"Well, we have come to call each other Barack and Yukio," said Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of Japan in a joint press conference after the first meetings of President Obama's trip to Asia. 

The Prime Minister went on to discuss the almost infinite range of issues on which our two countries are aligned and working together.   President Obama also gave full recognition to the importance of the relationship:

We have to understand that the future of the United States and Asia is inextricably linked.  The issues that matter most to our people -- issues of economic growth and job creation, non-proliferation, clean energy -- these are all issues that have to be part of a joint agenda.  And we had very productive discussions about these issues this evening.

It's true that because of the strength of our economic ties, that was not the first item on our agenda, but we are fortunately going to have the opportunity to spend a lot of time discussing that in Singapore in the coming days.  As the world's two leading economies, we have spent a lot of time working together in the G20 to help bring the world back from the brink of financial crisis, and we're going to continue to work to strengthen our efforts so that we can expand job growth in the future.  And we will be discussing with our APEC partners how to rebalance our deep economic cooperation with this region to strengthen our recovery.

The Prime Minister and I discussed our cooperation on Afghanistan and Pakistan.  And I did thank the people of Japan and the Prime Minister for the powerful commitment of a $5 billion over the next five years to support our shared civilian efforts in Afghanistan, as well as the commitment of a billion dollars to Pakistan.

This underscores Japan's prominent role within a broad international coalition that is advancing the cause of stability and opportunity in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  And I shared with the Prime Minister our efforts in refining our approach to make it more successful in the coming year.

We discussed our shared commitment to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and ultimately seeking a world without them.  Since I laid out a comprehensive agenda in Prague to pursue these goals Japan has been an outstanding partner in those efforts.  And together we passed a historic resolution in the Security Council last September.  We are building a new international consensus to secure loose nuclear materials and strengthen the nonproliferation regime.

And to that end, we discussed both North Korea and the situation in Iran, recognizing that it's absolutely vital that both countries meet their international obligations.  If they do, then they can open the door to a better future.  If not, we will remain united in implementing U.N. resolutions that are in place and continuing to work in an international context to move towards an agenda of nonproliferation.

Finally, we discussed our partnership on energy issues and climate change.  The United States and Japan share a commitment to developing the clean energy of the future and we're focused on combating the threat of climate change.  This is an important priority for us; I know it's an important priority for the people of Japan.  And we discussed how we can work together to pave the way for a successful outcome in Copenhagen next month.

So I believe that we are off to a very successful start.  I'm looking forward to continuing the conversation during dinner, as well as as we both travel to Singapore.  And I am confident that we will continue to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance so that it serves future generations.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, right, motions for President Barack Obama to be seated at the start of the bilateral meeting with their delegations at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Nov. 13, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) November 13, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today's report from the Business Roundtable (pdf) – an association representing leading U.S. companies with more than 12 million employees – confirms that the health care spending path we’re on is unsustainable, and that the bills working their way through Congress are moving us toward cost containment and greater fiscal responsibility.  

The Business Roundtable (BRT) report adds to a growing body of evidence that workers with employer-sponsored health insurance coverage will see lower cost growth and lower premiums from health insurance reform as supported by the President and as contained in the bills being considered in Congress. Health insurance reform not only contains cost growth for the government and so reduces the long-run budget deficit, it will also lower premiums and expenses in the private sector and throughout the health care system – for businesses, workers, and their families.

As documented in the BRT report, rising health care costs are placing an ever-increasing burden on employers and on the millions of Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance. In the absence of reform, the BRT projects that rapidly rising health care spending will restrain job growth and reduce the growth of employee wages. Without reform, the report projects that average per-employee health care costs at large employers will triple over the next decade. The report estimates that health insurance reform as currently proposed in Congress, when fully implemented, would reduce the overall health care cost trend for employer-sponsored health insurance by 15 to 20 percent over the next ten years. This would reduce per-employee health insurance costs by $3,095 in 2019, relative to what they otherwise would have been.

This is consistent with the findings of the Council of Economic Advisers report, "The Economic Case for Health Care Reform," which finds that reform could increase income for a typical family of four by $2,600 in 2020, and increase the nation’s real GDP by nearly 2 percent in 2020, and 8 percent in 2030.

The BRT report estimates that the delivery system reforms that are included in current draft legislation have the potential to spread beyond Medicare and Medicaid to private insurance plans. In this way, they can substantially reduce the growth rate of overall health care spending, which eats into the take-home wages of workers with employer-sponsored coverage every year. The BRT report finds that delivery system reforms have the potential to make health care more efficient without compromising on quality.

For example, the BRT report points out that the House and Senate reform proposals contain provisions to encourage Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), which are groups of doctors working together through joint decision making to coordinate care for patients. The report  "find[s] that private-sector savings from initiatives such as these can be very positive."

The report also describes how the House and Senate reform proposals encourage payment bundling for Medicare, where doctors and hospitals are paid for an episode of care, rather than individual treatments. Bundling payment gives providers incentives to provide quality care for an overall condition or hospital stay, improving efficiency and reducing costs over the long run.

Finally, the report highlights many other reforms that improve efficiency and quality while reducing costs – such as paying providers based on their performance through Value-Based Purchasing, preventing hospital readmissions, and an independent commission to consider reforms to make Medicare spending sustainable and fiscally responsible over the long run. 

Christina Romer is Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers 

President Obama announced the creation of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships on the 17th day of the President’s new Administration. Since then, our Office has been pretty busy! I thought it'd be helpful to give you a little context on what we've been up to.

• Our office is situated within the Domestic Policy Council. This placement allows our office to have close interaction with governmental leadership on issues of importance to nonprofit organizations, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to the President’s Budget.
• The President has tasked this office with focusing on four special priorities: involving faith-based and neighborhood groups in the economic recovery, promoting responsible fatherhood, fostering interfaith cooperation and building common ground to reduce unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion, along with the White House Council on Women and Girls.
• The Office also coordinates the President's Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. This Advisory Council is a group of 25 leaders from both faith-based and non-sectarian organizations, each serving 1-year terms. The Advisory Council forms recommendations on how the Federal Government can more effectively partner with faith-based and neighborhood organizations.
• The White House Office also coordinates and works with 11 Centers and 1 Strategic Advisor placed in Departments throughout government to implement the President’s priorities for this office. Each Center works to connect its own agency to local faith-based and neighborhood organizations. For example, our Center at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) connects local organizations and groups preparing to respond to disaster situations to the ongoing activities at DHS and FEMA. Our Center at the Department of Education works to connect that Department with local organizations to provide after-school programs. So each Center is an important link between the federal government and local neighborhood organizations.

Our Office has been active on numerous fronts, from coordinating President Obama’s fatherhood initiative  to working with the National Security Council on President Obama’s ‘New Beginnings’ speech given in Cairo, Egypt to Muslim communities around the world. We also engage faith-based and neighborhood organizations on a range of issues, from the upcoming 2010 Census through our office at the Department of Commerce to foreclosure counseling at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Our job is to make sure that the Federal Government is coming into responsible interaction with local nonprofit organizations. We look forward to working with you on these priorities!

As the President was preparing to leave for his trip to Asia this morning, he took a moment to discuss the economy, which will of course have a central role in his discussions with leaders throughout the trip. He made clear that while we have come back from the brink of what many predicted would be a depression, he will not be satisfied until robust job growth returns. Towards that end, he announced that in December he will bring minds and stakeholders together for an intensive jobs forum:

As I've said from the start of this crisis, hiring often takes time to catch up to economic growth.  And given the magnitude of the economic turmoil that we've experienced, employers are reluctant to hire.

Small businesses and large firms are demanding more of their employees, their increasing their hours, and adding temporary workers -- but these companies have not yet been willing to take the steps necessary to hire again.  Meanwhile, millions of Americans -- our friends, our neighbors, our family members -- are desperately searching for jobs.  This is one of the great challenges that remains in our economy -- a challenge that my administration is absolutely determined to meet.

We all know that there are limits to what government can and should do, even during such difficult times.  But we have an obligation to consider every additional, responsible step that we can [take] to encourage and accelerate job creation in this country.  And that's why, in December, we'll be holding a forum at the White House on jobs and economic growth.  We’ll gather CEOs and small business owners, economists and financial experts, as well as representatives from labor unions and nonprofit groups, to talk about how we can work together to create jobs and get this economy moving again.

It's important that we don't make any ill-considered decisions -- even with the best intentions -- particularly at a time when our resources are so limited.  But it's just as important that we are open to any demonstrably good idea to supplement the steps we’ve already taken to put America back to work.  That’s what this forum is about.

President Barack Obama makes a statement on the economy in the Diplomatic Room, announcing that a jobs forum will be held at the White House in December, November 12, 2009. (Official White House Photograph by Chuck Kennedy) November 12, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Last week Vice President Biden hosted a panel of experts to highlight the unique challenges facing the middle class in our 21st century global economy. One thing we heard over and over again is that work-family balance is a real challenge for most middle class Americans.

For the millions of American workers who lack paid sick leave, personal leave or family leave, being able to take time off is a matter of economic security. This is especially true for the 3.7 million working adults with children under 14 and no other adult or older child to share child care responsibilities.

The stakes are even higher when the worker or a family member is coping with a contagious illness – like 2009 H1N1 - given that the consequences of an employee’s decision to go to work when ill or to send a sick child to school can adversely affect many others.

Unfortunately, current law does not protect the economic security of workers in these situations. Full economic security requires two assurances.  First, workers who take leave because they or their children become sick must not lose their jobs or risk some other form of disciplinary action by their employers.  Second, workers must have a source of income while they are temporarily on leave.

The Department of  Labor testified on Capitol Hill Tuesday in support of the Healthy Families Act, which would provide the security that workers need, allowing millions more working Americans to earn up to 56 hours per year of paid sick time to care for themselves or their families. It assures them job security when they take leave and provides short-term continuation of workers’ incomes while they recuperate from illness or provide needed care to a family member. 

At the Department of Labor, we are striving for good jobs for everyone. And one of the key components of a good job is having the flexibility to meet caregiving as well as workplace responsibilities.  We believe that work-life balance includes policies such as paid leave, flexible work schedules and telework options, employee assistance programs, and access to child care and elder care support.  

Thanks to the leadership of Vice President Biden we are proud to work with our colleagues in the Cabinet and the Middle Class Task Force to improve work-life policies, and efforts are underway to see how we can better meet the needs of modern working families. The Department’s testimony in support of the Healthy Families Act pointed to one important step in that direction.

Hilda Solis is the Secretary of Labor

In a cold but light drizzle today, after breakfast with veterans in the East Room of the White House, the President and the First Lady along with the Vice President and Dr. Biden went to Arlington National Cemetery. The President took part in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns, then spoke at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery.

The President began his remarks extending his thanks to VA Secretary Shinseki, and to the Bidens and their son Beau, who just returned from Iraq. He expressed humility to be speaking to the veterans in the audience, and spoke in awe of the “determination” he saw in the eyes of those grieving yesterday at Fort Hood. Noting that there have been times in the past when America did not stand by our veterans, the President pledged that this would never happen again:

That is my message to all veterans today.  That is my message to all who serve in harm's way.  To the husbands and wives back home doing the parenting of two.  To the parents who watch their sons and daughters go off to war, and the children who wonder when mom and dad is coming home.  To all our wounded warriors, and to the families who laid a loved one to rest.  America will not let you down.  We will take care of our own.

And to those who are serving in far-flung places today, when your tour ends, when you see our flag, when you touch our soil, you will be home in an America that is forever here for you just as you've been there for us.  That is my promise -- our nation's promise -- to you.

Ninety-one years ago today, the battlefields of Europe fell quiet as World War I came to a close.  But we don't mark this day each year as a celebration of victory, as proud of that victory as we are.  We mark this day as a celebration of those who made victory possible.  It's a day we keep in our minds the brave men and women of this young nation -- generations of them -- who above all else believed in and fought for a set of ideals.  Because they did, our country still stands; our founding principles still shine; nations around the world that once knew nothing but fear now know the blessings of freedom.

That is why we fight -- in hopes of a day when we no longer need to.  And that is why we gather at these solemn remembrances and reminders of war -- to recommit ourselves to the hard work of peace.

There will be a day before long when this generation of servicemen and women step out of uniform.  They will build families and lives of their own.  God willing, they will grow old.  And someday, their children, and their children's children, will gather here to honor them.

Thank you.  God bless you.  And God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

President Barack Obama shares a 'thumbs-up" with a veteran at a Veteran's Day breakfast in the East Room of the White House, Nov. 11, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza) November 11, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama, second from left, and Gen. Karl Horst, right, stop to talk with visitors among the graves of soldiers from the Iraq and Afghan conflicts in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, Nov. 11, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton) November 11, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

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Mensaje del Presidente sobre el Día de los Veteranos

Ayer, en un día frío y lluvioso, luego de desayunar con veteranos en el ala este de la Casa Blanca, el Presidente y la Primera Dama en compañía del Vicepresidente y la Dra. Biden se dirigieron al Cementerio Nacional de Arlington. El Presidente participó en la ceremonia de colocación de la corona en la tumba de los soldados desconocidos, luego dio su discurso en el Anfiteatro Conmemorativo del Cementerio Nacional de Arlington.

El Presidente comenzó sus declaraciones dándole gracias alSecretario de Asuntos para Veteranos Shinseki y a los Biden y a su hijo Beau, quien recientemente regresó de Irak. Expresó humildad al hablarle a los veteranos en la audiencia y habló en admiración a la “determinación” que vio ayer en los ojos de aquellos afligidos en Fort Hood. Haciendo notar que ha habido veces en el pasado cuando los Estados Unidos no ha apoyado a nuestros veteranos, el Presidente prometió que esto no volverá a pasar.:

Ése es mi mensaje a los veteranos hoy. Ése es mi mensaje a todos los que prestan servicios bajo condiciones peligrosas. A los esposos y esposas en casa que hacen la labor de dos padres. A los padres que ven a sus hijos e hijas irse a la guerra, y a los hijos que se preguntan si mamá y papá regresarán. A todos los combatientes heridos y a las familias que han enterrado a un ser querido. Estados Unidos no los defraudará. Velaremos por los nuestros.

Y a los militares en lugares lejanos hoy, cuando su campaña concluya, cuando vean nuestra bandera, cuando toquen nuestra tierra, estarán en casa, en un Estados Unidos que estará a su disposición para siempre, así como ustedes lo estuvieron para nosotros. Ésa es la promesa que yo y la promesa que nuestra nación les hacemos.

Hace exactamente noventa y un años, los campos de batalla de Europa quedaron silenciosos al finalizar la Primera Guerra Mundial. Pero no conmemoramos este día, año tras año, como una celebración de la victoria, por más orgullo que sintamos por esa victoria. Conmemoramos este día como un homenaje a quienes hicieron posible la victoria. Es un día para recordar a los valientes hombres y mujeres de esta joven nación –muchas generaciones de ellos– quienes por encima de todo creyeron y lucharon por un conjunto de ideales. Debido a lo que hicieron, nuestro país aún existe; los principios de nuestra fundación aún brillan; países por todo el mundo que alguna vez conocían solamente el temor ahora conocen los frutos de la libertad.

Es por eso que luchamos, con la esperanza de que algún día ya no tengamos que hacerlo. Y es por eso que nos congregamos en estas conmemoraciones y recordatorios de guerra: para volver a comprometernos con el arduo trabajo de la paz.

Pronto llegará el día en que esta generación de hombres y mujeres de las Fuerzas Armadas dejen el uniforme. Se dedicarán a sus familias y a su propia vida. Dios mediante, llegarán a la vejez. Y algún día, sus hijos y los hijos de sus hijos se congregarán aquí para rendirles homenaje.

Gracias. Que Dios los bendiga. Y que Dios bendiga a Estados Unidos de Norteamérica. (Aplausos.)

Today the President and the First Lady travelled to Killeen, Texas. They met with families of the fallen and with wounded soldiers and their families at III Corps Headquarters, Fort Hood.

Afterwards, the President spoke to the entire Fort Hood community during a memorial service for the soldiers and civilians killed on November 5^th:

We come together filled with sorrow for the thirteen Americans that we have lost; with gratitude for the lives that they led; and with a determination to honor them through the work we carry on.

This is a time of war. And yet these Americans did not die on a foreign field of battle. They were killed here, on American soil, in the heart of this great American community. It is this fact that makes the tragedy even more painful and even more incomprehensible.

For those families who have lost a loved one, no words can fill the void that has been left. We knew these men and women as soldiers and caregivers. You knew them as mothers and fathers; sons and daughters; sisters and brothers.

But here is what you must also know: your loved ones endure through the life of our nation. Their memory will be honored in the places they lived and by the people they touched. Their life’s work is our security, and the freedom that we too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – that is their legacy.

Neither this country – nor the values that we were founded upon – could exist without men and women like these thirteen Americans. And that is why we must pay tribute to their stories. 

Read the rest of the President's remarks as he honors them individually.

From left; Fort Hood commander U.S. Army Lt. General Robert Cone, First Lady Michelle Obama, President Barack Obama, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry attend the attend a memorial service at Fort Hood, Texas, for the victims of the Fort Hood shootings, Nov. 10, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) November 10, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pay their respects at the memorial service for victims of the Fort Hood shootings, Nov. 10, 2009, at Fort Hood, Texas. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) November 10, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Soldiers comfort each other at a memorial service for victims of the Fort Hood shootings, Nov. 10, 2009, at Fort Hood, Texas. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy) November 10, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

It's no secret that institutions of all stripes focus their communications on certain messages day to day. We thought it would all be a little more open and transparent if we went ahead and published what our focus will be for the day, along with any related articles, documents, or reports. 

Supporting blog post: "Bending the Curve in More Ways Than One," OMB Blog, OMB Director Peter Orszag, 10/13/09

Talking Points: Controlling Costs for Families, Small Businesses, and the Government

• From the beginning of this process, President Obama has been clear that health insurance reform must not only provide security and stability for Americans with insurance and affordable options for uninsured Americans, but also slow the unsustainable cost growth that is burdening families, threatening businesses' viability, and exploding our national deficit.
• Fortunately, the House and Senate versions of reform share a variety of measures that will reduce the rapid growth in health care costs while also providing Americans with higher quality care including:
  • Changing the way we handle hospitalizations, to prevent mistakes and to prevent unnecessary readmissions.
  • Creating incentives in the payment system to reward quality of care rather than just the quantity of procedures.
  • Giving physicians incentives to collaborate in the coordination of patient care.
  • Investing in research into what works and what doesn't in health care.
  • Reducing hospital-acquired infections and other avoidable health-center acquired conditions through rigorous reporting and transparency.
  • Putting prevention first, rewarding care that focuses on wellness and treating the whole patient in an integrated and coordinated delivery system.
  • Tackling the insurance bureaucracy, streamlining the payment system to save time and money that is now spent processing claims and navigating through the byzantine insurance system.
  • Establishing a health insurance exchange with a public insurance option, where individuals and small businesses can buy lower-cost insurance that will spur competition and put downward pressure on costs.
     
• These measures build upon the significant down payment we already made in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to begin switching from paper records to computerized records; to strengthen preventive care; to invest in patient-centered health research; and to build up the workforce of primary care providers.
• And there are also ideas that will further control cost growth that have been proposed and are being looked at as the legislative process continues, such as:
  • A fee on insurance companies offering high-premium plans — which would create a strong incentive for more efficient plans that would help reduce the growth of premiums.
  • Establishing a Medicare commission — which would develop and submit proposals to Congress aimed at extending the solvency of Medicare, slowing Medicare cost growth, and improving the quality of care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries.

Friends,

It’s my pleasure to welcome you to the Partnerships blog, the blog of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships!

President Obama established the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships to connect the Federal government to local nonprofit organizations and community leaders – both faith-based and secular – that are serving individuals, families and communities in need.  We form partnerships between government and nonprofits on a range of issues, from public health to disaster response and everything in between, in order to better serve all Americans.

This blog will highlight the work of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, along with the activity at Centers for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships that we coordinate at several Federal agencies. 

But we don't just want to focus on what government is doing.  We also want to highlight the efforts of local nonprofits in communities across the country.  So we’ll be spotlighting local organizations and leaders that are meeting community needs, in order to learn from their great work.

In the coming days, you can expect this blog to:

• Provide more information about the day-to-day work of the White House Office and Centers at Federal agencies;
• Highlight the latest work of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships;
• Point nonprofits to federal resources that can help them implement effective programs; and
• Spotlight innovative local organizations that are strengthening our communities

I’m looking forward to using this blog to communicate important information to local organizations and community leaders.

And I’m even more excited about working with you to make an impact on our communities together, as the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships implements this important element of President Obama’s vision for our country.

Warmly,
Joshua DuBois

Joshua DuBois is the Director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships