Last week, we organized a Google+ Hangout with Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan to talk about President Obama's plan to help responsible homeowners refinance their mortgages. Today, we sent the message below to the White House email list to keep the conversation going. If you didn't get the email, be sure to sign up.

If we're going to get traction for President Obama's proposal to help responsible homeowners refinance their mortgages, we need to make sure as many people get the facts as possible.

That's why we recently organized a discussion between Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan and a group of homeowners from across the country to talk about the President's plan.

And now, we want to keep the conversation going.

So take a moment to watch these homeowners describe their situations to Secretary Donovan, then share your own story.

In the past month, we've received tens of thousands of messages from Americans who support President Obama's proposal. We have shared them with advisors to the President, published them on WhiteHouse.gov, and posted them to Twitter and Facebook.

Again and again, the facts of their stories are the same. We're hearing from people who've done everything right, who have made their payments on time each month, and who are locked out of lower payments through no fault of their own.

They want a refinancing process that's simpler. And if we can get a vote in Congress, that's exactly what President Obama's proposal will give them.

But we are running out of time.

So add your voice to the discussion now, and help us bring this issue to the top of the agenda. We'll feature stories on WhiteHouse.gov, and make sure they're part of the conversation here in Washington:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/why-refi

Thanks.

P.S. -- Watch the full Google+ Hangout with Secretary Donovan here.

First Lady Michelle Obama paid tribute to designers from the fields of fashion, architecture, technology, and landscapes on Friday during a luncheon in the East Room of the White House.

The event was part of the Smithsonian's annual Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards, and the winners, which included a diverse range of creative visionaries from the founder of the TED Conference to fashion designer Thom Browne to a company that partners with social entrepreneurs to address needs in developing countries, also participated in an education program for local high school students.

In her remarks, the First Lady praised the winners for "pushing boundaries, creating and revealing beauty where we least expect it, and helping us all lead healthier, more sustainable lives:"

And that is the defining characteristic of today’s honorees. All of them have done something really good for our country and our world. From the clothes we wear to the technologies we use to the public spaces we enjoy, their work affects just about every aspect of our lives. And on days like today, when we gather to celebrate these extraordinary individuals, it’s easy to go on and on about everything they’ve achieved and the impact that they’ve had. It is a very easy thing to do with this group.

But it’s also important to remember that today’s awards ceremony is only part of the story. We know that for these men and women, the journey to this day began long before they ever walked through the doors of the White House. It started in studios and classrooms and dorm rooms, where they spent long hours and late nights hunched over a sketchpad or squinting at a computer screen, drafting and redrafting and re-redrafting. (Laughter.)

And this is a point I especially want to emphasize for all of the young people who have joined us today. What you guys have to understand is that these honorees weren’t born brilliant designers. They became brilliant designers because they worked hard. They’re here today because they had a dream, and they put in long, hard, exhausting work -- all of that that it takes to follow that dream.

President Obama calls on Congress to act now to extend tax cuts for the 98 percent of Americans making less than $250,000 for another year. 

Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3

Ed. Note: This has been crossposted from the blog for the Department of Commerce.

Tourism is America’s number one service export, and today we have even more evidence that America is indeed open for business. New data released by the U.S. Commerce Department today shows that international visitors spent nearly $14 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States in May—$1 billion more than was spent in May 2011—marking 29 straight months of growth.
 
This data also means that the U.S. is on pace for a record-setting year, with international visitors having spent over $68 billion so far – up 12 percent compared to last year.
 
The facts are clear: tourism is a high-growth bright spot in our economy. We must continue to build on this momentum by making sure that America is travel-friendly to international visitors, thereby helping our businesses create even more jobs.
 
Fortunately, there are many dedicated people working to increase travel and tourism. This morning, I had the chance to talk with a few of them at a meeting of the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board in Dearborn, Mich., where I joined federal agency partners, as well as U.S. Representative John Dingell (D-MI), to discuss the Obama administration’s ongoing efforts to increase travel and tourism to the United States. During the board meeting, we discussed implementation of the recently released National Travel and Tourism Strategy (PDF), a blueprint for the federal government to welcome 100 million international visitors each year by the end of 2021. These visitors would spend an estimated $250 billion per year, supporting even more jobs and spurring economic growth in communities across the country.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan (middle) moderates a panel of Champions of Change who have made a difference in the way their communities combat youth homelessness, July 12, 2012. (Photo by the White House Office of Public Engagement)

Yesterday, I participated in a Champions of Change event here at the White House highlighting the inspiring work of 13 leaders in the effort to end child and youth homelessness. This program, hosted by the White House in partnership with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), featured Champions from across the country who were nominated through a public nomination process by colleagues, friends, and community members. Barbara Poppe, the Executive Director of USICH, introduced the Champions and noted that they “exemplify the spirit of collaboration [and] commitment to diversity, and have demonstrated that innovative strategies, coupled with unwavering commitment, can produce measurable results when serving children and youth experiencing homelessness in their communities.”

Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan spoke about his experience volunteering at a homeless shelter in college and described the tremendous progress that has been made since then in the fight against youth homelessness. He also spoke about Opening Doors, the nation’s first ever comprehensive Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. 19 federal agencies are cooperating to achieve the goal of ending homelessness, but Secretary Donovan emphasized that the progress we are seeing would not have happened without the work being done in communities across the country by these Champions of Change and others like them.

This week the President signed the MAP-21 Act to extend funding for transportation infrastructure projects and stopped student loan interest rates from doubling. He also urged Congress to cut taxes for the middle class while the White House announced the 2012 Save Award initiative and played host to a Google+ Hangout.

Watch the West Wing Week here.

Secretary Solis suits up to help local Job Corps students make smoothies during the Jamba Juice opening in Dupont Circle. (Photo from Department of Labor)

Ed. note: This is cross-posted from Work in Progress, the official blog of the Department of Labor.

Earlier this week I had the chance to attend the opening of a new smoothie shop in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC and meet a number of young people hired by Jamba Juice as part of our Summer Jobs+ initiative.

Seeing the shift manager Korie and the rest of her crew working hard and smiling each step of the way it’s hard not to think about my first job and what it meant to me and my family.

In my teens, I worked as a recreational aide in my community supervising and mentoring youth in various educational programs.  I also spent a summer working in a library—stacking and cataloging books and helping my classmates choose books to read.

I met role models during those jobs that helped me become the first member of my family to go to college and put me on a lifelong career path. I began working with children.  Then I helped high school graduates apply to college and get financial aid. From there, I was elected to the Rio Hondo Community College Board in Whittier, then the California Assembly and eventually the U.S. Congress.

I wouldn’t be the nation’s first Latina Secretary of Labor—if it wasn’t for the summer work experiences I had growing up. That’s what summer jobs can do for young people—especially in underserved communities.

Exposing young people to the workplace through Summer Jobs+ is so important. There’s no substitute for the real world experience of showing up for work and there’s no replacement for the dignity that comes with earning your first paycheck. The President and I believe that employing our youth is critical to a sustained and continued economic recovery, and that’s why we’re both so excited that since we announced the Summer Jobs+ initiative in January, more than 150 businesses, non-profit organizations and local leaders have stepped up.

On Tuesday, the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden visited the Las Vegas branch of the non-profit United States Veterans Initiative (U.S. Vets). With a mission to help homeless and at-risk veterans find jobs, U.S. Vets provides comprehensive support that includes housing, counseling, and career development programs. The Las Vegas group alone works with more than 160 veterans every day.   

At the organization’s career center, the Vice President and Dr. Biden joined a life skills workshop, where they met with veterans who are either currently working or searching for work.

The health care law President Obama signed in 2010 is already making a positive difference in the lives of millions of Americans. 6.6 million young adults have health insurance on their parent’s plan. 5.3 million people with Medicare saved $3.7 billion on their prescription drugs. And 54 million Americans have had their private insurance plan expand to cover preventive services without co-payments or deductibles.

But rather than move on and act on the President’s plans to cut taxes and strengthen the economy, today House Republicans voted to repeal the health care law. And this is far from the first time Congressional Republicans have chosen to re-fight old political battles:

• Today’s vote in the House marks the 33^rd time House Republicans have voted to roll back the health care law.
• Since being sworn in, the House has voted in 15 of 19 months to “repeal, defund, or dismantle” the Affordable Care Act.
• The House has voted to “repeal, defund, or dismantle” the Affordable Care Act nearly 2 times a month on average.

The last thing Congress should do is start over on health care by raising taxes on the middle class and repealing the entire law. Instead, Congress should enact the President’s proposal which extends the current tax rates for every single American family on their first $250,000 of income, ensuring that middle class families don’t see a tax hike at the end of the year.