Press Conference Call by the Vice Presdent and Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West

PRESS CONFERENCE CALL BY VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND ACTING ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY GENERAL TONY WEST ON A NEW NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

Via Teleconference

1:07 P.M. EDT

MR. LEHRICH: Thank you all for joining us today. Before we get started, I just want to remind you all that the contents of this call are embargoed for 2:30 p.m., when the official announcement is made. You should also have the press release and the full list of COPS program awardees, also embargoed for 2:30 p.m.

We are joined today by the Vice President and by Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West. We’ve also got members of the National Economic Council and the COPS Office at the Department of Justice who will take your questions later and will introduce themselves when they get ready to talk.

But with no further ado, I’ll turn it over to the Vice President.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, folks, how are you? I apologize -- I have a cold and I apologize for my raspy voice. This is a continuation of our effort to do two things: make the streets safer and make sure that returning veterans from the 9/11 generation, in Afghanistan and Iraq, don’t have to come back and fight as hard for a job as they fought for us.

Since we got into office, the President and I have been absolutely committed to helping our returning veterans -- 9/11 guys and women -- find jobs and transition back into civil life -- civilian life. And it’s a very simple, simple proposition. As I said already, we don’t think if they fought like hell over there they should have to fight that hard when they come home. Because only 1 percent of them are serving, and the idea that they have the highest unemployment rate out there -- it’s about two points -- a little over two points higher than it is for the rest of the population -- it just seems unconscionable to us.

So last August the President issued a challenge to the private sector to hire more veterans. And since then, with the help of Michelle Obama and others, the private sector has already hired 90,000 veterans and their spouses -- their spouses. They’ve already been hired. One thousand six hundred companies signed up, and they committed to hire not just 100,000 -- 170,000 veterans, 9/11 veterans -- 9/11 -- since 9/11, and their spouses by the end of 2013.

Last December, the President also moved on amending the tax code to give tax credits to hire unemployed veterans and veterans with disabilities. And it was enacted into law. Now, the companies can now apply for that -- for a tax credit of $5,600 to hire an unemployed vet, and $9,600 if in fact they hire a veteran -- a $9,600 per-veteran tax credit when they hire a veteran with disabilities. And by the way, they can -- in the middle of this month they’re going to be able to make that formal notification to the government that they did that, and what will happen is we’ll know then how many were actually hired. But we’ll also -- they will then get paid -- they’ll be credited that tax credit within the next couple months.

The third thing we did was we wanted to help veterans transition into the private sector. Many of you reporters have traveled around the country with me, and around -- in and out of Afghanistan and Iraq, and you watch these guys and women -- they’re incredibly talented, qualified people with overwhelming responsibility. And so the Defense Department recently launched, at our request, a task force that’s going to help members obtain credentials and licensing for high-demand jobs. The task force is up and running, and it’s going to help over 100,000 service members obtain certifications that will make them qualify for manufacturing.

For example, if you’re a Navy welder, you may not have to be certified in the civilian sector, but now all these classifications of jobs that qualify you and give you a certificate saying you a qualified welder or mason -- whatever it is -- you’re going to get that categorization; it will be labeled based on your record, based on your job classification in the military, and the private sector says -- the manufacturers association says they will accept that certification as if it came out of a trade school or anything else. And that is a pretty big deal.

Its purpose is that there are still far, far too many veterans out there searching for work. And that’s why we haven’t stopped pushing to help vets get good jobs. In February, the President also announced that this year’s COPS hiring grant -- now, that is the -- not adding -- this is the 2012 budget, the money already appropriated, that from this point on -- from that point on, any cop hired with a COPS hiring grant would be required -- required to give preference to communities recruiting and hiring post-9/11 veterans. It’s not an option; it’s a requirement. And today, the Attorney General is going to announce where these grants are going. There’s 221 cities and counties that are going to be a little bit safer because of these grants.

These COPS grants are going to support 800 police officer positions, 800 positions out there. But there are going to be 629 new shields, new hires out there. And they all are going to be veterans, all 800. All 800 are going to be part of this grant, but 629 will be new hires. And every one of those new hires will be a veteran of the post-9/11 era. And these are -- as I said, these are remarkable women and men.

They’re the finest generation of warriors we have ever, ever seen. But they also -- when they’re overseas, they’re not just warriors, they’re taking on tasks that in the past have been reserved for people of considerably more seniority. They’ve had to master the intricacies of tribal politics -- whether I’m up in a FOB up in the Kunar Valley in Afghanistan, watching these guys negotiate with local tribes as to where the road is going to go. I mean, watching these guys have to inventory Humvees and all of these vehicles that they can run, that are fleets bigger than most trucking companies in the world have. I mean, these are qualified people. They also not only handle that, but they have to deal with issues ranging from electricity to unemployment in Afghanistan and Iraq.

So they’re a remarkable bunch. But a lot of them want to keep serving when they get back. And these COPS grants are going to help them get that chance.

And look, this is just part of our efforts to promote employment for vets. Since the State of the Union, we have called on the Congress to pass our Veterans Job Corps proposal so we could put veterans back to work in communities as park rangers, cops, firefighters, using the skills and expertise they’ve gained in the military. The American public spent a whole hell of a lot of money to train these women and men. They have done a remarkable, remarkable, remarkable job. They are fully qualified. They need the jobs. And it’s bad for the community not to take advantage of it, and it’d be terrible for them.

Last fall we also sent the Congress the American Jobs Act, which would have given local communities the resources to retain and hire as many as 18,000 officers and 1,000 firefighters. Look around the cities you’re from. You’ve laid off firefighters. Most of the places you’ve laid off cops. It’s a problem. It’s a problem for communities. There are shields sitting in drawers that are authorized by the local police department that could be filled now, giving people jobs.

And that also included -- that included preference for hiring. What we’ve done now is a requirement in the 2012 budget. You must hire a veteran with COPS money. That contained preference. Congress should stop sitting on their hands and get on with it. These resources are going to help the communities, as I said, be a heck of a lot safer, and they’re going to provide good, middle-class jobs our cities and our towns need right now. From our perspective, this is just common sense.

Let me conclude by saying we’ve been acting on this common sense initiative since we first came to office. We invested so far $1.6 billion -- billion -- in saving or creating 7,000 police officer positions. It should be more, but that's what we were able to get done -- positions that have been critical in helping police departments make it through a recession that has devastated local budgets. The budgets have been decimated, perfect storms have occurred, foreclosures have occurred, neighborhoods get blighted, crime increases. I mean, this is a vicious cycle, and you can make it a virtuous cycle if the Congress would act.

From 2009 to 2011, roughly 30,000 law enforcement positions went unfilled due to local budget constraints. So while today is a great day for communities and veterans who will benefit from these awards, there is a whole heck of a lot more to do. And that's why we need the Congress to act now.

In the meantime, we are going to act wherever we have the administrative capability of doing that. And that's exactly what we’re doing today when -- Eric will announce it shortly -- what we’re doing today in insisting those 600, I believe, it’s 29 veterans -- or 628 veterans -- I’m not sure the exact number now -- will get -- 29 -- will be hired, brought on. The announcement will be made today.

So it’s -- but there's so much more to do, folks. And I just -- having fought this fight for so long in the United States Senate, and writing the COPS bill, I mean, this is something clearly popular with the public, needed by veterans, and will benefit the community all around.

And I’m going to turn it over to the Associate Attorney General Tony West and for any comments. Thank you all very much. Again, I apologize for my voice.

MR. WEST: Thank you so much, Mr. Vice President. And thank all of you -- thank you all for joining us on this call. As the Vice President stated, we have over 220 cities and counties who will be receiving grant awards totaling over $111 million from the Department of Justice through the 2012 COPS hiring program.

And later today, Attorney General Eric Holder will announce these awards in Philadelphia with COPS Director Melekian, with the Mayor Nutter, the police commissioner there, Police Commissioner Ramsey, and Congressman Fattah. This year, the city of Philadelphia will itself receive $3.1 million to hire 25 military veterans to join the Philadelphia Police Department.

Now, the COPS hiring program really illustrates the department’s dedication to keeping our communities safe through strategic partnerships with the state and local officials who advance the practice of community-oriented policing, which is at the core of the department’s COPS Office.

Now, these funds are critical. They’re absolutely critical to support our law enforcement agencies that are struggling to meet increasing public safety needs with decreasing resources. In fact, when you look at the last three years, from 2009 to 2011, as the Vice President mentioned, approximately 12,000 officers were laid off, and 30,000 positions could not be filled. In all, about 85 percent of all law enforcement agencies reported cuts.

Now, these grant awards, these will save or create jobs for 800 police officers -- 800 police officers -- in cities and counties around the country like Cumberland, Maine to New Orleans, Louisiana; from Takoma, Washington to Toledo, Ohio; from Polk County, Florida to Summersville, West Virginia. Nearly 200 law enforcement officers will no longer be laid off. And as the Vice President mentioned, 629 new officers -- new officers -- will be hired. We’re proud that all 629 of those new hires, they will be military veterans who have served at least 180 days since September 11, 2001.

The Department of Justice’s commitment to supporting law enforcement is unyielding; and we are absolutely proud to support both law enforcement officers and military veterans who have sacrificed so much to keep our country safe. And with that, I’ll turn it over to Danielle Gray.

MR. LEHRICH: Thanks, Mr. West, and thank you to the Vice President. This is Matt Lehrich, again, the press office. I think at this point we are ready to take some of your questions. Let me just introduce our speakers here. Mr. West will stay on. He will also be joined, as he just said, by Danielle Gray, who is deputy director of the National Economic Council here at the White House; Joshua Ederheimer, who is the principal deputy director of the COPS Office at the Department of Justice; and Rebekah Whiteaker, who is the chief of staff at the COPS Office, the Department of Justice.

As a reminder, this is all embargoed for 2:30 p.m., and you should have a list of the awardees, also embargoed for 2:30 p.m., in your inboxes. And with that, Gloria, I think we’re ready for some questions.

Q Yes, these -- police who are being hired in Philadelphia -- most of them may be like military police people who have some law enforcement background in the military?

MR. WEST: This is Tony West. It was a little bit hard to hear the question, but I think the question was are we talking about -- the veterans that we’re talking about, are they military police veterans. And my understanding, and we have folks on from the COPS Office who can also clarify this, but we’re talking about military veterans. It’s not limited to military police, individuals who were trained as military police officers or had some particular training as veterans. It’s open to anyone who served at least 180 days of active duty service since September 11, 2001.

MR. LEHRICH: All right, well, then I want to thank everybody for their time today. I especially want to thank the Vice President, Mr. West and everybody from the COPS Office and the NEC for joining the call and also all of you for taking the time with us today.

As always if you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with us to follow up, and once again, a reminder that this is all embargoed for 2:30 p.m. today.

Thank you.

END
1:23 P.M. EDT

Remarks by Vice President Joe Biden at the Tallwood High School Graduation Ceremony

Tallwood High School
Virginia Beach, Virginia

1:44 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Thank you all very much.  It’s an honor to be here.

Madam President, thank you for that introduction.  And, parents, grandparents, family members, administrators, faculty, and as I said, the school board -- the most important thankless job in America -- thank you for doing it.  To all of you assembled here to celebrate today with the graduating class of 2012, I’m flattered you’d invite me to be here.

It’s great to be in a town that has such respect for our military and such great tradition, and such a wonderful group of graduates.  I want you to raise your hand, you graduates, if any of you have family members serving in the United States military.  (Applause.)

I want to ask the rest of the audience, sitting in the bleachers, how many of you have served in the military and served overseas?  Please stand.  (Applause.)  We owe you.  We owe you big.

Graduates, since 9/11, over 2,800,000 of your parents and older brothers and sisters and people like them have joined the United States military.  More than half of them -- more than half of them have been in and out of Afghanistan and Iraq, many of them multiple times.  Your parents and siblings put their lives on the line for this country.  And they were asked to do so much more than just fight.  You’re inheriting an incredible tradition, because they were asked to take on responsibilities beyond their base or battlefield.  Young men and women that I have witnessed more than two dozen times, steeped in military doctrine, have had to master the intricacies of tribal politics, deal with issues ranging from lack of electricity to unemployment, to currency exchange to taxation.  It’s a remarkable, remarkable group of military men and women we have today -- the finest generation of warriors in the history of not only the United States, but the history of the world.  So thank you all who have served.   (Applause.)

And thank all of you who served as well when they were abroad -- the families.  There’s a great phrase from a famous British poet.  He said, “They also serve who only stand and wait.”  They also serve who only stand and wait.  My son, Beau Biden, spent a year in Iraq, and I watched the impact on my grandchildren -- the games missed, the birthdays missed, the Christmases missed, the empty seat at Thanksgiving dinner.  So from the bottom of my heart, on behalf of a grateful nation, I thank all of you who are the brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, spouses of those who have put themselves in harm’s way in the last decade and beyond.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)

And I’m told -- I’m told that 37 of you graduating today will leave here today and enlist in the United States military.  Thank you as well.  (Applause.)  Thank you for the service you’re going to render. 

And I want you all to know that your nation stands with you, and will stand with you every step of the way in your career.

And I want to, Madam Principal, commend this school for teaching so many of these students a larger lesson than just mastering their studies.  Because one of the things you all have learned here is that in order for this nation to lead the world and you to be leaders in the world, you have to understand the world.  You have to participate in the world.  So I was so impressed by 76 members of this graduating class who took part in the Global Studies and World Languages Academy, most of you learning to speak two or more languages -- two languages.  I was told one student -- nine.  You’ve had a chance to put those language skills to the test by video-conferencing with others halfway around the world.  And I guarantee you most of you will have a chance to put it to the test on the foreign soil of the language you’ve mastered.  We will need you -- need you -- there.

You studied global governments and global culture.  You studied people and their backgrounds, their heritages; learned to respect different viewpoints, and most of all, you’ve gained perspective, whether it’s in the service of your family or in participating in a program.  And that matters.

No one can tell you how small the world has become better than those who raised their hands a few moments ago who served abroad.  As this world of ours continues to shrink, what happens in a remote province in Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil is known around the world in a matter of minutes.  The democratic movement that swept across the Middle East -- the so-called Arab Spring -- began when a lowly fruit vendor set himself ablaze to protest a corrupt government, igniting a confrontation magnified by social media that literally set off a revolution that was waiting to happen for well over 200 years.

Graduates, today, the notion of isolation is obsolete, even in those places where it is still desired.  But here’s the thing:  As the world continues to shrink, the cultural divides that have separated us do not shrink.  The lines marking cultural and religious differences do not blur.  In fact, those lines become more stark as we confront those differences up close.  After all, the same technology that can inspire a democratic revolution across the Middle East, well, it can spread gossip, innuendo and lies around the world just as rapidly.

To state the obvious, technology, no matter how far or how fast it evolves, is only a tool.  And your generation’s greatest challenge, in my view, will be learning how to deploy that tool -- this emerging technology -- wisely.  Deploying it wisely means infusing technology with our oldest values -- values that you have learned here.  The values of tolerance, respect, understanding:  These are not some obsolete, old notions that don’t matter anymore.  The more advanced and shrunk the world becomes, the more critical those values become.  They mean more than ever.

There’s a lot of talk these days -- you hear it in a cacophony of voices -- that America’s future is not as bright as its past.  Well, I’m here to tell you, don’t believe it for a moment.  Class of 2012, you’re going to live through a period of the most remarkable and rapid technological, scientific and medical breakthroughs in the history of mankind.  And we -- you -- are going to lead those changes from the United States of America.

So don’t give in to the cynicism, the pettiness, the negativity that you see and hear all around you, that pervades our public discourse.  Believe in yourself, because you have reason to.  And believe, because there’s no reason not to believe in the continued promise of this great country.  Think big and imagine.  That’s my simple advice to you today:  Think big and imagine.

Imagine the progress you will see and achieve in your lifetime.  Imagine those breakthroughs that are just on the horizon and just beyond it.  Imagine the day, and it will occur within your lifetime -- it will occur in all probability before you have children -- when doctors can engineer your white blood cells to attack cancer tumors and leave healthy cells untouched, allowing cancer patients to live a full life without undergoing the difficult, painful and costly chemotherapy and radiation procedure.

Imagine the day when doctors will be able -- and they will in your lifetime -- be able to regenerate organs and limbs that have been damaged or lost, not only saving tens of thousands of lives, but giving back our wounded warriors control, full control, of their lives again.

Imagine the day when you fly and we have an aircraft that flies at Mach 20 and able to literally travel anywhere in the world within one to two hours.  That will happen in your near lifetime.

Imagine the day when we can detect an IED from 100 meters or more away, or when our soldiers can wear a lightweight vest even stronger than Kevlar that can literally stop armor-piercing bullets. 

Imagine being able to power your home at a fraction of the cost of what your parents now pay, because your home will be powered by solar shingles that cost no more than the shingles on your parents’ home today.

Hunger vanquished because crops will not need to depend on the quality of the soil; the same amount of water, fertilizer, and pesticides to thrive.  Famine a memory, and with it so much war and conflict.  Medicine personalized to your human genome, which is literally around the corner.  New super lightweight building materials; cleaner fuels, electric vehicles able to go at equivalent of 100 miles or more to a gallon, and free us from our dependence on foreign oil and all the obligations that flow from that.  Imagine that and so much more that I promise you, I promise you, is within your reach.

In this new world, so much is going to be possible.  The United States is, at this moment, as the former Secretary of State said, and I quote, the “indispensable nation,” not because we’re perfect -- because we aren’t -- but because we’re tolerant, because we reach out to others, because we understand we can’t waste anyone’s talents.  And that makes you the indispensable generation.  You will be in the forefront as we rebuild this nation’s economy and restore the middle class, as we leave behind two wars. 

You will be in the forefront of shaping whether the age in front of us is an age of deepening conflict or increasing tolerance.  And that will be determined in large part by you continuing to develop what you’ve already begun to learn -- the ability to discern between what is noble and what is ignoble; between what is pure arrogance and what is done genuinely to help the lives of human beings; your ability and willingness to recognize that people pursue truth in different ways; and maybe most of all, you will need that innate skepticism about those who claim they are the sole arbiters of what is true and what is right. 

As you hone these skills, you will not only determine the future of our country; you will define its very heart and soul.  It’s like the slogan of your class says:  You guys are “ahead of the curve.”  You all have what it takes.  I am absolutely confident in your ability to meet the challenges I have laid out head on, and to bend them -- to bend them -- to your will in your and our moral precepts.  I’m confident of that because of where you come from, how you were raised, what you learned at this fine school, but most of all because who you are. 

Meeting challenges head on has been the story of the history of the journey of America.  And more is being placed on you, in terms of opportunity and obligation, than any generation before you.  America is literally counting on you, and we believe deeply in you. 

So congratulations, Tallwood High School Class of 2012.  May God bless you, and may God protect our troops.  Thank you.  (Applause.) 

END
2:01 P.M. EDT

Readout of Vice President Biden's Meeting on Iraq

The Vice President today hosted a periodic Cabinet-level meeting on Iraq. Participants discussed the current political situation in Iraq and recent progress toward implementing the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement in two areas that are central to our partnership: security cooperation and energy cooperation. The Vice President, and all participants, also condemned the violence that occurred in Iraq today and offered their condolences to the Iraqi people.

Readout of Vice President Biden's Meeting with Prime Minister Katainen of Finland

Vice President Biden today welcomed Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen of Finland to the White House.  The two emphasized the importance we each place on our strong and enduring bilateral partnership as well as the importance of the transatlantic relationship.  The Vice President thanked Prime Minister Katainen for Finland’s significant contributions to international peace and stability, including its valued role as a NATO partner with troops serving in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, among other contributions to global security.  The Vice President expressed appreciation for Finland’s development and reconstruction assistance in Afghanistan, as well as its significant financial contribution to sustain Afghan National Security Forces after 2014.  They discussed a range of other regional and global issues as well, including their shared strong concerns about the situation in Syria.

The Vice President and Prime Minister also discussed the importance of steps to address the economic crisis in Europe and to spur growth on both sides of the Atlantic through trade and investment.  They discussed the mutual benefit of continued cooperation in such areas as green energy and technologies, and noted the benefits to both countries of joint projects to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation.