Barack Obama
2009-07-01
2
Barack Obama
2009-07-01
1
PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS
OF THE
UNITED STATES
Barack Obama
2009
(IN TWO BOOKS)
BOOK II--JULY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 2009
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 2013
Published by the
Office of the Federal Register
National Archives and Records Administration
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
• Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov • Phone: (202) 512-1800 • Fax: (202) 512-1204
• Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20401
Foreword
The second half of 2009 was a time of great promise and great change for America. As we continued to recover from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, we took steps to put more people back to work and help businesses grow and hire. We focused on the issues that would help put us on a path to long-term prosperity. And we renewed our commitment to making the world beyond our borders more secure, more peaceful, and more free.
After acting quickly to shore up the financial system and stabilize the auto industry, our challenge became putting more Americans back on the job and restoring a sense of security to the middle class. To that end, we made it easier for small businesses to get credit and hire. We continued to direct resources from the Recovery Act toward putting more Americans back to work across the country. And in November, we saw the best jobs report since 2007.
We also recognized that in order to put America on sounder footing in the long-term, we had to confront some of the challenges that had been holding us back for years. The debate over health care reform, which began in the summer, spilled over into the fall as we kept fighting to make quality, affordable health care a reality for millions of Americans. We launched Race to the Top, a program that encouraged States to make serious changes to our education system that will help give our children the skills they need to compete for the jobs of the future. And we lived up to our founding principles of justice and equality by improving care for our veterans with the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 and expanding Federal hate crime protections to include gay, lesbian, and transgender Americans through the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
As we continued to bring the Iraq War to a responsible end, I addressed our Nation from the United States Military Academy to announce a new way forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda, break the Taliban's momentum, and begin to bring our troops home by summer of 2011. We also worked with partner nations to make progress in our effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and address climate change. I traveled abroad to meet with our allies and partners in Africa and Asia. And I was honored and humbled to accept the Nobel Peace Prize as a symbol of the important role that America and people around the world play in advancing the universal rights of every human being.
Late 2009 was also marked by loss and tragedy. In November, our Nation was shocked and heartbroken at the senseless killing of 13 Americans at Fort Hood. America lost a true champion when the booming voice of Senator Ted Kennedy fell silent. And as Americans celebrated the Christmas holiday, a terrorist tried to bring down an aircraft bound for Detroit.
All the victories and disappointments, triumphs and struggles, only strengthen my faith in the American spirit. I continue to be inspired by the determination and resolve shown by the men and women of this country. And as we move forward as a Nation, I am confident that America's brightest days are still ahead.
Preface
This book contains the papers and speeches of the President of the United States that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary during the period January 1-June 30, 2009. The material has been compiled and published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration.
The material is presented in chronological order, and the dates shown in the headings are the dates of the documents or events. In instances when the release date differs from the date of the document itself, that fact is shown in the textnote. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy: Remarks are checked against an audio recording, and signed documents are checked against the original. Textnotes and cross references have been provided by the editors for purposes of identification or clarity. Speeches were delivered in Washington, DC, unless indicated. The times noted are local times. All materials that are printed in full text in the book have been indexed in the subject and name indexes and listed in the document categories list.
This book contains the papers and speeches of the President of the United States that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary during the period July 1–December 31, 2009. The material has been compiled and published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration.
The material is presented in chronological order, and the dates shown in the headings are the dates of the documents or events. In instances when the release date differs from the date of the document itself, that fact is shown in the textnote. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy: Remarks are checked against an audio recording, and signed documents are checked against the original. Textnotes and cross references have been provided by the editors for purposes of identification or clarity. Speeches were delivered in Washington, DC, unless indicated. The times noted are local times. All materials that are printed in full text in the book have been indexed in the subject and name indexes and listed in the document categories list.
The Public Papers of the Presidents series was begun in 1957 in response to a recommendation of the National Historical Publications Commission. An extensive compilation of messages and papers of the Presidents covering the period 1789 to 1897 was assembled by James D. Richardson and published under congressional authority between 1896 and 1899. Since then, various private compilations have been issued, but there was no uniform publication comparable to the Congressional Record or the United States Supreme Court Reports. Many Presidential papers could be found only in the form of mimeographed White House releases or as reported in the press. The Commission therefore recommended the establishment of an official series in which Presidential writings, addresses, and remarks of a public nature could be made available.
The Commission’s recommendation was incorporated in regulations of the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, issued under section 6 of the Federal Register Act (44 U.S.C. 1506), which may be found in title 1, part 10, of the Code of Federal Regulations.
A companion publication to the Public Papers series, the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, was begun in 1965 to provide a broader range of Presidential materials on a more timely basis to meet the needs of the contemporary reader. Beginning with the administration of Jimmy Carter, the Public Papers series expanded its coverage to include additional material as printed in the Weekly Compilation. On January 20, 2009, the printed Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents was superseded by the online Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents. The Daily Compilation provides a listing of the President’s daily schedule and meetings, when announced, and other items of general interest issued by the Office of the Press Secretary. In 2012, the Government Printing Office and the Office of the Federal Register released a mobile web application (http://m.gpo.gov/dcpd) that catalogues the daily public activities of the President of the United States and enhances features of the online Daily Compilation with user-friendly search capability, allowing users to access Presidential content by date, category, subject, or location.
Also included in the printed edition are lists of the President’s nominations submitted to the Senate, materials released by the Office of the Press Secretary that are not printed in full text in the book, and proclamations, Executive orders, and other Presidential documents released by the Office of the Press Secretary and published in the Federal Register. This information appears in the appendixes at the end of the book.
Volumes covering the administrations of Presidents Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush are also included in the Public Papers series.
The Public Papers of the Presidents publication program is under the direction of Michael L. White, Managing Editor, Office of the Federal Register. The series is produced by the Presidential and Legislative Publications Unit. The Chief Editor of this book was Stacey A. Mulligan, assisted by Lois M. Davis, Michael J. Forcina, Joseph Frankovic, Gwendolyn J. Henderson, Diane Hiltabidle, Alfred Jones, Joshua H. Liberatore, Heather N. McDaniel, Amelia E. Otovo, D. Gregory Perrin, Matthew R. Regan, and Joseph Vetter.
The Public Papers of the Presidents publication program is under the direction of Michael L. White, Managing Editor, Office of the Federal Register. The series is produced by the Presidential and Legislative Publications Unit. The Chief Editor of this book was Laurice A. Clark, assisted by Lois M. Davis, Michael J. Forcina, Joseph G. Frankovic, Diane Hiltabidle, Alfred Jones, Joshua H. Liberatore, Heather N. McDaniel, Stacey A. Mulligan, Ryan R. Nolan, Amelia E. Otovo, D. Gregory Perrin, Matthew R. Regan, and Joseph K. Vetter.
The frontispiece and photographs used in the portfolio were supplied by the White House Photo Office. The typography and design of the book were developed by the Government Printing Office under the direction of Davita Vance Cooks, Acting Public Printer.
Charles A. Barth
Director of the Federal Register
David S. Ferriero
Archivist of the United States
Contents
Foreword . . . v
Preface . . . vii
Cabinet . . . xi
Public Papers of Barack Obama,
July 1-December 31, 2009 . . . 1019
Appendix A
Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 1845
Appendix B
Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . 1883
Appendix C
Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . 1907
Appendix D
Presidential Documents Published in the Federal Register . . . 1923
Subject Index . . . A-1
Name Index . . . B-1
Document Categories List . . . C-1
Cabinet
|
Vice President
|
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
|
|
Secretary of State
|
Hillary Rodham Clinton
|
|
Secretary of the Treasury
|
Timothy F. Geithner
|
|
Secretary of Defense
|
Robert M. Gates
|
|
Attorney General
|
Eric H. Holder, Jr.
|
|
Secretary of the Interior
|
Kenneth L. Salazar
|
|
Secretary of Agriculture
|
Thomas J. Vilsack
|
|
Secretary of Commerce
|
Gary F. Locke
|
|
Secretary of Labor
|
Hilda L. Solis
|
|
Secretary of Health and Human
Services
|
Kathleen Sebelius
|
|
Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development
|
Shaun L.S. Donovan
|
|
Secretary of Transportation
|
Raymond H. LaHood
|
|
Secretary of Energy
|
Steven Chu
|
|
Secretary of Education
|
Arne Duncan
|
|
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
|
Eric K. Shinseki
|
|
Secretary of Homeland Security
|
Janet A. Napolitano
|
|
Chief of Staff
|
Rahm I. Emmanuel
|
|
Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency
|
Lisa P. Jackson
|
|
United States Trade Representative
|
Ronald Kirk
|
Cabinet (Continued)
|
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
|
Peter R. Orzag
|
|
Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
|
Christina D. Romer
|
|
United States Representative to the United Nations
|
Susan E. Rice
|
Administration of Barack Obama
2009