EMBARGOED: FY 2011 Mid-Session Review

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503

EMBARGOED UNTIL 3:00 P.M. ET, FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2010

FY 2011 Mid-Session Review

The EMBARGOED FY 2011 Mid-Session Review is attached.

 

For Planning Purposes Only: OMB Director Peter Orszag, OMB Acting Deputy Director Jeffrey Liebman, and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer will host a phone briefing for reporters at 2:30 p.m. today to present updated Budget data in the MSR. To obtain call-in information, email media@omb.eop.gov.

 

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EMBARGOED: Department of Energy Releases New Report on Economic Impact of Recovery Act Advanced Vehicle Investments

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

______________________________________________________________________________

EMBARGOED UNTIL 8:00 PM EDT

July 14, 2010

 

EMBARGOED: Department of Energy Releases New Report on Economic Impact of Recovery Act Advanced Vehicle Investments

Report Finds Recovery Act Advanced Vehicle Projects Are Creating Jobs, Spurring Private Capital Investment and Cutting Electric Vehicle Cost

**Embargoed until 8:00 PM EDT**

 

WASHINGTON, DC – Ahead of President Obama’s trip to Holland, MI tomorrow for the official groundbreaking of the new Compact Power plant, the Department of Energy today released a new report on the economic impact of Recovery Act investments in advanced batteries and vehicles.  The report, “Recovery Act Investments: Transforming America’s Transportation Sector,” documents how Recovery Act funds are being matched with private capital to create new jobs, construct new plants, add new manufacturing lines, install electric vehicle charging stations across the country and help build the emerging domestic electric vehicle industry from the ground up.

 

The report can be viewed in full HERE. 

 

Among the key highlights of the report:

 

·         For every dollar of the $2.4 billion in seed money the government provided through the Recovery Act advanced battery and electric vehicle grants, the companies have matched it at minimum dollar for dollar. 

 

·         Pre-Recovery Act, the U.S. produced just 2 percent of the world’s batteries for advanced vehicles, but due to Recovery Act investments, the U.S. will have the capacity to produce 20 percent of these batteries by 2012 and up to 40 percent by 2015 - that’s a jump from 2 percent to 40 percent in a span of just five years. 

 

·         Nine of the nine new battery plants opening as a result of Recovery Act investments will have started construction by Thursday – and four of those will be operational by the end of the year.  In addition, twenty-one other plants will make battery or electric vehicle components with the help of Recovery Act grants.

 

·         Before the Recovery Act, high battery costs meant a car with a 100 mile range would need a battery that cost $33,000.  But because of the higher-volume domestic manufacturing the Recovery Act is spurring, the cost of such a battery could come down to $16,000 by the end of 2013 and $10,000 by the end of 2015, dramatically driving down the cost of an electric vehicle and greatly expanding the domestic market.

 

·         Before the Recovery Act, there were less than 500 electric vehicle charging locations in the U.S., but as a result of Recovery Act investments, there will be over 20,000 by 2012. 

 

Compact Power is the ninth of nine new advanced battery plants that will open as a result of the $2.4 billion in Recovery Act advanced battery and electric vehicle awards President Obama announced last August.  Before the Recovery Act, there were no domestic factories doing high-volume manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles, but due to Recovery Act investments, the U.S. will have the capacity to produce up to 40 percent of the world’s batteries by 2015.  The $151 million Recovery Act grant awarded to Compact Power last August has been matched more than dollar-for-dollar by the company.  As a result of this public-private partnership, the Compact project is expected to create and save hundreds of construction jobs in Holland and put hundreds of Michigan workers on the job at the new Compact Power plant once it is fully operational.  The Compact Power plant in Holland will manufacture batteries to support 52,000 Chevy Volts a year and will also supply batteries for the new electric Ford Focus.

 

In addition to the President’s event, a half dozen Cabinet Members and senior Administration officials are traveling across the country this week, visiting businesses that are benefiting from Recovery Act investments in advanced batteries and electric vehicles and surveying the significant progress they have made in less than a year. 

 

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EMBARGOED: Administration Officials to Hold Conference Call to Preview the President's Trip to Holland, Michigan

The White House

Office of Media Affairs

EMBARGOED UNTIL 8:00 PM EDT

July 14, 2010

 

 

EMBARGOED: Gov. Granholm, Administration Officials to Preview the President’s Trip to Holland, Michigan

Officials to preview new DOE report on Recovery Act investments in advanced battery and electric vehicle industry

 

WASHINGTON- Today at 4:00 p.m. EDT, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer, and Matt Rogers, Senior Advisor to Energy Secretary Chu, will hold a press conference call ahead of the President's trip to Holland, MI, for the official groundbreaking of the new Compact Power plant.  As part of the call, they will preview a new Department of Energy report to be released on Thursday that details how Recovery Act investments are creating jobs and helping to build the domestic advanced battery and electric vehicle industry from the ground up.  The Compact Power plant is the ninth of nine new advanced battery plants to start construction as a result of the $2.4 billion in Recovery Act advanced battery and electric vehicle grant awards the President announced last August.  Compact Power, a subsidiary of LG Chem, is matching its $151 million Recovery Act grant dollar-for-dollar to build a new plant in Holland that will manufacture advanced batteries for the Chevy Volt and the new electric Ford Focus. 

 

WHAT: Embargoed Conference Call with Administration Officials, Governor Granholm to Preview the President’s Trip to Holland, Michigan

 

WHO:             Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm

Dan Pfeiffer, White House Communications Director

Matt Rogers, Senior Advisor to Energy Secretary Chu

 

WHEN: Today at 4:00 p.m. EDT

 

DIAL IN: Reporters that wish to join this call should dial (800) 288-8967 and ask to join the “Batteries Call.”

 

 

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EMBARGOED: Weekly Address: President Obama Announces Changes to Help Veterans with PTSD Receive the Benefits They Need

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________________________
EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM ET, SATURDAY, July 10, 2010

WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Announces Changes to Help Veterans with PTSD Receive the Benefits They Need

 

WASHINGTON – In this week’s address, President Barack Obama announced that on Monday the Department of Veterans Affairs, led by Secretary Shinseki, will begin to make it easier for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to receive the benefits they need.  For many years, veterans with PTSD have been stymied in receiving benefits by requirements they produce evidence proving a specific event caused the PTSD.  Streamlining this process will help not just the veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, but generations of veterans who have served and sacrificed for the country.

 

The audio and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 am ET, Saturday, July 10, 2010.

 

Remarks of President Barack Obama

As Prepared for Delivery

Weekly Address

July 10, 2010

 

Last weekend, on the Fourth of July, Michelle and I welcomed some of our extraordinary military men and women and their families to the White House.

 

They were just like the thousands of active duty personnel and veterans I’ve met across this country and around the globe.  Proud.  Strong.  Determined.  Men and women with the courage to answer their country’s call, and the character to serve the United States of America.

 

Because of that service; because of the honor and heroism of our troops around the world; our people are safer, our nation is more secure, and we are poised to end our combat mission in Iraq by the end of August, completing a drawdown of more than 90,000 troops since last January.

 

Still, we are a nation at war.  For the better part of a decade, our men and women in uniform have endured tour after tour in distant and dangerous places.  Many have risked their lives.  Many have given their lives.  And as a grateful nation, humbled by their service, we can never honor these American heroes or their families enough.

 

Just as we have a solemn responsibility to train and equip our troops before we send them into harm’s way, we have a solemn responsibility to provide our veterans and wounded warriors with the care and benefits they’ve earned when they come home.

 

That is our sacred trust with all who serve – and it doesn’t end when their tour of duty does.

 

To keep that trust, we’re building a 21st century VA, increasing its budget, and ensuring the steady stream of funding it needs to support medical care for our veterans.

 

To help our veterans and their families pursue a college education, we’re funding and implementing the post-9/11 GI Bill.

 

To deliver better care in more places, we’re expanding and increasing VA health care, building new wounded warrior facilities, and adapting care to better meet the needs of female veterans.

 

To stand with those who sacrifice, we’ve dedicated new support for wounded warriors and the caregivers who put their lives on hold for a loved one’s long recovery.

 

And to do right by our vets, we’re working to prevent and end veteran homelessness – because in the United States of America, no one who served in our uniform should sleep on our streets.

 

We also know that for many of today’s troops and their families, the war doesn’t end when they come home.

 

Too many suffer from the signature injuries of today’s wars: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.  And too few receive the screening and treatment they need.

 

Now, in past wars, this wasn’t something America always talked about.  And as a result, our troops and their families often felt stigmatized or embarrassed when it came to seeking help.

 

Today, we’ve made it clear up and down the chain of command that folks should seek help if they need it.  In fact, we’ve expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets.

 

But for years, many veterans with PTSD who have tried to seek benefits – veterans of today’s wars and earlier wars – have often found themselves stymied.  They’ve been required to produce evidence proving that a specific event caused their PTSD.  And that practice has kept the vast majority of those with PTSD who served in non-combat roles, but who still waged war, from getting the care they need.

 

Well, I don’t think our troops on the battlefield should have to take notes to keep for a claims application.  And I’ve met enough veterans to know that you don’t have to engage in a firefight to endure the trauma of war.

 

So we’re changing the way things are done.

 

On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs, led by Secretary Ric Shinseki, will begin making it easier for a veteran with PTSD to get the benefits he or she needs.

 

This is a long-overdue step that will help veterans not just of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, but generations of their brave predecessors who proudly served and sacrificed in all our wars.

 

It’s a step that proves America will always be here for our veterans, just as they’ve been there for us.  We won’t let them down.  We take care of our own.  And as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, that’s what we’re going to keep doing.  Thank you.

 

EMBARGOED: TODAY: Senior VA Officials to Hold Background Briefing to Preview New Policy on Veterans' Disability Benefits

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY

July 9, 2010

 

**EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00AM EDT SATURDAY, JULY 10^th**

 

TODAY: Senior VA Officials to Hold Background Briefing to Preview New Policy on Veterans’ Disability Benefits

 

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Friday, July 9^th at 2:00pm ET, senior officials from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs will hold a background briefing to preview a new policy on Veterans’ disability benefits that will be released on Monday.  The briefing call will be on background and will be embargoed until 6:00am on Saturday, July 10^th.

 

WHAT: Background briefing call with senior VA officials on new policy regarding Veterans’ disability benefits

 

WHEN: TODAY, July 9^th at 2:00pm ET

 

DIAL-IN: Media interested in joining the call should dial (800) 398-9402 and ask for the “White House call.”  No pass code is necessary.

 

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EMBARGOED: Weekly Address: President Obama Touts Nearly $2 Billion in New Investments to Help Build a Clean Energy Economy

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________________________
EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM ET, SATURDAY, July 3, 2010

WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Touts Nearly $2 Billion in New Investments to Help Build a Clean Energy Economy

 

WASHINGTON – In this week’s address, President Barack Obama announced that the Department of Energy is awarding nearly $2 billion in conditional commitments from the Recovery Act to two solar companies. Abengoa Solar has agreed to build one of the largest solar plants in the world in Arizona, which will create about 1,600 construction jobs with over 70 percent of the construction components and products manufactured here in the USA.  When completed, this plant will provide enough clean energy to power 70,000 homes.  And, Abound Solar Manufacturing is building two new plants, one in Colorado and one in Indiana.  These projects will create more than 2,000 construction jobs, and over 1,500 permanent jobs as the plants produce millions of state of the art solar panels each year. 

 

The full audio of the address is HERE. The video can be viewed online at www.whitehouse.gov.

 

Remarks of President Barack Obama

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Weekly Address

Washington, DC

 

This week, I spent some time in Racine, Wisconsin, talking with folks who are doing their best to cope with the aftermath of a brutal recession.

 

And while I was there, a young woman asked me a question I hear all the time: “What are we doing as a nation to bring jobs back to this country?”

 

Well, on Friday, we learned that after 22 straight months of job loss, our economy has now created jobs in the private sector for 6 months in a row.  That’s a positive sign.  But the truth is, the recession from which we’re emerging has left us in a hole that’s about 8 million jobs deep.  And as I’ve said from the day I took office, it’s going to take months, even years, to dig our way out – and it’s going to require an all-hands-on-deck effort.

 

In the short term, we’re fighting to speed up this recovery and keep the economy growing by all means possible.  That means extending unemployment insurance for workers who lost their job.  That means getting small businesses the loans they need to keep their doors open and hire new workers.  And that means sending relief to states so they don’t have to lay off thousands of teachers and firefighters and police officers. 

 

Still, at a time when millions of Americans feel a deep sense of urgency in their own lives, Republican leaders in Washington just don’t get it.  While a majority of Senators support taking these steps to help the American people, some are playing the same old Washington games and using their power to hold this relief hostage – a move that only ends up holding back our recovery.  It doesn’t make sense.

 

But I promised those folks in Wisconsin – and I promise all of you – that we won’t back down.  We’re going to keep fighting to advance our recovery.  And we’re going to keep competing aggressively to make sure the jobs and industries of the future are taking root right here in America.

 

That’s one of the reasons why we’re accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy and doubling our use of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power – steps that have the potential to create whole new industries and hundreds of thousands of new jobs in America.

 

In fact, today, I’m announcing that the Department of Energy is awarding nearly $2 billion in conditional commitments to two solar companies.

 

The first is Abengoa Solar, a company that has agreed to build one of the largest solar plants in the world right here in the United States.  After years of watching companies build things and create jobs overseas, it’s good news that we’ve attracted a company to our shores to build a plant and create jobs right here in America.  In the short term, construction will create approximately 1,600 jobs in Arizona.  What’s more, over 70 percent of the components and products used in construction will be manufactured in the USA, boosting jobs and communities in states up and down the supply chain.  Once completed, this plant will be the first large-scale solar plant in the U.S. to actually store the energy it generates for later use – even at night.  And it will generate enough clean, renewable energy to power 70,000 homes.

 

The second company is Abound Solar Manufacturing, which will manufacture advanced solar panels at two new plants, creating more than 2,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs.  A Colorado plant is already underway, and an Indiana plant will be built in what’s now an empty Chrysler factory.  When fully operational, these plants will produce millions of state-of-the-art solar panels each year.

 

These are just two of the many clean energy investments in the Recovery Act.  Already, I’ve seen the payoff from these investments.  I’ve seen once-shuttered factories humming with new workers who are building solar panels and wind turbines; rolling up their sleeves to help America win the race for the clean energy economy.

 

So that’s some of what we’re doing.  But the truth is, steps like these won’t replace all the jobs we’ve lost overnight.  I know folks are struggling.  I know this Fourth of July weekend finds many Americans wishing things were a bit easier right now.  I do too.

 

But what this weekend reminds us, more than any other, is that we are a nation that has always risen to the challenges before it. We are a nation that, 234 years ago, declared our independence from one of the greatest empires the world had ever known.  We are a nation that mustered a sense of common purpose to overcome Depression and fear itself.  We are a nation that embraced a call to greatness and saved the world from tyranny.  That is who we are – a nation that turns times of trial into times of triumph – and I know America will write our own destiny once more.

 

I wish every American a safe and happy Fourth of July.  And to all our troops serving in harm’s way, I want you to know you have the support of a grateful nation and a proud Commander-in-Chief.  Thank you, God Bless You, and God Bless the United States of America.

 

EMBARGOED FOR 12:01 AM EDT FRIDAY: Background on the President's Recovery Act Announcement Tomorrow

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

EMBARGOED UNTIL JULY 2, 2010, 12:01 AM EDT

July 1, 2010

 

Background on the President’s Recovery Act Announcement Tomorrow

**Embargoed Until July 2, 2010, 12:01 AM EDT**

 

Tomorrow, President Obama will announce investment in sixty-six new Recovery Act broadband projects nationwide that, according to the grantees, will not only directly create approximately 5,000 jobs up front, but will also help spur economic development in some of the nation’s hardest-hit communities, helping create jobs for years to come.  In total, tens of millions of Americans and over 685,000 businesses, 900 healthcare facilities and 2,400 schools in all fifty states stand to benefit from the awards.  The $795 million in grants and loans through the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture have been matched by over $200 million in outside investment, for a total public-private investment of more than $1 billion in bringing broadband service to these communities, most of which currently have little or no access, to help them better compete and do business in the global marketplace.

 

Broadband Impact

According to analysis released by the National Economic Council last year, overall Recovery Act investments in broadband are expected to create tens of thousands of jobs in the near term and expand economic development and job opportunities in communities that would otherwise be left behind in the new knowledge-based economy.  Recovery Act broadband projects help bring down the cost of private investment, attract Internet service providers to new areas, improve digital literacy among students and workers, and help create new opportunities in employment, education, and entrepreneurship by wiring homes and businesses.  With new or increased broadband access, communities can compete on a level playing field to attract new businesses, schools can create distance learning opportunities, medical professionals can provide cost-efficient remote diagnoses and care, and business owners can expand the market for their products beyond their neighborhoods to better compete in the global economy.

 

Broadband and the Recovery Act

The grants and loans are part of an overall $7.2 billion investment the Recovery Act makes in expanding broadband access nationwide – $4.7 billion through the Commerce Department and $2.5 billion funded through the Department of Agriculture.  With the awards being announced tomorrow, more than $2.7 billion in Recovery Act broadband grants and loans will have been awarded to more than 260 projects across the country since December 2009.  Overall, the Recovery Act is making a $100 billion investment in science, innovation and technology that is not only creating jobs today, but laying a foundation for economic growth for years to come. 

 

Tomorrow’s Awards

There are two types of awards being announced tomorrow:

• Infrastructure – Middle mile awards build and improve middle mile connections to communities lacking sufficient broadband access and last mile awards connect end users like homes, hospitals and schools to their community’s broadband infrastructure (the middle mile).
• Public Computing Centers - Expand computer center capacity for public use in libraries, community colleges and other public venues.

 

A roster of the broadband awards being announced by the President tomorrow are attached.