Obama, Biden focus on domestic issues
From NBC's Athena Jones
After his whirlwind trip through Europe and Turkey, the Obama administration today kept the focus on domestic issues, touching on veterans health care, housing, child care, and vaccinations.
Flanked by Defense Secretary
Robert Gates and Veterans Affairs Secretary
Eric Shinseki,
President Obama spoke about his trip to visit American troops in Baghdad and repeated a pledge he made often on the campaign trail: to modernize the VA and give veterans the care they have been promised and the benefits they have earned. He said the government's sacred trust with those who wear the uniform began at enlistment and must never end.
"But we know that for too long, we've fallen short of meeting that commitment," the president said. "Too many wounded warriors go without the care that they need. Too many veterans don't receive the support that they've earned. Too many who once wore our nation's uniform now sleep in our nation's streets. It's time to change all that."
Obama said establishing a comprehensive system that would allow medical records to be transferred from the Defense Department to the VA would make it easier for former service members to be treated without interruptions. The president also highlighted what he said was the largest single-year increase in VA funding in three decades in the FY'10 budget, saying that funding would increase $25 billion over the next five years and would expand coverage to 500,000 more veterans.
Earlier in the day, the president hosted a roundtable with families who have taken advantage of his administration's program to help struggling homeowners keep their homes.
During the roundtable, Obama touted statistics from the Mortgage Bankers Association showing refinancing applications have risen some 88% since the plan was announced in February; said the rate for conforming mortgages (4.78% for the week ended April 2) was the lowest weekly rate since 1971; and added that Fannie Mae had refinanced $77 billion in mortgages in March -- the highest monthly volume since 2003.
"The main message that we want to send today is, there are seven to nine million people across the country who right now could be taking advantage of lower mortgage rates," Obama said. "That is money in their pocket. And we estimate that the average family can get anywhere from $1,600 to $2,000 a year in savings by taking advantage of these various mortgage programs that have been put in place."
He encouraged more people to take advantage of the refinancing options available and said more plans would be rolled out soon to help homeowners that have missed some of their mortgage payments.
Vice President Joe Biden spent part of his day talking about the implementation of the $787 billion stimulus bill signed in February.
He announced that $2 billion in stimulus funds would go to help states provide vouchers to families for child care and invest in quality improvements at child care facilities. Another $300 million will go to making sure more underserved Americans get the vaccines they need.
"Across the country, parents are worried about finding a job, or just keeping the job they have and when doing that, they shouldn't have to worry about finding affordable, quality day care," Biden said, before going on to say working parents should have peace of mind when it comes to providing care for their children. "There should never have to be a choice between heading off to work and leaving your child in anything other than competent and good hands."
