The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
January 20, 2015

Vice President Biden to Travel to California

Washington, DC – On Friday, January 23rd, the Vice President will visit West Los Angeles College to discuss the importance of helping Americans go to college and get the skills they need to succeed. Additional details about the Vice President’s visit are forthcoming.

On Saturday, January 24th, the Vice President will travel to Irvine, California to deliver remarks to the Patient Safety, Science & Technology Summit. Additional details about the Vice President’s remarks are forthcoming. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 19, 2015

The President and First Lady, Vice President Biden, Cabinet Secretaries, and Senior Administration Officials Honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

WASHINGTON, DC – To honor the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service and Dr. King’s life and legacy, the President and First Lady, the Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries, and other Senior Administration Officials will participate in community service projects and events.  The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is an opportunity for all Americans to honor Dr. King by coming together to help meet the needs of their communities and re-commit to service throughout the year.

The President and First Lady will participate in a community service project at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington, in celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and in honor of Dr. King’s life and legacy. They will be joined by Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson, and Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) CEO Wendy Spencer.

Also today, the Vice President will deliver remarks at the Organization of Minority Women’s 31st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast. The breakfast, which takes place at the Chase Center on Wilmington’s Riverfront, will commemorate the legacy of the great ‘Drum Major of Justice for all People,’ the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and will pay tribute to the late State Representatives Al and Hazel D. Plant. 

On Monday, January 19th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Cabinet Members will participate in Day of Service events in the Washington, DC area and in cities around the country.  Events include the following:

  • Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew will serve alongside City Year AmeriCorps members in New York City.  Service projects will include painting murals and accents, light construction, organization, kit-making, and workshops for youth.
  • Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Administrator of the General Services Administration Dan Tangherlini will serve at the Student Conservation Association’s annual King Day cleanup of Anacostia Park. 
  • Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will serve at the Central Iowa Shelter & Service’s Mulberry Food and Farms Greenhouse in Des Moines to assist the Shelter’s team in providing work and housing placement services.
  • Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will speak at the Taproot Foundation’s Scope-A-Thon event which will connect approximately 100 DC/Baltimore area nonprofit organizations with professional project managers.
  • Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez will speak to students at the University of South Carolina and serve meals to those volunteering at service projects throughout the City of Columbia.
  • Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro will serve at the Greater Washington Urban League Young Professionals 14th Annual Community Service Drive. He will also give remarks at the National Action Network Annual Martin Luther King Day Dr. Breakfast.  
  • Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson will deliver remarks at the “A Day of Reflection and Service” event at the Martin Luther King. Jr. Memorial, hosted by the Memorial Foundation, IMPACT DC, and the Faith and Politics Institute.  
  • Deputy Secretary of Transportation Victor Mendez will participate in a screening of the film “Selma” with DC nonprofit Horton’s Kids, an organization whose mission is to educate and empower the children of Washington.
  • Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will serve at Southeast DC’s Eastern Senior High School alongside City Year AmeriCorps members. He will be joined by White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough.
  • Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald will serve at Fisher House in DC preparing and serving meals to veterans and their families.
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell will participate in a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service project hosted by Project HOME, a non-profit organization that empowers individuals to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness through affordable housing, employment, health care, and education.
  • Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall will serve at an Energy Department event designed to promote STEM learning and energy literacy among young DC students.
  • Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development Rajiv Shah will serve at Martha’s Table by preparing and distributing hot meals to homeless Washingtonians and families in crisis.
  • Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Gina McCarthy will serve with Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps members building homes in the Ivy City neighborhood of Northeast DC.
  • Administrator of the Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet will serve alongside City Year AmeriCorps members at Gage Park High School in Chicago.
  • CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer will participate in various service projects throughout Washington, DC.
  • Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power will serve with Student Conservation Association AmeriCorps members at the East River Park in Manhattan to improve the soil damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
  • Chairman Fred P. Hochberg of the Export Import Bank of the United States will serve at the Lotus House in Miami, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of homeless women, youth and children.
  • In addition, on January 15th, Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet visited children at Barbara Chambers Children’s Center in Northwest D.C. for a day of service alongside Peace Corps staff.  The Director and her team participated in a variety of service projects totaling nearly 830 hours of service throughout the day.
  • And on January 17th, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell served by cleaning up the area on the National Mall surrounding the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The Secretary served with the Interior Department, National Endowment for the Arts, and General Services Administration staffs, as well as members of the mentoring and professional development nonprofit IMPACT DC.

For more on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service, please visit the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) at mlkday.gov.

Being Biden Vol. 19: The State of the Union

Ezra Mechaber
Ezra Mechaber
January 17, 2015
03:46 PM EST

In this edition of Being Biden, the audio series that gives you an inside look at the vice presidency, Vice President Joe Biden recounts his experience with past State of the Union addresses -- and highlights what will make this 2015 speech so special.

He reflected on a photo where he's leading the Senate -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- from the Senate chamber onto the House floor for the President's address.

The State of the Union address is where "every President lays out where the country is at the moment, and where he thinks he should try to take the country from this moment on." This year, President Obama will give that speech on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

Vice President Joe Biden closed with a thank you, as well as a piece of advice for those who want to watch the President on Tuesday: "Thanks for listening, and make sure you tune in to WhiteHouse.gov to hear the President's State of the Union speech."

Listen to Volume 19 of Being Biden, then go to WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU to learn more about the speech.

Related Topics: State of the Union

Email from Vice President Joe Biden: "The State of the Union"

Lindsay Holst
Lindsay Holst
January 17, 2015
01:10 PM EST

Last night, Vice President Joe Biden sent a message to the White House email list, letting readers know that the very best place to watch the State of the Union is at WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU.

Didn't get it? Make sure you sign up for email updates here.

We're heading to the Capitol this Tuesday, where President Obama will deliver his sixth State of the Union address since taking office in 2009.

Now, the idea of the State of the Union is as old as this nation itself -- it's literally written into the Constitution.

But new technologies have transformed the address from a simple letter to Congress into something that was broadcast over the radio and then over the television -- and the Founding Fathers wouldn't believe how folks are able to watch the speech today.

I'm telling you this because now the very best place you can watch the speech is not on the House floor -- it's at WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU.

Related Topics: Higher Education, College Affordability, Education, State of the Union

Encouraging the Private Sector to Invest in America's Infrastructure

Marc Aidinoff
January 16, 2015
06:08 PM EST

It’s estimated that it would take $3.6 trillion to bring America’s infrastructure up to date by 2020. Across the nation, our bridges, pipelines, roads and railroads are in dire need of repair and modernization. In fact, it would cost $600 billion over 20 years to modernize our country’s entire water and sewer systems.

To address these needs, we need not only an increased commitment from federal, state, and local governments, but also increased investment from the private sector.

To highlight both the need and the opportunity, Vice President Biden visited DC Water’s $2.6 billion Clean Rivers project -- funded by an innovative “Century Bond” -- where he announced new steps that federal agencies are taking to leverage private-sector capital, innovation, and expertise to improve our nation’s infrastructure.

Vice President Joe Biden tours the Anacostia Tunnel Project

Vice President Joe Biden tours the Anacostia Tunnel Project with Mayor Muriel Bowser, Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, in Washington, DC. January 16, 2015. (by David Lienemann)

Marc Aidinoff is Assistant Director for Policy in the Office of the Vice President
Related Topics: Jobs, Manufacturing, Economy

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
January 16, 2015

Statement by the Vice President on the Departure of Lynn Rosenthal

Lynn has made ending the scourge of violence against women the cause of her life. She was there as an advocate in the trenches when I wrote the Violence Against Women Act twenty years ago. She was there when President Obama and I were sworn into office, and my first request was to have Lynn made the first-ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women. She was there when we reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act over the years—working to prevent domestic violence homicides and extending protections to Native American women, and LGBT Americans. She worked with me to reach a new generation of young women and to get men involved in speaking out about abuse. 

For more than 20 years she has been there—leading national organizations, building state coalitions, training new advocates, safeguarding our workplaces, and most recently, advising the President and me with her characteristic dignity and an unwavering determination. While she is leaving the White House, I know she will continue to be a passionate voice for the right of every woman—and every person—on the planet to be free from violence and abuse. That’s the right that measures who we are as a country—and it is what measures the work of Lynn’s life.

West Wing Week: 1/16/15 or, "The Little Circle Thing"

Adam Garber
Adam Garber
January 16, 2015
11:32 AM EST

This week, the President continued to preview some of the big ideas that he'll propose in his State of the Union address on January 20th. He made announcements on education, on cybersecurity, and on access to reliable broadband Internet across the country. For all of you who just can't bear to wait until the State of the Union, this one's for you. That's January 9th to January 15th or, "The Little Circle Thing."

Related Topics:

West Wing Week: 1/16/15 or, "The Little Circle Thing"

January 16, 2015 | 4:15 | Public Domain

This week, the President continued to preview some of the big ideas that he'll propose in his State of the Union address on January 20th. He made announcements on education, on cybersecurity, and on access to reliable broadband Internet across the country. For all of you who just can't bear to wait until the State of the Union, this one's for you. That's January 9th to January 15th or, "The Little Circle Thing."

Download mp4 (129MB)

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
January 15, 2015

Vice President Biden Announces $25 Million in Funding for Cybersecurity Education at HBCUs

Today, Vice President Biden, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, and White House Science Advisor John Holdren are traveling to Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia to announce that the Department of Energy will provide a $25 million grant over the next five years to support cybersecurity education. The new grant will support the creation of a new cybersecurity consortium consisting of 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), two national labs, and a k-12 school district. 

The Vice President will make the announcement as part of a roundtable discussion with a classroom of cybersecurity leaders and students at Norfolk State University. The visit builds on the President’s announcements on cybersecurity earlier this week, focusing on the critical need to fill the growing demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. job market, while also diversifying the pipeline of talent in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The event and announcement is also an opportunity to highlight the Administration’s ongoing commitment to HBCUs.

Details on the Announcement

As highlighted by the President earlier in the week, the rapid growth of cybercrime is creating a growing need for cybersecurity professionals across a range of industries, from financial services, health care, and retail to the US government itself. By some estimates, the demand for cybersecurity workers is growing 12 times faster than the U.S. job market, and is creating well-paying jobs.

To meet this growing need, the Department of Energy is establishing the Cybersecurity Workforce Pipeline Consortium with funding from the Minority Serving Institutions Partnerships Program housed in its National Nuclear Security Administration. The Minority Service Institutions Program focuses on building a strong pipeline of talent from minority-serving institutions to DOE labs, with a mix of research collaborations, involvement of DOE scientists in mentoring, teaching and curriculum development, and direct recruitment of students.

With $25M in overall funding over five years, and with the first grants this year, the Cybersecurity Workforce Pipeline Consortium will bring together 13 HBCUs, two DOE labs, and the Charleston County School District with the goal of creating a sustainable pipeline of students focused on cybersecurity issues. The consortium has a number of core attributes:

  • It is designed as a system. This allows students that enter through any of the partner schools to have all consortia options available to them, to create career paths and degree options through collaboration between all the partners (labs and schools), and to open the doors to DOE sites and facilities.
  • It has a range of participating higher education institutions. With Norfolk State University as a the lead, the consortium includes a K-12 school district, a two-year technical college, as well as four-year public and private universities that offer graduate degrees.
  • Built to change to evolving employer needs: To be successful in the long term, this program is designed to be sufficiently flexible in its organization to reflect the unique regional priorities that Universities have in faculty research and developing STEM disciplines and skills, and DOE site targets for research and critical skill development. 
  • Diversifying the pipeline by working with leading minority-serving institutions: As the President stated in Executive Order 13532, “Promoting Excellence, Innovation, and Sustainability at Historically Black Colleges and Universities” in February 2010, America’s HBCUs, for over 150 years, have produced many of the Nation’s leaders in science, business, government, academia, and the military, and have provided generations of American men and women with hope and educational opportunity. 

The full list of participating consortium members are:

Virginia
Norfolk State University (lead)

Georgia
Clark Atlanta University
Paine College

Maryland
Bowie State University

North Carolina
North Carolina A&T State University

South Carolina
Allen University
Benedict College
Claflin University
Denmark Technical College
Morris College
South Carolina State University
Voorhees College
Charleston County School District

US Virgin Islands
University of the Virgin Islands  

California
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

New Mexico
Sandia National Laboratories

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
January 13, 2015

Readout of the Vice President’s Call with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk

Vice President Joe Biden spoke today with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk regarding the situation in eastern Ukraine, additional U.S. financial assistance for Ukraine, and efforts to promote the Minsk peace process. The Vice President expressed his condolences for the civilians killed in the bombing of a passenger bus today in Donetsk Oblast, and expressed his regret at the increasing number of ceasefire violations by Russia’s proxies. The Vice President and Prime Minister also discussed progress in assembling a broad package of international financing that will support Ukraine as it takes steps to restore economic stability and unleash its economic potential. The Vice President informed the Prime Minister of the U.S. Treasury Department’s announcement regarding loan guarantees for Ukraine as part of this international package. Finally, the two leaders discussed the recent meeting of Ukrainian, Russian, French and German Foreign Ministers in Berlin, and agreed on the importance of having Russia abide by the commitments it made in the Minsk agreements, which include OSCE monitoring of the Ukrainian-Russian border, the return of hostages, and the withdrawal of arms and foreign fighters from Ukraine.