The White House Blog

Ed. note: This is cross-posted from NASA.gov.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's "Address at Rice University on the Nation's Space Effort," when the young president shifted our efforts in space from low to high gear. In proclaiming, "We choose to go to the moon," Kennedy propelled our space program to the forefront of American culture and consciousness, galvanizing an historic effort on which we continue to build today.

Accomplishing Kennedy's goals, both tangible and intangible, we have taken on his vision to create new challenges and now reach toward new capabilities and destinations. Neil Armstrong first left humanity's footprint on the moon, and more importantly helped raise the "banner of freedom and peace," fulfilling Kennedy's vow to "not see [space] governed by a hostile flag of conquest."

And we now stand on Armstrong's shoulders to create a sustainable vision for the future exploration of space. Much like those aboard the Apollo 7, 8, 9, and 10 missions cleared the path for Apollo 11 and Armstrong to land on the moon, our Curiosity rover on Mars is clearing the path for humans – Americans – to land on Mars. Our space program has developed new technologies that made human expansion into the solar system a reality. It created a global enterprise, now spinning off into the private sector, which continues to advance our nation and our world.

Today’s report shows that while we have made progress digging our way out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, too many families are still struggling and Congress must act on the policies President Obama has put forward to strengthen the middle class and those trying to get into it.

Real median income declined by $777 to $50,054 in 2011. This decline in income is another example of why it was so important for Congress to pass the President’s payroll tax cut - which put $1,000 in the pocket of approximately 160 million working Americans last year, thus providing an important cushion for families that saw their pre-tax incomes decrease in 2011. More recent data available for 2012, including data on job growth, unemployment and wages, indicate that real median income is growing this year. In addition, data from the government’s Current Population Survey analyzed by Sentier Research indicate that median household income has grown $1,176 in the last 12 months; although these data are not as reliable as the comprehensive Census estimates, they are an indicator of more recent trends in income.

Still, too many Americans are feeling the effects of the crisis, which is why the President believes Congress must vote this month to extend the middle class tax cuts to ensure that 98 percent of Americans do not see a significant tax hike at the end of the year. If Congress fails to act, the typical middle class family will face a $2,200 tax increase. Middle class families need economic certainty and Republicans in Congress should not hold these middle class tax cuts hostage simply to preserve massive tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.  Moreover, if Congress is truly concerned about income levels, it should act this month to pass job creation proposals in the President’s American Jobs Act – which independent economists believe would create 1 million jobs and has been before Congress for over a year. 

Today’s report also shows that thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act, 1.3 million fewer people were uninsured in 2011. Today’s report also shows that thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act, 3.6 million more people were covered by health insurance in 2011 and the percentage of the population without insurance declined from 16.3 percent in 2010 to 15.7 percent in 2011. In addition, the rate of private insurance coverage was essentially unchanged in 2011 for the first time in a decade.

President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stand during the playing of Taps during the September 11th Observance Ceremony at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Va., Sept. 11, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today, President Obama and the First Lady marked the eleventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

They began the day at the White House, observing a moment of silence on the South Lawn just after 8:45 a.m., around the time the first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center. Afterward, they traveled to the Pentagon, where the President spoke at a memorial service in honor of those who died there, as well as in New York and Pennsylvania.

This anniversary allows us to renew our faith that even the darkest night gives way to a brighter dawn. Today, we can come here to the Pentagon, and touch these names and kneel beside a building where a single stone still bears the scars of that fire. We can visit the field of honor in Pennsylvania and remember the heroes who made it sacred.  We can see water cascading into the footprints of the Twin Towers, and gaze up at a new tower rising above the New York skyline. 

And even though we may never be able to fully lift the burden carried by those left behind, we know that somewhere, a son is growing up with his father’s eyes, and a daughter has her mother’s laugh -- living reminders that those who died are with us still.

Ed. note: This is cross-posted from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

No one who was working at the Department of Transportation 11 years ago will forget the morning of September 11, 2001. Whether it was the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic controllers, who helped bring every aircraft in U.S. airspace safely to ground, or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy's midshipmen, who went into the chaos of Lower Manhattan to support the maritime evacuation of Wall Street workers, 9/11 is permanently etched into the Department's memory.

To commemorate that day, the FAA's Washington Metroplex Team has named two arrival sequences to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to honor those who died that day and those who have served our country from that day forward. Each arrival sequence is part of our new NextGen descents, which use satellite-based information to make more efficient arrivals and departures at airports. The sequences contain a series of five-letter waypoints – points in the sky through which an aircraft must fly to remain on course – and together, they spell out messages of support and remembrance for 9/11. 

Aircraft flying the Freedom route to National from the northwest pass through waypoints named “WEEEE,” “WLLLL,” “NEVVR,” “FORGT” and “SEP11.” Those flying the Troops route from the southwest pass through waypoints named “USAAY,” “WEEDU,” “SUPRT,” “OOURR” and “TRUPS.” Depending on the runway configuration, aircraft might also pass through waypoints named “STAND” and “TOGETHER” or “LETZZ,” “RLLLL,” “VCTRY” and “HEROO."

Freedom/Troop Satellite Navigation Waypoints (Photo Credit by U.S. Department of Transportation)

President Obama marks the eleventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks by remembering the innocent lives lost, and honoring the first responders and men and women in uniform who have served and sacrificed to keep our country safe.

In the difficult years following the attacks, the United States has come back stronger as a nation, decimated the leadership of al-Qaeda, ensured that Osama bin Laden will never attack America again, and strengthened our alliances across the world.

The President has signed a proclamation making Friday, September 7 through Sunday, September 9, 2012 National Days of Prayer and Remembrance.

To join that commemoration, you can sign up for a service opportunity near you at Serve.gov.

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At the Yemen Donor Conference in Riyadh, which I attended on September 4, I was impressed by how far Yemen has come in the past year. But I think what really made this conference stand out is that we focused on what happens after the conference, and how key “quick impact” programs will benefit from the commitments made and deliver the greatest impact to the most critical challenges facing Yemen.  

Last year, Yemen negotiated a political solution that allowed the country to pull itself from the brink of conflict and begin implementing long-overdue political, military, and economic reforms. Yet Yemen is embarking on this promising path under the shadow of significant challenges, including nearly 40 percent unemployment and a dire humanitarian crisis in which ten million people – nearly half of Yemen’s population – go to bed hungry every night. And, Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, could potentially run out of water in a decade.

The Yemeni government’s “Transitional Program for Stabilization and Development” – which was presented at the conference – describes plans to rebuild the economy, advance the political transition, enhance security and the rule of law, and significantly improve the welfare of the Yemeni population. At the conference, Yemen agreed to a “Mutual Accountability Framework,” which outlines the relationship between Yemeni goals to restore political, security and economic stability and the supporting role of donor countries.  

Yemen cannot carry out its ambitious agenda without significant international support. The Donor Conference, hosted in Riyadh by Saudi Arabia, the World Bank and the Yemeni government, was critical to rallying this support and strengthening donor coordination. During the conference, partner countries pledged nearly 6 billion dollars and I had the opportunity to emphasize the strong commitment of the United States as a friend and partner to Yemen during this incredibly important time. 

This week, the President visited Fort Bliss two years after he marked the end of major combat operations in Iraq and visited with victims of Hurricane Isaac. Meanwhile, the White House released its top secret beer recipe and the new White House app, and "We the People" got its three millionth signature. 

You know summer is at a close and fall is upon us when the NFL regular season begins, and today, the Dallas Cowboys and last year’s NFL Champion New York Giants will kick-off the season at home.

This past June President Obama hosted the 2012 NFL Champion Giants at the White House to congratulate them on their victory -- just as he's hosted past champions, including the Steelers, the Saints, the Packers, and even the 1985 Chicago Bears.

In honor of tonight's kickoff, we've pulled together some highlights of NFL Champions’ visits to the White House. Check it out.

Under the Administration’s Campaign to Cut Waste, we are scrutinizing every dollar of Federal spending to make sure that funds are spent efficiently and effectively.  As part of the campaign, last fall, in Executive Order 13589, “Promoting Efficient Spending,”the President charged Federal agencies with tightening their belts to find efficiencies and savings in areas such as printing, fleet, and travel.  That effort is paying off.  Federal agencies are hard at work executing on plans to achieve administrative cost savings in these areas. Agencies achieved over $2 billion in reduced costs in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period of time in 2010, and we’re announcing today that agencies achieved another $2 billion in savings in the second quarter.  That puts us at $4 billion dollars in savings – well on track to meet and exceed our goal of $8 billion by the end of FY 2013. 

But perhaps just as important as the savings themselves is the fact that they are indicative of innovative management practices Federal agencies are implementing to get the most out of every dollar.  We are spending less money, and we’re spending it smarter in order to get the most bang for our buck.

For instance, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is consolidating its cell phone contracts.  An analysis of USDA’s cellular inventory showed that USDA had over 700 plans and about 36,000 lines of service.  The number of plans has been reduced considerably, and about 1,700 unused and obsolete lines have been discontinued, resulting in savings of approximately $4.7 million this year alone.