Aug. 4 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2010

Because we know that real change does not you for joining us to honor these remarkable come from Washington, it comes from the people. None of them asked for this award. grassroots, from men and women in communi- They didn’t apply for it. Instead they were nom- ties all across the country working together to inated by the men and women all across the make a difference. country whose lives they have touched. And In the end, that’s what service is all about. It’s even though their names may not be well- not about the recognition or the awards—and known—at least not until today—[laughter]— it’s obviously not about the money. [Laughter] they are heroes to those who need it the most. To quote George Weiss, who’s being honored And together, they remind us that we all have here today: “We don’t do it for the notoriety. a purpose on this Earth that goes beyond our We do it because we felt it has to be done.” And own lives and our own individual needs. And that’s why it is my hope that if this award serves they teach us that no matter what challenges we a purpose, it will be to inspire more Americans face, we each have the power to make the world to open their hearts, to strengthen their com- a better place. So congratulations to all of you. munities, and to follow the example of these amazing men and women who are here today. We are better as a country as a consequence of your ordinary—extraordinary service. And you So congratulations to all of the winners of the Citizens Medal. I’ve got some military aides exemplify what it means to be a citizen of the here, and one of them is going to read the cita- United States of America. We’re grateful. tions and I am going to get the medals to pres- Thank you all for coming. ent to each of our honorees. With that, let’s get started. NOTE: The President spoke at 2:26 p.m. in the East Room at the White House. In his remarks, [At this point, Maj. Barrett M. Bernard, USA, he referred to Lisa Nigro, founder, Inspiration Army Aide to the President, read the citations, Corp.; Patrick A. Corvington, Chief Executive and the President presented the medals.] Officer, Corporation for National and Commu- nity Service; and George J. Weiss, Jr., founder, Well, you see why this is one of my favorite Fort Snelling National Cemetary Memorial Ri- ceremonies? [Laughter] I want to thank all of fle Squad.

Statement on the Senate Cloture Vote on Federal Medical Assistance Percentage and Teacher Jobs Funding Legislation August 4, 2010

Today Congress took an important step to- I’m urging the Senate to pass this legislation wards ensuring that teachers across the country that will prevent local budget cuts and save can stay in the classroom and cash-strapped thousands of teacher jobs across the country. States can get the relief they need. I commend Senator Reid for his hard work We know that economic prosperity and edu- and look forward to a final vote later this week. cational success go hand in hand. That’s why

Remarks at the Ford Motor Company Chicago Assembly Plant in Chicago, Illinois August 5, 2010

The President. Hello, Chicago! Hello, hello, And listen, it is good to see everybody. I appre- hello! What’s going on? Thank you, everybody. ciate everybody way back there. Hello, hello!

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We—it is wonderful to be here. There are a built the best-selling car in America 5 years in a couple of special guests I want to mention here row. before we get started. First of all, we got the So this plant is part of American history. For Governor of the great State of Illinois, Pat nearly nine decades, this plant has been the Quinn. Give it up for Pat. Got one of the finest backbone of this community. There are workers mayors in the country, Mayor Richard Daley is here whose fathers worked on this line—I just in the house. Our treasurer and soon-to-be met one while I was on my way over here— United States Senator, Alexi Giannoulias, is whose fathers’ fathers worked on this line. This here. A number of outstanding Members of plant, like the entire industry, has been a source Congress who’ve been very supportive of the of deep pride for generations of American auto industry: Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.; workers whose imaginations and hard work led Congressman Bobby Rush; Congressman Dan- to some of the finest cars that the world has ev- ny Davis; Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky; er known and whose sweat helped build up the Congressman Mike Quigley. middle class that lifted up the dreams of mil- We’ve got Fred Hochberg of the—who’s the lions of people all across America. chairman and President of the Export-Import This plant has stood through the good times, Bank, which is going to help Ford sell all these when American auto industry ruled the world, outstanding cars overseas, not just here in the and in the not-so-good times, when the future United States. And your own president, Mark of the auto industry was very much in doubt. Fields, is in the house. Give it up. And let’s face it: We’ve seen some of those So it is good to be back in Chicago. It’s good not-so-good times in recent years. The year be- to see some friendly faces, be back in the old fore I took office, this industry lost hundreds of neighborhoods. thousands of jobs. Sales plunged 40 percent— Audience members. Happy birthday! 40 percent. When the financial crisis hit and this great recession hit, that collided with an in- The President. Thank you. I’ve gotten a little dustry that for a long time had put off some more gray hair since I was last down here. hard choices, had put off adapting to changing [Laughter] But it is wonderful to be back home. times. And we had to face a hard, unimaginable Now, don’t get me wrong, the White House reality, which was two of the Big Three auto- is nice. And I’ve got a really short commute makers, GM and Chrysler, were on the brink of from my office to the house. I don’t have to liquidation. If that had happened, more than 1 drive too far. And there’s no greater honor than million jobs could have been lost, and that being your President. But let me tell you some- would have been a devastating blow to the en- thing: There’s nothing like coming home, espe- tire economy. cially when your home is Chicago. Now, Ford was in better financial shape and And I just had a chance to tour this extraordi- was able to weather the storm without Federal nary plant to see the great work that you’re do- assistance. That’s a testament to the hard work ing here. I notice that Mark and everybody, you all do and the choices this company made. they put all the White Sox fans in front for me But I don’t have to tell you—and your CEO to meet. I didn’t see a lot of Cubs guys on the will—has said this publicly—if your competitors line or Cardinals fans. had gone down, they would have taken down a But this plant has a remarkable history. Hen- whole bunch of the suppliers you depend on. ry Ford built it. Henry Ford built this plant in The brand of American autos would have di- 1924 to manufacture the Model T. When the minished. That would have had severe conse- Great Depression struck and 25 Ford plants quences for Ford. And that’s the challenge we closed down, this one stayed open. When faced when I took office: an industry that was World War II was raging, this plant was churn- on the brink. ing out armored vehicles that helped make vic- Now, there were a lot of folks who were tory possible. In the 1990s, workers at this plant ready to write off the American auto industry,

1151 Aug. 5 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2010 who thought we should just have walked away tive in the future, America would stand by from you. Some still think that today. But you them. And one thing we did was put in place a know what, that’s not how you build a better fu- new national fuel efficiency standard for all new ture. That’s not how you build a better America. cars and trucks sold in America. This was good We don’t give up. The United States does not for consumers, it was good for the environment, quit. We always compete. That’s what we do. and it finally gave our automakers the certainty And that’s what we’re doing with the U.S. auto they needed to plan for the future, a future industry. where American workers build 21st-century So I refused to walk away from this industry cars that the world wants to buy. and American jobs. I put my faith in the Ameri- So Ford dedicated itself to increasing fuel ef- can worker. I believe the American worker is ficiency of more than a dozen of its models. And the best worker in the world. And if we were the Department of Energy awarded Ford a 2- willing to work hard together and rebuild and year loan commitment to help make that hap- sacrifice in the short term, it would be a new pen. And Ford used that loan to retool this fac- beginning for a great American industry. If we tory to build the next-generation Explorer. could just get a sense of common purpose, we That’s a model that will be up to 30 percent could once again see the best cars in the world more fuel efficient. designed, engineered, forged right here in Chi- Now, I should add, by the way, my most re- cago, right here in the Midwest, right here in cent car was a Ford. I had one of those Ford the United States of America. Escapes, and that was a spiffy car. [Laughter] So I tell you what. Last Friday, I stood with Now, I have to admit that I bought it about 2 workers at a GM plant. I stood with workers at a months before I got Secret Service—[laugh- Chrysler plant. Today I’m standing with work- ter]—and they wouldn’t let me drive anymore. ers at a Ford plant. I put my money on the [Laughter] So it only had like 2,000 miles after American worker. I’d place my bets on the 5 years, but I really enjoyed those 2,000 miles. American worker any day of the week. And be- [Laughter] cause of your efforts and the sacrifice that have been made across this industry over the past But I just got in that Explorer and that’s an year, this industry is growing stronger. It’s cre- outstanding car. And over the next 2 months, ating new jobs. It’s manufacturing the fuel-effi- this plant will bring on a second shift of 1,200 cient cars and trucks that will carry America to- workers to build that Explorer, nearly doubling wards an energy-independent future. Each and your workforce. That’s not just good for this every one of you is proving the naysayers wrong. plant, that’s good for the stamping plant in Chi- All three automakers—all three U.S. auto- cago Heights; it’s good for the suppliers, who makers—are now operating at a profit. That’s are investing in new facilities and adding shifts the first time it’s happened in 6 years. America’s and hiring more than 600 workers in Illinois and automakers have added 55,000 jobs since last Indiana and Michigan; it’s good for the entire June. That’s the best job growth in more than community; it’s good for the city; it’s good for 10 years in this industry. Sales have rebounded. the State. Automakers are keeping plants open through And Ford’s also committed to selling more of the usual summer shutdown to keep up with the cars you build around the world, including demand. Across the supply chain, plants that the Explorer that you manufacture right here. would not exist without the sacrifices made We’re going to sell it in up to 90 countries. across industry are running at max or near-full So today, to support those efforts, my admin- capacity. istration is announcing a new $250 million Ex- And this plant, right here, is shifting into port-Import Bank loan guarantee for Ford. And higher gear. What I said last year was if Ameri- what this does is this helps Ford export—this can automakers were willing to make the tough will help Ford export more than 200,000 cars choices necessary to make them more competi- and trucks overseas, and that means more pro-

1152 Administration of Barack Obama, 2010 / Aug. 5 duction and more manufacturing jobs right the pride you take in building these great cars, here in the United States of America. American-made cars. And it’s going to help us reach the goal that I And my message to them is, don’t bet against set in my State of the Union Address, which is, the American worker, don’t lose faith in the we are going to double America’s exports of American people, don’t lose faith in American goods and services over the next 5 years. We’re industry. We are coming back. tired of just buying from everybody else; we Just a few weeks before I visited that Chrys- want to start selling to other people, because we ler plant—this is a true story—I went to a know we can compete. Chrysler plant. A few weeks before, 14 employ- That’s how we’re going to grow our economy. ees had won the lottery. And when they won, That’s how we’re going to support millions of everybody thought they were just going to cash good jobs for American workers to do what in and kick back and retire. Nobody would have they’ve always done: build great products and blamed them for that. This is tough work. sell them around the world. Our workers can But here’s the thing: Most of them aren’t re- compete with anybody, and America is going to tiring. And the worker who bought the winning compete aggressively for every job out there ticket, what he did was he went out and bought and every industry out there and every market for his wife one of the new cars that was being out there. made in that plant, and then he went out and he So, Chicago, here’s the bottom line: We’ve bought American flags for his hometown, be- still got a long way to go. We’ve gone through a cause he’s proud of his country. And he keeps very, very difficult time. The auto industry has on showing up to work every single day, be- gone through a difficult time. And it’s not back cause he’s proud of his job. to where it needs to be. Our economy is not yet And that’s the character of America: proud of where it needs to be. It’s going to take more your job, proud of your community, proud of time to heal from all the damage that was done. your country, proud of the company you work But we’re beginning to see our efforts pay off. for. That’s what Ford is about. That’s what you We are headed in the right direction. We are are about. That’s what Chicago’s about. That’s moving forward. The industry isn’t just on the what Illinois’s about. That’s what the United way back; it’s on the way to being number one States of America’s about. We are coming back. again. And I am convinced we’re going to re- Thank you very much, everybody. God bless build not only the auto industry but the econo- you, and God bless America. my better and stronger than before. And at its heart is going to be three powerful words: Made NOTE: The President spoke at 10:25 a.m. In his in America. Made in America. remarks, he referred to Mark Fields, executive And to all those naysayers in Washington, vice president and president of the Americas di- what we call the “just say no” crowd—[laugh- vision, and Alan Mulally, president and chief ex- ter]—who said that investing in you would guar- ecutive officer, Ford Motor Company; and Wil- antee failure, who said we should just walk away liam Shanteau, a Chrysler Jefferson North As- from this industry, who said that standing by sembly Plant worker who purchased the win- America’s automakers was, quote, “the worst in- ning June Powerball jackpot ticket in Curtice, vestment you could make,” who tried to block OH, and his wife Lisa. The Office of the Press us at every turn, I wish they were standing here Secretary also released a Spanish language tran- today and saw what I see. I wish they could see script of these remarks.

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Remarks at a Fundraiser for Senatorial Candidate Alexi Giannoulias in Chicago August 5, 2010

The President. Hello, everybody! Hello, Chi- States Senate. And as State treasurer, Alexi has cago! Thank you very much. Thank you. Every- proven himself as someone who isn’t afraid to body, have a seat. Have a seat, everybody. stand up to special interests. He took on credit It is good to be back home. It is good to be card companies and banned them from aggres- back home, and I am so proud to be standing sively marketing on college campuses so that here with the next Senator from the great State our kids don’t graduate with credit card debt on of Illinois, Alexi Giannoulias. top of tuition debt. He’s reformed our State’s Now, we’ve got some other important person- college savings program so that it’s now ranked ages here, so I want to make sure to make men- one of the best in the country. tion, because they have been great friends for And I’m sure a lot of you have heard of what many years to me and to so many of you. Now, he did for Hartmarx. This is a clothing company first of all, our outstanding Governor, Pat that’s employed people in this State for more Quinn, is here. Where’s Pat? There he is. One of than a century. And by the way, I’m a customer. America’s greatest mayors, Richard M. Daley, is [Laughter] And when they fell on hard times in the house. Secretary of State Jesse White is and a big bank threatened to pull their credit here; a great friend of mine, Comptroller Dan and destroy more than 600 jobs, Alexi stepped Hynes. Senate President John Cullerton is here. in, and he told the bank that if they did that, Where’s John? Over there. He’s also a funny they would no longer be managing the money guy. [Laughter] Speaker Mike Madigan is here. of Illinois taxpayers. And because of what he Where’s the speaker? Congressman Danny Da- did, Alexi helped save that company and save vis from the West Side; Congresswoman Jan those jobs. That’s the kind of person you want in Schakowsky from the North Side; and Congress- the United States Senate, somebody who’s not woman Debbie Halvorson from the South Side. going to forget where they came from, why It is wonderful to be here, and it is wonderful they’re in this, and who they’re fighting for. to be with Alexi. Alexi is my friend. I know his So we need fighters like Alexi in Washington character. I know how much he loves this coun- because I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but try. I know how committed he is to public ser- we’ve got a lot of work to do. [Laughter] The vice for all the right reasons. last few years have been incredibly challenging I appreciate his strong sense of advocacy for for the United States. Eighteen months ago, ordinary Americans. He’s not doing this to help when I took office after nearly a decade of eco- the lobbyists; he’s not doing it to help special in- nomic policies that gave us sluggish job growth, terests. Alexi is not one of these politicians who falling incomes, a record deficit—all culminat- puts his finger to the wind and who changes ing in the worst recession of our lifetimes, the who he is or where he stands to suit the political worst recession since the Great Depression— moment. You can trust him. You can count on that month that I was sworn in, in January of him. 2009, we lost 750,000 jobs, in that month alone. On his very first day in office, Alexi enacted In total, we lost 8 million jobs during that reces- the most sweeping ethics reforms of any Illinois sion. State treasurer and ensured that contractors Now, we didn’t get to that point by accident. and banks couldn’t “pay to play” for State busi- We got to that point after nearly 10 years of an ness. economic agenda in Washington that was pretty And he’s not funding this campaign with straightforward. It basically said we’re going to Federal PAC or lobbyist money—not a dime— cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans, folks because he wants to make a strong statement who don’t need it and weren’t even asking for it; about who he will be fighting for in the United we’re going to cut rules for special interests; and

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