Readout of National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice’s Travel to the United Arab Emirates and Djibouti

National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice traveled to the United Arab Emirates and Djibouti from March 6-8.  In the UAE, she held highly productive bilateral discussions with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed and other senior Emirati officials, including the Foreign Minister and Deputy Chief of National Security.  They exchanged views on a wide range of regional issues, including Iran, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Middle East Peace, as well as U.S. partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.  Ambassador Rice visited the new campus of NYU Abu Dhabi, one of the three major U.S.-UAE long-term legacy partnership projects.  She met with a diverse and talented group of American, Emirati and international students from NYU Abu Dhabi and the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholarship Program and expressed support for the major investments the UAE has made in world class liberal arts and STEM higher education programs.

In Djibouti, Ambassador Rice met with senior leaders and U.S. troops from the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) at Camp Lemonnier to discuss CJTF operations in the region.  She thanked the troops for their extraordinary work to build counterpart capacity in the region, conduct crisis response, and execute vital counter-terror operations that help keep the American people safe.  Ambassador Rice met with Djiboutian President Guelleh to renew our robust strategic partnership with the government and people of Djibouti.  She thanked him for Djiboutian leadership on a range of issues, including countering terrorism and piracy, and responding to humanitarian emergencies.  In her meeting with President Guelleh and with Foreign Minister Youssouf and a delegation of senior Djiboutian ministers and officials, she discussed ways to deepen and enhance our bilateral cooperation, including in ways that will tangibly benefit the economic well-being of the Djiboutian people and address shared security challenges.  They discussed ways that Camp Lemonnier and the U.S. military presence in Djibouti can have a more direct and positive impact on the local economy, and ways that American assistance can lead to further sustainable development and improved regional security.  

Weekly Address: Time for Congress to Raise the Minimum Wage for the American People

WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama highlighted the momentum building across the country to give Americans a raise and reiterated his call for Congress to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10. The President has already signed an executive order to raise the minimum wage for people working under new federal contracts. Companies large and small are choosing to give workers a raise because they know it’s good business. And Governors across the country are answering the President’s call by working to raise their states’ minimum wages. Now, it’s time for Congress to get the job done and restore opportunity for all Americans by raising the minimum wage to “ten-ten.”

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, Saturday, March 8, 2014.

Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address

The White House

March 8, 2014

Hi, everybody.  This week, I traveled to New England, where I was joined by four governors who are working to raise the minimum wage in each of their states.  And they’ve also joined me in calling on Congress to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour.  Because it would give nearly 800,000 Americans in their states a raise – and lift wages for about 28 million across the country.

So these governors aren’t waiting for Congress to make up its mind.  And in my State of the Union Address, I asked America’s business leaders to go ahead and do what they could to raise their employees’ wages, too.  And increasingly, it’s not just large companies like Costco or the Gap that choose to pay their employees higher starting wages. 

It’s smaller businesses like Jaxson’s, a family-owned ice cream parlor in South Florida.  They answered the call and raised their wages so that more than 70 employees would earn at least $10.10 an hour, without cutting back on hiring.

And two weeks ago, an Atlanta small business owner named Darien Southerland [SUTH-er-lind] wrote me to share a lesson his grandmother taught him – that if you treat your employees right, they’ll treat you right.  And Vice President Biden paid him a visit this week.

I agree with these business owners, which is why I issued an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay their employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour.  It’s good for our bottom line.  And working Americans have struggled through stagnant wages for far too long.

A clear majority of Americans support raising the minimum wage, because we believe that nobody who works full-time should have to live in poverty.  About half of all Republicans support raising the minimum wage, too.  It’s just too bad they don’t serve in Congress.  Because the Republicans who do serve in Congress don’t want to vote on the minimum wage at all.  Some even want to get rid of it completely.  Seriously.

That’s why what business leaders and everyday Americans are doing to raise wages is so important.  Because change doesn’t come from Washington – change comes to Washington.  I’ve always believed that, and it’s true in this case, too.  Outside Washington, Americans are ready to put aside old political arguments and move this country forward.  The American people are way ahead of Congress on this issue, and we’ve just got to let Congress know that.  It’s time for “ten-ten.”  It’s time to give America a raise.  And it’s time to restore opportunity for all.

Thanks, and have a great weekend. 

President Obama to Host NCAA Champion Student Athletes at the White House

WASHINGTON – On Monday, March 10, the President will host the 2012-2013 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Champions at the White House for an event on the South Lawn.  The President will welcome student athletes from schools across the country to congratulate them on their accomplishments in the classroom and on the playing field.

The event will be open press and streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov/live.

The following teams are expected to attend this event:

Duke University: Men’s Lacrosse

Indiana University: Men’s Soccer

Oklahoma State University: Men’s Cross Country

Princeton University: Fencing

Princeton University: Field Hockey

Stanford University: Women’s Tennis

University of Alabama: Men’s Golf

University of California, Irvine: Men’s Volleyball

University of Colorado, Boulder: Men’s Cross Country

University of Kansas: Women’s Outdoor Track and Field

University of Minnesota: Women’s Hockey

University of North Carolina: Women’s Lacrosse

University of North Carolina: Women’s Soccer

University of Oklahoma: Softball

University of Southern California: Men’s Water Polo

University of Southern California: Women’s Water Polo

University of Virginia: Men’s Tennis

West Virginia University: Rifle

Yale University: Men’s Hockey

Statement by the President on Bloody Sunday

Forty-nine years ago, a determined group of Americans marched into history, facing down grave danger in the name of justice and equality—walking to protest the continued discrimination and violence against African Americans.  On a day that became known as “Bloody Sunday”, these brave men and women met billy-clubs and tear gas with courage and resolution.  Their actions helped set an example for a generation to stand up for the fundamental freedoms due to all people.  We recognize those who marched that day—and the millions more who have done their part throughout our nation’s history to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice.