The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 31, 2012

President Obama Calls on Congress to Act on Veterans Job Corps in "To Do List" and Launches New Military Credentialing Initiative to Fill Workforce Needs

Executive Action Will Help Thousands of Service Members Get Credentialed for Manufacturing Jobs

Tomorrow, President Obama will visit Honeywell’s Golden Valley facility in Golden Valley, Minnesota to call on Congress to act on the “To Do List” by passing the Veterans Job Corps legislation. The President will also announce a new We Can’t Wait initiative that will help thousands of service members with manufacturing and other high-demand skills receive civilian credentials and licenses. As thousands of our servicemen and women return from the end of the war in Iraq and the start of a responsible drawdown in Afghanistan, now more than ever we must fulfill our duty to them. In addition, the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and the National Economic Council have released a new report, Military Skills for America’s Future: Leveraging Military Service and Experience to Put Veterans and Military Spouses Back to Work. The report analyzes the labor market situation of America’s veterans, discusses the challenges that returning veterans and military spouses face as they seek to enter or re-enter civilian employment, and outlines the measures the Administration has taken to address these challenges.

The President will address these issues at the Honeywell Golden Valley facility. Honeywell is a participant in the President’s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, a partnership which has brought together industry, universities, the federal government, and other stakeholders to identify emerging technologies with the potential to create high-quality domestic manufacturing jobs and enhance U.S. global competitiveness. The AMP Steering Committee has recognized that veterans and separating service members are a great resource to help fill certain skills gaps in the manufacturing sector.  Honeywell is also an active partner in the Administration’s Joining Forces initiative and has hired 900 veterans since 2011. The Golden Valley facility the President will be visiting tomorrow employs 65 veterans. 

The Department of Defense, at the President’s direction, has established a Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force. The Task Force will focus its initial efforts on industries that have an identified need for more skilled workers and stand to benefit from military expertise and training, including: manufacturing, first responders, healthcare, information technology, transportation, and logistics. Within one year, the Task Force will: (1) identify military specialties that readily transfer to high-demand jobs; (2) work with civilian credentialing and licensing associations to address gaps between military training programs and credentialing and licensing requirements; and (3) provide service members with greater access to necessary certification and licensing exams. 

Tomorrow’s announcement is the first action of the Task Force, and will provide opportunities for up to 126,000 service members to gain industry-recognized, nationally-portable certifications for high-demand manufacturing jobs. In a recent study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, over 80% of manufacturers reported moderate to serious shortages of skilled talent for many of the jobs that require these types of certifications. Due to the high-quality of their military training, our veterans have the skill sets that employers demand to fill these positions.

Through the Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force, the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps have worked with manufacturing credentialing agencies to expand certifications to military personnel with skills in the high-demand fields of engineering, logistics, machining, maintenance, and welding. Through these partnerships, service members will be able to test for and earn civilian credentials immediately upon completing their initial military training. This effort builds upon and helps to accelerate the Administration’s Skills for America’s Future partnership with the National Association of Manufacturers to provide 500,000 community college students with industry-recognized credentials that will help them secure jobs in the manufacturing sector. In the first year of this effort, nearly 85,000 certifications were awarded. 

  • Through a partnership between Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council (MSSC), each Service will conduct a pilot for a limited number of service members to achieve industry-recognized credentials that can support a transition from military service to frontline jobs in the growing fields of advanced manufacturing and logistics. Service members participating in the pilot will have the opportunity to earn these credentials free of charge. The services will partner with MSSC to explore how opportunities for these credentials can be integrated into the services’ existing training programs and expanded to the larger pool of service members with relevant skills and training.
  • Through a partnership between the Army, American Welding Society (AWS), and National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), the Army’s Ordnance School will be accredited to provide unlimited certification testing for soldiers with certain machinist and welding skills.  Located in Fort Lee, Virginia, the Ordnance School trains thousands of service members every year in the maintenance of weapon systems. The partnership between NIMS and the Ordnance school will go into effect this summer to test for the NIMS “Level 1 Machinist” certification and the partnership between AWS and the Ordnance school will begin later this year to test for the AWS “Welder” certification.  

The machinist, logistics, and engineering credentials that select service members can earn as part of the partnerships the President will announce tomorrow are highly valued by Honeywell and are an important element of our hiring process. The new partnership between the Army and the National Institute for Metalworking Skills will allow soldiers who complete machinist training and earn the “Level 1 Machinist” Certification to qualify for Honeywell’s machinist hiring qualifications without the need for an additional two-year degree.

  • Through a partnership between the Army and Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the Army will expand certification opportunities for service members in highly-specialized and technical engineering fields.  The Army’s Engineer school will conduct a one-year pilot program to assess the potential for Engineer Officers and Warrant Officers to meet SME’s “Certified Manufacturing Technologist” or “Lean Bronze Certification” credentials. These industry-recognized credentials will help service members qualify and pursue jobs as manufacturing engineers in the private sector. 

The President will also continue to call on Congress to act on the “To Do List” and pass the Veterans Job Corps, which would put veterans back to work protecting and rebuilding America. 

Congress’ To Do List

  1. Reward American Jobs, Eliminate Tax Incentives To Ship Jobs Overseas: Congress needs to attract and keep good jobs in the United States by passing legislation that gives companies a new 20 percent tax credit for the cost of moving their operations back to the U.S. and pay for it by eliminating tax incentives that allow companies to deduct the costs of moving their business abroad.
  2. Cut Red Tape So Responsible Homeowners Can Refinance: Congress needs to pass legislation to cut red tape in the mortgage market so that responsible families who have been paying their mortgages on time can feel secure in their home by refinancing at today’s lower rates.
  3. Invest in a New Hire Tax Credit For Small Businesses: Congress needs to invest in small businesses and jumpstart new hiring by passing legislation that gives a 10 percent income tax credit for firms that create new jobs or increase wages in 2012 and that extends 100 percent expensing in 2012 for all businesses.
  4. Create Jobs By Investing In Affordable Clean Energy: Congress needs to help put America in control of its energy future by passing legislation that will extend the Production Tax Credit to support American jobs and manufacturing alongside an expansion of the 30 percent tax credit to investments in clean energy manufacturing (48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit).
  5. Put Returning Veterans to Work Using Skills Developed in the Military: Congress needs to honor our commitment to returning veterans by passing legislation that creates a Veterans Jobs Corps to help Afghanistan and Iraq veterans get jobs as cops and firefighters, as well as other jobs serving their communities.  Leveraging skills developed in the military, veterans will restore our great outdoors by providing visitor programs, restoring habitat, protecting cultural resources, eradicating invasive species, and operating facilities. Through these opportunities, our veterans will help make a significant dent in the deferred maintenance of our Federal, State, local, and tribal lands including jobs that will repair and rehabilitate trails, roads, levees, recreation facilities and other assets.  Additionally the Veterans Job Corps will help veterans get back to work protecting our nation as first responders, such as police, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians. The program will serve all veterans, but will have a particular focus on post-9/11 veterans.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 31, 2012

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 5740

On Thursday, May 31, 2012, the President signed into law:

H.R. 5740, which reauthorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency, under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), to enter into new contracts for flood insurance and borrow from the Treasury up to specified amounts through July 31, 2012; and under the NFIP, beginning on July 1, 2012, phases out subsidized premium rates for residential property that is not the primary residence of an individual.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 31, 2012

Background Information on the Presentation of Portraits of President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Welch Bush

President George Walker Bush
President George W. Bush is portrayed standing in the center of the Oval Office in the West Wing. His right hand rests on an armchair made for the White House in 1818 by District of Columbia cabinetmaker William King, Jr. A corner of the “Resolute desk,” presented to the White House by Queen Victoria in 1880, can be seen behind the chair. Over his right shoulder hangs a 1929 western painting, A Charge to Keep, by William H. D. Koerner. The President, who had used the same title for his 1999 memoir, often called attention to that painting and its significance.

Mrs. Laura Welch Bush
For the setting of her portrait, First Lady Laura Bush selected the Green Room, as refurbished with her active participation in 2007. Wearing a midnight blue gown, she rests her left hand on a lyreback armchair attributed to the famous New York cabinetmaker, Duncan Phyfe, c.1810. Federal easy chairs, among antique American furniture added to the room in 1971-72, were reupholstered in a rich salmon-colored silk. The 1767 David Martin portrait of Benjamin  Franklin hangs over the neoclassical mantel, acquired for the White House in 1818.

About the Artist
John Howard Sanden, born in 1935 in Austin Texas, now lives in Connecticut and maintains a studio in Carnegie Hall in New York City. Well known for his portraits of leaders of industry and education, he received the first John Singer Sargent Medal for Lifetime Achievement from the American Society of Portrait Artists in 1994.

Commissioning
As usual, the White House Historical Association contracted with the artist selected by the subjects and will donate the finished paintings to the White House as a gift of the George B. Hartzog, Jr. White House Acquisition Trust. In 2010, President Bush selected John Howard Sanden to execute his White House portrait.  The success of the sittings and the portrait itself, completed in 2011, led Mrs. Bush to select Sanden for her portrait as well, finished in early 2012.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 30, 2012

Readout of the President's Videoconference with Chancellor Merkel, President Hollande and Prime Minister Monti

Earlier today President Obama held a videoconference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti.  They discussed developments in Europe, following up on the discussions held at the G-8 Camp David Summit and at the informal meeting of European Union Leaders last week.  Leaders agreed to continue to consult closely as they prepare to meet at the G-20 Summit in Mexico next month.  Leaders also discussed recent developments in Syria and their shared perspectives on the importance of ending the violence of the government against its own people and the urgency of achieving a political transition.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 30, 2012

Readout of the President’s Meeting Regarding Preparations for the Upcoming Hurricane Season

Today, ahead of the start of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season which begins on Friday, President Obama was briefed on federal preparations for the upcoming hurricane season and steps FEMA and its federal partners have already taken to continue to build coordination with state and local partners in hurricane-prone areas. The briefing included Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, NOAA Deputy Administrator Kathy Sullivan, National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read, Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Dan Poneman, and Lt. General Thomas Bostick and Karen Durham-Aguilera of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Administration’s focus on disaster preparedness includes working closely with state and local partners, faith based organizations, non-profits, as well as the private sector, and the briefing also featured representatives from the state emergency management community as well as the private sector.

Participants included the State of Florida Emergency Manager Bryan Koon, Florida Adjutant General Major General Emmett Titshaw, and Florida Power & Light President Eric Silagy.

During the briefing, participants highlighted steps taken in this year’s preparations based on lessons learned  from past disasters ranging from Hurricane Andrew, which impacted the Southeast United States 20 years ago this summer and is the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history, as well as more recent events including last year’s responses to the Joplin Tornado and Hurricane Irene.

The President reiterated the importance of the Administration’s all-of-nation approach to disaster preparedness and response, and underscored the important role the public plays in emergency preparedness.  The President made clear that the Administration stands ready to support state and local officials and directed his team to continue to take all necessary steps as the season progresses.

You can view a photo of the meeting HERE.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 30, 2012

President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to Apia, Samoa to Attend the 50th Anniversary of Independence

President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Apia, Samoa to attend the 50th Anniversary of Independence, on June 1, 2012.

The Honorable David Huebner, U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and the Independent State of Samoa, will lead the delegation.

Members of the Presidential Delegation:

The Honorable Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, U.S. House of Representatives, The territory of American Samoa; and former Chairman and current Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific

Mr. James L. Loi, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Admiral Cecil D. Haney, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Navy

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 30, 2012

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 2072

On Wednesday, May 30, 2012, the President signed into law:

H.R. 2072, the "Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012," which reauthorizes Export-Import Bank activities, increases the Bank's exposure cap, and makes other modifications to the Bank's authorities.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 30, 2012

FACT SHEET: President Obama to Sign the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012

Will Extend the Bank’s Authority Through 2014 and Increase Its Portfolio Cap to $140 Billion to Help U.S. Businesses Sell Their Products and Services Around the World

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama will sign the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012, a bipartisan bill that will reauthorize the Bank to continue financing U.S. exports, and ensure a level playing field for U.S. businesses, at no cost to American taxpayers.

The President believes that a critical component of building stronger and more durable domestic economic growth is ensuring that U.S. workers and businesses can compete successfully in global markets.  Doing so requires promoting U.S. export of goods and services overseas, which is why the President launched the National Export Initiative (NEI) in 2010, with the goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years while supporting two million new export-related jobs.  This legislation will allow the Export-Import Bank to continue financing U.S. exports to meet global competition.  

America continues to make historic progress under the NEI, despite challenges in the global economy.  U.S. exports over the past 12 months are higher than any previous 12-month period in history, reaching $2.15 trillion, over 36% above the level of exports in 2009.  This record-breaking level of exports supported 9.7 million exports-related jobs in 2011, an increase of 1.2 million exports-related jobs since 2009. 

The Export-Import Bank is playing an important role in contributing to this progress.  Last year, the Bank set export finance records for the third straight year. Overall authorizations hit $32.7 billion, supporting $40 billion in export sales and 290,000 American jobs at more than 3,600 U.S. companies.  More than 85% of these transactions were for small businesses.  The Bank is on track to meet the growing demand for export financing this fiscal year, as well, and small business transactions currently account for more than 22% of the Bank's overall authorizations.

As we create export opportunities for our businesses and workers, the President will continue to ensure that U.S. exporters have a level global playing field on which to compete.  The U.S. will pursue its longstanding goal of minimizing trade-distorting financing of exports from our global competitors.  However, as long as our global competitors provide official export financing, America will do the same.

Under the NEI, the Administration has been working tirelessly on behalf of U.S. exporters since day one.  Through the direct counseling of more than 12,000 U.S. companies, federal trade agencies have supported nearly $140 billion in U.S. exports, and through the recent launch of the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center, the President has brought an unprecedented level of focus and cooperation around investigating unfair trade practices around the world.  The Administration has also worked to expand access to overseas markets for U.S. exporters by resolving outstanding issues with pending trade agreements, negotiating new market access, and deepening engagement in major emerging markets, such as the Free Trade Agreements the President signed with Korea, Colombia, and Panama.

Key Elements of the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012

The reauthorization legislation includes the following provisions:

  • Extending the Bank’s Authority: The Bank’s authority to approve new export financing is extended to September 30, 2014.
  • Increasing the Bank’s Portfolio Limit:  The Bank’s financing authority is increased immediately to $120 billion and will be further stepped up to $140 billion, while requiring the Bank to submit a business plan and maintain a low default rate.
  • Focusing the Bank’s Mission:  The Bank will provide additional information on its business planning, default rates, and its support for small business and the U.S. textile industry.  In addition, the GAO will evaluate the role of the Bank in the world economy, the Bank’s risk management, and its underwriting and fraud prevention procedures.
  • Enhancing Transparency:  The Bank will provide the public with an opportunity to comment on transactions of more than $100 million through Federal Register notification.
  • Updating Technology:  The Bank is given authority to use part of its fee income to update its information technology systems.
  • Reviewing Existing Policies:  The Bank will conduct reviews of its economic impact procedures and domestic content policies.

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
May 28, 2012

First Lady Named Sponsor of New Navy Submarine, USS ILLINOIS

Accepts Honor During Visit with First Female Navy Submariners

As part of the Joining Forces initiative to honor, recognize and serve military families, today at the White House President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama met with the U.S. Navy’s first contingent of women submariners to be assigned to the Navy’s operational submarine force. In 2009, U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced that for the first time in Navy history, women would be assigned to the submarine force. The 24 women who met with the President and First Lady today were accepted into the Navy’s nuclear submarine program after completing an intensive training program. They are serving on ballistic and guided missile submarines throughout the Navy. A photograph of the President, First Lady, Defense Secretary Panetta, Secretary Mabus and the women submariners can be found at this LINK.

As part of the visit to the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama accepted Secretary Ray Mabus’ invitation to serve as the sponsor of the future USS Illinois (SSN 786). Illinois is a Virginia-class submarine, the Navy’s newest class of attack submarine, and is being built in Groton, Connecticut and Newport News, Virginia. Illinois is expected to join the fleet in late 2015. In sponsoring USS Illinois, the First Lady joins a tradition of First Lady sponsorship of U.S. Navy submarines. First Lady Laura Bush is USS Texas’ (SSN 775) sponsor and christened it in 2004; First Lady Hillary Clinton is USS Columbia’s (SSN 771) sponsor and christened it in 1994. As sponsor, the First Lady will establish a special link to Illinois, her Sailors, and their families that extends throughout the life of the submarine.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as sponsor of the USS ILLINOIS,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “I’m always inspired by the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the Navy, as well as the families who support them. This submarine is a tribute to the strength, courage, and determination that our Navy families exhibit every day.” 

“Naval tradition holds that a sponsor’s spirit and presence guide the ship and her crew throughout the life of the ship,” said Secretary Mabus. “Illinois and her crew are blessed to have such a wonderful sponsor and I am grateful Mrs. Obama accepted my invitation to serve as sponsor for this submarine.”

First Lady Michelle Obama also serves as the sponsor for the recently commissioned Coast Guard Cutter Stratton, based in Alameda, California. The Coast Guard ship is named after Captain Dorothy Stratton, the director of the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve during World War II where she oversaw 10,000 enlisted women and 1,000 commissioned officers.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
May 28, 2012

Op-ed by President Obama: Keeping Faith with Vietnam Veterans

The full text of the op-ed by President Barack Obama is printed below. The piece was published today in Military.com, Military Times and Stars and Stripes.

Keeping faith with Vietnam veterans
By President Obama

Today, all across America, we’re coming together to remember our men and women in uniform who gave their lives so that we could live free.  In town squares and national cemeteries, in moments of quiet reflection and parades down city streets, we’ll pay tribute to all those who gave the last full measure of their devotion, from Lexington and Concord to Iraq and Afghanistan.

This Memorial Day also holds special significance because it marks the beginning of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. It was 50 years ago — January 1962 — when U.S. Army pilots on dozens of helicopters transported South Vietnamese troops into the jungles outside Saigon for a raid against enemy forces. It was one of America’s first major operations in Vietnam and another turning point in what would become one of our longest wars.

Today at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., I’ll join Vietnam veterans and their families for a ceremony to begin this 50th anniversary. It will be an occasion to honor the 58,282 names on The Wall—men and women who gave their lives in that war. We’ll stand with their families, who have borne that loss ever since. And we’ll reaffirm our commitment to never stop searching for the 1,666 service members who are still missing from that war.  

After Vietnam, our veterans didn’t always receive the respect and thanks they deserved. At times they were neglected and even shunned, which was a national shame. We’ve pledged many times since Vietnam that we would never let that happen again, and that we would give our veterans, especially our Vietnam Veterans, the respect and honor they deserve. This 50th anniversary is our opportunity to do it right.

We’re calling on all Americans to join us in honoring and supporting our extraordinary Vietnam veterans who are among the more than three million Americans who served in that war. There are so many ways to show our appreciation to these veterans and their families, and many of them are available at www.vietnamwar50th.com.

As this anniversary proceeds we will also continue working to ensure that our Vietnam Veterans– and all veterans – receive the services, respect, and support they have earned.  Our efforts on behalf of Vietnam veterans are part of our larger effort to make sure our nation is serving all our veterans as well as they served us. And because no veteran who fights for our nation overseas should have to fight for a job when they come home, this country has made it a priority for businesses to hire veterans and provided resources that make it easier for veterans to find a job.

Supporting and honoring our veterans and their families can’t be the work of government and our businesses alone. That’s why the First Lady and the Vice President’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, are leading a national effort, Joining Forces, to mobilize Americans in supporting today’s military families and veterans. Only about one percent of Americans may wear the uniform, but 100 percent of Americans need to be supporting those who do.

This Memorial Day, let’s remember all those who’ve put on the uniform, served far from home, and laid down their lives so we can live ours in security and freedom. And let’s take this opportunity to truly honor and support all those who served and sacrificed in Vietnam.  That’s what we’ll be doing when we gather today at The Wall, and that’s what we can all do together in the months and years ahead.