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Council on Women and Girls Friday Highlights

Welcome to the Council on Women and Girls Weekly Highlights! In celebration of Independence Day, the First Family joined more than 1,200 military heroes and their families for a barbeque, a special USO show featuring Train and Amos Lee, and a viewing of the fireworks over the National Mall.

This week, President Obama answered a series of questions on jobs and the economy at the first-ever Twitter Town Hall at the White House. The President stated that progress has been made, and though we still need to work through some real differences, that even greater progress is within reach.

If you have friends or family who would like to join our Council on Women and Girls efforts, please have them click here.

Fourth of July Celebration at the White House

First Lady’s Young African Women Leaders Forum Follow-Up Discussion: Global Webchat Connects Youth From Africa to Youth in the United States

Video| President Obama @ Twitter Town Hall: Economy, Jobs, Deficit, and Space Exploration
We Will Honor All Those Who Have Fallen

What You Can Do to Support Military Families

Council on Veterans Employment Meets to Discuss the Way Forward

The Departments of Justice and Education Resolve Gender-Based Harassment Case

Woman Business Owner Creates Clean Energy Jobs By Being Bold

President Obama Addresses the Status of the Deficit Negotiations

The Employment Situation in June

Mile High City with Mountains of Ideas

Health Insurance Leads to Healthier Americans

West Wing Week: "Ready to Tweet!"

Weekly Wrap Up: Making History with a Tweet

This week on WhiteHouse.gov, we celebrated our Independence and introduced a new kind of Town Hall meeting.

@TownHall: The President held the first ever Twitter Town Hall on Wednesday. He answered questions posted on the social network covering a variety of topics, including the economy, job creation and the deficit. Watch the video above, or check out individual questions with video links to the President's responses. You can also read the full remarks here.

President Barack Obama tweets a question during the Twitter Town Hall in the East Room of the White House, July 6, 2011. Twitter co-founder and Executive Chairman Jack Dorsey, who served as the town hall moderator, is pictured at left. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

West Wing Week features some behind-the-scenes footage of the historic event:"Ready to Tweet"

Space Shuttle Atlantis: The President hails the brave crew of Atlantis as they successfully launch the Space Shuttle's final mission. He challenges the men and women of NASA to break new boundaries in space exploration and send an American team to Mars.

Medicaid: More than Just Numbers

It’s no secret that our country is in the middle of a tough dialogue about the budget and spending. President Obama knows that the American people and ordinary families should be at the heart of these discussions. 

In recent days, White House officials have been meeting with organizations like The Arc, MomsRising, and Family Voices to discuss the important role Medicaid plays in the lives of millions of Americans. They heard from parents of children with developmental, intellectual and physical  disabilities who told us about Medicaid providing the services and supports so their children could thrive in the community when no one had given them a chance. They heard from mothers who would go without health care but for Medicaid and families where Medicaid has helped change and save lives.

The families we met and the stories they told put a human face on the discussions going on in Washington. From Family Voices we met Laura, a passionate young girl and aspiring author from Indiana.  Through MomsRising we met Gail from Utah who would not be here today without the support Medicaid provided as she dealt with breast cancer . And through The Arc we met the Keaton family of West Virginia and their 18-month-old son Graysen, who has DiGeorge Syndrome.

We know that Medicaid helps provide services so that people with disabilities can be sisters, and brothers, daughters and sons, friends, peers, and classmates -- not patients. And yesterday, Sherry Glied from HHS wrote about a landmark new study that outlines the tremendous benefits that come from having Medicaid coverage. That’s why President Obama has proposed a package of reforms that save money and strengthen this critical program without shifting the cost of care to our seniors or people with disabilities. 

Medicaid can be more efficient and the President’s plan helps streamline the program to save money and provide better care. But the President’s plan stands in sharp contrast to the Republican plan that transforms Medicaid into a dramatically underfunded block grant. Under the Republican plan, states would get one-third less for Medicaid by 2021, potentially leaving 15 million people without coverage, including seniors in nursing homes, people with disabilities, children and pregnant women.

The families my colleagues met with traveled many miles to share their stories with us and as the discussion about our fiscal future continues, we will be doing all we can to fight for them and the millions of Americans who depend on Medicaid each and every day.

Jon Carson is Deputy Assistant to President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement
 

Travels with the First Lady: A Remarkable Journey in Africa

As we set out for Africa we knew we were in for a remarkable journey. We knew we would visit historical and sacred sites, and meet with inspirational leaders. And while these events were truly extraordinary, the moments that defined the trip were those we shared with young people who are shaping their countries in Africa, and organizations that are working to strengthen communities. I want to highlight some of the amazing organizations we visited, and share some of the stories behind the events you saw unfold.