The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 27, 2014

Statement by the President on Afghanistan

Rose Garden

2:46 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  As you know, this weekend, I traveled to Afghanistan to thank our men and women in uniform and our deployed civilians, on behalf of a grateful nation, for the extraordinary sacrifices they make on behalf of our security.  I was also able to meet with our commanding General and Ambassador to review the progress that we’ve made.  And today, I’d like to update the American people on the way forward in Afghanistan and how, this year, we will bring America’s longest war to a responsible end.

The United States did not seek this fight.  We went into Afghanistan out of necessity, after our nation was attacked by al Qaeda on September 11th, 2001.  We went to war against al Qaeda and its extremist allies with the strong support of the American people and their representatives in Congress; with the international community and our NATO allies; and with the Afghan people, who welcomed the opportunity of a life free from the dark tyranny of extremism. 

We have now been in Afghanistan longer than many Americans expected.  But make no mistake -- thanks to the skill and sacrifice of our troops, diplomats, and intelligence professionals, we have struck significant blows against   al Qaeda’s leadership, we have eliminated Osama bin Laden, and we have prevented Afghanistan from being used to launch attacks against our homeland.  We have also supported the Afghan people as they continue the hard work of building a democracy.  We’ve extended more opportunities to their people, including women and girls.  And we’ve helped train and equip their own security forces.

Now we’re finishing the job we started.  Over the last several years, we’ve worked to transition security responsibilities to the Afghans.  One year ago, Afghan forces assumed the lead for combat operations.  Since then, they’ve continued to grow in size and in strength, while making huge sacrifices for their country.  This transition has allowed us to steadily draw down our own forces -- from a peak of 100,000 U.S. troops, to roughly 32,000 today.

2014, therefore, is a pivotal year.  Together with our allies and the Afghan government, we have agreed that this is the year we will conclude our combat mission in Afghanistan. This is also a year of political transition in Afghanistan.  Earlier this spring, Afghans turned out in the millions to vote in the first round of their presidential election -- defying threats in order to determine their own destiny.  And in just over two weeks, they will vote for their next President, and Afghanistan will see its first democratic transfer of power in history.

In the context of this progress, having consulted with Congress and my national security team, I’ve determined the nature of the commitment that America is prepared to make beyond 2014.  Our objectives are clear:  Disrupting threats posed by   al Qaeda; supporting Afghan security forces; and giving the Afghan people the opportunity to succeed as they stand on their own.

Here’s how we will pursue those objectives.  First, America’s combat mission will be over by the end of this year. Starting next year, Afghans will be fully responsible for securing their country.  American personnel will be in an advisory role.  We will no longer patrol Afghan cities or towns, mountains or valleys.  That is a task for the Afghan people.

Second, I’ve made it clear that we’re open to cooperating with Afghans on two narrow missions after 2014:  training Afghan forces and supporting counterterrorism operations against the remnants of al Qaeda. 

Today, I want to be clear about how the United States is prepared to advance those missions.  At the beginning of 2015, we will have approximately 98,000 U.S. -- let me start that over, just because I want to make sure we don’t get this written wrong.  At the beginning of 2015, we will have approximately 9,800 U.S. servicemembers in different parts of the country, together with our NATO allies and other partners. By the end of 2015, we will have reduced that presence by roughly half, and we will have consolidated our troops in Kabul and on Bagram Airfield.  One year later, by the end of 2016, our military will draw down to a normal embassy presence in Kabul, with a security assistance component, just as we’ve done in Iraq.

Now, even as our troops come home, the international community will continue to support Afghans as they build their country for years to come.  But our relationship will not be defined by war -- it will be shaped by our financial and development assistance, as well as our diplomatic support.  Our commitment to Afghanistan is rooted in the strategic partnership that we agreed to in 2012.  And this plan remains consistent with discussions we’ve had with our NATO allies.  Just as our allies have been with us every step of the way in Afghanistan, we expect that our allies will be with us going forward.

Third, we will only sustain this military presence after 2014 if the Afghan government signs the Bilateral Security Agreement that our two governments have already negotiated.  This Agreement is essential to give our troops the authorities they need to fulfill their mission, while respecting Afghan sovereignty.  The two final Afghan candidates in the run-off election for President have each indicated that they would sign this agreement promptly after taking office.  So I’m hopeful that we can get this done. 

The bottom line is, it’s time to turn the page on more than a decade in which so much of our foreign policy was focused on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  When I took office, we had nearly 180,000 troops in harm’s way.  By the end of this year, we will have less than 10,000.  In addition to bringing our troops home, this new chapter in American foreign policy will allow us to redirect some of the resources saved by ending these wars to respond more nimbly to the changing threat of terrorism, while addressing a broader set of priorities around the globe.

I think Americans have learned that it’s harder to end wars than it is to begin them.  Yet this is how wars end in the 21st century -- not through signing ceremonies, but through decisive blows against our adversaries, transitions to elected governments, security forces who take the lead and ultimately full responsibility.  We remain committed to a sovereign, secure, stable, and unified Afghanistan.  And toward that end, we will continue to support Afghan-led efforts to promote peace in their country through reconciliation.  We have to recognize that Afghanistan will not be a perfect place, and it is not America’s responsibility to make it one.  The future of Afghanistan must be decided by Afghans.  But what the United States can do -- what we will do -- is secure our interests and help give the Afghans a chance, an opportunity to seek a long, overdue and hard-earned peace. 

America will always keep our commitments to friends and partners who step up, and we will never waver in our determination to deny al Qaeda the safe haven that they had before 9/11.  That commitment is embodied by the men and women in and out of uniform who serve in Afghanistan today and who have served in the past.  In their eyes, I see the character that sustains American security and our leadership abroad.  These are mostly young people who did not hesitate to volunteer in a time of war.  And as many of them begin to transition to civilian life, we will keep the promise we make to them and to all veterans, and make sure they get the care and benefits that they have earned and deserve.

This 9/11 Generation is part of an unbroken line of heroes who give up the comfort of the familiar to serve a half a world away -- to protect their families and communities back home, and to give people they never thought they’d meet the chance to live a better life.  It’s an extraordinary sacrifice for them and for their families.  But we shouldn’t be surprised that they’re willing to make it.  That’s who we are as Americans.  That’s what we do.

Tomorrow, I will travel to West Point and speak to America’s newest class of military officers to discuss how Afghanistan fits into our broader strategy going forward.  And I’m confident that if we carry out this approach, we can not only responsibly end our war in Afghanistan and achieve the objectives that took us to war in the first place, we’ll also be able to begin a new chapter in the story of American leadership around the world.

Thanks very much.

END
2:58 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 27, 2014

Fact Sheet: Bringing the U.S. War in Afghanistan to a Responsible End

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States and Afghanistan have partnered together to respond to threats to international peace and security and to help the Afghan people chart a secure, democratic, and prosperous future.  Since President Obama took office in 2009, we have pursued a focused strategy, alongside our NATO allies and partners, to strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan’s security forces and government to take full responsibility for their country’s future while we have struck significant blows against al-Qa’ida’s leadership and prevented Afghanistan from being used to launch attacks against our homeland.  Today’s announcement by President Obama continues this strategy by responsibly drawing down the U.S. military presence to end our combat mission and giving the Afghan people the opportunity to succeed as they stand on their own.

Bringing our Troops Home

The troop surge that the President announced at West Point in December 2009 set the conditions that allowed us to push back the Taliban and build up Afghan forces.  In June 2011, the President announced that we had completed the surge and would begin drawing down our forces from Afghanistan from a peak of 100,000 troops.  He directed that troop reductions continue at a steady pace and in a planned, coordinated, and responsible manner.  As a result, 10,000 troops came home by the end of that year, and 33,000 came home by the summer of 2012. 

In February 2013, in his State of the Union address, the President announced that the United States would withdraw another 34,000 American troops from Afghanistan within a year -- which we have done.

Today the President announced a plan whereby another 22,000 troops will come home by the end of the year, ending the U.S. combat mission in December 2014.  At the beginning of 2015, and contingent upon the Afghans signing a Bilateral Security Agreement and a status of forces agreement with NATO, we will have 9,800 U.S. service members in different parts of the country, together with our NATO allies and other partners.  By the end of 2015, we would reduce that presence by roughly half, consolidating our troops in Kabul and on Bagram Airfield.  One year later, by the end of 2016, we will draw down to a normal embassy presence in Kabul, with a security assistance component, as we have done in Iraq.  Beyond 2014, the mission of our troops will be training Afghan forces and supporting counterterrorism operations against the remnants of al-Qa’ida.

Afghans Taking the Security Lead

At the 2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon, Afghanistan and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) nations agreed to transfer full responsibility for Afghanistan’s security to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) by the end of 2014.  This transition process has allowed the international community to responsibly draw down our forces in Afghanistan, while preserving hard-won gains and setting the stage to achieve our core objectives -– disrupting threats posed by al-Qa’ida; supporting Afghan Security Forces; and giving the Afghan people the opportunity to succeed as they stand on their own.

At the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago, Afghanistan and ISAF nations reaffirmed this framework for transition and agreed on a milestone in mid-2013 when the ISAF mission would begin to shift from combat to support.  Last June, the Afghans reached that milestone as the ANSF assumed the lead for security across the whole of Afghanistan and our coalition forces shifted their focus to the training, advising, and assisting of Afghan forces. 

Today, Afghan forces provide security for their people and plan and lead the fight against the insurgency.  The most recent example of this transition was the effective security provided by the ANSF to enable the April presidential and provincial elections.  The ANSF will maintain its current surge strength of 352,000 to reinforce this progress and provide for a secure environment in Afghanistan.

Commitment to the U.S.-Afghanistan Partnership

In May 2012, the President signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement between the United States and Afghanistan that defined a future in which Afghans are responsible for the security of their nation.  The two countries pledged to build an equal partnership between two sovereign states premised on mutual respect and shared interests.  U.S. commitments to support Afghanistan’s social and economic development, security, and institutions and to promote regional cooperation are matched by Afghan commitments to strengthen accountability, transparency, and oversight and to protect the human rights of all Afghans –- men and women.  The Strategic Partnership Agreement includes mutual commitments in the areas of: protecting and promoting shared democratic values; advancing long-term security; reinforcing regional security and cooperation; social and economic development; and strengthening Afghan institutions and governance. 

The United States continues to support a sovereign, stable, unified, and democratic Afghanistan and will continue our partnership based on the principles of mutual respect and mutual accountability.  We remain fully supportive of our partners in the Afghan security forces, and we continue to proudly work side-by-side with the many Afghans who work to ensure the stability and prosperity of their fellow citizens.

International Support for Afghanistan

The United States’ support is part of an international effort to assist Afghanistan as it enters the “Transformation Decade” of 2015-2024.  At the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago, Afghanistan and NATO reaffirmed its commitment to further develop an enduring partnership that would last beyond the transition of full security responsibility for Afghanistan from ISAF to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.  This commitment is a clear message to the Afghan people that they will not stand alone as they take responsibility for their security.  At the 2012 Tokyo Conference, Afghanistan and the international community also committed to support the sustainable growth and development of Afghanistan.  The international community pledged financial support, through 2017, at or near levels of the past decade, to respond to Afghanistan’s projected budget shortfalls.

Political Transition

As the Afghans took control for their security, they also worked to usher in a historic transfer of power in Afghanistan.  We congratulate the millions of Afghans who voted in the presidential elections in April, and we look forward to the inauguration of their next president later this summer.  The United States affirms its support for a fair, credible, and Afghan-led election process and does not support any candidate in the elections -- the choice of who leads Afghanistan is for Afghans alone.

The United States also believes that an Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process is the surest way to end violence and ensure lasting stability for Afghanistan and the region.  As the President has said, the United States will support initiatives that bring Afghans together with other Afghans to discuss the future of their country.  The United States and the Afghan government have called upon on the Taliban to join a political process.  We have been clear that the outcomes of any peace and reconciliation process must be for the Taliban and other armed opposition groups to end violence, break ties with al-Qa’ida, and accept Afghanistan's constitution, including its protections for the rights of all Afghan citizens, both men and women.

We believe that a stable and prosperous Afghanistan can only be possible in a stable and prosperous region.  We endorse Afghanistan’s vision for building strong, sustainable bilateral and multilateral relationships with its neighbors and regional partners.  We encourage Afghanistan’s further economic integration into the region and support the principles of good-neighborly relations, which include non-interference and respect for sovereignty.   

Economic Transition

Afghanistan has experienced rapid economic growth and remarkable improvements in key social indicators:

  • Afghanistan’s gross domestic product has grown an average of 9.4 percent per year from 2003 to 2012.
  • In the last decade, life expectancy at birth has increased by 20 years to over 62 years.
  • In 2002, an estimated 900,000 boys were in school and virtually no girls.  Now there are 8 million students enrolled in school, more than a third of whom are girls. 
  • In 2002, only 6 percent of Afghans had access to reliable electricity.  Today, 28 percent of the population has access to reliable electricity, including more than 2 million people in Kabul who now benefit from electric power 24 hours a day. 

However, challenges remain, and Afghanistan will require continued international assistance to sustain its gains and further meet its development goals.  In January 2013, the President reaffirmed the conclusions of the Tokyo Conference, including that the U.S. commitment to align 80 percent of our aid with Afghan priorities and channel at least 50 percent of development assistance through the national budget of the Afghan government as part of the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 27, 2014

Readout of the President’s Call with President-elect Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine

President Obama called President-elect Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine today to congratulate him on his victory and offer the full support of the United States as he seeks to unify and move his country forward.  The President stressed the importance of quickly implementing the reforms necessary for Ukraine to bring the country together and to develop a sustainable economy, attractive investment climate, and transparent and accountable government that is responsive to the concerns and aspirations of all Ukrainians.  The United States will continue assisting Ukraine in these efforts.  The two leaders agreed to continue their conversation during the President’s upcoming trip to Europe. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 27, 2014

White House Science Fair Fact Sheet & Backgrounder

Highlights New Commitments to Help More Girls and Boys Succeed in STEM

WASHINGTON, DC -- President Obama will host the 2014 White House Science Fair today and celebrate the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. This year’s Fair will include a specific focus on girls and women who are excelling in STEM and inspiring the next generation with their work.  The President will also announce new steps as part of his Educate to Innovate campaign, an all-hands-on-deck effort to get more girls and boys inspired to excel and to provide the support they need to succeed in these in these vital subjects.

Educate to Innovate components being announced today include among others:

  • A new $35 million Department of Education competition, in support of the President’s goal to train 100,000 excellent STEM teachers; 

  • A major expansion of STEM AmeriCorps to provide STEM learning opportunities for 18,000 low-income students this summer;

  • A national STEM mentoring effort kicking off in seven cities, as well as new steps by leading technology and media companies, non-profits and others to connect more students to STEM.

“When students excel in math and science, they’re laying the groundwork for helping America compete for the jobs and industries of the future,” said President Obama. “That’s why I’m proud to celebrate outstanding students at the White House Science Fair, and to announce new steps my Administration and its partners are taking to help more young people succeed in these critical subjects."

Details on the White House Science Fair

The White House Science Fair will feature over 100 students from more than 30 states, representing more than 40 different STEM competitions and organizations that recognize the talents of America’s next generation of scientists, engineers, inventors and innovators. Approximately 30 student teams will have the opportunity to exhibit their projects as part of the Fair.

The President will view exhibits of the students’ work, ranging from breakthrough basic research to new inventions, and deliver remarks to an audience of students, science educators and business leaders on the importance of STEM education to the country’s economic future. 

This year’s Fair includes a specific focus on girls and women who are excelling in STEM and inspiring the next generation with their work. Since day one, the President has been committed to getting more underrepresented groups, including women and girls, excited to excel at STEM subjects. For example, in the Administration’s signature education reform initiative, Race to the Top, President Obama granted states competitive preference if they demonstrated efforts to close the STEM gap for girls and other groups that are underrepresented.

The White House Science Fair is a key part of the President’s Educate to Innovate campaign to inspire more girls and boys to excel in STEM subjects. As the President has noted, “If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.”

New Steps Being Taken by the Administration in Support of the President’ STEM Education Goals

  • The U.S. Department of Education launches a STEM-Focused Teacher Training Grant Competition to Grow Pathways for Effective STEM Educators: Responding to the President’s goal to prepare 100,000 excellent STEM teachers over the next decade, the U.S. Department of Education is announcing a new round of the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant competition, which includes a focus on STEM teacher preparation. This competition will award approximately $35 million in grants, and grow the portfolio of projects supported by the Department that are investing in STEM teachers. For this competition:

    • Applications that increase opportunities for the preparation and professional development of STEM teachers will receive extra points. Applications may also receive additional points for targeting under-represented groups for STEM teacher preparation and professional development. Applicants are encouraged to incorporate hands-on and field-based experiences into their STEM teacher preparation programs.

    • TQP grants support partnerships among universities, high-need school districts, and schools to develop and execute pre-baccalaureate and residency teacher-training programs. These programs include yearlong clinical experiences, access to mentors, induction support, and professional development for partner districts and stipends. To date, 40 TQP grants have been awarded.

  • A major expansion of STEM AmeriCorps will provide STEM learning opportunities for 18,000 low-income students this summer:  Building on the President’s launch of STEM AmeriCorps at the White House Science Fair last year, the Corporation for National and Community Service today is announcing a major summer AmeriCorps VISTA initiative that includes six Southern states.  These 256 AmeriCorps members will connect approximately 18,000 at-risk students in low-performing schools to STEM opportunities. The AmeriCorps members will serve with community groups, educational institutions, and corporate sponsors that are committed to sharing their expertise to inspire new discovery and increase the students’ chances for academic achievement. This initiative will make it possible for students to learn about and build robots, engage with community members to solve challenging STEM tasks, write code that will be uploaded to the International Space Station, participate in a “scientist-for-a-day” program that explores various careers, and learn about food production. This AmeriCorps VISTA project, which expands access to STEM education through national service, is one part of the overall STEM AmeriCorps effort. Other STEM AmeriCorps initiatives include partnerships with FIRST Robotics, US2020, Maker Education Initiative, Citizen Schools, Teach for America, and other organizations – efforts collectively reaching tens of thousands of students engaging in STEM learning.

New Partners Stepping Up in Response to the President’s Call to Action

  • Working with US2020, Seven Cities to Launch STEM Mentoring Efforts: Led by US2020, seven American cities are launching new campaigns this year to connect passionate STEM employees from local companies to students in their region, including: Allentown, PA; Chicago, IL; Indianapolis, IN;  Research Triangle Park, NC; Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco, CA; and Wichita, KS. Sponsored by Cisco and launched at last year’s White House Science Fair, the US2020 City Competition challenged cities to develop innovative models for scaling STEM mentorship for young students in STEM, particularly for girls, underrepresented minorities and children from low-income families.  These seven cities – the winners from more than 50 competing cities – assembled city-wide STEM mentoring plans and recruited over 200 regional companies and organizations as partners. They will be supported by US2020 through a mix of financial support, capacity-building with VISTA AmeriCorps members, consulting support from Discovery Communications, access to the US2020 mentor matching platform, and membership in a community of practice. In addition, Discovery Communications will air a cross-channel public service announcement starring MythBusters and Science Channel's Head Rush host Kari Byron on its 14 U.S. Networks, focusing on the need to recruit STEM mentors to help encourage students at a young age, especially girls and minorities who are under-represented in STEM careers.

    The long-term goal of US2020 is to mobilize 1 million STEM mentors annually by the year 2020, creating millions of moments of discovery – those life changing events when children launch rockets, build robots, write a computer program, or look into the farthest reaches of the universe. Today, Chevron and Discovery Communications are joining US2020 as its newest partners, joining founding partners Cisco, Cognizant, Raytheon, SanDisk and Tata Consultancy Services.

  • ConnectED Commitment by Esri to Provide Free Educational Software to Every K-12 School in America:  In continuing its support of education, and in line with the President’s ConnectED vision of opening new opportunity through technology in the classroom, Esri will provide to every U.S. K-12 school in America free access to ArcGIS Online Organization accounts — the same GIS technology as used by government and business. These allow users to map and analyze data, create and share content, and collaborate in the cloud -- via computers, tablets, or smartphones, anytime, anywhere connected.  This commitment expands on Esri’s successful program in pilot schools at all levels across the country, and will allow students to do projects of unlimited content, from global to local, building community, as well as knowledge and skills for college and career.

  • New Nationwide Campaign to Engage Hispanic Youth in STEM: NBCUniversal's Hispanic Enterprises and Content will launch a new nationwide campaign, Aprender es Triunfar, aimed at closing the Latino student achievement gap, especially in STEM education. A central pillar of the campaign will be the release of Underwater Dreams, a new documentary film by award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio and narrated by actor Michael Pena.  The film chronicles the compelling and inspirational story of four teenage boys, the sons of Mexican immigrants, who entered a sophisticated underwater robotics competition, going up against the likes of engineering powerhouse MIT. In support of reaching many Latino families with this inspirational message, AMC Theatres has committed to hosting 100 community screenings across the U.S. to enable school and non-profit groups to enjoy the film on the big screen this summer and fall.  In addition, this July, MSNBC, Telemundo and mun2 will simultaneously broadcast a 44-minute television version. This project was made possible by the Bezos Family Foundation, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, and Babson College, among others. 

  • A New Global Initiative to Connect STEM Students from around the World with Each Other and with Leading Scientists: The New York Academy of Sciences and its partners are launching the Global STEM Alliance, an ambitious program to connect STEM students from around the world with each other, and with their role models, through a mix of site-based programs, a collaborative digital platform, and a social learning network. The initiative will begin with students in the United States, Malaysia, Australia and the City of Barcelona, with other countries and regions expected to join. Working with Cisco’s advanced tools, the virtual platform allows students to:

    • interact and discuss STEM with counterparts in other countries;

    • participate in mentoring relationships with brilliant, young scientists;

    • elect to take cutting-edge STEM courses, challenges, games, and other activities;

    • learn about a day-in-the-life-of a scientist;

    • seek advice, and network with STEM-minded peers.

    Additional members of the Alliance include GALXYZ, a game-based intergalactic science adventure, and Rocket 21, an online youth engagement platform, with more to come.

    In addition, the New York Academy of Sciences and Rocket21 will partner to announce Dream Big for the World, a series of STEM challenges to immerse middle and high school students in the pressing global issues raised in the USAID Grand Challenges. Planned for launch during the 2014-2015 academic year, the challenge will invite students, working independently or in a team, to develop innovative solutions to their choice of Grand Challenges, with opportunities to connect virtually with content experts, as well as provide resources to teachers. The ultimate goal of the Global STEM Alliance is to mitigate STEM drop-out and create the next generation of STEM leaders and innovators, thereby closing the widely predicted gap in the technically adept workers needed to address the grand challenges of the 21st century.

  • Khan Academy and NASA Collaborate to Help More Students Learn the Math and Science Behind Going to Mars:  Today, NASA and Khan Academy are partnering to launch www.khanacademy.org/NASA, a series of interactive lessons that invite users to engage with the science and mathematics used to measure our universe and the exciting engineering problems involved in launching and landing on Mars. The simulations, challenges, and games transport students deep into STEM subjects, blending NASA’s space exploration expertise with Khan Academy’s compelling approach to online self-paced learning.  These dynamic educational materials will be free and available on Khan Academy to millions of learners worldwide. In just the past two years, Khan’s free online educational materials have reached over 100 million learners worldwide and delivered over 2 billion exercise problems.

Ongoing Momentum by Existing Partners in the President’s Call to Action

  • Time Warner Cable Reaches Goal of Connecting 1 Million Minds to STEM: Five years ago, in response to the President’s call to action, Time Warner Cable (TWC) launched a new philanthropic initiative, Connect a Million Minds, to have parents, mentors and others commit to connecting over one million students to highly-engaging after-school STEM activities. Through national and local non-profit partnerships, employee volunteers, original public service announcements, and innovative campaigns like STEM in Sports and Wouldn’t It Be Cool If…, TWC has organized direct and in-kind investments of more than $100 million to-date to inspire student interest in STEM subjects. Together with its partners, including FIRST Robotics and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, TWC has reached its goal of connecting one million students to STEM opportunities in their communities. Building on this success, TWC will continue connecting students through new and expanded partnerships that bring high-quality STEM learning to existing afterschool programs, and by leveraging its media assets, which include "It Ain't Rocket Science," an original television series that introduces families to STEM events and careers.

  • Over 130,000 Youth Engaged in STEM Learning Outside of the Classroom: Four years ago, responding to the President’s call to action, the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), a global organization of science centers, museums, and related institutions, announced the national ‘Youth Inspired Challenge’ to engage at least 25,000 youth, ages 10-19, in at least two million hours of hands-on science enrichment outside of the classroom. In addition to the strong support of community leaders, social support organizations, corporations, and individual citizens, ASTC announced today that institutions in all 50 states across America have joined the initiative, with the result that the Youth Inspired Challenge has vastly exceeded its goal and continues to grow.  As of today, the results indicate that participating institutions are providing programs that can engage more than 132,000 youth in nearly 3.5 million hours of targeted STEM learning. The Youth Inspired Challenge places particular emphasis on expanding opportunities for STEM engagement of underrepresented groups, including minorities, women, and youth with disabilities, and ASTC plans to continue the effort to reach even more students.

  • Summer Launch of Online Resource Library for Maker Educators: Building on the successful launch of their Maker Corps program at the last White House Science Fair, the Maker Education Initiative (Maker Ed) will launch an online resource library, a culmination of the most valuable insights gained from national partnerships including playbooks, videos, projects, and an interactive community of practice. Maker Ed expects more than 100,000 educators to benefit from these resources, which will go live in advance of the 2014-2015 school year.

  • Math and Science Effort for Military-Impacted Students Continues to Add Partners and Grow: As part of the First Lady’s Joining Forces effort, the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) College Readiness Program is leading a campaign to give many more students in military families access to rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) coursework in math and science. Starting in four public high schools in 2010, by 2013, the 52 schools in the NMSI program that had completed their first year were showing a 67 percent increase in passing math, science and English AP scores – more than nine times the national average while African-American and Hispanic students saw an 80 percent increase. Women saw a 62 percent increase in passing math and science AP scores. With additional support, NMSI is now expanding its program to reach a total of 78 high schools this year. 

Background on the exhibits, students and competitions at the White House Science Fair can be found HERE.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 26, 2014

Statement by the Press Secretary on the New Indian Government

Statement by the Press Secretary on the New Indian Government

President Obama congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and the new Indian government on their swearing-in today. As the President and Prime Minister agreed in their call after the election, as the world’s two largest democracies, India and the United States share a deep bond and commitment to promoting economic opportunity, freedom, and security for our people and around the world. We look forward to working closely together with the new government to continue to strengthen and expand the U.S.-India strategic partnership for years to come.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 25, 2014

Statement by the President on Elections in Ukraine

On behalf of all Americans, I congratulate the people of Ukraine for making their voices heard by voting in their presidential election today. Despite provocations and violence, millions of Ukrainians went to the polls throughout the country, and even in parts of eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatist groups sought to disenfranchise entire regions, some courageous Ukrainians still were able to cast their ballots. We commend the resolve of all those who participated, as well as the efforts of the Ukrainian government to conduct these elections in the face of those threats.

Throughout the last few months, the Ukrainian people have repeatedly demonstrated their desire to choose their leaders without interference and to live in a democracy where they can determine their own future free of violence and intimidation. This election is another important step forward in the efforts of the Ukrainian government to unify the country and reach out to all of its citizens to ensure their concerns are addressed and aspirations met.

The United States looks forward to working with the next President, as well as the democratically elected parliament, to support Ukraine’s efforts to enact important political and economic reforms. We also continue to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, condemn and reject Russia’s occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea, and remain committed to working with Ukraine and other partners to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 24, 2014

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 862

On Saturday, May 24, 2014, the President signed into law:

H.R. 862, which authorizes the Department of Agriculture to convey by quitclaim deed approximately 2.67 acres of Federal land located within the boundaries of the Coconino National Forest to certain landowners of that land.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 23, 2014

Readout of the President’s Call with President Jacob Zuma of South Africa

President Obama called South African President Jacob Zuma today to congratulate him on his re-election -- the African National Congress’s fifth successful election in the post-Apartheid era.  The presidents noted that they look forward to continuing to work together on bilateral and multilateral issues of importance, and to ensuring the upcoming U.S. – Africa Leaders Summit advances regional stability and economic growth.

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 23, 2014

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 685 and H.R. 1209

On Friday, May 23, 2014, the President signed into law:

H.R. 685, the "American Fighter Aces Congressional Gold Medal Act," which provides for the award of a single congressional gold medal to the American Fighter Aces, collectively, in recognition of their heroic military service and defense of the Nation's freedom throughout the history of aviation warfare; and

H.R. 1209, which provides for the award of a single congressional gold medal to the World War II members of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, for outstanding heroism, valor, skill, and service to the United States in conducting the bombings of Tokyo.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 23, 2014

Remarks by the President at DSCC Dinner -- Chicago, IL

Private Residence
Chicago, Illinois

8:17 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  First of all, to Fred and Dan, I’m so grateful for you guys hosting us here today.  I’m trying to remember -- was it two years ago or three years ago that I was here?

Q    Two years ago.  And you were here in --

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I’ve been here a lot, I know.  (Laughter.)  I meant most recently.  I have abused Fred’s hospitality for quite some time.  But it is wonderful to be home now that is has warmed up.  (Laughter.)  And it is wonderful to be with a lot of old friends.

There are a couple other people I just want to acknowledge real quickly.  Obviously, our Governor Pat Quinn is in the house.  Please give him a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  Pat is doing a lot of hard stuff, and he’s doing it the right way.  And I’m very appreciative for all the efforts that he’s making down in Springfield. 

We also have two of our finest public servants in the country.  The first has the thankless job of being the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Reelection Committee, and that is our outstanding senator from Colorado, Michael Bennet.  (Applause.)  And the second guy is the person who, upon my election to the United States Senate, essentially taught me everything that he knew and kept me out of trouble, and supported me every step of the way when I ran for President, and has been a great friend and champion on behalf of working families not just in Illinois, but all across the country.  He is a great friend.  I couldn’t be prouder to be associated with him -- Dick Durbin.  (Applause.) 

So the goal here is not for me to give a long speech, because I want to have a conversation with you, but let me just set the context.  A little over five years since I’ve been elected.  We’ve gone from losing 800,000 jobs a month to creating over 9 million jobs.  The unemployment rate has come down.  The housing value has come up.  The stock market -- gone up.  Trillions of dollars of wealth restored for families all across the country.  The deficit -- you wouldn’t know it always from reading the newspapers -- has been cut by more than half. 

Clean energy -- we’ve doubled.  Greenhouse gases -- we’ve lowered.  Exports -- we’re on track to double.  College enrollment hitting all-time peaks.  High school dropout rates going down.  Latino dropout rates cut in half since 2000.

We’ve ended two wars.  We are -- or we’ve ended one war and we’re in the process of ending the second.  We’re producing more energy than we ever have before, and we’re importing less foreign oil than we have in close to two decades.

So there are a whole bunch of metrics -- a whole bunch of measures by which you’d say, indisputably, that we are better off now than we were when I came into office.  And a lot of that has to do with the incredible resilience and grit and hard work of the American people.  And yet, there’s still anxiety all across America.  And some of it is that people still feel the trauma of seeing their home values drop, or their 401(k)s plunge, or losing their job, or seeing a friend of theirs lose their home.  And you don’t shake those things off right away.  It feels as if the ground is less firm under your feet.

But a lot of it has to do with the fact that we’ve got trends that have continued over the course of decades in which those of us, frankly, in this room continue to do better and better.  Folks at the top have seen their incomes and their wealth soar.  And ordinary Americans have seen their wages and incomes flat-line at the same time as the costs of everything has gone up.  And so they’re less confident that not only they will be able to retire with some dignity and maintain their standard of living; more importantly, they’re concerned that their kids are not going to be able to match their standard of living and the upward trajectory of their lives -- the idea that if you work hard, if you take responsibility in this country, you can get ahead. 

Now, there are a lot of issues that we face in this country, but nothing is more important than restoring, making real that ideal that if you work hard in this country, you can make it.  And everything I think about every single day that I’m President revolves around that issue, along with keeping the American people safe.  And the problem I’ve got right now is not that we’re on the wrong side of issues.  There’s not an issue out there in which we do not enjoy majority support.  Immigration reform -- the majority agrees with us.  Minimum wage -- the majority agrees with us.  Equal pay for equal work -- the majority agrees with us.  Increasing clean energy -- the majority agrees with us.  Invest in education, early childhood education, making college more affordable -- folks on our side.  That’s not my problem.  That’s not our problem.

Our problem is very simple:  We have a Congress that currently is controlled, at least half of it, by an ideological faction that is not representative of the traditions of the Republican Party as I understood them -- maybe because I come from the land of Lincoln.  I thought we believed in investing in infrastructure.  I thought we believed in science.  I didn’t think those were partisan issues.  I thought we believed in education.  But this crowd doesn’t believe in science; doesn’t really believe in investing in our kids to make sure that upward mobility exists; doesn’t believe in climate change; doesn’t think that there’s really a problem in terms of the pay gap between men and women; isn’t interested in providing help for families. 

They operate on a single theory -- which is, if government is dismantled and folks at the top can do more and more without restraint, that everybody else is going to benefit from it.  I don’t know if they actually believe it, but that’s what they say.  And this is not a situation of equivalence where the Democrats are this far-left crazy group and we’re not willing to meet in the middle.  And if you need a better example than that, take a look at a health care law that uses the private sector to encourage people to buy insurance and has brought health care inflation down to its lowest rate in 50 years.  And you would think that I had dismantled the entire free-market system -- despite the fact that we now have somewhere between 13 and 15 million people who have insurance now that didn’t have it before.

So I need a new Congress.  But at a minimum, I’ve got to have a Democratic Senate.  And that’s why you’re here.  Which leads me to my last point:  If, in fact, people agree with us, why is it so hard for us to get a Democratic Senate and a Democratic House?  Well, part of it is demographics.  I was in Brooklyn with de Blasio -- this is right before he was about to be elected -- and we were coming from this wonderful school that’s training kids in math and science.  And we’re driving down Brooklyn and crowds are cheering, and we go into this place to buy some cheesecake and people are hugging me -- and, oh, my uncle just got on Obamacare and it’s terrific.  And a woman yells out, what can I do to help?  And I said, move to Nebraska!  (Laughter.)  I don’t need 80 percent of the vote in New York City -- (laughter) -- or Chicago.  But Democrats tend to congregate a little more densely, which puts us at a disadvantage in the House.  Obviously, the nature of the Senate means that California has the same number of Senate seats as Wyoming.  That puts us at a disadvantage.  Gerrymandering in many of these states puts us at a disadvantage.

So there are some structural reasons why, despite the fact that Republican ideas are largely rejected by the public, it’s still hard for us to break through.  But the second reason is we have a congenital disease, which is we don’t like voting in midterms.  Our voters are younger, more minorities, more single women, more working-class folks who are busy and trying to get to work, trying to find work.  And oftentimes we opt out during midterms.  If we had the same turnout in 2012 that we had had in 2010, I might have lost.  Instead, of course, we had a very significant and solid victory.

So this is pretty straightforward -- I need more votes.  I need more people voting to reflect our values and what we care about and our stance on the issues, which, in turn, leads to senators and congressman who then vote on behalf of actually getting stuff done.  A bunch of you, because you’ve known me for a long time, came up and commiserated while we were taking pictures -- oh, these folks are so mean and there’s always slinging and hurling stones and arrows at you, and all this.  And I said, you know what, it turns out -- maybe I’m from Chicago -- I’m a tough guy.  It doesn’t really bother me too much. 

There is one thing that bothers me, which is when I hear folks saying, oh, you know, if you just play golf with John Boehner more -- (laughter) -- and we’re just trying harder to be more bipartisan, then we’d get more stuff done.  That’s not the problem.  (Laughter.)  On every issue we are more than happy to sit down in reasonable fashion and compromise.  The problem is not that we’re too mean or we’re too partisan.  The problem is I don’t have enough votes -- full stop. 

The first two years, when we had a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate, we had the most productive legislature since the 1960s, since Lyndon Johnson -- more significant, meaningful domestic legislation than any time since Medicare was passed.  House Republicans take over and we now have -- you remember Harry Truman with the do-nothing Congress?  This is a less productive Congress than the do-nothing Congress.  (Laughter.)  This Congress makes the do-nothing Congress look like the New Deal.  (Laughter.) 

So I need everybody to feel a sense of urgency.  That’s what we’re here tonight to talk about.  And whatever else I say, whatever issues you are concerned about, ultimately it translates into math -- are we turning out voters who, in turn, produce majorities that allow us to advance the values that we care about.  Everything else is just talk.  And if we don’t feel that sense of urgency in this election, we’re going to have problems.  And if we do, then in the next two and half years we can make as much progress as we did the first two years I was in office.

All right.  Thank you very much, everybody.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END
8:32 P.M. CDT