The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 20, 2012

President Obama Signs Ohio Disaster Declaration

 

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Ohio and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and straight-line winds during the period of June 29 to July 2, 2012.
 
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 storms and straight-line winds in the counties of Adams, Allen, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Champaign, Clark, Coshocton, Fairfield, Franklin, Gallia, Guernsey, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Knox, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Meigs, Miami, Monroe, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Paulding, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Putnam, Shelby, Van Wert, and Washington.
 
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 W. Michael Moore 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. 
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 20, 2012

We Can’t Wait: Obama Administration Announces Four Surface Transportation Projects to Be Expedited

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, as part of his We Can’t Wait initiative, President Obama announced that four nationally and regionally significant surface transportation projects will be expedited to put Americans to work replacing aging infrastructure and improving the reliability and resiliency of critical highway, transit and rail systems in Maine, North Dakota, Oregon and Washington State.   These projects will improve connectivity across the regions – both rural and urban – providing for the safe and efficient movement of people, goods and services.  Coordination among agencies will save between several months to more than a year on these projects. 

As part of a Presidential Executive Order issued in March of this year, the Office of Management and Budget is charged with overseeing a government-wide effort to make the permitting and review process for infrastructure projects more efficient and effective, saving time while driving better outcomes for local communities.  The Administration’s efforts to continuously add more transparency, accountability, and certainty into the permitting and review process will enable project developers and private investors to more efficiently modernize our nation’s infrastructure.   Additional expedited infrastructure projects will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Across the country our investments in infrastructure are putting people back to work building and modernizing our transit systems, railroads,  bridges and highways,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "The Administration is committed to doing its part to help communities across the country move forward with these critical projects as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

Kennebec Bridge Replacement Project
State: Maine
Coordinating Agency: Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration
Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: February 2013

This $25 million project will leverage TIGER funds to replace an 80 year-old movable bridge at the end of its service life with a high-level fixed bridge that will maintain this critical transportation link across the Kennebec River in Maine.  This bridge, which carries State Route 197 between Richmond and Dresden, will be built to accommodate the U.S. Coast Guard vessel for ice breaking. Expediting the Section 106 process to allow archaeological data recovery on the Fort Richmond archaeological site while other environmental consultations are being completed is estimated to save up to a year.

Devils Lake
State: North Dakota
Coordinating Agency: Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration
Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: Winter 2012; Construction expected Summer 2013

The Devils Lake Rail Improvements project will raise the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail line to address the rising level of Devils Lake and ensure the line remains open to passenger and freight traffic.  The Project, which received a $10 million TIGER III (2011) grant for phased infrastructure improvements as part of an overall $100 million program, will allow Amtrak’s operating speeds to increase, improve long‐term reliability and lower maintenance costs for both passenger and freight rail. The rail line connects rural communities in North Dakota, Montana, and eastern Washington to larger urban centers with essential services in an area where extreme weather conditions frequently close roads and airports. The project is an example of recovery efforts in the Devils Lake area and involves extensive coordination between the North Dakota Department of Transportation, BNSF, US Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Railroad Administration to ensure timely permitting and environmental approval processes.  Through careful engineering and planning, the rail improvements will be constructed with little to no environmental impact, and all work will be completed within existing BNSF right‐of‐way.

Columbia River Crossing
State: Oregon and Washington
Coordinating Agency: Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration
Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: August 2015

This $3.5 billion Columbia River Crossing project will replace the I-5 bridges over the Columbia River connecting Vancouver, WA to Portland, OR and also extend an existing light rail system, making a long sought after rail transit link between Portland and Vancouver finally possible. The project also includes the reconstruction of highway interchanges, improved freight access, the procurement of light rail vehicles, and the construction of park-and-ride spaces.  It is a multimodal project focused on increasing mobility of motorists, freight traffic, transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians. The project is a long-term, comprehensive solution funded jointly by the Federal Highway and Federal Transit Administrations and state and local sources to improve safety and relieve highway and freight congestion problems throughout the region. A renewed effort of interagency coordination to resolve complex issues and define a clear path forward has resulted in a transparent and predictable schedule to complete the permitting and review process.  This work builds on previous  efforts to enhance coordination between agencies from two states and among federal agencies to develop an effective approach for coordination and streamlining.

Point Defiance Bypass
State: Washington
Coordinating Agency: Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration
Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: December 2012

The $89 million Point Defiance Bypass Project is part of the larger Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor (PNWRC). The purpose of the Point Defiance Bypass Project is to provide more frequent and reliable high-speed intercity passenger rail service between Seattle and Tacoma to points south. The project will reroute passenger trains to an existing rail line along the west side of I-5 through south Tacoma, Lakewood, and DuPont. Passenger trains, including Amtrak Cascades, currently must slow down due to curves and single-track tunnels on the BNSF Railway main line tracks near Point Defiance and along southern Puget Sound. This project, with extensive regional benefits,  is key to providing more competitive intercity passenger rail service between Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. This project is the result of intensive public and stakeholder involvement, so that any community concerns can be identified and resolved ahead of time to avoid later delays. Outreach to the community and other agencies has been rigorous and is ongoing. In an effort to reduce the overall environmental impacts of the Project, the preliminary design calls for the use of an existing transportation corridor and associated infrastructure, rather than the creation of a new corridor, allowing for the use of an Environmental Assessment instead of a possible Environmental Impact Statement, potentially saving multiple months of environmental review.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 19, 2012

Statement by the Press Secretary on World Humanitarian Day

On this fourth annual World Humanitarian Day, the United States joins the international community in honoring the courage and commitment of the dedicated aid workers who devote their lives to serving their fellow human beings, regardless of who they are and where they are, often in extremely dangerous circumstances.

From Syria to the Sahel, Yemen to Sudan, the eastern Horn of Africa to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, these unarmed aid workers risk their lives to provide life-saving assistance to millions of men, women and children. When disaster strikes, local and international humanitarians are often the first on the scene.

Today we also honor the memory of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while in service to others. In the past fifteen years, more than 1,000 humanitarian workers have lost their lives while helping innocent civilians in times of conflict and suffering. Since last August, 272 aid workers have been killed, injured or kidnapped. As armed groups increasingly target humanitarians, the United States condemns any effort to harm aid workers and demands that they be given the access they need to reach those in need and save lives.

As we celebrate World Humanitarian Day today, the Syrian regime continues to brutally attack its citizens and restrict the delivery of humanitarian aid to over 2.5 million people in need. Last weekend, the Government of Sudan signed a possible agreement of humanitarian access to Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, where over 665,000 people are in need. We strongly urge the Syrian and Sudanese governments to provide unfettered access to help those in need of urgent humanitarian aid.

Around the world, every humanitarian aid worker must be free to serve without fear for their safety, and every human being must be able to pursue their aspirations in peace, dignity and security.

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 18, 2012

Statement by the President on the Occasion of Eid-al-Fitr

Michelle and I extend our warmest wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world as they celebrate Eid-al-Fitr. For Muslims, Ramadan has been a time of fasting, prayer and spiritual renewal. These past four weeks have also been a time to serve the less fortunate -- a reminder of the obligations that people of all faiths have to each other.

In the United States, Eid-al-Fitr speaks to the truth that communities of faith -- including Muslim Americans -- enrich our national life, strengthen our democracy and uphold our freedoms, including the freedom of religion. That is why the we stand with people of all faiths, in the United States and around the world, in protecting and advancing this universal human right.

On behalf of the American people, we congratulate Muslim Americans and Muslims around the world on this joyous day. Eid Mubarak.

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 18, 2012

Weekly Address: Congress Should Back Plan to Hire Teachers

With students starting to head back to school, President Obama used this week’s address to discuss the critical role that education plays in America’s future. Nothing is more important to a child’s education than a great teacher. Unfortunately, tens of thousands of teachers will not be going back to school this year, partially because of budget cuts at the state and local level. That means more crowded classrooms, fewer kindergarten and preschool programs, and shorter school years and weeks.  President Obama has proposed a jobs bill that would help states prevent further layoffs and rehire teachers, but Congress refuses to pass it. Instead, the budget that almost every Republican voted for would further cut education in order to give tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.  The White House has taken steps including investing in science and math, giving states more flexibility on No Child Left Behind, and increasing financial aid for millions of young people, but in order to help America lead in the 21st century, our elected officials in Congress must stand up for our nation’s young people to help ensure that we have the strongest education system in the world.

 

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, August 18, 2012.

 

Remarks of President Barack Obama
The Weekly Address
The White House
August 18, 2012

 

Hi, everybody.  This week, I spent some time traveling across Iowa talking with folks about rebuilding an economy where if you work hard, you and your family can get ahead. 

And along the way, I stopped in at Cascade High School to thank the teachers there for doing such a great job – and wish them luck as they head back to the classroom for this school year.

There’s nothing more important to our country’s future than the education we give our kids. And there’s no one more important to that education than the person at the front of the classroom. 

Teachers matter.  Most work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies – just to make a difference.  They give everything for our kids – and in return, we should invest in them.

But here’s the thing: this year, several thousand fewer educators will be going back to school.  Since 2009, we’ve lost more than 300,000 education jobs, in part, because of budget cuts at the state and local level. 

Think about what that means for our country.  At a time when the rest of the world is racing to out-educate America; these cuts force our kids into crowded classrooms, cancel programs for preschoolers and kindergarteners, and shorten the school week and the school year. 

That’s the opposite of what we should be doing as a country.  States should be making education a priority in their budgets, even in tough fiscal times.  And Congress should be willing to help out – because this affects all of us.

That’s why part of the jobs bill that I sent to Congress last September included support for states to prevent further layoffs and to rehire teachers who’d lost their jobs.  But here we are – a year later with tens of thousands more educators laid off – and Congress still hasn’t done anything about it.

In fact, the economic plan that almost every Republican in Congress voted for would make the situation even worse.  It would actually cut funding for education – which means fewer kids in Head Start, fewer teachers in our classrooms, and fewer college students with access to financial aid – all to pay for a massive new tax cut for millionaires and billionaires. 

That’s backwards.  That’s wrong.  That plan doesn’t invest in our future; it undercuts our future. 

If we want America to lead in the 21st century, nothing is more important than giving everyone the best education possible – from the day they start preschool to the day they start their career.

That’s why we launched a national competition to improve our schools.  And for less than one percent of what our nation spends on education each year, we’ve encouraged almost every state to raise their standards – the first time that’s happened in a generation.

That’s why we’ve invested in math and science education, and given states more flexibility on No Child Left Behind.

And that’s why we’ve reformed the student loan program to put students before big banks, and increased financial aid for millions of young people – because in America, higher education cannot be a luxury; it’s an economic necessity every family should be able to afford.

This is a country where no matter what you look like or where you come from, if you’re willing to study and work hard, you can go as far as your talents will take you.  You can make it if you try.  I am only the President of the United States today because of the chance my education gave me.  I want every child in America to have that chance.  That’s what I’m fighting for.  And as long as I have the privilege of being your President, that’s what I’m going to keep fighting for.

Thanks, and have a great weekend. 

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 18, 2012

New Report Highlights Impacts of Teacher Layoffs, Need to Invest in Education

WASHINGTON, DC – The White House today released a new report that finds that the loss of teachers and other education staff is forcing communities into difficult choices that harm our children’s education and future, including increasing class sizes and shortening school years and days.  The report shows that more than 300,000 local education jobs have been lost since the end of the recession – a figure that stands in stark contrast to previous economic recoveries. As a result, the national student-teacher ratio increased by 4.6 percent from 2008 to 2010, rolling back all the gains made since 2000. Increased class sizes have negative consequences for the future of America’s children at a time when education has never been more important to finding a good job and maintaining our competitiveness as a nation. A copy of the full report is attached. 
 
“This year, several thousand fewer educators will be going back to school.  Since 2009, we’ve lost more than 300,000 education jobs, in part, because of budget cuts at the state and local level,” said President Obama. “Think about what that means for our country.  At a time when the rest of the world is racing to out-educate America; these cuts force our kids into crowded classrooms, cancel programs for preschoolers and kindergarteners, and shorten the school week and the school year.  That’s the opposite of what we should be doing as a country.”
 
Analyses from independent academic experts confirm what we know from common-sense: that laying off teachers, increasing class sizes, eliminating critical programs, shortening the school week or shortening the school year all mean that our students receive less attention and fewer chances to achieve in their education.
 
President Obama has proposed a plan that would prevent teacher layoffs, invest in comprehensive reform and strengthen public education. The President’s plan would provide $25 billion to prevent layoffs and support hundreds of thousands of teacher and other education jobs.  
 
Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress continue to block critical investments in the education of our children and the economic security of our nation as a whole. Instead, they have passed a budget that would slash education funding while showering massive tax benefits on millionaires and billionaires. The budget passed by Republicans in Congress would cut non-defense discretionary spending by almost 20 percent. If cuts were distributed evenly, this budget would imply $2.7 billion in cuts to basic Title I education grants, meaning that nearly 38,000 teachers and aides could lose their jobs as a result of cuts to Title I spending alone. Cuts would also be made to early childhood education and special education, significantly impairing schools’ ability to best serve their students.
 
“That’s backwards.  That’s wrong.  That plan doesn’t invest in our future; it undercuts our future,” said President Obama. “If we want America to lead in the 21st century, nothing is more important than giving everyone the best education possible – from the day they start preschool to the day they start their career.”

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
August 17, 2012

Readout of Vice President Biden’s Call with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki

Vice President Biden today called Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to discuss a range of topics including the crisis in Syria. The Vice President and the Prime Minister agreed to conduct more frequent, high-level consultations between the U.S. and Iraq, given our shared interest in developments in Syria and the region. Both leaders also reaffirmed that the long-term, strategic partnership between the U.S. and Iraq is an important source of stability in the region.

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 17, 2012

Obama Administration on Idle Earmark Projects: Use It or Lose It “We Can’t Wait” Action Helps States Put People to Work, Improve Infrastructure

 

WASHINGTON, DC – The Obama Administration today announced that it won’t allow infrastructure funds to sit idle as a result of stalled earmark projects at a time when hundreds of thousands of construction workers are looking for work. U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is making over $470 million in unspent earmarks immediately available to states for projects that will create jobs and help improve transportation across the country.
 
“My administration will continue to do everything we can to put Americans back to work,”  said President Barack Obama. “We’re not going to let politics stand between construction workers and good jobs repairing our roads and bridges.” 
 
“We are freeing up these funds so states can get down to the business of moving transportation projects forward and putting our friends and neighbors back to work,” said Secretary LaHood. 
 
President Obama has vowed to veto any bill that comes to his desk with earmarks and would support legislation to permanently ban earmarks. But $473 million in highway earmarks from FY2003-2006 appropriations acts remain unspent years later. Those acts contain provisions that authorize the Secretary to make the unused funds available for eligible surface transportation projects.  Effective today, state departments of transportation will have the ability to use their unspent earmarked highway funds, some of which are nearly 10 years old, on any eligible highway, transit, passenger rail, or port project. 
 
States must identify the projects they plan to use the funds for by October 1, and must obligate them by December 31, 2012.
 
“Particularly in these difficult fiscal times, states will be able to put these dollars to good use,” said Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez.  “These funds will create jobs in the short term and help bring about what President Obama called ‘an America built to last.’”
 
To ensure that this funding is quickly put to good use to improve our nation’s infrastructure, funds not obligated by the December 31 deadline will be proportionally redistributed in FY 2013 to states that met the deadline.  
 
A list of available funds by state can be accessed: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/redisfy0306earmarks.htm

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 16, 2012

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 1402, H.R. 3670, H.R. 4240, S. 3510

 

On Thursday, August 16, 2012, the President signed into law:
 
H.R. 1369, which authorizes the Architect of the Capitol to construct, operate, and maintain battery recharging stations in parking areas under the jurisdiction of the House of Representatives for use by privately owned vehicles at no net cost to the Federal Government; 
 
H.R. 3670, the “Transportation Security Administration Compliance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act,” which makes the Transportation Security Administration subject to the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act;
 
H.R. 4240, the "Ambassador James R. Lilley and Congressman Stephen J. Solarz North Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2012," which reauthorizes the North Korean Human Rights Authorization Act of 2004; and 
 
S. 3510, which (1) delays requirement that financial disclosure forms of employees of the executive and legislative branches be made available on official websites by one month, until September 30, 2012; and (2) specifies that periodic transaction reports of House Members and employees must include transactions of their spouses or dependent children (STOCK Act Amendments).

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 16, 2012

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:
  • William W. Fox, Jr. –  United States Commissioner, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
  • Donald K. Hansen –  United States Commissioner, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission 
  • Earl A. Powell III – Member, Commission of Fine Arts
President Obama said, “The extraordinary dedication these men bring to their new roles will greatly serve the American people.  I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this Administration and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”
 
President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:
 
Dr. William W. Fox, Jr., Appointee for United States Commissioner, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
Dr. William W. Fox, Jr. is currently Vice President of Fisheries at World Wildlife Fund, a non-profit charity dedicated to global conservation through science-based solutions. Dr. Fox started in 1990 with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and retired in 2008 as Director of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, CA.  Other positions held at NOAA included: Director of Science and Technology for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Director of Office of Protected Resources NMFS, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries NMFS, and Assistant Administrator for Fisheries NMFS.  From 1982 to 1989, Dr. Fox was a Professor of Marine Biology and Fisheries at the University of Miami. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation.  He was a Member of the Florida Marine Fisheries Commission from 1983 to 1989, serving as Chairman from 1986 to 1989.  From 1987 to 1990, Dr. Fox was a Member of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, serving as Chair from 1988 to 1990.  Dr. Fox received a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in Fisheries Science from the University of Washington.
 
Donald K. Hansen, Appointee for United States Commissioner, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
Donald K. Hansen is currently a Special Assistant to the Director of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC).  Prior to assuming his current role at PFMC, Mr. Hansen served as Chairman of the Council from 2003 to 2009.  Mr. Hansen is also a Director at Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching in Dana Point, California, a company he founded in 1971.  Since 1974, he has served on the Sportfishing Association of California and is currently Vice President.  From 1993 to 2008, he was President of the Dana Point Harbor Association. Mr. Hansen was honored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2007 as the recipient of their Sustainable Fisheries Award.  He served in the United States Coast Guard from 1952 to 1956. 
 
Earl A. Powell III, Appointee for Member, Commission of Fine Arts
Earl A. Powell III is the Director of the National Gallery of Art.  Prior to joining the National Gallery, Mr. Powell served as the Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 1980 to 1992.  He held curatorial posts at the National Gallery from 1976 to 1980, and was an assistant professor of art history at the University of Texas at Austin from 1974 to 1976.  Mr. Powell served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1969 and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1969 to 1980.  Mr. Powell is a Member on the Commission of Fine Arts, having been appointed in 2003.  He is also a trustee of the American Federation of the Arts, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the White House Historical Association, and the Association of Art Museum Directors.  Mr. Powell received an A.B. from Williams College, and an A.M. and Ph.D. from Harvard University.