White House

October 15, 2009 -- Westin St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, California -- THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. Please, everybody, have a seat. Now, I am not going to spoil a good dinner with a long speech. (Laughter.) But there are some big thank yous that I've got to say.

First of all, I've got to say something about my introducer. We are doing some tough stuff in Washington, and Mark is absolutely right that everybody has a story about Nancy's kindness and her thoughtfulness, her intelligence, her passion. I just want to say a little bit about her toughness. (Laughter.)    » read more »

October 16, 2009 -- Aboard Air Force One, En route Houston, Texas -- MR. BURTON: Hi, guys. All right, well, let's start this thing. Good morning -- or afternoon, depending on where you are.

Q Can we start with Afghanistan -- before we go on to the "balloon boy," I'm sure? The Washington Post have sources saying that the U.N. election monitors investigating the election fraud had cut Karzai's vote tally to 47 percent, and that would trigger a runoff with his closest competitor. Is there any concern on the part of -- what was the U.S. response to that and is there any concern that this will further delay the President's decision on the Afghanistan war strategy?    » read more »

October 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Barack Obama praised the progress that has been made on health insurance reform, and spoke out against those who defend the status quo in order to score political points and protect their profits. With reform the closest it has ever been to becoming law, the insurance companies are rolling out deceptive ads, paying for misleading studies, and flooding Capitol Hill with lobbyists. Now, Washington needs to serve the American people, not the special interests.

Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address October 17, 2009    » read more »

October 16, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama named George D. Mulligan, Jr. as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Military Office (WHMO).

President Obama said, "George brings decades of experience and has served with integrity and a deep commitment to his country – not just in his role at the White House Military Office, but throughout his distinguished career. I am very grateful that George has agreed to lead the Office and I look forward to continuing to work with him in the coming months and years."

President Obama made the following announcement today:

George D. Mulligan, Jr., Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Military Office (WHMO)    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

* Clifford L. Stanley, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Department of Defense
* Scott Quehl, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Administration, Department of Commerce
* Anne Slaughter Andrew, Ambassador to the Republic of Costa Rica, Department of State
* Lynnae M. Ruttledge, Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, Department of Education
* Jill Long Thompson, Member, Farm Credit Administration Board    » read more »

Senior Administration Officials Joined President to See Recovery Progress Firsthand

October 15, 2009 --
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On his sixth trip to New Orleans since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, President Barack Obama today visited the Dr. Martin Luther King Charter School and held a town hall event to hear directly from the people of Louisiana. President Obama discussed both the progress made in the region and the challenges that remain. In his first public event in New Orleans, President Obama also spent time answering questions from everyday people.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- James S. Brady Press Briefing Room -- MR. GIBBS: Good afternoon. Let me give you guys a quick readout on the President's morning meeting. As you know, the President met for three hours with his national security team in the Situation Room. This was the fifth in a series of meetings assessing our strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

* Joseph F. Bader, Re-nominated as Member, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
* Jessie H. Roberson, Member, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
* Peter S. Winokur, Re-nominated as Member and Nominee for Chair, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
* Robert Reischauer, Member, Board of Trustees of the Social Security Trust Funds
* Alan Kessler, Governor, Board of Governors of the Postal Service

President Obama also announced that he will appoint the following individuals to posts in the administration:

* Henry Anderson, Member, Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- President Obama announced his support for an additional $250 Economic Recovery Payment to the seniors, veterans and people with disabilities who are struggling to make ends meet with retirement savings that have not fully recovered from their losses over the first year of the recession.

"Even as we seek to bring about recovery, we must act on behalf of those hardest hit by this recession. That is why I am announcing my support for an additional $250 in emergency recovery assistance to seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities to help them make it through these difficult times.    » read more »

Urges Congress to Act Quickly in Light of Anticipated No COLA for 2010

Washington, DC – AARP CEO A. Barry Rand offered the following statement in reaction to the White House’s announcement this afternoon, calling on Congress to extend previous $250 economic relief provided for older Americans, veterans and persons with disabilities for 2010.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, October 14 – Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) today welcomed President Barack Obama’s support for a one-time, $250 payment next year to more than 50 million seniors to keep Social Security benefits from shrinking.

“Even as we seek to bring about recovery, we must act on behalf of those hardest hit by this recession,” Obama said. “I want to compliment all the members of Congress who have been working to address these challenges, especially Senators Reid, Baucus, Sanders, and Lincoln, Speaker Pelosi, and Representatives Rangel, McCarthy, and DeFazio.”    » read more »

October 13, 2009 -- Rose Garden -- THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. Today we reached a critical milestone in our effort to reform our health care system. After many months of thoughtful deliberation, the fifth and final committee responsible for health care reform has passed a proposal that has both Democratic and Republican support. This effort was made possible by the tireless efforts of Chairman Max Baucus and the other members of the Senate Finance Committee. It's a product of vigorous debate and difficult negotiations.    » read more »

Senate Now Needs to ‘Answer the President’s Call’ for Clean Energy

October 9, 2009 -- Today’s announcement that President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize recognizes his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” The Norwegian Nobel Committee also noted his commitment to confront climate change. National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Larry Schweiger had this to say:    » read more »

October 9, 2009 -- Washington, DC - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today released the following statement in response to comments made by the Pentagon about the VH-71 presidential helicopter program. Hinchey, who is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, helped secure $485.2 million for the continued development of Increment 1 of the VH-71 presidential helicopter program.

He will be serving on the House-Senate conference committee that's expected to meet next week to determine funding for the helicopter.

"The Pentagon is once again misleading the public about its proposed presidential helicopter plan. It is offering incomplete information and citing figures that are directly contradicted by its own internal documents.    » read more »

White House Announces More Than $20 Million for Efficiency Upgrades, Retrofits

October 8, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Today, United States Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) lauded the White House’s announcement that more than $20 million is headed to California for energy efficiency upgrades that will reduce energy use and create jobs in Los Angeles and Sacramento Counties.

The funding is part of nearly $93 million awarded today through the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, which was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.    » read more »