Part 3 features:
- The President will participate in a Univision-hosted town hall on March 28 to discuss education and Hispanic educational attainment.
- Transportation Secretary LaHood discusses progress in transparency and open government at DOT.
- U.S. Trade Representative Kirk reports on three pending free trade agreements (with Korea, Panama, and Colombia) that can support the President's National Export Initiative goals.
- On March 22, Treasury will host a conference to explore how both the public and private sectors can help promote access to capital at each phase in the life cycle of a small company.
- The President calls on institutions of higher education to make a commitment to advancing interfaith and community service initiatives over the course of the 2011-2012 academic year.
White House, March 18, 2011:
President Obama to Participate in Televised Town Hall on Education
Posted by Sarah Bernard
As part of his ongoing effort to improve education for all Americans, President Obama will participate in a Univision-hosted town hall with students, parents and teachers on March 28 to discuss education and Hispanic educational attainment. The town hall is part of Univision's Es el Momento (The Moment is Now) initiative focused on creating a college-bound culture in the Hispanic community.
Do you have questions about better preparing students for college and 21st century careers? Or thoughts on how to increase parental enagement in education? Now's your chance. In advance of the town hall, you're invited to submit education-related questions here. Questions must be submitted by Sunday, March 27.
Then tune in to watch a live video stream from the event in either English or Spanish at EsElMomento.com, starting at 7:00 PM EDT on Monday, March 28.
White House, March 18, 2011:
Sunshine Week at the Department of Transportation
Posted by Secretary Ray LaHood
Ed. Note: This post is part of a Sunshine Week series that highlights open government efforts from across the administration.
At the Department of Transportation, open government is not just a slogan we throw around. Instead, it’s something we practice every day. That’s because the public – the people we serve – has a right to know what we are doing and how we are doing it.
That is why I am so pleased to be able to report that at DOT, our team has accomplished so much in a very short time. Our professionals are encouraged to promote transparency, increase citizen engagement, and collaborate with others across the government and outside the government to benefit all Americans.
I invite you to visit www.dot.gov/open. Read my blog, Fast Lane, visit my Facebook page and check out my twitter feed. Let us know what else you need from DOT so you can get the transportation information you need.
Here are just a few of the important steps we have taken over the last two years:
•Regulation Room: Until very recently, federal regulations were a mystery to most ordinary citizens. But those regulations affect our lives on a daily basis. Our Regulation Room makes it easy for ordinary citizens to review rules and suggest changes before they become law. This pilot project, which is in partnership with the Cornell e-Rulemaking Initiative, incorporates the best of the web and social networking technologies to increase public understanding of proposed rules and encourage more effective public input and collaboration. This is one way that Open Government can help encourage participation, improve the quality of life for citizens, and build a stronger democracy.
•Data.gov: As the President has said, information is a national asset, and it belongs to the American people. Because DOT serves many different constituents and stakeholders (consumers and travelers, state and local DOTs, planners and researchers, application developers and business owners), our information covers a lot of ground. DOT currently has 13 key data sets published on data.gov. And, at http://www.dot.gov/open/data, you can provide feedback on the data sets you would like to see available.
•Public Participation: DOT has taken several actions to increase public participation in its policy and planning processes. That includes releasing the DOT Strategic Plan for public comment and discussion on user-friendly web platforms. It also includes webcasting a number of DOT meetings around the country and taking questions over the internet.
We will continue working hard to promote open government that helps citizens get the information they need in order to make better decisions. We look forward to hearing from you.
White House, March 18, 2011:
Seizing Opportunities to Support American Jobs, American Values in Trade
Posted by Ambassador Ron Kirk, U.S. Trade Representative
President Obama has set an ambitious goal of doubling U.S. exports by 2015, supporting at least two million additional American jobs. As the President departs for Latin America to promote U.S. exports and U.S. jobs, we at the Office of the United States Trade Representative are continuing to work on three pending free trade agreements – with Korea, Panama, and Colombia – that can support these National Export Initiative goals.
In December, President Obama announced that the United States and South Korea have finalized an historic trade deal that will increase U.S. exports to Korea by $11 billion annually while supporting 70,000 American jobs. The news has been met with high praise from a wide range of groups, including the United Auto Workers, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, the U.S. Chamber and the American Farm Bureau Federation, to name a few stakeholders. They know the positive impact this agreement will have on U.S. businesses and families, from auto workers to cattle ranchers to high-tech manufacturers and service providers.
The U.S.-Korea trade agreement would eliminate tariffs on more than 95 percent of industrial and consumer goods within five years, creating a more open and fair Korean market for U.S. auto companies and workers, and new opportunities for U.S. manufacturers, farmers and ranchers. In real terms, U.S. beef producers could expect to save $90 million annually with the progressive elimination of Korea’s existing tariff.
With this landmark deal struck, it is now Congress’ turn to ratify it quickly – especially important since South Korea’s trade agreement with the EU takes effect on July 1.
Trade agreements with Panama and Colombia can also be key boosters of American exports. At the President’s direction, we are working hard to resolve outstanding issues related to these agreements as soon as possible this year, so that we can move them to Congress for consideration immediately thereafter.
The Administration’s hard work is encouraging significant labor reforms and greater tax transparency in Panama. Last month, I met with Vice President Varela, and our teams have met subsequently and agreed upon actions that, when taken by Panama, will ready that agreement for Congressional consideration.
We also are dedicated to resolving issues regarding Colombia so that agreement can move forward as well. We are working without delay to address concerns from members of Congress and other stakeholders involving labor rights protections and violence against labor leaders. In the past month alone, the Administration sent a team to Bogota and held several productive meetings with Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committee staff and other stakeholders. This week, the President’s team met with high-ranking Colombian officials to continue our work to ensure a level playing field for American workers and to make certain that our trade agreements reflect core American values on labor rights around the world.
While we continue to achieve real progress on outstanding issues with Panama and Colombia, the significant U.S.-Korea trade agreement is ready to move. Our goal is the passage of three good agreements, with outstanding issues resolved, so that we can realize the jobs and economic growth that come to the American people through responsible trade policy.
White House, March 17, 2011:
Fostering Innovation Across America
Posted by Don Graves, Treasury’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Small Business; he was recently named as Executive Director of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness
In February, I traveled with Secretary Geithner and the President to Cleveland, Ohio to meet local business owners and discuss the challenges that they face each day. It was exciting to see the ingenuity and determination of so many entrepreneurs; the American spirit of entrepreneurial innovation remains strong, not just in Silicon Valley, but in all parts of the country. That innovation continues to be at the heart of the American economy and it has helped drive six quarters of economic growth.
However, the challenges that these business owners face cannot be ignored. In the wake of the recent financial crisis, it is difficult for so many entrepreneurs to access the capital necessary for their companies to grow. Across the Administration, as we encourage innovation and promote entrepreneurship, we are grappling with this question: How can we make sure that the next Facebook has the capital it needs to grow and succeed?
Next Tuesday, March 22, Treasury will be hosting a conference titled Access to Capital: Fostering Innovation and Growth for Small Companies. We will bring together policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and other market participants to explore how both the public and private sectors can help promote access to capital at each phase in the lifecycle of a small company. We are committed to fostering an open dialogue about where the public sector should step in and where we should move out of the way.
Over the past few decades, there have been meaningful structural changes in the US economy. These changes have transformed the way small businesses obtain capital and have also introduced both benefits and barriers to small companies looking to grow. A variety of new funding sources have emerged including incubators, angel clubs and private placement platforms. However, many traditional sources of “bootstrap capital” from home equity loans to credit card debt are harder to come by for many entrepreneurs. It is crucial that we understand new challenges and encourage the flow of capital to parts of the market – including regions – that may be underserved and through platforms that have been underutilized.
I am excited to participate in this conference both in my role leading the small business team at the Treasury Department and as Executive Director of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. This Administration is committed to promoting a culture of entrepreneurship and using all of the tools at our disposal to support it. Treasury’s Small Business Lending Fund and State Small Business Credit Initiative are examples of this effort. The launch of Startup America is another, as is the Small Business Administration’s listening tour, Reducing Barriers to Accessing Capital.
Tuesday’s conference will advance this dialogue by bringing together a diverse range of participants from all parts of the financing spectrum. We recognize that there may be no simple solution to many of the challenges facing entrepreneurs. In some cases, the policy levers are limited. That is why we want to have this dialogue, to gather ideas and better understand the pressing concerns of growing small businesses.
Continuing our efforts to reduce barriers for small companies is not just about the success of each business, it’s about the success of our nation’s economy. Access to capital for growing businesses is essential to fueling job creation. Small businesses create two out of every three jobs in America, and as our economy continues to recover, we need to make sure these businesses can continue to hire and grow.
For these efforts to have a meaningful effect, we need to engage the whole country in this conversation, not just the people who are able to come to Washington Tuesday. I encourage you to email questions and ideas to AccessToCapRSVP@treasury.gov by Monday evening. We will pose some of these questions to our panelists and leading Administration officials during the conference. And we will use all of them to inform our thinking as we work to continue to make sure the entrepreneurial spirit of America can thrive for generations to come.
Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, March 17, 2011:
White House Launches Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge
Posted by Mara Vanderslice
Since his inauguration, President Obama has emphasized interfaith cooperation and community service -- as an important way to build understanding between different communities and contribute to the common good.
On a conference call this afternoon, Joshua DuBois, Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, launched the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. The launch featured a video from President Obama calling on institutions of higher education to make a commitment to advancing interfaith and community service initiatives over the course of the 2011-2012 academic year.
Interfaith service involves people from different religious and non-religious backgrounds tackling community challenges together – for example, Protestants and Catholics, Hindus and Jews, and Muslims and non-believers- building a Habitat for Humanity house together. Interfaith service can impact specific community challenges, from homelessness to mentoring to the environment, while building social capital and civility.
This work is already happening in campuses across the U.S. This spring, at Agnes Scott College, a small Presbyterian school in Atlanta, Georgia, students and local Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith community leaders are teaming up to address educational inequity in urban schools. At Ohio University, a coalition of students partnered with community groups to combat water pollution by cleaning up streams polluted by acid mine drainage practices. In Ann Arbor, students at the University of Michigan formed a group called United 2 Heal, an interfaith humanitarian aid student organization that works with local hospitals to collect valuable medical supplies and send them to countries in need like Ghana.
American colleges, universities, seminaries and rabbinical schools have often been at the forefront of solving our nation’s greatest challenges. That is why the White House is inviting higher education institutions to make the vision for interfaith cooperation a reality on campuses across the country.
Details about the program, along with the video from President Obama, can be found at www.whitehouse.gov/interfaithservice. The site includes a program overview and a service planning template for interested colleges and universities.
The President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge is led by the White House and supported by the Department of Education and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). This initiative was developed in part by the recommendations of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.