White House

Press Briefing By White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs; And Ambassador To China Jon Huntsman; Senior Director For The National Security Council For Asian Affairs Jeff Bader; Deputy National Security Advisor Mike Froman; And Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes

November 17, 2009 -- MR. GIBBS: Good afternoon, guys. I am going to very brief, so brief that all I'm going to do is turn this over to -- first to Ambassador Huntsman, to give us a few minutes on the trip; Jeff Bader, who will talk a little bit more about -- in addition to what the Ambassador talks about -- what happened at some of the meetings today; as well as Mike Froman, who you've heard from during the trip.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- Today, President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao announced a far-reaching package of measures to strengthen cooperation between the United States and China on clean energy. Attached are six fact sheets on the U.S-China clean energy announcements.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- Beijing, China -- At the invitation of President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China, President Barack Obama of the United States of America is paying a state visit to China from November 15–18, 2009. The Presidents held in-depth, productive and candid discussions on U.S.-China relations and other issues of mutual interest.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

• Julie Brill, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
• Edith Ramirez, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
• Scott H. DeLisi, Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, Department of State
• Beatrice W. Welters, Ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Department of State
• Earl F. Gohl, Jr., Federal Co-Chair, Appalachian Regional Commission

President Obama said, “These individuals bring a depth of experience to their respective roles, and I am confident they will serve my administration and the American people well. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- “As American families prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, we received an unsettling report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that found that hunger rose significantly last year. This trend was already painfully clear in many communities across our nation, where food stamp applications are surging and food pantry shelves are emptying.

It is particularly troubling that there were more than 500,000 families in which a child experienced hunger multiple times over the course of the year. Our children’s ability to grow, learn, and meet their full potential – and therefore our future competitiveness as a nation – depends on regular access to healthy meals.    » read more »

November 14, 2009 -- Filing Center, Hotel Okura, Tokyo, Japan -- MR. GIBBS: Hello, everyone. I'll take a few questions after this. We've got joining us today Michael Froman, Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs, to walk you through a little preview of APEC; and Ben Rhodes, if there are any lingering questions from today's speech. And I'll give it to them.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- Museum of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China -- PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good afternoon. It is a great honor for me to be here in Shanghai, and to have this opportunity to speak with all of you. I'd like to thank Fudan University's President Yang for his hospitality and his gracious welcome. I'd also like to thank our outstanding Ambassador, Jon Huntsman, who exemplifies the deep ties and respect between our nations. I don't know what he said, but I hope it was good. (Laughter.)    » read more »

November 12, 2009 -- Diplomatic Reception Room -- THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. Before departing for Asia this morning, I’d like to make a brief statement about the economy.

Over the past 10 months, we’ve taken a number of bold steps to break the back of this recession. We’ve worked to stabilize the financial system, revive lending to small businesses and families, and prevent responsible homeowners from losing their homes. And through the Recovery Act, we’ve cut taxes for middle class families, extended and increased unemployment insurance, and created and saved more than a million jobs.    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Every day, Americans who recycle conserve valuable resources while reducing our Nation's carbon footprint. The reprocessing of materials is fundamental to our future prosperity, as recycling helps preserve our natural environment and sustain our economy. Recycling in the United States is a $236 billion industry, employing 1.1 million workers nationwide in 56,000 businesses. On America Recycles Day, we celebrate the individuals, communities, local governments, and businesses that recycle their waste and continually think of innovative ways to use materials that might otherwise be discarded.    » read more »

November 15, 2009 -- On November 15, President Obama participated in the 17th Annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ meeting in Singapore. APEC members account for 53% of global GDP, purchase 58% of U.S. goods exports, and represent a market of 2.7 billion consumers. In 2008, U.S. goods exports to the Asia-Pacific totaled $747 billion, an increase of 8.3% over 2007. During that same period, U.S. services exports to the region totaled $186.5 billion, up 7.7 percent.    » read more »

November 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – With the investigation into the tragedy at Fort Hood ongoing, President Barack Obama used his weekly address to call for a careful and complete review of what happened before the tragedy.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
November 14, 2009

This was a week for honoring the extraordinary service and profound sacrifice of our men and women in uniform.

Every fall, we set aside a special day to pay tribute to our veterans. But this year, Veteran’s Day took on even greater poignancy and meaning because of the tragic events at Fort Hood.    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

• Walter Crawford Jones, United States Executive Director, African Development Bank
• Leocadia I. Zak, Director, United States Trade and Development Agency

President Obama will also appoint Olivia Morgan to serve on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

President Obama said, “I am grateful that these exceptional individuals will serve in these important positions, and their experience will be valued in my administration. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals today:    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- The Government of the United States of America and the Government of Japan welcome the renewed international attention and commitment to achieve the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons and confirm their determination to realize such a world.

They welcome, in this context, the recent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Summit on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Disarmament and UNSC Resolutions 1540 and 1887, as well as the resolution of the Government of Japan, co-sponsored by the Government of the United States, to the United Nations General Assembly entitled "Renewed determination towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons."    » read more »

November 12, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the Department of Transportation has jumpstarted more than 10,000 transportation projects across America thanks to its swift allocation of Recovery Act dollars. As of this week, state agencies reported a total of 10,041 approved    » read more »