The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 08, 2014

FACT SHEET: Improving Outcomes for Our Nation’s Foster Youth

On any given day, there are over 400,000 children in our nation’s foster care system with over 100,000 waiting to be adopted. Every year, 23,000 of these youth will age out of the system, never having found their forever families. We have seen that youth who age out of foster care without a permanent placement often face challenges with completing their education, unemployment, financial security and the criminal justice system. We also know that there continues to be a disproportionate representation of African-American and Native-American children and youth in foster care. Like the significant commitments being made today, the recommendations in the My Brother's Keeper Federal Taskforce report identify improving the lives of foster youth as an important goal.

As part of its support for stable homes and strong support structures for foster children, the White House is announcing today new steps that the Administration and our partners are taking to help support the foster youth in our nation’s care. Furthermore, the White House today is also hosting current foster youth and foster care alumni from around the country for an event featuring Vice President Biden that will culminate in the screening of the new film Annie.

Ensuring Access to Healthy Meals

  • Joint Letter on Free School Meals: The Departments of Agriculture, Education and Health and Human Services have issued a joint letter from the Secretaries to chief state school officers outlining the categorical eligibility of foster children under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 for free school meals without the submission of a household school meal application. The letter also suggests strategies for school districts to reach out to families whose foster children have not been automatically receiving free school meals. In addition, the letter provides information on the Community Eligibility Program, which allows qualifying schools to provide free meals to all students without household applications.

Protecting the Welfare of Native Youth

  • Indian Child Welfare Act Compliance: To protect Indian children from being illegally removed from their families, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is redoubling its efforts to support the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), launching a new initiative to promote compliance with ICWA. Under this important effort, DOJ will actively identify state-court cases where the United States can file briefs opposing the unnecessary and illegal removal of Indian children from their families and their tribal communities. DOJ will work with the Departments of the Interior and Health and Human Services to make sure that all the tools available to the federal government are used to promote compliance with this important law. The Departments, as well as tribes and Indian child-welfare organizations across the country, will work together to explore training for state judges and agencies, to promote tribes’ authority to make placement decisions affecting tribal children, to gather information about where ICWA is being systematically violated and to take appropriate, targeted action to ensure that the next generation of great tribal leaders can grow up in homes that are not only safe and loving, but also suffused with the proud traditions of Indian cultures.

Building Financial Security

  • Credit Check Letter: The Department of Health and Human services has issued a letter to state child welfare agencies highlighting the benefits of checking credit for foster youth of all ages, the benefits of more frequent checks and the importance of ensuring that every child in care receives a credit check, even if that means performing some individual checks beyond scheduled pooled credit checks. The letter will also encourage states to explore all prevention activities, including options for credit blocks and high risk fraud alerts for young people in care.
  • Financial Empowerment Toolkit: Developed by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Children, Youth, and Families and Office of Community Services, this toolkit is designed to provide caseworkers, independent living skills providers, foster parents and other supportive adults with strategies and resources to critically evaluate and improve their current ability to promote financial capability for youth in foster care. It is designed for those working with youth under the age of 18 and young adults preparing to transition out of the foster care system. The toolkit is a compilation of lessons learned, best practices and practical tools, which can be used together or separately, to help service providers methodically choose and integrate new system strategies, programs or interventions to improve the financial capacity of the youth they serve. Additionally, content and tools can be tailored to meet stakeholder needs based on the intended outcomes of their services and the characteristics of the populations they are serving.

Keeping Young People in Their Homes and Out of the Justice System

  • Pay for Success:  The National Council on Crime and Delinquency, a leading nonprofit organization focused on evidence and impact in social service systems, has been selected as a winner in the federal Social Innovation Fund’s inaugural Pay for Success grant competition. Today, NCCD and the SIF announce the release of an RFP offering support to communities to help them assess feasibility of using Pay for Success to scale promising interventions aimed at reducing racial and ethnic disparities in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems by responsibly preventing entry into the foster care system, reducing cross-over between foster care and juvenile justice systems, and safely reducing the length of system involvement for youth in these systems.
  • State-Level Innovation: Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy will deploy federal funds in support of two new and innovative evidence-based solutions to help keep children and families together and promote positive child health and development.
    • MOMS Partnership is a dual-generation solution for low-income, single mothers and their children. Coordinated by the Yale University School of Medicine with the City of New Haven and community organizations, this program will address depression and toxic and environmental stress among mothers who may be at risk of having their children placed in foster care.
    • Caregiver Substance Use and Recovery Services, a new program, developed in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School Social Impact Bond Lab, will use proven solutions in working with parents confronting substance abuse challenges by providing recovery supports and wrap-around services to support parents in their recovery journey.

Through these efforts, we can prevent removing children from their families or reunify them more quickly, yielding many benefits to children, families and government by reducing entries into the child welfare system and long-term stays in foster care.

Creating Clear Pathways to Employment

  • Web-Based Employment Tool: The Department of Labor, working in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, will release a web-based tool for youth in foster care, resource parents, independent living coordinators and other stakeholders, which will provide easy access to all of Labor’s best youth employment resources and targeted links into its Career One Stop e-tools site. The website is being created with the input of foster youth from around the country, specifically working with the DC Child and Family Services Agency, Federation Employment and Guidance Services, Juvenile Law Center, the Urban Alliance, Maine Youth Leadership Advisory Team and Youth Villages. The web-based tool will be released for Foster Care Month 2015.
  • Training for Job Counselors: In 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) will release a training webinar for case managers in local American Job Centers to familiarize them with the challenges confronting youth in foster care and how to best support their transition to employment using the Department’s tools. DOL will also host a companion webinar to educate independent living coordinators on the services available through American Job Centers. 

Supporting Educational Success

  • Fostering Connections Technical Assistance: In FY2015, the Departments of Health and Human Services and Education will join forces to participate in town halls across the country, meeting with local school districts and child welfare agencies to improve the implementation of the education stability provisions of the Fostering Connections Act of 2008. Through these town halls, the Departments will collect feedback on what works and what challenges remain, while also identifying how the Administration can help improve education outcomes for children and youth in care.

Developing Public Service and Private Investment Opportunities

  • College Advising Corps: The College Advising Corps is making a commitment to dedicate resources and develop a curriculum and training specifically targeted to serving foster youth, as well as utilize the foster youth they have in their corps for targeted advising and recruit more former foster youth into their ranks. College Advising Corps works to increase the number of low-income and first generation college graduates by pairing high school students and recent college graduates through evidence-based near peer advising and e-advising.
  • Youth Homelessness: We know that young people who have experienced foster care and those who have aged out of care face homelessness at higher rates than their peers. In response to this serious issue, Casey Family Programs, in collaboration with Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and other key partners, will be supporting an effort to improve the outcomes for homeless youth, including the development of a more reliable mechanism to count the number of homeless youth. This effort will also engage communities in aligning and implementing more effective policies, programs and resources to reduce homelessness among youth, especially those who were previously involved in the foster care system.
  • Native Youth: Casey Family Programs (CFP) is launching a multi-year strategic consulting agreement to support the growth and development of tribal child welfare services with the Navajo Nation, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (Montana), the Gila River Indian Community (Arizona) and the Spirit Lake Tribe (North Dakota). CFP will also continue working with tribes, including Red Lake Nation (Minnesota), Zuni Pueblo (New Mexico) and Grande Ronde (Oregon), who have developed successful strategies to recruit and retain foster homes on their reservations in an effort to keep their children in foster care on the reservation. CFP is working to document and spread their successful strategies in order to assist other tribes in keeping their children in foster care home on their reservations.

Foster youth, like all youth, do best with a permanent and loving family. To learn more about how you can make a difference, visit www.AdoptUSKids.org for information on how to become a foster or adoptive family.

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release
December 08, 2014

White House Announces the Departure of Sam Kass

Today the White House announced the departure of Sam Kass, Executive Director of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, the first-ever White House Senior Policy Advisor on Nutrition, and personal chef to the First Family.  Kass will leave the White House at the end of the month to live full-time in New York City.  His departure concludes a tenure of dedicated service not only to the First Family, but also to the Obama Administration as a key player in the development of nutrition policy.

“From constructing our Kitchen Garden to brewing our own Honey Brown Ale, Sam has left an indelible mark on the White House,” said President Obama. “And with the work he has done to inspire families and children across this country to lead healthier lives, Sam has made a real difference for our next generation.  Over the years, Sam has grown from a close friend to a critical member of my team, and I am grateful for his outstanding work and look forward to seeing all that he will continue to achieve in the years ahead.”           

“Sam has been an integral part of Let's Move! from its very beginning -- from discussions about children's health around my kitchen table in Chicago, to setting the strategic vision of a national campaign in the White House, to spearheading efforts with the private sector across the country,” said First Lady Michelle Obama.  “Sam leaves an extraordinary legacy of progress, including healthier food options in grocery store aisles, more nutritious school lunches, and new efforts that have improved how healthy food is marketed to our kids.  I wish Sam success in all his future endeavors, and I know he will continue to be a leader in the vitally important work to build a healthier country.”  

Kass will remain engaged with the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative and the continuing effort to advance childhood nutrition.  His successor will be named in the new year. 

 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 08, 2014

FACT SHEET: New Commitments to Support Computer Science Education

“I’m proud to join the students, teachers, businesses, and non-profit organizations taking big new steps to support computer science in America’s schools. Learning these skills isn’t just important for your future – it’s important for our country’s future. If we want America to stay on the cutting edge, we need young Americans like you to master the tools and technology that will change the way we do just about everything.”

-- President Obama, December 2013, on Computer Science Education Week

Last year, to kick off Computer Science Education Week, President Obama issued a call to action to students, teachers, businesses, foundations, and non-profit organizations to join the growing grassroots campaign to support computer science education in K-12 schools.

The President encouraged Americans from all backgrounds to get involved in mastering the technology that is changing the way we do just about everything, and he encouraged millions of students to learn the skills that are becoming increasingly relevant to our economy.

Today, the Administration is announcing new commitments that will help give millions of additional K-12 students access to computer science education. These include:

  • Commitments by more than 60 school districts, including the seven largest school districts in the country, to offer computer science courses to their students. Together, these districts reach over 4 million students in more than 1,000 high schools and middle schools, in partnership with Code.org.
  • Over $20 million in philanthropic contributions to train 10,000 teachers by fall 2015 and 25,000 teachers to teach computer science to in time for the school year beginning in fall 2016.
  • New partnerships by the National Science Foundation (NSF), including a new Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science course by the College Board that emphasizes the creative aspects of computing and a focus on real-world applications. Leading partners, including Teach for America and the National Math and Science Initiative, will assist in implementation and scale-up of the course.
  • New steps to increase the participation of women and under-represented minorities in computer science, including a new computer-science classroom design prize and innovative outreach efforts.

These commitments and leading organizations will be highlighted at an event today at the White House. In addition, the President released a new video message on computer science education and the President and the Vice President will jointly meet with a group of students participating in an Hour of Code.

Background

By 2020, more than 50 percent of STEM jobs are projected to be in computer science-related fields. If current trends continue, 1.4 million computer science-related jobs will be available over the next ten years, but only 400,000 computer science graduates will be added with the skills to apply for those jobs. Yet a large majority of K-12 schools do not offer any computer programming classes, and in 25 out of 50 states, computer science classes cannot count towards math and science high school graduation requirements.

That is why as part of Computer Science Education Week last year, the President praised efforts to get more computer science into K-12 schools and issued a call to action to private sector leaders, technologists, schools leaders, and others to do more to give students access to these critical skills.

Commitments Being Announced Today: Expanding Computer Science Offerings to Millions More Students

There is a growing grassroots movement in the United States to bring computer science education to K-12 schools. With leadership from Code.org, the movement has already helped introduce more than 50 million students to computer science through the “Hour of Code,” with more than 40 percent of participants being girls, and through other projects and initiatives supporting computer science in more than 60,000 classrooms across the country.

Today, responding to the President’s 2013 call to action, philanthropic organizations, cities, non-profits, and others are announcing a major expansion of this grassroots effort, including:

  • Commitments to offer computer science by more than 60 school districts, including the seven largest school districts in the country. The New York City (NY), Los Angeles Unified (CA), Chicago (IL), Miami-Dade County (FL), Clark County (NV), Broward County (FL), and Houston (TX) school districts, and many smaller districts, together reach more than 4 million students in more than 1,000 high schools and middle schools and serve nearly 15 percent of the African American and Hispanic American student population in the United States. Each of these districts is committing to offer introductory computer science courses at the high school or middle school grade levels and to market these courses to their students and their parents. Code.org will assist districts by providing teachers with curriculum, professional development, and year-round support.
  • Over $20 million in philanthropic contributions to train 25,000 teachers to teach computer science in time for the school year beginning in Fall 2016. With support from companies including Google, Microsoft, the Omidyar Network, and Salesforce.com, as well as philanthropists including Ballmer Family Giving, John and Anne Doerr, Bill Gates, Reid Hoffman, Drew Houston, Sean Parker, Ali and Hadi Partovi, Diane Tang and Ben Smith, and Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, Code.org will host computer science instruction workshops for 1,000 elementary school teachers each month. Workshop participants will learn how to teach modules of computer science for grades K-5. Code.org also has committed to preparing at least 500 middle school teachers and 500 high school teachers each year to teach computer science.

Furthermore, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing major steps from its non-profit partners to support computer science education. These announcements build on nearly ten years of NSF investment and fall under NSF’s CS 10K Project, a nationwide effort to get engaging and rigorous academic computer science courses into 10,000 schools taught by 10,000 well-prepared teachers and a longer-term goal to include all schools across the nation.

Over the past decade, NSF has invested in research into and development of curricula, course materials, pedagogy, scalable models of teacher preparation, and approaches to sustainable, ongoing teacher support. Today, NSF is highlighting this work by launching a new web portal that showcases the agency’s investments in computer science education.

With leadership and key support from NSF, a number of leading education non-profits are announcing major expansions in their efforts to support computer science education:

  • The College Board is announcing the launch of AP Computer Science Principles, a new multidisciplinary course designed to help recruit many more students, including women and under-represented minorities into computing. The new course will be taught in secondary schools starting in the 2016-17 academic year with the first exam administered in May 2017. The course will draw more students into the discipline by focusing on foundational computing skills and the creative aspects of computing. The inherently multidisciplinary course teaches students to analyze problems, create computer programs, and collaborate to find solutions to real-world issues. AP Computer Science Principles aims to prepare a more diverse student population—including groups typically underrepresented in computing—for the demands of STEM and computing coursework and careers. The course was created with partial funding from NSF for the development of teacher support materials and assessments. A dedicated online teacher community will enable teachers to connect, discuss teaching strategies, and share resources with each other. Furthermore, AP STEM teachers will be invited to participate in a live webinar focused on computer science education during this year’s Computer Science Education Week.
  • Teach For America will begin a nationwide push to encourage partner schools to offer computer science. Building on an NSF-funded pilot project in New York City, AmeriCorps grantee Teach For America (TFA) is beginning a nationwide push to expand computer science course offerings in the schools they serve. By 2018-2019, TFA will recruit, place, and support a diverse group of at least 75 new teachers to implement the Exploring Computer Science course in high-needs schools. TFA will also advance the President’s STEM AmeriCorps initiative by promoting opportunities for their extensive, national network of educators to engage in after-school and out-of-school computer science teaching opportunities sponsored by partners.
  • The National Math and Science Initiative will expand its professional development offerings in computer science, reaching 25 states in the next two years. The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) is committing to broadening access to and achievement in rigorous computer science coursework through its College Readiness Program, a comprehensive approach to raising the academic bar in U.S. schools by working with teachers, students, and administrators to set and achieve aggressive performance goals. NMSI will broaden training and learning opportunities around AP Computer Science Principles, as well as Exploring Computer Science and equivalent courses, in 25 states by the end of 2016.
  • Project Lead the Way will continue to grow its computer science offerings. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and Verizon will enable students in 12 underserved middle schools to explore the power of computational thinking and the connection of digital literacy to their lives. Verizon will supply PLTW with up to 35 tablets equipped with data plans for each school, allowing for a 1:1 student-to-tablet ratio in each of the 12 schools participating in PLTW’s Introduction to Computer Science course. Students will use MIT App Inventor to learn fundamental computer science concepts that apply to a range of disciplines, future studies, and careers. Student teams will work collaboratively and learn the impact of computing in society, and how to use the internet safely and responsibly. 
  • NSF and Code.org announce a public-private partnership. NSF and Code.org are signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to encourage and facilitate cooperation on respective efforts to support and enable widespread computer science education throughout the United States. NSF and Code.org are already collaborating on projects such as Massachusetts Exploring Computer Science, the joint result of NSF and Code.org awards to the Massachusetts Computing Attainment Network (MassCAN) and the Massachusetts Exploring Computer Science Partnerships (MECSP). The new MOU will provide a structure through which NSF and Code.org can expand their work, and co-develop additional projects and programs.
  • Massachusetts continues to grow a unique public-private partnership to introduce computer science education in its K-12 schools.  MassCAN is a multi-partner initiative in Massachusetts working cooperatively with projects funded by both NSF and Code.org to bring computer science to high schools across the state. The purpose of the partnership is to offer professional development to K-12 teachers based on a standard-based curriculum, with a goal of training 3,000 teachers over 3 years. Recently, Massachusetts enacted economic development legislation including $1.5 million to help fund the MassCAN during the program’s first year.  Today, MassCAN is announcing that Massachusetts industries, led by the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, and the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, have committed to raise $300,000 in matching funds and are mobilizing to match the remainder of the State grant during 2015. 
  • New York City will implement the College Board’s new AP Computer Science Principles course in 100 high schools and will expand computer science offerings overall. With support from NSF, 100 New York City (NYC) high schools will introduce University of California at Berkeley’s “Beauty and Joy of Computing” as a new AP Computer Science Principles course in 2015. This represents a significant expansion of NYC AP computer science course offerings and a dramatic increase in the number of students exposed to computer science curricula. NYC has already taken a number of steps to help advance computer science education, including:
    • The New York City Department of Education launched a Software Engineering Pilot designed to provide multi-year sequences of computer science classes at 18 middle and high schools citywide. Today, the program is in its second year and serves a diverse body of 2,600 students, 40 percent of whom are girls.
    •  
    • With support from the New York City Foundation for Computer Science, programs like TEALS, Bootstrap, ScriptEd, and Scalable Game Design are providing NYC schools with a wide range of opportunities to introduce computer science curriculum and learning activities into the regular school day for the first time.
    • With AT&T Aspire support, students from the Academy for Software Engineering, Bronx Academy of Software Engineering and the Software Engineering Pilot participate in cross-school community events such as hackathons and showcases of student work, as well as summer learning opportunities and internships with local companies. NYC has also begun introducing students to the Maker experience by offering 3D printing classes in select schools. 

Commitments Being Announced Today: Broadening Diversity in Computer Science

Improving the participation and success of women and underrepresented minorities in computer science is critical. The number of women completing college degrees in these fields has decreased over the last two decades, and a smaller percentage of U.S. high school students take computer science courses than they did two decades ago. Today, less than 20 percent of students enrolled in AP computer science courses are women or girls, and less than 10 percent are Hispanic or African-American. Furthermore, less than 20 percent of college graduates in computer science are women. A number of leading organizations are taking new steps to address this challenge, including:

  • The USA Science and Engineering Festival will launch a prize for computer science classroom design. The USA Science and Engineering Festival is announcing a classroom-design prize competition that will launch on January 5, 2015. Research has shown that small changes in classroom design elements can dramatically affect the attractiveness of computer-science courses to girls. The competition will engage teams of high school students around the country to create cost-effective and innovative designs for K-12 computer science classrooms that encourage more young women to study computer science and pursue careers in STEM. The competition will run throughout spring 2015, and the most innovative ideas will be awarded with cash prizes. Some of the prize winners will be considered for further in-classroom testing and potential deployment in classrooms around the country. The entries for the competition will be student-driven, and the design of the competition was led by the Youth Advisory Board to the USA Science and Engineering Festival in partnership with the Dell Youth Innovation Advisors.
  • A new nationwide initiative to engage Latinas in technology careers. Latinas represent the fastest-growing female population in the U.S. Including their perspectives and talent in information technology is vital to growing our innovation economy. In collaboration with major Latino community influencers and organizations, the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) is launching a nationwide initiative to engage Latinas in computing and technology careers. NCWIT will leverage its research capabilities and national network of partners to design and launch a national media campaign and supporting program to give Latinas the inspiration to explore technology careers, the resources to engage in computer science, and connections to computer science support networks. Central to this initiative will be strategies to engage Latino parents, families, and influencers in supporting Latinas’ pursuit of technology education and careers. The project will launch on January 20, 2015 with a working roundtable of Latino leaders who will inform messaging and support the implementation of the campaign. 
  • #YesWeCode expands efforts to more youth from under-represented communities into coding. #YesWeCode, a national initiative of Dream Corps Unlimited to support the movement to train 100,000 low opportunity youth to become high-level computer programmers, is announcing that it will host a series of 4-6 youth-focused hackathons in key cities in 2015 including in New Orleans, Detroit, and Oakland. At these hackathons, local youth will team up with professional developers, innovators, designers and mentors to create apps to benefit their communities. This will complement #YesWeCode’s efforts to incubate a national job-training pipeline in Oakland, in partnership with the public school district, major tech employers, independent grassroots coding education groups, and other major community stakeholders. The job-training three-step pipeline is designed to guide youth from introductory coding programs, to immersive job-training programs, and eventually into employment. Once fully realized in Oakland, the plan is to replicate nationally. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 06, 2014

Statement by Ronny L. Jackson, MD, FAAEM, Physician to the President and Director of the White House Medical Unit

This morning, an ear, nose and throat specialist from Fort Belvoir Medical Center conducted a fiber optic exam, under my supervision, of the President’s throat based on symptoms of sore throat over the past couple weeks. The exam revealed soft tissue swelling in the posterior throat and I, in consultation with the specialist, determined that further evaluation with a routine CT scan was prudent. The CT scan was conducted this afternoon purely as a matter of convenience for the President’s schedule. The CT scan was normal. The President’s symptoms are consistent with soft tissue inflammation related to acid reflux and will be treated accordingly.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 06, 2014

Statement by the President on the Death of Luke Somers

The United States strongly condemns the barbaric murder of Luke Somers at the hands of Al-Qa'ida terrorists during a rescue operation conducted by U.S. forces in Yemen in partnership with the Yemeni government.  On behalf of the American people, I offer my deepest condolences to Luke's family and to his loved ones.  I also offer my thoughts and prayers to the family of a non-U.S. citizen hostage who was also murdered by these terrorists during the rescue operation.  Their despair and sorrow at this time are beyond words.

It is my highest responsibility to do everything possible to protect American citizens.  As this and previous hostage rescue operations demonstrate, the United States will spare no effort to use all of its military, intelligence, and diplomatic capabilities to bring Americans home safely, wherever they are located.  And terrorists who seek to harm our citizens will feel the long arm of American justice.

Luke Somers was kidnapped fifteen months ago in Yemen and held hostage by Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).  Since his capture, the United States has been using every tool at our disposal to secure his release.  Earlier this week, a video released by his terrorist captors announced that Luke would be killed within 72 hours.  Other information also indicated that Luke's life was in imminent danger.  Based on this assessment, and as soon as there was reliable intelligence and an operational plan, I authorized a rescue attempt yesterday.  I also authorized the rescue of any other hostages held in the same location as Luke.

Luke was a photojournalist who sought through his images to convey the lives of Yemenis to the outside world.  He came to Yemen in peace and was held against his will and threatened by a despicable terrorist organization.  The callous disregard for Luke's life is more proof of the depths of AQAP's depravity, and further reason why the world must never cease in seeking to defeat their evil ideology.

As Commander-in-Chief, I am grateful to the U.S. forces who carried out this mission as well as the previous attempt to rescue Luke, and to the dedicated intelligence, law enforcement, and diplomatic professionals who supported their efforts.  I also deeply appreciate the support and assistance provided by President Hadi and the Yemeni government, and reiterate our strong commitment to combating the shared threat posed by AQAP.

We remember Luke and his family, as well as the families of those Americans who are still being held captive overseas and those who have lost loved ones to the brutality of these and other terrorists.  We remain determined to do our utmost to bring them home, and to hold those who have done them harm accountable.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 05, 2014

Readout of the Vice President’s Meeting with Newly Elected Governors

This afternoon, Vice President Biden hosted newly elected governors from Alaska, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Texas for a working lunch at the White House. The Vice President congratulated them on their successful campaigns and underscored his interest in working with each of them on a wide range of important issues. At the lunch, the Vice President discussed the need to work together to continue to promote economic opportunity and build the middle class. Specifically, the Vice President emphasized the importance of partnering with states to invest in our nation’s infrastructure and workforce.

As the Vice President highlighted, investing in our nation’s infrastructure will help create millions of middle class jobs and promote economic growth in states across the country. The need to repair our ports, rails, bridges, and highways exists in communities in every state, and working together to address this problem will help drive U.S. competitiveness. The Vice President also highlighted the Administration’s commitment to ensuring that America has the most skilled workforce in the world. To this end, the Vice President emphasized the need for states to work with businesses, community colleges, workforce development boards, and labor to invest in successful training programs that prepare workers for in-demand, good-paying jobs.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 05, 2014

Vice President Biden to Travel to Brazil

Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Brazil to lead the U.S. Delegation to the Inauguration of Her Excellency Dilma Rousseff on January 1st. Additional details about the Vice President’s trip will be released at a later date.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 05, 2014

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge

President Obama will host Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, for a meeting in the Oval Office on Monday, December 8.  The Vice President and Dr. Biden will also host The Duke of Cambridge for a separate meeting in the White House.  The Duke of Cambridge, who is visiting New York with the Duchess of Cambridge on December 7-9, will travel to Washington on December 8 to deliver remarks at the World Bank, where he will discuss efforts to fight illegal wildlife trafficking.  The President welcomes the Prince’s work in this global fight against what is both a national security threat and a devastating environmental problem.  In February, in support of the President’s Executive Order and in parallel with efforts at the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, which The Duke of Cambridge attended, the Administration announced its National Strategy for Combatting Wildlife Trafficking.  That Strategy mobilizes the entire U.S. government to combat this threat.

This will be The Duke of Cambridge’s first visit to Washington, DC.  The President looks forward to thanking The Duke of Cambridge for the hospitality shown to him by the Royal Family during the President’s recent visits to the United Kingdom.  This visit underscores the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. 

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
December 05, 2014

Readout of Vice President Biden’s Meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan

This morning, the Vice President hosted His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan for a meeting at the Naval Observatory. The King and Vice President discussed a wide range of regional issues. They spoke about the ongoing international effort to degrade and defeat ISIL. They agreed on the need for sustained international support to meet the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people, as well as those of the communities hosting them in Jordan. The Vice President praised the King’s statesmanship in addressing tensions over holy sites in Jerusalem. The Vice President and the King each reaffirmed the strength and importance of the close, enduring partnership between the United States and Jordan, and the Vice President underscored U.S. support for Jordan and its people.  

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
December 05, 2014

Statement by the President and First Lady on the First Anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s Passing

 On this first anniversary of the passing of Nelson Mandela, Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Mandela family and all South Africans.  One year ago the world lost a leader whose struggle and sacrifices inspired us to stand up for our fundamental principles, whose example reminded us of the enduring need for compassion, understanding, and reconciliation, and whose vision saw the promise of a better world.  As we pause today to remember the legacy of Madiba, I hope we can all take a moment to reflect on how Mandela’s life has inspired our own, and will impact the paths of generations to come – including the next generation of world leaders, as while Mandela left behind a world more just and free, there is much more work to be done.  On this day, and on every day, we honor his spirit and his memory.