If you want to get a glimpse of the future, talk to Riki Escamilla.

This super-energetic Denver woman has big dreams for a “prosperous future for me, and my family.” I have no doubt she’ll get there.

Riki is participating in the Denver Green Jobs Initiative, a terrific program that provides free green jobs training to the unemployed, underemployed, veterans, women, and minorities. Its goal is simple: create a career path in high-growth green industries including solar energy technology, green construction, energy efficiency and weatherization, and green job administration and sales.

[UPDATE: Voting has now been extended through July 29th to accommodate continued participation.]

The President believes that often the best ideas come from outside Washington and from those who work day in and day out on the frontlines. That was the thinking behind the SAVE Award we launched last year – a way to get ideas directly from federal workers all over the world about how to cut waste and save taxpayer dollars.

In just three weeks, federal employees submitted more than 38,000 ideas identifying opportunities to save money and improve performance. After these were winnowed to a final four, the top idea was voted on by tens of thousands of Americans, and the winner – Nancy Fichtner from Loma, Colorado – came to the White House to present her proposal to save money in how the VA uses prescription medication.

As we head into the FY 2012 budget season, the President today kicked off the second annual SAVE Award, asking workers on the frontlines to take a hard look again and to share their ideas and insight at SAVEAward.gov.

In a change from last year, we also are asking federal employees to help rate the submissions from their fellow workers. This new feature will allow employees to apply their insight to the evaluation process, making sure the best ideas make it into the FY 2012 Budget.

In line with the spirit of the contest, the reason SAVE is back for a second year is that it works. I’ve written previously about some of the great ideas that came out of the first year’s SAVE contest. In March, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made a shift from paper to electronic payroll statements, helping save on printing, shipping, and distribution costs that add up quickly. More recently – thanks to the SAVE Award – the Air Force changed its cellphone arrangement, saving taxpayer dollars by tailoring plans to actual usage patterns.

These ideas represent small, but powerful, examples of how federal employees can use their experience and knowledge to streamline what works and help identify what doesn’t. If you’re a federal employee reading this blog post, go to SAVEAward.gov now and send in your idea now.  You’ll be helping to modernize our government, and just may end up in the White House briefing the President about your idea.

Peter Orszag is the Director of the Office of Management and Budget

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner appeared on PBS NewsHour  last night to discuss, among other items, the financial reform bill that is awaiting final passage by the Senate when they return from recess next week. 

In his conversation with NewsHour host Jim Lehrer, Secretary Geithner expressed confidence that the Congress will soon deliver a strong bill to President Obama’s desk:

LEHRER: The financial reform legislation: Is there any question in your mind this could eventually pass the Senate and be signed by the president?

GEITHNER: No, it looks like it's going to pass. And it should pass, again, because all Americans have a stake in this financial reforms. Remember, think what it was like 18 months ago. You know, people saw worst financial crisis in generations, the value of their savings fall by 40 percent, on average. Millions of people lost their jobs, lost their homes, saw businesses fail. This crisis touched everybody, and it demonstrates why all Americans have a stake in reforms that are going to give better protections for Americans and make sure that the financial system goes back to the business of helping Main Street businesses get access to credit so they can borrow to invest and expand.

The health care debate featured no shortage of rumors designed to misinform the American people about the Affordable Care Act. And while the debate has ended and implementation of the new law has begun, the rumor mill hasn’t slowed down. The latest rumor is the unfounded charge that “America's wounded warriors face a new tax on prosthetic limbs and other vital medical devices.” Nothing could be further from the truth. While the new law includes a tax on big medical device manufacturers, the tax won’t be passed on to veterans and wounded active duty military personnel and veterans will continue to receive prosthetic devices at no cost from the VA and TRICARE.

Here’s the truth behind the latest unfounded claim:

• Today, wounded veterans and active duty military receive prosthetic devices from the VA or TRICARE at no cost. That won’t change under the Affordable Care Act.
• We know medical device manufacturers will prosper under the new law -- the Affordable Care Act expands health insurance coverage to more than 30 million Americans and these newly insured individuals will use products made by the medical device industry. This is already a large and profitable business; sales in the medical device industry even before the Act takes effect are estimated to be $138 billion for 2010. The new tax applies to this industry and will help ensure we provide more Americans with affordable coverage choices.
• This is not a tax on consumers and claims that the tax will result in higher prices for prosthetics or other medical devices are wrong.  Prices and reimbursements for medical devices will continue to be negotiated between the device industry and insurance companies, retail establishments, and the federal government, in the case of veterans and active duty service members. And the full cost of prosthetics for veterans will continue to be borne by the government.

Back in March, the President signed the historic Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act and we blogged about how it would help college students and their families. Some major parts of that legislation took effect on Thursday, July 1st.

From now on, all new federal student loans will be made through the Direct Loan program. The Department of Education provides the capital for new loans and private companies selected through a competitive process service and collect them. This means the federal government won’t be subsidizing banks anymore.

The transition to direct lending will save the government billions of dollars a year. These savings make another one of Thursday’s changes possible. The maximum Pell Grant award for 2010-2011 is increasing to $5,550. This is $800 more than when President Obama took office.

For many people, a credit report is the most important document in their financial life. It helps determine everything from whether they can get a loan, lease a car, find a job, purchase insurance, or even buy monthly cable television or cell phone service.

Despite these far-reaching impacts, credit reports are sometimes riddled with errors. And those errors can have a real effect on your financial future. Something as simple as having the same name as another individual who failed to pay their bills on time can prevent you from receiving a loan or the lower interest rate for which you’re eligible.

Unfortunately, trying to correct those errors can often become a bureaucratic nightmare. Many consumers complain that they cannot get credit report mistakes fixed, or that errors are removed only to reappear later, sometimes when credit portfolios are sold.  

This isn’t a small problem. Consumers have filed almost 150,000 complaints about their credit reports in the last four years, and even conservative estimates suggest that 6 million Americans have errors on their reports serious enough to result in a denial of credit.

The President welcomed Prime Minister Netanyahu today for some intensive work – a one-on-one meeting and a working lunch.  Between the two, both men addressed the press briefly from the Oval Office.  Both exchanged kind words for each other, and pledged unequivocally to “work together in the coming months and years to protect our common interests, our countries, our peoples, against new threats,” as the Prime Minister put it.  He added that "the President said it best in his speech in Cairo.  He said in front of the entire Islamic world, he said, the bond between Israel and the United States is unbreakable.  And I can affirm that to you today."

In the President's opening remarks, he touched on the events in Gaza:

During our discussions in our private meeting we covered a wide range of issues.  We discussed the issue of Gaza, and I commended Prime Minister Netanyahu on the progress that's been made in allowing more goods into Gaza.  We've seen real progress on the ground.  I think it’s been acknowledged that it has moved more quickly and more effectively than many people anticipated.

Obviously there’s still tensions and issues there that have to be resolved, but our two countries are working cooperatively together to deal with these issues.  The Quartet has been, I think, very helpful as well.  And we believe that there is a way to make sure that the people of Gaza are able to prosper economically, while Israel is able to maintain its legitimate security needs in not allowing missiles and weapons to get to Hamas.

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel hold a joint press availability in the Oval Office July 6, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Do you have questions about the Affordable Care Act, finding options for health insurance coverage, your new consumer rights, or the newly-launched HealthCare.gov website?

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will answer your questions directly during a live event at the White House moderated by WebMD's Kristy Hammam.  Submit your questions now, and vote your favorite ones to the top of each category.  Then watch the event tomorrow, July 7, at 12pm EDT at WhiteHouse.gov/Live.

• Submit your question now.

[Ed. Note: Read Dr. Biden's post about celebrating Independence Day with troops in Iraq yesterday here]

Dr. Jill Biden meets with servicemen and women from the Texas National Guard 72nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team at the U.S. Embassy, Baghdad, Iraq. July 5, 2010.

Today I started my day off at a breakfast event with civilian volunteers from the U.S. embassy here in Iraq. Just like our soldiers, these individuals are sacrificing a tremendous amount on behalf of our country. This post is particularly challenging, and we owe them a great deal of gratitude for their service.