October 21, 2013
Lauren Staehle
News Writer
POTUS
This week marked the long-awaited end to the government shutdown, and for now, a default has been averted. President Obama certainly feels some relief, but the hard work will continue as people are closely watching the developments of the budget plan, wanting to ensure that another shutdown doesn’t occur in the coming months. President Obama’s health care plan will also be under scrutiny, but so far, it has gone untouched.
Saturday was another day of work for the president, as he met with Senate Democrats to continue discussions about the debt ceiling. On Monday, President Obama went to Martha’s Table on 14th Street to help workers assemble food packages to give to low income families. Many furloughed workers continued their work at the food pantry, despite living without a paycheck, and the president extended his thanks to the dedicated employees. President Obama also spoke to reporters about the government shutdown.
“This week, if we don’t start making some real progress, both the House and the Senate, and if Republicans aren’t willing to set aside their partisan concerns in order to do what’s right for the country, we stand a good chance of defaulting,” said Obama. “And defaulting could potentially have a devastating affect on our economy. This whole shutdown has been completely unnecessary.” He then spoke about the volunteers at Martha’s Table, saying that volunteering “shows the kind of spirit that we have among all kinds of federal workers all across the country.”
Tuesday was a slight divergence from the shutdown talks, as the president awarded the Medal of Honor. He gave a heartfelt introduction to the recipient of the Medal of Honor, beginning by talking about the video from a helmet camera in Afghanistan. “In that video, as the helicopter touches down by a remote village, you see, out of a cloud of dust, an American soldier,” said the president. “He’s without his helmet, standing in the open, exposing himself to enemy fire, standing watch over a severely wounded soldier. He helps carry that wounded soldier to the helicopter and places him inside. And then, amidst the whipping wind and the deafening roar of the helicopter blades, he does something unexpected. He leans in and kisses the wounded soldier on the head — a simple act of compassion and loyalty to a brother in arms. And as the door closes and the helicopter takes off, he turns and goes back the way he came, back into the battle.” President Obama then added: “Today we honor the American in that video — the soldier who went back in — Captain William Swenson.” He went further describing the courageous actions of Captain Swenson, then sincerely thanked him for his service.
The Senate’s proposal to end the government shutdown came on Wednesday. “The Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together around an agreement that will reopen our government and remove the threat of default from our economy,” the president said in a statement. The House passed the bill late Wednesday, avoiding the default by only a few hours.
To mark the reopening of the government, he gave remarks in the State Dining Room on Thursday, addressing those essential personnel workers who kept the government going during the shutdown. He commented that “the American people are completely fed up with Washington,” and urged that politicians should work on better bipartisan communication. “Disagreement cannot mean dysfunction… It can’t degenerate into hatred,” he added.
Later in the day, Obama hosted Enrico Letta, President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, at the White house to discuss the relationship between Italy and United States, particularly in reference to global security, economic ties, culture, and the space administration. Letta expressed sincere gratitude for a solution to the debt crisis, saying: “It is his success, but it is our success. Because yesterday’s decision was very important for the stability of the markets and the world, in Europe… We need stability because we have such a big debt, so we need to have low interest rates.”
On Friday, a ceremony was held in the Rose Garden to recognize the nomination of Jeh Johnson as Secretary of Homeland Security. President Obama began by saying that “the security of the American people” is his “most solemn responsibility,” and then commented on the “outstanding team…of folks who work every single day to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to fulfill that responsibility.” The president then introduced Jeh as a “cool and calm leader,” and praised his commitment to “upholding the values and civil liberties that make America great.”
The week ended on a positive note, with thousands of people flocking to the White House to take part in the first tours since the government reopened. Crowds were cheering, and the relief was evident as people from all walks of life commemorated the government’s ability to temporarily put aside partisan differences and reach a compromise for the country.
