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On January 18, 2011, the President issued Executive Order 13563, in which he directed regulatory agencies to base regulations on an “open exchange of information and perspectives” and to promote public participation in Federal rulemaking.  The President identified Regulations.gov as the centralized portal for timely public access to regulatory content online. 

In response to the President’s direction, Regulations.gov has launched a major redesign, including innovative new search tools, social media connections, and better access to regulatory data.  The result is a significantly improved website that will help members of the public to engage with agencies and ultimately to improve the content of rules.

The redesign of Regulations.gov also fulfills the President’s commitment in The Open Government Partnership National Action Plan to “improve public services,” including to “expand public participation in the development of regulations.” This step is just one of many, consistent with the National Action Plan, designed to make our Federal Government more transparent, participatory, and collaborative.

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are technical interfaces/tools that allow people to pull regulatory content from Regulations.gov. For most of us, the addition of “APIs” on Regulations.gov doesn’t mean much, but for web managers and experts in the applications community, providing APIs will fundamentally change the way people will be able to interact with public federal regulatory data and content. 

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Last Friday, President Obama traveled to the Boeing aerospace factory in Everett, Washington. He met with workers and discussed his blueprint for an economy built to last with the renewed strength of American manufacturing. Part of the President’s message will focus on the Administration’s commitment to strong enforcement of U.S. trade agreements. The enforcement of trade agreements is vital to the success of large U.S. exporters like Boeing, as well as hundreds of firms of every size throughout Boeing’s global supply chain. 

Here in the United States, from Washington to Kansas to South Carolina, tens of thousands of Americans depend on Boeing and its suppliers for a job and a place to put their skills to work. Trade agreements that guarantee a level playing field for global competition help make it possible for Boeing to sell its airplanes around the world in support of jobs here at home.   

Boeing, like other American companies, knows from experience the importance of strong trade enforcement. For many years, the EU and its various member states provided Airbus, Boeing’s main global competitor, with more than $18 billion in subsidies. As a result, Boeing has been competing on an un-level playing field – losing market share and possible job-creating opportunities.  

Fortunately, last year the Obama Administration secured a victory against EU subsidies to Airbus. It was the largest verdict in the history of the World Trade Organization.  USTR is currently working to ensure that the EU implements the necessary changes and stops the illegal subsidies. Once implemented, this decision will lead to a more level playing field for Boeing and its many suppliers across America who support well-paying jobs for tens of thousands of hard-working Americans. 

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On October 31, 2011 President Obama signed an Executive Order directing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action to help further prevent and reduce prescription drug shortages, protect consumers and prevent price gouging. Nearly four months later, it’s clear that the President’s Executive Order and the good work of the FDA are making a difference for the American people.

Since President Obama signed his Executive Order, FDA has prevented 114 drug shortages. In part, this resulted from the Administration’s call for voluntarily notification to the FDA of potential shortages. Notification of a potential shortage is crucial: with enough advance warning, FDA can take action to help stop a potential drug shortage. And since President Obama signed his Executive Order, voluntary notifications have increased six-fold.

Today, the FDA is announcing the steps it has taken to end the shortage of two important drugs that fight cancer:

• To avert an impending shortage of methotrexate, a drug used to treat children with leukemia, the FDA has worked with manufacturers to help ramp up production and has approved a new application to produce the version of the drug that is most needed , which will further bolster supply and ensure patients have access to this lifesaving medicine. 
• To end the shortage  of the cancer drug Doxil, the FDA will allow the temporary importation of a replacement drug. This action should address patient needs and end this drug shortage.

The FDA is also responding to President Obama’s Executive Order by releasing new draft guidance for the drug industry on requirements for both mandatory and voluntary notification to FDA of issues that could result in a drug shortage.

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For the next White House Tweetup, we're inviting our followers on Twitter to come to the White House to welcome UK Prime Minister David Cameron for an Official Visit, and of course tweet all about it!

Interested in joining? Learn more and apply at WhiteHouse.gov/tweetup. 

On March 14, President Obama and the First Lady will welcome Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and his wife, Samantha Cameron, to the White House for an Official Visit. The visit will highlight the fundamental importance of the U.S.-UK special relationship and the depth of the friendship between the American people and the people of the United Kingdom.

The visit begins with an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, a tradition that started during the Kennedy Administration to formally welcome a visiting head of state. Sign up now for your chance to join other @WhiteHouse followers at the Arrival Ceremony. The deadline to apply is Sunday, February 19th at 11:59 p.m. EST.

You can also follow the tweetup and join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #WHTweetup.

The agreement reached in Congress yesterday is an important step that will prevent a tax hike on 160 million hardworking Americans who are still recovering from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, and continue essential support for millions of unemployed Americans struggling to find jobs. The agreement is also important because it prevents doctors who treat Medicare patients from taking a nearly 30 percent pay cut.  That kind of cut would harm physicians and jeopardize seniors’ access to the doctor they know and trust.

Some have argued that this legislation hurts the Affordable Care Act. This claim is false. Most of the policies in this bill that help prevent doctors from taking a pay cut are in the President’s budget.  Others were the product of a tough negotiation.  And none harm the implementation of health insurance premium tax credits as did the House Republican plan from December.

Let’s look more closely at what is actually in the agreement:

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President Obama describes a series of steps to strengthen American manufacturing and job creation here in the United States.

Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3

A quick look at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

National Medals of Arts and Humanities: Extraordinary Americans who have excelled in the arts and humanities throughout their careers—from philosophers to sculptors—joined the President and First Lady at the White House on Monday for an occasion they look forward to every year: awarding the National Medals of Arts and Humanities. The honorees’ contributions, the President noted, “[H]elp guide our growth as a people. The true power of the arts and the humanities is that you speak to everyone.”

Surprise!: As White House visitors stepped into the Blue Room on Thursday during a public tour, they were greeted by unexpected guests: the First Lady and the Obama family’s canine, Bo. Reactions ranged from shock and excitement to overwhelmed—watch the meet and greet here.

From One VP to Another: After accepting an invitation from Vice President Biden, Vice President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China spent Tuesday morning at the White House to attend a series of meetings with Administration Officials including the President. His visit to Washington, D.C. also included a meeting at the Pentagon and a U.S.-China Business Roundtable at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among various other events.

Master Lock: The President headed from Washington, D.C. to Wisconsin on Wednesday to visit with Master Lock workers and talk about his plans to boost American manufacturing—something Master Lock is familiar with; the company has discovered that it can actually save money by keeping production facilities in the United States and bringing jobs back to America.

What $40 Means: In December of 2011, we asked Americans what $40 meant to them, and tens of thousands of Americans answered—$40 is a tank of gas, a co-pay for a doctor’s visit, a prescription medicine, a pizza night with their family. Their voice made a difference then and now—on Friday, lawmakers extended the payroll tax cut through the rest of 2012, in addition to extending critical unemployment benefits. You can watch this video to meet some of the tens of thousands of Americans who courageously shared what losing an extra $40 per paycheck would mean for them and their family.

787 Dreamliner: On Friday, the President visited the Boeing assembly facility in Everett, Washington to announce new steps to help promote American manufacturing and increase U.S. exports, following his outlining of a Blueprint for an Economy Built to Last. At that very facility, the 787 Dreamliner, the world’s most advanced commercial airplane, is assembled—nearly 8,000 people are directly employed in building it.

2013 Budget: On Monday, President Obama announced his budget for the 2013 fiscal year in Annandale, Virginia. This year’s budget reflects the President’s firm belief that our country has always done best when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same set of rules. The budget continues our commitment to keeping that promise alive by creating an economy that’s built to last—with good jobs that pay well and security for the middle class. To read the complete budget, you can download the PDF here, or get an on-the-go copy for your Nook.

This week, thousands of people have shared their stories about how $40 less in every paycheck would affect them if Congress didn’t extend the payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans –and it made all the difference.

Lawmakers extended the payroll tax cut through the rest of 2012, in addition to extending unemployment benefits that provide lifelines to millions of Americans looking for work.

The thing is, $40 is real money for working families, as people all over the country told us. That money buys things like school lunches, the gas needed to get to work or visit ailing relatives, and co-pays for doctor visits and essential prescription medicines.

Check out our slideshow of the photos and stories of Americans across all 50 states (plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands) who believed that their voice could make a difference and had the courage to speak out about what losing an extra $40 per paycheck would mean for them and for their family.

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This afternoon, David Plouffe, Senior Advisor to President Obama, sent the message below to the White House email list, announcing that Congress has passed an extension of the payroll tax cut. If you didn't get the email, be sure to sign up.

Good afternoon --

This week, thousands of folks have shared how $40 less in every paycheck would affect them if Congress didn't extend the payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans.

And it worked.

This afternoon, lawmakers got this done. The President will sign that bill into law next week, and we've already invited some of the folks who shared their stories to come to the White House when he does. The past few days have been a constant reminder of how incredible it can be when people from all walks of life join together to speak out. On Tuesday, we sat down with another group of Americans who added their voices to the debate, and they recorded a message just for you. It's a powerful thing to watch.

 

There will be other fights in the weeks and the months ahead when the kind of engagement they're talking about could make all the difference. So check it out, then pass it along to anyone who is skeptical that real people can't have an impact:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/40dollars/stories

Thanks,
David Plouffe
Senior Advisor to the President

The Economic Report of the President has been prepared annually by the Council of Economic Advisers since 1947. The theme of this year’s Economic Report of the President is “To Recover, Rebalance, and Rebuild.”  In 2011, the Nation continued to recover from the Great Recession and to make progress toward building a stronger foundation for more balanced and sustainable economic growth in the future.

The problems that caused the deep recession that began at the end of 2007 and lasted until mid-2009 were a long time in the making, and will not be solved overnight. But economic progress is being made.  In 2011 the Nation continued to recover, rebalance and rebuild a stronger, more secure future.  The economy has expanded for 10 straight quarters. As a result, by the third quarter of 2011, the real gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States had surpassed its peak level at the start of the 2007–09 recession.

When President Obama took office on January 20, 2009, the U.S. economy was contracting at an alarming rate, and employment was falling by more than 700,000 jobs a month. The plunge in economic activity was even deeper than the Bureau of Economic Analysis initially reported: revised estimates show that the economy contracted at an 8.9 percent annualized rate in the last quarter of 2008, from the initial advanced estimate of 3.8 percent.  This was the largest quarterly downward revision ever reported. 

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Today, President Obama visited the Boeing assembly facility in Everett, Washington to announce new steps to help promote American manufacturing and increase U.S. exports.

Boeing employs tens of thousands of Americans in its factories and facilities across the country, and the supply chain for its products reach into every state in the nation—supporting thousands of additional jobs. The company is also one of our top exporters, selling its commercial planes to 53 countries in the last five years.

The 787 Dreamliner, assembled in Everett, is the world’s most advanced commercial airplane. It's ligher, faster, and more fuel efficient than other planes. Nearly 8,000 people are directly employed in building the Dreamliner, and many more by the companies that supply its parts.  It was developed using cutting edge technology and advanced materials—innovations that will spill over into other industries.

And of the 870 orders already placed for the Dreamliner, about 80 percent of the planes constructed in the United States will be shipped to other countries. (View our infographic above to see which ones)

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Today, as part of the Administration’s ongoing effort to support and strengthen American businesses, we officially launched BusinessUSA – a new online platform that will make it easier for businesses to access the services and information they need to help them grow, hire and export.

BusinessUSA is specifically designed to help meet the President’s goal of streamlining business-related agencies to better meet the needs of America’s businesses in the 21st Century global economy.  For too long, entrepreneurs – and especially small business owners – have been forced to navigate a confusing maze of government agencies to get the support and resources they need. The President has made clear that this is unacceptable.  As he said in his State of the Union Address, we need to give U.S. businesses every opportunity and tool to succeed so that they can grow and hire right here in America – and that’s what today’s launch is all about.

BusinessUSA isn’t just another website. It’s a virtual one stop shop that gives businesses access to the full range of resources they need at every stage of their development – providing assistance getting patents, loans to grow and hire, information on contracting opportunities, and help breaking into new markets overseas. The sitetakes a “No Wrong Door” approach that creates a common platform to match businesses with the services relevant to them, regardless of where the information is located or which agency’s website, call center, or office they go to for help. With a simple click of a mouse, BusinessUSA’s search function puts a wealth of valuable and relevant information at users’ fingertips.

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Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama surprised White House visitors during a tour. Watch a video of the unexpected meet and greet here, and check out the images below that capture the some of the visitors’ reactions.  

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This week, the President made a major announcement on preventive care, unveiled next year's budget, pushed Congress to extend the payroll tax cut, awarded the National Medals of Arts & Humanities, met with China's Vice President Xi, and traveled west to Wisconsin and California and the First Lady hit the road to promote her Let’s Move! Initiative.

This morning, First Lady Michelle Obama surprised a group of visitors during a public White House tour. People from all over the country—families, students in town as part of the Junior Statesmen of America program, a group of nurses who work with veterans, and many others—entered the Blue Room expecting a glimpse of its artwork and furniture, only to be greeted by a smiling First Lady and Bo, the Obama family pup.

Reactions ranged from shock, to excitement, to just plain overwhelmed. Watch a video of the whole thing below.

On Tuesday, President Obama asked Americans to tell him what losing $40 per paycheck would mean to them. Of the thousands that responded, we heard from many families, who sent us photos, tweets, and emails that illustrate just how important decisions made in Washington are to regular people across the country. They told us losing that income would make it more difficult to pay for college, to pay for childcare and even to pay for basic necessities like milk and medication.

At the end of this month, a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut will expire. If Congress doesn't act, taxes will go up on 160 million hardworking Americans. For a family making about $50,000 a year, the payroll tax cut amounts to about $1,000 a year, or about $40 in every paycheck.  It may not seem like a lot of money to some people, but for single moms who wrote to us today, that money can make a big difference. Here are some of their stories:

 $40 to me is the threshold each week as I am a laid-off new father working part-time as a teacher. $40 less would have prevented me from replacing worn out tires for the ice & snow of winter...$40 less would prevent healthier options for feeding my son... $40 less would be a colder house & a baby bundled against the cold...$40 is very real -- Stefan from Massachusetts

 

 

Forty dollars a paycheck means everything to my family. It would mean that we could afford to continue to give our twins the basic necessities like food and milk.  We buy 3 gallons of milk a week for them. Not to mention daycare costs -- Jocelyn from Maryland

 

 

 

The $40 a paycheck that my husband and I would lose (I guess that means we would be losing $80 between the two of us) would make the difference in childcare for us.  It is becoming harder and harder for a middle class family to even afford children!  Costs continue to rise, putting a strain on our family budget.  Please don't tax us further  -- Ginny from Kentucky

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Each day, more and more Americans are taking advantage of the new free preventive services provided through the health care law. People of all ages can now get the preventive services they need, like mammograms and the new Annual Wellness Visit, free of charge. With more people taking advantage of these benefits, more lives can be saved, and costly, and often burdensome, chronic diseases can be prevented or caught earlier.

A new report shows that approximately 54 million Americans were provided with at least one new free preventive service in 2011 through their private health insurance plans, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. And an estimated 32.5 million people with Medicare received at least one free preventive benefit in 2011, including the new Annual Wellness Visit, since the health reform law was enacted in 2010.

Together, this means an estimated 86 million Americans have already been helped by the health care law’s prevention coverage improvements.

What’s more, many minority populations are also receiving expanded preventive benefits as a result of the law, including an estimated 6.1 million Latinos, 5.5 million Blacks, 2.7 million Asian Americans and 300,000 Native Americans with private insurance. These benefits are particularly important for these Americans who often see higher rates of disease and reduced access to care. Better access to preventive services can help reduce these health disparities.

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In December, Brian Deese, the Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, created a White Board to explain how President Obama's payroll tax cut helps families, businesses, and the economy.

This week, he sat down to show why it's still a key component to help fuel our recovery -- and why Congress needs to continue moving forward to extend the tax cut.

Today, we learned that each of the Big Three automakers posted a yearly profit for 2011. For the first time since 2004, all of those companies are operating in the black. 

But those aren’t the only milestones we’ve seen recently in the resurgence of the American auto industry. Or in the comeback of the American manufacturing sector. 

The January 2012 jobs report released earlier this month included another little-noticed milestone. The number of auto industry jobs added since GM and Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy after June 2009 now exceeds 200,000 — marking the strongest period of auto jobs growth since the late 1990s. That positive trend is particularly strong in the motor vehicle and parts manufacturing sector, which has added 121,900 jobs – a nearly 20 percent increase – since June 2009. And that growth is particularly notable given that some experts estimated that at least 1 million jobs could have been lost if GM and Chrysler had been liquidated.

Automotive Industry
(Motor Vehicles and Parts) June 2009 January 2012 Total Jobs Added Auto Industry Manufacturing 624,400 746,300 121,900 Auto Industry Retail 1,627,700 1,713,400 85,700 Total 2,252,100 2,459,700 207,600

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Ed. Note: This was originally posted on Open for Business, the U.S. Small Business Administration blog.  

Right now, small businesses across America pay an average of 18 percent more to provide health insurance than large businesses.  While the insurance exchanges included in the Affordable Care Act will bring these costs down starting in 2014, we need to make it easier for small business owners to provide insurance to their employees right now. One important part of President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal expands a tax credit that does exactly that.

The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit has benefited hundreds of thousands of small businesses since the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010.  After listening to business owners around the country, the President is proposing to make the tax credit available to more businesses and easier to claim. The budget increases the maximum size of eligible companies from 25 employees to 50, proposes more generous phase-out provisions and simplifies the credit, making it easier to claim. It is estimated that if the President’s proposal were enacted, the tax credit will benefit about half a million employers who provide healthcare to 4 million workers in 2012 alone. Over the next decade, this proposal would provide an additional $14 billion in tax credits to small employers across the country.

These changes will help small business owners hire more employees and create an economy built to last. Take for example, Mark Hodesh, who owns Downtown Home and Garden in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  He started offering healthcare about 15 years ago to attract and retain talented employees so that he could compete with bigger stores and to help address skyrocketing healthcare costs his employees were facing. 

In 2010, after qualifying for the small business healthcare tax credit, he got back nearly $9,000, almost 30 percent of his costs, for offering coverage to 11 full-time employees. The money he saved helped him hire a new employee, and now, with 12 employees, his tax credit could be go up to about $10,000 if the President’s proposal to expand the tax credit is adopted by Congress. 

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