The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 17, 2012

FACT SHEET: Fighting for Equal Pay

From the very beginning of his administration, President Obama has worked to ensure that women are paid fairly for their work. The President is committed to securing equal pay for equal work because it’s a matter of fair play, and because American families and the health of our nation’s economy depends on it.  Today – Tuesday, April 17 – is Equal Pay Day, which marks the fact that, nearly 50 years since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the average woman still has to work well into the calendar year to earn what the average man earned last year.

Today, in conjunction with Equal Pay Day:
The White House released the Equal Pay Task Force Accomplishments Report:  Fighting for Fair Pay in the Workplace.  The Equal Pay Task Force brings together the best expertise of professionals at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor and the Office of Personnel Management, who work daily to combat pay discrimination in the workplace.  The report details the significant progress that the Task Force has made to fight pay discrimination – including improving inter-agency coordination and collaboration to ensure that the full weight of the federal government is focused on closing the gender pay gap once and for all. 

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced the winners of the “Equal Pay App Challenge.”  In January of this year, the Department of Labor, in conjunction with the Equal Pay Task Force, launched this challenge, inviting software developers to use publicly available data and resources to create applications that accomplish at least one of the following goals:  provide greater access to pay data organized by gender, race, and ethnicity; provide interactive tools for early career coaching or online mentoring or to help inform negotiations.  A solution to the pay gap has been elusive, in part because access to basic information – e.g., typical salary ranges and skill level requirements for particular positions, advice on how to negotiate appropriate pay – is limited.  Because of the enthusiastic response to the “Equal Pay App Challenge” and the creative apps that were developed, anyone with a smartphone, tablet or computer can access answers to these basic, but important, questions.  This challenge represents just one more way that women can empower themselves with the tools they need to make sure they get equal pay for equal work.  Representatives from the Equal Pay Task Force will be participating in a Twitter chat on Friday, April 20th, at 12pm EDT to discuss the App Challenge and the winning apps.  Follow the hashtag #EqualPayChat for this discussion.

Finally, in our ongoing effort to educate employees and employers about their rights and responsibilities under our nation’s equal pay laws, the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau today published two brochures that will help educate employees regarding their rights under the existing equal pay laws and enable employers to understand their obligations.

From signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, to creating the National Equal Pay Task Force, to proposing minimum wage and overtime protections for home-care workers – 90% of whom are women – President Obama has made clear his belief that there should be no second class citizens in our workplaces and that making our economy work means making sure it works for everyone.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 17, 2012

Presidential Proclamation -- National Equal Pay Day, 2012

NATIONAL EQUAL PAY DAY, 2012
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

Working women power America's economy and sustain our middle class. For millions of families across our country, women's wages mean food on the table, decent medical care, and timely mortgage payments. Yet, in 2010 -- 47 years after President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 -- women who worked full-time earned only 77 percent of what their male counterparts did. The pay gap was even greater for African American and Latina women, with African American women earning 64 cents and Latina women earning 56 cents for every dollar earned by a Caucasian man. National Equal Pay Day represents the date in the current year through which women must work to match what men earned in the previous year, reminding us that we must keep striving for an America where everyone gets an equal day's pay for an equal day's work.

At a time when families across our country are struggling to make ends meet, ensuring a fair wage for all parents is more important than ever. Women are breadwinners in a growing number of families, and women's earnings play an increasingly important role in families' incomes. For them, fair pay is even more than a basic right -- it is an economic necessity.

That is why my Administration is committed to securing equal pay for equal work. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill I signed as President, empowers women to recover wages lost to discrimination by extending the time period in which an employee can file a claim. In 2010, I was proud to create the National Equal Pay Task Force to identify and combat equal pay violations. The Task Force has helped women recover millions in lost wages, built collaborative training programs that educate employees about their rights and inform employers of their obligations, and facilitated an unprecedented level of inter-agency coordination to improve enforcement of equal pay laws.

Working women are at the heart of an America built to last. Equal pay will strengthen our families, grow our economy, and enable the best ideas and boldest innovations to flourish -- regardless of the innovator's gender. On National Equal Pay Day, let us resolve to become a Nation that values the contributions of our daughters as much as those of our sons, denies them no opportunity, and sets no limits on their dreams.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 17, 2012, as National Equal Pay Day. I call upon all Americans to recognize the full value of women's skills and their significant contributions to the labor force, acknowledge the injustice of wage discrimination, and join efforts to achieve equal pay.

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

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 17, 2012

Fact Sheet: Increasing Oversight and Cracking Down on Manipulation in Oil Markets

At a time when instability in the Middle East is contributing to rising global oil prices that impact consumers at the pump, it is critically important to give American families confidence that illegal manipulation, fraud and market rigging are not contributing to gas price increases.

President Obama has already taken significant action to step up oversight of oil markets and close dangerous loopholes that for too long allowed energy traders to operate in the shadows. Early on in the Administration, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) moved to close the “Enron” and “London” loopholes, which previously allowed traders to evade oversight by using electronic and overseas platforms. Through Wall Street Reform, the President fought for new position limits to ensure that no single trader can manipulate oil markets and to enhance the CFTC’s anti-manipulation authorities. And at the President’s direction, the Attorney General has been working to ensure that enforcement agencies are exercising their full authorities through the Oil and Gas Price Fraud Working Group. (See Appendix for full record).

Today, the Administration is going further – announcing new steps to strengthen oversight of energy markets while calling on Congress to pass a package of measures that would deter illegal behavior and hold accountable those who manipulate markets for financial gain at the expense of consumers. Congress should act immediately on these measures to ensure that illegal manipulation by financial traders is not contributing to prices at the pump.

The President’s Five-Part Plan Includes:

1. Requesting Immediate Funding to Put More “Cops on the Beat” Overseeing Oil Markets: The President is calling on Congress to pass an immediate increase in funding to support at least a six-fold increase in the surveillance and enforcement staff for oil futures market trading at the CFTC.

2. Funding Critical Technology Upgrades in the Oversight and Surveillance of Energy Market Activity: The President is also requesting that Congress provide the CFTC funding for critical IT upgrades to strengthen monitoring of energy market activity.

3. Substantially Increasing Civil and Criminal Penalties for Manipulation in Key Energy Markets: The President’s proposal includes a ten-fold increase in maximum civil and criminal penalties for manipulative activity in oil futures markets. These heightened penalties will make sure that penalties reflect the seriousness of misconduct.

4. Empowering the CFTC to Raise Margin Requirements in Oil Futures Markets: The President is also calling on Congress to act immediately to give the CFTC authority to direct exchanges to raise margin requirements to address increased price volatility or prevent excessive speculation or manipulation. This authority will help limit disruptions and reduce volatility in oil markets.

5. Taking Immediate Steps to Expand Access to CFTC Data to Better Understand Trading Trends in Oil Markets: These executive actions will allow additional analysis of CFTC’s data to look for patterns and better understand trading activity in energy markets.

CRACKING DOWN ON MANIPULATION IN OIL MARKETS
Details of the Administration’s Five Part Plan

1. Immediate Funding to Put More “Cops on the Beat” Overseeing Oil Markets: The increase in oil prices since the beginning of the year has coincided with an increase in non-commercial trading activity in crude oil futures and options monitored by the CFTC. This comes at a time when the CFTC is already stretched to its limits in implementing Wall Street Reform, including overseeing swaps markets for the first time in history.

• To address this issue, the Administration’s new funding request will create an immediate increase in funding to support a six-fold increase in the surveillance and enforcement staff for oil futures and swaps market trading.

2. Critical Technology Upgrades in the Oversight and Surveillance of Energy Market Activity: This increase in the volume of trading activity monitored by the CFTC also comes at a time when the CFTC is in need of critical IT upgrades to modernize its tools for the monitoring and surveillance of oil markets.
 
• The Administration’s funding request would bring CFTC’s technology for monitoring and analyzing energy market activity, up to date, and ensure that the CFTC can keep closed the Enron and London loopholes.

Taken together, the President’s immediate funding request for cops on the beat and technology upgrades would be for $52 million in additional FY 12 resources. This request would bridge the CFTC to the Administration’s higher funding request of $308 million in FY 2013.

In stark contrast, the House Republican Budget would apply across the board cuts to domestic funding that, if applied to the CFTC would be more than 5 times the amount the CFTC currently spends on monitoring, oversight and enforcement staff in energy markets.  In 2014 the House Republican Budget’s cuts would take CFTC resources and capabilities back in time to pre-financial crisis levels, reducing funding by nearly $40 million. The CFTC could face furloughs of more than 100 people, and would be technologically crippled to monitor the markets they are tasked with overseeing – including those in the energy sector.

The Administration’s request would avoid this irresponsible slashing of critical funding and instead ensure that the CFTC has the resources it needs to aggressively oversee speculative trading activity in oil futures markets.  

3. Increased Civil and Criminal Penalties for Manipulation in Key Energy Markets: Currently civil and criminal penalties are available for Commodity Exchange Act trading violations. Strengthening these penalties will make sure that the consequences of these violations reflect the seriousness of misconduct. The Administration’s proposal substantially increases civil and criminal penalties for manipulative and other unlawful activity, especially in oil futures and other energy markets.

a. Civil Penalties: Currently civil penalties for manipulation are structured such that these individuals and firms pay a penalty not exceeding the greater of: (i) $1 million or (ii) three times their pecuniary gain. These penalties are assessed on a per violation basis. The new toughened penalty structure, including manipulation in energy markets, will include:

i. Increasing the penalty available for firms from $1 million to $10 million.

ii. Adding to the “greater of” penalties options, an amount three times the losses to the victims. This would ensure that where the losses to victims were greater than the gains to the defendant, the penalty reflected the magnitude of the misconduct. 

iii. Rather than assessing penalties on a per-violation basis, assessing penalties for each day a violation occurs.

b. Criminal Penalties: Current penalties are a maximum of $1 million and 10 years in prison. A new toughened penalty structure for market manipulation in energy markets will include:

i. Increasing the maximum monetary penalty to $10 million.

ii. Adding a sentencing guideline enhancement for manipulation or other actions that jeopardize the safety and integrity of energy markets. 

4. New Authorities for the CFTC to Raise Margin Requirements in Oil Futures Markets: Margin requirements dictate the amount of money a trader must put behind a trade to ensure that there are sufficient funds behind the position, given volatility in the market. Beginning in late February of last year, the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) raised key margin requirements on oil futures by roughly 40% in a two-month span. Currently these margin requirements are roughly 20% lower than they were in May of 2011.

Today, the Administration is proposing to give CFTC new abilities to direct exchanges to raise margin requirements to help limit disruptions in energy markets. This legislative proposal will give the CFTC new abilities to direct exchanges to raise margin requirements to specified levels if the CFTC determines that heightened margin requirements are needed to address price volatility in markets or prevent excessive speculation or manipulation. Giving the CFTC this new authority to raise margin requirements could help limit disruptions in energy markets.

5. Immediate Steps to Expand Access to CFTC Data to Better Understand Trading Trends in Oil Markets: The CFTC currently collects data on the trading activity in key energy markets. The CFTC publishes some data in an aggregated format, but cannot release disaggregated data to the public because of laws requiring confidentiality. Academic studies have looked at this aggregated data and have argued that additional analysis of the disaggregated data would help considerably.

To address this issue, the Administration is acting immediately on its own to bring additional expert perspective to CFTC’s disaggregated data to better understand trading activity in energy markets. The President’s Council of Economic Advisers has entered into a new data sharing arrangement with the CFTC that will allow CEA expertise to be brought to bear in analyzing trading data. In addition, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) is working to marshal the resources of its member agencies and to solicit outside expert opinion, as appropriate, to review trends in trading activity in key energy markets.

APPENDIX:
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S RECORD OF EXPANDING OVERSIGHT OF ENERGY MARKETS

The Administration through the Wall Street Reform Bill and other Administrative actions created and enhanced numerous authorities to properly regulate commodities markets, including oil markets. These authorities include:

• New Position Limits to Make Sure No Individual Trader Can Manipulate Oil Markets: The Administration is for the first time putting in place position limits that will ensure that no single trader can hold such a large share of the market that it could manipulate or distort prices. Common sense position limits like this have been set by federal regulators for other commodities for years, but never in oil markets. 

• Enhancing Anti-Manipulation Authorities: Before we passed Wall Street Reform, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) was limited in its ability to prosecute oil manipulation as it needed to prove that a speculative trader had the intent to create a false price in these markets. Now because of our legislation, the CFTC has the ability to stop fraudulent and manipulative practices in oil markets, regardless of whether the conduct was intended or created an artificial price. This will strengthen and broaden our abilities to go after the variety of individuals who would manipulate markets and make consumers pay the costs at the pump.

• Closing Loopholes to Bring Trading Out of the Shadows: The Administration has taken steps to address and close loopholes that allowed financial traders to evade oversight by trading in unregulated or overseas markets:

o Closing the “London” Loophole: In 2008, a number of traders had evaded regulatory oversight by trading U.S. energy products on foreign exchanges that were not subject to U.S. regulations. Since then the Administration has made strides in requiring foreign exchanges to abide by regulations similar to domestic exchanges.

o Closing the “Enron” Loophole:  This loophole allowed for the energy trading that occurred on electronic trading platforms to escape regulator’ authority. Through the Farm Bill and Wall Street Reform we have addressed this loophole by bringing new regulatory oversight to these previously unregulated areas.

o Closing the “Swap” Loophole: Finally, through our Wall Street reform legislation, the CFTC and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are completing reforms to bring oversight to the previously unregulated energy swaps market. Energy swaps markets will now be subject to regulations in other energy markets including anti-manipulation rules and position limits

In addition, the Administration has embarked on various efforts to monitor oil and gasoline markets for fraud and manipulation.

• Unprecedented Coordination through the Oil and Gas Price Fraud Working Group: The Administration created an Oil and Gas Price Fraud Working Group that for the first time brings together federal and state agencies in their efforts to protect Americans from fraud and manipulation in the oil and gasoline markets.

o Specific Mandate: The Oil and Gas Price Fraud Working Group is tasked with (1) exploring whether there is any evidence of manipulation of oil and gas prices, collusion, fraud, or misrepresentations at the retail or wholesale levels that violates state or federal laws and (2) evaluating developments in commodities markets and examine investor practices, supply and demand factors and the role of speculators and index traders in energy markets.  

o Recent Activity:  On March 6, the President requested that the Attorney General deploy the full authorities of the working group. On March 7, the co-chairs of the Working Group convened followed by the full working group meeting on March 9.

• Active Monitoring of Gasoline and Diesel Prices: The Gasoline and Diesel Price Monitoring Project actively monitors wholesale and retail prices of gasoline and diesel fuel to detect possible anticompetitive or manipulative activities. This project tracks retail gasoline and diesel prices in 360 cities across the nation and wholesale (terminal rack) prices in 20 major urban areas.

• Ongoing Antitrust Investigations: Agencies continue to actively monitor for antitrust activity in the oil and gas sectors. The FTC and state agencies have cooperated in investigations of competition issues involving gasoline retailing, petroleum pipelines, and other areas.

• Continued Market Surveillance in Oil Markets: The CFTC’s market surveillance program monitors the daily activities of large traders, price relationships, and supply and demand dynamics to identify potential threats of manipulation and help initiate appropriate preventive actions in key oil futures and options markets.

WASHINGTON, DC—On May 16, President Barack Obama will award Specialist Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., U.S. Army, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry.

Specialist Sabo will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions in combat on May 10, 1970, while serving as a rifleman in Company D, 3d Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division in Se San, Cambodia.

On that day, when he and his platoon were ambushed by a large enemy force, Specialist Sabo immediately charged the enemy position, killing several enemy soldiers.  He then assaulted an enemy flanking force, successfully drawing their fire away from friendly soldiers and ultimately forcing the enemy to retreat.  While securing a re-supply of ammunition, an enemy grenade landed nearby.  Specialist Sabo picked it up, threw it, and shielded a wounded comrade with his own body - absorbing the brunt of the blast and saving his comrade's life.  Although wounded by the grenade blast, he continued to charge the enemy's bunker.  After receiving several serious wounds from automatic weapons fire, he crawled towards the enemy emplacement and, when in position, threw a grenade into the bunker.  The resulting explosion silenced the enemy fire, but also ended Specialist Sabo’s life.  His indomitable courage and complete disregard for his own safety saved the lives of many of his platoon members. 

Specialist Sabo's widow, Rose Mary Sabo-Brown and his brother, George Sabo, will join the President at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service and sacrifice.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

THE MEDAL OF HONOR:

The Medal of Honor is awarded to members of the Armed Forces who distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while:

  • engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States;
  • engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or
  • serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.

The meritorious conduct must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life. There must be incontestable proof of the performance of the meritorious conduct, and each recommendation for the award must be considered on the standard of extraordinary merit.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 16, 2012

Statement by the President on the Buffett Rule

Tonight, Senate Republicans voted to block the Buffett Rule, choosing once again to protect tax breaks for the wealthiest few Americans at the expense of the middle class.

The Buffett Rule is common sense. At a time when we have significant deficits to close and serious investments to make to strengthen our economy, we simply cannot afford to keep spending money on tax cuts that the wealthiest Americans don’t need and didn’t ask for.  But it’s also about basic fairness – it’s just plain wrong that millions of middle-class Americans pay a higher share of their income in taxes than some millionaires and billionaires.  America prospers when we’re all in it together and everyone has the opportunity to succeed.

One of the fundamental challenges of our time is building an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules.  And I will continue to push Congress to take steps to not only restore economic security for the middle class and those trying to reach the middle class, but also to create an economy that’s built to last.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 16, 2012

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:

Jay Nicholas Anania, of Maryland, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Suriname.

Gene Allan Cretz, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Ghana.

Susan Marsh Elliott, of Florida, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Tajikistan.

Ingrid A. Gregg, of Michigan, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation for a term expiring December 10, 2017, vice John E. Kidde, term expired.

James L. Henderson, of Kentucky, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation for a term expiring December 10, 2017, vice John Peyton, term expired.

David J. Lane, of Florida, for the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as U.S. Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.

Vicki Miles-LaGrange, of Oklahoma, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation for a term expiring December 10, 2015, vice Roger L. Hunt, term expired.

Charles P. Rose, of Illinois, to be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation for a term expiring April 16, 2017, vice Stephen M. Prescott, term expired.
Patricia M. Wald, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board for a term expiring January 29, 2019.  (Reappointment)

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 16, 2012

President Obama Announces Two More Key Administration Posts

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

  • Ingrid A. Gregg – Member, Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation
  • Jim Henderson  – Member, Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation

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

Dr. Ingrid A. Gregg, Nominee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation
Dr. Ingrid A. Gregg is President and Trustee of the Earhart Foundation.  Dr. Gregg joined the staff of Earhart Foundation in 1998 as a Program Officer and served as the Director of Programming before becoming the Foundation’s President in 2004.  She serves on the Board of Directors of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, the Ann Arbor Advisory Board of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, and the Academic Advisory Board for the Institute of Economic Affairs in London, England.  She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2010 and is a member of The Mont Pelerin Society.  Dr. Gregg received a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and has a M.Sc. as well as a Ph.D. in History from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Judge Jim Henderson, Nominee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation
Judge Jim Henderson is the County Judge/Executive for Simpson County, Kentucky, where he is now serving in his fourth term.  In addition, Judge Henderson serves as Second Vice President of the Kentucky County Judge/Executive's Association and is also a member of its Executive Board and Legislative Committee.  He is the current Chairman of the Barren River Area Development District Board and a current board member of the Barren River District Health Board.   Judge Henderson is also Treasurer for the Community Action of Southern Kentucky Board of Directors.  Judge Henderson received his B.A. from Western Kentucky University.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 16, 2012

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

• Vicki Miles-LaGrange  – Member, Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation

The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individual to a key Administration post:

• James Wright Willis – Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee

President Obama said, “I am confident that these outstanding individuals will greatly serve the American people in their new roles, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

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

Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, Nominee for Member, Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation
Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange is Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, a position she has held since 2008.  She was appointed to the bench in 1994 and was the first African-American federal judge in the six states that make up the 10th Circuit.  Prior to this, Judge Miles-LaGrange was the first female U.S. Attorney in Oklahoma, serving as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.  From 1986 until 1993, she served in the Oklahoma State Senate, where she chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Judge Miles-LaGrange is a former Trustee of Vassar College, Oklahoma City University, and a former member of the U.S. Judicial Conference of the International Judicial Relations Committee.  She received her B.A. from Vassar College and her J.D. from the Howard University School of Law.

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

James Wright Willis, Appointee for Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee
James Wright Willis is the founder of James Willis Tribal Art in San Francisco, which he has owned and operated since 1972.  He is a member of the San Francisco Art Dealers Association and Friends of Ethnic Art in San Francisco.  Mr. Willis has been a member of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee since 2003.  In addition, he served on the boards of the Museum for African Art, the San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, and the Ancient and Tribal Arts Study Committee of the M. H. De Young Museum.  Mr. Willis received his B.A. from Pomona College and his M.A. from San Francisco State.

More from the Summit of the Americas

Matt Compton
Matt Compton
April 16, 2012
04:03 PM EDT
President Barack Obama arrives at the Summit of the Americas (April 14, 2012)

President Barack Obama arrives at the Julio Cesar Turbay Ayala Convention Center for the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Columbia, April 14, 2012. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

This weekend, President Obama was in Colombia for the sixth annual Summit of the Americas.

The nations involved in this conference are some of our closest allies -- and some of our strongest economic partners.

Approximately 42 percent of U.S. exports are sent to countries in the Western Hemisphere, an amount that has increased by more than $200 billion since 2009.

That's why it's fitting that President Obama was able to announce that the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement will enter into force on May 15th. Speaking with Colombian President Santos, he said:

[This] agreement is a win for both our countries. It's a win for the United States by increasing our exports by more than $1 billion, supporting thousands of U.S. jobs and helping to achieve my goal of doubling U.S. exports. It's a win for Colombia by giving you even greater access to the largest market for your exports -- the United States of America. And I'd add that this agreement is a win for our workers and the environment because of the strong protections it has for both -- commitments we are going to fulfill.

To learn more about this weekend's Summit, check out the fact sheet or read the President's remarks to leaders at the opening plenary session.

 

Related Topics: Economy, Western Hemisphere , Foreign Policy

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 16, 2012

Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Regarding Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Budget Amendments

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Budget amendments for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, State and Other International Programs, as well as the Corps of Engineers. Also included is an amendment to a Government-wide general provision. These amendments will not increase the overall discretionary budget authority in my FY 2013 Budget.

In addition, this transmittal contains FY 2013 amendments for the Legislative Branch. As a matter of comity and per tradition, these appropriations requests for the Legislative Branch are transmitted without change.

These amendments are necessary to reflect correctly policies assumed in the FY 2013 Budget. The details of these amendments are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA