Remarks by the First Lady at a Voter Mobilization Rally -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Center
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

4:41 P.M. CDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Wow!  (Applause.)  I’m so excited to be in Milwaukee today!  (Applause.)  

Let me start -- let me begin --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you, Michelle!  (Applause.)

MRS. OBAMA:  I love you.  And I love our dear friend, the next governor of Wisconsin, Mary Burke.  (Applause.)  I love her.  This is the first time I’ve met Mary, although she is all the buzz -- she is.  But let me tell you, from our interaction, I love her.  (Applause.)  She is smart.  She’s in this for the right reasons.  She cares about people.  She doesn’t care about politics.  She has been such a passionate champion for our kids and families here in Wisconsin.  

Back when she was a top executive of a global company, she volunteered as a mentor for two little boys -- I love this story -- and that experience inspired her to pursue a career in public service -- much like me and the President.  (Applause.)  She then went on to lead the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Madison, raising millions of dollars to help thousands of underserved kids in the state. 

She became Wisconsin’s Secretary of Commerce, supporting small businesses across the state.  She founded, as she said, an education program to close the achievement gap -– a program that sent more than 90 percent of the young people on to higher education, many of them the first in their families to go to college.  (Applause.)   

So why wouldn’t I be here for Mary Burke?  (Applause.)  Why wouldn’t I come here for this amazing woman?  Make no mistake about it:  Mary knows how to create jobs, how to give our young people the skills they need to fill those jobs.  And she knows that a strong middle class is the key to a strong economy here in Wisconsin.  (Applause.) 

And that’s where her heart is -- Mary’s heart is with hardworking families and with kids who are hungry to fulfill their boundless potential.  And as Governor, that’s who she’s going to be fighting for every single day.  So I am proud, so honored to be here for Mary today.  And I am so proud to support her as the next governor of the great state of Wisconsin.  (Applause.) 

Now, I also want to recognize your outstanding Congresswoman, Congresswoman Gwen Moore.  (Applause.)  There she is!  And she’s got her cute little granddaughter here who eats here vegetables, which I love.  (Laughter.)  I’m glad they could both be here. 

But most of all, I want to thank all of you -- gosh, you guys are so fired up!  I love it!  (Applause.)  And I know as I look over this room, I many old friends here today –- people who have been with us right from the very beginning.  (Applause.)  I love that you are here for Mary Burke -- I love that!  (Applause.)  You were here back when we were out in Iowa and New Hampshire talking about hope and change and getting all fired up and ready to go.  You remember that?  (Applause.)  And then you all were with us when Barack first took office.  (Applause.)  Yes, well he took office and took a good look at the mess he’d been handed, and wondered what on Earth he had gotten himself into.

Let me just take you back for a moment, because I want you to remember how bad things were back then.  Remember -- because sometimes we forget.  We were in full-blown crisis mode.  Our economy was literally on the brink of collapse.  Wall Street banks were folding.  Businesses were losing 800,000 jobs a month.  Folks on TV were panicking about whether we were headed for another Great Depression –- and that wasn’t just talk, that was a real possibility.  I could go on, but this is what Barack Obama walked into on day one as President.

So now, let’s move forward.  Now, let’s think about how things look today, less than six years later.  Listen to me:  Our businesses have created 10 million new jobs since 2010, which is the longest uninterrupted run of private sector job growth in our nation’s history.  (Applause.)  Last year, the number of children living in poverty decreased by 1.4 million –- the largest drop since 1966.  And right now, our high school graduation rate is at a record high, and more of our young people are graduating from college than ever before.  (Applause.) 

Manufacturing is growing.  Construction and homeownership are rebounding.  And today, because of the Affordable Care Act -- (applause) -- because of the Affordable Care Act, health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in history, and we’ve seen a 26 percent drop in the uninsured rate as millions more Americans finally have health insurance.  (Applause.) 

And I want you to just think about how different our country looks to children growing up today.  Think about how our kids take for granted that a black person or a woman can be President of the United States of America.  (Applause.)  Our kids take for granted that their President will end hurtful policies like “don’t ask, don’t tell” and speak out for equality.  (Applause.)

So, Wisconsin, today, when folks ask me whether I still believe everything we said about hope and change back in 2008, I tell them that I believe it more strongly than ever before -- because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.  (Applause.)  I’ve seen our veterans finding jobs as our nation proudly supports their transition to civilian life.  I’ve seen children getting better nutrition and growing up healthier.  I’ve seen young people from the most underserved areas reaching higher and going to college, and reaching back to their communities to bring others along.  So, yes, while we still have plenty of work to do, we have truly made so much of that change we were talking about. 

But here’s what I want you to remember --

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you, Michelle!  (Applause.) 

MRS. OBAMA:  I love you all.  That’s why we are going to keep working.  We are going to get Mary into office.  We are going to work!  (Applause.)  We are going to work. 

See, because Barack didn’t do all of that just sitting alone in the Oval Office.  He did it with the help of outstanding leaders in states across this country -– leaders who are working hard to create good jobs and invest in our schools, who believe in education; leaders who support women and families by raising the minimum wage; leaders who are fighting for equal pay; leaders who are supporting women’s rights to make our own decisions about our health care.  (Applause.)  That’s the kind of leadership people here in Wisconsin deserve.  And that’s why we need to support Mary Burke for Governor.  (Applause.) 

You see, I know Mary understands that there is nothing we wouldn’t do for our children -- nothing.  We always put our kids’ interests first.  We wake up every morning, go to bed every night thinking and worrying about their health, their happiness, their futures.  And we deserve leaders like Mary who will do the same. 

We deserve leaders who believe like we do that no matter how our kids start out in life, if they’re willing to work for it, they should have every opportunity to fulfill their boundless promise.  (Applause.)  They should have every opportunity to get a good education, and build a decent life for themselves and an even better life for their own kids.  That’s the American Dream we all believe in, and that’s what this election here in Wisconsin is all about.  That’s what’s at stake.

And make no mistake about it, as Mary said, this race is going to be tight.  We know that races like this can be won or lost by just a few thousand or even just a few hundred votes.  And just think back to what happened in the governor’s race back in 2010.  The outcome of that election was decided by about 62,000 votes.  And while that might sound like a lot, when you break it down, that’s about 10 votes per ward -- that’s right, just 10 votes per ward.

Now, I know that every single one of you in this room knows 10 people that you can get to the polls, right?  That’s how I want you to think about this.  It is that close.  So when people act like their vote doesn’t count, every vote counts.  Let’s be clear:  This election is on us.  (Applause.)  We can’t wait around for anyone else to do this.  It’s on us to get people energized and organized and out to vote on November the 4th.  That’s on us.

Now, it’s true that there is too much money in politics.  And it is true that special interests have too much influence.  But here’s what I want you to remember:  They had plenty of money and influence back in 2008 and 2012 and we still won those elections.  (Applause.)  And you want to know why we won?  There’s a reason why we won -- we won because we showed up and we voted.  (Applause.)  And at the end of the day, the folks running those special interest groups, the folks who poured millions of dollars into those election, they each have just one vote -- and so do each of us.  That’s how it works in America.

And ultimately, the only thing that counts are those votes.  That’s what decides elections in this country.  And that’s why Barack Obama is President right now.  (Applause.)  He is our President because a whole bunch of folks who never voted before showed up to vote in 2008 and 2012.  (Applause.)   

And I don’t know if you remember, but a lot of people were shocked when Barack won because they were counting on folks like us to stay home.  But we proved them wrong.  (Applause.)  Barack won because record numbers of women and minorities and young people showed up to vote.  That’s why we won.  (Applause.) 

But here’s what happens -- but then when the midterms come along, too many of our people just tuned out.  And that’s what folks on the other side are counting on this year, because when we stay home, they win.  So they’re assuming that we won’t care.  They’re assuming that we won’t be organized and energized.  And only we can prove them wrong.

And that’s where all of you come in.  Look at this room -- just think about the power that is in this room.  And I know you could multiply this across the state, this energy.  We need you out there every day between now and November 4th.  We need you knocking on doors -- this is the work that gets it done -- knocking on doors, making calls -- don’t underestimate that -- getting everyone you know out to vote for Mary Burke. 

And I’m going to be real prescriptive here.  I want you to start, for those of you who haven’t been involved, just to go the website BurkeForWisconsin.com.  All right, young people, get those things out that you have -- whatever you do.  (Laughter.)  Help the older folks in your lives if they don’t know how to do it -- BurkeForWisconsin.com –- and then click on “take action.”  That’s where you can sign up to volunteer and find the campaign office closest to you.  Or you can just find one of the folks here today with clipboards.  Where are our clipboard people?  Raise your hands, hold them up!  Find your clipboard -- there are people here right now to help you get signed up and get out there and vote.

And then on Election Day, when you head to the polls to vote for Mary, bring everyone you know along with you -- no, really.  Bring folks from your family, from your neighborhood, from your church –- don’t leave anyone behind.  And start reaching out to those folks today.  Tell them to mark November 4th on their calendars.  Tell them that they’ve got just a little over a month until Election Day.  And we all need to be as passionate and as hungry for this election as we were back in 2008 and 2012.  (Applause.)

In fact, we need to be more passionate and more hungry, because races like this governor’s race here in Wisconsin will be even harder and even closer than those presidential elections.  But they are just as important.  And the stakes this year simply could not be higher.  

Because if we don’t show up at the polls this November, if we don’t elect leaders like Mary Burke who will put people first instead of just fighting for special interests, then we know exactly what will happen.  We can’t pretend like we don’t know.  We will see more folks interfering in women’s private decisions about our health care.  We will see more folks denying that climate change even exists.  We will see more votes against immigration reform and raising the minimum wage for hard-working folks. 

So I don’t want you to be surprised.  I want to be very clear:  If you think people who work 40 or 50 hours a week shouldn’t have to live in poverty in the wealthiest nation on earth; if you don’t want women’s bosses making decisions about their birth control; if you think women should get equal pay for equal work; if you want your kids to have quality preschool and the college education they need to fill their potential -- then you need to step up.  You need to get everyone you know out to vote this November.

That’s what’s at stake in this election –- the kind of country we want to leave for our kids and grandkids.  See, because those kids are counting on us to stand up for them this November.  I know these kids; you know these kids.  They’re kids like a young man I met, Lawrence Lawson.  I could tell so many stories -- I’m going to share this one.

Lawrence is a young man whose father died when he was just eight years old.  At the age of nine, Lawrence suffered a major seizure and had to learn to read and walk and speak again.  When he was 12, his mother died, and Lawrence was passed from his aunt in Atlanta to his sister in Baltimore.

But why I tell this story is that this young man, no matter where he was or what he was going through, Lawrence did his best in school.  He joined the marching band.  He interned at Johns Hopkins hospital.  And he graduated as the valedictorian of his high school class. 

And I tell this story because as I travel across this country, I meet so many kids just like Lawrence -- kids who wake up early and take the long route to school to avoid the gangs; kids who juggle afterschool jobs to support their families, stay up late to get their homework done; kids whose parents don’t speak a word of English, but who are fighting every day to realize their dream of a better life.  (Applause.)

These kids have every reason to give up.  They have every reason to give up, but they are so hungry to succeed.  They are so desperate to lift themselves up.  And that’s why we’re here today -– because those kids never give up, and neither can we.  We cannot give up on them.

So between now and November, we need to be energized for our kids.  We need to be inspired for them.  We need to pour everything we have into this election so that they can have the opportunities they need to build the future they deserve.

And if we do that -- if we all keep stepping up and bringing others along with us -- then I know that we can keep on making that change we believe in.  I know we can elect Mary Burke as governor of Wisconsin.  And I know that together, we can build a better future for all our kids.

Thank you so much.  God bless.  (Applause.)

END
5:03 P.M. CDT

Weekly Address: America is Leading the World

WASHINGTON, DC -- In this week’s address, the President reiterated the forceful and optimistic message of American leadership that he delivered in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week. America is leading the world against the most pressing challenges, including the fight to degrade and destroy ISIL, the effort to stop the Ebola epidemic, and the movement to confront the threat from climate change. The world looks to America and its commitment to freedom in the face of uncertainly, and as the President said, it will continue to do so for generations to come.

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, September 27, 2014.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
September 27, 2014

Hi, everybody. American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world. That was true this week, as we mobilized the world to confront some of our most urgent challenges.

America is leading the world in the fight to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL. On Monday, our brave men and women in uniform began air strikes against ISIL targets in Syria. And they weren’t alone. I made it clear that America would act as part of a broad coalition, and we were joined in this action by friends and partners, including Arab nations. At the United Nations in New York, I worked to build more support for this coalition; to cut off terrorist financing; and to stop the flow of foreign fighters into and out of that region. And in my address to the UN, I challenged the world -- especially Muslim communities – to reject the ideology of violent extremism, and to do more to tap the extraordinary potential of their young people.

America is leading the effort to rally the world against Russian aggression in Ukraine. Along with our allies, we will support the people of Ukraine as they develop their democracy and economy. And this week, I called upon even more nations to join us on the right side of history.

America is leading the fight to contain and combat the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. We’re deploying our doctors and scientists -- supported by our military -- to help corral the outbreak and pursue new treatments. From the United Kingdom and Germany to France and Senegal, other nations are stepping up their efforts, too, sending money, supplies, and personnel. And we will continue to rally other countries to join us in making concrete commitments to fight this disease, and enhance global health security for the long-term.

America is engaging more partners and allies than ever to confront the growing threat of climate change before it’s too late. We’re doing our part, and helping developing nations do theirs. At home, we’ve invested in clean energy, cut carbon pollution, and created new jobs in the process. Abroad, our climate assistance now reaches more than 120 nations. And on Tuesday, I called on every nation – developed and developing alike -- to join us in this effort for the sake of future generations.

The people of the world look to us to lead. And we welcome that responsibility. We are heirs to a proud legacy of freedom. And as we showed the world this week, we are prepared to do what is necessary to secure that legacy for generations to come.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

Remarks by the President at Global Health Security Agenda Summit

South Court Auditorium

11:51 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  Welcome to the White House.  Thank you for being here.  I want to welcome members of Congress, leaders from across my administration, and our friends and partners -- leaders in public health not just from the United States, but from around the world.  Thank you for joining us to advance a cause that touches us all -- the health of our people and the security of our nations and of the world. 

Today, of course, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of West Africa.  And I know that some of you have been there, doing heroic work in the fight against Ebola.  You’ve seen firsthand the tragedy that's taking place.  In Liberia, in Sierra Leone, in Guinea, people are terrified.  Hospitals, clinics, treatment centers are overwhelmed, leaving people dying on the streets.  Public health systems are near collapse.  And then there are the secondary effects -- economic growth is slowing dramatically, governments are being strained.  And if left unchecked, experts predict that hundreds of thousands of people could be killed in a matter of months. 

That’s why I’ve told my team that fighting this epidemic is a national security priority for the United States.  It’s why I recently announced a major increase in our efforts.  Our military command in Liberia is now up and running.  We’re standing up an air bridge to move health workers and supplies into West Africa more quickly.  We’re setting up a field hospital, new treatment units, a facility to train thousands of health workers.  So this is an area where the United States has an opportunity to lead, and we've been making a major contribution.

But yesterday at the United Nations, I joined with Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Dr. Chan and said this has to be a global priority.  Over the last week, culminating yesterday in New York, more countries and organizations have announced significant commitments, including health care workers, and treatment facilities, and financial support.  And today I want to thank, in particular, the government of Japan, which has pledged to provide some 500,000 pieces of ventilated protective gear -- head gear, gloves and boots -- to help keep health workers safe as they treat patients in the region.

So we've got to now keep up this momentum.  This epidemic underscores -- vividly and tragically -- what we already knew, which is, in a world as interconnected as ours, outbreaks anywhere, even in the most remote villages and the remote corners of the world, have the potential to impact everybody, every nation. 

And though this Ebola epidemic is particularly dangerous, we’ve seen deadly diseases cross borders before.  H1N1.  SARS. MERS.  And each time, the world scrambles to coordinate a response.  Each time, it’s been harder than it should be to share information and to contain the outbreak.  As a result, diseases have spread faster and farther than they should have -- which means lives are lost that could have been saved.  With all the knowledge, all the medical talent, all the advanced technologies at our disposal, it is unacceptable if, because of lack of preparedness and planning and global coordination, people are dying when they don't have to.  So we have to do better -- especially when we know that outbreaks are going to keep happening.  That's inevitable.

At the same time, other biological threats have also grown  -- from infections that are resistant to antibiotics to terrorists that seek to develop and use biological weapons.  And no nation can meet these challenges on its own.  Nobody is that isolated anymore.  Oceans don't protect you.  Walls don't protect you.  And that means all of us, as nations, and as an international community, need to do more to keep our people safe. And that’s why we’re here.

We have to change our mindsets and start thinking about biological threats as the security threats that they are -- in addition to being humanitarian threats and economic threats.  We have to bring the same level of commitment and focus to these challenges as we do when meeting around more traditional security issues. 

And what I’ve said about the Ebola epidemic is true here as well:  As the nation that has underwritten much of global security for decades, the United States has some capabilities that other nations don't have.  We can mobilize the world in ways that other nations may not be able to.  And that’s what we’re trying to do on Ebola.  And that’s what we’ll do on the broader challenge of ensuring our global health security.  We will do our part.  We will lead.  We will put resources.  But we cannot do it alone. 

That’s why, back in February, before the current Ebola outbreak, we launched this Global Heath Security Agenda, and I pushed this agenda at the G7 meeting, because we could see something like this coming.  And we issued a challenge to ourselves and to all nations of the world to make concrete pledges towards three key goals:  prevent, detect and respond.  We have to prevent outbreaks by reducing risks.  We need to detect threats immediately wherever they arise.  And we need to respond rapidly and effectively when we see something happening so that we can save lives and avert even larger outbreaks. 

Now, the good news is today, our nations have begun to answer the call.  Together, our countries have made over 100 commitments both to strengthen our own security and to work with each other to strengthen the security of all countries’ public health systems.  And now, we’ve got to turn those commitments into concrete action -– starting in West Africa.  We’ve got to make sure we never see a tragedy on this scale again, and we have to make sure we’re not caught flat-footed.  Because you know better than I do that not only can we anticipate additional outbreaks, but we also know that viruses in large populations have the opportunity to mutate in ways that could make them even more deadly and spread more rapidly.

So first, we’ll do more to prevent threats and outbreaks.  We’re going to partner with countries to help boost immunization rates to stop the spread of preventable diseases.  We’ll work together to improve biological security so nations can store, transport, and work with dangerous pathogens safely.  Here in the United States, we’re working with our partners to find new ways to stop animal diseases from crossing over into people -– which, of course, is how Ebola started.  And with the executive order I signed last week, we now have a national strategy to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, to better protect our children and grandchildren from the reemergence of diseases and infections that the world conquered decades ago.  

Second, we’ll do more to detect incidents and outbreaks.  We’ll help hospitals and health workers find ways to share information more quickly as outbreaks occur.  We want to help countries improve their monitoring systems so they can track progress in real time.  And we’ll intensify our efforts to diagnose diseases faster.  And technologies now exist, today, that diagnose many illnesses in minutes.  And one of the things that we need to do is work together to find ways to get those new technologies to market as quickly as possible and distributed as quickly as possible. 

In too many places around the world, patients still have to wait sometimes for days to find out if they’re sick, which means that in the meantime, they’re infecting friends and they’re infecting family.  We can do better on that.  So we’re going to keep working to get new technologies to hospitals and health workers who need it so they can diagnose patients quickly and do more to save lives at the earliest stages of disease. 

And finally, we’ll do more to respond faster when incidents and outbreaks happen.  The United States will continue to help countries create their own emergency operations centers, with rapid response teams ready to deploy at a moment’s notice.  Just like our military conducts exercises to be ready, we’ll lead more training exercise as well, helping countries stress-test their system and personnel so that in the event of an outbreak or biological attack, they know how to find the source, they know how to mitigate the impact, they know how to save lives.  They can institute best practices that in many advanced countries we take for granted.  Under the CDC, this is their job.  If they find something out, they know how to isolate it rapidly; they know how to conduct the epidemiological studies, and they know what protocols to follow.  Every country has the capacity to do that.  Because a lot of times, it’s not high-tech, doesn’t require huge resources; it does require planning and preparation.

As we’re often seeing in West Africa, often the greatest need in a crisis is personnel who are trained and ready to deploy.  So we’re going to keep working to strengthen the global networks of experts.  When a crisis occurs, there are enough specialists standing by, ready to work.

And today, I’m pleased to announce a new effort to help health workers respond to diseases like Ebola.  As many of you know firsthand, the protective gear that health workers wear can get incredibly hot, especially in humid environments.  So today, we’re issuing a challenge to inventors and entrepreneurs and businesses of the world to design better protective solutions for our health workers. If you design them, we will make them.  We will pay for them.  And our goal is to get them to the field in a matter of months to help the people working in West Africa right now.  I’m confident we can do this.

So here’s the bottom line:  No one should ever have to die for lack of an isolation tent or a treatment bed, as is happening in West Africa.  No community should be left at the mercy of a horrific disease.  No country should be caught by surprise if an outbreak starts to become an epidemic.  We’ve got to act quickly. And we’ve got to meet the commitments that we’re making here today, and track our progress and hold each other accountable. 

So you can anticipate that I will be bringing this up with the heads of state and government that you report to.  I especially want to thank the governments of Finland and Indonesia, who’ve agreed to lead this effort going forward.  I want to thank South Korea, which will host this conference next year.  I want to keep the momentum going.

And as we go forward, let’s remember what we’re working toward -– more families, more communities, more nations that are better able to provide for their own health security.  And one thing I want to point out, because all of you have been working in the field for many years and understand these issues far better than I ever will.  Even as we are working on preparedness, understand that the U.S. commitment -- and hopefully the world’s commitment -- to just building a better public health infrastructure generally remains.  It’s one thing for us to make sure that we can anticipate diseases -- identify diseases early and respond to them rapidly.  But as everybody here knows, if the body is strong, if communities are strong, if nations are strong, then their immune systems are a little bit stronger.  And so part of what we will also continue to have to do is make sure that children are well fed, and that they’re getting their immunizations, and that people have opportunity to get out of extreme poverty.  That’s also part of the long-term agenda. 

So we have a very narrow, specific issue in terms of how we respond to the potential outbreaks of epidemics like we’re seeing in West Africa.  I don’t want people to think that somehow that distracts us from some of our broader public health goals.  But right now, what we’re focused on today is to make sure that we have the opportunity to succeed in a situation in which success will never actually be seen.  It will be the attacks that we prevented, and the infections that we stopped before they started, and the outbreaks that don’t explode into epidemics.

The scenes we’re seeing in West Africa are heartbreaking and they tear at our conscience.  But even now, in the face of unimaginable suffering, there’s still hope.  There’s hope in people like Dr. Melvin Korkor from Liberia.  I know he shared his story with you earlier here today.  I think it’s important for the world to hear it, for those of you who are just tuning in. 

When the Ebola outbreak first began, in a different part of Liberia from where Dr. Korkor lives, he and his colleagues didn’t think they were at risk.  So they kept seeing patients, including some with fevers.  And as many of you know, one of the tricky things about Ebola is sometimes it presents itself early with symptoms that could be malaria or typhoid.  So Dr. Korkor and his colleagues didn’t have enough latex gloves to use on those illnesses -– they saved gloves for things like surgeries.  One of those patients turned out to have Ebola.  A few nurses got sick. After caring for them, Melvin tested positive as well. 

He lay in bed surrounded by other patients, forcing himself to eat and drink even though he had no appetite, watching others die.  He fought off despair by reading his Bible and tried to stay calm.  And he says, as he describes it, “I said to myself I was going to make it.”  “I said to myself I was going to make it.”  The days passed.  Doctors and nurses gave him the best comfort and care that they could, and Melvin pulled through.  He survived.  And he says, “It was like being reborn.”  And now, nearly two months after being declared disease free, he’s counting down the days until his hospital reopens and he can get back to work in just a few weeks. 

So, Melvin, your story reminds us that this virus can be beaten, because there are strong people, determined people in these countries who are prepared to do what it takes to save their friends and countrymen and families.  But they need a little help. 

At this very moment, there are thousands of health workers like Dr. Korkor in West Africa –- on the ground, in cities, neighborhoods, in remote villages, doing everything they can to stop this virus, whatever it takes.  And we have the tools to help them, to save lives.  We have the knowledge and resources –- not just to stop this outbreak, but to prevent something like this from happening again.

It is our moral obligation and it is in our national self-interests to see this work through, to help them, to help ourselves; the commitment to make our nation and our world is more secure, and the determination to work together to protect the lives of people.  We have to be as strong and as determined and as driven as Melvin. 

Thank you all for being part of this critical work.  The United States is proud to be your partner.  I’m looking forward to making sure that all these experts here get the support that they need from their leadership.  And hopefully, as a consequence of meetings like this translated into action, we’ll be savings lives for many years to come. 

All right.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END
12:10 P.M. EDT

Statement by the President and Attorney General Eric Holder

State Dining Room

4:30 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  Please have a seat.  Bobby Kennedy once said, “On this generation of Americans falls the full burden of proving to the world that we really mean it when we say all men are created free and equal before the law.”

As one of the longest-serving Attorney Generals in American history, Eric Holder has borne that burden.  And over the summer, he came to me and he said he thought six years was a pretty good run -- I imagine his family agrees.  Like me, Eric married up.  He and his wife, Dr. Sharon Malone, a nationally-renowned OBGYN, have been great friends to Michelle and me for years.  And I know Brooke and Maya and Buddy are excited to get their dad back for a while.

So this is bittersweet.  But with his typical dedication, Eric has agreed to stay on as Attorney General until I nominate his successor and that successor is confirmed by the Senate.  Which means he’ll have a chance to add to a proud career of public service -- one that began nearly 40 years ago as a young prosecutor in the Department that he now runs. 

He was there for 12 years, taking on political corruption until President Reagan named him to the bench as a judge.  Later, President Clinton called him back.  So all told, Eric has served at the Justice Department under six Presidents of both parties -- including a several-day stint as acting Attorney General at the start of George W. Bush’s first term.  And through it all, he’s shown a deep and abiding fidelity to one of our most cherished ideals as a people, and that is equal justice under the law. 

As younger men, Eric and I both studied law.  And I chose him to serve as Attorney General because he believes, as I do, that justice is not just an abstract theory.  It’s a living and breathing principle.  It’s about how our laws interact with our daily lives.  It’s about whether we can make an honest living, whether we can provide for our families; whether we feel safe in our own communities and welcomed in our own country; whether the words that the Founders set to paper 238 years ago apply to every single one of us and not just some.

That’s why I made him America’s lawyer, the people’s lawyer.  That comes with a big portfolio -- from counterterrorism to civil rights, public corruption to white-collar crime.  And alongside the incredible men and women of the Justice Department -– men and women that I promise you he is proud of and will deeply miss -– Eric has done a superb job.

He’s worked side by side with our intelligence community and the Department of Homeland Security to keep us safe from terrorist attacks and to counter violent extremism.  On his watch, federal courts have successfully prosecuted hundreds of terror cases, proving that the world’s finest justice system is fully capable of delivering justice for the world’s most-wanted terrorists.

He’s rooted out corruption and fought violent crime.  Under his watch, a few years ago, the FBI successfully carried out the largest mafia takedown in American history.  He’s worked closely with state and local law enforcement officers to make sure that they’ve got the resources to get the job done.  And he’s managed funds under the Recovery Act to make sure that when budgets took a hit, thousands of cops were able to stay on the beat nationwide.

He’s helped safeguard our markets from manipulation, and consumers from financial fraud.  Since 2009, the Justice Department has brought more than 60 cases against financial institutions, and won some of the largest settlements in history for practices related to the financial crisis, recovering $85 billion –- much of it returned to ordinary Americans who were badly hurt.

He’s worked passionately to make sure our criminal justice system remains the best in the world.  He knows that too many outdated policies, no matter how well-intentioned, perpetuate a destructive cycle in too many communities.  So Eric addressed unfair sentencing disparities, reworked mandatory minimums, and promoted alternatives to incarceration.  And thanks to his efforts, since I took office, the overall crime rate and the overall incarceration rate have gone down by about 10 percent.  That’s the first time that they’ve declined together, at the same tim, in more than 40 years. 

Eric’s proudest achievement, though, might be reinvigorating and restoring the core mission to what he calls “the conscience of the building” -- and that’s the Civil Rights Division.  He has been relentless against attacks on the Voting Rights Act –- because no citizen, including our servicemembers, should have to jump through hoops to exercise their most fundamental right.  He’s challenged discriminatory state immigration laws that not only risked harassment of citizens and legal immigrants, but actually made it harder for law enforcement to do its job. 

Under his watch, the Department has brought a record number of prosecutions for human trafficking, and for hate crimes -- because no one in America should be afraid to walk down the street because of the color of their skin, the love in their heart, the faith they practice, or the disabilities that they live with. 

He’s dramatically advanced the cause of justice for Native Americans, working closely with their communities.  And several years ago, he recommended that our government stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act -- a decision that was vindicated by the Supreme Court, and opened the door to federal recognition of same-sex marriage, and federal benefits for same-sex couples.  It’s a pretty good track record.   

Eric’s father was an immigrant who served in the Army in World War II only to be refused service at lunch counters in the nation he defended.  But he and his wife raised their son to believe that this country’s promise was real, and that son grew up to become Attorney General of the United States.  And that’s something.  And that’s why Eric has worked so hard -- not just in my administration, but for decades -- to open up the promise of this country to more striving, dreaming kids like him.  To make sure those words -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -- are made real for all of us.

Soon, Eric, Sharon, and their kids will be a bit freer to pursue a little more happiness of their own.  And thanks to Eric’s efforts, so will more Americans -- regardless of race or religion, gender or creed, sexual orientation or disability, who will receive fair and equal treatment under the law.

So I just want to say thank you, Eric.  Thank you to the men and women of the Justice Department who work day in and out for the American people.  And we could not be more grateful for everything that you’ve done not just for me and the administration, but for our country.  (Applause.)  

ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER:  I come to this moment with very mixed emotions:  proud of what the men and women of the Department of Justice have accomplished over the last six years, and at the same time, very sad that I will not be a formal part -- a formal part -- of the great things that this Department and this President will accomplish over the next two.

I want to thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity that you gave me to serve and for giving me the greatest honor of my professional life.  We have been great colleagues, but the bonds between us are much deeper than that.  In good times and in bad, in things personal and in things professional, you have been there for me.  I’m proud to call you my friend.

I’m also grateful for the support you have given me and the Department as we have made real the visions that you and I have always shared.  I often think of those early talks between us, about our belief that we might help to craft a more perfect union.  Work remains to be done, but our list of accomplishments is real.

Over the last six years, our administration -- your administration -- has made historic gains in realizing the principles of the founding documents and fought to protect the most sacred of American rights, the right to vote.

We have begun to realize the promise of equality for our LGBT brothers and sisters and their families.  We have begun to significantly reform our criminal justice system and reconnect those who bravely serve in law enforcement with the communities that they protect.

We have kept faith with our belief in the power of the greatest judicial system the world has ever known to fairly and effectively adjudicate any cases that are brought before it, including those that involve the security of the nation that we both love so dearly.

We have taken steps to protect the environment and make more fair the rules by which our commercial enterprises operate.  And we have held accountable those who would harm the American people -- either through violent means or the misuse of economic or political power. 

I have loved the Department of Justice ever since as a young boy I watched Robert Kennedy prove during the Civil Rights Movement how the Department can and must always be a force for that which is right.  I hope that I have done honor to the faith that you have placed in me, Mr. President, and to the legacy of all those who have served before me.

I would also like to thank the Vice President, who I have known for so many years, and in whom I have found great wisdom, unwavering support, and a shared vision of what America can and should be.

I want to recognize my good friend Valerie Jarrett, whom I’ve been fortunate to work with from the beginning of what started as an improbable, idealistic effort by a young senator from Illinois, who we were both right to believe would achieve greatness.

I’ve had the opportunity to serve in your distinguished Cabinet and worked with a White House Chief of Staff -- a White House staff ably led by Denis McDonough that has done much to make real the promise of our democracy.  And each of the men and women who I have come to know will be lifelong friends.

Whatever my accomplishments, they could not have been achieved without the love, support and guidance of two people who are not here with me today.  My parents, Eric and Miriam Holder, nurtured me and my accomplished brother, William, and made us believe in the value of individual effort and the greatness of this nation.

My time in public service, which now comes to an end, would not have been possible without the sacrifices too often unfair made by the best three kids a father could ask for.  Thank you, Maya.  Thank you, Brooke.  And thank you, Buddy.

And finally, I want to thank the woman who sacrificed the most and allowed me to follow my dreams.  She is the foundation of all that our family is, and the basis of all that I have become.  My wife, Sharon, is the unsung hero.  And she is my life partner.  Thank you for all that you have done.  I love you.

In the months ahead, I will leave the Department of Justice, but I will never -- I will never -- leave the work.  I will continue to serve and try to find ways to make our nation even more true to its founding ideals. 

I want to thank the dedicated public servants who form the backbone of the United States Department of Justice for their tireless work over the past six years, for the efforts they will continue, and for the progress that they made and that will outlast us all.

And I want to thank you all for joining me on a journey that now moves in another direction, but that will always be guided by the pursuit of justice and aimed at the North Star.

Thank you.  (Applause.)

END
4:41 P.M. EDT