Rail Industry Joins Forces with Secretary LaHood and First Lady’s Initiative to Hire Veterans: 500 rail industry companies to hire over 5,000 veterans in 2012

Rail Industry Joins Forces with Secretary LaHood and First Lady’s Initiative to Hire Veterans

 

500 rail industry companies to hire over 5,000 veterans in 2012

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Association of American Railroads (AAR) President and CEO Ed Hamberger and Joining Forces Executive Director Brad Cooper announced that the railroad industry will hire more than 5,000 veterans in 2012. Five hundred companies and organizations including freight, inter-city passenger and commuter railroads, as well as rail supply companies represented by AAR are making today’s significant commitment.

 

“As a result of their service, veterans have the right skills and training for successful careers in transportation,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. “Helping our veterans find work strengthening America’s transportation system is a commitment we are proud to fulfill.”

 

The rail industry joins the First Lady and Dr. Biden’s Joining Forces initiative launched last year to bring Americans together to recognize, honor and take action to support veterans and military families as they serve our country and throughout their lives. More than 1,600 companies have hired more than 90,000 veterans and military spouses in the last year through Joining Forces. These same companies have committed to hire 170,000 veterans and military spouses in the coming years.

 

“The commitment from AAR and companies in the railway industry to veteran hiring is exactly the type of effort we hoped to see when the First Lady and Dr. Biden launched Joining Forces last year – companies stepping up to hire our nation’s veterans. The railway industry clearly recognizes that hiring veterans is good for their companies’ bottom line and we are appreciative of their efforts to serve veterans as well as they have served this country,” Joining Forces Executive Director Brad Cooper said.

 

Railroad companies have hired military men and women for almost two centuries and today 25 percent of the industry’s workforce has military service. This is because of the natural link between military service skills and railroad careers. Servicemen and women gain experience working with heavy machinery, managing safety operations, conducting their work in challenging conditions, promoting teamwork and being adaptable. Knowing that these skills are easily translatable, the rail industry is looking to veterans to fill jobs that have become available due to waves of retirements occurring every year. Today, roughly 23 percent of the railroad workforce is eligible to retire by 2015.

 

“Railroads offer people the chance to have true life-long careers in well-paying jobs,” said Hamberger. “We are proud to offer our heroes transitioning from military service the opportunity for another career in service to our country.”

 

Key Commitments and Opportunities in the Rail Industry Include:

• ·         Freight Railroads: the nation’s freight railroads, including the country’s major Class I and shortline railroads, will hire at least 4,700 veterans in 2012.  This year’s aggressive hiring target is in line with the industry’s sizable hiring trend kicked off in 2011 in the face of a significant wave of retirements.
• ·         Passenger Railroads: the nation’s inter-city passenger and commuter railroads will hire approximately 500 veterans in 2012, based on the significant need to fill positions being made vacant through retirements as well as through typical attrition. Passenger railroads also estimate 12 to 14 percent of new hires will be veterans.
• ·         Rail Supply Companies: dozens of the nation’s rail supply companies represented by AAR have committed to hire at least 200 veterans in 2012.  These companies are responsible for supplying materials and equipment, including rail components, cars and locomotives and cutting edge technology.

 

To connect veterans with employment opportunities available today, AAR is also collaborating with the Department of Transportation to list available rail industry jobs on the newly established “Veteran Transportation Career Center” website at: http://www.dot.gov/veteranstransportationcareers/ To learn more about the companies participating in the Joining Forces commitment, please visitwww.aar.org, or to learn about the rail industry’s history of hiring veterans, please visitwww.aar.org/jobs. For more information on Joining Forces, please visit www.JoiningForces.gov.

 

 

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY S. 2237 – Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act (Sen. Reid, D-NV, and 6 cosponsors)

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

S. 2237 – Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act

(Sen. Reid, D-NV, and 6 cosponsors)

 

The Administration strongly supports Senate passage of S. 2237 to give small businesses a tax break for increasing wages, creating new jobs, and making new investments.  By providing targeted tax relief to the businesses that are expanding their workforce and making new investments in capital, S. 2237 will help spur economic growth and job creation and strengthen the recovery.  Targeted tax relief for small businesses is one of the five to-do items the President has called on the Congress to pass as part of a concrete plan that creates jobs and helps restore middle class security.

 

Under S. 2237, nearly two million companies that make new hires or increase wages would receive a 10 percent income tax credit on their new payroll, encouraging over $200 billion in new hiring and pay raises.  Because the credit is limited to $5 million in new wages (for a credit of up to $500,000 per firm), S. 2237 is particularly beneficial to small businesses.  S. 2237 is also focused on middle class workers.  Because the credit is based on the Social Security wage base, companies would receive no credit for increasing wages above $110,100.  The Congressional Budget Office recently found this type of targeted tax relief to be the single most effective business tax option for boosting hiring and spurring economic growth.

 

S. 2237 would also put an additional $50 billion in the hands of businesses over this year and the next by extending the 100 percent expensing provision that the President signed into law in December 2010, which rewards firms for making new investments by allowing them to immediately deduct the full value of those investments in calculating their taxable earnings.  S. 2237 provides a direct incentive for companies to hire workers and make the sorts of investments that will boost economic growth.  In addition, this legislation ensures that companies that are actively cutting their workforce or that offer raises only to already well-paid executives would be ineligible for the tax relief. 

 

The President believes that entrepreneurs and small businesses are engines of innovation and economic growth and are currently at the forefront of the Nation’s economic recovery.  The proposals in S. 2237 build on the 18 small business tax cuts that the President has already signed into law, ranging from the small business health tax credit to the temporary tax exclusion of capital gains from key small business investments.  Congress should act now to help American small businesses hire and grow with targeted tax relief designed to boost jobs, rather than enacting additional costly tax cuts for the most fortunate.  

 

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY H.R. 6079 – Repealing the Affordable Care Act (Rep. Cantor, R-VA)

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

H.R. 6079 – Repealing the Affordable Care Act
(Rep. Cantor, R-VA)

 

The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 6079 because it would cost millions of hard-working middle class families the security of affordable health coverage and care they deserve.  It would increase the deficit and detract from the work the Congress needs to do to focus on the economy and create jobs. 

 

Repealing the Affordable Care Act would mean that marketplaces where Americans could compare private insurance plans and get tax credits to purchase them would not open.  Tax credits for small business owners who cover their employees would be eliminated.  States would lose substantial Federal assistance under Medicaid to provide coverage for the neediest Americans. 

 

But repealing the health care law would have implications far beyond the estimated 30 million Americans without insurance who would lose the health coverage they were going to receive. 

 

More than 250 million Americans with insurance – private insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid – would lose the benefits and protections they receive under the health care law.  Insurance companies would be able to go back to some of their worst practices.  They would no longer have to cover as dependents the 6.6 million young adults who have been able to sign up on their parents’ plans.  They would be able to impose lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits on coverage.  They could go back to denying coverage to children with preexisting conditions.  And, they would likely turn away the nearly 70,000 Americans who had gained insurance through Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plans, which would have to shut down.  Insurance companies would no longer be held accountable for double-digit premium increases.  Strict rules that prevent insurance companies from spending too much on administrative costs or CEO bonuses would be erased.

 

Reforms that strengthen Medicare’s long-term finances would also be repealed.  Seniors would lose the more generous prescription drug coverage provided under the health care law, as well as free preventive care.  And Medicare’s Hospital Insurance Trust Fund would become insolvent up to eight years earlier.

 

Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office indicate that repealing the health care law would add more than $100 billion to the deficit over the next decade, and more than $1 trillion in the following decade.

 

The last thing the Congress should do is refight old political battles and take a massive step backward by repealing basic protections that provide security for the middle class.  Right now, the Congress needs to work together to focus on the economy and creating jobs.  Congress should act on the President’s concrete plans to create an economy built to last by reducing the deficit in a balanced way and investing in education, clean energy, innovation, and infrastructure.

 

If the President were presented with H.R. 6079, he would veto it.

 

 

Federal Partners Continue to Support Response Efforts Combating Western Wildfires

Federal Partners Continue to Support Response Efforts Combating Western Wildfires

 

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2012 -The U.S. Forest Service, Department of the Interior, Department of Defense and FEMA continue to support efforts to protect life, public safety and aid in community recovery from wildfires and subsequent flash flooding in multiple Western states. On June 28, President Obama approved a disaster declaration for Colorado providing additional support to state and local officials responding to the fires, as well as federal assistance for individuals affected by the High Park and Waldo Canyon Fires.

 

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is in Colorado Springs today to see the wildfire response efforts firsthand and thank firefighters, first responders and volunteers for their efforts to battle the fires and support the communities that have been impacted. While in Colorado Springs, Secretary Salazar is attending a briefing with Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa, Incident Commander Troy Nelson, and Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team Leader Marc Stamer regarding the federal, state and local response to the Waldo Canyon Fire. Salazar is also touring the Mountain Shadows subdivision with members of the BAER team who are on site to assess damage.

 

Six Department of Defense (DoD) C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) and under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command continue to assist in the efforts to control fires in the Rocky Mountain region and western United States at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho. As of Sunday, DoD aircraft have conducted 145 air drops and discharged more than 380,100 gallons of retardant.

 

The 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard will hold a private memorial service tomorrow for the four Airmen killed in the crash of a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) equipped C-130. The men died July 1, when their plane went down while fighting a forest fire near Edgemont, S.D.

 

Currently, 20 large airtankers, including six MAFFS-equipped C-130s, as well as 71 Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) are available nationally to combat fires burning in a number of Western states. More than 8,500 personnel, more than 530 fire engines and more than 65 helicopters are also fighting wildfires around the U.S., supporting state and local efforts.  

 

As federal partners continue to support state and local officials battling the Waldo Canyon fire with more than 80 federal, state and local firefighters, eight fire engines and three helicopters today fighting the fire in the hillsides west of Colorado Springs, the U.S. Forest Service today reported that as the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado was 98 percent contained after burning more than 18,000 acres west of Colorado Springs and destroying over 300 homes. Officials expect the fire to be fully contained in a few days as some firefighters and suppression resources are being redirected to other fires in the West.

 

The State of Alaska has sent 10 crews to support wildfire suppression efforts in the Western states, predominantly made up of Alaska Natives from the communities of Nondalton, Kenai, Copper River, Venetie, Fort Yukon, St. Michael, Koyuk, Selawik, Shageluk, Scammon Bay.

 

In Colorado, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has designated all counties as primary Secretarially designated natural disaster counties, except Delta and San Juan which are contiguous disaster counties, due to the damage caused by drought, excessive heat, and high winds. This designation makes all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency, provided that eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.

 

As part of heightened efforts, the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior have completed training of two Army battalions at Fort Carson, located near Colorado Springs, Colo., to potentially serve as ground firefighters to boost the number of firefighters available for wildfire suppression throughout the nation. The training involves one day of classroom training and two days of field training. During the classroom training, soldiers learn about wildfire suppression including fire behavior and fireline safety. During field training, soldiers receive instruction in fire suppression methods and procedures.

 

Since the beginning of the Waldo Canyon fire, Fort Carson units and services have committed more than 120 soldiers, 10 bulldozers and other equipment and resources to provide assistance to ongoing fire containment operations and interagency support to the Greater Colorado Springs community.

 

On July 3, FEMA approved two additional Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) for the Shingle fire in Kane County, Utah and for the Oil Creek fire in Weston County, Wyoming. This brings the overall total number of FMAGs approved for states during this fire season to 24. Other states that have received these important grants include Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas.

 

FMAGs are provided through the Disaster Relief Fund and made available by FEMA to assist in covering 75 percent of the eligible state and local costs of fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies.

 

On July 1, the NIFC released its latest National Wildland Significant Fire Potential Outlook for July-October 2012, which provides coordinated federal, state, local and tribal government agencies, first responders and the public with information about the likelihood that wildland fire events will require mobilization of additional resources from outside the area in which the fire situation originates. Updated outlooks are released by NIFC on the first of every month.

 

The major disaster declaration for Colorado,  approved by President Obama on June 28, makes federal funding available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for El Paso and Larimer Counties impacted by the High Park and Waldo Canyon Fires. Federal funding is also available for Crisis Counseling and Disaster Unemployment Assistance for affected individuals in El Paso and Larimer Counties impacted by the High Park and Waldo Canyon Fires. Additional forms of assistance may be designated as part of the disaster declaration once joint federal, state and local damage assessments are fully completed.

 

Overall, federal partners have deployed 14 Incident Management Teams (IMT), including four Type 1 IMTs, and eight Type 2 IMTs, to help provide a coordinated and aggressive response to wildfires across the country. These teams have been strategically assigned to highly complex wildfires such as, the Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Dahl and Ash Creek fires in Montana, the Seeley and Fontenelle Fires in Wyoming, and others.

 

To further address the severity of current wildland fire activity across the western states, Secretary Salazar and Secretary Vilsack have directed federal land managers to take additional measures to help reduce the risks of new wildfires, ensure the highest possible level of coordination among federal land management agencies, and continue to prioritize safety for firefighters and communities. Additional measures include prohibiting new prescribed fires in geographic areas where Preparedness Level is at 4 or 5 – which currently includes the Rocky Mountain Area, Eastern Great Basin Area, and Southwest Area – and requiring regional or state level approval to initiate any new prescribed fire in all other geographic areas. These measures will remain in effect until the National Multi-Agency Coordinating (NMAC) group determines a national Preparedness Level 3 or below. On June 27th, NMAC raised the preparedness level to 4, on a scale of 1-5.

 

 The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior, in partnerships with states and local agencies, have developed a cohesive strategy to respond to the increase in wildfires in recent years by focusing on:

 

-          Restoring and maintaining resilient landscapes. Through forest and rangeland restoration activities such as mechanical thinning and controlled burns, officials can make forests and rangelands healthier and less susceptible to catastrophic fire.

-     Creating fire-adapted communities. The Forest Service, the Department of the Interior and their partners are working with communities to reduce fire hazards around houses to make them more resistant to wildfire threats.

-     Responding to Wildfires. This element considers the full spectrum of fire management activities and recognizes the differences in missions among local, state, tribal and Federal agencies.

 

There is increased risk of flash flooding in burn areas as a result of fires, and with the traditional summer rain season beginning, it’s important communities remain aware of this potential hazard. Flash floods can occur very rapidly, without warning or even any visible signs of rain, making it important to follow the direction of state and local officials.

To learn about flood risks in your area and for information on flood insurance, visit www.floodsmart.gov. For more information on flood preparedness tips and ways you can protect your family before, during and after a flood visit www.ready.gov/floods.

 

On average, the USDA Forest Service and the Department of the Interior bureaus respond to about 16,500 wildfires per year that occur on land under their jurisdiction and assist state and local agencies in responding to a significant number of the approximately 60,000 wildfires per year that occur on land under their jurisdiction. Federal firefighters, aircraft, and ground equipment are strategically assigned to parts of the country as the fire season shifts across the nation. Firefighting experts will continuously monitor conditions and move these assets as necessary to be best positioned and increase initial response capabilities. In addition, federal agencies are conducting accelerated restoration activities nationwide aimed at healthier forests and reduced fire risks in the years to come.

 

Federal land managers are also helping communities prepare for wildfire. Federal partnerships with state, tribal and local agencies strengthen preparedness programs, such as Firewise http://www.firewise.org/ and Ready Set Go!http://www.iafc.org/readySetGo that help families and communities prepare for and survive wildfire. You can also visit FEMA’sReady.gov http://www.ready.gov, to learn more about steps you and your family can take now to be prepared for an emergency.

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 33, H.R. 2297, and S. 3187

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 33, H.R. 2297, and S. 3187

 

On Monday, July 9, 2012, the President signed into law:

 

H.R. 33, the “Church Plan Investment Clarification Act,” which amends the Securities Act of 1933 to provide specifically for an exemption from SEC requirements in connection with church pension plans participating in collective trust funds;

 

H.R. 2297, which makes technical amendments to the District of Columbia Code to facilitate development of the Southwest Waterfront in the District of Columbia; and

 

S. 3187, the “Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act,” which reauthorizes a number of FDA user fee programs, including the Prescription Drug User Fee Act and Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act, and increases FDA’s ability to provide timely and expedited review and approval of applications for prescription drugs and medical devices; authorizes new user fee programs for generic drugs and biosimilar biological products; extends and modifies FDA authorities related to drugs intended for use by children; and improves the drug approval process and helps to reduce drug shortages.

 

 

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 33, H.R. 2297, and S. 3187

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 33, H.R. 2297, and S. 3187

 

On Monday, July 9, 2012, the President signed into law:

 

H.R. 33, the “Church Plan Investment Clarification Act,” which amends the Securities Act of 1933 to provide specifically for an exemption from SEC requirements in connection with church pension plans participating in collective trust funds;

 

H.R. 2297, which makes technical amendments to the District of Columbia Code to facilitate development of the Southwest Waterfront in the District of Columbia; and

 

S. 3187, the “Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act,” which reauthorizes a number of FDA user fee programs, including the Prescription Drug User Fee Act and Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act, and increases FDA’s ability to provide timely and expedited review and approval of applications for prescription drugs and medical devices; authorizes new user fee programs for generic drugs and biosimilar biological products; extends and modifies FDA authorities related to drugs intended for use by children; and improves the drug approval process and helps to reduce drug shortages.

 

 

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT SIGNING OF THE TRANSPORTATION AND STUDENT LOAN INTEREST RATE BILL

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT SIGNING OF THE

TRANSPORTATION AND STUDENT LOAN INTEREST RATE BILL

 

East Room

 

 

5:25 P.M. EDT

 

     THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  Everybody, please have a seat.  I apologize for keeping you waiting a little bit, and I hope everybody is staying hydrated — (laughter) — because it is hot.

 

Welcome to the White House.  We wouldn’t normally keep you this late on a Friday afternoon unless we had a good reason — and the bill that I’m about to sign is a pretty good reason.

 

I want to very much thank the members of Congress who are here.  We got a number in the front row, but, in particular, I want to recognize Senator Boxer and Congressman Mica, whose leadership made this bill a reality.  And although Barbara couldn’t make it, we want to make sure that everybody acknowledges the hard work that John did on this on bill.  (Applause.)

 

Now, we’re doing this late on Friday afternoon because I just got back from spending the past two days talking with folks in Ohio and Pennsylvania about how our challenge as a country isn’t just to reclaim all the jobs that were lost to the recession — although obviously that’s job number one.  It’s also to reclaim the economic security that so many Americans have lost over the past decade.

 

And I believe with every fiber of my being that a strong economy comes not from the top down but from a strong middle class.  That means having a good job that pays a good wage; a home to call your own; health care, retirement savings that are there when you need them; a good education for your kids so that they can do even better than you did.

 

And that’s why — for months — I’ve been calling on Congress to pass several common-sense ideas that will have an immediate impact on the economic security of American families.  I’m pleased that they’ve finally acted.  And the bill I’m about to sign will accomplish two ideas that are very important for the American people.

 

First of all, this bill will keep thousands of construction workers on the job rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure.  Second, this bill will keep interest rates on federal student loans from doubling this year — which would have hit nearly 7.5 million students with an average of a thousand dollars more on their loan payments. 

 

These steps will make a real difference in the lives of millions of Americans — some of whom are standing with us here today.  But make no mistake — we’ve got a lot more to do.  The construction industry, for example, was hit brutally hard when the housing bubble burst.  So it’s not enough just to keep construction workers on the job doing projects that were already underway.  We’ve got Mayor Villaraigosa and Governor O’Malley here as representatives of organizations of mayors and governors who know how desperate we need to do some of this work.

 

And for months, I’ve been calling on Congress to take half the money we’re no longer spending on war and use it to do some nation-building here at home.  There’s work to be done building roads and bridges and wireless networks.  There are hundreds of thousands of construction workers that are ready to do it. 

 

The same thing is true for our students.  The bill I’m about to sign is vital for millions of students and their families.  But it’s not enough just to keep interest rates from doubling. 

 

I’ve asked Congress to reform and expand the financial aid that’s offered to students.  And I’ve been asking them to help us give 2 million Americans the opportunity to learn the skills that businesses in their areas are looking for right now through partnerships between community colleges and employers.

 

In today’s economy, a higher education is the surest path to finding a good job and earning a good salary, and making it into the middle class.  So it can’t be a luxury reserved for just a privileged few.  It’s an economic necessity that every American family should be able to afford.  

  

So this is an outstanding piece of business.  And I’m very appreciative of the hard work that Congress has done on it.  My hope is, is that this bipartisan spirit spills over into the next phase, that we can start putting more construction workers back to work — not just those that were already on existing projects who were threatened to be laid off, but also getting some new projects done that are vitally important to communities all across the nation and that will improve our economy, as well as making sure that now that we’ve prevented a doubling of student loan rates, we actually start doing more to reduce the debt burden that our young people are experiencing. 

 

I want to thank all the Americans — the young or the young at heart — who took the time to sit down and write a letter or type out an email or make a phone call or send a tweet, hoping that your voice would be heard on these issues.  I promise you, your voices have been heard.  Any of you who believed your voice could make a difference — I want to reaffirm your belief.  You made this happen.

 

So I’m very pleased that Congress got this done.  I’m grateful to members of both parties who came together and put the interests of the American people first.  And my message to Congress is what I’ve been saying for months now — let’s keep going.  Let’s keep moving forward.  Let’s keep finding ways to work together to grow the economy and to help put more folks back to work.  There is no excuse for inaction when there are so many Americans still trying to get back on their feet. 

 

With that, let me sign this bill.  And let’s make sure that we are keeping folks on the job and we’re keeping our students in school. 

 

Thank you very much, everybody.  (Applause.)

 

(The bill is signed.)

 

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 4348

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 4348

 

H.R. 4348, the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” or “MAP-21″, which reauthorizes taxes that support the Highway Trust Fund through September 30, 2016, and authority to make expenditures from that Fund through September 30, 2014, and makes major reforms to surface transportation programs; reauthorizes the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through September 30, 2017, and makes major reforms to the NFIP; and extends for one year, until July 1, 2013, the current interest rate of 3.4 percent on all new subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans for undergraduate students.

 

 

 

President Obama…

President Obama Signs Minnesota Disaster Declaration

 

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Minnesota and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and flooding during the period of June 14-21, 2012. 

 

Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in the counties of Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Crow Wing,Dakota, Goodhue,  Kandiyohi, Lake, Meeker, Pine, Rice, Sibley, St. Louis, and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

 

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for all counties and Indian Tribes within the State.

 

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Mark A. Neveau as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

 

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

 

 

Statement by President Obama on Libya

Statement by the President on Libya

 

On behalf of the American people, I extend my congratulations to the people of Libya for another milestone on their extraordinary transition to democracy. After more than 40 years in which Libya was in the grip of a dictator, today’s historic election underscores that the future of Libya is in the hands of the Libyan people. Across Libya today, voters turned out to exercise their hard-earned freedoms, most participating in an election for the first time in their lives. They cast ballots for representatives of a National Congress that will lead the next stage of Libya’s transition.

 

The United States is proud of the role that we played in supporting the Libyan revolution and protecting the Libyan people, and we look forward to working closely with the new Libya – including the elected Congress and Libya’s new leaders. We will engage as partners as the Libyan people work to build open and transparent institutions, establish security and the rule of law, advance opportunity, and promote unity and national reconciliation. There are still difficult challenges ahead and voting needs to be completed in some areas. As they begin this new chapter, the Libyan people can count on the continued friendship and support of the United States.