The White House Blog: Rural
West Wing Week: "A Good Day For America"
Posted by on May 6, 2011 at 1:00 AM EDTThis week, the President announced the death of Osama bin Laden, visited New York City to honor the victims of 9/11 and their families, made sure the federal government was doing its part in the states devastated by storms and much more.
Learn more about Defense, Disabilities, Economy, Education, Family, Foreign Policy, Homeland Security, Rural, Service, Veterans, Additional IssuesWeekly Wrap Up: Egg Roll 2011
Posted by on April 29, 2011 at 5:58 PM EDTYour quick look at the week that was on WhiteHouse.gov.
Eggs, Actors, and Athletes: The First Family celebrated Easter by hosting the 133rd White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday. 30,000 people from all 50 states and the District of Columbia got to attend, and were welcomed by a day chock full of special events and activities. This year's theme was "Get Up and Go," in keeping with the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative.
Helping Storm Victims in the South: Violent storms struck a number of southern states this week, leaving hundreds dead and thousands more with devastated homes and communities. The President directed recovery efforts from the White House, and traveled to Alabama with the First Lady to meet with families and recovery leaders. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was in St. Louis to survey the damage done to the airport and city. FEMA posted online resources for helping recovery workers and victims.
Learn more about Economy, Education, Energy & Environment, Family, Homeland Security, Rural, Technology, Urban Policy, Additional IssuesFlex Fuel Pumps and a Green Energy Economy
Posted by on April 21, 2011 at 2:06 PM EDTAs gasoline prices continue to rise across the country, USDA is working with farmers and entrepreneurs to secure our nation’s long-term energy future and give Americans more choices about where to spend their gas dollars: at home or abroad.
For the past two years, USDA has worked to support the research, investment, and infrastructure necessary to build a nationwide biofuels industry that creates jobs in every corner of the country.
USDA has a long history of helping Americans with their energy choices. Our Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) has helped thousands of rural businesses and farmers improve the efficiency of their equipment or produce their own renewable energy by installing solar panels or wind turbines.
Now we are helping people understand that this popular program can also help gas stations install special pumps to provide biofuels to motorists across the county.
Learn more about Energy & Environment, RuralWeekly Wrap Up: America's Energy Future
Posted by on April 8, 2011 at 7:02 PM EDTYour quick look at the week that was on WhiteHouse.gov.
America's Secure Energy Future: President Obama continued his focus on building a clean energy economy with events throughout the week. He toured a shipping facility in Maryland with Energy Secretary Chu and Transportation Secretary LaHood to highlight his Green Fleet Initiative, then traveled to Philadelphia for a town hall at Gamesa Technology, a wind turbine manufacturer. Back at the White House, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar sat down with students to discuss development of clean, American-made energy sources. The Department of Energy blogged about Philadelphia's efforts to install energy efficient lighting.
Learn more about Defense, Economy, Education, Energy & Environment, Family, Fiscal Responsibility, Foreign Policy, Homeland Security, Rural, Seniors & Social Security, Service, Taxes, Technology, Urban Policy, Veterans, Women, Additional IssuesWhat You Missed: Open for Questions on Energy Security with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Posted by on April 7, 2011 at 10:57 AM EDTOn Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the White House's Kalpen Modi hosted a live chat on President Obama's Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future. Secretary Salazar took questions from viewers online, on Facebook, and college students from around the country who attended the event at the White House.
Check out the video and use the links below to jump to your favorite questions.
One Year Later: Remembering the Miners of Montcoal
Posted by on April 5, 2011 at 12:00 PM EDTEd. note: This was originally posted on Work In Progress, the Department of Labor blog. Read another blog post on this topic on the Middle Class Task Force blog.
One year ago today, in West Virginia, 29 men died in the worst mine disaster in 40 years.
Wives lost husbands. Parents lost sons. Children lost fathers. Neighbors lost friends. And a community lost a big part of its soul.
Since that day, I have been convinced that the best way to honor these men is to do everything in our power so that a tragedy like this never happens again.
The administration has taken many steps to make that goal a reality. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (a part of the U.S. Department of Labor) has made available unprecedented resources to find out what exactly happened on April 5, 2010 and we are making sure that the U.S. Department of Justice can fully prosecute any wrongdoers.
Learn more about Disabilities, Economy, Energy & Environment, Family, Poverty, Rural, Technology, Additional IssuesWeekly Wrap Up: Healthy Anniversary!
Posted by on March 25, 2011 at 6:47 PM EDTYour quick look at the week that was on WhiteHouse.gov
Protecting Civilians in Libya: As U.S. forces participate in a U.N. coalition to establish a no-fly zone over Libya, President Obama spoke on the humanitarian importance of our mission in North Africa. He also answered questions from the media during press conferences in Chile and El Salvador.
President Barack Obama confers with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, right, Chief of Staff Bill Daley, left, and Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, following a conference call on Libya with his national security team, in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 23, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The Affordable Care Act Turns One: On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In the 12 months since, millions of Americans have benefited from improvements to the American health care system. WhiteHouse.gov had a whole week of coverage:
- Read about the benefits the Affordable Care Act has provided to seniors, small businesses, women, and young adults.
- Watch President Obama's surprise phone call to a young man in Michigan who can pursue his dream of becoming a doctor.
- Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President and Chair of the Council on Women and Girls, authored a guest blog post.
- Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis wrote a special post on the Department of Labor blog.
- Vice President Biden recorded a video message to mark the one-year anniversary.
Learn more about Defense, Disabilities, Economy, Education, Foreign Policy, Health Care, Homeland Security, Rural, Seniors & Social Security, Technology, Veterans, Women, Additional IssuesWeekly Wrap Up: Working with Small Business
Posted by on February 25, 2011 at 7:27 PM EDTTurmoil in Libya: President Obama says the violence in Libya is "outrageous" and "unacceptable," and that his Administration is looking at the "full range of options we have to respond to this crisis." Watch the video.
Learn more about Civil Rights, Economy, Education, Energy & Environment, Foreign Policy, Health Care, Rural, Technology, Additional IssuesWorking with Tribal Nations to Build a Brighter Future
Posted by on February 25, 2011 at 5:55 PM EDTAt the second White House Tribal Nations Conference on December 16, 2010, President Obama, numerous Cabinet Secretaries, and many senior Administration officials met with tribal leaders to continue delivering on the President’s commitment to ensure that tribal nations are full partners with his administration. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar delivered the opening remarks, laying out challenges facing the partnership between President Obama and Indian Country and emphasizing presidential initiatives in five main areas: (1) restoring tribal homelands; (2) building safer Native communities; (3) building strong, prosperous tribal economies; (4) fostering healthy communities; and (5) developing a structured and meaningful consultation policy.
President Obama also addressed the conference. He highlighted the progress made in the nation-to-nation dialogue since last year’s White House Tribal Nations Conference, while also acknowledging that a great deal of work remains to be done in Indian country. The President emphasized the importance of improving tribal economies and increasing the number of jobs in Indian country by investing in infrastructure, expanding access to high-speed internet, and developing clean energy initiatives. President Obama also underscored the need to continue building on advances in health care and education. He said that addressing health disparities in Indian country was “not just a question of policy, it’s a question of our values; it’s a test of who we are as a nation.”
USDA Announces Claims Process for Hispanic and Women Farmers
Posted by on February 25, 2011 at 4:08 PM EDTCross-posted from the USDA blog.
Today is an historic day for USDA. Working with colleagues at the Department of Justice, we launched a program that provides a path to justice for Hispanic and women farmers who believe they were discriminated against by USDA between 1981 and 2000. Many of these farmers and ranchers have waited and fought to get relief, but until now their only means of getting their complaints heard was to file an individual case in federal court. Today we are providing folks with a simpler path that enables them to file a claim for compensation that will be resolved by a neutral party without the involvement of the courts.
When I was sworn in as Secretary of Agriculture two years ago, President Obama and I made a commitment to mend USDA’s troubled civil rights record. Since then, we have taken comprehensive action to turn the page on past discrimination. Last year we entered into a settlement with black farmers in Pigford II to address pending claims, and finalized a historic settlement agreement with Native American farmers under Keepseagle that faced discrimination by USDA.
With today’s announcement, we are continuing work to build a new era for civil rights at USDA: correcting our past errors, learning from our mistakes, and outlining definitive action to ensure there will be no missteps in the future. The process has been long and often difficult, but my staff and I have been working hard every day to make USDA a model employer and premier service provider that treats every customer and employee fairly, with dignity and respect.
If you are a woman or Hispanic farmer or rancher and feel you were discriminated against by USDA between 1981 and 2000, you must request a claims package to participate in the claims process. To begin this process, you can either call 1-888-508-4429 or visit www.farmerclaims.gov to submit your information online.
Tom Vilsack is the Secretary of Agriculture.
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