The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 08, 2015

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

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

  • Patricia Cahill – Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
  • Walter Hood – Member, National Council on the Arts
  • Diane Rodriguez – Member, National Council on the Arts
  • Kristen Kulinowski – Member, Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
  • Kristen Sarri – Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, Department of the Interior

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

  • Brian E. Argrett – Member, Community Development Advisory Board
  • Barbara B. Franklin – Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
  • Edward F. Hartfield – Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
  • William H. Leary – Member, Public Interest Declassification Board

President Obama said, “These fine public servants bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their important roles.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

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

Patricia Cahill, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Patricia Cahill is a reporter, producer, and program and news director.  Ms. Cahill has served as a Member of the Board of the Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from 2009 to 2014, and from 2012 to 2014, she served as Chairman.  From 1987 to 2012, Ms. Cahill was the general manager of KCUR-FM, a public radio station at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she also taught journalism and speech communication.  Previously, Ms. Cahill was the President of Public Radio in Mid America and Vice President of the Kansas Public Radio Association.  She was a member of the National Public Radio Board of Directors, Catherine’s Place, Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas, and Chair of the Board of Directors of Wichita Free University.  Ms. Cahill received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Kansas.

Walter Hood, Nominee for Member, National Council on the Arts

Walter Hood is a professor of Landscape Architecture, Environmental Planning, and Urban Design at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has been the David K. Woo Chair in Environmental Design since 2013, and previously chaired the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design Department from 1998 to 2002.  In 1992, he established Hood Design landscape architecture studio, whose projects include landscape design  for the new De Young Museum in San Francisco and designing Lafayette Square Park and Splash Pad Park in Oakland.  Mr. Hood served as a Goldman Sachs Design Fellow for the Smithsonian Institute in 2011 and was named the inaugural MIT School of Architecture and Planning Robert Taylor Fellow, honoring MIT’s first African American graduate, in 2011.  He was named Master of Design by Fast Company Magazine in 2010, received the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape Design in 2009. and won the City of Nashville’s design competition to create public art in commemoration of the city’s role in the civil rights movement to be installed in 2015.  Mr. Hood received a B.L.A. from North Carolina State University, an M.L.A. and M.Arch from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Diane Rodriguez, Nominee for Member, National Council on the Arts

Diane Rodriguez is Associate Artistic Director at Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, where she has held various positions since 1995.  She was Associate Producer and Director of New Play Production from 2005 to 2014, and was Director and Resident Artist of the Latino Theatre Initiative from 1995 to 2005.  Ms. Rodriguez was also an Artistic Associate at the Cornerstone Theater Company from 1999 to 2005.  She is a Co-Founder of two theatre companies, Latins Anonymous and El Teatro de la Esperanza (Theatre of Hope).  Ms. Rodriguez was a leading actress for the Chicano theatre company, El Teatro Campesino (Theatre of the Farmworkers) from 1973 to 1984.  In 2007, she won an OBIE Award for playing multiple roles in “Tale of Two Cities: an American Joyride on Multiple Tracks.”  She is the current President of the Theatre Communications Group Board of Directors.  Ms. Rodriguez received a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Dr. Kristen Kulinowski, Nominee for Member, Chemical Safety Hazard Investigation Board

Dr. Kristen Kulinowski is a Research Staff Member at the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute, a position she has held since 2011.  From 1998 to 2001, and again from 2002 to the present, she has been a faculty member in the Rice University Department of Chemistry.  Dr. Kulinowski also worked in various additional capacities at Rice University – from 2005 to 2011 as Director of the International Council on Nanotechnology, and from 2002 to 2011 as an Executive Director for the NSF Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology.  From 2001 to 2002, Dr. Kulinowski served as a Congressional Science Policy Fellow in the office of The Honorable Edward J. Markey.  From 1995 to 1998, she was a lecturer in chemistry at California Polytechnic State University.  Dr. Kulinowski is a member of the American Chemical Society and has advised governments in North America, Europe, and Asia on nanotechnology policy issues.  Dr. Kulinowski received a B.S. from Canisius College and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Rochester.    

Kristen Sarri, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, Department of the Interior

Kristen Sarri is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy, Management and Budget at the Department of the Interior, a position she has held since 2014.  Prior to this, she served as the Associate Director for Legislative Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget from 2011 to 2014.  Ms. Sarri served as Deputy Director of the Office of Policy and Strategic Planning at the Department of Commerce from 2010 to 2011.  From 2008 to 2010, Ms. Sarri worked as a Democratic Professional Staffer for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.  From 2006 to 2008, she served as a Senior Policy Advisor for Senator Jack Reed.  Ms. Sarri was Legislative Director for the bipartisan Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition from 2001 to 2006.  From 1993 to 1994, she worked as an Education Coordinator for the Cheetah Conservation Fund.  Ms. Sarri received a B.A. from Washington University and an M.P.H. and M.S. from the University of Michigan.

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

Brian E. Argrett, Appointee for Member, Community Development Advisory Board

Brian E. Argrett is President and Chief Executive Officer of City First Bank of D.C., National Association, a position he has held since 2011.  Mr. Argrett was Founder and Managing Partner of both Fulcrum Capital Group and Fulcrum Capital Partners, L.P.  He also served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Fulcrum Venture Capital Corporation, a federally licensed and regulated Small Business Investment Company.  Mr. Argrett served as Chairman of FirstFed Financial Corp. from 2009 to 2011, and previously was a director of its subsidiary, First Federal Bank of California. Earlier, Mr. Argrett was an attorney with the real estate law firm of Pircher, Nichols & Meeks in Los Angeles.  He currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Community Development Bankers Association and is a Member of the Community Bankers Council of the American Bankers Association.  Mr. Argrett received a B.S. from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Barbara B. Franklin, Appointee for Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
Barbara B. Franklin is a Member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, a position she has held since 2009.  She also has served as an arbitrator and mediator in Washington, D.C. since 1999.  Ms. Franklin was Chief Counsel to Members Pamela Talkin and Donald S. Wasserman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority from 1990 to 1995 and 1996 to 1997, respectively.  From 1977 to 1989, she served as a staff attorney and then a supervisory attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in the Office of General Counsel, Division of Advice.  From 1999 to 2014, she was a Public Member of the D.C. Police and Firefighters Retirement and Relief Board, a position that is appointed by the Mayor of D.C.  She is also a member of the Executive Committee of Friendship Place, a nonprofit organization that serves the homeless population of the D.C. metropolitan area.  Ms. Franklin received a B.A. from Northwestern University and a J.D. from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.

Edward F. Hartfield, Appointee for Member, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Federal Labor Relations Authority

Edward F. Hartfield is a Member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, a position he has held since 2009, and previously held from 1994 to 2002.  He has also been President of Hartfield Resolutions Group since 2010, and a full time mediator and arbitrator since 1976.  From 1988 to 2010, he was Executive Director of the National Center for Dispute Settlement.  From 1979 to 1988, Mr. Hartfield served as Commissioner with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and was State Mediator for the New Jersey Office of Dispute Settlement from 1976 to 1979.  He has also served as the International President of the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution and served on the Michigan Supreme Court Dispute Resolution Task Force.  Mr. Hartfield also is a member of various arbitration panels, including the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the National Mediation Board, the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, and the Employment Relations Boards for the states of Ohio and Iowa.  Mr. Hartfield received a B.A. from Oberlin College and an M.A. from the University of Detroit. 

William H. Leary, Appointee for Member, Public Interest Declassification Board

William H. Leary served as a Special Adviser to the National Security Advisor and Senior Director for Records and Access Management on the National Security Council from 1994 until his retirement in 2011.  Mr. Leary served as Chair of the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel from 2003 to 2011 after being Acting Chair from 2000 to 2003.  He also served as the first Chair of the Records Access and Information Security Interagency Policy Committee.  Before joining the National Security Council staff, Mr. Leary served as the Deputy Director of the Agency Services Division at the National Archives and Records Administration from 1985 to 1991.  Mr. Leary was one of the officers who helped to create the Public Interest Declassification Board in 2000, and served as member from 2012 to 2014.  In 2009, he helped to develop Executive Order 13526 on Classified National Security Information.  Mr. Leary received a B.A., M.A., and A.B.D. from the University of Virginia.

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
January 08, 2015

East Wing Announcement

The White House today announced that Debra “Deb” Eschmeyer will be joining the staff as the Executive Director of Let’s Move! and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy.  The role was previously held by Sam Kass, who departed in December to live full time in New York City.

“For more than a decade, Deb has been leading the way in teaching kids about the importance of healthy eating,” said First Lady Michelle Obama.  “From classrooms and gardens to kitchens and farms, Deb has made learning about nutrition fun and accessible for kids across the country.  I am thrilled that she will be continuing this important work here at the White House, and I know she will be an invaluable addition to our team.”

As Executive Director of Let's Move!, Eschmeyer will lead the First Lady’s work to help America raise a healthier generation of kids and ensure that all kids have the opportunity for the long, healthy lives they deserve. As Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy, she will also advise on food and nutrition issues beyond Let’s Move!.

Biography of Deb Eschmeyer:

A dedicated and tireless champion for children's health, Eschmeyer created public-private partnerships to collaborate with diverse stakeholders to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity and food insecurity. Eschmeyer co-founded FoodCorps, a national AmeriCorps service program that places emerging leaders into schools in limited-resource communities for a year of public service. Throughout the year, FoodCorps service members teach hands-on lessons about food and nutrition; build and tend school gardens, teach cooking lessons; and help change what’s on school lunch trays, giving kids healthy food.  In her role as Vice President of External Affairs, Eschmeyer helped build FoodCorps into a 182 member corps serving in 16 states and DC that supports the National School Lunch Program’s healthier guidelines ensuring kids eat the healthy school food on their trays, and lays the essential groundwork for children to build lasting relationships with healthy food. 

Fortune and Food & Wine recently selected Eschmeyer as one of “The Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink” permanently changing the way we eat and how we think about food. Eschmeyer is a recipient of the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award and the Xavier University Magis Award in recognition of her exemplary school food reform efforts and commitment to public service. Prior to FoodCorps, she served as a W.K. Kellogg Food and Community Fellow and as Communications and Outreach Director of the National Farm to School Network where she created One Tray, a national campaign to improve federal child nutrition programs. 

Growing up on a dairy farm in rural Ohio, Eschmeyer was ingrained at an early age with an appreciation for how nutrition policy meets the plow. In conjunction with her policy work, she started a fruit and vegetable farm in New Knoxville, Ohio, with her husband. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 07, 2015

Statement by the President on the Celebration of Orthodox Christmas

Michelle and I wish all Orthodox Christians in the United States and in the diverse Orthodox communities throughout the world a blessed and joyous Christmas.
 
During this season of peace and fellowship, we have been saddened to see that, around the world, some Orthodox communities face difficult times and an uncertain future.  We underscore the United States’ commitment to promoting the freedom of religion that is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and that is the birthright of every person, everywhere.  We join the Orthodox community this holiday season in celebration and in prayer for greater peace and justice throughout the world.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 07, 2015

Readout of the President’s Call with French President Francois Hollande

President Obama called French President Hollande from Air Force One this afternoon to personally offer his condolences and to express solidarity after this morning’s horrific terrorist attack in Paris.  The President reiterated his earlier remarks that our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones, and that Americans stand beside the people of France in the aftermath of this outrage.  He offered the resources of the United States as France works to identify, apprehend, and bring to justice the perpetrators and anyone who helped plan or enable this terrorist attack.  President Hollande thanked the President for his words of support and provided an update on steps being taken to care for the victims and to arrest those responsible.  He affirmed that France will never waver when faced with such adversity and will continue to defend the values of freedom and tolerance that the French republic and its people so nobly embody.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 07, 2015

President Obama Signs Mississippi Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Mississippi and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and tornadoes on December 23, 2014.

Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and tornadoes in Marion County.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. 

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named William C. Watrel as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 07, 2015

FACT SHEET: Making Homeownership More Accessible and Sustainable

When President Obama took office, our housing market was in free-fall, and rising unemployment and plunging house prices posed numerous challenges for families and the broader economy.  The President took immediate action to stabilize the housing market and protect the middle class.  These steps helped millions of middle class families stay in their homes, save money on their mortgages, and turn their communities around.

Today, the housing market is on firmer footing. Rising home values have brought millions of families out from being underwater, new foreclosures are at the lowest levels since 2006, and home sales have substantially increased.  The President’s push for tough enforcement against past abuses and strong new consumer protections have helped curb irresponsible lending and have given responsible Americans more confidence and security in their most substantial investment. And the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has pioneered new, streamlined mortgage forms to make simpler and easier for families to buy a house.

Still, there’s more work to do: too many creditworthy families who can afford—and want to purchase—a home are shut out of homeownership opportunities due to today’s tight lending market.

That is why today, the President announced a major new step that his Administration is taking to make mortgages more affordable and accessible for creditworthy families. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will reduce annual mortgage insurance premiums by 0.5 percentage point from 1.35 percent to 0.85 percent. For the typical first-time homebuyer, this reduction will translate into a $900 reduction in their annual mortgage payment. Existing homeowners who refinance into an FHA mortgage will see similar reductions to their mortgage payments as well. In total, this action will help millions of families save billions of dollars in mortgage payments in the coming years, helping to support the housing market recovery. The new premium level is fully consistent with the FHA’s commitment to continue strengthening its financial health through growing reserves. At the same time, full documentation and continued strong underwriting means lending will remain prudent and sustainable – benefitting both homeowners and FHA.

This step is part of the President’s broader effort to expand responsible lending to creditworthy borrowers and increase access to sustainable rental housing for families not ready or wanting to buy a home. In the coming months the Administration will be taking additional steps to cut red tape and clarify lending standards to build on the measures announced today. And the Administration will continue to urge bipartisan progress in Congress to pass comprehensive housing finance reform legislation that will secure a stable and resilient housing finance system – one that will ensure broad access to mortgages at affordable rates and better serve future generations. 

 Making Homeownership More Accessible and Sustainable

Ø  Reduce FHA Premiums to Help Make Mortgages More Affordable:
Ø  FHA is reducing annual FHA mortgage insurance premiums by 0.5 percentage point from 1.35 percent to 0.85 percent, an average savings of $900 annually for new borrowers.

Ø  Lowered premiums will help more than 800,000 homeowners save on their monthly mortgage costs and enable up to 250,000 new homebuyers to purchase a home.

Ø  These steps will help support home sales, lower housing expenses for affected households, and help bring more balance to the housing market. 

Ø  Build on Successful Policies that Have Helped Lead the Housing Recovery:
Ø  Today’s action builds on the successful steps the Administration started taking immediately after the President took office – actions that helped create today’s strong recovery in housing.

Ø  The Administration’s mortgage modifications, private modifications, and other federal mortgage assistance have helped over 8 million borrowers, more than twice the number of foreclosure completions; more than 3 million borrowers have saved money through refinancing; and the Administration has invested billions in neighborhood stabilization and anti-blight initiatives.

Ø  Today, the housing market continues to strengthen: house prices are up nearly 30 percent from crisis lows; 10 million fewer borrowers are underwater with homes worth less than their mortgages; and new foreclosures are at a 9-year low.

Ø  The President continues to strongly support long-term housing finance reform through legislation that requires private capital to take the risks and rewards in mortgage lending while preserving broad and affordable access for all creditworthy families.

Ø  Preserve Sound Underwriting and Strong Consumer Protections:
Ø  FHA will continue to preserve sound underwriting standards with full documentation requirements and a prudent evaluation of a borrower’s ability to sustain payments.

Ø  CFPB and others will continue to monitor and enforce important consumer protections that helped eliminate the worst lending practices of the past so that mortgages are underwritten in a more sustainable manner. 

Ø  Continue to Strengthen FHA’s Financial Health:
Ø  Even after today’s reduction, FHA annual mortgage insurance premiums will remain at 0.85 percent, higher than historic norms.

Ø  Even with this reduction, FHA is projected to add $7 to $10 billion annually in new capital reserves – in part due to improved risk management and credit policies – and maintain a positive financial trajectory for the Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund.

Reduce FHA Premiums to Help Make Mortgages More Affordable

  • FHA is reducing annual FHA mortgage insurance premiums by 0.5 percentage points from 1.35 percent to 0.85 percent. This reduction in premiums will produce an average savings of $900 annually for all new FHA borrowers.

  • More than 800,000 FHA borrowers are projected to take advantage of these lower rates in the first year, saving millions of dollars in total.

  • Lowered premiums will create opportunities for 250,000 new homeowners to purchase a home over the next three years. In recent years, many aspiring homeowners have been waiting on the sidelines before buying a new home. By making mortgages more affordable and helping create further confidence among those wanting to buy a home, the FHA premium reduction will help hundreds of thousands of additional families own a home for the first time.

  • The new home buying activity and benefits of the cost savings to borrowers will help further strengthen the housing market. An increase in first-time homebuyers and more affordable mortgages will help spur more residential construction and help create new jobs in the housing sector.

Preserve Sound Underwriting and Strong Consumer Protections

  • FHA will preserve sound underwriting standards with full documentation requirements and a prudent evaluation of a borrower’s ability to sustain payments. Today’s lending standards are not only tighter than the pre-crisis period, but also much tighter than historical norms. Since 2009 FHA has instituted a credit score floor and required manual underwriting for higher-risk borrowers. Continued access will only be extended to borrowers who can sustain their payments on a well-underwritten and fully documented mortgage.

  • The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and others continue to develop and implement important consumer protections that helped eliminate the worst lending practices of the past so that mortgages are underwritten in a more sustainable manner.  These improvements came because the President fought for and signed into law the strongest consumer protections in history.  The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act tasked the CFPB with protecting families making financial decisions. The first-ever independent consumer watchdog, the CFPB protects middle class families by making it safer and simpler to apply for a mortgage and know that it is sustainable.  To this end, the CFPB has done the following:

o   Required lenders to evaluate a borrower’s ability to repay their loan, so homeownership can once again help families build long-term wealth.

o   Prohibited lenders from paying bonuses for putting borrowers into more expensive loans.

o   Created rules to ensure borrowers understand their loans and receive timely and useful information about their monthly payments and any upcoming changes to their loan.

o   Set additional protections for those borrowers who are offered riskier, higher-cost mortgages.

o   Established a consumer help hotline that has already addressed more than [175,000] complaints and helps keep CFPB informed of new problems facing families so it can better address new challenges.

o   Required servicers to make good faith efforts to contact delinquent borrowers and inform them of their options to avoid foreclosure as well as ensure certain other borrower protections are followed. 

Continue to Strengthen FHA’s Financial Health

  • Even after today’s reduction, FHA annual mortgage insurance premiums will be at 0.85 percent, above the historic norms of roughly 0.55 percent. Upfront premiums and the life-of-loan MIP structure will remain unchanged. This robust premium structure will more than cover the related estimated credit losses posed to the insurance fund from newly originated loans, continuing to strengthen the Fund and protect taxpayers.

  • This reduction will continue to allow FHA to maintain a positive financial trajectory for the Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund. FHA is projected to add $7-$10 billion annually in new capital reserves each year, as a result of improved risk management and a stronger housing market.

  • FHA’s Office of Risk Management will continue to monitor and ensure effective credit risk management and loss mitigation. The Office will highlight changes that would strengthen credit policies and reduce losses on claims, ensuring that financial reserves will continue to grow.

  • Build on Successful Policies that Have Helped Lead the Housing Recovery

  • The President’s housing policies have helped the housing recovery continue to strengthen. Helped by the Administration’s programs, the housing market is turning around. Homebuilding has more than doubled since crisis lows, spurring job growth in construction and other housing-related sectors. Meanwhile, strengthening home prices have brought millions of families out from being underwater and put hundreds of billions of dollars in wealth back in the pockets of America’s middle class.

o   Year over year home prices have risen for 32 straight months, and are up nearly 30 percent since crisis lows. Rising prices have brought nearly 10 million families out from being underwater since the beginning of 2012, cutting the number of homeowners who are underwater—with homes worth less than their mortgages—by nearly 80 percent.

o   Housing wealth is growing again, with owners’ equity up more than $4 trillion since hitting a low at the beginning of 2009.

o   Homebuilding continues to come back, leading to an upswing in construction jobs. The annual rate of housing starts has recently been more than double its April 2009 low of 478,000, while the number of residential construction jobs continues to rebound.

o   Existing single-family home sales have increased as much as 50 percent from their crisis low and are close to historical norms of about 5.0 million units.

o   The number of mortgages more than 90 days delinquent has decreased by more than 50 percent to under 2 million loans, the lowest level since 2008.

  • The recovery has been driven by Administration actions to stabilize and heal our housing market. Within a month of taking office, the President launched a series of housing initiatives to help millions of homeowners stay in their homes or transition into sustainable housing opportunities. This relief was provided through a combination of direct assistance and through setting important industry standards and templates that transformed the way the industry responded to the crisis. Among other important actions, the Administration:

o   Launched mortgage modification initiatives that have led to more than 8 million homeowners getting government or private sector relief– twice as many as those who went through foreclosure during the last six years. The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) has helped over 1.4 million borrowers through permanent loan modifications.  Combined with 2.5 million Federal Housing Administration (FHA) homeowner interventions and the 4.2 million helped through private lender programs largely modeled after the HAMP template, more than 8 million homeowners have been helped.

o   Worked with regulators to create refinancing opportunities for millions of underwater borrowers through the Home Affordable Refinancing Program (HARP), with more than 3.2 million families helped through September 2014, and helped additional borrowers refinance underwater mortgages through FHA’s Short Refinance Program.

o   Established the Hardest Hit Fund (HHF) and committed $7.6 billion in resources to states to develop locally-tailored programs that reduce blight and assist struggling homeowners in their communities, helping over 200,000 borrowers with programs that reduce principal or help them bridge unemployment.

o   Allocated $7 billion through HUD’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) to address foreclosed and abandoned homes in thousands of neighborhoods.  NSP is projected to support close to 90,000 jobs and treat over 100,000 properties – including those with affordable rental and homeownership units – creating a positive ripple effect throughout communities. 

o   Negotiated the National Mortgage Servicing Settlement with 49 state Attorneys General to hold banks accountable and assist struggling homeowners. The Settlement has provided over 600,000 homeowners more than $50 billion in committed relief.

o   In FY 2014, the Department of Justice filed more than 150 mortgage fraud cases, and obtained convictions of more than 600 defendants. The Department's mortgage fraud efforts in that same period also resulted in recoveries of more than $3 billion.

o   Other key efforts included launching an Office of Housing Counseling at HUD that has assisted more than 9 million families, and rehousing or providing assistance to remain housed to 1.3 million homeless or at-risk Americans – including veterans – through the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP). In the last four years, veteran homelessness is down 33 percent nationwide, and unsheltered veteran homelessness has been reduced by 43 percent.

  • Continue to cut red tape so responsible families can get a mortgage. While progress has been made, there are still millions of families with strong enough credit profiles to qualify for a mortgage but who are nonetheless being denied loans by lenders. The Administration will not tolerate a return to shoddy underwriting or unsustainable mortgage lending, but believes there are too many middle-class families with good credit by historical standards who remain shut out in today’s tight market and deserve a chance to buy their own home. HUD and independent agencies like the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) are working with stakeholders to clarify put-back and indemnification policies and enhance lender understanding of these policies to encourage originators to extend lending to all creditworthy families.

  • Lay the foundation of a stronger housing finance system for middle class families and economic stability. The President believes it is time to turn the page on the flaws of the past and build a new sustainable housing finance system that will provide a path to secure homeownership for responsible middle class families. The President continues to support long-term reform centered on several core principles: require more private capital in the system; end the failed Fannie/Freddie duopoly business model in order to improve system stability and better protect taxpayers; ensure broad access for all creditworthy families to sustainable products like the 30-year fixed rate mortgage in good times and bad; and help ensure sustainable rental options are widely available. As in the past, the President stands ready to work with members of Congress in both parties to enact commonsense housing finance legislation based on these core principles.

  • Strengthen access to affordable rental housing. The President has consistently supported policies to expand access to affordable rental housing for families who are not ready for, or who do not want to own their own home. Important efforts have included pushing for greater funding for affordable housing such as through programs like the Housing Trust and Capital Magnet Funds, protecting the affordable rental housing market during the economic crisis through HUD’s Tax Credit Assistance Program and Treasury’s Credit Exchange Program, and the launch of a Treasury program that partnered with state and local housing finance agencies to enable the development and rehabilitation of 40,000 affordable rental units. Recently, HUD and Treasury successfully rolled-out another partnership to help state and local housing agencies finance affordable rental housing at significantly lower interest rates, starting with the rebuilding of a 1,100 apartment complex after Superstorm Sandy in Queens, NY. More broadly, the Administration will continue its push for expanding support for affordable rental housing, and reducing barriers to housing development that increase housing costs and prevent working families from accessing jobs.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 07, 2015

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:

Alfred H. Bennett, of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, vice Kenneth M. Hoyt, retired.

Armando Omar Bonilla, of the District of Columbia, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims for a term of fifteen years, vice Edward J. Damich, term expired.

Jeanne E. Davidson, of Maryland, to be a Judge of the United States Court of International Trade, vice Donald C. Pogue, retired.

Ann Donnelly, of New York, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, vice Sandra L. Townes, retiring.

Dale A. Drozd, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of California, vice Anthony W. Ishii, retired.

Nancy B. Firestone, of Virginia, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims for a term of fifteen years.  (Reappointment)

Michael Greco, of New York, to be United States Marshal for the Southern District of New York for the term of four years, vice Joseph R. Guccione, term expired.

Thomas L. Halkowski, of Pennsylvania, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims for a term of fifteen years, vice Lynn Jeanne Bush, term expired.

LaShann Moutique DeArcy Hall, of New York, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, vice Nicholas G. Garaufis, retired.

George C. Hanks, Jr., of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, vice Nancy Friedman Atlas, retired.

Roseann A. Ketchmark, of Missouri, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Missouri, vice Gary A. Fenner, retiring.

Patricia M. McCarthy, of Maryland, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims for a term of fifteen years, vice Emily Clark Hewitt, retired.

Travis Randall McDonough, of Tennessee, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, vice Curtis L. Collier, retired.

Ronald Lee Miller, of Kansas, to be United States Marshal for the District of Kansas for the term of four years, vice Walter Robert Bradley, retired.

Jose Rolando Olvera, Jr., of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, vice Hilda G. Tagle, retired.

Jill N. Parrish, of Utah, to be United States District Judge for the District of Utah, vice Dee V. Benson, retired.

Luis Felipe Restrepo, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, vice Anthony J. Scirica, retired.

Jeri Kaylene Somers, of Virginia, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims for a term of fifteen years, vice George W. Miller, retired.

Kara Farnandez Stoll, of Virginia, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit, vice Randall R. Rader, retired.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 07, 2015

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:

Ashton B. Carter, of Massachusetts, to be Secretary of Defense, vice Charles Timothy Hagel.

Allan R. Landon, of Utah, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for the unexpired term of fourteen years from February 1, 2002, vice Sarah Bloom Raskin, resigned.

Allan R. Landon, of Utah, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for the term of fourteen years from February 1, 2016.  (Reappointment)

Loretta E. Lynch, of New York, to be Attorney General, vice Eric H. Holder, Jr.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 07, 2015

Statement by the President on the Attack in France

I strongly condemn the horrific shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris that has reportedly killed 12 people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this terrorist attack and the people of France at this difficult time. France is America’s oldest ally, and has stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States in the fight against terrorists who threaten our shared security and the world. Time and again, the French people have stood up for the universal values that generations of our people have defended. France, and the great city of Paris where this outrageous attack took place, offer the world a timeless example that will endure well beyond the hateful vision of these killers. We are in touch with French officials and I have directed my Administration to provide any assistance needed to help bring these terrorists to justice.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 06, 2015

Statement by NSC Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan on Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa O. Monaco’s Meeting with Prince Khaled bin Bandar bin Abdalaziz Al Saud

Today, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco met with Prince Khaled bin Bandar bin Abdalaziz Al Saud, the Head of Saudi Arabia’s General Intelligence Presidency, to discuss U.S.-Saudi cooperation and consult on regional security issues.  On behalf of the President, Ms. Monaco offered condolences to Saudi Arabia for the deaths of Saudi security personnel who were killed in an ISIL attack along the border with Iraq.  She thanked Prince Khaled for Saudi Arabia’s contributions to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL and underscored its important role in upholding regional peace and security.  On Yemen, they reviewed recent developments and discussed continued cooperation following senior-level U.S.-Saudi consultations at the White House last month regarding joint support for the stability and security of Yemen.  They also discussed Saudi Arabia’s efforts to engage the new government of Iraq, the need to find a political settlement to the Syrian conflict, and other regional issues, including Iran.