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President Obama today asked Americans to share their stories, and tell him what losing $40 per paycheck would mean to their family. Thousands responded, sending us photos, tweets, and emails that illustrate just how important decisions made in Washington are to regular people across the country.
At the end of this month, a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut will expire. If Congress doesn't act, taxes will go up on 160 million hardworking Americans. For a family making about $50,000 a year, the payroll tax cut amounts to about $1,000 a year, or about $40 in every paycheck. It may not seem like a lot of money to some people, but for the people who wrote to us today, that money can make a big difference. Here are some of their stories:
Please, consider that many people like my family live by paycheck only, we cannot even have extra money for emergencies, because living life in this country is so expensive that our paycheck goes to pay rent, bills, and food, and sometimes we don't even have for food. So, please DO NOT take that extra $40.00 taxes cut from our paycheck. -- Brenda from California
To me and my family, $40 is the difference between opportunity and misfortune. When you include registration fees, uniforms, and expenses for equipment, travel and food, extracurricular activities alone can exceed $40 a paycheck (particularly if that money is divided over more than one child). Activities like baseball, martial arts, or community theater are far too important to children's health, development, and well-being to not be apart of their lives. But when it comes down to paying bills and for essentials or extracurricular activities, all one can say is "sorry kids, no baseball this year"! -- Eric from South Carolina
With my paycheck being the sole source of income for our family, $40 means EVERYTHING to us. Having $40 means we can afford groceries in those last few days before my next paycheck so we won't go hungry. It means I can put a FEW gallons of gas in my car to make it to work for the next few days. It means I can afford a copay should my son need to see a doctor. It means we MAY be able to afford a prescription should we be prescribed one. We have done a short sale on our home, cut our budgets back to bare minimum, have relinquished all luxuries in our life but, yet still get up each day with the hope of something better. So, what does $40 mean to me? It means the difference between a healthy happy family that can sleep at night with a full stomach or having to tell my son that we may all have to go to bed hungry. -- Amanda from Virginia
$40.00 means the world to my family and I. When the paycheck ends before the second week has begun, $40 is the difference between paying the mortgage or the light bill. We don't live beyond our means, our cars are paid for. We remodel our home, and maintain the cars ourselves and we work hard for what we have. For Thanksgiving we hosted over 40 friends and relatives. Not because we had that luxury, but because we invited everyone to bring a dish because we knew they couldn't afford the entire meal. We never thought we would get so many. Too many of our friends and family members have been devastated by the current economic downfall of this country. Many own/owned their own business and all are hard working decent Americans. Many, like myself, worked or were/are affiliated with both state and federal government agencies. We know all too well about politics and government spending. Some of our friends and associates are very wealthy and continue to be compensated far too well. $40 for us, that's $960 for the year or groceries for three months, five months of electric bills. When you're financially capable, $40 dollars is a night out at the movies, but for us and too many Americans, it is groceries for three months. Now with 10 grandchildren, our 6 kids still respectfully rely on our support from time to time. We remember when we could hand them $40 each to go to the movies with high school friends on a Saturday. Now, $40 assists them with groceries for the week. We continue to motivate them, and we try to keep everyone's spirits high with "it will get better if we just stick together until it gets better". -- Michael from Maryland
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During the State of the Union Address, President Obama laid out a blueprint for an economy that is built to last – one built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values. Yesterday the President released a budget that reflects the President’s firm belief that our country has always done best when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. The success of the Latino community is critical to developing an economy that’s built to last and the President’s 2013 budget will support this success in a number of important ways.
To see a fact sheet on the 2013 Budget, An Economy Built to Last and Security for Latino Families, please click HERE. To download the factsheet in Spanish, Una Economía Constuida Para Que Perdure y Seguridad Para Las Familias Latinas, click HERE.
Here are some highlights:
- President Obama is committed to giving every American a fair shot at success by improving and reforming K-12 education, which is of particular importance to the Hispanic community given that there are 17.1 million Latinos ages 17 and younger in the United States. And in order to take on the challenge that only 13 percent of Latinos have college degrees, the budget propses measures to make it easier for students to afford a postsecondary education and expand access to college by helping students and their families pay for college.
- With Latino workers making up 15 percent of the United States’ labor force, the budget takes steps to equip American workers with good-paying jobs today and in the future by building the skills of American workers, including preparing young people for jobs through a reformed career and technical education program. It also includes support for minority businesses by enhancing access to credit and cutting taxes for small businesses seeking to grow and expand, which uniquely affects Hispanics who open businesses at a rate three times faster than the national average.
- To renew the sense of security among middle class Americans including Hispanic Americans, the President is firmly committed to promoting affordable home ownership through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). In 2009, FHA financing was used by 37 percent of all homebuyers but 59 percent of Hispanic families. The budget also calls for permanently extending expanded tax cuts for lower-income families that the President first signed into law in 2009, which provide a larger tax credit to 11.8 million families with 21.3 million children, including a significant number of Latino families.
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February 14, 2012
02:12 PM EDT
Secretary Chu details President Barack Obama's $27.2 billion fiscal year 2013 budget request for the Department of Energy.
Yesterday, Secretary Chu detailed President Barack Obama's fiscal year 2013 budget, which includes a $27.2 billion request for the Energy Department. The Secretary emphasized the President's commitment to an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes critical investments in innovation, in job-creating clean energy technologies, and in our national security. You can check out a video of the event below.
"The United States is competing in a global race for the clean energy jobs of the future," said Secretary Chu. "The choice we face as a nation is simple: do we want the clean energy technologies of tomorrow to be invented in America by American innovators, made by American workers and sold around the world, or do we want to concede those jobs to our competitors? We can and must compete for those jobs. This budget request includes responsible investments in an American economy that is built to last."
Specifically the President's FY 2013 budget request for the Department of Energy:
- Invests in cross-cutting research to lead in the research, development, deployment and production of clean energy technologies;
- Promotes efforts to make solar power affordable for all Americans by reducing the cost of solar energy by 75 percent and making it cost competitive without subsidies by the end of the decade;
- Continues the Obama Administration’s efforts to reduce our dependence on oil by one-third by 2025;
- Supports groundbreaking basic science, research and innovation to solve our energy challenges and ensure that the United States remains at the forefront of science and technology;
- Strengthens national security by reducing nuclear dangers and maintaining a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent; and
- Advances responsible environmental management by cleaning up the legacy from the Manhattan Project and the Cold War.
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President Barack Obama delivers remarks during an event pushing Congress to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance through the end of the year, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building South Court Auditorium, Feb. 14, 2012. The President was joined by Americans who have shared what $40 a paycheck means to them, and who would be affected if Congress doesn't act. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama this morning called on Congress to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance upon which millions of American rely -- renewing a public campaign that began in December when tens of thousands of Americans took to email, Twitter, and Facebook to say what they would have to give up without the extra money from the tax cuts.
Currently, 160 million Americans benefit for the tax relief that's set to expire at the end of the month. The typical family saves about $40 with every paycheck.
Surrounded by individuals who had written to the White House to say what they would give up without $40, the President said:
Last December, when we had this same fight, your voices made all the difference. We asked folks to tell what it was like -- what it would be like if they lost $40 out of every one of their paychecks -- because we wanted to make sure that people understood this is not just an abstract argument, this is concrete. This makes a difference in the lives of folks all across the country in very important ways.
The President told the story of an entrepreneur named Thierry -- who was in the audience. Thierry wrote the White House to say that if he had to give up $40 with each paycheck, he'd be forced to make the choice between gas money that helps him get to his day job and paying for the Internet service that he needs for his small business. "Forty dollars," Thierry said, "means a heck of a lot."
There were hopeful signs yesterday that the message from people like Thierry might be resonating with lawmakers. But the President pledged to take nothing for granted -- to continue the fight until a bill was on his desk:
[We've] got to keep on making sure that the American people's voices keep breaking through until this is absolutely, finally, completely done. Until you see me sign this thing, you've got to keep on speaking up. Until you see that photograph of me signing it at my desk, make sure it's verified, certified. If it's not on the White House website, it hasn't happened. And I'm going to need to make sure that your voices are heard.
Rest assured that when the President signs the legislation to extend the payroll tax cut, we will indeed write up the details and post a picture on WhiteHouse.gov.
Until then, keep on speaking out: http://www.whitehouse.gov/40dollars
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February 14, 2012
12:23 PM EDTMore than most seniors, Jacqueline Jefferson of Philadelphia, PA, knows that bad actors looking to defraud Medicare have lots of tricks up their sleeves – and persistence.
Seven years ago, Jacqueline was reviewing her Medicare medical statement and noticed a number of false charges. She did the right thing and alerted Medicare. She also realized that many of her fellow Medicare patients may not know they are at risk for fraud – or may be afraid to step forward. The experience inspired her to join the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) – a group of senior citizen volunteers who educate and empower their peers to identify, prevent and report health care fraud.
Thanks to the Obama Administration, funding for the SMP has increased by 75 percent from FY 2008 to FY 2011. In 2010, nearly 5,000 volunteers helped educate about 300,000 Medicare patients at 8,300 community anti-fraud events. And those volunteers held more than 70,000 one-on-one counseling sessions on potential Medicare fraud, waste or abuse cases – more than double the number in 2009.
That’s a good thing – because, like many seniors, Jacqueline was the target of yet another fraud attempt. She was contacted multiple times by telemarketers offering free diabetic supplies in exchange for her Medicare number – even though she isn’t a diabetic. You can see her story here.
These efforts are part of the unprecedented focus the Obama Administration has brought to both stopping fraud before it happens, and recovering fraudulent Medicare payments and prosecuting fraudsters.
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This morning, David Plouffe, Senior Advisor to President Obama, sent the message below to the White House email list, asking people to tell us what it would mean to lose $40 with every paycheck if the payroll tax cut expires at the end of the month. If you didn't get the email, be sure to sign up.
Good morning,
Do you remember the "40 dollars" stories back in December? Congress was about to let a tax cut for millions of middle class families expire.
Then you shared your stories. You talked about how a little extra money goes to help pay for medicine for a sick spouse, gas money to get to work, or school books for a child. Thousands of Americans from different circumstances all spoke out with the same voice, and it was undeniably powerful. Congress extended the tax cut, along with unemployment insurance, but only for two months.
So here we are in mid-February, the deadline only a few days away. And once again, if Congress doesn't act, working families will receive about $40 less with each paycheck.
So help us to highlight again how Congress's inaction would affect everyday families outside of Washington.
Watch this message from the President. Then share your story.
And this time, we want to put a face to your voice. So take a minute to snap a photo. And if you can, show us what you'll have to give up without that extra money in your paycheck. We'll use images from Americans around the country on WhiteHouse.gov to show how the payroll tax cut helps real people.
Share your picture and story today:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/40dollars
Thanks,
David Plouffe
Senior Advisor to the President
Learn more
- Read about the full range of ways to join the discussion on the payroll tax cut from White House Communiations Director Dan Pfeiffer
- See the faces of some of those who benefit from an extra $40 with every paycheck.
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Ed note: this post originally appeared on Fastlane, the official blog of the Department of Transportation
It has been more than two years and four months since America's transportation funding expired. Congress has extended the law with short-term patches eight different times. But, with bridges crumbling and highways choked with congestion, our nation needs the planning certainty that comes from a long-term transportation bill, a bill that puts people back to work rebuilding our roads, bridges, transit systems, and airports.
So this week, President Obama outlined a six-year surface transportation proposal–part of his blueprint for an America built to last. The transportation budget the President proposed has three broad goals:
- Creating jobs and investing in infrastructure for our future;
- Modernizing transportation through focused research and technology; and
- Pressing forward on our number one priority--safety.
An America built to last needs a strong transportation infrastructure. Without the ability to move goods and people safely and efficiently, we're stuck standing still. That’s why the President’s budget will improve America’s highways, rail lines, and transit networks, allowing for growth and continuing to ensure that these systems are safe.
Of the President’s proposal, $305 billion would fund road and bridge improvements. Now, that's a long overdue 34 percent increase over the previous transportation bill. And this proposal will also streamline and simplify our highway system by consolidating more than 55 different programs down to just five.
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At the end of this month, a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut will expire. If Congress doesn't act, taxes will go up on 160 million hardworking Americans.
For a family making about $50,000 a year, the payroll tax cut amounts to about $1,000 a year, or about $40 in every paycheck. When the payroll tax cut was initially set to expire last December, we asked Americans to tell us what that $40 meant to them and their family. People all over the country responded, using email, Twitter, and Facebook, to tell us that $40 makes all the difference in the world for a family trying to stretch their already tight budget a little bit further.
These are some of their stories:
"$40 a paycheck means I have to choose which medication my daughter takes gets put off, and not like something simple we are talking choice or life or death. My daughter is a liver transplant [patient] and is waiting for another transplant. That money is needed to keep her alive until I can get another job since I just graduated college too. For few that money isn't important for us it means not losing a family member, keeping our jobs, or feeding the family." --- Heather from Texas
"$40 takes gas money out of my pocket. I have a wife and child to care for, and after bills and groceries every payday, I usually have just enough to pay for gas and have enough left over to go to McDonalds once or twice, and I've had to terminate non-essential services such as a phone for my wife just so I can pay the necessities such as rent and electricity. $40 per paycheck will cut into my family fund so that I won't be able to move back home when I finish my tour of duty with the Army next year, I won't be able to afford gas with the rising prices just to get to work and back, let alone any extras. $40 may not seem like a lot to those of you who can afford to waste our tax dollars and drive us trillions of dollars in debt, but to those of us just trying to survive, it makes a lot of difference." --- Marcus from Washington
"That's half our family's grocery bill, and that means we will need to cut back...We've been not only buying for ourselves, but for the local food pantry that is barren. I would also like to note the area in Wisconsin that I live in has many very wealthy Wisconsinites, BUT our food pantry is barren, many people can't even feed their families right now. HUNGRY CHILDREN, and many more going to suffer, because the 1% doesn't pay their fair share, that's what $40. a week means to me." ---- Tanya from Wisconsin
Thanks to the voices of Heather, Marcus, Tanya and thousands of others, Congress did the right thing and renewed the payroll tax cut for two more months. But that extension will expire at the end of February unless lawmakers stop this tax hike on the middle class. Your voices are needed again. Tell us what $40 means to you. What will you and your family have to give up if Congress doesn't act?
Read more stories:
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At the end of this month, a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut will expire. If Congress doesn't act, taxes will go up on 160 million hardworking Americans.
For a family making about $50,000 a year, the payroll tax cut amounts to about $1,000 a year, or about $40 in every paycheck. When the payroll tax cut was initially set to expire last December, we asked Americans to tell us what that $40 meant to them and their family. People all over the country responded, using email, Twitter, and Facebook, to tell us that $40 makes all the difference in the world for a family trying to stretch their already tight budget a little bit further.
These are some of their stories:
Let me put this into perspective, when I get through paying my bills monthly I am left with approximately 160 dollars to provide for my 8 year old son and myself, 40 dollars could be the difference between eating and not ." --- Ruben from California
At the end of this month, a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut will expire. If Congress doesn't act, taxes will go up on 160 million hardworking Americans.
For a family making about $50,000 a year, the payroll tax cut amounts to about $1,000 a year, or about $40 in every paycheck. When the payroll tax cut was initially set to expire last December, we asked Americans to tell us what that $40 meant to them and their family. People all over the country responded, using email, Twitter, and Facebook, to tell us that $40 makes all the difference in the world for a family trying to stretch their already tight budget a little bit further.
These are some of their stories:
"As a teacher, $40 a month means not being able to provide the fun things in teaching my students. Already Congress has taken away the $250 teacher tax exemption (which was not enough to begin with, not by about $1000) but now you want to add another $40 a month to my payroll tax? This picture is from our end of novel study for How To Eat Fried Worms. The celebration was completely funded by me, the teacher. I made my students "worms" and "dirt" cake which for 60+ students cost me about $50. This tax will be the end of me doing anything like this for my class. I already can't afford to provide paper, pencils, art supplies etc for my students, and can only do the really special extras that I feel will really benefit my students." --- Patricia from Georgia
Today, President Obama has invited a group of Americans who made their voices heard the last time Congress threatened to raise their taxes to the White House.
At the end of this month, if Congress doesn’t act, taxes are set to go up on 160 million hardworking Americans, and the President believes that lawmakers must prevent this middle class tax hike without drama or delay.
For a family making about $50,000 a year, the payroll tax cut amounts to about $1,000 a year, or about $40 in every paycheck. In December, we asked America to tell us what losing $40 per paycheck would mean for their family, and the answers came from across the country — from students trying to stretch the budget a little bit further. From moms who need to buy their children lunch every day in the school cafeteria. And from commuters who are filling up the tank and looking at rising gas prices. Using twitter, email and Facebook, they told us clearly that $40 can make all the difference in the world.
Ultimately, thanks to these stories, Congress did the right thing and passed a two-month extension of the tax cut and unemployment insurance – but only after a drawn-out debate that put the strength of our economy and the security of middle class families at risk. Now that extension is about to expire.
The President is also inviting all Americans who oppose raising their taxes to share their own stories with the White House – you can submit them on WhiteHouse.gov, using the Twitter hashtag #40dollars or post them on our Google+ page or Facebook wall. You can watch the President’s remarks with these hardworking American families at 10:40 am ET on WhiteHouse.gov/live.
February 13, 2012
07:02 PM EDT
Ed note: this post originally appeared on Homeroom, the U.S. Department of Education's official blog
Continuing its commitment to education and an America built to last, the Obama Administration released its 2013 budget proposal to Congress today. It includes new education investments that will give U.S. students and workers the education and training they need for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
The Department of Education is requesting $69.8 billion in discretionary funding for Fiscal Year 2013, an increase of $1.7 billion, or 2.5 percent, from 2012. The critical investments in education are part of an overall federal budget that abides by very tight spending caps that reduce discretionary spending by $1 trillion over 10 years and, including that amount, has more than $4 trillion of balanced deficit reduction.
But what, exactly, does this mean for you?
President Barack Obama delivers remarks to students on the FY 2013 Budget at the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Annandale, Va., campus, Feb. 13, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
President Obama traveled to Annadale in northern Virginia this morning to talk about his budget for the 2013 fiscal year -- and how it will boost job creation to speed our economic recovery.
A core set of themes helps to define this budget, and in talking to the crowd, the President laid out those ideas:
[An] economy built to last demands that we keep doing everything we can to help students learn the skills that businesses are looking for. It means we have to keep strengthening American manufacturing. It means we’ve got to keep investing in American energy. We've got to double down on the clean energy that’s creating jobs. But it also means we've got to renew the American values of fair play and shared responsibility.
To help reflect that shared responsibility, the President is proposing a new set of reforms that guarantees that millionaires don't pay a lower rate in taxes than the middle class. He said:
Right now, we’re scheduled to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was intended to be a temporary tax cut for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. We’ve already spent about that much. Now we’re scheduled to spend another trillion. Keep in mind, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. You’ve heard me say it -- Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. That’s not fair. It doesn’t make sense at a time when we've got to pull together to get the country moving.
If you want to read the complete budget, you can download the PDF, or get a copy for your Barnes & Noble Nook. We'll have a version for Amazon Kindle and Apple iBooks soon.
Learn more:
- For a complete overview of the budget, check out this post Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Jeff Zients.
February 13, 2012
06:24 PM EDT
Ed note: this post originally appeared on Dipnote, the State Department's official blog
Today, the Obama Administration issued the President's budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2013. It demonstrates that the United States remains fully committed to the fight against global AIDS, and will meet the President's ambitious targets for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention announced on World AIDS Day 2011. I am so proud that, even in a challenging budget environment with strict budget caps, the Administration has continued to make this work a priority.
This budget will enable PEPFAR to achieve the President's stated goals for the program, including on prevention and supporting 6 million people on treatment by the end of 2013. As we move towards creating an AIDS-free generation, President Obama and Secretary Clinton are focused on improving and saving lives -- these outcomes are the most important metric of success. The results to date speak for themselves:
- We have more than doubled the number of individuals on lifesaving anti-retroviral treatment (nearly 4 million in FY 2011, up from 1.7 million in FY 2008).
- We averted 200,000 infant HIV infections in FY 2011, through increased commitment to prevent mother-to-child transmission.
- We supported care services for almost 13 million people (including 4 million orphans and vulnerable children) in FY 2011, a 55 percent increase from FY 2008.
Under this Administration, PEPFAR has matured. We've become more efficient, increasing the impact of our work. The FY 2013 request reflects this focus on finding efficiencies and continuing to drive down costs. By using generic drugs, shipping commodities more cheaply, task-shifting to nurses and community health workers as appropriate, and linking AIDS services to other programs (such as maternal and child health), we have dramatically decreased the per-patient cost of providing treatment and other services. We have reduced PEPFAR treatment costs per person from $1,100 to $335 per person and costs continue to fall -- every dollar we invest is going farther.
The growth in country ownership of programs is another critical piece of the story. Middle income countries with PEPFAR programs have begun to increase their investments in health programs, further reducing our direct costs. South Africa is the leading example of a country that has ramped up its investment (now over $1 billion) and indicates that it will continue to do so -- a key development, as it has the largest number of people living with HIV in the world.
President Barack Obama awards Robert Darnton, author and librarian, the National Humanities Medal for his determination to make knowledge accessible to everyone. President Obama awarded the 2011 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 13, 2012. 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The 2011 honorees of the National Medals of Arts and Humanities were at the White House today for an event that President Obama said he and First Lady Michelle Obama look forward to every single year. "It's a moment when America has a chance to pay tribute to extraordinary men and women who have excelled in the arts and the humanities, and who, along the way, have left an indelible mark on American culture," the President said before the ceremony in the East Room.
Today's honorees represented the full spectrum of the arts and humanities, and included actors, poets, authors, singers, philosophers, sculptors, curators, musicians, historians and even an economist. President Obama praised the group for their contributions to the arts, and to American society:
You create new possibilities for all of us. And that's a special trait. And it assigns you a special task. Because in moments of calm, as in moments of crisis; in times of triumph, as in times of tragedy: you help guide our growth as a people. The true power of the arts and the humanities is that you speak to everyone. There is not one of us here who hasn’t had their beliefs challenged by a writer’s eloquence; or their knowledge deepened by a historian’s insights; or their sagging spirits lifted by a singer’s voice. Those are some of the most endearing and memorable moments in our lives.
Equal to the impact you have on each of us every day as individuals is the impact you have on us as a society. And we are told we're divided as a people, and then suddenly the arts have this power to bring us together and speak to our common condition.
Today, President Obama announced the Community College to Career Fund, an $8 billion investment in his Fiscal Year 2013 Budget that would train two million workers with skills that lead directly to good jobs in industries that need workers, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and information technology.
This program will serve a dual purpose: making sure community colleges have the resources they need to equip workers with crucial skills and industry-recognized credentials, and ensuring that employers in high-growth industries have the skilled workforce they need for positions that might otherwise go unfilled—or overseas.
Employers today are looking for skilled, educated workers, and they should be able to find those workers right here in the United States. Here’s how the Community College to Career Fund would help:
Support for workers:
In addition to supporting community college-based training programs that provide workers with targeted, certified training for jobs in rapidly growing industries like clean energy, high-tech manufacturing and information technology, the proposed program will fund:
- On-the-job training opportunities such as registered apprenticeships and paid internships that allow students to simultaneously earn credit for work-based learning and gain relevant employment experience in high-wage, high-skill fields.
- “Pay for Performance” strategies that provide incentives for training providers, community colleges, and local workforce organizations to make sure workers find permanent jobs after they complete training and earn credentials.
Ed. Note: This has been cross-posted from the OMB blog
Earlier today, the President sent to Congress his budget for the 2013 fiscal year. This year’s budget reflects the President’s firm belief that our country has always done best when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. It’s a document built around the recognition that this is a make or break moment for the middle class and those trying to reach it. What’s at stake is the very survival of the basic American promise that if you work hard, you can do well enough to raise a family, own a home, and put a little away for retirement.
The Budget continues our commitment to keeping that promise alive by creating an economy that’s built to last – with good jobs that pay well and security for the middle class.
It’s a commitment that starts with jumpstarting job creation so that our economic recovery quickens and more Americans are able to get back to work. The Budget proposes more than $350 billion in short-term measures for job growth starting this year. These proposals include the extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance benefits for rest of 2012; an upfront investment of $50 billion from the surface transportation reauthorization bill for roads, rails, and runways to create thousands of quality jobs in the short term; continuing to allow businesses to write-off the full amount of new investments; and $30 billion to modernize at least 35,000 schools, and $30 billion to help states and localities retain and hire teachers and first responders.
Building an economy that is built to last also requires that we transform our economy from one focused on speculating, spending, and borrowing to one constructed on the solid foundation of educating, innovating, and building. We need to make America the place with the highest-skilled, highest-educated workers; the most advanced transportation and communications networks; and cutting-edge research that will lead to the innovations and industries of tomorrow. To get us there, the Budget targets resources to the areas critical to growing the economy and restoring middle-class security: education and skills for American workers, innovation and research and development, clean energy, and infrastructure.
February 13, 2012
11:02 AM EDT
First Lady Michelle Obama holds a roundtable dinner discussion at an Olive Garden restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas, Feb. 9, 2012. Mrs. Obama met with the parents to hear their ideas on how Let’s Move! can continue to support families across the country. In September 2011, Darden, the world’s largest full service restaurant company which owns Olive Garden, made a commitment to improve their kids menus by offering a fruit or vegetable and low-fat milk with every meal, as well as reduce total calories and sodium across their menus. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)
I knew how serious this problem is. Nearly one in three of our children are overweight or obese, at risk for illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer that cost our economy billions of dollars each year to treat.
I also knew the conventional wisdom on this issue. There's the assumption that kids don't like healthy food, so why try to feed it to them? There's the belief that healthy food doesn't sell as well, so companies will never change the products they offer. And there's the sense that this problem is so big and entrenched that no matter what we do, we'll never be able to solve it.
But over the past two years, we have seen a new conversation in this country about how we live and eat and how that affects the health and well-being of our kids. Since we launched Let's Move!, people from every corner of this country who care about our children's futures have stepped up and proved the conventional wisdom wrong.
Read the entire op-ed from the First Lady at CNN.com
More from the Let's Move tour:
Michelle Obama: If You Are Doing Great Work, Tell Me About It
Michelle Obama Judges "Top Chef"
On the Road with Let’s Move
Watch: Behind the Scenes on the Let’s Move Tour
Two Years of Healthy Changes for Our Nation’s Kids
View a slideshow from the tour
Ed. Note: The event has concluded. Check out the full Q&A below or on Storify.
Today, President Obama will unveil his 2013 budget at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale. Later, Heather Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, will be answering your questions about the President’s budget during a session of White House Office Hours on Twitter.
Heather Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, answers questions about the President’s budget during a session of White House Office Hours on Twitter. February 13, 2012. (by Sarah Berlenbach)
Join Heather for Office Hours at 5:30 p.m. EST on Monday, February 13th. Here's how it works:
- Ask your question on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat
- Heather Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, will answer live from the @OMBpress
- Follow the Q&A through the @OMBPress and @WHLive Twitter accounts
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February 12, 2012
10:45 AM EDT
On Friday, President Obama announced that his Administration will implement a policy that accommodates religious liberty while protecting the health of women. Under the new policy, women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive services – no matter where she works. And as previously announced, churches and houses of worship will be exempt from the requirement to refer or provide coverage for contraception. But if a woman’s employer is a charity, hospital or other religious organization that has a religious objection to providing contraceptive services as part of its health plan, her insurance company – and not the hospital or charity – will be required to reach out and offer her contraceptive care free of charge.
This policy has earned praise from a wide range of individuals and organizations, including many organizations that will be directly affected by this policy. Here’s what people are saying:
Catholic Health Association
“The Catholic Health Association is very pleased with the White House announcement that a resolution has been reached that protects the religious liberty and conscience rights of Catholic institutions. The framework developed has responded to the issues we identified that needed to be fixed.”
Catholic Charities
“Catholic Charities USA welcomes the Administration’s attempt to meet the concerns of the religious community and we look forward to reviewing the final language. We are hopeful that this is a step in the right direction and are committed to continuing our work to ensure that our religious institutions will continue to be granted the freedom to remain faithful to our beliefs, while also being committed to providing access to quality healthcare for our 70,000 employees and their families across the country.”
Planned Parenthood
“In the face of a misleading and outrageous assault on women’s health, the Obama administration has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring all women will have access to birth control coverage, with no costly co-pays, no additional hurdles, and no matter where they work. We believe the compliance mechanism does not compromise a woman’s ability to access these critical birth control benefits.”
Catholics United
“Catholics United has been calling on both sides of this heated debate to work towards today's win-win solution. President Obama has shown us that he is willing to rise above the partisan fray to deliver an actual policy solution that both meets the health care needs of all employees and respects the religious liberty of Catholic institutions."
Congressman John Larson
“As a strong supporter of healthcare reform and the plan to provide free preventative care - including contraception - to all Americans, I want to applaud President Obama for finding a path forward to provide coverage to everyone while addressing the conscience concerns of religiously-affiliated organizations.”
NARAL Pro-Choice America
“Today’s announcement makes it clear that President Obama is firmly committed to protecting women’s health.”
Senator Barbara Boxer
"The President has made clear that we can – and must – protect women's health and the religious freedom of all. The fact that groups from Planned Parenthood to the Catholic Health Association support this policy should put an end to the vicious political attacks and allow us all to focus on providing these critical health benefits to millions of American women and families."
Broad Coalition of Faith Community Leaders
“Today the Obama administration announced an important regulation that will protect the conscience rights of religious organizations and ensure that all women have access to contraception without a co-payment. We applaud the White House for listening carefully to the concerns raised by religious leaders on an issue that has provoked heated and often misinformed debate. This ruling is a major victory for religious liberty and women’s health. President Obama has demonstrated that these core values do not have to be in conflict.”
Jennifer Palmieri is White House Deputy Communications Director
Editors note: this post was modified on 02/13/12
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