Remarks by Dr. Jill Biden at the Opening Ceremony of the PFLAG National Convention

Westin Alexandria
Alexandria, VA
Friday, November 04, 2011

As Prepared For Delivery

Thank you Rabbi and thank you Jody for that warm introduction – and thank you all for that wonderful reception. It’s great to be here with you today.

As an English teacher, I like to share some of my favorite quotations – and so I would like to start today with some inspiring words from Margaret Mead who famously said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” Doesn’t this quote embody the spirit of PFLAG -- which started nearly 40 years ago with one voice – a mother’s voice –who spoke out courageously in support of her gay son? 

That simple act ignited a movement …and today, because of the work that you do, there are hundreds of thousands of voices across this country raised in support of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

I recently read an open letter written from a PFLAG father to America’s youth.  He wrote, “My wife and I have two sons. We think that they are the best kids in the whole world. They’re very different, with very diverse personalities, talents, and interests. One of the other things that makes them different is that one is straight and one is gay. But the important thing is this: we love them equally.”

At its core – it’s such a simple message – “we love our sons” – both of them. But that acceptance and support can make all the difference.

And as you all know well – acceptance by those you love is the greatest acceptance of all. 

As a teacher and a mom, I know what Jeanne Manford knew- that there is a direct connection between acceptance and positive, healthy outcomes in every important area of life, including education, mental health, and physical health. So I’m particularly happy to join you all today not only as Second Lady, but as a mother and also as an educator.

As was mentioned, I’ve been a teacher for longer than I care to admit...I’ve taught as a reading specialist in public high schools and I’ve tutored at-risk teens at a psychiatric hospital in Delaware.   I believe the greatest accomplishment of any teacher is not instructing students how to read or how to understand biology, but giving them the confidence to do the work.  Instilling that belief in themselves is the key – not only for learning in the classroom, but for succeeding in life. 

We all know that self-confidence can be a challenge for youth and adolescents – even under the best of circumstances.  These are the years when all kids are trying to figure out who they are and who they hope to be.  For children who are struggling with understanding their sexual orientation or gender identity, the teen years can be particularly challenging.   And, of course, kids are not always kind to each other during these times, especially when one of them is different.
 
As an English teacher, I have my students write about themselves in their journals.  Through those journal entries and my conversations with them, I have heard first-hand about this kind of pain and anxiety.  And I have seen how this situation makes it almost impossible for students to concentrate on their school work.  How can we expect kids who are taunted by their classmates to flourish in an academic environment?  

We have all heard painful stories of bullying and harassment.  And we have read too many accounts of heartbreaking incidents where kids are driven to take their own lives rather than endure the taunting of their peers.  No child should be subjected to that.  And no parent should suffer that horrific loss.    

We know the devastating price of the failure to confront a hostile school climate where bullying and harassment can be daily occurrences.   Together, we all need to stand up and do our part to keep all of our kids safe, and give them the love, support and acceptance they need to learn and grow and fulfill their dreams.

I’m proud of the progress the Obama Administration has made in the last two years for the LGBT community – including the signing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The White House also held a  Conference on Bullying Prevention, and the Department of Education has held summits on this issue as well, and issued guidance to help combat bullying in schools and support Gay Straight Alliances.

This progress is important, but there is still more to do.  At this critical time for education in our country, we need to ensure that our schools are producing the next generation of American leaders and heroes.  We must insure that our classrooms are safer for all students to learn, grow, and thrive.

I want to say to each of you here today: thank you for raising your voice and working together to open minds, shift attitudes and support all of our sons and daughters, students and neighbors.

Some of you come from places where yours is the only voice of support and acceptance – but when you speak, people listen.  And we need you to keep speaking out, to keep shining a light on this important issue.

When I told friends that I would be speaking at this Conference today, one of them  explained how important PFLAG was in his own personal journey.  He grew up in a traditional family in a small town in rural America.  As a young adult, he attended a PFLAG meeting when he was struggling with his identity – he came home and left the PFLAG materials in a drawer. The materials conveyed what he could not.  His parents eventually understood and embraced him for who he was – thanks in no small part to the power of this organization’s work. He – like the loved ones of everyone in this room – is one of the lucky ones. 

As parents, friends, and families, you have the power to change hearts and minds with your stories of success and failure, tragedy and triumph. I commend you and hope you will all keep up this important work.

On behalf of the President, Vice President, and all of us at the White House, thank you for your courage and commitment -- and for promoting the dignity of your sons and daughters.

Thank you.

Remarks by the First Lady at a DNC Event, Tampa, FL

Private Residence, Tampa, Florida

3:26 P.M. EDT

        MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, goodness!  Thank you.  Joel, that was very nice.  (Laughter.)  Wasn’t it?  It is a pleasure and an honor for me to be here.  I want to thank Joel again for that very generous introduction, and I also want to thank Shannon and Joel -- and Cooper -- (laughter) -- who I think is done with us -- for opening up their beautiful home and for hosting us all here today.

        And I also want to recognize Justin Day and Mark Sena for their outstanding work as co-chairs of today’s event.  Let's give them all a round of applause.  (Applause.)  Along with everybody else who put effort into making this afternoon such a tremendous success.  

        And finally, I want to thank all of you for taking time out of your very busy lives to join us here today.  

        It is hot and you guys are standing up for me, and I really appreciate it.  But I know that there's a reason why all of you are here today.  Some of it was to see me, but I think that you're here because you know that we stand at a fundamental crossroads for our country.  And I know you’re here because you know that in a little over a year, we are going to make a choice that will impact our lives for decades to come.  And I also know you're here because you care about this country, you care about your fellow citizens, and more importantly, you care about your kids and your grandkids, and the world that we’re leaving behind for them.

        And that’s really why I’m here -- and why I'm going to be out here on the road, campaigning so hard.  As First Lady, I have many great honors, but one of the greatest privileges I have is traveling across the country, and meeting folks from all different backgrounds and hearing what’s going on in their lives.  And every day, I hear about how people are struggling -- about the businesses they’re trying to keep afloat, the doctor bills they can’t pay, the mortgage they can no longer afford.  I hear about how they’re doing everything they can to stay afloat, working that extra shift, taking the extra job; how they’re scrimping and saving and sacrificing, many of them spending not a dime on themselves because they desperately want something better for their kids.  

        And make no mistake about it, these struggles are not new.  Truly, for decades now, middle-class people have been squeezed from all sides.  And the cost of things like gas and groceries and tuition has been rising, while people’s paychecks just haven’t kept up.  So when the economic crisis hit, for too many families, the bottom just fell out.  So the question today is, what are we, as a country, going to do about this?  Where do we go from here?

        And I know that amidst all the chatter and the debates, it's really hard to see clearly what’s at stake -- because these issues are so complicated, and folks are so busy and tired, raising families, working full-time jobs, many helping out in their own communities to top it off.  And many of us just don’t have the time to follow the news and all the back-and-forth, and to figure out how all of this connects to our daily lives.  

        But the fact is that in little over a year from now, we are going to make a decision between two very different visions for this country.  Very different.  And I'm here today because when it comes to just about every issue that we face -- from our health, to our economic security, to the quality of our schools  -- the stakes for our families, and for our country, have never been higher.

        And let’s start with the American Jobs Act that my husband sent to Congress.  Let's start there.  Because it's important to understand that when we talk about this bill, we talk about how this bill would give tax cuts to six million business owners, we're talking about the folks who run the restaurants and the stores and the startups that create two-thirds of all new jobs each year in this economy.  That’s two-thirds.

        And we’re talking about the people who own these businesses who work themselves to the bone every single day, and then they head home, pore over the books late into the night, determined to make all the numbers add up.  We’re talking about a tax cut that could mean the difference between these businesses hiring new employees, or handing out pink slips -- between keeping their doors open, or closing up shop for good.  That's what’s at stake.

        And when we talk about how this bill would extend unemployment insurance for six million Americans, we’re talking about folks who are just weeks away from losing their only source of income.  So this bill is literally about whether millions of families and children will have food on their tables and a roof over their head.

        It’s about whether folks will have more money in their pockets -- which, in turn, means more money in our economy, which means more jobs.  But most importantly, it’s about whether we as a country will honor that fundamental promise that we made generations ago, that when times are hard, we do not abandon our fellow citizens.  (Applause.)  We don’t let everything fall apart for struggling families.  Instead, we say, “There but for the grace of God goes my family.”  (Applause.)  Instead, we say we’re all in this together -- and we extend a helping hand.   

        That is why, even though there are some trying to stop this bill from moving forward, my President -- and my husband -- (laughter) -- he is not going give up.  (Applause.)  He is going to keep fighting -- fighting for what are common-sense jobs proposals.  Things like whether -- tax cuts for working people, tax cuts for businesses that hire unemployed veterans, jobs for our teachers and construction workers, job training for unemployed or low-income folks, rebuilding our crumbling schools, refurbishing vacant or foreclosed homes and businesses.  

        All of that is what is in the American Jobs Act.  That is what we're fighting for.  That is the choice in this election.  (Applause.)  

        And how about the very first bill my husband signed into law -- the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work -- the very first bill.  (Applause.)  He did it because he believes that here in America, there are no second-class citizens in our workplace.  And he did it because he understands that when nearly two-thirds of women are breadwinners or co-breadwinners, women’s success in this economy is the key to families' success in this economy.  And closing that pay gap can mean the difference between women losing $50, $100, $500 from each paycheck, or having that money to buy gas and groceries, and put school clothes on the backs of their kids.  That is the choice we’re making in this election.

        And let’s talk just for a minute about health care.  Last year, we made history by finally passing health care reform. (Applause.)  Yes, we all did that.  But now there are folks who are talking about repealing that reform.

        AUDIENCE:  Booo --

        MRS. OBAMA:  And today we have to ask ourselves will we let them succeed?  Is that who we are?

        AUDIENCE:  No!

        MRS. OBAMA:  Will we let insurance companies deny us coverage because we have preexisting conditions like breast cancer or diabetes?  

        AUDIENCE:  No!

        MRS. OBAMA:  Or will we stand up and say that in this country, we do not allow our fellow citizens to go bankrupt because they get sick?  Who are we?  

        Will we let insurance companies refuse to cover basic preventative care -- things like cancer screenings and prenatal care -- that save money and save lives?  Or will we stand up for our lives, and more importantly, for the lives of the people we love?  That is what’s at stake here.  That is the choice in this election.

        And think for a minute about what your President as done on education.  Think about the investments we’ve made to raise standards and reform our public schools.  (Applause.)   This is about improving the circumstances for millions of our children in this country, kids sitting in crumbling classrooms.  Our kids, with so much promise.  Kids who could be anything they want if only we gave them the chance.

        Think about how this administration has tripled investments, for job training at community colleges just this year.  And this is about millions of hardworking people who are determined to get the skills they need to better their jobs and their wages.  These are folks willing to do whatever it takes to improve their own lives -- that self-determination.  These are folks who are working full-time, raising their kids, and then they find time to make it to class every night, study late into the night, because they desperately want something better for their families.

        And make no mistake about it -- this investment in our students and our workers will determine nothing less than the future of this economy.  It will determine whether we’re prepared to make the discoveries and build the industries that will allow us to compete with any country anywhere in the world.  That is what’s at stake in this election.

        And let’s not forget about what it meant when my husband appointed those two brilliant Supreme Court justices -- (applause) -- and for the first time in history, our daughters -- and our sons -- watched three women take their seats on our nation’s highest court.  (Applause.)  But more importantly, let’s not forget the impact those decisions will have on our lives for decades to come -- on our privacy and security, on whether we can speak freely, worship openly, and love whomever we choose.  That is what’s at stake here.  (Applause.)

        Think about how my husband is finally bringing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to a responsible end.  (Applause.)  Think about how we’ll be bringing the last of our troops home from Iraq by year’s end, and they’ll be able to celebrate the holidays with their families.  (Applause.)  

        Think about all that we’ve been able to do to help our veterans and our military families get the education, the employment and the benefits they’ve earned -- because we believe in this country that we should serve our men and women in uniform and their families as well as they have served us.  That is who we are.  (Applause.)

        And we cannot forget how, because we finally ended "don't ask, don't tell," our troops will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.  That’s who we are. (Applause.)

        And think about how this President finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks and so many other horrific acts.  (Applause.)  And how we now have a foreign policy where we work to keep our country safe and we restore our standing in the world.  That is what’s at stake in this election.  (Applause.)

        So make no mistake about it -- I mean, whether it’s health care, or the economy, or education, or foreign policy, the choice we make in this election will determine nothing less than who we are as a country -- but more importantly, who we want to be.  Who are we?  Will we be a country that tells folks who've done everything right but are struggling to get by, “tough luck, you’re on your own”?  Is that who we are?

        AUDIENCE:  No!

        MRS. OBAMA:  Or will we honor the fundamental American belief that I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper, and if one of us is hurting, then we’re all hurting?  Who are we? (Applause.)

        Will we be a country where opportunity is limited to just the few at the top?  Who are we?  Or will we give every child a chance to succeed no matter where they’re from, or what they look like or how their money parents are -- have.  Who are we?

        Will we lose sight of those basic values that made our country great and built a thriving middle class?  Will we rebuild our economy for the long term so that work pays, and responsibility is rewarded, and, yes, everyone -- everyone -- gets a fair shake and does their fair share?  Who are we?  That is the choice we face.  Those are the stakes.  That is it.  

        And there’s more.  But believe me -- but it’s hot.  (Laughter.)  I don’t want anybody falling out.  (Laughter.)  But your President knows this.  He understands these issues because he’s lived them.  Barack was raised by a single mother struggling to put herself through school and pay the bills.  And when she needed help, who stepped in but his grandmother -- waking up every morning before dawn to catch the bus to a job at the bank. And his grandmother worked hard, and she was good at what she did.  But for nearly two decades, she was passed over for promotions because she was a woman.  And she watched men no more qualified than she -- men she actually trained -- climb the corporate ladder ahead of her.  

        So, believe me, Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.  He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential.  And heaven knows, today, as a father, he knows what it means to want your children to grow up with no limits to their dreams.  (Applause.)  See, those are the experiences that have made him the man -- and more importantly, the President -- he is today.  And for that, we are blessed to have him.  (Applause.)  

        And that is what I hear in his voice when he returns home after a long day traveling around the country, and he tells me about the people he’s met.  And that’s what I see in those quiet times after the girls have gone to bed -- he’s up every night, late at night, poring over briefings and letters from the people who tell him their stories.  The letter from the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company won’t cover her care.  The letter from the father struggling to pay his family’s bills.  The letter from too many young people with so much promise, but so few opportunities.  

        And I hear the passion and determination in his voice.  He says, “You won’t believe what folks are going through, Michelle.” That’s what he tells me.  He says, “It’s not right.  We have to fix this.  We have so much more work to do.”  

        See, what you need to know about your President is that when it comes to the people he meets, he has a memory like a steel trap.  He might not remember your name, but if he’s had a few minutes and a decent conversation, he will never forget your story.  It becomes imprinted on his heart.  And that is what he carries with him every day -- it is that collection, our collection of hopes and struggles and dreams.  

        And that is where Barack Obama gets his passion.  That is where he gets his toughness and his fight and his focus.  And that’s why, even in the hardest moments -- and there have been many -- when it seems like all is lost and we're sweating it, and we're sweating him -- Barack Obama never loses sight of the end game.  He never lets himself get distracted by the chatter and the noise.  He just keeps moving forward.  (Applause.)

        But I have said this before and I will say it again:  He cannot do it alone.  He needs your help.  He needs you to make those calls and to register voters.  He needs you to take those “I am in” cards and to sign up yourselves and your friends and your neighbors and your colleagues -- let them understand what is at stake.  This is not a game.  These are real differences.  This will determine our country for a long time -- what these girls will experience.  Convince them to join in in giving just a little part of their lives each week to this campaign.  That's what your President needs from you.  

        And I'm not going to kid you, this journey is going to be long and it will be hard.  And there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way.  But the truth is that change always happens that way in this country.  That's how it’s always worked.  The reality is that real change is slow, and it never happens all at once.  But if we keep showing up, if we keep fighting the good fight, if we keep doing what we know in our hearts is the right thing, then we always get there.  We always do.  That is the history of our country -- maybe not in our lifetime, but maybe in our children’s lifetimes, in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.  

        In the end, that’s what it’s all about.  In the end, we’re not fighting these battles for ourselves; we’re fighting them battles for our sons and our daughters, and our grandsons and our granddaughters.  Just like the people who fought for us, we are fighting for the world we want to leave for them.  

        And I’m not in this just as a mother who wants to leave a legacy for my children.  I’m in this as a citizen who knows what we can do together to change this country for the better.  (Applause.)  And the truth is that no matter what happens, my girls will be okay.  My girls are blessed with plenty of advantages and opportunities in their lives.  And that’s probably true for so many of the kids here today.  But I think the last few years have shown us the truth of what Barack has always said -- that if any child in this country is left behind, then that matters to all of us, even if he’s not our son, even if she’s not our daughter.  If any family in this country struggles, then we can’t be fully content with our own family’s good fortune, because that’s not what we do in America.  That is not who we are.

        In the end, we can’t separate our individual stories from the broader American story.  Like it or not, we’re all in this together.  And that’s how it should be.  And we know that here in America, we can shape our own destiny.  We know that if we make the right choices and have the right priorities, just like we teach our kids, we can ensure that everyone gets a fair shake and has a chance to get ahead.  

        So we can’t afford to be complacent, or tired, or frustrated.  Too much is at stake.  We don’t have the time.  It is time to get to work.

        So let me ask you one final question:  Are you in?  

        AUDIENCE:  Yes!  (Applause.)

        MRS. OBAMA:  Wait, wait.  Are you in?  I mean, are you really ready to make this happen?  (Applause.)  Because this is going to require each of you to grab somebody by the shoulders and make them understand what’s at stake; how their self-interest is directly tied to how our country develops.  It’s up to each of you to work like you’ve never worked before.  One year -- one year of hard work.

        So I hope you all are fired up -- (applause) -- because I certainly am.  I’m going to be doing this all over the country as much as I can.  I’m going to make sure that we give our kids the future they deserve.

        Thank you, all.  God bless.  Let’s get to work.  (Applause.)   

END 3:48 P.M. EDT

Remarks by Vice President Biden at the World Food Program USA Leadership Award Ceremony

U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C.
October, 24, 2011

As Prepared For Delivery

Thank you, Rick, for that introduction and for the important work of the World Food Program USA to help meet humanity’s most basic need. Let me also congratulate our two honorees—Bill Gates and Howard Buffett—for your extraordinary contributions and personal commitment to eradicating hunger. Your groundbreaking work with the World Food Program on “Purchase for Progress”—using the purchasing power of the WFP to help small farmers—will set a standard for public-private partnerships for years to come.

I also want to acknowledge the team leading our Administration’s efforts on food security: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, last year’s recipient of your leadership award, and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah. Both Hillary and Raj have spoken eloquently and powerfully about these issues, especially amid the ongoing crisis in the Horn of Africa.

And I have heard, and continue to hear, powerful personal stories about the crisis in the Horn from my wife Jill and my son, Hunter, who have both traveled to the region, and talked with some of the 13 million people at risk there. Jill tells a haunting story of a Somali woman, who described the long walk from Somalia’s famine zones into Kenya with two young children. When she could no longer carry them both, she was forced to leave one of them behind.  That is a choice no parent should have to make.

A tragedy like this is a stain on the conscience of the world.  As the ad by the ONE Campaign put it, famine is obscene.  And I know that for those who have seen this suffering up close, it haunts you. It haunts all of us. And it stiffens our resolve to do something about it. In addressing these problems, our Administration is motivated by a simple proposition:  helping people in times of crisis is the right thing to do. 

The President also recognizes that it is not enough to make sure people have enough food to make it through today; we must help them take steps to prevent the crises of tomorrow. This approach benefits not only the people in these vulnerable countries, but the security of the international system, and of the United States.

In 2008, a global financial crisis brought us to the brink of a second Great Depression.  But another shock that year—a spike in global food prices— set off a crisis of food insecurity that touched every region of the world. The least fortunate were hurt the most—because when you live on a dollar or two a day, most of your income is spent on food.  And when that income is depleted, you go to bed hungry.

When we came to office, President Obama and I were determined to frame a global response to prevent such crises in the future. We knew that this was a problem we could do something about—and felt a moral obligation to the nearly one billion people in the world who suffer from chronic hunger.

So early in 2009, we launched a Food Security initiative and made it a priority for our administration.  We committed at least $3.5 billion over three years to launch this initiative, which we now call “Feed the Future.” The rest of the international community pledged another $18.5 billion, and we continually urge our partners to do more.

But we also asked our development experts to do things differently—to achieve the best results for the taxpayer by asking vulnerable countries to develop their own plans and spend more of their own budgets – to put skin in the game.  We are taking a comprehensive approach aimed at ensuring countries need not rely on food aid in the future by focusing on women as part of the solution and by meticulously and rigorously measuring our results.   

Feed the Future is about restoring the basic dignity that comes from being able to feed your family without having to turn to anyone for help. This series of programs is focusing on 20 vulnerable countries on three continents—with a goal of helping 18 million people out of poverty, including 7 million children who are chronically malnourished.

These plans are focused not just on today’s desperate needs, but on anticipating and preventing tomorrow’s challenges – with programs that emphasize nutrition, research and development and conservation and that unleash the productivity of women.

And we are actively engaging the private sector, which works in partnership with governments to help them create sustainable agricultural economies— which in the developing world remain the key to economic growth.

In several African countries, our Agency for International Development is working with General Mills to transform the food processing sector, offering technical support and training to increase the availability of high quality, nutritious, and safe foods.

In Central America, our development experts work with Wal-Mart to support small-scale farmers, facilitating relationships with Wal-Mart’s buyers, who can explain their quality standards and share their production calendars. 

And through a new initiative, our government will train Ethiopian chickpea farmers;  PepsiCo will source at least 10 percent of its growing demand for chickpeas from Ethiopia; and the World Food Program and others will process Ethiopian chickpeas into a highly nutritional supplement for malnourished children.

Through these and many other programs, we hope Feed the Future can be a blueprint for development policy in the coming decades. We launched Feed the Future because tackling global hunger reflects our nation’s cherished values and because we believe that starvation anywhere, even in far-off corners of the planet, is the responsibility of all people everywhere. 

But we also made food security a priority because it enhances our national security and the stability of the international system.

As Pope Paul VI once said, “development is the new word for peace.” And the reality is that, in many countries, food security and political stability are closely linked.

Investments made to ward off food insecurity and prevent its recurrence can prevent the vicious cycles of rising extremism, armed conflict and state failure than can require far larger commitments of resources down the road.

When food prices spiked three years ago, riots or demonstrations broke out in dozens of countries because people could no longer feed their children. Many of these protests turned violent.

In Sudan, the Darfur crisis, which seized the world’s attention for much of the past decade, was sparked, in part, by a competition for arable land—a competition later used to justify unspeakable atrocities by the Janjaweed militia.  The crisis in Darfur is man-made.  But it is also true that with dwindling supplies of water and arable land, often exacerbated by climate change, the conditions were ripe for conflict— because people were forced to compete for resources they once shared.

Food insecurity is also fueling political instability in the Horn of Africa, as millions flee Somalia into neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia.

That is why President Obama has not hesitated to authorize more aid to those affected by this famine, despite the risks posed by al-Shabaab, a terrorist group that has brutalized the Somali population and placed deadly restrictions on humanitarian access to southern Somalia.

“Let me worry about al-Shabaab,” he said, “Where we can, we have to take steps to help these starving women and children.” Al Shabaab terrorists did not create the food crisis, but they have made it far worse.  Drought conditions exist throughout East Africa, but so far, famine is concentrated only in Al Shabaab-controlled areas. 

And in the face of famine, Al Shabaab has disrupted agricultural practices and the free flow of goods, and willfully denied the hundreds of thousands of starving people access to food, water and medicine.

They have kidnapped innocent civilians and threatened aid workers in the very camp my wife visited. And in the most cynical action of all, they endanger their own people by commandeering assistance sent by the rest of the world.

These sorts of tactics are controversial even within Al Shabaab and among its leaders. Make no mistake—it is not that Al Shabaab cares about innocent people dying. Rather, they are concerned that these grim conditions threaten their grip on the region and undermine their propaganda purporting to defend the Somali people.

The challenges that remain are enormous. To broaden the scale of our most successful projects, we need to build on the alliances that brought us here today.  We need more leaders like Bill Gates and Howard Buffett.  More companies to join us as partners.  More nations willing to respond to our President’s commitment. More NGOs, and courageous NGO workers.

I want to thank all you here for doing your part. And those of you who work directly in the most vulnerable countries, we honor not only your humanity but also your physical courage, day in and day out, in delivering help where it is needed most.

We will continue to support your work, by urging our friends in Congress to resist the urge to slash foreign aid budgets, because long-term solutions now can reduce the cost of massive relief efforts and instability later.

We know one thing for sure—if we do nothing, food insecurity will loom as an even bigger threat in the future. We also know that if we act, we can make a difference. We have the science. We have the know-how. And we have the capabilities. We just have to have the will.

I am often accused of being an optimist.  I plead guilty, because I believe strongly in the human capacity—and desire—to build a better world.  But I am particularly confident in our ability to feed the future because we have done it before. 

Beginning in the 1950s, we provided agricultural support—research, training, and partnerships with American firms—to South Korea, which was one of the poorest countries on the planet. Today, it is the world’s 15th largest economy, and a major trading partner responsible for hundreds of thousands of American jobs. 

During the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, development initiatives raised living standards around the world—most notably in Asian countries that were newly able to feed themselves and never looked back.

And in the 1980s, Ethiopia was the center of a great famine, known around the world as the very epitome of human suffering. During the current drought, many Ethiopians still need our help. But because of investments Ethiopia made in agriculture, there are 8 million hit by the drought who do not need aid to survive.

Unfortunately, as the world’s attention shifted at the end of the last century, critical investments in agriculture fell.  The work was left unfinished.  Too many nations were left behind. This time, we must keep our focus.

Norman Borlaug, sometimes called the Green Revolution’s founder, once said: “If you desire peace, cultivate justice, but at the same time cultivate the fields to produce more bread; otherwise there will be no peace.” 

Many of you in this room have picked up that mantle and are carrying it forward with distinction. In doing so you are fostering a world that is more just and peaceful, and a nation that is more secure.

Thank you for listening; it is an honor to be here with you today.

Vice President Biden to Travel to New Hampshire

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, October 20th, Vice President Biden will travel to Plymouth, New Hampshire where he will deliver remarks at Plymouth State University on jobs and the economy. The Vice President will continue to call on Congress to pass the American Jobs Act piece-by-piece, beginning with a proposal awaiting Senate action to provide funding to prevent teacher layoffs and keep police officers and firefighters on the job.

Later, the Vice President will travel to Concord, New Hampshire to file campaign paperwork at the New Hampshire State House.