Category: January 2012

State Dining Room 11:13 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT:  Please, have a seat, everybody.  For those of you who I have not seen since before the break, Happy New Year. I am extraordinarily grateful for all the work that you have done.  I want to start off by thanking Jeff for his continued outstanding leadership of…

WASHINGTON, DC – Today the White House announced that current Deputy Director for Management and Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients will serve as the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget. “I’m pleased to designate Jeff Zients to lead the Office of Management and Budget.  Since day one, Jeff has demonstrated superb judgment…

Oval Office 3:07 P.M. EST PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good afternoon, everybody.  It is a great pleasure for me to once again welcome His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan, as well as his delegation. We have very few countries around the world that are better friends and better partners than the Jordanians.  The fact that they are…

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama convened a meeting at the White House with the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to discuss initiatives and policies to strengthen the economy, promote and accelerate job growth and bolster America’s competitiveness around the world.  The White House has recently implemented a number of Jobs Council recommendations, including…

3:33 P.M. EST MRS. OBAMA:  Please be seated.  Hello, everyone. AUDIENCE:  Happy birthday! MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, thank you! THE PRESIDENT:  It’s her birthday! MRS. OBAMA:  It’s my birthday. THE PRESIDENT:  It’s her birthday today. MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  And this is a great way to spend — no, you don’t have to sing, that’s very…

President Obama will host President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia for a meeting in the Oval Office on Monday, January 30th.  This year marks the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Republic of Georgia and the two presidents will discuss further strengthening the U.S. – Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership by…

The United States continues to be deeply disturbed by the recent interethnic clashes in Jonglei State in the Republic of South Sudan that are causing tremendous human suffering, displacement, and death.  The long-running cycle of violence between certain tribes, particularly the Murle and Lou Nuer, has escalated to an alarming series of revenge attacks in…

Browne Education Campus Washington, D.C. 9:57 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT:  Well, good morning, everybody! AUDIENCE:  Good morning! THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, this looks like an outstanding group, I can already tell.  I’m not going to make a long speech, because we’re here to do some work.  But mainly what I want to do is just to…

WASHINGTON, DC – To honor the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service and Dr. King’s life and legacy, the President and Mrs. Obama, the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden, Cabinet Secretaries, and other senior administration officials participated in community service projects and events throughout the country.  Led by the Corporation for…

WASHINGTON, DC— In his weekly address, President Obama told the American people about companies that are “insourcing” – choosing to bring jobs back and make additional investments in the United States. To help with this, the President invited business leaders who are insourcing jobs to a White House forum this week to see how others…