The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 06, 2013

Remarks by the President on the Affordable Care Act

Temple Emanu-El
Dallas, Texas

5:36 P.M. CST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Edna.  Give Edna a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  Well, it is wonderful to see all of you. And let me just make some special mention of some people in addition to Edna who are here. 

First of all, your outstanding Mayor, Mike Rawlings, is here.  (Applause.)  Outstanding County Judge, Clay Jenkins, who's doing a great job on affordable care.  Thank you, Clay.  (Applause.)  Wonderful Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson is here.  (Applause.)  And we want to thank Rabbi David Stern and Rabbi Asher Knight of Temple Emanu-El for hosting us here today. (Applause.) 

And the main reason I’m here is to thank all of you.  Edna’s story is a story that is repeated all across the country -- people who got sick and didn’t have health insurance; folks who thought they had health insurance and then it turned out, because of the fine print or them not filling something out right, they were short of what they needed in terms of getting healed. 

And when I ran for office, obviously we were in the midst of a Great Recession, and my number-one priority was making sure that we didn’t go into a Great Depression, and making sure that we started putting people back to work.  We’ve now seen the economy begin to recover -- although sometimes Washington is not helpful with things like the shutdown.  We’ve seen 7.5 million new jobs created.  We’ve seen exports at record levels.  We’ve seen a lot of growth in places like Dallas, and people are starting to get their footing back, home prices starting to recover. 

But what I also understood was that if we did not start tackling our health care system in a serious way, it would continue to undermine our economy, it would continue to hurt families, and it would continue to hurt businesses. 

And there’s a reason why it had never been done before.  Starting with Harry Truman, people had talked about how we were going to make sure that everybody had affordable, quality health care.  But through Democratic and Republican Presidents and Congresses, we couldn’t get it done.  And the reason is it’s hard.  It’s a big chunk of the economy, and a lot of people, even if they don’t like what is going on, are always nervous about change.  So it was a challenge.  But we were able to get it done, in part because of grassroots folks like you that fought so hard to make sure that we were able to deliver on universal health care. 

And that is what this is all about.  Ultimately, all the politics, all the chatter sometimes leaves out the fact that the system we had, the status quo just wasn’t working for too many people.  And so it was important for us, as difficult and challenging as it has been, to go ahead and move forward to make sure that folks like Edna, when they go to the hospital because they’ve been stricken with an illness, know not only that they’re going to get good care, but also that their families aren’t going to go bankrupt just because somebody in the family got sick.  That’s what we’ve been fighting for.

Now, over the last three years, we’ve already put a whole bunch of benefits in place.  A lot of people don’t know that they’re in place because of the Affordable Care Act, but they’re already in place.  So if you’ve got a child who’s 25, didn’t have health insurance but now is on the parents' plan, the reason for that is because of the Affordable Care Act.  Seniors are getting discounts on their prescription drugs, saving hundreds of dollars because we deepened the discount through the Affordable Care Act. Insurance companies have to treat customers right because of the Affordable Care Act.  No more lifetime limits, no more dropping people just when they get sick. 

But to finish the job, now what we’ve got to do is sign up those folks who don’t have health insurance and improve insurance for those who are under-insured, who don’t have very good insurance, and have been subject to the whims of the insurance company.  And that’s what this is all about.  And that’s the challenge that we’ve got over the next month, three months, six months, next year.  And if we get that done -- when we get that done -- then we will have created a stable system in which there’s no reason why people shouldn’t be getting health care in this country.

Now, I’m the first to say that the first month I’ve not been happy with.  (Laughter.)  You’ve all heard about the website woes.  Nothing drives me more crazy than the fact that right now, there’s great insurance to be had out there, choice and competition, where people can save money for a better product -- except too many folks haven’t been able to get through the website. 

Now, this is like having a really good product in a store, and the cash registers don’t work and there aren’t enough parking spots and nobody can get through the door.  And so we are working overtime to get this fixed.  And the website is already better than it was at the beginning of October, and by the end of this month, we anticipate that it is going to be working the way it is supposed to, all right?  And folks are working 24/7 to make sure that happens.

But remember, the insurance is already there.  And if people can't get through the website, they can get on the phone to the call center and people can take their application and walk them through this process, and people can apply in person if they've got committed folks who are out there helping people to sign up. And that’s what all of you have been committed to doing. 

And it is so important, because the truth of the matter is, even if the website were working 100 percent, a lot of people would still need help to navigate through this stuff.  A high percentage of people who don’t have health care also might not have ready access to a computer right away, or it might be confusing for them and they would need people to help guide them through this process.  And that’s true, by the way, if they were buying any kind of insurance.  Sometimes it's a complicated process.

So the commitment that all of you -- that congregations, that faith-based groups -- are engaged in is critically important.  And it's not going to stop; even after the website is running perfectly, we're still going to need all of you to be making these efforts.  And I want to make special mention of the Mayor's and Clay's work, and Eddie Bernice's work to get people signed up, because that’s the kind of commitment that we're going to need on the ground on a day-to-day basis.  

So my main job here today is to say thank you.  And as Clay has said, nothing is going to stop us from getting this done, because we're on the right side of history.  It is the right thing to do.  It is the right thing to do for our economy, our businesses and our families.

Now, the last point I want to make -- I know that sometimes this task is especially challenging here in the great Lone Star State.  (Laughter.) 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We're up to the task.

THE PRESIDENT:  But I think that all of you understand that there's no state that actually needs this more than Texas.  (Applause.)  Think about it.  We were just talking on the way over here that in addition to signing people up for the marketplaces so they can buy private insurance, part of the Affordable Care Act was expanding the number of working families who would qualify for Medicaid.  Now, because of a Supreme Court ruling, it's voluntary, which states decide to expand Medicaid coverage, which don’t. 

Here in just the Dallas area, 133,000 people who don’t currently have health insurance would immediately get health insurance without even having to go through the website if the state of Texas decided to do it.  There's over $500 million just for this county that would come in to help families get health insurance -- has nothing to do with the website -- if the state of Texas made this decision.  And your neighboring states have made that decision because they look at it and they say, this is a no-brainer, why would not -- why would we not want to take advantage of this. 

So the state of Arkansas has already reduced its number of uninsured by 14 percent -- already, just in the first month -- by signing people up for expanded Medicaid -- 14 percent.  State of Oregon -- 10 percent reduction in the number of uninsured already, in the first month, right away, folks are signed up, just because the Governor and the legislature there made the right decision. 

There's no reason why this state can't do the same.  And I mentioned that in the Dallas area it's 133,000 people who stand to benefit.  Across this state, you've got a million people -- because this is a big state -- a million people, citizens, who don’t have health insurance that could get health insurance right away if the state of Texas decided to take advantage of it. 

So one of the things that sometimes gets me a little frustrated, although I understand it because I’m in politics, is folks who are complaining about how the website is not working, and why isn’t Obama fixing this, and all these people are uninsured, and yet they're leaving a million people right now without health insurance that they could immediately fix.  There’s not a lot of logic to that. 

But that's okay because we’ve gone through barriers before; we have gone through struggles before.  Eventually, though, if you stick with doing the right thing, you get it done.  It will happen, all right?

And so I just want all of you to remember that as challenging as this may seem sometimes, as frustrating as healthcare.gov may be sometimes, we are going to get this done. And when we do -- when we do, not if -- when we do, you’re going to have families all across this great state of Texas who are going to have the security and the well-being of high-quality, affordable health insurance.  And that's going to be good for business.  It means that all the providers around here, instead of having to take in folks in the emergency room, they suddenly have customers who have insurance.  That means those of you who already have health insurance, your premiums will not be subsidizing folks who don't have health insurance.  People will get preventive care, which means that people are likely to be healthier. 

And that's within our power.  That's within our grasp.  So this is a pretty motivated group.

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  This looks like a group that's ready to go. 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m here to tell you that I’m going to be right there with you the entire way until we get this done, and everybody in Texas and everybody all across this country have the affordable health care that they need.

Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.  (Applause.)  God bless America.  God bless the State of Texas.  (Applause.)

END
5:49 P.M. CST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 06, 2013

Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney Aboard Air Force One En Route Dallas, Texas

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Dallas, Texas

4:04  P.M. EST

MR. CARNEY:  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.  Thank you for joining us as we make our way to the great state of Texas, to Dallas.  As you know, the President will have an event in Dallas where he will focus on the efforts underway there to educate citizens about their options when it comes to enrolling in the marketplaces associated with the Affordable Care Act.

Dallas is important because Dallas is one of the 10 cities with the highest number of uninsured residents in the country.  There are 1.1 million uninsured individuals in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area who may be eligible for insurance through the new health insurance marketplace.  Of these 1.1 million eligible uninsured in the greater Dallas area, 40 percent -- or nearly half a million -- are Latino; 41 percent -- also nearly half a million -- are between the ages of 18 and 35; 80 percent
-- about 900,000 -- have at least one full-time worker in the family.  And 550,000 have family incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level and may be eligible for Medicaid if the state expanded Medicaid.

The President's visit to Dallas is both a part of that effort and an opportunity to highlight the outreach work being done on the ground.  According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, if Texas decided to expand Medicaid, the state's uninsured population would be reduced by over 50 percent by 2016, meaning an additional 1.2 million Texans would gain coverage.  In addition, Kaiser estimates that expanding Medicaid could save Texans $1.7 billion in costs incurred as a result of uncompensated care over the next 10 years.

Now, imagine that -- expanding Medicaid would both significantly cut the ranks of uninsured individuals in Texas.  That would be a positive I would think for a lawmaker of any party or a governor of any party in that state.  It would also -- according to Kaiser, could potentially save the state $1.7 billion in costs incurred as a result of uncompensated care over the next 10 years.  So that sounds like a pretty good deal to me. It certainly sounds like a pretty good deal to the President.  So he looks forward to discussing that when we get to Texas.

I would note that there's an interesting University of Texas-Texas Tribune poll that was released today that while it notes that Obamacare -- or the Affordable Care Act -- is not particularly popular in that state, which may not come as a surprise given its status as a red state, in fact, many of the components of the Affordable Care Act are quite popular.  Two-thirds of voters support giving states the option to expand Medicaid programs for low-income, uninsured adults.  Three-quarters of Texans -- Texas voters, rather -- like the idea of tax credits for small businesses that offer health insurance to their employees.  Nearly as many, 73 percent, support the creation of health care marketplaces where small businesses and people without health coverage can shop for it.

Prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage because of preexisting conditions has the support of 76 percent of registered Texas voters, and 61 percent, led by Democratic and independent voters, said they would support increasing the Medicare payroll tax on upper-income Americans.

A slight majority of Republicans support allowing children to stay on their parents’ health insurance until age 26, but independents are more strongly in favor and Democrats overwhelmingly support that provision.  So, again, many of the components of the Affordable Care Act enjoy considerable support according to that poll, University of Texas-Texas Tribune.

With that, I will take your questions.

Q    The President met with about 16 Senate Democrats today for about two hours -- concerns over the implementation.  Is the President prepared to take any steps to address their concerns, including perhaps extending the deadline for signoff, or dealing with these terminations that have become such an anecdotal headache for you guys?

MR. CARNEY:  Thank you for the question.  The President did meet with a group of Senate Democrats, had a very good meeting.  They discussed all the things that are happening with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act as it relates to the marketplaces, the efforts underway to make improvements to healthcare.gov.  And the President listened to the senators and heard from them what they’re hearing from their constituents about it, and talked about with them the need to make sure that their constituents are getting the information they need so that they can, if they’re interested, they can enroll to get covered in the health insurance marketplaces.

The President believes and made the point that we need to work together to ensure that everyone who wants insurance through the marketplaces is able to effectively sign up and enroll in time to get insurance by January 1st, if they want it by then, or in time to get it before the open enrollment period ends on March 31st. 

I would remind you we’re barely a month into a six-month enrollment period, and while there have been considerable troubles with the website, we are addressing those challenges daily in a 24/7 effort and we expect that the website will function effectively for the vast majority of users by the end of this month.

So we’re committed to working towards making sure that everyone who is interested in -- and obviously many millions of people have demonstrated an interest in enrolling for coverage in the marketplaces -- is able to do that in time for being insured by January 1st.

Q    So no extension of the deadline --

MR. CARNEY:  -- that there's six-month enrollment period; that’s a lengthy enrollment period.  I know that at least under the program I have, I believe it's four weeks.  It's probably very similar to the programs you have -- your annual open enrollment period is usually one or two months at most.  This is a six-month enrollment period, which reflects the decision to give an expanded period of time to allow people to educate themselves about the options available to them, to shop around and make decisions in these new marketplaces. 

So we still believe that there is time available to make the necessary improvements to the website and to use all the other means that we can to get the information to the American people who wants to enroll that they need in time for them to do it either so they'd be insured by January 1st or before the end of the enrollment period.

Q    Who asked for the meeting, Jay?  Who asked for the meeting?  Was it the senators or the White House?

MR. CARNEY:  I'm not sure.  The President meets with members all the time.  I believe we initiated the meeting, but this is the kind of thing that reflects the interactions the President has had with lawmakers on this issue in an ongoing way.  So the President was very interested in hearing from the senators who participated and in giving them an update on what's happening with the implementations of the marketplaces and the updates to the -- and improvements to the website.

Q    Did he tell them he opposes the legislation?

MR. CARNEY:  I don't have a further readout than what I've just given and what was provided and I think sent out from the Press Office.

Q    -- whether he thinks -- whether the President told them he opposes the legislation?

MR. CARNEY:  I mean, again, I don't have -- you shouldn't take it verbatim, but it's the President's position that we are able to continue work, as I've just said, on the website, make the improvements necessary and then, take advantage of the fact that we do have a six-month open enrollment period. 

And we're always confronting a likely evolution of enrollment that would show low numbers initially and higher numbers at the time -- that was certainly what we saw in Massachusetts.  As Secretary Sebelius and others have said, and I have said, we expect the first month numbers to be even lower than they might otherwise have been, because of the troubles we've had with the website.  But, again, as I know I said before the launch date and others did, we certainly knew that the numbers would be low early on, because it's only natural, as we saw in Massachusetts, that when a new program like this is instituted and there's a deadline that's fairly far off in the distance, that people take their time to educate themselves, shop around before making a final decision.

Q    Jay, I know you're pushing for this Medicaid expansion and trying to put some pressure on Governor Perry, but given the problems with the website and also the apparently broken promises about you can keep your insurance if you like it, the level of mistrust from the Republican leadership in Texas is enormous and they think that the cost of the Medicaid expansion would be tremendously higher than you think it would be.  How do you overcome that?

MR. CARNEY:  Have you got your chronology wrong?  Are you suggesting that prior to the launch date they were considering expanding Medicaid, but now, their level of mistrust because of the troubles with the website --

Q    I'm simply suggesting --

MR. CARNEY:  Well, that's the way you phrased it, which is interesting.  But we have seen Republican governors in a variety of states make the decision on behalf of their constituents to make expanded Medicaid available, and what that has resulted in is the prospect for a significant reduction in the numbers of uninsured in their states, because those governors are focused on their constituents.  And that's the good thing and that's the right thing. 

And we're obviously in discussion with governors and legislators from states around the country that have not yet decided to expand their program, because we firmly believe that those Americans in those states who fall in that area in terms of income levels where they would qualify for coverage under Medicaid if that program were expanded deserve that coverage.

And there are benefits to doing that for the states, as the Kaiser Family Foundation -- if you don’t -- if the trust perhaps extends to these independent groups -- the Kaiser Family Foundation has cited the potential savings to Texas if it were to take that step. 

Q    I don't understand what you're trying to do, though.  Are you trying to publicly shame Rick Perry into changing his mind?  Or are having some parallel, actual negotiations with Texans to change their mind?

MR. CARNEY:  We're trying to highlight the efforts underway in Texas to reach out to and provide information to the large number of uninsured in the Dallas area.   It's one of the top 10 cities in terms of uninsured Americans around the country.  And so the President will meet with people who are working on that effort to make sure that those citizens have the information they need to avail themselves of the coverage they can get through the marketplaces.

I was simply making the point that in addition to this, Texas is one of those states that has declined to take advantage of the expanded Medicaid option and that there is a cost to that, both in terms of coverage for Texans and potential savings down the road.

Q    So if they hold that position, there's not really anything that the administration can do to force them to expand Medicaid, right? 

MR. CARNEY:  We can't force them to expand -- the Supreme Court ruled on this -- but as I noted when I cited the University of Texas-Texas Tribune poll, citizens of Texas seem to, based on the results of that poll, endorse the idea.  And while it's perhaps the case that Texas Republicans may not be responsive to the views of a Democratic President or a Democratic administration, they may at least take into account to some degree the views of their constituents. 

Q    Is it the case that this is an effort to distract attention -- going to Texas, where you have such resistance, is an effort to distract attention from all of the various problems with the rollout?  Because there is a lot of suspicion out there to that effect.

MR. CARNEY:  I can promise you that whether or not the website works, we would be going to places like Dallas, where the education effort and outreach effort is underway to reach these  pockets of dense -- these dense pockets of uninsured Americans.  And Dallas is high up on that list.  So this is part of an overall outreach and education effort that’s very important. 

Q    Jay, back to the meeting today.  These are Democrats who are facing reelection.  Does the President concede that this could be a political liability, given the concerns that these senators have, for them next year?

MR. CARNEY:  The President believes that it's essential for all those who support the Affordable Care Act that we fix the website, and that we get the implementation and rollout through this six-month period right.  And there's no question that the launch has not been anything close to as smooth as the President wanted.  His frustration is real, and he has made clear to those who are responsible for it and the teams that have been brought in to help work on it that he expects an intensive effort to bring it up to the standards that they need to meet in order to make it function effectively for the vast majority of the American people.

So the fact is that he's focused on delivering the access to quality and affordable health insurance to the American people that the Affordable Care Act promises.  He's not concerned about the politics of that.  He obviously campaigned on it in 2008.  He fought hard to get the legislation passed in 2010.  He defended it, his solicitor general defended it in front of the Supreme Court successfully, and he made clear that he was campaigning on it against the candidate who called for its repeal in 2012 and he won.

So the President believes that it is the delivering of the access to affordable and quality health care that is the policy that makes for good politics.  And that’s why he's focused on -- well, he's focused on the good policy and he believes that from that supporters can take heart that the benefit here is in the delivering to their constituents of the promises of the Affordable Care Act.

Q    But the election in 2012 may have been a referendum on health care more in the abstract.  In 2014, it will be more in the reality.  So does he worry that it could cost him control of the Senate, which would have repercussions --

MR. CARNEY:  It's November 6th of 2013, and we had an election yesterday.  And I think it’s instructive because of the I think interesting analysis about what that election meant.  I grew up in Virginia; my father’s family, Virginians for generations.  I know Virginia politics.  For the first time in 40 years, the candidate from the incumbent President’s party won that office.  First time in 40 years -- since 1973.  The Republican candidate in that race made his name as an opponent of Obamacare, campaigned on the repeal of Obamacare, and lost.  The Democratic candidate embraced the Affordable Care Act, campaigned on the Affordable Care Act, and won -- again, for the first time in 40 years that a candidate from the incumbent President’s party has done that.

And I think if you look at the data -- and I would refer you to Geoff Garin, who is the Governor-Elect's pollster, he can show it to you.  I mean, he says that, if anything, health care worked in Governor-Elect McAuliffe’s favor and to the disadvantage as an issue of his opponent.

Q    Do you believe that the Virginia governor's race election result was a mandate for Obamacare?

MR CARNEY:  I couldn't tell you.  I said that it was certainly not what some pundits have suggested because there’s no data that suggests that it was, which is that -- I mean, here’s what we know.  In a race where history was tilted against the Democrat, 40 years of history tilted against the Democrat, one candidate ran as a fierce opponent of the Affordable Care Act, made it the central issue of his platform; another candidate ran embracing the Affordable Care Act.  One of them won, and one of them lost.

Q    Is Senator Bennet on board to talk about senate races and the politics of the Affordable Care Act?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, you know we have a DSCC event in Dallas, so I think that’s why he’s on board.   He was part of the meeting at the White House.

Q    Are they going to be talking about 2014 races on the trip?

MR. CARNEY:  Well, again, there’s a -- the President and Senator talk a lot and are talking now, I believe, but I don’t know the content of the conversation.  But it is true that one of the events we have tonight is a DSCC event.

Q    Is the President aware of the early retirements that were announced at CMS today?  And do you know whether those will be the last of the departures of people who have had a role in the rollout?

MR. CARNEY:  I’m not aware of that, so I would have to refer you to CMS.

Q    Back on the enrollment deadline, the health insurer Humana states that it expects that the deadline will be pushed back.  Was that at all something that was discussed in McDonough's meeting yesterday with health insurers?  Did it come up at all? 

MR. CARNEY:  I don’t have more of a readout than what I gave.  And I don’t have more on that.  I've seen the report.  I would simply say our expectation is that the website will function effectively for the vast majority of users by the end of the month; that coupled with all the other efforts that we have underway to make sure that people have the information they need
to make choices about enrolling, and then enrolling, that we'll be able to do that within the six-month enrollment period that we've talked about.

Q    We're two weeks out from the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  And I'm wondering why the President is not going to do anything in Dallas to commemorate that.  Or what can you tell me about what he is going to do?

MR. CARNEY:  I don't have any updates on the President's schedule for that solemn anniversary at this time.

Q    Jay, a two-parter on foreign policy.  Is everybody done with health care?  Mideast -- Secretary Kerry is trying to broker negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.  Those talks appear to be deadlocked right now.  And today, we have an additional element with a Swiss investigation concluding that Yasser Arafat was probably murdered by poisoning.  And I'm wondering whether the President, one, is aware of that.  Two, does he think that should be explored further?  And does it inject yet another element into the discussions of peace talks that complicates things?

MR. CARNEY:  I have nothing on the report about Yasser Arafat for you with regards to the President. 

I think that the President's position, as Secretary Kerry has so ably articulated, remains what it always has been.  And making progress on the Middle East peace process is never easy, but it's essential for the long-term future of the region and for the security of Israel and the future of the Palestinians.  So we remain focused on working together with both sides to try to bring about progress on this very difficult issue, because we think it's in the interest -- we know it's in the interest of the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Q    Will it ultimately require the administration to provide its own blueprint for peace rather than -- if it doesn’t look like anything is emerging from the talks?

MR. CARNEY:  I'm not going to speculate about the future. Right now, we're trying to help a process move forward that involves direct negotiations between the two sides. 

Didn't you say you had two?

Q    There were calls at the hearing today for Sebelius directly to resign.   If she were to -- were she to resign, would the President accept that resignation?

MR. CARNEY:  The President has full confidence in Secretary Sebelius. 

Q    Did the President call the governors?

MR. CARNEY:  He did call Governor Christie to congratulate him on his re-election before we took off, before we left the White House.

Q    Today?

MR. CARNEY:  The day after the election, which is what he did four years ago, he congratulated him on his re-election.

Q    Did they phone-embrace?

MR. CARNEY:  Obviously, he and the Governor have spent a lot of time together in person and on the phone because of, in particular, Hurricane Sandy -- Super Storm Sandy, and the terrible impact that storm had on New Jersey and the efforts that FEMA and the state have engaged in together to help the people of New Jersey recover from that storm.  So the President was glad to congratulate him on his victory.

Q    Did he call de Blasio or McAuliffe, do you know?

MR. CARNEY:  He did last night, yes.

Q    Any other calls to winners?  Or issues?

MR. CARNEY:  Those, the three we read out last night, and today to Governor Christie -- those are the only I'm aware of.

Thanks. 

END  
4:29 P.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 06, 2013

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

  • Colleen Bradley Bell – Ambassador to Hungary, Department of State
  • Madelyn Creedon – Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy
  • Janice Schneider – Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Department of the Interior
  • Joseph William Westphal – Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Department of State
  • Ellen D. Williams – Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, Department of Energy 

President Obama said, “I am grateful these accomplished individuals have agreed to join this Administration, and I’m confident they will serve ably in these important roles. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

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

Colleen Bradley Bell, Nominee for Ambassador to Hungary, Department of State

Colleen Bradley Bell is a Producer for Bell-Phillip Television Productions, Inc., a position she has held since 2012.  Prior to this position, Ms. Bell was the Director of Special Projects and an Associate Producer and Script Supervisor at Bell-Phillip Television.  She served as General Trustee for the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from 2012 to 2013.  Ms. Bell served as a Member of the Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from 2010 to 2012, and was designated Chairman of the Committee in 2011.  Ms. Bell currently serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Children’s Institute, and a Trustee on the Boards of Directors of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Los Angeles Music Center.  She is a founding member of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Leadership Council and also serves on the advisory board of the UCLA Rape Treatment Center.  Ms. Bell received a B.A. from Sweet Briar College.

Madelyn Creedon, Nominee for Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy

Madelyn Creedon is the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs, a position she has held since 2011.  From 2001 to 2011, Ms. Creedon was counsel for the Democratic staff on the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services and was responsible for the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces as well as threat reduction and nuclear nonproliferation issues.  From 2000 to 2001, she served as the Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration, and from 1997 to 2000 she was counsel on the Senate Committee on Armed Services.  Ms. Creedon was the Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy from 1995 to 1997 and served as the General Counsel for the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission from 1994 to 1995.  From 1990 to 1994, Ms. Creedon was counsel for the Senate Committee on Armed Services. Prior to this, from 1980 to 1990, she was a trial attorney and Acting Assistant General Counsel for Special Litigation in the Office of the General Counsel at the Department of Energy.  Ms. Creedon received a B.A. from the University of Evansville and a J.D. from St. Louis University School of Law.

Janice Schneider, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Department of Interior

Janice Schneider is a partner in the Environment, Land and Resources Department of Latham & Watkins LLP, a position she has held since 2005.  She is co-chair of Latham & Watkins’ Energy and Infrastructure Project Siting and Defense Practice as well as local department chair of the Environment, Land & Resources Department.  Previously, Ms. Schneider was a senior associate with Latham & Watkins LLP from 2001 to 2004.  From 2000 to 2001, she was Counselor to the Deputy Secretary of the Interior.  Ms. Schneider was a trial attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1998 through 1999, and again in 2001.  From 1993 to 1998, Ms. Schneider was an Attorney-Advisor with the U.S. Department of the Interior in the Office of the Solicitor.  Ms. Schneider received a B.S. from the University of Miami and a J.D. with a Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College.

Dr. Joseph William Westphal, Nominee for Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Department of State

Dr. Joseph William Westphal is Under Secretary of the Army at the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), a position he has held since 2009.  Previously, from 2007 to 2009, while on leave from the University of Maine, Dr. Westphal served in a number of positions at The New School University in New York City, including Senior Vice President for Research, Director of the Tishman Environment and Design Center and Provost.  Dr. Westphal was Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine from 2002 to 2009 and Chancellor of the University of Maine System from 2002 to 2006.  From 2001 to 2002, Dr. Westphal was Senior Policy Counselor at Patton Boggs, LLP in Washington D.C.  Previously, he served as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works at the Department of Defense from 1998 to 2001, and from 1997 to 1998 Dr. Westphal was Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  In addition, he was Executive Director of the Congressional Sunbelt Caucus and Budget Analyst for the U.S. House Committee on the Budget.  Dr. Westphal received a B.A. from Adelphi University, an M.A. from Oklahoma State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Dr. Ellen D. Williams, Nominee for Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, Department of Energy

Dr. Ellen D. Williams is the Chief Scientist for BP, a position she has held since 2010.  She is currently on a leave of absence from the University of Maryland where she has served as a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Physics and the Institute for Physical Science and Technology since 2000.  Dr. Williams has served as a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Maryland since 1991.  She founded the University of Maryland Materials Research Science and Engineering Center and served as its Director from 1996 through 2009.  Dr. Williams received a B.S. in Chemistry from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 06, 2013

President Obama Announces Another Key Administration Post

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

  • Joseph P. Mohorovic – Commissioner, Consumer Product Safety Commission 

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

Joseph P. Mohorovic, Nominee for Commissioner, Consumer Product Safety Commission  

Joseph P. Mohorovic is Senior Vice President of Strategic Management of Intertek’s North America Consumer Goods division, a position he has held since 2007.  From 2002 to 2006, he worked for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, first as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Chairman, and then as Chief of Staff and Director in the Office of International Programs and Intergovernmental Affairs.  From 1999 to 2002, he served in the New Mexico State Legislature.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Mohorovic was Chief of Staff in the New Mexico Senate, Finance Director for Governor Gary Johnson’s re-election campaign, and a staff member of the Republican Party of New Mexico.  Mr. Mohorovic received a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.B.A. from the Robert O. Anderson School of Business Management at the University of New Mexico.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 06, 2013

Readout of the President's Meeting With Senators on the Affordable Care Act

Today, the President and Vice President met with over a dozen Senate Democrats to discuss the progress that’s been made to extend health care coverage to more Americans and to hear their input on existing challenges with implementation of the Affordable Care Act. During the meeting, the President discussed ongoing efforts to fix HealthCare.gov and improve the experience of Americans looking to enroll in coverage.   The President emphasized that he shared the Senators’ commitment to ensuring that Americans who want to enroll in health insurance through the Marketplaces are able to do so in time for insurance coverage to start as early as January 1st, and throughout the open enrollment period which goes through March 31.  He also discussed ongoing efforts to ramp up communication and education outreach to consumers who have received or might receive letters about how their individual market plans might be affected.  In addition, the President also reiterated that the Administration is working to protect the privacy and security of consumers and to ensure that online Marketplace applications are protected by stringent security standards, with ongoing testing to help safeguard personal information.

The President also asked the Senators for input on how implementation of the law is impacting their constituents, and expressed appreciation for their ongoing help to ensure the law works best for families and businesses and all Americans can take advantage of the benefits of the law.

Senators who attended the meeting were:

• Senator Mark Begich
• Senator Cory Booker
• Senator Chris Coons
• Senator Dick Durbin
• Senator Al Franken
• Senator Kay Hagan
• Senator Mary Landrieu
• Senator Jeff Merkley
• Senator Mark Pryor
• Senator Jack Reed
• Senator Jeanne Shaheen
• Senator Brian Schatz
• Senator Mark Udall
• Senator Tom Udall
• Senator Mark Warner
• Senator Michael Bennet

Chief of Staff Denis McDonough Discusses President Obama's Plan to Grow the Economy and Build a Strong Middle Class

Amy Brundage
November 06, 2013
12:50 PM EDT

This morning, Chief of Staff Denis McDonough addressed the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Meeting in Washington, D.C. and discussed the President’s plan to grow the economy and build a strong middle class. McDonough underscored the importance of continuing the progress we are seeing in our economy and providing certainty for businesses across the country, and warned that we should avoid self-inflicted wounds from Washington that only set that progress back. 

Please find Mr. McDonough’s remarks below, as prepared for delivery:

Amy Brundage is a Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary.
Related Topics: Economy, Urban Policy

The President & The First Lady Surprise Visitors on White House Tours

November 06, 2013 | 2:12 | Public Domain

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off the resumption of East Wing and Executive Residence tours by surprising White House tour guests in the Blue Room. Members of the public interested in scheduling a tour of the East Wing and Executive Residence should contact their Member of Congress. For more information about tours of the White House, please visit http://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/about/tours-and-events

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 05, 2013

Statement by the Press Secretary

This evening, the President telephoned Virginia Governor-elect Terry McAuliffe, New York Mayor-elect Bill De Blasio and Boston Mayor-elect Martin Walsh.  He congratulated each of them on their election victories and vowed to work with them in the months ahead to expand economic opportunity for middle class families in their communities.

President Obama Discusses Immigration Reform with Business Leaders

November 05, 2013 | 4:20 | Public Domain

President Obama discusses the economic benefits of immigration reform with leaders from a small cross-section of the businesses all across the country who are deeply committed to making sure that we get comprehensive immigration reform done, and done quickly.

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Read the Transcript

Remarks by the President Before Meeting with Business Leaders on Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Roosevelt Room

11:38 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  In addition to talking about the Red Sox -- (laughter) -- we are here to talk about immigration reform.  We’ve got an outstanding group of leaders here, a wide cross-section of industry; we’ve got manufacturers, service sector, food, high-tech.  And they represent just a small cross-section of the businesses all across the country who are deeply committed to making sure that we get comprehensive immigration reform done, and done quickly.

Just last week, we had 600 business and faith leaders who came to emphasize that this is something that is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also critical to our economy.  We know that the Senate bipartisan bill that already passed would grow the economy by $1.4 trillion above and beyond the growth that’s already taking place.  We know it will reduce our deficit by $850 billion.  This is not -- these aren’t my estimates.  These are independent estimates that had been made about the salutary effect that comprehensive immigration reform will have on our economy.  And these businesses understand that. 

They understand that if we are serious about border security, if we do a better job of streamlining the legal immigration system, if we are holding employers who aren’t doing the right thing accountable, and we provide a pathway to citizenship for those who have paid a fine, learned English, are getting to the back of the line, taking their responsibilities  -- that all together, these businesses are going to have more customers, we’re going to see people who are currently working here, out of the shadows, paying taxes and getting right with the law.  We have the opportunity when young people come to this country to study on our dime, making sure that if they’re able and willing, they can stay here, start businesses of their own, contribute to our economy, help our exports.

So this is something that has strong bipartisan support.  Keep in mind that my predecessor, George W. Bush, was a strong supporter of this.  We have a fascinating cross-section of people -- some unlikely bedfellows, some very liberal folks, some very conservative folks -- who all believe that now is the time to get this done.  And as we saw in the Senate, there is the strong potential for bipartisan support.

So what I’m going to be talking to the business community about is how we can continue to amplify this issue in the coming weeks.  There’s no reason why we can’t get this done before the end of the year.  And I continue to be hopeful that with the leadership of many who are around this table who represent hundreds of thousands of employees and billions of dollars of assets, who are important in their communities all across the country, them joining up with law enforcement, clergy, citizens, to make the case that ultimately folks up on Capitol Hill will do the right thing.

And although right now there’s been some resistance from House Republicans, what’s been encouraging is, is that there are a number of House Republicans who have said, we think this is the right thing to do, as well.  And it’s my estimation that we actually have votes to get comprehensive immigration reform done in the House right now. 

The politics are challenging for the Speaker and others, and we want to make it as easy for him as possible.  This is not an issue where we’re looking for a political win.  This is one where we’re looking for a substantive win for the U.S. economy and the American people and the businesses that are represented here.

I’m very grateful to all of you who have joined us.  But we’re going to be pushing to make sure that we send out that clarion call up towards Capitol Hill, see if we can get this done before the end of the year.

Thank you very much, everybody.

END
11:43 A.M. EST  

Close Transcript

The Time is Now: President Obama Meets with Business Leaders on Immigration Reform

Valerie Jarrett
Valerie Jarrett
November 05, 2013
08:20 PM EDT
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with business leaders to discuss immigration reform to bolster U.S. economic growth

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with business leaders to discuss immigration reform to bolster U.S. economic growth, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Nov. 5, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today, I joined the President, Vice President and senior Administration officials for a meeting at the White House with a group of top U.S. business leaders to discuss the importance of commonsense immigration reform to bolster U.S. economic growth, and improve the climate for business, and job creation.  These leaders shared with the President their desire to see our broken immigration system fixed, both because it is the right thing to do, and because it will be good for the U.S. economy.

In addition to the 7.5 million jobs we have created in the U.S. over the past three and a half years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), over the next two decades, the bipartisan bill that has already passed the Senate would grow our economy by an additional $1.4 trillion, and shrink our deficits by nearly $1 trillion.  The Senate bill would modernize our legal immigration system. 

With common sense immigration reform, American colleges, universities, and businesses can attract the brightest minds in the world to our shores to start new businesses, and spur economic growth for all Americans.  And, reform would also make sure everyone plays by the same rules, providing a pathway to earned citizenship for those who are living in the shadows, including passing a background check, learning English, paying taxes and a penalty, and getting in line behind everyone else.

Valerie B. Jarrett is a Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. She oversees the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chairs the White House Council on Women and Girls.
Related Topics: Economy, Immigration