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The White House Blog: Poverty

  • NAACP: 100 Years, One Historic Night

    Posted by Michael Blake on July 17, 2009 at 6:08 PM EDT

    There are some moments in our lives where we have an "I was there" moment. A moment that despite your best attempts to explain how you felt, what you perceived that others were feeling, the words that were shared and the fanfare of the activity, you still can't convey how remarkable an experience it was that you just shared.
    I had that moment on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 as did so many others when President Barack Obama went to the 100th anniversary convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). 
    The President speaks, audience pictured
    (President Barack Obama speaks at the NAACP 100th anniversary convention in New York City July 16, 2009. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson.)
    Everyone had a feeling of excitement beyond description. Many dignitaries were present. NAACP leaders from across the country embarked to New York - a city filled with historical civil rights moments, which oftentimes are forgotten about because they weren't occurring in the historic South. But, the first moment that captured my attention was watching the line of people form slowly throughout the afternoon as they waited patiently despite their palpable excitement. The look of pride and accomplishment amongst a people who many times didn't feel such positive feelings was evident.   Later, as the president met several leaders of NAACP, it was the genuine appreciation that humbled me and made me even more proud to work for him as he shook the hands of the staff despite the large number of them being present. There were a lot of people there whose names many times go unmentioned and unnoticed for work they do to fight for greater equality, never caring that their name is in lights. To have their work recognized by the President of the United States added a special dimension to the night that the media didn't capture, but it was equally important. I was fortunate to see it. I was there. 

    And then, there was the speech. 

    (President Barack Obama makes remarks at the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP in New York, Thursday, July 16, 2009. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
    NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, who received the Spingarn medal during the banquet - NAACP's highest recognition - simply but eloquently introduced President Obama by saying, "When he came to our convention in 2007, he was one of eight Democratic presidential primary candidates. When he came last year, he was the one - his party's nominee. Now I am honored to give the best introduction of all - please welcome the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama."
     
    The president gave an inspirational speech where his physical presence and empowering words provided a visual reality to so many African-Americans that despite the tests of time AND the adversities of life OUR hopes and dreams can be and ARE being fulfilled.
     
    The feeling in the room was electric. There were African-Americans who lived through the civil rights era and fought to have an equal voice at the table - including the right to vote - there to see an African-American President of the United States during the 100th anniversary of this pillar of the Civil Rights community who were led to many joyful tears, amens, shouts of celebration and reflective statements of how far we have come.
     
    There were older women who were saying "amen" and "tell it" as the president shared that there are no excuses to us achieving more. There was an African-American sailor near me who took photos of every moment of every person he could see. People who couldn't get into the room of 4,200 attendees watched and videotaped from TV screens throughout the Hilton Hotel who didn't complain about not getting in but rather rejoiced in just being in the building for such a historic moment. 
     
    His remarks embodied an understanding that we've made progress but we have more mountains to climb. They also reminded us that we have to dream higher and obtain more, which he so beautifully stated by saying, "our kids can't all aspire to be LeBron or Lil Wayne. I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers -- doctors and teachers -- not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court Justice. I want them aspiring to be the President of the United States of America."
     
    So for more than 4,000 people at the New York Hilton hotel who were there supporting this hallmark organization, which for 100 years has had many "I was there" moments including the marching, protesting, sitting in and standing tall; from W.E.B. Dubois to Julian Bond, we all shared in this once in a lifetime moment - the first African-American president closing out the 100th anniversary convention of the oldest African-American civil rights group in the country. So for generations to come, I will tell my children, and they will tell their children I was there. 
    Michael Blake is the Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement & Deputy Associate Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

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  • To Learn from History, Not Be Trapped by It

    Posted by Jesse Lee on April 18, 2009 at 5:35 PM EDT

    Viewing this video requires Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher. Download the free player.

    download .mp4 (175.6 MB) | also available here | read the transcript

    [UPDATE: See a comprehensive summary of the policy issues discussed during the trip, and a behind-the-scenes slideshow from the White House Photo Office.]

    At the Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago where leaders from virtually every nation in the hemisphere gathered, President Obama addressed the opening ceremony of the Summit of the Americas on Friday night:

    All of us must now renew the common stake that we have in one another. I know that promises of partnership have gone unfulfilled in the past, and that trust has to be earned over time. While the United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. (Applause.) There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect and common interests and shared values. So I'm here to launch a new chapter of engagement that will be sustained throughout my administration. (Applause.)
    To move forward, we cannot let ourselves be prisoners of past disagreements. I am very grateful that President Ortega -- (applause) -- I'm grateful that President Ortega did not blame me for things that happened when I was three months old. (Laughter.) Too often, an opportunity to build a fresh partnership of the Americas has been undermined by stale debates. And we've heard all these arguments before, these debates that would have us make a false choice between rigid, state-run economies or unbridled and unregulated capitalism; between blame for right-wing paramilitaries or left-wing insurgents; between sticking to inflexible policies with regard to Cuba or denying the full human rights that are owed to the Cuban people.
    I didn't come here to debate the past -- I came here to deal with the future. (Applause.) I believe, as some of our previous speakers have stated, that we must learn from history, but we can't be trapped by it.
    The President reiterated areas of opportunity for new partnerships, from stimulating the economy throughout the hemisphere, to alleviating poverty, to using the hemisphere’s vast resources to revolutionize energy use as we know it. Once again he addressed the need to stop the flow of drugs and guns across borders, saying that he is "making it a priority to ratify the Illicit Trafficking in Firearms Convention as another tool that we can use to prevent this from happening."
    The President at a group photo(President Obama during the group photo at the Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on April 18, 2009.  White House photo by Pete Souza)
    The President closed his remarks on issues that have long dominated relationships between the Americas, and which have already seen broad change in these first few months:
    There's been several remarks directed at the issue of the relationship between the United States and Cuba, so let me address this. The United States seeks a new beginning with Cuba. I know that there is a longer -- (applause) -- I know there's a longer journey that must be traveled to overcome decades of mistrust, but there are critical steps we can take toward a new day. I've already changed a Cuba policy that I believe has failed to advance liberty or opportunity for the Cuban people. We will now allow Cuban Americans to visit the islands whenever they choose and provide resources to their families -- the same way that so many people in my country send money back to their families in your countries to pay for everyday needs.
    Over the past two years, I've indicated, and I repeat today, that I'm prepared to have my administration engage with the Cuban government on a wide range of issues -- from drugs, migration, and economic issues, to human rights, free speech, and democratic reform. Now, let me be clear, I'm not interested in talking just for the sake of talking. But I do believe that we can move U.S.-Cuban relations in a new direction.
    As has already been noted, and I think my presence here indicates, the United States has changed over time. (Applause.) It has not always been easy, but it has changed. And so I think it's important to remind my fellow leaders that it's not just the United States that has to change. All of us have responsibilities to look towards the future. (Applause.) 
    I think it's important to recognize, given historic suspicions, that the United States' policy should not be interference in other countries, but that also means that we can't blame the United States for every problem that arises in the hemisphere. That's part of the bargain. (Applause.) That's part of the change that has to take place. That's the old way, and we need a new way.
    Performers at the Summit of the Americas(Performers head to the opening ceremony of the Summit of the Americas where they performed for the leaders. White House photo by Pete Souza.)

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  • Recovery in Action: "Beginning to Percolate Nationwide"

    Posted by Jesse Lee on April 10, 2009 at 6:00 PM EDT

    This morning, having made progress on an international response to the financial crisis in Europe, the President met with Treasury Secretary Geithner, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, SEC Chair Mary Shapiro and Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan to start working on next steps here at home. 
    President Barack Obama confers with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke following their meeting at the White House, April 10, 2009President Barack Obama confers with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke following their meeting at the White House, April 10, 2009. White House Photo/Pete Souza)
    Meanwhile, the Recovery Act continues to pick up steam…
    Nationwide, Washington Post, 4/10/09:
    "Building repairs are underway on public housing in Imboden, Ark., and Cumberland, Ill., states across the country are receiving money to weatherize the homes of low-income residents, and the Silver Star Construction Co. is about to start work on two road-resurfacing projects in south-central Oklahoma with a total cost of $12 million. ‘We were thrilled to get some work,’ said Steve Shawn, president of the company. ‘Some of the work had started slowing down from the economy. The new work came in just around the right time.’ Slowly but surely, the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- better known as the economic stimulus package -- is beginning to percolate nationwide, six weeks after President Obama signed the legislation."
    Nationwide, Modern Healthcare, 4/9/09:
    "Stephen Lieber, president and CEO of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, looked tired but sounded pleased with the outcome of the trade association’s annual convention in Chicago… Offsetting the economy was the American Recovery and Reconciliation Act of 2009, signed into law by President Barack Obama in February, which by some estimates contains as much as $35 billion in federal dollars directed toward healthcare information technology spending. ‘We had more provider organizations represented here than we’ve ever had,’ Lieber said. ‘What else could you attribute it to? It’s the stimulus… They (providers) knew they had to pick up whatever intelligence they could this week.’ And that understanding of what the stimulus act held in store for them came not just from the educational sessions—government officials were somewhat limited in what they could say, since Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, HHS secretary nominee, has not yet passed through Senate vetting and been sworn in—but by ‘sitting across the coffee table’ at breaks during the show, exchanging ideas and information with IT industry peers, Lieber said."
    Colorado, Business Journal, 4/8/09:
    "The Denver area will have at least 38 active road construction projects this summer totaling $234.4 million, 14 of which are being paid for with federal stimulus money, the Colorado Department of Transportation said Wednesday. "With the funds we are receiving from [the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act], we will now be able to have a construction season similar to those of recent years," CDOT Executive Director Russell George said in a statement. "We will be able to resurface roadways, replace poor bridges and improve safety all across the Denver metro area."
    Kansas, Kansas City Business Journal, 4/9/09:
    "Kansas will get $18.4 million for child care and disease prevention for children, and $2.1 million for children’s vaccines, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site. Nationwide, $2 billion in stimulus money for the Child Care and Development Fund will help states support child-care services for working families, those seeking employment or those receiving job training or education."
    Michigan, WMMT, 4/9/09:
    "Lieutenant Governor John D. Cherry, Jr. today announced that 67 communities in 27 Michigan counties will benefit from a total of $47.3 million in transportation enhancement (TE) funding. This total includes 22 projects funded through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). The funding will complete 176 miles of bike paths and paved shoulders; enhance local roadways in communities statewide with lighting, landscaping, sidewalks, crosswalks and other improvements; preserve a historic bridge and two historic rail facilities. The projects are planned for the 2009 and 2010 construction seasons and will create or retain more than 1,300 jobs. ‘This is a positive step for Michigan’s economy,’ said Cherry. ‘These enhancement projects will create jobs and improve communities so they are more attractive to residents, businesses and visitors.’" 
    Missouri, Kansas City Star, 4/10/09:
    "Within a couple of years, Kansas City could become a green model for turning around some of its poorest neighborhoods, officials said Thursday. Up to $200 million in federal stimulus money will weatherize every home that needs it in a 150-block area, upgrade bus services and provide much more help, they said. ‘I’m so excited, I'm trying to calm down,’ said U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat who came up with the idea for a Green Impact Zone. ‘This is a perfect storm of opportunity.’ Kansas City is taking the lead in the nation by funneling as much stimulus money as possible over two years into rebuilding one area of the city, Cleaver said. Local, state and federal governments have agreed to work together on the plan. ‘The key is we are investing federal money wisely and building an inclusive green economy strong enough to create jobs for residents,’ said Cleaver, who met with more than 50 neighborhood and community leaders Thursday."
    New Hampshire, New Hampshire Business Review, 4/10/09:
    "Over the next three years, New Hampshire will receive more than $23 million in federal stimulus money designed to create jobs and increase energy conservation by funding a major boost in home weatherization projects. The program is one piece of the job creation puzzle presented by the more than $900 million targeted for New Hampshire through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress in February…’This is great, exciting stuff,’ said Charlie Wolfe, weatherization manger for the Dover-based Strafford County Community Action Committee. ‘We’ve talked before what we could do if we had more money, and now we will have a chance to make a big difference.’ According to the Department of Energy, the low- and moderate-income participants in the Weatherization Assistance Program on average see a 32 percent reduction in heating bills – cutting a $2,000 annual heating bill, for example, to about $1,400."
    New Mexico, Daily Times, 4/10/09:
    "The state of New Mexico has awarded contracts for four highway reconstruction projects to be funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Gov. Bill Richardson said this week. Construction on the projects, worth a total of nearly $50 million, is scheduled to start within 30 days. Among the projects is U.S. 491, the main north-south thoroughfare through the New Mexico portion of the Navajo Nation. The highway, which has earned a variety of notorious nicknames, is among the most dangerous in the United States. Construction began on the road formerly called U.S. 666, or the ‘Highway to Hell,’ almost a year ago. The ground-breaking ceremony occurred last May, signaling a $100 million collaboration between the state and the Navajo Nation to widen the two-lane corridor to four lanes. The agreement came after a nearly four-year struggle over rights-of-way and state funding. A compromise calling for the Nation to contribute $10 million in cash and in-kind donations was reached in January 2008, just months before construction began. Stimulus money, however, will not be used for the widening project. The state Department of Transportation awarded $8.9 million for rehabilitation of a portion of the two-lane highway, spokesman S.U. Mahesh said."
    New York, Democrat and Chronicle, 4/10/09:
    "The 1,776 jobs expected to be created by the federal stimulus money earmarked for roads and bridges in the Rochester region give this spending package a patriotic ring. But in announcing the job-creation number in Canandaigua on Thursday, Gov. David Paterson noted that the projects must meet federal standards…To date, Paterson has certified projects for about $24 million of the $74 million that the seven-county region is scheduled to receive. The funds are slated to go to 115 projects."
    Oregon, Washington Post, 4/10/09:
    "Take, for instance, what Oregon's Housing and Community Services Department needs to do to secure its $82 million. It has already applied for $38 million to weatherize low-income residents' homes, and just received the first 10 percent of that, but still needs approval from the state legislature to spend it. It is awaiting guidelines for applying for $27 million in tax credits for affordable housing development. It just received the guidelines for applying for $8 million to help prevent homelessness, and expects that it will not spend that money before July. And Oregon will not apply until July for ‘neighborhood stabilization’ funding that will be distributed on a competitive basis for states to renovate or demolish abandoned homes. In fact, it is still getting ready to spend $19.6 million that it received for a similar purpose from a housing recovery bill President George W. Bush signed in late July. It is a lot of hoops to jump through, but officials say it is worth it. ‘This is a huge investment for us,’ said Rick Crager, Oregon's deputy housing director. The process ‘is not an issue for us. It's important that we're accountable.’"
    Texas, San Marcus Mercury, 4/9/09:
    "U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett today announced that $2.4 million in federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be used for flood control projects along Plum Creek in Hays County. ‘Upgrading flood control along Plum Creek will protect people and property along the rapidly growing Kyle-Buda corridor,’ said Rep. Doggett, a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and House Budget Committee. ‘This recovery funding will create jobs, promote future construction in Hays County, and reduce the danger from any future flooding.’"
    West Virginia, US Fed News, 4/10/09:
    "United States Senators Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., along with Congressman Nick Rahall, W.Va.-3, today announced that West Virginia is slated to receive more than $1,643,000 in federal funding as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The monies will be distributed through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of a $197 million spending program across the country… The funds will be used for overseeing the assessment and cleanup of leaks from underground storage tanks or directly paying for assessment and cleanup of leaks from federally regulated tanks where the responsible party is unknown, unwilling, unable, or the clean up is an emergency response. ‘Many West Virginia families rely on groundwater as a source of their safe drinking water,’ said Byrd. ‘This funding will help to eliminate the backlog of more than 950 underground tank clean-up projects in West Virginia. And through this funding we will both create jobs and improve the health and safety of West Virginia communities.’ ‘The protection of West Virginia's drinking water is essential. West Virginia families should be able to trust that the water coming from their faucet is safe," said Senator Rockefeller."
    Wyoming, Jackson Hole Daily, 3/23/09:
    "A Teton County pathway project will receive $300,000 to complete a route from Jackson to the Gros Ventre River in Grand Teton National Park. On Thursday, the Wyoming Department of Transportation Commission approved $300,000 of federal economic stimulus money for the first phase of the pathway along Highway 89 north of Jackson. Tim Young, director of Friends of Pathways, said the stimulus money likely will provide the final funding needed to finish the path. Teton County has won competitive federal grants totaling $3 million, but Young said that money was just shy of what it will take to finish the project. ‘This stimulus funding helps bridge the gap,’ he said."

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  • Recovery In Action: AR, CA, FL, HI, KY, LA, MI, NC, OR, WA, PA, VA

    Posted by Jesse Lee on March 17, 2009 at 8:11 PM EDT

    We’ll start with another inspirational moment, call it the "spirit of the Recovery Act" – Mrs. Obama at YouthBuild AmeriCorps Green Homebuilding Service Day, speaking to young people working hard to help alleviate poverty and build a green future. From the transcript of her remarks on the National Mall in DC, where the enthusiasm on all sides jumps off the page:

    The work you've done here is quite impressive, and the evolution of your work to include green building, something that we're talking more and more about as a nation, energy-saving practices, and environmental awareness, it demonstrates how YouthBuild has endured as a leading non-profit organization, keeping up with the times, making sure that the training and education that you get is current.

    However, for me, it's your core principle that I am so impressed with, of providing opportunities for amazing young people -- amazing young people -- (applause) -- giving folks a second, and third, and fourth chance, particularly low-income youth.  Sometimes we overlook them, we think that they can't be, they can't do.  And it's places like YouthBuild that help you to find yourselves and to be reborn in so many ways, and to help rebuild communities all across this country, but to also complete high school and to graduate, and to do some really special things.  (Applause.)

    And now for a trip around the country.

    Arkansan [Arkansas News, 3/16/09]:

    Stimulus funds to aid state adoptions, foster care… The federal agency said increasing the federal matching rate for federal foster care and adoption assistance programs is intended to provide fiscal relief to states and help allow them to maintain core operations and undertake projects that will put Americans to work during the worst economic crisis in decades.

    California [KSBW-TV, 3/16/09]:

    The state of California will use federal economic stimulus money to put at-risk young adults into green jobs, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Monday. After meeting with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis in Sacramento, Schwarzenegger announced the launch of California Green Corps. "Green jobs are exactly what our economy and environment need right now -- and the California Green Corps targets that need while helping at-risk young adults realize a brighter future," Schwarzenegger said.

    Florida [Tampa Bay Business Journal, 3/16/09]:

    Stimulus boosts Bay area electronic health records plan… Funding included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for electronic health records is expected to lead to 132 new jobs in the Tampa Bay area. The new jobs will be for people who would work alongside physicians as trainers and support staff. They will help doctors convert from writing paper prescriptions to using electronic prescribing, according to a release from PaperFree Tampa Bay, a new public/private partnership. The effort is a first step toward implementing connected electronic health records to improve patient safety and cut costs, the release said.

    Hawaii [Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 3/17/09]:

    State officials are hoping that a big new portion of the federal stimulus package will generate more than 3,000 jobs in local construction for transportation projects. Gov. Linda Lingle announced yesterday that the state was applying for $248.2 million in federal stimulus money… Brennon Morioka, state transportation director, said "we tried to be diverse" when asked how they selected projects for the stimulus money. "We tried to look at jobs for all the trades," Morioka said.

    Kentucky [Louisville Courier-Journal, 3/17/09]:

    Louisville's second federal stimulus boost in two weeks will give the city nearly $15 million to create hiking and biking trails, resurface 70 miles of streets, and build and repair sidewalks throughout the county. Mayor Jerry Abramson said yesterday that the projects will create 1,300 jobs… Smaller cities -- Jeffersontown, Middletown, Pewee Valley and St. Matthews -- will receive a total of more than $3 million from the stimulus program. Last week, the Transit Authority of River City announced that it will get $17.7 million in stimulus money to buy 10 hybrid buses and build an environmentally friendly maintenance annex… "Will it help a lot? Oh, heavens yes," [Public Works Director Ted] Pullen said. "This is three years' worth of normal funding, so it's a good shot."

    Louisiana [Times Picayune, 3/16/09]:

    Louisiana is expected to get $122.3 million in federal economic recovery money to improve the energy efficiency of the homes, government buildings and public transportation over the next three years and to jump start renewable energy projects for electricity generation.  The funds should create scores of new jobs for tradesmen willing to learn green building practices. It will also help moderate-income households around the state improve the energy-efficiency of their homes and lower their utility bills… "What's the word? Unprecedented," said Charlette Minor, program administrator for the energy, home and neighborhood stabilization program at the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, which will administer $50.6 million of the money. "For us as an agency to be able to reach so many families who need that assistance to get their energy costs reduced is incredible." 

    Michigan [Detroit Free Press, 3/17/09]:

    Stimulus to Create Up To 23,000 Construction Jobs in Mich… Under the spending plan, Michigan is expected to receive about $850 million for projects designed to fix or improve its roads, highways and bridges. The timing couldn't be better. Thanks to the severe downturn in the state's construction industry, there are more than enough workers to fill the 20,000 to 23,000 jobs expected to be created.

    North Carolina [Salisbury Post, 3/17/09]:

    The Salisbury Housing Authority will use most of $1.2 million in federal stimulus money to bring central air-conditioning and new heating to three of its public housing developments.  "It really is a godsend," Layton Woodcock, executive director of the housing authority, said of money coming from the recently passed American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. "We didn't know how long it would take for all of our apartments to get central air."  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is distributing stimulus money to local housing authorities based on a complicated formula tied to capital funding, Woodcock said.

    Oregon & Washington [OPB, 3/16/09]:

    Millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds are now available in Oregon and Washington for public lands projects.  The money is expected to create hundreds of jobs.  The U.S. Forest Service will start awarding $10 million in contracts this week for hazardous fuel reduction projects in Oregon. That work will go to private companies already under contract with the Forest Service and is expected to employ about a hundred workers. "It’s the kind of work we’ve been doing for many years.  Reducing fuel in the fire prone areas, thinning trees out," says Tom Knappenberger, a spokesman for the Forest Service.  "In some cases, it’s mechanical.  In other cases, it’s prescribed burns.  All the normal tools we use to reduce the fuels in places that are likely to burn and would cause threats to resources."

    Pennsylvania [WTAE-TV, 3/16/09]:

    Highway and bridge projects financed by $1 billion in federal stimulus money are expected to create thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania, according to Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler. A list of about 240 projects was released at a news conference in Harrisburg on Monday afternoon and posted on www.recovery.pa.gov, the state's Web site for stimulus projects… Biehler estimated that the road projects will directly and indirectly create 30,000 jobs.

    Virginia [Lynchberg News & Advance, 3/17/09]:

    Gladys Elementary to stay open, in large part to stimulus money… Campbell County Schools officials said they will not close Gladys Elementary School and likely will not lay off personnel, due in large part to the federal stimulus plan. "The budget you have tonight does not have any closings in it," said Robert Johnson, assistant superintendent for administration. At a school board meeting last month officials discussed a handful of possible cuts to make up for a budget shortfall, one of which was the closure of the 208-student Gladys school.

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  • Liveblog: The Task Force's first meeting

    Posted by Macon Phillips on February 27, 2009 at 12:26 PM EDT

    The Vice President and his team are in Philadelphia this morning for the first meeting of the Middle Class Task Force, with a focus on a green jobs as a pathway to a strong middle class. Greg Nelson from the White House Office of Public Liaison is attending the meeting and will be filing updates throughout the day.
     

    11:25 a.m.: The event site in Philly is hopping. We just arrived, and students and attendees greeted the motorcade with lots of excitement. The crowd arrived early and is starting to file in, a beautiful mix of community members, labor members, small business and green business owners, and environmental groups.

    11:53 a.m.: The line is reaching way out the door, giving folks a chance to meet each other and tell their stories. Just met Jim Bauer, who is the local United Steelworkers (USW) President at the Gamesa Wind Turbine facility in Fairless Hills, PA. Jim worked for US Steel at the same site for 25 years, but the plant closed. When it opened up three years ago making turbines, Jim returned to the facility and joined the machine shop. They've cranked out 509 turbines so far. Jim says optimism has returned because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

    12:08 p.m.: We're just about ready to get started here. Amazing stories at every turn -- people are hurting, but the optimism around green jobs is everywhere. Dave Johnson of the Laborers Union has been working with Newark community groups on a pilot project to help train community members to weatherize local homes. It is a win, win, win -- better, healthier homes for the homeowner, long-term skills and careers for residents, and reduced energy use and carbon for the world.

    (12:21 p.m.: Ed. note: The Task Force has just made public its first staff report, "Green Jobs: A Pathway to a Strong Middle Class," which you can read in full.)

    12:37 p.m.: And we're underway. Vice President Biden kicked things off with a rundown of why this is so important -- in many states, green companies are some of the few that are hiring. We need to create more of these opportunuities, and -- reflected by the breadth of the audience today, people are hungry for it. Electeds, business leaders, labor members, community members, students, faculty, all wanting to get to work to make this happen.

    12:44 p.m.: Just as impressive as the crowd is the panel -- the VP, 6 cabinet secretaries (including newly confirmed Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, the author of the Green Jobs Act), and senior White House staff. Lots of praise for Senator Specter (R-PA) for making so many green job opportunities possible with his vote on the recovery act. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) is talking about the importance of the energy efficiency components of the recovery act, and how that will help cities like Philadelphia.

    12:46 p.m.: VP Biden just plugged the AStrongMiddleClass.gov and invited attendees to make sure they participate and contribute to the conversation even after today.

    12:50 p.m.: First presentation is from John Podesta from the Center of American Progress, then it will be Fred Krupp from the Environmental Defense Fund and Van Jones from Green for All. You can check out Krupp's presentation and handout, as well as a video from Jones.

    1:01 p.m.: Van's message is about providing opportunity and hope, and the moral responsibility to make sure this green wave is one that lifts all boats -- "a green economy that MLK would be proud of." The way to do that, he says, is to make sure green jobs crop up not just in rural and suburban areas, but in urban areas, too. To great applause: "There is a moral principle to green the ghetto first ... to give young people the chance to put down that handgun and pick up a caulking gun."

    1:05 p.m.: Van is describing the impact of opportunity and inspiration. The green dollars in the opportunity act are 'the hardest working dollars the federal government has ever spent....We need a new commitment, we need a new math, and we need a new ethic. And that's how we fight poverty and pollution at the same time." And for his own inspiration and push for opportunity, Van gets a standing ovation.

    1:20 p.m.: "when I see less carbon, I also see more jobs." That's from Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund, which has invested a lot of time and energy into the details of how to make green jobs a reality. Fred is taking the remarkable vision of Van, and breaking it down step-by-step back through the supply chain: from end products (like solar panels or efficient windows or LEDs) to the components to the original raw materials. Where and how those supply chains get developed -- and the jobs each step in the supply chain represents -- is what will determine how well we can live this vision.

    1:27 p.m.: Members of the Task Force are now asking questions. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis asked about gender in green jobs.Van answered by talking about where green jobs are headed: not just solar panel installations, but also managerial jobs, IT jobs, marketing jobs, and education jobs. Agriculture Secretary Vilsack mentioned the USDA programs supporting green jobs, and how popular and effective it is. He then asked about mayors, and what we can ask of mayors to help get this done. John Podesta answered: it's about scale. We need to create markets that can build and support this massive task and opportunity ahead of us.

    1:38 p.m.: Energy Secretary Chu asked: with all the energy efficiency money in the ARRA, how do we help spend it in a way that greats good jobs? Van: The moment is now. The money is here. Now it is about doing it right. Because we could do this poorly and wrong. But let's do it well and right, by:

    1. Using our existing workforce development mechanisms, community colleges, and labor apprenticeship programs.
    2. Sticking to High standards. The best trained workers in this area are our labor members. Help them bring it to fruition.

    Podesta added that we also need to leverage private financing, especially to reach neighborhoods and homes.

    1:44 p.m.: HUD Secretary Donovan: Part of the new math is about how we can leverage energy savings to help finance energy efficiency for individual homeowners. Where can we get the best data and thinking? Van: Great work at MIT. They've been working with unions, labor, and other partners on a program called Emerald Cities.

    1:48 p.m.: Education Secretary Duncan: How do we systemically give opportunities to students who need them? Too often, it seems like it relies on a remarkable social entrepreneur or non-profit to open those eyes and those doors. Van: starts early, in the curriculum. The greener, the more successful. 

    1:54 p.m.: Moving on to panel 2. Coming to the mics are: Governor Rendell (D-PA), Mayor Nutter (D-PA), Leo Gerard (United Steelworkers), Mark Edlin (President, Gerding-Edlin), Cecilia Estolano (CEO of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Authority)

    2:02 p.m.: After a quick break, the Task Force jumps right back into some heavy content. Gov. Rendell leads off. As a Governor, he makes the important note that much of the innovation in this area has been in the States. Rendell has 3 points he suggests the panel address:

    1. create markets through renewable portfolio standards
    2. direct incentives and support
    3. use the power of the government as a consumer to make change

    2:16 p.m.: And we finally get to hear from the host -- a city that Nutter himself called "stimulus-ready." Nutter is making green jobs a major focus in his economic development work in Philly. As he said in his testimony, whether you have a GED or a PHD, we've got a green job for you in Philly.

    A bit of news: the Knight Foundation is granting $1.1 million to the city's Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) to train workers for green jobs, in collaboration with the mayor's office.

    2:20 p.m.: Nutter: "'Philadelphia was the first capital of the United States, and we plan to be the first capital of green jobs."

    2:30 p.m.: One of the key partners in making green jobs a reality has been Labor, in particular the United Steelworkers of America. USW President Leo Gerard has been a visionary on this issue, and has been building coalitions with enviro groups for years -- he's a founder of the Apollo Alliance and the Blue Green Alliance. President Gerard's members are truly the engine behind green jobs -- 2700 people showed up at the Good Jobs Green Jobs conference this month. They are the machinists at Gamesa's wind turbine facilities, the glassmakers in window factories, and the line workers in battery manufacturing. And right now, some of those jobs are in danger because the markets have dried up. But the Recovery Act has a chance to change that. Let's make it count.

    He's also make a big commitment; that the Blue Green Alliance is going to develop a Green Jobs scorecard to help evaluate the impact of projects paid for by the Recovery Bill. A great addition. (Check out President Gerard's presentation.)

    2:42 p.m.: Cecilia Estolano is talking about the work that she and Mayor Villaraigosa have been doing in Los Angeles -- alongside now CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley (and LA's Vice Mayor for Energy and Environment). LA has been at the forefront of many of these conversations, with real results. Estolano ended by saying: 'Thank you, Mr. Vice President, it is so nice to -- finally -- have a partner in the White House." 

    2:50 p.m.: One of the healthiest (and at times very funny) undercurrents of today's event has been each speaker claiming that his home town or state is the greenest. It came to a head with Mark Edlen (of Gerding Edlen's), who claimed Portland and Oregon are the greenest -- highest rate of renewables, highest hybrid car ratio, etc. That prompted Estalano to stand up for LA, Nutter for Philly, and Rendell for PA. VP Biden finally brokered a truce by calling the competition "healthy" but maybe best left for after the meeting.

    2:54 p.m.: Mark Edlen talking now. He and his company -- Portland, OR-based architecture firm Gerding-Edlen -- in a lot of ways created an industry and market for green city living. He believes they can go further -- zero impact buildings. Gerding-Edlin just completed a 400-thousand square foot building that is off the sewer grid, and in fact puts water back into the system.

    Mark also talked about a new initiative by Governor Ted Kulongoski (D-OR) called The Oregon Way. Gov K has brought together a public-private board to evaluate potential projects to be paid for by recovery funding -- and to rate them based on their impact in jobs and sustainability.

    3:14 p.m. -- Biden wrapping up now. In addition to running the Middle Class Task Force, he's also the lead for Recovery Act Implementation, and he drew an important connection between green jobs, the middle class, and the Recovery Act. The act has tons of opportunity, he says, but a lot of hard work lies ahead in execution: openness, transparency, and impact -- it can be either a "platform or a tombstone." So let's get it right.

    Paraphrasing: Green jobs are not autonmatically good jobs without fair pay and strong standards...So let's be level-headed about this, and make sure we do it right, while making sure we acheive our first goal of directly impacting the economy. And do it with openness, transparency, and with accountability.

    4:21 p.m. -- (Ed. Note: Other big news today: Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan and Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced a major partnership between their departments that will use $16 billion in funds from the ARRA to help create green jobs. The high-level interagency task force will "make it much easier for families to weatherize their homes and spur a new home energy efficiency industry that could create tens of thousands of jobs.")

    4:50 p.m. -- (Ed.Note: The Vice President's full remarks from the opening of the meeting are now available.)

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  • The President's address (Update: photos, video, full remarks, and excerpt translations)

    Posted by Macon Phillips on February 24, 2009 at 8:20 PM EDT

    UDPATE 3: Translations
    Excerpts of last night's address are now available in Arabic, Bahasa, Chinese, Farsi, French, Russian, and Swahili.
    UPDATE 2: Video.
    UPDATE: Read the President's full remarks, in English or en español.
    The President's address
    White House photo 2/24/09 by Pete Souza

    The President's address to a joint session of Congress
    White House photo 2/24/09 by Joyce N. Boghosian
    The President is gearing up to give his first address to a joint session of Congress tonight (it's not technically a State of the Union, since it's the first year of his administration).
    Read an excerpt of his address below, and see the names of the Americans who will be seated in the First Lady’s box during the President’s remarks.
    The First Lady and her guests
    White House photo 2/24/09 by Pete Souza
    Excerpts: 
    While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.
    "The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more.
    We have lived through an era where too often, short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity; where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election.  A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future.  Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market.  People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway.  And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day. 
    Well that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here.
    Now is the time to act boldly and wisely – to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity.  Now is the time to jumpstart job creation, re-start lending, and invest in areas like energy, health care, and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down.  That is what my economic agenda is designed to do, and that’s what I’d like to talk to you about tonight.
    The recovery plan and the financial stability plan are the immediate steps we’re taking to revive our economy in the short-term.  But the only way to fully restore America’s economic strength is to make the long-term investments that will lead to new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world. The only way this century will be another American century is if we confront at last the price of our dependence on oil and the high cost of health care; the schools that aren’t preparing our children and the mountain of debt they stand to inherit.  That is our responsibility.
    In the next few days, I will submit a budget to Congress.  So often, we have come to view these documents as simply numbers on a page or laundry lists of programs.  I see this document differently.  I see it as a vision for America – as a blueprint for our future.
    My budget does not attempt to solve every problem or address every issue.  It reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited – a trillion dollar deficit, a financial crisis, and a costly recession. 
    Given these realities, everyone in this chamber – Democrats and Republicans – will have to sacrifice some worthy priorities for which there are no dollars.  And that includes me.  
    But that does not mean we can afford to ignore our long-term challenges.  I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves; that says government has no role in laying the foundation for our common prosperity.
    Yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office.  My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs.  As you can imagine, this is a process that will take some time.  But we’re starting with the biggest lines.  We have already identified two trillion dollars in savings over the next decade.
    In this budget, we will end education programs that don’t work and end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don’t need them.  We’ll eliminate the no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq, and reform our defense budget so that we’re not paying for Cold War-era weapons systems we don’t use.  We will root out the waste, fraud, and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn’t make our seniors any healthier, and we will restore a sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas.
    I know that we haven’t agreed on every issue thus far, and there are surely times in the future when we will part ways.  But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed.  That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months, and where we return after those debates are done.  That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground.
    But in my life, I have also learned that hope is found in unlikely places; that inspiration often comes not from those with the most power or celebrity, but from the dreams and aspirations of Americans who are anything but ordinary.
    I think about Leonard Abess, the bank president from Miami who reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60 million bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for him.  He didn’t tell anyone, but when the local newspaper found out, he simply said, ''I knew some of these people since I was 7 years old.  I didn't feel right getting the money myself."
    I think about Greensburg, Kansas, a town that was completely destroyed by a tornado, but is being rebuilt by its residents as a global example of how clean energy can power an entire community – how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place where piles of bricks and rubble once lay.  "The tragedy was terrible," said one of the men who helped them rebuild.  "But the folks here know that it also provided an incredible opportunity."
    And I think about Ty’Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina – a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom.  She has been told that her school is hopeless, but the other day after class she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this room.  She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp.  The letter asks us for help, and says, "We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina but also the world.  We are not quitters.

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