Statement by the President on the Confirmation of Julián Castro as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

I applaud the bipartisan majority of Senators who today confirmed Julián Castro as our next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Julián is a proven leader, a champion for safe, affordable housing and strong, sustainable neighborhoods.  I know that together with the dedicated professionals at HUD, Julián will help build on the progress we’ve made battling back from the Great Recession -- rebuilding our housing market, reducing homelessness among veterans, and connecting neighborhoods with good schools and good jobs that help our citizens succeed.  Julián has lived the American Dream in his own life, and I’m confident he will help Americans across our country seize their own piece of that dream for themselves and their children.

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Indonesian Presidential Election

We congratulate the people of Indonesia on the successful completion of their historic presidential election.  The high voter turnout, spirited campaign, and strong participation by Indonesia’s public, civil society, and media underscore the strength and dynamism of Indonesia’s maturing democracy.

As the world’s second and third largest democracies, the United States and Indonesia have many shared interests and values, including a strong belief in the importance of respect for human rights, inclusive governance, and equal opportunities for all people.  The Comprehensive Partnership that our two countries launched in 2010 is a long-term commitment to build on our common interests to broaden, deepen and elevate bilateral relations between the United States and Indonesia, as well as to promote mutual understanding and work together on issues of regional and global concern.  The President looks forward to continuing that important partnership with the new Indonesian President, as well as with the recently elected parliament.

President Obama and his Administration have valued the partnership with President Yudhoyono, who has worked closely with the United States to strengthen our bilateral relationship and our engagement with ASEAN. As President Yudhoyono nears the end of his term, he can look back on an important legacy of helping Indonesia achieve strong economic growth, strengthened democratic institutions, and a role as a regional and global leader. This Administration recognizes with deep appreciation his efforts to build greater understanding between Indonesia and the United States, and we look forward to continuing close ties going forward.

Statement by the President to the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue

It is an honor to greet the American and Chinese delegations to the sixth round of the United States-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED).  I want to thank President Xi, Vice Premier Wang, State Councilor Yang, and the entire Chinese delegation for hosting this year’s S&ED and for their warm reception of the American delegation.   

This year marks a special milestone in the U.S.-China relationship—it is the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between our two great nations.  Today, instead of living detached from each other as we did 35 years ago, the United States and China embrace the benefits of strengthening ties and acknowledge the growing interdependence of our economic destinies.  This anniversary provides an opportunity to take stock of the deepening exchanges between our two peoples, the range of cooperation between our two countries on shared security and economic challenges, and dealing forthrightly with our differences.  It is also an opportunity for the United States and China to reaffirm our commitment to working jointly to build a positive, more secure, and prosperous future for all our citizens. 

As the premier mechanism for dialogue between the United States and China, the S&ED offers us a chance annually to exchange views on a diverse range of bilateral, regional, and global challenges critical to both our countries.  Building on the accomplishments of the previous five rounds of the S&ED, this year’s dialogue promises to further advance our cooperative efforts to identify solutions to problems that no country can address on its own.  Our efforts to promote economic prosperity, cooperation in Asia, energy security, and security in cyberspace, including at the G-20, APEC, and the Nuclear Security Summit, have a significant and positive impact for our citizens and for the broader international community. 

The United States welcomes the emergence of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous China.  We are committed to the shared goal of developing over time a “new model” of relations with China defined by increased practical cooperation and constructive management of differences.  We should use the S&ED to demonstrate to the world that—even in a relationship as complex as ours—we remain determined to ensure that cooperation defines the overall relationship. 

President Xi and I have worked hard, including in meetings at Sunnylands, St. Petersburg, and The Hague, and in communications between meetings, to make sure that our relationship is stable, resilient, and delivering results for our peoples. 

We have significantly enhanced our cooperation on climate change in the past year, including through our commitment to phase down hydrofluorocarbons, the launch of five initiatives under the U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group, and our policy dialogue on the international climate negotiations.  Over the past year we also found new ways to collaborate on shared energy security and sustainability interests, ranging from advancing the safe development of shale gas and renewable technologies to initiating a G-20 fossil fuel subsidy peer review and enhancing our ability to respond to oil market emergencies.  On regional security issues, we are working to realize an international solution to Iran’s nuclear program, just as we are working together to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to bolster political stability and economic revitalization in Afghanistan.  And on economic issues, we are working to establish a level, competitive playing field for our firms that is based on internationally agreed upon rules of the road on trade, investment, intellectual property, and cybersecurity.  I look forward to addressing all of these issues with President Xi when I visit Beijing for APEC in November.  That trip will be my second visit to China, and I can think of no better time to advance our relationship than when we are celebrating our 35th anniversary.    

The United States and China will not always see eye-to-eye on every issue.  That is to be expected for two nations with different histories and cultures.  It also is why we need to build our relationship around common challenges, mutual responsibilities, and shared interests, even while we candidly address our differences.  From my meetings with President Xi, to the S&ED meetings you will be holding over the next two days, to the growing number of student exchanges supported by organizations like the 100,000 Strong Foundation, all of these interactions underscore the promise of a resilient and cooperative United States-China relationship.

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall – Deputy Secretary, Department of Energy
• Jess L. Baily – Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia, Department of State
• Judith Beth Cefkin - Ambassador to the Republic of the Fiji Islands, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru, the Kingdom of Tonga, and Tuvalu, Department of State
• Robert Francis Cekuta – Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Department of State
• S. Fitzgerald Haney – Ambassador to the Republic of Costa Rica, Department of State
• Ambassador Michele Jeanne Sison – Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador, and Deputy Representative of the United States in the Security Council of the United Nations
• Margaret Ann Uyehara – Ambassador to Montenegro, Department of State
• James Peter Zumwalt – Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Guinea Bissau, Department of State

President Obama said, “These dedicated individuals bring a wealth of experience and talent to their new roles and I am proud to have them serve in this Administration.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Nominee for Deputy Secretary, Department of Energy

Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall currently serves as Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control, a position she has held since 2013.  Dr. Sherwood-Randall served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council from 2009 to 2013.  Prior to joining the White House, she was a Stanford University Senior Research Scholar from 2000 to 2008, and from 2004 to 2008 she was also the Adjunct Senior Fellow for Alliance Relations at the Council on Foreign Relations.  From 1997 through 2008, she was a Founding Principal in the Harvard-Stanford Preventive Defense Project.  From 1994 to 1996, she served at the Pentagon as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, for which she received the Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.  From 1990 to 1993, Dr. Sherwood-Randall was Co-Founder and Associate Director of the Harvard Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.  From 1986 to 1987, she served as Chief Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy Advisor to then Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.  Dr. Sherwood-Randall received a B.A. from Harvard University and a doctorate from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.

Jess L. Baily, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia, Department of State

Jess L. Baily, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is the Deputy Chief of Mission in Ankara, Turkey, a position he has held since 2011.  From 2010 to 2011, Mr. Baily served at the Department of State as Director of the Office of Southeast European Affairs.  From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Baily served as Director of the Office of United Nations Political Affairs and previously served as Leader of the Regional Reconstruction Team in Erbil, Iraq from 2007 to 2008.  Mr. Baily served as the Director of the Washington Foreign Press Center from 2005 to 2007 and as Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands from 2002 to 2005.  From 1998 to 2002, he served as a Cultural Affairs Officer and subsequently as an Information Officer/Spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.  Before the United States Information Agency (USIA) merged with the Department of State, Mr. Baily served as USIA’s Representative to the American Foreign Service Association in Washington, D.C. from 1996 to 1997.  He was a Senior Advisor in the Office of the USIA Deputy Director from 1995 to 1996 and USIA Desk Officer for Francophone West Africa from 1994 to 1995.  From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Baily served as the Binational Center Director at the U.S Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.  He also served at U.S. Embassies in Dakar, Senegal and Dhaka, Bangladesh.  Before joining the Foreign Service in 1985, he worked at AMIDEAST in Washington, D.C.  Mr. Baily received a B.A. from Yale University and an M.A. from Columbia University.

Judith Beth Cefkin, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of the Fiji Islands, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru, the Kingdom of Tonga, and Tuvalu, Department of State

Judith Beth Cefkin, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is the Senior Advisor for Burma in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State, a position she has held since 2013.  From 2010 to 2013, Ms. Cefkin served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Bangkok, Thailand.  Ms. Cefkin served as an Assessor on the Board of Examiners at the Department of State from 2009 to 2010, and she was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2006 to 2009.  Ms. Cefkin was the Director of the Office of Nordic-Baltic Affairs at the Department of State from 2003 to 2005, and she was the Deputy Director of the Office of Western European Affairs at the Department of State from 2001 to 2003.  From 1998 to 2001, Ms. Cefkin served as a Deputy Political Counselor and then Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines.  She was a Political Officer in the Office of European Union Affairs at the Department of State from 1996 to 1998.  Ms. Cefkin was a Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France from 1993 to 1996.  Earlier in her career, she served as Ambassador’s Aide and Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok; Regional-Affairs Officer in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the Department of State; Desk Officer for Rwanda, Burundi and the Central African Republic; and Vice Consul at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico.  Ms. Cefkin received a B.A. from Smith College and an M.S. from The London School of Economics and Political Science.

Robert Francis Cekuta, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Department of State

Robert Francis Cekuta, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Energy Resources at the Department of State, a position he has held since 2011.  From 2010 to 2011, Mr. Cekuta served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy, Sanctions, and Commodities in the Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs at the Department of State.  In 2010, he was the Senior Advisor for Food Security in the Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs.  From 2009 to 2010, Mr. Cekuta was the Senior Deputy Coordinating Director for Economic and Development Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan and served as the Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan from 2007 to 2009.  From 2003 to 2007, he was the Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany.  Mr. Cekuta was Director of the Iraq Economic Group in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the Department of State from 2002 to 2003.  In 2002, he was also a Special Negotiator for Biotechnology in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.  From 2000 to 2002, he was Director of Economic Policy Analysis and Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.  From 1999 to 2000, Mr. Cekuta served as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.  Mr. Cekuta was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, Albania from 1996 to 1999.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Cekuta directed a Kosovo task force and served in the Bureau of Near East and South Asian Affairs.  He also served at U.S. Missions in Vienna, Austria; Baghdad, Iraq; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Sana’a, Yemen.  Mr. Cekuta received a B.S. from Georgetown University, an M.A. from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and an M.A. from the National Defense University.

S. Fitzgerald Haney, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Costa Rica, Department of State

S. Fitzgerald Haney is a Principal and the Head of Business Development and Client Service (Europe, Middle East and Africa) at Pzena Investment Management, a position he has held since 2007.  Mr. Haney has also served as a Member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council since 2013.  From 2006 to 2007, Mr. Haney served as Senior Vice President of Ethnic Consumer Products at International Discount Telecommunications (IDT).  From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Haney served as Director of Strategic Planning/New Business at Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation.  From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Haney was a Senior Associate at Israel Seed Partners in Jerusalem, Israel.  He was Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Planning at Citicorp/Citibank in Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico from 1997 to 1999.  From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Haney held various positions with PepsiCo Restaurants International, including Marketing Director in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Senior Marketing Manager for Mexico and Central America in Mexico City, Mexico, and Marketing Manager in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  From 1991 to 1993, Mr. Haney was an Assistant Brand Manager at Procter and Gamble in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  He previously served as an appointed Member of the City of Englewood Planning Board and Board of Adjustment in Englewood, New Jersey.  Mr. Haney received a B.S. and an M.S. from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

Ambassador Michele Jeanne Sison, Nominee for Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador, and Deputy Representative of the United States in the Security Council of the United Nations

Ambassador Michele Jeanne Sison, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Career-Minister, is the U.S. Ambassador to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives, a position she has held since 2012.  From 2011 to 2012, Ambassador Sison was Assistant Chief of Mission in Baghdad, Iraq.  From 2008 to 2010, Ambassador Sison served as Ambassador to the Republic of Lebanon, and from 2004 to 2008, as Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.  Ambassador Sison served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South Asian Affairs at the Department of State from 2002 to 2004.  Ambassador Sison previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan; Consul General in Chennai, India; Consul General in Douala, Cameroon; and Director of Career Development and Assignments in the Bureau of Human Resources at the Department of State.  She also held positions at the U.S. Embassies in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, and Haiti.  Ambassador Sison received a B.A. from Wellesley College. 

Margaret Ann Uyehara, Nominee for Ambassador to Montenegro, Department of State

Margaret Ann Uyehara, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is the Executive Director of the Bureaus of European and Eurasian Affairs and International Organization Affairs at the Department of State, positions she has held since 2012.  From 2010 to 2012, Ms. Uyehara served as the Management Counselor for the Department of State at the U.S. Tri-Missions in Vienna, Austria.  She was the Director of the Regional Support Center at the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany from 2008 to 2010.  Ms. Uyehara was a Management Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine from 2006 to 2008, and served as the Director of the Office of Allowances at the Department of State from 2002 to 2005.  From 1999 to 2002, she was a Supervisory General Services Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.  From 1998 to 1999, Ms. Uyehara was the Liaison to the National Security Council for the 50th Anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Summit, and from 1995 to 1998 she was the Chief of Special Consular Services at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.  From 1991 to 1993, Ms. Uyehara served as a General Services Officer in the Bureau of Personnel and was a U.S. Disbursing Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines from 1989 to 1991.  From 1985 to 1987, Ms. Uyehara was a Consular Officer at the U.S. Embassy in London, United Kingdom, and was a General Services Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bamako, Mali from 1983 to 1984.  Ms. Uyehara received a B.A. from Kalamazoo College.

James Peter Zumwalt, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Guinea Bissau, Department of State

James Peter Zumwalt, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Japan and Korea in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State, a position he has held since 2012.  Mr. Zumwalt served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan from 2008 to 2011.  From 2006 to 2008, he served as the Director of the Office of Japanese Affairs at the Department of State and from 2002 to 2006, he served as an Economic Minister and as an Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.  Mr. Zumwalt served as an Economic Counselor and as an Economic Minister-Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China from 1999 to 2002.  From 1994 to 1996, he was Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the Department of State and from 1993 to 1994, he was the Economic Unit Chief in the Office of Korean Affairs at the Department of State.  Mr. Zumwalt was an Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo from 1989 to 1993 and served as the Political Officer in the Office of Philippine Affairs from 1987 to 1989.  He was Staff Assistant in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 1986 to 1987.  In 1986, Mr. Zumwalt was assigned to the Office of Japan and China at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.  He also served as Vice Consul at the U.S. Consulate General in Osaka-Kobe, Japan and as the Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa, Zaire.  Mr. Zumwalt received a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.S. from the National War College.