Category: September2014

Via Telephone 12:12 P.M. EDT MS. HAYDEN:  Hi, everyone.  Thanks for joining us today.  You’ve already heard this morning from the President and from the Pentagon, but we wanted to give you a chance to ask some more questions about the actions we took last night in Syria.  So we have a group of senior…

Vice President Biden spoke today with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to review efforts to strengthen bilateral trade ties and increase regional cooperation on matters like energy and security. The Vice President and President Santos continued their active dialogue on regional issues, and discussed Colombia’s potential role in international peacekeeping operations. The Vice President also…

Oval Office 2:35 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  All right, don’t knock anything over.  (Laughter.)  It’s always a little hazardous. It is a great pleasure for me to welcome the leadership and some of the key participants in America’s Promise.  I think as many of you know, this is something that the Powell family…

Good afternoon everyone.  It’s great to be back at Brookings.  This was my place for six years, and since my mother and I both worked here for so long, it really has the feel of home.  This is where I met so many gracious and insightful colleagues, whom I still turn to for guidance and…

The President called Prime Minister Key late last evening to congratulate him on his third electoral victory.  The President noted the strength of the U.S.-New Zealand relationship and said he looked forward to working with Prime Minister Key in the coming months and years to address shared opportunities, interests, and concerns.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke today with Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz. The Vice President congratulated Prime Minister Kopacz on her government’s swearing in and pledged to continue close consultation on a range of bilateral and global issues. The Vice President underscored that Poland is one of the United States’ closest allies and thanked Prime…

America’s businesses have created 10 million jobs over the last 54 months – the longest stretch of uninterrupted private sector job growth in our nation’s history – and we should do everything we can as a country to build on that progress.  That’s why I’ve called on Congress to lower our corporate tax rate, close…

The United States applauds presidential candidates Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani for signing an agreement on the formation of a government of national unity.  Signing this political agreement helps bring closure to Afghanistan’s political crisis, and restores confidence in the way forward. We support this agreement and stand ready to work with the…

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the horrific al-Shabaab terrorist attack at the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, which killed 67 innocent people and wounded some 200 others.   We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed or injured.  The United States and Kenya stand together in the fight…

The President spoke with Dr. Ashraf Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah earlier today to congratulate them on concluding their agreement for a government of national unity and safeguarding the first democratic and peaceful transfer of leadership in Afghanistan’s history. The President thanked Drs. Ghani and Abdullah for their leadership and willingness to partner to advance…