Sunday, July 1, 2012
FACT SHEET: The Affordable Care Act: Secure Health Coverage for the Middle Class
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act ensures hard-working, middle class families will get the security they deserve and protects every American from the worst insurance company abuses. This law was also specifically designed to give States the resources and flexibility they need to tailor their approach to their unique needs. With the uncertainty about the Court’s decision behind us, it’s now time to focus on implementing this law in a smart and non-bureaucratic way that works for the middle class.
Benefits and Protections for the Middle Class: The Affordable Care Act includes numerous provisions to keep health care costs low, promote prevention, and hold insurance companies accountable. If you’re one of the 250 million Americans who already have health care – whether through private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid – the Affordable Care Act is already making your coverage more secure.
Insurance companies no longer have unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny your child coverage due to a pre-existing condition, or charge women more than men.
Over 86 million Americans have gained from coverage of preventive care free of charge, like mammograms for women and wellness visits for seniors.
Nearly 13 million Americans will receive a rebate this summer because their insurance company spent too much of their premium dollars on administrative costs or CEO bonuses.
The law has already helped 5.3 million seniors and people with disabilities save an average of over $600 on prescription drugs in the “donut hole” in Medicare coverage.
The law’s provisions to strengthen and protect Medicare by fighting fraud will continue.
The law has helped 6.6 million young adults who have been able to stay on their parents’ plans until the age of 26, including 3.1 million young people who are newly insured.
If you are one of the 30 million Americans who don’t yet have health insurance, starting in 2014 this law will offer you an array of quality, affordable, private health insurance plans to choose from. If you need care, you will finally have the same opportunity to get quality, affordable coverage as everyone else.
Coverage for Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions: A major impact of the Court's decision is that 129 million people with pre-existing conditions will have the security of affordable health coverage. Starting in 2014, insurance companies can no longer charge you more, carve out benefits, or deny you coverage altogether because you have cancer or diabetes or simply because you are a woman. To make these protections affordable, people with and without pre-existing conditions should be insured, since everyone at some time needs health care.
Tax Credits for Middle Class Families and Small Businesses: Millions of Americans will soon be eligible for tax credits to ensure that their health insurance is affordable. Under today’s ruling, having health insurance is and will continue to be a choice. If you can’t afford insurance or you’re a small business that wants to provide affordable insurance to your employees, you’ll get tax credits that make coverage affordable. But starting in 2014, if you can afford insurance and you choose not to purchase it, the taxpayers will no longer subsidize your care for free. The Court’s ruling today allows Congress to hold the projected 1% of Americans who will be able to afford health insurance but will choose not to buy it responsible for that choice. Many small businesses are already receiving tax credits so they can afford to offer quality health care to their employees. To date, 360,000 businesses that employ 2 million workers have already benefitted from the small business tax cuts in the law. And once the Affordable Care Act takes full effect, about 18 million individuals and families will get tax credits for health insurance coverage averaging about $4,000 apiece.
Support for State Implementation of Affordable Insurance Exchanges: With the uncertainty of the Court decision behind us, we will step up our work with States to implement Affordable Insurance Exchanges. Exchanges are new marketplaces, starting in 2014, that will allow individuals and small businesses to compare and choose private health plans. Each State will take the lead in designing its own menu of options. Already, 34 States including the District of Columbia have received 100 percent Federally funded grants to build Exchanges. The use of Exchange grants includes support for activities related to running Exchanges in their start-up year.
States can also implement their own brand of reform through Innovation Waivers starting in 2017. If States can come up with even better ways of covering people at the same quality and low cost, this law allows them to do so. The Administration supports bipartisan legislation to allow States to start such Waivers in 2014.
Moving Forward, Not Back: No political party has a monopoly on good ideas, and the President will work with anyone to provide basic security for middle class families and end the worst insurance company abuses. But rather than refight old partisan battles by starting over on health care and repealing basic protections that provide security for the middle class, Congress needs to work together to focus on the economy and creating jobs. Right now, Congress should act on the President’s concrete plans to create an economy built to last by reducing the deficit in a balanced way and investing in education, clean energy, infrastructure, and innovation.
Benefits and Protections for the Middle Class: The Affordable Care Act includes numerous provisions to keep health care costs low, promote prevention, and hold insurance companies accountable. If you’re one of the 250 million Americans who already have health care – whether through private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid – the Affordable Care Act is already making your coverage more secure.
Insurance companies no longer have unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny your child coverage due to a pre-existing condition, or charge women more than men.
Over 86 million Americans have gained from coverage of preventive care free of charge, like mammograms for women and wellness visits for seniors.
Nearly 13 million Americans will receive a rebate this summer because their insurance company spent too much of their premium dollars on administrative costs or CEO bonuses.
The law has already helped 5.3 million seniors and people with disabilities save an average of over $600 on prescription drugs in the “donut hole” in Medicare coverage.
The law’s provisions to strengthen and protect Medicare by fighting fraud will continue.
The law has helped 6.6 million young adults who have been able to stay on their parents’ plans until the age of 26, including 3.1 million young people who are newly insured.
If you are one of the 30 million Americans who don’t yet have health insurance, starting in 2014 this law will offer you an array of quality, affordable, private health insurance plans to choose from. If you need care, you will finally have the same opportunity to get quality, affordable coverage as everyone else.
Coverage for Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions: A major impact of the Court's decision is that 129 million people with pre-existing conditions will have the security of affordable health coverage. Starting in 2014, insurance companies can no longer charge you more, carve out benefits, or deny you coverage altogether because you have cancer or diabetes or simply because you are a woman. To make these protections affordable, people with and without pre-existing conditions should be insured, since everyone at some time needs health care.
Tax Credits for Middle Class Families and Small Businesses: Millions of Americans will soon be eligible for tax credits to ensure that their health insurance is affordable. Under today’s ruling, having health insurance is and will continue to be a choice. If you can’t afford insurance or you’re a small business that wants to provide affordable insurance to your employees, you’ll get tax credits that make coverage affordable. But starting in 2014, if you can afford insurance and you choose not to purchase it, the taxpayers will no longer subsidize your care for free. The Court’s ruling today allows Congress to hold the projected 1% of Americans who will be able to afford health insurance but will choose not to buy it responsible for that choice. Many small businesses are already receiving tax credits so they can afford to offer quality health care to their employees. To date, 360,000 businesses that employ 2 million workers have already benefitted from the small business tax cuts in the law. And once the Affordable Care Act takes full effect, about 18 million individuals and families will get tax credits for health insurance coverage averaging about $4,000 apiece.
Support for State Implementation of Affordable Insurance Exchanges: With the uncertainty of the Court decision behind us, we will step up our work with States to implement Affordable Insurance Exchanges. Exchanges are new marketplaces, starting in 2014, that will allow individuals and small businesses to compare and choose private health plans. Each State will take the lead in designing its own menu of options. Already, 34 States including the District of Columbia have received 100 percent Federally funded grants to build Exchanges. The use of Exchange grants includes support for activities related to running Exchanges in their start-up year.
States can also implement their own brand of reform through Innovation Waivers starting in 2017. If States can come up with even better ways of covering people at the same quality and low cost, this law allows them to do so. The Administration supports bipartisan legislation to allow States to start such Waivers in 2014.
Moving Forward, Not Back: No political party has a monopoly on good ideas, and the President will work with anyone to provide basic security for middle class families and end the worst insurance company abuses. But rather than refight old partisan battles by starting over on health care and repealing basic protections that provide security for the middle class, Congress needs to work together to focus on the economy and creating jobs. Right now, Congress should act on the President’s concrete plans to create an economy built to last by reducing the deficit in a balanced way and investing in education, clean energy, infrastructure, and innovation.
Remarks by the President at a Picnic for Members of Congress
South Lawn
7:12 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody!
AUDIENCE: Hello!
THE PRESIDENT: Now, you don’t have to worry, I will not be singing. We have professionals for that. (Laughter.) But on behalf of Michelle and myself, I just want to say welcome. We have a perfect day for a picnic. It is spectacular.
We want to thank, as usual, our outstanding Marine Band. (Applause.) They can play anything at any time. And we’re so grateful for their service to our country. Obviously, that goes to all our men and women in uniform, and today is a great day for us to acknowledge everything they do to provide our liberty and way of life.
I want to say a special welcome not only to the members of Congress, but most importantly to their families -- (applause) -- because Michelle reminds me every day how difficult it is to be married to a politician. (Laughter.) And the sacrifices that all of you make -- the birthday parties that get missed, or the soccer games that you’re late to, the travel that keeps you away from your loved ones -- all of that obviously is in service of our country, and you guys are serving alongside those of us who hold elective office. So we’re thrilled that you have at least one day where you got a chance to be together in Washington and nobody is arguing.
So that also just reminds me that for all the political differences that are sometimes expressed in this town, we are first and foremost Americans -- not Democrats or Republicans. (Applause.) And I think all of us want to make sure that during extraordinarily challenging times for this country that we constantly keep that in mind. That’s what the people who sent us here are expecting. And I know that each of us in our own way are hopeful that because of the work that we do here we pass on something a little better and a little brighter to our kids and our grandkids.
And so, I’m looking forward to continuing to work with you. I’m glad I see some folks here in shorts -- (laughter) -- and some Hawaiian shirts. And so everybody is dressed appropriately for a picnic. If you still have your tie on, take it off. (Laughter.) Make sure to enjoy the barbecue, enjoy the music.
MRS. OBAMA: Go see the garden.
THE PRESIDENT: Go see the garden if you want. And we are going to be coming down on this rope line and I want to be able to shake everybody’s hands. I warn you in advance that because the line is long, it’s going to be hard for us to pose for individual pictures for everybody. The exceptions that we make are kids who are 12 and under. How about that? That’s going to be our cutoff. (Applause.) So little kids, if you want a picture, I don’t mind. I can’t say no to little kids. You bigger folks, you’re just going to get a handshake and maybe a kiss if -- (laughter) -- unless you haven’t shaved, in which case -- anyway, everybody have a wonderful time.
God bless you. God bless America. (Applause.)
END
7:16 P.M. EDT
7:12 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody!
AUDIENCE: Hello!
THE PRESIDENT: Now, you don’t have to worry, I will not be singing. We have professionals for that. (Laughter.) But on behalf of Michelle and myself, I just want to say welcome. We have a perfect day for a picnic. It is spectacular.
We want to thank, as usual, our outstanding Marine Band. (Applause.) They can play anything at any time. And we’re so grateful for their service to our country. Obviously, that goes to all our men and women in uniform, and today is a great day for us to acknowledge everything they do to provide our liberty and way of life.
I want to say a special welcome not only to the members of Congress, but most importantly to their families -- (applause) -- because Michelle reminds me every day how difficult it is to be married to a politician. (Laughter.) And the sacrifices that all of you make -- the birthday parties that get missed, or the soccer games that you’re late to, the travel that keeps you away from your loved ones -- all of that obviously is in service of our country, and you guys are serving alongside those of us who hold elective office. So we’re thrilled that you have at least one day where you got a chance to be together in Washington and nobody is arguing.
So that also just reminds me that for all the political differences that are sometimes expressed in this town, we are first and foremost Americans -- not Democrats or Republicans. (Applause.) And I think all of us want to make sure that during extraordinarily challenging times for this country that we constantly keep that in mind. That’s what the people who sent us here are expecting. And I know that each of us in our own way are hopeful that because of the work that we do here we pass on something a little better and a little brighter to our kids and our grandkids.
And so, I’m looking forward to continuing to work with you. I’m glad I see some folks here in shorts -- (laughter) -- and some Hawaiian shirts. And so everybody is dressed appropriately for a picnic. If you still have your tie on, take it off. (Laughter.) Make sure to enjoy the barbecue, enjoy the music.
MRS. OBAMA: Go see the garden.
THE PRESIDENT: Go see the garden if you want. And we are going to be coming down on this rope line and I want to be able to shake everybody’s hands. I warn you in advance that because the line is long, it’s going to be hard for us to pose for individual pictures for everybody. The exceptions that we make are kids who are 12 and under. How about that? That’s going to be our cutoff. (Applause.) So little kids, if you want a picture, I don’t mind. I can’t say no to little kids. You bigger folks, you’re just going to get a handshake and maybe a kiss if -- (laughter) -- unless you haven’t shaved, in which case -- anyway, everybody have a wonderful time.
God bless you. God bless America. (Applause.)
END
7:16 P.M. EDT
Background Press Briefing Via Teleconference on Iran Sanctions
Via Teleconference
2:35 P.M. EDT
MS. PELTON: Hey, good afternoon, everybody. This is Erin Pelton. Thanks for joining us for today’s background call on Iran sanctions. We know there’s a lot going on, so we’ll try to keep this brief. But here with me today I’ve got four officials to discuss sanctions news.
We will be doing this call on background, as attributable to senior administration officials. And with that I’ll go ahead and turn it over to senior administration official number one. He’ll go ahead and provide some opening remarks.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Great. Thanks, everybody, for joining the call. I’ll just make some opening comments and then turn it over to my colleagues to talk a little bit more in depth about our sanctions efforts.
But today marks two important milestones in our continued international effort to apply pressure on Iran to meet its international obligations with respect to its nuclear program. We’ve obviously been building a very robust and comprehensive sanctions regime for some time now, and we took another very important step forward today in that effort. First, as of today, and as a result of the President’s determinations on March 30th -- June 11th on the availability of non-Iranian supplies of oil, any foreign financial institution based in an economy that has not been excepted from our sanctions, and knowingly conducts a significant transaction with the central bank of Iran for the sale or purchase of petroleum or petroleum products to or from Iran, is subject to U.S. sanctions. So, again, those countries that have not received exceptions will -- and those institutions within those countries will not be subject to those sanctions.
The second, as you saw in a statement from Secretary Clinton out of the State Department, Secretary Clinton has determined, under section 1245 of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, that both China and Singapore have each significantly reduced the volume of crude oil purchases from Iran. So as a result, China and Singapore are excepted from the NDAA sanctions for the next 180 days. China and Singapore obviously join a list of countries that have received exceptions from the United States over the course of the last several weeks. This decision further represents the success of our sanctions policy, and our effort to build an international coalition to reduce Iran’s oil exports, thereby applying significant pressure on Iran.
We’ve seen that the sanctions on Iran’s central bank and oil sector are having a significant effect on the Iranian government and its economy. Just yesterday you saw an Iranian official admit that sanctions have led, according to their own estimates, to a 20 to 30 percent reduction in sales. According to the International Energy Agency, Iran’s crude oil exports in 2011 were approximately 2.5 million barrels per day, and have dropped to roughly 1.5 million barrels per day this year -- a reduction that has and will continue to cost the Iranian government billions of dollars, again, thereby having a significant impact on the revenue that the government can draw from.
We will continue to implement these sanctions fully to achieve additional reductions, as well as to continue to work with other oil producers to encourage increased production and development of their capacity so as to, again, maximize the impact on the Iranian government -- deny the increase in oil prices that could allow them to make up for lost revenue.
While we will continue to monitor closely the developments in the oil markets, including supply, demand, inventories and spare capacity, to assure that the market can continue to accommodate a reduction in purchases from Iran, we have every intention of maintaining these sanctions on the Iranian government, keeping in mind, of course, for instance, that we have the EU oil embargo that is coming fully online here, a process that will continue in the coming days, on July 1.
So the Iranian regime’s choice here has been to flout its international obligations, but they are paying an increasingly high price for that choice. And with these steps today and the steps we’re prepared to take going forward, the costs are only going to rise further for Iran. So it’s in their interest -- the Iranian interest -- to take concrete steps to address the international community’s concerns and to abide by their international obligations. They have an opportunity to do so through the P5-plus-1 negotiations. They have not yet done that. But we will continue to reiterate to the Iranian government that we need to see concrete actions by them to come in line with their obligations, or else we are going to continue to ratchet up these sanctions.
Now, just with respect to the exceptions today, in particular the exception for China -- China has made clear that it is opposed to Iran developing and possessing nuclear weapons, and it supports our dual-track approach of diplomacy and pressure as well. China has been an important partner in the P5-plus-1, and China has voted on four occasions to impose sanctions on Iran in the U.N. Security Council.
Just with regard to the exception today, on June 27th, an authoritative statement was published on a China energy website, and I’d draw your attention to it -- it’s www.china5e.com. In this statement, the Chinese site indicated that there has been a structural change in China’s crude oil imports due to the downward pressure on the economy. These changes include a 25 percent year-on-year reduction between January and May of crude oil imports from Iran to China. The statement on this website noted that there would be a significant reduction in crude oil imports from Iran for 2012 relative to last year as well.
As is China’s practice, its imports of crude oil will be reflected in China’s customs data, which is publicly reported on a monthly basis. We will, of course, continue to monitor multiple data sources on this subject. China has taken these actions for its own commercial and energy security reasons. Still, these actions very much align with our shared global interests and allow us to move forward with the exception we’re moving forward with today, and again, it is a part of efforts that have been undertaken by the international community to send a clear message to Iran that they need to come in line with their international obligations.
Again, we’ll continue to work with China and our P5-plus-1 partners, and all those likeminded countries who have joined us, in presenting this very clear choice to Iran of either coming in line with their obligations or facing isolation.
With that, let me turn it over to my colleague to go into some greater detail on the effect of our sanctions and our efforts to build this international coalition.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you. I want to address not just the impact of the NDAA sanctions against the central bank of Iran and the oil sanctions, but the broader impact of our sanctions regime. And in pursuing the sanctions regime, we’ve had the strong support of a broad coalition of countries all over the world who have really stood united in trying to convey the signal to Iran that it’s got to get serious about limiting its nuclear program and addressing international concerns if it wants these pressures to be alleviated.
The sanctions that the U.S. and its international partners have imposed on Iran are having a severe and growing impact. The financial sanctions have been especially effective, and my colleague will address that in a couple of minutes. Iran’s energy sector is taking a very hard hit. It was just pointed out by my colleague that decisions by all the major importers of Iranian crude oil to significantly reduce their purchases will mean a sharp drop in Iran’s crude oil exports. This will cost Iran at least $8 billion in lost revenues each quarter, according to the IEA. Reductions in Iran’s oil exports and oil revenues can be expected to increase as the oil sanctions continue to take effect.
Sanctions against investments and the provision of goods and services for Iran’s oil and gas developmental activities have also had a significant impact. All major European and Japanese energy companies have pulled out of Iran’s energy sector. Iran’s inability to gain access to capital and technology has led to a steady decline in its oil production, which is devastating in the long run for an economy so dependent on oil revenues.
Sanctions have also had a crippling effect on Iran’s transportation sectors. Most European and Asian jet fuel providers have cut off supplies to Iran Air, which has provided support to Iran’s proliferation activities. As a result, a majority of airports previously serving Iran Air now refuse to do so. Major shipping lines such as Maersk have stopped calling on Iranian ports due to U.S. and multilateral sanctions. Reputable providers of flagging, insurance and classification services have stopped providing such services to Iran’s main shipping line.
Major indicators of economic activity are bringing more bad news to Iran. Inflation is well above 20 percent. Some estimates go much higher. Iran’s currency, the rial, has lost about 40 percent of its value since November 2011. Unemployment figures are increasing.
In short, sanctions are having a major adverse impact on Iran’s economy and things will only go from bad to worse unless Iran gets serious about addressing the international community’s concerns about its nuclear program.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Do you want to pick up from there?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure, happy to. Thanks, guys. Let me just pick up on some of the important points that my colleague just made, and I think that you framed it in exactly the right way. It’s important to look at the financial component of the sanctions which come in today in the context of what has been a broad, financial campaign against Iran that's been going on for the last several years. And what today represents is an important step forward in that broad multiyear, multilateral campaign.
We have already imposed very substantial sanctions on 24 of Iran’s largest banks. And those banks, as a result, are largely cut off from the international financial system. In addition, due to steps that the Europeans have taken, those banks are additionally cut off globally from the SWIFT messaging system, which makes it extremely difficult for them to transact business anywhere in the world.
Whereas just a couple of years ago, Iran was doing business on a fairly regular basis in Europe and Asia and the Middle East, all of these major international financial sectors are closing off to Iran, and now with the sanctions that come into effect today, these same restrictions are going to start kicking in with respect to the central bank of Iran.
So what we’re seeing -- what we are seeing and continue to see increasingly as it moves forward is it become increasingly difficult for Iran to support the rial. And already since September, the rial has lost 40 percent of its value. It’s going to become increasingly difficult for Iran to finance its trade.
Back in January of this year when we designated Bank Tejerat, that was the remaining large Iranian bank that was accounting for a significant portion of Iran’s trade; with Bank Tejerat now designated and with the central bank of Iran increasingly unavailable to the Iranians to finance its trade, it’s going to become very difficult for Iran to finance its trade. It’s going to become increasingly difficult for Iran to access its foreign reserves and to generally manage its economy.
And if you look at the Iranian economy compared to similar economies of other oil-exporting nations, you can see that the Iranian economy is significantly underperforming to say the least. And I think the numbers on that speak for themselves.
So we are going to in the U.S. government from this day forward with respect to the financial sanctions that come into effect today be monitoring extremely closely the international financial system throughout the world to ensure that banks around the world are complying and to ensure that banks around the world are not doing prohibited business with the central bank of Iran. And you can be sure that as we detect -- if we detect and as we detect violations, we will be swift to act.
So that's what I have, but I’m happy to answer questions.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Great, thanks, everybody. With that we’ll be happy to take your questions.
Q Hi, thank you -- from Turkish Daily. I have two quick questions. One is June 3rd [sic] there will be a meeting in Istanbul, P5-plus-1. Are we supposed to expect any meaningful outcome? Or what kind of effect are we expecting for this meeting? And the second is, again, on the Turkish role, there were some disagreements in the past, but it seems in the recent times two allies -- you are working better with Turkish ally. Could you please speak to that? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure, I can speak to that and see if my colleagues have anything to add. On the upcoming meeting in Istanbul, it was agreed following the last P5-plus-1 meeting in Moscow that experts would continue a discussion on some of the proposals that have been made in Istanbul. I think our expectations are that this will be an opportunity to sit down at the expert level and review the various proposals that have been made.
Our position, the United States together with the P5-plus-1, has been that the onus is on the Iranian government to demonstrate a sense of purpose, a seriousness in these discussions and to indicate that they are prepared to take concrete steps to come in line with their international obligations. They have yet to do so. Istanbul is another opportunity for Iran to move in the right direction, again, which is action to come in line with their obligations.
In the absence of Iranian steps in that regard, they're going to face increased pressure, and I think that's the message that we’re sending today; that even as the P5-plus-1 negotiations are ongoing, we are going to continue with our efforts to apply additional pressure on the Iranian government so they face a clear choice: continued pressure and isolation if they don't meet their international obligations, or a path towards meeting their international obligations that can allow them to come back into the community of nations. So that's our expectation for Istanbul as we head into July 3rd.
On the Turkish question, Turkey has been an important partner on the Iran issue as well as a broad range of regional issues. Turkey, of course, is one of the nations that has taken steps to reduce its imports of Iranian oil. Because of the steps Turkey has taken, they’ve received an exception from our sanctions.
So we’ve had close cooperation and very regular dialogue and discussion with our Turkish allies on the Iran issue, and believe that they’ve been a constructive partner both in terms of supporting the sanctions regime that we have in place but also in terms of supporting a diplomatic track that could allow Iran to come in line with its obligations.
I don't know if you have anything to add on Turkey or not.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Just one thing, not on Turkey, but on the P5-plus-1. At the Baghdad meeting over a month ago, the P5-plus-1 countries collectively put forward a balanced and reasonable proposal that addresses the most pressing security threats from Iran’s nuclear program. I’d say it was a balanced proposal. It followed the approach of step-by-step efforts with reciprocal benefits for both sides, again, agreed by all six governments involved on our team.
So far we haven’t gotten a serious Iranian response to that proposal, and we urge Iran’s leaders to focus on that and come back with a serious response.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Great, we’ll take the next question.
Q Thanks for doing the call. Two questions. One, to what extent do you believe that the reduction in China’s purchases of Iranian petroleum this year reflected the Chinese pricing dispute with Iran? And did China give you any commitments with regard to making additional reductions in its Iranian purchases over the next 180-day period?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure, I’ll say a couple things, and see if my colleagues have anything to add. First of all, as I noted, China has taken a 25 percent year-on-year reduction between January and May of its crude oil imports. Now, China again takes actions with regard to its purchase of Iranian oil for a variety of reasons, including its own commercial decisions, its own energy security reasons. But the fact is, is that we do see that reduction between January and May.
What we have now also is what we believe to be an authoritative statement on this China energy website, where the Chinese are indicating that a structural change in their crude oil imports will allow for these types of reductions.
So again, I think we’ve had a regular dialogue with them. I think there's an understanding on the Chinese side of the seriousness with which we’re going forward with this. We now have a 180-day exception granted. Again, we’ll be able to continue to monitor the data that is publicly available on crude oil imports, and we’ll continue our discussion with the Chinese on steps that can be taken to continue to reduce Iranian oil imports. But again, we are basing our decision on what we see to date, and also a statement indicating the impact of crude oil imports in the context of their downward pressure on their economy.
I don't know if you have anything to add to that.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: My colleague raised a question about the first part of this year. And the authoritative statement that's been alluded to talked about a 25 percent year-on-year reduction from January to May, and that aligns with our own thinking about the magnitude of cuts in the first part of this year.
I don't want to speculate on exactly the reasons for that rather sharp decline, but it’s clearly there. And also the authoritative statement talked about the remainder of the year, and indicating that for the remainder of 2012, there would be significant reductions. So it was on this basis the Secretary took the decision to grant this exception to China.
Q Thanks. The initial round of exceptions came in March, but it was already clear that China had cut. So I was just wondering why it took this long. Was the administration trying to achieve something, and did it get that thing it was trying to achieve or not? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure, I’ll just -- a couple of comments. Again, the 25 percent year-on-year reduction encompasses a time period from January to May, in terms of crude oil imports, so a significant portion of the first half of this year.
What we see in the statement, again, is that this significant reduction would also extend through the year so that for 2012 there would be a significant reduction relative to last year. So you have both the data from the first part of this year and then the indication of a continued significant reduction through the rest of the year.
We’ll continue, again, to talk to the Chinese about this. The exception is for 180 days. But again, the Secretary had the confidence on this basis to move forward the exception.
I don't know if you have anything to add to that.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Our colleague would like to say something.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Just it’s also that in this, we try to -- I know that you said that in March it was already known, but in this industry, as you know, there's a lot of time lags in reporting periods. And looking at this data, we wanted to be 100 percent sure that we were where we were with the data and information on what exactly the reductions were.
Q Hi. Thanks so much for doing this call. Two quick questions. I’m wondering if you could say what happens when the 180-day waivers run out. Will the U.S. require China and other countries to make further cuts to the imports, or can they carry on the same reduced level that won them the waiver in the first place? And I’m wondering if you could offer some more specifics on reasons for the Singapore waiver. Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: You guys want to take that?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Let me start with Singapore. Singapore has, as you saw from their government announcement a few weeks ago, that they have -- in May their imports went to zero. They’ve made a decision, again, based on their own diversification of resources, to reduce their and terminate their imports of crude oil going forward. And I think that was the main basis of the decision, the ultimate decision, to go to zero imports as of May. This decision was taken in April.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: In terms of the exception and the renewability of it, the law provides that this 180-day exemption period is renewable, but it requires a determination that further significant reductions are being made.
Q Thanks, everybody. I guess my biggest question -- I’m interested to know how the process of the request and then the review of these exemptions -- how that has gone about. So if you could please discuss how that goes. Also, which other countries have received this exemption, and has there ever been a time where someone requested one, and you said no?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure, well, I can start and then my colleague may want to chime in here, as well.
In the first instance, we have deliberately set about implementing these sanctions in a way that would have the maximum impact on Iran. And so that of course includes working to get major oil importers of Iranian oil to take steps to reduce or in some instances to stop their import of Iranian oil. That's both something that allows us to broaden the impact in terms of the number of countries that are again taking action to reduce imports from Iran.
But also it allows us to phase in these sanctions in a way that has minimal impact on global energy markets because we don't want to -- we want to take steps to ensure that the -- they’re phased in a way that doesn’t drive up the price of oil, which would again ultimately end up benefiting the Iranians, because as more of their oil is taken off the market, they would of course have revenue from the oil that they do continue to sell. And that's what we’ve been able to do by having this very methodical process over the course of the last nearly six months.
Again, the process we do here is we evaluate what the steps are that these countries are taking to reduce, again, the import of Iranian oil as well as assessing the global supply and demand, in terms of energy markets.
So there are individual discussions with each of these countries who comprise, again, the major importers of Iranian oil. And different countries have taken different steps. Some, like our European friends, have moved towards the full embargo of Iranian oil, which is obviously going to have a -- is already having a dramatic impact on the Iranian economy. Others, again, are taking steps to significantly reduce those imports.
And so, again, we’ve had a continued discussion with each country about the steps that they can take. And what we’ve really done is built a fairly unprecedented coalition of countries that are a part of this effort that is isolating the Iranian government that is having a very significant impact on its principal source of revenue -- or one of its principal sources of revenue in addition to the steps we’ve taken on the financial side, again, to cut Iran off from large chunks of the international financial system.
My colleagues, I don't know if you have anything you want to add in that regard.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Just for the record, the question was about the countries that have received the exception. The first tranche was the 10 members of the European Union that were purchasers or Iranian crude oil, and they all agreed to go to zero actually by July 1st, Sunday. And that tranche included Japan, as well, so 11 countries there.
The second tranche involved seven economies. It was South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan. And now today with China and Singapore, that brings the number up to 20. And it’s noteworthy that these are all the significant purchasers of Iranian crude oil, and this is a very diverse group of countries. Some of them are close allies of the United States. Some of them are members of the Non-Aligned Movement. This is a diverse group of countries, all of which are now sending an important signal to Iran that it’s got to take negotiations over its nuclear program much more seriously than it’s done to date.
Q Hello, I have a question. How would you evaluate cooperation with Russia -- U.S.-Russian cooperation in the direction of implementation of sanctions against Iran? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure. Well, first of all, we have been closely cooperating with Russia through the P5-plus-1 broadly speaking. So Russia of course has been an essential member of the diplomatic effort to get Iran to comply with its international obligation, including recently hosting talks in Moscow. And what we’ve seen is very strong P5-plus-1 unity and putting forward a clear choice to the Iranian government between, again, facing that continued international isolation or coming in line with their obligations.
With respect to sanctions, what the Russians have done is joined us through the U.N. Security Council. U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929 laid the foundation in a multilateral basis for the international community to be putting forward the type of sanctions that we’ve seen on the Iranian government.
Now building on that foundation, the United States and many other like-minded countries have taken additional steps on their own or in concert to increase the pressure on the Iranian government.
And our point has been clear that sanctions are not an end in and of themselves. They're a means of applying pressure to the Iranian government. What we want to see both the United States and Russia, as well as the other members of the P5-plus-1 is, again, a reaffirmation of nonproliferation, an Iran that comes in line with clear obligations spelled out, not just by the NPT, but also by U.N. Security Council resolutions. So we have had strong diplomatic cooperation with the Russians. On the sanctions front, we’ve been able to work with them through the passage of 1929.
And then as we take these additional national measure and multilateral measures to apply pressure on Iran, we continue to coordinate very closely with the Russians through the P5-plus-1 so the choice is very clear to the Iranians, and they have the opportunity to come in line with their obligations and rejoin the community of nations. But they also know that there are consequences for their continued intransigence, and those consequences are the types of sanctions that we’re moving forward with today.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, everybody, for joining this call. We’ll obviously be continuing this effort going forward. As my colleague noted, the -- is set today, the full E.U. oil embargo is slated for July 1st, so we’re continuing to implement a very robust sanctions regime even as we look towards continued negotiations as a part of our dual-track strategy that will continue on July 3rd with the experts meeting, the P5-plus-1 meeting with Iran in Istanbul.
So thank you for getting on the call, and I’m sure we’ll continue to be in touch with you on this matter in the days to come.
END
3:08 P.M. EDT
2:35 P.M. EDT
MS. PELTON: Hey, good afternoon, everybody. This is Erin Pelton. Thanks for joining us for today’s background call on Iran sanctions. We know there’s a lot going on, so we’ll try to keep this brief. But here with me today I’ve got four officials to discuss sanctions news.
We will be doing this call on background, as attributable to senior administration officials. And with that I’ll go ahead and turn it over to senior administration official number one. He’ll go ahead and provide some opening remarks.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Great. Thanks, everybody, for joining the call. I’ll just make some opening comments and then turn it over to my colleagues to talk a little bit more in depth about our sanctions efforts.
But today marks two important milestones in our continued international effort to apply pressure on Iran to meet its international obligations with respect to its nuclear program. We’ve obviously been building a very robust and comprehensive sanctions regime for some time now, and we took another very important step forward today in that effort. First, as of today, and as a result of the President’s determinations on March 30th -- June 11th on the availability of non-Iranian supplies of oil, any foreign financial institution based in an economy that has not been excepted from our sanctions, and knowingly conducts a significant transaction with the central bank of Iran for the sale or purchase of petroleum or petroleum products to or from Iran, is subject to U.S. sanctions. So, again, those countries that have not received exceptions will -- and those institutions within those countries will not be subject to those sanctions.
The second, as you saw in a statement from Secretary Clinton out of the State Department, Secretary Clinton has determined, under section 1245 of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, that both China and Singapore have each significantly reduced the volume of crude oil purchases from Iran. So as a result, China and Singapore are excepted from the NDAA sanctions for the next 180 days. China and Singapore obviously join a list of countries that have received exceptions from the United States over the course of the last several weeks. This decision further represents the success of our sanctions policy, and our effort to build an international coalition to reduce Iran’s oil exports, thereby applying significant pressure on Iran.
We’ve seen that the sanctions on Iran’s central bank and oil sector are having a significant effect on the Iranian government and its economy. Just yesterday you saw an Iranian official admit that sanctions have led, according to their own estimates, to a 20 to 30 percent reduction in sales. According to the International Energy Agency, Iran’s crude oil exports in 2011 were approximately 2.5 million barrels per day, and have dropped to roughly 1.5 million barrels per day this year -- a reduction that has and will continue to cost the Iranian government billions of dollars, again, thereby having a significant impact on the revenue that the government can draw from.
We will continue to implement these sanctions fully to achieve additional reductions, as well as to continue to work with other oil producers to encourage increased production and development of their capacity so as to, again, maximize the impact on the Iranian government -- deny the increase in oil prices that could allow them to make up for lost revenue.
While we will continue to monitor closely the developments in the oil markets, including supply, demand, inventories and spare capacity, to assure that the market can continue to accommodate a reduction in purchases from Iran, we have every intention of maintaining these sanctions on the Iranian government, keeping in mind, of course, for instance, that we have the EU oil embargo that is coming fully online here, a process that will continue in the coming days, on July 1.
So the Iranian regime’s choice here has been to flout its international obligations, but they are paying an increasingly high price for that choice. And with these steps today and the steps we’re prepared to take going forward, the costs are only going to rise further for Iran. So it’s in their interest -- the Iranian interest -- to take concrete steps to address the international community’s concerns and to abide by their international obligations. They have an opportunity to do so through the P5-plus-1 negotiations. They have not yet done that. But we will continue to reiterate to the Iranian government that we need to see concrete actions by them to come in line with their obligations, or else we are going to continue to ratchet up these sanctions.
Now, just with respect to the exceptions today, in particular the exception for China -- China has made clear that it is opposed to Iran developing and possessing nuclear weapons, and it supports our dual-track approach of diplomacy and pressure as well. China has been an important partner in the P5-plus-1, and China has voted on four occasions to impose sanctions on Iran in the U.N. Security Council.
Just with regard to the exception today, on June 27th, an authoritative statement was published on a China energy website, and I’d draw your attention to it -- it’s www.china5e.com. In this statement, the Chinese site indicated that there has been a structural change in China’s crude oil imports due to the downward pressure on the economy. These changes include a 25 percent year-on-year reduction between January and May of crude oil imports from Iran to China. The statement on this website noted that there would be a significant reduction in crude oil imports from Iran for 2012 relative to last year as well.
As is China’s practice, its imports of crude oil will be reflected in China’s customs data, which is publicly reported on a monthly basis. We will, of course, continue to monitor multiple data sources on this subject. China has taken these actions for its own commercial and energy security reasons. Still, these actions very much align with our shared global interests and allow us to move forward with the exception we’re moving forward with today, and again, it is a part of efforts that have been undertaken by the international community to send a clear message to Iran that they need to come in line with their international obligations.
Again, we’ll continue to work with China and our P5-plus-1 partners, and all those likeminded countries who have joined us, in presenting this very clear choice to Iran of either coming in line with their obligations or facing isolation.
With that, let me turn it over to my colleague to go into some greater detail on the effect of our sanctions and our efforts to build this international coalition.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you. I want to address not just the impact of the NDAA sanctions against the central bank of Iran and the oil sanctions, but the broader impact of our sanctions regime. And in pursuing the sanctions regime, we’ve had the strong support of a broad coalition of countries all over the world who have really stood united in trying to convey the signal to Iran that it’s got to get serious about limiting its nuclear program and addressing international concerns if it wants these pressures to be alleviated.
The sanctions that the U.S. and its international partners have imposed on Iran are having a severe and growing impact. The financial sanctions have been especially effective, and my colleague will address that in a couple of minutes. Iran’s energy sector is taking a very hard hit. It was just pointed out by my colleague that decisions by all the major importers of Iranian crude oil to significantly reduce their purchases will mean a sharp drop in Iran’s crude oil exports. This will cost Iran at least $8 billion in lost revenues each quarter, according to the IEA. Reductions in Iran’s oil exports and oil revenues can be expected to increase as the oil sanctions continue to take effect.
Sanctions against investments and the provision of goods and services for Iran’s oil and gas developmental activities have also had a significant impact. All major European and Japanese energy companies have pulled out of Iran’s energy sector. Iran’s inability to gain access to capital and technology has led to a steady decline in its oil production, which is devastating in the long run for an economy so dependent on oil revenues.
Sanctions have also had a crippling effect on Iran’s transportation sectors. Most European and Asian jet fuel providers have cut off supplies to Iran Air, which has provided support to Iran’s proliferation activities. As a result, a majority of airports previously serving Iran Air now refuse to do so. Major shipping lines such as Maersk have stopped calling on Iranian ports due to U.S. and multilateral sanctions. Reputable providers of flagging, insurance and classification services have stopped providing such services to Iran’s main shipping line.
Major indicators of economic activity are bringing more bad news to Iran. Inflation is well above 20 percent. Some estimates go much higher. Iran’s currency, the rial, has lost about 40 percent of its value since November 2011. Unemployment figures are increasing.
In short, sanctions are having a major adverse impact on Iran’s economy and things will only go from bad to worse unless Iran gets serious about addressing the international community’s concerns about its nuclear program.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Do you want to pick up from there?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure, happy to. Thanks, guys. Let me just pick up on some of the important points that my colleague just made, and I think that you framed it in exactly the right way. It’s important to look at the financial component of the sanctions which come in today in the context of what has been a broad, financial campaign against Iran that's been going on for the last several years. And what today represents is an important step forward in that broad multiyear, multilateral campaign.
We have already imposed very substantial sanctions on 24 of Iran’s largest banks. And those banks, as a result, are largely cut off from the international financial system. In addition, due to steps that the Europeans have taken, those banks are additionally cut off globally from the SWIFT messaging system, which makes it extremely difficult for them to transact business anywhere in the world.
Whereas just a couple of years ago, Iran was doing business on a fairly regular basis in Europe and Asia and the Middle East, all of these major international financial sectors are closing off to Iran, and now with the sanctions that come into effect today, these same restrictions are going to start kicking in with respect to the central bank of Iran.
So what we’re seeing -- what we are seeing and continue to see increasingly as it moves forward is it become increasingly difficult for Iran to support the rial. And already since September, the rial has lost 40 percent of its value. It’s going to become increasingly difficult for Iran to finance its trade.
Back in January of this year when we designated Bank Tejerat, that was the remaining large Iranian bank that was accounting for a significant portion of Iran’s trade; with Bank Tejerat now designated and with the central bank of Iran increasingly unavailable to the Iranians to finance its trade, it’s going to become very difficult for Iran to finance its trade. It’s going to become increasingly difficult for Iran to access its foreign reserves and to generally manage its economy.
And if you look at the Iranian economy compared to similar economies of other oil-exporting nations, you can see that the Iranian economy is significantly underperforming to say the least. And I think the numbers on that speak for themselves.
So we are going to in the U.S. government from this day forward with respect to the financial sanctions that come into effect today be monitoring extremely closely the international financial system throughout the world to ensure that banks around the world are complying and to ensure that banks around the world are not doing prohibited business with the central bank of Iran. And you can be sure that as we detect -- if we detect and as we detect violations, we will be swift to act.
So that's what I have, but I’m happy to answer questions.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Great, thanks, everybody. With that we’ll be happy to take your questions.
Q Hi, thank you -- from Turkish Daily. I have two quick questions. One is June 3rd [sic] there will be a meeting in Istanbul, P5-plus-1. Are we supposed to expect any meaningful outcome? Or what kind of effect are we expecting for this meeting? And the second is, again, on the Turkish role, there were some disagreements in the past, but it seems in the recent times two allies -- you are working better with Turkish ally. Could you please speak to that? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure, I can speak to that and see if my colleagues have anything to add. On the upcoming meeting in Istanbul, it was agreed following the last P5-plus-1 meeting in Moscow that experts would continue a discussion on some of the proposals that have been made in Istanbul. I think our expectations are that this will be an opportunity to sit down at the expert level and review the various proposals that have been made.
Our position, the United States together with the P5-plus-1, has been that the onus is on the Iranian government to demonstrate a sense of purpose, a seriousness in these discussions and to indicate that they are prepared to take concrete steps to come in line with their international obligations. They have yet to do so. Istanbul is another opportunity for Iran to move in the right direction, again, which is action to come in line with their obligations.
In the absence of Iranian steps in that regard, they're going to face increased pressure, and I think that's the message that we’re sending today; that even as the P5-plus-1 negotiations are ongoing, we are going to continue with our efforts to apply additional pressure on the Iranian government so they face a clear choice: continued pressure and isolation if they don't meet their international obligations, or a path towards meeting their international obligations that can allow them to come back into the community of nations. So that's our expectation for Istanbul as we head into July 3rd.
On the Turkish question, Turkey has been an important partner on the Iran issue as well as a broad range of regional issues. Turkey, of course, is one of the nations that has taken steps to reduce its imports of Iranian oil. Because of the steps Turkey has taken, they’ve received an exception from our sanctions.
So we’ve had close cooperation and very regular dialogue and discussion with our Turkish allies on the Iran issue, and believe that they’ve been a constructive partner both in terms of supporting the sanctions regime that we have in place but also in terms of supporting a diplomatic track that could allow Iran to come in line with its obligations.
I don't know if you have anything to add on Turkey or not.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Just one thing, not on Turkey, but on the P5-plus-1. At the Baghdad meeting over a month ago, the P5-plus-1 countries collectively put forward a balanced and reasonable proposal that addresses the most pressing security threats from Iran’s nuclear program. I’d say it was a balanced proposal. It followed the approach of step-by-step efforts with reciprocal benefits for both sides, again, agreed by all six governments involved on our team.
So far we haven’t gotten a serious Iranian response to that proposal, and we urge Iran’s leaders to focus on that and come back with a serious response.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Great, we’ll take the next question.
Q Thanks for doing the call. Two questions. One, to what extent do you believe that the reduction in China’s purchases of Iranian petroleum this year reflected the Chinese pricing dispute with Iran? And did China give you any commitments with regard to making additional reductions in its Iranian purchases over the next 180-day period?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure, I’ll say a couple things, and see if my colleagues have anything to add. First of all, as I noted, China has taken a 25 percent year-on-year reduction between January and May of its crude oil imports. Now, China again takes actions with regard to its purchase of Iranian oil for a variety of reasons, including its own commercial decisions, its own energy security reasons. But the fact is, is that we do see that reduction between January and May.
What we have now also is what we believe to be an authoritative statement on this China energy website, where the Chinese are indicating that a structural change in their crude oil imports will allow for these types of reductions.
So again, I think we’ve had a regular dialogue with them. I think there's an understanding on the Chinese side of the seriousness with which we’re going forward with this. We now have a 180-day exception granted. Again, we’ll be able to continue to monitor the data that is publicly available on crude oil imports, and we’ll continue our discussion with the Chinese on steps that can be taken to continue to reduce Iranian oil imports. But again, we are basing our decision on what we see to date, and also a statement indicating the impact of crude oil imports in the context of their downward pressure on their economy.
I don't know if you have anything to add to that.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: My colleague raised a question about the first part of this year. And the authoritative statement that's been alluded to talked about a 25 percent year-on-year reduction from January to May, and that aligns with our own thinking about the magnitude of cuts in the first part of this year.
I don't want to speculate on exactly the reasons for that rather sharp decline, but it’s clearly there. And also the authoritative statement talked about the remainder of the year, and indicating that for the remainder of 2012, there would be significant reductions. So it was on this basis the Secretary took the decision to grant this exception to China.
Q Thanks. The initial round of exceptions came in March, but it was already clear that China had cut. So I was just wondering why it took this long. Was the administration trying to achieve something, and did it get that thing it was trying to achieve or not? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure, I’ll just -- a couple of comments. Again, the 25 percent year-on-year reduction encompasses a time period from January to May, in terms of crude oil imports, so a significant portion of the first half of this year.
What we see in the statement, again, is that this significant reduction would also extend through the year so that for 2012 there would be a significant reduction relative to last year. So you have both the data from the first part of this year and then the indication of a continued significant reduction through the rest of the year.
We’ll continue, again, to talk to the Chinese about this. The exception is for 180 days. But again, the Secretary had the confidence on this basis to move forward the exception.
I don't know if you have anything to add to that.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Our colleague would like to say something.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Just it’s also that in this, we try to -- I know that you said that in March it was already known, but in this industry, as you know, there's a lot of time lags in reporting periods. And looking at this data, we wanted to be 100 percent sure that we were where we were with the data and information on what exactly the reductions were.
Q Hi. Thanks so much for doing this call. Two quick questions. I’m wondering if you could say what happens when the 180-day waivers run out. Will the U.S. require China and other countries to make further cuts to the imports, or can they carry on the same reduced level that won them the waiver in the first place? And I’m wondering if you could offer some more specifics on reasons for the Singapore waiver. Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: You guys want to take that?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Let me start with Singapore. Singapore has, as you saw from their government announcement a few weeks ago, that they have -- in May their imports went to zero. They’ve made a decision, again, based on their own diversification of resources, to reduce their and terminate their imports of crude oil going forward. And I think that was the main basis of the decision, the ultimate decision, to go to zero imports as of May. This decision was taken in April.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: In terms of the exception and the renewability of it, the law provides that this 180-day exemption period is renewable, but it requires a determination that further significant reductions are being made.
Q Thanks, everybody. I guess my biggest question -- I’m interested to know how the process of the request and then the review of these exemptions -- how that has gone about. So if you could please discuss how that goes. Also, which other countries have received this exemption, and has there ever been a time where someone requested one, and you said no?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure, well, I can start and then my colleague may want to chime in here, as well.
In the first instance, we have deliberately set about implementing these sanctions in a way that would have the maximum impact on Iran. And so that of course includes working to get major oil importers of Iranian oil to take steps to reduce or in some instances to stop their import of Iranian oil. That's both something that allows us to broaden the impact in terms of the number of countries that are again taking action to reduce imports from Iran.
But also it allows us to phase in these sanctions in a way that has minimal impact on global energy markets because we don't want to -- we want to take steps to ensure that the -- they’re phased in a way that doesn’t drive up the price of oil, which would again ultimately end up benefiting the Iranians, because as more of their oil is taken off the market, they would of course have revenue from the oil that they do continue to sell. And that's what we’ve been able to do by having this very methodical process over the course of the last nearly six months.
Again, the process we do here is we evaluate what the steps are that these countries are taking to reduce, again, the import of Iranian oil as well as assessing the global supply and demand, in terms of energy markets.
So there are individual discussions with each of these countries who comprise, again, the major importers of Iranian oil. And different countries have taken different steps. Some, like our European friends, have moved towards the full embargo of Iranian oil, which is obviously going to have a -- is already having a dramatic impact on the Iranian economy. Others, again, are taking steps to significantly reduce those imports.
And so, again, we’ve had a continued discussion with each country about the steps that they can take. And what we’ve really done is built a fairly unprecedented coalition of countries that are a part of this effort that is isolating the Iranian government that is having a very significant impact on its principal source of revenue -- or one of its principal sources of revenue in addition to the steps we’ve taken on the financial side, again, to cut Iran off from large chunks of the international financial system.
My colleagues, I don't know if you have anything you want to add in that regard.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Just for the record, the question was about the countries that have received the exception. The first tranche was the 10 members of the European Union that were purchasers or Iranian crude oil, and they all agreed to go to zero actually by July 1st, Sunday. And that tranche included Japan, as well, so 11 countries there.
The second tranche involved seven economies. It was South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan. And now today with China and Singapore, that brings the number up to 20. And it’s noteworthy that these are all the significant purchasers of Iranian crude oil, and this is a very diverse group of countries. Some of them are close allies of the United States. Some of them are members of the Non-Aligned Movement. This is a diverse group of countries, all of which are now sending an important signal to Iran that it’s got to take negotiations over its nuclear program much more seriously than it’s done to date.
Q Hello, I have a question. How would you evaluate cooperation with Russia -- U.S.-Russian cooperation in the direction of implementation of sanctions against Iran? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure. Well, first of all, we have been closely cooperating with Russia through the P5-plus-1 broadly speaking. So Russia of course has been an essential member of the diplomatic effort to get Iran to comply with its international obligation, including recently hosting talks in Moscow. And what we’ve seen is very strong P5-plus-1 unity and putting forward a clear choice to the Iranian government between, again, facing that continued international isolation or coming in line with their obligations.
With respect to sanctions, what the Russians have done is joined us through the U.N. Security Council. U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929 laid the foundation in a multilateral basis for the international community to be putting forward the type of sanctions that we’ve seen on the Iranian government.
Now building on that foundation, the United States and many other like-minded countries have taken additional steps on their own or in concert to increase the pressure on the Iranian government.
And our point has been clear that sanctions are not an end in and of themselves. They're a means of applying pressure to the Iranian government. What we want to see both the United States and Russia, as well as the other members of the P5-plus-1 is, again, a reaffirmation of nonproliferation, an Iran that comes in line with clear obligations spelled out, not just by the NPT, but also by U.N. Security Council resolutions. So we have had strong diplomatic cooperation with the Russians. On the sanctions front, we’ve been able to work with them through the passage of 1929.
And then as we take these additional national measure and multilateral measures to apply pressure on Iran, we continue to coordinate very closely with the Russians through the P5-plus-1 so the choice is very clear to the Iranians, and they have the opportunity to come in line with their obligations and rejoin the community of nations. But they also know that there are consequences for their continued intransigence, and those consequences are the types of sanctions that we’re moving forward with today.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, everybody, for joining this call. We’ll obviously be continuing this effort going forward. As my colleague noted, the -- is set today, the full E.U. oil embargo is slated for July 1st, so we’re continuing to implement a very robust sanctions regime even as we look towards continued negotiations as a part of our dual-track strategy that will continue on July 3rd with the experts meeting, the P5-plus-1 meeting with Iran in Istanbul.
So thank you for getting on the call, and I’m sure we’ll continue to be in touch with you on this matter in the days to come.
END
3:08 P.M. EDT
Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event
Venue One
Chicago, Illinois
4:05 P.M. CDT
MRS. OBAMA: Hey! (Applause.) All right, you all already sound pretty fired up and ready to go, so I'll just go home. (Laughter.) Let me tell you, I am beyond thrilled to be back home. (Applause.) Yes. And it is so good to see you all. You're looking good. This is a pretty hip venue. (Laughter.) My venues are not usually this hip. This is really pretty nice.
Let me start by thanking Jarvis, first of all, for that very rousing and kind introduction. Give Jarvis a round of applause. (Applause.) And I want to thank both Jarvis and Kyle for everything they’re doing for this campaign. They have just been amazing and we are truly grateful.
And I have to thank Jim Messina, for he has just been an amazing campaign manager. His leadership, his organization, his focus -- he is going to be one of the reasons why we will be doing another four more years pretty soon. (Applause.)
And, finally, I want to thank all of you for taking the time to join us here for today’s Gen44 event. I love you all. This is such a good -- Gen44. (Applause.) It is good stuff.
And I know that it's not always easy to take time out of your busy lives and do stuff like this. You guys have a lot to do. I know in your lives you've got your jobs, careers you're building; some of you are still attending classes and trying to get those degrees in order. Many of you have families to raise and mortgages to pay and rent to get --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Mm-hmm.
MRS. OBAMA: Mm-hmm. (Laughter.) But I also know that there's a reason why you all are taking time out of your lives to be here today. And it's not just because we all support a phenomenal President of the United States, right? (Applause.)
Let me tell you, it's not that I'm married to the President that I think he is awesome. (Laughter.) But we have a really, really tremendous leader in the White House in my husband. (Applause.) And we're not just here because we want to win an election -- which we do and we will.
But we’re doing this because of the values we believe in. That's why we're here. We’re doing this because of the vision for this country that we all share. And I say that time and time again -- we cannot forget what we're focused on. We are doing this because we want all of our children to have good schools. You know what kind of schools I'm talking about -- the kind of schools that inspire them, and push them, and prepare them for good jobs and opportunities in the future. We want that for every child.
We want our parents and our grandparents to be able to retire with a little dignity, because we believe that after a lifetime of hard work, in America, they should be able to enjoy their golden years, right? (Applause.) We are here because we want to restore that basic middle-class security for our families, because we believe that in America folks shouldn’t go bankrupt because somebody gets sick. You shouldn't lose your home just because you lose your job -- not in America. We believe that responsibility should be rewarded, that hard work should pay off. And we believe that everyone should do their fair share, but play by the same rules.
But these values, this isn't new. These are basic American values. Those are the basics. They’re the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself -- and all of you all were raised just like me. (Applause.) Now, I know where I am now. (Laughter.) You all know my background. My father was a blue-collar worker. He worked for the city water filtration plant, right here by Navy Pier, all of his life. And my family lived in a very small, barely one-bedroom apartment on the South Side -- South Side! (Applause.)
And I know you all can relate to my upbringing. My parents never had the kinds of educational opportunities that we had. And growing up, what I saw every single day -- I saw two parents who saved for us and sacrificed everything for us. They poured everything they had into me and my brother. They held us to the same high standard of excellence, because they wanted both of us to have the kind of education they could only dream of.
My parents did everything in their power to support my college education. And like many people, while most of my tuition came from student loans and grants -- yes, a lot of head-nodding going on there. You can relate to that -- (laughter) -- my dad still paid a small portion of that tuition himself. And every semester, he was determined to pay that bill right on time -- because he was proud to be able to send his kids to college. And he did all he could to lessen the financial burden on us by ensuring that neither me nor my brother missed a registration deadline because his check was late. That’s what my father worried about. And like so many people in this country, my father took great pride in being able to earn the kind of living that allowed him to handle his business, to take care of his responsibilities to his family. That’s all he wanted. He wanted a job that allowed him to pay his bills and to pay them on time. That’s all he wanted.
But more than anything else, that is what’s at stake. That’s what we’re fighting for. That’s why we’re here. And we can never forget what this is about. It is that fundamental promise that no matter who you are or how you started out, in America, if you work hard you can build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids. And it is that promise that we have to remember that binds us together as Americans. It’s what makes us who we are. It’s what makes this country special.
And between now and November, Barack is going to need you to get out there and tell people about this vision. Tell them about these values that we’re working for, and let them know what’s at stake in this election. That’s your job -- because people might be confused. (Laughter.)
Now, when it comes to the economy, you can start by telling them how Barack fought for tax cuts for working families and small businesses, because he understands that an economy built to last -- it starts with the middle class. It starts with the folks who are creating jobs and putting people back to work. And remind people about how, back when Barack first took office -- remind them -- this economy was losing an average of 750,000 jobs every single month. Yes, surprising. That’s what he inherited. That’s what he walked into the Oval Office after all that wonderful inauguration stuff -- that’s what was waiting for him. But let people know that for the past 27 straight months, we’ve actually been gaining private sector jobs -– a total of more than 4 million jobs in just two years. (Applause.) So you have to let people know.
So while we still have a long way to go to build our economy, today people have to understand millions of people are collecting a paycheck again; millions of people like my dad are able to pay their bills again. Let people know.
You can remind people also about how there were folks in Washington telling Barack to let the auto industry go under, with more than a million jobs on the line. You remember that?
AUDIENCE: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: People said, let it go. But Barack had the backs of American workers. He put his faith in the American people. And as a result, today, the auto industry is back on its feet again and, more importantly, people are back at work, providing for their families again. Let people know. Let people know -- that’s what we need you to do. (Applause.)
When it comes to health care, I want you to tell people how insurance companies will now have to cover preventative care -- things like contraception, cancer screenings, prenatal care at no extra cost. That’s what health reform has done. Millions of our senior citizens have saved hundreds of dollars on their prescription drugs because of health reform. And young people can now stay on their parent's insurance until they’re 26 years old. (Applause.) And what people don’t understand is that is how 3.1 million more young people in this country are getting the health care they need. Let them know. Let them know. (Applause.)
When it comes to education, you can tell Barack -- tell folks that Barack knows what it’s like to be drowning in student debt. Let them know. Back when we first started out -- and we were trying to build a life together when we first got married -- our combined student loan bill was actually higher than our mortgage. And that’s why Barack has worked to double Pell Grants, helping 4 million more students afford the education they need for the jobs of the future. (Applause.)
And when it comes to increasing opportunities for all of our young people, tell folks about how Barack has been fighting for the DREAM Act -- (applause) -- because he believes that it is time to stop denying responsible young people opportunities in this country because their parents are undocumented immigrants. It’s time to stop that. That’s what your President is working for. (Applause.)
When it comes to keeping our country safe, you can remind folks that Barack kept his promise and brought our troops back home from Iraq. (Applause.)
And please, don’t let people forget about how our brave men and women finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks. Remind them what our troops did. (Applause.)
And you can also tell them that our troops no longer have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love -- because Barack finally ended "don't ask, don't tell." Let them know. (Applause.)
And ladies, when it comes to supporting women and families in our country, please tell people about how Barack fought to make it easier for women to get equal pay for equal work -- and that’s because of the very first bill he signed into law. The very first thing he did as President was sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. (Applause.)
And it’s important to know why he signed this, why this was a priority. See, because Barack knows that closing that pay gap for women can mean the difference between them losing $50, $100, $500 from each paycheck, or having that money in their pockets to buy gas, and groceries, and put clothes on the backs of their kids. He did it because when so many women are now breadwinners for our families, women's success in this economy is the key to families' success in this economy. (Applause.)
And finally, when it comes to the Supreme Court, don’t forget to tell people about those two brilliant Supreme Court justices Barack appointed, and for the first time in history, our sons and daughters watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court. Let them know. (Applause.)
Now, look, I could go on and on and on and on, but I’m not going to. (Laughter.) Because you all are standing up, and at a point you stop listening. (Laughter.) But the important point that I want to make is that all of this and so much more -- all of this is at stake in November. It is all on the line. And it all boils down to just one simple question: Are we going to continue the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made? Or are we going to allow everything that we have worked so hard for to just slip away?
AUDIENCE: No!
MRS. OBAMA: What are we going to do? No, we cannot turn back now. Not now. We have to keep moving forward. We have to keep moving forward. And more than anything else, that’s what we’re working for -- the chance to finish what we started; the chance to keep fighting for the values we believe in and the vision we all share. We all share this vision. I don’t care who you are or where you’re from or what you look like, this is an American vision that we share. And let me tell you, that is what my husband has been doing every single day as President. He’s been working for that vision.
And let me tell you something, as First Lady, over the past three and a half years I have had the wonderful chance to see up close and personal what being President really looks like. (Laughter.) And let me tell you something -- and this is important for people to understand as we select the next leader. Because I have seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk are always the hard ones -- always: the problems with no easy solutions; the judgment calls where the stakes are so high, there is no margin for error. That’s what your President deals with.
And as President, you are going to get all kinds of advice and opinions from all kinds of people. But in the end, when it comes time to make that decision as President --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: He listens to his wife. (Laughter and applause.)
MRS. OBAMA: A smart President will -- (laughter) -- take into account the views and positions of his other half. (Laughter.) But seriously, this is a serious point, because when you’re dealing with those kinds of decisions where there isn’t a clear right answer -- there isn’t even a clear good answer -- all a President has to guide them is their life experiences. All they have to draw on are those values. All they have is the vision that they have for this country. So you have to know what that’s about, and where people stand. You have to know that.
But we all know who my husband is, right? We all know what Barack Obama stands for, don’t we? (Applause.) And if you don’t, let me just remind you: He is the son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills. He is the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn every day to catch a bus to her job at the bank. And even though Barack’s grandmother worked hard to help support his family, and she was good at her job, like so many women she hit that glass ceiling and men no more qualified than she was, she watched them be promoted up the ladder ahead of her.
So believe me, Barack Obama knows what it means when a family struggles. For him, this is not a hypothetical. He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential. (Applause.) And let me tell you, today, as a father, he knows what it means to want something better for your kids. Those are the experiences that have made him the man -- and the President -- he is today. And that’s what we’re working for. (Applause.)
So when there is a choice about our children’s future -- about investing in their schools, about helping them attend college without a mountain of debt -- you know where Barack will stand, don’t you? When it comes times to stand up for our workers and our families, so folks can make a decent wage and save for retirement, see a doctor when they’re sick, you know what Barack Obama is going to do. When we need a President to protect our basic -- most basic rights, no matter who we love or where we’re from or what race or what gender we are, you know you can count on Barack Obama, because that is what he’s been doing every single day as President of the United States. And people have to know that. People have to know that. (Applause.)
But I have said this before, and I will say it again, everywhere I go, every day if I have to: He cannot do this alone. That was never the promise. And if anybody was under that misperception -- (laughter) -- get over it right now. (Laughter.) Barack needs you. He said this election was going to be even closer than the last one. So he needs your help. The outcome of this election will potentially have the greatest impact on the young folks in this room. So all of you young folks -- and I consider anybody younger than me young -- (laughter) -- understand that you have a unique stake in what happens in this election.
And truly, sitting on the sidelines or only coming to an event like this, while fun, it is simply not an option. If we want to keep this country moving forward, it’s not an option. We need you to be actively and passionately engaged in this election. We need you to make those calls. We need you to do that real work. We need you to organize more events. I want you to think about it -- Barack needs you to multiply yourselves. Think about multiplying yourselves. Reach out to your friends and your family, your colleagues, your neighbors, your classmates -- reach them, grab them, shake them. (Laughter.) And direct them to how they can get involved in this campaign. Send them to barackobama.com to find out what they can do, because there are many things to do. And if things are looking good where you are -- if you’re feeling like, oh, you know what, Chicago is locked down -- (laughter) -- then pack a bag and spend some time in a battleground state. (Applause.) Go to Iowa. We are going to win Iowa, but we’re going to win it even more with you. We need you to talk to undecided voters, particularly your peers, and remind them what’s at stake. Remind them what’s at stake.
And join your neighborhood team. These are groups of people all over the city and all over the country who are giving just a little bit of their time and energy to make a difference in this campaign. And everything that we do on the ground runs through these kind of teams. And I’ve met with dozens of phenomenal team leaders of all ages. I met a little 14-year-old girl who was like the computer analyst for her team. (Laughter.) It was amazing. She was very focused. (Laughter.) And I love that -- when a 14-year-old is on the phone making calls, that is amazing. So you all should be doing that. (Laughter.)
And today we’ve got volunteers at the back of the room. You guys, raise your hands if you’re back -- let me see, volunteers with clipboards. Because this is a can-do thing. (Applause.) They can answer your questions. They can get you signed up. So this is about action today.
And if you have any doubt about the difference you can make, I just want you to remember that in the end this election could all come down to those last few thousand people that we register to vote. We’ve seen that before, right? Remember, it could come down to the last few thousand people we help get to the polls on November the 6th. And so with every conversation you have, with every interaction that you have on behalf of this mission, I want you to remember -- just think to yourself, this could be the one. This could be the one. So there is no wasted conversation. There is no one in your family who should go untouched. This could be the one that makes the difference in this election. That is the kind of impact that each of you can, and each of you will, have.
And I’m not going to kid you, the only thing I can guarantee you is that this journey is going to be long. It’s only 130-something days left, but it’s going to be long. (Laughter.) And it is going to be hard. And there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way -- there always is. But we have to remember, that’s how change always happens in this country. Real change takes some time, and it can be a little complicated, and it can feel a little uncomfortable. But if we keep showing up, and if we keep fighting the good fight, if we keep fighting for the things we know are right, then eventually we get there. We always do. In this country we have never gone backwards. That is the beauty of America: We always keep moving forward. Maybe not in my lifetime, but maybe in our children’s lifetimes, maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.
Because, in the end, we have to remember that’s what this is all about. It’s not about us, it’s about them. And that’s why I can get so passionate. That’s why I can stay so focused and work so hard, because when I tuck my girls in at night, that’s what I think about. I think about the world I want to leave for them, and for all of our sons and daughters. I think about how I want to do for them what my dad did for me. And I want to give these kids a foundation for their dreams -- all of them. Because all of them are worthy of this promise. I want to give them everything that’s worthy of their dreams. I want to give them that sense of limitless possibility; that belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it.
So we cannot turn back now. Not now. There is too much at stake. We have come so far, but we have so much more work to do.
So the last question I have for you all is: Are you in?
AUDIENCE: Yes! (Applause.)
MRS. OBAMA: Are you in? (Applause.) No, no, I’m not just talking about comfortable in, I’m talking about rolling-up-your-sleeves kind of in. (Applause.) I’m talking about finding someone with a board and signing up. I’m talking about packing-a-bag-and-getting-to-a-battleground-state in. I’m talking about getting-on-a-phone-and-calling-some-people in. Are you in?
AUDIENCE: Yes! (Applause.)
MRS. OBAMA: Are you fired up? (Applause.) Let me tell you, I am so fired up because I have seen what’s at stake. I have seen the vision for this country that we can have. I know what we can do, and I know Barack Obama is the man to get us there. I wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t the one.
So you all just get it together. (Laughter.) Stay focused. Stay fired up. Do not get tired, and let’s get this done.
Four more years. Thank you. (Applause.)
END
4:31 P.M. CDT
Chicago, Illinois
4:05 P.M. CDT
MRS. OBAMA: Hey! (Applause.) All right, you all already sound pretty fired up and ready to go, so I'll just go home. (Laughter.) Let me tell you, I am beyond thrilled to be back home. (Applause.) Yes. And it is so good to see you all. You're looking good. This is a pretty hip venue. (Laughter.) My venues are not usually this hip. This is really pretty nice.
Let me start by thanking Jarvis, first of all, for that very rousing and kind introduction. Give Jarvis a round of applause. (Applause.) And I want to thank both Jarvis and Kyle for everything they’re doing for this campaign. They have just been amazing and we are truly grateful.
And I have to thank Jim Messina, for he has just been an amazing campaign manager. His leadership, his organization, his focus -- he is going to be one of the reasons why we will be doing another four more years pretty soon. (Applause.)
And, finally, I want to thank all of you for taking the time to join us here for today’s Gen44 event. I love you all. This is such a good -- Gen44. (Applause.) It is good stuff.
And I know that it's not always easy to take time out of your busy lives and do stuff like this. You guys have a lot to do. I know in your lives you've got your jobs, careers you're building; some of you are still attending classes and trying to get those degrees in order. Many of you have families to raise and mortgages to pay and rent to get --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Mm-hmm.
MRS. OBAMA: Mm-hmm. (Laughter.) But I also know that there's a reason why you all are taking time out of your lives to be here today. And it's not just because we all support a phenomenal President of the United States, right? (Applause.)
Let me tell you, it's not that I'm married to the President that I think he is awesome. (Laughter.) But we have a really, really tremendous leader in the White House in my husband. (Applause.) And we're not just here because we want to win an election -- which we do and we will.
But we’re doing this because of the values we believe in. That's why we're here. We’re doing this because of the vision for this country that we all share. And I say that time and time again -- we cannot forget what we're focused on. We are doing this because we want all of our children to have good schools. You know what kind of schools I'm talking about -- the kind of schools that inspire them, and push them, and prepare them for good jobs and opportunities in the future. We want that for every child.
We want our parents and our grandparents to be able to retire with a little dignity, because we believe that after a lifetime of hard work, in America, they should be able to enjoy their golden years, right? (Applause.) We are here because we want to restore that basic middle-class security for our families, because we believe that in America folks shouldn’t go bankrupt because somebody gets sick. You shouldn't lose your home just because you lose your job -- not in America. We believe that responsibility should be rewarded, that hard work should pay off. And we believe that everyone should do their fair share, but play by the same rules.
But these values, this isn't new. These are basic American values. Those are the basics. They’re the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself -- and all of you all were raised just like me. (Applause.) Now, I know where I am now. (Laughter.) You all know my background. My father was a blue-collar worker. He worked for the city water filtration plant, right here by Navy Pier, all of his life. And my family lived in a very small, barely one-bedroom apartment on the South Side -- South Side! (Applause.)
And I know you all can relate to my upbringing. My parents never had the kinds of educational opportunities that we had. And growing up, what I saw every single day -- I saw two parents who saved for us and sacrificed everything for us. They poured everything they had into me and my brother. They held us to the same high standard of excellence, because they wanted both of us to have the kind of education they could only dream of.
My parents did everything in their power to support my college education. And like many people, while most of my tuition came from student loans and grants -- yes, a lot of head-nodding going on there. You can relate to that -- (laughter) -- my dad still paid a small portion of that tuition himself. And every semester, he was determined to pay that bill right on time -- because he was proud to be able to send his kids to college. And he did all he could to lessen the financial burden on us by ensuring that neither me nor my brother missed a registration deadline because his check was late. That’s what my father worried about. And like so many people in this country, my father took great pride in being able to earn the kind of living that allowed him to handle his business, to take care of his responsibilities to his family. That’s all he wanted. He wanted a job that allowed him to pay his bills and to pay them on time. That’s all he wanted.
But more than anything else, that is what’s at stake. That’s what we’re fighting for. That’s why we’re here. And we can never forget what this is about. It is that fundamental promise that no matter who you are or how you started out, in America, if you work hard you can build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids. And it is that promise that we have to remember that binds us together as Americans. It’s what makes us who we are. It’s what makes this country special.
And between now and November, Barack is going to need you to get out there and tell people about this vision. Tell them about these values that we’re working for, and let them know what’s at stake in this election. That’s your job -- because people might be confused. (Laughter.)
Now, when it comes to the economy, you can start by telling them how Barack fought for tax cuts for working families and small businesses, because he understands that an economy built to last -- it starts with the middle class. It starts with the folks who are creating jobs and putting people back to work. And remind people about how, back when Barack first took office -- remind them -- this economy was losing an average of 750,000 jobs every single month. Yes, surprising. That’s what he inherited. That’s what he walked into the Oval Office after all that wonderful inauguration stuff -- that’s what was waiting for him. But let people know that for the past 27 straight months, we’ve actually been gaining private sector jobs -– a total of more than 4 million jobs in just two years. (Applause.) So you have to let people know.
So while we still have a long way to go to build our economy, today people have to understand millions of people are collecting a paycheck again; millions of people like my dad are able to pay their bills again. Let people know.
You can remind people also about how there were folks in Washington telling Barack to let the auto industry go under, with more than a million jobs on the line. You remember that?
AUDIENCE: Yes.
MRS. OBAMA: People said, let it go. But Barack had the backs of American workers. He put his faith in the American people. And as a result, today, the auto industry is back on its feet again and, more importantly, people are back at work, providing for their families again. Let people know. Let people know -- that’s what we need you to do. (Applause.)
When it comes to health care, I want you to tell people how insurance companies will now have to cover preventative care -- things like contraception, cancer screenings, prenatal care at no extra cost. That’s what health reform has done. Millions of our senior citizens have saved hundreds of dollars on their prescription drugs because of health reform. And young people can now stay on their parent's insurance until they’re 26 years old. (Applause.) And what people don’t understand is that is how 3.1 million more young people in this country are getting the health care they need. Let them know. Let them know. (Applause.)
When it comes to education, you can tell Barack -- tell folks that Barack knows what it’s like to be drowning in student debt. Let them know. Back when we first started out -- and we were trying to build a life together when we first got married -- our combined student loan bill was actually higher than our mortgage. And that’s why Barack has worked to double Pell Grants, helping 4 million more students afford the education they need for the jobs of the future. (Applause.)
And when it comes to increasing opportunities for all of our young people, tell folks about how Barack has been fighting for the DREAM Act -- (applause) -- because he believes that it is time to stop denying responsible young people opportunities in this country because their parents are undocumented immigrants. It’s time to stop that. That’s what your President is working for. (Applause.)
When it comes to keeping our country safe, you can remind folks that Barack kept his promise and brought our troops back home from Iraq. (Applause.)
And please, don’t let people forget about how our brave men and women finally brought to justice the man behind the 9/11 attacks. Remind them what our troops did. (Applause.)
And you can also tell them that our troops no longer have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love -- because Barack finally ended "don't ask, don't tell." Let them know. (Applause.)
And ladies, when it comes to supporting women and families in our country, please tell people about how Barack fought to make it easier for women to get equal pay for equal work -- and that’s because of the very first bill he signed into law. The very first thing he did as President was sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. (Applause.)
And it’s important to know why he signed this, why this was a priority. See, because Barack knows that closing that pay gap for women can mean the difference between them losing $50, $100, $500 from each paycheck, or having that money in their pockets to buy gas, and groceries, and put clothes on the backs of their kids. He did it because when so many women are now breadwinners for our families, women's success in this economy is the key to families' success in this economy. (Applause.)
And finally, when it comes to the Supreme Court, don’t forget to tell people about those two brilliant Supreme Court justices Barack appointed, and for the first time in history, our sons and daughters watched three women take their seat on our nation’s highest court. Let them know. (Applause.)
Now, look, I could go on and on and on and on, but I’m not going to. (Laughter.) Because you all are standing up, and at a point you stop listening. (Laughter.) But the important point that I want to make is that all of this and so much more -- all of this is at stake in November. It is all on the line. And it all boils down to just one simple question: Are we going to continue the change we’ve begun and the progress we’ve made? Or are we going to allow everything that we have worked so hard for to just slip away?
AUDIENCE: No!
MRS. OBAMA: What are we going to do? No, we cannot turn back now. Not now. We have to keep moving forward. We have to keep moving forward. And more than anything else, that’s what we’re working for -- the chance to finish what we started; the chance to keep fighting for the values we believe in and the vision we all share. We all share this vision. I don’t care who you are or where you’re from or what you look like, this is an American vision that we share. And let me tell you, that is what my husband has been doing every single day as President. He’s been working for that vision.
And let me tell you something, as First Lady, over the past three and a half years I have had the wonderful chance to see up close and personal what being President really looks like. (Laughter.) And let me tell you something -- and this is important for people to understand as we select the next leader. Because I have seen how the issues that come across a President’s desk are always the hard ones -- always: the problems with no easy solutions; the judgment calls where the stakes are so high, there is no margin for error. That’s what your President deals with.
And as President, you are going to get all kinds of advice and opinions from all kinds of people. But in the end, when it comes time to make that decision as President --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: He listens to his wife. (Laughter and applause.)
MRS. OBAMA: A smart President will -- (laughter) -- take into account the views and positions of his other half. (Laughter.) But seriously, this is a serious point, because when you’re dealing with those kinds of decisions where there isn’t a clear right answer -- there isn’t even a clear good answer -- all a President has to guide them is their life experiences. All they have to draw on are those values. All they have is the vision that they have for this country. So you have to know what that’s about, and where people stand. You have to know that.
But we all know who my husband is, right? We all know what Barack Obama stands for, don’t we? (Applause.) And if you don’t, let me just remind you: He is the son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills. He is the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn every day to catch a bus to her job at the bank. And even though Barack’s grandmother worked hard to help support his family, and she was good at her job, like so many women she hit that glass ceiling and men no more qualified than she was, she watched them be promoted up the ladder ahead of her.
So believe me, Barack Obama knows what it means when a family struggles. For him, this is not a hypothetical. He knows what it means when someone doesn’t have a chance to fulfill their potential. (Applause.) And let me tell you, today, as a father, he knows what it means to want something better for your kids. Those are the experiences that have made him the man -- and the President -- he is today. And that’s what we’re working for. (Applause.)
So when there is a choice about our children’s future -- about investing in their schools, about helping them attend college without a mountain of debt -- you know where Barack will stand, don’t you? When it comes times to stand up for our workers and our families, so folks can make a decent wage and save for retirement, see a doctor when they’re sick, you know what Barack Obama is going to do. When we need a President to protect our basic -- most basic rights, no matter who we love or where we’re from or what race or what gender we are, you know you can count on Barack Obama, because that is what he’s been doing every single day as President of the United States. And people have to know that. People have to know that. (Applause.)
But I have said this before, and I will say it again, everywhere I go, every day if I have to: He cannot do this alone. That was never the promise. And if anybody was under that misperception -- (laughter) -- get over it right now. (Laughter.) Barack needs you. He said this election was going to be even closer than the last one. So he needs your help. The outcome of this election will potentially have the greatest impact on the young folks in this room. So all of you young folks -- and I consider anybody younger than me young -- (laughter) -- understand that you have a unique stake in what happens in this election.
And truly, sitting on the sidelines or only coming to an event like this, while fun, it is simply not an option. If we want to keep this country moving forward, it’s not an option. We need you to be actively and passionately engaged in this election. We need you to make those calls. We need you to do that real work. We need you to organize more events. I want you to think about it -- Barack needs you to multiply yourselves. Think about multiplying yourselves. Reach out to your friends and your family, your colleagues, your neighbors, your classmates -- reach them, grab them, shake them. (Laughter.) And direct them to how they can get involved in this campaign. Send them to barackobama.com to find out what they can do, because there are many things to do. And if things are looking good where you are -- if you’re feeling like, oh, you know what, Chicago is locked down -- (laughter) -- then pack a bag and spend some time in a battleground state. (Applause.) Go to Iowa. We are going to win Iowa, but we’re going to win it even more with you. We need you to talk to undecided voters, particularly your peers, and remind them what’s at stake. Remind them what’s at stake.
And join your neighborhood team. These are groups of people all over the city and all over the country who are giving just a little bit of their time and energy to make a difference in this campaign. And everything that we do on the ground runs through these kind of teams. And I’ve met with dozens of phenomenal team leaders of all ages. I met a little 14-year-old girl who was like the computer analyst for her team. (Laughter.) It was amazing. She was very focused. (Laughter.) And I love that -- when a 14-year-old is on the phone making calls, that is amazing. So you all should be doing that. (Laughter.)
And today we’ve got volunteers at the back of the room. You guys, raise your hands if you’re back -- let me see, volunteers with clipboards. Because this is a can-do thing. (Applause.) They can answer your questions. They can get you signed up. So this is about action today.
And if you have any doubt about the difference you can make, I just want you to remember that in the end this election could all come down to those last few thousand people that we register to vote. We’ve seen that before, right? Remember, it could come down to the last few thousand people we help get to the polls on November the 6th. And so with every conversation you have, with every interaction that you have on behalf of this mission, I want you to remember -- just think to yourself, this could be the one. This could be the one. So there is no wasted conversation. There is no one in your family who should go untouched. This could be the one that makes the difference in this election. That is the kind of impact that each of you can, and each of you will, have.
And I’m not going to kid you, the only thing I can guarantee you is that this journey is going to be long. It’s only 130-something days left, but it’s going to be long. (Laughter.) And it is going to be hard. And there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way -- there always is. But we have to remember, that’s how change always happens in this country. Real change takes some time, and it can be a little complicated, and it can feel a little uncomfortable. But if we keep showing up, and if we keep fighting the good fight, if we keep fighting for the things we know are right, then eventually we get there. We always do. In this country we have never gone backwards. That is the beauty of America: We always keep moving forward. Maybe not in my lifetime, but maybe in our children’s lifetimes, maybe in our grandchildren’s lifetimes.
Because, in the end, we have to remember that’s what this is all about. It’s not about us, it’s about them. And that’s why I can get so passionate. That’s why I can stay so focused and work so hard, because when I tuck my girls in at night, that’s what I think about. I think about the world I want to leave for them, and for all of our sons and daughters. I think about how I want to do for them what my dad did for me. And I want to give these kids a foundation for their dreams -- all of them. Because all of them are worthy of this promise. I want to give them everything that’s worthy of their dreams. I want to give them that sense of limitless possibility; that belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it.
So we cannot turn back now. Not now. There is too much at stake. We have come so far, but we have so much more work to do.
So the last question I have for you all is: Are you in?
AUDIENCE: Yes! (Applause.)
MRS. OBAMA: Are you in? (Applause.) No, no, I’m not just talking about comfortable in, I’m talking about rolling-up-your-sleeves kind of in. (Applause.) I’m talking about finding someone with a board and signing up. I’m talking about packing-a-bag-and-getting-to-a-battleground-state in. I’m talking about getting-on-a-phone-and-calling-some-people in. Are you in?
AUDIENCE: Yes! (Applause.)
MRS. OBAMA: Are you fired up? (Applause.) Let me tell you, I am so fired up because I have seen what’s at stake. I have seen the vision for this country that we can have. I know what we can do, and I know Barack Obama is the man to get us there. I wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t the one.
So you all just get it together. (Laughter.) Stay focused. Stay fired up. Do not get tired, and let’s get this done.
Four more years. Thank you. (Applause.)
END
4:31 P.M. CDT
DCCC Throws in Towel on 4 Races It Thought It Could Win
Democrats are starting to pull their money from congressional races they once saw as winnable. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has canceled TV ads in four hotly contested races, Politico reports.� This is yet another indication that Republicans are headed for a landslide victory.
The ads are being pulled for two freshmen, Florida Rep. Suzanne Kosmas and Ohio Rep. Steve Driehaus and for two Democrat-held open seats in conservative districts: Indiana?s 8th and Tennessee?s 8th, a Democratic insider tells Politico.
The DCCC also cut its ad spending for Arizona Rep. Harry Mitchell and Wisconsin Rep. Steve Kagen, who look like they?re going down, too.
� Newsmax. All rights reserved.
George Will George Bush global warming Joe Biden Bush tax cuts
When Politics Becomes the Game
The NRDC Action Fund just released a book called Reckless about the House Republican majority that cast more than 200 votes against environmental safeguards last year. We aren?t the only ones dismayed by the rise in GOP extremism. Republican leaders are too.
This week, two esteemed conservative thinkers published a must-read op-ed in the Washington Post entitled, ?Let?s Just Say It: The Republicans Are the Problem.? Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote:
?The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.?
Mann and Ornstein are no lightweight centrists; they are the Republicans of the Republicans. If they see fault in their party?s lurch to the far right, then you know things have gotten out of hand. �
Their piece made me realize just how many lawmakers seem to have forgotten why they serve. This is true of Republicans and Democrats alike, but the Republicans have cast themselves as the Party of No and made the defeat of the other side their primary goal. No one actually wins this kind of game. Instead, we end up with one big loser: the American people.
Citizens send lawmakers to Washington to govern, not to play chicken. GOP?s obstructionism may score points with their base, but it prevents Members from actually doing the work of government and administering the public?s shared resources including roads, schools, clean air and water.
Most of the public servants I know?from Hill staffers to PTA presidents?pursue their line of work because they want to make things better. Politicians who see victory in paralysis seem to have lost sight of that goal. They have become like the young boy who dreams of playing in the NBA, but gets so focused on the machinations of what it takes to make it that he loses his love of the game. I get it. Institutions like Congress can grind people down. But that?s why we need leaders to stand up and offer inspiration?not nay saying.
The proliferation of negative ads is a symptom of this larger trend. Every political operative will tell you: campaigns use negative messages because they work. They lodge in people?s minds and deliver votes. But here is what?s different this year: PAC money. A new post by Paul Blumenthal includes some stunning statistics:
?While spending in support of one candidate nearly doubled from $19.14 million in 2008 to $36.59 million in 2012, spending against other candidates by independent groups exploded by 680 percent, from only $6.97 million in 2008 to $47.28 million in 2012.?
PACs are fueling the antagonism of an already polarized election cycle. When my two children are fighting, I don?t step in and raise the heat by saying: ?Son, don?t you remember how your sister stole your ball? Or ?Honey, he hit you first, didn?t he?? The PACs are the equivalent of a mother reminding her children why they hate each. If you stand in the way, you will never find resolution.
Then again, some companies behind the PACs don?t want resolution. Bloomberg News recently reported that 81 percent of anti-Obama ads focus on energy. Americans for Prosperity?a group supported by oil companies?spent more $16.7 million between January and March on negative ads attacking Obama?s energy policies.
Oil companies benefit from a paralyzed political landscape. If Congress can?t pass any laws, then companies don?t have to clean up their pollution, invest in low-carbon technologies, or give up their generous tax breaks. The American people, however, are stuck with the dirty air, the extreme weather events, and the wind turbine factories moving to China.
Candidates who make clean energy a central part of their platform can correct that imbalance. Clean energy is about job creation, competitive advantage, clean air, health families, and keeping our troops out of harm?s way. It?s about building things, not destroying them.
That?s what makes it a powerful antidote to current political antagonism. Lawmakers may debate the best way to promote clean energy or confront climate change, but the fact remains that expanding the clean economy will benefit America. Isn?t that why lawmakers serve in the first place?
�
�
�
This week, two esteemed conservative thinkers published a must-read op-ed in the Washington Post entitled, ?Let?s Just Say It: The Republicans Are the Problem.? Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote:
?The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.?
Mann and Ornstein are no lightweight centrists; they are the Republicans of the Republicans. If they see fault in their party?s lurch to the far right, then you know things have gotten out of hand. �
Their piece made me realize just how many lawmakers seem to have forgotten why they serve. This is true of Republicans and Democrats alike, but the Republicans have cast themselves as the Party of No and made the defeat of the other side their primary goal. No one actually wins this kind of game. Instead, we end up with one big loser: the American people.
Citizens send lawmakers to Washington to govern, not to play chicken. GOP?s obstructionism may score points with their base, but it prevents Members from actually doing the work of government and administering the public?s shared resources including roads, schools, clean air and water.
Most of the public servants I know?from Hill staffers to PTA presidents?pursue their line of work because they want to make things better. Politicians who see victory in paralysis seem to have lost sight of that goal. They have become like the young boy who dreams of playing in the NBA, but gets so focused on the machinations of what it takes to make it that he loses his love of the game. I get it. Institutions like Congress can grind people down. But that?s why we need leaders to stand up and offer inspiration?not nay saying.
The proliferation of negative ads is a symptom of this larger trend. Every political operative will tell you: campaigns use negative messages because they work. They lodge in people?s minds and deliver votes. But here is what?s different this year: PAC money. A new post by Paul Blumenthal includes some stunning statistics:
?While spending in support of one candidate nearly doubled from $19.14 million in 2008 to $36.59 million in 2012, spending against other candidates by independent groups exploded by 680 percent, from only $6.97 million in 2008 to $47.28 million in 2012.?
PACs are fueling the antagonism of an already polarized election cycle. When my two children are fighting, I don?t step in and raise the heat by saying: ?Son, don?t you remember how your sister stole your ball? Or ?Honey, he hit you first, didn?t he?? The PACs are the equivalent of a mother reminding her children why they hate each. If you stand in the way, you will never find resolution.
Then again, some companies behind the PACs don?t want resolution. Bloomberg News recently reported that 81 percent of anti-Obama ads focus on energy. Americans for Prosperity?a group supported by oil companies?spent more $16.7 million between January and March on negative ads attacking Obama?s energy policies.
Oil companies benefit from a paralyzed political landscape. If Congress can?t pass any laws, then companies don?t have to clean up their pollution, invest in low-carbon technologies, or give up their generous tax breaks. The American people, however, are stuck with the dirty air, the extreme weather events, and the wind turbine factories moving to China.
Candidates who make clean energy a central part of their platform can correct that imbalance. Clean energy is about job creation, competitive advantage, clean air, health families, and keeping our troops out of harm?s way. It?s about building things, not destroying them.
That?s what makes it a powerful antidote to current political antagonism. Lawmakers may debate the best way to promote clean energy or confront climate change, but the fact remains that expanding the clean economy will benefit America. Isn?t that why lawmakers serve in the first place?
�
�
�
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)