Category: White House

In his weekly address, President Obama honors the memory of the 26 innocent children and educators who were taken from us a year ago in Newton, Connecticut. The President and First Lady observe a moment of silence and light candles at the White House in honor of those lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. December 14, 2013. Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and far beyond. This …

Nelson Mandela’s struggle against South African apartheid inspired millions. And his great call for justice and equality continues to resonate around the world, as new generations of young people pursue the ideals he embraced. Earlier today in Johannesburg, President Obama paid tribute to a hero and a leader — and spoke about the path that’s still ahead.

At a time when the American auto industry was about to collapse, the President made the tough to decision to invest in it. As of Tuesday, the United States no longer owns a stake in General Motors, and the auto industry is thriving. Click the picture below for more detail.

Folks across the country are getting ready for the holidays. We’re celebrating here at the White House, too — and we want you to be a part of it. We’ve launched our 2013 Holidays page. Check it out for exclusive videos, recipes, and more.

In this week’s address, President Obama says that before Congress leaves for vacation, they should extend unemployment benefits for 1.3 million hardworking Americans who will lose this lifeline at the end of the year. Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. This week, the President spoke on the importance of addressing economic mobility and supporting implementation of the Affordable Care Act, visited fasting immigration reform activists, marked World AIDS Day, celebrated …

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today released the following statement expressing his heartfelt condolences regarding the passing of Nelson Mandela: “Today, I join hundreds of millions of people worldwide in mourning the extraordinary life and legacy of anti-apartheid revolutionary, Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and first Black president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela.  Words alone cannot adequately praise his historic achievements or fully express my sympathy in learning of his passing.  Mandela was an icon of the global …

Thursday evening, President Obama delivered a statement on the passing of former South African President and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela.

In his weekly address, President Obama gave thanks to all the men and women defending our freedom and acknowledged their sacrifice might mean they can’t spend the holidays with their families. The President also recognized that as Americans, we gather together this Thanksgiving to lift up those who need a helping hand, letting us move forward as a country and lead us to a brighter tomorrow.

On Wednesday, November 27th, President Obama will announce the National Thanksgiving Turkey. Both turkeys will be pardoned, but only the American people will decide which bird takes the title. Learn about each bird, listen to their gobble and then make your selection.  

In his weekly address, President Obama says our economy is moving in the right direction. We have cut our deficits by more than half, businesses have created millions of new jobs, and we have taken significant steps to reverse our addiction to foreign oil and fix our broken health care system. Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and beyond! This week, the Vice President traveled to Houston and Panama, the …

President Barack Obama delivers remarks and awards the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom to honorees during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Nov. 20, 2013. Honorees are: Ernie Banks, Ben Bradlee, former President Bill Clinton, Daniel Inouye (posthumous), Daniel Kahneman, Richard Lugar, Loretta Lynn, Mario Molina, Sally Ride (posthumous), Bayard Rustin (posthumous), Arturo Sandoval, Dean Smith, Gloria Steinem, Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian, Patricia Wald, and Oprah Winfrey. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) The Presidential …

In his weekly address, President Obama discusses progress in American energy and highlights that we are now producing more oil at home than we buy from other countries for the first time in nearly two decades. We reached this milestone in part not only because we’re producing more energy, but because we’re wasting less energy, and as a result, we are also reducing our carbon emissions while growing the economy. Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything …

For the first time in nearly two decades, we’re importing less foreign oil than we’re producing domestically — and we’re using less overall. That’s a really big deal. Get the facts below, and pass them on.

In this week’s address, President Obama commemorates Veterans Day Weekend by thanking the brave men and women who have worn this country’s uniform. The President says he is proud of their service and will do everything possible to ensure America always has their back and always honors their sacrifice. This week, the President worked to help consumers learn about and enroll in quality, affordable health insurance plans through the Marketplaces, welcomed Iraq’s Prime Minister, hosted the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago …

Last week a new report had some big economic news you probably missed: Since 2009, we’ve cut our deficit in half — and it’s falling at its fastest rate since World War II. In addition to improving our nation’s long-term fiscal security by reducing the deficit, President Obama’s working hard to help strengthen the middle class. And in the past three and a half years, businesses have created more than 7.6 million new jobs.

In the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, we are asking questions and demanding answers to explain how hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars were spent on a product that does not work. The failed Healthcare.gov website is a national embarrassment. and it is important that we find out just what happened and who is responsible. Last week, in the Energy and Commerce Committee, we heard testimony from government contractors who developed the Healthcare.gov website. This week, HHS Secretary Kathleen …

In this week’s address, President Obama says that in order to keep growing the economy and creating good jobs, Washington must end its cycle of manufactured crises and self-inflicted wounds. It’s time for both parties to work together to pass a budget that reflects our priorities — making smart cuts in things we don’t need and closing wasteful tax loopholes, while investing in areas that create opportunities for the middle class and our future generations.   Welcome to the West …

In this week’s address, President Obama discusses the launch of the Health Insurance Marketplace for the Affordable Care Act, which gives millions of Americans the opportunity to have access to affordable and reliable healthcare — many for the first time. This week, the President announced his nominee for the next Secretary of Homeland Security, spoke on the Affordable Care Act and immigration reform, and welcomed the Prime Minister of Pakistan and this year’s Sammy Award winners to the White House.

From Kathleen Sebelius the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Thursday, we join our White House colleagues in celebrating National Breast Cancer Awareness month; and almost four weeks into the launch of the Health Insurance Marketplace, I’m reminded of the tremendous impact the Affordable Care Act has on the lives of American women. As the President said, the law is much more than just a website – it’s affordable, quality health insurance made available to everyone.  Through the Marketplace, …