The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 09, 2011

Remarks by the President at Signing of Executive Order to Cut Waste and Promote Efficient Spending Across the Federal Government

Oval Office

11:40 A.M. EST

Well, from the day I took office, one of the commitments that I made to the American people was that we would do a better job here in Washington in rooting out wasteful spending.  At a time when families have had to cut back, have had to make some tough decisions about getting rid of things that they don’t need in order to make the investments that they do, we thought that it was entirely appropriate for our governments and our agencies to try to root out waste, large and small, in a systematic way.

Obviously, this is even more important given the deficits that we’ve inherited and that have grown as a consequence of this recession.  This makes these efforts even more imperative.

Now, this does mean making some tough choices.  It means cutting some programs that I think are worthy but we may not be able to afford right now.  A lot of the action is in Congress and legislative and budget.  I know the joint committee on trying to reduce our deficits are engaged in a very difficult conversation right now, and we want to encourage them to complete their work.  But in the meantime, we don’t need to wait for Congress in order to do something about wasteful spending that’s out there.

Cutting waste, making government more efficient, is something that leaders in both parties have worked on, from Senator Tom Coburn, a Republican, to Democrat Claire McCaskill.  We haven’t seen as much action out of Congress as we’d like, and that’s why we launched on our own initiative the campaign to cut waste.  Not just to cut spending but to make government work better for the American people.

For example, we’ve identified thousands of government buildings that we don’t need.  Some have sat empty for years.  So we’re getting rid of those properties, and that’s going to save the American people billions of dollars.

As part of this campaign, I’ve also asked federal employees to do their part and share their ideas on making government more efficient and more effective.  And two of them are here today, so I want to introduce them.

Roger Rhoads works at the Department of Commerce.  Raise your hand, Roger.  There’s Roger.  He found a way to save the Department almost $2 million a year on its cellphone bills.  And I’m sure that there probably is some consumers out there that would like to talk to him and find out what they can save on their cellphone bills.

Celeste Steele is here.  Celeste, raise your hand.  Celeste works at the Department of Homeland Security, and she’s helping save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars by changing the way the Department buys goods and services.

So we’ve received nearly 20,000 suggestions from federal employees.  I just completed a videoconference with the four finalists of our annual SAVE award -- 20,000 submissions of ideas from federal employees about how we can reduce waste, eliminate duplication, redundancy, paperwork.  And these four finalists have some terrific ideas:  putting books that have been ordered every year online instead of continuing to incur the shipping costs, to having a tool library over at NASA so that instead of buying very specialized tools over and over again for different projects, we actually keep an inventory of those tools.

In addition to soliciting ideas from federal employees, I’ve also tasked Vice President Biden to work with the Secretaries of all our agencies to identify some systemic areas of potential improvement -- travel, transportation, IT services -- all of which we know can save us potentially billions of dollars.  And in September Joe convened the Cabinet and has really pushed them hard in finding savings across all our agencies.

So today I’m signing an executive order that builds on their good work.  It directs agencies to slash spending in each of these areas -- travel, printing, IT -- because we believe that we can get better results for less using technology.  And overall, spending in the areas covered by this executive order will shrink by 20 percent.  And members of my Cabinet will keep reporting on their progress to Joe Biden, and ultimately to me.  And we’re going to hold them accountable for meeting this 20 percent reduction goal.

These are important steps that can save taxpayers billions of dollars over the next several years.  It doesn’t replace the importance of the work that Congress needs to do in coming up with a balanced, bold plan to reduce our deficit, but it indicates once again that there are things that we can do right now that will actually deliver better government more efficiently, more consumer-friendly for less money.  And we’re going to keep on finding every possible way that we can do that even if Congress is not acting.

So with that, I’m going to sign the bill, but I want to thank all the officials who are behind me here today for taking this project so seriously. 

(The executive order is signed.)

There you go.  Thank you very much. 

END                
11:46 A.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 09, 2011

Executive Order 13589 -- Promoting Efficient Spending

EXECUTIVE ORDER

PROMOTING EFFICIENT SPENDING

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to further promote efficient spending in the Federal Government, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1.  Policy.  My Administration is committed to cutting waste in Federal Government spending and identifying opportunities to promote efficient and effective spending.  The Federal Government performs critical functions that support the basic protections that Americans have counted on for decades.  As they serve taxpayers, executive departments and agencies (agencies) also must act in a fiscally responsible manner, including by minimizing their costs, in order to perform these mission critical functions in the most efficient, cost effective way.  As such, I have pursued an aggressive agenda for reducing administrative costs since taking office and, most recently, within my Fiscal Year 2012 Budget.  Building on this effort, I direct agency heads to take even more aggressive steps to ensure the Government is a good steward of taxpayer money.

Sec. 2.  Agency Reduction Targets.  Each agency shall establish a plan for reducing the combined costs associated with the activities covered by sections 3 through 7 of this order, as well as activities included in the Administrative Efficiency Initiative in the Fiscal Year 2012 Budget, by not less than 20 percent below Fiscal Year 2010 levels, in Fiscal Year 2013.  Agency plans for meeting this target shall be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within 45 days of the date of this order.  The OMB shall monitor implementation of these plans consistent with Executive Order 13576 of June 13, 2011 (Delivering an Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Government).

Sec. 3.  Travel.  (a)  Agency travel is important to the effective functioning of Government and certain activities can be performed only by traveling to a different location.  However, to ensure efficient travel spending, agencies are encouraged to devise strategic alternatives to Government travel, including local or technological alternatives, such as teleconferencing and video conferencing.  Agencies should make all appropriate efforts to conduct business and host or sponsor conferences in space controlled by the Federal Government, wherever practicable and cost effective.  Lastly, each agency should review its policies associated with domestic civilian permanent change of duty station travel (relocations), including eligibility rules, to identify ways to reduce costs and ensure appropriate controls are in place.

(b)  Each agency, agency component, and office of inspector general should designate a senior level official to be responsible for developing and implementing policies and controls to ensure efficient spending on travel and conference related activities, consistent with subsection (a) of this section.

Sec. 4.  Employee Information Technology Devices.  Agencies should assess current device inventories and usage, and establish controls, to ensure that they are not paying for unused or underutilized information technology (IT) equipment, installed software, or services.  Each agency should take steps to limit the number of IT devices (e.g., mobile phones, smartphones, desktop and laptop computers, and tablet personal computers) issued to employees, consistent with the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 (Public Law 111 292), operational requirements (including continuity of operations), and initiatives designed to create efficiency through the effective implementation of technology.  To promote further efficiencies in IT, agencies should consider the implementation of appropriate agency-wide IT solutions that consolidate activities such as desktop services, email, and collaboration tools.

Sec. 5.  Printing.  Agencies are encouraged to limit the publication and printing of hard copy documents and to presume that information should be provided in an electronic form, whenever practicable, permitted by law, and consistent with applicable records retention requirements.  Agencies should consider using acquisition vehicles developed by the OMB's Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative to acquire printing and copying devices and services.

Sec. 6.  Executive Fleet Efficiencies.  The President's Memorandum of May 24, 2011 (Federal Fleet Performance) directed agencies to improve the performance of the Federal fleet of motor vehicles by increasing the use of vehicle technologies, optimizing fleet size, and improving agency fleet management.  Building upon this effort, agencies should limit executive transportation.

Sec. 7.  Extraneous Promotional Items.  Agencies should limit the purchase of promotional items (e.g., plaques, clothing, and commemorative items), in particular where they are not cost-effective.

Sec. 8.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)    authority granted by law to a department or agency, or the head thereof;

(ii)   functions of the Director of OMB related to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals; or

(iii)  the authority of inspectors general under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  Independent agencies are requested to adhere to this order.

(d)  This order 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.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
November 9, 2011.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 09, 2011

We Can't Wait: President Obama to Sign Executive Order to Cut Waste and Promote Efficient Spending; White House to Announce 2011 SAVE Award Finalists

WASHINGTON, DC – This morning, President Obama will sign an Executive Order that will cut waste and promote more efficient spending across the federal government.  With this Order, the President is directing agencies to reduce spending on travel; limit the number of information technology devices (e.g. cell phones, smartphones, tablets, laptops) that can be issued to individual employees; stop unnecessarily printing documents that can be posted online; shrink the executive fleet of the federal government; and stop using taxpayer dollars to buy swag -- the plaques, clothing, and other unnecessary promotional items that agencies purchase. Overall spending in the areas covered by the Executive Order will be reduced by 20 percent, saving billions.

This Executive Order builds on the progress that has already been made through the Campaign to Cut Waste.  At President Obama’s direction this Administration has taken up an unprecedented effort to downsize the Federal real estate footprint, and is on track to save $3.5 billion in Federal real estate costs by the end of Fiscal Year 2012. The Administration has cracked down on waste in contracting, cutting contracting spending for the first time in more than a dozen years and slashing spending on “no bid contracts” by $5 billion.

The Executive Order will set bold but achievable goals that are informed by the results of the work of the Campaign to Cut Waste, launched by President Obama and Vice President Biden earlier this year. In September, the Vice President convened the first Cabinet Campaign to Cut Waste meeting and asked the Cabinet to identify wasteful and inefficient spending on travel, executive fleet, publications, office equipment, and other areas. Several of the spending reductions identified by agencies in response to the Vice President’s request are highlighted below. The President’s directive today builds on that work.

In addition to today’s Executive Order signing, the White House will announce this year’s SAVE (Securing Americans Value and Efficiency) Award finalists. The SAVE Award was launched in 2009 to seek ideas from frontline federal employees to make government more effective and efficient and to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. This year, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) received nearly 20,000 ideas from across the country. To honor these finalists, OMB Director Jack Lew, OMB Deputy Director of Heather Higginbottom, and Federal Chief Performance Officer  and OMB’s Deputy Director for Management Jeff Zients will host a video teleconference with the SAVE Award finalists which will be live-streamed at www.WhiteHouse.gov/Save-Award at 11 AM. With the announcement of the four finalists, voting will now begin to select the SAVE Award winner. Anyone can vote for his or her favorite idea on www.WhiteHouse.gov/Save-Award. The winner of this year’s SAVE Award will come to the White House to present their idea to the President.

The four finalists are: Matthew Ritsko, a NASA employee from Maryland, who suggested the creation of a tool “lending library” to avoid duplicative purchases of expensive tools; Eileen Hearty, a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) employee from Colorado, who suggested that it’s unnecessary to travel to inspect superior-rated properties each and every year; Kevin Korzenieski, a Treasury employee in D.C. who suggested that we stop purchasing U.S. Code books for all new attorneys given the availability of the information online; and Faith Stanfield, a Social Security Administration (SSA) employee from Ohio, who suggested SSA stop printing and mailing OASIS magazine – which currently is distributed to nearly 90,000 SSA employees -- and simply make it available online.

“From the day I took office, I’ve said we’re going to comb the federal budget, line by line, to eliminate as much wasteful spending as possible.  That’s what the Campaign to Cut Waste is all about. We can’t wait for Congress to act – we can’t wait for them to get our fiscal house in order and make the investments necessary to keep America great. That’s why today, I’m signing an Executive Order that will build on our efforts to cut waste and promote more efficient spending across the government – we’re cutting what we don’t need so that we can invest in what we do need,” said President Obama.

“In September, I asked all Cabinet secretaries to report on wasteful and inefficient spending at their agencies.  Certain spending – like purchasing promotional water bottles, paying for unused cell phones, and booking unnecessary travel – is unacceptable.  Today’s executive order will stop wasteful spending and make sure we use taxpayer dollars efficiently and responsibly,” said Vice President Biden.

Within 45 days, agencies will develop plans to reduce combined costs in the following areas to 20 percent below Fiscal Year 2010 levels by Fiscal Year 2013.

1) Reduce Spending on Travel and Conferences: The Executive Order directs agencies to decrease travel and conference-related spending.  Increasingly, travel will be limited to circumstances where the activity can only be performed away from the employee’s primary office (e.g., a diplomatic mission or enforcement inspection).  Employees will continue attending local meetings and conferences in person but expand their use of teleconferencing or videoconferencing technology to participate in meetings or conferences that would normally require travel.  If agencies are hosting or sponsoring conferences, they will use conference space controlled by the federal government wherever possible. Each agency will designate a senior-level official to be responsible for reducing travel costs. Examples of steps currently being taken are:

  • The IRS plans to utilize teleconferencing and webinars when possible, as an alternative to travelling to conferences and training sessions.  This and other efforts will result in 27% less spending on travel in Fiscal Year 2012.
  • The Department of Energy is reducing travel costs by reducing the number of conferences, utilizing video teleconferencing, and issuing non-refundable airline tickets when travel does not require changes.  This initiative will save $15.7 million in Fiscal Year 2012.
  • NASA is reducing travel costs by approximately $17 million in Fiscal Year 2012 by reducing the number of attendees at meetings and conferences, encouraging rental car sharing, and reducing foreign travel.

2) Cut Duplicative and Unnecessary Employee Information Technology Devices: Some federal employees are issued more devices (e.g. cell phones, smartphones, laptops, tablet personal computers) than they need to fulfill their duties.   In other cases, IT devices are purchased but go unused.  The Executive Order directs each agency to limit the number of devices issued to employees and establish new policies to ensure they are not paying for IT equipment that isn’t being used. Examples of steps currently being taken are:

  • The Department of Homeland Security previously spent millions of dollars each year by paying for unused cell phones and air cards. The agency now conducts annual audits of use and has saved $10.5 million to date.
  • The Department of Commerce saved $1.8 million to date and will save a total of  $3 million this year by disconnecting 2,648 wireless lines showing no usage for the past three months – including those assigned to retirees and former staff -- as well as by optimizing rate plans.

3) End Unnecessary Printing and Put It Online: In the digital age, it is frequently unnecessary to spend money on printed documents in addition to making information available online for the public. The Executive Order directs agencies to provide written information electronically and limit the production of hard copy documents.  Examples of steps currently being taken are:

  • The Department of the Treasury plans to reduce spending on printing by increasing the number of paperless transactions it conducts with the public.  In total, Treasury expects this initiative will reduce printing costs by up to 24 percent in Fiscal Year 2012.  Treasury’s initiative to increase the number of paperless transactions it conducts with the public is expected to save more than $500 million and 12 million pounds of paper over its first five years alone. 
  • Last year, Trudy Givens won the President’s SAVE Award for her suggestion that we stop printing and shipping excess Federal Registers to Federal Government Offices, which costs millions of dollars per year, when the content is available online. As a result, the Obama Administration cut the number of copies that Federal agencies receive by 85 percent within the past year, and continues to cut back even more.

4) Limit Motor Vehicles: The Federal Government spends $9 million per year on vehicles just to shepherd itself around Washington DC.  The Executive Order limits executive transportation across the federal government and directs agencies to improve the performance of the Federal fleet. Examples of steps currently being taken are:

  • The Department of Commerce is reducing the number of fleet drivers to one for all senior departmental officials, including the Secretary.  Reductions in drivers and vehicles are expected to generate $100,000 in annual savings.

5) Stop Swag – or Government Promotional Handouts: The Executive Order directs agencies to stop wasting taxpayer money on non-essential items used for promotional purposes, such as clothing, mugs, and non-work related gadgets.

  • For instance, several months ago the Department of the Treasury issued a directive to all of its bureaus to avoid purchasing any goods that could be considered frivolous or unnecessary, and to ensure that all purchases have a clear nexus with the Department’s mission and operations.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 08, 2011

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate

November 8, 2011

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:

Meredith M. Broadbent, of Virginia, to be a Member of the United States International Trade Commission for a term expiring June 16, 2017, vice Deanna Tanner Okun, term expired.

Anne Claire Richard, of New York, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Population, Refugees, and Migration), vice Eric P. Schwartz, resigned.

Tara D. Sonenshine, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, vice Judith A. McHale.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 08, 2011

President Obama Signs District of Columbia Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the District of Columbia and ordered Federal aid to supplement the District of Columbia recovery efforts in the area affected by an earthquake during the period of August 23-28, 2011.

Federal funding is available to District of Columbia and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the earthquake in the District of Columbia.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures in the District of Columbia.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Kim R. Kadesch 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 District of Columbia 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 08, 2011

Remarks by the President on Head Start in Yeadon, Pennsylvania

Yeadon Regional Head Start Center
Yeadon, Pennsylvania

11:43 A.M. EST

Thank you, everybody, please have a seat.  It is great to be in Yeadon, great to be in the Philly area.  I was told not to mention football at all.  (Laughter.)  So I’m not going to say anything about football while I’m here, because I know this is a sensitive subject.  (Laughter.)  This is why I have Secret Service along.  (Laughter.)

Now, I want to start by acknowledging some of the folks who are with me here today.  First of all, I want to thank one of our finest public servants in this country, and she’s just a great friend, but somebody who cares passionately about the health and the welfare of our kids and our families -- Kathleen Sebelius, our Secretary of Health and Human Services.  (Applause.)  I want to acknowledge the Mayor of Yeadon -- Dolores Jones-Butler is in the house.  (Applause.)  Two of my favorite members of Congress, Chaka Fattah and Bob Brady.  (Applause.)  And one of my favorite former members of Congress who I think is going to be doing big things here in Pennsylvania is here as well -- I guess I can’t call you Congressman, huh?  (Laughter.)  That’s all right?  The -- Congressman Murphy.  (Applause.) 

I had a chance to say hello to Mayor Nutter when I landed in Philly.  He couldn’t be with us this morning -- I guess there are a few things going on here today.  (Laughter.)  But I wished him well.  He’s a great partner of ours. 

And I also want to say thank you to Ms. Pleasantte, Dr. O’Shea -- (applause) -- all the staff and the teachers who are here.  They are just doing a great job.  (Applause.)

I had a chance to visit one of the classrooms here.  And I have to say, it got me a little choked up, because -- Patrick, you need to remember this.  Patrick has got small kids.  And they are just so huggable at this age.  (Laughter.)  And now -- they’re still huggable, but they’re a little -- they’re 5’9” and five feet.  (Laughter.)  But obviously you got a lot to handle when you’re here. 

And the teachers, the staff who are here, they wouldn’t be doing this for the money.  They’re doing it out of love of children.  All of you do it because you know that when it comes to learning and when it comes to growing, this is an absolutely critical period in a child’s life.  We know that three- and four-year-olds who go to high-quality preschools -- including our best Head Start programs -- are less likely to repeat a grade; they’re less likely to need special education; they’re more likely to graduate from high school than the peers who did not get these services.  And so this makes early education one of our best investments in America’s future.  One of the best.  (Applause.)

Right out of the gate, it helps prepare our kids for a competition that’s never been tougher -- a competition for good middle-class, well-paying jobs.  And we’re competing now with countries like China and South Korea and Europe, all of which are serious about educating their children.  So at a time when a company is able to move anywhere they want in the world -- and a lot of times will make the decision based on where they can find the most highly skilled workforce -- it is absolutely imperative that we make sure the United States is the place where we’ve got the best-trained, best-educated young people.  That is a priority.  (Applause.) 

And this is not, and should not be, a Democratic priority or a Republican priority.  This is an American priority.  (Applause.)  It’s an economic imperative.  Our future depends on it.  And people understand this outside of Washington, which is why we’ve been able to work with Democratic and Republican governors on our efforts to strengthen education from cradle to career.  Not only with more money -- money is important -- but also with reforms that challenge schools to develop higher standards and the best practices for teaching and for learning.   
    
Now, unfortunately, in Congress right now, it’s a different story.  The Republicans in Washington have been trying to gut our investments in education.  Earlier this year, nearly every Republican in the House voted for a budget that would have cut hundreds of thousands of children from Head Start.  They’ve tried to cut Pell Grants for college students.  They just voted against a jobs bill that would have put 400,000 teachers back in the classroom. 

Their argument is that we don’t have the money.  And what I’ve said is we can make these investments in our children without adding to the deficit simply by asking people who make more than a million dollars a year to pay a little more in taxes -- not right now, but starting in 2013.  It’s the right thing to do for our kids.  It’s the right thing to do for our country.  But so far they’ve said no.

It’s not just on issues, by the way, that cost money.  So far, Congress has failed to move on fixing No Child Left Behind, despite the fact that we’ve shown them bipartisan reforms that are working in states right now -- reforms that are praised not only by Democrats but also by Republicans.  So after trying for months to work with Congress on education, we decided to take matters into our own hands, because our future is at stake.  Our children deserve action.  And we can’t wait for Congress any longer. 

We can’t wait to make sure that our schools give every child the chance to compete with young people from around the world.  So in September, I announced that if states exceed the high standards set by No Child Left Behind, then they’ve got the flexibility to build on the reforms that they’ve already made.  We can’t wait to help more young people get to college.  So two weeks ago, I announced changes that will lower student loan payments by hundreds of dollars a month for around 1.6 million Americans.  (Applause.)
 
We can’t wait to give more of our youngest children the same basic opportunities we want all children to have, that we want for our children.  And that’s why today, I’m announcing a new rule that will improve the quality of Head Start programs around the country.  (Applause.) 

Now, I firmly believe that Head Start is an outstanding program and a critical investment.  The children who have the chance to go to the best Head Start programs have an experience that can literally change their lives for years to come.  We’re making today’s announcement because we believe that every child in Head Start deserves that same chance. 

Now, under the old rules governing Head Start, there just wasn’t enough accountability.  If a program wasn’t providing kids with quality services, there was no incentive to improve.  Under the new rule, programs are going to be regularly evaluated against a set of clear, high standards.  If a program meets these standards -- and we believe the majority of Head Start programs will -- then their grants will be renewed.  But if a program isn’t giving children the support they need to be ready for school, if classrooms are unsafe, if finances aren’t in order, if kids aren’t learning what they need to learn, then other organizations will be able compete for that grant.  We’re not just going to put money into programs that don’t work.  We will take money and put them into programs that do.  (Applause.)

If a group is going to do a better job for the community, then they need that support.  If a group would do a better job serving the kids in our communities, then they’re going to have that chance.

Now, this is the first time in history that Head Start programs will be truly held accountable for performance in the classroom, and we know that raising the bar isn’t always an easy thing to do.  But it’s the right thing to do.  Children in Head Start deserve the best services we have to offer, and we know that Head Start programs can meet this challenge. 

So because of this rule, and the other executive actions that we’ve taken to improve our education system, more children will have the chance to study hard, do well in school, graduate on time, go to college without crushing debt.  More Americans will grow up to be scientists and innovators and engineers and entrepreneurs.  More businesses will be able to find skilled workers.

Of course, there’s no substitute for Congress doing its job.  And I have to say these two congressmen are doing their job.  (Applause.)  But they need some help.  Congress still needs to fix No Child Left Behind.  Congress still needs to put teachers back in the classroom where they belong.  (Applause.)  

So Congress still needs to act.  But if Congress continues to stand only for dysfunction and delay, then I’m going to move ahead without them.  (Applause.)  I told my administration, I want you to keep on looking for actions that we can take without Congress –- steps that can save consumers money, make government more efficient and responsive, help heal the economy, improve our education system, improve our health care system.  We want to work with Congress, but we’re not going to wait.

I think this is the right thing to do, not just as a President, but I think this is the right thing to do as a parent.  Because I know there are some things I cannot guarantee my kids.  But I can make sure -- I can do my best to make certain that they get a chance to succeed or fail on their own merits, just like I did.  I can do everything in my power to ensure that their children grow up in a country where anything is possible, as long as you’re willing to work for it.

That’s what my mom and my grandparents wanted for me.  It’s what I want for my children.  It’s the promise that every generation has made to those who came after.

We can’t be the first generation of Americans to break that promise.  So we’ve got to prove that we are tougher than the times that we live in and that we’re bigger than the politics of the moment.  We’ve got to meet the challenges today by preparing our children for the challenges tomorrow. 

That’s what’s being done at this wonderful facility.  We want to replicate these all across the country.  We are proud of what you are doing.  You’ve got a President who’s got your back

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

END
11:55 A.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 08, 2011

President Obama Signs Vermont Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Vermont and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and flooding on May 20, 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 storms and flooding in the counties of Franklin, Washington, and Windham Counties.

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 James N. Russo 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 08, 2011

Presidential Proclamation -- World Freedom Day, 2011

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

On November 9, 1989, the German people broke through a barrier that divided their nation, demonstrating no wall is strong enough to hold back the rising tide of human liberty.  There could be no clearer rebuke of tyranny, nor a stronger affirmation of freedom.  On World Freedom Day, we commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall, celebrate the resilience of the human spirit, and stand with all those who live in the darkness of oppression and believe in the hope of a brighter day.

This pivotal moment in the global march toward liberty heralded a new era in Europe and around the world.  Today, we once again find ourselves at a crossroads of history as a wave of democratic movements sweeps away oppressive dictatorships in the Middle East and North Africa.

Just as the United States supported the aspirations of those who emerged from behind the Iron Curtain, we continue to stand with all who seek their universal rights and reach for a future that offers dignity, justice, equality, personal freedom, and greater economic opportunity.  Recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa remind us that the pursuit of liberty endures.  As people around the world embrace the cause of human freedom, they take steps toward a more stable and prosperous future.

Today, we pay tribute to the brave individuals who, despite all risks, tear down barriers that obstruct democracy and justice for all.  Let us keep in our thoughts those who still live under totalitarian regimes, and let us honor their courage to hold fast to the promise of a better future.  On World Freedom Day, we renew our commitment to all who believe -- even in the face of cynicism, doubt, and oppression -- that walls truly can come down.

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 November 9, 2011, as World Freedom Day.  I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, reaffirming our dedication to freedom and democracy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth 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
November 08, 2011

We Can't Wait: President Obama Takes Action to Improve Quality and Promote Accountability in Head Start Programs

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the President will announce important steps to improve the quality of services and accountability at Head Start centers across the country.  The Department of Health and Human Services will implement new rules that will – for the first time – require all low-performing Head Start grantees that fail to meet a new set of rigorous benchmarks to re-compete for continued federal funding.

This reform will help direct taxpayer dollars to programs that provide high-quality Head Start services and ensure Head Start programs provide the best available early education services to children in every community. Today’s announcement is part of a series of actions President Obama has taken because America’s children only get one chance and can’t wait for help getting a world-class education.

“We can’t wait to give more of our youngest children the same basic opportunities we all want for our kids. That’s why today, I’m announcing a new rule that will increase the quality of Head Start programs around the country,” President Obama said. “After trying for months to work with Congress on education, we’ve decided to take matters into our own hands.  Our future is at stake.  Our children deserve action.  And we can’t wait for Congress any longer.”

“With this new rule we are introducing unprecedented accountability in the Head Start program,” said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. “Head Start has a critical mission – to help children from low-income families achieve their full potential and, in turn, help our country build tomorrow’s workforce.  It is a top priority for the Obama Administration to ensure that the program fulfills that mission by holding programs to high standards for classroom quality and program integrity. We owe Head Start children the highest quality services available to prepare them for school and for life.”

Head Start provides grants to local organizations to provide comprehensive child development services to low-income children and families. Today, there are nearly1,600 Head Start and Early Head Start grantees across the country providing early learning services to nearly one million of our nation’s most vulnerable infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

This reform in Head Start builds on bipartisan policies enacted in the most recent revision of the Head Start legislation in 2007.  The rules were crafted by the Obama Administration with extensive input from a national advisory committee, parents, educators, child development experts and the public.  The new quality benchmarks are transparent, research-based, and include standards for health and safety, and fiscal integrity. They will measure Head Start classroom quality based on a rigorous, validated evaluation tool to determine which programs are – and are not  – providing high-quality services.

Over the next three years, the Department of Health and Human Services will review the performance and program quality of all Head Start grantees.  Those that don’t meet the quality benchmarks will be required to compete for continued funding. 

The new benchmarks mandate that any low-performing Head Start grantee will have to compete for funding if they have deficiencies discovered in their onsite review, fail to establish and use school-readiness goals for children, or demonstrate low performance in the classroom quality evaluation. In addition, grantees will also be required to compete for federal funding if their state and local licensing has been revoked, a Head Start grant has been suspended or if fiscal or management issues prevent them from properly manage federal funds.

Based on analysis of current program performance data, it is estimated that one-third of all grantees will be required to re-compete for continued funding under this new rule.  HHS will notify the first group of Head Start grantees that will be required to compete for continued funding in December 2011. 

Going forward, all Head Start grants will be converted to five-year grants and each program’s performance and quality will be evaluated every five years to determine whether the grantee meets the benchmarks or must compete to receive another grant.

Head Start is administered by the Office of Head Start in the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Strengthening Head Start

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, President Obama invested $2.1 billion in Head Start and Early Head Start, expanding these programs to reach an additional 61,000 children and families. The President has also made reform of the Head Start program a high priority, and has committed to ensuring that every Head Start center provides a high-quality environment.  While the majority of Head Start programs provide quality services to children and families, we need to ensure that children receive the full support needed to begin school ready for success.

Head Start is widely recognized for its comprehensive approach – programs promote early literacy and numeracy, while supporting good nutrition habits, physical activity, and positive social and emotional development. The rule announced today is an essential part of the Obama Administration’s strategy to strengthen Head Start and to raise the bar on quality, particularly for lower performing programs.

The Obama Administration has taken additional steps to improve quality in Head Start programs, including: 

  • Evaluating Teacher-Child Interactions in Head Start Classrooms.  Head Start program serving preschoolers have been evaluated using the CLASS: Pre-K tool since 2009.  This assessment is not only important for identifying programs for competition; it is designed to be used by programs to identify areas in need of improvement so they can target their efforts where they are most needed.  Rigorous research has shown that the CLASS: Pre-K is linked to important child outcomes, such as academic achievement and behavior. 
  • Improved Training and Assistance in Head Start Programs. The Obama Administration’s new network of evidence-based training will prepare Head Start classrooms around the country to undertake continuous improvements in their program.  Those who participate in these services can improve their programs so they are less likely to meet the criteria for competition.
  • Head Start Centers of Excellence. Twenty centers have been selected by the Obama Administration for distinction as a Head Start Center of Excellence, based on the quality of their program. These Head Start Centers are producing positive, measurable outcomes related to school readiness for children; supporting families; and increasing staff competence.  Information about their approaches and models of service will be disseminated to other Head Start and early childhood programs across the country to guide other grantees on a path to excellence.
  • Mentorship Across Head Start Programs. More than 125 grantees were selected for a 17 month pilot that pairs Head Start programs with mentors who have the expertise to help them improve the quality of their programs.  Selected grantees have proposed a variety of models that include on-site mentoring and distance mentoring through the use of technology.

Promoting School Readiness for America’s Children

The years prior to kindergarten are among the most significant in shaping a child’s foundation for learning and school success. Today’s announcement builds on a comprehensive early learning agenda to help provide the support needed for children to succeed in school and in life: 

  • President Obama’s Race to the Top: Early Learning Challenge is a first-of-its-kind competition that will provide $500 million to winning states to bring innovation and quality improvement to all early learning programs, including Head Start, public pre-K, child care, and private preschools to close the achievement gap between low-income children and their peers. The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge focuses on outcomes and results in early learning, challenging governors to develop new approaches to raising the bar across state early learning settings to adopt rigorous standards across programs; undertake efforts to improve the early education workforce; and ensure that more children enter kindergarten ready for success.
  • President Obama’s call to strengthen our nation’s child care providers was presented in the FY 2012 budget, including principles for reauthorization of the child care subsidy system which serves 1.6 million low-income children and families each month.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invested $2 billion in the Child Care and Development Fund, to support child care assistance and quality improvements. The Administration is working with State partners to raise the level of quality in child care programs by developing systems that set standards for quality, provide parents with information about the quality of child care programs, and provide pathways for providers to meet higher standards. 
  • The Affordable Care Act provided $1.5 billion over 5 years in funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, which relies on evidence-based home visiting strategies that help families create a nurturing environment for young children. President Obama recognizes the importance of promoting healthy development and improving maternal and child health outcomes in the early years.  This program connects families to a range of services – including health, early education, early intervention and more – in order to better ensure that children are healthy and prepared for school and life.  Effective home visiting programs can have powerful positive impacts on maternal and child health, child maltreatment, parenting skills, children’s cognitive, language, and social-emotional development, and school readiness.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 07, 2011

Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event

Private Residence
Washington, D.C.

 
7:15 P.M. EST
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, first of all, let me just thank Dwight and Toni for your incredible hospitality.  I hope you didn’t cut down the tree just for this event.  (Laughter.)  I’d feel a little guilty about that.  It looks like it was a nice, big tree.  (Laughter.)
 
It’s wonderful to see all of you.  I’ve got some friends in the room who I’ve known a very long time; some people who I’m meeting for the first time.  But to all of you, I appreciate yourself extending yourselves in this way.
 
What I want to do is keep my remarks at the top relatively brief, and then I want to spend some time just in a conversation with you and answering some questions and getting your feedback.
 
We are at a point in our history, as Dwight indicated, that I think is as important, if not more important, than where we were back in 2008.  I’m obviously a little grayer than I was then.  I’ve got some bumps and bruises from some tough political battles in this town.  But what we’ve been able to accomplish over the last three years I’m extraordinary proud of. 
 
We were able to prevent America from going into a Great Depression.  We were able to, after a series of quarterly GDP reports that were the worst that we’ve seen since the Great Depression, reverse it and get the economy to grow again.  We’ve seen 20 straight months of consecutive job growth.  We were able to pass health insurance reform, Wall Street reform, end “don’t ask, don’t tell,” end the war in Iraq -- the list goes on.
 
And sometimes when Valerie and I come out of a meeting we have to remind ourselves of some of the stuff we’ve done because you lose track after three years.  And so I’m very proud of our track record.  But what is absolutely true is that huge swaths of the country are still hurting.  A lot of people are still struggling out there.  And there’s no way in which America right now is fulfilling all of its potential. 
 
We’ve got entire communities that have been devastated by this recession.  We have young people who are struggling to take advantage of the good educations that they’ve received but are having trouble finding work.  And we’ve got a whole generation of kids out there who aren’t getting the kind of education that they need to compete in the 21st century.
 
And so as proud as I am of what we’ve already accomplished, I am that much more determined to make sure that over the next five years we complete the task that we set out, which was to create a government that is responsive to not just people who are hurting now, but also responsive to future generations; that we’re able to reduce our deficit in a responsible way, in a balanced way; that we’re able to make sure our school system is working for every child and not just some children; that we implement health care reform so that we start reducing costs for families and for businesses and for the federal government, but also improve quality and make sure that nobody out there is going bankrupt just because somebody in their family is getting sick.
 
We’ve got to still implement immigration reform -- a big, unfinished piece of business -- because we’re a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, and we should be able to reconcile those two imperatives and make sure that we’ve got a system that works to grow our economy and improve our economy, and doesn’t leave people in a second-class status in this United States of America.
 
We still don’t have an energy policy that is suitable for the needs of the future.  And although we’ve made enormous progress, I think people forget, for example, that we doubled fuel efficiency standards on cars and trucks just in the last year, which if it had been in legislative form would have probably been the most significant piece of environmental legislation in the last 30 years.  A lot of people don’t know it.  And despite some of those gains we still are way too dependent on imported oil, and we still haven’t done everything we can to transition to a clean energy economy.

In foreign policy, we’re ending the war in Iraq and we’re transitioning out of Afghanistan.  But I didn’t run for office only to end a war or only to make sure that we got bin Laden.  We also want to make sure that we’re creating opportunity all around the world; that we have a positive, proactive agenda that is helping alleviate poverty and helping to provide education, and helping to make sure that the Arab Spring is one that turns positive and that gives more people opportunity.
 
So across the board we’ve just got a lot more work to do.  And the only way we’re going to be able to accomplish it is if we’ve got folks like you as energized, as enthusiastic, as committed as so many of you were in 2008.  Because what’s holding us back right now are not technical questions.  I mean, there are some big technical issues surrounding how do you spur on clean energy, how do we make sure that our manufacturing base is strong here in the United States, and we are at the cutting edge of those technologies that are going to help us win the race for the future.
 
But those are solvable problems.  The challenge we have right now is fixing our politics and making sure that we’ve got the kind of politics and governance here in Washington which is responsive to the needs of people, not the needs of special interests; that brings out the best in us and not the worst in us. 
 
And that is probably the biggest piece of business that remains unfinished.  That’s probably the area where we’ve been most stymied over the last three years.  My legislative record, our administration record I’ll put up against any President in their first term.  But in terms of changing the culture in Washington, the fever has not broken yet.  Not everybody has gotten the word yet -- (laughter) -- that this is not how the American people want their government to operate. 
 
They want common sense.  They want responsiveness.  They want a focus on the future and the long term.  They want compromise where that’s appropriate.  But they also want to make sure that their leaders stand on principle where needed and are willing to make the tough calls and do the difficult things that will help us ensure that the America that we pass onto our kids and our grandkids is better than the one that we inherited.
 
And that I think is the biggest challenge.  And over the next year we are going to be wrestling with what are two fundamentally different visions of where we need to take the country and where we need to take our politics.  And I’m confident that the American people prefer our vision.  But we’re going to have to communicate that effectively, and to do that I’m going to need you.
 
So I just -- as I was thinking about riding over here, I was thinking about a group of veterans that I met with today.  We made a big announcement about initiatives that are going to help veterans get hired.  The unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans is actually higher than the general population, and that’s something that I intend to fix.  But it reminded me of something that Michelle and I have both experienced. 
 
The biggest honor of my job is serving as Commander-in-Chief.  And I get the chance to interact a lot with people who are based all around the world; Michelle interacts with military families here, throughout the country.  The kind of sacrifices they’re making on behalf of their country, the kind of commitment and discipline, and putting country ahead of self-interest, is unbelievable.
 
And for that same spirit to be captured and to be channeled, and to be the animating spirit of Washington -- that should be our goal.  Because if we do that, there’s no problem we can’t solve.  There’s no challenge we can’t meet.  I am absolutely convinced of that.
 
And so I’ve said before that this campaign probably won’t be as sexy as the first one.  It’ll be tight.  It’ll be tough.  But I also want to remind people who were on the first campaign, there’s been a lot of revisionist history that says how perfect that first one was.  (Laughter.)  It didn’t feel like that when we were in the middle of it.  (Laughter.)  And that’s part of our democracy.  It’s always a little messy, and it’s always tough.  But it’s also worth it when it’s done right.
 
And if you’re willing to join me on this journey I think at the end of the day you’ll see that we’re actually able to deliver the kind of change that you can believe in.
 
So thank you very much, everybody.  Thank you.  (Applause.)
 
END
7:24 P.M. EST