President Obama congratulates all of the American athletes competing in the Olympics and Paralympics this summer. These men and women have inspired us all with their hard work, determination, and their indomitable spirit as they present the best of America to the rest of the world. The President tells our Olympic and Paralympic competitors that the American people could not be prouder of them, and thanks them for reminding us that we are one people, and by working together we can achieve great things.

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Earlier this week I joined Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar for a dialogue with leaders within the travel and tourism industry at the White House Business Council American Economic Competitiveness Forum. We held a very useful discussion about how the Administration can continue to help support travel and tourism and the millions of jobs associated with the industry.

Travel and tourism has been a particularly bright spot in our economic growth over the past two years. I recently announced that 2012 will likely be another record year for international travel to the U.S. In fact, in May 2012 international travel to the U.S. reached nearly $14 billion – up 8% from May 2011. That caps 29 straight months of growth. Many people do not realize that international travel to the U.S. counts as an export, since foreign citizens purchase U.S. goods and services when they travel here.  Hence, the travel and tourism industry has been a critical factor in the increase of export-supported jobs, which have grown by 1.2 million from 2009-2011.

We can build on this momentum by strengthening public-private partnerships with the industry, which is the core of the new National Travel and Tourism Strategy. Already, we’ve reinvigorated the Tourism Policy Council – a Commerce-led team involving a dozen agencies that touch on travel and tourism. Also, the Trade and Tourism Advisory Board – involving many of the people at this Forum – has never been more active.  In fact, they contributed many great ideas as we wrote the Strategy.

President Barack Obama delivers remarks on extending tax cuts for the middle class, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, South Court Auditorium, Aug. 3, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)

Unless the the House of Representatives takes action before January 1, a typical middle-class family of four will see their taxes go up by $2,200 in the coming year.

President Obama is fighting to prevent that from happening, and today, he again pushed lawmakers to get this done.

"What we should do right now is give middle-class families and small business owners a guarantee that their taxes will not go up next year," he said. "When families have the security of knowing that their taxes won’t go up they’re more likely to spend, and more likely to grow the economy. When small business owners have certainty on taxes and can plan ahead they’re more likely to hire and create new jobs. And that benefits all of us."

While there is more work that remains to be done, today’s employment report provides further evidence that the U.S. economy is continuing to recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression.  It is critical that we continue the policies that build an economy that works for the middle class as we dig our way out of the deep hole that was caused by the severe recession that began in December 2007.  To build on the progress of the last few years, President Obama has proposed an extension of middle class tax cuts that would prevent the typical middle class family from facing a $2,200 tax increase next year.  In addition, to create more jobs in particularly hard-hit sectors, President Obama continues to support the elements of the American Jobs Act that have not yet passed, including further investment in infrastructure to rebuild our Nation’s ports, roads and highways, and assistance to State and local governments to prevent layoffs and rehire hundreds of thousands of teachers and first responders. 

Today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that private sector establishments added 172,000 jobs last month, and overall non-farm payroll employment rose by 163,000. The economy has now added private sector jobs for 29 straight months, for a total of 4.5 million jobs during that period. 

The household survey showed that the unemployment rate ticked up to 8.3% in July (or, more precisely, the rate rose from 8.217% in June to 8.254% in July).  Acting BLS Commissioner John Galvin noted in his statement that the unemployment rate was “essentially unchanged” from June to July.  

Today, in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, the Senate Finance Committee passed a one-year extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for the domestic wind industry. For months, the President has been calling on Congress to extend the PTC – which is currently slated to expire at the end of 2012 – in order to save tens of thousands of jobs in the American wind industry, manufacturing industry, as well as the associated supply chain. We applaud the bipartisan leadership showcased today in the Finance Committee and urge the rest of Congress to follow the Committee’s lead as expeditiously as possible.

Renewing the PTC has been a top priority for the President because he views the American wind industry as an American success story. Over the past few years – thanks in part to the PTC – this industry has flourished. Today, we have enough wind capacity to power 10 million homes across the country. In 2011, which was a banner year for the industry, nearly one-third of all new power capacity in the United States came from wind.

Notably, as part of the package passed today in the Senate Finance Committee, an important provision was included that allows wind developers to use the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) instead of the Production Tax Credit, which is critical for offshore wind projects in particular.

In a parallel trend, the domestic content of wind turbines has increased dramatically in recent years. It used to be that we had to import most of the 8,000 component parts that go into a modern wind turbine. But today, with nearly 500 wind-related manufacturing facilities in 43 states, we’re producing more and more of those parts in America, which means job opportunities for tens of thousands of American workers in every corner of the country. 

Today, the beam signed by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama during their visit to the World Trade Center site on June 14th was installed in One World Trade Center – it’s among the final beams added to the 104-story building.

During their visit earlier this summer, the President toured the rising skyscraper, greeted construction workers and signed the steel beam. In red marker, the President wrote: "We remember. We rebuild. We come back stronger!"

President Barack Obama signs one of the final steel beams that will be installed as part of the framework of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s One World Trade Center site in New York, N.Y., June 14, 2012. First Lady Michelle Obama, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also signed the beam. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

The beam signed by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama is installed at One World Trade Center in New York, N.Y., August 2, 2012. (The Port Authority of NY & NJ)

Note: This live session of Office Hours has concluded. View the full question and answer session below or at Storify.com

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 47 million women will have access to eight additional preventive health care services at no out-of-pocket cost. Women in private plans and Medicare already have received potentially life-saving services, such as mammograms, cholesterol screenings, and flu shots at no extra cost.

Have questions about these new preventive care benefits or the Affordable Care Act? Ask us during Office Hours.

Tomorrow, Thursday, August 2nd at 5:00 p.m. EDT, we're holding a special session of White House Office Hours on Twitter with White House Health Care Policy Advisors, Carole Johnson & Ellen Montz and Assistant Press Secretary Nick Papas who will answer your questions.

Here's how it works:

• Ask your questions now and during the live event on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat
• Follow the Q&A live through the @WHLive Twitter account
• If you miss the live session, the full session will be posted on WhiteHouse.gov and Storify.com/Whitehouse

The law now requires new, non-grandfathered private health plans to offer eight additional screenings and tests for adolescent and adult women at no extra charge. These include:

• Well-woman visits.
• Gestational diabetes screenings that help protect women from one of the most serious pregnancy-related diseases.
• Domestic and interpersonal violence screening and counseling.
• FDA-approved contraceptive products.
• Breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling.
• HPV DNA testing, for women 30 or older.
• Sexually transmitted infections counseling.
• HIV screening and counseling.

To learn more about these new preventive benefits, check out this blog post from Senior Advisor to the President, Valerie Jarrett and for a comprehensive overview of the Affordable Care Act, visit WhiteHouse.gov/HealthReform and HealthCare.gov.

Then, don’t forget to join us for Office Hours tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. EDT with Carole Johnson, Ellen Montz and Nick Papas.

Be sure to follow @WhiteHouse for the latest updates and more opportunities to engage.

This summer, Americans across the country are receiving a new set of benefits from the Affordable Care Act. 

Learn more

• Check out the state by state map of stories from Americans benefiting from the Affordable Care Act
• Hear from more people speaking out about the Affordable Care Act

Ed. Note: This article was originally published on the U.S. Department of Transportation Blog

It was my distinct pleasure to welcome the 2012 Transportation Champions of Change recognized yesterday by the White House. The 14 individuals selected for this honor comprise an amazing roster of transportation excellence and leadership.

We've accomplished a lot at DOT in the past few years, but we did not do it alone. In communities across the country, we have found bold, innovative leaders who have taken up the important cause of changing the way we think about transportation and have created jobs in the process.

These Champions are making a difference every day in their local communities and across the country. And, thanks to them, it is a new day for transportation in America.

Transportation today is not simply about building new roads or widening bridges. It's about looking at how people want to get where they need to go and how they are affected in different ways by the decisions we make.