White House

Clearing Up the Bonuses Issue

We wanted to clear up some confusion about where the President stands on bonuses and excessive executive compensation. A recent headline from an interview the President did with Bloomberg yesterday inaccurately made it sound like the President brushed off the impact of bonuses and applauded the role of bankers.  This naturally came as a surprise […]

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White House

Responding to Concerns Over Ryan White Emergency Housing Policy

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced today that it is rescinding enforcement of its 24-month cumulative cap on short-term and emergency housing assistance under the Ryan White program. This is a temporary step pending a broader review of Ryan White housing policies.  See the announcement in the Federal Register. Late last year, I […]

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White House

UN Appoints Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict

Following up on the U.S.-led Security Council session on preventing sexual violence in conflict, the United Nations has appointed Margot Wallstrom as the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.  This is a newly created position to lead, coordinate, and advocate for efforts to end conflict-related sexual violence against women and children and bring  more […]

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White House

Newt Gingrich Gets It Wrong

Last night, John Stewart interviewed former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on The Daily Show.   Mr. Gingrich aired his share of criticisms, including how the Administration handled the recent attempted Christmas Day attack in Detroit.  While Mr. Gingrich is certainly entitled to his opinions, he isn’t entitled to his own facts.  Take this exchange for […]

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In Any State, at Any Time: A Reminder of the Urgency of Health Reform

In our current health insurance system, too many Americans are at the whim of private, for-profit insurance companies who are raking in billions in profits each year, while policyholders struggle to make ends meet in this tough economy.  Insurance companies can raise premiums or slash benefits, and there’s not much families can do about it, […]

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White House

Reaching Across the Aisle on Jobs and Health Reform

Click here to see the video. Following up on the unique conversation the President held with House Republicans at their retreat, the President invited bipartisan leadership from Congress to the White House to discuss job creation and the economy.  Making a surprise appearance at the daily press briefing afterwards, the President relayed some thoughts on […]

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White House

A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement

[Ed. Note: This event was moved to today due to tomorrow’s weather forecast] Today marks the beginning of the 2010 White House music series with “In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement” – a concert celebrating Black History month. At 3pm EST today, the White House will […]

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Making Moves for a Healthier Generation

"It’s done, honey," President Obama said to The First Lady earlier today as he signed a Presidential Memorandum establishing a task force on childhood obesity to address the growing health epidemic. "Now we work," she responded.   The new task force is charged with developing an interagency action plan to solve the problem of obesity among our […]

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Setting the Record Straight on the Christmas Day Attack

John Brennan, who serves as Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, took to the pages of USA Today this morning to clear up some falsehoods being spread by those seeking to get political advantage out of this national security matter: Politics should never get in the way of […]

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White House

Gibbs Responds to Boehner, Cantor

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs just responded to a letter sent today from House Republican Leader John Boehner and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor regarding the proposed bipartisan health care summit: The President is adamant that we seize this historic moment to pass meaningful health insurance reform legislation. He began this process by inviting Republican […]

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