The White House recently announced details on the 2010 Easter Egg Roll – an event that will bring 30,000 people from all 50 states and DC to the White House. But you don’t have to be on the South Lawn to enjoy Monday’s festivities – we’ll be livestreaming all day on WhiteHouse.gov.

This week, the Vice President took his commitment to ending violence against women to Peoria, Illinois where he spoke at the Center for the Prevention of Abuse’s Partners in Peace awards.

The 1100 member audience was mesmerized by the Vice President’s story about his early efforts to pass the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The first VAWA hearing was held on June 20, 1990, and over the next four years then-Senator Biden held moving hearings on domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.

“I found out that the problem was much deeper than I imagined,” Vice President Biden said, describing three obstacles that had to be overcome: the notion that domestic violence is a family matter; a culture that blames the victim; and the belief that if the woman didn’t report it, it must not have happened.

The Violence Against Women Act changed all that - sending resources to communities to improve the criminal justice response to abuse, creating tougher penalties for federal crimes, and bringing communities together to combat abuse. Since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, domestic violence has dropped by 58%.

Despite the progress being made in reducing domestic violence across the country, the Vice President noted that there are still 2 million injuries and 1400 deaths to women each year. During the Vice President’s remarks on Wednesday, he said that the White House is stepping up its efforts in this arena, announcing an unprecedented $730 million in the President’s proposed FY2011 budget to shore up services, help victims find housing and legal assistance, and make sure every call for help is answered.

The Vice President pledged to continue his commitment to change attitudes and to “free women from the oppressive cultural norm that causes them in any way to feel they are responsible for or contributed to their own abuse.”

As one audience member said after the speech, the Vice President was “such a fitting representative for this issue."

Lynn Rosenthal is the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women

On a gorgeous Spring day on the South Lawn of the White House, 45 students from Bancroft Elementary and Hollin Meadows Academy joined the First Lady for the annual Spring planting of the White House Kitchen Garden.

Students from Bancroft have been helping the First Lady in her garden since the ground-breaking last year, and this new class of fifth graders proved to be just as talented in the garden as their former schoolmates. The kids from Hollin Meadows had impressed the First Lady with their amazing school garden when she had visited their school last year, so she invited them to come and lend their expertise.

First Lady Michelle Obama participates in the Spring Garden Planting Event on the South Lawn of the White House. March 31, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Fellow gardeners included Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and his wife Christy, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, National Gardening Association President Michael Metallo, Susan Sher, the First Lady’s chief of staff, Melody Barnes and Heather Higginbottom from the Domestic Policy Council, and White House Chefs Cris Comerford and Bill Yosses.

After cheers for broccoli, carrots, spinach, lettuce and peas, the First Lady made the call to plant! With an extra 400 sq ft of new land, we had a little more work to do than last year, but we also have an incredible array of vegetables including: broccoli, rhubarb, carrots, spinach, cauliflower, lettuce, peas, collard greens, chard and kale, cabbage, radishes, herbs and more.

The White House Kitchen Garden is a four-season garden and last year we harvested over 1,000 lbs of food. More important than the harvest though is the national conversation that has been started about the need for all of us to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and ensuring that everyone has access to fresh produce in their neighborhoods – key components of the the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative which is an effort to tackle the problem of childhood obesity in this country.

With Let’s Move! the First Lady is calling on everyone to come together to provide parents the information they need to make healthy choices for their families, to create healthier school environments, particularly school meals, to make sure that kids get 60 minutes of active play a day, and to make sure that everyone has access to fruits and vegetables in their communities. The garden is a beautiful and tangible piece of this national conversation.

Like the seeds and sprouts we just planted, Let’s Move! will continue to grow over the coming months. We will be sure to keep you up to date on how the First Lady’s garden, and Let’s Move! are growing. And in the mean time, Let’s Move!

Sam Kass is the White House Assistant Chef and the Food Initiative Coordinator

The Urban Team just returned from Brazil where we attended the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum V.  This year's theme was The Right to the City: Bridging the Urban Divide. With over half of the world's population living in cities, this global conversation on urban development commanded attention.

The U.S. Delegation, led by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, included a wide breadth of senior Administration leadership.  The White House Office of Urban Affairs' participation was particularly well received as a symbol of President Obama's commitment to addressing the challenges and opportunities of an urbanized reality.
 
The event, which attracted over 9,000 people and leaders from over 160 countries, allowed for a collective examination of the question, “How do we use this ‘urban-growth moment' to plan for future generations and improve the quality of urban living today?” Each participant's answer was informed by his or her particular world urban view.  Several consistent themes emerged, including: the need for comprehensive planning and standards for sustainable development, mobility as a tool of social and economic opportunity, the need for governments to consciously develop policies that promote inclusion, collaboration across levels of government, private and non-profit sectors, and civic society; and the need for industry and land use to adapt to economic, environmental and demographic shifts.

Throughout the conference, participants explored ways to apply climate change innovations and energy efficiency tools to the increased demand for housing and demands on infrastructure resulting from urbanization.  During a webcast at the U.S. exhibition booth, Director Adolfo Carrion explained, “We are working to ensure that investments in infrastructure and land use are responsible and supportive of our future generations.”

HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims highlighted the Sustainable Communities Partnership among HUD, DOT, and EPA as a cross-cutting national approach to investing in sustainability during a dialogue on the Energy and Climate Change Partnership for the Americas. Indeed, in a bilateral meeting, the Secretary of Urban Development for Mexico expressed interest in our Sustainable Communities Partnership principles because her office is implementing similar guidelines for "Integrated Sustainable Urban Development."

The Forum also addressed the ways in which former industrial cities are grappling with economic transition, land use, and the challenges of attracting new industries. Rio de Janeiro, itself  a former textile and manufacturing town, is developing strategic plans for use of vacant factory space while struggling to resolve housing challenges, and preserve the culture of the city. Professor Marco Ponti, of the Politecnico in Milan, Italy, explained that many “rusty” European cities, as he referred to them, are experiencing a concentration of services and high housing prices in the urban core, which has displaced low-income residents to the outskirts of the city.  He urged leaders in European cities to create more affordable housing, encourage greater density, and give careful consideration to the unintended consequences of transit plans that may further marginalize the working poor.
 
Urban Policy Director Derek Douglas shared the experience of American cities in economic transition.  For example, Youngstown, Ohio recently developed a citywide land use plan in response to decades of industrial decline and an alarming vacant property rate. "[The White House Office of] Urban Affairs and the Domestic Policy Council are working very closely with agencies across the Federal Government to develop integrated interventions and policies that will support capacity building, long-term strategic planning, and provide technical assistance to cities suffering from economic distress," Douglas said.

The World Urban Forum provided six days of in-depth, quality exchanges on a myriad of issues that will serve to inform the work of the Obama Administration and the work of other leaders across the globe. It demonstrated that stakeholders worldwide are responding to the phenomenon of increased urbanization with open minds, a desire to share best practices, and a commitment to developing the best places possible in an increasingly urban world.

Alaina C. Beverly is Associate Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs

Today I was proud to join President Obama and my fellow Cabinet members around the country in highlighting the tremendous role the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act continues to play in putting Americans back to work. 

This morning we learned that the American economy created 162,000 jobs last month and that the revised estimates for January now put average job growth for the first quarter of 2010 at 54,000 per month.

This is the most positive jobs report in three years. And it is a far cry from the same quarter in 2009, when President Obama had just taken office and the economy was losing 753,000 jobs each month.

To see firsthand the positive effects of the Recovery Act across the country, I visited the Amtrak Maintenance Facility in Beech Grove, Indiana, this morning. I toured the passenger car and locomotive shops and met many of Beech Grove's dedicated workers.

One of those workers is Mike Fischer, a machinist in the Beech Grove facility whom President Obama first met in April 2008.  Mike had worked for Amtrak for 22 years, but was about to lose his job last year as the Beech Grove facility planned to lay off 77 workers. He was faced with the decision to either move to Chicago or Wilmington, Delaware, or lose his job altogether.

Secretary Ray LaHood speaks with machinist Mike Fischer at Amtrak Facility in Beech Grove, Indiana. April 2, 2010. (by Olivia Alair)

Fortunately for Mike, the Recovery Act intervened. The Beech Grove facility secured $32 million to restore 21 passenger cars and 15 locomotives. This infusion not only helped save the jobs of Mike and his coworkers; it also created over 100 new jobs right in Beech Grove.

This money has helped the workers of the Beech Grove facility support their families. It has helped Beech Grove get back on its feet. And this success has been repeated around the country as Amtrak has added over 200 new jobs.

I really enjoyed touring the car shops where six Amtrak passenger cars have already been rehabilitated--with more in the works--and locomotive shops where the first of the locomotives was refurbished. This work adds important capacity to the Amtrak passenger rail system and provides riding comfort to Amtrak's passengers.

Employees of Beech Grove Amtrak facility stand with Secretary Ray LaHood. April 2, 2010. (by Olivia Alair)

The story of Beech Grove is just one of many I could tell here. People are going back to work. Towns like Beech Grove across the country are waking up as their residents' new paychecks allow them to buy the groceries they need or the school clothes for their kids they've put off for so long.

But we are not done yet. President Obama and I will not rest until every American who wants a job can find one.

It won't be easy, but as our economy continues to recover, the optimism and hard work of the American people I meet--in Beech Grove and all across the country--continues to inspire me.

Ray LaHood is Secretary of Transportation

Again over the last few days, we've been reminded that opponents of reform will say and do anything, no matter how outrageous the charge, to cast doubt on health reform legislation that will reduce costs for American families and small businesses, expand coverage to millions of Americans and end the worst practices of insurance companies.

In the latest example from an ever-growing list of willful distortions, the American people are being warned that because of health care reform, the federal government will hire over 16,000 new IRS agents to enforce the new law. Indeed, in a March 22 interview with Fox Business News, Rep. Ron Paul declared that the bill would mean “16,500 armed bureaucrats.”  This is a thoroughly debunked charge that has absolutely no basis in reality. In fact, earlier this week the widely-respected FactCheck.org looked into this charge and concluded that it was a “wildly inaccurate…partisan assertion” that is “based on guesswork and false assumptions, and compounded by outright misrepresentation.” FactCheck concluded: the “claim of 16,500 new agents simply lacks any foundation in fact.”

What makes this whole attempt at fear mongering even more ridiculous is that this legislation represents the largest middle class tax cut for health care in our nation’s history. The major task of  IRS employees that will work on implementing this legislation will be to inform the American people of the different aspects of reform that they stand to benefit from and to make sure the historic health care tax relief is administered smoothly and efficiently. Indeed their first task is to inform millions of small business owners that they are eligible this year for tax credits that will cover up to 35 percent of their premium contributions for their employees and to start planning for delivering $400 billion in affordability tax credits the IRS will work with the health exchanges to deliver starting in 2014.
 
Getting the word out about these tax credits and delivering them smoothly and accurately will require relatively modest investments in technology and staff – even if that is less interesting to some than their fantasies about 16,000 gun-toting bureaucrats.

What’s clear from all of this is that there are people who refuse to have a debate on the merits of health care reform. Maybe that’s because these ardent defenders of the status quo are worried about the consequences of stopping at nothing to deny the American people quality and affordable health insurance.

Linda Douglass is with the White House Office of Health Reform

With everything that President Obama does in a given week, it can be easy to miss important news and interesting events.  “West Wing Week” sums up the past seven days at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, or wherever the President may travel.  It features highlights from last week’s events plus behind-the-scenes footage of life in the White House. Alongside the "West Wing Week," we will provide links to more in-depth coverage and full videos of the mentioned events.

Friday, March 26^th

• President announces START Treaty

Saturday and Sunday, March 27^th-28^th

• The President’s trip to Afghanistan

Monday, March 29^th

• President Obama fills out his census form
• The President’s Seder

Tuesday, March 30^th

• Signing of the Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act and French President
• Nicolas Sarkozy visits the White House (video only) 

Wednesday March 31st

• The Green Hornet
• The First Lady plants her vegetable garden with help from DC elementary school students (video only)
• The Recovery Act Tax Credit Savings Tool

Thursday, April 1st

• The President travels to Maine to speak on Health Care Reform

Arun Chaudhary is the official White House videographer

Editor's Note: In case you missed them, read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

For this week's episode of Recovery Act in action, I spoke to a business owner who started out skeptical about the benefits of the Recovery Act.In fact, he was so concerned that the Act wouldn't help the economy, he worried that the Recovery Act was "mortgaging the future."

Fast forward to the present, where the Recovery Act has created a wave of new demand for the energy efficient windows his company makes.Based on that demand, his sales have picked up such that he's added 100 new workers, in occupations ranging from line workers to managers.

"He" is Alan Levin, owner and CEO of Northeast Building Products, a Philadelphia-based manufacturer of energy-efficient windows.When the Recovery Act was passed last February, he figured it was another government program that was going to bypass the little guy.A small business like his would never see any of the benefits.

"I was skeptical," Alan told me when I reached him this week."These numbers people were throwing around—hundreds of billions of dollars—they're unfathomable. We see ourselves as just a little mom and pop operation and I never imagined a program like this would reach down and help the way it has."

Yet just a few months after the Act went into effect, he was getting calls for new orders generated by two different measures in the Recovery Act.

One is a grant program for cities and states to do energy-efficient retrofits of public housing.The other is a program that gives homeowners a tax credit for putting in high-efficiency windows and making other energy-saving improvements to their own homes.

That tax credit can put up to $1,500 straight into a homeowner's pocket, not to mention the savings on energy bills from the windows themselves.

The way Alan tells the story, the credit has had a dramatic impact on his industry. "It used to be the contractors wanted to know, ‘What's your cheapest window?'  Now they're asking, ‘What's the most energy efficient window at the best price?  They're looking at value in a way they never have before."

In other words, not only are these programs providing jobs for Alan's new hires and income for their families, they're "greening" the market while lowering energy bills for his customers.For middle-class families feeling squeezed, those lower bills provide some much-needed relief to their budgets.

In fact, this tax credit is still available, so it's not too late to take advantage of it yourself (check out this new tool to learn about this and other Recovery Act tax benefits).You can get up to $1,500 to make your home more energy efficient, save yourself some money by cutting down on your energy bills, and maybe even put someone back to work at a business like Alan's.

Jared Bernstein is Chief Economic Advisor to the Vice President

Today, President Obama spoke to an audience in Maine to discuss how health reform will benefit individuals, families, and small business owners, making good on the promise he made during his last visit “that our government would once again be responsive to the needs and aspirations of working families, of America’s middle class.”

He talked about the misinformation that has been spread by opponents of the bill, including House Minority Leader John Boehner’s labeling of health reform as “Armageddon.” The President said:

After I signed the bill, I looked around.  I looked up at the sky to see if asteroids were coming.  I looked at the ground to see if cracks had opened up in the earth.  You know what, it turned out it was a pretty nice day.  Birds were still chirping.  Folks were strolling down the street.  Nobody had lost their doctor.  Nobody had pulled the plug on Granny.  Nobody was being dragged away to be forced into some government-run health care plan. 

The President also referred to the polls and headlines stating that the nation is still divided on health care reform, replying, “It’s only been a week.  Can you imagine if some of these reporters were working on a farm?  You planted some seeds, and they came out the next day, and they looked, and nothing’s happened!”

He said that several major components of health reform will not be available until 2014, but that there’s plenty going into effect this year – benefits for small businesses being a good example. The President explained that Bill Milliken, a small business owner in Portland, can now qualify for tax credits that make it easier for him to provide his employees with health insurance.

Starting now, small business owners like Bill will have the security of knowing that they can qualify for a tax credit that covers up to 35 percent, over a third of what they pay for their employees’ health insurance.  And starting now -starting now, small business owners that provide health care for their workers can sit down at the end of the week, they can look at their expenses, and they can begin calculating how much money they’re going to save.  And for small business owners who don’t currently provide health insurance, they’re going to be able to factor in this new benefit when they’re deciding to do so. 

Now, it won’t solve all our problems, but it means that employees that work for Bill have a better chance of keeping their health care or getting health care.  And if they’re already getting health care, it means Bill has got some extra money.  That means he might hire that extra worker, right? 

So this health care tax credit is pro-jobs, it’s pro-business, and it starts this year.
 

President Barack Obama waves after speaking about health insurance reform at the Portland Expo Center in Portland, Maine, April 1, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)