Readout of President Obama’s Telephone Call with President Karzai

Earlier today, the President spoke with President Karzai of Afghanistan as a part of their regular consultations.  They discussed a range of issues, including security transition, preparations for Afghanistan’s 2014 elections, and Afghan-led peace and reconciliation efforts.  The leaders welcomed Afghan security forces’ increasingly assuming lead security responsibility across the country.  They also look forward to the spring 2013 milestone, which will mark a shift in ISAF’s mission from combat to support, as Afghan forces assume the operational lead across the country.  President Karzai affirmed his support for an inclusive process of preparing for Afghanistan’s 2014 elections, and the leaders noted that free, fair, and credible elections would be critical to Afghanistan’s future and continued international support.  The President welcomed President Karzai’s recent discussions in Doha with Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani regarding Afghan-led peace and reconciliation.  President Karzai welcomed the March 25 handover of the Parwan detention facility to Afghan control.  The leaders committed that their teams would continue to keep dangerous detainees off the battlefield and work in partnership at the facility, consistent with Afghan sovereignty.

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Tammie Kahn – Member, National Museum and Library Services Board
• George Kerscher – Member, National Museum and Library Services Board
• Jacquelyn K. Sundstrand – Member, National Museum and Library Services Board
• Rabbi Samuel N. Gordon – Member, United States Holocaust Memorial Council
• Maureen Schulman – Member, United States Holocaust Memorial Council
• Melanie N. Roussell – Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Housing and Urban Development

President Obama said, “I am grateful that these impressive individuals have chosen to dedicate their talents to serving the American people at this important time for our country.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

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

Tammie Kahn, Appointee for Member, National Museum and Library Services Board
Tammie Kahn is the Executive Director of the Children’s Museum of Houston, a position she has held since 1995.  In this role, she has overseen an expansion of the museum and the creation of an Institute for Family Learning.  She is a past President of the Houston Museum District Association and served as the Associate Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.  She has served on the boards of the Association of Children’s Museums, the Institute for Learning Innovation, the Greater Houston Collaborative for Children, and the Houston Holocaust Museum.  Ms. Kahn received a B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.B.A. from the University of Houston.

George Kerscher, Appointee for Member, National Museum and Library Services Board
George Kerscher is Secretary General of the DAISY Consortium, an international organization dedicated to facilitating access to information for persons with disabilities.  He is President of the International Digital Publishing Forum, Senior Officer of Accessible Technology at Learning Ally, and serves on the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard Board.  He was named an Innovator of the Year by U.S. News and World Report in 1998, received the Harry Murphy Catalyst Award in 2004, and recognized as a White House Champion of Change in 2012.  Mr. Kerscher received a B.A. from Northeastern Illinois University.

Jacquelyn K. Sundstrand, Appointee for Member, National Museum and Library Services Board
Jacquelyn K. Sundstrand is an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno and the Manuscripts and Archives Librarian in the University Libraries’ Special Collections Department.  Previously, she was the Library and Archives Coordinator at the Southern Oregon Historical Society from 1993 to 2001, and the Special Collections Librarian and Archivist at California State University, Dominquez Hill from 1985 to 1993.  She is a member of the Nevada State Historic Resources Advisory Board, the Society of American Archivists, the Society of California Archivists, the Conference of Intermountain Archivists, and the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress.  Ms. Sundstrand received a B.A. from California State University, Fullerton, an M.S.L.S. from the University of Southern California, and an M.A. from the University of California, Riverside.

Rabbi Samuel N. Gordon, Appointee for Member, United States Holocaust Memorial Council
Rabbi Samuel N. Gordon is the founding rabbi of Congregation Sukkat Shalom in Wilmette, Illinois.  He is a Vice President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and served as Financial Secretary from 1996 to 2001.  Rabbi Gordon is a member of the President’s Advisory Council of the Hebrew Union College and a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Hartman Institute of Jerusalem.  He is a former member of the Citizen’s Committee of the Cook County Juvenile Court and the Reform Pension Board.  Rabbi Gordon received a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.A. in Hebrew Letters and Ordination from Hebrew Union College, and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Maureen Schulman, Appointee for Member, United States Holocaust Memorial Council
Maureen Schulman is President of Maureen Schulman Public Relations, Inc., and Director of Public Relations for The Eli’s Cheesecake Company.  Ms. Schulman is President of the Board of The Happiness Club and a Director of the Magnificent Mile Charitable Foundation.  Previously, she served as a director of the Women’s Board of Lincoln Park Zoo, the Chicago Children’s Museum, and as Chairman of the Junior Medical Research Institute Council.  Ms. Schulman received a B.F.A. from the University of Miami and an M.S.J. from the Medill School of Northwestern University.

Melanie N. Roussell, Appointee for Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Housing and Urban Development
Melanie N. Roussell is the National Press Secretary for the Democratic National Committee, a position she has held since August 2011.  From February 2009 to July 2011, she was Press Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Prior to that, Ms. Roussell served as Spokesperson for the Presidential Inaugural Committee and Southern Regional Communications Director for Obama for America.  From February 2007 to July 2008, she was Communications Director for the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives under Chairman John Conyers, Jr.  She was honored as one of Florida A&M University’s “40 under 40” Young Alumni in 2011.  Ms. Roussell received a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism from Florida A&M University and an M.A. in Public Communication from American University.  

The Obama Administration’s Record on Human Trafficking Issues

Today, the White House will hold a Forum to Combat Human Trafficking to highlight the significant progress this Administration has made to combat human trafficking, including developments since President Obama delivered his seminal speech on the fight to end trafficking in persons at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in September 2012.  During that speech, President Obama announced a number of new Administration commitments to combat trafficking at home and abroad. The four elements of this strategy include:

1) Preventing trafficking by raising awareness among vulnerable populations, leading by example, and educating the public and first responders;
2) Prosecuting traffickers through strengthened investigations and enforcement tools;
3) Protecting survivors through comprehensive social services, family reintegration, and immigration services; and
4) Partnering with civil society, state and local government, the private sector, and faith-based organizations to maximize resources and outcomes.

This White House Forum to Combat Human Trafficking brings together advocates, service providers, researchers and academics, business leaders, faith leaders, leaders in the technology community, law enforcement, and local, state and federal government leaders to discuss strategies for countering trafficking in persons.

This Forum will highlight key efforts since the President’s September speech.

• Using Technology to Fight Trafficking.  Today, the Administration will present new public-private partnerships that will provide cutting edge technology tools to aid law enforcement’s efforts to bring traffickers to justice, as well as new online applications to help link victims with much needed services.  Stemming from a convening held by the White House Office of Science and Technology and the Council on Women and Girls, leading technology companies have partnered with advocates and survivors to develop new online applications to reach trafficking victims online and on their phones and link them with services in their community.  The Administration will also present new private sector partnerships in support of law enforcement efforts to combat child sex trafficking in three major jurisdictions, as well research and tools to help law enforcement better identify children sold online.

• Strategic Action Plan for Victims Services.  Today, the Administration will release for public comment the first-ever federal strategic action plan to coordinate and strengthen services for trafficking victims in the United States.  This comprehensive, 5-year plan is action-oriented and time-specific and embraces a collaborative approach that promises to improve services for victims of trafficking throughout the federal government. 

• Presidential Award.  Today, the Department of State will award the inaugural “Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons.”

• Partnering with Faith-based and Neighborhood Organizations.  The President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships is working on recommendations in which the federal government can best partner with faith-based and secular organizations to combat human trafficking. 

• Pro Bono Legal Services Network for Trafficking Victims.  Today, the Department of State will announce a public-private partnership with New Perimeter, LLC, a non-profit organization established by the law firm DLA Piper designed to increase the availability of pro bono legal services to combat human trafficking.  The partnership will use the “3P” framework of prosecuting traffickers, protecting survivors, and preventing victimization, which is reflected in the UN’s Palermo Protocol and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. 

• Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking Activities in the Federal Supply Chain.  In September 2012, President Obama signed Executive Order (EO) 13627, which strengthens protections against federal contractors and subcontractors engaging in human trafficking-related activities.  The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council), which is developing implementing regulations, held a public meeting on March 5, 2012.  The FAR Council also has received written comments from the public on the implementation of EO 13627, as well as on the End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act, which was passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012. 

• Better Data and Better Allocation of Resources with Domestic Human Trafficking Assessment.  The Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, an interagency clearinghouse for information related to human smuggling and trafficking, continues to collect data from more than a dozen federal agencies to develop a domestic human trafficking assessment.  This first-ever, interagency human trafficking assessment will help the Federal Government allocate law enforcement and other resources by identifying existing and emerging hotspots for trafficking activity across the United States and revealing trends and patterns in victim recruitment and exploitation.

• Reauthorizing the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.  In February, the President signed into law the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2013 (TVPRA), which was passed by Congress as part of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.  Thanks to the leadership of key Members of Congress, the TVPRA will offer increased support to the State Department’s diplomatic engagement, bolster protections for vulnerable children and domestic workers, and enable effective partnerships to bring services to survivors and prosecute traffickers.

•  “T” Visa Regulations.  The Department of Homeland Security announced that it will publish an interim final rule to amend the “T” nonimmigrant visa regulations, which allow victims to remain in the United States and aid the prosecution of their traffickers.  The amendments will streamline the application process and reflect statutory amendments made by the reauthorizations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

• Counter-Trafficking in Persons Field Guide for Strengthened Programming.   USAID released a Counter-Trafficking in Persons Field Guide to provide practical guidance to develop, administer and evaluate investments that implement the Agency’s 2012 C-TIP Policy.  The Guide will also help educate USAID Mission personnel and partners about trafficking more broadly and includes recommendations for integrating counter-trafficking activities into larger development programs, tools for designing stand-alone counter-trafficking activities, and evaluation techniques.  It also provides USAID personnel with instruction on how to report suspected trafficking violations committed by employees, contractors, and grant recipients to the Agency's Office of the Inspector General for investigation and action.

President Obama Signs Oklahoma Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Oklahoma and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by a severe winter storm and snowstorm during the period of February 24-26, 2013.

Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storm and snowstorm in the counties of Alfalfa, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Grant, Kay, Kingfisher, Major, Noble, Roger Mills, Washita, Woods, and Woodward.

In addition, federal funding is available to the state and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for snow assistance for a continuous 48-hour period during or proximate to the incident period in the counties of Dewey and Ellis. 

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Sandy Coachman as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.