President Obama Signs Vermont Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Vermont and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and flooding on May 20, 2011.

Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in the counties of Franklin, Washington, and Windham Counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named James N. Russo as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

Remarks by the President on Tax Credits Included in the American Jobs Act and New Executive Actions that Will Help Get Veterans Back to Work

Rose Garden

12:04 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, everybody.  Please be seated.  This week, we commemorate Veterans Day.  We honor the service and the sacrifice of all who have worn the uniform of the United States of America with honor and distinction.  And above all, we commit ourselves to serving them as well as they have served us.  That’s why we’re here today.

Today’s 9/11 generation of veterans has already earned a special place in our history.  Over a difficult decade, they’ve performed heroically in some of the world’s most dangerous places.  They’ve done everything that we’ve asked of them.  And I’m honored to have some of these extraordinary Americans here at the White House with us this morning.

I’m also proud to be joined by some of America’s leading veterans service organizations -- the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America -- as well as members of Congress who have historically been extraordinarily supportive of our veterans.  And we’re here today to try to take some steps to better serve today’s veterans in a rough economy.

Over the past decade, nearly 3 million servicemembers have transitioned back to civilian life, joining the millions who have served through the decades.  And as we end the war in Iraq and we wind down the war in Afghanistan, over a million more will join them over the next five years.  Just think about the skills these veterans have acquired, often at a very young age.  Think about the leadership that they’ve learned, the cutting-edge technologies that they’ve mastered, their ability to adapt to changing and unpredictable circumstances you just can’t get from a classroom.  Think about how many have led others to life -and-death missions by the time they’re 25 or 26 years old.

This is exactly the kind of leadership and responsibility that every American business should be competing to attract.  This is the kind of talent we need to compete for the jobs and industries of the future.  These are the kinds of Americans that every company should want to hire.

And yet, while our economy has added more than 350,000 private sector jobs just over the past three months, more than 850,000 veterans remain unemployed.  Too many can’t find a job worthy of their tremendous talents.  Too many military spouses have a hard time finding work after moving from base to base to base.  And even though the overall unemployment rate ticked down last month, unemployment among veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan continued to rise.  That’s not right.  It doesn’t make sense -- not for our veterans, not for our families, not for America -- and we’re determined to change that.

I’ve told the story before of a soldier in the 82nd Airborne who served as a combat medic in Afghanistan, and he saved lives over there.  He earned a Bronze Star for his actions.  But when he returned home, he couldn’t even get a job as a first responder.  He had to take classes through the Post-9/11 GI Bill -- classes that he probably could have taught -- just so he could qualify for the same duties at home that he was doing every single day at war.

You know what?  If you can save a life on the battlefield, then you can save a life in an ambulance.  If you can oversee a convoy or millions of dollars of assets in Iraq, you can help a business back home manage their supply chain or balance their books.  If you can juggle the demands of raising a family while a loved one is at war, you can juggle the demands of almost any job in America. 

We ask our men and women in uniform to leave their families and their jobs and risk their lives to fight for our country, and the last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home.  And that’s why we’re here today -- to do everything in our power to see to it that America’s veterans have the opportunities that they deserve and that they have earned.

Now, I’ve already directed the federal government to lead by example and to hire more veterans.  And it has hired more than 120,000 so far.  A couple of months ago I also challenged private companies to hire or train 100,000 post-9/11 veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013.  And already companies have hired more than 12,000 and committed to train or hire 25,000 more over the next two years.

And I want to thank the extraordinary work of my wife, the First Lady, as well as Dr. Jill Biden for leading this Joining Forces effort to support our military families and our veterans.

Nearly two months ago, I sent Congress the American Jobs Act.  It was the only jobs plan independent economists said would boost our economy and put Americans back to work right now, and it was full of the kinds of ideas that have historically been supported by both parties. It was paid for. 

And it included two proposals that would have made a big difference for our veterans –- the Returning Heroes Tax Credit, which would give businesses a tax break for each unemployed veteran that they hire; and the Wounded Warriors Tax Credit, which would give businesses a even larger tax break for hiring an unemployed veteran with a disability related to their service in uniform.  And these veterans service organizations are here today because they fully support these ideas.

Unfortunately, we have not yet seen progress in Congress.  Senate Republicans have so far chosen to block these bills and these proposals.  Since then, they’ve also blocked a jobs bill that would keep teachers in the classroom and first responders on the street, and blocked a jobs bill last week that would have put hundreds of thousands of construction workers back to work rebuilding America.  Despite the fact that more than 70 percent of Americans supported the ideas in this bill, not one has yet stepped up on the other side of the aisle to say this is the right thing to do.  So they’ve had three chances to do the right thing.  Three times, they’ve said no.

I believe it’s time they said yes to taking action that would boost the economy overall, because the overall economy has an impact on veterans.  It’s a lot easier for veterans to find jobs if the economy is growing rapidly and unemployment is dropping.  And I think it’s important for all of us to remember that we’re all in this together.  It’s time we started acting like it.  Bold action from Congress ultimately is the only way we’re going to put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work right now and rebuild an economy where everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead.  So I’m going to keep pushing these senators to vote on common-sense, paid-for ways to create jobs that members of both parties have supported before. 

But what I’ve also said is that I’m going to do everything in my power, as the head of the executive branch, to act on behalf of the American people –- with or without Congress.  We can’t simply wait for Congress to do its job.  As Commander-in-Chief, I won’t wait, nor will I let politics get in the way of making sure that veterans share in the opportunity that they defend.  If Congress won’t act, I will.

And that’s why, two weeks ago, I announced a new initiative to help trained veterans get jobs in the medical community.  And today, we’re announcing three new initiatives to help America’s returning heroes get jobs that meet their talents.

First, we’re delivering on the expanded job search services that I promised our post-9/11 veterans three months ago.  Starting today, post-9/11 veterans looking for work can download what we’re calling the Veterans Gold Card, which gives you up to six months of personalized job search services at career centers across the country.

Second, we’re launching an easy-to-use online tool called My Next Move for Veterans that allows veterans to enter information about their experience and skills in the field, and match it with civilian careers that put that experience to use.

Third, we’re connecting unemployed veterans to job openings.  We’ve partnered with leading job search companies to create a new online service called Veterans Job Bank, where employers can “tag” jobs postings for veterans using a simple approach designed by major search engines.  And already, more than 500,000 job openings have been tagged thanks to a company called Simply Hired, and companies like Monster and LinkedIn are helping more employers participate.

So all these three initiatives are up and running right now.  Just visit whitehouse.gov/vets to find each one.  And I’m asking these veterans service organizations to spread the word.

Connecting our veterans to the jobs they deserve isn’t just the right thing to do for our veterans, it’s the right thing to do for America.  But there’s still more that we can do to encourage businesses to hire veterans.  And this week, Congress will have another chance to do the right thing.  They’ll get to vote on those tax breaks that I proposed back in September for businesses to hire veterans.  Members of Congress will get to say whether or not they think it’s a good idea to give companies an incentive -- an additional incentive -- to hire the men and women who have risked their lives for our country. 

And when I first proposed this idea -- some of you remember this was a joint session of Congress -- people stood and applauded on both sides of the aisle when I announced this bill.  That was one of the few times both sides stood up.  (Laughter.)  So when these ideas come up for a vote this week, when the TV cameras aren’t necessarily on each of them, I expect both sides of the aisle to stand up for our veterans and vote in the affirmative.

There’s no good reason to oppose this bill.  Not one.  Our veterans did their jobs.  It’s time for Congress to do theirs.  It’s time for them to put country before party, put our veterans back to work, and pass this element of the jobs package that benefits our veterans and gives businesses an incentive to hire veterans.

Standing up for our veterans is not a Democratic responsibility or a Republican responsibility, it is a American responsibility.  It’s an obligation of every citizen who enjoys the freedom that these heroes defend.  And it is time for us to meet those obligations right now. 

As Commander-in-Chief, I want all our veterans to know that we are forever grateful for your service and for your sacrifice.  And just as you fought for us, we’re going to keep fighting for you –- for more jobs, for more security, for the opportunity to keep your families strong and to keep America competitive in the 21st century.  In other words, we’re going to keep on fighting, just as you did, to show the world why the United States of America is still the greatest nation on Earth. 

Thank you very much, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END

12:15 P.M. EST

We Can't Wait: Obama Administration Announces New Initiatives to Get Veterans Back to Work

Having served and defended our nation, veterans are well-trained, highly skilled and will add value to any company. But today’s veterans face unique challenges:  As of October, over 850,000 veterans were unemployed and the jobless rate for post-9/11 veterans was 12.1 percent.  And as we end the war in Iraq and wind down the war in Afghanistan, over one million servicemembers are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016.   Accordingly, there is more work to do to ensure these men and women can find jobs at home when they return.

On November 7, leading veterans’ organizations joined President Obama at the White House to announce their support for the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits, two provisions in the American Jobs Act Congress is scheduled to consider that will help create jobs and strengthen the economy. The Returning Heroes Tax Credit provides firms that hire unemployed veterans with a maximum credit of $5,600 per veteran, while the Wounded Warriors Tax Credit offers firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities with a maximum credit of $9,600 per veteran.  

The President also announced a series of executive actions that will provide new resources for veterans to translate military experience to the private job market, give veterans additional career development support and better identify firms looking to hire veterans. These initiatives include:

Veteran Gold Card: Effective today, Post-9/11 veterans will be able download the Veteran Gold Card, which entitles them to enhanced services including six months of personalized case management, assessments and counseling, at the roughly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers located across the country.  This could help serve the more than 200,000 unemployed Post-9/11 veterans.  The President directed the Department of Labor to launch this initiative in his August 5, 2011 speech at the Navy Yard.

My Next Move for Veterans: The Department of Labor will launch My Next Move for Veterans, a new online resource that allows veterans to enter their military occupation code and discover civilian occupations for which they are well qualified. The site will also include information about salaries, apprenticeships, and other related education and training programs.

Creating a Veterans Job Bank: Starting Monday, the Administration will launch the Veterans Job Bank, at National Resource Directory, an easy to use tool to help veterans find job postings from companies looking to hire them. It already searches over 500,000 job postings and is growing. In a few easy steps, companies can make sure the job postings on their own websites are part of this Veterans Job Bank.

All of these services can also be accessed by visiting www.whitehouse.gov/vets.

Together, these initiatives and the tax credits will lower veteran unemployment through increased hiring, improve resources for veterans to translate their military skills for the civilian workforce, and provide veterans with new tools to aid their search for jobs.

Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits

Under the Recovery Act, employers who hired certain unemployed veterans were eligible for a tax credit of up to 40 percent of the first $6,000 of wages, for a maximum credit of $2,400. This credit expired at the end of 2010.

As part of the American Jobs Act, the President has proposed two new tax credits:

• The Returning Heroes Tax Credit is a new hiring tax credit that will provide an incentive for firms to hire unemployed veterans.
  • Short-term unemployed:A new credit of 40 percent of the first $6,000 of wages (up to $2,400) for employers who hire veterans who have been unemployed at least 4 weeks.
  • Long-term unemployed:A new credit of 40 percent of the first $14,000 of wages (up to $5,600) for employers who hire veterans who have been unemployed longer than 6 months.
• The Wounded Warrior Tax Credit will double the existing tax credit for long-term unemployed veterans with service-connected disabilities.
  • Maintain the existing Work Opportunity Tax Credit for veterans with service-connected disabilities (currently the maximum is $4,800).
  • A new credit of 40 percent of the first $24,000 of wages (up to $9,600) for firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been unemployed longer than 6 months.

Veterans Gold Card Initiative

Today, the Department of Labor will launch a new initiative to deliver individually customized, priority job search services to Post-9/11 veterans through One-Stop Career Centers.  Veterans will be provided Gold Card certificates through the Transition Assistance Program and through the eBenefits portal administered by the Department of Veteran Affairs and Department of Defense (a central access point to online benefits and related services). Veterans will also be able to download the Gold Card by visiting www.whitehouse.gov/vets.  The Gold Card will entitle Post-9/11 veterans a range of priority services at their local One-Stop Career Center, including:

• Six months of personalized case management services provided by Disabled Veteran Outreach Program specialists, Local Veteran Employment Representatives, and other One-Stop staff.
• Career guidance through group or individual counseling to help veterans make training and career decisions.
• Provision of labor market, occupational, and skills transferability information to inform education and training decisions.
• Explanation of GI Bill benefits.
• Referral to job banks, job portals, and job openings.
• Referral to employers and registered apprenticeship sponsors.
• Referral to training opportunities.
• Assessment, including interviews, testing, and individual and group counseling.

The intensive, personalized service the Gold Card provides will give Post-9/11 veterans the tools they need to navigate a difficult labor market and translate their military experience for civilian employers.

My Next Move for Veterans

Today, the Department of Labor will also launch a new online skills translator for servicemembers and veterans entitled My Next Move for Veterans. This easy-to-use tool will enable veterans to enter information about the knowledge, skills, and abilities gained through their previous military occupations and explore related civilian occupations. This includes job outlook information, salaries, apprenticeships, and other related education and training programs.

My Next Move for Veteransuses information developed as part of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) system. The O*NET system is the most comprehensive source of information on the knowledge, skills, abilities, work tasks, tools, technology, and other important requirements needed to perform work for over 900 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy. Data is collected on an ongoing basis from a national representative sample of incumbent workers, as well as subject matter expert and job analysts.  To date, over 40,000 businesses and 150,000 workers have participated in the O*NET data collection efforts. 

The tool will be available for free online by visiting www.whitehouse.gov/vets or at One-Stop Career Centers, educational institutions, libraries, and state employment service offices.

Creating a Veterans Job Bank

Starting Monday, the Administration will launch the Veterans Job Bank, at National Resource Directory, an easy to use tool to help veterans find job postings from companies looking to hire them. It already searches over 500,000 job postings and is growing. In a few easy steps, companies can make sure the job postings on their own websites are part of this Veterans Job Bank.

The Veterans Job Bank tool will serve as a resource for veteran job seekers and employers wishing to reach veterans where they are. Beyond basic job search capabilities, the tool allows veterans to enter their military occupation specialty or code to return related civilian skills and associated job listing results.

The Administration has also engaged a number of public and private sector resources to train employers on how to “tag” job listings to help ensure veterans will be able to identify these “veteran committed” jobs as they look for employment. Such commitments include:

• Simply Hired has adopted the job posting schema and has tagged over 500,000 jobs from veteran-committed employers discoverable on the Veterans Job Bank. In addition, Simply Hired will educate veteran-committed companies on getting their jobs posted and visible to veterans nationally.
• LinkedIn is committed to adopting the job posting schema and developing an easy to use tagging method to help facilitate the identification of veteran hiring commitments posted on their web site. Additionally, LinkedIn is developing innovative applications to support veteran employment and developing a microsite to help veterans find jobs. 
• Google helped design the job posting schema and is supporting the Veterans Job Bank through its custom search engine.
• Monster and Military.com are committed to adopting the job posting schema and developing an easy to use tagging method to help facilitate the identification of veteran hiring commitments posted on their web site.
• Taleo is committed to adopting the job posting schema and providing a Quick Start guide to its more than 5,000 member customers to facilitate tagging of veteran commitment positions. Posted jobs appear on the customer’s websites, Taleo’s candidate market place, and other social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook. 
• Indeed is committed to adopting the job posting schema. Additionally, Indeed has included military history on resumes to help support employer identification of veteran candidates. Finally, on 11/11 Indeed will launch Indeed Military job search, allowing veterans to search jobs using their MOC codes by utilizing the O*Net crosswalk database to help translate military experience into civilian terms.
• BranchOut is committed to adopting the job posting schema through a feature that allows companies to state a preference for hiring veterans when they post jobs on BranchOut. These special job posts are highlighted for veteran job seekers so they know which companies are looking for their unique skills. BranchOut will also offer jobs posts to veterans who have recently started their own businesses.
• Twitter is assisting veterans by making job listings easier to find through TweetMyJobs, which is developing a check box that allows employers posting jobs to indicate if the job is specifically targeted to veterans.  TweetMyJobs is also launching a suite of tools for veterans to find jobs on Twitter, including establishing veteran-specific job channels on Twitter for every state and major metropolitan area, a special landing page (veterans.tweetmyjobs.com) for veterans to find and follow these job channels, custom notification alerts for veteran committed jobs and a channel for veterans to distribute their resume on Twitter.