Remarks by the President at Ellicott Dredges

Ellicott Dredges
Baltimore, Maryland

1:20 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Baltimore!  (Applause.)  Well, it is wonderful to see all of you.  Give Duncan a big round of applause for the great introduction.  (Applause.)  I want to thank all of you for the warm welcome, the great hospitality.  And I tell you what, I’m going to return the favor by hosting your Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens at the White House this summer.  (Applause.)  We’ll have Ray Lewis in the China Room -– what could go wrong?  (Laughter.)

I want to thank your CEO, Peter Bowe, and your plant manager, Robert Croom, and your entire team for showing me around this great facility.  I was told that one of your customers once named a dredge after President Clinton, so I’ve got my fingers crossed.  (Laughter.)  Never had a dredge named after me, so I’m looking after -- looking forward to that.

I’ve come here today to talk about our single most important priority as a country right now.  And that is reigniting the true engine of our economic growth, and that is a rising, thriving middle class.  (Applause.)  And as I said in my State of the Union address this year, that’s our North Star.  That’s what we have to focus on.  That’s what has to guide all our efforts. 

And we’ve got some great people who are championing middle-class families every single day.  First of all, your outstanding Governor -- come on -- Martin O’Malley.  (Applause.)  Your outstanding Mayor -- Madam Mayor.  (Applause.)  You’ve got some outstanding members of Congress, led by your senior Senator, Barbara Mikulski.  (Applause.)  And your own leader in the House of Representatives -- he is doing a great job every single day and he loves this state -- Steny Hoyer.  (Applause.) 

So we’ve got just some extraordinary folks here.  Let me make sure I’ve -- Elijah Cummings is here.  (Applause.)  But more importantly, Elijah’s mom is here.  (Applause.)  And we are so proud of Elijah, but his mom apparently prays for me every day, so I’m very grateful for her as well.

And all of these -- all of your members of Congress, every single day, are working, fighting on your behalf in terms of making sure that we’re growing an economy that creates outstanding middle-class jobs.  That’s the challenge that we should be rallying around every single day.  And I know it can seem frustrating sometimes when it seems like Washington’s priorities aren’t the same as your priorities.  I know it often seems like folks down there are more concerned with their jobs than with yours.  Others may get distracted by chasing every fleeting issue that passes by.  But the middle class will always be my number-one focus, period.  Your jobs, your families, your communities -- that’s why I ran for President.  That’s what drives me every day as I step into the Oval Office.  That’s what I’m going to keep fighting for over the next four years. 

And that’s why I’m so proud to have these partners.  John Sarbanes I saved for last, because Congressman Sarbanes, he himself is doing a great job, but when I first came in, his father was one of the people who I so admired in the Senate.  He had served for a long time.  And I remember just a conversation that we had -- he probably doesn’t remember it -- but I asked him -- I came and paid him a visit, and I asked him, “What’s your advice?”  He says, “Just keep in mind the people who sent you.”  Because here in Washington, sometimes people get distracted.  But you’re here to work on behalf of your constituencies.  And if you stick to that, you’re going to be just fine. 

And that’s what’s happening here in Maryland.  Under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, Maryland has won back almost 100 percent of the jobs that were claimed by the recession.  (Applause.)  So you might not know it if you were just watching the news and you’re exposed to all these partisan battles and brinksmanship in Washington, but the truth is there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about where this country is headed, especially after all we’ve been through over the past several years.  And that’s got to encourage us to roll up our sleeves, and work together, and take on the challenges that are still holding back the economy and holding down working families.

Now, the good news is in a little over three years, businesses like this one have created more than 6.5 million new jobs.  And while our unemployment rate is still too high, it’s the lowest it’s been since 2008.  (Applause.)  That's good news.

But that's not enough because we’ve also got to create even more good, middle-class jobs, and we’ve go to do it even faster. 

Corporate profits have skyrocketed at an all-time high. Now we’ve got to make sure that middle-class wages and incomes are going up too -– because families all across America haven’t seen their take-home pay rise for nearly a decade.  That's the next phase.  It’s good that companies are profitable.  I want you to be profitable.  I want you to be taking a little more home in your paycheck.  (Applause.)

Our housing market is healing.  But that's not enough.  Now we’ve got to help more families stay in their homes, or refinance to take advantage of these historically low interest rates. 

Our deficits are shrinking at the fastest rate in decades.  That's the truth.  That's worth an applause, sure.  (Applause.)  Because you wouldn’t always know that listening to folks in Washington.  But the fact is our deficits are going down faster than they have gone down in decades.  But we still have to create a budget that is smart and doesn’t hurt middle-class families or harm our critical investments into our future. 

Barbara Mikulski is on the Appropriations Committee; she’s fighting hard to make sure that this sequester that is slowing down growth, and we’re starting to see growth slowing down because of furloughs and cuts in defense spending, and a whole bunch of stuff that wasn’t well thought through -- we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got a budget that doesn't push our economy back down.  We need a budget that pushes our economy back up.

The American auto industry is thriving.  American energy is booming.  American ingenuity in our tech sector has the potential to change the way we do almost everything. 

And thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, we’ve been able to clear away the rubble of the crisis.  We’re now poised for progress, but our work is not done, and our focus cannot drift.  We’ve got to stay focused on our economy, and putting people back to work, and raising wages, and bringing manufacturing back to the United States of America.  That has to be what we’re thinking about every single day.  (Applause.)

The middle class has taken a beating for more than a decade.  You deserve folks in Washington who are willing to fight back on your behalf every single day.  Because every single day, you and Americans like you all across the country are working hard and living up to your responsibilities.  So you’ve got to have the same seriousness of purpose in your leaders. 

Now, I see three areas where we need to focus if we’re really going to keep the recovery going but take it to new heights.  Number one, we’ve got to make America a magnet for good jobs.  Number two, we’ve got to make sure that workers are able to get the education and skills they need to do those jobs.  Number three, we’ve got to make sure that, if and when you’re working hard, that that leads to a decent living.

And that’s why I wanted to come to Baltimore -- because a lot of people here in Baltimore, they work hard.  Baltimore has gone through tough times in the past, but Baltimore has come bouncing back.  (Applause.)

I started a few hours ago at a pre-K program at Moravia Park Elementary School.  (Applause.)  There, kids are getting a head start learning skills they need to succeed in college and the workplace.  And, by the way, this is a center that was named after Steny Hoyer’s late wife, Judy, because she and Steny share my belief in the importance of giving every kid every chance as early as possible. 

I got to help with one of the lessons -- we were having to draw zoo animals.  (Laughter.)  And I’ve got to say, my tiger was not very good.  (Laughter.)  The kids were unimpressed.  They kind of looked at it, they said, that doesn’t look like a tiger.  (Laughter.)  But they were amazing.

And later today, I’m going to visit with a program that helps people who have gone through some tough circumstances, especially low-income dads, and this program is now helping them get the training and the guidance they need to find work and support a family, which is a priority.  (Applause.)  And probably some of these folks who I’m meeting, they didn’t get that early childhood education that put them on the right track.  And what we want to do is, first of all, make sure our kids are getting the training they need, but if they missed out early on, we still want to give them opportunity on the backend.  

But obviously, the training of kids, giving them a good education, training older workers -- none of that is going to make a difference if we don’t have great companies that are hiring.  And that’s why I wanted to come to Ellicott. 

Ellicott Dredges, you guys are an example of what we can do to make America a magnet for good jobs.  After all, you all know a thing or two about growing the economy -- you’ve been doing it for more than a century.  This company was founded in 1885.  You’ve been right here on Bush Street since 1900.  This company built dredging equipment that helped dig the Panama Canal.  (Applause.)  That’s impressive.

What that means is this company, right here in Baltimore, literally helped create our global economy, because that was one of the first connectors that started to allow us to ship goods and cut the distances that integrated the world economy. 

And yet, after all this time, this company still has a set of core values that's lasted for generations.  Just like the folks who came before you, you’ve got that drive to make the best machines that money can buy; to sell products all over the world; to grow not just a business, but a community, and by doing that, you're growing our country.

And these values have seen you through an era of enormous change.  Your leaders saw the potential in developing markets like China and India and Brazil and Bangladesh.  So you ramped up your focus on airports -- on exports -- maybe on airports, too -- (laughter) -- but on exports.  And the federal government has worked with you as a partner to sell dredging equipment right out of this shop all over the world.  You maintained your quality.  You built a sales force that travels everywhere, outhustling the competition in search of new business.

All that hard work has paid off.  Today, this company, you have sold equipment to more than 100 different countries.  You’ve made new investments here at home.  You employ more than 200 people in Baltimore and Wisconsin and Kansas.  And over the past few decades, during some of the tough times for our workers, you were able to keep building equipment stamped with those three proud words:  Made in America.  And you're selling it around the world.  (Applause.)

As Steny Hoyer and some of these House members like to say, that means you're making it in America.

MR. HOYER:  All right.

THE PRESIDENT:  See, Steny gets excited.  (Laughter.)  You're actually making stuff here in America, but it also means that we're all making it here in America when you do what you're doing.  And this is a great example.  

And the good news is, more and more companies are following your example.  After shedding jobs for 10 years, our manufacturers have added more than 500,000 jobs over the past three years.  Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico.  Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan.  (Applause.)  After placing plants in other countries like China, Intel, which is making the chips in your smartphone and your iPad, all of these gizmos everybody is holding up right now -- (laughter) -- Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home, right here in America.  

Washington should be helping these kinds of success stories take root all across the country.  That’s why we’ve boosted -- my administration has boosted our efforts to help businesses export more of their goods and services.  That’s why we signed trade agreements that will protect American workers, but open up new markets and support tens of thousands of good-paying jobs. 

That’s why we reauthorized the Export-Import Bank.  And we are proud to have the bank’s chairman right here, Fred Hochberg.  He's here this afternoon.  He's helping this company as we speak sell more goods overseas.  And so today, exports are at an all-time high.  We are selling more stuff around the world.  We’ve added more than a million export-supported jobs since I took office.  (Applause.)

So all these steps are making a difference, but there’s more we can do.  We need to pursue new trade agreements with Europe and the Pacific region.  We need to invest in high-tech manufacturing centers, because I want the next revolution in manufacturing to be made here in America.

Our workers are at our best when we're building stuff.  So today, I’m also announcing the next step in our effort to cut through red tape that keeps big construction projects from getting off the ground.

Now, some of you, if you’ve heard me, I’m really big on us rebuilding our infrastructure in this country.  (Applause.)  I want to put people back to work improving our roads, our bridges, our airports, our ports.  (Applause.)  We were talking about the Panama Canal.  The Panama Canal is being revamped down in Panama so that it can accommodate even bigger ships.  And these cargo ships are so big that if we don’t remodel our ports here in the United States, they can’t dock at our ports.  They’ll dock someplace else.  We’ll lose that business.

So we’ve got to up our game when it comes to infrastructure.  And the good news is, when you do that, you’re putting people back to work right away, operating dredging equipment and doing other stuff, and you’re also laying the foundation for future economic growth.

Now, the problem is we’ve had some trouble out of Congress just going ahead and funding --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT:  I know, it’s surprising, isn’t it?  (Laughter.)  But we’ve had a little difficulty getting our Republican friends to work with us to find a steady funding source for these projects that everybody knows needs to happen.  But in fairness, one of the problems we’ve had in the past is, is that sometimes it takes too long to get projects off the ground.  There are all these permits and red tape and planning, and this and that, and some of it’s important to do, but we could do it faster. 

So a while back, what I did was I ordered everybody who was involved in approving projects to speed up the permitting process for 50 different big projects all across the country, from the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York to the Port of Charleston in South Carolina.  And we’ve been able to, in some cases, cut approval times from seven years down to a year.  So we’ve made progress.  (Applause.) 

Today, I’m directing agencies across the government to do what it takes to cut timelines for breaking ground on major infrastructure projects in half.  And what that will mean is, is that construction workers get back on the jobs faster.  It means more money going back into local economies, and it means more demand for outstanding dredging equipment that is made right here in Baltimore.  (Applause.) 

Now, as some of you know, one of the guys who has been working on this, he’s Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari, your former transportation secretary here in Maryland before Governor O’Malley generously agreed to share him with the entire country.  (Laughter.)

So those are some of the ways that we can create the conditions for businesses like this one to generate even more good jobs.  And these are the kinds of ideas that we have to stay focused on every single day.  This should be our principal focus:  How are we making ourselves more competitive; how are we training our workers so that they can do the jobs that need to be done; how can we make sure that we stay on the cutting edge in terms of technology; how are we making it easier for businesses to succeed.

And I’m going to keep trying to work with both parties in Washington to make progress -- because our challenges are solvable.  I travel all around the world, and I meet people from all walks of life.  And I can tell you, there’s not a country on Earth that wouldn’t trade places with the United States of America.  That’s really true.  (Applause.)  They know we’ve got all the ingredients to succeed.  We’ve got the answers.  The only thing that’s holding us back sometimes is a lack of political will.  Sometimes our leadership isn’t focused where we need to be focused.  And that’s where you come in.  It’s up to you and all the people across the country to tell the people in Washington, focus on getting stuff done.  We may not agree on the way to do certain things, but I think we all love our country.  We all want what’s best for our kids and our grandkids. 

Wouldn’t we be better off if every American could find a good job that pays the bills and lets you afford a home, and maybe take a vacation, put some money away to retire?  Wouldn’t we be better off if we knew that all of our kids were getting a good education from an earliest age; if we reformed our high schools for this new economy; if we’re helping more young people afford to go to college? 

Wouldn’t we be better off if every worker’s wage was a wage you could live on?  Nobody wants to be on welfare.  Nobody wants to have to rely on a handout.  They want to work.  But let’s make sure that work pays. 

Wouldn’t we be better off if every American could afford quality healthcare, and the peace of mind that comes with it?  That's why we passed health care reform.  (Applause.)  Wouldn’t we be better off if we did what’s necessary to protect more of our children from the horrors of gun violence?  (Applause.)

There are going to be disagreements about how we get there.  But let’s remind ourselves that when we work together nobody can stop us.  When we do the right thing -- that's what I believe.  That's what I’m going to keep fighting for.  That's what drives me -- is all the stories of people like you that I have the great honor of meeting and working with every single day.  You deserve leaders with the same dedication and commitment and focus that the people who work at this company bring to their jobs every single day.  And you look at those dredges up there -- and I met folks who have worked here 38 years, some who worked 40 years, and the pride that they take in their product and the way they all work together, that's the attitude that we’ve got to bring to bear here.

I think about a woman here, Myrna LaBarre.  Myrna LaBarre -- where is Myrna?  (Applause.)  There’s Myrna right here.  (Applause.)  Myrna LaBarre.  Myrna has been at Ellicott for more than 50 years.  (Applause.)  Now, that means she started when there were no child labor laws, because it was clearly illegal.  (Laughter.)  She was about four or five, and they started putting her to work, put a broom in her hand.  But when somebody asked Myrna what lessons she learned after 50 years working at the same company, she said, “Be honest, be helpful, accept your mistakes and improve upon them, be good to people, keep a good sense of humor, have the best work ethic possible, and handle the good times and get over the bad.”  That’s a pretty good recipe for success right there.  That’s who we are.  That’s who we are.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Myrna. 

I mean, that pretty much sums up everything.  (Laughter.)  That’s who we like to understand America to be, who we are as Americans.  We’re honest and helpful.  We work hard.  We’re good to others.  We handle the good times, and we get over the bad times.  If we keep that in mind, if we just all keep Myrna’s advice in mind, keep plugging away, keep fighting, we’ll build an even better America than we’ve got right now. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We’re praying!

THE PRESIDENT:  And I know you’re going to -- we can pray too, we’ll add that in there.  (Laughter and applause.) 

If we work to create more jobs, if we give every American the tools that they need for those jobs, if we make sure that hard work pays off and that responsibility is rewarded, then once again America is going to be the place where you can always make it if you try.  And we’ll all prosper together.  And we’ll make sure that America remains the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless America.  (Applause.)

END
1:46 P.M. EDT

Remarks of Dr. Jill Biden at Navajo Technical College Commencement *AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY*

Crownpoint, New Mexico
May 17, 2013

Good morning, everyone! 

Ya'aa'tey shi Din'e

It’s wonderful to be here in New Mexico to celebrate such an important day with all of you! 

Thank you, Roselyn, for that very kind introduction.  Dr. Guy, thank you for hosting me here today.

Last night, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet President Shelly and his wife, Martha, and see the students from Dine Bi Olta Elementary School and Miyamura High School perform the basket and ribbon dances.  The dances were beautiful.

Thank you, President Shelly and Council Delegate Simpson for having me today.

All of you graduating today stand on the shoulders of those who came before you - your parents, your grandparents, and all of your ancestors. It is their vision, and their determination that created this community and built this college.

So as we celebrate your accomplishments here today, we also remember and acknowledge their sacrifices to make this all possible.

Navajo Technical College is a special place.  For the second year in a row I know you were recognized by the Aspen Institute as being one of the top 120 community colleges in the United States – in part because of your graduation rate near 80 percent.  That’s amazing!

I know you are also celebrating your first student to graduate with a Baccalaureate Degree this year – congratulations to Dody Begay– who is graduating with his degree in Information Technology!

Some of you know my story. I’ve been a teacher for more than 30 years, and I continue to teach full-time at a community college in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. 

This time of year is always a little bittersweet for me. I’m happy to have finished up another semester and look forward to a little summer break. But I know I’ll be missing my students.

And those feelings – which I’m sure many of your teachers share – are only amplified for those who are graduating.

We are so proud of you. We hope we have given you every bit of advice to help you succeed. And we are excited to see what you’ll do next.

College is a place that changes lives, for the better.  And tribal colleges are especially unique places … particularly for students who might otherwise not have the opportunity to attain a higher education.

Tribal colleges, like community colleges, meet students exactly where they are.

As a community college teacher, I see every day that my students have all made a choice to be there, to be better, to continue their education. 

They have made a choice to be in the classroom, even though they might be working one or two other jobs, juggling child care, and raising families.

My students have made the choice because they believe in themselves.

And we believe in them, too. We stand behind them.

Today, I would like to share a few stories of your fellow graduates and how they embody three important lessons about community and as you move forward in your lives, about your sense of place in the world.

Every story I have heard about your fellow students comes back to this: your community is more than the people around you, it is who you are. 

Many of you know Dwight Carlston. He’s about to graduate with his Associate of Applied Science degree in Environmental Science and Natural Resources.

Growing up, Dwight and his two younger brothers spent a lot of time with their grandparents while their single mom worked two jobs – one at a loan company and another as a bank teller.

There were lots of chores. No electricity. No running water.

Dwight says watching his mom, who didn’t graduate from high school, have to work so hard at all those jobs made him wonder what kind of life was really possible for himself.

One thing he does remember is his grandfather’s stubborn streak, especially when it came to education: his grandsons would go to school.

Dwight didn’t think he had the financial resources necessary to get his higher education.

But with the help of counselors, the cross country runner was able to get a scholarship to attend his first year at another school in Kansas.

But Dwight struggled and dropped out after a year. After working construction jobs, he knew he wanted to try again to complete his education.

For Dwight, Navajo Technical College’s proximity to home and affordability changed his entire learning experience.

Named last year’s Student of the Year, Dwight excelled in and out of the classroom, maintained a 3.8 GPA, served as Student Senate President and ran cross country. More recently, he was elected the Student Congress president of all 38 tribal colleges.

It’s clear his grandfather’s stubborn streak has been passed on.  Now that there is a four-year Bachelor of Science degree available, Dwight plans to continue his education this fall.

I know we’ll hear more from Dwight in the future!

The second lesson is about service to your community.

Many of you come back to your community because you couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. And you come back to your community because you want to continue to serve - serve others as well as they have served you.

Jerrilene Kenneth started her higher education right after high school at a community college in Albuquerque.

Three years in, her father passed away, and in a short time, Jerrilene says she didn’t know what to do with her herself.

She did complete a culinary arts certificate, but eventually dropped out of school.

Jerrilene’s dad had been a mechanic.  So Jerrilene, the youngest of 11, decided to enlist in the Army. 

She went on to serve four years as a mechanic, including two deployments – first to Iraq and then to Afghanistan.

While deployed, Jerrilene says she learned just how much stress one person could survive. After losing her dad, Jerrilene found being away from her family – especially her mom – to be the hardest thing she had ever done.

When Jerrilene came home, she found her place: spending time with her many nieces and nephews, connecting with young people and her community.

She enrolled at Navajo Technical College and graduates today – the first in her family to do so – with an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education.

Last month, Jerrilene received a gold medal in Early Childhood Education at the SkillsUSA state competition and she will go on to compete in the National Championships.

With her Associate Degree down, Jerrilene says she now hopes to continue on to get her bachelor’s degree to eventually become a teacher. A woman after my own heart!

From cook, to mechanic in Iraq and Afghanistan, to teacher, Jerrilene knows wherever she is in the world helping others learn will be part of her life.

And she also says there is nowhere she would rather be serving than right here, in her own community.

Jerrilene, thank you for your service to our country.

And I know there are two other veterans graduating today as well - Fitzgerald Nez and Eric Begody – could you please stand? Thank you for your service.

The last idea is pretty simple: here, within the Navajo Nation, you found an even deeper level of community at your school.  Here at Navajo Technical College, you found the support that you needed to succeed.

Sherwin Becenti headed for college at the University of New Mexico right out of high school but dropped out after two years.

Sherwin stopped going to classes and pretty soon, felt like he was too far behind to catch up.

That was more than a decade ago.

He worked all kinds of jobs in the intervening time: a bread factory, construction, firefighting.

Then he met his wife, Michelle, who kept encouraging him to go back and finish his education. Michelle is a Navajo Technical College student, too.

Sherwin and Michelle want to provide a good example to their children, Mikaela and Kobe, to know there is a path to a brighter future.

Sherwin – this year’s Student of the Year – wants them to know about the things he never knew about – scholarships, internships, a path toward a better life.

Mikaela is already on her way. She recently completed a rigorous application process to be admitted into the Navajo Preparatory School, where she will start high school this fall.

And her parents couldn’t be more proud.

Sherwin, thank you for the wonderful example you are setting. And, he couldn’t have done it without you, Michelle.  You believed in him!

I would like you all to think back on the lessons you have learned as part of the Navajo Technical College community.

You are people like Dwight, who become lifelong learners and will encourage others to do the same.

You are people like Jerrilene, who are going to become teachers. And, in a few years, she may teach the children of the people sitting next to you.

You are people like Sherwin, who are going to continue to show future generations that there is a bright path ahead.

You all care so deeply about this place that generations of your family have called home.

You all have a stake in each other’s future because you are now and always be part of this shared community.

So continue to reach out to one another, to encourage one another, to lift up each other.

I know that shortly you will hear a new poem from the first Navajo Poet Laureate, Professor Luci Tapahonso.

But I would like to close with the beautiful ending of another of her poems entitled “A Blessing,” which she wrote for another class of college graduates:

“May we fulfill the lives envisioned for us at our birth. May we realize that our actions affect all people and the earth. May we live in the way of beauty and help others in need. May we always remember that we were created as people who believe in one another.

We are grateful, Holy Ones, for the graduates, as they will strengthen our future. All is beautiful again.”

I hope you all take some time today to reflect on all that you have accomplished.

Take time to thank your professors, your fellow students, and most of all, your families for their support along the way.

And celebrate this important milestone with your loved ones.

On behalf of President Obama, the First Lady and the Vice President, my husband Joe – we are so proud of you, and we look forward to all that lies in front of you.

Congratulations! Ahe'hee! 

Joint Press Conference by President Obama and Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey

Rose Garden

12:48 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Please be seated, everybody.  Good afternoon. 

It is a great pleasure to welcome my friend, Prime Minister Erdogan, back to the White House.  This visit is also another opportunity for me to return the extraordinary hospitality that the Prime Minister and the Turkish people showed me on my visit to Turkey four years ago.  And that included my visit to the Prime Minister’s beautiful hometown of Istanbul.

This visit reflects the importance that the United States places on our relationship with our ally, Turkey, and I value so much the partnership that I've been able to develop with Prime Minister Erdogan. 

Today we discussed the many areas in which our countries cooperate, including Afghanistan, where our troops serve bravely together; the G20, where we promote our shared prosperity; and Iran, where we agree it is critical that we do not see that country acquire a nuclear weapon and potentially trigger an arms race throughout the region. 
Given our shared interest in peace, I want to note the Prime Minister’s efforts to normalize relations with Israel.  This will benefit both the Turkish and Israeli people and can also help us make progress on a two-state solution, including an independent Palestinian state. 

Today, we focused on three areas that I want to highlight.  First, we agreed to keep expanding trade and investment.  Over the past four years, our trade has surged and U.S. exports to Turkey have more than doubled.  As the United States pursues a new trade and investment partnership with the EU, I want to make sure that we also keep deepening our economic ties with Turkey.  So we’re creating a new high-level committee that will focus on increasing trade and investment between our two countries and will help fuel Turkish innovation.  And the progress that Turkey’s economy has made over the last several years I think has been remarkable and the Prime Minister deserves much credit for some of the reforms that are already taking place.

Second, as NATO allies we’re reaffirming our solemn commitment to our mutual security.  Mr. Prime Minister, on behalf of the American people, I want to express our condolences to the Turkish people and the victims of the outrageous bombings that took place in Reyhanli.  As always, the United States stands with you as you defend your nation against terrorism.  We want to thank you for the cooperation that you provided us in threats against the United States. 

And I want to take this opportunity to commend you and the Turkish people for your courage in seeking an historic and peaceful resolution of the PKK violence that has plagued Turkey for so long.  And just as the United States has stood with you in your long search for security, we will support efforts in Turkey to uphold the rule of law and good governance and human rights for all. 

Finally, we spent a great deal of time on an issue that has racked the region -- the issue of Syria.  Under the Prime Minister's leadership, the Turkish people have shown extraordinary generosity to the Syrians who have found refuge in Turkey.  And I know this is a heavy burden.  I've made it clear again today that the United States is going to keep on helping countries in the region, including Turkey, shoulder this burden, doing our part as a major donor of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, including those refugees in Turkey.  And we're going to keep working with our Turkish partners to deliver the food, shelter and medicine that’s needed to save lives.

At the same time, we're going to keep increasing the pressure on the Assad regime and working with the Syrian opposition.  The Prime Minister has been at the forefront of the international effort to push for a transition to a democratic Syria without Bashar Assad.  And Turkey is going to play an important role as we bring representatives of the regime and opposition together in the coming weeks. 

We both agree that Assad needs to go.  He needs to transfer power to a transitional body.  That is the only way that we're going to resolve this crisis.  And we're going to keep working for a Syria that is free from Assad's tyranny; that is intact and inclusive of all ethnic and religious groups; and that’s a source of stability, not extremism, because it's in the profound interest of all our nations, especially Turkey.

So, again, Mr. Prime Minister, I want to thank you for being here and for being such a strong ally and partner in the region and around the world.  I know that Michelle appreciates the opportunity to host Mrs. Erdoğan and your two wonderful daughters this morning.  I'm looking forward to our dinner tonight.  And, as always, among the topics where I appreciate your advice is close to our hearts, and that’s how to raise our daughters well. You're a little ahead of me in terms of their ages.

With the Prime Minister's permission, I want to make one other point.  There’s been intense discussion in Congress lately around the attacks in Benghazi.  We lost four brave Americans, patriots who accepted the risks that come with service because they know that their contributions are vital to our national interests and national security. 

I am intent on making sure that we do everything we can to prevent another tragedy like this from happening.  But that means we owe it to them and all who serve to do everything in our power to protect our personnel serving overseas.  That's why, at my direction, we've been taking a series of steps that were recommended by the review board after the incident.  We're continuing to review our security at high-threat diplomatic posts, including the size and nature of our presence; improving training for those headed to dangerous posts; increasing intelligence and warning capabilities.  And I’ve directed the Defense Department to ensure that our military can respond lightning quick in times of crisis.

But we’re not going to be able to do this alone.  We’re going to need Congress as a partner.  So I’ve been in discussions, and my team has been in discussions, with both Democrats and Republicans, and I’m calling on Congress to work with us to support and fully fund our budget request to improve the security of our embassies around the world.  We also need Congress to work with us to provide the resources and new authorities so we can fully implement all of the recommendations of the Accountability Review Board.  And we’re going to need Congress’s help in terms of increasing the number of our Marine Corps Guard who protect our embassies.

So I want to say to members of Congress in both parties, we need to come together and truly honor the sacrifice of those four courageous Americans and better secure our diplomatic posts around the world.  And I should add, by the way, that we’re getting some help from the Turkish government on some of these issues.  That’s how we learn the lessons of Benghazi.  That’s how we can keep faith with the men and women who we send overseas to represent America.  And that’s what I will stay focused on as Commander-in-Chief.

So with that, Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to the United States.  I’m sorry the weather is not fully cooperating with our lovely Rose Garden press conference, but I think we’ll be okay.

PRIME MINISTER ERDOGAN:  (As interpreted.)  Thank you. 

Mr. President, distinguished members of the press, ladies and gentlemen.  My dear friend, President of the United States, a friend and ally, I’m once again very pleased to be here in Washington to have meetings with the President.  I would like to express my thanks for the hospitality that has been shown to us on this occasion on behalf of myself and my delegation.

In the President’s person, I would like to express our condolences for the terror attack that took place in Boston.  We express our condolences to the American people.  We are a country which has been fighting against terrorism for many years.  We’ve lost many lives in that fight against terrorism, and so we very well understand the feelings and sentiments of the American people in face of such an event.  As Turkey and the United States, we are both determined to continue to fight jointly against terrorism. 

My dear friends, Turkey and the United States have many issues that cover the Middle East to the Balkans to Central Asia to other areas, including issues such as energy, security supply, and many other issues.  And in all these areas and on all these issues we display a very strong cooperation. 

And in our meetings with President Obama today, we talked about relations between Turkey and the United States, and also about some topical issues which remain on both of our agendas.  We had an opportunity to exchange views on regional and global issues, and our exchange of views and opinions will continue throughout the day with other meetings that will take place during the rest of the day.

I am here with close to a hundred business people, and they are holding meetings with their counterparts in the United States, and they will continue to talk and meet with their counterparts this afternoon as well.

Bilateral economic relations between Turkey and the United States have to be improved, and we both have this aim.  Ten years ago, our trade stood at $8 billion; at the moment, trade stands at $20 billion.  But this amount is still not sufficient.  We have to increase the amount of trade between our two countries.

Bilateral economic and trade relations between Turkey and the United States will continue to develop.  And as we carry forward with these efforts, we need to strengthen this relationship with free trade agreements and other agreements.  And I can tell you that as leaders of our nations we have the will to continue to develop our economic relations.

In our discussions that pertain to regional issues, Syria was at the top of our agenda.  While we discussed Syria, we talked about what has happened so far and we talked about what can be done in the future.  And we have views that overlap, as the President has just said.  We will continue to discuss this issue in greater detail in our meeting this evening.  But let me tell you that ending this bloody process in Syria and meeting the legitimate demands of the people by establishing a new government are two areas where we are in full agreement with the United States. 

Supporting the opposition and Assad leaving are important issues.  We also agree that we have to prevent Syria from becoming an area for terrorist organizations.  We also agreed that chemical weapons should not be used, and all minorities and their rights should be secured.  These are all priority areas for all of us.  And we discussed what needs to be done on these issues with the President, and this evening, we will continue to talk about these in greater detail.

Iraq was also another area of discussion for us on regional issues.  Transparent elections in Iraq and the participation -- ensuring the participation of all political groups in the elections are both very important in Iraq.  With everyone’s participation we would like to see a peaceful period in Iraq.  And this is what both we and the United States would like to see.

With respect to the Middle East peace process, we discussed with the President this important issue, which is very important for regional peace.  In the attack against Mavi Marmara, which was taking humanitarian aid to Gaza, Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American citizen were killed.  And as you know, we are working with the Israeli government for compensation for those who lost their lives.  And the visit that I will pay to Gaza will contribute to the peace in Gaza and to unity in Palestine, in my opinion.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is always in favor of -- in Cyprus we believe that there is a lot of opportunity to reach an agreement on the Cyprus issue and this is an area which we continue to focus on.  We have also discussed Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, and all these issues.  And we have also briefly touched upon some developments in Africa and also about Myanmar. 

Our joint fight against terrorism will continue to be the case, as I said before.  And we also touched upon issues related to the defense industry.  And I can say that this has been a historic day, a historic turning point in the context of Turkish-American relations.

On regional and global issues, the partnership between Turkey and the United States serves peace, security, and stability, and will continue to do so even more in the future. 

I will cut my remarks shortly, not because I am trying to flee from the rain -- rain is considered to be a great source of abundance.  But I will stop here to say that I hope our discussions will be beneficial for our future relations.

Thank you.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, before we get started let me just make sure that I’m a good host.  Mr. Prime Minister, do you want an umbrella?  (Laughter.)  Because we can arrange it if you need it.  You’re okay?  All right, this will be incentive for the press to ask concise questions and us to give concise answers. 

I’m going to start with Julianna Goldman of Bloomberg.

Q    Unfortunately, we all forgot umbrellas.  Mr. President, I want to ask you about the IRS.  Can you assure the American people that nobody in the White House knew about the agency’s actions before your Counsel’s Office found out on April 22nd?  And when they did find out, do you think that you should have learned about it before you learned about it from news reports as you said last Friday?  And also, are you opposed to there being a special council appointed to lead the Justice Department investigation? 

And also, Mr. Prime Minister, what is the status on efforts to normalize relations with Israel?  And do you still plan to go to Gaza in the coming weeks?  Thanks.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, with respect to the IRS, I spoke to this yesterday.  My main concern is fixing a problem, and we began that process yesterday by asking and accepting the resignation of the Acting Director there.  We will be putting in new leadership that will be able to make sure that -- following up on the IG audit -- that we gather up all the facts, that we hold accountable those who have taken these outrageous actions.  As I said last night, it is just simply unacceptable for there to even be a hint of partisanship or ideology when it comes to the application of our tax laws.

I am going to go ahead and ask folks -- why don't we get a couple of Marines, they're going to look good next to us -- (laughter) -- just because I've got a change of suits -- (laughter) -- but I don't know about our Prime Minister.  There we go.  That's good.  You guys I'm sorry about.  (Laughter.)   

But let me make sure that I answer your specific question.  I can assure you that I certainly did not know anything about the IG report before the IG report had been leaked through the press. Typically, the IG reports are not supposed to be widely distributed or shared.  They tend to be a process that everybody is trying to protect the integrity of.  But what I'm absolutely certain of is that the actions that were described in that IG report are unacceptable. 

So in addition to making sure that we've got a new acting director there, we're also going to make sure that we gather up the facts, and hold accountable and responsible anybody who was involved in this.  We're going to make sure that we identify any structural or management issues to prevent something like this from happening again.  We're going to make sure that we are accepting all of the recommendations that the IG has in the report. 

And I'm looking forward to working with Congress to fully investigate what happened, make sure that it doesn’t happen again, and also look at some of the laws that create a bunch of ambiguity in which the IRS may not have enough guidance and not be clear about what exactly they need to be doing and doing it right, so that the American people have confidence that the tax laws are being applied fairly and evenly. 

So in terms of the White House and reporting, I think that you've gotten that information from Mr. Carney and others.  I promise you this -- that the minute I found out about it, then my main focus is making sure we get the thing fixed.  I think that it's going to be sufficient for us to be working with Congress.  They've got a whole bunch of committees.  We've got IGs already there. 

The IG has done an audit; it's now my understanding they're going to be recommending an investigation.  And Attorney General Holder also announced a criminal investigation of what happened. Between those investigations, I think we’re going to be able to figure out exactly what happened, who was involved, what went wrong, and we’re going to be able to implement steps to fix it. 

And that, ultimately, is the main priority that I have, but also I think the American people have.  They understand that we’ve got an agency that has enormous potential power and is involved in everybody’s lives.  And that’s part of the reason why it’s been treated as a quasi-independent institution.  But that’s also why we’ve got to make sure that it is doing its job scrupulously and without even a hint of bias, or a hint that somehow they’re favoring one group over another. 

And, as I said yesterday, I’m outraged by this in part because, look, I’m a public figure -- if a future administration is starting to use the tax laws to favor one party over another or one political view over another, obviously we’re all vulnerable.  And that’s why, as I’ve said, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, you should be equally outraged at even the prospect that the IRS might not be acting with the kind of complete neutrality that we expect. 

And I think we’re going to be able to fix it.  We’re going to be able to get it done, and we’ve already begun that progress and we’re going to keep on going until it’s finished.

PRIME MINISTER ERDOGAN:  (As interpreted.)  In your question about Gaza, according to my plans, most probably I would be visiting Gaza in June.  But it will not be a visit only to Gaza; I will also go to the West Bank.

I place a lot of significance on this visit in terms of peace in the Middle East, and this visit in no way means favoring one or the other.  I’m hoping that that visit will contribute to unity in Palestine, first of all.  This is something that I focus on very much.  And I hope that my visit can contribute to that process.  Thank you.

Q    My first question to you, Prime Minister.  You talked about chemical weapons and we know that Turkey has some evidence. Did you present that evidence to President Obama in today’s meeting?  And what does Turkey expect from the United States in this process?

Question to President Obama about Syria.  You had said earlier that chemical weapons would be a red line in Syria.  Do you believe that at this point in time Syria has over-gone the red line?  And you said that Assad should go.  Will the U.S. take more initiative to see Assad go in the future?

PRIME MINISTER ERDOGAN:  (As interpreted.)  Let me, first of all, say that chemical weapons and missiles, rockets that have been fired -- all that information is shared between the relevant bodies within our administrations.  And it's not just Turkey and the United States.  For example, the United Kingdom and all others have those documents, that information, because we share information.  And the U.N. Security Council, all the other relevant authorities will also receive that information in the proper time so that more information is provided to the public.  So we will continue to work in this way.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, as the Prime Minister indicated, our militaries, our intelligence and diplomatic personnel are constantly sharing information.  And I've said in the past, we have seen evidence of the use of chemical weapons inside of Syria.  It is important for us to make sure that we're able to get more specific information about what exactly is happening there. 

But separate and apart from the chemical weapons, we know that tens of thousands of people are being killed with artillery and mortars, and that the humanitarian crisis and the slaughter that’s taking place by itself is sufficient to prompt strong international action. 

And that’s why the Prime Minister and I spoke extensively about the steps we're taking on humanitarian efforts; the steps that we're taking to strengthen the opposition politically so that it is inclusive and representative of all the people inside of Syria; the steps that we need to take to continue to strengthen the capacity of the Syrian opposition that are on the ground fighting to protect themselves from the Assad regime; and that we continue to try to mobilize the entire international community to put more and more pressure on Assad so that he recognizes that he is no longer legitimate and that he needs to go, and that we are able to move to a political transition in which the institutions inside of Syria are still functioning, but we have a representative, multiethnic, multi-religious body that can bring about democracy and peace inside of Syria.

With respect to what I've said in the past around red lines -- what I've said is that the use of chemical weapons are something that the civilized world has recognized should be out of bounds.  And as we gather more evidence and work together, my intention is to make sure that we're presenting everything that we know to the international community as an additional reason, an additional mechanism, for the international community to put all the pressure that they can on the Assad regime, and to work with the opposition to bring about that political transition.

Now, there are a whole range of options that the United States is already engaged in, and I preserve the options of taking additional steps -- both diplomatic and military -- because those chemical weapons inside of Syria also threaten our security over the long term, as well as our allies and friends and neighbors. 

But this is also an international problem.  And it is very much my hope to continue to work with all the various parties involved, including Turkey, to find a solution that brings peace to Syria, stabilizes the region, stabilizes those chemical weapons.  But it’s not going to be something that the United States does by itself.  And I don’t think anybody in the region, including the Prime Minister, would think that U.S. unilateral actions in and of themselves would bring about a better outcome inside of Syria.

Jeff Mason.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  I’d like to ask you about the Justice Department.  Do you believe that the seizure of phone records from Associated Press journalists this week -- or before that was announced recently this week was an overreach?  And do you still have full confidence in your Attorney General?  Should we interpret yesterday’s renewed interest by the White House in a media shield law as a response to that?  And, more broadly, how do you feel about comparisons by some of your critics of this week’s scandals to those that happened under the Nixon administration?

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, I’ll let you guys engage in those comparisons and you can go ahead and read the history I think and draw your own conclusions. 

My concern is making sure that if there’s a problem in the government that we fix it.  That’s my responsibility, and that’s what we’re going to do.  That’s true with respect to the IRS and making sure that they apply the laws the way they were intended. That’s true with respect to the security of our diplomats, which is why we’re going to need to work with Congress to make sure that there’s adequate funding for what’s necessary out there.

Now, with respect to the Department of Justice, I’m not going to comment on a specific and pending case.  But I can talk broadly about the balance that we have to strike.  Leaks related to national security can put people at risk.  They can put men and women in uniform that I’ve sent into the battlefield at risk. They can put some of our intelligence officers, who are in various, dangerous situations that are easily compromised, at risk. 

U.S. national security is dependent on those folks being able to operate with confidence that folks back home have their backs, so they're not just left out there high and dry, and potentially put in even more danger than they may already be.  And so I make no apologies, and I don't think the American people would expect me as Commander-in-Chief not to be concerned about information that might compromise their missions or might get them killed.

Now, the flip side of it is we also live in a democracy where a free press, free expression, and the open flow of information helps hold me accountable, helps hold our government accountable, and helps our democracy function.  And the whole reason I got involved in politics is because I believe so deeply in that democracy and that process.

So the whole goal of this media shield law -- that was worked on and largely endorsed by folks like The Washington Post Editorial Page and by prosecutors -- was finding a way to strike that balance appropriately.  And to the extent that this case, which we still don't know all the details of -- to the extent that this case has prompted renewed interest about how do we strike that balance properly, then I think now is the time for us to go ahead and revisit that legislation.  I think that's a worthy conversation to have, and I think that's important.

But I also think it’s important to recognize that when we express concern about leaks at a time when I’ve still got 60,000-plus troops in Afghanistan, and I’ve still got a whole bunch of intelligence officers around the world who are in risky situations -- in outposts that, in some cases, are as dangerous as the outpost in Benghazi -- that part of my job is to make sure that we’re protecting what they do, while still accommodating for the need for information -- or the need for the public to be informed and be able to hold my office accountable.

Q    I asked about Holder as well. 

And for the Prime Minister, I wanted to ask you, sir, if the United States does not step up its involvement in Syria, in your view, how will that affect the war?  And what plans do you have to react to the bombing of the border town that the President mentioned of Reyhanli?

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Mr. Prime Minister, just excuse me -- you’re right, I have complete confidence in Eric Holder as Attorney General.  He’s an outstanding Attorney General and does his job with integrity, and I expect he will continue to do so.

PRIME MINISTER ERDOGAN:  (As interpreted.)  You are talking about the part of the glass which is empty.  I like to look at things with the glass half full instead of half empty.  What we would like to see is the sensitivity on the part of the international community with respect to what’s going on in Syria. And this is what we, as Turkey, are striving for, and I do believe that the United States is doing the same, and other countries, the United Nations Security Council, the Arab League. And other countries, though not part of this structure, are still sensitive to what is going on in Syria. 

Our aim is to accelerate this process, and I will be visiting other countries, my Foreign Minister will be visiting other countries, just to see how we can speed things up in a way which will prevent the death of more people, and in a way which will ensure a transition to a democratic system in Syria.  Our goal is to see the tyranny, the dictatorship go away in Syria and to be replaced with democracy.  And I think this is a collective responsibility on the part of all countries that believe in democracy.  And this is what we will all continue to do.

Q    Mr. President, my first question is to you.  You mentioned that Assad should go, and the question is how and when. Is there a rough timetable?  And shall we be talking about the Syrian tragedy next year at this time?  What’s the idea? 

And, Mr. Prime Minister, before your departure from Ankara, you stated that you had expectations from this visit and that you have some expectations.  What is your general observation about this visit?

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  We would have preferred Assad go two years ago; last year; six months ago; two months ago.  And there has been consistency on the part of my administration that Assad lost legitimacy when he started firing on his own people and killing his own people, who initially were protesting peacefully for a greater voice in their country’s affairs.  And obviously that’s escalated during the course of time.  So the answer is the sooner the better.

Now, in terms of the question how, I think we’ve already discussed that.  There’s no magic formula for dealing with a extraordinarily violent and difficult situation like Syria’s.  If there was, I think the Prime Minister and I would have already acted on it and it would already be finished. 

And instead, what we have to do is apply steady international pressure, strengthen the opposition.  I do think that the prospect of talks in Geneva involving the Russians and representatives about a serious political transition that all the parties can buy into may yield results.  But in the meantime, we’re going to continue to make sure that we’re helping the opposition, and obviously dealing with the humanitarian situation.  And we’ll do so in close consultation with Turkey, which obviously is deeply invested in this and with whom we’ve got an outstanding relationship with.

PRIME MINISTER ERDOGAN:  (As interpreted.)  Thank you very much.  As you know, we will be meeting again this evening so we’ll have time to go in further detail.  As I said before, our views do overlap, and with our discussions this evening, we will continue to explore what we can do together, what we can consider as parts of a road map looking at Geneva and beyond.

Russia and China being part of this process is very important, and this is important in the context of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.  Their participation in this process will certainly add greater impetus.  The pressure of the international community continues to be a very important element, and when we look at the humanitarian support that we have provided so far, we see that support equaling to more than $1.5 billion. 

And we continue to keep an open-door policy, and we will continue to do this because we have a border which is 910 kilometers in length with Syria; there are relatives across the border on each side.  So we will continue these efforts. 

These are all very important for regional peace, because, on the one hand, you have the steps that have been taken, efforts that are in place to normalize relations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.  We don’t need to have other problems, issues in the region. We have, as you know, taken steps to bring Syria and Israel together to solve their problems.  We had five rounds of discussions, but unfortunately, they came to an end.  But I hope that all the steps that we take in the future with respect to regional peace will yield results and we can work together with the United States with determination to achieve peace in the region.

We are discussing all these issues.  The step to be taken by the U.N. Security Council and the Geneva process are important.  We will continue to assess that between us. 

Thank you.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:   Thank you, everybody.  Thank you.  Thank you, guys.

END
1:26 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the President at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service

U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.

11:20 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you, everybody.  Please have a seat.  Thank you, Chuck, for that introduction and more importantly for your leadership as National President of the Fraternal Order of Police.  I want to recognize the entire Order and all its leaders, including Jim Pasco, for everything that you do on behalf of the fine officers who walk the beat, or answer the call, and do the difficult work of keeping our communities safe all across the country. 

I want to also acknowledge FOP Auxiliary President Linda Hennie for the good work that she and all her members do to support the families of police officers.  We are very grateful to you, to Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, members of Congress, members of my administration who are here, to all the law enforcement officials who are and, most of all, to the survivor families.

Scripture tells us, “None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.”  The brave officers we gather to remember today devoted themselves so fully to others -- to serve and to protect others -- that in the process they were willing to give their lives. 

And so, today, let us not remember them just for how they died, but also for how they lived.

Officer Bruce St. Laurent of the Jupiter, Florida Police Department was, according to a friend, “just what a cop should be:  tough, compassionate, caring, and brave.”  But to his community, he was more than a cop.  He was a cancer survivor.  He was a guest teacher at Jupiter High School who used the laws of traffic to help kids learn physics.  He was an amateur snake charmer of sorts, eagerly taking panicked calls about snakes on the loose.  And at Christmas time, he loved being Santa Claus for the kids in the local Head Start program.

I have the privilege of working with some of the nation’s finest law enforcement officers and professionals every day.  And I’m perpetually mindful of the sacrifices they make for me and for my family, and for other leaders and visiting dignitaries, but never more so than when I was told that Officer St. Laurent was struck and killed by another vehicle while driving his motorcycle as part of my motorcade. 

Bruce was a loving husband to Brenda, a doting father to Larry, and Albert, and Lenny, and Chartelle.  And he will be missed so deeply by his family at home and by his family in the force.  And the police officers who came from all over the country to attend Bruce’s funeral, some bringing their motorcycles as far away as California, they’re a testimony to how much he’ll be missed.

Like Bruce, Deputy Sheriff Barbara Ann Pill of Brevard County Sheriff’s Office in Florida was a force for good in her community -- remembered as a “behind-the-scenes hero” by those who knew her.  Because for Barbara, helping others was never a question.  Before joining the force, she counseled abused children and helped families struggling with domestic abuse.  That passion served her and led her to a career in law enforcement, and inspired her two sons to follow.  So when Barbara was shot while investigating a suspicious vehicle last spring, not only did her husband, Steve, lose his partner of more than 30 years, the town of Melbourne, and the nation itself, lost one of its most dedicated citizens. 

All of you in law enforcement, you devote your lives to serving and protecting your communities.  Many of you have done it for your country as well.  After serving two tours in Iraq as a Marine, Bradley Michael Fox retired with honor and followed his dream to becoming a police officer.  He had been with the Plymouth Township Police Department in Pennsylvania for five years when he was shot and killed pursuing a suspect last September.  It was the day before his 35th birthday, and six months before the birth of his son. 

Nothing will replace the enthusiasm that he brought to his job, or the tremendous pride he had in his family.  But today, Brad’s wife, Lynsay, and daughter, Kadence, and baby, Brad Jr., have a living reminder of their fallen hero -- that's Brad’s K9 partner, a trusty shepherd named Nick, who Lynsay adopted into the family when he retired from the force last fall. 

Deputy Sheriff Scott Ward also defined service.  He was a former officer in the Air Force, a deputy in the Baldwin County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office for 15 years, and finished a tour in Afghanistan last year as a reservist in the Coast Guard. 

Last November, Deputy Sheriff Ward was shot and killed in the line of duty while trying to settle a domestic dispute.  And he died as he lived -- serving his community and his country.  And the fact that his funeral procession stretched for miles demonstrated the thanks of a grateful nation to Scott’s wife, Andrea, and his family.

At Scott’s funeral, Baldwin Country Sheriff Huey Mack said, “Tomorrow we will continue to grieve Scott, but we will have to move on.  That’s what Scott would want us to do because our mission does not stop.”

That message I think rings true in every police department across the country.  As difficult as times may be, as tough as the losses may be, your mission does not stop.  You never let down your guard.  And those of us who you protect should never let slide our gratitude either.  We should not pause and remember to thank first responders and police officers only in the wake of tragedy.  We should do it every day.  And those of us who have the privilege to lead should all strive to support you better -- whether it’s making sure police departments and first responders have the resources they need to do their jobs, or the reforms that are required to protect more of our officers and their families from the senseless epidemics of violence that all too often wrack our cities and haunt our neighborhoods.

And Bobby Kennedy once said that the fight against crime “is a fight to preserve that quality of community which is at the root of our greatness.”

The 143 fallen officers we honor today put themselves on the front lines of that fight, to preserve that quality of community, and to protect the roots of our greatness.  They exemplified the very idea of citizenship -- that with our God-given rights come responsibilities and obligations to ourselves and to others.  They embodied that idea.  That’s the way they died.  That’s how we must remember them.  And that’s how we must live.

We can never repay our debt to these officers and their families, but we must do what we can, with all that we have, to live our lives in a way that pays tribute to their memory.  That begins, but does not end, by gathering here -- with heavy hearts, to carve their names in stone, so that all will know them, and that their legacy will endure.  We are grateful to them and we are grateful to you.

May God bless the memory of those we lost, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END
11:29 A.M. EDT