Remarks by the President and Vice President at Signing of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010

Department of Interior

Washington, D.C.

9:10 A.M. EST

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hey, folks, how are you?  (Applause.)  It’s a good day.  (Applause.)  It’s a real good day.  As some of my colleagues can tell you, this is a long time in coming.  But I am happy it’s here.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome.  Please be seated.

It was a great five-star general and President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who once said, “Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness and consideration, and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace.”  

By repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" today, we take a big step toward fostering justice, fairness and consideration, and that real cooperation President Eisenhower spoke of.  

This fulfills an important campaign promise the President and I made, and many here on this stage made, and many of you have fought for, for a long time, in repealing a policy that actually weakens our national security, diminished our ability to have military readiness, and violates the fundamental American principle of fairness and equality -- that exact same set of principles that brave gay men and women will now be able to openly defend around the world.  (Applause.)  

It is both morally and militarily simply the right thing to do.  And it’s particularly important that this result was fully supported by those within the military who are charged with implementing it.  And I want to pay particular respect, just as a personal note -- as we used to say, I used to be allowed to say in the Senate, a point of personal privilege -- Admiral Mullen, you're a stand-up guy.  (Applause.)  I think they like you.  (Applause.)  

He already has enough power.  Don't -- (laughter.)  

And it couldn't have been done without these men and women leading our military.  And certainly it could not have been done without the steady, dedicated and persistent leadership of the President of the United States.  (Applause.)  

Mr. President, by signing this bill, you will be linking military might with an abiding sense of justice.  You’ll be projecting power by promoting fairness, and making the United States military as strong as they can be at a time we need it to be the strongest.

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States of America, the Commander-in-Chief, Barack Obama.  (Applause.)  

AUDIENCE:  Yes, we did!  Yes, we did!  Yes, we did!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you!  Yes, we did.  

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you, Mr. President!

THE PRESIDENT:  You are welcome.  (Applause.)  

This is a good day.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes, it is!

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.) (Laughter.)  

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  You rock, President Obama!  

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Laughter.)  

You know, I am just overwhelmed.  This is a very good day.  (Applause.)  And I want to thank all of you, especially the people on this stage, but each and every one of you who have been working so hard on this, members of my staff who worked so hard on this.  I couldn’t be prouder.

Sixty-six years ago, in the dense, snow-covered forests of Western Europe, Allied Forces were beating back a massive assault in what would become known as the Battle of the Bulge.  And in the final days of fighting, a regiment in the 80th Division of Patton’s Third Army came under fire.  The men were traveling along a narrow trail.  They were exposed and they were vulnerable.  Hundreds of soldiers were cut down by the enemy.  

And during the firefight, a private named Lloyd Corwin tumbled 40 feet down the deep side of a ravine.  And dazed and trapped, he was as good as dead.  But one soldier, a friend, turned back.  And with shells landing around him, amid smoke and chaos and the screams of wounded men, this soldier, this friend, scaled down the icy slope, risking his own life to bring Private Corwin to safer ground.  

For the rest of his years, Lloyd credited this soldier, this friend, named Andy Lee, with saving his life, knowing he would never have made it out alone.  It was a full four decades after the war, when the two friends reunited in their golden years, that Lloyd learned that the man who saved his life, his friend Andy, was gay.  He had no idea.  And he didn’t much care.  Lloyd knew what mattered.  He knew what had kept him alive; what made it possible for him to come home and start a family and live the rest of his life.  It was his friend.  

And Lloyd’s son is with us today.  And he knew that valor and sacrifice are no more limited by sexual orientation than they are by race or by gender or by religion or by creed; that what made it possible for him to survive the battlefields of Europe is the reason that we are here today.   (Applause.)  That's the reason we are here today.  (Applause.)

So this morning, I am proud to sign a law that will bring an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  (Applause.)  It is a law -- this law I’m about to sign will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals that our fighting men and women risk their lives to defend.

No longer will our country be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who were forced to leave the military -– regardless of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance -– because they happen to be gay.  No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie, or look over their shoulder, in order to serve the country that they love.  (Applause.)

As Admiral Mike Mullen has said, “Our people sacrifice a lot for their country, including their lives.  None of them should have to sacrifice their integrity as well.”  (Applause.)  

That’s why I believe this is the right thing to do for our military.  That’s why I believe it is the right thing to do, period.  

Now, many fought long and hard to reach this day.  I want to thank the Democrats and Republicans who put conviction ahead of politics to get this done together.  (Applause.  I want to recognize Nancy Pelosi -- (applause) -- Steny Hoyer --  (applause) -- and Harry Reid.  (Applause.)

Today we’re marking an historic milestone, but also the culmination of two of the most productive years in the history of Congress, in no small part because of their leadership.  And so we are very grateful to them.  (Applause.)

I want to thank Joe Lieberman -- (applause) -- and Susan Collins.  (Applause.)  And I think Carl Levin is still working -- (laughter) -- but I want to add Carl Levin.  (Applause.)  They held their shoulders to the wheel in the Senate.  I am so proud of Susan Davis, who’s on the stage.  (Applause.)  And a guy you might know -- Barney Frank.  (Applause.)  They kept up the fight in the House.  And I’ve got to acknowledge Patrick Murphy, a veteran himself, who helped lead the way in Congress.  (Applause.)  

I also want to commend our military leadership.  Ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was a topic in my first meeting with Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen, and the Joint Chiefs.  (Applause.)  We talked about how to end this policy.  We talked about how success in both passing and implementing this change depended on working closely with the Pentagon.  And that’s what we did.

And two years later, I’m confident that history will remember well the courage and the vision of Secretary Gates -- (applause) -- of Admiral Mike Mullen, who spoke from the heart and said what he believed was right -- (applause) -- of General James Cartwright, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs; and Deputy Secretary William Lynn, who is here.  (Applause.)  Also, the authors of the Pentagon’s review, Jeh Johnson and General Carter Ham, who did outstanding and meticulous work --  (applause) -- and all those who laid the groundwork for this transition.  

And finally, I want to express my gratitude to the men and women in this room who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Services.  (Applause.)  I want to thank all the patriots who are here today, all of them who were forced to hang up their uniforms as a result of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” -- but who never stopped fighting for this country, and who rallied and who marched and fought for change.  I want to thank everyone here who stood with them in that fight.  

Because of these efforts, in the coming days we will begin the process laid out by this law.  Now, the old policy remains in effect until Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and I certify the military’s readiness to implement the repeal.  And it’s especially important for service members to remember that.  But I have spoken to every one of the service chiefs and they are all committed to implementing this change swiftly and efficiently.  We are not going to be dragging our feet to get this done.  (Applause.)  

Now, with any change, there’s some apprehension.  That’s natural.  But as Commander-in-Chief, I am certain that we can effect this transition in a way that only strengthens our military readiness; that people will look back on this moment and wonder why it was ever a source of controversy in the first place.      

I have every confidence in the professionalism and patriotism of our service members.  Just as they have adapted and grown stronger with each of the other changes, I know they will do so again.  I know that Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen, as well as the vast majority of service members themselves, share this view.  And they share it based on their own experiences, including the experience of serving with dedicated, duty-bound service members who were also gay.  

As one special operations warfighter said during the Pentagon’s review -- this was one of my favorites -- it echoes the experience of Lloyd Corwin decades earlier:  “We have a gay guy in the unit.  He’s big, he’s mean, he kills lots of bad guys.”  (Laughter.)  “No one cared that he was gay.”  (Laughter.) And I think that sums up perfectly the situation.  (Applause.)

Finally, I want to speak directly to the gay men and women currently serving in our military.  For a long time your service has demanded a particular kind of sacrifice.  You’ve been asked to carry the added burden of secrecy and isolation.  And all the while, you’ve put your lives on the line for the freedoms and privileges of citizenship that are not fully granted to you.  

You’re not the first to have carried this burden, for while today marks the end of a particular struggle that has lasted almost two decades, this is a moment more than two centuries in the making.

There will never be a full accounting of the heroism demonstrated by gay Americans in service to this country; their service has been obscured in history.  It’s been lost to prejudices that have waned in our own lifetimes.  But at every turn, every crossroads in our past, we know gay Americans fought just as hard, gave just as much to protect this nation and the ideals for which it stands.

There can be little doubt there were gay soldiers who fought for American independence, who consecrated the ground at Gettysburg, who manned the trenches along the Western Front, who stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima.  Their names are etched into the walls of our memorials.  Their headstones dot the grounds at Arlington.

And so, as the first generation to serve openly in our Armed Forces, you will stand for all those who came before you, and you will serve as role models to all who come after.  And I know that you will fulfill this responsibility with integrity and honor, just as you have every other mission with which you’ve been charged.

And you need to look no further than the servicemen and women in this room -- distinguished officers like former Navy Commander Zoe Dunning.  (Applause.)  Marines like Eric Alva, one of the first Americans to be injured in Iraq.  (Applause.)  Leaders like Captain Jonathan Hopkins, who led a platoon into northern Iraq during the initial invasion, quelling an ethnic riot, earning a Bronze Star with valor.  (Applause.)  He was discharged, only to receive emails and letters from his soldiers saying they had known he was gay all along -- (laughter) -- and thought that he was the best commander they ever had.  (Applause.)  

There are a lot of stories like these -- stories that only underscore the importance of enlisting the service of all who are willing to fight for this country.  That’s why I hope those soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who have been discharged under this discriminatory policy will seek to reenlist once the repeal is implemented.  (Applause.)  

That is why I say to all Americans, gay or straight, who want nothing more than to defend this country in uniform:  Your country needs you, your country wants you, and we will be honored to welcome you into the ranks of the finest military the world has ever known.  (Applause.)  

Some of you remembered I visited Afghanistan just a few weeks ago.  And while I was walking along the rope line -- it was a big crowd, about 3,000 -- a young woman in uniform was shaking my hand and other people were grabbing and taking pictures.  And she pulled me into a hug and she whispered in my ear, “Get ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’ done.”  (Laughter and applause.)  And I said to her, “I promise you I will.”  (Applause.)   

For we are not a nation that says, “don’t ask, don’t tell.” We are a nation that says, “Out of many, we are one.”  (Applause.)  We are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot.  We are a nation that believes that all men and women are created equal.  (Applause.)  Those are the ideals that generations have fought for.  Those are the ideals that we uphold today.  And now, it is my honor to sign this bill into law.  (Applause.)   

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you, Mr. President!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you!

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We're here, Mr. President.  Enlist us now.  (Laughter.)  

(The bill is signed.)

THE PRESIDENT:  This is done.  (Applause.)  

END
9:35 A.M. EST

Vice President Biden Announces Staff Changes

Vice President Appoints Amy Dudley as Deputy Press Secretary, Succeeding Longtime Aide Annie Tomasini

Washington, DC – The Vice President announced today that his longtime aide and Deputy Press Secretary Annie Tomasini will be leaving at the end of the year, returning to her hometown of Boston, Massachusetts, for a position at Harvard University.  She will be succeeded by Amy Dudley, who most recently served as Delaware Senator Ted Kaufman’s press secretary.  
 
Vice President Biden said, "Annie has been a trusted and loyal member of my inner circle, as well as a source of support for the entire Biden family. From her time with me in the U.S. Senate, on the campaign trail, and now at the White House, Annie has been successful at every level.  Her talent, tireless work ethic and innate ability to bring out the best in those around her have made her an invaluable asset to the entire office.  Jill and I will miss her deeply, but we wish her the best in her future endeavors."
 
Amy Dudley comes to the White House from Senator Ted Kaufman’s office, where she served as his press secretary.  Prior to the Senate, she worked in the public affairs office of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), where she helped to develop media strategies to highlight the organization’s efforts to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide. Dudley began her career in Washington as a staff writer for The Hotline, National Journal’s daily briefing on politics, where she covered the 2006 midterm elections and the run-up to the 2008 presidential primaries. A native of Brookfield, Connecticut, Dudley graduated from Colgate University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies.  
 
Dudley joins the Vice President’s communications office, which is led by Communications Director Jay Carney, Press Secretary Elizabeth Alexander and Assistant Press Secretary Liz Allen.

Remarks by the President and the Vice President Before Signing the Middle-Class Tax Cuts Bill

South Court Auditorium

4:00 P.M. EST

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you all very, very much.  Please be seated.  

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a -- I wasn’t going say, a big deal, but an important deal.  (Laughter.)  I can no longer say “big deal.”  (Laughter.)  Thank god, my mother wasn’t around.

The famed 18th century British statesman, Edmund Burke, once said, “All government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter.”  Today, we have a crystal clear example of what he meant.  

This package -- this package is a result of leaders from both sides coming together to act on behalf of the American people at a time they need it most.  I want to begin by applauding Senator Mitch McConnell, and the other Republican leaders, who like their Democratic counterparts who are here today, were willing to take issue with some of their own party and to do what was, in their view, necessary in order to move the country forward.

That’s what the American people expect of all of us, especially in these times.  And that’s what we’ve done here.  It means accepting some things we don’t like in order to get the job done for Americans as needs to be done.

We were put in office amid the deepest recession this country has seen since the Great Depression.  We were put here to protect and -- protect and rebuild the middle class.  And throughout the process, we’re working with two principles in mind -- grow the economy and support working-class families.  And that’s what we fought hard to do.

And I stand here today to say, in my view, our fight has paid off.  Most economists, many of whom are in this room, will tell you this plan will grow our economy in the next year.  And it’s going to help millions of families keep their jobs, if they have one, and keep their unemployment benefits if they don’t, and keep their tax relief, and keep their kids in school as well.  

All while keeping our economic recovery moving in the right direction, providing immediate -- an immediate economic jolt, and giving more than 150 million Americans help where they need it most, in their paychecks, in their wallets.  I believe it was the right thing to do.

This is an example of what can happen when you have a President who knows what needs to be done and acts tenaciously to make sure it happens.  The President, wholeheartedly -- wholeheartedly committed to serving the middle class.  And that’s what happens when you have a President who knows in his gut that the middle class is the backbone of the American people, and that a full economic recovery will only happen if we have -- if they, the middle class, have the support they need in order to succeed.

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, Barack Obama.  (Applause.)   

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, everybody.  Thank you.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.  Thank you everybody.  Please have a seat.

Good afternoon, everybody.  Before I get started, I just want to acknowledge some of the extraordinary people who did some extraordinary work in a very short period of time.  And I’m going to start with somebody who has been a champion for the middle class, but has also been just an extraordinary partner on every important initiative in this administration -- my friend, Joe Biden, the Vice President.  (Applause.)  

I want to acknowledge and thank Senator Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican leadership in the Senate; Dave Camp, Republican over in the House, for their willingness, as Joe indicated, to do what was right for the country, even though it caused occasional political discomfort.  I especially want to thank the folks who are here -- Dick Durbin, Max Baucus, Danny Davis, Allyson Schwartz, Rob Andrews -- part of a broader team that worked very diligently both in the House and the Senate on the Democratic side to make this happen.  

And we’ve got a bunch of other members of Congress who are here, as well as activists and economists and business leaders and people who generally recognize that at this critical juncture, we’ve got to think about what’s best to grow the economy and what’s best to put people back to work.

We are here with some good news for the American people this holiday season.  By a wide bipartisan margin, both Houses of Congress have now passed a package of tax relief that will protect the middle class, that will grow our economy, and will create jobs for the American people.  Not only do I want to thank all the leaders here today, but I want to thank mayors and governors from across the country who couldn’t be here today, and all who worked together to get this done.

First and foremost, the legislation I’m about to sign is a substantial victory for middle-class families across the country.  They’re the ones hit hardest by the recession we’ve endured.  They’re the ones who need relief right now.  And that’s what is at the heart of this bill.

This bipartisan effort was prompted by the fact that tax rates for every American were poised to automatically increase on January 1st.  If that had come to pass, the average middle-class family would have had to pay an extra $3,000 in taxes next year.  That wouldn’t have just been a blow to them -- it would have been a blow to our economy just as we’re climbing out of a devastating recession.

I refused to let that happen.  And because we acted, it’s not going to.  In fact, not only will middle-class Americans avoid a tax increase, but tens of millions of Americans will start the New Year off right by opening their first paycheck to see that it’s actually larger than the one they get right now.  Over the course of 2011, 155 million workers will receive tax relief from the new payroll tax cut included in this bill -– about $1,000 for the average family.

This is real money that’s going to make a real difference in people’s lives.  And I would not have signed this bill if it didn’t include other extensions of relief that were also set to expire -– relief that’s going to help families cover the bills, parents raise their children, students pay for college, and business owners to take the reins of the recovery and propel this economy forward.

As soon as I sign this legislation, 2 million Americans looking for work who lost their jobs through no fault of their own can know with certainty that they won’t lose their emergency unemployment insurance at the end of this month.  Over the past few weeks, 600,000 Americans have been cut off from that lifeline.  But with my signature, states can move quickly to reinstate their benefits –- and we expect that in almost all states, they’ll get them in time for Christmas.

Eight million college students who otherwise would have faced a tuition hike as soon as next semester will instead continue to have access to a $2,500 tax credit to afford their studies.

Twelve million families with 24 million children will benefit from extensions of the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.  And when combined with the payroll tax cut, 2 million American families who otherwise would have lived in poverty next year will instead be lifted out of it.  (Applause.)

And millions of entrepreneurs who have been waiting to invest in their businesses will receive new tax incentives to help them expand, buy new equipment, or make upgrades -- freeing up other money to hire new workers.

Putting more money in the pockets of families most likely to spend it, helping businesses invest and grow -- that’s how we’re going to spark demand, spur hiring, and strengthen our economy in the New Year.

Now, candidly speaking, there are some elements of this legislation that I don’t like.  There are some elements that members of my party don’t like.  There are some elements that Republicans here today don’t like.  That’s the nature of compromise -– yielding on something each of us cares about to move forward on what all of us care about.  And right now, what all of us care about is growing the American economy and creating jobs for the American people.  Taken as a whole, that’s what this package of tax relief is going to do.  It’s a good deal for the American people.  This is progress.  And that’s what they sent us here to achieve.

There will be moments, I am certain, over the next couple of years, in which the holiday spirit won’t be as abundant as it is today.  (Laughter.)  Moreover, we’ve got to make some difficult choices ahead when it comes to tackling the deficit.  In some ways, this was easier than some of the tougher choices we’re going to have to make next year.  There will be times when we won’t agree, and we’ll have to work through those times together.  But the fact is I don’t believe that either party has cornered the market on good ideas.  And I want to draw on the best thinking from both sides.

So wherever we can, whenever we can, it makes sense for our country’s success and our children’s future to work with people in both parties who are willing to come to the table for the hard work of moving our economy and our country forward.  What happened with this economic package was a good example of that.  A bipartisan group made up of Senators Baucus and Kyl and Representatives Van Hollen and Camp sat down with -- Secretary Geithner is here today and Director Jack Lew of the Office of Management and Budget to begin negotiations in good faith.  Leaders like Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, Harry Reid, and Mitch, other members who are here together worked to bring this bill across the finish line.

And the final product proves when we can put aside the partisanship and the political games, when we can put aside what’s good for some of us in favor of what’s good for all of us, we can get a lot done.  And if we can keep doing it, if we can keep that spirit, I’m hopeful that we won’t just reinvigorate this economy and restore the American Dream for all who work for it.  I’m also hopeful that we might refresh the American people’s faith in the capability of their leaders to govern in challenging times, belief in the capacity of their institutions in this town to deliver in a rapidly changing world, and, most of all, confidence that our best days as a nation are still ahead of us.

So to all of you who worked so diligently on this issue, thank you very much.  To those on my staff who were working night and day, and on the Senate and House staffs in both parties who were working so hard, we’re very grateful to you.  And with that, let me sign this bill to make sure that people are seeing a bigger paycheck come January.  (Applause.)

END
4:17 P.M. EST