The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 17, 2013

Remarks by the President on the Reopening of the Government

State Dining Room

11:00 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  Please have a seat.

Well, last night, I signed legislation to reopen our government and pay America’s bills.  Because Democrats and responsible Republicans came together, the first government shutdown in 17 years is now over.  The first default in more than 200 years will not happen.  These twin threats to our economy have now been lifted.  And I want to thank those Democrats and Republicans for getting together and ultimately getting this job done. 

Now, there’s been a lot of discussion lately of the politics of this shutdown.  But let’s be clear:  There are no winners here.  These last few weeks have inflicted completely unnecessary damage on our economy.  We don’t know yet the full scope of the damage, but every analyst out there believes it slowed our growth. 

We know that families have gone without paychecks or services they depend on.  We know that potential homebuyers have gotten fewer mortgages, and small business loans have been put on hold.  We know that consumers have cut back on spending, and that half of all CEOs say that the shutdown and the threat of shutdown set back their plans to hire over the next six months.  We know that just the threat of default -- of America not paying all the bills that we owe on time -- increased our borrowing costs, which adds to our deficit. 

And, of course, we know that the American people’s frustration with what goes on in this town has never been higher. That's not a surprise that the American people are completely fed up with Washington.  At a moment when our economic recovery demands more jobs, more momentum, we've got yet another self-inflicted crisis that set our economy back.  And for what? 

There was no economic rationale for all of this.  Over the past four years, our economy has been growing, our businesses have been creating jobs, and our deficits have been cut in half. We hear some members who pushed for the shutdown say they were doing it to save the American economy -- but nothing has done more to undermine our economy these past three years than the kind of tactics that create these manufactured crises. 

And you don’t have to take my word for it.  The agency that put America’s credit rating on watch the other day explicitly cited all of this, saying that our economy “remains more dynamic and resilient” than other advanced economies, and that the only thing putting us at risk is -- and I'm quoting here -- “repeated brinksmanship.”  That's what the credit rating agency said.  That wasn’t a political statement; that was an analysis of what’s hurting our economy by people whose job it is to analyze these things. 

That also happens to be the view of our diplomats who’ve been hearing from their counterparts internationally.  Some of the same folks who pushed for the shutdown and threatened default claim their actions were needed to get America back on the right track, to make sure we're strong.  But probably nothing has done more damage to America's credibility in the world, our standing with other countries, than the spectacle that we've seen these past several weeks.  It's encouraged our enemies.  It's emboldened our competitors.  And it's depressed our friends who look to us for steady leadership.

Now, the good news is we'll bounce back from this.  We always do.  America is the bedrock of the global economy for a reason.  We are the indispensable nation that the rest of the world looks to as the safest and most reliable place to invest -- something that’s made it easier for generations of Americans to invest in their own futures.  We have earned that responsibility over more than two centuries because of the dynamism of our economy and our entrepreneurs, the productivity of our workers, but also because we keep our word and we meet our obligations.  That’s what full faith and credit means -- you can count on us. 
And today, I want our people and our businesses and the rest of the world to know that the full faith and credit of the United States remains unquestioned.

But to all my friends in Congress, understand that how business is done in this town has to change.  Because we've all got a lot of work to do on behalf of the American people -- and that includes the hard work of regaining their trust.  Our system of self-government doesn’t function without it.  And now that the government is reopened, and this threat to our economy is removed, all of us need to stop focusing on the lobbyists and the bloggers and the talking heads on radio and the professional activists who profit from conflict, and focus on what the majority of Americans sent us here to do, and that’s grow this economy; create good jobs; strengthen the middle class; educate our kids; lay the foundation for broad-based prosperity and get our fiscal house in order for the long haul.  That’s why we're here.  That should be our focus. 

Now, that won't be easy.  We all know that we have divided government right now.  There's a lot of noise out there, and the pressure from the extremes affect how a lot of members of Congress see the day-to-day work that’s supposed to be done here. And let's face it, the American people don’t see every issue the same way.  But that doesn’t mean we can't make progress.  And when we disagree, we don’t have to suggest that the other side doesn’t love this country or believe in free enterprise, or all the other rhetoric that seems to get worse every single year.  If we disagree on something, we can move on and focus on the things we agree on, and get some stuff done.

Let me be specific about three places where I believe we can make progress right now.  First, in the coming days and weeks, we should sit down and pursue a balanced approach to a responsible budget, a budget that grows our economy faster and shrinks our long-term deficits further. 

At the beginning of this year, that’s what both Democrats and Republicans committed to doing.  The Senate passed a budget; House passed a budget; they were supposed to come together and negotiate.  And had one side not decided to pursue a strategy of brinksmanship, each side could have gotten together and figured out, how do we shape a budget that provides certainty to businesses and people who rely on government, provides certainty to investors in our economy, and we’d be growing faster right now.

Now, the good news is the legislation I signed yesterday now requires Congress to do exactly that -- what it could have been doing all along. 

And we shouldn’t approach this process of creating a budget as an ideological exercise -- just cutting for the sake of cutting.  The issue is not growth versus fiscal responsibility -- we need both.  We need a budget that deals with the issues that most Americans are focused on:  creating more good jobs that pay better wages. 

And remember, the deficit is getting smaller, not bigger.  It’s going down faster than it has in the last 50 years. The challenges we have right now are not short-term deficits; it’s the long-term obligations that we have around things like Medicare and Social Security.  We want to make sure those are there for future generations. 

So the key now is a budget that cuts out the things that we don’t need, closes corporate tax loopholes that don’t help create jobs, and frees up resources for the things that do help us grow -- like education and infrastructure and research.  And these things historically have not been partisan.  And this shouldn’t be as difficult as it’s been in past years because we already spend less than we did a few years ago.  Our deficits are half of what they were a few years ago.  The debt problems we have now are long term, and we can address them without shortchanging our kids, or shortchanging our grandkids, or weakening the security that current generations have earned from their hard work.

So that’s number one.  Number two, we should finish fixing the job of -- let me say that again.  Number two, we should finish the job of fixing our broken immigration system. 

There's already a broad coalition across America that’s behind this effort of comprehensive immigration reform -- from business leaders to faith leaders to law enforcement.  In fact, the Senate has already passed a bill with strong bipartisan support that would make the biggest commitment to border security in our history; would modernize our legal immigration system; make sure everyone plays by the same rules, makes sure that folks who came here illegally have to pay a fine, pay back taxes, meet their responsibilities.  That bill has already passed the Senate. And economists estimate that if that bill becomes law, our economy would be 5 percent larger two decades from now.  That’s $1.4 trillion in new economic growth. 

The majority of Americans think this is the right thing to do.  And it's sitting there waiting for the House to pass it.  Now, if the House has ideas on how to improve the Senate bill, let's hear them.  Let's start the negotiations.  But let's not leave this problem to keep festering for another year, or two years, or three years.  This can and should get done by the end of this year. 

Number three, we should pass a farm bill, one that American farmers and ranchers can depend on; one that protects vulnerable children and adults in times of need; one that gives rural communities opportunities to grow and the long-term certainty that they deserve. 

Again, the Senate has already passed a solid bipartisan bill.  It's got support from Democrats and Republicans.  It's sitting in the House waiting for passage.  If House Republicans have ideas that they think would improve the farm bill, let's see them.  Let's negotiate.  What are we waiting for?  Let's get this done.

So, passing a budget; immigration reform; farm bill.  Those are three specific things that would make a huge difference in our economy right now.  And we could get them done by the end of the year if our focus is on what's good for the American people. And that’s just the big stuff.  There are all kinds of other things that we could be doing that don’t get as much attention. 

I understand we will not suddenly agree on everything now that the cloud of crisis has passed.  Democrats and Republicans are far apart on a lot of issues.  And I recognize there are folks on the other side who think that my policies are misguided -- that’s putting it mildly.  That’s okay.  That’s democracy.  That’s how it works.  We can debate those differences vigorously, passionately, in good faith, through the normal democratic process. 

And sometimes, we'll be just too far apart to forge an agreement.  But that should not hold back our efforts in areas where we do agree.  We shouldn’t fail to act on areas that we do agree or could agree just because we don’t think it's good politics; just because the extremes in our party don’t like the word “compromise.” 

I will look for willing partners wherever I can to get important work done.  And there's no good reason why we can't govern responsibly, despite our differences, without lurching from manufactured crisis to manufactured crisis.  In fact, one of the things that I hope all of us have learned these past few weeks is that it turns out smart, effective government is important.  It matters.  I think the American people during this shutdown had a chance to get some idea of all the things, large and small, that government does that make a difference in people's lives.

We hear all the time about how government is the problem.  Well, it turns out we rely on it in a whole lot of ways.  Not only does it keep us strong through our military and our law enforcement, it plays a vital role in caring for our seniors and our veterans, educating our kids, making sure our workers are trained for the jobs that are being created, arming our businesses with the best science and technology so they can compete with companies from other countries.  It plays a key role in keeping our food and our toys and our workplaces safe.  It helps folks rebuild after a storm.  It conserves our natural resources.  It finances startups.  It helps to sell our products overseas.  It provides security to our diplomats abroad. 

So let's work together to make government work better, instead of treating it like an enemy or purposely making it work worse.  That’s not what the founders of this nation envisioned when they gave us the gift of self-government.  You don’t like a particular policy or a particular president, then argue for your position.  Go out there and win an election.  Push to change it. But don’t break it.  Don’t break what our predecessors spent over two centuries building.  That's not being faithful to what this country is about.

And that brings me to one last point.  I’ve got a simple message for all the dedicated and patriotic federal workers who’ve either worked without pay or been forced off the job without pay these past few weeks, including most of my own staff: Thank you.  Thanks for your service.  Welcome back.  What you do is important.  It matters.

You defend our country overseas.  You deliver benefits to our troops who’ve earned them when they come home.  You guard our borders.  You protect our civil rights.  You help businesses grow and gain footholds in overseas markets.  You protect the air we breathe and the water our children drink.  And you push the boundaries of science and space, and you guide hundreds of thousands of people each day through the glories of this country. Thank you.  What you do is important.  And don't let anybody else tell you different.  Especially the young people who come to this city to serve -- believe that it matters.  Well, you know what, you’re right.  It does.

And those of us who have the privilege to serve this country have an obligation to do our job as best we can.  We come from different parties, but we are Americans first.  And that’s why disagreement cannot mean dysfunction.  It can't degenerate into hatred.  The American people’s hopes and dreams are what matters, not ours.  Our obligations are to them.  Our regard for them compels us all, Democrats and Republicans, to cooperate, and compromise, and act in the best interests of our nation –- one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thanks very much.

END
11:20 A.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 16, 2013

Statement by the President of the United States

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

8:28 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good evening, everybody.  Tonight, the Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together around an agreement that will reopen our government and remove the threat of default from our economy. 

The Senate has now voted to approve this agreement, and Democrats and Republicans in the House still have an important vote to take, but I want to thank the leaders of both parties for getting us to this point.  Once this agreement arrives on my desk, I will sign it immediately.  We'll begin reopening our government immediately, and we can begin to lift this cloud of uncertainty and unease from our businesses and from the American people. 

I'll have more to say about this tomorrow.  And I've got some thoughts about how we can move forward in the remainder of the year and stay focused on the job at hand, because there is a lot of work ahead of us, including our need to earn back the trust of the American people that has been lost over the last few weeks.  And we can begin to do that by addressing the real issues that they care about.

I've said it before, I'll say it again:  I am willing to work with anybody, I am eager to work with anybody -- Democrat or Republican, House or Senate members -- on any idea that will grow our economy, create new jobs, strengthen the middle class, and get our fiscal house in order for the long term.  I've never believed that Democrats have a monopoly on good ideas.  And despite the differences over the issue of shutting down our government, I'm convinced that Democrats and Republicans can work together to make progress for America.

In fact, there are things that we know will help strengthen our economy that we could get done before this year is out.  We still need to pass a law to fix our broken immigration system.  We still need to pass a farm bill.  And with the shutdown behind us and budget committees forming, we now have an opportunity to focus on a sensible budget that is responsible, that is fair, and that helps hardworking people all across this country.

And we could get all these things done even this year if everybody comes together in a spirit of how are we going to move this country forward and put the last three weeks behind us.  That’s what I believe the American people are looking for -- not a focus on politics, not a focus on elections, but a focus on the concrete steps that can improve their lives.  That’s going to be my focus.  I'm looking forward to Congress doing the same. 

But, once again, I want to thank the leadership for coming together and getting this done.  Hopefully, next time, it won't be in the 11th hour.  One of the things that I said throughout this process is we've got to get out of the habit of governing by crisis.  And my hope and expectation is everybody has learned that there is no reason why we can't work on the issues at hand, why we can't disagree between the parties while still being agreeable, and make sure that we're not inflicting harm on the American people when we do have disagreements.

So hopefully that’s a lesson that will be internalized, not just by me but also by Democrats and Republicans, not only the leaders but also the rank and file. 

Thanks very much, everybody. 

Q    Mr. President, isn't this going to happen all over again in a few months?

THE PRESIDENT:  No.  (Laughter.) 

END
8:31 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 15, 2013

Remarks by the President at Presentation of the Medal of Honor to Captain William D. Swenson

East Room

2:15 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  Please have a seat.  On behalf of Michelle and myself, welcome to the White House.

Last month, the United States Army released a remarkable piece of video.  It’s from the combat helmet cameras of a Medevac helicopter crew in Afghanistan.  And it’s shaky and it’s grainy, but it takes us to the frontlines that our troops face every single day, and it’s useful to remember that there is still a whole lot of our troops in Afghanistan in harm’s way.  In that video, as the helicopter touches down by a remote village, you see, out of a cloud of dust, an American soldier.  He’s without his helmet, standing in the open, exposing himself to enemy fire, standing watch over a severely wounded soldier. 

He helps carry that wounded soldier to the helicopter and places him inside.  And then, amidst the whipping wind and the deafening roar of the helicopter blades, he does something unexpected.  He leans in and kisses the wounded soldier on the head -- a simple act of compassion and loyalty to a brother in arms.  And as the door closes and the helicopter takes off, he turns and goes back the way he came, back into the battle.

In our nation’s history, we have presented our highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, nearly 3,500 times for actions above and beyond the call of duty.  But this may be the first time that we can actually bear witness to a small fraction of those actions for ourselves.  And today we honor the American in that video -- the soldier who went back in -- Captain William Swenson.

Not far away that day was then-Corporal Dakota Meyer, to whom we presented the Medal of Honor two years ago.  Today is only the second time in nearly half a century that the Medal of Honor has been awarded to two survivors of the same battle.   Dakota is not here today, but I want to welcome some of the soldiers and Marines who fought alongside both these men -- and the families of those who gave their lives that day.

I want to welcome all of our distinguished guests, including members of the Medal of Honor Society, whose ranks today grow by one more.  Most of all, I want to welcome Will’s wonderful parents, Julia and Carl -- and Will’s girlfriend, Kelsey.  Had a chance to visit with them.  Both Carl and Julia are former college professors, so instead of a house full of GI Joes, Will grew up in Seattle surrounded by educational games.  (Laughter.) I’m told that even when Will was little, his mom was always a stickler for grammar -- always making sure he said “to whom” instead of “to who.”  (Laughter.)  So I'm going to be very careful today.  (Laughter.) 

I just had a chance to spend some time with them, and I have to say Will is a pretty low-key guy.  His idea of a good time isn’t a big ceremony like this one.  He’d rather be somewhere up in the mountains, or on a trail, surrounded by cedar trees instead of cameras.  But I think our nation needs this ceremony today.  Moments like this, Americans like Will, remind us what our country can be at its best -- a nation of citizens who look out for one another; who meet our obligations to one another, not just when it’s easy, but also when it’s hard.  Maybe especially when it’s hard. 

Will, you’re an example to everyone in this city, and to our whole country of the professionalism and patriotism that we should strive for -- whether we wear the uniform or not -- not just on particular occasions, but all the time. 

For those who aren't familiar with the story of the battle that led Will to be here today, I want to take you back to that September morning four years ago.  It’s around sunrise.  A column of Afghan soldiers and their American advisors are winding their way up a narrow trail towards a village to meet with elders -- but just as the first soldier reaches the outskirts of the village, all hell breaks loose.

Almost instantly, four Americans -- three Marines, one Navy -- at the front of the column are surrounded.  Will and the soldiers in the center of the column are pinned down.  Rocket-propelled grenade, mortar, machine gun fire, all of this is pouring in from three sides. 

As he returns fire, Will calls for air support.  But his initial requests are denied -- Will and his team are too close to the village.  And then Will learns that his noncommissioned officer, Sergeant First Class Kenneth Westbrook, has been shot in the neck.  So Will breaks across 50 meters of open space, bullets biting all around; lying on his back, he presses a bandage to Kenneth’s wounds with one hand and calls for a Medevac with the other, trying to keep his buddy calm. 

By this time, the enemy has gotten even closer -- just 20 or 30 meters away, and over the radio, they’re demanding the Americans to surrender.  So Will stops treating Kenneth long enough to respond by lobbing a grenade. 

And finally, after more than an hour and a half of fighting, air support arrives.  Will directs them to nearby targets.  Then it’s time to move, so exposing himself again to enemy fire, Will helps carry Kenneth the length of more than two football fields, down steep terraces, to that helicopter.  And then, in the moment captured by those cameras, Will leans in to say goodbye.

But more Americans and more Afghans are still out there.  So Will does something incredible.  He jumps behind the wheel of an unarmored Ford Ranger pickup truck.  A Marine gets in the passenger seat.  And they drive that truck -- this is a vehicle designed for the highway -- straight into the battle. 

Twice, they pick up injured Afghan soldiers -- bullets whizzing past them, slamming into the pickup truck.  Twice they bring them back.  When the truck gives out, they grab a Humvee.  The Marine by Will’s side has no idea how they survived.  But, he says, “By that time it didn’t matter.  We weren’t going to leave any soldiers behind.”

Finally, a helicopter spots those four missing Americans -- hours after they were trapped in the opening ambush.  So Will gets in another Humvee, with a crew that includes Dakota Meyer.  And together, they drive.  Past enemy fighters, up through the valley, exposed once more.  And when they reach the village, Will jumps out -- drawing even more fire, dodging even more bullets.  But they reach those Americans, lying where they fell.  Will and the others carry them out, one by one.  They bring their fallen brothers home. 

Scripture tells us, “The greatest among you shall be your servant.”  Captain Will Swenson was a leader on that September morning.  But like all great leaders, he was also a servant -- to the men he commanded, to the more than a dozen Afghans and Americans whose lives he saved, to the families of those who gave their last full measure of devotion on that faraway field. 

As one of his fellow soldiers later said, Will “did things that nobody else would ever do, and he did it for his guys and for everybody on the ground, to get them out.”

That’s why, after I called Will to tell him he’d be receiving this Medal, one of the first things he did was to invite to this ceremony those who fought alongside him.  And I’d like all of those who served with such valor alongside Will, both Army and Marines, who fought for each other, please stand and be recognized.  (Applause.)  Thank you.

Will also reached out to the families of the four Americans who gave their lives that day.  To them he wrote -- and I'm quoting Will now -- “We have never met.  We have never spoken.  But I would like to believe that I know something about each of you through the actions of your loved ones on that day.  They were part of a team.  And you are now a part of that team.”  

So I would ask the members of this team -- the families of First Lieutenant Michael Johnson, Gunnery Sergeant Edwin Johnson, Gunnery Sergeant Aaron Kenefick, and Hospitalman Third Class James Layton, as well as the family of Kenneth Westbrook -- to please stand.  (Applause.)

Kenneth was the soldier Will delivered to the safety of that helicopter.  After being airlifted out, he made it to Walter Reed.  He started rehab and spent time with his wife, Charlene, who joins us here today.  She still remembers the first time she spoke to Will, when he called from Afghanistan to check in on Kenneth.

Soon after that phone call, however, Kenneth took a turn for the worse.  He succumbed to complications from his treatment.  But I think it’s fair to say that Charlene will always be grateful for the final days she was able to spend with her husband.  And even now, a month rarely goes by when Will doesn’t call or text, checking in with Charlene and her three boys.  “That’s the kind of man he is,” Charlene says about Will.  “You don’t have to ask Will for help.  He just knows when to be there for you.”

So Will Swenson was there for his brothers.  He was there for their families.  As a nation, we thank God that patriots like him are there for us all.

So, Will, God bless you, and all the men that you fought alongside and everything that you’ve done for us.  God bless all our men and women in uniform.  And God bless the United States of America.

With that, I'd like my Military Aide to read the citation, please. 

MILITARY AIDE:  The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863,
has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to
Captain William D. Swenson, United States Army,
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Captain William D. Swenson distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as embedded advisor to the Afghan National Border Police, Task Force Phoenix, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan in support of 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, during combat operations against an armed enemy in Kunar Province, Afghanistan on September 8, 2009. 

On that morning, more than 60 well-armed, well-positioned enemy fighters ambushed Captain Swenson's combat team as it moved on foot into the village of Ganjgal for a meeting with village elders.  As the enemy unleashed a barrage of rocket-propelled grenade, mortar and machine gun fire, Captain Swenson immediately returned fire and coordinated and directed the response of his Afghan Border Police, while simultaneously calling in suppressive artillery fire and aviation support.  After the enemy effectively flanked Coalition Forces, Captain Swenson repeatedly called for smoke to cover the withdrawal of the forward elements.  Surrounded on three sides by enemy forces inflicting effective and accurate fire, Captain Swenson coordinated air assets, indirect fire support and medical evacuation helicopter support to allow for the evacuation of the wounded. 

Captain Swenson ignored enemy radio transmissions demanding surrender and maneuvered uncovered to render medical aid to a wounded fellow soldier.  Captain Swenson stopped administering aid long enough to throw a grenade at approaching enemy forces, before assisting with moving the soldier for air evacuation.  With complete disregard for his own safety, Captain Swenson unhesitatingly led a team in an unarmored vehicle into the kill zone, exposing himself to enemy fire on at least two occasions, to recover the wounded and search for four missing comrades. 

After using aviation support to mark locations of fallen and wounded comrades, it became clear that ground recovery of the fallen was required due to heavy enemy fire on helicopter landing zones.  Captain Swenson’s team returned to the kill zone another time in a Humvee.  Captain Swenson voluntarily exited the vehicle, exposing himself to enemy fire, to locate and recover three fallen Marines and one fallen Navy corpsman. 

His exceptional leadership and stout resistance against the enemy during six hours of continuous fighting rallied his teammates and effectively disrupted the enemy's assault.  Captain William D. Swenson's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Task Force Phoenix, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division and the United States Army.

(The Medal is presented.)  (Applause.)

CHAPLAIN MAJOR GENERAL RUTHERFORD:  Eternal God, we ask your blessing to rest upon us this day as we go forth in peace, inspired by the actions of courageous and good people; that we follow the example set by Captain Swenson and his team, people of valor, ready when the cause for which we have given our vow confronts us.  Give us strength to live through troubled times.  Fill us with grace equal to every need, and grant us the wisdom and the will to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly. 

This we ask and pray in your holy name.  Amen. 

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, let me say once again, not only to Will, but all our men and women in uniform who have served us with such incredible courage and professionalism, that America is grateful for you.  To the families of those we've lost, we will never forget. 

And, Will, you are a remarkable role model for all of us, and we're very grateful for your service. 

We are going to have a reception after this.  I hear the food is pretty good around here.  (Laughter.)  And so I hope all of you have a chance to stay -- and those of you who have a chance to say thank you to Will, personally, obviously that's very welcome. 

I'm going to be exiting with Will and Michelle first.  We'll take a couple of pictures.  But enjoy yourselves this afternoon.

God bless America.  (Applause.)

END  
2:34 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 09, 2013

Remarks by the President in Nominating Dr. Janet Yellen as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

State Dining Room
 
3:16 P.M. EDT
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon.  Over the past five years, America has fought its way back from the worst recession since the Great Depression.  We passed historic reforms to prevent another crisis and to protect consumers.  Over the past three and half years, our businesses have created 7.5 million new jobs.  Our housing market is rebounding.  Manufacturing is growing.  The auto industry has come roaring back.  And since I took office, we’ve cut the deficit in half.
 
I think everybody understands we’ve still got a lot of work to do to rebuild the middle class, but we've made progress.  And we shouldn’t do anything to threaten that progress -- for these hard-won gains have made a difference to millions of Americans.  And, in part, we can thank the extraordinary grit and resilience of the American people; in part, we can thank the dynamism of our businesses.  But a lot of it also has to do with the choices we’ve made as a nation to create more jobs and more growth.  And one of the most important contributors to this whole process has been the Federal Reserve, under the strong leadership of Ben Bernanke.
 
For nearly eight years, Ben has led the Fed through some of the most daunting economic challenges of our lifetime.  For some time now he’s made it clear that he intends to finish his service as chairman at the end of his term, which is this January.  So, today I just want to take a minute to pay tribute to Ben for his extraordinary service.  But I also want to announce my choice for the next chair of the Federal Reserve, one of the nation’s foremost economists and policymakers -- current Vice Chairman Janet Yellen.
 
After I became President, I was proud to nominate Ben for a second term.  And while the Fed is, and must always be, independent, I want you to know, Ben, I'm personally very grateful to you for being such a strong partner in helping America recover from recession.
 
Perhaps it’s no surprise -- as the son of a pharmacist and a school teacher -- that Ben Bernanke is the epitome of calm.  And against the volatility of global markets, he’s been a voice of wisdom and a steady hand.  At the same time, when faced with a potential global economic meltdown, he has displayed tremendous courage and creativity.  He took bold action that was needed to avert another Depression -- helping us stop the free fall, stabilize financial markets, shore up our banks, get credit flowing again.
 
And all this has made a profound difference in the lives of millions of Americans.  A lot of people aren't necessarily sure what the chairman of the Federal Reserve does, but thanks to this man to the left of me, more families are able to afford their own home; more small businesses are able to get loans to expand and hire workers; more folks can pay their mortgages and their car loans.  It’s meant more growth and more jobs.
 
And I’d add that with his commitment to greater transparency and clarity, he’s also allowed us to better understand the work of the Fed.  Ben has led a new era of “Fedspeak” and been a little more clear about how the system works.  And that is good for our democracy.
 
And I have to tell you, as I travel around the world, the job of the Fed chair is not just our top monetary policymaker.  The world looks to the American Fed chair for leadership and guidance.  And the degree to which Ben is admired and respected, and the degree to which central bankers all across the world look to him for sound advice and smart policymaking is remarkable.  He has truly been a stabilizing force not just for our country, but for the entire world.  And I could not be more grateful for his extraordinary service.
 
And so, Ben, to you and your wife Anna, and your children Joel and Alyssa, I want to thank you for your outstanding service.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)
 
Now, as I’ve said, the decision on who will succeed Ben is one of the most important economic decisions that I’ll make as President -- one of the most important appointments that any President can make -- because the chair of the Fed is one of the most important policymakers in the world, and the next chair will help guide our economy after I’ve left office.
 
I’ve considered a lot of factors.  Foremost among them is an understanding of the Fed’s dual mandate -- sound monetary policy to make sure that we keep inflation in check, but also increasing employment and creating jobs, which remains our most important economic challenge right now.
 
And I’ve found these qualities in Janet Yellen.  She’s a proven leader and she’s tough -- not just because she’s from Brooklyn.  (Laughter.)  Janet is exceptionally well-qualified for this role.  She’s served in leadership positions at the Fed for more than a decade.  As Vice Chair for the past three years, she’s been exemplary and a driving force of policies to help boost our economic recovery.
 
Janet is renowned for her good judgment.  She sounded the alarm early about the housing bubble, about excesses in the financial sector, and about the risks of a major recession.  She doesn’t have a crystal ball, but what she does have is a keen understanding about how markets and the economy work -- not just in theory but also in the real world.  And she calls it like she sees it.
 
Janet also knows how to build consensus.  She listens to competing views and brings people together around a common goal. And as one of her admirers says, “She’s the kind of person who makes everybody around her better.”  Not surprisingly, she is held in high esteem by colleagues across the country and around the world who look to the United States, as I said, and the Fed for leadership.
 
Janet is committed to both sides of the Fed’s dual mandate, and she understands the necessity of a stable financial system where we move ahead with the reforms that we've begun -- to protect consumers, to ensure that no institution is too big to fail, and to make sure that taxpayers are never again left holding the bag because of the mistakes of the reckless few.  
 
And at the same time, she’s committed to increasing employment, and she understands the human costs when Americans can’t find a job.  She has said before, “These are not just statistics to me.  The toll is simply terrible on the mental and physical health of workers, on their marriages, on their children.”  So Janet understands this.  And America’s workers and their families will have a champion in Janet Yellen.
   
So, Janet, I thank you for taking on this new assignment.  And given the urgent economic challenges facing our nation, I urge the Senate to confirm Janet without delay.  I am absolutely confident that she will be an exceptional chair of the Federal Reserve.  I should add that she’ll be the first woman to lead the Fed in its 100-year history.  And I know a lot of Americans -- men and women -- thank you for not only your example and your excellence, but also being a role model for a lot of folks out there.  
 
It’s been said that Janet found love at the Federal Reserve -- literally.  (Laughter.)  This is where she met her husband George, a celebrated economist in his own right.  And their son Robert is an economist as well.  So you can imagine the conversations around the dinner table might be a little different than ours.  (Laughter.)  In fact, I’ve been told their idea of a great family vacation is the beach -- with a suitcase full of economics books.  (Laughter.)  But this is a family affair.  We thank George and Robert for their support as Janet begins this journey.
 
Again, I want to thank Ben Bernanke for the outstanding work that he’s done, and obviously he will continue to help keep our economy moving forward during the remainder of his tenure here.  So we'll probably have occasion for additional good-byes.  And I know that Janet is very much counting on him to give some good advice as she moves into the chairman spot.  
 
But with this, I’d like to give Janet a chance to say a few words.  (Applause.)
 
DR. YELLEN:  Thank you, Mr. President.  I'm honored and humbled by the faith that you’ve placed in me.  If confirmed by the Senate, I pledge to do my upmost to keep that trust and meet the great responsibilities that Congress has entrusted to the Federal Reserve -- to promote maximum employment, stable prices, and a strong and stable financial system.
 
I'd also like to thank my spouse, George, and my son, Robert.  I couldn't imagine taking on this new challenge without their love and support.
 
The past six years have been tumultuous for the economy and challenging for many Americans.  While I think we all agree, Mr. President, that more needs to be done to strengthen the recovery, particularly for those hardest hit by the Great Recession, we have made progress.  The economy is stronger and the financial system sounder.
 
As you said, Mr. President, considerable credit for that goes to Chairman Bernanke, for his wise, courageous and skillful leadership.  It has been my privilege to serve with him and learn from him.
 
While we have made progress, we have farther to go.  The mandate of the Federal Reserve is to serve all the American people, and too many Americans still can't find a job and worry how they’ll pay their bills and provide for their families.  The Federal Reserve can help if it does its job effectively.  We can help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to work hard and build a better life.  We can ensure that inflation remains in check and doesn’t undermine the benefits of a growing economy.
We can, and must, safeguard the financial system.
 
The Fed has powerful tools to influence the economy and the financial system.  But I believe its greatest strength rests in its capacity to approach important decisions with expertise and objectivity, to vigorously debate diverse views and then to unite behind its response.
 
The Fed’s effectiveness depends on the commitment, ingenuity and integrity of the Fed staff and my fellow policymakers.  They serve America with great dedication.
 
Mr. President, thank you for giving me this opportunity to continue serving the Federal Reserve and carrying out its important work on behalf of the American people.  (Applause.)
 
 
                     END                3:29 P.M. EDT      
 
 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 07, 2013

Remarks by the President at FEMA Headquarters

FEMA Headquarters
Washington, D.C.

12:30 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m here at FEMA for a couple of reasons.  First of all, I want to thank Craig Fugate and his entire team, and the incredible workers who are here at FEMA.  They are having to, under less than optimal situations, still respond to Mother Nature, which doesn’t stop just because the government has shut down.

I wanted to get initially a briefing on what had happened with Hurricane Karen, became Tropical Karen, and then fortunately dissipated, so we dodged a bullet there.  In the meantime, we’re on tornado watch here in the Mid-Atlantic states because of severe weather patterns.  And we’ve got blizzards up north, we’ve got some weather patterns in the middle of the country that we’re still monitoring.  And so I just want to say thank you to all of you for the incredible work that you’re doing.

I think it’s important to understand that the people here at FEMA have been doing everything they can to respond to potential events.  Here at FEMA, they’re in touch with their state and local partners in case resources are needed.  FEMA remains prepared for natural disasters year around, with supplies pre-positioned in distribution centers across the country. 

But their job has been made more difficult.  Thanks to the folks at FEMA, we were prepared for what might have happened down in Florida.  Nevertheless, the government is still shut down, services are still interrupted, and hundreds of thousands of hardworking public servants, including many FEMA professionals, are still furloughed without pay, or they’re not allowed to work at all.

So Craig was just explaining to me here at FEMA -- about 86 percent of the FEMA workforce is furloughed.  In response to the potential event that might have happened down in Florida and along the coasts, Craig called back 200 of those workers.  Keep in mind, calling them back doesn’t mean they were getting paid, it just means they had the privilege of working without pay to make sure that they were doing everything they can to respond to the potential needs of their fellow citizens.

Now that this particular storm has dissipated, Craig is going to have to re-furlough at least 100 of those folks who were called back.  So think about that.  Here you are, somebody who’s a FEMA professional dedicated to doing your job; at a moment’s notice you’re willing to show up here in case people got in trouble and respond to them, even though you’re not getting paid, even though you don’t have certainty.  And now you’re being put back on furlough because the government is shut down.  That’s no way of doing business.

That, by the way, just speaks to the day-to-day emergencies that may come up and that is FEMA’s job to respond to.  Craig was also explaining the fact that when it comes to training first responders, for example, we have on a weekly basis already scheduled training for first responders that now have to be rescheduled.  It will probably end up ultimately costing the government more money for us to put those things back together again.  And so not only is this shutdown hurting FEMA workers, not only is it making it more difficult for us to respond to potential natural disasters, but it may actually end up costing taxpayers more than it should.

Right now, Congress should do what’s in the best interest of the economy and the American people, and that’s move beyond this manufactured crisis and work together to focus on growth, jobs, and providing the vital services that Americans all across the country depend on, including the services that FEMA provides.

I heard a lot of talk over the weekend that the real problem is, is that the President will not negotiate.  Well, let me tell you something -- I have said from the start of the year that I’m happy to talk to Republicans about anything related to the budget.  There’s not a subject that I am not willing to engage in, work on, negotiate, and come up with common-sense compromises on.

What I’ve said is that I cannot do that under the threat that if Republicans don’t get 100 percent of their way, they’re going to either shut down the government or they are going to default on America’s debt so that America for the first time in history does not pay its bills.  That is not something I will do.  We’re not going to establish that pattern.

We’re not going to negotiate under the threat of further harm to our economy and middle-class families.  We’re not going to negotiate under the threat of a prolonged shutdown until Republicans get 100 percent of what they want.  We’re not going to negotiate under the threat of economic catastrophe that economists and CEOs increasingly warn would result if Congress chose to default on America’s obligations.

Now, the other thing I heard over the weekend was this notion that Congress doesn’t have the capacity to end this shutdown.  The truth of the matter is there are enough Republican and Democratic votes in the House of Representatives right now to end this shutdown immediately, with no partisan strings attached.  The House should hold that vote today.  If Republicans and Speaker Boehner are saying there are not enough votes, then they should prove it.  Let the bill go to the floor and let’s see what happens.  Just vote.  Let every member of Congress vote their conscience and they can determine whether or not they want to shut the government down.

My suspicion is -- my very strong suspicion is that there are enough votes there.  And the reason that Speaker Boehner hasn’t called a vote on it is because he doesn’t, apparently, want to see the government shutdown end at the moment unless he’s able to extract concessions that don't have anything to do with the budget.  Well, I think the American people simply want government to work.  And there’s no reason that there has to be a shutdown in order for the kinds of negotiations Speaker Boehner says he wants to proceed.  Hold a vote.  Call a vote right now, and let’s see what happens. 

The second thing Congress needs to do is to raise the debt ceiling next week so the Treasury can pay the bills that Congress has already spent.  That's what most Americans do if they buy something -- if they buy a car or if they buy a house, if they put something on a credit card, they understand they’ve got to pay the bills.

This is something routine.  It’s been done more than 40 times since Ronald Reagan was President.  It has never before been used in the kind of ways that the Republicans are talking about using it right now.  We can't threat an economic catastrophe in the midst of budget negotiations. 

So authorize the Treasury to pay America’s bill.  Pass a budget, end the government shutdown, pay our bills, and prevent an economic shutdown.

And as soon as that happens, I am eager and ready to sit down and negotiate with Republicans on a whole range of issues:  How do we create more jobs?  How do we grow the economy?  How do we boost manufacturing?  How do we make sure our kids are getting a first-class education?  All those things will be on the table.  I'm happy to talk about health care; happy to talk about energy policy; how do we deal with our long-term fiscal situation. 

All those things I've been eager and anxious to talk to Republicans about for the last seven months, and I've put out a budget that specifically lays out my vision for how we're going to grow this economy.  And I expect the Republicans should do the same, and we can negotiate it.  But we shouldn’t hurt a whole bunch of people in order for one side to think that they’re going to have a little more leverage in those negotiations.

Last point I'm going to make:  The bill that is being presented to end the government shutdown reflects Republican priorities.  It’s the Republican budget.  The funding levels of this short-term funding bill, called the CR, is far lower than what Democrats think it should be.  Nevertheless, Democrats are prepared to put the majority of votes on to reopen the government.  So when you hear this notion that Democrats aren't compromising -- we're compromising so much we're willing to reopen the government at funding levels that reflect Republican wishes, don't at all reflect our wishes. 

For example, here at FEMA, they’re still subject to the sequester, so even before the shutdown they were having trouble making sure that everybody was staying on the job and fulfilling all of their various functions.  We need to get that sequester lifted that's been hanging over the head of the economy and federal agencies during the course of this entire year. 

This short-term legislation to reopen the government doesn’t even address that.  That has to be done in a broader budget framework. 

So Democrats have said we are willing to pass a bill that reflects the Republicans’ priorities in terms of funding levels.  That's a pretty significant compromise.  What we're not willing to do is to create a permanent pattern in which unless you get your way the government is shut down or America defaults.  That's not how we do business in this country, and we're not going to start now.

So, again, I want to thank everybody at FEMA here for the extraordinary work that you're doing.  You show each and every day that you take your responsibilities seriously.  You do your jobs with consummate professionalism.  And hopefully you're setting a good example for members of Congress.  They need to be doing the same thing.  And if they do, then there’s no reason why we all can't move forward and make sure that we're taking care of America’s business.

Thank you very much, everybody.

END  
12:41 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 03, 2013

Remarks by the President on the Government Shutdown

M. Luis Construction Company, Rockville, Maryland

10:49 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  (Applause.)  Good to see all of you.  Please, please have a seat.  Well, hello, Rockville! 

Let me start by recognizing three public servants who fight hard every day for Maryland families and businesses.  First of all, Congressman Chris Van Hollen is here.  (Applause.)  Yay, Chris!  Congressman John Delaney is here.  (Applause.)  And we have the acting head of the Small Business Administration -- Jeanne Hulit is here.  (Applause.)

And I also want to give a big thanks to your bosses, Cidalia and Natalia, for being such gracious hosts.  I had a chance to meet them at the White House.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Now I know where they got their good looks from, because I had a chance to meet mom and dad, and their beautiful families.  So I’m so glad to be here.  And I had a chance to learn a little bit about their story.  So when their parents brought them from Portugal to America almost 40 years ago, no one in the family spoke a word of English.  But that didn’t stop their father, Manuel, and their mother, Albertina, from having a big dream -- believing that if they worked hard, they could get ahead, and that even though they’d never had any schooling, maybe their daughters could go to college; maybe in America you could make it if you tried.  That’s what they believed. 

So they started their own construction company with a pickup truck and a wheelbarrow.  And when Cidalia and Natalia turned 14, they began to help -- cleaning tools, translating documents.  And they became the first in their family to go to college.  After graduation, they started their own business, and later they bought the family business from their parents.  So today, M. Luis Construction is a $60 million company with about 250 employees.  (Applause.)  And I understand you’re opening your fourth office at the end of this month.  So this story is what America is all about.  You start off -- maybe you don’t have a lot -- but you’re willing to work hard, you put in the time, opportunities out there, and you’re able to pass on an even better life to your family, your children, your grandchildren.

And it’s good news that after how hard the construction industry got hit during the recession, things are starting to get a little better.  Remember, it was just five years ago that our economy was in free fall.  Businesses were shedding hundreds of thousands of jobs every single month, and the recession ultimately cost millions of Americans their jobs, their homes, their savings -- everything they had worked hard to build. 

Today, over the last three and a half years, our businesses have added 7.5 million new jobs.  (Applause.)  Our deficits are falling.  Our housing market is healing, which means construction is improving; manufacturing is growing; the auto industry is back.  America is on pace to become the number one energy producer in the world this year.  (Applause.)  More small businesses have gotten loans so they can grow and they can hire -- just like M. Luis did with the help of the Small Business Jobs Act that I signed three years ago.  So that’s part of what allowed this company to grow.  (Applause.) 

So we still have a long way to go.  We've still got a lot of work to do, especially to rebuild the middle class.  But we're making steady progress.  And the reason I'm here is, we can't afford to threaten that progress right now.  Right now, hundreds of thousands of Americans, hardworking Americans, suddenly aren’t receiving their paycheck.  Right now, they're worrying about missing the rent, or their mortgage, or even making ends meet.  We can all relate to that.  Imagine if suddenly you weren't sure whether you were going to get your next paycheck, with all the bills that might be mounting up.  Well, that’s what's happening right now to hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country. 

Companies like this one worried that their businesses are going to be disrupted, because obviously, particularly in an area like Maryland, Virginia, where there are a lot of federal workers, you don’t know how that’s going to impact the economy.  Veterans, seniors, women -- they're all worrying that the services they depend on will be disrupted too. 

And the worst part is, this time it’s not because of a once-in-a-lifetime recession.  This isn't happening because of some financial crisis.  It's happening because of a reckless Republican shutdown in Washington.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  That’s right!  (Applause.) 

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, we’ve all seen the offices locked down, the monuments closed.  We’ve heard about services denied, we've heard about benefits that are delayed.  But the impacts of a shutdown go way beyond those things that you're seeing on television.  Those hundreds of thousands of Americans -- a lot of whom live around here -- don’t know when they're going to get their next paycheck, and that means stores and restaurants around here don’t know if they'll have as many customers. 

Across the country you've got farmers in rural areas and small business owners who deserve a loan, but they're being left in the lurch right now.  They might have an application pending as we speak, but there's nobody in the office to process the loan.  The SBA gives a billion dollars of loans a month to small businesses -- a billion dollars a month goes to small businesses all across the country.  Right now those can't be processed because there's nobody there to process them. 

Veterans who deserve our support are getting less help.  Little kids who deserve a Head Start have been sent home from the safe places where they learn and grow every single day.  And of course, their families then have to scramble to figure out what to do.  And the longer this goes on, the worse it will be.  And it makes no sense. 

The American people elected their representatives to make their lives easier, not harder.  And there is one way out of this reckless and damaging Republican shutdown:  Congress has to pass a budget that funds our government with no partisan strings attached.  (Applause.) 

Now, I want everybody to understand what's happened, because sometimes when this gets reported on everybody kind of thinks, well, you know, both sides are just squabbling; Democrats and Republicans, they're always arguing, so neither side is behaving properly.  I want everybody to understand what's happened here.  The Republicans passed a temporary budget for two months at a funding level that we, as Democrats, actually think is way too low because we’re not providing help for more small businesses, doing more for early childhood education, doing more to rebuild our infrastructure.  But we said, okay, while we’re still trying to figure out this budget, we’re prepared to go ahead and take the Republican budget levels that they proposed.

So the Senate passed that with no strings attached -- not because it had everything the Democrats wanted.  In fact, it had very little that the Democrats wanted.  But we said, let’s go ahead and just make sure that other people aren’t hurt while negotiations are still taking place.

So that’s already passed the Senate.  And we know there are enough Republicans and Democrats to vote in the House of Representatives for the same thing.  So I want everybody to understand this:  There are enough Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives today that, if the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, simply let the bill get on the floor for an up-or-down vote, every congressman could vote their conscience  -- the shutdown would end today.

The only thing that is keeping the government shut down; the only thing preventing people from going back to work and basic research starting back up, and farmers and small business owners getting their loan -- the only thing that’s preventing all that from happening, right now, today, in the next five minutes, is that Speaker John Boehner won’t even let the bill get a yes-or-no vote, because he doesn’t want to anger the extremists in his party.  That’s all.  That’s what this whole thing is about. 

We’ve heard a lot from congressional Republicans in the past couple of days saying they don’t want this shutdown.  Well, there’s a simple way to prove it.  Send the bill to the floor, let everybody vote -- it will pass.  Send me the bill; I will sign it.  The shutdown will be over and we can get back to the business of governing and helping the American people.  (Applause.) 

It could happen in the next half hour.  National parks, monuments, offices would all reopen immediately.  Benefits and services would resume again.  Hundreds of thousands of dedicated public servants who are worrying about whether they’re going to be able to pay the mortgage or pay the car note, they’d start going back to work right away.  So my simple message today is:  Call a vote.  Call a vote. 

AUDIENCE:  Call a vote!  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Put it on the floor and let every individual member of Congress make up their own minds.  And they can show the American people, are you for a shutdown or not?  If you’re not for a shutdown, you’ll vote for the bill; if you’re for a shutdown, you won’t vote for a bill.  We don’t have to twist anybody’s arms.  But that way, the American people will be clear about who is responsible for the shutdown.  Or, alternatively, more hopefully, they’d be clear that this is something that doesn’t make sense and we should go ahead and make sure that we’re looking out for the American people.  It should be that simple.

But as I said, the problem we’ve got is that there’s one faction of one party, in one half of one branch of government that so far has refused to allow that yes-or-no vote unless they get some massive partisan concessions in exchange for doing what they’re supposed to be doing anyway, in exchange for doing what everybody else agrees is necessary.  And they won’t agree to end the shutdown until they get their way.  And you may think I’m exaggerating, but just the other day, one tea party Republican called the idea of a shutdown “wonderful.”  Another said that a shutdown is “exactly what we wanted.”  Well, they got exactly what they wanted.  Now they’re trying to figure out how to get out of it. 

Just yesterday, one House Republican said -- I'm quoting here, because I want to make sure people understand I didn't make this up.  One House Republican said, “We’re not going to be disrespected.  We have to get something out of this.  And I don’t know what that even is.”  That was a quote.  "We're not going to be disrespected.  We have got to get something out of this.  And I don't know what that even is."  Think about that.  

You have already gotten the opportunity to serve the American people.  There is no higher honor than that.  (Applause.)  You've already gotten the opportunity to help businesses like this one, workers like these.  So the American people aren't in the mood to give you a goodie bag to go with it.  What you get is our intelligence professionals being back on the job.  What you get is our medical researchers back on the job.  (Applause.)  What you get are little kids back into Head Start.  (Applause.)  What you get are our national parks and monuments open again.  What you get is the economy not stalling, but continuing to grow.  (Applause.)  What you get are workers continuing to be hired.  That's what you get.  That's what you should be asking for.  Take a vote, stop this farce, and end this shutdown right now.  (Applause.)

If you're being disrespected, it's because of that attitude you got that you deserve to get something for doing your job.  Everybody here just does their job, right?  If you're working here and in the middle of the day you just stopped and said, you know what, I want to get something, but I don't know exactly what I'm going to get.  (Laughter.)  But I'm just going to stop working until I get something.  I'm going to shut down the whole plant until I get something. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  You'd get fired. 

THE PRESIDENT:  You'd get fired.  (Applause.)  Right?  Because the deal is you've already gotten hired.  You've got a job.  You're getting a paycheck.  And so you also are getting the pride of doing a good job and contributing to a business and looking out for your fellow workers.  That's what you're getting.  Well, it shouldn't be any different for a member of Congress.     

Now, unlike past shutdowns -- I want to make sure everybody understands this because, again, sometimes the tendency is to say, well, both sides are at fault.  This one has nothing to do with deficits or spending or budgets.  Our deficits are falling at the fastest pace in 60 years.  We’ve cut the deficits in half since I took office.  (Applause.)  And some of the things that the Republicans are asking for right now would actually add to our deficits, seriously.

So this is not about spending.  And this isn't about fiscal responsibility.  This whole thing is about one thing:  the Republican obsession with dismantling the Affordable Care Act and denying affordable health insurance to millions of Americans.  (Applause.)  That's all this has become about.  That seems to be the only thing that unites the Republican Party these days. 

Through this whole fight, they’ve said the American people don’t want Obamacare, so we should shut down the government to repeal it or delay it.  But here's the problem:  The government is now shut down, but the Affordable Care Act is still open for business.  (Applause.)  So they're not even accomplishing what they say they want to accomplish.  And, by the way, in the first two days since the new marketplaces -- basically big group plans that we've set up -- the first two days that they opened, websites where you can compare and purchase new affordable insurance plans and maybe get tax credits to reduce your costs, millions of Americans have made it clear they do want health insurance.  (Applause.) 

More than 6 million people visited the website HealthCare.gov the day it opened.  Nearly 200,000 people picked up the phone and called the call center.  In Kentucky alone -- this is a state where -- I didn’t win Kentucky.  (Laughter.)  So I know they weren't doing it for me.  In Kentucky, nearly 11,000 people applied for new insurance plans in the first two days -- just in one state, Kentucky.  And many Americans are finding out when they go on the website that they'll save a lot of money or get health insurance for the first time. 

So I would think that if, in fact, this was going to be such a disaster that the Republicans say it's going to be, that it was going to be so unpopular, they wouldn’t have to shut down the government.  They could wait, nobody would show any interest, there would be, like, two people on the website -- (laughter) -- and everybody would then vote for candidates who want to repeal it. 

It's not as if Republicans haven't had a chance to debate the health care law.  It passed the House of Representatives.  It passed the Senate.  The Supreme Court ruled it constitutional -- you remember all this.  Last November, voters rejected the presidential candidate that ran on a platform to repeal it.  (Applause.)  So the Affordable Care Act has gone through every single democratic process, all three branches of government.  It's the law of the land.  It's here to stay. 

I've said to Republicans, if there are specific things you think can improve the law to make it even better for people as opposed to just gutting it and leaving 25 million people without health insurance, I'm happy to talk to you about that.  But a Republican shutdown won't change the fact that millions of people need health insurance, and that the Affordable Care Act is being implemented.  The shutdown does not change that.  All the shutdown is doing is making it harder for ordinary Americans to get by, and harder for businesses to create jobs at a time when our economy is just starting to gain traction again. 

You've heard Republicans say that Obamacare will hurt the economy, but the economy has been growing and creating jobs.  The single-greatest threat to our economy and to our businesses like this one is not the Affordable Care Act, it's the unwillingness of Republicans in Congress to stop refighting a settled election, or making the demands that have nothing to do with the budget.  They need to move on to the actual business of governing.  That’s what will help the economy.  That's what will grow the economy.  That’s what will put people back to work.  (Applause.) 

And more than that, House Republicans need to stop careening from one crisis to another in everything they do.  Have you noticed that?  Since they've taken over the House of Representatives, we have one of these crises every three months.  Have you noticed?  And you keep on thinking, all right, well, this is going to be the last one; they're not going to do this again.  And then they do it again.

I know you're tired of it.  I’m tired of it.  It doesn’t mean that they're wrong on every single issue.  I've said I'm happy to negotiate with you on anything.  I don’t think any one party has a monopoly on wisdom.  But you don’t negotiate by putting a gun to the other person's head -- or, worse yet, by putting a gun to the American people's head by threatening a shutdown. 

And, by the way, even after Congress reopens your government, it's going to have to turn around very quickly and do something else -- and that's pay America's bills.  I want to spend a little time on this.  It's something called raising the debt ceiling.  And it's got a lousy name, so a lot of people end up thinking, I don’t know, I don't think we should raise our debt ceiling, because it sounds like we're raising our debt.  But that's not what this is about.

It doesn't cost taxpayers a single dime.  It doesn't grow our deficits by a single dime.  It doesn't allow anybody to spend any new money whatsoever.  So it's not something that raises our debt.  What it does is allow the U.S. Treasury, the U.S. government to pay the bills that Congress has already racked up.  I want you to think about this. 

If you go to a restaurant, you order a meal, you eat it.  Maybe you have some wine.  Maybe you have two glasses of wine -- great meal.  And then you look at the tab -- it's pretty expensive -- and you decide I'm not going to pay the bill.  But you're not saving money.  You're not being frugal.  You're just a deadbeat, right?  (Laughter.)  If you buy a house and you decide, this month I'd rather go on vacation somewhere so I'm not going to pay my mortgage, you didn't just save yourself some money.  You're just going to get foreclosed on. 

So you don't save money by not paying your bills.  You don't reduce your debt by not paying your bills.  All you're doing is making yourself unreliable and hurting your credit rating.  And you'll start getting those phone calls and those notices in the mail.  And the next time you try to borrow, somebody is going to say, uh-uh, because you don't pay your bills, you're a deadbeat.  Well, the same is true for countries.

The only thing that the debt ceiling does is to let the U.S. Treasury pay for what Congress has already bought.  That's why it's something that has been routine.  Traditionally, it's not a big deal.  Congress has raised it 45 times since Ronald Reagan took office.  This is just kind of a routine part of keeping the government running.  The last time the House Republicans flirted with not raising the debt ceiling, back in 2011 -- some of you remember this -- our economy took a bad hit.  Our country's credit rating was downgraded for the first time, just like you'd be downgraded if you didn't pay your mortgage.

This time, they are threatening to actually force the United States to default on its obligations for the very first time in history.  Now, you'll hear John Boehner and Mitch McConnell and these other Republicans say, we don't want to default.  But everybody knows -- it's written about in all the papers -- that their basic theory is, okay, if the shutdown doesn't work, then we are going to try to get some extra concessions out of the President.  We'll put like a long laundry list, all the things that we want that we can't get passed on our own.  And if we don't get it, we'll tell them we don't -- we won't vote to pay the country's bills.  We'll let the country default. 

I'm not just making this up.  I mean, it's common knowledge.  Every reporter here knows it.  And I want you to understand the consequences of this.  As reckless as a government shutdown is, as many people as are being hurt by a government shutdown, an economic shutdown that results from default would be dramatically worse.  In a government shutdown, Social Security checks still go out on time.  In an economic shutdown, if we don't raise the debt ceiling, they don't go out on time.

In a government shutdown, disability benefits still arrive on time.  In an economic shutdown, they don't.  In a government shutdown, millions of Americans -- not just federal workers -- everybody faces real economic hardship.  In an economic shutdown, falling pensions and home values and rising interest rates on things like mortgages and student loans -- all those things risk putting us back into a bad recession, which will affect this company and those workers and all of you.  That's not my analysis.  That's -- every economist out there is saying the same thing.  We've never done it before.

And the United States is the center of the world economy.  So if we screw up, everybody gets screwed up.  The whole world will have problems, which is why generally nobody has ever thought to actually threaten not to pay our bills.  It would be the height of irresponsibility.  And that's why I've said this before -- I'm going to repeat it:  There will be no negotiations over this.  (Applause.)  The American people are not pawns in some political game.  You don't get to demand some ransom in exchange for keeping the government running.  You don't get to demand ransom in exchange for keeping the economy running.  You don't get to demand ransom for doing your most basic job.        

And the sooner that the Republicans in Congress heed the warnings not just of me or Democrats like Chris and John, but heed the warnings of the Chamber of Commerce, and CEOs, and economists, and a whole lot of Republicans outside of Congress  -- they're all saying, do not do this.  They're all saying to Congress, do your job; and the sooner you do your job, the less damage you'll do to our economy and to businesses like this one.

So pass a budget, end the government shutdown.  Pay our bills.  Prevent an economic shutdown.  Just vote and end this shutdown.  And you should do it today so we can get back to growing this economy, creating jobs and strengthening our middle class.  (Applause.) 

Let me close just by sharing a story I heard as I was getting ready to come here today.  Many of you already know it.  Two years ago, a mulch factory next to M. Luis's main equipment storage facility caught fire, and most of the company's equipment was destroyed, causing millions of dollars in damage.  But even while the fire was still burning, dozens of employees rushed over to the facility and tried to save as much as they could -- some of you were probably there.  And when they finished cutting fire lines and spraying down the perimeter of their own property, they went over to help their neighbors. 

And afterwards, even though all the employees here at M. Luis are on salary, even though the company had just taken a big financial hit, Cidalia and Natalia paid everyone overtime, and along with each check they included a personalized note saying just how much they had appreciated the efforts of the workers.  And Cidalia said, everybody says the biggest asset to a business is employees.  Some people mean it, some people don’t -- we actually do. 

So this company right here is full of folks who do right by each other.  They don’t try to see if they can work every angle.  They don’t lie about each other.  They don’t try to undermine each other.  They understand they're supposed to be on the same team.  You pitch in, you look out for one another.  When somebody gets knocked down, you help them back up.  You don’t ask what can you get out of this, because you know that success doesn’t depend on one of you, it depends on all of you working together.

Well, America is no different.  I see that same spirit in so many cities and towns that I visit all across the country.  It is alive and well all across the country.  It's alive and well in this community where restaurants and businesses are rallying around their regulars, and they're looking out for all the dedicated public servants who have been furloughed.  You've been reading stories about restaurants who are saying, you know what, while you're on furlough, come on, we'll give you a burger, we'll give you a meal, we'll help you out.

That’s the American ideal.  It says, we're working together, looking out for one another, meeting our responsibilities, doing our jobs, thinking about future generations.  And that’s why I believe, ultimately, reason and common sense will prevail.  That spirit at some point will infiltrate Washington as well.  Because I think the American people are so good and so decent, they're going to get better behavior from their government than this.  And we'll once again make sure this is a country where you can make it if you try.

So thank you, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

                       

                        END                11:21 A.M. EDT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 01, 2013

Remarks by the President on the Affordable Care Act and the Government Shutdown

Rose Garden

1:01 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good morning, everybody.  At midnight last night, for the first time in 17 years, Republicans in Congress chose to shut down the federal government.  Let me be more specific:  One faction, of one party, in one house of Congress, in one branch of government, shut down major parts of the government -- all because they didn’t like one law. 

This Republican shutdown did not have to happen.  But I want every American to understand why it did happen.  Republicans in the House of Representatives refused to fund the government unless we defunded or dismantled the Affordable Care Act.  They’ve shut down the government over an ideological crusade to deny affordable health insurance to millions of Americans.  In other words, they demanded ransom just for doing their job. 

And many representatives, including an increasing number of Republicans, have made it clear that had they been allowed by Speaker Boehner to take a simple up or down vote on keeping the government open, with no partisan strings attached, enough votes from both parties would have kept the American people’s government open and operating.

We may not know the full impact of this Republican shutdown for some time.  It will depend on how long it lasts.  But we do know a couple of things.  We know that the last time Republicans shut down the government in 1996, it hurt our economy.  And unlike 1996, our economy is still recovering from the worst recession in generations. 

We know that certain services and benefits that America’s seniors and veterans and business owners depend on must be put on hold.  Certain offices, along with every national park and monument, must be closed.  And while last night, I signed legislation to make sure our 1.4 million active-duty military are paid through the shutdown, hundreds of thousands of civilian workers -- many still on the job, many forced to stay home -- aren’t being paid, even if they have families to support and local businesses that rely on them.  And we know that the longer this shutdown continues, the worse the effects will be.  More families will be hurt.  More businesses will be harmed. 

So, once again, I urge House Republicans to reopen the government, restart the services Americans depend on, and allow the public servants who have been sent home to return to work.  This is only going to happen when Republicans realize they don’t get to hold the entire economy hostage over ideological demands.

As I’ve said repeatedly, I am prepared to work with Democrats and Republicans to do the things we need to do to grow the economy and create jobs, and get our fiscal house in order over the long run.  Although I should add this shutdown isn’t about deficits, or spending, or budgets.  After all, our deficits are falling at the fastest pace in 50 years.  We’ve cut them in half since I took office.  In fact, many of the demands the Republicans are now making would actually raise our deficits.

No, this shutdown is not about deficits, it’s not about budgets.  This shutdown is about rolling back our efforts to provide health insurance to folks who don’t have it.  It’s all about rolling back the Affordable Care Act.  This, more than anything else, seems to be what the Republican Party stands for these days.  I know it’s strange that one party would make keeping people uninsured the centerpiece of their agenda, but that apparently is what it is. 

And of course, what’s stranger still is that shutting down our government doesn’t accomplish their stated goal.  The Affordable Care Act is a law that passed the House; it passed the Senate.  The Supreme Court ruled it constitutional.  It was a central issue in last year’s election.  It is settled, and it is here to stay.  And because of its funding sources, it’s not impacted by a government shutdown. 

And these Americans are here with me today because, even though the government is closed, a big part of the Affordable Care Act is now open for business.  And for them, and millions like them, this is a historic day for a good reason.  It’s been a long time coming, but today, Americans who have been forced to go without insurance can now visit healthcare.gov and enroll in affordable new plans that offer quality coverage.  That starts today. 

And people will have six months to sign up.  So over the next six months, people are going to have the opportunity -- in many cases, for the first time in their lives -- to get affordable coverage that they desperately need.

Now, of course, if you’re one of the 85 percent of Americans who already have health insurance, you don’t need to do a thing. You’re already benefiting from new benefits and protections that have been in place for some time under this law.  But for the 15 percent of Americans who don't have health insurance, this opportunity is life-changing. 

Let me just tell folks a few stories that are represented here today.  A few years ago, Amanda Barrett left her job in New York to take care of her parents.  And for a while, she had temporary insurance that covered her multiple sclerosis.  But when it expired, many insurers wouldn’t cover her because of her MS.  And she ended up paying $1,200 a month.  That’s nowhere near affordable.  So starting today, she can get covered for much less, because today’s new plan can’t use your medical history to charge you more than anybody else.

Sky-high premiums once forced Nancy Beigel to choose between paying her rent or paying for health insurance.  She’s been uninsured ever since.  So she pays all of her medical bills out of pocket, puts some on her credit card, making them even harder to pay.  Nancy says, “They talk about those who fall through the cracks.  I fell through the cracks 10 years ago and I’ve been stuck there ever since.”  Well, starting today, Nancy can get covered just like everybody else.

Trinace Edwards was laid off from her job a year ago today. Six months ago, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  She couldn’t afford insurance on the individual market, so she hasn’t received treatment yet.  Her daughter Lenace, a student at the University of Maryland, is considering dropping out of school to help pay her mom’s bills.  Well, starting today, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Trinace can get covered without forcing her daughter to give up on her dreams.

So if these stories of hardworking Americans sound familiar to you, well, starting today, you and your friends and your family and your coworkers can get covered, too.  Just visit healthcare.gov, and there you can compare insurance plans, side by side, the same way you’d shop for a plane ticket on Kayak or a TV on Amazon.  You enter some basic information, you’ll be presented with a list of quality, affordable plans that are available in your area, with clear descriptions of what each plan covers, and what it will cost.  You’ll find more choices, more competition, and in many cases, lower prices -- most uninsured Americans will find that they can get covered for $100 or less. 

And you don't have to take my word for it.  Go on the website, healthcare.gov, check it out for yourself.  And then show it to your family and your friends and help them get covered, just like mayors and churches and community groups and companies are already fanning out to do across the country.

And there’s a hotline where you can apply over the phone and get help with the application, or just get questions that you have answered by real people, in 150 different languages.   So let me give you that number.  The number is 1-800-318-2596 -- 1-800-318-2596.  Check out healthcare.gov.  Call that number.  Show your family and friends how to use it.  And we can get America covered, once and for all, so that the struggles that these folks have gone through and millions around the country have gone through for years finally get addressed.

And let me just remind people why I think this is so important.  I heard a striking statistic yesterday -- if you get cancer, you are 70 percent more likely to live another five years if you have insurance than if you don’t.  Think about that.  That is what it means to have health insurance. 

Set aside the issues of security and finances and how you’re impacted by that, the stress involved in not knowing whether or not you’re going to have health care.  This is life-or-death stuff.  Tens of thousands of Americans die each year just because they don’t have health insurance.  Millions more live with the fear that they’ll go broke if they get sick.  And today, we begin to free millions of our fellow Americans from that fear. 

Already, millions of young adults have been able to stay on their parents’ plans until they turn 26.  Millions of seniors already have gotten a discount on their prescription medicines.  Already millions of families have actually received rebates from insurance companies that didn’t spend enough on their health care.  So this law means more choice, more competition, lower costs for millions of Americans.

And this law doesn’t just mean economic security for our families.  It means we’re finally addressing the biggest drivers of our long-term deficits.  It means a stronger economy. 

Remember most Republicans have made a whole bunch of predictions about this law that haven’t come true.  There are no “death panels.”  Costs haven’t skyrocketed; they’re growing at the slowest rate in 50 years.  The last three years since I signed the Affordable Care Act into law are the three slowest rates of health spending growth on record.
 
And contrary to Republican claims, this law hasn’t “destroyed” our economy.  Over the past three and a half years, our businesses have created 7.5 million new jobs.  Just today, we learned that our manufacturers are growing at the fastest rate in two and a half years.  They have factored in the Affordable Care Act. They don't think it’s a problem.  What’s weighing on the economy is not the Affordable Care Act, but the constant series of crises and the unwillingness to pass a reasonable budget by a faction of the Republican Party.

Now, like every new law, every new product rollout, there are going to be some glitches in the signup process along the way that we will fix.  I’ve been saying this from the start.  For example, we found out that there have been times this morning where the site has been running more slowly than it normally will.  The reason is because more than one million people visited healthcare.gov before 7:00 in the morning. 

To put that in context, there were five times more users in the marketplace this morning than have ever been on Medicare.gov at one time.  That gives you a sense of how important this is to millions of Americans around the country, and that’s a good thing.  And we're going to be speeding things up in the next few hours to handle all this demand that exceeds anything that we had expected. 

Consider that just a couple of weeks ago, Apple rolled out a new mobile operating system.  And within days, they found a glitch, so they fixed it.  I don’t remember anybody suggesting Apple should stop selling iPhones or iPads -- or threatening to shut down the company if they didn’t.  That’s not how we do things in America.  We don’t actively root for failure.  We get to work, we make things happen, we make them better, we keep going.

So in that context, I'll work with anybody who’s got a serious idea to make the Affordable Care Act work better.  I've said that repeatedly.  But as long as I am President, I will not give in to reckless demands by some in the Republican Party to deny affordable health insurance to millions of hardworking Americans. 

I want Republicans in Congress to know these are the Americans you’d hurt if you were allowed to dismantle this law.  Americans like Amanda, Nancy, and Trinace, who now finally have the opportunity for basic security and peace of mind of health care just like everybody else -- including members of Congress.  The notion that you’d make a condition for reopening the government that I make sure these folks don’t have health care -- that doesn’t make any sense.  It doesn’t make any sense. 

Now, let me make one closing point:  This Republican shutdown threatens our economy at a time when millions of Americans are still looking for work, and businesses are starting to get some traction.  So the timing is not good.  Of course, a lot of the Republicans in the House ran for office two years ago promising to shut down the government, and so, apparently, they've now gotten their wish.  But as I've said before, the irony that the House Republicans have to contend with is they've shut down a whole bunch of parts of the government, but the Affordable Care Act is still open for business. 

And this may be why you've got many Republican governors and senators and even a growing number of reasonable Republican congressmen who are telling the extreme right of their party to knock it off, pass a budget, move on. 

And I want to underscore the fact that Congress doesn’t just have to end this shutdown and reopen the government -- Congress generally has to stop governing by crisis.  They have to break this habit.  It is a drag on the economy.  It is not worthy of this country. 

For example, one of the most important things Congress has to do in the next couple weeks is to raise what's called the debt ceiling.  And it's important to understand what this is.  This is a routine vote.  Congress has taken this vote 45 times to raise the debt ceiling since Ronald Reagan took office.  It does not cost taxpayers a single dime.  It does not grow our deficits by a single dime.  It does not authorize anybody to spend any new money whatsoever.  All it does is authorize the Treasury to pay the bills on what Congress has already spent. 

Think about that.  If you buy a car and you’ve got a car note, you do not save money by not paying your car note.  You’re just a deadbeat.  If you buy a house, you don’t save money by not authorizing yourself to pay the mortgage.  You’re just going to be foreclosed on your home.  That’s what this is about. 

It is routine.  It is what they’re supposed to do.  This is not a concession to me.  It is not some demand that’s unreasonable that I’m making.  This is what Congress is supposed to do as a routine matter.  And they shouldn’t wait until the last minute to do it.  The last time Republicans even threatened this course of action -- many of you remember, back in 2011 -- our economy staggered, our credit rating was downgraded for the first time.  If they go through with it this time and force the United States to default on its obligations for the first time in history, it would be far more dangerous than a government shutdown -- as bad as a shutdown is.  It would be an economic shutdown. 

So I’ll speak more on this in the coming days, but let me repeat:  I will not negotiate over Congress’s responsibility to pay bills it’s already racked up.  I’m not going to allow anybody to drag the good name of the United States of America through the mud just to refight a settled election or extract ideological demands.  Nobody gets to hurt our economy and millions of hardworking families over a law you don’t like. 

There are a whole bunch of things that I’d like to see passed through Congress that the House Republicans haven’t passed yet, and I’m not out there saying, well, I’m not -- I’m going to let America default unless Congress does something that they don’t want to do.  That’s not how adults operate.  Certainly that’s not how our government should operate.  And that’s true whether there’s a Democrat in this office or a Republican in this office.  Doesn’t matter whether it’s a Democratic House of Representatives or a Republican-controlled House of Representatives -- there are certain rules that everybody abides by because we don’t want to hurt other people just because we have a political disagreement.

So my basic message to Congress is this:  Pass a budget.  End the government shutdown.  Pay your bills.  Prevent an economic shutdown.  Don’t wait.  Don’t delay.  Don’t put our economy or our people through this any longer. 

I am more than happy to work with them on all kinds of issues.  I want to get back to work on the things that the American people sent us here to work on -- creating new jobs, new growth, new security for our middle class. 

We’re better than this.  Certainly the American people are a lot better than this.  And I believe that what we’ve accomplished for Amanda, and Nancy, and Trinace, and tens of millions of their fellow citizens- on this day proves that even when the odds are long and the obstacles are many, we are and always will be a country that can do great things together.

Thank you very much, everybody.  God bless you.  Thank you, all of you, for the great work that you’re doing.  And thank you, Kathleen Sebelius, for the outstanding work that she’s doing making sure that millions of Americans can get health insurance.

Thank you.

END 
1:21 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 30, 2013

Statement by the President

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

5:00 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  Of all the responsibilities the Constitution endows to Congress, two should be fairly simple:  pass a budget, and pay America’s bills.

But if the United States Congress does not fulfill its responsibility to pass a budget today, much of the United States government will be forced to shut down tomorrow.  And I want to be very clear about what that shutdown would mean -- what will remain open and what will not.

With regard to operations that will continue:  If you’re on Social Security, you will keep receiving your checks.  If you’re on Medicare, your doctor will still see you.  Everyone’s mail will still be delivered.  And government operations related to national security or public safety will go on.  Our troops will continue to serve with skill, honor, and courage.  Air traffic controllers, prison guards, those who are with border control -- our Border Patrol will remain on their posts, but their paychecks will be delayed until the government reopens.  NASA will shut down almost entirely, but Mission Control will remain open to support the astronauts serving on the Space Station.

I also want to be very clear about what would change.  Office buildings would close.  Paychecks would be delayed.  Vital services that seniors and veterans, women and children, businesses and our economy depend on would be hamstrung.  Business owners would see delays in raising capital, seeking infrastructure permits, or rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy.  Veterans who’ve sacrificed for their country will find their support centers unstaffed.  Tourists will find every one of America’s national parks and monuments, from Yosemite to the Smithsonian to the Statue of Liberty, immediately closed.  And of course, the communities and small businesses that rely on these national treasures for their livelihoods will be out of customers and out of luck.

And in keeping with the broad ramifications of a shutdown, I think it’s important that everybody understand the federal government is America’s largest employer.  More than 2 million civilian workers and 1.4 million active-duty military serve in all 50 states and all around the world.  In the event of a government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of these dedicated public servants who stay on the job will do so without pay -- and several hundred thousand more will be immediately and indefinitely furloughed without pay. 

What, of course, will not be furloughed are the bills that they have to pay -- their mortgages, their tuition payments, their car notes.  These Americans are our neighbors.  Their kids go to our schools.  They worship where we do.  They serve their country with pride.  They are the customers of every business in this country.  And they would be hurt greatly, and as a consequence, all of us will be hurt greatly, should Congress choose to shut the people’s government down.

So a shutdown will have a very real economic impact on real people, right away.  Past shutdowns have disrupted the economy significantly.  This one would, too.  It would throw a wrench into the gears of our economy at a time when those gears have gained some traction. 

Five years ago right now, our economy was in meltdown.  Today, our businesses have created 7.5 million new jobs over the past three and a half years.  The housing market is healing and our deficits are falling fast.  The idea of putting the American people’s hard-earned progress at risk is the height of irresponsibility. 

And it doesn’t have to happen.  Let me repeat this:  It does not have to happen.  All of this is entirely preventable if the House chooses to do what the Senate has already done -- and that’s the simple act of funding our government without making extraneous and controversial demands in the process, the same way other Congresses have for more than 200 years.

Unfortunately, right now House Republicans continue to tie funding of the government to ideological demands like limiting a woman’s access to contraception, or delaying the Affordable Care Act, all to save face after making some impossible promises to the extreme right wing of their party. 

So let me be clear about this.  An important part of the Affordable Care Act takes effect tomorrow no matter what Congress decides to do today.  The Affordable Care Act is moving forward. That funding is already in place.  You can’t shut it down.  This is a law that passed both houses of Congress; a law that bears my signature; a law that the Supreme Court upheld as constitutional; a law that voters chose not to repeal last November; a law that is already providing benefits to millions of Americans in the form of young people staying on their parents’ plan until they’re 26, seniors getting cheaper prescription drugs, making sure that insurance companies aren't imposing lifetime limits when you already have health insurance, providing rebates for consumers when insurance companies are spending too much money on overhead instead of health care.  Those things are already happening.

Starting tomorrow, tens of millions of Americans will be able to visit HealthCare.gov to shop for affordable health care coverage.  So Americans who’ve lived for years in some cases with the fear that one illness could send them into bankruptcy, Americans who’ve been priced out of the market just because they’ve been sick once, they’ll finally be able to afford coverage -- quality coverage -- many of them for the first time in their lives. 

Some of them may be sick as we speak.  And this is their best opportunity to get some security and some relief.  Tens of thousands of Americans die every single year because they don’t have access to affordable health care.  Despite this, Republicans have said that if we lock these Americans out of affordable health care for one more year -- if we sacrifice the health care of millions of Americans -- then they’ll fund the government for a couple more months.  Does anybody truly believe that we won’t have this fight again in a couple more months?  Even at Christmas?

So here’s the bottom line:  I’m always willing to work with anyone of either party to make sure the Affordable Care Act works better, to make sure our government works better.  I’m always willing to work with anyone to grow our economy faster, or to create new jobs faster, to get our fiscal house in order for the long run.  I’ve demonstrated this time and time again, oftentimes to the consternation of my own party. 

But one faction of one party, in one house of Congress, in one branch of government doesn’t get to shut down the entire government just to refight the results of an election. 

Keeping the people’s government open is not a concession to me.  Keeping vital services running and hundreds of thousands of Americans on the job is not something you “give” to the other side.  It’s our basic responsibility.  It’s something that we’re doing for our military, and our businesses, and our economy, and all the hardworking people out there -- the person working for the Agricultural Department out in some rural community who’s out there helping some farmers make sure that they’re making some modest profit for all the hard work they’re putting in.  They’re the person working for HUD who’s helping somebody buy a house for the first time.  They’re somebody in a VA office who’s counseling one of our vets who’s got PTSD. 

That’s who we’re here to serve.  That’s why we’re supposed to be carrying out these responsibilities.  It’s why we should be avoiding these kinds of constant brinksmanship.  It’s something that we do in the ordinary process of this extraordinary system of government that we have.  You don’t get to extract a ransom for doing your job; for doing what you’re supposed to be doing anyway; or just because there’s a law there that you don’t like.

The American people sent us here to govern.  They sent us here to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to make their lives a little bit better -- to create new jobs, to restore economic security, to rebuild the prospects of upward mobility.  That’s what they expect. 

And they understand that there are differences between the parties and we’re going to be having some tough fights around those differences.  And I respect the fact that the other party is not supposed to agree with me 100 percent of the time, just like I don’t agree with them.  But they do also expect that we don’t bring the entire government to a halt or the entire economy to a halt just because of those differences. 

That’s what they deserve.  They’ve worked too hard, for too long to recover from previous crises just to have folks here in Washington manufacture yet another one that they have to dig themselves out of. 

So Congress needs to keep our government open, needs to pay our bills on time, and never, ever threaten the full faith and credit of the United States of America. 

And time is running out.  My hope and expectation is that in the eleventh hour, once again, that Congress will choose to do the right thing and that the House of Representatives, in particular, will choose the right thing. 

Thank you very much.

                    END              5:12 P.M. EDT

-----

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 30, 2013

Remarks by the President Before Cabinet Meeting

Cabinet Room

5:19 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  This is my Cabinet.  And we're going to be discussing the impacts, potentially, of a shutdown and how all of these various agencies will be managing to make sure the core essential functions continue, but also, obviously, to help try to manage what's going to be a very difficult potential situation for the employees of all of these agencies, who are doing outstanding and very difficult work all across the country. 

So I appreciate all the members of the Cabinet who are here.  They have been doing a lot of planning.  I wish they were spending more time focusing on how to grow jobs and the economy as opposed to having to spend time figuring out how they manage a government shutdown.  But as always, they're prepared.  And we'll be getting a full briefing from the entire crew during the course of this meeting.

Thank you very much, everybody. 

END
5:20 P.M. EDT 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 30, 2013

Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel After Bilateral Meeting

 

Oval Office
 
12:39 P.M. EDT
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, it’s a pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu back to the Oval Office.  I think I've had the pleasure of hosting him more often than just about any other world leader, and hopefully this will provide just some small measure of repayment for the wonderful visit that I had in Israel this spring.  And I want to thank him and his family and his entire team for the tremendous hospitality that we had when we were there.
 
The Prime Minister and I were just talking about the fact these are hectic times, and nowhere is that more true, obviously, than in the Middle East.  And so we had an opportunity for a wide-ranging discussion about a range of issues.  
 
I commended him for entering into good-faith negotiations with the Palestinian Authority in discussing how we can resolve what has been, obviously, one of the biggest challenges for a very long time in the region.  And both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas have assigned outstanding negotiators.  They have been engaging in serious conversations.  And our goal continues to be to help facilitate -- not dictate, but facilitate -- the kinds of genuine negotiations that will result in two states living side-by-side in peace and security.
 
And we have a limited amount of time to achieve that goal, and I appreciate the Prime Minister’s courage in being willing to step forward on behalf of that goal.
 
We had an opportunity to discuss the situation in Syria.  Obviously, we have a broad set of strategic concerns in Syria.  We are both pleased that there is the possibility of finally getting chemical weapons stockpiles out of Syria.  But I think we both share a deep concern that we have to be able to verify and enforce what has now been agreed to at the United Nations.  Chemical weapons inside of Syria obviously have threatened Syrian civilians, but over the long term also pose a threat to Israel.  And we want to make sure that we get those indiscriminate, horrible weapons out of there.  
 
And so we are consulting with the international community on these issues, and I shared with the Prime Minister our belief that we have to move with speed and dispatch in actually making sure that the agreement that was arrived at in the United Nations is followed through on.
 
In addition, we have the larger question of how to deal with the civil war that's taking place in Syria.  And given Israel’s significant interest in the spillover effects of activities there, we will be consulting very closely with them.
 
We had an opportunity to discuss Egypt, and I shared with him what I said at the United Nations just a week ago, which is that we continue to have concerns about what has happened in Egypt, but we also are committed to a constructive relationship with Egypt, in part because of the important role that the Camp David Accords and the Egypt-Israeli peace serve not only for the stability and security of both those countries, but also for security in the region and U.S. security.
 
So we will continue to work with the Egyptian government, although urging them and pushing them in a direction that is more inclusive and that meets the basic goals of those who originally sought for more freedom and more democracy in that country.
 
And we had an opportunity, obviously, to discuss Iran.  Both the Prime Minister and I agree, since I came into office, that it is imperative that Iran not possess a nuclear weapon.  That is important for American security; it is important for Israeli security; it’s important for world security, because we do not want to trigger a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region in the world.  And given the statements and actions from the Iranian regime in the past -- the threats against Israel, the acts against Israel -- it is absolutely clear that words are not sufficient, that we have to have actions that give the international community confidence that, in fact, they are meeting their international obligations fully, and that they are not in a position to have a nuclear weapon.  
 
What I also shared with the Prime Minister is that, because of the extraordinary sanctions that we have been able to put in place over the last several years, the Iranians are now prepared, it appears, to negotiate.  We have to test diplomacy.  We have to see if, in fact, they are serious about their willingness to abide by international norms and international law and international requirements and resolutions.  And we in good faith will approach them, indicating that it is our preference to resolve these issues diplomatically. 
 
But we enter into these negotiations very clear-eyed.  They will not be easy.  And anything that we do will require the highest standards of verification in order for us to provide the sort of sanctions relief that I think they are looking for.
 
So we will be in close consultation with Israel and our other friends and allies in the region during this process, and our hope is that we can resolve this diplomatically.  But as President of the United States, I've said before and I will repeat that we take no options off the table, including military options, in terms of making sure that we do not have nuclear weapons in Iran that would destabilize the region and potentially threaten the United States of America.
 
In all of this, our unshakeable bond with the Israeli people is stronger than ever.  Our commitment to Israel's security is stronger than ever.  And we are very much looking forward to continuing to work with our friends in Israel to make sure that the U.S. security interests are met, Israel's security interests are met, but hopefully that we can also bring about greater peace and greater stability in a region that has been racked with violence and tensions for far too long.  
 
And I appreciate the Prime Minister's views.  He is always candid, and we’re always able to have not only a good working relationship at the prime ministerial level, but also because of the outstanding work that our staffs do.
 
So, Mr. Prime Minister, welcome.  
 
PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU:  Mr. President, thank you for welcoming me and my delegation on what I know is a very busy day for you in Washington today.  
 
There are many things on your plate, but I know that you know and the American people know that there is no better ally -- more reliable, more stable, more democratic -- other than Israel in a very raw, dangerous place.  So I welcome the opportunity that we're having to discuss how we work closely together to address the enormous challenges that face both of us.  And I think of those, the most important challenge is preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
 
I appreciate deeply the fact that you have made clear that you remain committed to this goal.  I also appreciate the statement you made that Iran's conciliatory words have to be matched by real actions -- transparent, verifiable, meaningful actions.  
 
Iran is committed to Israel's destruction.  So for Israel, the ultimate test of a future agreement with Iran is whether or not Iran dismantles its military nuclear program.  We have a saying in Hebrew, we call it mivchan hatotza’a -- you would say it in English, what's the bottom line?  And the bottom line, again, is that Iran fully dismantles its military nuclear program.  
 
In this regard, I want to express my appreciation to you for the enormous work that’s been done to have a sanctions regime in place to thwart Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons.  I believe that it's the combination of a credible military threat 
and the pressure of those sanctions that has brought Iran to the negotiating table.
 
I also believe that if diplomacy is to work, those pressures must be kept in place.  And I think that they should not be lessened until there is verifiable success.  And, in fact, it is Israel’s firm belief that if Iran continues to advance its nuclear program during negotiations, the sanctions should be strengthened.  It’s the combination, I believe, that has guided your policy and our policy so far, that is good credible military threat and strong sanctions I think is still the only formula that can get a peaceful resolution of this problem.
 
Mr. President, we discussed many of these, but I want to use this opportunity to thank you, Secretary of State Kerry and others in your administration for helping to advance peace between Israel and the Palestinians.  I remain committed to that peace.  And I hope that our efforts -- our common efforts -- would lead to a secure and lasting peace.  
 
We know that for peace to endure, it must be based on Israel’s capacity to defend itself, by itself.  And I hope that we can achieve an historic transformation that will give a better future for us and our Palestinian neighbors, and, who knows, one day with our other neighbors as well.
 
So I want to thank you again for your hospitality, for your efforts, and it’s very, very good to see you again.
 
Q    Mr. President, are you resigned to a government shutdown at this point?  And given how close we are to the midnight deadline, have you had any conversations with Speaker Boehner over the past few days?
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  I am not at all resigned.  And I’ll have a chance to obviously speak more to this.  I’m going to have a Cabinet meeting this afternoon and may have some further thoughts for the press as the day goes on.  But the bottom line is that the Senate has passed a bill that keeps the government open, does not have a lot of extraneous issues to it, that allows us then to negotiate a longer-term budget and address a range of other issues, but that ensures that we’re not shutting down the government and we’re not shutting down the economy at a time when a lot of families out there are just getting some traction and digging themselves out of the hole that we’ve had as a consequence of the financial crisis.
 
I’ve said before, Congress has two responsibilities:  Pass a budget, pay the bills.  And I am not only open to but eager to have negotiations around a long-term budget that makes sure that we’re investing in middle-class families, helping the economy grow, giving people who are working hard a leg up, and greater security and stability and deals with some of our long-term challenges in terms of debt and deficits.
 
But the only way to do that is for everybody to sit down in good faith without threatening to harm women and veterans and children with a government shutdown, and certainly we can't have any kind of meaningful negotiations under the cloud of potential default, the first in U.S. history.
 
There’s not a world leader, if you took a poll, who would say that it would be responsible or consistent with America’s leadership in the world for us not to pay our bills.  We are the foundation of the world economy and the world financial system.  And our currency is the reserve currency of the world.  We don't mess with that.  And we certainly don't allow domestic policy differences on issues that are unrelated to the budget to endanger not only our economy but the world economy.  So I suspect that I will speaking to the leaders today, tomorrow, and the next day.
 
But there’s a pretty straightforward solution to this.  If you set aside the short-term politics and you look at the long term here, what it simply requires is everybody to act responsibly and do what’s right for the American people.  
 
All right?  Thank you very much, everybody.  Thank you. 
 
 END
12:54 P.M. EDT