2012 Presidential Election

EXECUTIVE ORDER

CONTINUANCE OF CERTAIN FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and consistent with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1.  Each advisory committee listed below is continued until September 30, 2013.

(a)  Committee for the Preservation of the White House; Executive Order 11145, as amended (Department of the Interior).

(b)  President's Commission on White House Fellowships; Executive Order 11183, as amended (Office of Personnel Management).

(c)  President's Committee on the National Medal of Science; Executive Order 11287, as amended (National Science Foundation).

(d)  Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health; Executive Order 11612, as amended (Department of Labor).

(e)  President's Export Council; Executive Order 12131, as amended (Department of Commerce).

(f)  President's Committee on the International Labor Organization; Executive Order 12216, as amended (Department of Labor).

(g)  President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities; Executive Order 12367, as amended (National Endowment for the Arts).

(h)  President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee; Executive Order 12382, as amended (Department of Homeland Security).

(i)  National Industrial Security Program Policy Advisory Committee; Executive Order 12829, as amended (National Archives and Records Administration).

(j)  Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee; Executive Order 12905, as amended (Office of the United States Trade Representative).

(k)  President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities; Executive Order 12994, as amended (Department of Health and Human Services).
 
(l)  National Infrastructure Advisory Council; Executive Order 13231, as amended (Department of Homeland Security).

(m)  President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition; Executive Order 13265, as amended (Department of Health and Human Services).

(n)  President's Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities; Executive Order 13270 (Department of Education).

(o)  President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; Executive Order 13515 (Department of Education).

Sec. 2.  Notwithstanding the provisions of any other Executive Order, the functions of the President under the Federal Advisory Committee Act that are applicable to the committees listed in section 1 of this order shall be performed by the head of the department or agency designated after each committee, in accordance with the guidelines and procedures established by the Administrator of General Services.

Sec. 3.  Sections 1 and 2 of Executive Order 13511 are superseded by sections 1 and 2 of this order.

Sec. 4.  Executive Order 13515 of October 14, 2009, is amended:

(a)  in section 2(a), by striking "through the Secretaries of Education and Commerce, as Co Chairs of the Initiative described in section 3 of this order" and inserting in lieu thereof "through the Co Chairs of the Initiative";

(b)  in section 2(c), by striking "Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce," and inserting in lieu thereof "Co Chairs of the Initiative";

(c)  in the introductory text to section 3:

(1)  by striking "The Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Education shall serve as the Co Chairs of the Initiative" and inserting in lieu thereof "The Secretary of Education and a senior official to be designated by the President from the membership of the Initiative shall serve as Co Chairs of the Initiative"; and

(2)  by striking "Secretaries" and inserting in lieu thereof "Co Chairs"; and

(d)  in section 3(b), in the list of agency members, by inserting "the Department of Commerce" after "the Department of Agriculture" and inserting "the Department of Education" after "the Department of Energy" and then redesignating the subsections of section 3(b) as appropriate.

Sec. 5.  This order shall be effective September 30, 2011.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
September 30, 2011.

Here’s what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

LinkedIn Town Hall: On Monday, President Obama participated in a live Town Hall meeting with LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, out in Silicon Valley, California. Taking questions from the audience and online submissions, the President talked about the American Jobs Act and how it will create jobs and boost the overall economy.

Ending Violence Against Women: Vice President Biden travelled to New York City Tuesday to sit down with the women of The View. The main topic of discussion was his campaign to end violence against women and his current initiative to reduce domestic abuse among younger Americans. The Vice President told the ladies that the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 is his proudest legislative achievement, and that it has decreased domestic violence by over 50% since being signed into law.

‘Set your Sights High’: The President welcomed students back to school in his third annual Back-to-School speech at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C. Admitting that he was not a perfect student himself, he explained that doing well in school carries weight beyond college admissions. “Because you’re not just kids. You’re this country’s future. You’re young leaders. And whether we fall behind or race ahead as a nation is going to depend in large part on you.”

President Barack Obama shakes hands with students after delivering his third annual Back-to-School speech at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C. Sept. 28, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

read more

Vice President Biden met today with Prime Minister Nasir Al-Muhammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah of Kuwait at the White House.  They discussed a range of regional, political and security matters, including the changes underway in the region as a result of the Arab Spring, and the importance of resolving outstanding issues between Kuwait and Iraq.  Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait, the Prime Minister and Vice President stressed the enduring ties between our two countries, and expressed their appreciation for the strength of the bilateral relationship.  The Vice President also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the security of the region and of our partners.

Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the President announced reforms to No Child Left Behind, traveled to California to hold a town hall on job growth at LinkedIn, spoke on what the American Jobs Act could mean for America's schools and gave his third annual Back To School address. 

The Obama 2012 merchandise cupboard. Pick up one of our white Obama-Biden shirts today.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James can tell his city is in trouble by looking up at the sky. "There are no more cranes. When there are no more cranes in the city, that’s not a good sign. Because that means not much is getting done. The ripple effect of not being able to build has a huge impact on all sorts of other subsidiary industries. We have roads that are in need of repair and rebuilding, we have bridges that need work, we have water systems that are in desperate need of reworking. And we need the assistance of the Federal government in order to get those big-ticket items done."

The American Job Act will help James answer the one question he says the residents of his Missouri city ask any time he leaves the office, “'Mayor, where can I get a job? Mayor can you help me get a job? Mayor can you help my brother or my mother get a job?”'Jobs are at the forefront of people’s minds."
 

See how other American mayors say the American Jobs Act will impact their cities

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, California
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, Maryland
Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver, Colorado
Mayor Mark Mallory of Cincinnati, Ohio
Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky

The United States condemns the conviction of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.  Pastor Nadarkhani has done nothing more than maintain his devout faith, which is a universal right for all people.  That the Iranian authorities would try to force him to renounce that faith violates the religious values they claim to defend, crosses all bounds of decency, and breaches Iran’s own international obligations.   A decision to impose the death penalty would further demonstrate the Iranian authorities' utter disregard for religious freedom, and highlight Iran's continuing violation of the universal rights of its citizens.  We call upon the Iranian authorities to release Pastor Nadarkhani, and demonstrate a commitment to basic, universal human rights, including freedom of religion. 

“My daughter attended a STEM workshop for girls at the University of Memphis last weekend. Awesome experience for her! Great to see [the] First Lady supporting these efforts.”

—Sheree

First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at the National Science Foundation on Monday to highlight new initiatives encouraging women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

President Obama spoke with President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan earlier today by phone. President Obama congratulated President Karimov on Uzbekistan’s 20 years of independence, and the two leaders pledged to continue working to build broad cooperation between our two countries.  The President and President Karimov discussed their shared desire to develop a multi-dimensional relationship between the United States and Uzbekistan, including by strengthening the contacts between American and Uzbek civil societies and private sector.  President Obama expressed our view that a more prosperous and secure Uzbekistan benefits both countries, and that advancing democracy supports that goal.  The two presidents also discussed their shared interests in supporting a stable, secure, and prosperous Afghanistan and discussed the efforts we are undertaking together to further that goal.

This oped by Arne Duncan was originally published in the Denver Post

Imagine Steve Jobs trying to design the next generation of tablet computers using mainframe hardware from the Eisenhower administration. Or American automakers trying to out-engineer foreign competitors on an assembly line with equipment from the 1960s.

Unfortunately, just such antiquated facilities and barriers to innovation exist today in precisely the institutions that can least afford it: our nation's public schools. The digital age has now penetrated virtually every nook of American life, with the exception of many public schools.

The average public school building in the United States is more than 40 years old. Nationwide, cash-strapped school districts face an enormous $270 billion backlog of deferred maintenance and repairs.

On Tuesday, President Obama spoke at Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver about the need to urgently modernize public schools, and the importance of keeping teachers in the classroom, instead of in unemployment lines.

In the American Jobs Act, President Obama proposes to invest $30 billion to repair and modernize public schools and community colleges, putting hundreds of thousands of unemployed construction workers, engineers, boiler repairmen, and electrical workers back to work. He proposed an additional $30 billion to keep hundreds of thousands of educators facing potential layoffs and furloughs on the job.

Modernizing and repairing our schools is a classic win-win solution. It benefits everyone — children, communities, and construction workers who need work.

Tragically, children in the nation's poorest school districts often attend schools with crumbling ceilings, overcrowded classrooms, and facilities that lack basic wiring infrastructure for computers and other modern-day technology. That's no way to provide a world-class education — and in today's global economy, a country that out-educates America will out-compete us.

Abraham Lincoln High School opened in 1960. Some of its science labs lack sinks — and have had only minor plumbing renovation in the last 51 years. Despite district and school efforts to upgrade equipment and software, the school's computer lab — like many in the Denver Public Schools — is not designed to support small-group learning and the acquisition of 21st century skills.

Denver Public Schools has already identified $425 million in major repair and modernization projects districtwide that could be started within the next year, from replacing aging boilers and leaking roofs to improving educational technology.

This is not a partisan issue. The physical conditions at some aging schools today are unacceptable. They are no place for children to learn.

The president's jobs bill would modernize at least 35,000 schools, or about one out of every three public schools in the United States. In Colorado, the jobs bill would provide $265 million to put as many as 3,400 construction workers back on the job modernizing Colorado's schools. Denver Public Schools alone would receive up to $75.5 million.

Nationwide, $25 billion would go to upgrading existing public school facilities (including charter schools), with $5 billion invested in modernizing community colleges. The federal government will not fund new construction or pick the schools to modernize. Those decisions will be left entirely to states and districts with knowledge of local needs.

Projections from proposals similar to the president's plan suggest it could create as many as 300,000 jobs in the construction trades nationwide.

While modernization could put a small army of Americans back to work rebuilding and upgrading our schools, looming teacher layoffs could have a devastating impact in the classroom.

As many as 280,000 education jobs may be on the chopping block in the upcoming school year due to multibillion-dollar state and local budget shortfalls. But under the jobs bill, Colorado would receive $478 million to support and protect up to 7,000 educator jobs.

As the bar for educational success rises worldwide in the knowledge economy, this is no time to be laying off scores of teachers and early childhood educators.

Already, financially pinched school districts are reducing class time, shortening the school calendar, cutting after-school programs and early childhood education, and reducing top-notch arts and music instruction.

President Obama recently shared the story of Jason Chuong, a Philadelphia music teacher who uses plastic buckets to teach his students to play percussion — because he only has a $100 out-of-pocket budget to cover music instruction at seven schools.

The path to prosperity, the way to win the future, is to invest wisely in schools, remembering that children get only one chance at an education.

That's why the president's plan to modernize our schools for the 21st century and minimize teacher layoffs is the right plan, at the right time. We cannot afford to do less.