Shining a Light on our Researchers, Doctors, Nurses, and Caregivers
Monday, November 11, 2013
Friends,
This has been an important week
in a number of key policy areas that impact women, including immigration reform
and healthcare.
Earlier this week, Valerie
Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama and Chair of the White House Council
on Women & Girls, joined the President Obama, Vice President Biden and
Senior Administration officials for a meeting with business leaders on
immigration reform.
In addition to this meeting,
White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, Lynn Rosenthal authored a piece
on the importance of immigration reform in protecting victims of domestic
violence.
On Tuesday, Vice President Biden
and Dr. Jill Biden hosted the 2nd Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Reception.They
were joined by survivors, caregivers, families, doctors, researchers, and
advocates who have all been touched by breast cancer.
And earlier this week, Katherine
Archuleta was sworn in as the first Latina Director of the Office of Personnel
Management.Please read below to learn more about Katherine and the
responsibilities of her new position.
In case you missed it, First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated Diwali at the White
House. She joined students for a Bollywood Dance Clinic in the
State Dining Room of the White House.Be sure to read below for more on
their great visit.
Thank you for all that you do!
The White House Council on Women
& Girls
The Time is Now: President Obama Meets with
Business Leaders on Immigration Reform
Reflecting on a meeting with
business leaders on immigration reform, Valerie Jarrett posted a blog about her
experience:
Today, I joined the President, Vice President and senior
Administration officialsfor a meeting at the White Housewith a
group of top U.S. business leaders to discuss the importance of commonsense immigration
reform to bolster U.S. economic growth, and improve the climate for business,
and job creation. These leaders shared with the President their desire to see
our broken immigration system fixed, both because it is the right thing to do,
and because it will be good for the U.S. economy.
Read the full post from Valerie
Jarrett here.

President Barack Obama and
Vice President Joe Biden meet with business leaders to discuss immigration
reform to bolster U.S. economic growth, in the Roosevelt Room of the White
House, Nov. 5, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Survivors
Can’t Afford to Wait
Domestic Violence Awareness Monthmay
have ended, but our work to end abuse continues. Today, in this country, women
and children continue to suffer from unspeakable violence because they are
afraid to seek help without legal status. When immigrant survivors of abuse
without legal status are, according to one study,half as likelyto
call the police to seek the help they need, we must act.
Since it was first signed into
law in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act or VAWA has recognized the need for
special protections for immigrant survivors of abuse, including self-petitions
and categories of visas for victims of violent crimes and human trafficking.
But while VAWA includes key provisions to help immigrant survivors, it is not
enough.
Now, Congress has the opportunity
to take an important step towards protecting victims, and supporting law
enforcement to create safer communities for all Americans. Commonsense
immigration reformwould significantly benefitimmigrant
women all over the country. The Senate has already passed an immigration reform
bill by a wide, bipartisan majority. And Democratic leaders have introduced a
bill in the House that’s similar to the bipartisan Senate bill. So it’s up to
Republicans in the House to decide whether to move forward with immigration
reform. Unlike many other issues in Washington, immigration reform is one that
both parties can agree on. Congress must finish the job oncommonsense immigration reform.
Read more here.
Shining a Light on our Researchers, Doctors,
Nurses, and Caregivers
Earlier this week, the Vice
President and Dr. Biden hosted their 2ndAnnual Breast Cancer Awareness
Reception. They were joined by survivors, caregivers, families, doctors,
researchers, and advocates who have all been touched by breast cancer.
As Dr. Biden wrote:
Each year, this reception is one of the most inspiring
events that we hold at our home, and this year was no different. As I embraced
both old and new friends, I was reminded of the bravery of the survivors and
their loved ones. I saw the hope in their eyes, their unwavering spirit, and
their determination to continue pushing forward.
This year, we asked all of the survivors to invite someone
who was important to them during their course of treatment. Joe and I know that
the fight against breast cancer is not only limited to what the patient
endures, but also extends to the family members, the caregivers, the doctors,
and researchers who work day in and day out to save lives and support those
that they love.
Read more here.

Dr. Jill Biden gives
remarks at a breast cancer awareness month reception with Vice President Joe
Biden, in the living room at the Naval Observatory Residence in Washington,
D.C., Nov. 5, 2013. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
President Obama to Dallas Health Care
Volunteers: "Nothing Is Going to Stop Us from Getting This Done."
The President joined canvassers
and navigators who are part of the community's most active group of volunteers
working to enroll their neighbors in quality, affordable coverage through the
Marketplace. He personally thanked them for their work, calling out the fact
that ultimately, "all the politics, all the chatter sometimes leaves out
the fact that the system we had -- the status quo -- just wasn't working for
too many people."

President Barack Obama
delivers remarks at an Affordable Care Act event at Temple Emanu-El in Dallas,
Texas, Nov. 6, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
At a time when 24 states -- Texas
included -- have neglected to take advantage of the Medicaid expansion
available to working families in their states under the Affordable Care Act,
the President acknowledged that 133,000 Texans in Dallas alone would immediately
have coverage if Texas decided to expand the program.
You can read the President's full
remarkshere.
The Truth About Artificial Trans Fats
For decades Americans have been
trying to reduce their consumption of artificial trans
fats.Parentscheck the food labels when grocery shopping for their
families and consumers are making better choices when eating out. Companies
like McDonalds and Subway stepped up and made it easier by removing all
artificial trans fats from their products. And Wal-Mart has pledged to no
longer have artificial trans fat on their store shelves by 2015.
But there is still more to be
done by government, industry and consumers to make sure that we have the tools
we need tokeep unsafe foods offour tables.
Partially Hydrogenated Oils
(PHO), are an artificial substance that is formed by adding hydrogen to
vegetable oil during processing to make it more solid. PHOs are the leading
source of artificial trans fat; they cause plaque buildup in the arteries, are
a contributing factor to heart attacks, and for too many, an early death. The
Centers for Disease Control estimates that a further reduction of artificial
trans fat in the food supply can prevent up to 7,000 deaths from heart disease
each year and as many as 20,000 heart attacks each year.
Thursday, in keeping with their
mission to keep the American food supply safe, the FDA released for public
comment its preliminary determination, consistent with science, that PHOs are no longer "generally recognized as safe.”FDA
is seeking public comment on this finding as well as input on the amount of
time that would potentially be needed for food manufacturers to reformulate
products that currently contain artificial trans fat should this determination
be finalized.
The good news is that many food
manufacturers have already taken this on—it is becoming easier to find foods
without trans fats. FDA’s action could make it easier still. Today’s action is
an important step in a direction that America has already begun to move in,
which will keep us healthier while enjoying the foods we love.
Read more here.
Welcoming Katherine Archuleta, the First
Latina Director of the Office of Personnel Management
Monday, Katherine Archuleta was
sworn-in as the 10th Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and
will serve as the Federal government’s personnel chief. She will be the first
Latina to hold this position. Katherine shares President Obama’s vision for
diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce, whichthe President saidhelps "create more
effective policymaking and better decision-making [for me], because it brings
different perspectives to the table.”
OPM is uniquely positioned to
have a significant influence on the face of the federal government, welcoming
people from all backgrounds and utilizing their talents to have a positive
impact on our communities. When we draw on the wisdom of a workforce that
reflects the population we serve, we are better able to understand and meet the
needs of our customers-the American people.
Read more here.
First Lady Michelle Obama Celebrates Diwali at
the White House
On Tuesday, First Lady Michelle
Obama welcomed guests to the White House for a Diwali celebration. The
celebration started with the First Lady surprising local students at a Bollywood
dance clinic and trying out some moves herself.
Then the First Lady spoke in the
East Room:
"We’ve celebrated this holiday
here at the White House every year since Barack took office. And there’s a
reason why we've done that,” she said.
When we say that we want to make the White House the
"people’s house,” we mean all people.We mean that we want to honor and
embrace all of the many cultures and faith traditions that make us who we are
as Americans.And Diwali is very much one of those traditions.
Read more here.

First Lady Michelle Obama
joins students for a Bollywood Dance Clinic in the State Dining Room of the
White House, Nov. 5, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
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