The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 10, 2012

Fact Sheet: Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women and Girls Globally

Progress Toward a World without Violence Against Women and Girls
Today, President Obama issued an Executive Order on Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women and Girls Globally to further enhance the Administration’s efforts to advance the rights and status of women and girls, to promote gender equality in U.S. foreign policy, and to bring about a world in which all individuals can pursue their aspirations without the threat of violence. 

Violence against women and girls cuts across ethnicity, race, class, religion, education level, and international borders.  Although statistics on the prevalence of violence vary, the scale is tremendous, the scope is vast, and the consequences for individuals, families, communities, and countries are devastating. 

An estimated one in three women worldwide has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime.  Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence experienced by women globally.  Other forms of violence include human trafficking, sexual violence, including when used as a tactic of war, and harmful traditional practices, such as early and forced marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting, and “honor” killings.  

Today’s Executive Order, which creates an interagency working group co-chaired by the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), directs departments and agencies to implement the new United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally.  This Strategy was developed by the Department of State and USAID in coordination with other relevant U.S. Government departments and agencies.  The Executive Order will ensure that agencies prioritize this issue in their implementation of U.S. foreign policy, and that work in this area is evaluated.  Recognizing that this is a long-term commitment, the Order directs the interagency working group to update or revise the Strategy after three years.

The Strategy outlines a comprehensive, multi-sector approach to prevent and respond to gender-based violence through:

• Increased coordination of gender-based violence prevention and response efforts among United States Government agencies and with other stakeholders;
• Enhanced integration of gender-based violence prevention and response efforts into existing United States Government work;
• Improved collection, analysis, and use of data and research to enhance gender-based violence prevention and response efforts; and
• Enhanced or expanded United States Government programming that addresses gender-based violence. 

In addition to the Department of State and USAID, the working group will include representatives from:

• the Department of the Treasury;
• the Department of Defense;
• the Department of Justice;
• the Department of Labor;
• the Department of Health and Human Services;
• the Department of Homeland Security;
• the Office of Management and Budget;
• the National Security Staff;
• the Office of the Vice President;
• the Peace Corps;
• the Millennium Challenge Corporation;
• the White House Council on Women and Girls; and
• other executive departments, agencies, and offices, as designated by the Co-Chairs. 

Building on an Existing Foundation
The new Strategy will marshal the United States’ capacity and expertise to establish a coordinated, government-wide approach to preventing and responding to this issue.  It builds upon an existing foundation and will complement and reinforce multiple ongoing Administration efforts, including:

• The Policy Guidance on Promoting Gender Equality to Achieve our National Security and Foreign Policy Objectives issued by the Secretary of State;
• The updated policy on Gender Equality and Female Empowerment issued by USAID;
• The U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, and Executive Order 13595 directing the Plan’s implementation;
• The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, including the Gender-based Violence Scale-Up Initiative and Evaluation; and
• The President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

The United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally can be found HERE and HERE.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 09, 2012

President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Ghana to Attend the State Funeral of President John Evans Atta Mills

President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Ghana to attend the State Funeral of His Excellency John Evans Atta Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana.  

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, will lead the delegation on August 10, 2012.

Members of the Presidential Delegation:

The Honorable Donald Teitelbaum, United States Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana

The Honorable Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

General Carter F. Ham, Commander, United States Africa Command

Mr. Grant T. Harris, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Staff

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 09, 2012

President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games

President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on August 12, 2012.

The Honorable Susan E. Rice, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations will lead the delegation.

The delegation will attend athletic events, meet with U.S. athletes and attend the Closing Ceremony.

Members of the Presidential Delegation

The Honorable Susan E. Rice, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations

The Honorable Louis B. Susman, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Mr. Benjamin Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication and Speechwriting

Ms. Michelle Kwan, Member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy and Olympic figure skater

Mr. Reginald Love, Former Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the President of the United States

Mr. Curtis Pride, Member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, former Major League Baseball player and Gallaudet University Head Baseball Coach

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 08, 2012

Readout of the President’s Call with the Prime Minister of India

President Obama spoke with Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh this morning to express condolences for victims of the senseless attack at the gurdwara in Wisconsin, which took the lives of Indian nationals as well as Americans, and to convey the solidarity of the American people.  President Obama reiterated that the Sikh community is an essential and vibrant part of the American family.  The President also underscored that the incident is particularly tragic because it took place in a house of worship.  Prime Minister Singh expressed his gratitude for the many messages and gestures of support from the United States, and for the prompt reaction and heroism of the local police department.  The two leaders re-affirmed their nations’ commitment to the shared values of pluralism, religious freedom, and freedom of worship.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 07, 2012

Fact Sheet: President Obama Leading Administration-wide Drought Response

As communities across the country struggle with the impacts of one of the worst droughts in decades, President Obama is committed to ensuring that his Administration is doing everything it can help the farmers, ranchers, small businesses, and communities being impacted.

To respond to immediate needs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other federal agencies are using their existing authorities wherever possible to address the hardships arising from the lack of water, feed, and forage.  Within the last month, USDA has opened the Conservation Reserve Program to emergency haying and grazing, has lowered the borrower interest rate for emergency loans, and has called on crop insurance companies to provide more flexibility to farmers.   The Department of the Interior has provided additional grazing flexibility on federal lands and the Small Business Administration is working to help with access to investment capital and credit in affected communities.

On Tuesday, August 7, 2012, President Obama convened his White House Rural Council for one of a continuing series of policy meetings to review Executive Branch response actions and to develop additional policy initiatives to assist drought-stricken Americans. Following the meeting, the White House announced several new measures the Administration is implementing to help those impacted by the drought, including providing additional assistance for livestock and crop producers, increasing the capacity for lending to small businesses, and waiving certain requirements on trucks helping to provide relief. President Obama also stressed the need for the entire Administration to continue to look at further steps it can take to ease the pain of this historic drought.

As the drought continues, the Administration will actively implement its longer-term strategy for assessing and managing the effects of the crisis.  In addition to impacts on farming and ranching operations, a long-term, widespread drought will also have implications for wildfires, water availability, navigation, and power generation across much of the country and across other sectors.  As we move forward, the Administration will work closely with state and local governments, farming and ranching communities and others to ensure an effective and efficient response and recovery. 

Finally, while the Administration is exploring every possible avenue to provide relief from the impacts of the drought, Congress still needs to act to ensure that the needed disaster assistance is available to these communities. The best way to do that is by passing a comprehensive, multi-year farm bill that not only provides much-needed disaster assistance but gives farmers and ranchers the certainty they deserve while enacting critical reforms.

New Actions by Federal Agencies to Help Respond to the Drought

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

  • Additional Emergency Funding to Assist Livestock and Crop Producers: To assist producers facing extreme drought conditions, USDA announced Tuesday that it will utilize nearly $16 million in financial and technical assistance to immediately help crop and livestock producers in 19 states cope with the adverse impacts of the historic drought. In addition, USDA will initiate a transfer of $14 million in unobligated program funds into the Emergency Conservation Program. These funds can be used to assist in moving water to livestock in need, providing emergency forage for livestock, and rehabilitating lands severely impacted by the drought. Together these efforts should provide nearly $30 million to producers struggling with drought conditions.

THE NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION

  • Allowing an additional 1,000 Credit Unions to increase their lending to small businesses: The National Credit Union Administration will announce that more than 1,000 credit unions are eligible for a low-income designation, which permits unlimited lending to small business owners including farmers; nearly half of those eligible credit unions are located in a severely drought-stricken state. Small business lending by credit unions is normally capped at the statutory 12.25 percent rate.  This designation exempts designated credit unions from this cap. Currently, approximately 1,100 CUs are designated low-income and can offer unlimited lending to small businesses.  The average credit union member business loan is $223,000. 

THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION WITH  USDA AND THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

  • Community Outreach Events: SBA, USDA, and the Department of Commerce (DOC) through its Economic Development Administration (EDA), will host targeted events in communities severely impacted by the drought to provide detailed information on what federal resources are available to assist small businesses, farmers, and others in the community. These events will also be webcast to ensure audiences in other drought impacted communities can attend virtually.   At these events SBA disaster assistance staff, small business counselors from its network of resource partners, and field staff from SBA district offices along with interagency staff will provide information and offer technical assistance on applying for loans and where to find additional resources after the event.
  • Leverage State and County Fairs in Regions: In addition to the standalone events, SBA, USDA, and EDA will conduct outreach at already scheduled State and Country Fairs.
  • Online Outreach:  Since the drought's full impact may take months to be fully felt by small businesses and communities, SBA, USDA, and DOC will continue to reach out to affected regions through online webinars and conference calls that will further raise awareness and provide opportunity to gather real-time detail on the impact to communities.

THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

  • Existing Emergency Exemptions of Federal Operating Requirements: This authority can put more commercial drivers behind the wheel—driving large trucks needed to assist the farmers and ranchers in need. If a qualifying drought emergency has been declared in a state by the Governor or appropriate official, the state automatically gets Hours of Service and other regulatory relief for those providing emergency assistance; no application is needed.  If the situation does not qualify for emergency relief, the Federal rules regulating large truck and bus operations may be waived in certain circumstances. DOT can process a request to waive regulations in 7-14 days.
    • In addition, the transportation bill President Obama signed in July provides a new authority for States to issue special permits for overweight vehicles and loads that can easily be dismantled or divided in an emergency. The legislation makes the new special permits available beginning October 1, 2012.  DOT is expediting the process of developing guidance for States to support their permitting programs, and the way in which “relief supplies” are defined may provide states with a new tool to use for hauling heavy loads of grain, livestock, etc. for drought relief.

Today’s Actions Build on Steps Taken by Agencies across the Federal Government to Help Drought-Stricken Counties

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

  • Use of Indemnity Payments for Crop Insurance Premiums.  To assist farmers in meeting cash flow challenges, USDA has taken steps to ensure that farmers will be able to apply this year’s crop indemnity payments toward their crop insurance premiums for the following crop year.  As of August 1, 2012, the sixteen major providers of U.S. crop insurance have all agreed to forego interest charges on unpaid premiums through November. 
  • Disaster Designation Regulation. On July 12, USDA announced an expedited disaster designation process, allowing farmers and ranchers to obtain disaster assistance faster. USDA projects a 40 percent reduction in processing time for affected producers as a result of this change. 
  • Reduction of USDA’s Emergency (EM) Loan Rate. Emergency Loans will help producers recover from production and physical losses associated with natural disasters.  The current rate was set in 1993 at 3.75 percent.  Effective July 15, the Administration lowered the interest rate on loans, effectively lowering the rate from 3.75 percent down to 2.25 percent.
  • Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Haying and Grazing. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) allows farmers and ranchers to receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource conserving covers (grasses) on eligible farmland.  Nationwide, 29 million acres are enrolled in the CRP.  Due to the drought, the federal government has opened up virtually all of the CRP grassland acres for emergency haying and grazing and reduced the payment penalty for haying and grazing from 25 percent to only 10 percent.  Further, the Administration took additional steps to ensure that appropriate wetland and riparian buffer areas will also be available for haying and grazing.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

  • Grazing on Federal Lands: The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management and the USDA Forest Service are providing relief to ranchers who graze on public lands by employing flexibility to accommodate needs and conditions on the ground.  BLM will issue refunds to cattlemen that were displaced by early season fires and therefore not able to make use of their allotments and the Forest Service has liberally granted Permittee requested non-use.  Both agencies are making vacant land available for grazing and allowing for: changes in grazing use, including delayed or early turnout if conditions allow; increased salting to improve livestock distribution; water hauling and temporary portable water troughs; and other measures. 

THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

  • SBA Drought Disaster Declarations. To date, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has followed USDA’s disaster declarations and has issued 71 agency declarations in 32 states covering 1,636 counties, providing a pathway for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and non-farm small businesses that are economically affected by the drought in their community to apply for SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).

THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

  • Army Corps of Engineers Preserving Navigation: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has published guidance to coordinate a collective Common Operation Picture (COP) to monitor ongoing drought impacts on navigation.  At this time they have identified the 15 most critical river gages (of 2000+) as key monitors for navigation impacts and implemented Water Way Action Plans. USACE will continue coordinating with Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and navigation industries on the mitigation of drought impacts by:
    • Working with contract dredges to identify areas of concern to divert resources based on priority.
    • Identifying available channel depths and widths to navigation industries, so barge tow drafts and widths can be modified accordingly.
    • Ensuring that storage reservoirs are releasing flow to augment natural flows downstream.
    • Continuing to do public and media outreach via, conference calls, webinars and emails with respect to the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio rivers and tributaries.
    • Monitoring the National Weather Service outlook on short and long term rainfall forecast to prepare for potential reservoir releases are other mitigation measures.

THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

  • DOT Outreach to the State DOTs: On Wednesday August 1, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood convened a call with states to listen and discuss the ways in which DOT can work with Governors and State Departments of Transportation to help communities impacted by the drought. Issues raised during the call included emergency waivers of hours of service requirements and emergency waivers for Federal truck weight regulations.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 07, 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: 

  • Charles J. Vörösmarty – Member, Arctic Research Commission
  • Warren M. Zapol – Member, Arctic Research Commission

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:
 
Dr. Charles J. Vörösmarty, Appointee for Member, Arctic Research Commission
Dr. Charles J. Vörösmarty is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the City College of New York, a position he has held since 2008.  He is also a Member of the Arctic Research Commission, having been appointed in 2006 and reappointed in 2008.  Before joining the City College of New York, Dr. Vörösmarty worked at the University of New Hampshire for over thirty years, including serving as a Research Full Professor from 2001 to 2008. He earned a B.S. from Cornell University in Biological Sciences, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.
 
Dr. Warren M. Zapol, Appointee for Member, Arctic Research Commission
Dr. Warren M. Zapol is Director of the Anesthesia Center for Critical Care Research at Massachusetts General Hospital.  From 1994 to 2008, he served as the Anesthetist-in-Chief.  He is also the Reginald Jenney Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School in Boston.  Previously, he served at the National Institutes of Health as a Staff Associate for the National Heart and Lung Institute from 1967 to 1970.  Dr. Zapol is a Member of the Arctic Research Commission, having been appointed in 2008. He also served on the Polar Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences from 2003 to 2006.  In 2006, the United States Board on Geographic Names named a glacier after Dr. Zapol. He has also been part of nine expeditions to Antarctica since 1974 to study the diving physiology of the Weddell Seal.   He earned a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 07, 2012

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 5872

On Tuesday, August 7, 2012, the President signed into law:

H.R. 5872, the "Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012," which requires the President to provide a report to the Congress relating to funding reductions scheduled to take place on January 2, 2013.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 07, 2012

We Can’t Wait: Obama Administration Announces Seven Major Renewable Energy Infrastructure Projects that Would Power 1.5 million Homes to be Expedited

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, as a part of his We Can’t Wait initiative, President Obama announced that seven nationally and regionally significant solar and wind energy projects will be expedited, including projects in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Wyoming. Together, these job-creating infrastructure projects would produce nearly 5,000 megawatts (MW) of clean energy – enough to power approximately 1.5 million homes, and support the President’s all-of-the-above strategy to expand American made energy. As a 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 the environment and local communities. Additional expedited infrastructure projects will be announced in the coming weeks.

“As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above strategy to expand domestic energy production and strengthen the economy, we are working to advance smart development of renewable energy on our public lands,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “These seven proposed solar and wind projects have great potential to grow our nation’s energy independence, drive job creation, and power economies across the west.”

The renewable energy projects announced today build on the Obama Administration’s record of success in permitting an unprecedented number of utility-scale renewable energy projects.  Thanks to a coordinated and focused review process, in the past three years, the Department of the Interior has approved more utility-scale renewable energy projects on public lands than in the past two decades combined – a total of 31 new projects. When constructed by the companies, these projects are expected to generate enough renewable energy to power 2.3 million American homes.

Mohave Wind Energy (BP Wind)
State: AZ
Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation
Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: January 2013
The proposed Mohave County Wind Farm is a wind-powered electrical generation facility that would be located on approximately 38,099 acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and 8,960 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Reclamation in Mohave County, Arizona.  If approved, it would produce up to 425 MW of wind energy and help the state of Arizona meet its targets for renewable energy. 

Quartzsite Solar Energy (Solar Reserve)
State: AZ
Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: December 2012
The proposed concentrating solar power plant would be located on approximately 1,675 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It would produce an estimated 100 MW of clean energy – enough to power about 30,000 homes – and help the State of Arizona meet its renewable energy goals.

Desert Harvest Solar Energy (enXco)
State: CA
Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: December 2012
The proposed Desert Harvest Solar Energy project would utilize photovoltaic technology on approximately 1,200 acres in Riverside County, California. The project would produce an estimated 150 MW of solar energy, enough to power about 45,000 homes. 

McCoy Solar Energy (NextEra)
State: CA
Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: December 2012
This proposed solar photovoltaic array would be situated on 4,893 acres in Riverside County, California. It would produce an estimated 750 MW of solar energy – enough clean energy to power 225,000 homes – while helping the State of California meet its targets for renewable energy.

Moapa Solar Energy Center (RES Americas)
State: NV
Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: December 2013
This solar project is being developed in cooperation with the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians on a 2,000 acre site on the Moapa River Indian Reservation and on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management in Clark County, Nevada.  If approved, the 200 MW project would employ 100 MW of photovoltaic technology and 100 MW of concentrated solar power technology.  Once constructed, this proposed project would be one of the first large-scale solar projects on tribal lands in the U.S.

Silver State South (First Solar)
State: NV
Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: March 2013
The Silver State South Solar Energy project is a solar energy generation plant proposed on 13,043 acres of public land. If approved, it would produce an estimated 350 MW of clean energy utilizing photovoltaic technology– enough to power approximately 105,000 homes – and help the State of Nevada meet its renewable energy goals. Construction on the 50 MW Silver State North project has been completed, making it the first solar project on public lands to be delivering power to the grid.

Chokecherry/Sierra Madre Wind Energy (Power Company of WY)
State: WY
Coordinating Agency: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Target date for completing Federal permit and review decisions: October 2014
The proposed Chokecherry and Sierra Madre project, located on approximately 230,000 acres in Carbon County, Wyoming, could produce up to 3,000 MW of wind energy – enough to power over 1 million homes.  The Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Farm Project is the largest proposed wind farm in North America.  The project, as currently configured, avoids critical sage-grouse habitat identified as “Sage-Grouse Core Areas.” Chokecherry is a multi-tiered decision process that includes a land use plan decision anticipated in October 2012, followed by review of a series of right-of-way applications through 2014.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 06, 2012

Readout of the President’s Call with President Rajoy of Spain

President Obama spoke with Spain’s President Mariano Rajoy earlier today as part of his ongoing discussions with European leaders about the eurozone economy.  President Obama acknowledged the difficult challenges that the Spanish people are facing, and reiterated his support for President Rajoy’s efforts to get Spain’s economy back on track.   President Obama discussed the troubling situation in Syria and welcomed Spain’s contributions to the Friends of Syria process.  The President also noted the positive development between Sudan and South Sudan to share oil revenues.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
August 06, 2012

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 1627

On Monday, August 6, 2012, the President signed into law:

H.R. 1627, the "Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012," which amends Department of Veterans Affairs authorities related to:  health care; housing assistance; homeless veterans; education; benefits; memorial, burial, and cemetery matters; and miscellaneous provisions.