August 03, 2015 | 2:26 | Public Domain
President Obama announces the final version of America's Clean Power Plan, the biggest, most important step we've ever taken to combat climate change. August 2, 2015.
(l-r) European Council President Donald Tusk, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, US President Barack Obama, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker wave while posing for a family picture at the Elmau Castle resort near Garmisch-Partenkirchen on June 7, 2015 during the G7 summit. Germany hosts a G7 summit at the Elmau Castle on June 7 and June 8, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
In this week's address, the President addressed critical pieces of national security business that remained unfinished when the Senate left town. This Sunday at midnight, key tools used to protect against terrorist threats are set to expire. The USA Freedom Act strikes a balance between security and privacy, reauthorizing important measures that give our national security professionals the authorities they use to keep us safe, while also implementing reforms that enhance the privacy and civil liberties of our citizens. But currently, a small group of senators is standing in its way.
The President asked Americans to speak with one voice to the Senate to put politics aside, put the safety of the American people first, and pass the USA Freedom Act now.
Transcript | mp4 | mp3
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
WASHINGTON, DC — In this week's address, the President addressed critical pieces of national security business that remained unfinished when the Senate left town. This Sunday at midnight, key tools used to protect against terrorist threats are set to expire. The USA Freedom Act strikes a balance between security and privacy, reauthorizing important measures that give our national security professionals the authorities they use to keep us safe, while also implementing reforms that enhance the privacy and civil liberties of our citizens. But currently, a small group of senators is standing in its way. The President asked Americans to speak with one voice to the Senate to put politics aside, put the safety of the American people first, and pass the USA Freedom Act now.
The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, May 30, 2015.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
May 30, 2015
Hi, everybody. As President and Commander in Chief, my greatest responsibility is the safety of the American people. And in our fight against terrorists, we need to use every effective tool at our disposal -- both to defend our security and to protect the freedoms and civil liberties enshrined in our Constitution.
But tomorrow -- Sunday, at midnight -- some important tools we use against terrorists will expire. That’s because Congress has not renewed them, and because legislation that would -- the USA Freedom Act -- is stuck in the Senate. I want to be very clear about what this means.
Today, when investigating terrorist networks, our national security professionals can seek a court order to obtain certain business records. Our law enforcement professionals can seek a roving wiretap to keep up with terrorists when they switch cell phones. We can seek a wiretap on so-called lone wolves -- suspected terrorists who may not be directly tied to a terrorist group. These tools are not controversial. Since 9/11, they have been renewed numerous times. FBI Director James Comey says they are “essential” and that losing them would “severely” impact terrorism investigations. But if Congress doesn’t act by tomorrow at midnight, these tools go away as well.
The USA Freedom Act also accomplishes something I called for a year and a half ago: it ends the bulk metadata program -- the bulk collection of phone records -- as it currently exists and puts in place new reforms. The government will no longer hold these records; telephone providers will. The Act also includes other changes to our surveillance laws -- including more transparency -- to help build confidence among the American people that your privacy and civil liberties are being protected. But if Congress doesn’t act by midnight tomorrow, these reforms will be in jeopardy, too.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The USA Freedom Act reflects ideas from privacy advocates, our private sector partners and our national security experts. It already passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support -- Republicans and Democrats. A majority of the Senate -- Republicans and Democrats -- have voted to move it forward.
So what’s the problem? A small group of senators is standing in the way. And, unfortunately, some folks are trying to use this debate to score political points. But this shouldn’t and can't be about politics. This is a matter of national security. Terrorists like al Qaeda and ISIL aren’t suddenly going to stop plotting against us at midnight tomorrow. And we shouldn’t surrender the tools that help keep us safe. It would be irresponsible. It would be reckless. And we shouldn’t allow it to happen.
So today, I’m calling on Americans to join me in speaking with one voice to the Senate. Put the politics aside. Put our national security first. Pass the USA Freedom Act -- now. And let’s protect the security and civil liberties of every American. Thanks very much.
Graduates react as President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the commencement ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., May 19, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
It's commencement season.
As the President prepares to head to Connecticut to deliver the address to the United States Coast Guard Academy's graduating class of 2015 next week, we decided to pull together a few of our favorite commencement addresses from Administration officials.
We think you'll find them pretty inspiring. Have another commencement speech you love? Tweet them to me at @Holst44.
Trade policy is typically viewed just through an economic lens.
But guess what? Trade policy is also at the core of our strategy to keep America and our allies safe.
“Trade,” wrote former National Security Advisor General James Jones last month, “runs right to the heart of international security in the 21st century. By leading on trade, the United States tightens our bonds with allies around the globe, strengthens our influence in would-be hotspots, and fosters greater global stability through expanding economic cooperation.”
In fact, a growing number of our nation’s top diplomats, senior officials past and present, and respected foreign policy and public policy thinkers are now drawing attention to the important linkage between America’s economic and strategic interests.
With less than one day left before the Department of Homeland Security's funding expires, House Republicans continue to threaten a shutdown of a department that keeps Americans safe. Set to run out tomorrow, this critical funding pays for more than 30,000 American workers, helps keep our cities safe and our border secure, and is essential to our overall national security.
That's why President Obama has continually pushed Congress to pass a clean bill that funds the Department without any strings attached. Here are five things you need to know about the House Republicans' threat to shut down the Department of Homeland Security:
If the Republicans follow through on their threat to shut down the Department, at least 30,000 employees who keep us safe would be forced to go on furlough. Also, hundreds of thousands of employees would be forced to work without pay. This includes:
President Barack Obama confers with National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice at Konstantinovsky Palace during the G20 Summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia. September 6, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The President's National Security Strategy (NSS) is the blueprint for America's leadership in the world -- how we address global challenges while advancing our nation's interest, values, and vision for the future.
The Administration released its first NSS in 2010, a time when we were in the process of bringing two wars to a responsible end, emerging from the Great Recession, and re-asserting our leadership on the world stage.
Now, America's resurgence is real -- we are stronger than we've been in many years. Today, the President's National Security Advisor Susan Rice outlined our new NSS in 2015 at the Brookings Institution -- one that lays out what we need to get done in the near-term to secure America for the long-term.
February 06, 2015 | 4:15 | Public Domain
Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. This week, the President spent time with Scientists, Letter Writers, Immigration, Healthcare and Education Advocates, Spiritual Leaders, Athletes, and DREAMers. That's January 30th to February 5th or, "To All the DREAMers."
"It's not the end of the world." That's what one Republican Congressman thinks of his colleagues' plan to let funding expire for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) -- one of the chief agencies responsible for the safety and security of the American people.
Today, in a speech at DHS headquarters, President Obama directly addressed this threat from the Republican-led Congress:
If Republicans let Homeland Security funding expire, it’s the end to any new initiatives in the event that a new threat emerges. It’s the end of grants to states and cities that improve local law enforcement and keep our communities safe. The men and women of America’s homeland security apparatus do important work to protect us, and Republicans and Democrats in Congress should not be playing politics with that.
