The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 08, 2011

We Can't Wait: President Obama Takes Action to Improve Quality and Promote Accountability in Head Start Programs

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the President will announce important steps to improve the quality of services and accountability at Head Start centers across the country.  The Department of Health and Human Services will implement new rules that will – for the first time – require all low-performing Head Start grantees that fail to meet a new set of rigorous benchmarks to re-compete for continued federal funding.

This reform will help direct taxpayer dollars to programs that provide high-quality Head Start services and ensure Head Start programs provide the best available early education services to children in every community. Today’s announcement is part of a series of actions President Obama has taken because America’s children only get one chance and can’t wait for help getting a world-class education.

“We can’t wait to give more of our youngest children the same basic opportunities we all want for our kids. That’s why today, I’m announcing a new rule that will increase the quality of Head Start programs around the country,” President Obama said. “After trying for months to work with Congress on education, we’ve decided to take matters into our own hands.  Our future is at stake.  Our children deserve action.  And we can’t wait for Congress any longer.”

“With this new rule we are introducing unprecedented accountability in the Head Start program,” said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. “Head Start has a critical mission – to help children from low-income families achieve their full potential and, in turn, help our country build tomorrow’s workforce.  It is a top priority for the Obama Administration to ensure that the program fulfills that mission by holding programs to high standards for classroom quality and program integrity. We owe Head Start children the highest quality services available to prepare them for school and for life.”

Head Start provides grants to local organizations to provide comprehensive child development services to low-income children and families. Today, there are nearly1,600 Head Start and Early Head Start grantees across the country providing early learning services to nearly one million of our nation’s most vulnerable infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

This reform in Head Start builds on bipartisan policies enacted in the most recent revision of the Head Start legislation in 2007.  The rules were crafted by the Obama Administration with extensive input from a national advisory committee, parents, educators, child development experts and the public.  The new quality benchmarks are transparent, research-based, and include standards for health and safety, and fiscal integrity. They will measure Head Start classroom quality based on a rigorous, validated evaluation tool to determine which programs are – and are not  – providing high-quality services.

Over the next three years, the Department of Health and Human Services will review the performance and program quality of all Head Start grantees.  Those that don’t meet the quality benchmarks will be required to compete for continued funding. 

The new benchmarks mandate that any low-performing Head Start grantee will have to compete for funding if they have deficiencies discovered in their onsite review, fail to establish and use school-readiness goals for children, or demonstrate low performance in the classroom quality evaluation. In addition, grantees will also be required to compete for federal funding if their state and local licensing has been revoked, a Head Start grant has been suspended or if fiscal or management issues prevent them from properly manage federal funds.

Based on analysis of current program performance data, it is estimated that one-third of all grantees will be required to re-compete for continued funding under this new rule.  HHS will notify the first group of Head Start grantees that will be required to compete for continued funding in December 2011. 

Going forward, all Head Start grants will be converted to five-year grants and each program’s performance and quality will be evaluated every five years to determine whether the grantee meets the benchmarks or must compete to receive another grant.

Head Start is administered by the Office of Head Start in the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Strengthening Head Start

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, President Obama invested $2.1 billion in Head Start and Early Head Start, expanding these programs to reach an additional 61,000 children and families. The President has also made reform of the Head Start program a high priority, and has committed to ensuring that every Head Start center provides a high-quality environment.  While the majority of Head Start programs provide quality services to children and families, we need to ensure that children receive the full support needed to begin school ready for success.

Head Start is widely recognized for its comprehensive approach – programs promote early literacy and numeracy, while supporting good nutrition habits, physical activity, and positive social and emotional development. The rule announced today is an essential part of the Obama Administration’s strategy to strengthen Head Start and to raise the bar on quality, particularly for lower performing programs.

The Obama Administration has taken additional steps to improve quality in Head Start programs, including: 

  • Evaluating Teacher-Child Interactions in Head Start Classrooms.  Head Start program serving preschoolers have been evaluated using the CLASS: Pre-K tool since 2009.  This assessment is not only important for identifying programs for competition; it is designed to be used by programs to identify areas in need of improvement so they can target their efforts where they are most needed.  Rigorous research has shown that the CLASS: Pre-K is linked to important child outcomes, such as academic achievement and behavior. 
  • Improved Training and Assistance in Head Start Programs. The Obama Administration’s new network of evidence-based training will prepare Head Start classrooms around the country to undertake continuous improvements in their program.  Those who participate in these services can improve their programs so they are less likely to meet the criteria for competition.
  • Head Start Centers of Excellence. Twenty centers have been selected by the Obama Administration for distinction as a Head Start Center of Excellence, based on the quality of their program. These Head Start Centers are producing positive, measurable outcomes related to school readiness for children; supporting families; and increasing staff competence.  Information about their approaches and models of service will be disseminated to other Head Start and early childhood programs across the country to guide other grantees on a path to excellence.
  • Mentorship Across Head Start Programs. More than 125 grantees were selected for a 17 month pilot that pairs Head Start programs with mentors who have the expertise to help them improve the quality of their programs.  Selected grantees have proposed a variety of models that include on-site mentoring and distance mentoring through the use of technology.

Promoting School Readiness for America’s Children

The years prior to kindergarten are among the most significant in shaping a child’s foundation for learning and school success. Today’s announcement builds on a comprehensive early learning agenda to help provide the support needed for children to succeed in school and in life: 

  • President Obama’s Race to the Top: Early Learning Challenge is a first-of-its-kind competition that will provide $500 million to winning states to bring innovation and quality improvement to all early learning programs, including Head Start, public pre-K, child care, and private preschools to close the achievement gap between low-income children and their peers. The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge focuses on outcomes and results in early learning, challenging governors to develop new approaches to raising the bar across state early learning settings to adopt rigorous standards across programs; undertake efforts to improve the early education workforce; and ensure that more children enter kindergarten ready for success.
  • President Obama’s call to strengthen our nation’s child care providers was presented in the FY 2012 budget, including principles for reauthorization of the child care subsidy system which serves 1.6 million low-income children and families each month.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invested $2 billion in the Child Care and Development Fund, to support child care assistance and quality improvements. The Administration is working with State partners to raise the level of quality in child care programs by developing systems that set standards for quality, provide parents with information about the quality of child care programs, and provide pathways for providers to meet higher standards. 
  • The Affordable Care Act provided $1.5 billion over 5 years in funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, which relies on evidence-based home visiting strategies that help families create a nurturing environment for young children. President Obama recognizes the importance of promoting healthy development and improving maternal and child health outcomes in the early years.  This program connects families to a range of services – including health, early education, early intervention and more – in order to better ensure that children are healthy and prepared for school and life.  Effective home visiting programs can have powerful positive impacts on maternal and child health, child maltreatment, parenting skills, children’s cognitive, language, and social-emotional development, and school readiness.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 07, 2011

Statement by President Obama on the Presidential Elections in Liberia

The Liberian people will go to the polls tomorrow to elect the next President of Liberia.  This historic vote is an opportunity for Liberians to strengthen the country’s democracy, and to deepen its peace, prosperity and national unity.  We encourage all voters of all political preferences to exercise their universal right to participate in the democratic process – all Liberians should have the ability to exercise this right without fear of violence or intimidation.

Liberia has taken important steps to consolidate its democracy since the end of its civil war.  Those gains must not be setback by individuals who seek to disrupt the political process.  The international community will hold accountable those who choose to obstruct the democratic process.  We encourage all security forces in Liberia to exercise maximum restraint and to allow peaceful protest.  And we commend all that international election observers, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Liberian people are doing to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful run-off election.

The United States is deeply committed to its historic relationship with Liberia and its people.  We are also deeply committed to the strength of democracy on the African continent.  In that spirit, we will continue to strongly support the success of a peaceful democratic process for the Liberian people, and the peace and prosperity of Liberia.

 

 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 07, 2011

Readout of the President's Call with St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa

Earlier today, President Obama called Tony La Russa, manager of the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals to congratulate him and the entire organization on the team’s victory.  The President said that the team kept him up late during game six and that it was one of the better sporting events that he had seen in a long time.  The President congratulated Mr. La Russa on his remarkable career and said that there was no better capstone to one of the best careers of all time.  The President said that the looks forward to congratulating the team in person at the White House.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 07, 2011

Readout of the President's Meeting with NATO Secretary General Rasmussen

The President welcomed NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to the Oval Office earlier today.  The President thanked the Secretary General for his strong and effective leadership during NATO’s seven month operation in Libya, Operation Unified Protector.  The President and the Secretary General agreed that by acting quickly and decisively NATO saved the lives of thousands of Libyan civilians.  The President and the Secretary General also discussed goals for the May 20-21 NATO Summit, which the President will host in Chicago, including taking further steps to ensure that NATO has the defense
capabilities it needs to meet 21st century security threats.  They agreed that the Chicago Summit should seek to further broaden and deepen NATO’s relationships with non-NATO partner nations.  Additionally, the President and the Secretary General discussed the important progress made by the NATO-led ISAF mission in Afghanistan, and how the Chicago Summit might shape the next major phase of transition in Afghanistan, consistent with the Lisbon Summit goals and the President’s June 22 speech on Afghanistan.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 07, 2011

Statement by the Press Secretary

On Monday, November 07, 2011, the President signed into law:

H.R. 489, which clarifies the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior with respect to the C.C. Cragin Dam and Reservoir in the State of Arizona;

H.R. 765, the “Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011,” which clarifies the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture regarding additional recreational uses of National Forest System land that is subject to ski area permits;

H.R. 1843, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service as the John Pangelinan Gerber Post Office Building;

H.R. 1975, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service as the First Lieutenant Oliver Goodall Post Office Building;

H.R. 2062, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service as the Matthew A. Pucino Post Office; and

H.R. 2149, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service as the Cecil L. Heftel Post Office Building.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 07, 2011

We Can't Wait: Leading Veterans Organizations Back Returning Heroes, Wounded Warrior Tax Credits; President Obama Announces Initiatives to Get Veterans Back to Work

Leading veterans’ organizations today joined President Obama at the White House and announced their support for the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits, two provisions in the American Jobs Act Congress is scheduled to consider this week. President Obama also announced three executive actions that will help veterans find jobs. Today’s announcement is part of a series of executive actions to put Americans back to work and strengthen the economy. 

The Returning Heroes Tax Credit provides firms that hire unemployed veterans with a maximum credit of $5,600 per veteran. The Wounded Warriors Tax Credit offers firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities with a maximum credit of $9,600 per veteran.  

“No veteran should have to fight for a job at home after they fight for our nation overseas,” said President Obama. “Congress should pass the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior tax credits, but we can’t wait for Congress to act. That’s why today, I am directing my Administration to move forward with three initiatives that will help make it easier for veterans to find jobs when they return home.”

The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars announced their support for the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits.

“The American Legion, on behalf of its 2.4-million members, appreciates the efforts of President Obama and Congress to curb the unacceptably high rate of unemployment among the men and women who have selflessly served our country,” said  Peter Gaytan, Executive Director of the Washington D.C. office of the American Legion. “Tax credits will augment the good and patriotic intentions of employers with tangible, financial incentives. The rewards will be great for them and, most importantly, for the most deserving of our citizens, our military veterans.”

“It’s time to pull out the stops. After their service to the country, our war fighters have been hit disproportionately hard by the economic downturn with unemployment rates that eclipse their non-military cohorts,” said Bob Wallace, executive director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. “Without using every option available to assist them, unemployment for veterans will only rise with the draw-down of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are proud to see that the Administration has recognized the immediate needs of our veterans by focusing on extending and improving tax credits for job-creators who wish to hire hard-working, battle-proven leaders.”

“The Disabled American Veterans welcomes any and all efforts to encourage businesses to hire veterans,” said DAV National Commander Donald L. Samuels. “President Obama’s plan will be an added incentive to do so. The men and women who have served and sacrificed for our nation deserve a square deal in the job market.”

“We applaud President Obama for continuing to lead on this important issue. With new veteran unemployment increasing for the second month in a row, this announcement could not have come at a more critical time. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are coming home to unacceptable levels of joblessness. By offering tax credits to companies that hire veterans, and setting in motion the reverse boot camp announced in August, the New Greatest Generation will have increased opportunities to lead at home,” said IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. “There is no better way to show veterans that Washington really honors their service this Veterans Day (11/11/11) than by unanimously passing this legislation.”

The President also launched a series of initiatives that will make it easier for veterans to find jobs. Those initiatives include:

Veteran Gold Card: Effective today, Post-9/11 veterans will be able to to download the Veteran Gold Card, which entitles them to enhanced services including six months of personalized case management, assessments and counseling, at the roughly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers located across the country.  This could help serve the more than 200,000 unemployed Post-9/11 veterans.  The President directed the Department of Labor to launch this initiative in his August 5, 2011 speech at the Navy Yard.

My Next Move for Veterans: The Department of Labor will launch My Next Move for Veterans, a new online resource that allows veterans to enter their military occupation code and discover civilian occupations for which they are well qualified. The site will also include information about salaries, apprenticeships, and other related education and training programs.

Creating a Veterans Job Bank: Starting Monday, the Administration will launch the Veterans Job Bank, at National Resource Directory, an easy to use tool to help veterans find job postings from companies looking to hire them. It already searches over 500,000 job postings and is growing. In a few easy steps, companies can make sure the job postings on their own websites are part of this Veterans Job Bank.

All of these services can be accessed by visiting www.whitehouse.gov/vets.

Together, these initiatives and the tax credits will lower veteran unemployment through increased hiring, improve resources for veterans to translate their military skills for the civilian workforce, and provide veterans with new tools to aid their search for jobs. View a fact sheet to learn more about these tax credits and the President’s executive actions.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 07, 2011

We Can't Wait: Obama Administration Announces New Initiatives to Get Veterans Back to Work

Having served and defended our nation, veterans are well-trained, highly skilled and will add value to any company. But today’s veterans face unique challenges:  As of October, over 850,000 veterans were unemployed and the jobless rate for post-9/11 veterans was 12.1 percent.  And as we end the war in Iraq and wind down the war in Afghanistan, over one million servicemembers are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016.   Accordingly, there is more work to do to ensure these men and women can find jobs at home when they return.

On November 7, leading veterans’ organizations joined President Obama at the White House to announce their support for the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits, two provisions in the American Jobs Act Congress is scheduled to consider that will help create jobs and strengthen the economy. The Returning Heroes Tax Credit provides firms that hire unemployed veterans with a maximum credit of $5,600 per veteran, while the Wounded Warriors Tax Credit offers firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities with a maximum credit of $9,600 per veteran.  

The President also announced a series of executive actions that will provide new resources for veterans to translate military experience to the private job market, give veterans additional career development support and better identify firms looking to hire veterans. These initiatives include:

Veteran Gold Card: Effective today, Post-9/11 veterans will be able download the Veteran Gold Card, which entitles them to enhanced services including six months of personalized case management, assessments and counseling, at the roughly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers located across the country.  This could help serve the more than 200,000 unemployed Post-9/11 veterans.  The President directed the Department of Labor to launch this initiative in his August 5, 2011 speech at the Navy Yard.

My Next Move for Veterans: The Department of Labor will launch My Next Move for Veterans, a new online resource that allows veterans to enter their military occupation code and discover civilian occupations for which they are well qualified. The site will also include information about salaries, apprenticeships, and other related education and training programs.

Creating a Veterans Job Bank: Starting Monday, the Administration will launch the Veterans Job Bank, at National Resource Directory, an easy to use tool to help veterans find job postings from companies looking to hire them. It already searches over 500,000 job postings and is growing. In a few easy steps, companies can make sure the job postings on their own websites are part of this Veterans Job Bank.

All of these services can also be accessed by visiting www.whitehouse.gov/vets.

Together, these initiatives and the tax credits will lower veteran unemployment through increased hiring, improve resources for veterans to translate their military skills for the civilian workforce, and provide veterans with new tools to aid their search for jobs.

Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits

Under the Recovery Act, employers who hired certain unemployed veterans were eligible for a tax credit of up to 40 percent of the first $6,000 of wages, for a maximum credit of $2,400. This credit expired at the end of 2010.

As part of the American Jobs Act, the President has proposed two new tax credits:

  • The Returning Heroes Tax Credit is a new hiring tax credit that will provide an incentive for firms to hire unemployed veterans.
    • Short-term unemployed:A new credit of 40 percent of the first $6,000 of wages (up to $2,400) for employers who hire veterans who have been unemployed at least 4 weeks.
    • Long-term unemployed:A new credit of 40 percent of the first $14,000 of wages (up to $5,600) for employers who hire veterans who have been unemployed longer than 6 months.
  • The Wounded Warrior Tax Credit will double the existing tax credit for long-term unemployed veterans with service-connected disabilities.
    • Maintain the existing Work Opportunity Tax Credit for veterans with service-connected disabilities (currently the maximum is $4,800).
    • A new credit of 40 percent of the first $24,000 of wages (up to $9,600) for firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been unemployed longer than 6 months.

Veterans Gold Card Initiative

Today, the Department of Labor will launch a new initiative to deliver individually customized, priority job search services to Post-9/11 veterans through One-Stop Career Centers.  Veterans will be provided Gold Card certificates through the Transition Assistance Program and through the eBenefits portal administered by the Department of Veteran Affairs and Department of Defense (a central access point to online benefits and related services). Veterans will also be able to download the Gold Card by visiting www.whitehouse.gov/vets.  The Gold Card will entitle Post-9/11 veterans a range of priority services at their local One-Stop Career Center, including:

  • Six months of personalized case management services provided by Disabled Veteran Outreach Program specialists, Local Veteran Employment Representatives, and other One-Stop staff.
  • Career guidance through group or individual counseling to help veterans make training and career decisions.
  • Provision of labor market, occupational, and skills transferability information to inform education and training decisions.
  • Explanation of GI Bill benefits.
  • Referral to job banks, job portals, and job openings.
  • Referral to employers and registered apprenticeship sponsors.
  • Referral to training opportunities.
  • Assessment, including interviews, testing, and individual and group counseling.

The intensive, personalized service the Gold Card provides will give Post-9/11 veterans the tools they need to navigate a difficult labor market and translate their military experience for civilian employers.

My Next Move for Veterans

Today, the Department of Labor will also launch a new online skills translator for servicemembers and veterans entitled My Next Move for Veterans. This easy-to-use tool will enable veterans to enter information about the knowledge, skills, and abilities gained through their previous military occupations and explore related civilian occupations. This includes job outlook information, salaries, apprenticeships, and other related education and training programs.

My Next Move for Veteransuses information developed as part of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) system. The O*NET system is the most comprehensive source of information on the knowledge, skills, abilities, work tasks, tools, technology, and other important requirements needed to perform work for over 900 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy. Data is collected on an ongoing basis from a national representative sample of incumbent workers, as well as subject matter expert and job analysts.  To date, over 40,000 businesses and 150,000 workers have participated in the O*NET data collection efforts. 

The tool will be available for free online by visiting www.whitehouse.gov/vets or at One-Stop Career Centers, educational institutions, libraries, and state employment service offices.

Creating a Veterans Job Bank

Starting Monday, the Administration will launch the Veterans Job Bank, at National Resource Directory, an easy to use tool to help veterans find job postings from companies looking to hire them. It already searches over 500,000 job postings and is growing. In a few easy steps, companies can make sure the job postings on their own websites are part of this Veterans Job Bank.

The Veterans Job Bank tool will serve as a resource for veteran job seekers and employers wishing to reach veterans where they are. Beyond basic job search capabilities, the tool allows veterans to enter their military occupation specialty or code to return related civilian skills and associated job listing results.

The Administration has also engaged a number of public and private sector resources to train employers on how to “tag” job listings to help ensure veterans will be able to identify these “veteran committed” jobs as they look for employment. Such commitments include:

  • Simply Hired has adopted the job posting schema and has tagged over 500,000 jobs from veteran-committed employers discoverable on the Veterans Job Bank. In addition, Simply Hired will educate veteran-committed companies on getting their jobs posted and visible to veterans nationally.
  • LinkedIn is committed to adopting the job posting schema and developing an easy to use tagging method to help facilitate the identification of veteran hiring commitments posted on their web site. Additionally, LinkedIn is developing innovative applications to support veteran employment and developing a microsite to help veterans find jobs. 
  • Google helped design the job posting schema and is supporting the Veterans Job Bank through its custom search engine.
  • Monster and Military.com are committed to adopting the job posting schema and developing an easy to use tagging method to help facilitate the identification of veteran hiring commitments posted on their web site.
  • Taleo is committed to adopting the job posting schema and providing a Quick Start guide to its more than 5,000 member customers to facilitate tagging of veteran commitment positions. Posted jobs appear on the customer’s websites, Taleo’s candidate market place, and other social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook. 
  • Indeed is committed to adopting the job posting schema. Additionally, Indeed has included military history on resumes to help support employer identification of veteran candidates. Finally, on 11/11 Indeed will launch Indeed Military job search, allowing veterans to search jobs using their MOC codes by utilizing the O*Net crosswalk database to help translate military experience into civilian terms.
  • BranchOut is committed to adopting the job posting schema through a feature that allows companies to state a preference for hiring veterans when they post jobs on BranchOut. These special job posts are highlighted for veteran job seekers so they know which companies are looking for their unique skills. BranchOut will also offer jobs posts to veterans who have recently started their own businesses.
  • Twitter is assisting veterans by making job listings easier to find through TweetMyJobs, which is developing a check box that allows employers posting jobs to indicate if the job is specifically targeted to veterans.  TweetMyJobs is also launching a suite of tools for veterans to find jobs on Twitter, including establishing veteran-specific job channels on Twitter for every state and major metropolitan area, a special landing page (veterans.tweetmyjobs.com) for veterans to find and follow these job channels, custom notification alerts for veteran committed jobs and a channel for veterans to distribute their resume on Twitter. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 05, 2011

Statement by the President on Hajj and Eid al-Adha

Michelle and I extend our greetings for a happy Eid al-Adha to Muslims worldwide and congratulate those performing Hajj. Thousands of Muslim Americans are among those who have joined one of the world’s largest and most diverse gatherings in making the pilgrimage to Mecca and nearby sites.

As Muslims celebrate this Eid, they will also commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son by distributing food to those less fortunate around the world.  They join the United States and the international community in relief efforts to assist those struggling to survive in the Horn of Africa and those recovering from the devastating earthquake in Turkey. 

The Eid and Hajj rituals are a reminder of the shared roots of the world’s Abrahamic faiths and the powerful role that faith plays in motivating communities to serve and stand with those in need.  On behalf of the American people, we extend our best wishes during this Hajj season.  Eid Mubarak and Hajj Mabrour.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 05, 2011

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Upcoming Visit of President Anibal Cavaco Silva of Portugal

President Obama will host President Anibal Cavaco Silva of Portugal for a meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday, November 9th.  The President welcomes the opportunity to reciprocate the warm hospitality that he received during his visit to Lisbon in November 2010.  The United States and Portugal are strong NATO allies and cooperate closely in the United Nations Security Council, where Portugal currently serves as Council President.  President Obama looks forward to consulting with President Cavaco Silva about preparations for the 2012 NATO Summit that the U.S. will host in Chicago.  The two Presidents will also discuss the revitalized U.S.-Portugal Bilateral Commission, enhancement of bilateral economic and commercial relations, cooperation in education, science and technology, the promotion of democracy, good governance and human rights around the world, and U.S. support for Portugal’s implementation of its IMF-EU reform program. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 05, 2011

Statement by the President on Hajj and Eid al-Adha

Michelle and I extend our greetings for a happy Eid al-Adha to Muslims worldwide and congratulate those performing Hajj. Thousands of Muslim Americans are among those who have joined one of the world’s largest and most diverse gatherings in making the pilgrimage to Mecca and nearby sites.

As Muslims celebrate this Eid, they will also commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son by distributing food to those less fortunate around the world.  They join the United States and the international community in relief efforts to assist those struggling to survive in the Horn of Africa and those recovering from the devastating earthquake in Turkey. 

The Eid and Hajj rituals are a reminder of the shared roots of the world’s Abrahamic faiths and the powerful role that faith plays in motivating communities to serve and stand with those in need.  On behalf of the American people, we extend our best wishes during this Hajj season.  Eid Mubarak and Hajj Mabrour.