime, even if we get through this budget cycle, even if we get the payroll tax cut passed, the challenges that led me to run in 2008, many of them are still there.  We still have a health care system that has to get more efficient and that has to improve its quality.  And so we're going to have to implement the Affordable Care Act in 2014, and that means I've got to win in 2012.  (Applause.)   

We still have to implement Dodd-Frank in an effective way that assures that banks are properly capitalized, and that folks are not socializing the risks that they take on Wall Street.  And we've made enormous progress on implementation, but in order to finish the job, I'm going to have to have a second term. 

We still don't have all the energy policies in place that we need to free ourselves from dependence on foreign oil and adequately deal with climate change, despite the fact that we've doubled fuel economy standards on cars and made enormous progress on clean energy -- and that means that I'm going to need another term to finish the job.

We have made enormous progress in education, and broken through a lot of the traditional left-right arguments about accountability and charter schools and teacher training.  But in order for us to implement what is necessarily a decade-long project to get our education system back to where it needs to be, I’m going to need a few more years to finish the job.

On foreign policy -- I just came back from an extraordinary trip to Asia.  And it’s fascinating -- here in the United States it’s fashionable to talk about America’s diminished role in the world.  But you wouldn’t know it if you were traveling around Asia, the fastest-growing part of the world, where folks are incredibly hungry for American leadership, and where we were organizing a trade partnership with most of the major economies there that everybody was eager to join because they recognize that America is willing to play by the rules and those rules can benefit everybody and not just some.

We were able to solidify security arrangements that assure freedom of passage and navigation, and help to underwrite the mutual security of the Asia Pacific region.  And what was fascinating was how much people still look to America as a power that is not simply self-interested, but it also interested in the well-being of people outside our borders, and a power -- a superpower that not only projects military might but also projects values.

In the Middle East, obviously it’s an enormous time of transition and there are going to be some bumpy moments along the way.  But we have positioned ourselves squarely on the side of freedom and democracy.  And we are I think in a position -- particularly as we end the war in Iraq and have all our troops home in time for the holidays this year, and as we begin to transition in Afghanistan -- we're in a position to help shape what, over the long term, could be a transformation in that region that benefits millions of people.  And we can do it even as we are foursquare insisting on Israel’s security.

And so this is a moment of enormous promise.  But I need a couple more years to finish the job.  And that’s why it’s going to be so important that, having worked through all the angst of the last year or two, where people are trying to figure out, why didn't we get everything done in the first three years, it’s time for us to refocus and make sure that we understand that change that we can believe in was never change overnight, but rather it was going to be a slow, steady progression in which this aircraft carrier we call the United States of America slowly shifts in a direction that promises more opportunity, more caring for those who need help, more tolerance of our differences -- the kind of America we want our kids and our grandkids to grow up in.

We’re well on our way, but we’ve got to finish the job.  And for that, I’m going to need your help.  And that’s why, as I look around the room, I could not be more grateful for friends who have stood with me through thick and through thin. 

So thank you very much, everybody.  Appreciate it.  (Applause.)

END
7:38 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 30, 2011

Readout of the President’s Call with 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart

Earlier today, the President called Tony Stewart to congratulate him and the entire Stewart-Haas Racing team on winning the 2011 Sprint Cup Series Championship and on the incredible season they had.  The President said he was impressed that Mr. Stewart was able to come from the back of the pack to edge out Carl Edwards for the win.  The President said that the First Lady and Dr. Biden enjoyed being at Homestead for the Ford 400 and how grateful they were to have NASCAR honor military families.  The President commended Mr. Stewart and the other drivers for being such positive role models and great ambassadors for NASCAR, and said that he looks forward to congratulating Mr. Stewart in person at the White House next year.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 30, 2011

President Obama Signs New Jersey Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of New Jersey and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by a severe storm on October 29, 2011.

Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storm in the counties of Cape May, Essex, Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named William L. Vogel as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 30, 2011

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE

Frederick D. Barton, of Maine, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Conflict and Stabilization Operations), vice Bradford R. Higgins.

Frederick D. Barton, of Maine, to be Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.  (New Position)

Arunava Majumdar, of California, to be Under Secretary of Energy, vice Kristina M. Johnson, resigned.

Marie F. Smith, of Hawaii, to be a Member of the Social Security Advisory Board for a term expiring September 30, 2016, vice Dana K. Bilyeu, term expired.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 30, 2011

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE

Timothy S. Hillman, of Massachusetts, to be United States District Judge for the District of Massachusetts, vice Nancy Gertner, retired.

Robin S. Rosenbaum, of Florida, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, vice Alan S. Gold, retired.

Robert J. Shelby, of Utah, to be United States District Judge for the District of Utah, vice Tena Campbell, retired.