Posted by Prem Kumar The delegations have departed, the speeches have been delivered, and the talks have begun. Re-launching direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians was of course a first step, but the meetings this week at the White House and the State Department went quite well, and represent a good foundation for progress. As Senator Mitchell said, the [...]
Posted by Erin Edgerton Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, affecting children across the nation and changing country’s overall health and wellness. Building on the momentum of the Let’s Move! campaign and highlighting the steps that individuals, families and communities can take to address this issue, President Obama recently issued [...]
Posted by Arun Chaudhary This week the President announced the end of America’s combat mission in Iraq and West Wing Week takes you there, on the ground, with an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the change of mission. We spent a week on the ground with our troops and civilians , some coming home, some staying for [...]
Posted by Nikki Sutton Americans have a rich history of showing great generosity when other communities around the world face crises. Today, the people of Pakistan are confronting one of the worst crises in their history. Over 20 million people throughout Pakistan have been affected since flooding began just over a month ago and there is [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (47MB) | mp3 (5MB) The President’s schedule today is packed with bilateral meetings: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. The talks will stretch into the night with a working dinner with [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (508MB) | mp3 (17MB) Having returned hours earlier from a conversation with troops at Fort Bliss, Texas – troops who had seen every phase of what has become one of America’s longest wars – the President spoke to the Nation for just the second time from the Oval Office [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Over the past week, we’ve been inviting you to join us in saluting the troops for their service. The response has been overwhelming, and has made clear that while the end of the combat mission is an appropriate time to recognize the sacrifice the troops and their military make, the gratitude is always [...]
Posted by Sarah Bernard Tonight at 8pm EDT, President Obama will address the nation from the Oval Office regarding the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq. Immediately following the President’s remarks, Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications will answer questions directly from Americans across the country. Now is your chance to hear the [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee An update out from the White House moments ago: Vice President Joe Biden in Iraq Vice President Joe Biden has arrived in Iraq to participate in a Change of Command and Change of Mission Ceremony, fulfilling the commitment made by the President in his first month in office. This is the [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee With the end of combat operations in Iraq days ahead, the President salutes our troops for their service and pledges to fulfill America’s commitment to them as veterans. 90,000 troops have left Iraq since the President came into office, and by the end of next year even the troops taking part in the [...]
Posted by Arun Chaudhary Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, watch a sneak preview of next Friday’s “Dispatches from Iraq” and join our brave men and women, both troops and civilians, on the ground as combat operations end in Iraq. Go behind the scenes [...]
Posted by Nikki Sutton “This flooding has already affected more people than the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Haiti earthquake, and the 2005 Pakistan earthquake combined,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday during an address to the United Nations. Over 20 million Pakistanis have been affected during this humanitarian crisis and as the rains relentlessly [...]
Posted by Katelyn Sabochik Earlier today, President Obama sent a message to the White House email list about ending our combat mission and drawing down the number of troops in Iraq. Check out the email below. You can sign up to receive periodic updates from the President and other senior administration officials here. Good afternoon, [...]
Posted by Katelyn Sabochik A few weeks ago, the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden visited Fort Drum in upstate New York to welcome home the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, from Iraq. One of the most deployed brigades in the U.S. Army, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team has participated in three deployments [...]
Posted by Nikki Sutton In times of crisis, the American people have always stood up in support of those in need. President Obama has directed his Administration to stand with the Pakistani people and to assist them as they confront the worst flooding in Pakistan’s history. You can also contribute to the response effort by [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee As the end of combat operations in Iraq approaches, and the massive drawdown of troops continues, a photo of the President and his national security team meeting on Iraq in the Situation Room: President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with the national security team on Iraq in the [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (529MB) | mp3 (51MB) This afternoon the President held a town hall with 115 young leaders from more than 40 countries across Africa — it was the kind of White House event under this President that surprises you, catching you off guard with its honesty. For those interested [...]
Posted by Maria Otero This year, 17 sub-Saharan African countries celebrate 50 years of independence, and the Obama Administration is ready to look forward towards greater partnerships with African nations. Acknowledging the value of engaging young leaders in the discussion of the future of Africa, President Obama has invited 115 young leaders from 47 nations of [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee This morning the President discussed the great honor he felt to be speaking at the national convention of Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta, Georgia — one of the great organizations carrying on the values of America’s proud military. The occasion was all the more meaningful because yet another momentous turning point [...]
Posted by Samantha Vinograd The Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program, (IYLEP) funded by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and implemented by AED, a nonprofit organization working globally to improve education, health, social and economic development, enables 50 highly-motivated undergraduate students from Iraq to attend a six-week intensive academic summer program at a U.S. host university. [...]
Posted by Arun Chaudhary Thanks for checking out the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, walk step by step with the President as he speaks up for unemployed Americans, congratulates this year’s WNBA champs, talks with astronaut John Glenn about space exploration, meets with British Prime [...]
Posted by Alex McPhillips Ed. Note: Also visit Ambassador Susan Rice’s Facebook and Twitter accounts for updates on U.S. work at the UN. On Monday in New York, the United States spearheaded a successful effort in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to accredit the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), a U.S.-based NGO whose respected [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee For allies with so rich and deep a history as the United States and the United Kingdom, any bilateral meeting is likely to cover an exceptionally broad a range of topics. In their opening remarks at the press availability afterwards, President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron spoke about long term growth, long term stability and long term [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (72MB) | mp3 (7MB) This afternoon President Obama held a bilateral meeting with President Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic, touching on a broad range of issues from the political crisis in Honduras, to trade, to continued efforts to crack down on drug trafficking between our two countries. Both [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (211MB) | mp3 (20MB) The President welcomed Prime Minister Netanyahu today for some intensive work – a one-on-one meeting and a working lunch. Between the two, both men addressed the press briefly from the Oval Office. Both exchanged kind words for each other, and pledged unequivocally to “work together [...]
Posted by Dr. Jill Biden Last night, my husband Joe and I flew to Iraq to celebrate the Fourth of July with our troops. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Independence Day than spending it with Americans who are bravely serving our country. Vice President Joe Biden, center, congratulates a soldier on becoming [...]
Posted by Kori Schulman This Independence Day, First Lady Michelle Obama has a special message for all Americans about supporting our military families: The First Lady is asking 100 percent of Americans to support the brave men and women in uniform and their families back home. Here are some things you can do in your community to get [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Yesterday afternoon, just a couple hours after the President’s speech, we held a first-of-its-kind event here at the White House — maybe anywhere? — in which we took questions from the public on every side of the immigration debate. We hosted Cecilia Muñoz, White House Director of Intertgovernmental Affairs and one of the President’s [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (330MB) | mp3 (32MB) Few issues have stirred more passions than immigration in this country, and this morning the President made clear what many already know: all sides must come together to address it, including those Republicans who have backed away from the table since the failed effort a [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Speaking to 24 American service members as they became citizens of our nation in April, the President was passionate about the need to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Over the years, many have attempted to confront this challenge, but passions are great and disagreements run deep. Yet surely we can all agree that when [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Download Video: mp4 (417MB) | mp3 (40MB) If you’re looking for more information on the G-20 Summit in Toronto, we’ve got plenty to keep you busy, including the Declaration that lays out the enormously broad spectrum of issues that were addressed: The G-20 Toronto Summit Declaration The G-20 Summit in Toronto: U.S. Financial Reform [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Below find all of the resources, and several photos from the second day of the G8 Summit and the G20 in Canada. Remarks by President Obama and President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China Before Bilateral Meeting Remarks by President Obama and President Lee Myung-Bak of the Republic of Korea After Bilateral [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee The President spent today at the G8 Summit in Canada, which focused amongst other things on the Muskoka Initiative on maternal and child health (MCH). See an array of photos from the day below. President Barack Obama is saluted by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officers as he arrives with Roger Portelance, Director [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee It may be that no relationship has seen greater progress and been more productive over the past two years than that between the U.S. and Russia. As one of his earliest foreign policy priorities, the President sought to “reset” relations with Russia and reverse what he called a “dangerous drift.” Every meeting [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (81MB) | mp3 (8MB) This afternoon the President spoke on new leadership for the mission in Afghanistan, full remarks below: Includes Video READ THE REST
Posted by Katelyn Sabochik Immediately following President Obama’s address in the Oval Office, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs took questions from the American people about the BP Oil Spill. Questions were submitted throughout the day onYouTube.com/WhiteHouse in one of four categories, and Robert Gibbs answered some of the most popular questions from each category. Download Video: mp4 [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Ed. Note: Moments after the speech concluded, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs took questions submitted and voted on by the American public, see the full video of that broken down by question as well. Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (477MB) | mp3 (16MB) Having just returned from his fourth trip to the Gulf Region, the President addressed [...]
Posted by Heidi Avery Ed. Note: For more information on federal response resources, volunteer opportunities, and assistance for those in affected areas visit WhiteHouse.gov/Deepwater-BP-Oil-Spill. In the first Oval Office address of his presidency, President Obama outlined his commitment to fighting the full impacts of the BP oil spill with everything we’ve got for as long as it takes. [...]
Posted by Ambassador Demetrios Marantis Next week, the United States will welcome to San Francisco negotiators from seven countries for the second round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations. TPP is an exciting opportunity for the Obama Administration and the United States, because at heart TPP is about shaping America’s economic future. We know that [...]
Posted by Annie Tomasini Dr. Biden concluded her Kenya visit this morning with a stop at the Starehe Girls Centre in Nairobi. This is a boarding school for teenage orphan girls from across Kenya. It’s a model school training young women in academics, athletics, arts and agriculture. With help from USAID and partners like the Global [...]
