Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Backs American Jobs Act

President Obama Leads on Jobs:
Now It’s Up To Republicans To Stop Blocking Recovery

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement after President Obama laid out his jobs agenda before a joint session of Congress:

“Tonight, President Obama displayed the leadership America needs by laying out a strong agenda to get America back to work. The proposals he outlined are an excellent starting point in the crucial effort to create good jobs now.

“Now, it’s in Congress’s hands. The American people are watching closely to see whether Republicans will play politics with tonight’s commonsense proposals simply because of the messenger, not the merits, of the plan to turn around the national jobs crisis. The Republicans’ plan to further cut corporate taxes will do nothing to put Americans back to work, just as the recent record corporate profits have not lead to job growth.

“America cannot stand another debate that is mired in Washington politics, like the national disgrace we witnessed during the debt ceiling negotiations. Tax giveaways to flourishing corporations and millionaires and subsidies for Big Oil have no place in this debate. Nothing is more important than creating good jobs now.

“Workers like Angela Issac from New York can’t wait any longer. After being laid off more than one year ago, Angela has been relegated to temporary, sporadic work to survive.  Now, she is facing eviction because her unemployment insurance benefits are not enough to keep a roof over her family’s head.  There are millions of other people in Angela’s shoes, who want nothing more than a good job to get back on their feet and to support their families.

“Congressional Republicans must think about their constituents who share Angela’s plight and make a choice: Will they be the force behind killing more jobs to help corporations and the superrich, or will they play an active and constructive role in steering the greatest economic recovery our country has seen in a generation?  Our nation needs the latter.”

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Glenn S.Gerstell - Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Commission
• Charles "Chip" Lyons - United States Alternate Representative to the Executive Board on the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

President Obamasaid, “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to join this Administration and serve our country.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to  key Administration posts:

Glen S. Gerstell, Appointee for Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
Glenn S. Gerstell is the Managing Partner of the Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP Washington, D.C. office.  He also heads the firm’s global communications practice and has been active in the firm’s international infrastructure financing for over 30 years.  A partner since 1985, he previously served as the Managing Partner in the firm’s Hong Kong office (1989-1996) and Singapore office (1988-1989).  He began his career with the firm in the New York office in 1976.  Mr. Gerstell served as the Board Chair of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority from 2001 to 2007.  He holds a B.A. from New York University and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Charles "Chip" Lyons, Appointee for United States Alternative Representative, Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Charles “Chip” Lyons is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.  Prior to joining the Foundation in January 2010, he was Director of Special Initiatives in the Global Development Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from 2007 to 2009.   From 1985 to 2007, he worked for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) holding various positions including President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Chief of Staff to the Executive Director at UNICEF headquarters, and Program Officer for UNICEF Mozambique.  Mr. Lyons has also worked closely with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), serving on the board and executive committee, and as chair of the executive committee of The GAVI Fund from 2004 to 2006.  Mr. Lyons holds a B.A. from Carleton College in Minnesota.

Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed budget request for disaster response needs through Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. It includes a supplemental appropriations request for FY 2011 of $500 million and a budget amendment for FY 2012 of $4.6 billion for the Department of Homeland Security.

The proposed totals for FY 2011 and FY 2012 would increase by $5.1 billion as a result of this request. The additional funding would fund disaster response needs in the Disaster Relief Fund, including approximately $1.5 billion for the Federal share of costs to respond to Hurricane Irene.

This request responds to urgent and essential needs. The supplemental appropriations request would be designated as an emergency requirement. The request for FY 2012 in the budget amendment would constitute disaster relief within the meaning of section 251 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011, and would therefore adjust the discretionary spending levels for FY 2012 pursuant to section 251. The details of this request are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

UAW President Bob King Backs American Jobs Act

Statement from UAW President Bob King on President Obama's speech to Congress and his announcement of the American Jobs Act

DETROIT - Today UAW President Bob King issued the following statement praising the leadership of President Obama and supporting the president's call for immediate action by Congress on jobs:

"We strongly support President Obama's call for immediate action by Congress to pass the American Jobs Act now. We need jobs now, and this bill will lead to immediate jobs for construction workers, teachers, veterans, first responders, young people and the long-term unemployed.

We call on everyone in Congress to put creating jobs and jump-starting our economy above any partisan politics. We call on Congress to put creating good jobs above more tax cuts for the wealthy. It's time for those who constantly call for tax cuts to support Obama's plan to provide tax cuts to those who need them the most: working families.

We are sending a strong message to Congress in support of Obama's American Jobs Act. We demand that they support Obama's plan to put millions of people to work repairing America's infrastructure not only to help unemployed working families and their employers create the jobs they need, but also to reduce our nation's deficit.

We ask all workers to join the UAW members and their families in telling Congress that creating good jobs is a higher priority than cutting government spending by adding their names to our online petition or visit uaw.org for the link.

We'll deliver our petition to members of Congress and demand a sustainable good jobs creation program NOW!"