Weekly Address: Sandy Hook Victim’s Mother Calls for Commonsense Gun Responsibility Reforms

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Remarks of Francine Wheeler
The President’s Weekly Address

Hi. As you’ve probably noticed, I’m not the President. I’m just a citizen. And as a citizen, I’m here at the White House today because I want to make a difference and I hope you will join me.

My name is Francine Wheeler. My husband David is with me. We live in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.

David and I have two sons. Our older son Nate, soon to be 10 years old, is a fourth grader at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Our younger son, Ben, age six, was murdered in his first-grade classroom on December 14th, exactly 4 months ago this weekend.

David and I lost our beloved son, but Nate lost his best friend. On what turned out to be the last morning of his life, Ben told me, quite out of the blue, “ I still want to be an architect, Mama, but I also want to be a paleontologist, because that’s what Nate is going to be and I want to do everything Nate does.”

Ben’s love of fun and his excitement at the wonders of life were unmatched His boundless energy kept him running across the soccer field long after the game was over. He couldn’t wait to get to school every morning. He sang with perfect pitch and had just played at his third piano recital. Irrepressibly bright and spirited, Ben experienced life at full tilt.

Until that morning. 20 of our children, and 6 of our educators – gone. Out of the blue.

I’ve heard people say that the tidal wave of anguish our country felt on 12/14 has receded. But not for us. To us, it feels as if it happened just yesterday. And in the four months since we lost our loved ones, thousands of other Americans have died at the end of a gun. Thousands of other families across the United States are also drowning in our grief.

Please help us do something before our tragedy becomes your tragedy.

Sometimes, I close my eyes and all I can remember is that awful day waiting at the Sandy Hook Volunteer Firehouse for the boy who would never come home – the same firehouse that was home to Ben’s Tiger Scout Den 6. But other times, I feel Ben’s presence filling me with courage for what I have to do – for him and all the others taken from us so violently and too soon. 

We have to convince the Senate to come together and pass commonsense gun responsibility reforms that will make our communities safer and prevent more tragedies like the one we never thought would happen to us.

When I packed for Washington on Monday, it looked like the Senate might not act at all. Then, after the President spoke in Hartford, and a dozen of us met with Senators to share our stories, more than two-thirds of the Senate voted to move forward. 

But that’s only the start. They haven’t yet passed any bills that will help keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. And a lot of people are fighting to make sure they never do.

Now is the time to act. Please join us. You can talk to your Senator, too. Or visit WhiteHouse.gov to find out how you can join the President and get involved.

Help this be the moment when real change begins. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

President Obama makes a statement about the explosions at the Boston Marathon.

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President Obama sends a message to the White House email list to explain why he asked Francine Wheeler to deliver the Weekly Address.

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Statement by the President on the Passage of the Supplemental for Hurricane Sandy

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For Immediate Release January 28, 2013 Statement by the President on the Passage of the Supplemental for Hurricane Sandy

I am pleased that Congress took bipartisan action to provide funding for the communities in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and other eastern states devastated by Hurricane Sandy.  For the families working to put their lives back together, every day without relief is one day too many.  So while I had hoped Congress would provide this aid sooner, I applaud the lawmakers from both parties who helped shepherd this important package though.

My Administration remains committed to supporting our state and local partners and bringing every resource to bear as we help our neighbors rebuild.  And we will continue to work closely with Governors and mayors to ensure this money is used appropriately.  To date, we have already provided over 3 billion in aid to help recovery efforts, including hundreds of millions of dollars that have gone directly to families and businesses impacted by the storm.  Brick by brick, block by block, our communities are being made whole again.  And we will not rest until the job is done.  Again, I commend Congress for giving families and businesses the help they deserve, and I will sign this bill into law as soon as it hits my desk.

Blog posts on this issue January 29, 2013 6:18 PM ESTFireside Hangout: Cecilia Muñoz Joins a Conversation on Immigration Reform

On Thursday, January 31 at 1:00 p.m. ET, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz will join the latest "Fireside Hangout" for a conversation about immigration reform.

January 29, 2013 2:30 PM ESTPresident Obama's Four Part Plan for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

President Obama speak from Las Vegas about creating a fair and effective immigration system that lives up to our heritage as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.

January 29, 2013 9:09 AM ESTPresident Obama Announces Additional Humanitarian Aid for the Syrian People

President Obama announced today that he has approved a new round of humanitarian assistance, an additional $155 million to provide for the urgent and pressing needs of civilians in Syria and refugees forced to flee the violence of the Assad regime. This brings America’s contribution to date to $365 million, making the United States the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people.

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Obama signs $50B Sandy relief measure

President Obama on Tuesday signed legislation providing $50.7 billion to help New York, New Jersey and other states hit by Hurricane Sandy, according to the White House.

The Senate approved the measure on Monday by a 62-36 vote.

The bill reached Obama several weeks after supporters had hoped Congress would sign off on the measure. The House did not approve a similar measure in the last days of the previous Congress.

“It was three months ago that Superstorm Sandy blew up the East Coast,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the floor Monday evening before the vote. “Sandy’s wrath was wide and it was deep. Nearly 300,000 families had their homes damaged. ... We can’t wait any longer, because nothing about this was a game for those families.”

The House passed its bill earlier this month in a bipartisan 241-180 vote.

--Ramsey Cox contributed to this report. 

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After Disastrous Delay, House Will Vote On Funds For Sandy Recovery And Resiliency, But Not Sea-Level-Rise Planning

By Daniel J. Weiss and Jackie Weidman

This afternoon the House of Representatives plans to debate and vote on a multibillion-dollar disaster aid package for Hurricane Sandy victims more than two months after the super storm devastated New Jersey and New York.

To placate conservative Republicans who don’t want to vote for the entire relief package, the aid provision is divided into two parts.  Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) will offer a bare-bones bill that allocates $17 billion in funding mostly to meet immediate needs, including aid for individuals, community disaster relief and emergency transportation funding for affected areas in the two states.

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) will offer an amendment to add $33.6 billion to the Rogers bill.  His supplemental package includes money for both immediate disaster relief and future community resilience projects.  The latter programs are an essential investment to prevent or reduce damages from future climate-related extreme weather events. The just-released draft National Climate Assessment predicts that we face ever-worsening extreme weather.  The report – authored by dozens of the country’s top climate experts – concluded that

“Sea level rise, combined with coastal storms, has increased the risk of erosion, storm-surge damage, and flooding for coastal communities, especially along the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic seaboard, and Alaska.”

Some of the resiliency provisions in Frelinghuysen’s amendment bill will help communities harmed by one of the 25 major extreme weather events that occurred during the last two years. (A full outline can be found here):

$19.8 billion to rebuild critical infrastructure and fund community development block grants for Sandy-affected areas and other places harmed by extreme weather events between 2011 and 2013$4 billion for coastal restoration and sustainability initiatives that would improve flood control systems for storm-damaged areas$1.2 billion for storm-damage repairs to national parks and other public lands, as well as water infrastructure upgrades$513 million to improve weather forecasting and hurricane predictions, and to support recovery efforts for coastal communities$218 million for restoration, flood prevention, and watershed repairs of damaged agriculture lands

Lawmakers proposed over 90 amendments to the bill, but the House Rules Committee voted to keep them most of them off of the House floor.  This included an amendment by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) that would have required the Army Corps of Engineers to consider “projected sea-level rise attributable to human-caused climate change” when assessing coastal flood risks.

One amendment that representatives will vote on is offered by Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA). It would to cut $13 million designated to “accelerate the National Weather Service ground readiness project.” Notably, he sought funds for flood relief in Georgia in 2009.

Also in order is Rep. Mick Mulvaney’s (R-SC) amendment to offset the $17 billion for the immediate relief in Rogers’ bill by requiring an across-the-board cut of 1.63 percent for discretionary spending in 2013.  It would provide Sandy recovery funds by slicing investments in education, cancer research, and drinking water infrastructure (among other programs).  Rep. Peter King (R-NY) expressed outrage over the offset proposal because “there have never been offsets before to emergency aid.” Meanwhile, in 2011, Mulvaney personally received a Small Business Administration loan after a flood damaged his business.

Superstorm Sandy was one of 25 floods, droughts, heat waves, storms, and wild fires in 2011 and 2012 that caused at least $1 billion in damages each, with total damages up to $174 billion. The huge economic cost for these events heightens the urgency to increase investments in community resiliency.  These investments will save lives and reduce the long-term costs associated with climate change. A study by the Multihazard Mitigation Council determined that

“Money spent on reducing the risk of natural hazards is a sound investment.  On average, a dollar spent by FEMA on hazard mitigation (actions to reduce disaster loses) provides the nation about $4 in future benefits.”

The House of Representatives must pass the Frelinghuysen amendment and the Rogers bill because they provide long overdue relief to people harmed by Sandy while investing in meaningful community resilience to reduce damages from the coming storms and other climate related extreme weather events.

As Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Rules Committee, noted:

“It’s time to deliver long-overdue emergency assistance for victims of Superstorm Sandy without further delay or dysfunction… Never in the modern history of the United States have victims of a natural disaster waited this long – 78 days and counting – to receive federal aid.”

– Daniel J. Weiss is a Senior Fellow and Director of Climate Strategy at the Center for American Progress. Jackie Weidman is a Special Assistant for Energy Opportunity at the Center.

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GOP Rep. Wants To Slash Flood Preparedness Funding In Hurricane Sandy Aid Package

Georgia Rep. Paul Broun (R) has proposed amendments cutting $300 million from the $17 billion House relief package for states affected by Hurricane Sandy. Among those cuts are nearly $20 million meant for studying future flood risks.

Such studies would lead to investments that would help reduce the risks of major flooding and to better infrastructure projects. But Broun, a stalwart conservative, believes that represents wasteful spending, The Hill reports:

Two of Broun’s amendments would affect the main bill, by removing $19.5 million to study future flood risks and removing $3 million for oil spill research.

Hurricane Sandy left large swaths of New York and New Jersey underwater. The Senate’s aid package included a total of $5.3 billion for future flood prevention, and experts have begun exploring various ways to protect New York City and New Jersey from the possibility of major flooding in the future. As the Sacramento Bee editorialized, “by failing to finance flood control projects and programs to protect communities against other natural disasters, Congress is adding to the potential liabilities of the federal government.”

House Republicans initially decided not to take up the Sandy relief package before passing a smaller bill as the last Congress ended. Some Republicans have renewed their calls that the relief funding be offset by spending cuts elsewhere, including cuts to every discretionary spending program in the federal budget.

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Statement by the President on the Status of the Administration’s Supplemental Request to Congress for Response, Recovery and Mitigation Related to Hurricane Sandy

Statement by the President on the Status of the Administration’s Supplemental Request to Congress for Response, Recovery and Mitigation Related to Hurricane Sandy | The White House Skip to main content | Skip to footer site map The White House. President Barack Obama Get Email UpdatesContact Us Go to homepage. The White House Blog Photos & Videos Photo Galleries Video Performances Live Streams Podcasts 2012: A Year in Photos

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For Immediate Release January 02, 2013 Statement by the President on the Status of the Administration’s Supplemental Request to Congress for Response, Recovery and Mitigation Related to Hurricane Sandy

It has only been two months since Hurricane Sandy devastated communities across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut as well as other eastern states. Our citizens are still trying to put their lives back together. Our states are still trying to rebuild vital infrastructure. And so, last month, working closely with the Governors of the affected states, I sent Congress an urgent request to support their efforts to rebuild and recover. The Senate passed this request with bipartisan support. But the House of Representatives has refused to act, even as there are families and communities who still need our help to rebuild in the months and years ahead, and who also still need immediate support with the bulk of winter still in front of us.

When tragedy strikes, Americans come together to support those in need. I urge Republicans in the House of Representatives to do the same, bring this important request to a vote today, and pass it without delay for our fellow Americans.

Blog posts on this issue January 04, 2013 6:12 PM ESTJoin President Obama in a National Day of Service

The Presidential Inaugural Committee announces a National Day of Service on January 19, 2013

January 04, 2013 6:05 PM ESTJoin President Obama in a National Day of Service

The Presidential Inaugural Committee announces a National Day of Service on January 19, 2013

January 04, 2013 2:55 PM EST2012: A Year in Photos

Each January, Pete Souza, Chief Official White House Photographer and Director of the White House Photography Office selects his favorite images from the past twelve months, and now, we're sharing them with you.

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House Republicans Refuse To Hold A Vote On Hurricane Sandy Relief

After finally passing the Senate’s bill to narrowly avoid the fiscal cliff late Tuesday evening, Republicans put an end to the do-nothing 112th Congress by refusing to hold a vote on Hurricane Sandy disaster relief funding.

Late last week, the Senate passed a $60 billion relief package with the help of several Republicans, but Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) did not even take up the bill. On Wednesday morning, Boehner’s office told The Hill that the Speaker intends to pass a relief bill in the new Congress later this month, but the delay means that the Senate will have to draft and pass an entirely new bill for the 113th Congress.

A parade of congressmen from the impacted region raised strong objections on the House floor, including several Republicans. “Mr. Speaker, tonight’s action not to hold this vote on the supplemental is absolutely indefensible,” said Rep. Peter King (R-NY), whose Long Island district was among the most heavily impacted by the storm. “Everybody played by the rules, except tonight when the rope is pulled out from under us. Absolutely inexcusable, absolutely indefensible. We have a moral obligation to hold this vote.”

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Hurricane Sandy caused an estimated $78.7 billion in damage across New York and New Jersey alone when it made landfall in late October. In the last few years, House Republicans have embraced the practice of holding disaster relief hostage in exchange for Democratic concessions on spending cuts, but in each instance they have ultimately backed down and passed relief aid.

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GOP Rep. Says Boehner ‘Put A Knife In The Back Of New Yorkers’ By Blocking Vote On Sandy Relief

Rep. Peter King (R-NY)

A furious Rep. Peter King (R-NY) took aim at his own party in a Fox News interview Wednesday, a day after House GOP leaders broke their promise to hold a vote on a Hurricane Sandy relief bill. King said the decision by the House Republican leadership to scrap a planned vote on a multi- billion aid package amounted to a “knife in the back” of those hit hardest by the bill. The Senate had approved a $60.4 billion aid bill last Friday, but the House move appeared to scuttle any chance of a bill before the new Congress begins Thursday.

King said that after the move, he feels no obligation to vote with his leadership and suggested that East Coast residents who contribute to the GOP are insane. King complained that Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor reneged on their promise to hold a vote on the package, without explanation:

In his explanation of the events of Tuesday night, he noted that neither Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) nor Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) offered any explanation for the broken promise:

KING: No one even told us, the Speaker walked off the floor, told an aide to the Majority Leader that the Congress was finished. There were no votes and they come back and told us. Listen, I’m not taking this as personal offense. I’m talking about the thousands of people in my district, hundreds of thousands of people throughout the New York-New Jersey area. Within 10 days after Katrina, $60 billion was appropriated. Nine weeks after Sandy, not one penny has been appropriated. And let me just make this one point. These Republicans have no problem finding New York when they’re out raising millions of dollars. They’re in New York all the time filling pockets with money from New Yorkers. I’m saying anyone from New York and New Jersey who contributes one penny to Congressional Republicans is out of their mind. Because what they did last night was put a knife in the back of New Yorkers and New Jerseyans, it was an absolute disgrace. …

Why the Republican party has bias against New York, this bias against New Jersey, this bias against the Northeast. They wonder why they’re becoming minority party. Why we’ll be party of the permanent minority. What they did last night was so immoral, so disgraceful, so irresponsible. They’re supposed to be the party of family values. And you have families that are starving, families that are suffering, families that are spread all over living in substandard housing. This was a disgrace. They are inexcusable. And they have had it. As far as I’m concerned I’m on my own. They’re going to have to go a long way to get my vote on anything.

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King noted that while national Republicans were all-too-happy to put Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) out as a surrogate during the 2012 campaign, with this move they “knifed him in the back.”

In a separate interview on CNN, he added that Boehner refused to meet with him and yelled at Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), “I’m not going to meet with you people.”

A fellow New York Republican, Rep. Michael Grimm, echoed King’s remarks, calling the leadership’s move a “personal betrayal,” and noting that “the people of this country that have been devastated are looking at this as a betrayal by the Congress and by the nation, and that is just untenable and unforgivable.”

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House Republicans stab Hurricane Sandy victims and Chris Christie in the back

In the annals of the most immoral disgraces in the history of the American Congress, the action of House Republicans to kill assistance to victims of Hurricane Sandy is among the most disgraceful and revolting, a testament to why Republicans have lost three of the last four national elections, and a deliberate insult to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as well as Americans in all affected states.

Christie cares deeply about his constituents and might consider leaving the Republicans and joining the only national party that shares his passion for serving and protecting the people of New Jersey: the Democratic Party.
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House GOP bill halves Sandy relief

House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled legislation to provide $27 billion in emergency relief to pay for Hurricane Sandy damage — less than half the $60.4 billion in aid passed by the Senate last week. 

The bill was released by the Appropriations Committee before noon. An amendment will be allowed to increase the funding by $33 billion to match the Senate total, however. 

That second slice of funding contains money to prepare for future storms and upgrade infrastructure. Supporters claim the measure will pay for itself in the long run by allowing better planning of repairs and preventing massive clean up in the future. 

Northeast Republicans, led by Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), are scrambling to find the votes for that amendment by the time the House votes, as early as today. 

The amendment will be introduced by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), the spending cardinal in charge of energy and water projects. 

In a key victory for Democrats, the base bill does not contain the spending cut offsets demanded by conservatives for disaster aid in the past. 

"It is a fundamental responsibility to help families, businesses, and communities recover and rebuild following a natural disaster. I am pleased the House will consider emergency relief for those affected by Sandy, and I am working hard to ensure passage of the full $60.4 billion, as passed by the Senate," said incoming Appropriations Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.).

The $33-billion amendment requires that $3.5 billion in Army Corps of Engineer funding be offset in 2013 appropriations. 

This requirement was included in the Senate bill after a successful budget challenge was raised on the floor and, if passed, will further complicate spending talks in March when Congress tries to avert a government shutdown after a stopgap spending resolution runs out. 

"Given the size and scope of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, it is essential that Congress provide the victims of this storm and their communities with the necessary federal aid as soon as possible,” said Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.). “However, as we embark on these recovery efforts, it is essential that Congress make responsible decisions to get the most out of each and every recovery dollar.”

The bill includes new oversight provisions compared to the Senate version, the committee said. It includes more money, $9.7 billion to shore up the National Flood Insurance Program, than a Senate Republican alternative that failed on the Senate floor. That bill cost some $24 billion in total.

According to the committee, the base bill provides the Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Relief Fund with $5.4 billion, provides $5.4 billion in relief for New York-area transit agencies, $3.9 billion for the Housing and Urban Development Community Development Fund and $1.35 billion for the Army Corps.

The timing on the vote depends on resolving the "fiscal cliff." 

If the House is able to quickly pass the Senate bill on Tuesday it could then move to deal with Sandy, a GOP source said. House Republicans were conferencing in the early afternoon on whether to accept a Senate budget agreement passed early Tuesday. 

- Updated at 1 p.m. 

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