Dr. Jill Biden Arrives in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Dr. Jill Biden has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), her second stop on a three-country visit to Africa.

Dr. Biden’s trip to the DRC is an opportunity to continue to highlight the importance of girls’ education and women’s participation in government, the economy, and civil society in accelerating economic development, improving health and educational outcomes, strengthening democratic governance, and fostering peace and security.

In Kinshasa on Friday, Dr. Biden will meet with Madame Kabila, the Founder and President of the Mr. Laurent Desire Kabila Foundation, to discuss the status and conditions for women, children and vulnerable populations in the DRC. 

Afterwards, Dr. Biden will meet with women entrepreneurs who are creating their own successful small businesses, including Therese Izay Kirongozi who builds and sells robots. Dr. Biden will highlight the U.S. government’s support for women entrepreneurs around the world, including in the DRC, and the important role women play in advancing and strengthening the global economy.

Later, Dr. Biden will meet with women parliamentarians and aspiring political leaders to discuss their efforts to politically empower women in the DRC. The meeting will be an opportunity to highlight the challenges and opportunities for women in political life, and women’s role in making political parties more representative and responsive to their constituencies. 

In the evening, Dr. Biden will attend a Fourth of July reception at the Chief of Mission’s Residence.

On Saturday, Dr. Biden will travel to Bukavu, DRC. Upon arrival, Dr. Biden will be greeted by students enrolled in USAID-supported Accelerated Learning Programs (ALP). These programs aim to increase primary school access for out-of-school Congolese children and adolescents that have been impacted by the insecurity in the eastern Congo. This meeting will be an opportunity to reinforce the U.S. government’s commitment to at-risk students and vulnerable adolescent girls in the eastern DRC.

Then, Dr. Biden will visit Panzi Hospital to see firsthand the response services provided to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. While at the hospital, Dr. Biden will meet with U.S. government partners implementing sexual and gender-based violence interventions.

Afterwards, Dr. Biden will visit the UNICEF Boys Reintegration Center where she will meet with children and youth who have been removed from armed groups and who are now housed in this temporary residential center, where they stay prior to reintegration into their home communities or foster families.

Dr. Biden will then return to Kinshasa where she will remain overnight.

Readout of the President's Call with Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard

Today, the President called US Men’s National Team captain Clint Dempsey and goalkeeper Tim Howard to commend them on their leadership and the team’s performance during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.  On the call, the President commended them not only for their work on the field, but for carrying themselves in a way that made the country proud.  The President noted how captivating the team’s performance was and asked both men to relay his congratulations to Coach Klinsmann and the entire team on their hard work.

Statement by the President on the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

In 1964, President Johnson put pen to paper and signed the Civil Rights Act into law.  Fifty years later, few pieces of legislation have defined our national identity as distinctly, or as powerfully.  By outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, the Civil Rights Act effectively ended segregation in schools, workplaces, and public facilities.  It opened the door for the Voting Rights Act, and the Fair Housing Act.  And it transformed the concepts of justice, equality, and democracy for generations to come.

The Civil Rights Act brought us closer to making real the declaration at the heart of our founding – that we are all created equal.  But that journey continues.  A half a century later, we’re still working to tear down barriers and put opportunity within reach for every American, no matter who they are, what they look like, or where they come from.  So as we celebrate this anniversary and the undeniable progress we’ve made over the past 50 years, we also remember those who have fought tirelessly to perfect our union, and recommit ourselves to making America more just, more equal and more free.

White House Report: Missed Opportunities and the Consequences of State Decisions Not to Expand Medicaid

Today, the Council of Economic Advisers released a report, Missed Opportunities: The Consequences of State Decisions Not to Expand Medicaid, which details the effects of state decisions regarding Medicaid expansion on access to care, financial security, overall health and well-being of residents, and state economies. 

The Affordable Care Act has expanded high‐quality, affordable health insurance coverage to millions of Americans. One important way in which the Affordable Care Act is expanding coverage is by providing generous financial support to States that opt to expand Medicaid eligibility to all non‐elderly individuals in families with incomes below 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

To date, 26 States and the District of Columbia have seized this opportunity, and since the beginning of the Affordable Care Act’s first open enrollment period, 5.2 million people have gained Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage in these States, a tally that will grow in the months and years ahead as Medicaid enrollment continues. In contrast, 24 States have not yet expanded Medicaid—including many of the States that would benefit most and sometimes because State legislatures have defied even their own governors—and denied health insurance coverage to millions of their citizens. Researchers at the Urban Institute estimate that, if these States do not change course, 5.7 million people will be deprived of health insurance coverage in 2016. Meanwhile, these States will forgo billions in Federal dollars that could boost their economies.

This analysis uses the best evidence from the economics and health policy literatures to quantify several important consequences of States’ decisions not to expand Medicaid. That evidence, which is based primarily on careful analysis of the effects of past policy decisions, is necessarily an imperfect guide to the future, and the actual effects of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act could be larger or smaller than the estimates presented below. However, this evidence is clear that the consequences of States’ decisions are far‐reaching, with implications for the health and well‐being of their citizens, their economies, and the economy of the Nation as a whole.