Category: Mar2015

Today President Obama issued a new Executive Order to implement and expand upon the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014.  Venezuelan officials past and present who violate the human rights of Venezuelan citizens and engage in acts of public corruption will not be welcome here, and we now have the…

President Obama today issued a new Executive Order (E.O.) declaring a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the situation in Venezuela.  The targeted sanctions in the E.O. implement the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act…

Vice President Joe Biden spoke today with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski about bilateral relations, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and European energy security. The Vice President noted U.S.-Polish relations were excellent and agreed to continue close consultations with Poland about threats to European security, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Vice President and President Komorowski agreed…

Via Telephone 12:12 P.M. EDT MR. VENTRELL:  Hey, good afternoon, everybody.  And thanks for dialing in.  Today, we have three senior administration officials who are going to discuss the President’s executive order related to Venezuela, the Venezuela sanctions.  I have with me today — this call will be on background, attributable to senior administration officials.…

Today, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes met with Bishops Mar Awa Royel and Mar Paulus Benjamin of the Assyrian Church of the East.  The Bishops briefed Mr. Rhodes on the challenges facing Christian communities in Syria and Iraq and on the current situation along the Khabur River in northeastern Syria, where…

It’s no coincidence that the rise of the middle class in America coincided in large part with the rise of unions – workers who organized together for higher wages, better working conditions, and the benefits and protections that most workers take for granted today. So it’s inexcusable that, over the past several years, just when…

I served in the United States Senate for thirty-six years. I believe deeply in its traditions, in its value as an institution, and in its indispensable constitutional role in the conduct of our foreign policy. The letter sent on March 9th by forty-seven Republican Senators to the Islamic Republic of Iran, expressly designed to undercut…

Higher education continues to be the single most important investment students can make in their own futures.  Five years ago this month, President Obama signed student loan reform into law, redirecting tens of billions of dollars in bank subsidies into student aid. His historic investments in college affordability include increasing the maximum Pell Grant by…

 In an op-ed published in The Hill, the Vice President outlines the Administration’s commitment to Central America. The op-ed can be found HERE. Investing in a secure, stable Central America By Vice President Joe Biden Earlier this month, I spent two days in Guatemala meeting with Central American leaders about our mutual efforts to tackle…

Good morning! It is so wonderful to be back in Austin. Thank you Christopher for that kind introduction, and I couldn’t agree more with what you said: Not only should our young people dream big, but, like you, all Americans should have the opportunity to realize their full potential. Christopher is a great example of…