Presidential Nomination Sent to the Senate

NOMINATION SENT TO THE SENATE:

Jon M. Holladay, of Virginia, to be Chief Financial Officer, Department of Agriculture, vice Evan J. Segal.

Weekly Address: The President Talks About How to Build a Rising, Thriving Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama talked about his belief that a rising, thriving middle class is the true engine of economic growth, and that to reignite that engine and continue to build on the progress we’ve made over the last four years, we need to invest in three areas: jobs, skills and opportunity. 

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, May 18, 2013

Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
Weekly Address
The White House
May 17, 2013

Hi, everybody.  Over the past few months, I’ve laid out a series of commonsense ideas to reignite the true engine of our economic growth: a rising, thriving middle class. 

The way I see it, there are three areas where we need to focus.  One: making America a magnet for good jobs.  Two: making sure our workers have the education and skills they need to do those jobs.  And three: making sure your hard work leads to a decent living.

I’ve also been visiting cities across the country that are doing some interesting and creative things along these lines. 

On Friday, I stopped by a factory in Baltimore that’s creating good jobs here at home by exporting digging equipment abroad. 

I read with young kids in a pre-K program, where kids are getting a head start learning the skills they’ll need to succeed in life. 

And I stopped by a program that’s helping folks in tough circumstances – especially low-income dads – get the training and guidance they need to find work and support their families. 

That’s why I like getting out of the Washington echo chamber whenever I can – because too often, our politics aren’t focused on the same things you are.  Working hard.  Supporting your family and your community.  Making sure your kids have every chance in life.

More than anything, the American people make me optimistic about where we’re headed as a nation.  Especially after all we’ve been through the past several years.  And that should encourage us to work even harder on the issues that matter to you.

In a little over three years, our businesses have created more than 6.5 million new jobs.  And while our unemployment rate is still too high, it’s the lowest it’s been since 2008.  But now we need to create even more good, middle-class jobs, and we need to do it faster. 

Corporate profits have skyrocketed to all-time highs.  But now we need to get middle-class wages and incomes rising too. 

Our housing market is healing.  But we still need to help a lot more families stay in their homes, or refinance to take advantage of historically low rates. 

And our deficits are shrinking at the fastest rate in decades.  But now we need to budget in a smarter way that doesn’t hurt middle-class families or harm critical investments in our future. 

So in a lot of sectors, things are looking up.  The American auto industry is thriving.  American energy is booming.  And American ingenuity in our tech sector has the potential to change the way we do almost everything. 

In the coming weeks, I’m going to visit more cities like Baltimore, and Austin, Texas – where I was two weeks ago; places where Americans are coming together to strengthen their own communities and economies – and in the process, making this country better for all of us. 

And I’m going to keep trying to work with both parties in Washington to make progress on your priorities.  Because I know that if we come together around creating more jobs, educating more of our kids, and building new ladders of opportunity for everyone who’s willing to climb them – we’ll all prosper, together.  

Thanks. And have a great weekend.

Letter -- Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Amendments

TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 17, 2013

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Budget amendments for the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, Justice, State, and Transportation, as well as Other International Programs, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Federal Trade Commission. These amendments do not affect the proposed FY 2014 Budget totals. These amendments are necessary to reflect correctly policies assumed in the FY 2014 Budget.

Also included is a new Department of Defense (DOD) General Provision that would authorize the Secretary of the Navy to receive and retain payment in-kind for the settlement of the longstanding A-12 aircraft contract litigation. This litigation has been ongoing for over two decades.

The final decision about the pace of the drawdown in Afghanistan was not made at the time the FY 2014 Budget request was developed. As a result, the Budget included a placeholder for DOD FY 2014 Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding, equivalent to the amount provided in the President's FY 2013 Budget. The Administration noted in the FY 2014 Budget that after determining the required force levels in Afghanistan, a Budget amendment updating the OCO request would be submitted to the Congress. The enclosed DOD amendments also include the necessary updates to the OCO request, which funds military operations in Afghanistan and other activities that primarily support Operation Enduring Freedom.

In addition, this transmittal contains FY 2014 amendments for the Legislative Branch. As a matter of comity and tradition, these appropriations requests for the Legislative Branch are transmitted without change.

The details of these amendments are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

I again urge the Congress to consider my FY 2014 Budget, which takes a balanced approach to further deficit reduction and replaces sequestration.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

Message -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Stabilization of Iraq

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency with respect to the stabilization of Iraq that was declared in Executive Order 13303 of May 22, 2003, is to continue in effect beyond May 22, 2013.

Obstacles to the continued reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. Accordingly, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency with respect to the stabilization of Iraq.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
     May 17, 2013.