Opportunity For All: Rewarding Hard Work

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 6:00AM EST ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2014

Tomorrow the President will sign an executive order raising the minimum wage to $10.10 for federal contract workers.

Also tomorrow, the Council of Economic Advisers will release a new analysis laying out the economic imperative of raising the minimum wage.  To view that analysis click HERE.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 6:00AM EST ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2014

Opportunity For All: Rewarding Hard Work
Raising the Minimum Wage through Executive Order to $10.10 for Federal Contract Workers & Calling on Congress to Finish the Job for All Workers by Passing the Harkin-Miller Bill

Today, continuing to fulfill his promise to make 2014 a year of action, the President will sign an Executive Order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for federal contract workers.

The Executive Order the President will sign today will benefit hundreds of thousands of people working under contracts with the federal government who are making less than $10.10 an hour. It will also improve the value that taxpayers are getting from the federal government’s investment. Studies show that boosting low wages will reduce turnover and absenteeism, while also boosting morale and improving the incentives for workers, leading to higher productivity overall. These gains improve the quality and efficiency of services provided to the government.

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama pledged to both take executive action wherever he can and work with Congress to increase opportunity for all Americans. Consistent with that pledge, the President will continue to work with Congress to finish the job to raise the minimum wage for all Americans and pass the Harkin-Miller bill so that all workers can be paid at least a $10.10 minimum wage.

Details of the Executive Order

• The Executive Order will raise the minimum wage to $10.10 effective for new contracts beginning January 1, 2015.   The higher wage will apply to new contracts and replacements for expiring contracts.  Boosting wages will lower turnover and absenteeism, and increase morale and productivity overall. Raising wages for those at the bottom will improve the quality and efficiency of services provided to the government.
• Benefits hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans. There are hundreds of thousands of people working under contracts with the federal government to provide services or construction who are currently making less than $10.10 an hour.  Some examples of the hardworking people who would see their wages go up under this Executive Order include nursing assistants providing care to our veterans at nursing homes, concessions workers in National Parks, people serving food to our troops, and individuals with disabilities working to maintain the grounds on military bases.
• Includes an increase in the tipped minimum wage.  This executive order also includes provisions to make sure that tipped workers earn at least $10.10 overall, through a combination of tips and an employer contribution.  Employers are currently required to pay a minimum base wage of $2.13 per hour, a base that has remained unchanged for over twenty years, and if a worker’s tips do not add up to the minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference. Under the Executive Order, employers are required to ensure that tipped workers earn at least $10.10 an hour.  The Executive Order requires that employers pay a minimum base wage of $4.90 for new contracts and replacements for expiring contracts put out for bid after January 1, 2015.  That amount increases by 95 cents per year until it reaches 70 percent of the regular minimum wage, and if a worker’s tips do not add up to at least $10.10, the employer will be required to pay the difference. 
• Covers individuals with disabilities.  Under current law, workers whose productivity is affected because of their disabilities may be paid less than the wage paid to others doing the same job under certain specialized certificate programs. Under this Executive Order, all individuals working under service or concessions contracts with the federal government will be covered by the same $10.10 per hour minimum wage protections. 
• Improves value for the federal government and taxpayers.  One study showed that when Maryland passed its living wage law for companies contracting with the state, there was an increase in the number of contractors bidding and higher competition can help ensure better quality. The increase will take effect for new contracts and replacements for expiring contracts put out for bid after the effective date of the order, so contractors will have time to prepare and price their bids accordingly.

Continuing to Work With Congress, States and Localities to Help All Workers

The President is using his executive authority to lead by example, and will continue to work with Congress to raise the minimum wage for all Americans by passing the Harkin-Miller bill. The bill would raise the Federal minimum wage for working Americans in stages to $10.10 and index it to inflation thereafter, while also raising the minimum wage for tipped workers for the first time in over 20 years.  The President will also continue to support and encourage state, local and private sector efforts to increase wages and help more working families.

• Businesses like Costco have supported past increases to the minimum wage because it helps build a strong workforce and profitability over the long run. Low wages are also bad for business, as paying low wages lowers employee morale, encourages low productivity, and leads to frequent employee turnover—all of which impose costs. 
• Across the country, Americans are saying it’s time to raise the minimum wage. The President believes that it’s time for action, and people across the country agree. Since the President called for an increase in the minimum wage in last year’s State of the Union, five states have passed laws increasing their minimum wage. And many businesses, from small businesses to large corporations, see higher wages as the right way to boost productivity and reduce turnover and therefore boost their profitability.
• Raising the minimum wage is good for government, good for business and workers and key to a stronger economy.  A range of economic studies show that modestly raising the minimum wage increases earnings and reduces poverty without jeopardizing employment.  Higher wages can also boost productivity, increase morale, reduce costs and improve efficiency.  
• Raising the minimum wage will make sure no family of four with a full-time worker has to raise their children in poverty. It has been seven years since Congress last acted to increase the minimum wage and, adjusted for inflation, today the real value of minimum wage is roughly the same as what it was in the 1950s, despite the fact that the typical American family’s income has doubled since then. And right now a full-time minimum wage worker makes $14,500 a year, which leaves too many families struggling to make ends meet. Even after accounting for programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit, a family of four supported by a minimum wage worker still ends up living below the poverty line.
• Indexing the minimum wage to inflation would help lower-income workers keep up in the future. Since it was first established in 1938, the minimum wage has been increased 22 times, but was eroded substantially over several prolonged periods between increases because of inflation. Indexing would prevent a repeat of the 34 percent decline in the real value of the minimum wage from 1978 to 1989 and the 19 percent decline in real value from 1998 to 2006, as well as the 40 percent decline in the real value of the base wage for tipped workers since it was last raised in 1991. Last year alone, workers earning the minimum wage basically got the equivalent of a $200 pay cut because the minimum wage stayed the same while the cost of living went up.  Democrats and Republicans agree that indexing the minimum wage to inflation would ensure that working families can keep up with expenses. Unfortunately, those families will continue suffer if Congress continues to not act.
• Helping parents make ends meet. Around 60 percent of workers who would benefit from a higher minimum wage are women.  Less than 20 percent are teenagers.  Also, those workers who would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage brought home 46 percent of their household’s total wage and salary income in 2011.  Raising the minimum wage directly helps parents make ends meet and support their families.

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 6:00AM EST ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2014

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EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00AM PDT: Background On The President's Event in Seattle, Washington

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00AM PDT

August 16, 2010

 

BACKGROUND ON THE PRESIDENT'S EVENT IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

 

Upon arrival at Boeing Field-King County International Airport in Seattle, WA the President will be greeted by:

 

Governor Chris Gregoire

US Senator Patty Murray

US Representative Jim McDermott

 

Roundtable & statement to press

11:40 AM PDT (roundtable) & 12:20 pM pDT (remarks)

Seattle, Wa

 

Tomorrow the President will travel to Seattle, where he will meet with three area small business owners for a discussion about strengthening the economy and creating jobs.  He will be joined by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and US Senator Patty Murray for the roundtable, following the discussion he will make remarks to the press. 

 

The names of the small business owners participating in the roundtable discussion and their stories are below:

 

Gillian Allen-White joined Grand Central Bakery in 1997 after having worked in banking and for a small high-tech start-up.  She is currently a co-owner and the general manager of Grand Central's Seattle operations.  Grand Central is a locally owned artisan bakery that opened in Seattle in 1989 and has grown to include a Seattle based wholesale facility and eight cafés with over 250 employees in Seattle and Portland.  In Seattle, Grand Central will be opening its ninth café on Friday and over the next two months plans to hire five additional employees across the three Seattle locations.  Gillian is optimistic about the bakery's future potential for growth and continues to look for expansion opportunities in the greater Seattle area.

 

Tiffany Turner and her husband, Brady, opened the Inn at Discovery Coast in 2004 in their native Long Beach, with a loan from a local community bank.  Out of the same office Tiffany and Brady manage the 12-room Inn and eight bungalows nearby.  There are currently four full-time employees and during the peak season there are up to seven additional part-time employees.   Since its opening the business has thrived, even expanding during the recent economic downturn.  In 2009 they approached their bank about a loan in order to expand but were turned down.   However, just recently, Tiffany and Brady were approved for a loan that will enable them to expand operations and hire up to 20 additional full-time and part-time employees over the coming year.  Tiffany and her husband have been ready to expand and hire more employees, and can finally do so thanks to an economic climate where community banks are lending to small businesses again.

 

Joe Fugere is the founder of Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria in Seattle.  The first Tutta Bella opened in 2004 and has since grown to four locations, employing 180 employees.  Joe funded his first restaurant personally and later opened two additional locations funded by loans from a large commercial bank.   In December of 2008 Joe approached his bank, a large regional commercial bank, to discuss the funding of an additional location, but was turned down.  He then approached other large regional and national commercial lending institutions; but was again turned down due to the uncertain economic climate.   Having been rejected by larger banks, Joe approached a community bank and within a few weeks the loan was approved.  In mid-2009 Tutta Bella's fourth location opened and currently employs 50 people.  Recently, a SBA loan under the Recovery Act has helped him improve the company's cash flow.  Joe is proof that community banks can be the engine for getting much needed loans to small businesses, so small businesses can grow, create jobs, and build the economy.

 *Backgrounder on Recovery Act Investments in Washington and the surrounding area attached.

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Embargoed: Remarks of President Barack Obama On Clean Energy Manufacturing-As Prepared for Delivery

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY

August 16, 2010

 

 

Remarks of President Barack Obama-As Prepared for Delivery

Clean Energy Manufacturing

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

 

As Prepared for Delivery—

 

It's good to be here with the folks of ZBB Energy.  I just had the chance to see some of the batteries you're manufacturing here – and talk to the men and women who build them.  The reason I'm here today is because, at this plant, you're doing more than just making high-tech batteries.  You're pointing the country towards a brighter economic future.

 

That's not easy.  We've been through a terrible recession – as bad as we've seen since the Great Depression.  And this recession was the culmination of a decade that fell like a sledgehammer on middle-class families.  For the better part of ten years, people faced stagnant incomes, sluggish job growth, skyrocketing health care costs and tuition bills, and declining economic security. 

 

Few parts of the economy were hit harder than manufacturing.  Over the last ten years, the number of people working in manufacturing shrank by a third.  This has left millions of skilled, hardworking people sitting idle as the plants that they once worked in shut their doors.  And that was before the recession left them and millions of others struggling in ways they never imagined. 

 

Now, there are some who suggest this decline is inevitable.  But I don't see it that way – and neither do you.  Yes, times are tough.  But we have been through tough times before.  And we've made it through because we're resilient – because we have never given in to pessimism or cynicism.  We fight for our future and we shape our own destiny.  Well, that's what we've been doing over the past year and half.  We have been fighting on all fronts – inch by inch, foot by foot, mile by mile – to get this country moving forward again, going after every job we can.

 

We're investing in 21^st century infrastructure – in roads and bridges, in faster internet access and high-speed railroads – projects that will lead to hundreds of thousands of private-sector jobs.  We've cut taxes for small businesses that hire unemployed workers, and I've signed seven other small business tax cuts to help folks expand, buy new equipment, and add employees.  And we've taken emergency steps to prevent layoffs of hundreds of thousands of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other critical public servants in our communities.  These are folks who would have otherwise lost their jobs because of state and local budget cuts.

 

At the same time, we've been jumpstarting a homegrown, clean energy industry – building on the good work of your governor and others in this state.  That's why I'm here today.  Because of the steps we've taken to strengthen the economy, ZBB received a loan that's helping to fund an expansion of their operations.  Already, it's allowed ZBB to retain nearly a dozen workers.  Over time, the company expects to hire about 80 new workers, too.  And this is leading to new business for your suppliers, including MGS Plastics, another manufacturer here in Wisconsin.

 

ZBB is also planning to take advantage of a special tax credit to build another factory in Southeastern Wisconsin to create more jobs.  They are confident they can expand because they are seeing rising demand for advanced batteries.  This is in part a result of steps we've taken in clean energy – steps that have led to jobs manufacturing wind turbines and solar panels, building hybrid and electric vehicles, and modernizing our electric grid so that it can use more renewable sources of energy. 

 

We expect our commitment to clean energy to lead to more than 800,000 jobs by 2012.  And this isn't just creating work in the short term – it's helping to lay a new foundation for lasting growth.  Just a few years ago, for example, American businesses made only 2 percent of the world's advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles.  But in just a few years, we'll have up to 40 percent of the world's capacity.  Here at ZBB, you're building batteries to store electricity from solar cells and wind turbines.  And you've been able to export batteries around the globe, helping us to lead in this new industry.  For years, we've heard about manufacturing jobs disappearing overseas.  Companies like this one are showing us how manufacturing jobs can come back.

 

Now, obviously, the progress we've made isn't nearly enough to undo all the damage that was done by the recession.  Too many of our family members, our friends, our neighbors are still unable to find work – often for long stretches of time.  I've said since I took office that my administration will not rest until every American who is able and willing to work can find a job, and a job that pays a decent wage with decent benefits to support a family.

 

But what's clear is that we are heading in the right direction.  Just a year and a half ago, the economy was shrinking rapidly.  Now the economy is growing.  We were bleeding 750,000 jobs each month.  Now the economy has added private-sector jobs for seven months in a row.  The worst mistake we could make now would be to turn back.  We've got to keep moving forward. 

 

But some folks in Washington argue we should abandon these efforts.  These are the same folks in Washington who made the political calculation that it was better to stand on the sidelines than work as a team to help the American worker.  They said no to small business tax cuts, no to rebuilding infrastructure, no to clean energy projects.  They even voted against getting rid of tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas. 

 

Well, my answer to the folks who have played politics the past year and a half is to come to this plant.  They should go to any of the dozen new battery factories, or the new electric vehicle manufacturers, or the wind turbine makers, or solar plants that are popping up all over this country.  I want them to explain why they think these clean energy jobs are better off in other countries instead of right here in the United States. 

 

See, when folks lift up the hoods on the cars of the future, I want them to see engines stamped "Made in America."  When new batteries to store solar power come off assembly lines, I want to see printed on the side, "Made in America." And when new technologies are developed with the potential to unleash new businesses – and even whole new industries – I want those products to be made in America.  That's how we'll create jobs.  That's how we'll strengthen this economy.

 

These have been a very hard couple of years for America.  And there will be some more difficult days ahead.  It would a mistake to pretend otherwise.  But we are headed in the right direction.  And I am confident about our future.  Because of what I have seen at this plant.  Because of what I have seen taking place across this country.  And because, when the chips are down, it is always a mistake to bet against the American worker. 

 

This nation is home to the most skilled and industrious people on this earth.  There is nothing we cannot achieve when we set our minds to it.  All we need to do is harness the potential that has always been central to our success.  That's not only how we'll come through these storms – that's how we'll emerge stronger than ever before.

 

Thank you.

 

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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.