Day870/June 9th/Thursday: The President met with President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon in the Oval Office of the White House. They discussed a wide range of multilateral and regional issues, including security, environmental protection and the economy; Gabon's presidency of the United Nations Security Council, including its chairing of an important session on HIV/AIDS. The President recognized Gabon's leadership on Libya, Sudan, Cote d'Ivoire and other issues, and both leaders exchanged views on Libya, reaffirmed their support for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, and their shared desire that a democratic transition in Libya should begin for the Libyan people. The President urged Ondimba to take bold steps to root out corruption and to reform the judiciary and other key institutions to ensure the protection of human rights, and he welcomed the reforms that Gabon had taken under President Bongo Ondimba to bring more transparency and accountability to government. Source
The President signed an Executive Order establishing the White House Rural Council that would coordinate programs across government to encourage public-private partnerships to promote further economic prosperity and quality of life in rural communities nationwide. Chaired by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack , the Council would be responsible for providing recommendations for investment in rural areas and would coordinate Federal engagement with a variety of rural stakeholders, including agricultural organizations, small businesses, and state, local, and tribal governments.
The President issued a Presidential Memorandum to the United States Secretary of State: "By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 2(c)(1) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (the "Act"), as amended (22 U.S.C. 2601(c)(1)), I hereby determine, pursuant to section 2(c)(1) of the Act, that it is important to the national interest to furnish assistance under the Act, in an amount not to exceed $15 million from the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund, for the purpose of meeting unexpected and urgent refugee and migration needs, including by contributions to international, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations and payment of administrative expenses of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration of the Department of State, related to the humanitarian crises resulting from the violence in Libya and CÃ ´te d'Ivoire."
The President sent these nominations to the United States Senate:
Arnold A. Chacà ³n , of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Guatemala bio
Christopher Merrill , of Iowa, to be a Member of the National Council on the Humanities for a term expiring January 26, 2016 bio
Earl Anthony Wayne , of Maryland, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Personal Rank of Career Ambassador, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Mexico bio
Rebecca R. Wodder , of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife bio Source
The President withdrew his nomination of Peter A. Diamond, of Massachusetts, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for the unexpired term of fourteen years from February 1, 2000, which was sent to the Senate on January 5, 2011. Bio Source
Day871/June 10th/Friday: The President declared a major disaster existed in the State of Alaska and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by an ice jam and flooding during the period of May 8-13, 2011. Federal funding was made available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the ice jam and flooding in the Alaska Native Villages of Crooked Creek and Red Devil in the Kuspuk Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA). Federal funding was also made available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Source
The President declared a major disaster existed in the State of New York and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, flooding, tornadoes, and straight-line winds during the period of April 26 to May 8, 2011. Federal funding was made available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, flooding, and tornadoes in the counties of Allegany, Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Steuben, Tioga, Ulster, Warren, and Yates. Federal funding was also made available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Source
The President proclaimed June 14, 2011, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 12, 2011, as National Flag Week. Source
The President departed with his family for Camp David. Source
The Obama Administration issued a policy guidance memo that effectively gave same sex couples the same protections as straight couples under Medicaid , the public health program for poor Americans. While the memo lacked the weight of law, it advised states that the Administration didn't consider the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to specifically block same sex partners from equal protections under Medicaid, and that a healthy same sex partner may be protected from a provision in Medicaid that permitted the states to place a lien on property to pay for medical care, if the state chose to do so. Source
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