Statement by The Vice President on Iraq
Categories: Defense, Office of the Vice President, Speeches and Remarks, The Vice President Tags:
Remarks by the President at a Meeting with the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board
Roosevelt Room
1:38 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. All right -- don’t break anything. (Laughter.) You guys all set? All right.
Well, thank you all for coming. We have a few topics to discuss today and I’m eager to hear from all of you about how the economy looks from your perspective and your forecast for the next few months. We’re particularly interested, obviously, in the issuing of hiring and how we’re putting Americans back to work. And I’m also going to be focused on hearing from you your recommendations in terms of how we can increase exports in the years to come -- because we know that if we are selling products overseas and not just purchasing products and services, then that is going to directly benefit the growth of our economy.
I do want to say a few words quickly about the issue of Wall Street reform. I know that some of you have worked in the financial industry or been leading financial regulators. Many of you have been advocates of reform for some time -- Paul and Bill, in particular, have been active in this area for more years than they probably care to remember.
As I’ve said before, we need a strong and healthy financial sector to grow jobs and our economy. And it’s exactly because of the centrality and importance of the financial sector that we have to act. The devastating recession that we just went through offered a very painful lesson in what happens when we don’t have adequate accountability and transparency and consumer protection.
We can’t allow history to repeat itself. Never again should American taxpayers be forced to step in and pay the price for the responsibility of speculators on Wall Street who made risky bets with the expectation that taxpayers would be there to break their fall. And we can’t leave in place a tattered set of rules that will allow another crisis to develop without the tools to deal with it. And that’s why I expect that we are going to have a strong reform proposal that demands new accountability from Wall Street and provides new protections for consumers.
This is reform that will force banks and financial institutions to pay for bad decisions that they make, and not have taxpayers pay for those bad decisions. And that means no more bailouts.
This reform would also bring new transparency and accountability to the derivatives market, and this is something that Paul Volcker spoke publicly about just the other week. The derivatives market is where a lot of the big, risky financial bets by companies like AIG took place. There are literally trillions of dollars sloshing around this market that basically changes hands under the cover of darkness. When things go wrong, as they did in AIG, they can bring down the entire economy, and that’s why we’ve got to bring more transparency and oversight when it comes to derivatives and bring them into a framework in which everybody knows exactly what’s going on, because we can’t afford another AIG.
Now, let’s be honest. Some in the industry are not happy with the prospect of these reforms. We’ve seen the usual army of lobbyists dispatched up on Capitol Hill. They have found some willing allies on the other side of the aisle in Congress who have been trying to carve out a lot of exceptions and special loopholes so that folks on Wall Street can keep making these risky bets without any oversight.
I hope that we can pass a bipartisan bill. Bipartisanship cannot mean simply allowing lobbyist-driven loopholes that put American taxpayers at risk. That would not be real reform.
So in the coming weeks, every member of Congress is going to have to make a decision: Are they going to side with the special interests and the status quo, or are they going to side with the American people? And anyone who opposes this reform is going to be leaving taxpayers on the hook if a crisis like the one that we’ve just seen ever happens again. And I consider that unacceptable.
My hope and belief is that all of us, Democrats and Republicans, are going to be able to find some common ground on this issue and move it forward. It is too important to become bogged down in the same partisan gridlock and politics that we’ve seen. It’s time that we demanded accountability from Wall Street and protections for consumers so that we don’t find ourselves in this same mess again.
All right. So with that, we’re going to officially convene the meeting, which will be live-streamed. So let’s clear out the room a little bit.
All right. Everybody was much better behaved than usual. (Laughter.)
CHAIRMAN VOLCKER: Well, I guess we’re making progress.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, obviously. Usually I get at least one shouted question. This time everybody was very well behaved, it was good.
PARTICIPANT: Friday afternoon.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, exactly. (Laughter.)
Q Well, Mr. President, can I ask you -- (laughter) --
PARTICIPANT: You took the bait.
THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q -- if you would veto legislation if the derivatives language isn’t as strong as what Senator Dodd has?
THE PRESIDENT: You know, I want to see what emerges, but I will veto legislation that does not bring the derivatives market under control and some sort of regulatory framework that assures that we don’t have the same kind of crises that we’ve seen in the past.
Okay. All right. With that, I’m going to turn it over to our Chairman, Mr. Paul Volcker.
END
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Remarks by The President at America’s Great Outdoors Conference
Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C.
10:17 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Thank you so much. Thank you. Please, everybody have a seat. Thank you.
It is a great privilege to join [you] for this conference on America’s Great Outdoors. There are a number of people that obviously I want to acknowledge here who have worked tirelessly to move this agenda forward. At the top of our list, our Secretary of the Interior -- who I believe is going to be one of the best Secretaries of Interior in American history -- Ken Salazar, who has just fully embraced this issue, we’re thrilled with the work he’s done. Thank you. Thank you, Ken. (Applause.)
Secretary Tom Vilsack, Administrator Lisa Jackson, Nancy Sutley -- all have been part of what we call our “green team,” and are consistently providing creative ideas to make sure that we understand that conservation is not contrary to economic growth, it is an integral part of economic growth. And they have just done a fabulous job on that so please give them a big round of applause. (Applause.)
We have my outstanding NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco. We have Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Jo-Ellen Darcy. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and the Environment, Dr. Dorothy Robyn. And in the audience, if I'm not mistaken, we’ve got some luminaries. Is Governor Bill Richardson in the house? There he is -- from New Mexico, a great conservationist. (Applause.) Former Secretary of the Interior, Secretary Bruce Babbitt is here. (Applause.) One of the finest young mayors in the country, Mayor Cory Booker. (Applause.) And to all the outstanding members of Congress who have been so diligent in promoting a conservation agenda.
Now, I am mindful that the first such conference was held over one century ago by one of my favorite Presidents, one of our greatest Presidents -- and certainly our greatest conservation President. Upon taking office, Theodore Roosevelt –- avid birdwatcher, bear hunter –- set out on a tour of the American West that would change his life and the life of a nation forever.
He stood in awe of the geysers at Yellowstone. He camped in a snow blizzard at Yosemite. He stood on the lip of the Grand Canyon. “The ages have been at work on it,” he declared. “Man can only mar it.”
And from that sense of commitment sprang five national parks, 18 national monuments, 51 federal bird reservations, and 150 national forests. From that commitment sprang an effort to save the great Redwoods of California and the Petrified Forest of Arizona, the great bird rocks of the Aleutian Islands and the Tongass of Alaska. From that commitment sprang a breathtaking legacy of conservation that still enhances our lives.
Now, that legacy is an extraordinary achievement -– and no matter how long I have the privilege of serving as President, I know I can never match it. And I will probably never shoot a bear. (Laughter.) That’s a fair bet there, fair guess. (Laughter.) But I do intend to enrich that legacy, and I feel an abiding bond with the land that is the United States of America.
I do, for the same reasons that all of you do; for the same reason families go outside for a picnic or campers spend a night in a national park, and sportsmen track game through the woods or wade deep into a river. It’s a recognition passed down from one generation to the next, that few pursuits are more satisfying to the spirit than discovering the greatness of America’s outdoors.
And when we see America’s land, we understand what an incredible bounty that we have been given. And it’s our obligation to make sure that the next generation enjoys that same bounty.
That recognition has been a touchstone of this presidency thanks to the outstanding leadership of Ken Salazar and Secretary Vilsack and Lisa Jackson and Nancy Sutley. They have done extraordinary work.
Last year, I signed into law a public lands bill –- the most significant in decades -– that designated 2 million acres of wilderness, over 1,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers, and three national parks. We better protected cherished places like Oregon’s Mount Hood. We’re taking a new approach to our National Forests to make sure they’re not just providing timber for lumber companies, but water and jobs for rural communities. We are restoring our rivers and coasts, from the Chesapeake Bay to the Gulf Coast, from the Great Lakes to the Everglades.
So, yes, we are working faithfully to carry on the legacy of Teddy Roosevelt in the 21st century. But we also know that we must adapt our strategies to meet the new challenges of our time. Over the last century, our population grew from about 90 million to 300 million people, and as it did, we lost more and more of our natural landscape to development. Meanwhile, a host of other factors –- from a changing climate to new sources of pollution -– have put a growing strain on our wildlife and our waters and our lands.
So rising to meet these challenges is a task and an obligation, but it’s one that government cannot and should not meet alone. There are roughly 1,600 privately run land trusts in this country that have protected over 10 million acres through voluntary efforts. And by working with farmers and ranchers and landowners, the Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program has protected over 30 million acres, and its Natural Resource Conservation Service -– a service that is 75 years old this year –- has protected almost 3 million more. So together, we are conserving our working lands in a way that preserves the environment and protects local communities.
And that’s the kind of collaborative spirit at the heart of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative that we’re launching today. In the months ahead, members of this administration will host regional listening sessions across America. We’ll meet with everybody -- from tribal leaders to farmers, from young people to businesspeople, from elected officials to recreation and conservation groups. And their ideas will help us form a 21st century strategy for America’s great outdoors to better protect our natural landscape and our history for generations to come.
Understand, we’re not talking about a big federal agenda being driven out of Washington. We’re talking about how we can collect best ideas on conservation; how we can pursue good ideas that local communities embrace; and how we can be more responsible stewards of tax dollars to promote conservation.
First, we’re going to build on successful conservation efforts being spearheaded outside of Washington -– by local and state governments, by tribes, and by private groups -– so we can write a new chapter in the protection of rivers, wildlife habitats, historic sites, and the great landscapes of our country.
Secondly, we’re going to help farmers, ranchers, property owners who want to protect their lands for their children and their grandchildren.
Third, we’ll help families spend more time outdoors, building on what the First Lady has done through the “Let’s Move” initiative to encourage young people to hike and bike and get outside more often.
And fourth, we want to foster a new generation of community and urban parks so that children across America have the chance to experience places like Millennium Park in my own Chicago.
We’re launching this strategy because it’s the right thing to do -– because, as TR said, we must not mar the work of the ages. But we’re also doing it because it’s the right thing to do for our economy. It’s how we’re going to spur job creation in the tourism industry and the recreation industry. It’s how we’ll create jobs preserving and maintaining our forests, our rivers, our great outdoors.
In a time of great difficulty, when we are recovering from the worst recession in generations, and waging two wars abroad, some may ask whether now is the time to reaffirm our commitment to our national heritage. But I want everybody to recall, it was in the midst of civil war that Abraham Lincoln set aside lands that are now Yosemite. It was in midst of a great depression that FDR formed the Civilian Conservation Corps that built the trails and campgrounds and parks we enjoy today.
Even in times of crisis, we’re called to take the long view to preserve our national heritage –- because in doing so we fulfill one of the responsibilities that falls to all of us as Americans, and as inhabitants of this same small planet. And that is the responsibility that we are rising to meet today.
So thank you all for the outstanding work that you’re doing individually. I look forward to the work that you’re going to be doing collectively and advising this administration. Thank you. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
END
10:28 A.M. EDT
Categories: Energy & Environment, Office of the Press Secretary, Speeches and Remarks, The President Tags:
Remarks by the President at DNC Reception, 4/15/10
6:42 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Everybody have a seat. Everybody have a seat. Settle down here for a second. (Applause.) Oh, it is good to be back in Miami. (Applause.) It’s good to be back in the Sunshine State. I came to Florida today to visit NASA, lay out a bold new vision for America’s future in space. And I figured, hey, while I’m here -- (laughter) -- let’s beam down and visit some old friends in Miami. (Applause.)
Thank you, Tim Kaine, not only for the generous introduction but for the great job he is doing -- (applause) -- an unbelievable job as DNC chair, just like he did an unbelievable job as the governor of the great Commonwealth of Virginia.
Thank you to your vice chair, your own Debbie Wasserman Schultz. We love Debbie. (Applause.) We have in the house Florida’s next governor, Alex Sink. (Applause.) We’ve got Florida’s next CFO and one of the first people in Florida to stand up and endorse my campaign -- Lorann Ausley is here as well. (Applause.) Somewhere around here is the next senator from the great state of Florida, Kendrick Meek. He’s here somewhere. There he is. (Applause.) Kendrick’s doing a great job.
I also want to point out a great friend of mine, a former member of my administration who just yesterday announced he is running for Congress in Florida’s 25th -- Joe Garcia is in the house. Joe Garcia. (Applause.) So is Florida’s next agricultural commissioner, Scott Maddox. (Applause.) And a wonderful member of Congress from further up north, I don’t know if she came out, but she’s doing unbelievable work, so keep her in mind -- Suzanne Kosmas. (Applause.) There’s Suzanne. There she is. She came out.
And thank you to the talented Esperanza Spalding. Isn’t she terrific? (Applause.) I love listening to Esperanza, she is wonderful.
I also want to thank all the leaders of the Haitian American community who are with us tonight. (Applause.) I think some of you know my political director, Patrick Gaspard, is from Haiti. (Applause.) And so through him we understood how much you’ve lost and how much you’ve given. And some of you know, I think, Michelle just took her first solo trip abroad as First Lady. Her first stop was to Haiti. (Applause.) The devastation moved her deeply, and she also saw, though, the resiliency and the resolve of the people. And that filled her with hope. And so I asked her to give the people of Haiti a message from me, which is the United States of America will continue to stand with the people of Haiti as they recover and they rebuild. That is something that we are committed to. (Applause.)
So it’s good to be among friends in Florida. I spent a lot of time here during our campaign. Many of you were on the frontlines, devoting your time, your energy, knocking on doors, making phone calls, arguing with people. (Laughter.) Most of all, affirming that unyielding faith in the promise of America. And so I want to thank you for being part of this journey. (Applause.)
In a time of incredible economic uncertainty, you believed that we could still make the American Dream accessible for everybody who was willing to work for it. And at a time of cynicism, you believed that we could still solve problems that had held us back for years, decades. At a time of great challenge, especially when we were challenged, you believed that change was still possible in the United States of America.
So, Miami, I’ve come back here to tell you tonight that we have kept the faith with those beliefs. We’ve begun to fix the problems that we identified during the campaign. The change you fought for is beginning to take hold in Washington and all across the country. (Applause.)
Now, change is never easy. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this. (Laughter.) People tend to be comfortable with the status quo, even when the status quo isn’t working for them. And the fact is that with all the turbulence that’s been taking place this year, for many Americans, change still can’t come fast enough. But I wanted people to understand what we were looking at when we first came into office: a financial crisis unlike any we had seen in generations; an economy that was bleeding 750,000 jobs a month; challenges that ranged from the specter of terrorism to the impacts of globalization to two wars that were costly in every sense of the word.
Before we could start healing, we had to stop the bleeding. We needed to make sure that an economic disaster did not become a full-blown depression. And some of those short-term steps designed to stabilize the economy, they weren’t popular. The Recovery Act, even though we gave tax cuts to everybody -- (applause) -- somehow got confused with the bank bailout. And then there was the auto thing, and everybody said, gosh, what’s Obama doing? (Laughter.) He’s not listening to the polls; this is unpopular.
But it turns out that there are some things that, shockingly enough, are more important than polls, more important that elections. (Applause.) The country was in trouble. We had to respond. We had to respond to the problems that were facing the American people with the same sense of urgency that they felt in their own lives. That was just over a year ago.
Now, we’ve still got a long way to travel. There’s still a lot of people hurting out there. You see them in your communities; you see them in your own family; maybe you see them in your own lives. But one year later, we can say that the financial system has stabilized. (Applause.) People have recouped a lot of what they had lost in their 401(k)s. We’ve seen that an economy that was contracting is now growing again. We were losing jobs; now we’re gaining jobs.
As far as the bank system goes, we recovered most of the money that it cost to stabilize it. (Applause.) And I proposed a fee on the nation’s biggest banks so that we recover every dime the taxpayers put into them. (Applause.)
So one year later we’ve made progress. The economy is growing again; the markets are rising again; America’s businesses are creating jobs again. One year later more than 2 million Americans, more than 100,000 Floridians are at work today who otherwise would not be there, because of the Recovery Act, because of what Debbie Wasserman Schultz did and Suzanne Kosmas did and Kendrick Meeks did. (Applause.)
And since today happens to be Tax Day -- (laughter) -- I should just point out that one third of the Recovery Act went to tax cuts -- tax cuts that strengthened the cornerstone of the American Dream: working for a living, earning an education, owning a home, raising a family. We cut taxes for 95 percent of working Americans, just like I promised we would on the campaign. (Applause.) That made a difference for 7 million families in Florida alone. We cut taxes on small businesses. We cut taxes for students and parents paying for college. We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers, more than 128,000 here in Florida. In all, we passed 25 different tax cuts last year. And one thing we haven’t done is raise income taxes on families making less than $250,000 a year -- another promise that we kept. (Applause.)
So I’ve been a little amused over the last couple of days where people have been having these rallies about taxes. (Laughter.) You would think they would be saying thank you. (Laughter.) That’s what you’d think. (Applause.)
So we’re headed in the right direction on our road to recovery. But the true measure of our progress is the progress that the American people feel in their lives -- and there’s still a lot of hurt out here. Too many folks still out of work. That’s why we’re doing everything we can in the short term to accelerate private sector job creation. But here’s the thing, Miami, if we want our economy to fuel job creation in the long term, if we want to grow in the way that brings the middle class along for the ride, then we need to rebuild it on a new and a stronger foundation for growth. And that’s what we’ve been doing. We’re working to give every American the world-class education they need to compete and win in the global economy. (Applause.) Every child in America.
We launched a national competition to improve our schools. We took on the special interests, and with the help of Debbie and Suzanne and Kendrick, we reformed the school loan system -- $68 billion that was going to banks is now going to students and families to help pay for their education. (Applause.) So we’re making college education more affordable and more accessible.
We’ve made the largest investment in clean and renewable energy in our nation’s history -- (applause) -- because there are factories to reopen and assembly lines to restart and workers ready to build wind turbines and solar panels and advanced batteries for the new electric cars, right here in America. The nation that leads the clean energy economy will lead the 21st century economy. And I believe that America has to be that nation. And that’s what we’re going to fight for. (Applause.)
And Miami, for the sake of our families and businesses, and with your help, we finally passed comprehensive health reform right here in the United States of America. (Applause.) We did it thanks to Debbie, thanks to Suzanne, and thanks to Kendrick, and thanks to you. As my Vice President said, this is a big deal. (Laughter and applause.) Joe’s got a way with words. And he was right. It’s a big deal. (Applause.)
I mean, think about what we accomplished here. This reform is the strongest, most sweeping insurance reform in history. It will begin to end the worst practices of the insurance industry. It cuts the deficit by over $1 trillion -- (applause) -- puts in place all sorts of reforms that are going to make sure that we are getting better-quality health care for less money, and it’s going to finally offer millions of families and small business owners quality, affordable care and the security and peace of mind that comes with it -- a lot of people for the very first time in their lives. (Applause.)
So for all the sound and fury and all the scare tactics, here’s what you need about health care reform. The law doesn’t hand more control to the government. It doesn’t hand more control to health insurance companies. It gives it back to you, the American people. (Applause.) This law doesn’t weaken Medicare; it strengthens it and extends its life almost by a decade. This law doesn’t increase our deficits; it’s going to reduce them -- more than $100 billion over the next decade, over $1 trillion the decade after that.
And there’s an array of consumer protection and benefits that take effect this year. I just want to list some of these off just in case you’re having a conversation with your coworker or friend. (Laughter.) I know you’ve had some of those conversations.
This year, seniors who fall into the doughnut hole coverage gap will receive $250 to help them pay for their prescriptions, and that begins a pathway where we are closing that doughnut hole completely so that seniors have the coverage they need and the security they need for their prescription drug coverage. (Applause.) This year, millions of small business owners will be eligible for tax credits to cover the cost of ensuring their employees -- this year. (Applause.) This year, 10,000 -- tens of thousands of uninsured Americans with a preexisting condition and parents with children with preexisting conditions will finally be able to purchase the coverage they need. (Applause.) This year, insurance companies can’t drop you when you get sick. (Applause.) This year, insurance companies can’t apply lifetime limits on your coverage. (Applause.) These are big deals for families all across America.
Now, this reform is not perfect. There are going to be adjustments that we’re going to have to make. This is going to take a few years to fully implement, because we’ve got the responsibility to get it right.
But when you turn on the television, you’ve got pundits saying that the country is still divided on health care; it’s not universally popular yet. Folks, I want to repeat what I said in Maine: It’s only been a couple weeks. (Applause.) You know, sometimes the way they cover stuff in Washington -- I was talking about how the way they cover a farm, you know. You’d be up there tilling the soil, and the press would look, and, “Look, the dirt’s all messed up!” (Laughter.) And then you’d put the seeds in and pack it down. And next morning they’d come up, “There are no crops! It’s not working! We’re going to starve!” (Laughter and applause.) Let me tell you.
And then you’ve got -- then you have some of my Republican friends who were warning that after health care -- this was going to be Armageddon. (Laughter.) Wanted to repeal health reform before the signature was even dry.
So I went to NASA today and I asked some of the guys. I said, are asteroids coming? (Laughter.) Are you sending Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck out to –- (laughter.) They told me, America is going to be okay. (Laughter.)
And for those Republicans and folks who are on the “repeal” platform, my attitude is, go for it. I’ll have that fight. We’ll have that argument. (Applause.) We’ll take that argument across the country. If they want to let kids -- if they want to let kids be barred from getting insurance because of preexisting conditions, we can have that discussion. They want to take back tax cuts from small businesses who want to do the right thing by their employees, I’m happy to have that argument. They want to allow insurance companies to take away your insurance right when you get sick and need it most, I’m happy to have that debate. Are they really willing to look that senior in the eye and say, we’re not going to help you afford that medicine? Well, they may -- (laughter and applause) -- but I tell you what, if they do it, I don’t think they’re going to get a very good response. (Applause.) I don’t think they’re going to look a small business owner in the eye and take away their tax credits or say that your son can’t have health care after all; too bad, tough luck, you’re on your own.
Look what happened the other day, just north of here. Ted Deutch -- (applause) -- won the first congressional election since health reform passed. Now, look, I mean, let’s not get too excited, it’s a Democratic district. (Laughter.) But to listen to the Republicans, they were warning over and over again this would be a referendum on health care; this is a referendum on the Recovery Act; this is a referendum on Obama. Well, maybe it was. (Laughter and applause.) I’m just listening to them.
AUDIENCE: Obama! Obama! Obama!
THE PRESIDENT: Here’s what I think, Miami. Here’s what I think. I think if we stay true to our principles, if we do what’s right for the American people, then elections will take care of themselves. (Applause.) You know, I noticed -- this was one of the great things about running for President -- especially for two years -- (laughter) -- is it gives you a little perspective because you realize that these things go in cycles, the mood of the media and how things get portrayed. And so you’re like a genius for about a month and then you’re an idiot for about six months. (Laughter.) Then, you know, you’re smart again for -- you’re not as smart as you were, but you’re a little smarter than they thought you were, then you’re an idiot again. (Laughter.)
But what it shows you is that you can’t hyperventilate about the day-to-day politics and the gamesmanship and the polls. What you’ve got to focus on is that true North, that lodestar, which is, are the things we’re doing over the long term going to help not just this generation but the next generation? Is this going to make America stronger? Is it going to help the economy grow? Is it going to help equip our children to compete in a new economy?
There are always going to be issues that Democrats and Republicans don’t see eye to eye on. That’s how our democracy works. I have to say, though, it’s one thing to disagree out of principle. It’s another to stand in the way simply because of politics. And too often that’s been what’s going on. (Applause.) And we had -- we had Republican leaders who made a decision even before I took office -- now, this is their quote, so I’m not making this up -- who just said, you know, we’re not going to work with the Obama administration on the most important issues facing the American people.
A few weeks into my presidency I went to the Capitol to meet with some of my Republican friends on the House to talk about what were we going to do about this economy plunging into disaster. It turned out there was a press release issued before I got to the meeting saying they had already decided to vote against it. They didn’t know what “it” was, but they were going to oppose it. (Laughter.)
Early in the health care debate a Republican senator said, if we are able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo, it will break him. When it comes to fiscal responsibility -- these are the folks who inherited this massive surplus from Bill Clinton and the Democrats, right? (Applause.) So they conveniently forget when they’re in charge that they turned this massive surplus into massive deficits, voting for two tax cuts for the wealthy that weren’t paid for, two wars, a new entitlement program -- paid for none of it. Suddenly we’re in and they’ve got the green visors out and they’re sharpening the pencils -- (laughter) -- and they’re deficit hawks again. Blamed me for all of it. I walked in with a $1.3 trillion deficit. Suddenly it’s mine. It’s a sight to see. (Laughter.)
So I said, okay, I’m President, I’m going to take responsibility for it. I embrace a Republican idea -- we’re going to create a bipartisan fiscal commission to help us close the deficit. What happened? Some of the same folks who had proposed the idea -- they were sponsors of the bill -- suddenly they’re against it. (Laughter.)
So I’m sensing a pattern. (Laughter and applause.) So somebody has got to tell them, you talk and you share ideas first, then you can say no. You don’t say no first. (Laughter.)
So, not surprisingly, people are frustrated with Washington. But if folks spent less time trying to score points and more time thinking about the needs and the hopes of the American people, imagine all that we could accomplish together. (Applause.) I know this may be heresy to say in front of a crowd like this, at an event like this -- but there are more important things than political party. (Applause.)
So I’m going to keep on reaching out to Republicans. I’m going to keep on incorporating good ideas when they have them -- even if they refuse to consider my good ideas -- because there is a lot that we should be able to agree on. We should be able to agree on rebuilding our economy so that hard work is rewarded and families feel like they’ve got a shot at achieving the American Dream again. This is more than just an economic challenge because jobs are more than about a paycheck. It’s about feeling a job well done, the sense of self-worth and dignity, the fulfillment of meeting one’s responsibilities. (Applause.) We’ve got to think creatively and collaboratively if we want to put America back to work in well-paying jobs.
We should all agree we’ve got to close our mounting deficits. I take this very seriously. Even as we’ve had to spend our way out of this recession in the near term, helping people with unemployment insurance and their health insurance needs, and helping states so they’re not having to lay off teaches and cops and firefighters -- we’ve still been making hard choices necessary to put our country on a more stable fiscal footing in the long run.
But we’re going to face more tough choices ahead, and we’ve got to work on them together. We should all agree that we’ve got to pass common-sense Wall Street reform that prevents the kind of situation that led us into this crisis in the first place and damaged the dreams of millions of Americans. (Applause.)
Now, it’s no surprise that the financial institutions that profit from the status quo have sent hordes of lobbyists to kill reform. It’s like throwing a piece of meat into a piranha tank -- they’re going to race to see how fast they can tear it apart. But we can’t allow them to succeed. Every member of Congress is soon going to have to make a decision; they’re going to have to make a choice. And the choice is going to be very simple between special interests and the American people. (Applause.) If you want the status quo where banks are able to take wild risks to pump up their bonuses and leave you footing the bill when things go south -- that’s one option. I don’t think it’s the right one. And there’s going to be a very clear choice to make. I believe that all of us, Democrat and Republican, can find some common ground here.
So the bottom line is we’ve come a long way to go -- we’ve come a long way this past year, but we’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got a lot of work left to do. Times are still tough for too many of our fellow Americans. But here’s what I want you to remember. America has endured tough times before -- tougher times than these, even. And we always come out of them stronger. We always come out of them smarter, we always come out more united. And Miami, I’m convinced that if we keep at it, if we see this through, if we shun the cynics, if we heed the better angels of our nature, if we look beyond the next election, do what’s right for the next generation, then we’re going to meet our common challenges and we are going to finish what we’ve started. We are going to keep the promise and hope of America alive for this generation and for the next generation and every generation after that. (Applause.) And we’re only going to do it because of you guys and the incredible work that you’re doing each and every day.
Thank you. I love you. God bless you and God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
END
7:11 P.M. EDT
Categories: Office of the Press Secretary, Speeches and Remarks, The President Tags:
Remarks by the First Lady at California Endowment “Building Healthier Communities” event
2:43 P.M. PDT
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you, everyone. Thank you so much. It is -- (applause) -- thank you, guys. (Applause.) All right, you all are crazy. (Laughter.)
I am just delighted to be here. I can’t tell you -- as much as I love living in Washington, there is nothing that I love better than getting out of Washington -- (laughter) -- particularly when it means coming to such a beautiful community with such energy and passion. So I am happy to be here.
I want to start by thanking Rosa for her wonderful introduction, for her terrific leadership in community service. We are so very proud of you. Let’s give her a big hand. (Applause.) Thank you, Rosa.
And I just want to also acknowledge a few people, as well. I’m honored to be joined by the Lieutenant Governor -- it’s so good to see you, thank you for your work -- as well as the State Controller. Wonderful to see you. Thank you so much for taking the time to be here.
I know that the mayor had to leave, but I want to thank he and his wife for being here. I know that the one thing I heard over there, when I was touring the plots -- more land! (Applause.) More land. (Applause.) But he’s done a terrific job, and I just want to thank all the city officials here for making this visit wonderful. To all of the elected officials who are here, thank you for your work, your leadership, your energy.
I want to thank Bob Montgomery and Amy Lint from the New Roots Community Farm. Yay! (Applause.) They’re doing a fabulous job, and proud of their work, and full of the kind of energy that you need to get this thing going.
And I want to again acknowledge the 14 community leaders who are here, the Building Healthy Community partners who are representing all segments of this state. Don’t let Dr. Ross use that picture as any kind of leverage. (Laughter.) You get the picture and hassle him when you need to, right? (Laughter.) I know they will.
We are just proud of the work that you’re doing. And I know that everyone could not be here, but I know that you’ll send back my excitement, my gratitude, and just assure them that we’re supporting the work that they’re doing. It is a model for the nation, for the world. So thank you. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
And finally, I want to thank my dear friend, Dr. Bob Ross and -- (applause) -- yes, yes -- (applause) -- as well as all the folks from the California Endowment who have joined us today. Thank you so much. Thank you. We’ve been plotting this for a little bit, right? (Laughter.) He’s been such a wonderful partner.
For more than 30 years, as a pediatrician, a professor, a public health administrator, and an advocate, Dr. Ross has worked tirelessly to give all of our kids the kind of healthy start that they deserve. He has been a tremendous asset not just to the state of California but to this nation.
And no matter how he’s served, Dr. Ross has always had a knack for bringing people together -- that’s been his MO --- hospitals, non-profits, businesses, elected officials, you name it –- bringing people together constantly to tackle some of the toughest public health challenges that we face here in our country.
So I think it’s fitting that we’re all here today and that he’s leading the charge to take on yet another challenge. And it is one, as you know, that I care about deeply not just because I’m the First Lady, but I am a mother of beautiful children. (Applause.) When I look at children, I see my kids. And I know that we have to work now to start to curb the epidemic of childhood obesity in this nation.
We all know that this phenomenon is relatively recent. It is not something that has been a challenge for us all this time. This is a new issue, because as I said time and time again, back when we were growing up, we naturally led reasonably healthy lives. It’s just the way we had to function. It kept us healthier than we could imagine.
Most of us lived in communities and went to schools in our communities, so we walked to school. So if nothing else, you were getting exercise just walking to and from school. Everyone had recess and gym. It was not an option; it was mandatory. No one liked it. Some of us did it, but you had to do it. And that also gave us a sense of movement that we’d lost. And at home, we had some pretty simple rules, particularly at dinner. You ate what was put before you, period. No choices, no options, no discussion. And if you didn't, you just went to bed hungry. (Laughter.) We all know that. My mother pretends like she didn’t apply those rules, but she did. (Laughter.)
And many kids today aren’t so fortunate. For many kids, those walks to school have been replaced by car or bus rides because it’s either not safe or they’re going to schools that are far away. School budget cuts mean the so-called “extras” like P.E. and recess are often the first things that go, meaning that our kids are doing a lot less running around during the day, and they’re living and existing in a more sedentary life. And the truth is, is that parents are busy and struggling and working hard, many of them working multiple jobs. That is just the truth. People are working harder than ever. And oftentimes the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables, they keep going up, so many families can’t afford to purchase the foods that they know that they need.
And it is unfair to look to families and tell them to do something better for their children that they can’t afford or don’t have access to. So today, many parents really feel like the deck is stacked against them. They want to do the best for their kids. All of us do -- parents, grandparents, all of us.
But it just seems like the odds are against us. They know their children’s health is their responsibility, but sometimes they feel like the whole issue is just out of their control. They’re trying to do the right thing, but they’re bombarded by contradictory information at every turn –- and they don’t really know who or what to believe. Labels are tough to work through. And sometimes what we prepared when we were young have a different impact physically on our children today.
So that’s why, two months ago, we launched the “Let’s Move!” campaign. (Applause.) And we launched it with the help of so many partners. As you know, this is a nationwide campaign with one single but very ambitious goal, and that's to solve the problem of childhood obesity in a generation so that children born today grow up at a healthy weight with a different set of habits and a different set of beliefs about how to live their lives.
As part of this initiative, we’ve issued a call to action to get things going all throughout the nations -- nation.
And we’re working with so many different groups. We’re working with pediatricians, and food manufacturers, with the FDA to give parents the information they need to make healthy decisions for their kids. And we’ve created a Web site, letsmove.gov, to help provide those helpful tips, step-by-step strategies that parents need to get on the right track to eat well and to stay fit.
We’re working to get healthier food into our schools. This is an important initiative. Most of our kids these days are getting a lot of their calories at school, and by strengthening legislation that supports our federal school meal programs, we can go a long way to changing the eating habits of our children. (Applause.)
And we’re also working with several major food suppliers to get them to do their part -- to decrease sugar, fat and salt not just in school meals but in all the foods that we eat, and to increase fruits, vegetables and whole grains. And we’re getting them to think about how they market to our kids, as well.
One important goal in this initiative is we’re working to eliminate “food deserts.” And you all know what “food deserts” are -- communities that don’t have access to any fresh produce or grocery stores. There are so many of them that exist throughout this country. Millions of children are living in “food deserts.” And our goal is to completely eliminate those by bringing grocery stores and farmers markets into underserved areas so that our families have access to the kind of healthy food, the affordable food, that they’re going to need. And there are many examples in communities around this country, showing how they’re bringing these resources back into communities.
And finally we cannot forget the whole key to “Let’s Move,” and that's moving. (Laughter.) We have to get our kids moving again. And we’re revamping the President’s physical fitness challenge. That's coming up. We’re going to be working with professional athletes from dozens of sports leagues to inspire kids to stay physically fit and active. So if you see me hula hooping and jumping around like I’m crazy, I am. (Laughter.) But it’s a lot of fun, and, you know, it just shows that parents taking the lead, doing simple things with their kids, jumping around, dancing, sweating, turning on music, can make a big difference in their lives.
But we’ve also known from the very beginning that the solution to our childhood obesity crisis isn’t going to just come from Washington. I have talked to a lot of experts about this issue, and not a single one of them has said that the answer is to have federal government telling people what to do. That never works.
Instead, as I’ve traveled across this country, one thing that has become very clear is that we already have many of the solutions to childhood obesity right at our fingertips. There are so many communities in this country that are doing some innovative things. And our goal is to find those folks in those communities who are already running some of the most innovative and creative and effective programs out there, and to do our job to highlight those successes and to share those successes so that they become models for the rest of the country and perhaps even the rest of the world.
And that's why just last week we hosted a summit at the White House for members of our childhood obesity task force so that they could gather with experts around the country and get some new ideas from all across the country. We heard from doctors about the role of prenatal care in determining a child’s health. We can’t underestimate that as an important factor.
We heard from teachers about the need for schools and suppliers to think about how the food that’s -- that are served are, again, marketed to kids. That's the key: How are we talking to our children and our parents about healthy eating?
And we also heard from community advocates about the creative ways that our cities and towns are transforming urban environments into oases for growing fresh fruits and vegetables, just like we’re doing here.
That’s why a new foundation, The Partnership for a Healthier America, was created –- to help support these kind of efforts. This foundation is really key to this movement. It’s going to serve as an independent, non-partisan player that’s going to mobilize and continue to coordinate businesses, foundations, state and local governments, community leaders, the media and others to help with the key goals that come out of the task force for “Let’s Move!”
And it’s no surprise that the California Endowment signed right on board to be a beginning player in this foundation. (Applause.) The Partnership is designed to do just what the Endowment has been doing for years, so it makes sense that they’ve been such an important partner. The goal is to address problems at their root and help folks around the country turn good ideas into something bigger. That's what the California Endowment is trying to do. That's the mission of this partnership.
And today, I’m pleased that the California Endowment is once again leading the way with their new plan to create healthier, more active communities all across this state with this fabulous new “Building Healthy Communities” initiative that’s based on a simple idea –- that healthy children come from a place; a place that is a healthy community.
If a family lives in a neighborhood with a grocery store nearby, it is simple -- they’re more likely to put fresh fruits and vegetables on the table because they’ll have access to it. If there’s safe, inviting parks down the street, parents are going to be more likely to let their kids play. They’re going to be more likely to go to that park with them and enjoy being outdoors. And if our environment is clean and pollution-free, children are less likely to get sick, being outside, and they’re more likely to spend time outside. These are not complicated principles.
But this isn’t just about good ideas and good intentions. It’s about serious investments that make a lasting difference for our kids. And that is why the California Endowment is investing $1 billion -– that’s billion with a “b” –- (applause) -- pretty amazing -- in these 14 California communities across this state to support people and programs that will help our kids lead active, healthy lives right from the beginning. So you all have a lot of money. And that's good. (Laughter.) That's really, really good. It’s never enough; it isn’t. And that's the point. Money alone won’t do it. But money is an important first start.
The investments that will be made will go to folks like Dennis and Michelle Mineni. Did I pronounce that right? Are they here? They’re not here. But they run the Merced Flea and Farmers Market. They’ve run it for more than 10 years. And Dennis and Michelle, I understand, are working with the state to ensure that their customers can use food stamps to buy fresh produce at much lower prices than at supermarkets or convenience stores. (Applause.) That's something that we’ve heard throughout this campaign. We have to make sure that everyone has access to farmers markets. This initiative that Michelle and Dennis are promoting is an example of the right thing to do that's already happening.
The Endowment is also investing in people like the students from Chula Vista who realized that the park that they played in growing up was now too dangerous for other kids to use. So what did they do? They worked with local leaders to fix up that park. And now it’s cleaner and busier than ever before, and now they’re ready to move on to the next park. That's what our young people are doing. (Applause.)
The Endowment is also investing in people like the teachers from Willard Intermediary School in Santa Ana who turned the school’s old wood shop into a fitness center and are now working to combine gym class and science classes, which is something that we can do -- exercise and learning, go figure, they go hand in hand -- teaching students about heart rate and exercise science through personalized fitness programs.
And the Endowment is also investing in people like the farmers here today. The stories of these farmers are amazing. A group of refugees from around the world who founded the New Roots Community Farm right here in City Heights, it is just a phenomenal initiative. (Applause.) And what it shows is that although these farmers come from different corners of the globe, they all recognized a common problem right here in America as they have immigrated: that for many refugees like themselves, tight budgets and the lack of supermarkets often meant that folks were skipping fresh fruits and vegetables in their diets and settling for fast food. That’s -- that has been the natural trend -- transition. And that's what’s happened to many of us. And as a result, many recent immigrants were suffering from high cholesterol and high blood pressure, diseases that they were not dealing with before, migrating here.
So the folks here today got to work. They saw this problem, they understood the connection, and they got to work. And after organizing and speaking out and raising money, they broke ground on the garden. And along with other farmers from places like Somalia, and Uganda, and Kenya, and Cambodia, and Vietnam, Mexico and Guatemala, and many, many more places, they have come together. (Applause.)
And at first, they weren’t sure whether people from so many different backgrounds and cultures would get along farming -– especially since the garden only had two hoses, I understand, when it started, to share and the farmers often didn’t speak the same language.
But day by day, and little by little, neighbors started sharing their vegetables. They started exchanging recipes. They started losing weight. And they started recognizing the hopes and dreams they all held in common, just through a plot of land and some vegetables -- these hopes to make a home for themselves here in this country; and to keep their families healthy at the same time; and to give their kids a better life. Simple values. Simple shared values. And together, what they proved is that food is truly the universal language of this planet.
And that’s what “Let’s Move!” and the Building Healthy Communities initiative is really all about. It’s about giving people the tools that they need to make healthy choices for themselves and for their families. It’s about realizing that the best ideas don’t come from Sacramento or Washington, DC, but they come from communities large and small all across this country. And it’s about recognizing the simple truth that giving our children a healthy future starts one person, one family, one community at a time.
You truly are doing extraordinary work. It is a privilege for me to be able to come here with all the press to highlight what is going on in this simple plot of land. This is what we need to be doing in communities all across the country. And the truth is the world is watching these efforts. We’re not alone in these struggles. This is happening. These changes in diets and health are happening in communities across the globe. And through your effort and your leadership, your coordination, your vision, your determination, we’re beginning, step by step, to find the solutions that are going to make sure that all of these kids behind us have the kind of future that we want for them.
So thank you. We’re so proud of you. And it is an honor for me to be here. Thank you so much. And thank you to the Endowment. (Applause.)
END
3:03 P.M. PDT
Categories: Family, Healthy Kids, Office of the First Lady, Speeches and Remarks, The First Lady Tags:
Remarks by the President on Space Exploration in the 21st Century
John F. Kennedy Space Center
Merritt Island, Florida
2:55 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody. Please have a seat. Thank you.
I want to thank Senator Bill Nelson and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden for their extraordinary leadership. I want to recognize Dr. Buzz Aldrin as well, who’s in the house. (Applause.) Four decades ago, Buzz became a legend. But in the four decades since he’s also been one of America’s leading visionaries and authorities on human space flight.
Few people -- present company excluded -- can claim the expertise of Buzz and Bill and Charlie when it comes to space exploration. I have to say that few people are as singularly unimpressed by Air Force One as those three. (Laughter.) Sure, it’s comfortable, but it can’t even reach low Earth orbit. And that obviously is in striking contrast to the Falcon 9 rocket we just saw on the launch pad, which will be tested for the very first time in the coming weeks.
A couple of other acknowledgments I want to make. We’ve got Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee from Texas visiting us, a big supporter of the space program. (Applause.) My director, Office of Science and Technology Policy -- in other words my chief science advisor -- John Holdren is here. (Applause.) And most of all I want to acknowledge your congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas, because every time I meet with her, including the flight down here, she reminds me of how important our NASA programs are and how important this facility is. And she is fighting for every single one of you and for her district and for the jobs in her district. And you should know that you’ve got a great champion in Congresswoman Kosmas. Please give her a big round of applause. (Applause.)
I also want to thank everybody for participating in today’s conference. And gathered here are scientists, engineers, business leaders, public servants, and a few more astronauts as well. Last but not least, I want to thank the men and women of NASA for welcoming me to the Kennedy Space Center, and for your contributions not only to America, but to the world.
Here at the Kennedy Space Center we are surrounded by monuments and milestones of those contributions. It was from here that NASA launched the missions of Mercury and Gemini and Apollo. It was from here that Space Shuttle Discovery, piloted by Charlie Bolden, carried the Hubble Telescope into orbit, allowing us to plumb the deepest recesses of our galaxy. And I should point out, by the way, that in my private office just off the Oval, I’ve got the picture of Jupiter from the Hubble. So thank you, Charlie, for helping to decorate my office. (Laughter.) It was from here that men and women, propelled by sheer nerve and talent, set about pushing the boundaries of humanity’s reach.
That’s the story of NASA. And it’s a story that started a little more than half a century ago, far from the Space Coast, in a remote and desolate region of what is now called Kazakhstan. Because it was from there that the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, which was little more than a few pieces of metal with a transmitter and a battery strapped to the top of a missile. But the world was stunned. Americans were dumbfounded. The Soviets, it was perceived, had taken the lead in a race for which we were not yet fully prepared.
But we caught up very quick. President Eisenhower signed legislation to create NASA and to invest in science and math education, from grade school to graduate school. In 1961, President Kennedy boldly declared before a joint session of Congress that the United States would send a man to the Moon and return him safely to the Earth within the decade. And as a nation, we set about meeting that goal, reaping rewards that have in the decades since touched every facet of our lives. NASA was at the forefront. Many gave their careers to the effort. And some have given far more.
In the years that have followed, the space race inspired a generation of scientists and innovators, including, I’m sure, many of you. It’s contributed to immeasurable technological advances that have improved our health and well-being, from satellite navigation to water purification, from aerospace manufacturing to medical imaging. Although, I have to say, during a meeting right before I came out on stage somebody said, you know, it’s more than just Tang -- and I had to point out I actually really like Tang. (Laughter.) I thought that was very cool.
And leading the world to space helped America achieve new heights of prosperity here on Earth, while demonstrating the power of a free and open society to harness the ingenuity of its people.
And on a personal note, I have been part of that generation so inspired by the space program. 1961 was the year of my birth -- the year that Kennedy made his announcement. And one of my earliest memories is sitting on my grandfather’s shoulders, waving a flag as astronauts arrived in Hawaii. For me, the space program has always captured an essential part of what it means to be an American -- reaching for new heights, stretching beyond what previously did not seem possible. And so, as President, I believe that space exploration is not a luxury, it’s not an afterthought in America’s quest for a brighter future -- it is an essential part of that quest.
So today, I’d like to talk about the next chapter in this story. The challenges facing our space program are different, and our imperatives for this program are different, than in decades past. We’re no longer racing against an adversary. We’re no longer competing to achieve a singular goal like reaching the Moon. In fact, what was once a global competition has long since become a global collaboration. But while the measure of our achievements has changed a great deal over the past 50 years, what we do -- or fail to do -- in seeking new frontiers is no less consequential for our future in space and here on Earth.
So let me start by being extremely clear: I am 100 percent committed to the mission of NASA and its future. (Applause.) Because broadening our capabilities in space will continue to serve our society in ways that we can scarcely imagine. Because exploration will once more inspire wonder in a new generation -- sparking passions and launching careers. And because, ultimately, if we fail to press forward in the pursuit of discovery, we are ceding our future and we are ceding that essential element of the American character.
I know there have been a number of questions raised about my administration’s plan for space exploration, especially in this part of Florida where so many rely on NASA as a source of income as well as a source of pride and community. And these questions come at a time of transition, as the space shuttle nears its scheduled retirement after almost 30 years of service. And understandably, this adds to the worries of folks concerned not only about their own futures but about the future of the space program to which they’ve devoted their lives.
But I also know that underlying these concerns is a deeper worry, one that precedes not only this plan but this administration. It stems from the sense that people in Washington -- driven sometimes less by vision than by politics -- have for years neglected NASA’s mission and undermined the work of the professionals who fulfill it. We’ve seen that in the NASA budget, which has risen and fallen with the political winds.
But we can also see it in other ways: in the reluctance of those who hold office to set clear, achievable objectives; to provide the resources to meet those objectives; and to justify not just these plans but the larger purpose of space exploration in the 21st century.
All that has to change. And with the strategy I’m outlining today, it will. We start by increasing NASA’s budget by $6 billion over the next five years, even -- (applause) -- I want people to understand the context of this. This is happening even as we have instituted a freeze on discretionary spending and sought to make cuts elsewhere in the budget.
So NASA, from the start, several months ago when I issued my budget, was one of the areas where we didn’t just maintain a freeze but we actually increased funding by $6 billion. By doing that we will ramp up robotic exploration of the solar system, including a probe of the Sun’s atmosphere; new scouting missions to Mars and other destinations; and an advanced telescope to follow Hubble, allowing us to peer deeper into the universe than ever before.
We will increase Earth-based observation to improve our understanding of our climate and our world -- science that will garner tangible benefits, helping us to protect our environment for future generations.
And we will extend the life of the International Space Station likely by more than five years, while actually using it for its intended purpose: conducting advanced research that can help improve the daily lives of people here on Earth, as well as testing and improving upon our capabilities in space. This includes technologies like more efficient life support systems that will help reduce the cost of future missions. And in order to reach the space station, we will work with a growing array of private companies competing to make getting to space easier and more affordable. (Applause.)
Now, I recognize that some have said it is unfeasible or unwise to work with the private sector in this way. I disagree. The truth is, NASA has always relied on private industry to help design and build the vehicles that carry astronauts to space, from the Mercury capsule that carried John Glenn into orbit nearly 50 years ago, to the space shuttle Discovery currently orbiting overhead. By buying the services of space transportation -- rather than the vehicles themselves -- we can continue to ensure rigorous safety standards are met. But we will also accelerate the pace of innovations as companies -- from young startups to established leaders -- compete to design and build and launch new means of carrying people and materials out of our atmosphere.
In addition, as part of this effort, we will build on the good work already done on the Orion crew capsule. I’ve directed Charlie Bolden to immediately begin developing a rescue vehicle using this technology, so we are not forced to rely on foreign providers if it becomes necessary to quickly bring our people home from the International Space Station. And this Orion effort will be part of the technological foundation for advanced spacecraft to be used in future deep space missions. In fact, Orion will be readied for flight right here in this room. (Applause.)
Next, we will invest more than $3 billion to conduct research on an advanced “heavy lift rocket” -- a vehicle to efficiently send into orbit the crew capsules, propulsion systems, and large quantities of supplies needed to reach deep space. In developing this new vehicle, we will not only look at revising or modifying older models; we want to look at new designs, new materials, new technologies that will transform not just where we can go but what we can do when we get there. And we will finalize a rocket design no later than 2015 and then begin to build it. (Applause.) And I want everybody to understand: That’s at least two years earlier than previously planned -- and that’s conservative, given that the previous program was behind schedule and over budget.
At the same time, after decades of neglect, we will increase investment -- right away -- in other groundbreaking technologies that will allow astronauts to reach space sooner and more often, to travel farther and faster for less cost, and to live and work in space for longer periods of time more safely. That means tackling major scientific and technological challenges. How do we shield astronauts from radiation on longer missions? How do we harness resources on distant worlds? How do we supply spacecraft with energy needed for these far-reaching journeys? These are questions that we can answer and will answer. And these are the questions whose answers no doubt will reap untold benefits right here on Earth.
So the point is what we’re looking for is not just to continue on the same path -- we want to leap into the future; we want major breakthroughs; a transformative agenda for NASA. (Applause.)
Now, yes, pursuing this new strategy will require that we revise the old strategy. In part, this is because the old strategy -- including the Constellation program -- was not fulfilling its promise in many ways. That’s not just my assessment; that’s also the assessment of a panel of respected non-partisan experts charged with looking at these issues closely. Now, despite this, some have had harsh words for the decisions we’ve made, including some individuals who I’ve got enormous respect and admiration for.
But what I hope is, is that everybody will take a look at what we are planning, consider the details of what we’ve laid out, and see the merits as I’ve described them. The bottom line is nobody is more committed to manned space flight, to human exploration of space than I am. (Applause.) But we’ve got to do it in a smart way, and we can’t just keep on doing the same old things that we’ve been doing and thinking that somehow is going to get us to where we want to go.
Some have said, for instance, that this plan gives up our leadership in space by failing to produce plans within NASA to reach low Earth orbit, instead of relying on companies and other countries. But we will actually reach space faster and more often under this new plan, in ways that will help us improve our technological capacity and lower our costs, which are both essential for the long-term sustainability of space flight. In fact, through our plan, we’ll be sending many more astronauts to space over the next decade. (Applause.)
There are also those who criticized our decision to end parts of Constellation as one that will hinder space exploration below [sic] low Earth orbit. But it’s precisely by investing in groundbreaking research and innovative companies that we will have the potential to rapidly transform our capabilities -- even as we build on the important work already completed, through projects like Orion, for future missions. And unlike the previous program, we are setting a course with specific and achievable milestones.
Early in the next decade, a set of crewed flights will test and prove the systems required for exploration beyond low Earth orbit. (Applause.) And by 2025, we expect new spacecraft designed for long journeys to allow us to begin the first-ever crewed missions beyond the Moon into deep space. (Applause.) So we’ll start -- we’ll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history. (Applause.) By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth. And a landing on Mars will follow. And I expect to be around to see it. (Applause.)
But I want to repeat -- I want to repeat this: Critical to deep space exploration will be the development of breakthrough propulsion systems and other advanced technologies. So I’m challenging NASA to break through these barriers. And we’ll give you the resources to break through these barriers. And I know you will, with ingenuity and intensity, because that’s what you’ve always done. (Applause.)
Now, I understand that some believe that we should attempt a return to the surface of the Moon first, as previously planned. But I just have to say pretty bluntly here: We’ve been there before. Buzz has been there. There’s a lot more of space to explore, and a lot more to learn when we do. So I believe it’s more important to ramp up our capabilities to reach -- and operate at -- a series of increasingly demanding targets, while advancing our technological capabilities with each step forward. And that’s what this strategy does. And that’s how we will ensure that our leadership in space is even stronger in this new century than it was in the last. (Applause.)
Finally, I want to say a few words about jobs. Suzanne pointed out to me that the last time I was here, I made a very clear promise that I would help in the transition into a new program to make sure that people who are already going through a tough time here in this region were helped. And despite some reports to the contrary, my plan will add more than 2,500 jobs along the Space Coast in the next two years compared to the plan under the previous administration. So I want to make that point. (Applause.)
We’re going to modernize the Kennedy Space Center, creating jobs as we upgrade launch facilities. And there’s potential for even more jobs as companies in Florida and across America compete to be part of a new space transportation industry. And some of those industry leaders are here today. This holds the promise of generating more than 10,000 jobs nationwide over the next few years. And many of these jobs will be created right here in Florida because this is an area primed to lead in this competition.
Now, it’s true -- there are Floridians who will see their work on the shuttle end as the program winds down. This is based on a decision that was made six years ago, not six months ago, but that doesn’t make it any less painful for families and communities affected as this decision becomes reality.
So I’m proposing -- in part because of strong lobbying by Bill and by Suzanne, as well as Charlie -- I’m proposing a $40 million initiative led by a high-level team from the White House, NASA, and other agencies to develop a plan for regional economic growth and job creation. And I expect this plan to reach my desk by August 15th. (Applause.) It’s an effort that will help prepare this already skilled workforce for new opportunities in the space industry and beyond.
So this is the next chapter that we can write together here at NASA. We will partner with industry. We will invest in cutting-edge research and technology. We will set far-reaching milestones and provide the resources to reach those milestones. And step by step, we will push the boundaries not only of where we can go but what we can do.
Fifty years after the creation of NASA, our goal is no longer just a destination to reach. Our goal is the capacity for people to work and learn and operate and live safely beyond the Earth for extended periods of time, ultimately in ways that are more sustainable and even indefinite. And in fulfilling this task, we will not only extend humanity’s reach in space -- we will strengthen America’s leadership here on Earth.
Now, I’ll close by saying this. I know that some Americans have asked a question that’s particularly apt on Tax Day: Why spend money on NASA at all? Why spend money solving problems in space when we don’t lack for problems to solve here on the ground? And obviously our country is still reeling from the worst economic turmoil we’ve known in generations. We have massive structural deficits that have to be closed in the coming years.
But you and I know this is a false choice. We have to fix our economy. We need to close our deficits. But for pennies on the dollar, the space program has fueled jobs and entire industries. For pennies on the dollar, the space program has improved our lives, advanced our society, strengthened our economy, and inspired generations of Americans. And I have no doubt that NASA can continue to fulfill this role. (Applause.) But that is why -- but I want to say clearly to those of you who work for NASA, but to the entire community that has been so supportive of the space program in this area: That is exactly why it’s so essential that we pursue a new course and that we revitalize NASA and its mission -- not just with dollars, but with clear aims and a larger purpose.
Now, little more than 40 years ago, astronauts descended the nine-rung ladder of the lunar module called Eagle, and allowed their feet to touch the dusty surface of the Earth’s only Moon. This was the culmination of a daring and perilous gambit -- of an endeavor that pushed the boundaries of our knowledge, of our technological prowess, of our very capacity as human beings to solve problems. It wasn’t just the greatest achievement in NASA’s history -- it was one of the greatest achievements in human history.
And the question for us now is whether that was the beginning of something or the end of something. I choose to believe it was only the beginning.
So thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you. (Applause.)
END
3:21 P.M. EDT
Categories: Office of the Press Secretary, Speeches and Remarks, Technology, The President Tags:
Remarks by the President on Mine Safety
10:39 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. On April 5th, the United States suffered the worst mine disaster in more than a generation. Twenty-nine lives were lost. Families have been devastated. Communities have been upended. And during this painful time, all of us are mourning with the people of Montcoal and Whitesville and Naoma and the Coal River Valley. The people of West Virginia are in our prayers.
But we owe them more than prayers. We owe them action. We owe them accountability. We owe them an assurance that when they go to work every day, when they enter that dark mine, they are not alone. They ought to know that behind them there is a company that’s doing what it takes to protect them, and a government that is looking out for their safety.
In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, I asked the officials standing with me -- Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, and Joe Main and Kevin Stricklin with the Mine Safety and Health Administration -- to lead an investigation into what caused the explosion at Massey Energy Company’s Upper Big Branch mine. I asked them to report back with preliminary findings this week.
We just concluded a meeting, where they briefed me on their investigation. I want to emphasize that this investigation is ongoing, and there’s still a lot that we don’t know. But we do know that this tragedy was triggered by a failure at the Upper Big Branch mine -- a failure first and foremost of management, but also a failure of oversight and a failure of laws so riddled with loopholes that they allow unsafe conditions to continue.
So today I’ve directed Secretary Solis, Assistant Secretary Main, and Administrator Stricklin to work closely with state mining officials to press ahead with this investigation -- so we can help make sure a disaster like this never happens again. Owners responsible for conditions in the Upper Big Branch mine should be held accountable for decisions they made and preventive measures they failed to take. And I’ve asked Secretary Solis to work with the Justice Department to ensure that every tool in the federal government is available in this investigation.
But this isn’t just about a single mine. It’s about all of our mines. The safety record at the Massey Upper Big Branch mine was troubling. And it’s clear that while there are many responsible companies, far too many mines aren’t doing enough to protect their workers’ safety.
And that’s why yesterday Governor Manchin announced that West Virginia miners will take this Friday off from coal production so they can mourn their loss, but also reevaluate safety procedures. He also called for additional inspections in West Virginia mines. The federal government is taking sweeping actions as well. Starting today, we’ll go back and take another look at mines across this country with troubling safety records, and get inspectors into those mines immediately to ensure they aren’t facing the same unsafe working conditions that led to this disaster.
Second, I’ve directed Secretary Solis, Assistant Secretary Main, and Administrator Stricklin to work with Congress to strengthen enforcement of existing laws and close loopholes that permit companies to shirk their responsibilities.
Stronger mine safety laws were passed in 2006 after the Sago mine disaster. But safety violators like Massey have still been able to find ways to put their bottom line before the safety of their workers -- filing endless appeals instead of paying fines and fixing safety problems.
To help ensure that mine companies no longer use a strategy of endless litigation to evade their responsibilities, we need to tackle the backlog of cases at the Mine Safety and Health Review Commission.
And to help hold companies accountable, I’ve also asked Secretary Solis to streamline the rules for proving that a mining company has committed a pattern of violations -- so that we can empower the mine safety agency to take essential steps to keep miners safe. If a mining company consistently violates safety standards, they should be subjected to the tougher enforcement that comes with being placed on an updated Pattern of Violations list.
Third, we can’t just hold mining companies accountable -- we need to hold Washington accountable. And that’s why I want to review how our Mine Safety and Health Administration operates. For a long time, the mine safety agency was stacked with former mine executives and industry players. The industry [sic] is now run, I’m proud to say, by former miners and health safety experts like Joe Main and Kevin Stricklin. Even so, we need to take a hard look at our own practices and our own procedures to ensure that we’re pursuing mine safety as relentlessly as we responsibly can. In addition, we need to make sure that miners themselves, and not just the government or mine operators, are empowered to report any safety violations.
I think we all understand that underground coal mining is, by its very nature, dangerous. Every miner and every mining family understands this. But we know what can cause mine explosions, and we know how to prevent them. I refuse to accept any number of miner deaths as simply a cost of doing business. We can’t eliminate chance completely from mining any more than we can from life itself. But if a tragedy can be prevented, it must be prevented. That’s the responsibility of mine operators. That’s the responsibility of government. And that is the responsibility that we’re all going to have to work together to meet in the weeks and months to come.
Thank you very much, everybody.
END
10:46 A.M. EDT
Categories: Office of the Press Secretary, Speeches and Remarks, The President Tags:
Remarks by the First Lady at Youth Forum — Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, Mexico
2:19 P.M. (Local)
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) Good afternoon, and thank you so much. Thank you, Jaime, for that very kind and profound introduction. It is such a pleasure and an honor to be in this beautiful country, at this great university, with so many outstanding young people from all across Mexico.
Let me start by thanking your First Lady, Mrs. Margarita Zavala. (Applause.) I want to thank her for her tremendous kindness not just to me but to my family. She is smart. She is tough. She is passionate. And she is my friend. We’ve had a wonderful time together, both here in Mexico and during her visits to the United States. And I look forward to welcoming her and her husband, President Calderón, to Washington for a state dinner next month. And I told her to prepare to have fun. (Laughter.)
I also want to recognize the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ambassador Pascual. And I want to thank the rector of this school, Dr. Jose Morales Orozco, for his leadership and for hosting me here today. And finally, I want to thank all of the people of this country for your incredible warmth and hospitality during my visit here. From the moment I arrived, I felt like I was entre amigos –- (laughter) -- which is only natural given the close and enduring friendship between our two nations.
Mexico is home to more U.S. citizens living abroad than anywhere else in the world, and tens of millions of Americans trace their roots right here to this country. And for generations, Mexico and the U.S. have been bound together not just by a shared border, but by shared values and aspirations -– devotion to family and to faith; a willingness to work hard and to sacrifice for our children; a commitment to democracy rooted in struggles for independence that have defined our nations.
So when it came time for me to decide where to make my first solo international trip as First Lady, the choice was clear: Mexico, por supuesto! (Applause.)
And there’s also a reason why I wanted to come here to the Ibero and speak with all of you. It’s the same reason why, when my husband travels abroad to talk about the challenges we face –- from extremism to nuclear weapons, from poverty and hunger to climate change and to pandemics –- he doesn’t just meet with presidents and prime ministers. He doesn’t just visit palaces and parliaments. He goes to schools and to universities and he meets with young people just like all of you.
And this isn’t an accident. Today, we’re seeing what has come to be called a “youth bulge” –- an explosion of the youth population in nations around the world. And here in Mexico, nearly half the population is under the age of 25. In the Middle East, it’s 60 percent. And young people between the ages of 15 and 24 alone now make up 20 percent of the world’s citizens. This is the largest group in history making the transition to adulthood.
And the fact is, is that responsibility for meeting the defining challenges of our time will soon fall to all of you. Soon, the world will be looking to your generation to make the discoveries and to build the industries that will fuel our prosperity and ensure our well-being for decades to come.
We’re going to be looking to your generation to seize the promise of clean energy to power our economies and preserve our planet for your children and your grandchildren. We’re going to be looking to your generation to find the courage and the patience to resolve the conflicts and to heal the divides that plague our world.
And I’m here today because I believe that all of you, and your peers around the world, are more ready than ever to meet these challenges. More than any generation in history, you all are able to access information and connect with one another in ways that my generation could never have imagined. With the click of a button, you can exchange thoughts on any issue with people just about anywhere in the world. You have an unprecedented ability to organize and to mobilize to challenge old assumptions, and to bridge old divides, and to find new solutions to our toughest problems.
And it is because of this immense promise that I intend to focus my international work as First Lady on engaging young people just like you all around the world.
My husband and I know all too well that meeting the challenges that we will face will depend on whether we effectively tap into your God-given potential –- whether we fully benefit from the industry and the energy and the perspectives of young people from every background and every nation. Because we know that ambition and ability are found in every corner of the globe. The question is, how do we ensure that opportunity is, too?
Now, my husband and President Calderon are working hard to rebuild our education systems, to revive our economies, and to create new opportunities for young people in both of our nations. But leaders and governments can’t shoulder this responsibility alone. Ordinary citizens must share the responsibility as well -– and that includes young people.
And it’s not just enough just to change laws and policies. We must also change our perceptions about who can and who can’t succeed. We have to confront the wrong and outdated ideas and assumptions that only certain young people deserve to be educated; or that girls aren’t as capable as boys; or that some young people are less worthy of opportunities because of their religion or disability or ethnicity or socioeconomic class -- because we have seen time and again that potential can be found in some of the most unlikely places.
My husband and I are living proof of that. We both came from very modest backgrounds. Our families were not wealthy. My parents never went to college. My husband never really knew his father and was raised by a young single mother who struggled to pay the bills.
And like many kids with backgrounds like ours, we faced challenges: the sting of low expectation; the constant doubts about whether we could succeed, and whether we were even worth the effort. You see, back when we were young, no one could have predicted that one day we would become the President and First Lady of the United States of America.
But we were lucky and more importantly we were blessed. We had families who believed in us. We had teachers who pushed us. We had universities that saw our potential and gave us opportunity. And we worked as hard as we could. We learned as much as we could. And as a result, we were prepared and we were poised to pursue our dreams.
And our stories are not unique. They’re the stories of countless young people in Mexico, in the United States, and around the world who’ve worked hard and they’ve defied the odds. They’re the stories of young people throughout history who’ve succeeded not because of their trust fund, or pedigree, or their test scores, but because of challenges that tested and motivated them and made them who they are, and because someone somewhere believed in them and helped them believe in themselves.
When he was orphaned at a young age and sought work as a servant, no one could have imagined that Benito Juarez would one day become one of Mexico’s greatest presidents. But thanks to a Franciscan friar who helped him join a seminary and get an education, he was able to realize his gifts.
One of my country’s greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, was born in a one-room log cabin in the woods –- but was lucky enough to have a teacher who taught him how to write and debate.
And then there’s Joan of Arc, the daughter of a peasant farmer who tried to persuade anyone who would listen that she could rescue the French army from defeat. And when a prince finally believed her, that’s exactly what she did.
You see, throughout our world history, it has so often been that unlikely hero, that unusual perspective, that improbable journey that has been the key to our progress. So when we dismiss any of our young people, when we fail to tap into their potential, we risk losing their promise. And just think of the inventions and the cures that are never discovered, the great works of art and literature that are never created, the great acts of courage and leadership that never grace this world.
But this isn’t just about discovering those few extraordinary folks who still or will change the course of history. It’s also about breaking down barriers across the globe so that all our young people can learn and work and be productive members of our societies. It’s about seeking the perspectives and experiences of young people from every background –- those new ideas that make our businesses more productive, our cultures more vibrant, and our governments more open and free.
But in order to do this –- in order to open up opportunities for more young people –- the truth is that those of you who already have a seat at the table must do your part to make room for others who don’t. Young people around the world must reach out to help others realize their talents and make their voices heard.
Now, I understand that in these difficult economic times here in Mexico, the United States, and around the world, many young people are struggling and nothing is guaranteed. And even young people like those of you who have the privilege of attending a university like this may be feeling a bit uncertain about your futures.
Some of you may be worried about whether you’ll even be able to build careers of your own. And you may be tempted -- tempted to focus solely on your individual success, take your diploma, get you the best job you can, and never look back.
But before you do that, I hope that you’ll just think, just for a moment, think about the mission statement of this university, and that is to prepare students, and I quote, “to engage in service to others and develop and spread knowledge to achieve a free, fair, united and productive society.”
I hope that you’ll think of those words from the Bible -– that to whom much is given, much is required. And I hope that you’ll think of all those who’ve shaped our history by heeding these words.
Imagine if Mahatma Ghandi had led a comfortable existence as a lawyer instead of leading the struggle for the rights of his countrymen and his nation’s independence –- work he started when he was in his twenties. Imagine if Nelson Mandela had chosen a life of leisure as the son of a tribal leader instead of joining the ANC at the age of 24, and enduring decades behind bars to end apartheid. Imagine if Mother Teresa had never answered her calling and ventured into the streets of Calcutta to tend to those in desperate need.
Now, I’m not saying that you have to take a vow of poverty or lead a movement. But I am asking you to do something -– whether through your career, or as a volunteer –- do something to ensure that other young people have the opportunities they deserve as well. That’s what folks like you are doing every day all across the globe, and right here in Mexico.
Alberto Salvador from Guanajuato was born deaf and was at first denied admission to elementary school because of his disability. But he completed high school with honors, got a degree in the United States, and then returned here to Mexico where he mentors deaf children and will soon be starting his job as a teacher.
And then there’s Mariana Vazquez del Mercado, who’s finishing law school at Universidad Panamericana. And she spends hours volunteering in a free legal clinic and she also directs an organization that builds housing for struggling families. Of her work, she says -- and this is a quote: “The goal is to show that despite being young, we are sufficiently responsible and aware.”
Alberto Irezabal, who graduated from the Ibero last year, used his service project to help an indigenous community in Chiapas better produce and sell their locally grown coffee. And of his work, he says -- this is also a quote: “I believe we have a responsibility to see that our projects succeed, not just for ourselves, but for our country.”
Each and every one of these young people is working to break down barriers and to open doors. Each of them is giving others the chances they’ve had to succeed. But also let’s be clear –- I’m not just talking to the university students who are here today. I am also talking to young people here in Mexico, and the United States, and around the world who feel like they have no place at universities like this.
And I have met so many young people in so many places who have so much to offer, but because of where they’re born, or the family they’re born into, or the circumstances of their lives, they begin to doubt themselves. They begin to feel like they don’t belong, or they’re not prepared, or they won’t measure up –- so they shouldn’t even try.
Now while I was fortunate to have so many opportunities in my own life, I can certainly understand those feelings. See, when I first went to college, I was filled with self-doubt. I was convinced that everyone else was smarter than I was –- and I felt like I just didn’t fit in. But I soon realized that I was just as capable, and had just as much to contribute, as my classmates. All I needed was a little confidence in myself to make that happen.
Now, it’s true, it is so true, that some of you might have to work a lot harder to get what you want. You might face many more obstacles and setbacks. But I want you to know that you belong in places like this just as much as anyone. You have just as much to offer as anyone else. All you have to do is belief in yourself. If you refuse to give up, then there is nothing –- there is nothing you can’t accomplish.
And I hope that all of you, all of you here, when you encounter hardships and when you start to get discouraged -- and I guarantee you, you will -- I hope that you’ll think about young people like you all around the world who have toiled in laboratories and libraries, in factories and fields, who have marched and fought and bled to make our world a better place.
I hope you’ll think about the young people two centuries ago who risked everything they had for Mexico’s independence. I hope you’ll think about the young people in America who fought to ensure that all citizens, no matter their gender or the color of their skin, were treated equally under the law. You and I, we’re here today because of them.
And finally, I hope you’ll think about young people like Sonia Kim. She was a young woman I met yesterday during my visit in Haiti. Sonia works at the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince. And like so many people in Haiti, she has been working around the clock on the earthquake relief efforts.
I want to read you an e-mail that she sent me. This e-mail inspired my trip there. It’s inspired my trip here. She wrote: “We are exhausted, traumatized and heart-broken. But we choose to stay here and work. We choose to stay because we love Haiti and its people. We choose to stay because we believe in our duty to help the people here in their greatest hour of need. We choose to stay because we believe in our mission. We choose to stay because we still hold out hope… for recovery and renewal… and for a Haiti built back better than before.”
And I hope that every single one of you, and young people across the globe, will take up that work –- the work of helping others in need, the work of building stronger nations and a better world, because if we’re going to tackle the challenges of our time -– if we’re going to make our world safer and healthier and more prosperous and more free -– we are going to need the passion and the daring and the creativity of every last one of you.
We’ll need you to work as hard as you can, and do as much as you can, driven by the belief that has always summed up the spirit of our youth -- three simple words: Si, se puede –- Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Thank you. God bless. (Applause.)
END
2:39 P.M. (Local)
Categories: Healthy Kids, Office of the First Lady, Speeches and Remarks, The First Lady Tags:
Remarks by the President before Meeting with Bipartisan Congressional Leadership to Discuss Financial Reform
10:53 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: All right. Hello, everybody. I want to welcome congressional leaders to one of our periodic meetings where, obviously, it’s the beginning of a lengthy work period coming off a very tough work period.
One of the things that we’re going to be talking about is the economy. I'm going to be presenting to them the latest report from the Council of Economic Advisers on the impact of the Recovery Act. What we’re seeing I think is some significant improvement in the economy and stabilization. But, obviously, everybody here -- Republican and Democrat -- recognizes we’ve still got work to do; that there are too many people who are still unemployed, the housing market is still very soft, too many small businesses who aren’t getting credit. And so we’re going to spend some time exploring how can we build on the progress that has been made to make sure that ordinary Americans are seeing improvements in their own lives.
I'm also going to be interested in talking to them about our ability to move quickly on a financial regulatory reform package. I think all of us recognize that we cannot have a circumstance in which a meltdown in the financial sector once again puts the entire economy in peril, and that if there’s one lesson that we’ve learned it’s that an unfettered market where people are taking huge risks and expecting taxpayers to bail them out when things go sour is simply not acceptable.
As a consequence, I am actually confident that we can work out an effective bipartisan package that assures that we never have “too big to fail” again; that consumers are adequately protected when it comes to financial instruments -- whether it’s mortgages or credit cards or debit cards; that we have a strong mechanism to regulate derivatives, something that we have not had, a derivatives market that is in the shadow economy but is enormously powerful, enormously risky -- we want to get that into daylight so that regulators and ordinary Americans know what’s going on when it comes to this huge segment of the financial system.
And I am confident that if we work together diligently over the next several weeks that we can come up with a package that serves the American people well and does not put Americans ever again in a position where they’re having to choose between a terrible economic situation or rewarding people for failed policies and bad risk-taking. And so that's going to be a top priority of this meeting.
Finally, we’ve got a range of issues -- from a Supreme Court vacancy, a START treaty that I believe needs to be ratified, a host of other issues related to appointments -- that we’re going to talk about and I'm going to be also obviously listening to congressional leaders about their priorities over the next several months.
So I very much appreciate them taking the time to come and I'm hopeful that this will not only be a productive meeting, but we will see a productive session over the next several weeks.
All right. Thank you, everyone.
Q Is the bailout bill -- is this a bailout bill as Senator McConnell says?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I am absolutely confident that the bill that emerges is going to be a bill that prevents bailouts. That's the goal. All right.
END
10:57 A.M. EDT
Categories: Economy, Office of the Press Secretary, Speeches and Remarks, The President Tags:
Remarks by the First Lady and Dr. Biden at Thank You Event
UN Logistical Center
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
3:22 P.M. (Local)
DR. BIDEN: Thank you Mr. Mulet for that introduction, for hosting us on this important visit, and for the ongoing leadership that you and the United Nations team have provided here in Haiti. And good afternoon and thank you to everyone gathered here today.
It’s truly an honor to be with all of you –- individuals from across the world, along with many Haitians, who have been at the core of the relief and the recovery efforts.
I am honored to be with you today and want to simply say thank you for your heroic actions in recent months. Your commitment and compassion in the face of unthinkable challenges has inspired the entire world.
Some of your very own here have lost lives, others have risked their lives, and all of you have made us incredibly proud with your determined efforts to save men, women and children –- to provide comfort, and to put Haiti on a path to a brighter future.
All of you in this room know that the devastation in Haiti was unconceivable, and that there is much work to be done. But after visiting for just a day, I will leave with a renewed sense of hope and optimism because of the will of the Haitian people and the steadfast commitment of those of you standing here today and the international community you represent.
As a teacher, I was especially pleased to visit a school this morning that is providing a sense of normalcy and hope for the children in this area. And I spoke with Mrs. Préval about the importance of a strong education system to provide young Haitians the chance at a better life.
I also saw rebuilding efforts that will result in more schools. And with the leadership of the Haitian government, your help and that of the international community, I know these schools will educate Haiti’s future leaders of government, arts, science and business.
Each of you is essential to these efforts. There is much hard work ahead. But I know that together with the leadership of the Haitian people, the commitment of the global community, and the ongoing sweat and compassion of those in this room today, we will help Haiti build back better. (Applause.)
The First Lady and I came here to listen and learn, but also to deliver a sincere and simple message: Thank you for what you have done and what you will do for this ongoing mission.
I am honored to join First Lady Michelle Obama for this meaningful visit to Haiti.
The President asked Michelle to come here to reiterate the commitment of the United States to Haiti as a steadfast partner, and he could not have asked a more able, dedicated, or compassionate person to deliver this message on behalf of the United States.
I am so proud -- (applause) -- I am so proud and honored to introduce my friend, and a woman we are so fortunate to call our First Lady: Michelle Obama. (Applause.)
MRS. OBAMA: Well, thank you. Thank you, all. First let me start by thanking my friend, Jill -- Jill and her husband, that character you know, Vice President Biden, for all that they’ve done over these past few months, especially in support of our wonderful Haitian American communities, in South Florida and across the United States. Let’s give Jill and Vice President Biden another round of applause. (Applause.)
And also to Ed Mulet, to David Harland, to Nigel Fisher, General Cruz, and all the United Nations personnel who are here today, thank you. Thank you for hosting us. This has been an incredibly warm welcome. It’s been an incredibly informative visit. And I want to thank you all for your remarkable service under truly extraordinary circumstances, by any measure.
The mission to help Haiti recover and rebuild is truly, as Dr. Biden said, an international effort -- an international effort that is here at the invitation of the Haitian government and in support of -- by the Haitian people.
And we’re joined today by representatives from many countries, international institutions and NGOs who are playing a vital role in this rebuilding effort. It is truly an honor to be here with all of you.
This has been a deeply moving day for Jill and I, a very emotional day in so many ways. And Jill and I first and foremost were grateful for the opportunity to be able to -- sat down with President Préval and the First Lady. We again expressed to them, as Jill said, America’s deepest condolences, first of all, to the Haitian people for this terrible and tremendous loss.
My husband, the President, asked that we remind President Préval and the people of Haiti that we are going to keep standing with them. That is for sure. (Applause.)
So I repeated to President Préval the pledge that my husband made to him at the White House during his visit last month -- that is, as Haiti recovers and rebuilds, you will have a steady and reliable partner in the United States of America.
We had the opportunity also to visit some of the places that reflect the enormous needs of the Haitian people, but also it reflects their amazing strength and resilience.
We visited families living in the tent cities in Champs De Mars -- families who’ve lost everything, everything, and for whom every day is a struggle to stay dry, to feed their children.
We visited a school -- more so, a classroom in buses donated by the Dominican Republic -- where some truly amazing kids were rebuilding and playing and dancing and laughing, even under the circumstances.
We also visited a school that is being rebuilt so that children can realize their dreams of an education and a better life.
We just had a very moving visit at our U.S. embassy with Ambassador Merten, our embassy staff -- Americans as well as Haitians. They have worked so hard for the past three months. And some of the civilian and military personnel who’ve been part of the Americans’ contribution to this international effort, we got to spend some time with them.
And like so many of you, they lost colleagues and friends and loved ones. And our purpose for these visits was to mainly say thank you -- to thank them for their extraordinary service and for delivering on America’s enduring commitment to Haiti.
But we wanted to come here today because, as I said, helping Haiti recover and rebuild has been an international effort.
And those of you here -- those of you here at the United Nations, our many partner nations, these incredibly -- incredible NGOs have really been at the heart of this huge undertaking.
And all of you have displayed such a spirit of compassion and partnership that, frankly, we could use a whole lot more of in the world today. You all are showing us all how it’s done.
You’ve done this even though so many of you have endured heartbreaking losses yourselves.
Here at the U.N, you lost Hédi Annabi and so many leaders and colleagues and members of the Stabilization Mission.
For the U.N., I understand it has been the single largest loss of life in history. For each of you, it was the loss of a co-worker, a friend, a fellow peacekeeper. For those of you in the NGO community, I know that the loss was just as devastating -- friends and partners and neighbors who you worked with every day.
And as we mark the three-month anniversary of this terrible day, I’d like to ask us all to just take a moment of silence to honor all those that we’ve lost.
(There is a pause for a moment of silence.)
We honor every single one of these victims -- people from dozens of nations.
And every day that each of you gets up and go back to work and into the communities that you love, you should know that you’re not only carrying on their work, you’re also honoring their lives and you’re keeping their legacy alive. So please don’t ever forget that in these times of struggle.
And despite all your loss, you have shown amazing courage and commitment, especially in those first hours and those first days.
One of the first Secretary Generals of the U.N. famously said that the U.N. -- and this is a quote -- was “not created in order to bring us to heaven, but in order to save us from hell.” And that’s just what you did for so many people here. You saved them from devastation that was nothing like it on Earth.
You’ve worked around the clock, day after day, clearing rubble, and building shelters, and delivering food, and water, and medicine and supplies to millions of people. And you’ve done this all with a true spirit of partnership.
Yes, the United States is proud to play a leading role in this effort. But let’s never forget that this has been one of the largest and most complex relief operations the world has ever attempted -- the world. And in one way or another, more than 140 nations has helped to make this a reality.
General Peixoto and peacekeepers from dozens of nations restored security so the relief effort could proceed.
And when more peacekeepers were needed, nations around the world stepped up -- especially Brazil, even though it too lost so many in the quake.
And because you live and work in the communities that you serve, those of you in the NGOs were often the first ones on the scene, providing food, and medical care and shelter under nearly impossible conditions.
And I want to salute these inspiring organizations, especially all the Haitian NGOs -- Haitians serving Haitians. (Applause.)
And so much of your work would be impossible without the generous support of Haitians living abroad, including in the United States. (Applause.)
To all these NGOs that you all represent, you represent them with the best spirit of service. And I commend you for joining forces, and working together, and pursuing a common vision of reconstruction. And as Haiti recovers and rebuilds, you’re going to be indispensable, and America is going to be your partner, too.
So this has truly been a global effort -- an amazing example of what nations and what people can do when they come together to do what’s right.
The road ahead, as you know, is not going to be easy. And it’s not going to be quick. As you know, the rainy season is coming soon; it is here. The hurricane season is coming, too.
But I heard a wonderful Haitian proverb that puts this all in perspective. And some of you probably know it. It says, “Little by little, the bird builds its nest.”
And today, the needs of the Haitian people are still overwhelming. We know that. I saw that firsthand. But every day -- and thanks to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s unprecedented Humanitarian Appeal -- this international effort is bringing more supplies and more shelter so that little by little, daily life will improve.
President Préval and the Haitian government have been working under unimaginable difficulties. But they have a vision for the future and they have a roadmap to get there. So little by little, Haiti will move forward.
The destruction is catastrophic. But last month, the world came together -- dozens of nations, including the United States; the U.N. and other international institutions; and NGOs -- and they made an historic commitment to Haiti’s long-term reconstruction. So little by little, Haiti will rebuild.
Now, some might ask, after so much misery, how can we still have faith? After so much ruin, how can Haiti rise again? After so much loss, how on Earth can you still have hope?
Well, we have hope because we’ve been inspired -- inspired by the resilience and the faith of the Haitian people -- (applause) -- people who have lost everything, except their belief that tomorrow can be a little bit better than today.
And we have hope because the people of Haiti are not alone. America is standing with Haiti. (Applause.) The world is standing with Haiti. You are all standing with Haiti. And your commitment and dedication to this country is truly inspiring.
It’s the commitment reflected in an e-mail that I received from one of your embassy staff before I came for this visit, Sonia Kim, who I just got to meet. And I think that her beautiful words speak to the commitment that all of you bring to this work, wherever you’re from, whatever language you speak.
She wrote: “We are exhausted, traumatized and heart-broken. But we choose to stay here and work. We choose to stay because we love Haiti and its people. We choose to stay because we believe in our duty to help the people here in their greatest hour of need. We choose to stay because we believe in our mission. We choose to stay because we still hold out hope…for recovery and renewal…and for a Haiti built back better than ever before.”
And that’s why I came here today. (Applause.) That’s why we have hope. And that’s why, little by little, we’re going to keep making tomorrow better than today.
Thank you for your incredible service. We are so proud of you. The world is proud of you. The world is watching. And we wish you nothing but the best. God bless. Thank you so much. Applause.)
END
3:38 P.M. (Local)
Categories: Dr. Jill Biden, Foreign Policy, Haiti, Office of the First Lady, Speeches and Remarks, The First Lady Tags: