Thursday, December 23, 2010 Friends - As we close 2010, I wanted to take a few moments to look back at the last 12 months of what we have accomplished – we began a robust implementation of health insurance reform; we ended combat operations in Iraq; we passed a landmark Wall Street Reform bill that will hold Wall Street accoundtable and protect consumers; we repealed the discriminatory... 

House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) have introduced a bill seeking to end the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy.  The bill’s language is similar to the DADT repeal that was stripped out of the National Defense Authorization Act earlier this year.  A vote is expected to occur on Wednesday, and we will update the blog accordingly.  Read More →

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 8, 2010 Statement by the President on the House Voting to Approve the DREAM Act I congratulate the House of Representatives, Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Berman, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and other congressional leaders for taking the historic step of passing the DREAM Act today with a bipartisan vote. This vote is not only the right... 

Update from the White House Office of Public Engagement WEST WING UPDATE Dear Friends, It’s been an incredibly busy week as we continue to work with our allies in Congress and across the country to try to get the DREAM Act across the finish line. Here is a quick update. It looks like the House and Senate could take up the DREAM Act as early as this week. From the White House and Obama Administration we continue to... 

President Obama signed an Executive Order to enhance the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics so that it better serves communities across the country by engaging them in the process of improving the education of Latino Students. Among the changes, the new Executive Order provides a better structure for the Initiative to take action and forge partnerships between the public, private, and non-profit... 

Governor Signs Legislation to Help California Social Workers Sacramento- Assembly member Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara) announced today that his measure,, was signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Today is a new day for California social workers who will now qualify for federal financial assistance, similar to social workers in other states,” said Nava. “Social workers play a vital role in our communities... 

Guest Blogger, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Six Months of the Affordable Care Act: Real rights, real protections, real benefits for real people. By HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius In the six months since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, we have been hard at work implementing the law and focusing on putting consumers ahead of insurance companies. Already, millions... 

Political Climate The primary season began in earnest on Tuesday, May 18 and we learned several important lessons that night.  For one, voter turnout was not particularly high, defying the expectations of many observers who believed voter anger would voice itself loudly at the first opportunity.  Second, the night clearly went better for Democrats than it did for Republicans.  The hard fought special... 

Political Climate With the health care debate now behind us, Capitol Hill and the Obama Administration have moved on to other things.  Issues of great significance include a pending Supreme Court nomination, fluctuating news on employment, and several Congressional primary races that will give shape to the November general election.  At this point in the year, many Members of Congress are focused on both a wide... 

The House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education held a hearing on March 18, 2010 titled “Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization: Addressing the Needs of Diverse Students” to examine how schools can appropriately educate low-income, minority, English Language Learners, disabled, Native American, and homeless students within the context of reauthorizing ...