Category: January 2014

Today, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan participated in a panel discussion with over 250 mayors to discuss the President’s commitment to partnering with local communities and cities to promote…

Roosevelt Room 10:53 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  Glad you guys made it to work. I just want to say thank you publicly to all the wonderful people here who served on the Presidential Commission on Election Administration.  I think all of us recall that in the last election in 2012, we had reports…

East Room 2:05 P.M. EST THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Folks, let me start off by telling you why I’ve never had a doubt about joining this man on the ticket and why I’m so proud of Valerie Jarrett and all that she does. One of the first things the President did when we took office was…

Today, as we reflect on the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, we recommit ourselves to the decision’s guiding principle: that every woman should be able to make her own choices about her body and her health.  We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to protecting a woman’s access to safe, affordable…

This afternoon, President Obama joined Vice President Joe Biden’s meeting with Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi and a delegation of Iraqi parliamentarians. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of the strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq.   The President encouraged Iraq’s leaders to continue dialogue to address the legitimate grievances of all communities…

Vice President Biden met with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop of Australia today at the White House.  The Vice President underscored the strength of the alliance and friendship between the United States and Australia.  The Vice President and the Foreign Minister discussed a range of regional and global challenges, including security challenges in the Asia-Pacific and…

As part of the United States’ ongoing consultations with our allies and partners in Europe and beyond, President Obama will travel to the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy in March 2014.  While in the Netherlands on March 24-25, the President will participate in the Nuclear Security Summit, hosted by the Dutch government, where world leaders will…

On January 23, 1995, by Executive Order 12947, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States constituted by grave acts of violence committed by foreign terrorists…

TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE January 21, 2014 Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to…

The White House is pleased to announce that the United States will host the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC on August 5 and 6, 2014.  President Obama looks forward to welcoming leaders from across the African continent to the Nation’s Capital to further strengthen ties with one of the world’s most dynamic and…