This afternoon, President Obama visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to discuss the Administration’s goal to seek new frontiers for human space flight. The President declared that he is “100 percent committed to the mission of NASA and its future,” and laid out steps and investments that the Administration is making towards space exploration.

He announced a $6 billion increase in NASA’s budget over the next five years, focusing on making cuts elsewhere as the government instituted a freeze on discretionary spending. The President said that this investment will increase exploration of the solar system and also Earth-based observations that will increase our understanding of the world and its climate in order to protect the environment for future generations.

The President explained that the Administration will extend the life of the International Space Station by more than five years in order to conduct research that will help improve our daily lives while working with the private sector to make reaching space more affordable. He also announced a $3 billion investment into developing an advanced “heavy lift rocket,” aiming to finalize the design for the rocket by 2015. The President said that "nobody is more committed to manned space flight, to human exploration of space than I am," but explained that "we've got to do it in a smart way." He said that the Administration is “setting a course with specific and achievable milestones.”

Early in the next decade, a set of crewed flights will test and prove the systems required for exploration beyond low Earth orbit.  And by 2025, we expect new spacecraft designed for long journeys to allow us to begin the first-ever crewed missions beyond the Moon into deep space.  So we’ll start -- we’ll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history.  By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth.  And a landing on Mars will follow.  And I expect to be around to see it.
 
 But I want to repeat -- I want to repeat this:  Critical to deep space exploration will be the development of breakthrough propulsion systems and other advanced technologies.  So I’m challenging NASA to break through these barriers.  And we’ll give you the resources to break through these barriers.  And I know you will, with ingenuity and intensity, because that’s what you’ve always done. 

President Barack Obama tours SpaceX launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 15, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

The President spoke about his focus on creating jobs, and proposed a $40 million initiative led by the White House and federal agencies to develop a plan for regional and economic growth. He explained that his plan will add more than 2,500 jobs along the Space Coast in the next two years, with the potential of thousands more as companies compete to be a part of the new space transportation industry.

So this is the next chapter that we can write together here at NASA.  We will partner with industry.  We will invest in cutting-edge research and technology.  We will set far-reaching milestones and provide the resources to reach those milestones.  And step by step, we will push the boundaries not only of where we can go but what we can do. 

Fifty years after the creation of NASA, our goal is no longer just a destination to reach.  Our goal is the capacity for people to work and learn and operate and live safely beyond the Earth for extended periods of time, ultimately in ways that are more sustainable and even indefinite.  And in fulfilling this task, we will not only extend humanity’s reach in space -- we will strengthen America’s leadership here on Earth.

Over the past year and throughout my career, I've visited communities hit by natural disasters across the country and spoken with a number of Americans dealing with the aftermath of terrorist attacks.

What always strikes me about the days and months that follow these tragedies is the resilience that emerges in the communities that are affected. The recovery in New York after 9/11, in New Orleans after Katrina, and in Greensburg, Kansas after the devastating tornado in 2007 all demonstrate the extraordinary ability of citizens to come together after disasters to rebuild stronger than before.

This resilience displayed by individual American citizens persists long after the cameras are gone, and it's every bit as important to our security as the government's immediate response.

Tonight, I'll be speaking at the Kennedy School of Government about the Department of Homeland Security's approach to confronting the new and evolving threats we face – from terrorism and violent extremism to cyber attacks and natural disasters.

The public deserves a candid assessment of the threats America faces. And that includes talking about the shared responsibility for securing our nation.

The federal government cannot prepare for, respond to, and recover from major crises on its own. Our ability to effectively prevent, disrupt and respond to terrorist attacks, violent extremism, and other major disasters relies upon Americans working together – preparing emergency plans, notifying law enforcement when we see something suspicious, and helping our fellow citizens rebuild when disasters do strike.

As President Obama has said, and the experiences of New York, New Orleans, and Greensburg have shown, in confronting threats, the American people are the source of our greatest strength.

I hope you'll watch the address at the Kennedy School Forum tonight, and learn more about how we can all take steps to be more informed, ready, and resilient.  Watch live at 6:00 p.m. EDT at The Forum LIVE at Harvard.edu.

Janet Napolitano is Secretary of Homeland Security

This afternoon, President Obama will head to Cape Caneveral, Florida to deliver remarks about the Administration’s bold new course for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in human spaceflight at the Kennedy Space Center. Space leaders and academic experts will be among those in attendance of the conference, and will participate in four breakout sessions. The sessions will focus on increasing access to and utilization of the International Space Station, new technologies, expanding our reach into the solar system, and harnessing space to expand economic opportunity.

The President's speech will be streamed here at WhiteHouse.gov/live. All four sessions and the opening and closing sessions will also be streamed on NASA’s website.

As one might expect, NASA generally has some of the best new media around. Check out some of their interactive features, and the Image of the Day on Nasa.gov.

During the STS-131 mission's first spacewalk, astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Clayton Anderson (out of frame) moved a new 1,700-pound ammonia tank from space shuttle Discovery's cargo bay to a temporary parking place on the station, retrieved an experiment from the Japanese Kibo Laboratory exposed facility and replaced a Rate Gyro Assembly on one of the truss segments.(Image Credit: NASA)

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Today, the President released his 2009 federal income and gift tax returns. He and the First Lady filed their income tax return jointly and reported an adjusted gross income of $ 5,505,409. The vast majority of the family’s 2009 income is the proceeds from the sale of the President’s books. The Obamas paid $1,792,414 in federal income tax. The President and First Lady also reported donating $329,100 to 40 different charities. The largest reported gifts to charity were $50,000 contributions to CARE and the United Negro College Fund. In addition, the President donated his $1.4 million Nobel Prize funds to 10 charities. The President and First Lady also released their Illinois income tax return and reported paying $163,303 in state income taxes.

• The President and First Lady’s federal and state tax returns (PDF)

The Internal Revenue Code provides that if the recipient of the Nobel Prize directs the Nobel Committee to donate the prize income directly to charity, as the President did, the recipient does not have to recognize the prize as income on his federal income tax return. The President is not permitted to take a charitable deduction on the value of the prize since it is not included in his income.

• Portion of the President and First Lady’s returns related to the Nobel Prize (PDF)

The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden also released their 2009 federal income tax returns, as well as state income tax returns for both Delaware and Virginia. They filed joint federal and Delaware income tax returns. Dr. Biden filed a separate non-resident tax return for the state of Virginia. Together, they reported an adjusted gross income of $333,182. The Bidens paid $71,147 in federal income taxes for 2009. They paid $12,420 in Delaware income taxes and $1,477 in Virginia income taxes. The Bidens contributed $4,820 to charity, in both monetary and in-kind donations. 

• The Vice President and Dr. Biden’s federal and state tax returns (PDF)

Norm Eisen is Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform

Today is Tax Day, and while a lot of Americans have already finished their returns and submitted them, many folks will take time out today to fill theirs out and make the trip to the Post Office or hit send before midnight. Two days ago we posted a look at the tax relief for the middle class that President Obama has signed into law through two of his top domestic priorities: health reform and the Recovery Act.  Providing significant relief to help working families has been a central focus of the President’s agenda since the day he took office – and today, many more Americans will take advantage of those benefits as they complete their returns. Here’s another look at the benefits that millions of Americans can claim as a result of President Obama’s agenda:

Health Reform: The health reform legislation signed into law by President Obama includes the largest health care tax cut in history for middle class families, helping to make insurance much more affordable for millions of families. Here’s a more extensive list of how the benefits available to middle class families for quality and affordable health insurance:

• The largest health care tax cut in history for middle class families.
• Americans buying the same coverage they have today in the individual market will see premiums fall by 14 to 20 percent compared to what they would pay without health insurance reform and by as much as 3% for those who get coverage through their employers.
• The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit can cover up to 35 percent of the premiums a small business pays to cover its workers. In 2014, the rate will increase to 50 percent
• Reduces out-of-pocket expenses so insurance doesn’t still leave families holding the bag
• Bans lifetime limits on coverage

The Recovery Act: As the President noted in his last Weekly Address, you can get a good handle on how the Recovery Act might help you out on your taxes through our Tax Savings Tool. Here’s a glance at the benefits to working families and small businesses:

• Over $160 Billion - Tax relief provided through the Recovery Act so far to families and businesses. 
• Nearly $3,000 - The record average tax refund taxpayers are seeing this tax season, something the IRS says is largely due to the Recovery Act.
• Nearly 10% - The percentage average tax refunds are up this year - something the IRS says is largely due to Recovery Act tax credits.
• 95% - The percentage of working families benefiting from the Recovery Act's Making Work Pay tax credit, making it the broadest tax credit in the history of the country. 
• $800 - The amount most married couples are collecting through their paychecks this year thanks to the Recovery Act's Making Work Pay tax credit. Individuals collected $400 this year thanks to Making Work Pay.
• Up to $2,500 - The expanded amount eligible taxpayers can collect with the American Opportunity Credit to help cover college expanses thanks to the Recovery Act.
• Up to $8,000 - The amount new homebuyers can collect this year for purchasing their first home thanks to the Recovery Act's expansion of the First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit. 
• Up to $1,500 - The amount homeowners can collect this year on improvements made to their homes like energy-efficient windows, doors and insulation thanks to Recovery Act tax credits.
• 65% - The amount by which the Recovery Act cut the cost of COBRA health insurance premiums for unemployed workers last year through an up-front tax credit.

Dan Pfeiffer is White House Communications Director

Yesterday, I was honored to join the First Lady on an incredibly moving trip to Haiti.

Like many of you – I have watched news reports and have read numerous accounts of the crisis in Haiti since the earthquake in January. Witnessing the impact of the devastation on the people of Haiti as well as the relief efforts of Haitians, Americans, and dozens of other countries and organizations was powerful for both me and Michelle.

There is clearly much work to be done in Haiti, but after seeing the situation first-hand, I left with a sense of tremendous hope. The will of the Haitian people and the strong commitment of partners from around the world will help Haiti build back better.

As a teacher, I was particularly gratified to visit an organization called Children's Place, which is supported by Mrs. Preval. The First Lady and I met teachers and students who are using empty school buses as classrooms in an innovative effort to ensure that their education continues, even amidst terrible destruction. We also visited College St. Pierre, a secondary school where many students were killed when the building was destroyed three months ago. There we saw Haitians and dozens of volunteers working to rebuild a school that will once again educate Haiti's future leaders.

It was an incredible honor to meet the many individuals who have been at the core of the relief and recovery work, and to relay President Obama’s message that Haiti will have a steady and reliable partner in the United States of America throughout these efforts.

I hope this visit helps to remind everyone that we can all still play a role in helping Haiti restore its future – please visit the Haiti Earthquake Relief page on WhiteHouse.gov for ways that you can help from wherever you are.

Thanks for reading, and for taking action.

As part of the unprecedented accountability and transparency provisions included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) was charged with providing to Congress quarterly reports on the effects of the Recovery Act on overall economic activity, and on employment in particular. Today we released our third report (pdf), with an assessment of the effects of the Act through the first quarter of 2010.

The main macroeconomic findings include:

• The magnitude of the fiscal stimulus increased substantially in the first quarter of 2010 (from $83 billion in 2009:Q4 to $112 billion in 2010:Q1) largely because of a surge in tax refunds and lower final tax liabilities due to the Making Work Pay tax credit.
• Government investment outlays in areas such as infrastructure and clean energy, which increased $16 billion in 2010:Q1, are expected to rise further throughout 2010.
• The CEA estimates that as of the first quarter of 2010, the ARRA has raised employment relative to what it otherwise would have been by between 2.2 and 2.8 million. These estimates are broadly similar to those of other analysts. Our estimates incorporate the most recent information about actual Recovery Act spending and tax reductions, as well as current trends in employment and production.

A special section of the report focuses specifically on the impact of the tax relief and income support provisions of the Recovery Act:

• To date, there has been more than $200 billion of tax relief and income support provided to households by the ARRA. These funds have had a disproportionately large impact on the incomes of middle- and lower-income families. 
• CEA estimates that without these provisions, household real disposable income would have fallen substantially in 2009. Figure 6 from the report (reproduced below) shows actual after-tax family income alongside income without the tax relief and income support provisions of the Recovery Act. Without the tax cuts and income support provisions of the ARRA, consumer spending would not have rebounded as it did and, indeed, would likely have continued to fall.
• As of 2010:Q1, the tax relief and income support provisions of the Recovery Act have saved or created between 1.1 and 1.4 million jobs, or roughly one-half of the total number of jobs saved or created by the Act.

Identifying the impact of policy actions is inherently difficult, and the estimates must be understood to be subject to large margins of error. For this reason the CEA has approached its task from a wide range of perspectives, all of which point to a key role for the ARRA in helping the economy recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression. The CEA will continue to monitor the effects of this important policy initiative over the coming months and years.

The data in this chart is available to download as a csv file.

Christina Romer is the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers

On her first official solo international visit, the First Lady is traveling to Mexico with a special focus on engaging with the country's young people. First Lady Michelle Obama will speak to university and high school students from in and around Mexico at Universidad Iberoamericana, a Mexico City University. This event will be streamed live in English and Spanish in this blog post.

Youth Forum with First Lady Michelle Obama
Mexico City, Mexico
3:00 PM EDT

En español

Having trouble viewing the live stream in our blog post? Follow these links to watch it on ustream:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/flsen - In English
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/flssp - En Español
 

Today First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden toured Port-au-Prince to reinforce the United State’s commitment to help Haiti recover and rebuild and to send a message of thanks to all of the men and women that have contributed to the global relief effort.

View a slideshow from the trip, thanks to the White House Photo Office.

View the full size gallery here.