-
From day one, the President and First Lady have made opening the doors of the White House a priority. "It’s the “People’s House,” as Mrs. Obama often calls it, “It’s a place that is steeped in history, but it’s also a place where everyone should feel welcome. And that's why my husband and I have made it our mission to open up the house to as many people as we can."
And, because experiencing the White House shouldn't be limited to the those who are able to visit in person, the Obama Administration has taken steps to offer unprecedented access to the “People’s House” virtually, from an online interactive tour, to Google Art Project platform and the “Inside the White House” video series.
In the spirit of openness, White House curator William Allman sat down for a special session of Office Hours today on Twitter to answer your questions about the art and history of the White House. During the chat, he discussed who manages the art, the oldest piece in the building, the Obama’s favorite and more.
Check out the full Q&A below or on Storify, and take a tour of the White House yourself through the Google Art Project.
-
September 05, 2012
05:00 PM EDTYou know summer is at a close and fall is upon us when the NFL regular season begins, and today, the Dallas Cowboys and last year’s NFL Champion New York Giants will kick-off the season at home.
This past June President Obama hosted the 2012 NFL Champion Giants at the White House to congratulate them on their victory -- just as he's hosted past champions, including the Steelers, the Saints, the Packers, and even the 1985 Chicago Bears.
In honor of tonight's kickoff, we've pulled together some highlights of NFL Champions’ visits to the White House. Check it out.
-
Ed. Note: Do you have questions about the history of the White House? Join us for a special session of "Office Hours" on Twitter with White House curator William Allman at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 5th. Ask your questions now with #WHChat and follow the Q&A live @WHLive.
The White House isn’t just a home to First Families or meeting space for world leaders. It’s also known as "The People’s House" -- a place that should be open to everyone. And that’s why President and Mrs. Obama have made it a priority to invite young people, military families, and Americans of all ages to join them here at the White House.
And, because experiencing the White House shouldn't be limited to the those who are able to visit in person, the Obama Administration has worked hard to offer unprecedented access that opens up the People's House to virtual visitors as well.
So, whether you're at home in California or at school in Maine, let your fingers do the walking and take this as your formal invitation to see the White House. Here's three great ways to get started.
-
Under the Administration’s Campaign to Cut Waste, we are scrutinizing every dollar of Federal spending to make sure that funds are spent efficiently and effectively. As part of the campaign, last fall, in Executive Order 13589, “Promoting Efficient Spending,”the President charged Federal agencies with tightening their belts to find efficiencies and savings in areas such as printing, fleet, and travel. That effort is paying off. Federal agencies are hard at work executing on plans to achieve administrative cost savings in these areas. Agencies achieved over $2 billion in reduced costs in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period of time in 2010, and we’re announcing today that agencies achieved another $2 billion in savings in the second quarter. That puts us at $4 billion dollars in savings – well on track to meet and exceed our goal of $8 billion by the end of FY 2013.
But perhaps just as important as the savings themselves is the fact that they are indicative of innovative management practices Federal agencies are implementing to get the most out of every dollar. We are spending less money, and we’re spending it smarter in order to get the most bang for our buck.
For instance, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is consolidating its cell phone contracts. An analysis of USDA’s cellular inventory showed that USDA had over 700 plans and about 36,000 lines of service. The number of plans has been reduced considerably, and about 1,700 unused and obsolete lines have been discontinued, resulting in savings of approximately $4.7 million this year alone.
-
President Obama yesterday made his way to St. John's Parish in Louisiana to take in the damage from Hurricane Isaac and meet with officials responding to the disaster.
The President highlighted the “extraordinary work” done by local first responders who worked around the clock to rescue residents stranded by high water in a place that hadn't flooded in 17 years.
"Some of the folks that we just walked by literally had to be saved by boat. They were in their homes, trapped. The waters came in so quickly," he said. "But because of the great work of law enforcement, National Guard, Coast Guard, making sure that folks were out in rescue mode rapidly, even in some cases at risk of their own lives, no lives were lost."
-
Last year, the White House launched a new tool called We the People, offering a powerful and simple way to petition the Obama Administration to take action on a range of issues. If a petition gathers enough signatures, policy officials review it and publish an official response.
From the beginning, We the People's popularity exceeded our expectations. Over 600,000 signatures were received in the first 11 days and within two weeks, 81 petitions had reached the initial signature threshold of 5,000 signatures within 30 days. Raising the threshold to 25,0000 signatures within 30 days allowed us to balance our resources and focus on providing quality response and follow-up engagement. However, since October 3, 2011, we've still had an additional 30 petitions cross the new threshold. View a map of petition signatures by location.
Many times, petitions posted on We the People have a real impact on policy-making. For example, the popularity of two petitions concerning online piracy (a.k.a. SOPA & PIPA) crystallized the Administration’s position on the issue, which was first detailed in a response on We the People. In response to a petition demanding stronger oversight of commercial breeders who sell puppies online, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced they were developing a proposed rule that would cover internet breeders under the Animal Welfare Act. Once the rule was open for public comment, petition signers were invited to comment.
Check out a couple key facts and figures about the We the People platform below.
Ready to create or sign a petition now? Get started at WhiteHouse.gov/WeThePeople.
View the fullpage version of this infographic.
-
Today, we're excited to announce some big changes to the way you connect with the White House. More Americans rely on tablets and smart phones for news and information than ever before and we've certainly seen these trends reflected at WhiteHouse.gov. Over the past two years the number of mobile visits to the site has tripled, reaching 15.17% of total traffic. In order to meet this growing demand, we've relaunched the entire White House mobile program, making it even easier to see what's going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
First, we revamped the mobile version of WhiteHouse.gov, giving it a new look and making more than 99% of the site available to mobile users. We've also released new versions of the White House apps for the iPhone and Android, rebuilding them from the ground up and adding several new features. For the first time, these apps are also fully compatible with the iPad and Android tablets.
-
Ed. note: This is cross-posted from Work in Progress
On the first Monday of September, we honor the workers who built the world’s strongest economy. This Labor Day, as the U.S. Department of Labor approaches our centennial celebration, I take extra pride in the historic efforts of today’s workers to drive our recovery by learning new skills and adapting to new challenges.
For more than two centuries, the prospect of work has drawn people to our shores to pursue new opportunities and dreams of a better life. The demands on our workers have changed over the generations, but we’ve always risen to the occasion.
Watch Secretary Solis' Labor Day message.
During the Industrial Age, factory workers saw their knowledge and paychecks grow as they mastered new processes to mass produce everything from automobiles to armaments. Following the Great Depression, more than 6 million women joined the workforce, clocking in at shipyards, lumber mills and foundries, and their production helped us win the Great War. And the Internet age carried the talents of our workers across the globe, as our ideas and products reached new markets and brought the world closer together.
-
Ed. Note: There's been a lot of buzz online recently about the recipe for the White House Honey Ale and White House Honey Porter, including a popular petition on We the People, the White House's online petition platform.
With public excitement about White House beer fermenting such a buzz, we decided we better hop right to it.
Inspired by home brewers from across the country, last year President Obama bought a home brewing kit for the kitchen. After the few first drafts we landed on some great recipes that came from a local brew shop. We received some tips from a couple of home brewers who work in the White House who helped us amend it and make it our own. To be honest, we were surprised that the beer turned out so well since none of us had brewed beer before.
As far as we know the White House Honey Brown Ale is the first alcohol brewed or distilled on the White House grounds. George Washington brewed beer and distilled whiskey at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson made wine but there's no evidence that any beer has been brewed in the White House. (Although we do know there was some drinking during prohibition…)
Since our first batch of White House Honey Brown Ale, we've added the Honey Porter and have gone even further to add a Honey Blonde this past summer. Like many home brewers who add secret ingredients to make their beer unique, all of our brews have honey that we tapped from the first ever bee-hive on the South Lawn. The honey gives the beer a rich aroma and a nice finish but it doesn't sweeten it.
If you want a behind the scenes look at our home-brewing process, this video offers some proof.
-
President Obama marks the second anniversary of the end of our combat mission in Iraq by thanking our nation’s extraordinary men and women in uniform for their service.
Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3
-
Watch President Obama speak to the troops.
Two years after his visit to Fort Bliss that marked the end of the combat mission in Iraq, President Obama returned there today to speak to the troops, and discuss his commitment to standing by those who served as the nation winds down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now, when I was here last, I made you a pledge. I said that, as President, I will insist that America serves you and your families as well as you've served us. And there again, I meant what I said. Because part of ending wars responsibly is caring for those who fought in it. That’s why I wanted to come back to Bliss on this anniversary to reaffirm our solemn obligations to you and your families.You see, we may be turning a page on a decade of war, but America's responsibilities to you have only just begun.
“Just as we give you the best equipment and technology on the battlefield,” the President said, “we need to give you the best care and support when you come home.” This includes continuing the efforts underway to strengthen and expand health care and mental health care service for troops, particularly for veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD, and providing resources to help returning service members get the education, training, and support they need to transition back into the civilian workforce. It also means giving our military families the respect and the support that they deserve.
-
August 31, 2012
04:00 PM EDTWatch the West Wing Week here.
Here's a quick glimpse at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:
Remembering Neil Armstrong: Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, passed away last weekend. In a statement issued on Saturday, President Obama said that “Neil was among the greatest of American heroes – not just of his time, but of all time.”
Check out the photo gallery remembering Neil Armstrong and watch the video of Neil Armstrong’s visit to the White House in 2009. To learn more about Neil Armstrong, visit NASA.gov.
-
In September 2009, the President announced that—for the first time in history—White House visitor records would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis. Today, the White House releases visitor records that were generated in May 2012. Today’s release brings the total number of records made public by this White House to more than 2.5 million—all of which can be viewed in our Disclosures section. In addition, due to personal safety concerns, the White House has withheld two visitor records related to participants in a meeting on domestic violence.
Ed. note: For more information, check out Ethics.gov.
-
Ed. note: Tune in to WhiteHouse.gov/live today at 3:00 pm EDT to watch President Obama speak to troops at Fort Bliss about our responsibility to stand by those who have served as we wind down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Since September 11, 2001, more than two million service members have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, many of them serving with unprecedented duration and frequency. Long deployments and intense combat conditions require optimal support for the emotional and mental health needs of our service members and their families, and ensuring that they receive the support they deserve is a top priority for the Obama Administration.
That's why today, President Obama signed an Executive Order that will help the federal government better meet the current and future demand for mental health and substance abuse treatment services for our troops and veterans, as well as their families.
Building on the ongoing efforts to expand these services, today's Executive Order:
- Strengthens suicide prevention efforts across the force and in the veteran community
- Enhances access to mental health care by building partnerships between VA and community providers
- Increases the number of VA mental health providers serving our veterans
- Promotes mental health research and development of more effective treatment methodologies
- Launches a government-wide collaborative effort to address these issues through a Military and Veterans Mental Health Interagency Task Force
-
Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It's the summer's special Mailbag Edition of West Wing Week, featuring Elizabeth Olson, Director of Presidential Correspondence. This week we're taking a moment to pick out a few of your letters from the thousands that arrive everyday here at the White House and answer some of your questions on immigration, healthcare, and the economy. That's August 24th to August 30th or, "It's Summer Mailbag Time!"
First, we went over to the National Economic Council to see Deputy Director, Brian Deese, who answered some of your letters about the economy.
Then we went over to the Domestic Policy Council to talk with Cecilia Muñoz about some of the letters she'd read about healthcare reform and the new deferred action process.
Watch the West Wing Week here.
Tuesday, August 28th:
- The President made a statement about preparedness for the arrival of Hurricane Isaac.
Thursday, August 30th:
- We sat down with Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, who spoke about the upcoming two year anniversary of the end of the war in Iraq for 'The Rhodes Ahead.'
Related Links:
-
President Obama Discusses Preparations for Tropical Storm Isaac
-
The Rhodes Ahead: Second Anniversary of the End of the Combat Mission in Iraq
-
On August 31, 2010, President Obama traveled to Fort Bliss to mark the end of the combat mission in Iraq. On Friday, two years later, President Obama will return to Fort Bliss.
Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes sat down to discuss what to expect from the speech the President will deliver to service members there about winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our nation’s obligation to stand by those who fought and their families, and the ways his administration is delivering on that obligation as troops transition back to civilian life.
Watch the Rhodes Ahead: Second Anniversary of the End of the Combat Mission in Iraq here.
-
This morning, Hurricane Isaac was downgraded to a tropical storm, and by the end of the day, it's expected to further diminish to a tropical depression.
But as the storm continues moving north, federal emergency personnel are still monitoring its progress and mobilizing to provide relief for those in its path.
In the past 24 hours, federal officials have taken the following steps to respond Isaac. Check out the list, compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency below, or visit FEMA.gov for additional information.
-
On August 31st, 2010, President Obama addressed the nation from the Oval Office. “So tonight,” he said, “I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended.” To mark the historic moment, the President and First Lady joined administration officials and thousands of people from across the country to offer their support and appreciation for our veterans, troops, and military families. Explore some of the video messages, tweets, and facebook posts saluting our men and women in uniform.
Before his Oval Address in 2010, the President traveled to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas to speak with troops who had seen every phase of what had become one of America’s longest wars, and who continue to serve in Afghanistan. This Friday, August 31st, 2012, exactly two-years later, the President Obama will return to Fort Bliss to address troops on the progress we’ve made in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to discuss the steps this Administration has taken to support our service members and veterans at home.
To mark two years since the end of combat in Iraq, and with troops still serving in Afghanistan, take a moment to show your support for those that serve and their families. Here’s how you can participate:
-
Late last night, as Hurricane Isaac made landfall along the Gulf Coast, FEMA provided another update about the ongoing efforts from federal officials to respond to the storm.
Earlier in the day, FEMA Adminstrator Craig Fugate and National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Rick Knabb briefed President Obama on the expected track for the hurricane and the preparations underway to provide relief efforts.
The President has already signed emergency declarations for the states of Mississippi and Louisiana in order to ensure local leaders get the support they need.
Before Isaac made landfall, FEMA dispatched four Incident Management Assistance Teams to emergency operations centers in Gulf states and positioned two Mobile Emergency Response Support teams and additional resources in locations nearby the areas expected to be affected by the storm.
FEMA also has supply distribution centers in Georgia and Texas and has established additional supply sites Mississippi and Louisiana. Federal officials have also deployed an urban search and rescue team to Louisiana, and additional support teams are ready to deploy as needed and requested.
For those currently in the path of the storm, FEMA has provided some useful safety information:
-
Ed. note: This is cross-posted from commerce.gov.
This morning, I joined economic development leaders from around the country to discuss ongoing efforts to create jobs and grow the U.S. economy. The Economic Development Forum was hosted by the U.S. Commerce Department’s SelectUSA initiative, in partnership with the White House Business Council and the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the world’s largest professional organization of economic development practitioners.
The forum provided an opportunity to discuss the Obama administration’s efforts to support U.S. businesses and encourage companies to bring good jobs back to America, a trend called insourcing.
- &lsaquo previous
- …
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- …
- next &rsaquo