Statement by the President on Iraq

Official photographic portrait of US President Barack Obama (born 4 August 1961; assumed office 20 January 2009) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Martha’s Vineyard, MA

5:08 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  I wanted to provide an update on recent developments in Iraq, including some important steps forward as Iraqis form a new government.

Over the past few days, American forces have successfully conducted targeted airstrikes to prevent terrorist forces from advancing on the city of Erbil, and to protect American civilians there.  Kurdish forces on the ground continue to defend their city, and we’ve stepped up military advice and assistance to Iraqi and Kurdish forces as they wage the fight against ISIL. 

At the same time, we’ve continued our daily humanitarian efforts to provide life-saving assistance to the men, women and children stranded on Mount Sinjar, and deployed a USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team to help.  Some have begun to escape their perch on that mountain, and we’re working with international partners to develop options to bring them to safety.  I want to thank in particular the United Kingdom, France, and other countries working with us to provide much needed assistance to the Iraqi people.  And, meanwhile, our aircraft remain positioned to strike any terrorist forces around the mountain who threaten the safety of these families.

This advances the limited military objectives we’ve outlined in Iraq:  protecting American citizens, providing advice and assistance to Iraqi forces as they battle these terrorists, and joining with international partners to provide humanitarian aid.  But as I said when I authorized these operations, there is no American military solution to the larger crisis in Iraq.  The only lasting solution is for Iraqis to come together and form an inclusive government -- one that represents the legitimate interests of all Iraqis, and one that can unify the country’s fight against ISIL. 

Today, Iraq took a promising step forward in this critical effort.   Last month, the Iraqi people named a new President.  Today, President Masum named a new Prime Minister designate, Dr. Haider al-Abadi.  Under the Iraqi constitution, this is an important step towards forming a new government that can unite Iraq’s different communities. 

Earlier today, Vice President Biden and I called Dr. Abadi to congratulate him and to urge him to form a new cabinet as quickly as possible -- one that’s inclusive of all Iraqis, and one that represents all Iraqis.  I pledged our support to him, as well as to President Masum and Speaker Jabouri, as they work together to form this government.  Meanwhile, I urge all Iraqi political leaders to work peacefully through the political process in the days ahead.

This new Iraqi leadership has a difficult task.  It has to regain the confidence of its citizens by governing inclusively and by taking steps to demonstrate its resolve.  The United States stands ready to support a government that addresses the needs and grievances of all Iraqi people.  We are also ready to work with other countries in the region to deal with the humanitarian crisis and counterterrorism challenge in Iraq.  Mobilizing that support will be easier once this new government is in place.

These have been difficult days in Iraq -- a country that has faced so many challenges in its recent history.  And I’m sure that there will be difficult days ahead.  But just as the United States will remain vigilant against the threat posed to our people by ISIL, we stand ready to partner with Iraq in its fight against these terrorist forces.  Without question, that effort will be advanced if Iraqis continue to build on today’s progress, and come together to support a new and inclusive government.

Thanks, everybody.

END
5:12 P.M. EDT

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The White House, Raise The Wage, This Is Too Funny!

In the 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to raise the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour, and soon after signed an Executive Order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for the individuals working on new federal service contracts.

Raising the minimum wage nationwide will increase earnings for millions of workers, and boost the bottom lines of businesses across the country. While Republicans in Congress continue to block the President's proposal, a number of state legislatures and governors, mayors and city councils, and business owners have answered the President’s call and raised wages for their residents and employees.Read a report on the progress that's been made so far across the country.  (This is another good laugh if you read between the lines on what is said and what is not said.)

Learn more below about why we need to raise the wage, and share this page with your friends and family.

This first map shows the current minimum wage for each state, as well as the number of workers in each state that would be affected by raising the wage to $10.10.

(We are not porting in the maps. It's not worth the time to even bother to look at.)

In this second map, you'll see how raising the wage could help workers make ends meet. For example, a $10.10 wage could, over the course of a year, help a full-time, full-year minimum-wage worker in Arizona afford either 4 months of rent, 24 weeks of groceries, 68 tanks of gas, or the equivalent of 31 months of electricity.

(Wait;  did we read that right?  Someone working full time, all year, may be able to afford 4 months rent in Arizona?  What about the rest of the year and the rest of the bills that poor schmuck will be stuck with?  SOL?) 

Raising the federal minimum wage would not only benefit more than 28 million workers across the country, but 19 million workers from all types of households would see a direct increase in their wages.

(Did someone have to have a college degree to figure this one out?)

Today, the real value of the minimum wage has fallen by nearly one-third since its peak in 1968. And right now, a full-time minimum wage worker makes $14,500 a year, which leaves too many families struggling to make ends meet.

(Isn't this what happens when you ship all the good jobs out of the country and then flood the country with illegal immigrants?)

Since President Obama called for a minimum wage increase in his 2013 State of the Union address, 13 states and Washington, D.C. have passed laws to raise their minimum wage. According to estimates from the Council of Economic Advisers, about 7 million American workers will benefit from these increases as of 2017.

(Oh boy.  That has to make anyone earning only $7.25 per hour real happy.)

(Wonder what would happen if people were actually paid a living wage for the work they do?  Something more to the tune of $25.00 per hour?  Imagine.)

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The White House New Commitments to Improve College Opportunity

By Cecilia Muñoz

Last January, I listened to the President ask hundreds of college presidents to increase college opportunity for all Americans. He asked them to help because a college degree remains one of the surest pathways into the middle class in America, and is an especially powerful engine of social and economic mobility.

Over this decade, nearly 8 in 10 new jobs will require some postsecondary education or training beyond high school. And of the 30 fastest-growing occupations, half require a college degree. At the same time, college graduates earn an average of 77 percent more per hour than a high school graduate. President Obama set forth a goal early in his first term to guide our work in education -- to lead the world with the highest proportion of college graduates by 2020.

And yesterday, I had the privilege of joining Secretary Duncan in meeting with community college leaders who have made new commitments to ensure student success, because, in order to make progress on our goal to be first in the world, we need to address some of the foundational challenges to college enrollment, persistence, and completion.

Our nation's community colleges are the engines of our higher education system. As the largest part of America's higher education system, these institutions provide the education and training to prepare our 21st-century workforce and are an ideal place to raise the knowledge and skills of our workforce -- and to meet the academic needs of a diverse population of learners, from recent high school graduates to adults seeking new skills.

Following yesterday's meeting, today we are announcing several developments in our efforts to expand college opportunity for America's students.

• The White House announces second College Opportunity Summit: The Administration is announcing that the White House will host another College Opportunity Summit on December 4, 2014. The goal of this conference will build on the work launched in the first College Opportunity Summit last January, while launching initiatives in new areas. This year’s summit will focus on building sustainable collaborations in communities with strong K-12 and higher education partnerships to encourage college going, and supporting colleges to work together to dramatically improve persistence and increase college completion, especially for first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students.
• New community college partners working to expand college opportunity:The Administration is announcing 14 new commitments by community colleges to expand college opportunity by strengthening college readiness for academically underprepared students, building on the more than 100 colleges and universities and 40 nonprofit organizations who made commitments in January.
• New commitments from the field to strengthen college readiness: The Department of Education’s Institute for Education Studies (IES) is launching a new Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) led by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College, Columbia University and the social policy research organization MDRC that will work to strengthen the research, evaluation, and support of college-readiness efforts across the nation. In addition, Khan Academy is announcing new commitments that will focus on technology-based solutions customized to improve student success in developmental math. Lastly, the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation will commit $5 million, partnering with MDRC, the Ohio Board of Regents, and City University of New York (CUNY) to replicate CUNY’s successful Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) to support as many as 2,000 community college students in Ohio to help more students graduate sooner. 
• Continued progress on ongoing college opportunity commitments: In addition to new commitments, we continue to make progress on our previously announced efforts to expand access to college for all students, including efforts to improve the effectiveness of college advising and enhance support for school counselors, and increasing efforts to boost student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and to broaden participation in STEM fields to women, underrepresented groups, and students from low-income or underserved communities. 

These efforts have inspired engagement and supported the progress of education leaders who are taking collective action in their schools, on college campuses, and in their communities to do all they can to help more low-income students prepare to enter and succeed in college.

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Presidential Proclamation -- AGOA

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

TO TAKE CERTAIN ACTIONS UNDER THE AFRICAN GROWTH AND

OPPORTUNITY ACT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

1. In Proclamation 8468 of December 23, 2009, I determined that the Republic of Madagascar (Madagascar) was not making continual progress in meeting the requirements described in section 506A(a)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 (the "1974 Act") (19 U.S.C. 2466a(a)), as added by section 111(a) of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (title I of Public Law 106-200) (AGOA). Thus, pursuant to section 506A(a)(3) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2466a(a)(3)), I terminated the designation of Madagascar as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country for purposes of section 506A of the 1974 Act.

2. Section 506A(a)(1) of the 1974 Act authorizes the President to designate a country listed in section 107 of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3706) as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country if the President determines that the country meets the eligibility requirements set forth in section 104 of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3703), as well as the eligibility criteria set forth in section 502 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2462).

3. Pursuant to section 506A(a)(1) of the 1974 Act, based on actions that the Government of Madagascar has taken, I have determined that Madagascar meets the eligibility requirements set forth in section 104 of the AGOA and section 502 of the 1974 Act, and I have decided to designate Madagascar as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country.

4. Section 506A(a)(3) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2466a(a)(3)) authorizes the President to terminate the designation of a country as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country for purposes of section 506A if he determines that the country is not making continual progress in meeting the requirements described in section 506A(a)(1) of the 1974 Act.

5. Pursuant to section 506A(a)(3) of the 1974 Act, I have determined that the Kingdom of Swaziland is not making continual progress in meeting the requirements described in section 506A(a)(1) of the 1974 Act. Accordingly, I have decided to terminate the designation of the Kingdom of Swaziland as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country for purposes of section 506A of the 1974 Act, effective on January 1, 2015.

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 of America, including but not limited to title V and section 604 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2461-67, 2483), and section 104 of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 3703), do proclaim that:

(1) Madagascar is designated as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country.

(2) In order to reflect this designation in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), general note 16(a) to the HTS is modified by inserting in alphabetical sequence in the list of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries "Republic of Madagascar (Madagascar)." Further, note 2(d) to subchapter XIX of chapter 98 is modified by inserting in alphabetical sequence in the list of lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries "Republic of Madagascar."

(3) The designation of the Kingdom of Swaziland as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country for purposes of section 506A of the 1974 Act is terminated, effective on January 1, 2015.

(4) In order to reflect in the HTS that beginning on January 1, 2015, the Kingdom of Swaziland shall no longer be designated as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country, general note 16(a) to the HTS is modified by deleting "Kingdom of Swaziland" from the list of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries. Note 7(a) to subchapter II and note 1 to subchapter XIX of chapter 98 of the HTS are modified to delete "Swaziland," from the list of beneficiary countries. Further, note 2(d) to subchapter XIX of chapter 98 of the HTS is modified by deleting "Swaziland" from the list of lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries.

(5) Any provisions of previous proclamations and Executive Orders that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation are superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

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PROGRESS REPORT: President Obama’s Climate Action Plan

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today – one year after the President laid out his comprehensive Climate Action Plan – the White House released a new report detailing progress towards cutting carbon pollution and protecting our communities and public health.

In the year since the President’s speech at Georgetown University, the Administration has announced new efficiency standards, permitted renewable energy projects on public lands, and proposed carbon pollution standards for new and existing power plants. Alongside state, tribal, local, and private sector partners, the Administration is taking steps to make our communities more resilient to the effects of severe weather and is working with other countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases internationally. In fact, when fully implemented, the policies put forward just in the past year since the President’s Plan was released will:

• Cut nearly 3 billion tons of carbon pollution between 2020 and 2025, an amount equivalent to taking more than 600 million cars off the road for a year;
• Enable the development of 8,100 megawatts of wind, solar, and geothermal energy, enough to power nearly 2 million homes;
• Train more than 50,000 workers to enter the solar industry;
• Save consumers more than $60 billion on their energy bills through 2030;
• Improve the energy efficiency of more than 1 billion square feet of city buildings, schools, multifamily housing complexes, and business across the country, an area the size of 17,000 football fields; and
• Protect the health of vulnerable Americans, including children and the elderly, by preventing 150,000 asthma attacks and up to 3,300 heart attacks. 

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Letter from the President -- War Powers Resolution Letter regarding Iraq

iraq (Photo credit: The U.S. Army)

TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

AND THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE SENATE

June 26, 2014

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

As I reported on June 16, 2014, U.S. Armed Forces personnel have deployed to Iraq to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

I have since ordered further measures in response to the situation in Iraq. Specifically, as I announced publicly on June 19, I have ordered increased intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance that is focused on the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). I also ordered up to approximately 300 additional U.S. Armed Forces personnel in Iraq to assess how we can best train, advise, and support Iraqi security forces and to establish joint operations centers with Iraqi security forces to share intelligence and coordinate planning to confront the threat posed by ISIL. Some of these personnel were already in Iraq as part of the U.S. Embassy's Office of Security Cooperation, and others began deploying into Iraq on June 24. These forces will remain in Iraq until the security situation becomes such that they are no longer needed.

This action is being undertaken in coordination with the Government of Iraq and has been directed consistent with my responsibility to protect U.S. citizens both at home and abroad, and in furtherance of U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive.

I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148). I appreciate the support of the Congress in these actions.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

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Letter from the President -- FY 2015 Budget Amendments

Seal of the Office of Management and Budget of the US Government (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 26, 2014

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Budget amendments for the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of State and Other International Programs (State/OIP) to fund Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). These amendments would provide $58.6 billion for DOD OCO activities, which is $20.9 billion less than the $79.4 billion placeholder for DOD OCO in the FY 2015 Budget. It would also provide $1.4 billion for State/OIP OCO activities, which is in addition to the $5.9 billion for State/OIP included in the FY 2015 Budget. Overall, these amendments would decrease the total OCO funding requested for FY 2015 by $19.5 billion.

Final decisions about the number and activities of U.S. forces in Afghanistan after December 2014 had not yet been made at the time the FY 2015 Budget was submitted. As a result, the Budget included a placeholder for DOD FY 2015 OCO funding equivalent to the amount requested in the FY 2014 Budget. The Administration noted in the FY 2015 Budget that after determining required force levels in Afghanistan, a Budget amendment updating the OCO request would be submitted to the Congress. The enclosed amendments include the necessary updates to the OCO request in order to fund military operations in Afghanistan, a significant portion of the U.S. military presence around the Middle East, the Administration's proposed Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund and European Reassurance Initiative, and State/OIP peacekeeping costs in the Central African Republic.

The details of these amendments are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

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President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

140 px (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Christopher Hart – Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board
• John W. Leslie, Jr. – Member, Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation, and upon appointment to be designated Chairperson 

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Donald L. Pereira – Commissioner, United States Section of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission
• Douglas L. Stang – Commissioner, United States Section of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission 

President Obama said, “These fine public servants bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their new roles.  Our nation will be well-served by these individuals, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.” 

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Christopher Hart, Nominee for Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board

Christopher Hart is currently a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), where he has served since 2009.  He is also Vice Chairman of the NTSB, a position he held since October 2013 and previously from 2009 to 2013.  Prior to joining the NTSB, Mr. Hart was the Deputy Director for Air Traffic Safety Oversight at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from 2005 to 2009 and was the Assistant Administrator for System Safety at the FAA from 1995 to 2005.  From 1994 to 1995, Mr. Hart was Deputy Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  He was a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board from 1990 to 1993.  He was Managing Partner at Hart & Chavers from 1981 to 1990 and Associate Attorney at Dickstein, Shapiro & Morin from 1979 to 1981.  Mr. Hart served as the Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Environmental, Civil Rights, and General Law at the Department of Transportation from 1977 to 1979.  Mr. Hart was an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the Air Transport Association of America from 1976 to 1977 and an Associate Attorney at Peabody, Rivlin, Lambert & Meyers from 1973 to 1976.  He is a licensed pilot with commercial, multi-engine, and instrument ratings.  Mr. Hart received a B.S.E. and M.S. from Princeton University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. 

John W. Leslie, Jr., Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation, and upon appointment to be designated Chairperson

John W. Leslie, Jr. is currently Chairman of Weber Shandwick, a position he has held since 2001.  He has also served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation since 2003 and as its Chairperson since 2009.  From 1985 to 2001, Mr. Leslie was President of Bozell Sawyer Miller.  Previously, Mr. Leslie was Chairman of the Board of the United States Association for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and a participant in UNHCR Missions to Afghanistan in 1998, Kosovo in 1999, and Tanzania in 2001.  He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Chairman of the U.S. Agency for International Development Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid.  Mr. Leslie received a B.S. from Georgetown University.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Dr. Donald L. Pereira, Appointee for Commissioner, United States Section of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Dr. Donald L. Pereira is Chief of the Section of Fisheries at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, a position he has held since 2013.  He has held various positions at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources since 1983, including Fisheries Research and Policy Manager, Fisheries Research Program Supervisor, and Senior Fisheries Research Biologist.  He was a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant at the University of Minnesota from 1987 to 1991.  Dr. Pereira joined the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission’s Council of Lake Committees in 2007, and served as its Vice Chairman from 2011 to 2013 before becoming Chairman.  He also served on the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s Board of Technical Experts from 2009 to 2013.  Dr. Pereira received a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Vermont and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Fisheries from the University of Minnesota, St. Paul.

Douglas L. Stang, Appointee for Commissioner, United States Section of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Douglas L. Stang is Assistant Director for Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, a position he has held since 2007.  He has held multiple positions at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation since 1985, including Chief of the Bureau of Fisheries, Supervising Aquatic Biologist, and Senior Aquatic Biologist.  Previously, he was a Research Associate at Iowa State University from 1982 to 1985 and a Graduate Research Assistant from 1980 to 1982.  Mr. Stang began his career as Fisheries Technician at the Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries in 1978.  He is a Life Member of the American Fisheries Society and served as President of its Fisheries Administration Section from 2003 to 2005.  Mr. Stang received a B.S. in Forestry and Wildlife from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and an M.S. in Fishery Biology from Iowa State University.

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