Category: Mar2014

President Obama will host Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa of Tunisia at the White House on Friday, April 4.  During the meeting, the President looks forward to discussing the commitment Tunisia’s leaders have made to advancing Tunisia’s democracy and how the United States can further support Tunisia’s historic transition.  The leaders will discuss a broad range…

Michelle and I were saddened to hear of the passing of Bob Strauss. Bob was one of the greatest leaders the Democratic Party ever had, yet presidents of both parties relied on his advice, his instincts, and his passion for public service – not to mention his well-honed sense of humor. As President Carter’s trade…

Presidential Palace Vilnius, Lithuania 1:20 P.M. (Local) PRESIDENT GRYBAUSKAITE:  (As interpreted.)  Good afternoon. So today we had an important meeting with U.S. Vice President Biden and Latvian President Berzins.  With our partners, we discussed the situation in Ukraine and its impact on the security of the Baltic States and Europe as a whole.  I see…

Aboard Air Force Two En Route Warsaw, Poland 11:24 P.M. EST SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  This is on background as  a senior administration official, and given the late hour, I’m going to beg your forgiveness for keeping it short. So the Vice President is making stops in Warsaw and Vilnius first and foremost to reassure our…

President Obama spoke this morning with Chancellor Merkel regarding Russia’s violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.  The leaders condemned Russia’s moves to formally annex Crimea, which is a violation of international law, and noted there would be costs.  They agreed it was vital to send international monitors from the Organization for Security Cooperation in…

Prime Minister’s Chancellery Warsaw, Poland 1:56 P.M. (Local) VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Mr. Prime Minister, these are challenging times. And I’ve known you for a while and the President and I have great respect for you, and we’re absolutely confident that we are up to the challenge.  It’s more important today than ever that friends stand…

Presidential Palace Warsaw, Poland 3:47 P.M. (Local) VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Mr. President, thank you very much.  Let me begin where you ended.  Russia has increased their budget. But I want to remind you, you have an ally whose budget is larger than the next 10 nations in the world combined.  So while others may not…

Warsaw Marriott Hotel Warsaw, Poland 5:20 P.M. (Local) VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Mr. President, I was pleased to have another chance to get together with you and speak with you today, and I appreciate the fact you made the time to see me in the midst of your own state visit to Poland. …

East Room 3:33 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  Please be seated.  Well, welcome to the White House. The presentation of our nation’s highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — is always a special occasion.  But today, it is truly historic.  This is the single largest group of servicemembers to be awarded…

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Mr. President:) Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the “order”) expanding the scope of the national emergency I declared in Executive Order 13660 of March 6, 2014, with respect to the unusual and extraordinary…