President Obama urges Congress to act to build on the momentum we are seeing in the housing market by helping responsible homeowners refinance, saving $3000 a year. Construction workers are building new homes at the fastest pace in more than four years, home values are rising, and foreclosure filings are at the lowest point since the housing bubble burst five years ago. The steps that the President has already taken have given hundreds of thousands of Americans with high-interest loans …
Category: White House
White House Catching up with the Curator: The Presidential Seal
There’s no doubt you have seen the official Seal of the President of the United States, it is one of the most recognized symbols in the world. But did you know that in 1945, President Harry Truman issued an Executive Order that made a significant change to the Seal, one which reflected important changes he was making throughout the government? Learn more about this iconic logo from White House Curator Bill Allman, in our latest installment of Catching Up with …
White House Weekly Address: One Million American Jobs Saved and a Stronger American Auto Industry
President Obama talks about his choice to rescue the American auto industry from collapse and save more than one million American jobs. Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the President established a new, national monument in honor of Cesar Chavez, declared Fire Prevention Week, and sat down with Diane Sawyer, while the White House honored educational innovators and 4-H and FFA Champions of Change. That’s October 5th to …
White House: President Obama Establishes Monument to Cesar E. Chavez
Yesterday, President Obama traveled to Keene, California, to dedicate the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument on the property known as Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz (Our Lady Queen of Peace). The site is recognized worldwide for its historic link to civil rights icon Cesar Estrada Chavez and the farm worker movement — the site served as the national headquarters of the United Farm Workers (UFW) as well as the home and workplace of Cesar Chavez and his family from the early …
White House Weekly Address: Congress Should Keep America Moving Forward
In this week’s address, President Obama says that Congress should act to keep our nation moving forward by keeping taxes low for 98 percent of Americans, cutting red tape so responsible homeowners can save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage by refinancing at lower rates, and creating a veterans jobs corps to help our returning heroes find work. West Wing Week: 10/05/12 or “Operation Educate the Educators” Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening …
White House: Operation Educate the Educators
This afternoon, I (Dr. Jill Biden) was so honored to meet two of our nation’s youngest heroes – 11-year-old twin sisters Felicity and Abigail. The 7th graders love to read and play sports, and, like many of our nation’s 1.3 million school-age military children, their current school is not their first school. Felicity and Abigail have attended five different schools in four states in the past seven years. They have left old friends and met new ones, transferred school records, left …
White House Weekly Address: It’s Time for Congress to Help Responsible Homeowners
In this week’s address, President Obama explains his administration’s steps to help the housing market, including giving responsible homeowners a chance to save thousands of dollars every year by refinancing their mortgages, but he says we need Congress’s help to do more. Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the First Lady spoke at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Dinner, We the People turned one-year old, and the President …
White House: President Obama Addresses the United Nations
Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama remembered Ambassador Chris Stevens and delivered a defense of both free speech and the spirit of tolerance. The President described Stevens — who was slain earlier this month in an attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya — as a man who “embodied the best of America.” “Like his fellow Foreign Service officers, he built bridges across oceans and cultures, and was deeply invested in the international cooperation that the …
White House: One Final Flight Over America
Early Wednesday morning, space shuttle Endeavour took its final flight atop a jumbo jet at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. For three days, the shuttle rode piggyback to Los Angeles, California where it will begin its next mission as an educational display at the California Science Center. Earlier this year, two other retired shuttles dazzled crowds below as they made their way from Florida to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City. DC residents …
White House Weekly Address: Congress Must Act to Create Jobs and Grow the Economy
President Obama describes how the House of Representatives left town without finishing important work that would create jobs and strengthen our economy. This week, the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State attended the Transfer of Remains Ceremony for the four Americans killed in Libya, while the White House welcomed Olympians and Paralympians, WNBA champions the Minnesota Lynx, new foreign Ambassadors, and the Children’s Miracle Network.
White House: Team USA Visits the White House
Today, the President and First Lady welcomed the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams to the White House to honor their participation and success in this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. At an event on the South Lawn, Mrs. Obama told the athletes that she was impressed not only by the 200-plus medals they brought home, but also by their dedication and hard work leading up to the games. I want you to know how inspired we are …
White House Weekly Address: Carrying on the Work of Our Fallen Heroes
President Obama speaks about the tragic loss of four of our fellow Americans who were serving in our diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya. These Americans represented the best of our country; without people like them, we could not sustain our freedoms or security, or provide the leadership that the entire world depends on. During this time of turmoil in many different countries, the President makes it clear that the United States has a profound respect for people of all faiths, but …
White House: Open Government, Open Data, Open Source
Earlier this year, the President launched an initiative to build a 21st century platform for government. It requires federal agencies to make key services available to mobile users and to release important government data in ways that will allow citizen developers and entrepreneurs to turn them into new products, services, and jobs. “I want us to ask ourselves every day,” he said, “how are we using technology to make a real difference in people’s lives.” Here at the White House, …
White House: President Obama Discusses the Attack in Benghazi, Libya
Tuesday, four Americans lost their lives after an attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya. Ambassador Chris Stevens and Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith were among those killed. This morning, President Obama condemned that attack, which he called “outrageous and shocking” in a statement from the Rose Garden. “We’re working with the government of Libya to secure our diplomats,” he said. “I’ve also directed my Administration to increase our security at diplomatic posts around the world. And make …
White House: Marking the Eleventh Anniversary of 9/11
Today, President Obama and the First Lady marked the eleventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks. They began the day at the White House, observing a moment of silence on the South Lawn just after 8:45 a.m., around the time the first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center. Afterward, they traveled to the Pentagon, where the President spoke at a memorial service in honor of those who died there, as well as in New York and …
White House: Paying Tribute With Service
In his Weekly Address, President Obama talks about one of the legacies of September 11, 2001. “Instead of turning inward with grief,” he said, “we’ve honored the memory of those we lost by giving back to our communities, serving those in need, and reaffirming the values at the heart of who we are as a people.” That’s why we mark each September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance — an act that Congress made official in 2009 …
White House Weekly Address: Coming Together to Remember September 11th
President Obama marks the eleventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks by remembering the innocent lives lost, and honoring the first responders and men and women in uniform who have served and sacrificed to keep our country safe. In the difficult years following the attacks, the United States has come back stronger as a nation, decimated the leadership of al-Qaeda, ensured that Osama bin Laden will never attack America again, and strengthened our alliances across the world. The President has …
White House: We the People: 3 Million Signatures Later
Last year, the White House launched a new tool called We the People, offering a powerful and simple way to petition the Obama Administration to take action on a range of issues. If a petition gathers enough signatures, policy officials review it and publish an official response. From the beginning, We the People’s popularity exceeded our expectations. More than 600,000 signatures were received in the first 11 days and within two weeks, 81 petitions had reached the initial signature threshold of 5,000 …
White House: New Mobile App Released
More and more Americans are using their phones to get the information they want, whenever — and wherever — they want it. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance you’re reading this email on your phone. Take the White House’s website for example. In 2010, 5 percent of visitors used a mobile device to access WhiteHouse.gov. Two years later that number has tripled to 15 percent — and it’s only getting higher. President Obama believes government should be open and …
White House: Spending Less, Spending Smarter
Under the Administration’s Campaign to Cut Waste, we are scrutinizing every dollar of Federal spending to make sure that funds are spent efficiently and effectively. As part of the campaign, last fall, in Executive Order 13589, “Promoting Efficient Spending,”the President charged Federal agencies with tightening their belts to find efficiencies and savings in areas such as printing, fleet, and travel. That effort is paying off. Federal agencies are hard at work executing on plans to achieve administrative cost savings in …