Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 360

On Friday, May 24, 2013, the President signed into law:

H.R. 360, which provides for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to commemorate the lives of the four young African American victims of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, in September 1963.

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:

• James F. Entwistle – Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Department of State
• Chai R. Feldblum – Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Douglas E. Lute– United States Permanent Representative on the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Department of State
• Victoria Nuland – Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Department of State
• Daniel Sepulveda – rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Communications and Information Policy, Department of State
• Mark Schaefer – Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department of Commerce
• Kara M. Stein – Commissioner, Securities and Exchange Commission
• John H. Thompson – Director of the Census, Department of Commerce 

The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Calvin L. Holmes – Member, Community Development Advisory Board
• John Charles Padalino – Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, Department of Agriculture
• Clark W. Stevens – Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Homeland Security

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:

Ambassador James F. Entwistle, Nominee for Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Department of State

Ambassador James F. Entwistle, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is the U.S. Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  From 2007 to 2010, he was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.  His previous roles overseas include Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 2003 to 2006, Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 1999 to 2003, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bangui, Central African Republic from 1994 to 1995.  His roles in Washington include Management Analyst in the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs from 1997 to 1999 and Desk Officer for Zimbabwe and Botswana in the Department of State’s Office of Southern African Affairs in 1996.  Ambassador Entwistle received a B.A. from Davidson College in North Carolina.

Chai R. Feldblum, Nominee for Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Chai R. Feldblum currently serves as a Commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a position she has held since 2010.  Previously, she was a Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center from 1991 to 2011, where she founded the Law Center’s Federal Legislation and Administrative Clinic, a program designed to train students to become legislative lawyers.  Ms. Feldblum served as Legislative Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union from 1988 to 1991.  She clerked for Justice Harry A. Blackmun and Judge Frank M. Coffin of the Federal Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.  Ms. Feldblum received a B.A. from Barnard College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. 

Douglas E. Lute, Nominee for United States Permanent Representative on the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Department of State

Douglas E. Lute is Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for South Asia on the White House National Security Staff.  He retired from active duty in the United States Army as a Lieutenant General in 2010, after 35 years of service.  From 2007 to 2009, he was Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan.  From 2006 to 2007, he was Director of Operations (J3) on the Joint Staff.  Previously, from 2004 to 2006, he was Director of Operations for the United States Central Command.  General Lute’s previous positions include Deputy Director of Operations for the United States European Command in Stuttgart, Germany; Assistant Division Commander in the 1^st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany; Commander of U.S. Forces in Kosovo; and Commander of the Second Cavalry Regiment.  He received a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.                                                                                                                                                                             

Ambassador Victoria Nuland, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Department of State

Ambassador Victoria Nuland, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, has served as the State Department Spokesperson since 2011.  Previously, from 2010 to 2011, she was Special Envoy for Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.  Ambassador Nuland served on the faculty of the National War College from 2008 to 2010, after serving as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from 2005 to 2008.  From 2003 to 2005, she was Principal Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President, and from 2000 to 2003, she served as U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO.  From 1997 to 1999, Ambassador Nuland was Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large for the former Soviet States at the Department of State.  Ambassador Nuland served overseas at the U.S. Embassies in Moscow from 1991 to 1993, Mongolia in 1988, and at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China from 1985 to 1986.  She received a B.A. from Brown University.

Daniel Sepulveda, Nominee for the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Communications and Information Policy

Daniel Sepulveda is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Communications and Information Policy, a position he has held since April 2013.  From 2009 to 2013, he was a Senior Advisor in the Office of U.S. Senator John Kerry.  Previously, he was Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Congressional Affairs in the Office of the United States Trade Representative from January 2009 to November 2009.  Before serving in the Obama Administration, he was a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senator Barack Obama from 2005 to 2008 and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer from 2001 to 2005.  He served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs from 2000 to 2001 and Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Policy from 1999 to 2000 at the U.S. Department of Labor.  From 1997 to 1999, he was a Policy Analyst with the National Council of La Raza.  Mr. Sepulveda received a B.A. from Emory University and an M.P.A. from the University of Texas in Austin where he studied as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow in Public Policy and International Affairs.

Dr. Mark Schaefer, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department of Commerce

Dr. Mark Schaefer is currently Deputy Executive Director for Environmental Conflict Resolution at the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, a position he has held since 2008.  From 2007 to 2008, he served as an independent consultant, providing advice on environmental science and technology policy to various organizations, including the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.  Prior to this, he was Chief Executive Officer of the Global Environment and Technology Foundation.  Dr. Schaefer was Chief Executive Officer of NatureServe from 2000 to 2006.  He served at the U.S. Department of Interior from 1996 to 2000 as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science.  From 1993 to 1996, Dr. Schaefer served as the Assistant Director for Environment in the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President.  From 1989 to 1993, he was a Senior Staff Associate with the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government.  He was a Congressional Science Fellow in the Office of Technology Assessment at the U.S. Congress from 1987 to 1989.  Dr. Schaefer has served on the Board of Trustees of the Morris K. Udall Foundation and the National Research Council Board on Earth Sciences and Resources within the National Academy of Sciences.  Dr. Schaefer received a B.A. from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Kara M. Stein, Nominee for Commissioner, Securities and Exchange Commission

Kara M. Stein is currently Legal Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Jack Reed.  From 2009 to 2013, she served as Staff Director of the Senate Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment with the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.  Ms. Stein has served in multiple roles within Senator Reed’s office, including Legal Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor from 2007 to 2009, Democratic Director on the Banking Subcommittee on Housing and Transportation from 2001 to 2006, and Legal Counsel from 1999 to 2000.  Previously, she was a Legislative Assistant with Senator Chris Dodd from 1997 to 1999.  Before her service on the Hill, Ms. Stein was an associate with Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering from 1996 to 1997 and an assistant professor with the University of Dayton School of Law from 1995 to 1996.  She was an Advocacy Fellow with the Georgetown University Law Center from 1993 to 1995, a Skadden Fellow from 1991 to 1993, and a visiting lecturer with the University of Nigeria Faculty of Law from 1989 to 1990.  Ms. Stein received a B.A. from Yale College and a J.D. from Yale Law School.

John H. Thompson, Nominee for Director of the Census, Department of Commerce

John H. Thompson is the President and CEO of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, a position he has held since 2008.  He previously served as Executive Vice President of NORC from 2002 to 2008.  Prior to this, Mr. Thompson has held various positions at the United States Census Bureau since 1975, including Associate Director for the Decennial Census and Chief of the Decennial Management Division.  He also worked in the Statistical Support Division from 1987 to 1995 and the Statistical Methods Division from 1975 to 1987.  Mr. Thompson has been member of the American Statistical Association since 1975.  He was elected as a Fellow of the Association in 2000, and has chaired the Social Statistics Section in 2011 and the Committee on Fellows in 2009.  He is currently serving as a member of the Committee on National Statistics with the National Academy of Sciences.  Mr. Thompson received a B.S. and M.S. from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

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

Calvin L. Holmes, Appointee for Member, Community Development Advisory Board

Calvin L. Holmes is the President of the Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF), a position he has held since 1998.  He first began working with the CCLF as a Loan Officer in 1995.  Prior to this, Mr. Holmes was a property manager with the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center in Baltimore from 1993 to 1995.  Previously, he served as a transportation planner for three years for the City of Chicago from 1988 to 1991.  Mr. Holmes has served on a number of boards and committees, including the Bank of America National Community Advisory Board, the Housing Partnership Network, the Community Reinvestment Fund, and the Citibank NMTC Corporation Community Advisory Board.  Mr. Holmes received a B.A. from Northwestern University and an M.R.P. from Cornell University. 

John Charles Padalino, Appointee for Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, Department of Agriculture

John Charles Padalino currently serves as the Acting Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a role he has held since 2012.  From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Padalino served in a number of positions at USDA, including Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Rural Development.  Prior to this, Mr. Padalino practiced law in El Paso, Texas, at Kemp Smith LLP from 2003 to 2009.  Mr. Padalino also worked as a Field Organizer for Obama for America in Texas in 2008.  From 1997 to 2000, he was a Senior Water and Wastewater Utility Operator at H20 Consulting, Inc., and a Water and Wastewater Utility Operator at Severn Trent Environmental Services, Inc. from 1995 to 1997.  Mr. Padalino received a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law - Camden.

Clark W. Stevens, Appointee for Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Homeland Security

Clark W. Stevens is an Assistant Press Secretary for the White House, where he handles homeland security, disaster response, and energy and environmental issues.  Previously, he was Press Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security in 2010 and Press Secretary for the Federal Emergency Management Agency from 2009 to 2010.  Before joining the Administration, he was Northeast Regional Spokesperson for the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee, Virginia Press Secretary in 2008 for Obama for America, and Press Secretary to several states in the primaries from 2007 to 2008.  Mr. Stevens received a B.A. from Colby College.

Fact Sheet: The President’s May 23 Speech on Counterterrorism

In a broad and comprehensive address at National Defense University, President Obama laid out the framework for U.S. counter-terrorism strategy as we wind down the war in Afghanistan. The President provided the American people with an update on how the threat of terrorism has changed substantially since September 11, 2001, as Al Qaeda’s core in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been decimated, and new threats have emerged from al Qaeda affiliates, localized extremist groups, and homegrown terrorists. The President also discussed our comprehensive strategy to meet these threats, including waging the war against al Qaeda and our counter-terrorism efforts more broadly. The following are some of the policy highlights from the President’s speech:

Responding to the Threat: Targeting Terrorists and Leveraging Effective Partnerships

Our response to terrorism cannot depend on military or law enforcement alone. We need all elements of national power to win a battle of wills and ideas.  First, we must finish the work of defeating al Qaeda and its associated forces. In Afghanistan, we will complete our transition to Afghan responsibility for security and work with the Afghan government to train security forces, and sustain a counter-terrorism force that ensures al Qaeda can never again establish a safe-haven to launch attacks against us or our allies.

Beyond Afghanistan, we must define our effort not as a boundless ‘global war on terror’ – but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America. In many cases, this will involve partnerships with other countries.  Much of our best counter-terrorism cooperation results in the gathering and sharing of intelligence and the arrest and prosecution of terrorists.

Standards for Taking Lethal Action

Despite our strong preference for the detention and prosecution of terrorists, sometimes this approach is foreclosed. Al Qaeda and its affiliates try to gain a foothold in some of the most distant and unforgiving places on Earth.  In this context, the United States has taken lethal, targeted action against al Qaeda and its associated forces, including with remotely piloted aircraft commonly referred to as drones. As was true in previous armed conflicts, this new technology raises profound questions – about who is targeted, and why; about civilian casualties, and the risk of creating new enemies; about the legality of such strikes under U.S. and international law; about accountability and morality. The President’s speech addressed many of those questions.

Our actions are effective. Dozens of highly skilled core al Qaeda commanders, trainers, bomb makers, and operatives have been taken off the battlefield. Plots have been disrupted that would have targeted international aviation, U.S. transit systems, European cities and our troops in Afghanistan. These strikes have saved lives.

America’s actions are legal. We were attacked on 9/11. Within a week, Congress overwhelmingly authorized the use of force. Under domestic law, and international law, the United States is at war with al Qaeda, the Taliban, and their associated forces. So this is a just war – a war waged proportionally, in last resort, and in self-defense.

Over the last four years, the Administration has worked vigorously to establish a framework that governs our use of force against terrorists – insisting upon clear guidelines, oversight and accountability that is now codified in Presidential Policy Guidance the President signed on May 22, 2013. As a part of that effort, the President has indicated a preference that the U.S. military should carry out the use of force in active warzones, and beyond.

Oversight and Authorities

We insist on strong oversight. Since the President took office, the Administration began briefing all strikes outside of Iraq and Afghanistan to the appropriate committees of Congress. Congress is briefed on every targeted strike we take, including the one instance when we specifically targeted an American citizen: Anwar Awlaki, the chief of external operations for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). This week, the President authorized the declassification of this action, and the deaths of three other Americans in drone strikes, in part to facilitate transparency and debate on this issue, and to dismiss some of the more outlandish claims. In his speech, the President stated for the record that he does not believe it would be constitutional for the government to target and kill any U.S. citizen without due process. Nor should any President deploy armed drones over U.S. soil.

When a U.S. citizen goes abroad to wage war against America – and is actively plotting to kill U.S. citizens -- and when neither the U.S. nor our partners are in a position to capture him before he carries out a plot – his citizenship should not serve as a shield.

Going forward, the President has asked his Administration to review proposals to extend oversight of lethal actions beyond Congress, including the potential for a special court in the judicial branch, or an independent oversight board within the executive branch.

In his speech, the President also stated his intention to engage Congress about the existing Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) to determine how we can continue to fight terrorists without keeping America on a perpetual war-time footing. The President will engage Congress and the American people in efforts to refine, and ultimately repeal, the AUMF’s mandate.

Beyond the Use of Force: Diplomatic Engagement and Assistance

Our strategy involves addressing the underlying grievances and conflicts that feed extremism from North Africa to South Asia. Our security and our values demand that we make this effort.  But, success requires sustained engagement, which will require resources. Foreign aid amounts to less than one percent of our budget and it is fundamental to our national security. For what we spent in a month in Iraq at the height of the war, we could be training security forces in Libya, maintaining peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors, feeding the hungry in Yemen, building schools in Pakistan that offer an alternative to extremism, and creating reservoirs of goodwill that marginalize extremists. Going forward, we will need to support democratic transitions in the Arab World; support the Syrian opposition and isolate extremists; and resolve conflicts in places like the Middle East.

The United States cannot carry out this work if we do not have diplomats serving in dangerous places. Over the past decade, we have strengthened security at our Embassies abroad, and we are implementing every recommendation of the Accountability Review Board that found unacceptable failures in Benghazi. The President has called on Congress to fully fund efforts to bolster security, harden our facilities, improve intelligence, and facilitate a quicker response time from our military if a crisis emerges.

Domestic Radicalization

Even as we guard against dangers from abroad, we cannot neglect the daunting challenge of terrorism from within our borders. This threat is not new, but technology and the Internet have increased its frequency and lethality. To address this threat, the President’s Administration did a comprehensive review in 2011. The best way to prevent violent extremism is to work with the American Muslim community, which has consistently rejected extremism. Our communities must work together to understand the signs of radicalization, and partner with law enforcement when an individual is drifting towards violence. And these partnerships can only work when we respect that Muslims are a fundamental part of the American fabric.

A Balance Between Security and Civil Liberties

Thwarting homegrown plots presents particular challenges in part because of our proud commitment to civil liberties for all who call America home. That’s why we must keep working hard to strike the appropriate balance between our need for security and preserving those freedoms that make us who we are. That means reviewing the authorities of law enforcement so we can intercept new types of communication, and build in privacy protections to prevent abuse. That means that even after Boston we do not deport someone or throw someone in prison in the absence of evidence. That means putting careful constraints on the tools the government uses to protect sensitive information, such as the State Secrets doctrine. And that means finally establishing a strong Privacy and Civil Liberties Board to review those issues where our counter-terrorism efforts and our values come into tension.

As the President said in his speech, we must keep information secret that protects our operations and our people in the field. To do so, we must enforce consequences for those who break the law and breach their commitment to protect classified information. But a free press is also essential for our democracy. That is why the President has called on Congress to pass a media shield law that guards against government over-reach. And the Attorney General will review existing Department of Justice guidelines governing investigations that involve reporters, and will convene a group of media organization to hear their concerns as a part of that review. He will report back to the President by July 12.

Closing Guantanamo

President Obama has tried to close Guantanamo, and transferred 67 detainees to other countries before Congress imposed restrictions to prevent us from either transferring detainees to other countries, or imprisoning them in the United States. In his speech, the President called on Congress to lift the restrictions on detainee transfers from Guantanamo. He has asked the Department of Defense to designate a site in the United States where we can hold military commissions, and he is appointing new, senior envoys at the State Department and the Defense Department whose sole responsibility will be to negotiate the transfer of detainees to third countries. The President announced we will lift the moratorium on detainee transfers to Yemen, so we can review them on a case by case basis. When possible, we will transfer detainees who have been cleared to go to other countries. Where appropriate, we will bring terrorists to justice in our courts and military justice system. And we will insist judicial review be available for every detainee.

Children Affected by Hurricane Sandy to Join First Lady Michelle Obama for the Summer Harvest of the White House Kitchen Garden

Mrs. Obama will be joined by children from New Jersey communities that were affected by Hurricane Sandy, as well as children who helped plant the garden in April

Washington, DC – On Tuesday, May 28, at 1:30 PM ET, First Lady Michelle Obama will join school children from across the country to harvest the summer crop from the White House Kitchen Garden. For this harvest, the First Lady invited children from two New Jersey communities that were affected by Hurricane Sandy. The First Lady also invited back all the children who helped plant the garden in April so they could see the fruits of their labors. She will be joined by students from Somerville, MA; Knox County, TN; Milton, VT and Washington, DC.

Mrs. Obama planted a vegetable garden on the South Lawn to initiate a national conversation around the health and wellbeing of our nation – a conversation that evolved into her Let’s Move! initiative to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation.
 
Children from the following New Jersey schools affected by Hurricane Sandy will help harvest this year’s garden:

Union Beach Memorial School – Union Beach, NJ
The students of Union Beach Memorial School were displaced by Hurricane Sandy and currently attend school in other locations while their school is repaired. Through the displacement, Union Beach school district is focused on keeping their students healthy. The school district is providing all its displaced students with a free lunch through the National School Lunch Program until they return to Memorial School, and in March, 8th grade students from the school joined New Jersey and USDA officials to celebrate National Nutrition Month. Recently, volunteers planted herb and vegetable beds at Memorial School for the students to utilize upon their return to the school.

Long Beach Island Grade School – Ship Bottom, NJ
Since Hurricane Sandy, all of the LBI Grade School students (grades 3-6) have been attending their sister school, the Ethel A. Jacobsen Elementary School, which is PreK-2.  They are awaiting their modular classroom units due to storm damage to their school. Despite the displacement, the school was recognized with the HealthierUS School Challenge award in March of 2013. The school uses MyPlate to teach kids about healthy eating, and they provide ideas for healthy classroom snacking while partaking in their home-grown crops at the EJ School. The district will also be receiving an award from the USDA officials in June 2013. 

Children from the following schools who helped plant this year’s garden will also be returning to harvest what they planted:

Arthur D. Healey School, Somerville Public Schools – Somerville, MA
Somerville Public Schools has had great success with the new, healthy school meals and is promoting healthy eating and snacking at school and at home. The district has a Farm to School program for K-12 that includes food education events like “corn shucking day” when kids learn about the food they’re eating in school meals. At Healey, the school’s parents, teachers, the Mayor, and school administrators support the continued efforts to integrate nutrition education into after-school programming. The school serves healthy breakfasts and snacks, its lunch program has a salad bar and kids participate in taste tests as new healthy recipes are created. The Healey Garden, started in 2004, hosts celebratory gardening days and gardening activities throughout the year.
 
Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Technology Academy, Knox County Schools – Knox County, TN
This school district revamped its lunch menus and engaged parents and students to make sure everyone would like their new healthy recipes - like their own hand-tossed, whole grain pizza. Sarah More Greene Elementary has integrated innovative ways of encouraging kids to eat fruits and vegetables. Just this fall, the school started a Jeffersonian Heirloom Garden and connected the project to 3rd-5th grade social studies coursework on America’s history, highlighting American presidents who have had a role in gardening and land stewardship. Additionally, the school offers nutritious snacks and breakfasts to students daily and works with community partners to provide gardening classes to parents and kids.
 
Milton Elementary School, Milton Town School District – Milton, VT
This district has made lunchtime a dining experience for students by using MyPlate, fruit and veggie bars, local ingredients, and delicious takes on fruits and vegetables like squash with nutmeg and cinnamon. They also have kid taste tests and samplings to ensure that kids like the meals served. Milton Elementary School is currently planting a garden and using the produce for student meals during the school year and for their summer food service program.