West Wing Week: 11/16/12 or “That’s Who We Are”

 

whitehouse has uploaded West Wing Week: 11/16/12 or “That’s Who We Are”.

Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the President invited fourteen middle-class Americans to stand with him as he spoke on next steps for our continued economic recovery, honored Veteran’s Day with veterans, service members and their families at Arlington National Cemetery, held a news conference in the East Room and traveled to New York to continue to work on recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy.

Harry Reid Senate Dems and the Headlines : November 2012

No Wonder Boehner Won’t Bring Up Senate Tax Cut Bill – It Would Pass

Reid: Reasonable Republicans Urge House Leadership To Stop Holding Middle Class Hostage

Reid: Republicans Must Turn “Happy Talk” On Revenues Into Action

Reid: Congress Could Avert The Fiscal Cliff For Middle Class Families

Early Contender for “Worst Week in Washington”: Grover Norquist

GOP Keeps Distance From McCain & Graham’s Over-The Top Grandstanding On Benghazi

Reid Statement On Republicans Blocking Cyber Security Legislation

Reid: Cooperation On Cyber Security Bill Could Set Positive, Bipartisan Tone Going Into Fiscal Cliff Talks

Reid: Challenges Facing Nation Too Great To Be Solved By Democrats Or Republicans Alone

Reid Statement On Veterans Day

Reid Statement On The Situation In Arizona

Reid Statement On The Fiscal Cliff

On Taxes, The Voters Have Spoken

Reid Statement On Senate Democrats Maintaining Their Majority

Reid Statement On Romney’s False Claims Of Bipartisanship

Iraq Veteran Hails Vow to Hire Heroes Act

by SenateDemocratson Nov 10, 2011

Eric Smith, 26, joins Senate Democrats to urge the House to pass the jobs legislation that will help put unemployed veterans back to work.

VA Plans 3,000 Units of Housing for Veterans at 25 Locations Nationwide

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VA Plans 3,000 Units of Housing for Veterans at 25 Locations Nationwide

November 10, 2011

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VA Plans 3,000 Units of Housing for Veterans

at 25 Locations Nationwide

Continues Ongoing Efforts to Provide Housing to Veterans

 

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs has entered agreements to provide more than 3,000 units of permanent and transitional housing for Veterans at 25 VA medical center campuses nationwide. Additionally, agreements are pending on an additional 1,000 units, which we anticipate completing in the coming weeks. Proposed opportunities include housing for homeless Veterans, senior Veterans, disabled Veterans, other at-risk Veteran populations, and their families.

“As we approach Veterans Day, it is important that we never forget the sacrifices made by our Veterans to ensure the freedom and independence all Americans cherish,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “These efforts to ensure the well-being of our Veterans and their families demonstrate our Nation’s gratitude for their service and commitment to honoring their dedication.”

The agreements are part of VA’s Building Utilization Review and Repurposing (BURR) initiative. BURR is a VA strategic effort to identify and repurpose unused VA land and buildings in support of VA’s goal to end Veteran homelessness. VA is using its enhanced-use lease authority to permit third-party providers to finance, design, develop, maintain and operate housing with on-site supportive services, on a priority basis, for Veterans and their families.

The co-location of these projects on VAMC campuses ensures that Veterans have ready access to care and treatment designed to help them attain long-term independence and self-sufficiency.

An estimated total of 5,300 units of affordable and supportive housing will be provided to Veterans. This number includes projects already in operation or underway.

VA is proceeding with agreements with third-party providers at 25 sites nationwide. These sites and proposed developments include:

· Canandaigua, N.Y. – 48 transitional and permanent housing units

· Fort Howard, Md. – 1,437 housing units

· Lyons, N.J. – 62 permanent housing units

· Newington, Conn. – 74 permanent housing units

· Alexandria, La. – 70 transitional housing units

· Kerrville, Texas – 100 units of assisted living/extended care housing

· Knoxville, Iowa – 75 units of permanent housing

· Newington, Conn. – 100 units of assisted living/extended care housing

· Northampton, Mass. – 48 permanent housing units

· Roseburg, Ore. – 44 permanent and 10 transitional housing units

· Bath, N.Y. – 40 permanent and transitional housing units

· Battle Creek, Mich. – 100 permanent housing units

· Bedford, Mass. – 70 permanent housing units

· Brockton, Mass. – 14 permanent housing units

· Fort Harrison, Mont. – 100 permanent housing units

· Hines, Ill. – 120 permanent housing units

· Menlo Park, Calif. – 60 permanent housing units

· Minneapolis, Minn. – 58 permanent housing units

· Northport, N.Y. – 110 permanent housing units

· Sacramento, Calif. – 99 bed nursing care facility

· Spokane, Wash. – 60 units of assisted living

· St. Cloud, Minn. – 35 permanent housing units

· Togus, Maine – 50 permanent housing units

· Tuscaloosa, Ala. – 26 permanent housing units

· Vancouver, Wash. – 42 permanent housing units

For additional information regarding the BURR initiative, please visit http://www.va.gov/ASSETMANAGEMENT/index.asp.

For all other questions regarding the BURR initiative please contact VA_BURR@va.gov.

a message from First Lady Michelle Obama

For 92 years, our nation has set aside November 11th as a day to honor those who have served in our armed forces. Originally, the day was set aside to celebrate the veterans of the First World War. Later, it was broadened to include every man and woman who has worn the uniform of the United States. And today, we continue that tradition by honoring the service and sacrifice of our troops and veterans.

But I believe that this commemoration should last much longer than just 24 hours, once a year. That’s why Jill Biden and I launched the Joining Forces initiative to honor, recognize, and support the veterans and military families who have given our nation so much.  We’re issuing a call to all Americans, so that everyone asks themselves one simple question: How can I give back? 

We’ve been overwhelmed by responses from across the country. Businesses are hiring more veterans. Nonprofit organizations are working with military children. And individuals all across the country have stepped up to help out in their community. How will you give back?

Sign up for an opportunity to volunteer in your community, pledge service hours in honor of military families, or send a message of thanks to America’s heroes.

Our efforts with Joining Forces come on top of the many actions my husband has made on behalf of our veterans and military families.

He’s worked to send 600,000 veterans back to school on the Post-9/11 GI Bill and taken steps to help veterans translate military experience to the private sector job market. He repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — so that our troops don’t have to live a lie in order to serve the country they love. He ended the war in Iraq — our service men and women there will be home for the holidays. And just yesterday, the Senate passed two tax credits that he proposed to encourage businesses to hire America’s veterans and wounded warriors.

So inside and outside of government, we’re building a wave of support to honor and recognize our veterans and their families. We can use your help. Today, let’s all find a new way that we can get involved in our communities, not just for Veterans Day, but every day. 

Visit JoiningForces.gov and sign up today.
 
Thank you, 

Michelle Obama

a message from Senator Patty Murray

“Veterans Day is a time to honor and celebrate the courage and commitment of our nation’s heroes.

“When these brave men and women signed up to serve our country, we agreed to take care of them. They kept their part of the bargain. Now we need to keep ours.

“With the President’s recent announcement of a complete troop withdrawal from Iraq by the end of this year, and the  thousands of troops returning from                        Afghanistan by the end of 2012, it is as critical as ever to support veterans’ programs and services.

“That’s why I am fighting to pass a bipartisan and comprehensive  approach to getting our nation’s veterans back to work.

“The “VOW to Hire Heroes Act” includes Republican and Democratic ideas because getting our veterans the financial security and dignity a job provides should never be partisan.

“For too long in this country we  have patted our veterans on the back for  their service and then pushed them out into the job market alone.

“With this bill we are giving our  veterans the job skills to get their foot  in the door and incentivizing employers to make sure that door is open to them.

“Day after day our men and women in uniform have responded to the call of duty with honor and integrity.

“They are our family, our friends,our neighbors and our heroes.

“And for this, we must show our gratitude – not just on Veterans Day, but every day.

“As Chairman of the SenateVeterans Affairs Committee, I will continue to fight on their behalf to ensure that  America’s veterans are cared for both on and off the battlefield.”

Yesterday, by a vote of 95-0, the Senate passed landmark legislation I helped author to put America’s veterans back to work. I introduced the basis of this comprehensive bill in May of this year after traveling throughout Washington state to talk to veterans, employers, and experts about the barriers veterans face in finding employment. The legislation is designed to help put veterans back to work by providing job skills training as they leave the military and by easing the training and certification process veterans face. After serving our country honorably, all veterans deserve the chance to earn a paycheck and support their families.Unfortunately, the unemployment rate for veterans returning home from Iraq and  Afghanistan remains stubbornly high.Borrowing from the American Jobs Act  proposed by the President, the bill will offer a tax credit for companies that hire unemployed veterans, and will increase existing tax credits for companies that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities.

This is a huge victory for our veterans who have returned home only to have to fight to find work to support themselves and their families . Our veterans have the drive,discipline, and self confidence to succeed in any workplace.  But for too long at the end of their career we’ve patted them on the back for their service and pushed them out into the job market alone. This bill takes a huge step forward in  rethinking the way we treat our men and women in uniform after they leave the      military by helping them to translate the skills they learned in the military into careers and by giving employers even more incentive to hire veterans. Veterans across Washington state were instrumental in crafting this bill and deserve tremendous credit today.

Read  More     http://mta.hilltopcms.com/?

“Senate Passes Jobs Bill to Help                        Veterans” – CNN

Veterans Day … &some News

Do something for a Veteran … is my chant  – not a rant

As we move deeper into autumn and winter like weather, most if not all Americans, recognize Veterans Day. I do believe most employers in the Private Sector do not – just saying  My mind is on many things but the news and numerous ads on TVhave brought back memories of my brother. My brother was a lifetime Marine, a phenomenal artist and promising professional football athlete drafted in high school under the old laws of military service, was of age, and no option to say no contrary to some. I know he actually used his height as an advantage for the military though we all know the end result of the war he and his fellow Soldiers served the best he could earned medals at the cost of having a pace maker, heavily grafted and a hand that was quite mangled from protecting his men. I will say he made some mistakes during and after his years in service; he suffered from all that he endured while in Viet Nam like so many other fellow Soldiers in the name of military service. He was proud to be a Marine and our family … his children were very proud of their dad- my brother … peace and love bro.

If you live in Washington State, enjoy the crisp sunny low 40’s outdoors or stay indoors to celebrate and honor the men and women of the Military. Reports are that some Parades have new balloons so be aware or you could have popcorn watching Military movies all day long, talk about it and remember what the Men and Women in uniform mean to all of us here in the States. While I cannot begin to list all the Military people, I know; those who have chosen to serve and protect our country in some form live and die with a great sense of pride to have been in the Military, and I thank them all for keeping us safe.

 I especially am thinking about a couple of brothers named Luis and Carlos both cutie pies and who still support others after several years of time served… Semper Fi! Luis …love ya over there in Brasil

Other News …

State Department Postpones Decision on Keystone XL Pipeline

Senate Democrats Brief on Defense of Marriage Act

Cantor Discusses the Economy at Rice University

Deepwater Horizon Joint Investigation Team Releases Final Report

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Ceremony

Englewood vet, one of first black Marines, to receive Congressional Gold

In Honor of Our Veterans …Steve Israel

On Veterans Day, it’s a time to give thanks. To pause and recognize the contributions of the more than 23 million veterans who served our nation. We are eternally grateful for their service to our country and need to remember that our veterans need our support every single day.

 After leaving military service, some veterans have stepped forward and chosen to continue their service to our nation as Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. I would like to introduce four of them to you today.

 Two courageous vets, who are currently serving with me in the House, have provided critical leadership on issues affecting veterans, working families and the future of our country.

Congressman Leonard Boswell, has served our nation and the people of Iowa’s Third District since 1996, after 20 years of service in the United States Army. As a Member of Congress, Leonard has been a champion for working families and veterans who have suffered from the job killing Republican policies.

Congressman Tim Walz, after 24 years in the Army National Guard, won his first campaign for the Minnesota’s First Congressional District in 2006. Tim has made improving the care of our nation’s veterans a top priority. Last year, the Rochester Post Bulletin said “Walz has relentless energy, and he brings a soldier’s work ethic to the House.”

It is my goal, and the goal of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, to help more brave men and women, who have served our country in the uniform of our country’s Armed Forces, to continue their service as Members of Congress.

Retired Army Officer Brendan Mullen, who is running for Indiana’s Second Congressional District, is one such person. After graduating from West Point, Brendan served in U.S. Army in deployments in the Republic of Korea near the DMZ and in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. After leaving the Armed Forces he started a small business to create good jobs in America where they belong. He’s running for U.S. Congress to give Indiana a strong, independent voice and to get our economy back on track.

Brigadier General John Douglass (Ret.), is another courageous veteran who has stepped forward to continue his service to our country by running for Congress in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. John also served as an Assistant Secretary of the Navy and will bring valuable leadership and experience to Congress. John is a problem solver and he will attack the challenges facing our nation with the same energy and determination with which he served our nation while in uniform.

 I hope you will join with me today in thanking a vet and giving thanks for their courage, self-sacrifice and dedication to our nation and our future.

 Thank you.

 Steve Israel
 DCCC Chairman

Harry Reid &the Senate Democrats in the Newsroom

Newsroom

11/11/10	Reid Recognizes Veterans Day
11/10/10	ICYMI: Report: 59 Million Americans Lack Health Care
11/05/10	Reid Statement On October Jobs Report
11/04/10	Reid Spokesman On Republican Attempts To Let Insurance Companies Go Back To Abusing Middle-Class Americans
10/19/10	Strong Third-Party Support For Senate Passage Of Emergency Assistance For America’s Seniors And Veterans
10/19/10	Reid Joins Senate Democrats To Call On McConnell To End Obstruction Of Cost-Of-Living Adjustment For Seniors And Veterans
10/15/10	Reid To Lead Passage Of Social Security COLA For Seniors
10/13/10	Reid Statement On Successful Rescue Of 33 Chilean Miners
10/08/10	Reid Welcomes Bank Of America Decision, Calls On Others To Follow Suit
10/08/10	Reid Statement On Resignation Of General James Jones As National Security Advisor
10/07/10	Reid Calls On Mortgage Servicers To Suspend Foreclosures, Urges Cooperation To Help Hardest Hit
10/06/10	Reid, Baucus, Kerry Pen Letter To Secretary Sebelius Requesting More Cost-Control Protections For Seniors Who Obtain Medigap Supplemental Coverage
10/01/10	Reid Statement On Resignation Of White House Chief Of Staff Rahm Emanuel
09/29/10	Reid Spokesman: Republicans Should Admit If They Are Fundamentally Opposed To Delivering Justice For Black Farmers And Native American Trust Account Holders

a message from Michelle Obama

Veterans Day provides us with the chance to mark the debt of honor we owe to all those who have worn the uniform of the United States. We remember those who gave their lives beneath our flag, in service of our freedom.

And with so many still fighting, we owe special thanks to the courageous families of those who serve.

Because when our servicemen and women deploy overseas, their loved ones are left to undertake heroic battles of their own at home. The unique challenges they face in support of men and women in uniform allow us all to enjoy the freedoms of our democracy.

Every time I have a chance to meet with these families, I’m struck by their strength and their quiet dignity — they are truly some of the most selfless, courageous people I’ve met.

And today is also a day to acknowledge the sacrifices these brave men and women make every day, and pray for the safe return of those they love.

I’ve felt their calling personally, and I want to encourage Americans across the country to step up and do more for our military families. Take the time to stay informed about the concerns and activities of the families of service members in your community. Let them know you recognize their struggles and appreciate all they do.

You can help by finding out the needs of the military families in your community and volunteering, from working with your local school’s PTA to hiring a military spouse.

Today and every day, I am moved by the personal sacrifices made by service families. And I’m humbled by the patriotism of those they support — our soldiers and airmen, our sailors and Marines.

Today, if you can, please take a moment to offer your gratitude for the families of the veterans and active service members that you know. Or go online to serve.gov to find out how you can serve military families in your area.

Sincerely,

Michelle