Tag: President Obama

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President Obama to sign bill lowering interest rates on student loans

On July 1st, interest rates on student loans doubled to 6.8 percent from 3.4 percent after Congress failed to meet the deadline to prevent the rate increase.

Now, after urging Congress to address the issue, President Obama is set to sign a bill into law that will lower interest rates for college students.

Via The Raw Story:

The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would reverse a recent hike in federal student loan interest rates, lowering them to 3.86 percent for undergraduates in the new school year.

The House voted 392-31 in favor of the bill that will switch interest rates to a market-based system.

The bill pegs interest rates on student loans to the 10-year Treasury note plus 2.05 percentage points for undergraduates, and plus 3.6 percentage points for graduate loans.

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President Obama on Trayvon Martin verdict – “Once the jury’s spoken, that’s how our system works”

In a surprise appearance at a White House press conference, President Obama said Friday that all Americans should respect the George Zimmerman verdict, but white Americans should also understand that African Americans continue to face racial discrimination.

From USAToday:

“Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago,” said the President.

More than a year after saying that Trayvon could have been his son, Obama told reporters that, like other African Americans, he has been followed by security guards while shopping, and has seen motorists lock their doors or women hold tighter to their purses as as he walked near them.

“I don’t want to exaggerate this, but those sets of experiences inform how the African-American community interprets what happened one night in Florida,” Obama said.

A Florida jury acquitted Zimmerman on Saturday night of murder in the 2012 death of 17-year-old Trayvon.

In a 17-minute address that got emotional at times, Obama said he respects the different views of the verdict, but the trial was conducted professionally, and “once the jury’s spoken, that’s how our system works.”

As the Justice Department investigates whether to charge Zimmerman with civil rights violations in the wake of Trayvon’s 2012 death, Obama said state and local governments should examine whether changes to laws can head off violent confrontations. That includes racial training for law enforcement in order to reduce tensions between police and minorities, he said.

The president also questioned the wisdom of Florida’s “stand your ground” law, which, in the view of critics, all but encourages confrontation that could turn deadly.

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U.S. on track for lowest full-year deficit in five years, $117 billion budget surplus in June

From MarketWatch: The federal government posted a budget surplus of $117 billion in June, the Treasury Department said Thursday, reflecting both higher tax receipts and lower spending in the month and keeping the U.S. on track for its lowest full-year deficit in five years.

Including the June surplus, the budget deficit for the first nine months of the 2013 fiscal year totaled $510 billion, down 44% from the same period a year ago.

It was a record-high surplus for June, and the largest monthly surplus since April 2008. In June of last year, the government ran a deficit of $60 billion.

Now since the folks on the right have been saying the poor economy was President Obama’s fault, does this good news mean the President gets the credit for helping to create lowest deficit in five years?  Hmm…

More at MarketWatch

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President Obama: If you’re married and you move, you’re still married

Speaking the day after an historic Supreme Court ruling striking down the key portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, Obama said the benefits of being married should extend to same-sex couples no matter where they live. Twelve states (soon to be 13 with California), plus the District of Columbia, currently allow same-sex marriage, while 35 states ban it.

“If you’ve been married in Massachusetts and move somewhere else, you’re still married,” Obama said in Dakar, Senegal, in a response to a question from CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin. “Under federal law, you should be able to obtain the benefits of any lawfully married couple. But again I’m speaking as a president not a lawyer.”

Saying he’s directed the federal government to ensure statutes that apply to married people are now properly extended to same-sex couples, Obama explained the Wednesday ruling did not mean that same-sex marriages were permitted nationwide.

“The Supreme Court did not make a blanket ruling that applies nationally, but rather lifted up the ability of states to recognize and respect same-sex marriage, and that the federal government couldn’t negate the decision by those states,” Obama said.

(from CNN)

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President Obama reacts to SCOTUS decisions on marriage equality

President Barack Obama reacted Wednesday to the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act and invalidating Proposition 8 by releasing the following statement:

I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act. This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people. The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it. We are a people who declared that we are all created equal – and the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.

This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law; for children whose parents’ marriages will now be recognized, rightly, as legitimate; for families that, at long last, will get the respect and protection they deserve; and for friends and supporters who have wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and have worked hard to persuade their nation to change for the better.

So we welcome today’s decision, and I’ve directed the Attorney General to work with other members of my Cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for Federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.

On an issue as sensitive as this, knowing that Americans hold a wide range of views based on deeply held beliefs, maintaining our nation’s commitment to religious freedom is also vital. How religious institutions define and consecrate marriage has always been up to those institutions. Nothing about this decision – which applies only to civil marriages – changes that.

The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that millions of Americans hold in our hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.

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President Obama nominates gay man for ambassador to Australia

John Berry, the former director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, was nominated Friday as U.S. ambassador to Australia, the White House announced on Friday

The Washington Blade notes that Berry would be the first openly gay ambassador to a G-20 country.

His nomination needs to be confirmed by the Senate.

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President Obama mentions LGBT rights in G8 speech in Berlin

At the 14:18 mark:

“When we stand up for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters and treat their love and their rights equally under the law, we defend our own liberty as well.

“We are more free when all people can pursue their own happiness. And as long as walls exist in our hearts to separate us from those who don’t look like us, or think like us, or worship as we do, then we’re going to have to work harder, together, to bring those walls of division down.” – President Obama, speaking at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate today during the G8 Summit.

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President Obama speaks on fatherhood in weekly address

“Being a good parent, whether you’re gay or straight, a foster parent or a grand parent, isn’t easy.  It demands your constant attention, frequent sacrifice, and of course a healthy dose of patience.

“And nobody’s perfect – I’m still trying to be a better husband to my wife and a better father to my kids.  And I want to  do everything I can as President to encourage strong marriages and strong families.  

[snip]

“When I look back on my life, I won’t be thinking about any particular legislation I passed or policy I promoted. I’ll be thinking about Michelle, and the journey we’ve been on together.

” I’ll be thinking about Sasha’s dance recitals and Malia’s tennis matches – about the conversations we’ve had and the quiet moments we’ve shared. 

“I’ll be thinking about whether I did right by them, and whether they knew, every day, just how much they were loved.” —President Obama talks fatherhood in his weekly address

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President Obama names two openly gay men to ambassadorships

President Obama has named two openly gay men to prominent ambassadorships: Rufus Gifford as Ambassador to Denmark, and also named James Costos as Ambassador to Spain.

Background from the White House:

Rufus Gifford tapped for US Ambassador to Denmark

Rufus Gifford most recently served as Finance Chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. He served as Finance Director for Obama for America from 2011 to 2012, and as Finance Director for the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011. From 2008 to 2009, he was the California Finance Director for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, after working as a political consultant in California from 2004 to 2008.

From 1998 to 2004, Mr. Gifford was Creative Executive for Davis Entertainment, an independent film company based in Los Angeles.

He is currently a Federal Club Member of the Human Rights Campaign and a Partner in Conservation for the World Wildlife Fund. He received a B.A. from Brown University.

James Costos tapped for US Ambassador to Spain

James Costos is Vice President of Global Licensing and Retail for Home Box Office (HBO).

Before joining HBO in 2006, he was President and CEO of Eight Cylinders, Inc., an entertainment marketing and licensing agency.

Previously, from 2002 to 2004, he was head of Promotions and Consumer Products at Revolution Studios in California.

He began his career in New York as a fashion and retail executive. From 2001 to 2002, he was Vice President of Retail for Hermes in New York, and from 1991 to 2001, he was Vice President of Retail Operations for Tod’s in New York.

Mr. Costos currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Humane Society of the United States. He received a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts.

Nominations to ambassadorships must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

I personally think it would rock to be US Ambassador to either Spain or Denmark.  Great gigs.

(from Towleroad)