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:

• Bob Work – Deputy Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense
• Cassandra Q. Butts – Ambassador to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Department of State
• Matthew T. McGuire – United States Executive Director, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

President Obama said, “I am pleased to announce that these experienced and committed individuals have agreed to join this Administration, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

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

Bob Work, Nominee for Deputy Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense

Bob Work is Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security, a position he has held since 2013.  Mr. Work served as the Under Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2013.  In 2008, Mr. Work served on President Obama’s Department of Defense Transition Team.  At the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) from 2002 to 2009, Mr. Work was the Senior Fellow for Maritime Affairs and later the Vice President for Strategic Studies.  While serving at CSBA, Mr. Work was also an adjunct professor at George Washington University, where he taught Defense Analysis and Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces.  Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 27 years in various assignments, including Military Assistant and Senior Aide to the 71st Secretary of the Navy, Richard J. Danzig.  Mr. Work received a B.S. from the University of Illinois, an M.S. from the University of Southern California, an M.S. from the Naval Postgraduate School, and an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. 

Cassandra Q. Butts, Nominee for Ambassador to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Department of State

Cassandra Q. Butts is currently a Senior Advisor to the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, where she chairs the Investment Management Committee.  Prior to that, she served as Deputy White House Counsel to President Obama and General Counsel to the Obama-Biden Transition Project.  From 2004 to 2008, Ms. Butts served as Senior Vice President for Domestic Policy at the Center for American Progress.  From 2002 to 2004, she served as Counsel and Policy Director to House Democratic Leader Richard A. Gephardt and as Deputy Executive Director of the Democratic Policy Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1996 to 2002.  She has worked as an Associate Counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense Fund, as a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senator Harris Wofford, and as a Fellow for the National Health Law Program in Washington, D.C.  She is a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a past recipient of the Georgetown Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship.  Ms. Butts received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Matthew T. McGuire, Nominee for United States Executive Director,  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Matthew T. McGuire is currently Director of the Office of Business Liaison at the Department of Commerce.  Prior to joining the Department of Commerce, Mr. McGuire was a Vice President at Citadel Asset Management from 2010 to 2011 and a Principal at Origami Capital Partners from 2009 to 2011.  Mr. McGuire was the Vice President of Institutional Marketing and Client Services at Ariel Investments from 2003 to 2009 after having worked as an Investment Officer at the New York State Common Retirement Fund from 2000 to 2001.  Mr. McGuire received a B.A. from Brown University and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Readout of Vice President Biden's Call with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades

In a call today with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, Vice President Biden expressed appreciation for the Republic of Cyprus as a key partner in a vital region.  The Vice President reiterated our commitment to deepening cooperation with Cyprus to advance our mutual interests.  He committed to exploring new opportunities to promote Cyprus’ economic recovery and growth and to bring peace, stability, and prosperity to the island and the region.  Finally, Vice President Biden underscored unwavering U.S. support for a just and lasting settlement to achieve the re-unification of Cyprus as a bizonal, bicommunal federation, looked forward to successful resumption of the U.N.-led talks in the coming days, and encouraged creative thinking on ways to improve prospects for success.

FACT SHEET: Opportunity For All : Establishing a New “Made In Rural America” Export and Investment Initiative

Today, the President directed his Administration, working through the White House Rural Council, to lead a new “Made in Rural America” export and investment initiative. This initiative is charged with bringing together federal resources to help rural businesses and leaders take advantage of new investment opportunities and access new customers and markets abroad.  

Specifically, the President has instructed his Rural Council – in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, the Export-Import Bank, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, and other agencies – to commit to connecting more rural businesses of all types to export information and assistance through a comprehensive strategy including the following specific commitments, to be provided over the next nine months:

• Host five “Made in Rural America” regional forums dedicated to promoting rural exports by providing rural leaders and businesses with information about federal and other resources available to help expand exports.  Working with local partners including the National Association of Counties (NACo), the Delta Regional Authority, and the Appalachian Regional Commission, these export-focused regional forums will help rural businesses take advantage of new market opportunities by providing training from experienced exporters and federal officials on the basics of exporting, accessing federal support, and participating in major trade events and trade shows across the country, as well as overseas trade missions. 

• Convene an “Investing in Rural America” conference later this year to connect major investors with rural business leaders, high-level government officials, economic development experts, and other partners.  This conference, hosted by the White House Rural Council in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and other partners, will promote opportunities to invest in Rural America by highlighting successful projects in energy; biofuels and bioproducts; infrastructure, from transportation to water systems to telecommunications; healthcare; manufacturing; and local and regional food systems. 

• Host training sessions to equip local USDA Rural Development staff in all 50 states plus territories with the tools they need to counsel businesses on export opportunities and resources. The Department of Commerce, through the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, will cross-train USDA Rural Development staff so they can better deliver support or refer rural businesses to federal services.  

• Provide enhanced export counseling for rural businesses to connect with foreign buyers through the Department of Commerce’s U.S. Export Assistance Center trade specialists in over 100 domestic locations and in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s field staff. 

• Coordinate across the Administration to promote rural-produced goods and services at trade events including trade missions, buyer programs, trade shows, and other promotion programs. 

• Educate local leaders across the country on the importance of rural exports in partnership with NACo and through the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee in order to connect these leaders with federal resources and information to better support rural businesses to develop their potential for exporting.  

• Use the BusinessUSA online platform to better connect rural businesses with export and investment resources and coordinate support from across the federal government. BusinessUSA was launched by the President last year to serve as a “one-stop-shop” that matches businesses and entrepreneurs to the full range of services and resources available to them at every stage of development.

Statement by the Press Secretary

It is disappointing that Republicans in the Senate chose to again deny emergency unemployment insurance for 1.7 million Americans who need this vital lifeline to support their families as they actively search each and every day for a job. As the President said during the State of the Union, we need to give these hardworking, responsible Americans a chance. We cannot allow one vote to stand in the way of supporting these Americans as they struggle to find work. Both sides of the aisle have worked together to prevent this kind of hardship in the past, and neglecting to do so now is unacceptable – especially given the high long-term unemployment rate.

Last week the President took action on his own, bringing together CEOs whose companies have agreed to take steps to help give the long-term unemployed a fair shot at a job, and announced new steps to expand partnerships that connect the long-term unemployed to good jobs.  Republicans in Congress need to allow this bill to have an up or down vote and remove this needless drag on our economy and American families.