White House Daily Roundup 2/5/10White House Daily Roundup 2/5/10
PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS
Arkansas Disaster Declaration
President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of New Jersey and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by a snowstorm during the period of December 19-20, 2010.
Administration Appointments:
Chuck Close, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Fred Goldring, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Sheila Johnson, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Pamela Joyner, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Jhumpa Lahiri, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
Ken Solomon, Member, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
No Nominations Sent To The Senate
EVENTS
CIA Memorial Service
The President’s motorcade left the White House at 10:13 a.m. to travel to Langley, VA for a memorial service for the seven agency employees killed in Afghanistan late last year.
President Obama spoke of the country’s gratitude to the families. “Everything you instilled in them — the virtues of service and decency and duty — were on display that December day. That is what you gave them. That is what you gave to America. And our nation will be forever in your debt.” He told CIA officers that their “seven heroes” were at the vanguard of a mission vital to national security. “Let their sacrifice be a summons. To carry on their work. To complete this mission. To win this war, and to keep our country safe.”
CIA Director Leon E. Panetta paid tribute to the talent and accomplishments of the fallen, telling their loved ones that Agency officers “simply cannot do these jobs — we can’t do these jobs — without the love and support of our families.” He called the seven “genuine patriots” who “lived up to our highest principles,” and pledged that CIA would strive to be worthy of them.
Small Business
At 1:00, the President and SBA administrator, Karen Mills, met privately with small business representatives from Oasis Mechanical Contractors, Pizzaria Paradiso, and Potomac Riverboat Company at the Oasis location. In recognizing the 9.7% unemployment figure, the President said “These numbers, while positive, are a cause for hope, not celebration.” He reviewed the various job initiatives he’s proposed in the last week and announced two new proposals — legislation to allow small businesses to refinance their commercial mortgages through the SBA, and increases the cap on SBA Express loans.
PRESS
Statement from the President on House Passage of PAYGO
“I am pleased that the House of Representatives has passed statutory pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) into law.
Statutory PAYGO would hold us to a simple but bedrock principle: Congress can only spend a dollar if it saves a dollar elsewhere. Mandatory spending increases and tax cuts must be paid for; they’re not free, and borrowing to finance them is not a sustainable long-term policy.
It is no coincidence that when we last had statutory PAYGO, during the 1990s, we turned deficits into surpluses. The passage of statutory PAYGO today will help usher out an era of irresponsibility and begin putting the country back on a fiscally sustainable path.”
Statement by the Press Secretary on the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Brian Cowen of Ireland
President Obama will welcome Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Brian Cowen of Ireland to the White House on Wednesday, March 17. The United States and Ireland share strong bilateral relations, deep cultural ties, and a commitment to positive change in the world. The President appreciates the personal contributions and steadfast support of the Taoiseach and U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown in support of the historic agreement achieved by Northern Ireland leaders today, which is an important step on the pathway to greater peace and prosperity for all communities on the island. The President looks forward to commemorating his second St. Patrick’s Day in the White House with the Taoiseach, a celebration which serves as a reminder of the shared history and close kinship between our two countries.
The President will also greet First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Northern Ireland at the White House on March 17 and discuss their progress toward meeting their shared commitments.
On Sunday, the President and the First Lady will host a Super Bowl party at the White House. Attendees will include Members of Congress, Cabinet members, as well as service members who were injured in Iraq or Afghanistan and their families. A list of expected attendees is below.
Members of Congress:
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA)
Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA)
Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN)
Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)
Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN)
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Cabinet Members:
Secretary Shaun Donovan
Secretary Arne Duncan
Attorney General Eric Holder
Administrator Lisa Jackson
Secretary Janet Napolitano
Ambassador Susan Rice
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary Eric Shinseki
Secretary Tom Vilsack
VICE PRESIDENT
Feb 5 – Feb 7, The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden will visit Beaver Creek, Colorado, with their family. There are no public events scheduled.