Category: 2015

East Room 11:10 A.M. EDT MR. JENKINS:  Guys, welcome to the White House!  Make some noise!  (Applause.)  I still get excited — every time I sit next to the First Lady, I still get excited.  I see your phones out.  (Laughter.) How long have you guys been here?  This entire morning? AUDIENCE:  Yes. MR. JENKINS:…

East Room 2:57 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Hello!  How’s everybody doing?  (Applause.)  So, first of all, I want everybody to understand I am not Wale.  (Laughter.)  Although I do have Wale’s mic and I’ve got to give it back to him after I say hi to you guys.  (Applause.) Has everybody had a good session…

Dr. Jill Biden is traveling to Luang Prabang, Laos and Okinawa, Japan for her final stops on a four-country visit to Asia. Throughout the trip, Dr. Biden has engaged government and civil society partners on issues related to economic empowerment and educational opportunities for women and girls. Dr. Biden is joined by Catherine Russell, U.S.…

The President today participated in a video conference with President Ashraf Ghani of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Abdullah.  The President commended the progress made since the leaders met in Washington in March, including on efforts to curb corruption, revive the economy, and improve regional economic connectivity.  The President also…

The 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 affected by a severe storm on June 23, 2015. Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing…

On November 20, 2014, President Obama took action within his authority to reform our broken immigration system. The President announced a package of administrative actions to enhance border security; prioritize the deportation of immigrants who are enforcement priorities; and modernize our legal immigration system to support high-skilled workers, entrepreneurs, students, and families. Not only will…

East Room 6:30 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Welcome to the White House, everybody. AUDIENCE:  Thank you! THE PRESIDENT:  You all look good. We have some of America’s biggest champions for a strong partnership with Africa here today — members of the diplomatic corps from our African partners; we’ve got some outstanding members of Congress, leaders…

The President spoke today with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about deepening our ongoing cooperation in the fight against ISIL and common efforts to bring security and stability to Iraq and a political settlement to the conflict in Syria.  The President condemned the July 20 terrorist attack in Suruç, Turkey and the separate July 22…

Roosevelt Room 2:31 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I just had the opportunity to hear from businesses all across the country to talk about the importance of reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank. This is not an issue that typically rises to the front page of the newspapers, but for these businesses and for their employees and…

The President spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on July 20 to express appreciation for the role China played in reaching an historic, long-term comprehensive nuclear deal between the P5+1 and Iran that verifiably ensures Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful going forward.  Both leaders agreed on the fundamental importance of continued U.S.-China cooperation in…