The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 06, 2015

President Obama Announces his Intent to Nominate Allan R. Landon to Serve on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Allan R. Landon to serve on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

  • Allan R. Landon – Governor, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 

President Obama said, “Allan Landon has the proven experience, judgment and deep knowledge of the financial system to serve at the Federal Reserve during this important time for our economy.  He brings decades of leadership and expertise from various roles, particularly as a community banker.  I’m confident that he will serve our country well.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual today:

Allan R. Landon, Nominee for Governor, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Allan R. Landon is a Partner in Community BanCapital.  He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Hawaii Corporation from 2004 to 2010.  Mr. Landon served in various positions at Bank of Hawaii from 2000 to 2004, including President, Chief Operating, Financial, and Risk Officer.  He served as the Chief Financial Officer of First American Corp. and its subsidiary, First American National Bank, from 1998 to 2000.  Mr. Landon worked at Ernst & Young LLP from 1970 to 1998, where he became partner in 1984.  Mr. Landon received a B.S. from Iowa State University.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 06, 2015

Joint Statement: United States-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue

When President Barack Obama and President Enrique Peña Nieto announced the creation of the United States-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) in May 2013, they established a new strategic vision for our economic cooperation, focused on delivering tangible and positive economic benefits to the people of the United States and Mexico.  Our robust cooperation and dedication to finding binational solutions to shared economic challenges strengthens both of our countries and creates opportunities for our citizens.  As neighbors and partners, we will continue to position North America as the most competitive and dynamic region in the world.

The first HLED meeting took place in Mexico City on September 20th, 2013.  Today, Vice President Joe Biden hosted the second Cabinet-level meeting in Washington, DC to continue advancing our shared interests, strengthen our close and productive bilateral economic and commercial ties, enhance competitiveness, create additional trade and economic opportunities, and promote increased regional and global cooperation.

The benefits of our economic integration are clear, with more than $500 billion in bilateral trade per year, and over $100 billion in cross-border investment. U.S. and Mexican companies understand the value of our integrated economy, and have designed their productive processes accordingly, making full use of our competitive advantages and geographical proximity. Today, we build things together and many finished products exported by our countries reflect this high level of co-production.  Our joint efforts through the HLED build on this important foundation by promoting regional integration and competitiveness, improving connectivity, and fostering economic growth, productivity, entrepreneurship, and innovation. 

Mexico and the United States also are close partners in the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, an historic undertaking intended to boost economic growth, development, and prosperity, and support additional jobs in both countries.  We have made significant progress over the past year in setting the stage to finalize a high-standard and comprehensive agreement.  With the end coming into focus, the United States, Mexico and the other 10 TPP countries are strongly committed to moving the negotiations forward to conclusion as soon as possible.  The substantial new opportunities for U.S. and Mexican exporters that the TPP will offer will be enhanced by our work together in the HLED.

Promoting Competitiveness and Connectivity

In 2014, the United States and Mexico made significant strides regarding mechanisms for transportation and communications infrastructure planning and development. These mechanisms have directly facilitated the freight flow over the border, reduced bottlenecks, and improved logistics for cross-border trade.  Faster, more efficient and closer links are helping boost our competitiveness. Our two governments concluded, in November 2014, the negotiation of a new air services agreement that will benefit travelers, shippers, airlines, and the economies of Mexico and the United States with competitive pricing and more convenient air services.  The new agreement will enter into force once the approval processes of the two countries are finalized.

To reduce bottlenecks to trade at the border, we have worked to expand capacity at our ports of entry.  At the El Chaparral-San Ysidro Port of Entry between San Diego and Tijuana, the busiest land crossing in the world, new construction has reduced wait times from three hours to approximately 30 minutes. In Nogales, Arizona, we doubled inspection capacity at the primary entry point of Mexican produce into the United States, making it faster and more efficient.  The Mexican side of the Tijuana Airport Pedestrian Facility is about to be completed and the U.S. side is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2015.

We continue to work expeditiously on other priority ports of entry to facilitate the movement of both people and goods.  We commend the work of the 21st Century Border Management Initiative, including its efforts to track and push forward new and improved border infrastructure at 13 border crossings. We are expediting the movement of goods and expanding supply chain security through a new mutual recognition arrangement between our trusted trader programs and the harmonization of data requirements for northbound rail shipments.  We are also beginning to look at options to facilitate the crossing of oversized equipment necessary for exploration and production of energy.

Travel and tourism between the United States and Mexico is an important source of jobs, income, and cultural exchange between the two countries.  The HLED established the Travel and Tourism Working Group to promote increased travel and tourism and better travel experiences through increased knowledge of tourism flows.  During 2014, the Group worked to improve the exchange of data, including statistics, tourism flows, market intelligence, stakeholders, and the economic benefits of these efforts. Our two countries have increased cooperation to manage more efficiently our telecommunications systems along the border, supporting both nations’ goals of accelerating mobile broadband services.  The United States also has provided legal and regulatory expertise to Mexico’s new telecommunications regulator to support Mexico’s goals of creating a competitive, market-based regulatory landscape more conducive for telecommunications investment.  

Building a Modern, Innovative Knowledge Economy

The future competitiveness of our region depends on our ability to foster innovation, provide our citizens access to high quality education, and to promote a workforce with the skills necessary to succeed in the global economy. Together, we initiated the mapping of vibrant cross-border economic clusters, aiding our nations’ ability to produce high-value products and services dependent on the innovation and linkages that these clusters generate.  Under the Mexico-U.S. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council (MUSEIC) launched in 2013, we formally signed agreements for U.S.-Mexican collaboration as a part of the Small Business Network of the Americas; held conferences and events designed to improve access to finance for businesses; and launched entrepreneurship training sessions.  We continue to seek ways to link U.S. and Mexican small businesses interested in international trade, developing strategic partnerships and sharing best practices.

Both our governments also recognize women’s empowerment and participation in economic affairs are crucial. Mexico and the United States have finalized an Action Plan for the U.S. Mexico Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Promotion of Gender Equality, the Empowerment of Women and Women’s Human Rights. Additionally, Mexico joined the Equal Futures Partnership and in September 2014 presented its national Action Plan to comply with the objectives of the Partnership. Also, under MUSEIC, we found ways to increasingly integrate women into growing economic sectors by creating networks of female entrepreneurs, mentoring projects, training programs and the creating a guarantee fund to ease women’s access to financing. Finally, the Mexican Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare is working closely with the U.S. Department of Labor on a project aimed at implementing the new Mexican Federal Labor Law to prevent gender and sexual orientation discrimination in employment in Mexico. We are also actively engaging in discussions to eliminate regulatory divergences to reduce red tape and help businesses on both sides of the border. 

The United States and Mexico have made a joint commitment to workforce development including quality post-secondary science, technology, engineering, and math education through the Bilateral Forum on Higher Education, Innovation, and Research (FOBESII).  The Forum was officially launched by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico and the Secretary of State of the United States, in Mexico City on May 21st, 2014.  More than 450 U.S. and Mexican partners from government, academia, civil society and the private sector participated in developing the FOBESII’s Action Plan and four binational working groups were created to implement it. 

Our two governments have also pledged to increase international educational exchanges in line with the United States’ 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative and Mexico’s Proyecta 100,000.  In the past year alone, the Government of Mexico, with the collaboration of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, facilitated the travel of 27,000 Mexican students and teachers to the United States. Higher Education Institutions and Research Centers of both countries have signed more than 23 new educational agreements.  We also have created new bilateral innovation and research consortia and boosted collaborations such as the High Altitude Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC), which will be inaugurated in March 2015. In addition, last October, and under the joint leadership of both governments, we launched the binational webpage Mobilitas to promote academic opportunities in both the United States and Mexico.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Science and Technology Council of Mexico (CONACYT) have strengthened their bilateral collaboration and scientific research partnerships, through FOBESII. We are also working together on both sides of the border to prevent abuses within the temporary worker system to facilitate the safe exchange of human capital within North America, through projects such as the pilot program between Mexico´s Secretary of Labor (STPS) and the Government of California.

Advancing Together – Our 2015 Strategic Goals: We look forward to advancing our work in 2015 in six key areas – energy; modern borders; work force development; regulatory cooperation; partnering in regional and global leadership; and stakeholder engagement. 

  • Energy-We will deepen energy sector cooperation between our countries – in areas such as sharing  best practices for regulation in areas of common interests including cross-border energy development and transmission, ensuring high safety standards, and protecting the environment, enhancing our ability to collaborate on publicly available energy information, and promoting investment in workforce, safety and technological innovation – in order to ensure access to low cost and cleaner sources of energy for our citizens, resilient energy infrastructure, and a strong North American energy market.  We are convinced that a more integrated and efficient regional energy sector that relies on enhanced energy cooperation will play a crucial role in boosting North America’s competitiveness and leadership in the years to come.

  • Modern Border- We are determined to make our border, where each day $1.5 billion in two-way trade and more than 400,000 people legally cross between the United States and Mexico, a source of shared economic opportunity. We will continue to coordinate closely as we improve our border infrastructure by building new facilities and modernizing old crossings. We will also continue work to harmonize our data requirements to facilitate our customs processes in all modes of transportation. We will initiate operations of three new facilities: the West Rail Bypass in Matamoros, Tamaulipas-Brownsville, Texas; the Guadalupe-Tornillo Port of Entry in Chihuahua-Texas and the Tijuana Airport Pedestrian Facility, as well as progress on the proposed Otay II border crossing in the Tijuana-San Diego border region. We will work to implement the Mutual Recognition Arrangement between our respective trusted trader programs and continue joint efforts to facilitate the secure flow of travelers between our countries.  

  •  Workforce Development-The knowledge economy is the key to competitiveness in the 21st Century. Therefore, it is fundamental to develop a workforce that is familiar with and responsive to economic priorities. Collaboration on this issue will benefit both our businesses and our people. Global abilities such as language acquisition, teamwork, and cross-cultural skills are essential elements for success in today’s economy. The United States and Mexico will advance the ambitious goal of sending 100,000 Mexican students to the United States and receiving 50,000 U.S. students in Mexico by 2018, and will support university research partnerships to build upon our shared intellectual capital. Our two governments will contribute to our broader workforce development goals in key sectors such as energy, technology, and advanced manufacturing, through FOBESII and MUSEIC. We will work together on strategic issues through the Academies of Engineering and Science of both countries. Our governments look forward to working more closely with the private sector on both sides of the border in promoting internships and collaborating with universities to meet the training and education needs of the future.

  • Regulatory Cooperation-To strengthen our region’s economic integration, we will pursue regulatory cooperation activities in such areas as energy, food safety, and transportation to facilitate cross-border trade and co-production, and reduce regulatory barriers to businesses on both sides of the border.

  • Regional and Global Leadership-Our governments and citizens are working jointly in many strategic and institutional areas that further strengthen our bilateral ties, as well as our relationship with other countries and regions in the globalized economy. We are working together to enhance government transparency under the Open Government Partnership, chaired this year by both the Mexican government and civil society. In 2015, we will continue to work together toward open government, open budgets, transparency and anti-corruption measures, demonstrate our commitments to progress in implementing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, and will serve on each other’s peer review teams in our respective G-20 Fossil Fuel Subsidy Peer Reviews. We will partner to promote inclusive and sustainable growth and development in Central America and the Caribbean, including in strategic areas such as energy and risk management.  We will continue to work closely together in pursuit of a 2015 climate change agreement that is effective, durable, and applicable to all Parties, including by submitting ambitious post-2020 mitigation targets and by working together through technical cooperation and information exchange on how best to implement our shared climate objectives, before and after 2020. 

  • Stakeholder Engagement- Outreach and stakeholder engagement remain fundamental components of the HLED and one of its most innovative aspects. We carefully consider the input and opinions of all of our stakeholders in formulating the goals of our Economic Dialogue. The government officials most involved with the HLED have also held several meetings with members of the private and academic sectors to get feedback on what they consider fundamental to making North America the most competitive and dynamic region.  Ensuring this close dialogue remains will not only bring effectiveness and legitimacy to our joint work, but will also ensure it remains relevant, dynamic, pragmatic and appropriately focused. We are convinced that these must remain part of our joint agenda, if we are to deliver a more competitive and stronger North America.  

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 06, 2015

FACT SHEET: U.S.–Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue

This morning, the Vice President is hosting the Mexican government for the second meeting of the U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. HLED is a flexible platform that allows the U.S. and Mexican governments to advance our economic priorities, foster growth, create jobs, and improve competitiveness. Cabinet officials from the U.S. and Mexico meet annually, while sub-cabinet officials work toward these goals year-round. Private sector and civil society representatives are an important part of this process.  Together, the two countries discuss the best way to develop our economic relationship with a view toward strengthening the North American economy while supporting our workers and companies. 

HLED will also help advance our efforts to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, a 21st-century historic trade and investment agreement that includes 12 Asia-Pacific countries, intended to further deepen regional economic relations and boost economic growth, development, prosperity, and job creation in both countries. 

The HLED dialogue was launched through a cabinet-level meeting in September 2013 in Mexico. Vice President Biden hosted the January 6, 2015 meeting in Washington – the second cabinet-level meeting of the dialogue – giving us the opportunity to take stock of our accomplishments to date and establish new priorities for 2015. 

 Who Participates in HLED

 On the U.S. side, the HLED is co-chaired by the Departments of State and Commerce, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and also includes the participation of other agencies, such as the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Homeland Security, Interior, Labor, Transportation, and Treasury, together with the U.S. Agency for International Development and other governmental entities.  On the Mexican side, it is co-chaired by the Secretariats of Economy, Finance, and Foreign Relations, and includes the participation of the Secretariats of Agriculture, Communications and Transport, Education, Energy, Labor, and Tourism, together with Mexican Customs, the investment promotion agency ProMexico, the National Institute for Entrepreneurship, and others.  Stakeholder input is key to making the HLED a dynamic platform and we welcome input from the private sector and civil society on our website: www.trade.gov/hled. 

HLED Goals

To elevate the economic relationship and in order to open opportunities for consumers, employees, private sector representatives, and business owners on both sides of the border, the United States and Mexico have developed a work plan with three pillars:

  1. Promoting Competitiveness and Connectivity;
  2. Fostering Economic Growth, Productivity, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation; and
  3. Partnering for Regional and Global Leadership

Within these pillars, our governments have committed to the priorities below for 2015:

  • Energy and climate change cooperation.  At the January 2015 meeting, for the first time, our governments agreed to add energy and climate cooperation to the HLED work-plan.  The United States and Mexico will enhance communication and collaboration between our energy agencies, facilitate cross-border flow of energy-related equipment, improve information on U.S.-Mexico energy flows, create a binational business-to-business energy council, increase regulatory cooperation, and enhance safety and capacity-building programs, including training energy regulators, to support Mexico’s energy reform.  We will also continue efforts that help our governments meet our climate change goals, including by promoting renewable energy, sharing strategies for low-emission development, and working together through technical cooperation and information exchange on how best to implement our shared climate objectives, before and after 2020.  In support of broader regional energy and climate collaboration, Mexico is hosting in 2015 the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas and the Clean Energy Ministerial.

  • Deepen regulatory cooperation.  Regulatory cooperation can increase economic growth in each country; lower costs for consumers, businesses, producers, and governments; increase trade in goods and services; and improve our ability to protect the environment, health, and safety of our citizens.  Our governments have pledged to collaborate in priority areas and continue the work of the High-Level Regulatory Cooperation Council.

  • Strengthen and modernize our border.  Our governments have agreed to focus not only on the infrastructure and the facilitation of trade and legitimate travel, but also the social, economic, financial, and environmental elements for the adequate development of the region.  Also, through complementary processes like the 21st Century Border Management Initiative, our governments have pledged to identify priority projects and reduce bottlenecks at the border. 

  •  Increase educational exchanges and boost workforce development.  The U.S. and Mexico created the Bilateral Forum on Education, Innovation, and Research (FOBESII) to increase educational and professional exchange programs, promote joint science and technology research, and spur innovation.  FOBESII complements President Obama’s “100,000 Strong in the Americas” initiative, which seeks to increase student mobility between the United States and the countries of the Western Hemisphere, including Mexico.  By investing in our citizens, this initiative creates a stronger workforce and regional economy for the benefit of both of our nations. 

  • Support transparency and anti-corruption efforts.  We support measures to enhance government transparency, including under the global Open Government Partnership, chaired this year by both the Mexican government and civil society. In 2015, we will continue to work with our OGP partners around the world to support advances in open government, open budgeting, access to information, transparency and anti-corruption.  This includes support for government efforts to implement commitments contained in their OGP National Action Plans.

  • Promote entrepreneurship and innovation.  The U.S. Department of State and the Mexican National Entrepreneurship Institute (INADEM) launched the Mexican-U.S. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council (MUSEIC) to foster the role that entrepreneurship and innovation play in economic growth.  The goal of this unique, binational public-private partnership is to enhance regional competitiveness by boosting North America’s high-impact entrepreneurship ecosystem.

  • Promote investment.  Investment promotion agencies on both sides of the border - SelectUSA and ProMéxico – are building on their agreement signed in 2014.  They have started to share information and collaborate at investment promotion events in order to leverage our shared economic strength to achieve competitive advantage in the global marketplace.

  • Promote women’s economic empowerment. Both governments recognize women’s empowerment and economic participation are essential for competitiveness.  When promoting entrepreneurship, educational exchange, or regional competitiveness, Mexico and the U.S. have integrated gender as a top program priority. 

HLED Successes

The HLED has produced tangible results.  We have initialed an air transport agreement which will benefit travelers, shippers, airlines, and the economies of both countries with competitive pricing and more convenient air service.  Our two countries have increased cooperation to more efficiently manage our telecommunications systems.  Infrastructure improvements at the border have cut wait times significantly for people crossing into the United States at San Diego, CA, and Nogales, AZ.  We signed an agreement for mutual recognition of our “trusted trader” programs to ease the flow of goods across borders and we signed a Memorandum of Intent to promote investment.  Together we created the Bilateral Forum for Higher Education, Innovation and Research (FOBESII), which held a series of six workshops that included over 450 stakeholders from government, private, and academic spheres – all working to propel the studies and careers of hundreds of students and professionals.  With academia and the private sector, we facilitated sending more than 27,000 Mexican students and teachers to the United States in 2014 and signed 23 new bilateral education agreements.  We signed a Memorandum of Understanding to begin a consular exchange program between our foreign ministries.  We formed the Mexico-U.S. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council (MUSEIC) and held events designed to improve access to finance for businesses and launched entrepreneurship training sessions.  We connected Small Business Networks in Mexico and the United States to share innovative practices and support entrepreneurs on both sides of the border.  

These actions are only the beginning, and 2015 promises to be another successful year for the HLED.  With the HLED, we prosper together.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 05, 2015

Readout of the President’s Call with President Caid Essebsi of Tunisia

President Obama called President Beji Caid Essebsi of Tunisia today to congratulate him on his victory in Tunisia’s first presidential election under its new constitution.  The President commended Tunisians for the spirit of peaceful compromise that has prevailed throughout their historic democratic transition of the last four years.  He underscored the United States’ intent to continue strengthening and expanding our strategic partnership with Tunisia and emphasized our readiness to assist the incoming government as it works to meet all Tunisians’ aspirations for security and economic opportunity.  The two leaders affirmed their desire for continued close cooperation and President Obama invited President Caid Essebsi to visit Washington to continue their discussion at a mutually agreeable date.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 04, 2015

Statement by the President on the Passing of Stuart Scott

I will miss Stuart Scott.  Twenty years ago, Stu helped usher in a new way to talk about our favorite teams and the day’s best plays.  For much of those twenty years, public service and campaigns have kept me from my family – but wherever I went, I could flip on the TV and Stu and his colleagues on SportsCenter were there.  Over the years, he entertained us, and in the end, he inspired us – with courage and love.  Michelle and I offer our thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, and colleagues.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 03, 2015

Statement by the President on the Passing of Edward Brooke

Michelle and I were saddened to learn of the passing of former Senator Edward Brooke. Senator Brooke led an extraordinary life of public service, including his time in the U.S. Army. As the first African-American elected as a state's Attorney General and first African-American U.S. Senator elected after reconstruction, Ed Brooke stood at the forefront of the battle for civil rights and economic fairness. During his time in elected office, he sought to build consensus and understanding across partisan lines, always working towards practical solutions to our nation's challenges. We express our deepest sympathies to his wife Anne, children Remi, Edwina, Edward, stepdaughter Melanie, family, friends and the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
January 02, 2015

Statement by the Vice President on the Passing of Mario Cuomo

Jill and I were saddened to hear of the passing of former Governor Mario Cuomo. He was one of the most principled and courageous public servants I have ever known. He was a forceful voice for civil rights, for equal rights, for economic opportunity and justice. He had the courage to stand by his convictions, even when it was unpopular. Mario Cuomo was full of hope and optimism, because he believed in this country, and he believed in its people. He knew what we could all achieve together. Our hearts go out to the entire Cuomo family. He was a good man.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 02, 2015

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Executive Order Entitled “Imposing Additional Sanctions with Respect to North Korea”

Today, the President issued an Executive Order (E.O.) authorizing additional sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This E.O. is a response to the Government of North Korea’s ongoing provocative, destabilizing, and repressive actions and policies, particularly its destructive and coercive cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment

The E.O. authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to impose sanctions on individuals and entities associated with the Government of North Korea. We take seriously North Korea’s attack that aimed to create destructive financial effects on a U.S. company and to threaten artists and other individuals with the goal of restricting their right to free expression.
 
As the President has said, our response to North Korea's attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment will be proportional, and will take place at a time and in a manner of our choosing. Today's actions are the first aspect of our response.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 02, 2015

Letter -- Imposing Additional Sanctions with Respect to North Korea

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the "order") with respect to North Korea that expands the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13466 of June 26, 2008, expanded in scope in Executive Order 13551 of August 30, 2010, and relied upon for additional steps in Executive Order 13570 of April 18, 2011. The order takes additional steps to address North Korea's continued actions that threaten the United States and others.

In 2008, upon terminating the exercise of certain authorities under the Trading With the Enemy Act (TWEA) with respect to North Korea, the President issued Executive Order 13466 and declared a national emergency pursuant to IEEPA to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the existence and risk of the proliferation of weapons-usable fissile material on the Korean Peninsula. Executive Order 13466 continued certain restrictions on North Korea and North Korean nationals that had been in place under TWEA.

In 2010, I issued Executive Order 13551. In that order, I determined that the Government of North Korea's continued provocative actions destabilized the Korean peninsula and imperiled U.S. Armed Forces, allies, and trading partners in the region and warranted the imposition of additional sanctions, and I expanded the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13466. In Executive Order 13551, I ordered blocked the property and interests in property of three North Korean entities and one individual listed in the Annex to that order and provided criteria under which the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, may designate additional persons whose property and interests in property shall be blocked.

In 2011, I issued Executive Order 13570 to further address the national emergency with respect to North Korea and to strengthen the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874. That Executive Order prohibited the direct or indirect importation of goods, services, and technology from North Korea.

I have now determined that that the provocative, destabilizing, and repressive actions and policies of the Government of North Korea, including its destructive, coercive cyber-related actions during November and December 2014, actions in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1718, 1874, 2087, and 2094, and commission of serious human rights abuses, constitute a continuing threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.

The order is not targeted at the people of North Korea, but rather is aimed at the Government of North Korea and its activities that threaten the United States and others. The order leaves in place all existing sanctions imposed under Executive Orders 13466, 13551, and 13570. It provides criteria for blocking the property and interests in property of any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:

  • to be an agency, instrumentality, or controlled entity of the Government of North Korea or the Workers' Party of Korea;

  • to be an official of the Government of North Korea;

  • to be an official of the Workers' Party of Korea;

  • to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the Government of North Korea or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order; or to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of North Korea or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order.

In addition, the order suspends entry into the United States of any alien determined to meet one or more of the above criteria.

I have delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury the authority, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order. All executive agencies are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of the order.

I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
January 01, 2015

Statement by the President on the Passing of Mario Cuomo

Michelle and I were saddened to learn of the passing of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo. An Italian Catholic kid from Queens, born to immigrant parents, Mario paired his faith in God and faith in America to live a life of public service - and we are all better for it.  He rose to be chief executive of the state he loved, a determined champion of progressive values, and an unflinching voice for tolerance, inclusiveness, fairness, dignity, and opportunity.  His own story taught him that as Americans, we are bound together as one people, and our country's success rests on the success of all of us, not just a fortunate few.  Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to Mario's wife Matilda, his children, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Maria, Margaret, Madeline, and Chris, and his family, friends, and New Yorkers who loved him dearly.