YOUR OBAMA UPDATE

Weekly Address: The Republican Corporate Power Grab

2010-09-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

The President explains how the most dire warnings about the Citizens United case have been proven valid!

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Elizabeth Warren (Rocks)!

2010-09-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

President Obama speaks from the Rose Garden about the importance of establishing an agency dedicated to protect consumer's rights and names Elizabeth Warren as a special adviser to set up the new agency.

Obama's Weekly Address: Help for Vets with PTSD

2010-07-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jesse Le

President Obama announces that the Department of Veterans Affairs, led by Secretary Shinseki, will begin making it easier for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to receive the benefits and treatment they need.

Fourth of July at the White House (video)

2010-07-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

Posted by Kori Schulman

Watch a video from yesterday's Independence Day celebration on the South Lawn of the White House. The event honored troops and their families with a special USO show featuring Cedric “The Entertainer,” The Killers, Brandi Carlile and a viewing of the fireworks over the National Mall.

Obama's Weekly Address: A Solar Recovery

2010-07-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

As part of the explosion of Recovery Act projects this summer and as a move towards a clean energy future, the President announces nearly $2 billion in conditional commitments to key solar companies. Learn more from the White House fact sheet.

Obama's Weekly Address: Finishing the Job on Wall Street Reform

2010-06-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

With Congress having finalized a strong Wall Street reform bill, the President urges Congress to finish the job and send the bill to his desk. The legislation reflects 90% of what the President originally proposed, including the strongest consumer financial protections in history with an independent agency to enforce them. It ensures that the trading of derivatives, which helped trigger this crisis, will be brought into the light of day, and enacts the “Volcker Rule,” which will make sure banks protected by safety nets like the FDIC cannot engage in risky trades. It also creates a resolution authority to wind down firms whose collapse would threaten the entire financial system. Wall Street reform will end taxpayer funded bailouts and make sure Main Street is never again held responsible for Wall Street’s mistakes.

Obama's Weekly Address: Republicans Blocking Progress

2010-06-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

The President calls on Republicans in Congress to put scoring political points aside, and instead to focus on solving the problems facing the nation. At the time of this address, the Republican leadership is blocking progress on a bill to boost the economy, retain jobs for teachers and cops, and help people buy their first home; another bill which would hold oil companies accountable for any disasters they cause by removing the current $75 million liability cap; and 136 highly qualified men and women who have been nominated to government positions.

Obama's Weekly Address: Wall Street Reform & Main Street

2010-05-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

Obama's Weekly Address: Health Reform Starts to Kick In

2010-05-10T11:07:00.001-07:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

The President goes through the benefits in health insurance reform that are already kicking in for young adults, retirees, and families, and says more benefits are coming down the pike.

Obama Nominates Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court

2010-05-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

In noting that Solicitor General Elena Kagan would have legendary shoes to fill at the Supreme Court when confirmed, the President described the career of Justice John Paul Stevens:

For nearly 35 years, Justice Stevens has stood as an impartial guardian of the law, faithfully applying the core values of our founding to the cases and controversies of our time.
He has done so with restraint and respect for precedent -- understanding that a judge’s job is to interpret, not make law -- but also with fidelity to the constitutional ideal of equal justice for all. He’s brought to each case not just mastery of the letter of the law, but a keen understanding of its impact on people’s lives.

He followed by describing Kagan's career upholding many of the same values while blazing a path as one of the most respected legal minds in America:
Elena is widely regarded as one of the nation’s foremost legal minds. She’s an acclaimed legal scholar with a rich understanding of constitutional law. She is a former White House aide with a lifelong commitment to public service and a firm grasp of the nexus and boundaries between our three branches of government. She is a trailblazing leader -- the first woman to serve as Dean of Harvard Law School -- and one of the most successful and beloved deans in its history. And she is a superb Solicitor General, our nation’s chief lawyer representing the American people’s interests before the Supreme Court, the first woman in that position as well. And she has won accolades from observers across the ideological spectrum for her well-reasoned arguments and commanding presence.

President Obama Trades Jokes with Jay Leno

2010-05-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jason Djang

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (753MB) | mp3 (35MB)

Obama's Weekly Address: Giving Government Back to the American People

2010-05-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

As the President beats back lobbyists seeking to weaken Wall Street Reform, he talks about an even broader threat that would vastly expand the influence of massive industries and their lobbyists in Washington. A recent Supreme Court decision opened the floodgates for corporations, including foreign corporations, to spend endless money on political ads that would give them even more power at the expense of American families – the President pledges to fight for reforms to stem that influence.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (141MB) | mp3 (5MB)

Obama's Weekly Address: Good News from the Auto Industry

2010-04-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

As the auto industry and financial markets begin to stabilize, the President says the government’s emergency interventions are now winding down. He pledges that real reform, particularly on Wall Street, must now begin.

Learn more about Economy

Obama's Weekly Address: Holding Wall Street Accountable

2010-04-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

The strongest consumer protections ever. Bringing transparency to financial dealings. Closing loopholes to stop recklessness and irresponsibility. Holding Wall Street accountable and giving shareholders new power in the financial system. President Obama lays out what Wall Street Reform is about, and questions whether opposition from the Senate Republican Leader might have something to do with his recent meeting with Wall Street executives.

Learn more about Economy

Obama's Weekly Address: Relief for the Middle Class at Tax Time

2010-04-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

As April 15th approaches, the President discusses several of the tax breaks for middle class families he has signed into law. Find out more about the Making Work Pay tax credit, breaks for first-time homebuyers, rewards for making your home more energy efficient and more through our Tax Savings Tool.

Learn more about Taxes

The 2010 Easter Egg Roll with the Obama's

2010-04-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

Download Video: mp4 (116MB) | mp3 (4MB)

Obama Dissapoints His Base With Offshore Drilling Announcement (via Facebook)

2010-03-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

Planet Green Not excited about this plan. My quick take is that if you're going to negotiate and compromise, you should save your moves for when you need them. Announcing this now is just premature and won't help with getting Republicans to support a climate bill, at all. If he'd waited and let them feel like they earned this it would be a more effective negotiation tactic. What do you think?

Obama to Expand Offshore Drilling in Alaska, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Coast : Planet Green

planetgreen.discovery.com

President Obama is proposing to start offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coasts of Alaska and Virginia, undoing a longstanding ban on the

35 minutes ago · Comment · Shar

8 people like this.

Anya Redgewell

I think Obama isn't who he sold himself to be. I'm incredibly disappointed in him for doing this, especially Alaska, its such an unstable habitat already.

31 minutes ago

Oakmoss Graham

Just another reversal on the part of this disappointing administration. Compromise with the right did not work for health care and it won't work for climate change.

29 minutes ago

Cheri SoVery

I was a full out supporter until I read about this today and I cried...and felt completely duped... r this is the easy way around the issue....the easy and republican friendly way....I thought our planet had a friend in him

28 minutes ago

April Waite

He sold himself alright....
To Big Business.

27 minutes ago ·

Amanda Bell

republicans were for this during the election and they will most def. be against this now

27 minutes ago ·

Keri Jaskey

I honestly don't know what to think anymore

26 minutes ago ·

Shawn Dinally

sigh... capitalists and their oil

25 minutes ago ·

Justin Gagner

Seriously?! Ugh... I feel cheated.

24 minutes ago ·

Amanda Elliott

Republicans wouldn't have helped anyways, they are already against ideas that were theirs in the first place simply because Obama brought them up. He will get no cooperation from any of them no matter what it's about..

23 minutes ago ·

Kimberley Lyons

Don't love this at all...how long must they keep tapping the Earth before the Great Mother's 'keg' runs out...then what...blows my mind how self-centered as humans we are, the ability to co-create is a gift that has been taken for granted, abused, neglected, manipultated & degraded....(just shaking my head)....

22 minutes ago ·

Michael Victoria Moore

It reminds of "What is the definition of insanity? - Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result!" I believe that we have to be the change that we want to see in the world because looking for our governments to "Fix IT" is not going to happen.

22 minutes ago ·

Sandra Av

no words!!!

21 minutes ago ·

Jim Lynch

I'm sure right now the Repugs are pulling out all stops to come up with a logical-sounding argument about why this is a terrible liberal idea and the end of the world as we know it.

20 minutes ago ·

Thomas Gramlich

wait NPR this morning said he only approved the Virginia sites??

20 minutes ago ·

Jeremy E. Simpson

So Obama = "Big Oil"...just like G.W. Bush...no surprise over the continuance of the "Status Quo" regime...

19 minutes ago ·

Kate Wright Kaiser

Sighhhh..how sad. And not a bit surprising...

18 minutes ago ·

Oakmoss Graham

Clarification - Parts of Alaska are being taken off-line. From CNN: "The administration plan includes lifting a 20-year ban on drilling off the Virginia coastline, while putting the clamps on sites that had been approved off the southwest coast of Alaska."

18 minutes ago ·

Eric Anderson

I agree with what Obama did. I work in the energy industry an there are alot of jobs this action can produce. Not only that, the whole idea is to get away from Middle Eastern Oil which is used to support terrorism against the US and others. In order for us to be energy independent (like Brazil) were going to have to invest in all forms of energy... See More production, whether it's offshore drilling, solar power, wind turbines, natural gas, hydro-electricity, nuclear. I'm a major supporter of the environment but I believe this is the first step to get us free from OPEC and the Middle East and set our own energy policy. GO OBAMA

16 minutes ago ·

April Bowen-Summers

I agree with Planet Green. I respect and admire our president but I wish he would give up on this bi-partisian bs as the Republicans have made it clear they have not interest in it.

14 minutes ago ·

April Waite

If people think this is going to lower gas prices,think again. Welcome to the new Roman Empire. Even IF we were self sufficient,the gov will surely find a way to "regulate" production and tax the hell out of it.

12 minutes ago ·

Kate Wright Kaiser

I too voted for President Obama and see some very positive moves from his administration but more offshore drilling and the continuation of war smacks of his predecessors and continues our disregard for not only human life but all species upon our Earth.

10 minutes ago · Report

Brenda Barnum

After defending most of his moves for the past year, (even those I didn't agree with I could see the logic of), I feel- betrayed. This is NOT how we move to clean renewable energy...this is the opposite of what he is saying... after 8 years of Republicans I actually had hope for change. Now I'm at the point that we have no hope. I've read the ... See MoreMillenium Ecosystem Assessment (twice), and we need a good president that can really look to the future if there is going to be anything left for our grandchildren. Obama, I want the president we elected.

7 minutes ago ·

Erin Adair

Stupid. Take the money you will be spending on offshore drilling and put it towards furthur study and development of alternative energies. Set up funds for people to put solar panels on their houses, assistance in buying earth friendly vehicles, and just generally making "green" affordable. We have our priorities out of whack as a country. :-(

4 minutes ago ·

Andre Walker

This is crap and I am a staunch Obama supporter. We have more than enough production avenues without more offshore drilling... Take the same money/effort and apply it to renewable energy research and consumer applications.

a few seconds ago ·

Obama's Weekly Address: Two Major Reforms on Health Care & Higher Ed

2010-03-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

The President looks back on a week that saw the passage of two major sets of reforms: one putting Americans in control of their own health care, and one ensuring student loans work for students and families, not as subsidies for bankers and middlemen.

Learn more about Education, Health Care

President Obama Announces the New START Treaty

2010-03-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jesse Le

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (723MB) | mp3 (33MB)

After concluding a phone call with Russian President Medvedev, President Obama announced the new START treaty during a press briefing Secretary of State Clinton, Secretary of Defense Gates, and Admiral Mullen. The new Treaty, which he called “the most comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly two decades,” is a major step to reduce the number and role of nuclear weapons and to set the stage for further reductions in global nuclear stockpiles and materials. The President has made the pledge to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons worldwide a key goal of his foreign policy approach, including a major speech in Prague laying out his vision during his first trip to Europe

President Obama explained the significance of the new agreement:

In many ways, nuclear weapons represent both the darkest days of the Cold War, and the most troubling threats of our time. Today, we’ve taken another step forward by -- in leaving behind the legacy of the 20th century while building a more secure future for our children. We’ve turned words into action. We’ve made progress that is clear and concrete. And we’ve demonstrated the importance of American leadership -- and American partnership -- on behalf of our own security, and the world’s.
Broadly speaking, the new START treaty makes progress in several areas. It cuts -- by about a third -- the nuclear weapons that the United States and Russia will deploy. It significantly reduces missiles and launchers. It puts in place a strong and effective verification regime. And it maintains the flexibility that we need to protect and advance our national security, and to guarantee our unwavering commitment to the security of our allies.
With this agreement, the United States and Russia -- the two largest nuclear powers in the world -- also send a clear signal that we intend to lead. By upholding our own commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, we strengthen our global efforts to stop the spread of these weapons, and to ensure that other nations meet their own responsibilities.

Specifically, the new START Treaty will specify limits of:

1,550 deployed warheads, which is about 30% lower than the upper warhead limit of the Moscow Treaty;
800 deployed and non-deployed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers, submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear weapons; and
700 for deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear weapons.

Learn more about Defense

What's in the Health Care Bill?

2010-03-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

Posted by Macon Phillips

On the day that President Obama signed health insurance reform into law, a lot of Americans are researching the final legislation and how it affects them. As the President helpfully pointed out in his speech earlier today:

Go to our Web site, WhiteHouse.gov; go to the Web sites of major news outlets out there; find out how reform will affect you. And I’m confident that you will like what you see -- a common-sense approach that maintains the private insurance system but makes it work for everybody; makes it work not just for the insurance companies, but makes it work for you.

So we want to make sure you don’t miss a bunch of health care reform resources on our website:

(Yesterday), White House Director of Health Reform Nancy-Ann DeParle sent an email update (you can sign up for them here) outlining key benefits of health reform for individual Americans that take place soon:

FROM: Nancy-Ann DeParle, The White House
SUBJECT: What Happens Next
Good afternoon,
Since the House of Representatives voted to pass health reform legislation on Sunday night, the legislative process and its political impact have been the focus of all the newspapers and cable TV pundits.
Outside of DC, however, many Americans are trying to cut through the chatter and get to the substance of reform with a simple question: "What does health insurance reform actually mean for me?" To help, we've put together a list of some key benefits every American should know.
Let's start with how health insurance reform will expand and strengthen coverage:

This year, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage. Once the new health insurance exchanges begin in the coming years, pre-existing condition discrimination will become a thing of the past for everyone.
This year, health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents' insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.
This year, insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage. This year, restrictive annual limits on coverage will be banned for certain plans. Under health insurance reform, Americans will be ensured access to the care they need.
This year, adults who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.
In the next fiscal year, the bill increases funding for community health centers, so they can treat nearly double the number of patients over the next five years.
This year, we'll also establish an independent commission to advise on how best to build the health care workforce and increase the number of nurses, doctors and other professionals to meet our country's needs. Going forward, we will provide $1.5 billion in funding to support the next generation of doctors, nurses and other primary care practitioners -- on top of a $500 million investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Health insurance reform will also curb some of the worst insurance industry practices and strengthen consumer protections:

This year, this bill creates a new, independent appeals process that ensures consumers in new private plans have access to an effective process to appeal decisions made by their insurer.
This year, discrimination based on salary will be outlawed. New group health plans will be prohibited from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that discriminate in favor of higher-wage employees.
Beginning this fiscal year, this bill provides funding to states to help establish offices of health insurance consumer assistance in order to help individuals in the process of filing complaints or appeals against insurance companies.
Starting January 1, 2011, insurers in the individual and small group market will be required to spend 80 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Insurers in the large group market will be required to spend 85 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Any insurers who don't meet those thresholds will be required to provide rebates to their policyholders.
Starting in 2011, this bill helps states require insurance companies to submit justification for requested premium increases. Any company with excessive or unjustified premium increases may not be able to participate in the new health insurance exchanges.

Reform immediately begins to lower health care costs for American families and small businesses:

This year, small businesses that choose to offer coverage will begin to receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums to help make employee coverage more affordable.
This year, new private plans will be required to provide free preventive care: no co-payments and no deductibles for preventive services. And beginning January 1, 2011, Medicare will do the same.
This year, this bill will provide help for early retirees by creating a temporary re-insurance program to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees age 55-64.
This year, this bill starts to close the Medicare Part D 'donut hole' by providing a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the gap in prescription drug coverage. And beginning in 2011, the bill institutes a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the 'donut hole.'

Thank you,
Nancy-Ann DeParle
Director, White House Office of Health Reform

Learn more about Health Care

Health Care Reform for America... Finally

2010-03-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

"On Behalf of My Mother"

Posted by Jesse Lee

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (544MB) | mp3 (25MB)

(Yesterday) the President made it official: things are going to change quite a bit between Americans and their health insurance companies. The President signed health reform into law, with a package of fixes not far behind, and in the process created a future for the country in which Americans and small businesses are in control of their own health care, not the insurance industry.

Learn what reform means for you.

Having expressed all due admiration for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Leader Harry Reid, and those Members of Congress who showed the courage to stand up to an avalanche of misinformation and insurance industry attacks, the President explained what the signing was really about:

Today, I’m signing this reform bill into law on behalf of my mother, who argued with insurance companies even as she battled cancer in her final days.
I’m signing it for Ryan Smith, who’s here today. He runs a small business with five employees. He’s trying to do the right thing, paying half the cost of coverage for his workers. This bill will help him afford that coverage.
I’m signing it for 11-year-old Marcelas Owens, who’s also here. (Applause.) Marcelas lost his mom to an illness. And she didn’t have insurance and couldn’t afford the care that she needed. So in her memory he has told her story across America so that no other children have to go through what his family has experienced. (Applause.)
I’m signing it for Natoma Canfield. Natoma had to give up her health coverage after her rates were jacked up by more than 40 percent. She was terrified that an illness would mean she’d lose the house that her parents built, so she gave up her insurance. Now she’s lying in a hospital bed, as we speak, faced with just such an illness, praying that she can somehow afford to get well without insurance. Natoma’s family is here today because Natoma can’t be. And her sister Connie is here. Connie, stand up. (Applause.)
I’m signing this bill for all the leaders who took up this cause through the generations -- from Teddy Roosevelt to Franklin Roosevelt, from Harry Truman, to Lyndon Johnson, from Bill and Hillary Clinton, to one of the deans who’s been fighting this so long, John Dingell. (Applause.) To Senator Ted Kennedy. (Applause.) And it’s fitting that Ted’s widow, Vicki, is here -- it’s fitting that Teddy’s widow, Vicki, is here; and his niece Caroline; his son Patrick, whose vote helped make this reform a reality. (Applause.)
I remember seeing Ted walk through that door in a summit in this room a year ago -- one of his last public appearances. And it was hard for him to make it. But he was confident that we would do the right thing.
Our presence here today is remarkable and improbable. With all the punditry, all of the lobbying, all of the game-playing that passes for governing in Washington, it’s been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated thing; to wonder if there are limits to what we, as a people, can still achieve. It’s easy to succumb to the sense of cynicism about what’s possible in this country.
But today, we are affirming that essential truth -– a truth every generation is called to rediscover for itself –- that we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. (Applause.) We are not a nation that falls prey to doubt or mistrust. We don't fall prey to fear. We are not a nation that does what’s easy. That’s not who we are. That’s not how we got here.
We are a nation that faces its challenges and accepts its responsibilities. We are a nation that does what is hard. What is necessary. What is right. Here, in this country, we shape our own destiny. That is what we do. That is who we are. That is what makes us the United States of America.
And we have now just enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care. (Applause.) And it is an extraordinary achievement that has happened because of all of you and all the advocates all across the country.
So, thank you. Thank you. God bless you, and may God bless the United States. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you.
All right, I would now like to call up to stage some of the members of Congress who helped make this day possible, and some of the Americans who will benefit from these reforms. And we’re going to sign this bill.

President Barack Obama reaches for a pen as he signs the health insurance reform bill in the East Room of the White House, March 23, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

UPDATE: The President spoke soon afterwards at the Department of Interior, where he reiterated many of the same points, but also took a more light-hearted tone towards critics of reform:

I said this once or twice, but it bears repeating: If you like your current insurance, you will keep your current insurance. No government takeover; nobody is changing what you’ve got if you’re happy with it. If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. In fact, more people will keep their doctors because your coverage will be more secure and more stable than it was before I signed this legislation.
And now that this legislation is passed, you don’t have to take my word for it. You’ll be able to see it in your own lives. I heard one of the Republican leaders say this was going to be Armageddon. Well, two months from now, six months from now, you can check it out. We’ll look around –- (laughter) -- and we’ll see. (Applause.) You don’t have to take my word for it. (Applause.)

Learn more about Health Care

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks at the White House

2010-03-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jason Djan

Every seat of the White House Movie Theater was taken by, in Tom Hanks' memorable words, "some sort of honcho and big shot" on Thursday evening for a screening of the first episode of HBO's new miniseries The Pacific. Produced by Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the 10 part series tells the story of the brave Americans who fought in the Pacific theater of World War II, a story not told by Hollywood as frequently as the European front. We've got a a behind-the-scenes video with the producing duo as they prepare to show the first hour of their work to a First audience. See an Academy Award winning producer and director turn his hand-held camera on us and the President:

Download Video: mp4 (48MB)

President Barack Obama delivers remarks before a screening of the HBO ten-part World War II miniseries "The Pacific" in the Family Theater of the White House, March 11, 2010. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the two executive producers of "The Pacific", sit in the front row. March 11, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Obama's Weekly Address: Education for a More Competitive America & Better Future

2010-03-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jesse Le

The President discusses his blueprint for an updated Elementary and Secondary Education Act to overhaul No Child Left Behind, the latest step from his Administration to encourage change and success in America’s schools at the local level.
Update: Learn more from the Department of Education.

Learn more about Education

Obama's Weekly Address: What Health Reform Will Deliver – This Year

2010-03-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

Posted by Macon Phillips

In this week’s address, President Obama describes how American families will have more control over their health care this year, after health reform passes.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (125MB) | mp3 (4MB)

Here are a few more points about how health insurance reform measures will benefit Americans this year:

Hold Insurance Companies Accountable:

Eliminate lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits on benefits in all new plans;
Prohibit rescissions of health insurance policies in all individual plans;
Prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions for children in all new plans;
Require premium rebates to enrollees from insurers with high administrative expenditures and require public disclosure of the percent of premiums applied to overhead costs;
Establish a process for the annual review of unreasonable increases in premiums, requiring State insurance commissioners to work with the HHS Secretary and States.

Protect Consumers:

Provide grants to States to support health insurance consumer assistance and ombudsman programs to help consumers;
Ensure consumers have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal new insurance plan decisions;
Require all insurance plans to use uniform coverage documents so consumers can make easy comparisons when shopping for health insurance;
Establish an internet portal to assist Americans in identifying coverage options;
Prohibit insurers from discriminating in favor of highly compensated employees by charging them lower premiums.

Ensure Affordable Choices and Quality Care:

Provide immediate access to insurance for uninsured Americans who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition through a temporary high-risk pool;
Create a temporary re-insurance program for early retirees;
Require new plans to cover an enrollee’s dependent children until age 26;
Require new plans to cover preventive services and immunizations without cost-sharing;
Offer tax credits to small businesses to purchase coverage;
Facilitate administrative simplification to lower health system costs.

Obama's Weekly Address: The Olympic Spirit, the Spirit of Bipartisanship, and Health Reform

2010-03-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

The President takes a moment to congratulate our Olympic athletes. Discussing the unity and pride Americans feel in cheering them on, the President relates that sentiment to his own desire for bipartisanship in Washington. He praises the recent bipartisan meeting and talks about moving forward on health reform.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (133MB) | mp3 (4MB)

Michelle Obama “You All Took a Stand”

2010-02-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

Posted by Cammie Croft

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (145MB) | mp3 (25MB)

With Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in tow, First Lady Michelle Obama traveled to Philadelphia yesterday as part of the Let’s Move! campaign, a nationwide effort to rally the country around one goal, ending the epidemic of childhood obesity.

Obama's Weekly Address: Premiums, Profits, and the Need for Health Reform

2010-02-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Le

The President points to outrageous premium hikes from health insurance companies, especially those already making massive profits, as further proof of the need for reform. Looking ahead to the coming bipartisan meeting on reform, the President urges members of Congress to come to the table in good faith to address the issue.

Learn more about Health Care

President Obama Addresses the U.S.-Islamic World Forum

2010-02-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

Posted by Rashad Hussai

Today, the President addressed by video the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar. He outlined the actions the United States has taken since his speech in Cairo, Egypt last June, in which he called for a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world. The President emphasized that the U.S is ending in the war in Iraq, creating partnerships to isolate violent extremists in Afghanistan, and pursuing a two-state solution that recognizes the rights and security of Palestinians and Israelis.

Download Video: mp4 (153MB) | mp3 (5MB)

He also described the government-wide approach the Administration is taking to create immediate and long-term programs and partnerships that seek to improve the daily lives of people in Muslim communities around the world. All agencies and departments – from NASA and the Small Busines Administration to the Department of State and USAID – have worked together to implement a number of programs in the areas of education, entrepreneurship, health, and science and technology. For example, after holding thousands of listening sessions around the world, the U.S. has expanded exchange programs and online opportunities, forged a global recovery effort to create jobs in all regions of the world, launched a Global Technology and Innovation Fund to invest in technological development in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, worked with Saudi officials to address H1N1 to prepare for Hajj, and partnered with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to eradicate polio.
At home, senior officials across the Administration – including Attorney General Holder, Secretary Napolitano, and Secretary Locke – have engaged Muslim communities around the country, and today, John Brennan, the President’s top counter-terrorism advisor, will hold a town hall dialogue at the Islamic Center of New York University with students and community leaders from around the country.
As part of his commitment to continue to seek a new beginning with Muslim communities around the world, and to expand upon the partnerships he outlined in Cairo, I am honored and humbled that the President has asked me to serve as his Special Envoy to the OIC. President Obama has emphasized that progress will be judged not by our words, but our actions, and I am committed to deepening the partnerships that he outlined in his visionary address last summer. I look forward to updating you on the Administration's efforts in these areas over the coming months.

Obama's Weekly Address: Pay As You Go

2010-02-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

The President, having just signed the "Pay As You Go" law, discusses the importance of this fundamental rule to getting budget deficits in check. Ensuring that new spending and tax cuts are offset was a important factor in creating the budget surplus of the late 1990’s.

Learn more about Fiscal Responsibility

An Open Door to Open Government

2010-02-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Posted by Dan Pfeiffe

While most of Washington spent the weekend digging out of the snow, federal agencies were taking the next steps in making their work more transparent for the American people. Since early December, agencies have worked to create their own webpages to serve as the gateway for each agency’s implementation of the Open Government Directive. These pages all went live this weekend, complete with the latest news and updates, downloadable information unique to that agency, and information about how each agency is moving to implement the President’s call for a more transparent, participatory, and collaborative government.
Importantly, each of these sites will be the focal point for the agency's open government plans that, after public feedback and suggestion, will make our work across the Administration more accessible to the American people. That's why each Open Government Webpage incorporates a mechanism to seek your ideas and insights. Most agencies are leveraging a new, no-cost public engagement app from the General Services Administration that allows them to pay less attention to designing tools and more attention to running, moderating, and analyzing public input. It will help to make the agency open government pages more effective at turning public suggestions into government actions.

Here at the White House, we're keeping tabs on the agencies’ efforts. A dashboard – launched this weekend – tracks agency progress toward the goals of the Open Government Directive. This dashboard will continue to evolve with your feedback.

Since day one, the President has committed his Administration to break down long-standing barriers between the people and their government. The steps that the agencies are taking are designed to change the culture of government from a closed, opaque structure to one that is more accessible and accountable to citizens.

Check out the agency sites and see their work for yourself.

Dan Pfeiffer is White House Communications Director

Obama's Weekly Address: Opening Doors for Small Business

2010-02-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

Reiterating once again his commitment to small business as the engine of our economy, the President urges Congress to move forward immediately on steps to help them expand and create jobs. These proposals include using $30 billion in TARP funds to create a new Small Business Lending Fund to provide capital to community banks to increase lending to small businesses, offering a new tax credit for over one million small businesses that hire new workers or raise wages, and providing targeted support for the most innovative small businesses with the potential to export new goods and products.

Learn more about Economy

Budgeting for a New Era of Responsibility

2010-02-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (211MB) | mp3 (10MB)

Obama's State of the Union: Breaking It Down

2010-01-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Le

Not everybody is up for watching a sixty-nine minute, forty-four second speech, no matter how good it may be. So we thought we'd provide the opportunity to watch some key sections, broken out by topic.
State of the Union: Building Infrastructure and Creating Jobs at Home

State of the Union: The Challenges of Change

State of the Union: Finishing the Job of Health Reform

State of the Union: Investing in a World-Class Education

In the Spirit of Reconciliation... The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

2010-01-16T16:47:00.000-08:00

Posted by Macon Phillips on January 16, 2010 at 12:40 PM EST

Download Video: mp4 (14MB) | mp3 (1MB)

"How can I help?"

That's what former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton both asked as the devastating impact of the earthquake in Haiti became clear. This question brought them to a place they both know well, the Oval Office. There they met with President Obama and agreed to lead a major fundraising effort for relief: the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

Obama's Weekly Address: Getting Our Money Back from Wall Street

2010-01-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

As the President continues to work on immediate job creation, he discusses his proposal for a new fee on the largest financial institutions to ensure that every cent of taxpayer assistance gets paid back. Saying that, "we're not going to let Wall Street take the money and run," he then to discusses the ongoing push to make sure banks can never put our economy at risk again.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (171MB) | mp3 (6MB)

Obama's Weekly Address: Health Reform's Benefits in 2010

2010-01-11T10:17:00.001-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee on January 09, 2010 at 06:00 AM EST

The President discusses the benefits of health reform that Americans will receive in the first year, and how reform will help build a new foundation for American families.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (165MB) | mp3 (5MB)

Obama's Weekly Address: The Fight Against Al Qaeda

2010-01-04T08:32:00.001-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

The President discusses the recent attempted act of terrorism on the Christmas day flight to Detroit, and his broader strategy to fight Al Qaeda.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (62MB) | mp3 (4MB)

President Obama Speaks Out on Iran Violence (includes translations in Persian and Arabic)

2009-12-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

Posted by Macon Phillip

A violent Iranian government crackdown on protesters this weekend has reportedly resulted in multiple deaths, as well as the arrests of hundreds of demonstrators, including several political figures and human rights activists. The continued government suppression since the contested June presidential elections has drawn sharp international criticism. The United States will always bear witness for and stand by those in Iran, and around the world, who seek to exercise their universal human rights.

Read the President's latest remarks:

Before I leave, let me also briefly address the events that have taken place over the last few days in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States joins with the international community in strongly condemning the violent and unjust suppression of innocent Iranian citizens, which has apparently resulted in detentions, injuries, and even death.

For months, the Iranian people have sought nothing more than to exercise their universal rights. Each time they have done so, they have been met with the iron fist of brutality, even on solemn occasions and holy days. And each time that has happened, the world has watched with deep admiration for the courage and the conviction of the Iranian people who are part of Iran's great and enduring civilization.

What's taking place within Iran is not about the United States or any other country. It's about the Iranian people and their aspirations for justice and a better life for themselves. And the decision of Iran's leaders to govern through fear and tyranny will not succeed in making those aspirations go away.

As I said in Oslo, it's telling when governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation.

Along with all free nations, the United States stands with those who seek their universal rights. We call upon the Iranian government to abide by the international obligations that it has to respect the rights of its own people.

We call for the immediate release of all who have been unjustly detained within Iran. We will continue to bear witness to the extraordinary events that are taking place there. And I'm confident that history will be on the side of those who seek justice.

Updated to include translations in Persian and Arabic.

Persian:

رئیس جمهوری در ارتباط با خشونت درایران سخن می گوید
سرکوب خشونت بار معترضان به وسیلۀ دولت ایران در پایان این هفته، بر اساس گزارشها، به چندین مورد مرگ و بازداشت صدها تن از تظاهر کنندگان، از جمله چندین نفر از چهره های سیاسی و فعالان حقوق بشر انجامیده است. اقدامات پیگیر سرکوبگرانه از جانب دولت بعد از انتخابات اختلاف انگیز ریاست جهوری ماه ژوئن، به انتقادات تند در سطح بین المللی دامن زده است. ایالات متحده همواره برای کسانی که درایران، و درسراسر جهان خوستار به کاربستن حقوق جهانی بشر خود هستند نقش گواه را ایفا می کند و در کنارشان ایستاده است.
به آخرین سخنان رئیس جمهوری در زیر رجوع کنید:
پیش از این که اینجا را ترک کنم من اجازه دهید به اختصار به رویدادهایی که ظرف چند روز گذشته در جمهوری اسلامی ایران رخ داده است نیز بپردازم. ایالات متحده برای محکوم ساختن هرچه شدید تر سرکوب خشونت آمیز و غیرعادلانۀ شهروندان بی گناه ایرانی که ظاهرا به موارد متعددی از بازداشتها و جراحات و حتی مرگ منجر شده است، به جامعۀ بین المللی می پیوندد.
طی چندین ماه مردم ایران خواستار چیزی بیشتر از برخوردرای از حقوق جهانی خود نبوده اند. هر بار که آنها چنین کرده اند، حتی در موقعیت های خطیر و روزهای مقدس، با مشت آهنین خشونت روبرو شده اند. و هر بار که این اتفاق افتاده، جهان با احساس عمیق ستایش برای شجاعت و عزم راسخ مردم ایران که بخشی از تمدن بزرگ و برجای ماندنی ایران اند، به نظاره نشسته است.
آنچه که در داخل ایران در حال روی دادن است با ایالات متحده یا هیچ کشور دیگری ارتباط ندارد – بلکه مربوط به مردم ایران و آرمانهای عدالتخواهی آنها و یک زندگی بهتر برای خودشان است. و تصمیم رهبران ایران برای حکومت از طریق توسل به ترس و ستمکاری، به از میان بردن آن آرمان ها توفیق نخواهد یافت. و همانگونه که من در اسلو اعلام داشتم، این روش هنگامی بروز می کند که دولتها از آرمانهای مردم خود بیش از قدرت هر کشور دیگری وحشت دارند.
ایالات متحده همراه با دیگر کشورهای آزاد در کنار کسانی که خواستار حقوق جهانی خود هستند ایستاده است. ما از دولت ایران می خواهیم تا الزامات بین المللی ای را که نسبت به رعایت حقوق مردم خود دارد محترم شمارد. ما آزادی بی درنگ کسانی را که به طرز غیرعادلانه ای در داخل ایران بازداشت شده اند خواستاریم. ما به نقش خود به عنوان گواه رویدادهای خارق العاده ای که در ایران در حال رخ دادن است ادامه می دهیم. و من اطمینان دارم که تاریخ در کنار جستجو کنندگان عدالت قرار خواهد داشت.

Arabic:

الرئيس يجاهر برأيه حول العنف في إيران
شنت الحكومة الإيرانية حملة عنيفة على المحتجين خلال هذه العطلة الأسبوعية، وذكر أن ذلك أسفر عن العديد من الوفيات، وكذلك عن اعتقال مئات من المتظاهرين، بمن فيهم عدد من الشخصيات السياسية والناشطين في مجال حقوق الإنسان. وقد أثار استمرار تلك الحكومة في عمليات القمع منذ الانتخابات الرئاسية المتنازع عليها في شهر حزيران/يونيو، انتقادات دولية حادة. وسوف تظل الولايات المتحدة على الدوام شاهدة ومناصرة لأولئك في إيران وحول العالم الذين يسعون إلى ممارسة حقوقهم الإنسانية وفق الأعراف الدولية.
فيما يلي أحدث تصريح للرئيس حول الموضوع:
قبل أن أغادر، دعوني أتطرق أيضا بإيجاز إلى الأحداث التي جرت خلال الأيام القليلة الماضية في جمهورية إيران الإسلامية.
إن الولايات المتحدة تنضم إلى الأسرة الدولية في التنديد بشدة بالقمع العنيف والظالم للمواطنين الإيرانيين الأبرياء الذي أسفر على ما يبدو عن اعتقالات واحتجازات وإصابات، وحتى إلى الموت.
فطيلة أشهر، لم يسع الشعب الإيراني إلى شيء أكثر من ممارسة حقوقه وفق الأعراف الدولية. وفي كل مرة فعلوا ذلك كانوا يجابهون بقبضة الوحشية الحديدية، حتى في المناسبات الجليلة والأيام المقدسة. وفي كل مرة حدث ذلك، كان العالم يراقب بكل إعجاب شجاعة وإيمان الشعب الإيراني الذي هو جزء من حضارة إيران العظيمة والباقية على الدوام.
إن ما يحدث داخل إيران لا يتعلق بالولايات المتحدة أو بأي دولة أخرى- إنه يتعلق بالشعب الإيراني وتطلعاته إلى العدالة والحياة الأفضل لهم. ولن يفلح قرار الزعماء الإيرانيين بأن يحكموا عن طريق التخويف والطغيان في تبديد هذه التطلعات. وكما قلت في أوسلو، إنه لشيء معبر حينما تخشى الحكومات تطلعات شعوبها أكثر مما تخشى قوة أي دولة أخرى.
والولايات المتحدة، ومعها جميع الأمم الحرة، تقف مع أولئك الذين يسعون إلى نيل حقوقهم وفق الأعراف الدولية. ونحن نهيب بالحكومة الإيرانية أن تمتثل للالتزامات الدولية الواجبة عليها وأن تحترم حقوق شعبها. وإننا ننادي بالإفراج فورا عن جميع الذين احتجزوا داخل إيران عن غير وجه حق. وسوف نظل شهودا على الأحداث الاستثنائية الجارية هناك. وإنني على ثقة بأن التاريخ سينتصر لأولئك الذين يسعون لتحقيق العدالة.

Download Video: mp4 (22MB)

Obama's Weekly Address: Celebrating Christmas and Honoring Those Who Serve

2009-12-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

For the first time in a weekly address, the President is joined by the First Lady as they celebrate Christmas. They both honor those serving overseas, those who have sacrificed for their country, and the families that stand by them. Find ways to lend our troops and their families a hand through DOD’s Military Homefront, OurMilitary.mil, and of course the USO.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (143MB) | mp3 (5MB)

The First Lady Reads "The Night Before Christmas"

2009-12-24T11:37:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

First Lady Michelle Obama visits the Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C. to read "The Night Before Christmas." Joined by daughters Malia and Sasha, along with dog Bo, the First Lady continues this tradition of visiting with patients which dates back to Bess Truman.

Download Video: mp4 (72MB)

Read the transcript from their conversation while you're at it.

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with a young boy in the crowd and scratches Bo’s side while other kids reach in to pet the Obama family dog during a visit to Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Obama visited with families at the hospital and also read a Christmas book with daughters Sasha and Malia to patients and families December 22, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

Reality Check: For Opponents (ie Republicans), It Was Never About the Health Care Bill

2009-12-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

Posted by Dan Pfeiffer

Today’s Republican talking point of the day is that the historic health reform bill passed today represents the first major piece of social legislation to be passed without a single vote from across the aisle.

Well that may be true. But it’s not a commentary on this bill. It’s a commentary on the Republican Party, whose leaders made a determination that they were going to put party over progress. That's never happened before when the nation took on big challenges.

President Obama made it clear from the very beginning of this process that he wanted to work with members of both parties to craft the best bill possible. He even kicked off his efforts by inviting stakeholders from across the political spectrum to the White House to share ideas.

Contrary to what one Republican Senator said today, Democrats did not “do the HELP Committee bill completely Democrat” without “even ask[ing] one Republican opinion.” In fact, they accepted more than 150 Republican amendments.

In putting together the Finance Committee bill, Senator Baucus held months of bipartisan discussions. The Committee held a day-long bipartisan health care summit, convened three bipartisan roundtables, and even issued three bipartisan policy papers laying out the options from which the Committee chose to craft its bill.

Once the bill hit the Senate floor, Republicans passed up the chance to offer constructive amendments. Instead they chose to obstruct votes and offer six separate motions to essentially start from scratch.

The sad truth is that Congressional Republican leaders decided early on that their best move was to “delay, define, and derail” reform – not to find common ground on a bill both parties could support. They made clear their hopes that health insurance reform would be President Obama’s “Waterloo” and that it would “break him” politically.

In the process, they lost sight of the fact that this was never about President Obama – it was about the families struggling to keep up with skyrocketing premiums; the small businesses forced to choose covering employees and staying afloat; the 15,000 Americans who lost insurance every day this year. Today’s vote was a victory for them.

Dan Pfeiffer is White House Communications Director

Another Tremendous Step Forward for Health Insurance Reform

2009-12-24T11:26:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

Speaking in the State Dining Room, the President, joined by Vice President Biden, congratulated the Senate on its historic vote to pass health insurance reform.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (133MB) | mp3 (4MB)

Obama Not Delivering the Change We Need (cartoon)

2009-12-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

from Wend Blog by Joe

The man selling change a year ago has given us very little at the recent Copenhagen climate talks. Makes you wonder (fret) that if Obama can’t deliver when it comes to the environment, who can?
…oh yeah, you can!
Keep conserving. Lead by example, others will follow.
Or as Ghandi succinctly put it, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

Obama's Weekly Address: The Patient's Bill of Rights and Health Reform

2009-12-21T12:31:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

The President looks back to the bipartisan Patient's Bill of Rights, a bill that was defeated in Congress at the hands of special interests and their supporters, and notes that health insurance reform covers the same ground and much more in terms of giving the consumers the upper hand over their insurance companies. He calls on the Senate to allow an up-or-down vote, and for those opposing reform to stop using parliamentary maneuvers to drag it out.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (127MB) | mp3 (4MB)

Who Controls Your Food? A Few Agribusiness Giants!

2009-12-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

Right now, four companies control 85 percent of U.S. Beef
Contact the Obama Administration

Did you know that just a handful of companies determine what kind of food you can buy and how farmers can produce it? It's true. Decades of bad farm policy and unchecked corporated mergers have driven out independent players, creating powerful agribusiness giants with massive market share. Tell the Obama Administration that it's time to protect consumers instead of agribusiness!

How bad are things right now?

- More than 85 percent of U.S. beef cattle are slaughtered by just four companies.
- Two companies sell half of U.S. corn seed.
- One company controls 40 percent of the U.S. fluid milk supply.
- Five firms dominate the grocery sector, ensuring that low prices paid to farmers aren't passed along to consumers at the store.

After decades of government officials looking the other way, regulators are finally acknowledging there might be a problem. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are conducting public workshops around the country to hear about the state of competition in agriculture markets.

We'll let you know how you can get involved in these hearings as they get closer. In the meantime, you can let the USDA and DOJ know that they must do a thorough investigation of the lack of competition in agriculture, as well as take immediate action to deal with unfair practices and lack of competition that are wreaking havoc on farmers and consumers across the country.

Tell the Obama Administration that it's time to take on agricultural antitrust enforcement!

Thanks for taking action,
Alex Sarah, Noelle, and the Food Team
Food & Water Watch
goodfood(at)fwwatch.org

Obama Weekly Address: Learning from History to Reform Wall Street

2009-12-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

The President explains that while he continues to focus on jobs, it is also profoundly important to address the problems that created this economic mess in the first place. He commends the House of Representatives for passing reforms to our financial system, including a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, and blasts Republican Leaders and financial industry lobbyists for their joint "pep rally" to defeat it.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (158MB) | mp3 (5MB)

Youth and the Clean Energy Economy - A Perspective From Youth Working in the Obama Administration

2009-12-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

Posted by Nate Hundt and Jonathan Jourdane

Ed. Note: Read another take, including photos, courtesy of the Council on Environmental Quality.

Earlier this week, we attended the Clean Energy Economy Forum with over 120 youth leaders at the White House. It kicked off with a great opening session including Secretaries Salazar, Solis and Chu as well as Administrator Jackson and Nancy Sutley of CEQ:

Download Video: mp4 (1229MB)

We want to thank everyone who attended or followed along online – it was a great event! We were fired up by the stories we heard of young people making their voices heard on climate change and clean energy legislation in the Senate. We met young people leading energy retrofit projects, building the environmental justice movement, and educating friends and family about green job opportunities. Together, we're changing the world, and we know everybody could sense that in the Facebook breakout session hosted by Greg Nelson of the White House's Office of Public Engagement and Christine Glunz of CEQ:

Download Video: mp4 (586MB)

In our many months in our traveling around the country last year, we were always inspired by our friends, classmates, and fellow young people making a difference. We now have the opportunity to work for a great boss, Secretary Ken Salazar, who recognizes that young people aren't just our future, they're our present. He is always encouraging us to shoot for the moon and have fun in the process. Like so many others in the Administration, he has empowered young appointees to take responsibility for their country and their planet.

This Administration believes that young people can help our nation achieve energy independence, and here at the Department of Interior we work on one direct path: by standing up renewable energy on our public lands. Young people can help our plant and wildlife species adapt and persist in the face of climate change. Young people from all walks of life can help preserve our natural and cultural resources by taking a summer job in a national park, a wildlife refuge, or on one of our other public lands. Together, we can make a difference, that was one thing everybody agreed on during the closing session after the breakouts:

Download Video: mp4 (350MB)

But we need young people to stay engaged in this Administration so we can deliver the change we all want. Here are a few easy ways you can stay connected to the Green Cabinet that we wanted to share:

You can follow Interior Secretary Salazar, Energy Secretary Chu, Labor Secretary Solis, and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson on Facebook. Or you can catch up with the Department of the Interior, Department of Labor or EPA on Twitter.

Thanks again. We're all counting on the youth.

Nate Hundt and Jonathan Jourdane are recent college graduates and work on youth programs at the Department of Interior. Nate Hundt works in the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs and Jonathan Jourdane works in the Office of External and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Who Do You Trust?

2009-11-30T09:18:00.000-08:00

Posted by Ann Widger

As one of the people in the Office of Public Engagement who work every day with citizens, groups, and organizations on health insurance reform, I’m constantly amazed at the overwhelming show of support from every corner and every constituency you can think of. When I say the list goes on and on, I mean it literally goes on and on, and is made up of some of the most trusted groups in America.

And nobody has been more important, more of a pleasure to work with, or more trusted for that matter than America’s doctors and nurses. We invited the heads of two groups representing the people who know our heath care system best to take part in this special video with the Vice President, to tell us all why they think reform is so important:

Download Video: mp4 (74MB)

Ann Widger is Deputy Associate Director of Public Engagement

Learn more about Health Care

Happy Thanksgiving... The Obamas: After Dark

2009-11-26T09:25:00.000-08:00

Confirmed: Obama Sets US Emissions Reductions Targets, Will Attend Copenhagen Talks

2009-11-25T16:14:00.000-08:00

by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York

Photo via the Telegraph

News broke this morning that Obama will attend the COP15 climate talks in Copenhagen after all, boosting the hopes that a more effective climate agreement will be reached. Now, the White House has issued a statement that includes the United States' new carbon emissions reduction targets, along with more details.

The announcement states that Obama is willing to commit to greenhouse gas reductions of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020--the level set in the energy reform bill that passed the House of Reps. This is still far less than nearly every other developed nation has pledged, but it represents a mammoth step for the US. Here are more of the details from the announcement issued by the White House:

The White House also announced that, in the context of an overall deal in Copenhagen that includes robust mitigation contributions from China and the other emerging economies, the President is prepared to put on the table a U.S. emissions reduction target in the range of 17% below 2005 levels in 2020 and ultimately in line with final U.S. energy and climate legislation. In light of the President's goal to reduce emissions 83% by 2050, the expected pathway set forth in this pending legislation would entail a 30% reduction below 2005 levels in 2025 and a 42% reduction below 2005 in 2030.

I think the thing to remember here is that this outline is notable for how reasonable and realistic it is--the early targets are far behind what the science says is necessary to best mitigate the effects of climate change, but the plan as outlined is both politically and economically feasible. The release continues:

This provisional target is in line with current legislation in both chambers of Congress and demonstrates a significant contribution to a problem that the U.S. has neglected for too long. With less than two weeks to go until the beginning of the Copenhagen conference, it is essential that the countries of the world, led by the major economies, do what it takes to produce a strong, operational agreement that will both launch us on a concerted effort to combat climate change and serve as a stepping stone to a legally binding treaty.

Indeed.

President Obama's Weekly Address: Traveling Abroad for Our Economy at Home

2009-11-23T16:19:00.000-08:00

American Vice President Joe Biden Intervied by John Stewart

2009-11-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

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Joe Biden Pt. 1

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Mr. President: TimeTo Step Up To The "Environmental" Plate

2009-11-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

Cross Posted from Grist - the Latest from Grist

by Bill McKibben

This essay appeared first on MotherJones.com. Bill McKibben is chronicling his journey into climate activism with a series of columns leading up to the global climate summit in Copenhagen this December. You can find the others here. And you can put yourself on the cover of MoJo’s special issue on climate change here.

Two caveats. First, early in the primary season, when I was asked to join Environmentalists for Obama, I signed on immediately. I knocked doors, made phone calls, gave money, and celebrated his victory—I think he’s the best president of my lifetime.

Second, Obama has done much that’s right about climate, including surround himself with a stellar staff of advisers. From auto mileage to green stimulus spending, he’s done more to deal with global warming than all of the presidents combined in the 20 years that it’s been an issue.

But that’s a pretty low bar. And the announcement yesterday from the APEC meeting in Singapore that next month’s Copenhagen climate talks will be nothing more than a glorified talking session makes it clear that he has, at least for now, punted on the hard questions around climate. The world won’t be able to get started on solving our climate problem, and the obstacle—as it has been for the last two decades—is the United States.

And in fact none of this should come as a surprise to anyone paying attention. For a year now it’s been clear that the president is not particularly focused on applying the political pressure that would have been necessary to reach any kind of pact, much less one that approaches what the science demands. Despite the deadline of the Copenhagen conference, Obama placed energy second on his priority list, guaranteeing that health care would occupy most of the year. He talked very little about climate, tending instead to talk about green jobs and energy security, and in the process left the door open for climate deniers to have a field day. And then, as with health care, he left it pretty much entirely up to Congress to write the necessary legislation. That kept him from having to bear the blame for a Byzantine bill, but it also meant that the Senate—the body from which he came, and whose culture he had to know—could work in its usual style, without White House pressure. Which at the moment means that Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham are essentially rewriting the legislation, to what end no one really knows.

The real tip-off of Obama’s unwillingness to lead, however, has been the endless spinning of his climate negotiators. For 12 months they have been fibbing about the science—reiterating over and over again that their goal is the “scientific standard” of 450 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere. That’s no longer scientifically accurate—in the last two years, since the rapid Arctic melt in the summer of 2007, scientists have made it clear that a treaty that aimed at 450 ppm would be a treaty that left the planet free of ice, a planet where many current nations would disappear beneath the waves. We’re at 390 now—we’re already too high. The 450 number came from the various graphs and tables of the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—but Rajendra Pachauri, who chairs the IPCC, has said repeatedly in the last year that that science is out of date. Recently, asked why he’d endorsed a 350 target instead, he said: “As a human being, I just couldn’t keep quiet in the face of all this overwhelming evidence. I know it’s probably not right for me to take a position such as this, but on the other hand, I think it would be totally immoral on my part not to take a position, so I came out and said so.”

By contrast, the Obama administration’s position has been that a tough treaty is politically unrealistic—that the Senate would never pass it. That’s certainly true, at least for the moment. But the White House is starting to use the Senate in the same way that the Bush administration used China—as a scapegoat for doing too little. You don’t get to blame the Senate if you haven’t pushed the Senate as hard as you possibly can. It would take a huge commitment of presidential leadership, the sacrifice of large amounts of political capital, to change political reality. It would also take a movement of citizens, which we’ve tried hard to build. Three weeks ago we at 350.org organized what CNN called “the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history.” Many prime ministers, environmental ministers, and foreign ministers participated—heck, the president of the Maldivesconvened an underwater cabinet meeting to make the point about how desperate the situation was. We asked the White House if anyone—some spare undersecretary of something—might come to one of the 2,000 demonstrations across the United States. They couldn’t find a soul.

They’ll have another chance. With groups around the world, 350.org will help organize candlelight vigils around the world on the weekend of Dec. 12. Many will take place at American embassies and consulates. Not because anyone is anti-American. Because everyone remains hopeful that America will finally help lead to solve the problem that it, far more than any other nation, caused.

None of this is easy. (I haven’t even mentioned the obscenely low amounts of money the administration and Congress are talking about appropriating for the foreign aid that will be required to help developing countries adapt to the global warming America has caused.) But all of it is easier than trying to deal with the world that’s coming at us faster every day we don’t act. Pressuring Senate Republicans (or coal-fired Democrats) is hard; pressuring physics and chemistry is harder still. In fact, it’s impossible. That’s why this is different than health-care reform or financial re-regulation. You have to actually meet the scientific standard, not just do better than George W. Bush.

And of course, politically, Obama doesn’t need to do it. He doesn’t need to worry about environmentalists abandoning him for someone else—he’ll always be the preferable choice, and I’ll always be out there knocking on doors for him. But his legacy won’t depend on the shiny medal the Norwegians hang around his neck next month; it will depend, more than anything else, on whether or not he really tackles the biggest problem the planet faces. There is still time for him to make the crucial difference, but not if his administration continues in fib-and-spin mode. At the same meeting in Singapore where he made it clear that Copenhagen would not negotiate a new climate treaty, he invited all the other APEC leaders to meet in 2011 in Hawaii, adding “I look forward to seeing you all decked out in flowered shirts and grass skirts.”

Whatever—that sounds more like his giggly, sophomoric predecessor than the leader we desperately need.

President Obama's Town Hall in Shanghai

2009-11-16T10:50:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

Download mp3 (53MB)

It was around midnight in Washington, D.C., and early afternoon in Shanghai when the President began an historic town hall in China. Taking tough and straightforward questions from Chinese students, and solicted from across China via the internet, the President discussed everything from Taiwan to the role of women in society to open government. Read through all of the exchanges in the full transcript.

In his extensive and probing opening remarks, the President related America's history, triumphing over tragedy and difficulty, to China's own story:

President Barack Obama listens to a question at the town hall meeting with future Chinese leaders at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum in Shanghai, China, Nov. 16, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Posters commemorating President Barack Obama's appearance at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum are handed out following his town hall meeting there in Shanghai, China, Nov. 16, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

World’s Most Well-Liked Countries – USA Coming in at No. 1

2009-11-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

from Wend Blog by Nellie Huang [Via: Forbes]

You heard me right. The U.S. has now claimed the throne as the world’s no. 1 favorite country. What’s the big surprise? Many say that the nation has President Barack Obama to thank. Global confidence in Obama has put the U.S. in a positive light. Even approval of America among the French has risen from 42% in 2008 to 72% this year.

According to Forbes who released the results, the 2009 poll involved 20,000 people in 20 geographically and economically diverse countries. 2008’s champion Germany was dethroned, coming in at no. 3. An increase in the U.S.’s popularity meants a decrease in its neighbor, Canada – falling to 7th from its previous 4th place.Japan maintains its position as the only Asian country on the list, at no. 5.

The full ranking with 2008’s position in brackets:

1. United States (7)

2. France (2)

3. Germany (1)

4. United Kingdom (3)

5. Japan (5)

6. Italy (6)

7. Canada (4)

8. Switzerland (8)

9. Australia (9)

10. Spain (tie) (11)

10. Sweden (tie) (10)

Baseball & Climate Control - Like Peanut Butta & Jelly.

2009-11-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

from elephant journal

Obama had a terrible time explaining his Bail Out of Wall Street and the Health Care Debate has Congress so confused they will soon need their own Socialized Health Care …and now they are jumping into another fire fight…Cap and Trade.
So as Congress starts the debate on a Climate Bill, this years World Series would be a good time to explain the program before it gets confusing. So here we go.
The need for salary caps and player trades is a key part of both baseball and environmental matters. Here are the simple facts.
We as citizens should put a “cap” on a corporation’s CO2 emissions (pollution) just like we should put a cap of the amount of salary the Yankees can pay their players. If not they will always be in the playoffs and the rest of us will be waiting for basketball to start. So if the Yankees want to pay more for their players they should have to compensate the other teams. (As a White Sox Fan Obama should like this).

for reference, one ton of CO2 occupies about 16,000 cubic feet of space — that’s about the same as the amount of air in a 2,000 square foot house. So if your house or apartment is 2,000 square feet, each ton of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere would fill your house. In 2007, the U.S. emitted 6 billion tons of CO2 — enough to fill one house for every human on earth. And CO2 is heavier than air, so if a ton of CO2 filled your house directly, you’d suffocate, just like the Earth is doing.

This is similar to Obama’s plan for industry. Manufacturing plants could only pollute the air for the rest of the league (you and I) to a certain level. And if they want to pollute more (pay more salary) they would have to compensate the other teams. In this case they would just buy some of the CO2 savings from another “team” or company.
And “Trade” is similar to trading players. If you need a good left handed pitcher you might have to give up two great prospects to make the trade. You get the player you want but the other team gets compensated. The same is true in pollution. If you need to pollute more until you can modernize your plant, you pay someone else for cutting their pollution.
So everyone is a winner: the polluter who gets to pollute, the enlightened manufacturer who gets paid for what he wants to do anyway (reduce pollution), the Chicago stock exchange, who loves to trade things they have never seen, make money and the rest of us get cleaner air.
Please pass on this explanation to your Congressman before they get all mixed up. If not, the Republicans will soon be talking about Obama wanting to sell us Air or some other nonsense. Unfortunately Congress’s creates a lot more CO2 (which they are not paying for) and they will never win the World Series of Government.

Obama Weekly Address: Milestones on the Economy and the Recovery Act

2009-11-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

While there is nothing to celebrate until job numbers turn around, the President cites the recent dramatic turnaround in gross domestic product as a sign of better things to come. He also applauds the fact that the Recovery Act has now created or saved more than a million jobs.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 | mp3 (5MB)