"This piece of legislation is good for workers, it's good for small business people, it's good for our economy. And yet, Republicans in the Senate have blocked this bill -- a needless delay that has led small business owners across the country to put off hiring, put off expanding and put off plans that will make our economy stronger." – President Obama

Today the President called on members of Congress to immediately pass a small business bill that has been held up by Senate Republicans.

New jobs numbers released this morning show that while we’re continuing to make progress on the economy—adding 67,000 private sector jobs in the 8th consecutive month of growth—businesses and workers are still hurting.

Loans for small businesses under the Recovery Act have successfully helped create jobs, but funds ran out in May. The Small Business Jobs Act would mean that more than 1,000 small businesses waiting for loans would be able to receive them.

Small Business Administrator Karen Mills explained on the White House blog:

Not only will the bill immediately help thousands of small business owners get access to capital, but it will also raise the limit on SBA loans from $2 million to $5 million, helping high-growth small firms who are ready to expand, franchisees who want to open a new location, and exporters who need to ramp up to meet a big order from abroad.

And on top of that, the bill has $12 billion in tax cuts for small businesses, including accelerated depreciation, eliminating capital gains on small business investments, and doubling the deduction for start-ups.  It’s fully paid for and both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses have praised the legislation.

In other words, this is a strong bill.  It has broad support.  It will give taxpayers a big bang for their buck.  And, it will benefit thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners across the country, including the more than 1,000 who are right now waiting to get an SBA Recovery loan.

I’m an iPhone developer. It can be an exciting job: there are always puzzles to solve, you meet a lot of clever people, you’re always working late and shipping yesterday—but it can quickly start to feel like a grind. How many interactive corporate brochures can a person make before starting to wonder whether technology really has the power to change the world?

That’s why I’m so excited about the project I just finished working on: today’s update to the Organizing for America iPhone app, which gives volunteers everything they need to go door to door talking with people about what’s important to them.

The app takes the usual unwieldy accouterments of canvassing—the pen and paper, clipboards, and lists of voters—and puts them all on your mobile phone. It lets you connect with real people wherever you are and whenever you want. It gets rid of the time-consuming process of assembling lists of houses and entering data, and makes it easier for people on the ground to focus on the things that matter: the one-on-one conversations with your neighbors. (And it makes for a pretty exciting video, too.)

For me, this is exciting in a way software seldom is: it’s technology that affects the real world, that can change the lives of the people who use it and those around them. This is why I’m a programmer.

Most importantly, I think it could have the ability to bring a little spark back to the lives of those who have become jaded by the current political scene. Too many people have become disenchanted with the idea that politics can change the world for the better. In a time when moving forward can seem too difficult to bother, this old-fashioned activity—talking to neighbors about their hopes and concerns—might help remind us that change and connection can still happen. OFA volunteers are already out there knocking on doors—more than 200,000 just last weekend—and now it’s easier than ever to join in.

My favorite Obama slogan was always “We are the change we have been waiting for.” We all still are. Get out there. Talk to your friends, to your neighbors, to strangers. That change and energy is still all around us, even if it can be sometimes a little hard to see. But you’ll never find it if you don’t look.

If a simple iPhone app can help even one person to realize that, it’s worth all the e-brochures in the world.

Download the OFA iPhone app, get today’s canvassing update, or learn more here.

With millions of Americans still struggling to find work, the pace of our country’s economic recovery has been slower than anyone would like. But there are some bright spots as the Obama Administration works each day to get the economy back on track—like yesterday’s good news that agriculture is thriving thanks to increased exports.

The New York Times highlighted new estimates out yesterday that represent good news for farmers and other rural Americans:

Even as the broader economy falters amid signs of a weakening recovery, the nation’s agriculture sector is going strong, bolstered in part by a surge in exports, according to federal estimates of farm trade and income released on Tuesday.

The estimates confirm what economists have been saying for months: agriculture, which was generally not hit as hard by the recession as many other segments of the economy, remains a small bright spot going forward.

“We’re just having a robust rebound in the agricultural sector and promises of more growth,” Jason R. Henderson, vice president and economist at the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, said in a recent interview.

The estimates show that American farmers will ship $107.5 billion in agricultural products abroad in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. That is the second-highest amount ever, behind the record $115.3 billion in exports logged in 2008, when commodity prices soared as the global demand for agricultural products was helped by fast-growing economies in the developing world....

“The better the demand, the higher the price, and it’s going to put another 10, 15, possibly 20 cents in the price of a bushel of corn,” said Bill Horan, a corn farmer in Iowa. Corn is about $4 a bushel, which is about 50 cents higher than last year. “It means my wife can go out and buy a new sofa, and I can put new tires on the pickup.”

Read the full article here.

“Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended.” — President Barack Obama

In 2008, many volunteers were first drawn to Barack Obama as a candidate for President because of his firm promise to end the was in Iraq.

Last night, the President made good on that campaign pledge, and spoke to the nation to mark the end of our combat mission in Iraq.

In just his second Oval Office address, President Obama thanked the millions of Americans who put their lives on the line, including the 4,400 who gave their lives in this war.

We’ve now been through nearly a decade of war.  We’ve endured a long and painful recession.  And sometimes in the midst of these storms, the future that we’re trying to build for our nation -- a future of lasting peace and long-term prosperity -- may seem beyond our reach.

But this milestone should serve as a reminder to all Americans that the future is ours to shape if we move forward with confidence and commitment.  It should also serve as a message to the world that the United States of America intends to sustain and strengthen our leadership in this young century.

From this desk, seven and a half years ago, President Bush announced the beginning of military operations in Iraq.  Much has changed since that night.  A war to disarm a state became a fight against an insurgency.  Terrorism and sectarian warfare threatened to tear Iraq apart.  Thousands of Americans gave their lives; tens of thousands have been wounded.  Our relations abroad were strained.  Our unity at home was tested.

These are the rough waters encountered during the course of one of America’s longest wars.  Yet there has been one constant amidst these shifting tides.  At every turn, America’s men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve.  As Commander-in-Chief, I am incredibly proud of their service.  And like all Americans, I’m awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families.

The Americans who have served in Iraq completed every mission they were given.  They defeated a regime that had terrorized its people.  Together with Iraqis and coalition partners who made huge sacrifices of their own, our troops fought block by block to help Iraq seize the chance for a better future.  They shifted tactics to protect the Iraqi people, trained Iraqi Security Forces, and took out terrorist leaders.  Because of our troops and civilians -- and because of the resilience of the Iraqi people -- Iraq has the opportunity to embrace a new destiny, even though many challenges remain.

So tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended.  Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.

This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office.

The President also emphasized his steadfast commitment to taking care of our troops once they return home as veterans:

Part of that responsibility is making sure that we honor our commitments to those who have served our country with such valor.  As long as I am President, we will maintain the finest fighting force that the world has ever known, and we will do whatever it takes to serve our veterans as well as they have served us.  This is a sacred trust.  That’s why we’ve already made one of the largest increases in funding for veterans in decades.  We’re treating the signature wounds of today’s wars -- post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury -- while providing the health care and benefits that all of our veterans have earned.  And we’re funding a Post-9/11 GI Bill that helps our veterans and their families pursue the dream of a college education.  Just as the GI Bill helped those who fought World War II -- including my grandfather -- become the backbone of our middle class, so today’s servicemen and women must have the chance to apply their gifts to expand the American economy.  Because part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who have fought it.

Last night we witnessed a historic milestone in our nation’s history. You can join in and mark this moment by welcoming our troops home—send our men and women in uniform your personal message of thanks.

President Barack Obama just sent a message to supporters following his Oval Office address on Iraq:

Tonight marks the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.

As a candidate for this office, I pledged to end this war responsibly. And, as President, that is what I am doing.

Since I became Commander-in-Chief, we've brought home nearly 100,000 U.S. troops. We've closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of our bases.

As Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, our commitment to a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq continues. Under Operation New Dawn, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces, protect our civilians on the ground, and pursue targeted counterterrorism efforts.

By the end of next year, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, these men and women, too, will come home.

Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest -- it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq's future in the hands of its people. We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home.

We have met our responsibility through the courage and resolve of our women and men in uniform.

In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.

Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.

What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.

For that, each and every American owes them our heartfelt thanks.

Our promise to them -- to each woman or man who has donned our colors -- is that our country will serve them as faithfully as they have served us. We have already made the largest increase in funding for veterans in decades. So long as I am President, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill that sacred trust.

Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation's history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama