Wednesday, July
1, 2009
Oline Town
Hall Meeting
President Obama held an “online town hall” in which he
took questions submitted online, as well as from the live audience, at Northern
Virginia Community College.
The topic was healthcare and the President reiterated his determination to pass
a health care reform bill this year. He heard health care stories and answered
questions as he described the Senate’s progress on a plan, “that will hold down
costs, improve patient care and ensure that you will not lose your coverage if
you lose your job, change your job, or have a pre-existing medical condition.”
Obama has stated he wants the health care reform bill on his desk by October 1, 2009.
Thursday, July 2,
2009
Green Jobs for a New Economy
Touting a new economy, with energy related jobs as a main
pillar— President Obama met with a group of leaders from both large
and small energy firms to discuss job creation and long-term plans. In describing
Administration plans to grow the economy, Obama stated, “I’m pleased to say
that we’ve achieved more in the past few months to create a new clean energy
economy than we had achieved in many decades before. The recovery plan will
double our country’s supply of renewable energy, and is already creating new
clean energy jobs.” The President praised the innovation that is taking place
in the energy industry and stressed the importance of continuing the path,
saying, “The American people I believe want us to make the right choice….for at
every juncture in our history, we’ve chosen to seize big opportunities—rather
than fear big challenges. We’ve chosen to take responsibility. We’ve chosen to
honor the sacrifices of those who came before us—and fulfill our obligations to
generations to come. That’s what we’re going to do this time, as well.”
Saturday, July 4,
2009
The First Family Celebrates the Nation’s Birthday
President Obama and the First Family celebrated their first 4th
of July as residents of the White House. Their special guests were military families
who gathered at picnic tables and on blankets on the South Lawn to meet the
President and enjoy a special concert to honor our troops. The USO sponsored
event featured Jimmy Fallon, Michelle Branch and the Foo Fighters. The evening’s
festivities closed with fireworks over the National Mall.
In remarks before the concert, the President thanked the troops and their families and pledged as President, “This Fourth of July, I renew my pledge to each and every one of you—that for as long as I have that immeasurable honor, you will always have the equipment and support you need to get the job done. Your families will always be a priority of Michelle’s and mine, and remain on our hearts and on our minds. And when our service members do return home, it will be to an America that always welcomes them home with the care that they were promised.”
Monday, July 6,
2009
The Obamas in Russia
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with their
daughters Malia and Sasha, were greeted by Russian President Medvedev and Mrs.
Medvedev at the Kremlin in Moscow.
President Obama described his meetings with Russian leaders as a chance to push
‘the reset’ button in U.S.-Russian relations. In a joint press conference with
President Medvedev, Obama summed up their meeting by saying, “President
Medvedev and I agreed that the relationship between Russia
and the United States
has suffered from a sense of drift. We resolved to reset U.S.-Russian
relations, so that we can cooperate more effectively in areas of common
interest.” As a result of the meeting, President Obama and the Russian leader agreed
in principle to reduce their permitted nuclear arsenals by nearly a third to
try to ease tensions between the former Cold War rival nations. The tentative
nuclear accord is intended to serve as a followup to the Strategic Arms
Reduction Treaty (START), which is set to expire Dec. 5. START was signed in
1991, just five months after the collapse of the Soviet Union
and nearly a decade after it was first proposed by President Reagan.
President Obama met with Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin the following day. Putin had been Russia’s president—until he handpicked Medvedev to replace him.
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