Posted by Jesse Lee While there is nothing to celebrate until job numbers turn around, the President cites the recent dramatic turnaround in gross domestic product as a sign of better things to come. He also applauds the fact that the Recovery Act has now created or saved more than a million jobs.
Posted by Jeffrey Crowley The Ryan White Program is the largest federal program specifically dedicated to providing HIV care and treatment. It funds heavily impacted metropolitan areas, states, and local community-based organizations to provide life-saving medical care, medications, and support services to more than half a million people each year: the uninsured and underinsured, racial and [...]
Posted by Melody Barnes Earlier this month, I joined the President in New Orleans for his first visit there since the election. A key part of the President’s message was that the Gulf Coast’s recovery didn’t flow just from government programs and policies: I’ve talked a lot today about what steps we’ve taken at the [...]
Posted by Norm Eisen Today marks a major milestone in government transparency — and an important lesson in the unintended consequences of such vigorous disclosure. We previously announced that the White House in December of this year would — for the first time in history — begin posting all White House visitor records under the [...]
Posted by Molly Fedick The White Sox may be out of the running, but that didn’t stop First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden from attending Game 1 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y., between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. Donning their custom World Series jackets, the [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee It’s no secret that institutions of all stripes focus their communications on certain messages day to day. We thought it would all be a little more open and transparent if we went ahead and published what our focus will be for the day, along with any related articles, documents, or reports. [...]
Posted by Katie Stanton There are a number of common sense precautions being taught at homes and schools across America to help prevent the spread of the flu, including frequent hand washing, sneezing into the elbow, and getting a vaccination when it becomes available. If your kids are playing on sports teams this fall, here [...]
Posted by Jared Bernstein Good news, folks. The Recovery Act is working, and so are over one million people whose jobs have been saved or created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. But why take it from me when you can see it for yourself? Thanks to unprecedented real-time data collection by the independent [...]
Posted by Catherine Mccormick-Lelyveld Today, the First Lady welcomed students from Bancroft Elementary, who have been helping the White House Kitchen Garden team since the groundbreaking on the south lawn in March, as well as students from Kimball Elementary. Together, they worked on the South Lawn of the White House this afternoon for the Fall Harvest [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee This afternoon the President took to the South Court of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to speak about small business. And as important to the identity and history of America as small businesses are in their own right, it is also the case that they are at the heart of the [...]
Posted by Brandon Friedman VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and Defense Secretary Robert Gates meet before the first-of-its-kind National Mental Health Summit in Washington, D.C. on October 21, 2009. When troops leave the active military after service in Iraq and Afghanistan, many find themselves lost in a blur of reality shows and superficiality—in a world where [...]
Posted by Secretary Ken Salazar On Tuesday President Obama announced the largest single power-grid modernization investment in U.S. history. Under the Recovery Act, the Department of Energy is funding 100 grants totaling $3.4 billion to help companies, utilities and cities build a nation-wide smart grid. Yesterday, I was in Houston, Texas – the Energy Capital [...]
Posted by Ed DeSeve You may have seen a misleading Associated Press story this morning on the accuracy of Recovery Act job reports that were posted earlier this month on Recovery.gov. On the same day that we learned that the economy has begun to grow again for the first time in over year, the very [...]
Posted by Erin Edgerton At 2 p.m. EDT today, watch the H1N1 briefing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) live on Flu.gov. Today’s update will include updated information about vaccine availability and anti-viral medications. Flu.gov continues to be the one-stop clearinghouse for flu information. Updated information on how to find vaccination clinics [...]
Posted by Macon Phillip On the same day that we found out that motor vehicle output added 1.7% to economic growth in the third quarter – the largest contribution to quarterly growth in over a decade – Edmunds.com has released a faulty analysis suggesting that the Cash for Clunkers program had no meaningful impact on [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee President Barack Obama greets Louvon Harris, left, Betty Byrd Boatner, right, both sisters of James Byrd, Jr., and Judy Shepard, center, mother of Matthew Shepard, following his remarks on the the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the East Room of the White House, Oct. 28, [...]
Posted by Norm Eisen In the interests of transparency we wanted to give you another update on our efforts to limit the influence of special interests on government. As we indicated here in a previous blog post, the latest chapter in the Administration’s efforts is limiting lobbyists from service on government boards and commissions. Some [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee It’s no secret that institutions of all stripes focus their communications on certain messages day to day. We thought it would all be a little more open and transparent if we went ahead and published what our focus will be for the day, along with any related articles, documents, or reports. [...]
Posted by Secretary Hilda Solis Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking before more than 3,000 people at the Solar Power International 2009 conference. This crowd was energized and excited by the possibility of a clean energy economy! I told them we have a choice to make: we can remain one of the world’s leading [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Starting at 9:30, Energy Secretary Steven Chu will host a Clean Energy Economy Forum with stakeholders from around the country. Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner and other top Administration officials will also be featured speakers at the forum, which will include a focus on science, innovation, and [...]
Posted by Elizabeth Alexander (Vice President Joe Biden announces that Fisker Automotive of Irvine, California will build plug-in electric sports cars at the shuttered GM plant in Wilmington, Delaware, Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Official White House Photo by David Lienemann) The cars of the future are coming, and they will be built right here in [...]
Posted by Administrator Lisa P. Jackson This is it. You only have a few days left to join the GreenGov challenge. October 31 is the deadline. I’ve recorded a short message reminding everyone to get involved. Take a moment to watch the video, then log in to share your ideas, and vote on others. As [...]
Posted by Catherine Mccormick-Lelyveld We’ve been asked about whether the President, Mrs. Obama, and Sasha and Malia have received their H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines. All four members of the Obama family have received their seasonal flu vaccine. Malia and Sasha were both vaccinated for H1N1 last week, after the vaccine became available to Washington, [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Earlier this week we released a video with the First Lady and HHS Secretary Sebelius talking about why health insurance reform is so important to women in particular. The First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden also led the White House in marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month and honoring those who fight it. Today, Senior Advisor [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee (President Barack Obama arrives to speak to servicemen and women at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, in Jacksonville, Florida October 26, 2009. Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy) Speaking today at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida, the President honored the fourteen Americans killed in the crash in Afghanistan this morning, [...]
Posted by John Brennan During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month I have discussed the types of cyber threats that we face and some of the basic steps that all computer users can take to better protect themselves. This week, I’d like to address another important dimension of this shared responsibility – the role of America’s small businesses. As the President [...]
Posted by Nancy Sutley Last week, I joined fellow members of the Ocean Policy Task Force in New Orleans for a Public Meeting to continue our ongoing discussion of ocean and coastal environmental issues, this time with a focus on the Gulf Coast Region. At the meeting on Monday, we heard a wide variety of [...]
Posted by Molly Fedick Friday afternoon in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, First Lady Michelle Obama donned pink to honor the millions of women and families affected by breast cancer. Speaking to a crowd of survivors, lawmakers, and doctors, the First Lady highlighted the importance of adequate health coverage for those facing the disease. One in [...]
Posted by Secretary Ray LaHood Cross-posted from the Department of Transportation’s Fast Lane blog. This is the final week of the GreenGov Challenge, and I urge everyone to view some of the remarkable sustainability ideas submitted thus far by government and military employees. And for those readers who are government or military employees, I urge [...]
Posted by Dan Pfeiffer A rumor is making the rounds that the White House and Senator Reid are pursuing different strategies on the public option. Those rumors are absolutely false. In his September 9th address to Congress, President Obama made clear that he supports the public option because it has the potential to play an [...]
There’s Sasha, the youngest at 8 years old, casually draping her arm over the shoulder of the president of the United States. Older sister Malia embraces her mom, first lady Michelle Obama, as they all sit for their first official first family portrait in the Green Room at the White House on Sept. 1. It [...]
Posted by Christina Romer As a teacher, I should have realized that many people have trouble with the distinction between growth rates and levels. As noted in a new article by the Christian Science Monitor, I made the uncontroversial statement in testimony yesterday that fiscal stimulus has its greatest effect on economic growth over the [...]
Posted by Brian Bond “These ideals, when voiced by generations of citizens, are what made it possible for me to stand here today. These ideals are what made it possible for the people in this room to live freely and openly when for most of history that would have been inconceivable. That is the promise [...]
Posted by Heather Zichal Today, President Obama addressed a group of 750 students and faculty members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In his remarks, the President spoke about the spirit of progress that has always driven the American people to seek out new frontiers, imagine new technologies, and build a better [...]
Posted by Erin Edgerton On Thursday, October 21st, students, parents, and educators from the Washington, DC, area joinedDepartment of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for a screening of an episode of the animated series Sid the Science Kid. Hosted at the Department of Education, event attendees watched Sid and his classroom friends as they [...]
Posted by Secretary Gary Locke Yesterday Energy Secretary Steven Chu and I had the opportunity to talk to a number of business and government leaders at the White House about how critical it is for America to play a leading role in the clean energy economy. Despite the headlines that focus on what other countries [...]
Posted by Secretary Janet Napolitano Last spring, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), launched a bold Efficiency Review initiative to make DHS a leaner, smarter agency better equipped to protect the nation. As part of the Efficiency Review, we are already taking steps big and small to build a green culture across the Department. A [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Constructive debate on health care is always welcome. It’s an important part of the process of achieving meaningful reform. Unfortunately, what we’ve seen out of the insurance industry over the past few weeks can’t be categorized as either “constructive” or even a “debate” but rather a misinformation campaign designed to confuse [...]
Posted by Rick Weiss Cross-posted from the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s OSTP blog. It was a record-breaking year for women in science, as anyone who tracked the Nobel Prizes knows. But the struggle to attract and retain more girls and women to careers in science, math, and engineering is far from over. That’s [...]
Posted by Tammy Duckworth One of the toughest jobs I had in the Army was when I served as the logistics officer for an aviation battalion. During my tenure, we participated in a training exercise at the Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, Louisiana. It was a huge training event that lasted [...]
