At approximately 8:00 pm this evening, the President spoke with West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin. President Obama offered his deepest condolences to the those who lost loved ones earlier today in the tragic incident. The President told Governor Manchin that the federal government stands ready to offer whatever assistance is needed in this rescue effort.
Aproximadamente a las 8:00 pm de la noche, el Presidente habló con el Gobernador Joe Manchin de Virginia Occidental. El Presidente Obama expresó su más sincero pésame a quienes perdieron seres queridos en el trágico incidente de hoy. El Presidente le dijo al Gobernador Manchin que el gobierno federal está listo para ofrecer cualquier ayuda que sea necesaria en este operativo de rescate.
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9:50 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. (Applause.) Thank you. Please have a seat. Have a seat. What a great honor and pleasure it is to have all of you here today. Before I begin, I want to just acknowledge two members of my Cabinet who I believe are here — Secretary Gary Locke — is that correct? Where’s Gary? There he is — our Commerce Secretary. (Applause.) And Secretary Janet Napolitano, who’s keeping us safe each and every day. (Applause.)
I also want to acknowledge the Mount Ennon Clinton Children’s Chorus for being here. They’re going to be giving us a medley later on. There they are up there, looking very serious. (Applause.)
Before I begin, I want to send my deepest condolences, our thoughts and prayers to the families and the friends of the workers who lost their lives after an explosion took place in a West Virginia mine yesterday. At this moment, there are still people missing. There are rescue teams that are searching tirelessly and courageously to find them.
I spoke with Governor Manchin of West Virginia last night and told him that the federal government stands ready to offer whatever assistance is needed in this rescue effort. So I would ask the faithful who’ve gathered here this morning to pray for the safe return of the missing, the men and women who put their lives on the line to save them, and the souls of those who have been lost in this tragic accident. May they rest in peace, and may their families find comfort in the hard days ahead.
One of my hopes upon taking this office was to make the White House a place where all people would feel welcome. To that end, we held a Seder here to mark the first Passover. We held an Iftar here with Muslim Americans to break the daily fast during Ramadan. And today, I’m particularly blessed to welcome you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for this Easter breakfast.
With us are Christian leaders from all across America, men and women who lead small-town churches and big-city congregations, and major organizations in service of others; folks whose sermons are heard and whose examples are followed by millions all across the country. So I wanted to join you for a brief moment today to continue the Easter celebration of our risen Savior, and to reflect on the work to which His promise calls all of us.
I can’t tell any of you anything about Easter that you don’t already know. (Laughter.) I can’t shed light on centuries of scriptural interpretation or bring any new understandings to those of you who reflect on Easter’s meaning each and every year and each and every day. But what I can do is tell you what draws me to this holy day and what lesson I take from Christ’s sacrifice and what inspires me about the story of the resurrection.
For even after the passage of 2,000 years, we can still picture the moment in our mind’s eye. The young man from Nazareth marched through Jerusalem; object of scorn and derision and abuse and torture by an empire. The agony of crucifixion amid the cries of thieves. The discovery, just three days later, that would forever alter our world — that the Son of Man was not to be found in His tomb and that Jesus Christ had risen.
We are awed by the grace He showed even to those who would have killed Him. We are thankful for the sacrifice He gave for the sins of humanity. And we glory in the promise of redemption in the resurrection.
And such a promise is one of life’s great blessings, because, as I am continually learning, we are, each of us, imperfect. Each of us errs — by accident or by design. Each of us falls short of how we ought to live. And selfishness and pride are vices that afflict us all.
It’s not easy to purge these afflictions, to achieve redemption. But as Christians, we believe that redemption can be delivered — by faith in Jesus Christ. And the possibility of redemption can make straight the crookedness of a character; make whole the incompleteness of a soul. Redemption makes life, however fleeting here on Earth, resound with eternal hope.
Of all the stories passed down through the gospels, this one in particular speaks to me during this season. And I think of hanging — watching Christ hang from the cross, enduring the final seconds of His passion. He summoned what remained of His strength to utter a few last words before He breathed His last breath.
“Father,” He said, “into your hands I commit my spirit.” Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. These words were spoken by our Lord and Savior, but they can just as truly be spoken by every one of us here today. Their meaning can just as truly be lived out by all of God’s children.
So, on this day, let us commit our spirit to the pursuit of a life that is true, to act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord. And when we falter, as we will, let redemption — through commitment and through perseverance and through faith — be our abiding hope and fervent prayer.
Many of you are living out that commitment every day. So we want to honor you through this brief program, celebrating both the meaning of Easter and the spirit of service that embodies so much of your work. And our first celebrant today is Reverend Dr. Cynthia Hale, who will deliver our opening prayer.
Thank you all for being here. (Applause.)
END
9:58 A.M. EDT
11:01 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: How about Amber? Please give Amber a big round of applause. (Applause.)
Is everybody having a good time? (Applause.) Happy Easter, everybody. We are thrilled that all of you could come. I’m not going to make a long speech, because we’ve got the best speaker, the smartest and best-looking of the older Obamas — (laughter) — and that would be the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. (Applause.)
MRS. OBAMA: Hey, everybody! (Applause.) Is this not the most perfect day for the Easter Egg Roll? (Applause.) Let’s say thank you to Mother Nature, yeah! (Applause.)
You guys, we are so excited to have you. Welcome to the 2010 Easter Egg Roll. The theme for this year’s event is “Ready, Set” what?
AUDIENCE: Go!
MRS. OBAMA: Go! And as you guys know, this year I launched a nationwide initiative to try to end the epidemic of childhood obesity. It’s called “Let’s Move.” And today we have transformed the South Lawn into a playground. And our hope today is that in addition to having fun and doing some of the traditional activities like the egg roll and the Easter egg hunt, that you can learn about beginning to live a more healthy life.
We’ve got wonderful food stands over in the back. We’ve got some of the area’s and the nation’s best chefs. You can learn to cook. There’s a farmers market. You can see the garden.
But we also have some great activities. We’ve got several athletic centers. We’ve got football, we’ve got basketball. (Applause.) We’ve got tennis, we’ve got yoga. And we have some of the most phenomenal athletes here. We’ve got our Washington Redskins here. (Applause.) We have Olympians — Apolo Ohno. We’ve got Billie Jean King. (Applause.) In the center we’re going to have some dancing, some hula-hooping. We’ve got DJ Tony from the Ellen DeGeneres Show who’s going to do some stuff. (Applause.) And then if that’s not enough, you can go over to the music stage and just have some fun with Justin Bieber. (Applause.) You guys know Justin Bieber? (Applause.) You’ve heard of Justin Bieber? (Applause.) Well, he’s here. (Applause.)
And we have Sara Bareilles, one of my favorites; the cast of Glee. (Applause.) Yay! And thank you, Amber, for that wonderful rendition of the national anthem. (Applause.)
And then we’ve got readers. There’s always — reading is important. We’ve got J.K. Rowling, one of our favorite authors here. (Applause.) Reese Witherspoon. We’ve got tons of people who are here just to have fun with you guys today.
So the only thing you need to do is get ready, set, and do what?
AUDIENCE: Go!
MRS. OBAMA: One thing I want to do — I want to thank all of the volunteers who helped put this thing together. Everyone, our volunteers working all weekend, setting up this amazing event.
I want to thank our staff, Ellie Schafer. Ellie! (Applause.) And Joe Reinstein for putting this together. They have done just an amazing job. We are thrilled to have you here. We’re going to have 30,000 people in our backyard today, and we want every single one of you to have fun, to think about living a healthy life, and to get moving.
So with that, we’re going to go over and we’re going to do a little Easter egg rolling. We’re going to do a little reading. So we look forward to seeing you all.
Have fun, and thank you for being here. (Applause.)
END
11:05 A.M. EDT
WASHINGTON – In this week of faithful celebration, President Barack Obama used his address to offer his holiday greeting and to call on people of all faiths and nonbelievers to remember our shared spirit of humanity. All people know the value of work, health, education, and community. This week is a time to be mindful of this common bond which is at the heart of all the world’s great religions.
The audio and video will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 am ET, Saturday, April 3, 2010.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
April 3, 2009
This is a week of faithful celebration. On Monday and Tuesday nights, Jewish families and friends in the United States and around the world gathered for a Seder to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt and the triumph of hope and perseverance over injustice and oppression. On Sunday, my family will join other Christians all over the world in marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And while we worship in different ways, we also remember the shared spirit of humanity that inhabits us all – Jews and Christians, Muslims and Hindus, believers and nonbelievers alike.
Amid the storm of public debate, with our 24/7 media cycle, in a town like Washington that’s consumed with the day-to-day, it can sometimes be easy to lose sight of the eternal. So, on this Easter weekend, let us hold fast to those aspirations we hold in common as brothers and sisters, as members of the same family – the family of man.
All of us know how important work is – not just for the paycheck, but for the peace of mind that comes with knowing you can provide for your family. As Americans, and as human beings, we seek not only the security, but the sense of dignity, the sense of community, that work confers. That is why it was heartening news that last month, for the first time in more than two years, our economy created a substantial number of jobs, instead of losing them. We have begun to reverse the devastating slide, but we have a long way to go to repair the damage from this recession, and that will continue to be my focus every single day.
All of us value our health and the health of our loved ones. All of us have experienced an illness, a loss, a personal tragedy. All of us know that no matter what we’re doing or what else is going on in our lives, if the health of someone we love is endangered, nothing else matters. Our health is the rock upon which our lives are built, for better and for worse.
All of us value education. We know that in an economy as competitive as ours, an education is a prerequisite for success. But we also know that ultimately, education is about something more, something greater. It is about the ability that lies within each of us to rise above any barrier, no matter how high; to pursue any dream, no matter how big; to fulfill our God-given potential.
All of us are striving to make a way in this world; to build a purposeful and fulfilling life in the fleeting time we have here. A dignified life. A healthy life. A life, true to its potential. And a life that serves others. These are aspirations that stretch back through the ages – aspirations at the heart of Judaism, at the heart of Christianity, at the heart of all of the world’s great religions.
The rites of Passover, and the traditions of Easter, have been marked by people in every corner of the planet for thousands of years. They have been marked in times of peace, in times of upheaval, in times of war.
One such war-time service was held on the black sands of Iwo Jima more than sixty years ago. There, in the wake of some of the fiercest fighting of World War II, a chaplain rose to deliver an Easter sermon, consecrating the memory, he said “of American dead – Catholic, Protestant, Jew. Together,” he said, “they huddled in foxholes or crouched in the bloody sands…Together they practiced virtue, patriotism, love of country, love of you and of me.” The chaplain continued, “The heritage they have left us, the vision of a new world, [was] made possible by the common bond that united them…their only hope that this unity will endure.”
Their only hope that this unity will endure.
On this weekend, as Easter begins and Passover comes to a close, let us remain ever mindful of the unity of purpose, the common bond, the love of you and of me, for which they sacrificed all they had; and for which so many others have sacrificed so much. And let us make its pursuit – and fulfillment – our highest aspiration, as individuals and as a nation. Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all those celebrating, here in America, and around the world.
Tonight, President Obama spoke with President Hu of China for about an hour. President Obama welcomed the decision by President Hu to attend the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit which will be an important opportunity for them to address their shared interest in stopping nuclear proliferation and protecting against nuclear terrorism. They also discussed the importance of developing a positive bilateral relationship. President Obama underscored the importance of working together to ensure that Iran lives up to its international obligations. He also emphasized the importance of the United States and China along with other major economies implementing the G20 commitments designed to produce balanced and sustainable growth.
Obama Administration Officials Hold Events Across the Country
Background on the President’s event in Charlotte, North Carolina
TOUR & REMARKS AT CELGARD
Today, the President traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he will tour Celgard, LLC – A Polypore Company (a lithium battery separator producer and stimulus grant recipient), deliver remarks on the economy, and take questions from an audience of approximately 300 Celgard employees.
The President was joined on Air Force One by Rep. John Spratt, Jr.
The President was greeted on arrival by:
Governor: Bev Perdue
First Gentlemen Bob Eaves
Lt. Governor Walter Dalton
Mayor of Charlotte Anthony Foxx
U.S. Representative Mel Watt
State Senator Charlie Dannelly
State Representative Kelly Alexander Jr.
Bryan Moorehead, Celgard Vice President of Operations, will lead the tour.
Bryan Moorhead joined Celgard, LLC in November 2006, having held previous plant management and supply chain management roles at Trex Company and Newell Rubbermaid. Prior to joining Newell Rubbermaid, Bryan progressed through a number of manufacturing and supply chain management positions over the course of his 10-year employment with Corning Incorporated.
Bob Toth, Polypore CEO, will introduce the President.
Bob Toth became President and CEO of Polypore International, and a member of the Board of Directors, in July 2005, after having served in the same role for four years at CP Kelco ApS, a leading global manufacturer of hydrocolloids. Prior to joining CP Kelco, he progressed through a number of sales, marketing and executive management positions over a 19-year career at Monsanto and its chemical company spinoff, Solutia Inc. Bob earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management and Industrial Engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
ELECTED OFFICIALS EXPECTED TO ATTEND
Governor Bev Perdue
First Gentlemen Bob Eaves
Lt. Governor Walter Dalton
Mayor of Charlotte Anthony Foxx
U.S. Rep. Mel Watt
U.S. Rep. John Spratt
U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell
State Senator Charlie Dannelly
State Representative Kelly Alexander Jr.
State Representative Tricia Cotham
CELGARD BACKGROUND
Celgard has won $49.2 million in Recovery Act grants to expand its capacity to produce separators for lithium-ion batteries. Celgard is a global leader in production of lithium-ion separators – a key component in advanced lithium-ion batteries. Celgard controls 25 percent of the market and will supply several of the new battery factories supported by the Recovery Act. Celgard reports that its expansion will create between 200-300 North Carolina jobs within Celgard and provide more than 1,000 jobs among Celgard’s contractors and suppliers. Work at the Charlotte campus has already started – the Charlotte campus already employs 390 workers and the expansion will add 80 workers there. To-date, Celgard has already added 60 new jobs as a result of the expansion project and approximately 100 additional jobs have already been created among Celgard’s contractors and suppliers. Work at Concord (northeast of Charlotte) will start after the project completes its environmental review.
CABINET SECRETARIES AND ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS HOSTING EVENTS ON JOBS AND THE ECONOMY
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar:
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is holding a media availability in front of the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in downtown Richmond to discuss the impact of Interior Department and other Recovery Act investments on the Virginia economy and tourism industry.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack:
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is touring RMH Foods Distribution Center in Morton, Illinois, a recipient of a USDA rural Business and Industry loan through the Recovery Act, and discussing the Obama Administration’s job creation efforts.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan:
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan is visiting Northeast Building Products, an energy efficient window manufacturer in Philadelphia that hired 100 new employees as a result of the Recovery Act since March 2009. Following the tour, the Secretary will hold a town hall meeting with employees at the factory and deliver remarks on the economy.
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood:
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is touring the Amtrak Beech Grove Maintenance Facility near Indianapolis. With the help of $32 million from the Recovery Act, the Amtrak facility has created 108 jobs and provided a boost to the local economy.
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu:
Energy Secretary Steven Chu is in Jacksonville, Florida to tour Alternative Energy Technology (AET), a leading manufacturer of solar thermal equipment. The Secretary will hear from workers at AET and other area small businesses about the increased demand for their products and the new jobs that have resulted from the Recovery Act.
Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills and Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari:
SBA Administrator Karen Mills and Transportation Deputy Secretary Porcari are visiting Phoenix Steel, a Cleveland small business creating jobs thanks to their SBA Recovery loan.
Executive director of the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers, Dr. Ed Montgomery:
Dr. Ed Montgomery, executive director of the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers, is convening a community round table in Elkhart, Indiana with local elected officials, business leaders, and community members to discuss how Recovery Act investments have impacted Elkhart and the surrounding community.
11:19 A.M. EDT
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.) Thanks, all. Thanks so much. (Applause.) Thank you. It is really a pleasure to be here. This is a nice, good, small group of real hardworking people. I really appreciate you all taking the time to welcome me here today.
I want to thank Ron Kirk for not just that kind introduction but for his support to this administration — not just him alone but his entire family. I’ve had the pleasure to meet that magnificent, smart, beautiful wife of his, and he is a lucky man — (laughter) — for sure.
But I think that it’s safe to say that Ambassador Kirk took this job a year ago and he probably knew that it wouldn’t be easy. He knew that the scope of the economic challenges that we face would be tough. He knew that a lot of families and businesses and communities in this country were struggling.
But he embraced that challenge and he has done a phenomenal job. And it’s not just him who is embracing this challenge, but every single one of you here in this room has done so, as well. All of you have answered that call, and we are incredibly proud of you. That’s one of the reasons why I’m making these visits, because so often the people who really do the work behind the scenes do not get thanks or recognition. And we know it wouldn’t be possible without all of you.
Now I’ve heard that when this agency was founded by President Kennedy back in 1962, it only had 14 employees. So even though you’re small in numbers, you’ve really grown a bit since then. But you’re still a very tight-knit family, and I’ve heard that, and I can tell. So I want to take some time to recognize some of the members of this family, some of your colleagues who are on stage with me today — people who have devoted huge portions of their career to this agency.
People like Charlotte Brown, who has — (applause) — she has 42 years of government service. Now, that’s something. (Laughter.)
But then there’s also James Murphy, who has 40 years under his belt. Where’s James? (Applause.)
And we also have our longest-serving couple — (laughter) — and Don — do I get — is it Don Eiss?
AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Eiss.
MRS. OBAMA: Don, where are you? Don Eiss.
MR. EISS: Right here. I’m right here.
MRS. OBAMA: And Betsy Stillman. (Applause.) Between them they have devoted 50 years to the USTR — and they still seem to like each other. (Laughter.) But that is very impressive, and it gives us all a reason to give them all a round of applause. (Applause.)
It’s important for this country to see people who have dedicated decades of service to working on behalf of this country. But whether you’ve been here for 40 years or 40 days — because we have a lot of wonderful young people who are making that same commitment, beginning their careers working for the federal government — but no matter how long you’ve been here, each of you gets up every day and you go to work for the American people. That’s what’s first and foremost on your minds.
And that’s why it has been such a privilege as First Lady for me to come and make these visits and get to meet you all, and to thank you — to thank you for the long hours that you put in. Everybody talks about the President and how hard he works — and believe me, he does — but everybody knows that. People don’t realize that you all are making the same sacrifices, too; that you’re missing time with your families to get your job done, and you’re often doing it without any recognition whatsoever. So I just want to let you know how much this administration values everything that you do.
These visits also help me because I get a chance to listen and to learn more about the work that you’re all doing, and to help actually spotlight, because we always bring with us a wonderful group of cameras. (Laughter.) But we help to spotlight the difference that you’re making in the lives of so many Americans.
And that’s especially true here at the USTR. People need to know about the work that you do, what does it mean. The fact is, is that folks across this country depend on trade to put food on the table and to pay the mortgage and to send their kids to college.
And as Ambassador Kirk likes to point out, 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside of the borders of this country. And that’s a pretty big market.
And that’s why here in America, we are the biggest exporters on the planet –- with about one out of every nine dollars earned in this country coming from exports.
But what a lot of people don’t understand is that your work isn’t just about boosting GDP or negotiating billion-dollar trade agreements, which is what we hear about in the papers. But it’s about keeping the American Dream alive for hardworking folks in every corner of this country who depend on the work that you do, even if they don’t always realize it.
Because of you, our small businesses are able to grow and to thrive. A manufacturer in Kansas can sell machinery in China and hire more workers in America to make it happen. And because of businesses that export tend to grow faster, create jobs faster, pay higher wages, that business owner can afford to expand even further and hire more people in the community. Because of your hard work, communities everywhere are stronger, they’re more resilient –- even in the face of these tough economic times. What you do is maintaining some kind of stability in this country.
Right now, more than 6 million Americans in cities and towns all across this country owe their jobs to manufacturing exports alone. And I know you all work hard to try to make those numbers even bigger. I know that through the Ambassador you’re working to get those numbers up. Every time I see him he’s talking about job growth and making sure that we’re doing everything in our power to expand job creation here.
Because of the agreements you’ve reached, working families can stretch their budgets even further. Parents can afford to put food on the table, they can buy things like computers and cars, and save a little for retirement or for a rainy day.
And because of your vision, the next generation of entrepreneurs hard at work in their garages and basements and college dorm rooms all across this country will be able to market their ideas around the world –- secure in the knowledge that they will get a fair shake in this international market.
It’s important for everyone to see the human face behind the work that you do -– that real people who depend on you to protect them; to guide them; and to give them the opportunity to reach their potential.
And it’s important to recognize that every market that you reach and every agreement that you enforce means that someone somewhere can come home to their family at night with their head held high and a newfound sense of purpose.
In the end, everything that you do here at the USTR is part of our commitment to protect and preserve what is best about this nation -– the ability of every American to find a decent job; to be treated fairly in the marketplace; and to follow any idea or dream that they have and take it wherever they think it can.
And for that reason alone, you all deserve our admiration and our thanks, again not just because you’ve been here for 40 or 50 years or 20 days. We are very proud of the work that you do. And we’re going to need you working hard every step of the way.
We are seeing some stabilization in the economy, but there are still a lot of people hurting out there, so the work that you do continues to be important. But we are grateful to all of you.
And we hope that you keep an eye on this man — (laughter) — and make sure that he stays out of trouble.
But I want to thank you for taking the time to come see me today. And I’m going to shake a few hands, say hello to these folks back here, and I’ll be out there in a second.
So thank you all. Thanks for your work. (Applause.)
END
11:29 A.M. EDT
8:55 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody! Have a seat, have a seat. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) Please, everybody be seated.
Let me just begin by acknowledging some great friends. First of all, somebody who I consider one of the finest governors in the country, and somebody who I know you guys are going to reelect — Governor Deval Patrick is in the house. (Applause.)
To the Massachusetts congressional delegation — I see Ed Markey here, but I want to — I know I saw Congressman Delahunt and Capuano earlier. They have shown such courage and have stuck to it in some very difficult circumstances, and are consistently showing the kind of leadership we need. We now got Barney Frank who is about to make sure that we’ve got financial regulatory reform, which is going to be so critical. (Applause.) So to your congressional delegation, please give them a big round of applause — and Ed Markey in particular. (Applause.)
To my dear friend who has been a constant source of inspiration — Vicki Kennedy is here, and I want everybody to give her a big round of applause. (Applause.) And to all of you who co-chaired this elegant event — I assure you I will not break out into song. (Laughter.)
I want to thank Tim Kaine for not only the generous introduction, not only for being an extraordinary governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, but also now being one of the best leaders of our party that we’ve ever had. Some of you may know Tim Kaine was the first person, the first elected official outside of Illinois, to endorse me when I announced my presidential race — (applause) — on the steps of the old capitol of the Confederacy, in Richmond, in February of 2007, where most people couldn’t pronounce my name. And there was no political gain for him in doing it. He just stepped out because he thought it was the right thing to do. And that’s the kind of person that Tim Kaine has always been. He is decent; he is smart; he is principled. And to have somebody like that leading our party makes me feel better and it should make you feel a lot better, too. So, thank you. (Applause.)
Very quickly, I want to say obviously that our hearts go out to all the families who’ve been affected by the recent flooding throughout New England. I was at the emergency center where Deval walked me through the steps that are being taken coordinating state, local, and federal resources. We hope that the worst is behind us, but it’s at moments like this where leadership is tested. And as usual, Deval has passed with flying colors.
It’s also at moments like this — I spoke to a larger group before I came here — that we are reminded of the value of government. There is this notion afoot that somehow it’s cool to be cynical about government. And then you go into this emergency center and you see these extraordinarily dedicated people working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, just to help others. And they’re not making a lot of money doing it. But they’re dedicated, they care, and it’s a reminder that we are not just individuals out there pursuing our own self-interest — we’re also a community, we’re also neighbors, we’re also friends. And those values that we care so deeply about, they need to express themselves through our government as well.
And so it’s something that is worth remembering. And I want to thank all the local and state officials who’ve been working so diligently, as well as our federal officials for doing what’s so important. (Applause.)
Most of you are dear friends. I have known you through good times and tough times. The event right before we came here was held — Deval, what’s the name of that place?
GOVERNOR PATRICK: The State Room.
THE PRESIDENT: The State Room. This room holds a special place in my heart because this is the room where I appeared before a whole bunch of supporters here in Boston the day after I lost the New Hampshire primary. You remember that? A bunch of you guys remember that. Marianne was there; a whole bunch of folks were there.
Most of the folks who were our supporters in Boston had gone up to New Hampshire to trudge around and knock on doors and help to organize for the primary. And everybody had been on this euphoria coming out of Iowa. Remember, Jane? Everybody thought, oh, my goodness, this is — you know, everybody was talking about McCain already, and measuring the drapes. (Laughter.)
And although everybody worked hard, nobody took it for granted, I do think that there was just sort of a giddiness that was unhealthy in New Hampshire, which was punctured very quickly. And so one minute everybody was full of glee and the next moment everybody was looking down. And New Hampshire was where I made the speech talking about, “yes, we can,” that ended up winning a Grammy for Will.i.am — (laughter) — I didn’t get a share of this. (Laughter.)
But I remember going to that room and saying to folks, you know, I know this sounds like revisionist history, I know it sounds like I’m just trying to put some spin on something. I won’t lie to you — I would have preferred to have won — but, I said, I actually think in the long run this will be a good thing. And the reason I said that was because running for President is such an incredible honor, and the task you are setting for yourself in being President is so profound that it shouldn’t be easy. You shouldn’t glide into that job.
The American people expect, rightly, that their President will have been tested. And the reason is is because they’re tested all the time. They’re tested when they lose their job. They’re tested when they’re trying to scramble to put together enough savings to send their kids to college. They’re tested when somebody in the family gets sick and it turns out that the insurance doesn’t cover everything that they’re doing. They’re tested in all sorts of ways that aren’t always easy to anticipate.
And so the least they can expect is that somebody who has the audacity and the megalomania to run for President is going to — is going to be put through the paces. And folks want to see, well, we’re not going to just hand this to you, we want to see that you can bounce back. We want to see that you have the resilience and the determination to help guide this country through what folks at that time knew was going to be a very difficult period for our country.
And so it was fascinating to me to be back in that room with many of the same supporters, because it was a reminder of what this past year-and-a-half has been about.
A lot of people have asked, why is it you seem so calm? And what I’ve tried to say often — and a lot of times this gets discounted in the press — is that the experience of having traveled throughout this country; having learned the stories of ordinary folks who are doing extraordinary things in their communities, in their neighborhoods; having met all the people who put so much energy and effort into our campaign; having seen the ups and downs and having seen how Washington was always the last to get what was going on, always the last to get the news — what that told me was that if we were willing to not do what was expedient, and not do what was convenient, and not try to govern based on the polls today or tomorrow or the next day, but rather based on a vision for how we can rebuild this country in a way that works for everybody — if we are focused on making sure that there are ladders of opportunity for people to continue to strive and achieve the American Dream and that that’s accessible to all, not just some — if we kept our eye on what sort of future do we want for our kids and our grandkids so that 20 years from now and 30 years from now people look back on this generation the way we look back on the Greatest Generation and say to ourselves, boy, they made some tough decisions, they got through some tough times, but, look, we now have a clean energy economy; look, our schools are revitalized; look, our health care system works for every single American — imagine how tough that was and how much resistance they met from the special interests, but they were still willing to do it — if that was how we governed, then I figure that the politics would take care of itself.
And if it didn’t, then we could still stand tall and still look at ourselves in the mirror and say, you know what, this was worth it. This is why we worked so hard to get here.
That’s what this last year has been about. And I want you to know now that’s what this next year will be about. And that’s what the year after that will be about. Because we’ve got a lot of work to do. When we signed up — and I say “we” because all of you guys were early investors. Many of you didn’t just write a check but you bled this stuff, and many of you over the last year have had to answer aggravated e-mails from people, or political advice — I’m sure you get those e-mails — “Please tell the President that if he just” — (laughter.) Right? I know. I get them, too. (Laughter.) We should expect that it’s going to continue to be hard.
These November elections, as Tim said, will be hard — partly because this country is still divided, and after 2006 and 2008 we hit a very high watermark in terms of Democratic representation in Congress and governorships and we’re in the midst of what is still a very difficult time. And we’ve got more work to do — we are not finished.
We have to have an energy policy that works for the future. (Applause.) We don’t have an option. We can pretend like we’ve got an option, and we can resort to simplification and say, well, you know what, if we just open up drilling everywhere and have no regulatory oversight whatsoever, that somehow it’s all going to work itself out. Or we can simplify it by saying that — by denying the fact that it’s going to take some time for us to get up to full capacity on clean energy and we need some breakout technologies in order to make that full transition. So we can play politics with this and take comfort in our own certainties. But the truth of the matter is this is a big, complicated task and it’s going to require us to work really hard.
And there is going to be a lot of resistance from a whole range of special interests. And there are going to be legitimate geographical differences that exist when it comes to energy policy. And so we’re going to have to work that through.
And when it comes to education, my Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, I think is doing an extraordinary job. (Applause.) And one of the things that has not gotten much attention is the way that we have started to bridge some of the traditional differences between the left and the right and said, yes, we want standards and we want reform; and, yes, we need more resources as well; and, yes, everybody is going to have to change — parents and teachers and students and principals and elected officials and communities. But slowly we are making progress in that direction.
And one of the unsung aspects of last week was me — or this week, in fact, was me being able to sign legislation that really puts higher education into the hands of every single young person that is committed to excelling in this country in a way that hasn’t been done in years. (Applause.)
But it’s still going to be hard. We’re not going to change the schools overnight. We have fallen behind on too many measures and it’s going to require us to keep moving.
And we’re going to have to continue to work on health care. I know people may not want to hear that, but what we’ve done is we’ve enshrined a principle that every single person in this country should not be bankrupt when they get sick; that every child who’s got a preexisting condition, they can get health care; that small businesses who want to do the right thing by their employees, that they’re going to have the capacity to provide health insurance at reasonable rates.
So we’ve set up a structure and it is a good structure and a sensible structure. And we are going down the path of reducing costs. But there are a lot of decision-makers in a $2 trillion health care system. There are doctors and hospitals and nurses and physician assistants and there are those of us as consumers. And that process of making the system work smarter and better so that we’re all leading healthier lives, and that the states and federal governments aren’t bankrupted — that’s going to take a lot of work. It’s going to be an ongoing project.
And that’s all just on the domestic side. And we’ve got challenges in terms of bringing about peace in the Middle East. And we’ve got challenges in dealing with nuclear proliferation. And we’ve got challenges in making sure that we complete getting our troops out of Iraq and that we complete our mission in Afghanistan — and the extraordinary sacrifices that young men and women are making there as we speak, that they know they are supported not only by the resources they need but also by a smart strategy in diplomacy and all the elements of American power that go into keeping America safe and secure.
All these things are going to require a steadfast attitude. And they’re going to require that all of us occasionally stand up to the immediate winds that are blowing out there. But I’m so confident that we can achieve it. I’m so confident we can get it done. And part of the reason I’m confident is because we’ve traveled this path before and we’ve got it done before — not because of me, but because all of you have been willing to stick with this process.
And I think that over time, I just have so much faith and confidence in the American people and their ability even when they’re anxious, even when they’re scared, even when they’re uncertain, to ultimately have an instinct about what is right — not just right for them individually, not just right for them in the here and now, but what’s right for them over the long term; what’s right for the country over the long term; what’s right for the next generation and not just for the next election.
And that’s a hard sense to maintain in this political environment. Some of you saw the speech I gave up in Portland. I started joking about imagine if the Washington press corps were on a farm, and you till the soil, and they would say, “Look, the soil is all broken up, something is wrong.” (Laughter.) And then you’d put the seeds in and cover it up, and the next day they’d have the cameras there and “Nothing is growing!” (Laughter.) It’s — there are no crops. We’re going to starve. (Laughter.)
That’s just the nature of the environment that we’re in right now. But we’ve got to keep the long view. That’s our task. That’s what this project has always been about. When you helped me get elected President, that wasn’t the end. That was the beginning. That wasn’t the hard part; that was the easy part. This is the hard part. But this is also the worthy part.
A lot of people win elections. But I’ll tell you, the day that we passed health care in the House — you know, I had been in the Roosevelt Room watching it with my team, and I invited everybody up to the residence to celebrate that evening. And we were out on the Truman Balcony looking at the Washington Monument and, beyond that, the Jefferson Monument. And I looked around and I saw these incredible people, most of them a lot younger than me, who had just poured their heart and soul into this effort — and you could see the sense on their part that somehow, some way, working together they had put their shoulders against the wheel of history and moved it in a more just and a more fair direction.
What incredible satisfaction that was — because not only did I know that it was going to be helping all those people who write me letters and talk about all the things that they’re burdened with in their lives; it also told me that all those people, all those young people on my balcony, they’re going to believe once again that you can change the country for the better. (Applause.)
That’s the great gift that all of you have given in this process. That’s what your support means. That’s what I’m going to ask you to continue in the weeks and months and years to come, as fellow travelers in this effort for us to perfect our union.
Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. (Applause.)
END
9:18 P.M. EDT
12:02 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, guys. Hello, everybody! Hello! Good to see you. Everybody, please have a seat. Have a seat.
Well, thank you so much for the warm welcome. To Bob, thank you very much for the terrific introduction. I want to thank Bryan Moorehead for the great tour, and Mitchell Pulwer for trying to explain to me what was going on here. (Laughter.)
We’ve got Governor Beverly Perdue, who’s doing just a great job on behalf of all of North Carolina. Please give her a big round of applause. (Applause.) And I think it’s important to note that the state of North Carolina has provided enormous support for expansion here at Celgard as well. And I know that the combination of both federal and state support makes a big difference. So I didn’t want to leave the state out.
Lieutenant Governor Walter Dayton — Dalton is here. Please stand up, Walter. (Applause.) The hotshot young up-and-coming mayor of Charlotte Anthony Foxx is in the house. Give him a big round of applause. (Applause.)
Some outstanding members of Congress: Congressman Mel Watt. (Applause.) Congressman Larry Kissell. (Applause.) And even though he’s from across the border, we love him — Congressman John Spratt of South Carolina. (Applause.)
So it is good to be here at Celgard, and it is good to be back in North Carolina. It is good to be back. (Applause.) We just concluded our tour, where we saw some of the workings of this facility where you’re manufacturing components for state-of-the-art batteries. You’re building separators to make sure diametrically opposed forces can work successfully together. And I couldn’t help but think: We could use your help in Congress. (Laughter and applause.) We could get one of those — we could get one of those tri-part films and put it between the Democrats and the Republicans. (Laughter.) And it would improve conductivity. Right? Did I get that right? Okay.
Now, the truth is, these have been a very tough two years for North Carolina, and they’ve been a tough two years for the United States of America. We’ve been through the worst period of economic turmoil since the Great Depression. Keep in mind, when I first took the oath of office, we were already moving towards what some thought was a Great Depression. We were losing about 700,000, 800,000 jobs per month. And the economy was contracting at a pace that we hadn’t seen in generations — about 6 percent contraction that first quarter when I first took office. And I’ve often had to report bad news during the course of this year as the recession wreaked havoc on people’s lives.
But today is an encouraging day. We learned that the economy actually produced a substantial number of jobs instead of losing a substantial number of jobs. We are beginning to turn the corner. (Applause.) This month, more Americans woke up, got dressed, and headed to work at an office or factory or storefront. More folks are feeling the sense of pride and satisfaction that comes with a hard-earned and well-deserved paycheck at the end of a long week of work.
As I said, just one year ago, we were losing an average of more than 700,000 jobs each month. But the tough measures that we took — measures that were necessary even though sometimes they were unpopular — have broken this slide and are helping us to climb out of this recession. We’ve now added an average of more than 50,000 jobs each month over the first quarter of this year. And this month’s increase of 162,000 jobs was the best news we’ve seen on the job front in more than two years. (Applause.)
Now, at the same time, it’s important to emphasize: While we’ve come a long way, we still got a ways to go. We shouldn’t underestimate the difficulties we face as a country or the hardships that confront millions of our fellow citizens — some of your friends, some of your neighbors, some of your relatives you know are still going through a tough time. Eight million people have lost jobs over the past two years. That’s a staggering sum. Economic statistics don’t do justice to the pain and anxiety that results from unemployment. Lasting unemployment takes a toll on families, takes a toll on marriages, takes a toll on children. It saps the vitality of communities, especially in places that have seen factories and other anchoring businesses shut their doors. And being unable to find work — being able to provide for your family — that doesn’t just affect your economic security, that affects your heart and your soul. It beats you up. It’s hard.
So we have to be mindful that today’s job numbers, while welcome, leaves us with a lot more work to do. It will take time to achieve the strong and sustained job growth that we need. And long before this recession hit — for a decade — middle-class families had already been expensing — experiencing a sense of declining economic security. Their paychecks were flat-lining even though the cost of everything from groceries to college educations to health care were all going up. And this means that even as we pull out of this immediate crisis, we’ve got to tackle some of the long-term problems that have been a drag on our economy. And that’s why we’ve been working so hard to turn this economy around.
It’s not quick and it’s not easy. And the truth is, there are some limits to what government can do. Government can’t reverse the toll of this recession overnight, and government on its own can’t replace the 8 million jobs that have been lost. The true engine of job growth in this country has always been the private sector, businesses like Celgard. What government can do is create the conditions for companies to succeed. It can help to create the conditions for companies to hire again. What it can do is build the infrastructure and create the incentives that will allow small businesses to add workers; that will help entrepreneurs to take a chance on an idea; that will lead manufacturers to set up shop in places like Charlotte.
And that’s what we did last year through the Recovery Act, also known as the stimulus bill. A lot of folks were down on it — well, we don’t know what this did. A lot of folks got it mixed up with the steps we had to take to avoid the banking system melting down, and I know that wasn’t popular. It wasn’t popular with me.
But here’s what the Recovery Act did: We cut taxes for small businesses and 95 percent of working families to promote spending and hiring — cut taxes. That’s what the Recovery Act did, was cutting people’s taxes across America. (Applause.) We’re also making investments in our infrastructure, from interstate highways to broadband networks. That not only creates private sector jobs, but is also creates the platform, a better environment, in which business can prosper.
It’s also what we did through the jobs bill that I signed into law just recently, a bill that cuts taxes for small businesses who hire unemployed workers; and that allows companies to write off investments in equipment, like some of the equipment that we just saw here today; and that encourages job creation by spurring investments in school renovation and clean energy projects and road construction — all of which builds on the investments that we’ve put into place last year through the Recovery Act.
So as a consequence of all these investments, we’ve promoted innovation in the private sector not just to create jobs, but also to help America lead in the growth industries of the 21st century. See, I want to improve the short-term jobs picture, but I also want to improve the long-term prospects for our economy. And in no area is America more primed to lead them than in clean energy. And I don’t have to tell the folks here at Celgard about that, because through the Recovery Act, this company has received a $50 million matching grant to expand the facility on this site, and to add another facility in Concord, North Carolina. And I also know this builds on the work that Governor Perdue did to bring clean energy jobs to this state.
So here’s the bottom line: This investment is expected to create nearly 300 jobs for this company, more than a thousand jobs for your contractors and suppliers — and these are all jobs helping America build the batteries that will power cleaner and more efficient cars and trucks. And through investments like this one across the country, we’re already seeing an incredible transformation. Here’s an interesting statistic: Before the Recovery Act, before I took office, we had the capacity to make less than 2 percent of the world’s lithium ion batteries — less than 2 percent. In the next five years, on the trajectory that we’re now on, we’re going to be able to make 40 percent of the advanced batteries right here in the United States of America. Right here. (Applause.)
So the next time somebody asks you, when you’re at the grocery store, well, what did this Recovery Act do? You can tell them, one of the things it helped do is to expand and catalyze an entire new industry, where the United States of America can gain enormous market share across the globe. And that’s the kind of strategy we need — helping the private sector thrive in entirely new industries, the industries of the future. It’s a strategy that will not only create jobs in the near term, but also sustained growth and opportunity in the long run.
Now, this has been a harrowing time for our country. And it’s easy to grow cynical and wonder if America’s best days are behind us, especially after such a terrible crisis. And we’ve seen folks in Washington trying to play the usual politics with the crisis. And that’s not surprising, of course. That’s how Washington works. Although I do think it’s important for the American people to remember the failed economic policies that got us into this mess, just so we make sure we don’t return to them.
But what we can see here, at this plant, is that the worst of the storm is over; that brighter days are still ahead. In Charlotte and all across the country, we can see the promise and possibility that awaits us. If we tap our ingenuity and our inventiveness, our skill and our drive as a people; if we’re smart, if we’re willing to do what it takes, we can lead in new industries and create new jobs and strengthen the middle class and achieve a shared and lasting prosperity. And we can turn this turmoil into recovery and emerge stronger than before.
I’m convinced that’s what we’re called to do; I’m confident that that is what we will do. And I want to say to all the employees here at Celgard, we are proud of you because you’re helping to point the way and helping to lead not just here in North Carolina but all across the country.
So thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.) Let me take some questions from you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.)
So, you know, when they let me out of my cage at the White House I like to actually have a chance to talk to folks. And so we’ve got time for a few questions and we’ve got some young people here in the audience with their microphones. This is not formal, even though I’m sure with some of the cameras a few of you may feel it’s a little intimidating. All you got to do is raise your hand. We’ll call on you. And it can be a question about anything. If you can introduce yourself, though, that’s helpful, so everybody knows who’s speaking. And we’ll start with that young lady right there since you’re right next to the mic.
Q Hi, my name is Jennifer Dakin (ph). I’m here from Charlotte. I’m part of the Polypore parent company. My question is regarding the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. And many people have commented on the fact that it has come at a great cost to many public organizations, the fact that we need to assess and report on our internal controls of our financial reporting. It’s also come, many say, without value in the recent financial crisis. What value do you think it may have going forward on the upswing as the economy goes forward?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, it’s a great question. For those of you who aren’t aware of it, Sarbanes-Oxley was instituted not in response to this financial crisis, but in response to the Enron/WorldCom nonsense that took place over a decade ago. And the concern there was that the accounting practices of companies had gotten so out of whack that you had a company like Enron that was essentially booking all these profits, driving up their stock really high; CEOs were making these gazillion-dollar bonuses. But it turned out when you actually got in there and started looking at what they were doing, they were building a house of cards. It was manufacturing profits out of thin air.
And so the concern was, how do we make sure that CEOs and their boards of directors are more accountable to the reporting that they’re doing, so that investors, shareholders, the market, customers, suppliers, and employees, a lot of whom had gotten tricked into putting all their savings into a company like Enron and then it turned out that everything they thought they had been saving just went up in a cloud of smoke — that all those folks would be protected.
So the intent around Sarbanes-Oxley was a good idea. It was the right thing to do. There have been, I think, some legitimate criticisms about the fact that although Sarbanes-Oxley is a relatively modest cost for a very big company, it can be a very significant cost for a mid-sized or a small company. Because if they have to abide by all the rules and all the regulations and all the double-checking and triple-checking and quadruple-checking, and so they’ve got to hire a whole bunch of accountants, it’s one thing if you’re a Fortune 100 company that’s got several billion dollars in revenue to spend a couple million dollars on accountants. It’s another thing if you are a company that is making $100 million a year and you’re spending a couple million dollars on accountants. That’s suddenly — that could be the difference in terms of your profit margin.
So what we’re interested in doing is to work with companies to get advice: Are there ways that we can streamline and make this more effective? Are there ways that we can lessen the burden on small and medium-sized companies, but still retain the basic principle that accounting standards have to be met, and they have to be cleared, they have to be understandable — you can’t cook the books — and that CEOs and boards of directors have to be accountable for the accounting statements that they put out there? And they’ve got to sign a bottom line. And they’re going to be directly liable if, for some reason, it turns out that there were some shenanigans going on there.
So this raises a broader question about regulation. We went through a period of time where I think the general theory was the less regulation, the better. And if you talk to most companies, they’d rather not have any regulations whatsoever. There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s just the nature of it. You figure companies think they’re pretty smart, they know what they’re doing. And I’m sure if I talk to Bob, he’d say, there are a whole bunch of things that I’ve got to do that I wish I didn’t have to do.
But it’s like any other law. You put the laws in place, even though you know most folks are following the rules and operating decently and commonsense, to make sure that those folks who aren’t operating that way can’t wreak havoc on the system.
And so we’re going to be having a big debate when it comes to financial regulatory reform. You’re seeing the same pattern come up right now. You essentially had a whole bunch of financial institutions — investment banks like Lehman Brothers — who were taking one dollar and they were able to leverage, essentially bet that — use that dollar to make a $60 bet on sub-prime loans in housing and take huge, exorbitant risks that almost brought the entire system to heel. And all your friends and neighbors and communities are paying the price, because nobody was minding the store and making sure that these banks and these financial institutions were following basic rules of the road.
So what we’ve now said is, look, we’ve got to have a financial system that works. That’s how credit flows. That’s how businesses finance themselves. But we’ve got to have some basic rules to make sure that we never find ourselves in a situation again where we’ve got two choices — either you bail out the banks, in which case you’re thinking, why am I propping up these folks who caused the problems in the first place; or you don’t but then these banks start failing and the whole system breaks down, creating what could have been a Great Depression.
We can’t allow ourselves to be put in that position again. So we’ve got to have some basic rules, some basic regulations, at the front end that say to banks, we’re not going to let you get too big to fail. We’re not going to put ourselves in a position where somehow you’re able to gamble with other people’s money in such a way that it can potentially bring down the whole system.
Getting the balance right, how to do that, is something that you’ve got to be very careful about. But I think now that we’ve got — we’re starting to see a framework emerge both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, where my hope is, is that we can actually get this sometime in the next several weeks.
Thank you for the great question. This gentleman right here.
Q Thank you, sir. My name is Michael Shore (ph). I’m here in Charlotte. First, it’s an honor to have you here with us today.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.
Q I’m concerned that your decision to allow offshore drilling could have the effect of chilling investment into alternate sources of energy. And I’m interested in what incentives you’re going to be proposing to establish the conditions and to stimulate research and development and expansion of that critical sector.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that’s a great question. Look, first of all, understand that the Recovery Act, what we passed last year, represented the single largest investment in clean energy in history, by far. So we invested in wind; we invested in solar; we invested in biomass. We invested in research and development; we invested in commercialization. We invested in battery technologies. We are interested in figuring out how we can improve efficiency across the system, both in buildings and in transportation sectors and — you name it, we’re all about increasing energy efficiency and finding new renewable, clean sources of energy. It’s one of my highest priorities, and I think it’s got to be one of our highest strategic priorities as an economy. It has the potential of being an enormous growth industry.
Here’s the challenge that we have. We don’t yet have the technological breakthroughs that can completely replace fossil fuels. So for the next 10 years, next 20 years, we’re still going to be using oil; we’re still going to be using coal; we’re still going to be using natural gas — we’re still going to be using the traditional sources to fuel our cars, to heat our homes, to run our big power plants, et cetera.
It’s my hope that if we’re aggressive over the next several years, we can substantially cut our energy use in every sector while still maintaining our high levels of economic growth. So, for example, at the announcement where I talked about offshore drilling, I did so in front of an F-18, a fighter jet, that is actually going to be run half on biomass. So I was joking with the pilot — I said, so this thing runs on vegetable oil. But they’re going to break the sound barrier using biomass as fuel.
So the Pentagon is investing huge amounts in energy efficiency. We are promoting weatherization across the country because this is a win-win situation; you put people to work putting in insulation, putting in windows — most of which, by the way, that insulation and windows is manufactured here in the United States — it saves on the individual’s energy bill, plus it means that that power plant has to produce less energy to keep that home warm. So it’s a win-win all across the board.
That’s our biggest priority — energy efficiency and renewable, clean energy. But because we’re going to have this transition — unless somebody here invents something tomorrow, which would be very helpful, and if you have it let me know, we’ll get it going right away — but what’s most likely is we’re going to have this transition. And so in the interim we’ve got to look at our traditional energy sources and figure out how can we use those most effectively and in the most environmentally sound way.
That’s why I announced that we were going to start the first nuclear plant in 30 years. Japan, France, other countries have a safe, secure, reliable and effective nuclear — civilian nuclear energy. We essentially stopped 30 years ago. For those of you who are concerned about climate change, nuclear energy doesn’t produce greenhouse gases. It’s not a perfect energy source because it’s got the problem with spent fuel and how that is properly stored, but generally speaking, that’s going to have to be part of our energy mix.
The decision around drilling — same approach. What we did was we said we’re not going to have drilling a mile off the North Carolina coast or two miles off. But 50 miles off, 100 miles off, where it is appropriate and environmentally sound and not risky, we should allow exploration to begin taking place to see if there’s certain reserves.
There are some areas that we just completely put off limits, like Bristol Bay in Alaska where it’s a huge fishery, environmentally very sensitive. There are some areas off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico which don’t make sense for us to allow exploration, even though we know that there are existing reserves there.
But what we did was we tried to look at the scientific evidence and figure out where are areas where low risk environmentally and a high potential upside.
Now, here’s the last thing I’ll say about drilling, though, because what you have is, you have some environmentalists who just said, don’t drill anywhere; and then you’ve got some of my friends on the Republican side who were saying, well, this is a nice first step but it’s not enough — you should open up everything.
I don’t agree with the notion that we shouldn’t do anything. It turns out, by the way, that oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills. They are technologically very advanced. Even during Katrina, the spills didn’t come from the oil rigs, they came from the refineries onshore.
But the notion that we could drill our way out of the problem — you’ll start hearing about this because you know what happens during the summer. As soon as gas prices start going up — every summer it’s the same thing, right? And then politicians start standing up and — “we’re going to do something about it” — and these days some of my colleagues on the Republican side, what they’ll say is, you got to drill even more.
Just remember the statistics when you start hearing this. We account for 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves but we use 20 percent of the world’s oil. We use 20 percent; we only got 2 percent. We can’t drill our way out of the problem.
That’s why we’ve got to get moving on this clean energy sector, but we also have to make sure that we’ve got enough supply that’s regular in terms of these other energy — traditional energy, sources, so that by the time we get to the clean energy sector, we haven’t had to sacrifice economic growth along the way.
All right? All right. The gentleman right here, white shirt.
Q James Hill from Greenwood, South Carolina. I work in the (inaudible) lab and I agree it’s an honor for you to be here today. Thank you. My question is, how long do you think — the kind of springboard from which you were just saying, how long do you think it would take for us to have more hybrid vehicles on the road than gas vehicles, and what would it take?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we have already seen a huge spike in the purchase of hybrid vehicles. I mean, if you think about it, just two years ago if you found out somebody had a hybrid vehicle, that was a pretty big deal and you wanted to go over and test it out and see how it worked. Now, it’s pretty common. I mean, everybody here knows somebody who’s got a hybrid, and you’ve probably tried it out and it’s kind of cool when you’re backing up and it’s all quiet.
So I think that that’s the future. And consumers are naturally going to start gravitating in that direction. Because here’s the fact — we were just talking about oil — not only do we produce only 2 percent and use 20 percent, but countries around the world, everybody is starting to use more oil. Think about it. China, if they get even half of the number of cars per capita, per population, that we have right now — there are a lot of folks in China. And there are a lot of folks in India. And their standards of living are all starting to rise and they’re all starting to be interested in buying cars. And the fact of the matter is, is that if they even approach the amount of car ownership that we have, oil will run out very quickly and on the way, prices will just spike up naturally, no matter what we do.
So it is a huge need for us to increase our fuel efficiency on cars now. And that’s why one of the things that I did last year — it’s actually taking effect this week — is to raise a national fuel efficiency standard, first time we’ve done it in a very long time. But, frankly, even with us raising those standards, I think consumers just in terms of their pocketbook interests are going to be even more interested in buying hybrids and electric cars.
Two things that we can do that would make a big difference right now: Number one, we’ve got to make sure that those cars are made here in the United States of America. And so part of the reason why it’s so important for us to develop the battery technology here is if we’re developing battery technology that helps us leverage more auto production here in the United States. And that has, just in the same way that when Bob was talking about what’s happening here at Celgard, the grant we gave creates 300 jobs in the company, but potentially a thousand jobs in suppliers, the same is true with the auto industry. Some of you might have said, why are we helping out GM? Well, let me tell you, GM might have employed — along with its dealers and everybody — a hundred thousand, several hundred thousand. But when you looked at all the suppliers involved and the economies, you could have seen another couple million jobs lost. That would have had huge implications for the economy. Now, GM is actually making a profit and starting to buy — or starting to hire people back.
But one thing we need to do is make sure that those cars are made here in the United States. The second thing we need to do is to create the electricity grid, what we’re calling the smart grid, which is — think about it, part of the reason that we can drive our cars is because there’s a gas station every so often. There are roads. There are gas stations. We know how to fuel up our automobiles. Now, if we want to have everybody getting maximum use out of an electric car or a hybrid car, part of what we have to do is to create a similar distribution mechanism for electricity. And one of the exciting things about these hybrids is we want to get to the point where you’ve got what’s called a plug-in hybrid, where you essentially have a gas station at your house — called your electric socket. And you’re going to be able to plug in your car at night. Some of the energy that was stored in the car can actually go back into the house, and then when you’re ready to go, you can get that energy and use it to drive.
But to do all that you need a better electricity grid. We’ve got kind of a creaky infrastructure when it comes to electricity, and that’s one of the major investments that we want to start making. And that, by the way, is an investment that only government, working with the private sector, can help to make.
You’re hearing a lot of talk these days about government, and government is terrible, and bureaucrats, and they’re taking over and all this stuff. Look, I don’t want government any more than is necessary, but there are some things that Bob or any CEO can’t invest in. Bob is not going to build the roads to get to Celgard. No company is going to make investments for a public good. None of you would expect a private company to fund our military or our firefighters. There are just some things that you can’t do on your own, and the private sector is not going to do — it’s not profitable because if Bob was the guy who had to build the road, he’d have a whole bunch of other people driving on that road that weren’t paying for it. So it’s not a good investment for him.
That’s where government comes in. The same is true when it comes to something like the electricity grid. We’re going to have to help create that infrastructure, just like broadband lines, just like a whole bunch of basic 21st century infrastructure, so we’ve got the platform in order to succeed and compete economically. That’s what the Chinese are doing. That’s what the Indians are doing. That’s what the Germans are doing. That’s what the United States is going to have to do.
All right? I’ve got time for a couple more questions. I can already see the — this is my guy, Reggie Love, from Charlotte, North Carolina, by the way. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Reggie! Reggie!
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. He already told me he’s not getting on the plane going back. (Laughter.) He’s spending the weekend here.
All right, I think I should — let’s see, I want to make sure that — I’ve got to get a woman in here, make sure that it’s balanced. All right, this young lady right there.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. We’re honored to have you here today. I’m Doris Ravis (sp) from Lake Wylie, South Carolina. I work at Celgard. We have wonderful CEOs that take care of us and have really helped the company grow. My question is, though, in the economy times that we have now, is it a wise decision to add more taxes to us with the health care? Because it — we are over-taxed as it is.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, let’s talk about that, because this is an area where there’s been just a whole lot of misinformation, and I’m going to have to work hard over the next several months to clean up a lot of the misapprehensions that people have. Here’s the bottom line: Number one is that we are the only — we have been up until last week the only advanced country that allows 50 million of its citizens to not have any health insurance, and the vast majority of those folks work. It’s just that they don’t happen to work for a company that is either big enough or generous enough to provide them any coverage.
So that’s point number one. There is a moral imperative that is important. Number two, you don’t know who might end up being in that situation. See, those of us who have health care right now ask ourselves, well, is this something that should be a priority right now, but anybody here who lost their job and then COBRA ran out, or COBRA wasn’t subsidized the way the Recovery Act made sure COBRA paid 65 percent of the cost of COBRA — and if you had somebody at home who was sick, or you had a child who got sick, you’d suddenly say to yourself, well, now I see the need.
And so part of what we have to do is always say to ourselves, there but for the grace of God go I — and have a basic safety net. So that’s point number two.
Point number three is that the way insurance companies have been operating, even if you’ve got health insurance you don’t always know what you got, because what has been increasingly the practice is that if you’re not lucky enough to work for a big company that is a big pool, that essentially is almost a self-insurer, then what’s happening is, is you’re going out on the marketplace, you may be buying insurance, you think you’re covered, but then when you get sick they decide to drop the insurance right when you need it. Or when you get sick they try to find what they consider to be a preexisting condition that would justify them canceling your policy. Or there’s some fine print in there where you’ve got a lifetime limit, and it turns out you thought you had coverage, but it turns out the coverage only goes up to a certain point and then afterwards you have to start paying out of pocket. And even after paying all those premiums, you’re now in the hole for $100,000 or $200,000, and you’re going bankrupt and you’re losing your house.
And the final point is that the costs of health care — setting aside anything we did in reform, I mean, if we just allowed the current trajectory to go on — is out of control. I haven’t talked to Bob about what his costs are looking like for Celgard employees, but I can tell you that health care costs have gone up, the price of health care has gone up three times faster than wages. So either the company is having to swallow those costs, which means that’s less money that they could use for hiring new workers or investing in new plants and equipment, or they’re passing on those costs to their employees in the form of higher premiums, higher deductibles, higher co-payments.
And what’s happening federally is, because the costs are so out of control, all the programs that we already have — Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program — all those things are completely out of control. So if you’re concerned about the deficit, what you’re really concerned about is the cost of Medicare, Medicaid, and all the other programs that are already in place.
So here’s what we did. What we said is, number one, we’ll have the basic principle that everybody gets coverage. And the way we’re going to do that is to say that most people individually shouldn’t buy health insurance on their own because they have no leverage and the insurance companies take advantage of it. Instead what we’re going to do is we’re going to set up a big pool, a marketplace, that allows everybody to buy into this pool — that members of Congress, by the way, will be a part of so you know it’s going to be a good deal — because members of Congress, they’ve got to look out for their own families; they wouldn’t vote for it if it wasn’t going to be a good deal. And just like Walmart is able to leverage a really good price from its suppliers for everything because they’re such a big purchaser, well, this pool will be a big purchaser and it will be able to get a better deal from insurance companies.
So that’s point number one. That will drive down the prices for people who are participating and it will allow everybody to get a decent deal on insurance. And what we do is we provide tax credits to people who still can’t afford it so that they can afford it. That’s point number one.
Point number two is we’ve got the strongest insurance reforms in history. So all those things I told you about — you not being able to get insurance because of a preexisting condition; you finding yourself getting dropped even though you’ve been paying premiums for 15 years and suddenly they just decide, sorry, we don’t want you because you’re getting sick — those policies will be over. And so you will be protected as a consumer to make sure you’ve got security and protection if you’ve got insurance already. That’s the second thing we do.
The third thing we do is we actually put in place a whole bunch of mechanisms to start reducing the actual cost of health care. So, for example, one of the things that we do is to say we’re going to start encouraging paying doctors not based on how many tests they take, but based on the quality of the outcome — does somebody end up healthy.
And it turns out that a lot of times if you go to the doctor you get one test. Then you go — referred to a specialist, you get another test. Then maybe you go to a third person, the surgeon, you get a third test — it’s all the same test but you’re paying three times.
So what we’re trying to say is, we’ll pay you for the first test and then e-mail the test to everybody. Right? (Applause.) Or have all three doctors in the room when the test is being taken.
But that’s an example of the kinds of things that save money and will start reducing costs over the long term. So what we’ve done is we’ve embedded in how Medicare reimburses, how Medicaid reimburses, all these ideas to actually reduce the costs of care.
So our hope is that over time, over the next three, four, five, six years, because of all these changes, that we’ve actually saved money from this, even though more people are covered.
And so now you’ll hear the critics and the Republicans say, now, that just defies common sense. If you’re adding 30 million more people, then it’s got to cost more money. And you can’t pretend like somehow that’s going to help us on the deficit. I’ve heard this criticism, I understand it.
But let me give you an example. If you’ve got a house and you’ve got a big hole in your roof, and it’s raining and snowing through that roof and there are some people who are inside the rooms where the roof is okay and they’re nice and warm, and then you got a few — your family members in that room where there’s a big hole in the roof and they’re shivering, and they’re cold — if you repair the roof, that’s going to cost some money. But if all the water damage from your floors and all the heat that’s going out of the roof, you count all those savings, over time it may turn out that it actually is saving you money and, by the way, all those family members now are warm, too. You’re not the only one who’s warm, right? That’s essentially what we’re trying to set up.
Now, last point I want to make. All those savings that we’re anticipating, we don’t even count those when it comes to making sure that this is deficit-neutral. Here are the two ways that we’re paying for this thing: Number one, we are eliminating a whole bunch of waste, fraud, and insurance subsidies that were being paid out under Medicare that aren’t making our seniors any healthier. I mean, you’ve got a pretty sweet deal for insurance companies right now in a program called Medicare Advantage where they get $18 billion a year paid to them to manage a Medicare program that about 80 percent of seniors are getting directly from the government, and it’s working just fine. It’s just a subsidy to them that doesn’t make anybody healthier. So what we’re saying is, well, let’s eliminate the subsidy. So that’s about how we pay for half of this thing.
The other half of it, it is true that we have identified some additional taxes that we think are fair. And let me describe, just to give you an example — I don’t think this will affect you, but I don’t know — I don’t know your family’s circumstances. Right now, if you’re on salary, you get your salary from Celgard or any of the companies around here, you’re paying your Medicare tax on all of that, right? You see it on your — it’s part of your FICA. But if you’re Warren Buffett and you get most of your money from dividends and capital gains, you don’t pay Medicare tax on that. You’re eligible for it. You’re going to get the same Medicare benefits as anybody else. But because your source of income is what’s called unearned income — capital gains and dividends — you don’t have to pay this.
Well, I’m thinking to myself how is it that the guy who is cleaning up the office is paying the Medicare tax and the guy who is making capital gains isn’t? So what we said was, look, if you make more than $200,000, $250,000 a year, then that money that you make over $200,000, $250,000 a year that’s unearned — that’s from capital gains and dividends — you should have to pitch in to Medicare just like everybody else, because you’re going to be using it like everybody else. So it’s a concept of fairness. (Applause.)
Now, what the Congressional Budget Office has said — I’m sorry, by the way, these questions sometimes are — or these answers are long, but I want to make sure you guys — that I’m really answering your question. I hope you feel like I really want to respect the importance of your question. What the Congressional Budget Office has said is that as a consequence of the savings from the waste and fraud, combined with the new revenue sources I just mentioned, that this thing is going to actually reduce our deficit by over a trillion dollars — over a trillion dollars. We’re actually saving money for the government — because we closed the roof, the house is now insulated, it’s warm. And by the way, in the meantime we’ve got a whole bunch of people who were left out in the cold who are now being taken care of.
That’s the concept. But I know that for a lot of people, they’ve got a legitimate concern about, gosh, it just seems like government spending is out of control. I understand that. I feel that. But understand what happened: When I walked in, we already had a $1.3 trillion deficit. That’s an annual deficit of $1.3 trillion. That’s — the day I got sworn in, before I did a thing, we had $8 trillion in accumulated debt from the war in Iraq — not paid for; the prescription drug plan, Medicare Part D — not paid for; Bush tax cuts — not paid for.
So we already had all this debt that had just been piled up, but nobody had noticed because things were going kind of good. Just like a lot of folks didn’t notice their credit card was going up or that their home equity loans were going up because when things are going good you tend not to notice.
So all that debt had already accumulated. We then had to spend $787 billion on the Recovery Act to do all the things — unemployment insurance; COBRA; what’s called FMAP, which is essentially helping states to keep their budgets afloat so that they didn’t have to lay off teachers and cops and firefighters — all of which if that had happened would have further depressed the economy and we would have recovered a lot later; the investments we’re making in clean energy and things like Celgard to help spur economic growth.
So we had to spend that, but that’s only a fraction of what our debt was. And in addition what happens is when the economy goes south, there are fewer tax revenues. And so you’re putting more money out to help people with unemployment insurance and things like that, but you’re getting less money in because folks are out of work and businesses aren’t making money.
Bottom line is, we now have a significant debt that has to be paid down. That’s why I’m freezing government spending. That’s why we reinstated what’s called pay-as-you-go. You can’t start a program without paying for it. Our health care program is paid for.
But the big thing, if you’re really worried about leaving debt to the next generation, which I know you are, the most important thing we’re going to have to tackle is our health care costs, because Medicare is by far — Medicare and Medicaid are the biggest things that are looming in the horizon in terms of what our debt is going to be. Nothing else comes close.
If this health care bill never existed, if I didn’t do anything about it, we’d actually be a trillion dollars worse off over the long term. But even with the saving we’re getting from health care, we’re still going to have to do more. And if you don’t believe that, go on our Web site — www.whitehouse.gov — and you can look at how the federal budget works.
A lot of people think if you just eliminated foreign aid we could balance the budget, or if you just eliminated earmarks you could balance the budget. Earmarks — pork projects, what everybody calls pork — those account for about 1 percent of the budget, less than 1 percent. Foreign aid accounts for about 1.5 to 2 percent of the budget.
Most of the budget is Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, defense spending, and interest on the national debt. That accounts for about 70 percent of the budget. And so all this other stuff that sometimes we argue about, that’s not the big stuff. We’re going to have to tackle the big stuff if we’re going to get our budget under control.
Boy, that was a long answer. I’m sorry. (Laughter.) But I hope everybody — but I hope I answered your question. (Applause.) All right, I’m going to — I’ve got to make this the last question. I’m going to ask this young man right here.
Q My name is Matt Litzler (ph) and I flew down from Cleveland, Ohio, this morning. We’re a supplier here to Celgard and about 75 of those 1,000 jobs are in northeast Ohio. A real quick question: If Reggie is not going to go on the plane, can I get a ride back to the airport? (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: You know, come on, let’s go.
Q But secondly, the limousines that you drive — electric with Celgard membranes in them sometime soon?
THE PRESIDENT: You know, the answer — I’m going to be honest with you. I’m going to be honest with him. (Applause.) When I first got Secret Service protection, I asked, can we make these cars hybrids? And I apologize because Secret Service said no.
Now, the reason is not because Secret Service are bad guys. It’s because the cars that I’m in are like tanks. I mean, they — as you might imagine, they’re — a little bit of extra stuff on it. They’re a little reinforced. So they weigh twice or three times what an ordinary car weighs. So they just couldn’t get the performance, in terms of acceleration, using a hybrid engine.
But here’s the good news, is that as part of our overall energy strategy, I have ordered us to triple the federal fleet that is hybrid. And so government purchases an awful lot of cars for all kinds of things. I think we’re the biggest — I’m assuming we’re the biggest car purchaser — maybe Hertz is bigger, I don’t know — but we’re big and so we are using our purchasing power to help encourage the clean car industry and, hopefully, to get you more business. All right?
Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. Thank you. (Applause.)
END
1:00 P.M. EDT
TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
April 1, 2010
Dear Madam Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
Consistent with the authorities contained in section 1264 of the Victims of Iranian Censorship Act (Subtitle D of Title XII of Public Law 111-84, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010), I am providing a report prepared by my Administration. This report details U.S. efforts to ensure the free flow of information to Iran and to enhance the abilities of Iranians to exercise their universal rights.
Sincerely,
BARACK OBAMA
6:58 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Boston! (Applause.) Hello, Boston! (Applause.) It’s good to be back. Good to be back in Beantown. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you, President Obama!
THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Keep smiling! (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: I can’t help it. (Laughter.) There are a couple people I want to make sure I acknowledge: our Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray is in the house. (Applause.) I believe a sizable portion of the Massachusetts congressional delegation is here. Please wave. (Applause.) Where are they, I see — who do I got? Markey, Capuano — who else we got here? Delahunt is over here. Love these guys. (Laughter.)
One of the finest mayors in the country, Tom Menino is in the house. (Applause.) Senator Paul Kirk is here. (Applause.) My dear friend, Vicki Kennedy, is here. (Applause.)
Somebody else who’s inspired me — some of you know that the Democrats, when we came in, we decided we’d try to advance this novel concept — and that is that women should get the same pay as men for doing the same work. (Applause.) The bill that we signed — the bill that we signed was called the Lilly Ledbetter bill because Lilly Ledbetter, through her court case, inspired an entire nation to say that the Supreme Court wasn’t right and we needed to do something about it. And Lilly Ledbetter is here. I want everybody to give her a big round of applause. (Applause.)
Now, it’s a hard thing being a governor. It’s a hard thing being a governor and the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. And over the last year, this guy has done it with the grace and the stick-to-it-iveness that has marked his entire career. He’s one of my dearest friends, the first person to endorse me outside of Illinois, standing in the seat of the old confederacy in February of 2007 — my dear friend, Tim Kaine. (Applause.) I should point out that he was term limited. He only had one term to serve, so he was willing to do something crazy like endorse me that quick. (Laughter.)
And then let me thank Deval for the extraordinary introduction. And before I begin, I want to say a few words about the record flooding that’s been sweeping across a large portion of New England. I stopped by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency with Deval earlier today to be briefed on relief and recovery efforts, and I want everybody to know that we are working closely, minute by minute, with authorities in both states to provide the necessary assistance.
And I want to thank personally local and state first responders who’ve been working tirelessly and under difficult circumstances to save lives and property. (Applause.) I want to thank our team at FEMA that is fully engaged and committed to working with affected communities not only in terms of response efforts, but also in terms of rebuilding efforts. And tomorrow, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and FEMA Director — FEMA Deputy Administrator Rich Serino, who is a Boston native, by the way —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Whoo! (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: — will be visiting Rhode Island to tour some of the hardest hit areas and make sure that we are doing everything we can.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you!
THE PRESIDENT: You are welcome, but thank them. And all of our thoughts and prayers are with the families who’ve been dislocated and are wrestling with this enormous tragedy.
It is worth reminding people at a time when folks who work in government don’t get enough credit that when times are tough, when trouble arises, there are all kinds of civil servants out there who are working 24/7 in order to help folks. (Applause.) And I think it’s worth remembering that when you hear some of the rhetoric out there.
Now, it’s good to be back in a town that’s been so good to me. People forget I once spent three years cooped up in a library across the river. (Laughter.) I still managed to make some good memories, though. A few years ago, I gave this speech down at the convention speech that went pretty good. (Laughter and applause.) Most of you didn’t know my name before that. But one man who did is a man who wakes up every single day determined to fight the good fight for Massachusetts families and Massachusetts’ future –- and that’s your governor and my dear friend, Deval Patrick. (Applause.)
Deval stood up for me when I was running for the United States Senate that year. Then, right after I took office, he came to me — I had just set up my office at the Hart Building. Deval is saying this is a true story — this is a true story. (Laughter.) He says “Barack, congratulations. We’re so proud of you. I’ve got this idea. I’ve got this feeling that the people of Massachusetts might be looking for something a little bit different, and so I’ve got this hunger to serve. I want to run for governor.” And I thought to myself, “Well, this guy is crazy.” (Laughter.)
“He’s not going to win. He’s never run for anything.” At the time there were these candidates who had been planning the race for years. But then I thought to myself, “Well, yes, but he supported me when I was doing this stupid thing running for the United States Senate, so — and I like him, so, what the heck.” (Laughter.)
He had already put himself out there for one hopeless cause, I figured the least I could do was to return the favor. But the reason that I did it happily was because I knew there was a core decency and integrity about Deval. I knew that this was a man who does the right thing; who has a vision for the future; somebody who was going to be tenacious in his pursuit of that vision. And even though he didn’t have any money or big-name support, as soon as he started getting organized, I said to myself, he’s going to win.
And I watched him travel across this commonwealth, listening to you and building his campaign house by house, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, and that confidence spread to others. And folks began to say, “You know, this guy, Patrick, he’s not Irish.” (Laughter.) “But we like him anyway.” (Laughter.) I mean, it was a good trick. Initially people would come — (laughter) — and then when it was too late to — they listened to him and — (laughter.) I did the same thing. (Laughter.) I put an apostrophe after the “O” — (laughter) — and it worked out pretty good. (Applause.)
But the reason it worked was because Deval knew that the campaign wasn’t about him -– it was about you. His core vision was that everyone in this commonwealth had a part to play in building its future. And so many of you built a movement for change that could not be denied.
So I want you to realize that you’ve got a tremendous leader in Deval Patrick. In what is an extraordinarily tough time to be a governor, he has moved forward — not on the easy issues, but on the tough issues — pushing historic ethics reform, making education a top priority, keeping Massachusetts at the forefront of clean technology and biotechnology and all the innovations that are ultimately going to determine how well America is able to compete around the world in the 21st century. He’s the governor that’s going to keep leading Massachusetts into the future.
And here’s what else I want you to remember, Boston. The campaign Deval Patrick built is the same campaign for change that you and I built across this country — same way: house by house, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood. Because we shared a simple belief: Change does not come from the top down. Change comes from the bottom up. It comes from Americans like you. That’s what this movement has been about. (Applause.)
You believed that government of the people and by the people could still work for the people. You believed that we could still stand up to the special interests by standing up for middle-class interests. You believed that we should finally solve the problems that had been holding back our families and our businesses year after year after year. You believed that it was still possible to change the United States of America for the better.
And Boston, I’ve come to tell you tonight that we have kept faith with those beliefs. We have begun to solve those problems. The change you fought for is beginning to take hold.
Now, we knew from the beginning that it wouldn’t be easy. Change never is. President Kennedy once said: “When we got into office, the thing that surprised me most was that things were as bad as we’d been saying they were.” (Laughter.) Right, Deval?
GOVERNOR PATRICK: That’s right. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: So when we took office, we faced a financial crisis unseen since the 1930s, economy bleeding 750,000 jobs a month, a $1.3 trillion deficit, and two wars that were costly in every sense of the word.
So priority number one was responding to this incredible economic crisis. And by the way, some of the short-term steps required to do that weren’t popular and they weren’t easy. The pundits in Washington kept on saying, “What’s he doing, shoring up the banks and the auto industry and passing a Recovery Act? Doesn’t he know it’s unpopular? Doesn’t he know it will make him vulnerable?”
Well, yes — it turns out I’ve got pollsters too. (Laughter and applause.) We usually know what’s going to be unpopular before the newspapers do. (Laughter.) But I also knew that if you govern by pundits and polls, then you lose sight of why you got into public service in the first place. (Applause.) You lose sight of why all of you fought so hard to put me there in the first place. And I refuse to govern that way. (Applause.) That’s not why we fought so hard to win office.
My job is to solve problems for the people who elected me to solve them -– and for the people who didn’t. (Laughter and applause.) My job wasn’t to husband my popularity, make sure that I’m not making waves. That’s how a lot of folks who get into office govern. It’s easy. But that’s part of the reason why we’ve seen so little progress on the things that matter so much to ordinary people.
So I resolved to do not necessarily what was popular, but what I thought was right. And a year later, the financial system has stabilized. I love, you know, in the midst of the crisis — you guys may remember last March, when the stock market was bottoming out — “this is Obama’s stock market.” (Laughter.) Wall Street Journal said that, “Oh, look — look at his policies.” And I notice it’s not my market anymore. (Laughter.) I don’t know what happened. You notice that? (Laughter and applause.)
We recovered most of the money it took to stabilize the financial markets. And I proposed a fee on the biggest banks to recover every last dime that’s still out there — (applause) — so we are going to make sure that taxpayers get all their money back. A year later, GM is hiring again, on the verge of reopening hundreds of dealerships. A year later, the Recovery Act has put Americans back to work across the country rebuilding our infrastructure; provided nearly $300 billion in tax cuts designed to help small businesses and 95 percent of working Americans; and that’s a major reason why the economy that was shrinking a year ago is growing today. (Applause.) Taking those steps was the right thing to do.
Now, think back to just two months ago. Everybody thought our chances at progress were suddenly doomed. A Republican had won Ted Kennedy’s seat.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Massachusetts, you caused quite a bit of excitement around the country. (Laughter.) The sky was falling. You remember that? I’m sure none of you felt that way. (Laughter.)
But we did what our friend Teddy would have done. We kept up the fight, because it was the right thing to do. And because we did, and because of the members of Congress who are here today, last week we proved that America is a better nation than one that allows illness or accident to endanger the dreams of its people — people who’ve worked a lifetime to build those dreams. We finally passed comprehensive health insurance reform in America. (Applause.) After a hundred years, we passed health insurance reform and enshrined the idea that everybody should have some security when it comes to their health care. (Applause.) Nobody should be bankrupt when they get sick. No child should languish because of lack of care. (Applause.) After a hundred years.
As Joe Biden said, who has a way with words, this is — (laughter) — what? (Laughter.) He said it’s a big deal. (Laughter.) This reform will begin to end the worst practices of the insurance industry. They’re going to rein in our exploding deficits, and, over time, finally offer millions of families and small business owners quality, affordable care and the security and peace of mind that comes with it -– some of those folks for the very first time in their lives. And what it doesn’t do is it doesn’t hand more control to the government or to health insurance companies -– it gives it back to you, the American people.
And then this week, we built on that progress. I signed into law a bill that will finally reform the student loan system so that it works for students and families instead of bankers. (Applause.) We took $68 billion — $68 billion — that would have been going to financial middlemen to pad their profits, even though they weren’t taking any risks — because these were all federally guaranteed loans — and we said, why don’t we use that to make college more affordable and to strengthen our community colleges, which are a pathway for so many working families to success. (Applause.) Because that’s how we’ll achieve the goal that I set — by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. (Applause.)
And so we’re able to say to college students today that we have doubled Pell Grants, and we are going to make sure that you never have to pay more than 10 percent of your income for your college debt — because we don’t want you being hampered as you get started in life. (Applause.) And if you go into a job like teaching we will forgive your loans after 10 years. That’s an agenda for moving America forward. (Applause.)
And then next week, I’ll travel to Prague, where the United States of America and Russia will sign the most comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly 20 years -– (applause) — part of our effort to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek a world without them.
So these are some of the recent successes that you made possible. But some of our other successes happened so quick, everybody’s forgotten about them. (Laughter.) And people don’t realize we made the largest investment in clean energy in history. (Applause.) Folks don’t realize that we made this huge investment in information technologies for the health care system, so that you don’t have to fill out as many forms when you go to the doctor and we can all start saving some money and saving some time. (Applause.) Folks don’t realize that we put the law behind the principle of equal pay for an equal day’s work. (Applause.) We passed laws to protect consumers from getting ripped off by credit card companies, and homeowners from being taken advantage of by predatory lenders, and our children being targeted from big tobacco. (Applause.) And we appointed Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. (Applause.) And we made the White House the people’s house again. And we passed a service bill named for Senator Ted Kennedy that’s giving young and old a chance to serve their country and give back to their communities. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: What’s next? (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: I’m telling you. (Laughter.) You sound like the reporters. (Laughter.)
I was up in Maine and I was joking about — only slightly joking — about the fact that the day after we signed it, everybody started writing these stories about how the country is still divided on health care, it hasn’t suddenly become universally popular. (Laughter.) What’s going on?
It’s been a week, folks. (Laughter.)
So I said — can you imagine if, you know, the pundits and the cable guys were covering a farm? (Laughter.) And, you know, you sort of till the soil and — look, the soil is all messed up. (Laughter.) And then you put the seeds in and the next day they’d write a story — nothing is growing. (Laughter.) We’re going to starve. There are no crops. (Laughter.) It’s polling really badly. (Laughter and applause.)
Here’s the point — (laughter) — I’m starting to have fun, which I should not do — in ways large and small, Boston, we’ve begun to deliver on the change you believed in. We have done what we said we would do.
That’s the other thing that surprises folks in Washington. They said, well, you know, why did you keep on doing health care? Well, because that’s what I said I was going to do. (Laughter.)
What our recent debates have lain bare is that even though we’ve had some success overcoming political gridlock, we haven’t had as much success in changing political gridlock. We have to admit that. And I wanted to change the tone in Washington — it hasn’t changed, not yet. But I still believe that if we’re going to deal with the great challenges of our time and secure a better future, as past generations of Americans have done, as they did for us, then we’re going to have to change our politics. Because for all our efforts, change can’t come fast enough for so many Americans.
Every time I visit workers in a factory, or families in a diner; every night when I sit down and I read letters from everyday Americans, I get the same questions. People ask, “How am I going to find a job — I’m 50 years old, I’ve known only one skill my entire life and now I’ve been laid off — where do I turn?” Or, “How am I going to retire when I keep spending the savings — all my savings just to get by, just to pay skyrocketing health care bills?” Or, “How am I going to make it when I’m stretched to the limit on my mortgage and my bills and I’m trying to save for my kids’ college education?”
You know, they’re not asking me, “Barack, which party is scoring more political points?” “Who’s ahead at the polls?” “Who won the news cycle today?” They look to Washington and they see a city that’s just obsessed with red versus blue and who’s up and who’s down and every day is Election Day -– every day is Election Day. There are stories out right now — “We’ve polled Obama in 2012.” (Laughter.) I’m not joking. I mean, people write entire columns, “Well, you know, matched up against hypothetical Republicans, here’s what happening.” Less concerned about what’s going on in the life of folks in America.
And it’s no wonder there’s so much frustration out there. And, yes, some of it is going to be directed at us because, you know what, one of the things you sign up for when you become a governor or you become a President is that you’re a lightning rod for all these frustrations that build up — legitimate frustrations.
Now, there are always going to be some issues where Democrats and Republicans just don’t see eye to eye. That’s how our democracy works. It’s supposed to be messy; it was designed that way. But it’s one thing to disagree out of principle; it’s another way to stand — it’s another thing to stand in the way just because it’s politically expedient. And I don’t know how else to describe one of the Republican senators saying that health care was going to be “Obama’s Waterloo.” You remember that?
AUDIENCE: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s the kind of politics that says, “When you lose, I win” — regardless of what it means for the country. And that’s an unfortunate approach, especially when this new law has a lot of Republicans in it –- or a lot of Republican ideas in it. You know, you’ve got a former governor of Massachusetts who’s running around — (laughter) — saying “What’s this health reform bill?” (Laughter.) And I keep on scratching my head and I say, boy, this Massachusetts thing, who designed that? (Laughter.) And I have to say, already you’re starting to see some Republicans that are actually claiming credit for some of the ideas in the bill, even though they fought against the bill.
And part of this was a early calculated decision made by Republican leaders in Congress not to work with us on the most important issues facing the American people. And they made this decision even before I was sworn into office. The general strategy was if they could block progress on any big issue, then they could say that the Democrats had failed and they could run on that in November. That’s not just short-term politics, that’s short-term thinking. And it’s especially disappointing in a time of crisis, when there’s so much work to be done.
Well, it turns out health reform wasn’t my Waterloo. (Laughter and applause.) And it turns out that the day after I signed the bill it wasn’t Armageddon. (Laughter.) No asteroids fell. (Laughter.) The Earth didn’t crack open. Nobody has lost their doctor. Nobody has been manacled and dragged into a government plan. We’re going to be okay. (Laughter.) We’re going to be better than okay. (Applause.) Because in the end, it was a long-overdue victory for the American people and it’s a step, like everything that we’ve done over the past year, to help restore some certainty and security to middle-class families that have felt that security slipping away. (Applause.) And we’re going to keep on fighting on those other challenges that we face. (Applause.)
So, my friend back there, whoever it was, asked me what was next. Let me tell you. (Laughter.) Folks can keep on calling me naïve if they want –- I’ve been called that before. I’m going to keep on reaching out to Republicans for their help.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Don’t bother! (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: It may be heresy to say so at an event like this, I know — (laughter) — but I believe that those of us in public life have to care less about what’s right for a party, and more about what’s right for the country. (Applause.) So I’m going to keep incorporating their ideas, even if they refuse to consider mine. Maybe we can even get your newest senator on board with some of our efforts. (Applause.) Because there’s a lot we should be able to agree on.
We should all agree that we have to rebuild this economy so that hard work is once again rewarded, and families feel like they’ve got a shot at the American Dream again. This isn’t just an economic challenge for our country. It’s a crisis that tears at our society’s soul, because a job is more than just a paycheck. It’s about feeling that sense of self-worth from a job well-done; the fulfillment in meeting one’s responsibilities. No American should be deprived of that dignity. And so we’ve going to have to think creatively and collaboratively if we’re going to put Americans back to work.
We should all agree we have to pursue a comprehensive strategy for energy security that moves us from fossil fuels and foreign oil to homegrown fuels and clean energy -– (applause) — because the nation that leads in the clean energy sector will lead the economy in the 21st century. (Applause.)
We should all agree that we’ve got to pass common-sense rules for Wall Street to prevent the kind of nonsense that took place and helped to lead to this crisis — (applause) — where a few reckless financial institutions can bring down an entire economy and burst the dreams of millions of American families.
We should all agree that we’ve got to bring down our mounting deficits, which is why I signed into law PAYGO rules — very simple concept, you pay as you go — that helped produce the budget surpluses of the 1990s. And that’s why I ordered a freeze on discretionary spending, and have created a bipartisan, independent commission to help solve our fiscal crisis — because we face some tough choices ahead, and we need to make them together. And they’re not going to be made by slogans. They’re going to be made by us coming together and deciding to do right by the next generation.
I know we can do this. I know we can overcome the politics of cynicism and come together in common purpose to solve our greatest challenges. And I know this because of you. I was remarking to Deval the first time I was in this room was after the New Hampshire primary. Some of you were here. You remember that? (Applause.) And as is true, once you’re President — folks had gotten carried away on the upswing — all right? — so after Iowa, everybody had just gone crazy and “it’s over” and this and that and the other. And then we lost New Hampshire, and suddenly everybody was “ohhh” — (laughter.) Everybody was sad. (Laughter.) Well, not everybody; I mean the folks who were supporting me were sad. (Laughter.)
And I remember coming to this room and — I don’t know if some of you remember me saying this — I said, you know, I actually think this is a good thing. Because, I said, the race for the presidency should not be easy; it should be hard; you should be tested. You should be poked and prodded and the American people should be able to lift the hood and take candidates out for a test drive and see whether they meet the test. And the process of running for President is so humbling, in part because what you come to realize is the American people are so good and they’re so decent, and they deserve the best possible leadership.
And so I remember speaking to all of you and said, cheer up; stand up. We’re in the midst of this remarkable democratic experiment and I didn’t get involved in this because I was a sure thing. I got involved in this because I felt it was the right thing to do; and that maybe my voice combined with your voice and voices of people all across the country could somehow make a meaningful difference.
And my faith is renewed every day by Americans that I meet all across this great country who refuse to settle for the status quo. My resolve is strengthened every time I see an American who rejects the idea that Americans can no longer do big things. I am fired up by every American who still believes that people who love their country can change it. (Applause.) And, Boston, we have seen what happens when we don’t back down. We have seen what’s happens when we don’t quit. (Applause.) I don’t quit. You don’t quit. (Applause.) And I am absolutely confident, with your help, we will rise to our challenges. We will finish what we’ve started. We’ll reelect Deval Patrick. (Applause.) We will keep the American Dream alive for this generation and for the next generation. You can bank on that! (Applause.)
Thank you, everybody. God bless you. (Applause.)
END
7:30 P.M. EDT
A PROCLAMATION
Our children are our most valuable resource, and they need our support to thrive and grow into healthy, productive adults. During National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we renew our unwavering commitment to protecting children and responding to child abuse, promoting healthy families, and building a brighter future for all Americans.
Every child deserves a nurturing family and a safe environment, free from fear, abuse, and neglect. Tragically, sexual, emotional, and physical abuse threaten too many children every day in communities across our Nation. Parents, guardians, relatives, and neighbors all share a responsibility to prevent these devastating crimes, and our government plays a critical role as well.
My Administration is committed to helping future generations succeed. We are focused on engaging parents in their children’s early learning and development, ensuring the safety and well-being of all families, and creating opportunities for all Americans. We are also partnering with Federal, State, and local agencies to better coordinate early childhood services and improve the lives of young children and their families.
Together, we can ensure that every child grows up in a safe, stable, and nurturing environment, free from abuse and neglect. I encourage all Americans to visit: www.ChildWelfare.gov/Preventing to learn what they can do to stop child abuse in their communities.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2010 as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month with programs and activities that help prevent child abuse and provide for children’s physical, emotional, and developmental needs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
A PROCLAMATION
As Americans, we can demonstrate our commitment to one another in the most difficult of circumstances through organ, tissue, stem cell, and blood donation. During National Donate Life Month, we honor donors who provide others with a second chance for a healthy life and encourage more Americans to share this precious gift.
Today, over 100,000 Americans await donation on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network waiting list. Many will receive a lifesaving transplant, but, for some, help will not come fast enough. Whether they are coping with kidney failure or recovering from severe injuries, these individuals’ lives depend on the compassion of a loved one or a complete stranger. Across our country, we face a shortage of donors and an urgent need for help. We must respond with the spirit of generosity that has always defined our national character.
Each organ or tissue donor can save many lives, and becoming one is simple: join your State’s donor registry, indicate your decision on your driver’s license, and inform loved ones of your decision. There is no age limit for donors, and because some conditions and blood types are more common in certain ethnic and racial populations, the Department of Health and Human Services especially encourages minorities to consider donation.
Visit OrganDonor.gov to learn more about the urgent need for donors and to find resources on how to donate. Together, we can save lives and give hope to countless American families.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2010 as National Donate Life Month. I call upon health care professionals, volunteers, educators, government agencies, faith-based and community groups, and private organizations to join forces to boost the number of organ, tissue, blood, and stem cell donors throughout our Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
A PROCLAMATION
Every day, women, men, and children across America suffer the pain and trauma of sexual assault. From verbal harassment and intimidation to molestation and rape, this crime occurs far too frequently, goes unreported far too often, and leaves long-lasting physical and emotional scars. During National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we recommit ourselves not only to lifting the veil of secrecy and shame surrounding sexual violence, but also to raising awareness, expanding support for victims, and strengthening our response.
Sexual violence is an affront to our national conscience, one which we cannot ignore. It disproportionately affects women — an estimated one in six American women will experience an attempted or completed rape at some point in her life. Too many men and boys are also affected.
These facts are deeply troubling, and yet, sexual violence affects Americans of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances. Alarming rates of sexual violence occur among young women attending college, and frequently, alcohol or drugs are used to incapacitate the victim. Among people with disabilities, isolation may lead to repeated assaults and an inability to seek and locate help. Native American women are more than twice as likely to be sexually assaulted compared with the general population. As a Nation, we share the responsibility for protecting each other from sexual assault, supporting victims when it does occur, and bringing perpetrators to justice.
We can lead this charge by confronting and changing insensitive attitudes wherever they persist. Survivors too often suffer in silence because they fear further injury, are unwilling to experience further humiliation, or lack faith in the criminal justice system. This feeling of isolation, often compounded with suicidal feelings, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, only exacerbate victims’ sense of hopelessness. No one should face this trauma alone, and as families, friends, and mentors, we can empower victims to seek the assistance they need.
At the Federal, State, local, and tribal level, we must work to provide necessary resources to victims of every circumstance, including medical attention, mental health services, relocation and housing assistance, and advocacy during legal proceedings. Under Vice President Biden’s leadership, the 2005 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act included the Sexual Assault Services Program, the first-ever funding stream dedicated solely to providing direct services to victims of sexual assault. To further combat sexual violence, my 2011 Budget doubles funding for this program. Through the Justice Department and the Centers for Disease Control, we are funding prevention and awareness campaigns as well as grants for campus services to address sexual assault on college campuses. The Justice Department has also increased funding and resources to combat violence against Native American women.
As we continue to confront this crime, let us reaffirm this month our dedication to take action in our communities and stop abuse before it starts. Together, we can increase awareness about sexual violence, decrease its frequency, punish offenders, help victims, and heal lives.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2010 as National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. I urge all Americans to reach out to victims, learn more about this crime, and speak out against it.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
1:50 P.M. EDT
MR. BURTON: Hello. Thank you all for joining us on this trip. So just a little housekeeping at the top here. Upon arrival in Maine, the President will be greeted by Governor Baldacci and his wife Karen; Mayor Nicholas Mavodones; and Congress — members of Congress Michaud and Pingree. At the speech he will be introduced by Mainer Karen Mills, the head of the Small Business Administration. The audience will be about 2,500 people. Two thousand of those tickets were made available to the general public. About 500 of those were handed out by local electeds and officials.
In Boston the President will be greeted by Lilly Ledbetter. And then as you know we’ve got the events with the DNC once we get there into Boston.
Q (Inaudible.)
MR. BURTON: At the event, yes. So — and at some point today the President will be addressing the floods that are having such an impact on the region. So with that, let me take your questions.
Q Hu Jintao and his decision to attend the nuclear conference — do you have any reaction to that? Do you think it’s going to help you with your broader outreach with China? And is there any connection or is it going to influence your decision on whether you name China a currency manipulator on the April 15 report?
MR. BURTON: Well, obviously we’re pleased that China is coming to the event. As we have long said, we have an important relationship with China, one in which there are many issues of mutual concern that we work on together. But there also will be times where we disagree. I think this proves the point that despite those disagreements, we can work together on issues like nuclear proliferation. I think that China understands that it’s in their best interests that there isn’t a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, and that’s obviously something that we’re going to be working on.
As it relates to currency, I would just point you to what the President said. I’ll just read his quote: “China moving to a more market-oriented exchange rate will make an essential contribution to global rebalancing.” But as for anything that has to do with the currency, I would point you over to Treasury.
Q So no connection? There is no connection? You don’t see it influencing your decision?
MR. BURTON: I would just talk to Treasury about their decision-making — their process on that.
Q Is there any comment out of the White House on the decision yesterday on the warrantless wiretapping for the Islamic charity?
MR. BURTON: Well, the Department of Justice is still reviewing the decision. I would just point out that the Attorney General has made a — has implemented a series of reforms that help to balance the importance of national security with issues of transparency. And they’ve made a point not to abuse this privilege and have made great strides in reforming it.
But I would direct you to the Department of Justice for when they get through their review —
Q Bill, can you gauge in any way what the President has to show for these post-bill signing trips?
MR. BURTON: Well, we’re in the middle of a long process. We’re just a week away from the bill being signed into law essentially, and the President thinks it’s important that we continue to make sure that the American people know exactly what they’re getting out of this bill in the short term; what it’s going to mean for their families, for businesses, and for the American economy in the long term.
And so the President’s objective is to make sure the American people know a little bit more about what the benefits are in the bill.
Q When or how are you going to know that you’ve closed the loop on this? He’s talking about the small business aspect today; he talked about the insurance companies. Is he just going to continue to hammer away at this for the foreseeable future?
MR. BURTON: Well, he’s going to continue to talk to the American people about it, and the American people are going to continue to receive the benefits as the bill gets phased in. Nobody thought that overnight that a bill would get passed and suddenly people would understand all the benefits. We went through a year and change of a long and contentious debate. There were a lot of mistruths out there. There were a lot of things that just frankly were not true that were said about this proposal — well, this now law — and the President is committed to making sure that people know what’s in it. And we’re in the middle of that process.
Q How much of it, though, is a calculation for the midterms? I mean, how much is he doing this to lay the groundwork for somebody who might be in a tough reelection fight?
MR. BURTON: Well, I would say that this is a lot more about the policy than it is about the politics. The President didn’t get into this because he thought it would be the politically popular thing to do. I mean, if you look at the polling over the course of the last year, obviously that wasn’t what guided his decision to go about this.
But — so I would say that this is really about making sure the American people know what they have at stake here and what they get out of this law.
Q Wasn’t that supposed to be done before it was passed?
MR. BURTON: Like I said, we went through a long process where there was a pretty contentious back-and-forth between the proponents of the bill and the opponents of that bill. Well, now that bill is law, and we have to make sure that we get in there and we dispel some of the rumors and some of the myths about it, and underscore some of the benefits the American people are getting out of it.
Q Bill, could you talk a bit about the timing of the drilling announcement? Some environmentalists say perhaps the President should have waited and used the drilling as leverage, maybe, in climate change negotiations.
MR. BURTON: Well, I would say, A, this was driven in part by a deadline that we were up against; and B, the President’s policy wasn’t a matter of horse trading over what he thought he could get out of this or that. It was driven by what he thought was the right policy for a comprehensive energy policy that puts our country on the right path towards more renewable energy, less dependence on foreign oil, and creating jobs of the future in the 21st century.
So I think that anybody who looked at what’s in that proposal shouldn’t have been particularly shocked that the President was for all those things. And I don’t know how you go about horse trading something that everybody knows you’re for already.
Q Bill, do you have any reaction to Karzai’s comments that foreigners were to blame for the fraud in the Afghan election last year?
MR. BURTON: We went through a pretty long and rigorous process in that election. International observers and folks on the ground in Afghanistan took a look at the elections. There were charges made of fraud; there were a lot of ballots that were disqualified. And at the end of the process ended up with a winner in that race, who is recognized both by the Afghan people and by the international community.
And so we’re satisfied with that effort. And I think that we’re just going to continue to work with the Afghan government on helping to strengthen it and helping to secure that country.
Q Comments like that don’t seem to be consistent with the message of the President to Karzai on Sunday. Has he got the message on corruption, do you think?
MR. BURTON: Well, I think that the President and this government have made clear that there are issues with governance in that country that could certainly be improved. We’ve been having conversations with them for months. I think that we’ve been able to make some progress. The President is glad for that progress, but there’s obviously a lot more work to do, and we’re going to continue to do it.
Q What’s the White House reaction to China joining U.N. talks on Iran sanctions? How important step is that for developing consequences for Iran?
MR. BURTON: It’s a very important step. The President feels that we’ve been able to have — to unite the global community in a way that it hasn’t been united before in putting pressure on Iran and halting their drive towards nuclear weapons.
We’re going to continue that process, and the President thinks that this spring we’re going to be able to be in a place where there’s an agreement of those nations to apply real pressure to Iran.
Q Do you know if Snowe and Collins were invited to the event in Portland today? I know they’re not going to be there, but were they invited at all?
MR. BURTON: Yes, they were invited. No, they won’t be there.
Q Thank you.
MR. BURTON: Thank you.
END
2:00 P.M. EDT
3:17 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Portland! (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, Portland.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you, everybody.
Well, what a wonderful — I guess when the sun comes out around here, everybody gets pretty excited. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: I love you!
THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Applause.)
Now, I have to say, the last time I was in Maine was before the caucuses. (Applause.) It was a little cooler here — (laughter) — as I recall. But it is wonderful to be back. There are some people I want to say a few nice things about.
First of all, we could not have a better Small Business Administrator than your own neighbor, Karen Mills. And so please give her a huge round of applause. (Applause.) She’s doing a great job. I think she has more than a few folks from Maine on her staff. She’s kind of stocked them all over the place. And everybody is doing a great job over at the SBA. I want to thank —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) I want to thank one of the finest governors in the country, John Baldacci, who is here. (Applause.) Thank you, John. Where is he? There he is right there. Thank you. (Applause.)
Your outstanding mayor Nick Mavodones is here. (Applause.) And we’ve got two great champions from Maine whose tireless efforts have helped working families all across this state and all across this country — Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and Congressman Mike Michaud. (Applause.)
All right, it is good to be back in Maine. (Applause.) And I want everybody to remember, when I came here during the campaign, I made a promise. And it wasn’t a promise about any particular issue. It was a promise that our government would once again be responsive to the needs and aspirations of working families, of America’s middle class. It was a promise that Washington would concern itself not just with the next election, but with the next generation of Americans. (Applause.)
Now, keeping that promise is even more critical now, at a time when so many families and so many small business owners are still struggling here in Maine and all across the country. Every time I visit with workers in a factory, or families in a diner; every time I sit down and read letters from Americans across the country, I see and hear the same questions. Folks are asking, “How am I going to find a job when I’ve only known one skill my entire lifetime and I just got laid off and I’m in my fifties? How am I going to retire when I keep spending my savings just to get by, or trying to make sure that my kid can go to college and tuition keeps on going up? How am I going to make it when I’m stretched to the limits on my mortgage and on my bills?” Those are the questions that I hear.
And I want you to know we are working every single day to spur job creation and to turn this economy around. That’s why we worked so hard over the last year to lift one of the biggest burdens facing middle-class families and small business owners, and that is the crushing cost of health care right here in America. (Applause.)
And Mainers, I want you to know that last week, after a year of debate and a century of trying, health insurance reform became the law of the land — last week. (Applause.) Last week.
AUDIENCE: Yes we did! Yes we did! Yes we did!
THE PRESIDENT: Yes we did. Because of folks like Chellie and Mike, it happened. (Applause.) Because of people like you, it happened. It happened because people had the courage to stand up at town hall meetings and talk about how insurance companies were denying their families coverage because of a preexisting condition. It happened because folks wrote letters about how premiums have gone up 50 or 70 or 100 percent, in some cases, and it was forcing them to give up their insurance. It happened because countless small business owners and families and doctors shared stories about a health care system that was working better for the insurance industry than it did for American people.
And when the special interests sent an army of lobbyists to Congress and blanketed the airwaves with millions of dollars in negative ads, all of you mobilized and organized and you refused to give up. And when the pundits were obsessed over what the polls were saying and who was up and who was down, and what would this mean for Democrats or Republicans, you never lost sight of what was right and what was wrong. (Applause.) You knew it wasn’t about the fortunes of one party, it was about the future of our country. (Applause.) And today, Portland, because of what you did, the future looks stronger and more hopeful than it has in some time.
Now, over the last year, there’s been a lot of misinformation spread about health reform. There’s been a lot of fear-mongering, a lot of overheated rhetoric. You turned on the news, you’d see that those same folks who were hollering about it before it passed, they’re still hollering, about how the world will end because we passed this bill. (Laughter.) This is not an exaggeration. John Boehner called the passage of this bill —
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: — no need to — we don’t need to boo, I just want to give the facts — called this passage of this bill “Armageddon.” You had others who said this is the end of freedom as we know it.
So after I signed the bill, I looked around. (Laughter and applause.) I looked up at the sky to see if asteroids were coming. (Laughter.) I looked at the ground to see if cracks had opened up in the earth. You know what, it turned out it was a pretty nice day. (Laughter and applause.) Birds were still chirping. Folks were strolling down the street. Nobody had lost their doctor. Nobody had pulled the plug on Granny. (Laughter.) Nobody was being dragged away to be forced into some government-run health care plan.
But the thing is, though, you have to love some of the pundits in Washington. Every single day since I signed the reform law, there’s been another poll or headline that said “Nation still divided on health care reform. Polls haven’t changed yet.” Well, yeah. It just happened last week. (Laughter and applause.) It’s only been a week. (Applause.)
Can you imagine if some of these reporters were working on a farm? (Laughter.) You planted some seeds, and they came out the next day, and they looked, and nothing’s happened! (Laughter and applause.) There’s no crop! We’re going to starve! Oh, no! (Applause.) It’s a disaster! (Laughter.)
It’s been a week, folks. (Laughter.) So before we find out if people like health care reform, we should wait to see what happens when we actually put it into place. Just a thought. (Applause.)
Now, look, this reform is not going to solve every problem with our health care system. It is a huge, complicated piece of business — a couple of trillion dollars, thousands of people affected, thousands of people working in the industry. It’s not going to bring down the cost of health care overnight. We’re going to have to make some adjustments along the way. But it represents enormous progress. It enshrines the principle that every American should have the security of decent care; and that nobody should go bankrupt because they’ve got a kid who’s sick with a preexisting condition — (applause) — that small businesses shouldn’t be burdened because they want to do the right thing by their employee. So now that this bill is finally law and all the folks who have been playing politics will finally have to confront the reality of what this reform is, they’re also going to have to confront the reality of what it isn’t.
They’ll have to finally acknowledge that this isn’t a government takeover of our health care system. They’ll see that if Americans like their doctor, they will keep their doctor. And if you like your insurance plan, you will keep it. No one will be able to take that away from you. It hasn’t happened yet. It won’t happen in the future.
What this reform represents is basically a middle-of-the-road solution to a very serious problem. It’s not single-payer. Some people wanted that, I understood that, but that is not — (applause) — see? But — so it’s not that. But it’s also not what the Republicans were advocating for, which is essentially that you completely deregulate the insurance industry, you let them run wild, and that somehow you are going to benefit. That was their theory. It was called the “foxes guarding the chicken coop” health care plan. (Applause.)
So it’s not the plan that some on the left supported in the past. It’s not what some on the right supported, but it is a commonsense plan. This reform incorporates ideas from both Democrats and Republicans -– including, by the way, a number of ideas from your senator and somebody I consider a friend, Olympia Snowe, who spent many hours meeting with me on this bill. (Applause.)
And what this reform does is it builds on the system of private health insurance that we’ve already got, so that if you have insurance, this reform will make it more secure and more affordable. If you can’t afford insurance or if you’ve been denied coverage, you’re finally going to be able to get it. And over time, costs will come down for families, businesses, and the federal government, reducing our deficit by more than $1 trillion over the next two decades. That’s what this reform will do. (Applause.)
Now, Portland, it will take about four years to implement this entire plan, because we’ve got to do it responsibly, we need to get it right. But there’s also a set of reforms that will take effect this year. So I just want to — I want everybody to understand what’s going to happen this year.
Starting this year, millions of small business owners are going to be eligible for a tax credit that will help them cover the cost of insurance for their employees. (Applause.) And let me talk about — let me talk about what this means for a small business owner like Bill Milliken. (Applause.) Bill, stand up. (Applause.) That’s Bill right there. (Applause.) Now, I want to give a little plug to Bill here. (Laughter.) Bill owns Market House Coffee and the Maine Beer and Beverage Corporation, both here, right here in Portland. (Applause.) In exchange for this publicity, I hope that I’m going to get some samples of the beer. (Laughter and applause.) Okay. He nodded in the affirmative. (Laughter.)
Now, he wants to give his part-time employees health insurance and he wants to give them more hours, but he can’t do both, he can’t afford to do both. So this tax credit will make it easier for an employer like Bill who wants to do the right thing by his workers.
Starting now, small business owners like Bill will have the security of knowing that they can qualify for a tax credit that covers up to 35 percent, over a third of what they pay for their employees’ health insurance. And starting now — (applause) — starting now, small business owners that provide health care for their workers can sit down at the end of the week, they can look at their expenses, and they can begin calculating how much money they’re going to save. And for small business owners who don’t currently provide health insurance, they’re going to be able to factor in this new benefit when they’re deciding to do so.
Now, it won’t solve all our problems, but it means that employees that work for Bill have a better chance of keeping their health care or getting health care. And if they’re already getting health care, it means Bill has got some extra money. That means he might hire that extra worker, right? (Applause.)
So this health care tax credit is pro-jobs, it’s pro-business, and it starts this year. (Applause.) This month, we’re going to be — this month we’re going to be sending out details on how to apply for this credit to millions of small businesses across the county, but if you want to learn about it today, we’re going to put all the facts on our Web site, www.whitehouse.gov. All right? So that happens this year.
Here’s what else happens this year. Tens of thousands of uninsured Americans with preexisting conditions, and parents whose children have a preexisting condition, will finally be able to purchase the coverage that they need. That happens this year. (Applause.)
So last week, I met a man named David Gallagher, whose daughter Lauren had written me a letter last year. When Lauren’s mom lost her job, their entire family lost their health insurance. When they tried to get new insurance, David was denied coverage because he once had a complication-free hernia surgery, but the insurance companies wanted to weed him out. They figured, well, the guy has been sick before; we don’t want to have to cover him, we don’t want to bear that risk. So Lauren has been worried sick about what would happen if her father became ill or injured. Now, because of this reform, David Gallagher can finally have access to health insurance again. That begins this year. That starts this year. (Applause.)
So that’s just one of the insurance reforms that starts this year. Here’s what else happens: Insurance companies won’t be able to drop people’s coverage when they get sick; or place lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits on the amount of care they can receive. (Applause.)
Now, this isn’t some abstract concept. There was a story in a local paper this week about a woman named Theresa D’Andrea. And Theresa’s husband —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: D’Andrea.
THE PRESIDENT: D’Andrea, excuse me. Thank you. Where is she? Are you up there? Stand up. Stand up, Theresa. (Applause.) Now, Theresa’s husband passed away recently from cancer, and before he died, he hit the lifetime cap on his insurance. As a result, Theresa has not only had to cope with the loss of her husband, but with $60,000 in medical bills –- and this is after she’s already spent all of their retirement savings on medical care. Now, because of this reform, a situation like Theresa’s won’t happen again in the United States of America. And that’s going to start this year. And we’re inspired by stories like yours. (Applause.)
Starting this year, all new insurance plans will be required to offer free preventive care. And starting this year — this may interest some of you here — if you are a young person who doesn’t have insurance or doesn’t have a job that offers insurance, you’re going to be able to stay on your parents’ insurance policy until you’re 26 years old, starting this year. Starting this year. (Applause.) So now —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: You’re welcome. (Laughter.) Thank Chellie and Mike. They voted for it. Thank them. (Applause.)
This year, seniors who fall into the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole — some seniors probably know about that — they’re going to receive $250 to help pay for prescriptions, and that’s just the first step, because what we’re going to be doing is over the next several years closing that gap completely. And I want seniors to know — (applause) — I want seniors to know despite some of the stuff that’s been said out there, these reforms don’t cut into your guaranteed benefits. What they do is eliminate co-payments and deductibles for preventive care, like check-ups and mammograms. You will be getting those for free now. (Applause.)
This is why AARP supported this bill — because it’s good for seniors. It’s the right thing to do. (Applause.) It’s good for young people. It’s the right thing to do. (Applause.) It’s good for people who’ve hit these lifetime limits. It’s good for people with preexisting conditions. All that — all that happens this year.
And then, by 2014, each state will set up what we’re calling a health insurance exchange, but it’s basically just a competitive marketplace where uninsured people and small businesses, who right now are out there on their own trying to negotiate with insurance companies, they can now be part of a big pool — millions of people coming together, leveraging their purchasing power, which is going to lower their rates. They’ll get a better deal.
Walmart, the reason they are able to give you low prices is because they buy and they tell their suppliers, we’re the biggest — we’re a 800-pound gorilla when it comes to whatever product you’re talking about, so you’ve got to give better prices. Well, the same thing is true when it comes to the insurance markets. So everybody who can be part of this pool is going to get a better deal than they would otherwise get.
And by the way, members of Congress are going to be part of this pool. So you know it’s going to be good because they’re going to have to use it themselves for their own families. (Applause.)
So that’ll happen in the next few years. And when this exchange is up and running, millions of people are also going to get tax breaks to help them afford coverage. So even though this pool will give you lower rates, you’ll get a better deal, some folks still can’t afford it. So we’re going to give you tax credits to help you afford it. And that adds up to the largest middle-class tax cut in health care in history. That’s what this bill is about. (Applause.)
So think about it. So think about it. That’s what this is about. We’re setting up a pool using the private market to give people a better deal. We’re giving tax breaks to working people — some of them working two, three jobs who still can’t get insurance — we’re going to give them some help. We’re going to give small businesses help so that they can help their workers and improve their bottom line. And we’ve got a whole bunch of insurance reforms so people like Theresa aren’t going to be disadvantaged and taken advantage of when they need it most. That’s what this bill is. And it’s paid for. And it saves on our deficits. (Applause.)
Now, this is what everybody has been hollering about as the end of freedom. (Laughter.) And now that it’s passed, they’re already promising, we’re going to repeal it.
AUDIENCE: Boo!
THE PRESIDENT: They’re going to run on a platform of repeal in November. And my attitude is, go for it. You try to repeal it. (Applause.)
I want these members of Congress to come out of Washington, come here to Maine, and tell Mr. Milliken there, you know what, we’re going to take away your tax credits, essentially raise your taxes. If you want to — if they want to do that, be my guest.
If they want to look at Lauren Gallagher in the eye and tell her they plan to take away her father’s ability to get health insurance, that’s their right. If they want to go tell Theresa that once again you could face a lifetime of debt if you lose a family member, they can run on that platform.
If they want to have a fight, I welcome that fight, because I don’t believe the American people are going to put the insurance industry back in the driver’s seat. I’m happy to have that argument. (Applause.) I’m happy to have that argument.
Now, in fairness — and I want to be scrupulously fair — some of them have now said, well, we want to repeal and replace this bill with our brand of insurance reform. But when you poke and prod and you ask them, well, what is it exactly you’re going to replace it with, it turns out they want to deregulate the insurance market. We’ve already been there. We know what that’s like. We’re not going back. We’re not going backwards. This country is ready to move forwards. Portland, Maine, is ready to move forward. (Applause.)
And while we’re talking about moving forward, I just want to mention one thing. Kind of lost in the shuffle of all this health care debate is the fact that part of the bill that we signed, that I signed this week, is going to provide an additional $68 billion that used to go to banks and financial services companies, and that’s now going to go to the student loan program to expand Pell Grants and to make sure that college is affordable for every young person in America. (Applause.) And I want to know, do they want to repeal that as well, because I’m happy to have that discussion. (Applause.)
Now, $68 billion — $68 billion — was going to banks and financial institutions. We’ve just taken that money from the banks, from the financial institutions, doubling Pell Grants, making sure that — making sure that young people, if you’ve got debt when you go out of college — and I know I did so you probably do, too — that you will never have to pay more than 10 percent of your income in repayments — (applause) — so that you’re not going broke because you decide to get a college education that makes our economy stronger, that makes America stronger. If they want to repeal that, too, we can have that discussion. (Applause.)
The road to this victory has been long. It has been — it has been difficult. And it’s absolutely true that because health care is such a complicated issue, a lot of people got worried. A lot of people got scared. And the misinformation seeped in. And then the process was ugly and everybody was arguing and there was all kinds of stuff going on in the Senate and the House, and everybody just said, ah, this looks like a mess.
I understand that. That’s part of our democracy. This is a — democracy is a messy business. It is the worst form of government except for all the other ones that have been tried. (Laughter and applause.) That’s what Winston Churchill said. That’s what Winston Churchill said — he’s absolutely right. It can be frustrating sometimes, but ultimately that’s what makes our country so great, is because everybody is able to voice their opinions; everybody is able to get out there and organize. (Applause.) And you’re free to call your President an idiot. (Laughter.)
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: No, that’s a wonderful thing. As I was driving by, people were waving. Everybody was clapping. And then one guy’s like “Eh.” (Laughter.) He saw me through the window, too, going, “Eh.” (Laughter.) I thought, that’s a great thing about the country. (Applause.)
Look, but I want everybody to learn the lesson from this debate. In reaching this milestone, it doesn’t represent the end of all our problems. We still have jobs to create and deficits to reduce. We still have children to educate. We still face enormous challenges in this country. Jobs haven’t been returning fast enough, despite everything that we’re doing. The economy is growing again, but people still haven’t been hired back as fast as they need to. Small businesses are still having trouble getting credit out there. So there are all kinds of issues we’re going to have to work on.
But what this fight has taught us about ourselves and about this country — it’s bigger than any one issue. It reminds us that change is never easy, but it’s always possible. It reminds us that in the United States of America, we still have the power to shape our own destiny. And it reminds us that we, as a people, don’t shrink from a challenge. We don’t shirk our responsibilities. We embrace challenges. (Applause.) We don’t fear the future. We shape the future. That’s what we do. That’s who we are. That’s what you’re about. That’s why you’re here. That’s why I ran for President of the United States of America. That’s what makes us the United States of America. (Applause.)
Thank you, Portland. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
END
3:51 P.M. EDT
Health reform legislation signed by President Obama includes a Small Business Health Care Tax Credit to help small businesses afford the cost of covering their workers.
Key Facts about the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit
The tax credit, which is effective immediately, can cover up to 35 percent of the premiums a small business pays to cover its workers. In 2014, the rate will increase to 50 percent. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the tax credit will save small businesses $40 billion by 2019. Both small for-profit businesses and small not-for-profit organizations are eligible. Key Elements
Available Immediately. The credit is effective January 1, 2010. As a result, small businesses that provide health care for their workers will receive immediate help with their premium costs, and additional firms that initiate coverage this year will get a tax cut as well.Broad Eligibility. The Council of Economic Advisors estimates that 4 million small businesses are eligible for the credit if they provide health care to their workers. Qualifying firms must have less than the equivalent of 25 full-time workers (e.g., a firm with fewer than 50 half-time workers would be eligible), pay average annual wages below $50,000, and cover at least 50 percent of the cost of health care coverage for their workers.Substantial Benefit. The credit is worth up to 35 percent of a small business’s premium costs in 2010. On January 1, 2014, this rate increases to 50 percent.Firms Can Claim Credit for Up to 6 Years. Firms can claim the credit for 2010 through 2013 and for any two years after that.Non-Profits Eligible. Tax-exempt organizations are eligible for a 25 percent tax credit in 2010. In 2014, this rate increases to 35 percent.[1]Gradual Phase-Outs. The credit phases out gradually for firms with average wages between $25,000 and $50,000 and for firms with the equivalent of between 10 and 25 full-time workers. Premium Cost Eligibility. To avoid an incentive to choose a high-cost plan, an employer’s eligible contribution is limited to the average cost of health insurance in that state.Getting the Word Out to Small Businesses
To ensure that small businesses know about the credit and how to claim it, the Administration is initiating a nationwide educational campaign for small businesses and tax preparers.
WhiteHouse.gov Web Feature. Starting today, WhiteHouse.Gov will feature a special section on the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit. Millions of Postcards to Small Businesses: In the coming weeks, IRS will send out postcards to millions of small businesses who may be eligible for the credit, urging them to look at the criteria and take advantage if they qualify. Over 1,000 Tax Workshops and Small Business Forums. Every year, tens of thousands of small businesses and tax professionals around the country attend Small Business Forums and Tax Workshops where they can hear from IRS representatives about new developments in tax law. This year, IRS outreach will have a special focus on the small business credit to get the word and answer questions about how the credit works and how to claim it. Email Blast to 175,000 Tax Professionals. IRS will use its IRS e-News for Tax Professionals mailing list to notify over 175,000 tax professionals. Special Section on IRS.gov. The IRS is featuring a new section on the front page of IRS.gov on new tax tips, detailed frequently asked questions and a worksheet to help small business owners determine if they qualify. Benefit from Small Business Health Care Tax Credit: Four Cases
Example 1: Auto Repair Shop with 10 Employees Gets $24,500 Credit for 2010
Main Street Mechanic:
Employees: 10Wages: $250,000 total, or $25,000 per workerEmployer Health Care Costs: $70,0002010 Tax Credit: $24,500 (35% credit)
2014 Tax Credit: $35,000 (50% credit)
Example 2: Restaurant with 40 Part-Time Employees Gets $28,000 Credit for 2010
Downtown Diner:
Employees: 40 half-time employees (the equivalent of 20 full-time workers)Wages: $500,000 total, or $25,000 per full-time equivalent workerEmployer Health Care Costs: $240,0002010 Tax Credit: $28,000 (35% credit with phase-out)
2014 Tax Credit: $40,000 (50% credit with phase-out)
Example 3: Foster Care Non-Profit with 9 Employees Gets $18,000 Credit for 2010
First Street Family Services.org:
Employees: 9Wages: $198,000 total, or $22,000 per workerEmployer Health Care Costs: $72,0002010 Tax Credit: $18,000 (25% credit)
2014 Tax Credit: $25,200 (35% credit)
Example 4: Manufacturing Company with 12 Employees Gets $14,700 Credit for 2010
Acme Air Conditioning, LLC:
Employees: 12Wages: $420,000 total, or $35,000 per workerEmployer Health Care Costs: $90,0002010 Tax Credit: $14,700 (35% credit with phase-out)
2014 Tax Credit: $21,000 (50% credit with phase-out)
Five Additional Ways Health Reform will Help Small Businesses. Small businesses want to provide health coverage for their workers, but they face extraordinary challenges in doing so, including premiums that are 18 percent higher on average than large businesses pay for the same coverage. Health reform legislation signed by the Presidents includes a number of important benefits to help make coverage more affordable:
1. Creates Health Insurance Exchanges to Increase Bargaining Power and Reduce Administrative Costs.
Status Quo: Small Businesses Have Little Bargaining Power, Face High Administrative Costs. Currently, small businesses face not only premiums that are 18 percent higher than large businesses pay, but also face higher administrative costs to set up and maintain a health plan. The premiums they pay have 3 to 4 times as much administrative cost built into them as plans in the large group market. They are also at a disadvantage in negotiating with insurance companies because they lack bargaining power. Solution: Health Insurance Exchanges will Provide More Choice, Lower Prices, and Greater Bargaining Power for Firms with up to 100 Employees: Health reform will change this dynamic. Starting by 2014, firms with 100 or fewer workers will be able pool their buying power and reduce administrative costs by purchasing insurance through an exchange. According to CBO, coverage that small businesses purchased through an exchange “would have lower administrative costs, on average, than the policies those firms would buy under current law, particularly for very small firms.”2. Ends Price Discrimination against Small Businesses with Sick Workers.
Status Quo: Small Businesses with Sick Worker Face Higher Prices, Sudden Price Increases. Currently, small businesses with just one sick worker can face significantly higher premiums, and having a worker fall ill can lead to a precipitous price increase – raising premiums just when insurance is needed most. Solution: Ending Price Discrimination Based on Illness: Health reform will end this price discrimination. Starting in 2014, “community rating” rules will prohibit insurers from charging more to cover small businesses with sicker workers or raising rates when someone gets sick.3. Increases Health Care Security to Unlock Entrepreneurship.
Status Quo: Health Insurance Insecurity Creates “Job Lock,” which Inhibits Entrepreneurship. Our current health care system inhibits entrepreneurship and small business formation by locking workers — especially those with families or with any sort of health problem —into jobs at large firms that offer family coverage and have a big enough risk pool to absorb the cost of covering pre-existing conditions. This “job lock” causes many workers to stay at large firms even if they would be more productive working at a small business or becoming an entrepreneur.Solution: Health Security Empowers Entrepreneurship: By providing health security for every American and eliminating exclusions for pre-existing conditions and price discrimination against those who are sick, health reform will make it easier for small businesses to attract the best workers and easier for entrepreneurs to strike out on their own.4. Reduces the Hidden Tax on Small Business Employees with Health Insurance.
Status Quo: Hidden Tax Adds $1,000 to Every Premium: Currently, the cost of treating the uninsured adds a “hidden tax” of over $1,000 to every health care premium. Solution: Reduce Hidden Tax by Dramatically Expanding Coverage: Health reform will significantly reduce this tax by covering an additional 32 million additional Americans by 2019.5. Reduces Premiums in the Small Group Market.
Status Quo: Higher Premiums Mean Coverage Is Unaffordable for Small Businesses. In a recent national survey, nearly three-quarters of small businesses that did not offer benefits cited high premiums as the reason.Health Reform Will Lower Costs, Making Coverage More Affordable: Taken together, the measures described above will significantly reduce premiums for small businesses. According to CBO, health reform will reduce the cost of a given plan in the small group market by 1-4 percent by 2016.
The credit rates are lower for non-profits to ensure that the value of the credit is approximately equal to that provided to for-profit firms that cannot claim a tax deduction for the amount of the credit claimed.
Via telephone
11:02 A.M. EDT
MRS. OBAMA: Well, good morning, everyone. This is Mrs. Obama. It’s good to have you all on the line. Thank you so much for joining us as we take another very important step forward in the work to address America’s childhood obesity crisis. This is a very exciting step for us.
As all of you know, nearly two months ago we launched this magnificent campaign, “Let’s Move.” The nationwide goal of the effort, as all of you know, is to rally this country around a single and very ambitious goal, and that’s to solve the problem of childhood obesity in a generation so that children born today will grow up at a healthy weight.
And with this initiative, we’ve issued a call to action for the nation. We said let’s move in so many ways. We said let’s move to give parents the information that they need to make good decisions for their kids’ health. We said let’s move to get healthier food into our schools. Let’s move to get more supermarkets into underserved areas, so that every single American in this country has access to fresh and nutritious foods. And we’ve also said let’s move to help our kids be more physically active –- not just in school but outside of school as well.
But we were also clear from the very beginning when we launched this effort that the solution to this problem isn’t going to come from Washington. I have had the pleasure of talking to a number of experts around this issue, and not a single one of them has said that the answer to this problem is for the federal government to tell people what to do. This is going to take all of us getting involved.
It’s going to require a non-partisan effort because there’s nothing partisan about this issue. There’s nothing Democratic or Republican about wanting our kids to lead active and healthy lives. And there’s really nothing liberal or conservative about wanting to reduce the billions of health care dollars we spend each year treating obesity-related conditions.
Ultimately, this solution is going to be about families and communities making manageable, commonsense changes that fit with their budgets that fit with their needs and their individual goals.
But we all have to play a role in making this happen. Families can’t do this alone, which is why we’re bringing together governors, and mayors, and parents, and educators, and doctors, and businesses, community groups, all of us. And I’ve spoken to almost all of these groups over the last month asking them to come together to tackle this challenge once and for all.
And that’s why a new foundation that we’ve created along with this movement — the Partnership for Healthy America — is going to be so critical to these efforts. And I’m very proud of the work that’s been done to pull this foundation together.
The Foundation is going to serve as an independent, non-partisan player that’ll mobilize the private sector, foundations, government officials, the media and others around the goals of the “Let’s Move” campaign.
The Foundation will seek truly meaningful commitments from all of these players, and will do something very critical — and that is measure the success of these efforts and hold us all accountable.
The Foundation is going to also connect potential partners from the public, private and non-profit sectors, working to support the best, the most innovative programs in our communities -– and working to replicate these success stories all across the country. And that’s really the key to this. As I’ve traveled around, we have many of the answers already at our fingertips. If you go into states and cities across this country, many are already working to bring their local solutions to this problem. We need to highlight and elevate those successes. This Foundation is going to be critical in playing a role in that. So it’s very exciting.
I have agreed to serve as the honorary chair of this Foundation. And today, I am pleased and very proud to announce that two incredibly outstanding individuals –- Mayor Cory Booker and Senator Bill Frist -– have agreed to serve as the Foundation’s honorary vice chairs.
As all of you know, Senator Frist and Mayor Booker are both distinguished public servants who are passionately committed to the health and well-being of not just our young people but this country.
Over the past four years, Mayor Booker has made tremendous strides transforming the city of Newark. He’s done work to increase affordable housing, doing a fabulous job of reducing crime in the city, renovating the parks, playgrounds and recreation centers to provide safe places for children in the city to be active. And he’s committed to making Newark a model for what a city can do to address childhood obesity.
So I’m so happy to have Mayor Booker with us. I’m thrilled that he’s agreed to bring the kind of energy, that contagious energy that he has, to focus on this issue and lead this new Foundation.
In addition to being a renowned heart surgeon and lung transplant surgeon, Senator Frist served, as you all know, as the Senate Majority Leader from 2003 to 2007.
Since he left the Senate, he’s devoted himself to health and humanitarian efforts around the world, leading medical mission trips to Africa and founding an organization called Hope Through Healing Hands to improve health care in developing nations.
In the Senate, he took the lead in sponsoring legislation to address childhood obesity, and I am truly delighted that he’s agreed to bring his passion and expertise to this Foundation.
I also want to recognize the diverse and talented group of advocates, business leaders, dedicated philanthropists who have come together to serve on the board of this Foundation.
Specifically, I’d like to thank the Board’s Chair, James Gavin, for offering his strong leadership to ensure that this Foundation attracts the kind of commitments that are going to be essential to reach our goals.
And I also want to end by thanking the extraordinary organizations that have come together to organize the fund, and fund this new Foundation. We would not be here if it weren’t for these organizations, and they include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the California Endowment, Kaiser Permanente, Nemours, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Brookings Institute, and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
This is a phenomenal group of organizations, people, of leaders that represent all of America. I am thrilled that all of you have come together to support this effort. This is why I’m confident that we can move the mark on this issue, because this effort and this issue means so much that we’ve just been able to bring together a group of individuals that has been working on this issue for decades, that understands these challenges in a very powerful way, and will have the commitment and the passion that we need to move this issue forward.
So I am grateful, truly grateful, to all of you — not just for being on this call, but for taking the time that it’s going to require to get us to our goals.
So with that, it is now my pleasure to turn this meeting over to Senator Frist. Senator Frist, I know you’re there. Thank you, it’s good to have you onboard. I’m very excited.
END
11:10 A.M. EDT
A PROCLAMATION
Since our Nation’s earliest days, the census has played an important role in identifying where resources are most needed. This procedure, enshrined in our Constitution, informs our Government’s responses to the evolving needs of American communities. By completing this year’s survey, we can ensure they receive adequate funding for schools, hospitals, senior centers, and other public works projects. The 2010 Census will also aid employers in selecting locations for new factories and businesses as our economy recovers. On Census Day, I urge all Americans to fulfill their civic duty by participating in the 2010 Census.
While the first United States census surveyed a young country with fewer than 4 million people, this year’s census will assess a Nation of over 300 million. America’s diversity defines our national character, yet, in the past, the census has too often undercounted minorities, young people, and low-income residents. As our Nation grows, getting the count right will help ensure that our families and neighbors receive the services they need, and accurate and proportional representation in the United States House of Representatives.
The 2010 Census is safe and easy to complete, and the Census Bureau aggressively protects all census participants’ private information, which is never used against them or shared with other government or private entities. By mailing the Census form back, we help save taxpayer dollars and ensure that all Americans get the support they deserve and a voice in our democracy.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 1, 2010, as Census Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day by completing their census form and mailing it back.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA