The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

July 25, 2013

Remarks by the President on the Economy -- Jacksonville, FL

Port Terminal Building
Jacksonville Port
Jacksonville, Florida

2:45 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Jacksonville! (Applause.) Well, it is good to be in Jacksonville. Good to be back. (Applause.) How you all doing today?

AUDIENCE: Good!

THE PRESIDENT: You look good.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you!

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Laughter.)

I want to thank Jacksonville Port Authority Chairman, Joe York. Give him a big round of applause. (Applause.) I want to thank the CEO of M.O.L. America, Tsuyoshi Yoshida. (Applause.) I want to thank everybody here at Jaxport for having me here today. I brought along our new Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx. He is here. (Applause.) We’ve got wonderful Congresswoman Corrine Brown here. Yay, Corrine! (Applause.) Mayor Alvin Brown is also in the house. (Applause.)

And I would like to recognize the folks from the port and TraPac for showing me the cranes you’ve got back at the terminal. Those are some big cranes. (Laughter.) This is some serious business here. And just watching what was going on down here and knowing what’s possible is a reminder of all the potential that we’ve got in this country to put folks to work to rebuild America, to make sure that everybody has got a fair shot.

Yesterday, in Illinois, I talked about what we need to do as a country to build a better bargain for the middle class and everybody who’s trying to get into the middle class -- a strategy that we’ve got to pursue, together, to make sure that everybody who works hard has a chance to get ahead in this 21st century economy. Because, for decades, a growing middle class was the engine of our prosperity; it’s what made us great. If you worked hard, you knew your work was going to be rewarded, with fair wages, good benefits, the chance to buy a home, save for retirement, and most of all, the chance to pass down a better life to your kids. That’s the American Dream.

But eventually, that engine of prosperity began to stall. You had technology that made some jobs obsolete. You had globalization, which meant some jobs got shipped overseas. Unions got weaker, in part because some of the laws that we passed. And so for most of the last decade, people were working harder and harder just to get by. And then you have a devastating recession because of what happened in the financial markets, and that cost millions of Americans their jobs, and their homes, and their savings. And what it did was lay bare for everybody to see the steady erosion of middle-class security that had been happening for almost a generation.

Now, the good news is that after nearly five years since that financial crisis happened, thanks to the hard work and the resilience of the American people, America has fought back. So together, we saved an auto industry. And I was told that the terminal I was at is one of the places where we’re sending out more American cars than ever before, all around the world. (Applause.)

We took on a broken health care system. We invested in new American technologies to reverse our addiction to foreign oil. We doubled our production of clean energy. We put in place tough new rules on the big banks, and the mortgage lenders, and credit card companies, to make sure that we didn’t have the same kinds of financial shenanigans that we had seen before. We changed a tax code that was too skewed in favor of the wealthy, made sure it was doing more for middle-class and working-class families. We locked in tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans, and then we asked folks at the top to pay a little bit more.

So you add all this up, and over the last 40 months, our businesses have created 7.2 million new jobs -- 7.2. (Applause.) And this year, we’re off to our strongest private sector job growth since 1999 -- strongest job growth in over a decade.

So today, we sell more products made in America to the rest of the world than ever before. Our exports have surged. We produce more natural gas than any country on Earth. We’re about to produce more of our own oil than we buy from overseas. That's the first time that's happened in nearly 20 years. (Applause.) The cost of health care is growing at its slowest rate in 50 years. And our deficits are falling at the fastest rate in 60 years. (Applause.) So you've got health care costs starting to slow down, deficits plummeting -- jobs up, exports up, energy production up.

We've cleared away the rubble from the financial crisis, thanks to the grit and resilience of the American people, and we've begun to lay a new foundation for stronger, more durable more sustainable economic growth. And with the revolutions that are coming in energy and technology and manufacturing and health care, we're poised to be able to finally reverse some of those forces that were hurting middle-class families for so long. We can start rebuilding an economy where everybody who works hard can get ahead. That's our goal. (Applause.)

But I’m here to tell you today what you already know -- we’re not there yet. In a lot of ways, those trends that have been building for decades, this winner-take-all economy where a few folks are doing better and better and better at the top, and everybody else is just treading water -- those trends have been made worse by the recession. And reversing those trends should be Washington’s highest priority. It’s my highest priority.

Unfortunately, over the past couple of years, in particular, Washington hasn’t just ignored the problem, a lot of times it’s made things worse. And sometimes when you're on the outside, you look and it just sounds like a bunch of noise and you don't know what's going on between Democrats and Republicans. And my attitude is that we're all Americans first and no party has a monopoly on good ideas. And I think there are a number of Republicans out there who mean well, although they're not always willing to say so, because they might get in trouble. (Laughter.)

But right now, we’ve seen a group of Republicans in the House, in particular, who suggest they wouldn’t vote to pay the very bills that Congress has already racked up. That harmed our recovery back in 2011. It would severely harm it again. It could plunge us back into financial crisis.

Over the last six months, the gridlock has gotten worse. There are a number of Republican senators who are trying to get things done. They passed a strong immigration bill that economists say will boost our economy by more than a trillion dollars. But so far, we haven't been able to get the House Republicans to give it a vote.

And if you ask some of these same folks about how they would strengthen the middle class, they'll tell you, well, out-of-control government spending is the problem -- despite the fact that as a share of the economy we have cut the deficit by nearly half since I took office. Or they’ll say Obamacare is the problem -- the problem is that we're trying to give health insurance to millions of Americans who don't have it. (Applause.) Now, I've got to tell you our businesses created jobs at nearly twice the pace of the last recovery, when there was no Obamacare, so it's kind of hard to figure how Obamacare is actually the problem, giving people health insurance. And by the way, tens of millions of Americans now have new benefits like free checkups and cheaper medicine on Medicare. So they don't think that's a problem. (Applause.)

The point is, with an endless distraction of political posturing and phony scandals and lord knows what, Washington keeps taking its eye off the ball. And that needs to stop. We’ve got to stop with the short-term thinking. We’ve got to stop with the outdated debates. That's not what the moment requires.

A focus on the core economic issues that matter to you, that matter to middle-class Americans, all those who are trying to get in the middle class -– that’s what this moment requires. We’ve got to stay focused on how do we build an economy that works everybody. That's my focus. (Applause.)

And as Washington prepares to enter another budget battle, another budget debate, the stakes could not be higher. At a time when we need to make investments to create jobs, and strengthen the middle class, and grow our economy -- because we’ve got competition coming from all around the world -- we’ve got some of the House Republicans who put forward a budget that does just the opposite. They’re pushing bills that would cut education, cut science, cut research, prevent us from meeting these priorities.

We should be doubling down on American clean energy technology -- they're creating jobs, lowering dangerous carbon pollution. But they want to protect taxpayer giveaways to big oil companies. Let other countries win the race for the jobs of the future. That doesn't make sense.

Instead of helping hardworking students afford the college degree that the jobs of tomorrow increasingly demand, they want to slash funding for the very grants that help students make their tuition payments.

Instead of giving more families the security of decent health care, they want to let insurance companies reinstate lifetime dollar limits and drop millions of people from their plans.

And if we don’t make the necessary investments to ensure that America is a magnet for good jobs -- investments in education, manufacturing, research and transportation and information networks -- we’re just waving the white flag of surrender to other countries as they forge ahead in this global economy. That kind of attitude is saying there’s nothing we can do to help middle-class families compete and win and grow. And that's a bad bargain for the middle class.

So that’s why I came down to Jacksonville today. I want you involved in this debate and remind Washington what’s at stake. And over the next several weeks, in cities and towns just like this one, I’m going to lay out my ideas for how we build on the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class in America, what it takes to work your way into the middle class in America, and what we can do to help families -- not help special interests, but help families. That's what we need. (Applause.)

And by the way, Jacksonville, what we need isn’t a three-month plan, or even a three-year plan, we’ve got to have a long-term plan based on steady, persistent effort to reverse the forces that are conspiring against the middle-class families. That’s what I’m pushing for. And like I said, I think that there are Democrats and Republicans who understand what’s at stake, and I’m going to welcome ideas from anybody across the political spectrum. But I’m not going to let gridlock or inaction or indifference to the plight of families get in the way of this country.

So where I can act on my own, I’m going to act on my own. I won’t wait for Congress. (Applause.) Because the choices we make right now will determine whether or not every American will have a fighting chance in the 21st century.

So we know what those cornerstones of middle-class security are: A good job with good wages; a good education; a home you can call your own; affordable health care that’s there for you when you get sick; a secure retirement even if you’re not rich. More chances for folks to earn their way into the middle class as long as they’re willing to work hard for it.

But I’m here today to specifically talk about the cornerstone, the essence of middle-class security, and that’s a good job in a growth industry. We’ve got to help more manufacturers bring more jobs back to America. (Applause.) We’ve got to keep creating good jobs in manufacturing. We’ve got to create good jobs in wind and solar energy. We’ve got to tap into this natural gas revolution that’s bringing energy costs down in this country, which means manufacturers now want to locate here because they’re thinking that we’ve got durable, reliable supplies of energy. We’ve got to create more jobs today doing what you’re doing right here at JAXPORT -- and that’s building this country’s future. (Applause.)

We need modern schools for our kids. We need modern power grids and fuel networks that can withstand stronger storms. And we need modern ports so we can move more goods made in America out to the rest of the world. (Applause.)

If you want to create jobs right now, but also jobs that will have impacts for years, here’s the way to do it. We know strong infrastructure is a key ingredient to a thriving economy. That’s how the United States became the best place in the world to do business. Unfortunately, over the past two years, too many folks in Washington have been cutting these investments. The world can't wait for Congress to get its act together. So let me give you an example -- and many of you are familiar with this.

In a couple of years, new supertankers are going to start coming through the Panama Canal. Those supertankers can hold three times the amount of cargo. We want those supertankers coming here to Jacksonville. (Applause.) If we’ve got more supertankers coming here, that means more jobs at the terminals. That means more warehouses in the surrounding area. That means more contractors are getting jobs setting up those warehouses. That means they’ve got more money to spend at the restaurant. That means the waitress has more money to spend to buy her iPod. It starts working for everybody.

If we want our workers and businesses to compete, then our ports have to be ready to receive those supertankers. Otherwise, they’ll go to Brazil or some other place.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: You tell them, Mr. President!

THE PRESIDENT: So that’s why last year I acted without Congress, and I took executive action to speed up the permitting process that gets workers breaking ground on projects like this one. (Applause.) And then private companies came onboard here at Jaxport. They saw it as a good investment. And we’re building the same kind of partnerships across the country -- especially, by the way, in some of these Gulf ports -- Charleston, Savannah. And now, these ports are on track to be better prepared for those supertankers and their cargo loads ahead of schedule.

But we now have got to keep at it. The businesses of tomorrow will not locate near old roads, outdated ports -- they’re going to go to places where the ports are good, the roads are good, the rail lines are good, you’ve got high-speed Internet, you’ve got high-tech schools, trained workers, systems that move air traffic and auto traffic faster.

Think about it in terms of your own house, right? If you’ve got a leaky roof and you haven't done the tuckpointing, and the boiler is getting kind of old and rickety, you can say to yourself, well, I'm going to save money by not fixing my roof. And I'm going to save money by not getting a new boiler. And I'm not going to worry about that tuckpointing. And then, two years later, five years down the road, what happens? House starts breaking down. You end up spending more money.

We can't defer things that we know we're going to have to do and, by the way, would put people to work right now doing them. But that's what we're doing right now. As a share of our economy, we’re investing less in rebuilding America than we did two decades ago. We're spending less on fixing our infrastructure than China is, than Germany is. All our competitors, they know we've got to start taking care of this stuff. We're lagging behind.

And the irony is right now it’s cheaper to build than it’s been since the 1950s. You’ve got a whole bunch of construction workers who are looking for work right now. You’ve got a whole bunch of contractors who will come in under -- with low bids, and they'll come in on time.

So now is the time for us to do it. The longer we put this off, the more expensive it will be; the less competitive we'll be. So why aren't we doing it? Now, part of it's just politics right now. But making sure we've got world-class infrastructure, that shouldn’t be a partisan issue. That’s an American issue. It's not a Republican or a Democratic issue.

But this year’s budget cuts have delayed two important rapid transit projects right here in Jacksonville that would carry more people into downtown, alleviate congestion at the same time, and put more Floridians back to work.

We can do better than that. There’s a bipartisan bill in the Senate to fund critical improvements in our highways and our bridges, our transit and rail systems and our ports like this one. And so the House should act quickly on that bill. Let's get more Americans back on the job doing the work America needs done. That will be good for middle-class families. That will be good for middle-class security. (Applause.) That will be good for homeownership. That will be good for education. That is the smart thing to do. Let's get past politics and do it. (Applause.)

I tell my Republican friends this is not a partisan issue. The first Republican President is a guy from my home state. He was a pretty good President, named Abraham Lincoln. (Laughter.) He had a whole lot of things to worry about -- had a Civil War, probably the biggest crisis that this country ever experienced. And yet, in the middle of that, he was still thinking about how do we build that Transcontinental Railroad? How are we going to widen our canals and our ports so that we can move products all around the country and eventually the world? How do we invest in land-grant colleges so that our workers are now skilled and can get those new jobs? We're going to invest in the National Science Foundation to make sure that we stay ahead of everybody else when it comes to technology.

He made those investments, the first Republican President. He didn’t say, well, that’s not the job of government to help do that. He wouldn’t have understood that kind of philosophy, because he understood there are some things we can only do together. And rebuilding our infrastructure is one of them.

Creating more good jobs, a better bargain for the middle class, helping folks who are working to join the middle class, an economy that grows from the middle out -- this isn’t what I’m going to be focusing on for the next few months; this is what I’m going to be focusing on for all the days I've got left in my presidency. I've counted them -- there are 1,266 days left -- (applause) -- 1,266 days left.

So over the next several weeks, we're going to roll out these plans. We're going to take them across the country. We're going to ask not just Congress to do something; we're going to ask everybody for their help -- CEOs, workers, college presidents, students, Democrats, independents, and, yes, Republicans.

I'm laying out my ideas to give the middle class a better shot. And if the Republicans don’t agree with me, I want them to lay out their ideas. If they’ve got a better plan to create jobs to rebuild our infrastructure and make sure that we've got great ports all along the Gulf, come on, let me know what your ideas are. I'm listening.

If they've got better ideas to make sure every American knows the security of affordable health care, well, share it with the country. Repealing Obamacare and slashing our budgets in education and research and infrastructure, that's not an economic plan. There's no economist who would look at that and say, well, that's the way we're going to help middle-class families, we're really going to grow doing that.

Shutting down the government just because I’m for keeping it open, that's not an economic plan. Threatening that you won’t pay the bills in this country when we've already racked up those bills, that's not an economic plan. That's just being a deadbeat. (Laughter and applause.)

So put out some plans. I don't claim to have a monopoly on every good idea. (Laughter.) I don't. I'm happy to steal good ideas from anybody, because I just want to make things work. And it may seem hard sometimes, but if we're willing to take a few bold steps -- if Washington will just shake off its complacency and set aside just this kind of constant gridlock and “my way or the highway” attitude, then our economy will be better a year from now, just like it's better now than it was last year. And it will be better five years from now. And it will be better 10 years from now.

And I'm going to spend every single minute of every day, as long as I have the privilege of this office, making sure that I'm doing everything in my power to make this economy work for working Americans again -- to build a better middle class and to make sure the American Dream is something that’s alive and real and achievable for decades to come. (Applause.)

That's what I'm fighting for, Florida. That's what I need you for, Florida. (Applause.) Let's make it happen. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

END
3:09 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

July 25, 2013

President Obama Signs Minnesota Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Minnesota and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of June 20-26, 2013.

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, straight-line winds, and flooding in the counties of Benton, Big Stone, Douglas, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Grant, Hennepin, Houston, McLeod, Morrison, Pope, Sibley, Stearns, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, and Wilkin.

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 Kari Suzann Cowie 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.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

July 25, 2013

Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest en route Jacksonville, Florida

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Jacksonville, Florida

12:50 P.M. EDT

MR. EARNEST: Welcome aboard Air Force One as we make our way to Jacksonville, Florida, where the President will tour the local port and deliver some remarks lifting up the themes that he laid out in his address in Galesburg, Illinois yesterday afternoon.

As you’ll recall, the President discussed his vision for making the kinds of key investments that will strengthen the middle class, because that’s what leads -- because a strong middle class, in the view of the President, is the engine of our national economy.

Now, today, he’ll point out how his vision for the economy contrasts deeply with the priorities championed by congressional Republicans. Right now, House Republicans are working to pass legislation that would dangerously undermine the kind of investments that stand to benefit middle-class families. From Pell grants to housing to, of course, health care reform, House Republicans don’t just have the wrong answers for middle-class families, they’re not even asking the right questions that will ensure that middle-class families get a better bargain, including from infrastructure projects that have historically received and actually deserve bipartisan support, like the infrastructure projects that are underway in Jacksonville and at the Jacksonville Port, I should say.

That’s why you heard the President say in direct terms yesterday that he will not sign a budget deal that hurts middle-class families. So with that preview from what you’ll hear from the President today, we’ll open it for questions.

Q The DOJ is asking Texas to get federal permission before changing their voting rules for the next decade. Is this an attempt by the administration to make an end run around the Supreme Court?

MR. EARNEST: Those of you have been covering politics for the last 15 years or so -- and Todd will have special knowledge of this -- understand that the district lines that have been drawn in Texas have attracted quite a bit of controversy down there. So I don’t think it’s a surprise to anybody who has been following this that that’s attracted the attention of the Department of Justice.

In terms of the Department of Justice’s scrutiny and examination of this issue, I’d refer you to them. And I know that the Attorney General is delivering some remarks on this today, so I’d refer you to those remarks for a full accounting of our view on this.

Q The fact that the administration is going to try to reinstate preclearance through the courts, is that a concession that there will be no remedy through Congress?

MR. EARNEST: It’s not. I actually think that -- I’ve seen some public comments from members of Congress from both parties about the Voting Rights Act and about the best way to ensure that we’re protecting the constitutional rights of Americans and certainly protecting the voting rights of all those Americans who are eligible to vote.

So there’s a conversation about that in Congress, and if there’s a role for the administration to play in that conversation, then we’ll certainly play it. But in terms of the legal strategy that’s being pursued by the Attorney General, I’d refer you to the remarks that he’s delivering today, and any technical questions they may be able to answer for you at the Department of Justice.

Q There are other Texas officials, apart from the end run around the Supreme Court, who accused the administration of bullying and of pursuing a partisan agenda in pursuing this legal strategy. Can you respond to that?

MR. EARNEST: Well, I think what I would say is the goal of the administration -- and the Attorney General will make this clear -- is to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans. That includes protecting the voting rights of all Americans who are eligible to vote. That’s the goal here. And I would assume that that would be a goal that would also be supported by congressional Republicans. We’ll see.

Q Josh, in the past 24 hours, has the U.S. received any more clarity from Russia on the status of Edward Snowden?

MR. EARNEST: I can tell you that there are a number of ongoing conversations between Obama administration officials and Russian officials. I know that the State Department has read out a conversation between the Secretary of State and his counterpart, Mr. Lavrov. Ambassador McFaul has been engaged in a number of conversations over the last several weeks on this issue. At this point, the Russian authorities, neither publicly nor in private, have made clear exactly the status of Mr. Snowden.

But I can tell you that we continue to believe that it would be quite disappointing if Mr. Snowden were allowed to leave the airport. And the reason for that is clear, is that there is a justification for Mr. Snowden’s return to the U.S. to face the criminal charges that have been filed against him.

Q The Republicans control the House of Representatives. Why is the President giving speeches criticizing the Republicans, instead of sitting down with them and trying to compromise on achieving a budget deal that will get him at least some of what he wants?

MR. EARNEST: Well, I think there are a number of reasons for that. The President has spent an inordinate amount of time, some might even say, negotiating with Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill to try to find some consensus, to try to find some common ground about what should be some pretty basic economic principles about supporting the middle class. That is the President’s top priority. That is the reason that he ran for President in the first place. It has been at the top of his agenda throughout his first term.

His vision for strengthening the middle class was the core of his reelection campaign -- reelection campaign that he won with a strong majority. And it continues to be something that he will pursue throughout his second term in office. There should be no mistaking that. And the President believes that an important part of his job is to make sure that that debate doesn’t just take place in Washington, D.C., but that the American people should be involved in that debate.

And by traveling across the country and laying out his vision for how best to accomplish those priorities is an important part of his job. That’s not at all a replacement for important conversations that can take place on Capitol Hill. And the President will engage in those as well. And you heard the President talk about that quite a bit yesterday; he’s going to talk about it again today. And you've heard that the President is going to travel to Tennessee early next week where he'll talk about this some more.

So this is going to be part of a sustained effort by the President and our administration to make the case for critical investments that are so important to the middle class. And it's just simply the view of the President and this administration that having a strong and vibrant middle class is key to ensuring that we have a -- we continue to have a strong economy.

Republicans don’t seem to share that point of view. So we want to engage in that debate, and we're hopeful that it will lead to some congressional action.

I guess the last thing I'll say is this: We should be able to find common ground here. This reflects -- the speeches and the argument that the President is going to be making over the course of several weeks doesn’t reflect his view that we can't get anything done in Washington. We should be able to get something done in Washington. These should be common-sense principles that the vast majority of Americans agree on. And it's something that the vast majority of members of Congress should be able to agree on.

So that’s what's animating the President's desire to have a national debate about this and a national conversation about the best way to make progress on the priorities that the President has identified.

Q If I could just skip to Egypt for a second. General al-Sisi has called for demonstrations to prevent further sort of terrorism and that sort of thing. Is the administration concerned that the military is increasingly stepping in to try to influence events and that this is much more like a military coup than anybody would like to say that it is?

MR. EARNEST: Well, I'll just say that, as it regards to -- as it relates to General al-Sisi's speech, that the Obama administration is concerned by any rhetoric that inflames tensions and could possibly lead to more violence. This is a critical time for Egyptians to come together if they want to -- particularly if they want to move beyond cycles of unrest and instability.

So this administration urges the security forces to exercise maximum restraint and caution, and to do their utmost to prevent any clashes between opposing demonstrators. And we reiterate our call for protestors to demonstrate peacefully.

Q Josh, also on Egypt, the four F-16s -- we’re not delivering them -- is that more of a motivation to do something different, or a punishment for what they’ve done so far?

MR. EARNEST: It simply is a conclusion that we’ve drawn that it would not be appropriate at this time to move forward with the delivery of the F-16s. We’ve stated publicly that it is our view, it is the view of the administration, that it’s not in the best interest of the United States of America for us to make significant changes to our assistance to Egypt at this point.

But as it relates to the F-16s, we have determined that it’s not appropriate right now for that delivery to move forward. We’re continuing to review our obligations under the law, as it relates to all of this, and we’re hopeful that officials in Egypt will continue to take the steps necessary to expeditiously move toward a democratically elected government in that country.

Q And if those steps aren’t taken, should they expect the rest of the F-16s to be delivered, and those four that already -- that they are owed?

MR. EARNEST: We are engaged in a number of conversations at a number of different levels with Egyptian officials. And part of that message is the reiteration of our view that they should move expeditiously back in the direction of democratically elected government.

Q On Iraq, Interpol called the escape of 500 prisoners from an Iraqi prison a major threat to global security. Does the U.S. share that assessment? And are we -- what steps are being taken to contain that threat?

MR. EARNEST: I’ve seen those reports, but I actually don’t have an answer to your question. I’ll check with my colleagues back in Washington and we’ll see if we can get you an answer when we land.

Q On Syria, the U.N. has now increased the expected death count there to 100,000. Do you have any reaction to that news?

MR. EARNEST: Well, a couple of things. I know that Secretary Kerry is in New York today for meetings with leaders of the Syrian Opposition Council. We’ve made clear for some time now that the horrific violence in Syria is something that needs to stop. And we’re very concerned about the humanitarian toll that the strife there has already taken on the Syrian people. It’s already starting to have a destabilizing impact on other countries in the region, because they’re being forced to bear the weight of refugees, people who have been forced to flee their homes.

So what we’re seeing there is a terrible situation. And the United States has been engaged for some time in offering humanitarian assistance to those who have been affected by the violence, but also working with our allies and partners in the region to try and bring this to an end.

Q And just to clarify on when Obama is talking today about not being open to any budget deal that hits these programs you were talking about, you’re referring specifically to preserving the sequester cuts, is that right?

MR. EARNEST: What I referred to in my opening remarks, and I think what you can expect to hear the President discuss a little bit more today are some of the appropriations bills that are moving through the House of Representatives right now -- that there are a couple of committees that have passed a couple of these measures on party-line votes.

And like I said, those bills aren’t just the wrong answer for the middle class, they’re actually asking the wrong question. There are ways that we can offer assistance and make important investments that benefit the middle class without threatening our nation’s fiscal condition. We’ve actually taken important steps over the last two or three years to get our deficits on a decline -- on a rapid decline. And, in fact, they are falling as quickly as they have at any time since the end of World War II.

So we’ve made a lot of progress in reducing our deficits. We need to start asking questions now about what we can do to strengthen the middle class in this country and make the kinds of investments, in a fiscally responsible way, that will benefit middle-class families not just immediately, but over the long term; that we want to make sure that economic opportunity exists for the middle class so that we can have another generation of Americans who can live a life in middle class; who can buy a home and put a roof over the heads of their family; who can go to college and get the training that they’re going to need to get a good job in a 21st century global economy; who can retire with some stability. You shouldn’t have to be rich just to be able to enjoy your retirement and not have to worry about your finances.

So these are the cornerstones to a middle-class life that the President is going to be talking about. And what he’s going to observe today is that these cornerstones are being undermined by some of the legislation that’s being contemplated by Republicans in the House right now.

Q Where does the President put this middle-class agenda on his list of priorities compared to things like immigration or gun control, some of things where he seems to be stymied so far in Congress?

MR. EARNEST: Well, I’m not sure I would agree with your characterization of immigration reform being stymied. I mean, we’ve made a lot of success. We’ve had a lot of progress and had a lot of success in building bipartisan support for comprehensive immigration reform. And that’s why it gets such strong bipartisan support in the Senate.

Now, I actually don’t have to make this case to you; the Congressional Budget Office did a perfectly good job of making the case that comprehensive immigration reform would actually do something important for our economy, would be a big boost to our economy, and would benefit middle-class families.

So we would view the passage of comprehensive immigration reform as something that would benefit middle-class families, and would fall cleanly in line with the case that the President is making now.

As it relates to some of the gun safety measures that were debated in the Congress earlier this year, those are measures that continue to have the President's steadfast support. Those are measures that continue to have pretty strong bipartisan support -- unfortunately, not enough bipartisan support to make their way through the Congress. But the President's support for those measures has not abated at all.

Q There's reports that next week sometime Israeli and Palestinian officials will be in Washington to begin talks. Does the President plan on marking those talks in any way, becoming involved in them directly in any way?

MR. EARNEST: I don’t have anything to read out now in terms of the President's involvement in those talks. I don't know if a date on those has been set. I know that we're anticipating those happening sometime pretty soon. And we certainly welcome the beginning of those conversations. But I don't have anything to say right now about presidential involvement.

Q Josh, several senators have said that they won't approve any spending bills that contain funding for the Affordable Care Act. In that kind of an environment on the Hill, how can the President hope to get his priorities, like spending on infrastructure, approved?

MR. EARNEST: Well, I also know that there are a couple of Republican lawmakers that have been pretty dismissive of that perspective. So that may be something that Republicans can sit down and have a conversation and figure out themselves. I think we've been pretty clear that it makes no sense, A, for Republicans to threaten a shutdown of the federal government. That would suck a lot of the momentum out of our nascent economic recovery.

And there's no reason that Washington should be in the business of throwing up obstacles to our economic recovery. In fact, the President believes that Washington should be in the business of trying to figure out what we can do to actually make it easier for the private sector to continue to lead our recovery in the right direction.

But in terms of trying to defund the Affordable Care Act, that is just an effort to re-litigate and refight the political battles that were waged and won many years ago. The Supreme Court has spoken on this, and even the Republican Speaker of the House has noted that Obamacare is the law of the land.

So we're ready to get down to business and focus on a conversation with Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill that's constructive, that will actually lead to investments that are critical to middle-class families and critical to our economy.

Thanks, guys. I'll see you on the ground.

END
1:08 P.M. EDT

President Obama Meets with President Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam

Megan Slack

July 25, 2013
03:03 PM EDT

President Barack Obama holds a bilateral meeting with President Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam in the Oval Office, July 25, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama met with President Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam today, the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders and an opportunity to further strengthen the relationship between our countries.

Recognizing the “extraordinarily complex history between the United States and Vietnam,” President Obama said that the mutual respect and trust we’ve established will allow cooperation on a whole range of issues from trade and commerce to military cooperation to people-to-people relations.

President Obama and President Sang also discussed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an effort to increase trade and commerce throughout the Asia Pacific region. “And we're committed to the ambitious goal of completing this agreement before the end of the year because we know that this can create jobs and increase investment across the region and in both our countries,” President Obama said.

So I just want to say to President Sang how much I appreciate his visit. I think it signifies the maturing and the next stage of the development between the United States and Vietnam. As we increase consultation, increase cooperation, increase trade, and scientific and education exchanges, ultimately, that’s going to be good for the prosperity and opportunities of the people here in the United States, as well as good for the opportunities and prosperity of the people of Vietnam.

Related Topics: East Asia Pacific , Foreign Policy

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July 25, 2013 | 2:39 | Public Domain

Nearly five years after the start of the Great Recession, President Obama kicks off a series of speeches laying out the progress we've made since then and the work that's left to do to rebuild an economy where everyone who works hard can get ahead.

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

July 25, 2013

Joint Statement by President Barack Obama of the United States of America and President Truong Tan Sang of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

President Barack Obama welcomed President Truong Tan Sang of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the White House on July 25, 2013. During their meeting, the two Presidents affirmed their commitment to opening a new phase of bilateral relations between Vietnam and the United States based on mutual respect and common interests. President Truong Tan Sang’s visit comes at an important time for both nations, reflecting a shared desire to build a forward-looking relationship between the two countries.

President Obama and President Truong Tan Sang decided to form a U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership to provide an overarching framework for advancing the relationship. They underlined the principles of the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership, including respect for the United Nations Charter, international law, and each other’s political systems, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. They stated that the Comprehensive Partnership is intended to contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperity in each country, in the region, and in the world. The new Comprehensive Partnership will create mechanisms for cooperation in areas including political and diplomatic relations, trade and economic ties, science and technology, education and training, environment and health, war legacy issues, defense and security, protection and promotion of human rights, and culture, sports, and tourism.

Political and Diplomatic Cooperation

As part of the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership, the two sides agreed to increase high level exchanges as well as contacts at all levels, and to intensify dialogue and cooperation mechanisms. President Obama affirmed the United States’ support for Vietnam’s independence, sovereignty, prosperity, and integration into the international community. President Truong Tan Sang welcomed the United States’ enhanced cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, which contributes to the peace, stability, and prosperity of the region.

The Presidents welcomed the establishment of a regular dialogue between their two foreign ministers, and encouraged dialogues and exchanges between entities associated with political parties in both countries.

President Obama and President Truong Tan Sang agreed to enhance cooperation at regional and international forums including The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS), and the ASEAN Defense Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+) to support peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the Asia-Pacific region. The two Leaders reaffirmed their support for the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, including as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea . The Presidents also reaffirmed their support for the principle of non-use of force or threat-of-force in resolving territorial and maritime disputes. The Presidents underscored the value of full observance of the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the importance of launching negotiations to conclude an effective Code of Conduct (COC).

President Truong Tan Sang expressed his appreciation for the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI). The two Presidents agreed that the two sides would work together with other member countries and the Friends of the Lower Mekong to further strengthen regional cooperation to promote prosperity and sustainable development, narrow the development gap, enhance connectivity, and respond to transnational challenges in the region.

The two Presidents instructed relevant agencies to conclude as soon as possible a bilateral agreement on the construction of new embassies and missions. The Leaders affirmed that the United States’ and Vietnam’s diplomatic presence in their respective capitals should reflect the development of their bilateral ties.

Trade and Economic Ties

Recalling their discussions in Cambodia in November 2012, President Obama and President Truong Tan Sang reaffirmed their commitment to conclude a comprehensive, high-standard Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement as soon as possible this year. A 21^st-century TPP agreement will advance regional economic integration, further development objectives, and lead to the creation of jobs in the United States, Vietnam, and all TPP countries, while taking into account the diversity of the participants’ levels of development in the context of a comprehensive and balanced package.

The Presidents welcomed continued efforts to further bilateral economic, commercial, and investment ties, and President Obama noted Vietnam’s reform efforts as a developing economy. They underlined the critical value of these efforts to advancing the bilateral relationship, and the importance of economic cooperation as a foundation and engine for the new U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership. The Presidents agreed to enhance cooperation under the U.S.-Vietnam Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council as well as under the ASEAN Enhanced Economic Engagement initiative and in APEC to increase economic and trade engagement in line with the bilateral Comprehensive Partnership and shared objectives in the World Trade Organization (WTO), APEC, and ASEAN fora. President Obama applauded Vietnam’s progress in economic reform President Obama noted Vietnam’s interest in pursuing market economy country status and is committed to intensifying the United States’ constructive engagement with Vietnam on its economic reforms. The Presidents acknowledged Vietnam’s intention to accede to the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment (CTC).

Both Presidents noted the importance of growing commercial ties between the two economies, and made special mention of: the MOU signed between PetroVietnam and U.S. Export-Import Bank to support trade and investment in the petroleum and energy sectors in Vietnam; the Framework Heads Agreement on the Ca Voi Xanh offshore Vietnam development project between Exxon Mobil Corporation and PetroVietnam; the Cooperation Agreement between Murphy Oil Corporation and PetroVietnam Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP); an MOU between Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) and Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV); and the Vietnam Ministry of Finance's approval in principle for establishment of a fund management company by ACE Insurance. The Presidents welcomed U.S. Department of Agriculture support for capacity building and training programs designed to help Vietnam adopt and apply sound science and technology to the benefit of Vietnamese farmers, agricultural companies, and consumers. The two leaders recognized the importance of protecting the most vulnerable populations while pursuing economic development, including working together to combat child and forced labor.

Science and Technology Cooperation

President Obama and President Truong Tan Sang discussed the importance of scientific and technological cooperation. They welcomed the 8th meeting of the Joint Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation to be held this autumn, and highlighted efforts to build ties between the scientific communities in the United States and Vietnam to strengthen bilateral relations, respond to climate change and other global challenges, and foster innovation-driven economic growth. President Obama and President Truong Tan Sang reiterated their intention to continue scientific cooperation, including in the areas of civil nuclear energy, space technology, and maritime research. The Presidents highlighted the successful conclusion of a joint effort to remove all highly enriched uranium from Vietnam. The two leaders agreed to continue cooperation to support Vietnam’s aspirations for a peaceful nuclear energy program with the highest standards of safety, safeguards, and security.

Education Cooperation

The Presidents agreed on the need to enhance educational, cultural, and people-to-people ties between the United States and Vietnam. They remarked on the rapid growth of Vietnamese students studying at U.S. universities and colleges, and expressed hope that more U.S. students will pursue study abroad opportunities in Vietnam. They agreed that close cooperation on education and training are critical elements to the next phase of the relationship. They also noted that robust English language instruction will help Vietnam compete in the 21^st century global economy. President Obama and President Truong Tan Sang noted the success of bilateral education and exchange initiatives, especially the Fulbright program and the Higher Engineering Education Alliance Program (HEEAP). The two Presidents noted the success of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program and President Truong Tan Sang welcomed the initiative establishing a Fulbright University in Vietnam.

Environment and Health

President Obama and President Truong Tan Sang welcomed increasing bilateral cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Vietnam through promotion of clean energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable forestry, and to strengthen Vietnam’s resilience to climate change, rising sea level and natural disasters, including through the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Clean Energy Program and Forests and Deltas Program. President Obama reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to providing further medical and other care and assistance for persons with disabilities, regardless of cause.

The two leaders also agreed to work together, along with their LMI partners, to promote scientific research, capacity-building, and dialogue to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the Mekong Delta and the Lower Mekong River Basin. President Obama expressed appreciation for Vietnam’s leadership as the co-chair of the LMI Environment and Water Pillar, which has included two joint research proposals from Vietnam on water resources management in the basin. The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the recent conclusion of the Agreement on Healthcare and Medical Sciences Cooperation and looked forward to enhanced public health cooperation to promote global health security. President Truong Tan Sang expressed his appreciation for the U.S. government’s continued support through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for Vietnam’s efforts to build sustainable systems for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care.

War Legacy Issues

The two Presidents agreed that extensive cooperation in addressing war legacy issues to deepen mutual trust has allowed both countries to develop a relationship that looks to the future. President Obama expressed his appreciation for Vietnam’s continued cooperation in providing for the fullest possible accounting for U.S. personnel missing in action (MIA). President Obama reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to assist Vietnam in its MIA accounting efforts. President Truong Tan Sang noted the U.S. Government’s contributions to Vietnam’s efforts to clean up unexploded ordnance (UXO), assist those injured by UXO, and prevent future casualties. The Presidents expressed satisfaction with progress on USAID and the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense’s project to clean up dioxin contamination at Danang International Airport. President Truong Tan Sang welcomed plans by the U.S. Government to conduct an environmental assessment of dioxin contamination at Bien Hoa Air Base.

Defense and Security

The two leaders agreed that the United States and Vietnam would continue to cooperate on defense and security. They expressed satisfaction with the Memorandum of Understanding on Advancing Bilateral Defense Cooperation of 2011 and reaffirmed their commitment to its full implementation. The Presidents agreed to continue the U.S.-Vietnam Defense Policy Dialogue and the bilateral Political, Security, and Defense dialogue as opportunities to review the defense and security relationship and discuss future cooperation. The two Presidents agreed to expand mutually beneficial cooperation to enhance capabilities such as search and rescue and disaster response. The Presidents also underscored the importance of enhanced cooperation in non-traditional security matters and agreed to work more closely to counter terrorism; enhance maritime law enforcement cooperation; combat transnational crime including piracy, and narcotics, human, and wildlife trafficking; and address high-tech crime and cyber security. President Obama welcomed Vietnam’s decision to participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations and emphasized the United States’ desire to assist with training and other support for this effort through the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI).

Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

The Presidents took note of the benefits of a candid and open dialogue to enhance mutual understanding and narrow differences on human rights. They emphasized the importance of protection and promotion of human rights. President Truong Tan Sang informed President Obama of Vietnam’s efforts and achievements in promoting human rights and rule of law and in protecting the rights of religious believers. President Truong Tan Sang also affirmed that Vietnam was prepared to sign the United Nations Convention Against Torture by the end of the year and stated that Vietnam would invite the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2014. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Culture, Tourism and Sports

President Truong Tan Sang and President Obama highlighted the importance of enhanced cooperation on culture, sports and tourism to strengthening people-to-people exchange and mutual understanding. They took note of the success of the Vietnamese-American community in the United States and their important contributions to the growth of bilateral ties. The two Presidents encouraged more people-to-people exchange through art performances, concerts, exhibitions and other cultural and sports events between the two countries.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

July 25, 2013

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of President Abdo Rabbu Mansour Hadi of Yemen

On Thursday, August 1, President Obama will host Yemeni President Abdo Rabbu Mansour Hadi at the White House. The visit will highlight the strength of the U.S.-Yemeni relationship and underscore the United States' ongoing support for Yemen's political transition. The President looks forward to discussing with President Hadi U.S. efforts to enhance democratic governance and support economic development in Yemen, further strengthen our counter-terrorism partnership, and enable the return of Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo Bay who have been designated for transfer.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

July 25, 2013

Remarks by President Obama and President Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam after Bilateral Meeting

Oval Office

11:30 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA: It is my pleasure to welcome President Truong Tan Sang to the White House and to the Oval Office for his first bilateral meeting with me. This represents the steady progression and strengthening of the relationship between our two countries.

Obviously, we all recognize the extraordinarily complex history between the United States and Vietnam. Step by step, what we have been able to establish is a degree of mutual respect and trust that has allowed us now to announce a comprehensive partnership between our two countries that will allow even greater cooperation on a whole range of issues from trade and commerce to military-to-military cooperation, to multilateral work on issues like disaster relief, to scientific and educational exchanges.

What we've also discussed is the ways in which through the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- or TPP -- both the United States and Vietnam are participating in what will be an extraordinarily ambitious effort to increase trade, commerce and transparency in terms of commercial relationships throughout the Asia Pacific region. And we're committed to the ambitious goal of completing this agreement before the end of the year because we know that this can create jobs and increase investment across the region and in both our countries.

We discussed the need for continued efforts to resolve peacefully maritime issues that have surfaced in the South China Sea and other parts of the Asia Pacific region. And we very much appreciate Vietnam’s commitment to working with ASEAN and the East Asia Summit in order for us to arrive at Codes of Conduct that will help to resolve these issues peacefully and fairly.

We discussed the challenges that all of us face when it comes to issues of human rights, and we emphasized how the United States continues to believe that all of us have to respect issues like freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly. And we had a very candid conversation about both the progress that Vietnam is making and the challenges that remain.

We both reaffirmed the efforts that have been made to deal with war legacy issues. We very much appreciate Vietnam's continued cooperation as we try to recover our Missing in Action and those that were lost during the course of the war. And I reaffirmed the United States' commitment to work with Vietnam around some of the environmental and health issues that have continued, decades later, because of the war.

Finally, we agreed that one of the great sources of strength between our two countries is the Vietnamese American population that is here but obviously has continued strong ties to Vietnam. And ultimately, it's those people-to-people relations that are the glue that can strengthen the relationship between any two countries.

So I just want to say to President Sang how much I appreciate his visit. I think it signifies the maturing and the next stage of the development between the United States and Vietnam. As we increase consultation, increase cooperation, increase trade, and scientific and education exchanges, ultimately, that’s going to be good for the prosperity and opportunities of the people here in the United States, as well as good for the opportunities and prosperity of the people of Vietnam.

At the conclusion of the meeting, President Sang shared with me a copy of a letter sent by Ho Chi Minh to Harry Truman. And we discussed the fact that Ho Chi Minh was actually inspired by the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and the words of Thomas Jefferson. Ho Chi Minh talks about his interest in cooperation with the United States. And President Sang indicated that even if it's 67 years later, it's good that we're still making progress.

Thank you very much for your visit. And I look forward to continued work together.

PRESIDENT SANG: (As interpreted.) Once again, I would like to thank you, President Obama, for your kind invitation extended to me to visit the United States as well as the warm hospitality that you have extended to me over the past couple of days while I'm here in the U.S.

To be frank, President Obama and I had a very candid, open, useful and constructive discussion. Given the progress of our bilateral relationship over the past 18 years, it is time now to form a comprehensive partnership in order to further strengthen our relations in various areas.

We discussed various matters, including political relations, science and technology, education, defense, the legacy of the war issue, environment, the Vietnamese-American community, human rights as well -- and the East Sea as well.

In a candid, open and constructive spirit, we have come to agree on many issues. We will strengthen high-level exchanges between the two countries. We will consider in order to continue our -- to upgrade the mechanism of cooperation at the high level, as well as take the best use of the existing mechanism of cooperation. Particularly, we will continue regular dialogue at the highest level as possible. I believe that this is the way in order to build a political trust for further development of our cooperation in all areas.

Economic and trade relation continue to be important to our relations. As far as TPP is concerned, the Vietnamese side will do its upmost in order to participate in the process of negotiations for the conclusion of TPP by the end of this year.

We also discussed in detail our cooperation in science and technology, in education and training, as well as security and defense. We also touched upon the war legacy issue, including human rights, which we still remain -- which we still have differences on the issue.

I also expressed my appreciation for the care that the U.S. has extended to the Vietnamese who came to settle in the United States and now they have become American citizens and contributing to the overall development of the U.S. And thanks to the support and assistance from the U.S. government as well as the American people, the Vietnamese-American community here in the U.S. has become more and more prosperous and successful in their life as well as work.

And I also would like to take this opportunity to convey a message from our government to the Vietnamese-American community here in the U.S. that we would like to see you contributing more and more to the friendship between our two countries as well as further development of our relationship in the future.

We also discussed in detail the issue of the East Sea. We appreciate and welcome the U.S. support for our stance in this matter, as well as the stance of ASEAN related to this particular matter, and we appreciate the U.S. support to solving the matter by peaceful means in accordance with international law, DOC, and moving toward COC. We welcome the United States’ support as well as other countries’ support in the matter in order to ensure peace, stability, prosperity not only in the East Sea but also in the Asia Pacific and the world at large.

Last but not least, I also, on behalf of our government and our state, to extend to President Obama our invitation to visit Vietnam. And President Obama has accepted our invitation and will try his best to pay a visit to Vietnam during his term.

And, once again, I would like to thank President Obama and all of the American people for their warm hospitality extended to me during this trip to the United States. And I believe that our cooperation will continue to strengthen for the mutual interest and benefit of our people.

Thank you.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you very much, everybody.

END
11:50 A.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

July 25, 2013

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 2289

On Thursday, July 25, 2013, the President signed into law:

H.R. 2289, which renames a subsection of the Internal Revenue Code allowing married individuals filing a joint return to claim the maximum deduction for each spouse's qualified contribution to an individual retirement plan as the "Kay Bailey Hutchison Spousal IRA" in honor of the former U.S. Senator from Texas.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

July 25, 2013

Statement by the President on Spain

Michelle and I were shocked and saddened by the news of yesterday’s tragic train derailment in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. On behalf of the American people, we offer our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and loved ones of the more than 80 people who lost their lives. We extend our wishes for a full recovery to those who were hurt. We also offer our heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Spain and to the rescue personnel who are working to locate the missing and treat the injured – including at least six Americans. Today the American people grieve with our Spanish friends, who are in our thoughts and prayers. We stand ready to provide any assistance we can in the difficult days ahead.