THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                           March 5, 2009

REMARKS BY THE VICE PRESIDENT ON INVESTING IN TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
FOR THE 21ST CENTURY THROUGH THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT
Miami Intermodal Center
Miami, Florida
2:04 P.M. EST
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and both the Mayors, and to Secretary LaHood.
Folks, as you can see, all of you local reporters already know, as those planes go over, we're across the street from the airport. This is -- this project is about the future. One of the things that we intended to do with the economic Recovery Act was not only to save jobs and spur growth, but to lay down a platform for the 21st century across the board. This is an example of that. So I compliment the county and the city for being ahead of the curve in understanding the needs for the 21st century.
When the President signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he made it clear that we had to move fast, and the American people couldn't wait for us to put these resources to work creating jobs and putting the economy back on track. Well, that's what we've done.
Already we have announced that most Americans will be getting a increase in their pay beginning on April 1st, because less withholding tax will be taken out of their paychecks. That means more money will be going into people's pockets. We've extended unemployment benefits, and we've made it clear and easier for people to keep their health care.
That's going to help people a lot in these tough times. And just two days ago, Secretary LaHood and I were with the President when he announced $28 billion in highway funding had been allocated to the states -- $28 billion in one fell swoop. That represents the biggest investment on our nation's infrastructure since President Dwight D. Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System. That investment -- that investment alone will create 150,000 new jobs by the end of this year -- good, decent-paying jobs, jobs you can raise a family on.
Today, the Department of Transportation is announcing another $8.4 billion in the Recovery Act's mass transit investment section -- $8.4 billion. This project, the Miami Intermodal Center, is a result of some of that investment. It's moving forward quickly, and we expect to help it continue to move. This project represents the kind of investment we're making not only for today, but as Mayor Diaz said, for the future.
Why are these kinds of transit centers the wave of the future? Well, as is stated, because they bring together every means of transportation to one central location –- transit buses, subways, commuter rail, intercity rail, airport shuttles, regional bus lines, intercity bus services, and intermodal transportation for pedestrians. That makes it possible for more people to get out of their cars and into public transit, from the beginning to the end of their trips. It has a number of ancillary benefits: It literally increases safety. It raises energy efficiency and it reduces pollution.
Take a look at how that's going to work here. In addition to having the Greyhound service, you'll also have the Miami Dade Metrorail. And you'll have Tri-Rail Commuter Rail. And you'll have extensive city bus service. And you'll have a people mover from Miami International Airport right to this center. And down the road, there are plans to have Amtrak run through this facility, as well. That's why, when it's all done, people believe this will be the "Grand Central Station" of South Florida.
Now. construction on this center is already underway -- and was already underway before the recovery package was passed. So what does this recovery money mean, since it's -- already begun? Well, it means it will get done faster, and it will get done. And getting it done soon is important, because when it's done, it's estimated that there will be 22,000 -- 22,000 -- permanent jobs to operate these facilities, and hundreds of thousands of passengers will pass through this new center every year.
The recovery package has also made it possible for Miami Dade to purchase six energy-efficient, hybrid-fuel buses. That's a step in the right direction of making more of the bus fleet energy efficient. Look at the stats: These new buses will save 25 percent on fuel costs and emit 50 percent less greenhouse gases. That means with just these six buses alone that the federal government and the act that it's funding today, will save over 15,000 gallons of gasoline a year. And that's with just six of these buses. And that number will only grow as more and more of the old buses are replaced with new buses, buses that run on green, hybrid technology.
What's happening here in Miami we need to have happen all over the United States of America. And it's beginning to happen. Resources are being put to work not only creating jobs now, but also investing in the future for long-term, good-paying jobs. The future that strengthens our transit system makes us much more energy efficient, increases safety, and again, provide long-term jobs that cannot be exported.
I've always believed, as the President does and, I suspect, all my colleagues behind me, the toughest times we face create the greatest and biggest opportunities. With this recovery package, we'll be creating jobs, saving jobs, and putting money in people's pockets.
And, ladies and gentlemen, it's important to know and remember that this recovery package provides for immediate help. It will save or create 3.5 million new jobs. Or to put it the other way, almost every serious economist, left, right and center, acknowledges were we not to make this kind of move, we would lose another 4 to 5 million jobs this year on top of the 3.5 million jobs we have lost since this recession began -- 600,000 last month, and I fear a similar number, when the stats are announced tomorrow, this month.
So, ladies and gentlemen, with these resources, we're not only rebuilding our roads and our bridges and our schools, but we'll be building new transit centers like this one. And that means we're not only rebuilding America, we're laying down a platform, a competitive platform for the 21st century.
I thank you all for being here. And I look forward to coming back when this is up and running and seeing it firsthand myself. Gentlemen, thank you very much. (Applause.)
END
2:12 P.M. EST
 
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the First Lady
________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                        March 5, 2009
REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY AT A MIRIAM'S KITCHEN EVENT
Miriam's Kitchen
Washington, D.C.
12:34 P.M. EST
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you, guys. Thanks so much. I am not going to talk long. My purpose here was to listen, learn and to scoop some risotto. (Laughter.) And hopefully everybody was satisfied with my scoops. (Laughter.) Can I hear something for my scoops? (Laughter and applause.)
I just want to --
Q -- seconds! (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: I just want to reiterate what Scott said. We are facing some tough times in this country, and there is a moment in time when each and every one of us needs a helping hand. Miriam's Kitchen has become a place where so many people have been able to find that helping hand, and we have to -- I want to, on behalf of the White House and the administration, thank the staff and the volunteers of the Miriam Kitchen for their focused work over the past 26 years, providing a home for their guests; folks who represent all of the best that this country has to offer. Their work here has meant the world to so many, and it is an example of what we can do as a country and as a community to help folks when they're down.
That's why I want to urge people who are listening that if you have an opportunity, to come by -- not just this soup kitchen but any soup kitchen in your community. And helping is an easy thing to do. Collect some fruits and vegetables. Bring by some good healthy food. You know, we want to make sure that our guests here and across this country are eating nutritious items. Today we had fresh risotto with mushrooms. We had broccoli. We had fresh baked muffins with carrots in it.
And my understanding is that this facility is able to provide that kind of meal for about $1.50. And that's an incredible thing to remember: that we can provide this kind of healthy food for communities across this country, and we can do it by each of us lending a hand. So we did it at the White House, and we're urging people around the country to do it in their communities.
And if you don't have items that you can donate, then you have yourself. Back in the kitchen I served food with six or seven volunteers who were here pouring their blood, sweat and tears into preparing the food and serving it. There are people all across the country even in these times who can lend a hand and volunteer at a soup kitchen, even if they don't have the resources to donate.
So we're all going to need one another in these times. We're going to need to keep lifting each other up in prayer and in hope. This has been an honor for me to be with all of you. We're going to continue to be a part of Miriam's Kitchen and other facilities just like this across the country. And we urge everyone within listening ear, within the sound of my voice, to think about ways they can become involved, too.
So again I want to thank you all. Enjoy your lunch, and we'll see you soon. Thanks so much. (Applause.)
END
12:37 P.M. EST
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                             March 5, 2009
REMARKS BY THE VICE PRESIDENT
TO THE AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
AT THEIR ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Fontainebleau Hotel
Miami Beach, Florida
11:10 A.M. EST
THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Hey, thanks for the welcome.  You make it believable.  (Laughter.)  I tell you what, it's like visiting Jimmy Williams in Philadelphia. (Laughter.)  Hey, it's good to be -- at least in my best comfort zone, man.  The best place for me to be my whole career is surrounded by organized labor.  And I know how to say "union." (Applause.)
And old joke, Mr. President, you know, you go home with them that brung you to the dance.  Well, you all brought me to the dance a long time ago.  And it's time we start dancing, man.  It's time we start dancing.  (Applause.)
Mr. President, you said -- it's a situation with no road map.  I'm wondering whether there's any roads.  (Laughter.)  
Look, it's good to be back with all of you, and I appreciate you giving me a few moments here.  And with your permission, I'd like to hang around a little bit.  And I'd invite the press to hang around, too, when it gets time, when we get into some questions here, a few questions.
But, look, folks, I -- this came out, of course, in this campaign -- the fact of the matter is we couldn't have made it without all of you.  You weren't with me just in spirit, which a lot of you -- some of you around this table are very old and dear friends, some of my closest friends in political life, and some of you became just my plain old close friends.  And so if you excuse the familiarity, for some of you I don't know as well, it's because I've been hanging out with you all for so long.  You've never let me down, and I hope I've never let you down.
And here's the deal.  The deal is that we understand that  -- and I understood that when this -- when I got picked on the ticket, how enthusiastically you all supported that effort, and it was genuinely appreciated.  It was just -- on a personal basis, it was appreciated.  I mean, all this gets down to personal relationship sometimes, and the personal support that you each gave -- as they say in southern Delaware, the testimony you gave for me -- was a big deal.  You weren't just with me in spirit. 
Many of you actually went out on the trail with me.  Many of you actually traveled around.  I had -- Randi Weingarten was with me in North Carolina -- I understand she can't be here today. Harold Schaitberger and Cecil Roberts -- you want to hear a guy give a speech -- oh, man.  (Laughter.)  I thought I was good at this thing.  I was down there in western Virginia, in coal country.  I thought this was kind of my forte.  Oh, Cecil, I'll tell you what, man, I went to school on you.  But thanks for the support, buddy.  Thanks for the support. 
And also, Rich Trumka was with me in Ohio, and Jimmy Williams in Florida -- kept telling me he had a better bus than I had, and then his bus broke down.  (Laughter.)
But it wasn't just your leaders.  In St. Clair, Michigan, I ran into member named Bill Alford.  I don't know if Bill is here, but Bill was the President of the UAW out there.  He talked about watching his local go from 5,000 to 1,000 people.  And he talked to me about how his -- he worried about providing for his three daughters, his three beautiful daughters, all under the age of 10.  And he worked at the American Axle, which is -- makes products that literally, literally support our economy.  And now it seems to me it's time we have to understand we've got to support him and everyone else like him.  (Applause.)
When I was in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I met a steelworker named Gregory Hinds.  He told me about the paper conversion plant he worked in since the early '90s -- I think it was in '91 he said he started working there -- and which is scheduled to close.  And he has two daughters.  He started to worry about how he was going to take care of their health care, what am I going to do with them, how is his going to work?
And along the way, I met Patrick Hosey, who is an electrical contractor in Fort Myers, Florida; and Marie Williamson, a laid-off autoworker in St. Louis, Missouri; Captain Tony Dalesio, a firefighter in Parma -- you got a hell of a loyal constituency -- but in Parma, Ohio; or Juanita Sneed, a member of the UFCW from Pekin, Indiana.  I mean, these are -- I met people all along the road, all along the road.  Not just you guys and women being willing to come with me on the plane, but they came.  They just didn't -- they just weren't there for the event, John, they wanted to -- they came, hey followed us to the next event.  And it was enthusiasm; it was real. 
Every time during our campaign when it started to seem pretty hard, or the days seemed pretty long, or things didn't go all that well that day, I met one of your people and it -- all kidding aside -- reminded me why I'm doing this, why the President is doing this.  All you got to do is talk to them, just like you do.  Everybody thinks we're kind of jaded.  But I know you guys, I know you -- you care about your constituencies.  You care about these people who elected you. 
And there's nothing like getting out there and seeing it.  You all see it every day.  Well, I got a chance to see it in my work as a senator, but not like the work around the country, John.  Everyplace we went, every time I thought, man, I'm not sure about this, the energy and the inspiration came from your union members, because they kept fighting. 
None of the people I mentioned said, "Oh, man, woe is me, I can't do this, this is over."  They said, "Man, this is tough; understand it, Senator, this is real tough stuff."  They believed that if we won, if they believed in the united labor movement, they believed things could change.   
Well, I'm here to tell you I believe it, too.  I believe it, too.  As tough as the road is, and as many problems the President has laid on his desk -- and I would argue that no President in modern history, including Franklin Roosevelt, was presented with as many complex foreign and domestic issues that if they're not attended to can only fester and get worse.  It's not like you can leave the status quo, you just put that off to another day.  There's nothing you can put off.  You can't put off Afghanistan; you can't put off health care; you can't put off unemployment; you can't put off -- and the list goes on.
And I want to tell you -- you don't need to hear me say it, but it's worth saying -- I'm really proud of my President.  I'm really proud of the way he's jumped in.  (Applause.)  I know you know it, but it bears -- this is a stand-up guy.  This is a guy who could have grown up in our neighborhoods.  This is a guy who gets your back.  This is a guy who's tough. 
And so I noticed, Mr. President, you recently published a list of "truths," basic truths that should guide the AFL-CIO in the work that's upcoming in 2009 here.  And the list includes statements like this:  We can't fix the economy by hurting workers.  Rescuing the economy will require investments in jobs, infrastructure, health care.  When you're in a deep hole, you need a long ladder.  Rebuilding our broken economy gives us the opportunity to get it right and reward workers.  Progressive, pro-family, pro-worker candidates won.  So isn't it time that we have progressive, pro-worker, pro-family priorities that win, too?  (Applause.)
I want to point out that economic injustice and inequity are bad for everyone.  It's just not right, it's just not right, and everybody knows it -- it's just not right when the average CEO makes $10,000 more every day -- $10,000 more every day than what the average worker makes every year -- $10,000 per day.  And by the way, before I said it, I did the math, I did the math, and it's literally true. 
U.S. labor -- you wanted to say, John -- U.S. labor doesn't say that corporations and government must tolerate workers forming unions.  It doesn't say that corporations and government must allow unions if after using every trick in the book they can’t stop them.  Here's what the U.S. government says in the bargain made back in the '30s:  It said, the National Labor Relations Act explicitly says -- and that came later -- the National Labor Relations Act explicitly says, this nation's policy is to encourage -- encourage -- collective bargaining, encourage unions.  (Applause.) 
That's not Joe Biden; that's not John Sweeney; that's what the law says.  That's what the basic contract has been.  Now, it doesn't surprise any of you, it's not news to you that John Sweeney said all that.  But what is news here is you now have an American President and Vice President, and the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader who agree with everything John Sweeney said.  (Applause.) 
Some of you guys were in there when the Middle Class Task Force was announced.  I got a little ribbing when I stood up and said -- and it wasn't planned, I just looked at you and then it hit me -- I said, welcome back to the White House.  Well, let me tell you something; I think, John, you've been back every week
-- I hope.  You've been with me a lot.  Other labor leaders, as well, have been with me.  Harold and I spent some time together in my office.  Harold kept saying, "I don't want to take any more of your time."  I said, "Sit down, for god's sake, I need your time."  He kept being polite.  You ought to know by now, you don't have to be polite with me, Harold, or any of the rest of you.  He sat there with me, and we talked about some real problems.  We spent some time.  We came up with a game plan. 
And, Harold, and you know this, no one ever says cops without adding firefighters anymore, okay.  I just want you to get that straight.  I got the message, all right?
But all kidding aside, folks, look, I was told by President Sweeney that in the last administration the only time that he was invited to the White House was when his Holiness Pope Benedict requested he be invited.  Well, I'm here to tell you in our White House, it will not take divine intervention to get you invited  back.  (Applause and laughter.)
But all kidding aside, look, folks, the fact of the matter is as President Obama said -- and he means it -- you can't have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement.  And you heard what we said, what I said independently and what we said together:  We will judge the success or failure of our administration at the end of our four years based on whether or not the standard of living of the middle class has increased, or not.  That's the bottom line measure.  And guess what.  Neither one of us believe it can get better without you getting stronger.  (Applause.)
You know, President Obama recognized that our economy isn't built on corporations selling complicated fiscal products.  We've seen where that's gotten us.  Our economy is built on hardworking Americans finding and filling good jobs.  That's as basic as you can say it, in my view.  The people who go to work every day without expecting a claim, without expecting labor, you know -- excuse me, without expecting lavish salaries, just show up.  All they want, like my whole family before me, all they want -- I do a fair day's work, give me a fair wage.  Let me in on a piece of the action.  Let me in on the deal.
The people Teddy Roosevelt used to call the "doers of deeds," -- the people who teach our children, protect our neighborhoods, protect our homes.  The people who staff our hospitals, who work on line -- on the lines that a few are working on these days.  The people who are our nation's heart and soul, and I would add, our nation's spine.  They are the spine of the nation.  This is not just rhetoric.  It is literal reality.
And, folks, for too many years we've fallen into the pattern of failing the basic test of this country.  We've failed to have a White House that puts families front and center -- front and center of our economic policies.  That doesn't mean at the expense of bankers or financiers, or a credit system that functions -- we all know they're important.  They're necessary
-- they're necessary.  But they are not the spine of the system.
Well, that day is over, folks.  Even when our economy felt like it was on solid footing over the last -- you know, during the '80s and '90s and through the first part of 2000, even when we were on solid -- when the economy was growing, the middle class was slipping -- the middle class was slipping.
Remember there used to be a very -- and some of you who know me well have heard me say this for the last 10 years -- there used to be a basic bargain in this country, and sometimes I think we even forget it.  You know, sometimes the way we talk about this is we talk about it like we're trying to gain some new advantage.  We're trying to change the social contract in a way that somehow alters our position in the system.  All we're trying to do is get it back to where we were, talking about what basic rights and responsibilities we have.
Because, look, folks, when productivity went up, the people who were responsible for that productivity were supposed to benefit.  I mean, that was the deal.  That's the idea here.  We don't want chief executives and wealthy people not to get wealthy.  That's okay by us.  Every one of us hope our kids end up there some day.  All the deal was, is, look, you come up with the idea -- it may be ideas we didn't have -- you're the entrepreneur, you're the management of a company, you come up with it, and we go out there and we help make it happen and we actually increase productivity, we do things faster and better and cheaper for you so the profit margin increases -- the deal was we get a piece of that.  We get a piece of it -- a fair piece.  That's the bargain.  That was the bargain.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, productivity increased almost 20 percent from 2000 to 2007, just in those seven years.  Now, who increased the productivity?  You all increased the productivity.  You're the reason why we produce more, and why it was produced for less -- same unit cost lowered.  During that period, instead of middle-class incomes going up 20 percent, they actually -- during that seven-year period -- lost $2,000.  That wasn't the bargain.  It wasn't if productivity was up 20 percent, we get 80 percent; it was get our fair share.  Instead, wages actually went down $2,000 over that period.  For too long the middle class has been dealt out.  I'm here to tell you in this administration it is dealt in.  It is the first card on the table.  (Applause.) 
There's an old expression, there's an old Saxon expression  -- my Irish mother lets me use it, though, once in a while -- says the proof of the pudding is in the eating.  Well, just take a little bit of what President Obama did.  And keep in mind, folks, we've only been in office about a month.  I know it seems longer.  (Laughter.)  But just take a look.  Look at what he did.  The first bill to pass, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  Fair Pay Act.  (Applause.)
What happened then?  We named a Secretary of Labor -- who I guess came down and spoke to you all.  We named a Secretary of Labor who is a daughter of union members, not the darling of union busters.  A little change over the first executive orders, first version in the past eight years, and making it clear we want to see a project labor agreement on federal construction projects.  (Applause.)  Second order:  making sure that taxpayer dollars go to something other than union-busting activities.  (Applause.)
And where has been the focus on our recovery package, the one the President now calls me the sheriff of?  (Laughter.)  Man.  (Laughter.)  Well, I guess it's easier to watch and help spend out $788 billion than trying to raise it, you know?  But, look, guys, and ladies, look at the focus -- what's been the focus?  The focus of this administration the first month has been to rebuild American roads, bridges, waterways -- jobs for the building trades union.  (Applause.)  Investing and getting more people access to broadband -- communication workers.  (Applause.)  Creating clean energy economy -- jobs that require electrical workers to modernize the grid, steel workers to go out and build the wind turbines, laborers to install the solar panels.  Making our communities safer, jobs that require getting cops on the beat and keeping firefighters in firehouses.  That's what we're trying to do.  (Applause.)
Talk about investing in our schools -- jobs and invest in teachers.  And when it's all in, folks, God willing and the creek not rising, as my grandfather would say, we're going to create or save 3.5 million new jobs.  (Applause.)
And, ladies and gentlemen, let's get something straight.  For all those -- those three governors who talk about this being a bad idea -- there's not a serious economist who would argue anything other than if we did nothing we would add on top of the 3.5 million jobs lost since this recession started another 4 to 5 million lost jobs.
So, folks, I don't mind people disagreeing with our approach.  That's legitimate.  But what's the alternative?  What's the alternative?  The alternative would have been to do nothing and lose another 4 or 5 million jobs.  And, folks, anybody who thinks it's easy for a new President, faced with a $1.2 trillion deficit, and as far as the eye can see, inheriting that, to go out and the first thing ask for $788 billion -- anybody who thinks that's easy, you haven't done politics before.  It's not like we're looking to spend this money.  We're looking to revive the economy.
But, ladies and gentlemen, the fact of the matter is one of my jobs assigned is to make sure that anyone who sees these funds as a personal windfall rather than a public obligation is identified and called on the carpet.  Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be observing this Recovery Act, working to ensure that every single dollar is spent and used properly.  I realize that's not possible to do -- every single dollar -- but that's my job.  That's my job.  That's why I put together a staff, including people who are IGs and people who have done this kind of thing before in other areas of our endeavor, both foreign and domestic.
Folks, we've got to make this work.  Franklin Roosevelt said it's important -- and I quote -- "that a few do not gain from the sacrifices of many."  Well, ladies and gentlemen, in the process we're going to lay the groundwork as we lay out this legislation, as we move it, to not only begin to plant the seeds to revive this economy, save and create new jobs, prevent those other jobs from having been lost, but in the process, if you take a look, we're looking for -- to lay the groundwork for a stronger and fairer economy in the 21st century. 
Already we've expanded children's health care insurance to provide 4 million more children with health insurance -- (applause) -- expanding it to 11 million children.  Already now our budget makes a serious down payment on health care reform -- $630 billion we've laid out there -- if you think that was easy, in the midst of all of this.
But we believe -- we believe without a new health care system we're never going to get out of this hole.  It's the one way to save the American taxpayers money.  And we're going to pay for it -- we're going to pay for that $630 billion, and we lay out how we're going to pay for it.  We're going to pay for it by going line by line through this budget, cutting unnecessary spending, cracking down on fraud and the waste that exists in Medicare and Medicaid; by extending -- by ending the tax breaks for corporations and -- U.S. corporations that ship jobs overseas -- (applause) -- by getting rid of no-bid contracts; making the tax code more balanced; asking the wealthiest, those making more than $250,000, to do a little more.
This is not just about where we get the money; it's about equity.  It's about balancing -- rebalancing things here a little bit.
Look, we can't fix our economy, we can't make businesses more competitive, or solve our long-term fiscal challenges, or make life better for working families if we don't fix health care.  It's that basic.  You can't get from here to there.  Forget the moral obligation -- don't forget it, but lay that aside.  Remember the basic -- we used to have 25 years ago -- "Is it a right, or is it a privilege"?  We're way beyond that, man.  Are we going to regain control of our economy and our budget?  If we don't do health care I don't see how you get there.  Just purely from a mathematical computation, I don't know how we get there.  Nor does the President.
But we know how to get there.  And that's why we've laid this out.  That's why the President -- in addition to that, we have a system here where our work doesn't end with this effort of dealing with the Recovery Act and our budget, it only begins there.  That's why the President has asked me to lead our administration's Middle Class Task Force.  And that's why I've already asked some of you -- Leo was there in Philadelphia with me -- I've asked all of you to participate with me in that task force.  Over the next year we're going to be holding these hearings all over the United States of America. 
And we're doing it for a very simple reason.  We're doing it because -- you know, my job is basically to bring together the Cabinet members.  I don't know how often it happened, but I have the authority, and I've been asked to and I've gotten an enthusiastic response, for me to generate Cabinet meetings -- me generate the Cabinet meetings basically once a week, or with their people.  Because we've got to figure out how we're going to get this money out the door wisely, how we're going to get it out usefully, and how we're going to get this economy moving again.  That, coupled with the task force requirement, gives me a real opportunity to call on you and others, including the business community, to say, how are we going to do this?
We've got to make this work.  My job, as I say, is to pull together those Cabinet Secretaries who have the greatest impact on the well-being of the middle class in our country.  We're going to be looking at everything from access to college and good schools and training programs with the Secretary of Education.  We're going to do business development with the Department of Commerce.  We're going to look at those things that affect child care and health care with Health and Human Services; workers' rights and workers' safety with the Department of Labor; restoring retirement security with the Secretary of the Treasury; affordable housing, safe neighborhoods with Housing and Urban Development; adequate protection through DHS.  We're going to also make sure that the Justice Department is engaged.
Not that our Cabinet members don't think this is important, but my job is to make sure that the issues I mentioned, among others, are front and center on their agenda -- because there's a thousand other things they got to do, too.  But these are things that measure the success or failure of a middle-class family:  what are the things that are going to affect their lives.
And then we have the opportunity as a consequence of the problem we're in -- every problem creates an opportunity -- through the Middle Class Task Force to jumpstart and target a lot of this. 
So, ladies and gentlemen, the fact of the matter is that, again, our measure is do we improve the lives of middle-class people by raising their standard of living, or don't we?  We're going to make sure that in every policy, every decision, we don't lose sight of the folks that brought us to the dance.  And toward that end, we have to make sure that the jobs we're creating come with fair wages and decent benefits -- one of John's basic tenets he laid out for you all.  Leo raised it at our meeting in Philadelphia.  We can have great new green jobs.
But let me take you all back.  In the last major alteration of our economy in terms of organized labor -- which didn't exist back then -- was the turn of the last century in the Industrial Revolution, in industrial jobs.  There were jobs for sheet metal workers, there were jobs for steelworkers, there were jobs -- and the list goes on.  But guess what.  The fact that all those jobs existed while the world was growing didn't mean they'd be decent jobs, didn't automatically mean they'd be good-paying jobs.  What guarantees that?  Unions.  Labor.  (Applause.)  Labor. 
So, folks, there's no such job that's inherently a good job -- inherently a good job.  They become good jobs when workers have an opportunity to insist that they get paid a fair wage, they get treated fairly, and they will benefit from the productivity that results from that industry.  The union movement made them good jobs.  (Applause.)  Well, that's why, by the middle of the last century, you not only saw unions growing, you saw wages growing, benefits growing; you also saw cities and communities growing.  In the post year -- the postwar years, productivity doubled after World War II.  It doubled.  And guess what happened.  Middle-class income doubled when productivity doubled. 
But then, in the early '70s, some parts of the business community decided that labor was the enemy.  They supported politicians who felt the same way, and they began to fix the game, so that the refs -- the NLRB, to name one -- weren't calling things -- being square and fair.  They started wearing black shirts instead of striped shirts.  Well, you saw the result -- companies delaying elections, intimidating and firing organizers, stalling on the first contract. 
Well, in this country today, legal industry -- excuse me -- the legal industry spends hundreds of millions of dollars exclusively in an effort to block workers from pursuing their legal rights, from unions being able to get collective bargaining agreements.
I mentioned the productivity increased by almost 20 percent from 2000 to 2007, but wages fell by $2,000.  If our basic bargain had been intact, if paychecks rose with productivity growth, as they did from World War II to the early '70s, families would have gained $10,000 over that period, instead of losing $2,000.  (Applause.)  
So, folks, that's why there's no one thing we have to do.  This is all going to be difficult, and one of the most difficult things will be to reinstitute that basic bargain.  And I think the way to do that is the Employee Free Choice Act.  (Applause.)
Folks, let's get it straight -- we're not asking -- we're not asking for anything we don't deserve.  And we're not asking for anything that wasn't intended when the NLRB said we should be encouraging -- encouraging -- unions.  We just want to level this playing field again.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think President Obama said it best when he said -- I'm quoting -- "I don't buy the argument that providing workers with collective bargaining rights somehow weakens the economy or worsens the business environment."  If you've got workers who have a decent pay and benefits, they also are customers for your business.  (Applause.)
So let me add to that and say that I have a simple, basic belief, one that we're going to work hard to put into action:  If a union is what you want, a union you're entitled to have. (Applause.) 
Look, I don't have to tell anyone in this room -- I don't have to tell anyone in this room that these are tough times for working Americans.  Three million Americans lost their job last year; another 600,000 the first quarter this year; and I'm sad to say, I think tomorrow, when the numbers come out, it may match or exceed January. 
And, folks, the thing that you all know, and too many people have forgotten -- and, Jimmy, you and I talked about this -- the loss of a job is more than the loss of an income; it's loss of pride, it's emotionally devastating.  It's about having to take that longest of walks up a short flight of stairs to your child's bedroom and say, "Honey, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, you got to switch schools.  Daddy or mommy lost their job; we can't stay, we can't stay here, honey.  You know, the school you're in, I know you love it, but I can't afford to send you back next semester.  The situation, the team you play on, I know -- I know how much it matters to you.  But there will be another good team we can find."
That's the longest walk a man or a woman will ever make -- other than you have to tell someone they've got a serious health problem, a life-threatening problem.  Why do you know about that walk?  Some of you, maybe like me, had your fathers or mothers make that walk up to your bedroom.  My dad made it up to my bedroom a long time ago.  I remember when he said, "Honey, I know you love it here in Scranton, and we'll come back a lot, but Dad is going to leave and go to Wilmington.  I'll be home every weekend.  We're going to find a really good place down there.  We're going to find a good place down there."  It's not the end of the world, but let me tell you something, to many people it looks like the end of the road.
So, folks, look, it's how I came to understand, and maybe some of you in your personal lives, how you came to understand, that a job is more than about a paycheck.  It's about dignity and about respect.  It is the coin of the realm.  And, ladies and gentlemen, every one of you, every American, wants to be able to look at their child and say, honey, it's going to be okay; whatever it is, it's going to be okay.
And when you don't have that job and you've lost your self-confidence and you're not sure where the next is going to come from, even with unemployment insurance -- you keep looking down that road, where is it coming?  Every man and women in this country should be able to look at their child in the eye when they work hard and say, honey, it's going to be okay.
And our objective -- and I mean this sincerely -- is to put every American in the spot before we leave office to be able to look their kid in the eye and say, "Honey, it's going to be okay."  For those men and women who want to work, which is the vast, vast, overwhelming majority of the American people, that's the least we should provide to them.  And you all have been the best platform in the world to put them in a position to be able to say that.
So, folks, I want to end by saying to you that it ain't just because I'm Irish -- (laughter) -- it's not bad, though.  At least if you're -- (applause) -- at least if you're smart enough to marry an Italian -- he's going "hey, hey" -- you know.  (Laughter.)  I married a Sicilian -- oh, boy.  (Laughter.)  But all kidding aside, folks, look, I am really optimistic.  I'm genuinely optimistic.  It's going to be a rough year.  It's going to be rough until we climb out of this.  But I think we've got a ladder long enough, and I think when we climb out of this hole, if we do this right, it's going to be -- we climb onto a platform that's clearer, sturdier, better, more competitive for America, and put us in a position where we're able to do in the 21st century what we did in the 20th century.  I really, genuinely believe that.
Our job in the meantime is to get as many people on that ladder as we can.  It's going to take a while -- I mean, a year or more -- it's going to take a while.  If you get them on the ladder, I promise you, I promise you, I'm absolutely certain the pieces we've put in place not only will take us back to where people are employed gainfully, but we'll be right at the bargain again, where we're more competitive with green jobs, more competitive with an energy policy, we're more competitive worldwide in the position we put people in.  We'll have a transit system that is relevant to the greatest nation in the world; where we have a education system that literally, as Barack says  -- as the President says -- that we once again, by 2020, will have the highest percentage of college-educated people in all the world; where we actually start kids early in school and give them a real chance.
We got a shot here, folks.  We got a shot like we haven't had for the last 30 years.  And shame on us, shame on us if we squander it.  I don't think we will.  With your help, I'm absolutely convinced that over the next couple years we will make a better, brighter and stronger America.  And you'll be the reason. 
Thank you very much.  (Applause.)
END
11:53 A.M. EST
 
 

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
__________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                               March 5, 2009

Remarks by the President at the Opening of the White House Forum on Health Reform

East Room
1:10 P.M. EST
      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you so much, Travis, for the wonderful introduction.  Thank you for Melody Barnes, who has done more than anyone to help coordinate this forum and its extraordinary work.  And so we appreciate her leadership.
      We're here today to discuss one of the greatest threats not just to the well-being of our families and the prosperity of our businesses, but to the very foundation of our economy -- and that's the exploding costs of health care in America today.
      In the last eight years, premiums have grown four times faster than wages.  An additional 9 million Americans have joined the ranks of the uninsured.  The cost of health care now causes a bankruptcy in America every 30 seconds.  By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes.  Even for folks who are weathering this economic storm, and have health care right now, all it takes is one stroke of bad luck -- an accident or an illness, a divorce, a lost job -- to become one of the nearly 46 million uninsured or the millions who have health care, but really can't afford what they've got.
      We didn't get here by accident.  The problems we face today are a direct consequence of actions that we failed to take yesterday.  Since Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform nearly a century ago, we have talked and we have tinkered.  We have tried and fallen short, we've stalled for time, and again we have failed to act because of Washington politics or industry lobbying.
      And today, there are those who say we should defer health care reform once again -- that at a time of economic crisis, we simply can't afford to fix our health care system, as well. 
      Well, let me be clear:  The same soaring costs that are straining families' budgets are sinking our businesses and eating up our government's budget, too.  Too many small businesses can't insure their employees.  Major American corporations are struggling to compete with their foreign counterparts.  And companies of all sizes are shipping their jobs overseas or shutting their doors for good. 
      Medicare costs are consuming our federal budget; I don't have to tell members of Congress this.  Medicaid is overwhelming our state budgets; I don't need to tell governors and state legislatures that.
      At the fiscal summit that we held here last week, the one thing on which everyone agreed was that the greatest threat to America's fiscal health is not Social Security, though that's a significant challenge; it's not the investments that we've made to rescue our economy during this crisis.  By a wide margin, the biggest threat to our nation's balance sheet is the skyrocketing cost of health care.  It's not even close. 
      That's why we cannot delay this discussion any longer.  That's why today's forum is so important -- because health care reform is no longer just a moral imperative, it's a fiscal imperative.  If we want to create jobs and rebuild our economy and get our federal budget under control, then we have to address the crushing cost of health care this year, in this administration.  Making investments in reform now, investments that will dramatically lower costs, won't add to our budget deficits in the long term -- rather, it is one of the best ways -- in fact maybe the only way -- to reduce those long-term costs. 
      Now, I know people are skeptical about whether Washington can bring about this change.  Our inability to reform health care in the past is just one example of how special interests have had their way, and the public interest has fallen by the wayside.  And I know people are afraid we'll draw the same old lines in the sand and give in to the same entrenched interests and arrive back at the same stalemate that we've been stuck in for decades. 
      But I am here today and I believe you are here today because this time is different.  This time, the call for reform is coming from the bottom up and from all across the spectrum -- from doctors, from nurses, from patients; from unions, from businesses; from hospitals, health care providers, community groups.  It's coming from mayors and governors and legislatures, Democrats, Republicans -- all who are racing ahead of Washington to pass bold health care initiatives on their own.  This time, there is no debate about whether all Americans should have quality, affordable health care -- the only question is, how? 
      And the purpose of this forum is to start answering that question -- to determine how we lower costs for everyone, improve quality for everyone, and expand coverage to all Americans.  And our goal will be to enact comprehensive health care reform by the end of this year.  That is our commitment.  That is our goal.
      Now, in the past month alone, we've done a lot more to advance that goal than we've done in the past decade.  We've provided and protected coverage for 11 million children from working families, and for 7 million Americans who've lost their jobs in this downturn.  We've made the largest investment in history in preventive care; invested in electronic medical records that will save money, ensure privacy, and save lives; we've launched a new effort to find a cure for cancer in our time.  We've also set aside in our budget a health care reserve fund to finance comprehensive reform.  I know that more will be required, but this is a significant down payment that's fully paid for, does not add one penny to our deficit.  And I look forward to working with Congress and the American people to get this budget passed.
     
      Now, as we work to determine the details of health care reform, we won't always see eye to eye.  We may disagree -- and disagree strongly -- about particular measures.  But we know that there are plenty of areas of agreement, as well, and that should serve as the starting points for our work.
     
      We can all agree that if we want to bring down skyrocketing costs, we'll need to modernize our system and invest in prevention.  We can agree that if we want greater accountability and responsibility, we have to ensure that people aren't overcharged for prescription drugs, or discriminated against for pre-existing conditions -- and we need to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in government programs.  I think most of us would agree that if we want to cover all Americans, we can't make the mistake of trying to fix what isn't broken.  So if somebody has insurance they like, they should be able to keep that insurance.  If they have a doctor that they like, they should be able to keep their doctor.  They should just pay less for the care that they receive. 
     
      And finally, we can all agree that if we want to translate these goals into policies, we need a process that is as transparent and inclusive as possible.  And that's why I've asked all of you -- representatives of organizations, interests, and parties from across the spectrum -- to join us here today.  In fact, this was the hottest ticket in town.  (Laughter.)  That's why we asked concerned citizens like the folks on this stage to organize open meetings across America where people could air their views.  As Travis said, more than 3,000 meetings were held in all 50 states and D.C.; more than 30,000 people attended.  I thank them for their input and their ideas, and look forward to reading the report that Travis has presented to me.
     
      In this effort, every voice has to be heard.  Every idea must be considered.  Every option must be on the table.  There should be no sacred cows.  Each of us must accept that none of us will get everything that we want, and that no proposal for reform will be perfect.  If that's the measure, we will never get anything done.  But when it comes to addressing our health care challenge, we can no longer let the perfect be the enemy of the essential.  And I don't think anybody would argue that we are on a sustainable path when it comes to health care.
     
      Finally, I want to be very clear at the outset that while everyone has a right to take part in this discussion, nobody has the right to take it over and dominate.  The status quo is the one option that's not on the table, and those who seek to block any reform at all -- any reform at any costs will not prevail this time around.
     
      I didn't come here to Washington to work for those interests.  I came here to work for the American people -- the folks I met on the campaign trail, the people I hear from every single day in the White House.  Folks who are working hard, making all the right decisions, but still face choices that no one in this country should have to make:  how long to put off that doctor's appointment; whether to fill that prescription; when to give up and head to the emergency room because there are no other options.
     
      I've read some of the many letters they've sent asking me for help.  And they're usually not asking for much.  I don't get letters where people are just asking for a free ride, for a handout.  Most of them are embarrassed about their situation; they would rather not have to ask for help.  They start, usually, by saying that they've never written a letter like this before.  Some end by apologizing -- saying they've written to me because they have nowhere else to turn; asking me not to forget about them, not to forget about their families.
     
      But there are a lot of people out there who are desperate.  There's a lot of desperation out there.  Today I want them, and people like them across this country, to know that I have not forgotten them.  We have not forgotten them.  They are why we're here today -- to start delivering the change they demanded at the polls in November; that they have continued to demand since the election.  And if we're successful, if we can pass comprehensive reform, these folks will see their costs come down, they'll get the care they need, and we'll help our businesses create jobs again so our economy can grow.
     
      So it's not going to be easy.  And there are going to be false starts and setbacks and mistakes along the way.  But I'm confident if we come together and work together, we will finally achieve what generations of Americans have fought for and fulfill the promise of health care in our time.  And what a remarkable achievement that would be -- something that Democrats and Republicans, business and labor, consumer groups and providers, all of us could share extraordinary pride in finally dealing with something that has been vexing us for so long.
     
      So let's get to work.  Thank you.  (Applause.)
     
                            END                    1:21 P.M. EST
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
__________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                                   March 4, 2009

Remarks by the President
At Dinner for Congressional Committee Chairs

East Room
7:43 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Everybody, please be seated. Do not fear, no long speeches here. (Laughter.) We just want to say welcome on behalf of Michelle and myself. We're so glad all of you could join us.
Obviously the country is going through an extraordinarily difficult time, and we are going to have some monumental debates taking place over the next several months and years. We also know that we're not always going to agree on everything. But given how hard so many of you are working on both sides of the aisle, day in, day out, we thought it was important for us to be able to step back for a moment, remind ourselves that we have things in common -- family, friends, laughter -- and hopefully, we'll have a chance to appreciate each other a little bit, take a timeout before we dive back into the game.
So we hope you have a wonderful evening -- not to mention the fact that this is a pretty big house, so we get lonely. (Laughter.) So -- and it's hard for me to move around out there sometimes so I've got to bring the world to me.
But, anyway, I'm grateful for all of you coming. Michelle is thrilled that you're here. And we hope you just have a wonderful evening.
Thank you. (Applause.)
                                   END       7:45 P.M. EST
THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release                                             March 4, 2009

Remarks by the President on Procurement

Room 350
Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building
10:20 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Even if these were the best of times, budget reform would be long overdue in Washington. And we have here some folks who have been working on these issues for a long time.

But these are far from the best of times. By any measure, my administration inherited a fiscal disaster. When we walked in the door we found a budget deficit of $1.3 trillion, the largest in American history. And this fiscal burden has been compounded by the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression. It's a crisis that requires us to take swift and aggressive action to put Americans back to work, and to make the long-delayed investments in energy, health care and education, that can build a new foundation for growth.

As we get our economy moving we must also turn the tide on an era of fiscal irresponsibility so that we can sustain our recovery, enhance accountability and avoid leaving our children a mountain of debt. And that's why even as we make the necessary investments to put our economy back on track, we're proposing significant changes that will help bring the yawning deficits we inherited under control. We are cutting what we don't need to make room for what we do.

The budget plan I outlined next week includes $2 trillion in deficit reduction. It reduces discretionary spending for non-defense programs as a share of the economy that -- by more than 10 percent over the next decade, to the lowest level in nearly half a century. I want to repeat that. I want to make sure everybody catches this, because I think sometimes the chatter on the cable stations hasn't been clear about this. My budget reduces discretionary spending for non-defense programs as a share of the economy by more than 10 percent over the next decade, and it will take it to the lowest level in nearly half a century.

In addition, today I'm announcing that part of this deficit reduction will include reforms in how government does business, which will save the American people up to $40 billion each year. It starts with reforming our broken system of government contracting. There is a fundamental public trust that we must uphold. The American people's money must be spent to advance their priorities -- not to line the pockets of contractors or to maintain projects that don't work.

Recently that public trust has not always been kept. Over the last eight years, government spending on contracts has doubled to over half a trillion dollars. Far too often, the spending is plagued by massive cost overruns, outright fraud, and the absence of oversight and accountability. In some cases, contracts are awarded without competition. In others, contractors actually oversee other contractors. We are spending money on things that we don't need, and we're paying more than we need to pay. And that's completely unacceptable.

This problem cuts across the government, but I want to focus on one particular example, and that is the situation in defense contracting. Now, I want to be clear, as Commander-in-Chief, I will do whatever it takes to defend the American people, which is why we've increased funding for the best military in the history of the world. We'll make new investments in 21st century capabilities to meet new strategic challenges. And we will always give our men and women the -- in uniform, the equipment and the support that they need to get the job done.

But I reject the false choice between securing this nation and wasting billions of taxpayer dollars. And in this time of great challenges, I recognize the real choice between investments that are designed to keep the American people safe and those that are designed to make a defense contractor rich.

Last year, the Government Accountability Office, GAO, looked into 95 major defense projects and found cost overruns that totaled $295 billion. Let me repeat: That's $295 billion in wasteful spending. And this wasteful spending has many sources. It comes from investments and unproven technologies. It comes from a lack of oversight. It comes from influence peddling and indefensible no-bid contracts that have cost American taxpayers billions of dollars.

In Iraq, too much money has been paid out for services that were never performed, buildings that were never completed, companies that skimmed off the top. At home, too many contractors have been allowed to get away with delay after delay after delay in developing unproven weapon systems.

It's time for this waste and inefficiency to end. It's time for a government that only invests in what works. And what's encouraging is, is that there is broad bipartisan consensus on behalf of reform, and we are committed to taking swift action that changes our system of contracting to save taxpayers' money.

So here are a couple of immediate steps we're going to take. First, with the presidential memorandum that I'm signing, I am instructing my administration to dramatically reform the way we do business on contracts across the entire government. So starting today, Peter Orszag, my budget director, will work with Cabinet officials and agency heads to develop tough new guidelines on contracting by the end of September. We will stop outsourcing services that should be performed by the government, and open up the contracting process to small businesses. We will end unnecessary no-bid and cost-plus contracts that run up a bill that is paid by the American people. And we will strengthen oversight to maximize transparency and accountability. Altogether, these reforms can save the American people up to $40 billion each year.

Second, we must make investments to keep our country safe while cutting back on the waste and inefficiency that isn't. And that's why I'm so pleased to support the goals of the bipartisan effort on procurement reform that has been led by our own Carl Levin and John McCain in the Senate. They have done extraordinary work trying to push this issue to the forefront. We want to see if we can partner with Senator McCain and Senator Levin to get this done as soon as possible. And thanks to Secretary Gates, some of the reforms that they've talked about are already beginning to take shape. And I've asked him to work with Senators Levin and McCain on developing this legislation as it moves forward, and Bill Lynn, who is heading up procurement issues at our White House as Deputy Secretary of Defense is going to be leading the charge on this, as well.

I can assure you that this will be a priority for my administration. It's time to end the extra costs and long delays that are all too common in our defense contracting. We need to invest in technologies that are proven and cost-effective. We need more competition for contracts and more oversight as they're carried out. If a system isn't ready to be developed, we shouldn't pour resources into it. And if a system is plagued by cost overruns, it should be reformed. No more excuses, no more delays. The days of giving defense contractors a blank check are over.

Now, none of this will be easy. We'll have to end old ways of doing business. We'll have to take on entrenched special interests. We'll have to break bad habits that have built up over many years. But we can't keep spending good money after bad. All across America, families are making hard choices, and now we're going to have to do the same. I can promise you that this is just the beginning of a new way of doing business here in Washington because the American people have every right to expect and to demand a government that is more efficient, more accountable, and more responsible in keeping the public's trust.

And I also want to acknowledge a couple of congressmen -- Congressman Towns and Congressman Welch, who have been working diligently on this issue, and Claire McCaskill in the Senate, who has been sharpening her pencils and working with IGs across departments to see if we can make some significant reforms and improvements, as well.

And again, thank you to Senators McCain and Senators Levin for their outstanding leadership on this issue. We look forward to getting it done. This is going to be just one more aspect of the kind of reform that's going to be critical in the months and years to come.

Thank you, everybody.

END 10:29 A.M. EST

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   March 3, 2009
Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for Delivery
Video to AFL-CIO Executive Council
Miami, FL
March 3, 2009
I’m sorry that I’m unable to join you this week, but it was a pleasure to see many of you at the White House recently, and I’m looking forward to having you all back often.  I want to start by thanking President Sweeney, Secretary-Treasurer Trumka, and Vice President Holt Baker for their leadership.  And I want to thank the Executive Council and all of you for your efforts as well as your advocacy these last several weeks. We have already started to change America on behalf of working people.
With your help, we passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan – the most sweeping economic recovery package in our history. I’ve always said that the gauge of our economic progress is clear: are we creating good jobs? Are we creating the kinds of jobs on which you can raise a family, own a home, afford college, save for retirement? That’s why this plan is so important. It will create or save three and a half million jobs over the next two years – and it will do so by putting Americans to work doing the work that America needs done.
We’ll modernize our health care system, rebuild crumbling roads, bridges, levees and transit systems, double our capacity to generate renewable energy, and build the classrooms that will help our children learn today – and compete tomorrow. And this plan includes the most progressive middle-class tax cuts in history; provides greater unemployment benefits for millions who have lost jobs; relieves overburdened cities and states struggling with budget shortfalls; and respects the work that Americans do right here at home while honoring our international obligations. 
I’ve signed legislation helping to guarantee equal pay for equal work and expanding the Children’s Health Insurance Program to millions more children. We’ve reversed the ban on project labor agreements and we’ve overturned the previous administration’s Executive Orders which were designed not only to undermine critical government work – but to undermine organized labor.
I’m also pleased to have nominated Hilda Solis, a daughter of union members and a lifelong champion for working families, to be my Secretary of Labor – and that Vice President Joe Biden has agreed to lead my administration’s Task Force on Middle Class Working Families. This Task Force will work hand in hand with my cabinet and White House agencies – as well as with all of you – to focus on growing and sustaining the middle class.
I want to repeat something that those of you who joined us for the Task Force announcement heard me say: I do not view the labor movement as part of the problem. To me, and to my administration, labor unions are a big part of the solution. We need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests – because we cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement.
The truth is, the road ahead will not be easy. The economic crisis we face is vast and the challenges we confront are many; you know this because your members have already had to make sacrifices. But I have every confidence that if we are willing to do the difficult work that must be done, we will emerge from these trials stronger and more prosperous than we were before. And as we confront this crisis and work to provide health care to every American, rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, move toward a clean energy economy, and pass the Employee Free Choice Act, I want you to know that you will always have a seat at the table.
Thank you for everything you do.
 
 
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the First Lady
________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                              March 3, 2009
REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY
AT THE WOMEN IN MILITARY SERVICE FOR AMERICA MEMORIAL CENTER
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, Virginia
2:30 P.M. EST
MRS. OBAMA:  All right, you're all invited.  (Laughter.)  No, I think that's an excellent idea.  Jocelyn, where are you?  She's my policy director.  She'll be working on that. (Laughter.)
I want to thank the General for that kind introduction, and to thank her for her lifetime of service to this nation in the United States Air Force and as the leader of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial.  I just did a tour with the General, and this is an amazing asset to this nation.  It's something that many of us don't even know exists, and I could have spent hours there. 
I strongly encourage anyone in this country who hasn't taken the time to see this memorial.  It goes through the whole progression of women into the military, with contributions from family members from around this country, pictures, uniforms.  I'm going to spend more time here and bring my girls, because it is something that I want them to see.  So I'm grateful to have the opportunity to see this, and will be working hard to make sure that this memorial continues to be a part of this nation's heritage.  (Applause.)
I also want to thank a few people, as well.  I want to thank General Dunwoody, the nation's first female four-star general, which deserves its own round of applause -- (applause); Vice Admiral Vivien Cray of the United States Coast Guard -- and I know there a few Coast Guards out there; I heard you -- (applause); and to Congresswomen Mary Fallin, as well as Laura Richardson and my hometown congressperson Jan Schakowsky.  (Applause.)  I also have to recognize someone else from home, our good friend, dear dear friend, Tammy Duckworth.  (Applause.)  It's good to see you.  (Applause.) 
I am honored to be here with you all.  As the General said, of course this is -- this month is Women's History Month, and it provides an opportunity for Americans to discover and reflect on the accomplishments of women throughout our nation's history. 
But it provides an opportunity to celebrate the many contributions women make today in national life as leaders in business, government, the community, the military, and of course in everyday life, which is how we women live, mostly as mothers, daughters, wives, colleagues and friends.  And I couldn't think of a better way to begin Women's History Month than by coming here to the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery to honor our nation's servicewomen. 
As I speak, servicewomen and men are at their posts all across our nation and around the world.  They're standing watch and providing the security that allows us to live in peace and to continue on with our daily lives. 
That includes two whom I have just met -– Lieutenant Grace Thompson and Corporal Crystal Moultrie of the United States Marines.  We keep them, the wounded who are recovering, and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, so that we may live in safety and freedom, we keep them in our thoughts and our prayers. 
Throughout our nation's history, women have played an important role in the military as well as in organizations supporting the military during times of conflict.  Our foremothers and our sisters today have joined our forefathers and our brothers today in securing our liberty and protecting our country. 
Women's military service goes back to America's early beginnings, and servicewomen have long navigated the twists and turns of the women's rights struggle to secure a more equal and fuller place in the United States military.  
This history was interesting to me.  In 1782 Deborah Sampson disguised herself and enlisted in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment.  She was wounded at the Battle of Tarrytown in New York.  Later, she appealed for back pay as a former Continental Army soldier and was supported by Paul Revere.   The measure was passed by the Massachusetts legislature and approved by the governor, John Hancock. 
Then there was Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a military doctor, who became the nation's first female Medal of Honor recipient for her service during the Civil War. 
And then we moved to the 20th century, where women became full-fledged members of the United States military with the creation of the Army and Navy Nurse Corps in 1901 and 1908. 
And we are joined here today by two amazing women -- they gave me their ages, but there's no reason to know, because they look about 30, 40, to me -- (laughter) -- Mary Ragland and Alice Dixon, who served in the "Six-Triple Eight," the only unit of African American women in the Women's Army Corps to serve overseas during World War II.  Please give them a round of applause.  I know Mary is here.  (Applause.)  Spring chickens.  (Laughter.)  And if you live right, you may be sitting right there in a few decades.  (Laughter.)
There's also Esther Corcoran, who is also with us, enlisted as a private in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and was later entered into Officer Candidate School.  She was eventually promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, one of the first 10 women to achieve this rank.  (Applause.)
Currently serving her country is Lieutenant Commander Cindy Campbell.  She began her Navy career as an E1, served at sea and on the homeland.  She put herself through college and graduate school at night and became an officer.  She now works in the White House Military Office, right outside my office in the East Wing.  Cindy serves as a mentor to servicewomen and men in earlier stages of their careers, and I and my staff benefit from her expertise and dedication every day.  Cindy, where are you?  She's way in the back.  (Applause.)  
These women and thousands of others set a standard for excellence that enables women who serve today to take on even greater responsibilities. 
A recent Women's Memorial Women's History Month poster is called "Voices of Valor" and spotlights five decorated servicewomen from each of the Armed Forces who've served or are serving in the current war. 
One is Silver Star recipient Sergeant Lee Ann Hester.  She's the first woman to have been decorated for direct actions against an enemy force.
There's also Lieutenant Lisa Starr [sic], a United States Navy Nurse, who volunteered for a nighttime flight in Iraq during a sandstorm that had grounded all medical helicopters to save the life of a wounded Marine. 
And there's Fighter pilot Captain Kim Campbell, who displayed extraordinary skill at the controls of her aircraft to support and protect the lives of her fellow soldiers fighting on the ground in Iraq. 
There's Second Class Marine Science Technician Sarah Vega, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and is an example of the bravery that men and women of the United States Coast Guard are displaying in war zones today. 
And then Marine Corporal Ramona Valdez who, in addition to her other duties, was teamed up with 16 other servicewomen to form an all-female search force in Iraq as a proactive effort to calm Iraqi concerns that male soldiers might search Muslim women.  Her convoy was attacked and she was killed four days before her 21st birthday. 
Marine Major General Douglas O'Dell Jr. wept as he awarded Purple Hearts to the survivors from Corporal Valdez's force.  He said he was moved, I quote, "not by special sympathy for the women" but because of the display of equality born of that horrible day in Fallujah.  The general went on to explain that while military leaders believed women Marines could perform as bravely as men under deadly attack, there had never been a trial like the one in Fallujah to prove it.
Members of the military and their families have a special courage and strength.  As the President said last week during his address at Camp Lejeune, service doesn't end with the person wearing the uniform.  You all know that. 
And I have been honored and deeply moved to meet many military families over the past couple of years.  They are mothers and fathers who have lost their beloved children to war.  They are husbands and wives keeping the family on track while their wives and husbands are deployed, on duty.  They are grandparents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers who are taking care of children while single moms or dads in uniform are away. 
And there are moms and dads who both serve in uniform -- like helicopter pilots Colonels Laura and Jim Richardson who in 2003 became the first couple to have led their own battalions during a time of combat.  And during that time, they were able to leave their 14-year-old daughter in the care of family when they were deployed.
See, military families have done their duty, and we as a grateful nation must do ours.  We must do everything in our power to honor them by supporting them; not just by word but by deed.
And it is my great hope that today's and future generations will honor women and men in uniform by first of all never taking the blessings of freedom for granted and by doing their part to create a more perfect union.  I know that we will continue to do our parts over the coming years. 
Again, I want to thank you all for your service, for your courage, for your dedication, for your commitment.  And may God bless you all, and God bless America.  Thank you so much. (Applause.)
END
2:42 P.M. EST 
 
 
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
__________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                   March 3, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO COMMEMORATE THE 160TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
Department of Interior
Washington, D.C.
2:13 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Please, have a seat. Thank you, Ken -- thank you, Mr. Secretary. It is my honor to join you and the hardworking public servants here at the Department of the Interior as we mark a milestone in the distinguished history of this department.
As Ken mentioned, 160 years ago today, with the tally of a contentious vote, amidst growing tensions between North and South, as our nation expanded westward, a deeply divided Senate passed the bill that created the Department of the Interior.
The department was born less of a singular purpose than of a multitude of needs; it was founded to serve a growing nation whose roles and responsibilities were growing, as well. The department even earned a nickname: "The Department of Everything Else." (Laughter.)
Yet, throughout our history, as Interior has performed a set of ever-changing and often unrelated duties, an overarching mission has emerged: to defend the natural bounty of this country and the welfare of its people. (Applause.) As Secretary Salazar has said, you have become the "Department of America."
For the services you provide touch the lives of all Americans -- from the clean water we drink to the clean energy we must generate; from historic monuments and museums that educate and inspire to the vast wilderness that each new generation can discover and explore. You manage 500 million acres of land, or roughly one-fifth of the area of the United States, and 1.7 billion acres offshore.
It was under this department -- it was this department under President Teddy Roosevelt that helped lead an unprecedented effort to protect our natural resources. It was under this department, under President Franklin Roosevelt, that Secretary Harold Ickes supervised the Civilian Conservation Corps to help us overcome the Great Depression.
And your mission is more important than ever before. The Interior Department manages the land on which 30 percent of the nation's energy is produced. So you have a major role to play, all of you, in our clean energy future. The nation is depending on you to help us end the tyranny of foreign oil and become energy independent -- by harnessing the wind and the sun, our water, our soil, and American innovation.
That's why I'm proud to join you this afternoon. That's why I am pleased that this department is in the capable hands of my great friend Ken Salazar. And that is why the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act creates jobs by making historic investments in the Department of the Interior.
This plan will provide more than $3 billion to the department to create jobs doing the work that America needs you to do. It will create jobs increasing our capacity to generate renewable energy on public lands -- and retrofitting facilities to be far more energy efficient. It will provide for the renovation of laboratories and the replacement of research equipment that in some cases is half a century old.
We'll fund the long-delayed work to preserve our natural wonders and historic landmarks, from Yellowstone National Park to the Statue of Liberty. And we will invest in the roads on which 275 million visitors travel to reach these sites across our country.
We'll provide clean, reliable drinking water to rural areas, promote water conservation, repair aging water infrastructure.
And the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will rebuild and remodel schools on Indian reservations across this country -- while providing more than $100 million in loans to spur job creation in the Indian economy. (Applause.)
Under the leadership of Secretary Salazar, these investments will be made with unprecedented oversight. In the past, as all of you know, we've seen lapses that have damaged the reputation of this department, despite the integrity and faithful service of the vast majority of people who work here. In just these first five weeks, Secretary Salazar has helped bring about a new era of responsibility and accountability. (Applause.) It is in this spirit that my recovery plan is being implemented.
Finally, today I've signed a memorandum that will help restore the scientific process to its rightful place at the heart of the Endangered Species Act, a process undermined by past administrations. (Applause.) The work of scientists and experts in my administration -- including right here in the Interior Department -- will be respected. For more than three decades, the Endangered Species Act has successfully protected our nation's most threatened wildlife, and we should be looking for ways to improve it -- not weaken it.
Throughout our history, there's been a tension between those who've sought to conserve our natural resources for the benefit of future generations, and those who have sought to profit from these resources. But I'm here to tell you this is a false choice. With smart, sustainable policies, we can grow our economy today and preserve the environment for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren. That is what we must do. (Applause.)
For you know, you know that our long-term prosperity depends upon the faithful stewardship of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land that we sow. That's a sacred trust, the importance of which cannot be measured merely by the acres we protect, the miles of rivers we preserve, the energy we draw from public lands.
It's a child wandering amidst ancient redwoods, a love for science stirred as she looks skyward. It's a young man running his hand along the walls at Ellis Island, where his grandmother once carried her every possession and the hope of a new life. It's a family hiking along canyons carved by ancient floods, or mountains shaped by shifting continents -- finding peace in the beauty of the natural world. These are experiences that enrich our lives and remind us of the blessings that we share.
And that was certainly the case for me. As many of you know, I spent much of my childhood in Hawaii, a place of extraordinary beauty and -- we've got a Hawaiian in there -- (laughter) -- a place of extraordinary beauty, and one that's home to several national parks and historic sites. But before my 11th birthday, my grandmother decided it was time for me to see the mainland.
So my grandmother, my mother, my sister and I all flew to Seattle. And we drove down the coast along the coast of California, and then east to the Grand Canyon. We headed across the Great Plains and to the Great Lakes, before heading back west through Yellowstone.
That was an experience I will never forget. It's an experience I want for my daughters, and for all of our daughters and sons, to see the incredible beauty of this nation. It's an experience that's only possible because of the work you do each and every day.
So thank you. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. (Applause.) Thank you, everybody. (Applause.)
END 2:22 P.M. EST
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release March 3, 2009
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA
AND BRITISH PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN
AFTER MEETING
Oval Office
11:58 A.M. EST
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Hello, everybody. Good to see you. Where are the Brits? They're over there.
PRIME MINISTER BROWN: In fact, they're everywhere. (Laughter.)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Are they? They're spread out?
All right, my understanding is we're going to do four questions, and we'll just alternate. I'll start off with Jennifer Loven of AP.
Q Thank you, sir. I'd like to ask you about the letter that you've written to the Russian President about the anti-missile shield in Eastern Europe. Can you talk about why sort of a quid pro quo seemed like the smartest approach?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, I think that the report that was in The New York Times didn't accurately characterize the letter. What we had was a very lengthy letter talking about a whole range of issues from nuclear proliferation to how are we going to deal with a set of common security concerns along the Afghan border and terrorism. And what I said in the letter is the same thing that I've said publicly, which is that the missile defense that we have talked about deploying is directed towards not Russia, but Iran. That has always been the concern, that you had potentially a missile from Iran that threatened either the United States or Europe.
And what I said in the letter was that, obviously, to the extent that we are lessening Iran's commitment to nuclear weapons, then that reduces the pressure for, or the need for a missile defense system.
In no way does that in any -- does that diminish my commitment to making sure that Poland, the Czech Republic and other NATO members are fully enjoying the partnership of the Alliance and U.S. support with respect to their security.
So the way it got characterized I think was as some sort of quid pro quo. It was simply a statement of fact that I've made previously, which is, is that the missile defense program, to the extent that it is deployed, is designed to deal with not a Russian threat, but a Iranian threat.
Q -- response have you received from Russia?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: We've had a good exchange between ourselves and the Russians. I've said that we need to reset or reboot the relationship there. Russia needs to understand our unflagging commitment to the independence and security of countries like a Poland or a Czech Republic. On the other hand, we have areas of common concern. And I cited two examples: the issue of nuclear nonproliferation and the issue of terrorism. And at this point, I think we probably have some potential common concerns on the world economic front, as well.
So my hope is, is that we can have a constructive relationship where, based on common respect and mutual interest, we can move forward.
PRIME MINISTER BROWN: Nick.
Q Nick Robinson, BBC News. Mr. President, it's often been said that you, unlike many of your predecessors, have not looked toward Europe, let alone Britain. Can you just respond to that comment? And also, the Prime Minister is talking to you about a global new deal today. Will that actually help hard-pressed American consumers?
And if I may briefly put a question to the Prime Minister.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, first of all, the special relationship between the United States and Great Britain is one that is not just important to me, it's important to the American people. And it is sustained by a common language, a common culture; our legal system is directly inherited from the English system; our system of government reflects many of these same values. So -- and by the way, that's also where my mother's side of my family came from.
So I think this notion that somehow there is any lessening of that special relationship is misguided. Great Britain is one of our closest, strongest allies and there is a link, a bond there that will not break. And I think that's true not only on the economic front, but also on issues of common security.
And in our conversations here, we talked not only about the need to coordinate around economic policy, but also I expressed to the Prime Minister America's extraordinary gratitude for their support in our efforts in Afghanistan, and the young men and women of Great Britain who have made enormous sacrifices there. Although there was a debate, obviously, around the issue of Iraq, nevertheless, whether you are for or against the war here in the United States, the recognition of Great Britain's friendship and standing tall with us during that period is something that will never be forgotten.
And so rest assured that the relationship is not only special and strong, but will only get stronger as time goes on.
PRIME MINISTER BROWN: I'd like to thank President Obama for his welcome, for his hospitality, for his leadership of his country and the inspiration he's giving the world at this very difficult time.
And I've come here to renew our special relationship for new times. It's a partnership of purpose. It's a partnership of purpose that is born out of shared bonds. It's a partnership of purpose that is founded on a determination to rise to every challenge. And I think it's a partnership of purpose that is driven forward now by the need for us all to work together in unity to deal with the world economic problems.
And I'm grateful for the conversations I'm having with President Obama about this and about other things. And I'm grateful, too, that Michelle and Sarah will be meeting later this afternoon and I know they'll have an enjoyable time, as well.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Absolutely. Okay.
Q Prime Minister, your chancellor has said overnight that it is our collective responsibility, all of us have to have the humility to accept that over the last few years things have got out of alignment. Is that a form of apology from the government? Are you apologizing for the problems that there have been over the past 10 years in the financial system?
PRIME MINISTER BROWN: Well, there's got to be deep regulatory change. We've just been talking, Barack and I, about the need for proper supervision of shadow banking systems, of areas where there was bank practices that were unacceptable, where remuneration policies got out of hand and weren't based on long-term success, but on short-term deals. And these are the changes that we've already announced that we are going to make.
So we've learned from what has happened over these last 10 years. Things have happened in every part of the world that we're having to learn about, as well, and you've got an international financial system that we've now got to show can be brought to work in the public interest.
So every country is learning and every country is taking action. And what we are talking about today is how by us taking action, Britain and America, we can help other countries that join us in making for a more stable and effective financial system.
Q Caren.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you, Mr. President. The stock market has fallen to lows since -- it's not seen since 1997 this week, and an undercurrent of these declines is the fear that your plans to fix the banking sector might not work. And I'm wondering if you could talk about your plans and whether you think you can give reassurances that they will, in fact, work.
And, Prime Minister Brown, I wanted your view on whether you think your two countries have a handle on the banking sector problems that are affecting both your countries.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, let me say this: I'm absolutely confident that they will work. And I'm absolutely confident that credit is going to be flowing again, that businesses are going to start seeing opportunities for investment, they're going to start hiring again, people are going to be put back to work.
What I'm looking at is not the day-to-day gyrations of the stock market, but the long-term ability for the United States and the entire world economy to regain its footing. And, you know, the stock market is sort of like a tracking poll in politics. It bobs up and down day to day, and if you spend all your time worrying about that, then you're probably going to get the long-term strategy wrong.
Now, having said that, the banking system has been dealt a heavy blow. It has to do with many of the things that Prime Minister Brown alluded to: lax regulation, massive over-leverage, huge systemic risks taken by unregulated institutions, as well as regulated institutions. And so there are a lot of losses that are working their way through the system. And it's not surprising that the market is hurting as a consequence. In fact, I think what we're seeing is that as people absorb the depths of the problem that existed in the banking system, as well as the international ramifications of it, that there's going to be a natural reaction.
On the other hand, what you're now seeing is profit and earning ratios are starting to get to the point where buying stocks is a potentially good deal if you've got a long-term perspective on it. I think that consumer confidence -- as they see the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act taking root, businesses are starting to see opportunities for investment and potential hiring, we are going to start creating jobs again.
One of the things that Prime Minister Brown and I talked about is how can we coordinate so that all the G20 countries, all the major countries around the world, in a coordinated fashion, are stimulating their economies; how can we make sure that there are a common set of principles, in terms of how we're approaching banking, so that problems that exist in emerging markets like Hungary or the Ukraine don't have these enormous ripple effects that wash back onto our shores, and we're providing them with some help in a coordinated international fashion, as well.
All those steps, I think, are going to slowly build confidence. But it's not going to happen overnight. And my main message to the American people is to just recognize that we dug a very deep hole for ourselves; there were a lot of bad decisions that were made; we are cleaning up that mess. It's going to be sort of full of fits and starts in terms of getting the mess cleaned up, but it's going to get cleaned up. And we are going to recover and we are going to emerge more prosperous, more unified, and I think more protected from systemic risk, having learned these lessons, than we were before.
PRIME MINISTER BROWN: I think President Obama is absolutely right. And I think the history books will record that what he has done in his first, well, nearly 50 days of office has been momentous in setting the means by which we can see the economic recovery happening.
We've had a global banking failure, and it's happened in every part of the world. It's almost like a power cut that went right across the financial system. And we have got to rebuild that financial system. We've got to isolate the bad assets. We've got to underwrite the financial system so that loans can start again to businesses and families. And we've got to get enough lending into the economy so that people -- enough credit so that people are able to go about their normal business again.
And that's why we're looking ahead to the G20 in London in April, because a bad bank anywhere can affect good banks everywhere. So we've got to root out the problems that exist in other parts of the world, as well, set principles with the banking system for the future, and make sure that the banks subscribe to lending agreements where they actually increase the lending that is available to citizens in every country.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: One last one.
PRIME MINISTER BROWN: Tom.
Q Tom Bradby from ITV News. Prime Minister, Mr. President, should all governments at this point acknowledge mistakes of policy and regulation in the past? Would that be helpful or unhelpful, in general? And can I just ask you, an awful lot of ink is used describing the individual relationships between Prime Ministers and Presidents. Could I just ask you to describe how at this point you find working with each other?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, I will say that this is my third meeting with Prime Minister Brown, and I'd like to think that our relationship is terrific. And I'm sure he won't dispute me, in front of me anyway. (Laughter.) No, look, I think that the Prime Minister has taken the helm of the British economy at a very difficult time. As he noted, I've just come in recently. But I think that there are a set of shared values and shared assumptions between us: That we believe in the free market, we believe in a government that is not overbearing and allows entrepreneurs and businesses to thrive, but we also share a common belief that there have to be sufficient regulatory structures in place so that the market doesn't spin out of control.
I think, on the international front, we have a shared world view that it is important for us to be true to our values and ideals of rule of law, of a belief in human rights, a belief in our democratic practices, but that we also have to be respectful around the world and to listen and not simply dictate; that in this new world that we live in, that the way to get things done is to build partnerships and alliances, as opposed to acting unilaterally.
So I think both on the economy and both -- and on foreign policy, we've got a shared world view that allows us to work together very effectively. And he also has a wonderful family, as I do. (Laughter.) So we can always talk about our spectacular lives and our wonderful children.
With respect to the first part of your question, look, I think there is no doubt that, setting aside who's to blame, that in the past there have been some mistakes and lessons learned in terms of how we deal with the financial sector. Globalization can be an enormous force for good. And one of the things that we've talked about repeatedly is that countries in this crisis cannot start turning inward and try to erect protectionist barriers. We should encourage trade. The fact that we have a global capital system allows money to flow to areas that previously couldn't get capital. That allows them to develop and to grow. That can grow the economy worldwide, increase trade, and that potentially benefits everybody.
But what is also true is, is that when you've got trillions of dollars that can now move at the speed of light, when you've got a whole series of unregulated pools of dollars outside of the banking system, but we still have a 1930s regulatory system in place in most countries designed from the last great crisis, that we've got to update our institutions, our regulatory frameworks, so that the power of globalization is channeled for the benefit of ordinary men and women, so that they have jobs, they can purchase a home, they can send their children to college, and prosper and thrive; and that the benefits of globalization aren't just for a small handful of people who are not accountable.
And that's the kind of transformation that we're obviously trying to bring about here in the United States, and I suspect that that's a view that Gordon shares.
PRIME MINISTER BROWN: Yes, Tom, I've enjoyed every conversation that we've had, both on the telephone and when we've met. I don't think I could ever compete with you at basketball -- perhaps tennis.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Tennis, I hear you got a game.
PRIME MINISTER BROWN: Yes, we could maybe have a --
PRESIDENT OBAMA: We haven't tried it yet.
PRIME MINISTER BROWN: I don't know if you -- I think you'd be better. But there we are.
As far as the common interests that we're pursuing -- look, there is the possibility in the next few months of a global new deal that will involve all the countries of the world in sorting out and cleaning up the banking system. And there is the possibility of all the different countries of the world coming together to agree to expansion in the economy that is necessary to both restore confidence and to give people jobs and growth and prosperity for the future.
And there is the possibility of the international institutions for the first time being reformed in such a way that they can do the job that people want them to do, and deal with some of the problems that exist in the poorest countries of the world. And there's a chance, also, that the recovery that we're talking about can be a green recovery, a low-carbon recovery, where each country in different parts of the world can work on this together.
So the opportunities are there. I've said to the President that almost every leader I meet wants the best possible relationship and the most -- the highest degree of cooperation for the future.
And so the challenges are momentous and global. The response of leaders around the world is to want to work together. And I believe that we can make a contribution not just to each of our own economies, but make a contribution to the world economy, helping each economy if we can actually work together. And that's why our talk about the G20 is very important. We hope to make progress on April the 2nd.
And as far as regulation, I want the regulatory system to be reformed to meet the needs of our times. When we made changes in 1997, we made changes for the times of 1997. The financial markets have moved global since then, and we need a global means of bringing people together so there's proper supervision of the system. You don't want shadow banking systems. You don't want regulatory tax havens. So we've got to act as a world together to deal with that. And that's one of the things we'll be talking about in April in London.
Q Can you just talk about the Pakistan terror attack today on the cricket team? You, in particular, Mr. President, have made it clear that you've got to see Afghanistan and Pakistan together. How do you think that the world community can support Pakistan?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, the details are still coming in, and so I don't want to be too specific. Obviously, we're deeply concerned. But let me just make a general statement. Both Great Britain and the United States share a deep interest in ensuring that neither Afghanistan, nor Pakistan are safe havens for terrorist activity.
And we have coordinated effectively in the past. But the truth is, is that the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated. The safe havens for al Qaeda remain in the frontier regions of Pakistan. And we are conducting currently a comprehensive review of our policies with respect to Afghanistan, with respect to Pakistan, our coordination with our NATO allies and other members of the international security forces that are there. I will be making a series of announcements prior to the NATO summit that immediately follows the G20 summit, in terms of the direction that the United States would like to go.
What I'm confident in is that our strongest partner in that effort once again will be the United Kingdom and the Prime Minister sitting next to me.
Okay, thank you, guys.
END 12:21 P.M. EST