The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 17, 2012

FACT SHEET: White House Advanced Manufacturing Initiatives to Drive Innovation and Encourage Companies to Invest in the United States

In June 2011, the President launched the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), a national effort bringing together industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in the emerging technologies and skills that will support a dynamic domestic advanced manufacturing sector that creates high quality jobs and encourages companies to invest in the United States.

The President has outlined a comprehensive blueprint for revitalizing American manufacturing, supported by the work of the AMP.  Since February 2010, the U.S. manufacturing sector has added roughly 500,000 jobs, the fastest pace of job growth in the sector since 1995.  In addition to the 12 million high-quality jobs that manufacturing supports, our nation’s ability to make things is inextricably linked to our ability to innovate.   The manufacturing sector accounts for approximately 70% of all private-sector R&D spending and employs some 60% of the private sector R&D workforce.  Innovations made by advanced manufacturers are reshaping how today’s goods are made and creating the industries of the future.   

To coordinate the Federal government’s manufacturing policy and programmatic efforts, the President last year announced the Office of Manufacturing Policy within the White House.  The Office is co-chaired by Gene Sperling, the Director of the National Economic Council, and Department of Commerce Acting Secretary Rebecca Blank. 

Today, the AMP Steering Committee, working within the framework of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and co-chaired by Andrew Liveris of Dow Chemical and Susan Hockfield of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, outlined recommendations for spurring investment and positioning the U.S. for long-term leadership in advanced manufacturing.  The Committee’s report, Capturing Domestic Competitive Advantage in Advanced Manufacturing, has been endorsed by PCAST, which is led by John P. Holdren, science and technology advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Eric Lander, President of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT.

The AMP Steering Committee report grouped its 16 recommendations into three categories: (1) Enabling innovation, (2) Securing the talent pipeline, and (3) Improving the Business Climate.  The President’s plan includes legislative proposals and executive actions already being implemented across all three of these categories.

The President’s Plan to Revitalize American Manufacturing

Enabling Innovation

  • Proposing a national network of “manufacturing innovation institutes” and launching a pilot institute:   On March 9, 2012, the President announced a new $1 billion proposal for a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, to catalyze up to 15 manufacturing innovation institutes around the country.  These are public-private partnerships that will serve as regional hubs of manufacturing excellence, which will help to make our manufacturers more competitive and encourage investment in the United States. To jumpstart this effort, the President also announced a $45 million federal investment in a pilot institute on “Additive Manufacturing,” which will be matched by industry and state contributions.  The Departments of Defense, Energy, and Commerce, the National Science Foundation, and NASA are jointly running a competitive solicitation for the pilot institute, which will be awarded this summer.
  • Increasing investment in advanced manufacturing R&D:  The President’s FY13 Budget proposed $2.2 billion in advanced manufacturing R&D, a 19% increase over the current fiscal year, in programs that strengthen the competitiveness of our manufacturing sector, including R&D on advanced materials such as the Materials Genome Initiative, which aims to reduce the time to discover and develop new materials by 50%, “smart” manufacturing that takes greater advantage of information technology breakthroughs, bio-manufacturing that draws on the Nation’s historic leadership in the life sciences, and the National Robotics Initiative.  To support and coordinate these investments, the Administration has launched an inter-agency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, hosted by the Department of Commerce.

Securing the Talent Pipeline

  • Creating an $8 billion Community College to Career Fund:  On February 13, 2012, the President proposed a national commitment to help create an economy built to last by training two million workers with skills that will lead directly to a job.  Co-administered by the Department of Labor and the Department of Education, this Fund will help forge new partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train two million workers for good-paying jobs in high-growth and high-demand industries, including advanced manufacturing.  These investments will give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers where people learn crucial skills that local manufacturers are looking for right now, ensuring that employers have the skilled workforce they need and workers are gaining industry-recognized credentials to build strong careers.
  • Launching a Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force to connect our veterans to high-skilled advanced manufacturing jobs:  On May 31, 2012, the President announced an executive action that directed the Department of Defense to create a new Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force, which will help thousands of service members with manufacturing and other high-demand skills receive the civilian credentials and licenses that will help them get a good job when leaving the service.  The Task Force’s partnerships with manufacturing credentialing agencies will provide opportunities for up to 126,000 service members to gain industry-recognized, nationally-portable certifications in fields like welding, machining and engineering.

Improving the Business Climate

  • Reforming the tax code to encourage investment in domestic manufacturing:The President is calling for ambitious business tax reform that encourages companies to bring jobs and investment to the U.S. and a set of tax proposals designed to spur manufacturing investment.  The President is proposing to lower rates for manufacturers to a maximum of 25%; require companies to pay a minimum tax on overseas profits; expand, simplify and make permanent the R&D Credit; increase the tax deduction for advanced manufacturing; support investment in next generation energy manufacturing; eliminate deductions for companies that ship jobs overseas; and provide tax credits for companies that bring jobs home.
  • Promoting the safe, responsible development of our natural gas resources:  The opportunity to tap America’s large natural gas reserves can make our manufacturers more competitive and support investment in industries that use natural gas as a feedstock. To ensure effective federal coordination, on April 13, 2012, the President issued an Executive Order to create an Interagency Working Group to Support Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources.
  • Leveling the playing field for U.S. workers and firms:The President has fought to ensure that American businesses and workers are competing on a level playing field with their international competitors – and he has taken action to stop unfair trade practices abroad, including in China.  In this year’s State of the Union, the President announced a new trade enforcement unit, which will substantially enhance our ability to investigate and challenge unfair trade practices around the world that tilt the playing field against U.S. workers.  This unit builds on a strong record on enforcement – this Administration has doubled the rate of trade cases against China compared to the prior administration.  For example, in March the Administration launched a rare earths WTO case against China and took it to the next stage earlier this month. Rare earths elements are key inputs in advanced manufacturing products like wind turbines and lithium ion batteries.  The Administration earlier this month initiated a WTO case to counter China’s import duties on U.S. manufactured automobiles.   

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 17, 2012

Message -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Former Liberian Regime of Charles Taylor

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 the enclosed notice to the Federal Register for publication stating that the national emergency and related measures dealing with the former Liberian regime of Charles Taylor are to continue in effect beyond July 22, 2012.

Although Liberia has made advances to promote democracy, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone recently convicted Charles Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity, the actions and policies of former Liberian President Charles Taylor and other persons, in particular their unlawful depletion of Liberian resources and their removal from Liberia and secreting of Liberian funds and property, could still challenge Liberia's efforts to strengthen its democracy and the orderly development of its political, administrative, and economic institutions and resources. These actions and policies continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States. For this reason, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency with respect to the former Liberian regime of Charles Taylor.

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 17, 2012

Statement by the President on Extending Health Coverage to Federal Firefighters

Starting today, the brave men and women of our nation's federal firefighting forces, as well as their families, will have access to the health coverage they deserve.  Their heroism in battling the deadly fires that have impacted states across the country this summer inspires us all.  Each day, these Americans put themselves in grave danger to save the lives of people they never met, which is why I directed my administration to ensure that our nation’s firefighters can count on the care and protection they need. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 17, 2012

Interview of the President by Mark Jones on ESPN 2

Verizon Center
Washington, D.C.

9:03 P.M. EDT

Q    President Obama, I want to ask you, first of all, your thoughts on the first half of play.  It was a little bit more competitive maybe than some people thought.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, you forget how many Brazilians are in the NBA now.  Between Nenê and Varejāo and Barbosa, they've got a good team.  So it took a while for our guys to kind of get into rhythm, but we're so much deeper that over time you get a sense they're going to wear them down.

Q    Predictions for the second half?

THE PRESIDENT:  I don't think it will be close in the second half.

Q    No.  USA Basketball, Mr. President, has undergone a culture change.  They bottomed out a little bit in 2004 with LeBron the bronze, and then Coach Krzyzewski came aboard and really turned it around.  Your thoughts on that process.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, obviously Coach K is one of the greatest coaches of all time.  He knows how to bring together folks to think like a team.  And obviously the talent that we've got at this point is unbelievable.  So there's no reason we shouldn’t bring home the Gold.  We just have to stay focused.

One thing I'm happy about is to see how hard everybody is playing.  You really get a sense of how proud they are to represent the United States and I think they're going to conduct themselves really well in London.

Q    One of the subjects of great debate of late, started by one Kobe Bryant, was the fact that he feels that the present constitution of the team would beat the 1992 original version.  Your thoughts on that.  Can you weigh in on that argument for us?

THE PRESIDENT:  You know, this is a generational thing.  I was around in '92.  I was a Bulls fan, so I've got to go with the original Dream Team.  And I suspect that Michael and Sir Charles and others would point out they were probably never down at any point in any of their games.  But this is a great team, unbelievable talent, and Kobe is a competitor, so you expect him to do a little trash talking whenever the opportunity arises.

Q    You're a big basketball fan.  Everybody knows that.  And you're involved in coaching your daughters.  We saw the USA Women's National Team win by a big margin earlier tonight.  How would you characterize your experience in coaching your two daughters?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, first of all, I want to congratulate the women's team.  They're going to be as dominant, if not more dominant, I think in the Olympics.  And wonderful young women; they're great role models for my daughter.  And I had a chance to say hello to them before this game started.

As you know, coaching kids, your heart is out there on the floor with them.  I get more excited than I ever got when I was actually playing, watching Sasha or Malia play.  They're really enjoying it, and to see them improve and start playing as a team always is great satisfaction.

What you want to see in your kids, even if they're not going to be professionals, is just taking something seriously, learning how to put a lot into it and seeing them get something out of it.

Q    For your 49th birthday you had an all-star cast of players come to the White House for a much-celebrated pickup game.  Who's coming to the next birthday party pickup game?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, this summer these guys are busy.  (Laughter.)  So they need to focus on the Olympics.  But it was one of the most fun events that we've had. 

Q    Did your team win?

THE PRESIDENT:  We actually had four teams, and my team did not win.  I did not stack it.  But LeBron and Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul and a whole bunch of folks -- Derrick Rose -- came.  We had three pros and two amateurs on each team and it was a lot of fun.  Then we had a barbecue at the White House afterwards.

And we did it in front of wounded warriors, so it gave them a chance to see up close and personal some of the greatest basketball talent.  And the guys could not have been more generous -- signing shoes and jerseys and everything.  So really enjoyed it and these are all some great guys.

Q    Thanks a lot for joining us, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Really enjoyed it.  Thank you, Mark.

Q    Back to you guys.

END   
9:07 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 16, 2012

Statement by the President on the DISCLOSE Act

Two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United that big corporations are allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence American elections.  They can buy millions of dollars’ worth of TV ads with no obligation to reveal who’s actually paying for them. 

The consequences of this decision are predictable.  If we allow this practice to continue, special interests will have unprecedented influence over politicians.  It’s wrong. It’s corrosive to our democracy, and it’s a threat to our future.

Today, Republicans in the Senate had the chance to change it.  They had the opportunity to support a bill that would prevent the worst effects of the Citizens United decision and require groups or special interests who are trying to influence elections to reveal their donors so the public will know who’s funding their political ads.  This bill should have received broad, bipartisan support.

Unfortunately, Republicans chose to block it.  Instead of standing up for the American people, Republicans stood with big banks and oil companies – special interests that certainly don’t need more clout in Washington. 

I will continue to do everything I can to repair the deficit of trust between Washington and the American people.  I’m disappointed Republicans in Congress failed to take action and hold corporations and special interests accountable to the American people.

 

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 16, 2012

Statement by NSC Spokesman Tommy Vietor on National Security Advisor Donilon's Travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

National Security Advisor Tom Donilon concluded a positive and productive visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today.  During his visit to Jeddah, Mr. Donilon met with King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud to discuss and coordinate on approaches to a broad range of regional and bilateral issues.  Mr. Donilon conveyed President Obama’s appreciation of and commitment to the strength of the bilateral relationship and affirmed the enduring strategic interests on which the U.S. - Saudi partnership is built. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 16, 2012

Obama Administration to Participate in the 19th International AIDS Conference

“…we can end this pandemic.  We can beat this disease.  We can win this fight.  We just have to keep at it, steady, persistent -- today, tomorrow, every day until we get to zero.  And as long as I have the honor of being your President, that’s what this administration is going to keep doing.”

--President Obama, World AIDS Day, December 1, 2011

As the 19th International AIDS Conference comes to the U.S. for the first time since 1990 -- thanks to bipartisan action by Presidents Obama and Bush and the Congress to lift the ban on people living with HIV entering the country -- we are at a tipping point in the fight against AIDS.  Under the President’s leadership, the Administration has increased overall funding to combat HIV/AIDS to record levels. We have launched the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States to prevent and treat HIV in America. Globally, the Obama Administration has committed to treating 6 million people by the end of 2013 and is increasing the impact and sustainability of our investments.

Senior Obama Administration Officials will participate in the International AIDS Conference, including:  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius; U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby; Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy Grant Colfax; Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH; and others.

Continuing his personal engagement on this issue, the President will provide a brief video message to welcome Conference attendees from around the world to Washington. The video will be played at the Conference venue and will be made available in coming days at www.whitehouse.gov.  In addition, the White House will also host a reception on July 26th to honor those people living with HIV and to thank men and women who have been fighting with dignity on the frontlines against this disease.  Further details about that event will be provided at a later date.

For more information on the Obama Administration’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, see: www.whitehouse.gov/onap and www.aids.gov.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 15, 2012

Statement by NSC Spokesman Tommy Vietor on National Security Advisor Donilon's Travel to Israel

National Security Advisor Tom Donilon visited Israel from July 14-15 for consultations with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Barak, and National Security Advisor Gen. Amidror.

In these meetings, the National Security Advisor reaffirmed the United States' unwavering commitment to Israel's security. His visit was the latest in a series of ongoing U.S. consultations with Israeli officials on a range of regional security issues. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 14, 2012

WEEKLY ADDRESS: It’s Time for Congress to Pass the Middle Class Tax Cut Extension

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama called on Congress to act now to extend tax cuts for the 98% of Americans making less than $250,000 for another year.  If Congress fails to act, taxes will go up on January 1st and will be a blow to millions of middle class families and to our economy.  Both parties agree on extending the tax cuts for the middle class, and the President believes it’s time for Congress to act so that we can give the middle class and our small businesses the certainty they need as we work to create an economy that is built to last.

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, July 14, 2012.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
July 14, 2012

Over the past couple weeks I’ve been talking with folks across the country about how we’re going to rebuild an economy where if you work hard, you and your family can get ahead.

And right now, there’s a big debate going on in Washington over two fundamentally different paths we can take as a country to do that. 

One path – pushed by Republicans in Congress and their nominee for President – says that the best way to create prosperity is to let it trickle down from the top.  They believe that if we spend trillions more on tax cuts for the wealthy, it’ll somehow create jobs – even if we have to pay for it by gutting education and training and by raising middle-class taxes.

I think they’re wrong.  We already tried it that way for most of the last decade, and it didn’t work.  We’re still paying for trillions of dollars in tax cuts that benefitted the wealthiest Americans more than anyone else; tax cuts that didn’t lead to the rise in wages and middle class jobs that we were promised; and that helped take us from record surpluses to record deficits.

The last thing we need right now is more top-down economics.  What we need are policies that will grow and strengthen the middle class; that will help create jobs, make education and training more affordable, and encourage businesses to start up and stay right here in the United States. 

Soon, we’ll face a choice between these two different approaches.  On January 1st, taxes are set to go up for tens of millions of Americans.  I think that would be a huge financial hit for middle-class families.  That’s why I’ve cut middle-class taxes every year that I’ve been President – by $3,600 for the typical family.  And that’s why, this week, I called on Congress to immediately stop the January 1st tax hike from hitting any American on the first $250,000 of their income.  

Under my plan, 98% of American families won’t see their income taxes go up at all.  But the other 2% of Americans will have to pay a little more in taxes on anything they make over $250,000.  In other words, the wealthiest few Americans will go back to the income tax rates they were paying under Bill Clinton.  And if you remember, that was when our economy created nearly 23 million new jobs, the biggest budget surplus in history, and millionaires were doing pretty well. 

The folks in Congress and on the campaign trail who oppose this plan warn that it would somehow hurt small businesses and job creators.  Well, they’re completely ignoring the facts. 

Under my plan, 97% of small business owners would avoid getting hit with any income tax hike whatsoever.  In fact, I’ve cut taxes for small businesses eighteen times since I’ve been President.  And just this week, I ordered a series of new steps to help our small businesses grow and hire. 

The only place we disagree is whether we keep giving tax cuts to the wealthiest 2% of Americans.  Republicans in Washington want more of those tax cuts.  With the deficit we have, I don’t think we can afford them. 

But even if we disagree on the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, we all agree that no American should pay more taxes on the first $250,000 of their income.  So let’s at least agree to do what we all agree on.  That’s what compromise is all about.  Let’s not hold the vast majority of Americans and our entire economy hostage while we debate the merits of another tax cut for the wealthy.  Let’s skip the unnecessary drama, the needless delays and all the partisan posturing and let’s just do the right thing for the people who sent us here to serve. 

And I’m going to keep fighting to make sure we rebuild an economy that rewards work, grows the middle class, and gives new opportunity to those trying to earn their way into the middle class.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.  

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 13, 2012

Letter from the President Regarding the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996

Dear Mr. Chairman: (Dear Madam Chairman:)

(Dear Representative:) (Dear Senator:)

Consistent with section 306(c)(2) of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-114) (the "Act"), I hereby determine and report to the Congress that suspension, for 6 months beyond August 1, 2012, of the right to bring an action under title III of the Act is necessary to the national interests of the United States and will expedite a transition to democracy in Cuba.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA