Barack Obama
2013-07-01
2
Barack Obama
2013-07-01
2
PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS
OF THE
UNITED STATES
Barack Obama
2013
(IN TWO BOOKS)
BOOK 2--JULY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 2013
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 2019
Published by the
Office of the Federal Register
National Archives and Records Administration
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office
• Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov • Phone: (202) 512-1800 • Fax: (202) 512-1204
• Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20401
Foreword
America marked two great milestones during the latter half of 2013: the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's immortal words on the fields of Gettysburg, defining our American experiment as "a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that 'all men are created equal'"; and 50 years since civil rights activists marched on Washington and laid their claim to that founding ideal.
We spent the second half of this year focused on rebuilding the cornerstones of the American middle class. Job security, with good wages and durable industries. A good education. A home to call your own. Affordable health care when you get sick. A secure retirement even if you're not rich. The promise that through hard work and sacrifice, you can get ahead.
Unfortunately, our progress toward creating a better bargain for the middle class was interrupted when Republicans in the Congress instigated the first Government shutdown in more than 17 years. The shutdown hurt our economy, disadvantaged our families, and damaged our credibility around the world. For more than 2 weeks, I devoted my energy to reopening the Government as soon as possible, and I was pleased when Democrats and responsible Republicans came together to put Federal employees back to work and avoid America's first default in more than 200 years. In the wake of this manufactured crisis, the American people were fed up with partisan brinksmanship in Washington. I redoubled my efforts to find willing partners wherever I could, and by the end of the year, I signed a bipartisan budget agreement that replaced a portion of the across-the-board spending cuts known as "the sequester."
This fall we also rolled out the Affordable Care Act's Health Insurance Marketplace, which allowed Americans to compare plans and shop for affordable health insurance. While problems with the Healthcare.gov website initially prevented many people from signing up, my Administration moved quickly to repair them, and within 2 months of its launch, the site was working well for the vast majority of users. Thanks to the Marketplace and the expansion of Medicaid, millions of Americans gained the peace of mind that comes with having health coverage.
These 6 months brought tragedy, but we drew strength from our loss. In the wake of a terrible shooting at the Washington Navy Yard that took 12 innocent lives, we recognized the unheralded work of quiet patriots. After a devastating typhoon struck the Philippines, the global community rallied to provide relief and life-saving aid. And as we mourned the loss of former South African President Nelson Mandela, we recalled our power--through united action and shared ideals--to build a freer, more just world.
Those ideals were challenged when, in the increasingly brutal Syrian civil war, the regime of Bashar al-Assad carried out the worst chemical weapons attack of the 21st century, massacring many Syrians. It was a clear violation of international norms, an assault on our common humanity, and a threat to our national security. I asked the Congress to authorize limited, targeted military action against Syrian regime targets, but remained committed to exhausting all diplomatic options. In part because of pressure from the United States, the Syrian regime agreed to the peaceful elimination of its chemical weapons stockpile and joined the Chemical Weapons Convention. As my Administration continued working with the international community to ensure that Syria met its obligations, we also took an important step toward a comprehensive resolution regarding Iran's nuclear program. While significant obstacles remain, these breakthroughs set us on a path toward a safer, more peaceful future.
At the close of a year of challenge and hard-fought progress, I am reminded that there is no test our Nation cannot meet. When we recognize that our divisions pale in comparison to the strength of our common ideals, when we accept our obligations to one another and future generations--for the United States of America, no task is too difficult and no odds are too steep.
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 July 1-December 31, 2013. 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 otherwise 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 John Hyrum Martinez, Director of the Publications and Services Division, Office of the Federal Register. The
series is produced by the Presidential and Legislative Publications Unit, Laurice A. Clark, Supervisor. The Chief Editor of this book was Joseph K. Vetter; the Managing Editor was Joshua H. Liberatore, assisted by Amelia E. Otovo.
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 Publishing Office under the direction of Herbert H. Jackson, Jr., Acting Deputy Director and Chief Administrative Officer.
Oliver A. Potts
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, 2013 . . . 787
Appendix A
Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 1397
Appendix B
Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . 1435
Appendix C
Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . 1449
Appendix D
Presidential Documents Published in the Federal Register . . . 1461
Subject Index . . . A-1
Name Index . . . B-1
Document Categories List . . . C-1
Cabinet
|
Vice President
|
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
|
|
Secretary of State
|
John F. Kerry
|
|
Secretary of the Treasury
|
Jacob J. Lew
|
|
Secretary of Defense
|
Charles T. Hagel
|
|
Attorney General
|
Eric H. Holder, Jr.
|
|
Secretary of the Interior
|
Sarah M.R. "Sally" Jewel
|
|
Secretary of Agriculture
|
Thomas J. Vilsack
|
|
Secretary of the Commerce
Penny S. Pritzker
|
|
Secretary of Labor
|
Seth D. Harris, Acting
(confirmed July 18)
|
|
Secretary of Health and Human Services
|
Kathleen Sebelius
|
|
Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development
|
Shaun L.S. Donovan
|
|
Secretary of Transportation
|
Anthony R. Foxx
|
|
Secretary of Energy
|
Ernest J. Moniz
|
|
Secretary of Education
|
Arne Duncan
|
|
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
|
Eric K. Shinseki
|
|
Secretary of Homeland Security
|
Janet A. Napolitano
(resigned September 6)
Jeh C. Johnson
(confirmed July 18)
|
|
Chief of Staff
|
Denis R. McDonough
|
|
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
|
Robert Perciasepe, Acting
Regina McCarthy
(confirmed July 18)
|
|
United States Trade Representative
|
Michael B. Froman
|
|
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Sylvia Mathews Burwell
|
|
Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
|
Alan B. Krueger
(resigned August 1)
Jason L. Furman
(confirmed August 1)
|
|
United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations
|
Samantha Power
(confirmed August 1)
|
|
Administrator of the Small Business Administration
|
Karen G. Mills
(resigned September 1)
Jeanne Hulit, Acting
|
Administration of Barack Obama
2013