Category: 2013

M. Luis Construction Company, Rockville, Maryland 10:49 A.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  (Applause.)  Good to see all of you.  Please, please have a seat.  Well, hello, Rockville! Let me start by recognizing three public servants who fight hard every day for Maryland families and businesses.  First of all, Congressman Chris Van Hollen is here. …

Due to the government shut-down, President Obama’s travel to Indonesia and Brunei has been cancelled. The President made this decision based on the difficulty in moving forward with foreign travel in the face of a shutdown, and his determination to continue pressing his case that Republicans should immediately allow a vote to reopen the government. …

President Obama called President Yudhoyono of Indonesia tonight. The President expressed his appreciation for President Yudhoyono’s strong leadership of the APEC Summit. He expressed his regret that the ongoing government shutdown in the United States will prevent him from attending the Summit. He reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-Indonesia partnership, and his personal affection for…

President Obama called the Sultan of Brunei tonight. The President expressed his appreciation for the Sultan’s strong leadership of the ASEAN and EAS Summits. He expressed his regret that the ongoing government shutdown in the United States will prevent him from attending the Summits. He reaffirmed the importance of the partnership between the United States…

Last night, President Obama called President Aquino of the Philippines to inform him that, due to the government shutdown, he will not be able to go forward with his planned travel to the Philippines. The President reaffirmed our strong alliance with the Philippines and respect for President Aquino’s leadership, and committed to travel to the…

Last night, President Obama called Prime Minister Najib of Malaysia to inform him that, due to the government shutdown, he will not be able to go forward with his planned travel to Malaysia. The President reaffirmed the close partnership that he has forged with Malaysia and respect for Prime Minister Najib’s leadership, and committed to…

Vice President Biden met today with Prime Minister Samaras of Greece to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues.  The Vice President stressed Greece’s strategic importance as a NATO ally and valued partner in promoting peace and stability from the Middle East and North Africa to the Western Balkans.   The Vice President commended the…

On Wednesday, October 2, 2013, the President signed into law: H.R. 527, the “Helium Stewardship Act of 2013,” which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to continue to sell crude helium from the Federal Helium Reserve for a specified timeframe; extends payments to certain counties under the Secure Rural Schools program; increases the cap on…

Tonight, the President hosted a meeting with the members of the Congressional Leadership that lasted for over an hour.  The President made clear to the Leaders that he is not going to negotiate over the need for Congress to act to reopen the government or to raise the debt limit to pay the bills Congress…

Rose Garden 1:01 P.M. EDT PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good morning, everybody.  At midnight last night, for the first time in 17 years, Republicans in Congress chose to shut down the federal government.  Let me be more specific:  One faction, of one party, in one house of Congress, in one branch of government, shut down major parts…