In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, the First Lady read “The Cat in the Hat” aloud at the Library of Congress during the National Education Association’s Read Across America event. She was joined by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, and students who all sported red and white hats like the cat from the book. Dr. Seuss would have been proud.

First Lady Michelle Obama reads "Cat in the Hat" during the Read Across America event, in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., March 2, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

You can learn more about Dr. Seuss and classic children's tales by visiting the Seussville website.

Earlier today, after touring Savannah Tech, President Obama announced the initiatives for HOMESTAR, a program that offers incentives for people to make their homes more energy-efficient.

The President explained that the new program will save families several hundred of dollars on utilities, make the economy less dependent on fossil fuels, create work for small businesses and contractors, and bring back construction jobs.

Here's one of the best things about energy efficiency - it turns out that energy-efficient windows or insulation, those things are products that are almost exclusively manufactured right here in the United States of America.  It's very hard to ship windows from China. So a lot of these materials are made right here in America.

President Barack Obama stops to greet workers as he tours the Chatham Steel Company in Savannah, Ga., March 2, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Through the HOMESTAR Program, homeowners who make investments for energy-efficiency in their homes will be eligible to receive:

• Direct rebates for energy-saving investments
• 50 percent rebates for the cost of each upgrade up to $1500
• Rebates up to $3000 for those who choose to retrofit their whole homes
• Guaranteed quality installations through quality assurance providers who would conduct field audits after work is completed
• Support for financing through State and local governments

President Obama explained that these short-term investments will lead to long-term savings for homeowners and consumers.

Just like a responsible homeowner will invest in their homes in the near term to fortify their economic security in the long term, we’ve got to do the same as a country.  It will have some costs on the front end -- you buy a new boiler, or you get some insulation, or you get some new windows, that's going to have an initial cost, and the same is true from a government perspective.  And it’s going to be politically difficult to do some of this, but it’s what’s right to plan for our future. 

Ed. Note: Learn more about the Administration's Cybersecurity efforts on our Cybersecurity page.

Today in my keynote speech at the RSA Conference in San Francisco I discussed two themes that are vital to our nation’s cybersecurity efforts:  partnerships and transparency.  These two themes go hand-in-hand.  You cannot have one without the other, and they form the foundation of nearly all of the action items outlined in the President’s Cyberspace Policy Review.

Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard A. Schmidt makes a point during his keynote speech at the RSA Conference in San Francisco on March 2, 2010. March 2, 2010. (by Steve Maller Photography)

Earlier this year in a memorandum on open government to all Federal departments and agencies, President Obama said, “My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in government.”  Building on this statement, I am personally dedicated to ensuring that the Federal Government’s cybersecurity efforts are as transparent as possible.

For this reason, I was pleased to announce today that the Obama Administration has revised the classification guidance for the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (or CNCI), which began in 2008 and forms an important component of cybersecurity efforts within the federal government.  Anyone can now view or download an unclassified description of the CNCI and each of the 12 initiatives under the CNCI.

Transparency is particularly vital in areas, such as the CNCI, where there have been legitimate questions about sensitive topics like the role of the intelligence community in cybersecurity.  Transparency provides the American people with the ability to partner with government and participate meaningfully in the discussion about how we can use the extraordinary resources and expertise of the intelligence community with proper oversight for the protection of privacy and civil liberties.

In order to be successful against today’s cybersecurity threats, we must continue to seek out innovative new partnerships—not only within government, but also among industry, government, and the American public.  Transparency improves our collective knowledge and helps bind our partnerships together to form the most powerful cyber tools that we have.  We will not defeat our cyber adversaries because they are weakening, we will defeat them by becoming collectively stronger, through stronger technology, a stronger cadre of security professionals, and stronger partnerships. 

Howard A. Schmidt is Special Assistant to the President and the Cybersecurity Coordinator

Last Thursday the President hosted a unique, open conversation with leaders from both parties in Congress to hear everyone's ideas about how to finally put American families and small businesses in control of their health care.

The President brought a proposal to the table, which included many Republican ideas that have been incorporated over the past year, and asked Republicans to bring their proposals as well.

The meeting, which lasted most of the day, provided a forum for enlightening discussion and ideas which the President has been considering seriously in the days since.  Today the President wrote to Democratic and Republican Leadership to relay his reflections on the meeting along with even more Republican ideas he believes are worth exploring further as part of the final health reform package that he signs:

March 2, 2010     

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid, Senator McConnell, and Representative Boehner:

Thank you again for the time, energy, and preparation you invested in last Thursday’s bipartisan meeting on health insurance reform. I have always believed that our legislative process works best when both sides can discuss our differences and common goals openly and honestly, and I’m very pleased that our meeting at Blair House offered the American people and their elected representatives a rare opportunity to explore different health reform proposals in extraordinary depth.

The meeting was a good opportunity to move past the usual rhetoric and sound-bites that have come to characterize this debate and identify areas on which we agree and disagree. And one point on which everyone expressed agreement was that the cost of health care is a large and growing problem that, left untended, threatens families, businesses and the solvency of our government itself.

I also left convinced that the Republican and Democratic approaches to health care have more in common than most people think.

For example, we agree on the need to reform our insurance markets. We agree on the idea of allowing small businesses and individuals who lack insurance to join together to increase their purchasing power so they can enjoy greater choices and lower prices. And we agree on the dire need to wring out waste, fraud and abuse and get control of skyrocketing health care costs.

But there were also important areas of disagreement. There was a fundamental disagreement about what role the oversight of the health insurance industry should play in reform. I believe we must insist on some common-sense rules of the road to hold insurance companies accountable for the decisions they make to raise premiums and deny coverage. I don’t believe we can afford to leave life-and-death decisions about health care for America’s families to the discretion of insurance company executives alone.

No matter how we move forward, there are at least four policy priorities identified by Republican Members at the meeting that I am exploring. I said throughout this process that I’d continue to draw on the best ideas from both parties, and I’m open to these proposals in that spirit:
 

1. Although the proposal I released last week included a comprehensive set of initiatives to combat fraud, waste, and abuse, Senator Coburn had an interesting suggestion that we engage medical professionals to conduct random undercover investigations of health care providers that receive reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid, and other Federal programs.
2. My proposal also included a provision from the Senate health reform bill that authorizes funding to states for demonstrations of alternatives to resolving medical malpractice disputes, including health courts. Last Thursday, we discussed the provision in the bills cosponsored by Senators Coburn and Burr and Representatives Ryan and Nunes (S. 1099) that provides a similar program of grants to states for demonstration projects. Senator Enzi offered a similar proposal in a health insurance reform bill he sponsored in the last Congress. As we discussed, my Administration is already moving forward in funding demonstration projects through the Department of Health and Human Services, and Secretary Sebelius will be awarding $23 million for these grants in the near future. However, in order to advance our shared interest in incentivizing states to explore what works in this arena, I am open to including an appropriation of $50 million in my proposal for additional grants. Currently there is only an authorization, which does not guarantee that the grants will be funded.
3. At the meeting, Senator Grassley raised a concern, shared by many Democrats, that Medicaid reimbursements to doctors are inadequate in many states, and that if Medicaid is expanded to cover more people, we should consider increasing doctor reimbursement. I’m open to exploring ways to address this issue in a fiscally responsible manner. 
4. Senator Barrasso raised a suggestion that we expand Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). I know many Republicans believe that HSAs, when used in conjunction with high-deductible health plans, are a good vehicle to encourage more cost-consciousness in consumers’ use of health care services. I believe that high-deductible health plans could be offered in the exchange under my proposal, and I’m open to including language to ensure that is clear. This could help to encourage more people to take advantage of HSAs.

There are provisions that were added to the legislation that shouldn’t have been. That’s why my proposal does not include the Medicare Advantage provision, mentioned by Senator McCain at the meeting, which provided transitional extra benefits for Florida and other states. My proposal eliminates those payments, gradually reducing Medicare Advantage payments across the country relative to fee-for service Medicare in an equitable fashion (page 8). My proposal rewards high-quality and high-performing plans.

In addition, my proposal eliminates the Nebraska FMAP provision, replacing it with additional federal financing to all states for the expansion of Medicaid.

Admittedly, there are areas on which Republicans and Democrats don’t agree. While we all believe that reform must be built around our existing private health insurance system, I believe that we must hold the insurance industry to clear rules, so they can’t arbitrarily raise rates or reduce or eliminate coverage. That must be a part of any serious reform to make it work for the many Americans who have insurance coverage today, as well as those who don’t.

I also believe that piecemeal reform is not the best way to effectively reduce premiums, end the exclusion of people with pre-existing conditions or offer Americans the security of knowing that they will never lose coverage, even if they lose or change jobs.

My ideas have been informed by discussions with Republicans and Democrats, doctors and nurses, health care experts, and everyday Americans – not just last Thursday, but over the course of a yearlong dialogue. Both parties agree that the health care status quo is unsustainable. And both should agree that it’s just not an option to walk away from the millions of American families and business owners counting on reform.

After decades of trying, we’re closer than we’ve ever been to making health insurance reform a reality. I look forward to working with you to complete what would be a truly historic achievement.

Sincerely,

This morning Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appeared on NBC's "Today" show and MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" to discuss the President’s Race to the Top education program and to remind high schools across the country to participate in the President’s Commencement Challenge.

I don’t know about you but I can’t remember who my high school commencement speaker was, and this is gonna be just an absolutely memorable day for whichever high school wins. This is a Race to the Top Commencement Challenge. The President’s asking every high school to put their best foot forward and demonstrate what they’re doing to make sure every student graduates from high school, college and career ready. He’s committed to doing this every single year.

The applications are due March 15th, in less than two weeks and so we expect many, many high schools around the country to submit. Whether it’s their essays in applications or video presentation and we look forward to a very,very vigorous competition, the public’s gonna help us decide. We want every high school to demonstrate what they’re doing to give every child a chance to be successful and fulfill their tremendous academic potential.

Secretary Duncan also commended the President’s 900 million dollar grants directed towards improving low performing schools across the country and his bipartisan commitment to improving public education and decreasing the high school dropout rate.

We have a drop out crisis. It is economically unsustainable and morally unacceptable, and the President yesterday I thought showed real courage. Alma Powell, Colin Powell, this is an absolute bipartisan effort. All of us have to work together to give every child in this country a chance to be academically successful.

Secretary Duncan will be participating in a live chat with Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes on making college more affordable today at 5:30 pm EST. Watch live and ask him your questions about student loans, Pell Grants, and improving the federal loan application process.

As part of our "Education in Focus" program this week, we're happy to host Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes for a live video chat on making college more affordable.  In particular, they’ll be discussing the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act and Obama Administration's efforts to reform student lending.

• Watch the discussion at WhiteHouse.gov/live
• Watch and join the chat through Facebook

I’m happy to announce that today we launch the White House Urban Affairs website. This effort is an important addition to our ongoing conversation on the Future of America’s Cities and Metropolitan Areas. We have already met with many urban stakeholders, elected officials, and academics; and we’ve been around the country visiting places that are on the cutting edge of urban innovation. But today we are establishing a more direct relationship with you - the American people. You are the ones that are innovating every single day – you are the innovators. You tackle government bureaucracy with creativity and leadership; you overcome a slow economy with public-private partnerships; and you turn distressed neighborhoods around with determination, hope and, above all, hard work.

The President knows that government doesn’t have all the answers. He knows that the best solutions come from you in places like Auburn Gresham in Chicago, South Lake Union in Seattle, and the small city of Flagstaff, Arizona - just to name a few. We know there are many more out there and we want you to share them with us.

This website is guided by the principles articulated in the President’s Executive Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government:

• Transparency promotes accountability;
• Participation strengthens decisions; and,
• Collaboration enables other to help.

Here’s how the website works: on our Initiatives page, you get a glimpse of the work we are doing to align Federal urban policy, like our Urban Tour and our Inter-Agency working group on urban policy. At our Innovation and Ideas page, you’ll have a chance to submit your ideas and best practices. And of course, you can find my staff and I blogging on the work that we’re doing, and you can learn more about our office in the About Us section.

In the coming weeks and months we will continue to update and improve our site so that we are able to have a productive and efficient conversation on the Future of America’s Cities and Metros.

Adolfo Carrión, Jr is the Director of the Office of Urban Affairs and Deputy Assistant to the President

On Wednesday, February 17th, on the one-year anniversary of the Recovery Act, I had the pleasure to help celebrate and support recovery from addiction at the opening of a transitional residential program for women in Knoxville, Tennessee. The program, which received money from a grant made possible by the Recovery Act, will help approximately 45 women each year coming from incarceration to rebuild their lives.

The program, The Next Door, is modeled after The Next Door in Nashville, which has assisted over 600 women transition back to their communities since it opened in May 2004.

Having visited The Next Door in Nashville on the first official trip I made outside of the beltway in May 2009 and learned about the program’s success rate in reducing recidivism, it was especially welcome to see how federal funds were helping to replicate the model in another community.

I also enjoyed reconnecting with some of the remarkable women I met in May. For example, Ramie Siler, Case Manager/Alcohol & Drug Specialist at The Next Door Nashville, told me that her daughter, the inspiration for her own personal recovery, would soon graduate from college. The experiences of new friends proved to be as stirring. One story told by The Next Door Knoxville’s house monitor related the challenges she went through to reopen a bank account and the communication skills and new-found confidence The Next Door program nurtured that helped her triumph. It was also heartening to see the generous support from the city and county of Knoxville for the program - from law enforcement and the drug court to the warm and talented volunteers who created such a beautiful temporary home for residents.

Services provided by The Next Door include housing, recovery support services, and workforce development. The structured curriculum provides job preparation, readiness, communication skills, and conflict management to support retention and career planning. In 2009, 107 out of 143 clients of The Next Door in Nashville received employment.

Reentry programs like The Next Door break the cycle of drug use, crime, and incarceration, reunite families, and make recovery possible for Americans, key focuses of the soon-to-be released Obama Administration's National Drug Control Strategy.

Gil Kerlikowske is Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy