Remarks by the President on Jobs and Clean Energy Investments

East Room

3:14 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  Before I announce a significant new investment we’re making in clean energy, I want to give an update on a matter of concern to every American -- and that’s our employment picture.

The jobs numbers that were released by the Labor Department this morning are a reminder that the road to recovery is never straight, and that we have to continue to work every single day to get our economy moving again.  For most Americans, and for me, that means jobs.  It means whether we are putting people back to work.

Job losses for the last quarter of 2009 were one-tenth of what we were experiencing in the first quarter.  In fact, in November we saw the first gain in jobs in nearly two years.  Last month, however, we slipped back, losing more jobs than we gained, though the overall trend of job loss is still pointing in the right direction.

What this underscores, though, is that we have to continue to explore every avenue to accelerate the return to hiring, which brings me to my announcement today.  The Recovery Act has been a major force in breaking the trajectory of this recession and stimulating growth and hiring.  And one of the most popular elements of it has been a clean energy manufacturing initiative that will put Americans to work while helping America gain the lead when it comes to clean energy.

It’s clear why such an effort is so important.  Building a robust clean energy sector is how we will create the jobs of the future -- jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced.  But it’s also how we will reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, a dependence that endangers our economy and our security.  And it is how we will combat the threat of climate change and leave our children a planet that’s safer than the one we inherited.

Harnessing new forms of energy will be one of the defining challenges of the 21st century.  And unfortunately, right now the United States, the nation that pioneered the use of clean energy, is being outpaced by nations around the world.  It’s China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient.  We spearheaded the development of solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it.  And almost all of the batteries that we use to power our hybrid vehicles are still manufactured by Japanese companies or in Asia -- though, because of one of the steps like the one we’re taking today, we’re beginning to produce more of these batteries here at home.

Now, I welcome and am pleased to see a real competition emerging around the world to develop these kinds of clean energy technologies.  Competition is what fuels innovation.  But I don’t want America to lose that competition.  I don’t want the industries that yield the jobs of tomorrow to be built overseas. I don’t want the technology that will transform the way we use energy to be invented abroad.  I want the United States of America to be what it has always been -- and that is a leader -- the leader when it comes to a clean energy future.

And that’s exactly what this clean energy manufacturing initiative will help us do.  It will help close the clean energy gap that’s grown between America and other nations.  Through this initiative, we’re awarding $2.3 billion in tax credits for American manufacturers of clean energy technologies -- companies that build wind turbines, and produce solar panels, and assemble cutting edge batteries.  The initiative we’re outlining today will likely generate 17,000 jobs, and the roughly $5 billion more that we’ll leverage in the private sector investments could help create tens of thousands of additional jobs.

At the same time, this initiative will give a much-needed boost to our manufacturing sector by building new plants or upgrading old ones.  And we’ll take an important step toward meeting the goal I’ve set of doubling the amount of renewable power we use in the next three years with wind turbines and solar panels built right here in the U.S. of A.  Put simply, this initiative is good for middle-class families.  It is good for our security.  It’s good for our planet.

Over 180 projects in over 40 states will receive these tax credits.  And one of them is TPI Composites, Inc., which is based in Newton, Iowa -- one of America’s leading wind turbine manufacturers.  Because of these tax credits, TPI Composites will not only be able to expand an existing facility in Newton, they’ll not only be able to build a brand new facility in Nebraska, they’ll also be able to hire over 200 new workers.  And it’s my hope that similar stories will be told in cities and towns across America because of this initiative.

In fact, this initiative has been so popular that we have far more qualified applicants than we’ve been able to fund.  We received requests for roughly three times as much in funding -- $7.6 billion -- as we could provide.  And that’s why, as part of the jobs package on which I’m urging Congress to act, I’ve called for investing another $5 billion in this program, which could put even more Americans to work right away building and equipping clean energy manufacturing facilities here in the United States.

In the letters that I receive at night, and I -- many of you know I get about 10 letters a night that I take a look at -- I often hear from Americans who are facing hard times -- Americans who’ve lost their jobs, or can’t afford to pay their bills; they’re worried about what the future holds.  I am confident that if we harness the ingenuity of companies like TPI Composites; if we can tap the talents of our workers, and our innovators, and our entrepreneurs; if we can gain the lead in clean energy worldwide; then we’ll forge a future where a better life is possible in our country over the long run.  That’s a future we’re now closer to building because of the steps that we’re taking today.

Thank you very much, everybody.

END
3:20 P.M. EST

Remarks by the President on the "Educate to Innovate" Campaign and Science Teaching and Mentoring Awards

East Room

1:46 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you, everybody.  Please have a seat.  Thank you.

Well, it is wonderful to be here.  Barbara, thank you for the outstanding introduction.  I want to acknowledge a few other special guests that we have here.  First of all, my terrific Vice President, mainly because he takes orders from Dr. Jill Biden.  (Laughter.)  Dr. Jill Biden and Vice President Joe Biden are here.  (Applause.)  Somebody -- I've never met somebody who's more passionate about making sure that young people do well than my Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.  Arne Duncan.  (Applause.)  My -- before I won a Nobel Peace Prize, this guy had won it, and nobody questioned whether he deserved it or not -- (laughter) -- my Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.  (Applause.) 

Three wonderful members of Congress who have devoted a lot of energy to the issue of science and math education; I want to acknowledge them -- Representative Bart Gordon, who is the Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee, Democrat from Tennessee.  Where's Bart?  There he is.  Thank you, Bart.  (Applause.)  Representative William Lacy Clay, from the great state of Missouri -- and his district is home to two teachers who are being honored here today, so he's very proud of them.  (Applause.)  And a great champion of education generally, he's the Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, Representative George Miller of California is in the house.  (Applause.)

We also -- since so many people were inspired in this country originally from our space program to think about math and science in new ways, it's terrific to have our NASA administrator and former astronaut Charles Bolden in the house.  We've got Regina Dugan, who is the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, as many of you know.  We can thank them for the Internet and all kinds of other stuff.  So please give Regina a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  And our National Science Foundation director, Arden Bement is here.  Thank you so much, Arden.  (Applause.) 

Now, most importantly, to all the teachers who are here, as President, I am just thrilled to welcome you, teachers and mentors, to the White House, because I believe so strongly in the work that you do.  And as I mentioned to some of you, because I've got two girls upstairs with math tests coming up, I figure that a little extra help from the best of the best couldn't hurt.  So you're going to have assignments after this.  (Laughter.)  These awards were not free.  (Laughter.) 

We are here today to honor teachers and mentors like Barb who are upholding their responsibility not just to the young people who they teach but to our country by inspiring and educating a new generation in math and science.  But we're also here because this responsibility can't be theirs alone.  All of us have a role to play in building an education system that is worthy of our children and ready to help us seize the opportunities and meet the challenges of the 21st century. 

Whether it's improving our health or harnessing clean energy, protecting our security or succeeding in the global economy, our future depends on reaffirming America's role as the world's engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation.  And that leadership tomorrow depends on how we educate our students today, especially in math, science, technology, and engineering.

But despite the importance of education in these subjects, we have to admit we are right now being outpaced by our competitors.  One assessment shows American 15-year-olds now ranked 21st in science and 25th in math when compared to their peers around the world.  Think about that -- 21st and 25th.  That's not acceptable.  And year after year the gap between the number of teachers we have and the number of teachers we need in these areas is widening.  The shortfall is projected to climb past a quarter of a million teachers in the next five years -- and that gap is most pronounced in predominately poor and minority schools.   

And meanwhile, other nations are stepping up -- a fact that was plain to see when I visited Asia at the end of last year.  The President of South Korea and I were having lunch, and I asked him, what's the biggest education challenge that you have?  He told me his biggest challenge in education wasn't budget holes, it wasn't crumbling schools -- it was that the parents were too demanding.  (Laughter.)  He's had to import thousands of foreign teachers because parents insisted on English language training in elementary school.  The mayor of Shanghai, China -- a city of over 20 million people -- told me that even in such a large city, they had no problem recruiting teachers in whatever subject, but particularly math and science, because teaching is revered and the pay scales are comparable to professions like doctors.  

So make no mistake:  Our future is on the line.  The nation that out-educates us today is going to out-compete us tomorrow.  To continue to cede our leadership in education is to cede our position in the world.  That's not acceptable to me and I know it's not acceptable to any of you.  And that's why my administration has set a clear goal:  to move from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math education over the next decade. 

To reach this goal, we've paid particular attention to how we can better prepare and support, reward and retain, good teachers.  So the Recovery Act included the largest investment in education by the federal government in history while preventing more than 300,000 teachers and school workers from being fired because of state budget shortfalls.  The Department of Education will be announcing an additional $10* million in grants for innovative programs to train new teachers, whether a young person embarking on his or her first career, or a scientist or engineer starting his or her second. 

And under the outstanding leadership of Arne Duncan, we've launched a $4 billion Race to the Top fund, one of the largest investments in education reform in history.  Through the Race to the Top, states are competing for funding -- and producing the most innovative programs in science and math will be an advantage in this competition, as will allowing scientists and statisticians and engineers to more easily become teachers.  We want states and school districts to start being more creative about how they can attract more science and math teachers.

We're also pursuing reforms to better serve America's math and science teachers so that each and every one can be as effective as the educators that we honor today.  So we're challenging states to raise standards, to use data to better inform decisions, to recruit and retain more good teachers, and to promote stronger curricula that encourage young people to not only learn the facts in a textbook, but to explore and discover the world around them. 

Now, as important as this will be, the success we seek is not going to be attained by government alone.  And that's why I've challenged the scientific community to think of new and creative ways to engage young people in their fields.  That's why we launched the "Educate to Innovate" campaign -- a nationwide effort by citizens, non-for-profits, universities, and companies from across America to help us move to the top of the pack in math and science education. 

And today, we're expanding this campaign.  Several new public-private partnerships are going to offer additional training to more than 100,000 teachers and prepare more than 10,000 new teachers in the next five years alone.  And through the partnerships we are announcing today, support for the "Educate to Innovate" campaign has doubled to more than half a billion dollars in private funding -- that's a figure that we only expect to grow. 

To help educators already in the classroom, Intel is launching a 10-year, $200 million campaign to train math and science teachers in all 50 states to better use new technologies and techniques in their lessons plans.  PBS and the National Science Teachers Association will also create a new online platform so science and math teachers can share best practices and learn from one another. 

To bring more educators into the classroom, the National Math and Science Initiative is working with Texas Instruments and the Dell Foundation to prepare almost 5,000 new math and science teachers in the next five years -- through a program that allows young people to earn teaching certificates and science degrees at the same time.  And presidents from more than 75 of the largest public universities in the country have committed to produce thousands of additional science and math teachers at their institutions.  And the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation is expanding with the help of several states and non-profits to place more math and science teachers in more high-need schools. 

And just because you aren't a teacher that doesn't mean you can't help educate our young people.  We need to look no further than the mentors that we honor here today.  I'm calling on all 200,000 scientists who work for the federal government to do their part in their communities:  to speak at schools, to create hands-on learning opportunities through efforts like National Lab Day, and to help stoke that same curiosity in students which perhaps led them to pursue a career in science in the first place.  NASA will also be launching an enrichment program to bring their scientists and engineers to students in the classroom and to bring students to NASA, so that they might experience that same sense of wonder and excitement while maybe learning a little bit at the same time. 

And, finally, as President, I'm going to try to do my part.  We've held science-themed events like Astronomy Night here at the White House.  That was very fun, by the way.  (Laughter.)  We're planning an annual science fair to honor the student winners of national science and technology competitions.  Secretary Duncan and I will be working to promote the teaching profession to show young people that teaching is one of the best and most rewarding ways to serve our country.  And we are of course recognizing the folks in this room with awards for excellence in teaching and mentoring.

It's with these men and women that I'd like to conclude today.  Because in the end, the work that you do -- and the difference you make -- are what all these reforms are all about.  Whether it's showing students how to record the habits of a resident reptile, or teaching kids to test soil samples on a class trip to Costa Rica; whether it's helping young people from tough neighborhoods in Chicago to become "Junior Paleontologists," or creating a mentoring program that connects engineering students with girls and minorities, who are traditionally underserved in the field -- all of you are demonstrating why teaching and mentoring is so important, and why we have to support you, equip you, and send in some reinforcements for you. 

Every person in this room remembers a teacher or mentor that made a difference in their lives.  Every person in this room remembers a moment in which an educator showed them something about the world -- or something about themselves -- that changed their lives.  It could be a word of encouragement, a helping hand, a lesson that sparked a question, that ignited a passion, and ultimately may have propelled a career.  And innovators -- folks like Michael Dell who are here today -- are made in those moments.  Scientists and engineers are made in those moments; doctors are made in those moments; teachers are made in those moments -- those small interactions.

So, yes, improving our schools is about training a new generation of workers and succeeding in new industries.  But a good education -- provided with the help of great teachers and mentors -- is about something more.  It's about instilling in a young person a love of learning and a sense of possibility in their own lives, an understanding of the world around them that will serve them no matter what they do.  That's what we have to do as a nation.  That's what all of you do every day.  And that's what, at root, will lead to greater opportunities and brighter horizons for the next generation and for generations to come.

So thank you very much everybody.  Congratulations.  (Applause.)

END
2:01 P.M. EST

Remarks by the President on Security Reviews

Grand Foyer

4:43 P.M. EST

     THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  I just concluded a meeting with members of my national security team, including those from our intelligence, homeland security and law enforcement agencies involved in the security reviews that I ordered after the failed attack on Christmas Day.
    
     I called these leaders to the White House because we face a challenge of the utmost urgency.  As we saw on Christmas, al Qaeda and its extremist allies will stop at nothing in their efforts to kill Americans.  And we are determined not only to thwart those plans, but to disrupt, dismantle and defeat their networks once and for all. 
    
     Indeed, over the past year, we've taken the fight to al Qaeda and its allies wherever they plot and train, be it in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in Yemen and Somalia, or in other countries around the world. 

Here at home, our intelligence, homeland security and law enforcement agencies have worked together with considerable success:  gathering intelligence, stitching it together, and making arrests -- from Denver to Texas, from Illinois to New York -- disrupting plots and saving American lives.  And these successes have not come without a price, as we saw last week in the loss of our courageous CIA officers in Afghanistan.
 
     But when a suspected terrorist is able to board a plane with explosives on Christmas Day the system has failed in a potentially disastrous way.  And it's my responsibility to find out why, and to correct that failure so that we can prevent such attacks in the future.

     And that's why, shortly after the attempted bombing over Detroit, I ordered two reviews.  I directed Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to review aviation screening, technology and procedures.  She briefed me on her initial findings today, and I'm pleased that this review is drawing on the best science and technology, including the expertise of Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and his department.
     
     I also directed my counterterrorism and homeland security advisor John Brennan to lead a thorough review into our terrorist watch-listing system so we can fix what went wrong.  As we discussed today, this ongoing review continues to reveal more about the human and systemic failures that almost cost nearly 300 lives.  We will make a summary of this preliminary report public within the next few days, but let me share some of what we know so far.

     As I described over the weekend, elements of our intelligence community knew that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had traveled to Yemen and joined up with extremists there.  It now turns out that our intelligence community knew of other red flags -- that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula sought to strike not only American targets in Yemen, but the United States itself.  And we had information that this group was working with an individual who was known -- who we now know was in fact the individual involved in the Christmas attack.

     The bottom line is this:  The U.S. government had sufficient information to have uncovered this plot and potentially disrupt the Christmas Day attack.  But our intelligence community failed to connect those dots, which would have placed the suspect on the "no fly" list.
In other words, this was not a failure to collect intelligence; it was a failure to integrate and understand the intelligence that we already had.  The information was there.  Agencies and analysts who needed it had access to it.  And our professionals were trained to look for it and to bring it all together. 

     Now, I will accept that intelligence, by its nature, is imperfect, but it is increasingly clear that intelligence was not fully analyzed or fully leveraged.  That's not acceptable, and I will not tolerate it.  Time and again, we've learned that quickly piecing together information and taking swift action is critical to staying one step ahead of a nimble adversary.

     So we have to do better -- and we will do better.  And we have to do it quickly.  American lives are on the line.  So I made it clear today to my team:  I want our initial reviews completed this week.  I want specific recommendations for corrective actions to fix what went wrong.  I want those reforms implemented immediately, so that this doesn't happen again and so we can prevent future attacks.  And I know that every member of my team that I met with today understands the urgency of getting this right.  And I appreciate that each of them took responsibility for the shortfalls within their own agencies.

     Immediately after the attack, I ordered concrete steps to protect the American people:  new screening and security for all flights, domestic and international; more explosive detection teams at airports; more air marshals on flights; and deepening cooperation with international partners.
In recent days, we've taken additional steps to improve security.  Counterterrorism officials have reviewed and updated our terrorist watch list system, including adding more individuals to the "no fly" list.  And while our review has found that our watch-listing system is not broken, the failure to add Abdulmutallab to the "no fly" list shows that this system needs to be strengthened.  

     The State Department is now requiring embassies and consulates to include current visa information in their warning on individuals with terrorist or suspected terrorist connections.  As of yesterday, the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, is requiring enhanced screening for passengers flying into the United States from, or flying through, nations on our list of state sponsors of terrorism, or other countries of interest.  And in the days ahead, I will announce further steps to disrupt attacks, including better integration of information and enhanced passenger screening for air travel.

     Finally, some have suggested that the events on Christmas Day should cause us to revisit the decision to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.  So let me be clear.  It was always our intent to transfer detainees to other countries only under conditions that provide assurances that our security is being protected. 

     With respect to Yemen in particular, there's an ongoing security situation which we have been confronting for some time, along with our Yemeni partner.  Given the unsettled situation, I've spoken to the Attorney General and we've agreed that we will not be transferring additional detainees back to Yemen at this time.

     But make no mistake:  We will close Guantanamo prison, which has damaged our national security interests and become a tremendous recruiting tool for al Qaeda.  In fact, that was an explicit rationale for the formation of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.  And, as I've always said, we will do so -- we will close the prison in a manner that keeps the American people safe and secure. 

Our reviews -- and the steps that we've taken and will continue to take -- go to the heart of the kind of intelligence and homeland security we need in the 21st century.  Just as al Qaeda and its allies are constantly evolving and adapting their efforts to strike us, we have to constantly adapt and evolve to defeat them, because as we saw on Christmas, the margin for error is slim and the consequences of failure can be catastrophic.

     As these violent extremists pursue new havens, we intend to target al Qaeda wherever they take root, forging new partnerships to deny them sanctuary, as we are doing currently with the government in Yemen.  As our adversaries seek new recruits, we'll constantly review and rapidly update our intelligence and our institutions.  As they refine our tactics, we'll enhance our defenses, including smarter screening and security at airports, and investing in the technologies that might have detected the kind of explosives used on Christmas.
 
     In short, we need our intelligence, homeland security and law enforcement systems -- and the people in them -- to be accountable and to work as intended:  collecting, sharing, integrating, analyzing, and acting on intelligence as quickly and effectively as possible to save innocent lives -- not just most of the time, but all the time.  That's what the American people deserve.  As President, that's exactly what I will demand. 

Thank you very much.

                                      END            4:52 P.M. EST

Statement by the President on Preliminary Information from his Ongoing Consultation about the Detroit Incident

Kaneohe Bay Marine Base, Kaneohe, Hawaii

11:26 A.M. HAST

THE PRESIDENT:   Good morning.  Yesterday I updated the American people on the immediate steps we took -- the increased screening and security of air travel -- to keep our country safe in the wake of the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day.  And I announced two reviews -- a review of our terrorist watch list system and a review of our air travel screening, so we can find out what went wrong, fix it and prevent future attacks.

Those reviews began on Sunday and are now underway.  Earlier today I issued the former [sic] guidelines for those reviews and directed that preliminary findings be provided to the White House by this Thursday.  It's essential that we diagnose the problems quickly and deal with them immediately.

Now, the more comprehensive, formal reviews and recommendations for improvement will be completed in the coming weeks, and I'm committed to working with Congress and our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security communities to take all necessary steps to protect the country.

I wanted to speak to the American people again today because some of this preliminary information that has surfaced in the last 24 hours raises some serious concerns.  It's been widely reported that the father of the suspect in the Christmas incident warned U.S. officials in Africa about his son's extremist views.  It now appears that weeks ago this information was passed to a component of our intelligence community, but was not effectively distributed so as to get the suspect's name on a no-fly list.

There appears to be other deficiencies as well.  Even without this one report there were bits of information available within the intelligence community that could have and should have been pieced together.  We've achieved much since 9/11 in terms of collecting information that relates to terrorists and potential terrorist attacks.  But it's becoming clear that the system that has been in place for years now is not sufficiently up to date to take full advantage of the information we collect and the knowledge we have.

Had this critical information been shared it could have been compiled with other intelligence and a fuller, clearer picture of the suspect would have emerged.  The warning signs would have triggered red flags and the suspect would have never been allowed to board that plane for America.

The professionalism of the men and women in our intelligence, counterterrorism and law enforcement and homeland security communities is extraordinary.  They are some of the most hardworking, most dedicated Americans that I've ever met.  In pursuit of our security here at home they risk their lives, day in and day out, in this country and around the world.

Few Americans see their work, but all Americans are safer because of their successes.  They have targeted and taken out violent extremists, they have disrupted plots and saved countless American lives; they are making real and daily progress in our mission to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and other extremist networks around the world.  And for this every American owes them a profound and lasting debt of gratitude.

Moreover, as Secretary Napolitano has said, once the suspect attempted to take down Flight 253 -- after his attempt it's clear that passengers and crew, our homeland security systems and our aviation security took all appropriate actions.  But what's also clear is this:  When our government has information on a known extremist and that information is not shared and acted upon as it should have been, so that this extremist boards a plane with dangerous explosives that could cost nearly 300 lives, a systemic failure has occurred.  And I consider that totally unacceptable.

The reviews I've ordered will surely tell us more.  But what already is apparent is that there was a mix of human and systemic failures that contributed to this potential catastrophic breach of security.  We need to learn from this episode and act quickly to fix the flaws in our system, because our security is at stake and lives are at stake.

I fully understand that even when every person charged with ensuring our security does what they are trained to do, even when every system works exactly as intended there is still no one hundred percent guarantee of success.  Yet, this should only compel us to work even harder, to be even more innovative and relentless in our efforts.

As President I will do everything in my power to support the men and women in intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security to make sure they've got the tools and resources they need to keep America safe.  But it's also my job to ensure that our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security systems and the people in them are working effectively and held accountable.  I intend to fulfill that responsibility and insist on accountability at every level.

That's the spirit guiding our reviews into the attempted attack on Christmas Day.  That's the spirit that will guide all our efforts in the days and years ahead.

Thank you very much.

END               
11:31 A.M. HAST