- Protecting Taxpayer Dollars by Strengthening SNAP
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:57:00 +0000
Ed note: This was originally posted on the USDA blog.
While fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a relatively limited problem, any amount of waste or abuse is too much. As I wrote back in December, we are taking more aggressive steps to root out fraud and abuse as part of this administration’s Campaign to Cut Waste and to continue improving our stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
This week we were pleased to announce that fiscal year 2012 first quarter results for USDA’s efforts to identify and eliminate fraudulent retailers from SNAP are available. From October 1 through December 31, 2011, USDA took final actions to sanction through fines or temporary disqualifications—more than 225 stores found violating program rules. We also permanently disqualified over 350 stores for trafficking (exchanging benefits for cash) SNAP benefits.
Again, cases of abuse in SNAP are pretty rare and the vast majority of SNAP participants and authorized retailers play by the rules using the program as intended. However, it’s important that we stay vigilant and raise awareness of these issues so people know how and where to report any incidences of abuse.
This week, we launched a Fighting SNAP Fraud website to raise awareness of integrity issues and provide a direct portal to report suspicious activities. To reduce the number of disqualified store owners who attempt to return to the program by falsifying information on their applications, we are:
-
Increasing documentation required for high-risk stores applying to redeem SNAP benefits to better verify their identity and assure their business integrity.
-
Researching high-risk store owners to confirm application information. High-risk stores are those located at the site of a previous disqualification. Store owners found to have falsified information with the intent to hide ownership or past violations will be charged, disqualified and may be liable for a $10,000 fine or imprisonment for as long as 5 years or both.
-
Continuing to notify state and federal partners about violators to better protect our public programs. This includes information on program recipients with suspicious transactions at firms known to be trafficking for further investigation by States.
We will continue to do everything we can to root out fraud and abuse. There are over 46 million people who currently rely on SNAP to help put healthy food on the table. We owe it to the public to ensure the program is run with integrity.
Kevin Concannon is the USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services.
- President Obama Launches a Marshmallow Cannon
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:38:36 +0000
Who says science can’t be fun?
At today’s White House Science Fair, President Obama got the chance to shoot a marshmallow across the State Dining Room using 14-year-old inventor Joey Hudy’s “Extreme Marshmallow Cannon.” Hudy designed and built the machine, which can launch the fluffy white confections up to 175 feet away using pressurized air.
Check out the video above to watch the President and Joey put the cannon to the test.
For more on the White House Science Fair, see:
- President Obama Hosts the White House Science Fair
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:54:20 +0000
President Barack Obama hosts the second White House Science Fair celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. The President talked with Samantha Garvey, 18, of Bay Shore, N.Y., about her environmental sciences project examining the effect of physical environment and predators on a specific species of mussel, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Feb. 7, 2012.
Today, President Obama hosted the second-ever White House Science Fair, featuring research and inventions from more than 100 students representing 30 student teams. From robots in the Blue Room to rockets in the Red Room to marshmallow cannons in the State Dining Room, projects showcased the talents of America’s next generation of scientists, engineers, inventors, and innovators.
President Barack Obama hosts the second White House Science Fair celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Feb. 7, 2012. Taylor Wilson, 17, of Reno, Nevada conducted research on novel techniques for detecting nuclear threats and developed an environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and highly sensitive system capable of detecting small quantities of nuclear material.
After viewing some of the displays and talking with students about their work, the President addressed students, parents, and teachers in the East Room.
“When students excel in math and science, they help America compete for the jobs and industries of the future,” said President Obama. “That’s why I’m proud to celebrate outstanding students at the White House Science Fair, and to announce new steps my Administration and its partners are taking to help more young people succeed in these critical subjects."
read more
- ICE Names Its First Public Advocate
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:07:01 +0000
Cross posted from The Blog @ Homeland Security.
Today, I am honored to be named U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s first-ever public advocate. As ICE continues to implement detention reforms and other enforcement-related initiatives, my staff and I will serve as a point of contact for individuals, including those in immigration proceedings, NGOs, and other community and advocacy groups, who have concerns, questions, recommendations or important issues they would like to raise.
While this new role will be challenging, I believe it will reap significant rewards for ICE as well as for stakeholders. As we work to enact significant policy changes to focus the agency’s immigration enforcement resources on sensible priorities, implement policies and processes that prioritize the health and safety of detainees in our custody while increasing federal oversight, and improve the conditions of confinement within the detention system, I will strive to expand and enhance our dialogue with the stakeholder community.
I have committed the greater part of my life to public service. Since 2008, I have served with ICE, first as an advisor and analyst on policies related to immigration enforcement, detention and juveniles, and most recently as the senior advisor for Enforcement and Removal Operation’s (ERO) detention management division. Prior to that, I served as an attorney and was recognized as the Maryland Attorney of the Year for Pro Bono Service working with Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County.
read more
- White House Science Fair: Recognizing the Importance of Scientists, Engineers, and Inventors
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000
[Editor’s note: Tune in to http://wh.gov/live this morning to check out President Obama's visit to today’s White House Science Fair starting at 10:35 a.m. EST. You can also ask your questions of Bill Nye this afternoon during a special White House Office Hours at 2:00 p.m. EST]
Since the first days of the United States, our leaders have recognized the importance of science and especially engineering. Several among the founding fathers were inventors and scientists themselves. George Washington continually experimented with farm crops. Thomas Jefferson’s estate is replete with weather and time-keeping instruments. Benjamin Franklin made discoveries and developed inventions that are celebrated even today. Abraham Lincoln, nominally a lawyer, held a patent. It should come as no surprise that our Constitution calls for the legal protection of scientific inquiry and discovery.
It is in this spirit that President Obama held the first White House Science Fair in October 2010. The second one is today. The President will honor over 100 students from 40 different competitions around the country who have excelled in science and math. I’ll be there along with several well-respected educators and leaders from the science and engineering community.
Most of our successful corporations, the ones that touch our lives everyday like Amazon, Apple, Boeing, Ford, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Pay-Pal, and now Facebook, were started by engineers—people who use science and math to create things and solve problems. For the United States to remain the world leader in technological innovation, we need more engineers and more scientists. We need more people, who can do math, design software, and create new applications for machines that have yet to come into existence.
If we choose not to engage in fundamental research—not to pursue new technologies and systems, not to discover new properties of numbers and atomic structures,not to explore the oceans and outer space—we leave that work to others, to emerging countries, who have seen from the outside what science and technology can do for a society.
It is in this spirit that I am proud and very much looking forward to being a part of today’s White House Science Fair. I hope to encourage the young people in attendance and their many fellow student competitors back home to change the world.
Bill Nye is the Science Guy and CEO of the Planetary Society -- he was at the White House for the first ever Science Fair -- check it out below:
- Commemorating National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000
On this, the 12th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, I remember my sister-in-law’s fight with the disease. Tragically, she did not win that fight – she left behind a devastated husband and five-year old daughter. But it is in her memory, and the memory of all the friends and loved ones we have lost, that we vow to keep working toward the day when HIV/AIDS is history.
This past December, on World AIDS Day, President Obama spoke about the United States’ commitment to ending HIV/AIDS. In a speech at George Washington University, he told the audience, “Make no mistake, we are going to win this fight. But the fight is not over … not by a long shot.”
Sadly, this is especially true in the African-American community. Black Americans represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, but they account for 44 percent of new HIV infections. Among young black gay men alone, infections have increased by nearly 50 percent in just three years, and black women account for the largest share of HIV infections among women. We each must do our part by getting tested regularly, and by educating those in our community about what they can do to help end the epidemic.
President Obama is committed to doing his part as well. In 2010, he released the nation’s first comprehensive HIV/AIDS plan. Together with Secretary Clinton, he has helped assemble a coalition of governments, healthcare professionals, and service providers. They have set a goal that would have been unthinkable just a few decades ago: an AIDS-free generation, in which virtually all children are born HIV-free, and prevention tools help them stay HIV-free throughout their lives.
read more
- How You Can Join the White House Science Fair (Virtually)
Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:30:01 +0000
On Tuesday, February 7, over 100 students from over 45 states are heading to the White House with their robots, research and new inventions for the second ever White House Science Fair.
Now, the White House is calling on folks across the country to join the Science Fair virtually! While students at the White House share their latest inventions -- from a robotic arm to waste-reducing dissolvable sugar packets -- we want to hear about the projects you've worked on. Tell us about your favorite science fair project and share pictures on Twitter with the hashtag #WHScienceFair or through a form on WhiteHouse.gov. Then, we’ll display some of our favorite submissions on WhiteHouse.gov.
What's your favorite science fair project? Let us know on Twitter with the hashtag #WHScienceFair or through a form WhiteHouse.gov.
We also hope you’ll join us for a special session of White House Office Hours: Science Fair edition. On Tuesday, February 7 at 2:00 p.m. EST, Bill Nye "the science guy" and Tom Kalil "the White House Office of Science and Technology guy" are answering your questions live on Twitter.
Here’s how it works:
-
Starting now, you can ask your questions on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat. We'll also be using the hashtag #WHScienceFair
-
At 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7, Bill Nye the Science Guy (@TheScienceGuy) and Tom Kalil, Deputy Director for Policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (@WhiteHouseOSTP) will answer your questions live on Twitter.
-
Follow the Q&A through the @WHLive Twitter account
-
If you miss the live event, the full session will be posted on WhiteHouse.gov and Storify.com/WhiteHouse
The White House Science Fair celebrates the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. At the fair, President Obama will view student projects and speak on the importance of STEM education. The President will also announce key steps that the Administration is taking to help more students excel in math and science, and earn degrees in these subjects. You can watch the President’s remarks live at 11:25 a.m. EST at WhiteHouse.gov/live.
- Open for Questions: Innovation for Global Development
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:11:27 +0000
On Wednesday, February 8 at 9am, the White House will host an event to highlight how the government and the private sector are harnessing science, technology, and innovation to promote global development. Speakers from the White House, U.S. Agency for International Development, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the private sector will join participants from universities, industry, and nonprofits for a discussion of innovation and global development. Watch live at www.whitehouse.gov/live.
Later in the day, at 11:00 a.m., Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development, Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director of the National Security Council and Tom Kalil, Deputy Director for Policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy & Senior Advisor for Science, Technology, and Innovation, National Economic Council will take your questions on the role of science, technology and innovation in global development.
-
What: Open for Questions: Innovation for Global Development
-
Who: Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development, Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director of the National Security Council and Tom Kalil, Deputy Director for Policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy & Senior Advisor for Science, Technology, and Innovation, National Economic Council
-
When: Wednesday, February 8 at 11:00 a.m. ET
-
Where: Watch live at WhiteHouse.gov/live and submit your questions via Facebook, Twitter using the hashtag #WHChat or our webform.
- Seniors Seeing the Savings from the Affordable Care Act
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:24:21 +0000
Last week, several announcements from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed how people with Medicare are already benefiting from the Affordable Care Act:
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius talked about these announcements during her trip to Florida, where 238,362 Florida residents with Medicare saved $141,948,339 on their prescription drugs in 2011 thanks to the health reform law, the Affordable Care Act. Behind these numbers are compelling stories like that of Floridian William Morris who saved $2,000 on the cost of his chemotherapy because of the law.
In Orlando, the Secretary participated in a State of Seniors Health discussion, addressing 85 seniors and community leaders at the Beardall Senior Center. She was joined by a number of panelists including Orlando pharmacist Carmen Rosado. As the Orlando Sentinel reported, Carmen is now retired and on Medicare, so she has seen both sides of the Part D program. She shared that:
“In the 46 years I practiced pharmacy, I have seen seniors who had to decide whether to eat or buy their medicines,” Rosado said Thursday. “Sometimes I would pay for their medicines, because [their situation] would hurt me. They would say: ‘Of all these medicines, which are the important ones?’ With the health law, they can continue with their drug regimen to better their health.”
read more
- White House Office Hours: Let's Move! Anniversary with Sam Kass
Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:33:23 +0000
Ed. Note: This session of Office Hours has concluded. Check out the full Q&A below or over on Storify
Today, we’re holding a special session of White House Office Hours to celebrate the second anniversary of Let’s Move!, the First Lady’s initiative to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. At 2:30 p.m. EST, Sam Kass, Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives, is answering your questions live on Twitter.
First Lady Michelle Obama, with chefs Todd Grey from Equinox, left, and Sam Kass, from the White House, gestures during a “Let’s Move!” event with hundreds of chefs from around the country on the South Lawn of the White House, June 4, 2010. The First Lady called on chefs to get involved by adopting a school and working with teachers, parents, school nutritionists and administrators to help educate kids about food and nutrition.
Join Sam for Office Hours at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, February 6th. Here's how it works:
-
Ask your question on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat
-
Sam Kass, Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives, responds to your questions in real-time via Twitter from @LetsMove
-
Follow the Q&A through the @WHLive Twitter account
-
If you miss the live event, the full session will be posted on WhiteHouse.gov and Storify.com/WhiteHouse
-
We hope you can join us! Follow us on Twitter @WhiteHouse, @WHLive and @LetsMove for the latest updates and more chances to engage.
read more
