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Join in the "State of the Union: Cabinet In Your Community" Tour

January 10, 2016 at 1:56 PM ET by Broderick Johnson
Summary: 
After President Obama's State of the Union speech, Cabinet officials will travel across the nation as part of the "State of the Union: Cabinet in Your Community" tour.

Updates From the Road: Part II

The last day of the tour brought Cabinet officials to the Bronx, New York, Dearborn, Michigan, and many more communities across the country. Check out the latest:

Updates From the Road: Part I

On Thursday, January 14, Cabinet officials were in Atlanta, El Paso, Toledo, Miami, and other communities across the country talking about the issues that matter most to the American people, from climate change to education. These events are part of President Obama’s ongoing conversation with the American people how we can all do our part to tackle the challenges ahead and advance transformative change for future generations. Find out more about the events below and connect with the tour using the hashtag #CabinetSOTU.

HUD Secretary Castro met with Nashville students to talk the Obama Administration’s efforts to connect more homes to the internet

U.S. Ambassador Powers made the case that the Administration’s foreign policy has successfully engaged foes and galvanized allies to face challenges such as global warming, Ebola and the rise of ISIL

OMB Director Donovan was in Baltimore discussing ways the government is tackling poverty in new and innovative ways.

Learn more about the tour

On the heels of President Obama's State of the Union speech, Cabinet officials will travel across this great nation as part of the "State of the Union: Cabinet in Your Community" tour to engage Americans about the remarkable progress we have made over the past seven years and the Obama Administration’s commitment to continue to move the country forward.

The tour is an opportunity for local residents to interact with, and to hear from, members of the President’s Cabinet about the issues that matter most -- from climate change to the health and safety of their communities to educational and economic opportunity. These interactions will continue President Obama’s ongoing conversation with the American people about the challenges that lie ahead and how we can all do our part to advance transformative change for future generations.

This tour is another example of how the Cabinet has played a critical role in the President’s efforts to define, articulate, and advance policies that address the most pressing challenges we face. The Cabinet’s efforts have helped to cement progress and secure landmark agreements on trade, climate change, and national security. Agencies, often working together, have also led the implementation of policies and initiatives to ensure greater opportunity for all Americans.

President Obama believes that the true test of our strength as a nation lies in how we, together, approach our challenges. That is why, in 2016, the President and his Cabinet will keep their “foot on the gas”, moving full speed ahead to continue improving the quality of life and prospects for all Americans.

Join the conversation and check out what the Cabinet is doing in a city near you.

January 13th:

  • Secretary of State John Kerry will deliver remarks at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. focused on our 2016 foreign policy priorities. After the speech, Kerry will visit a refugee resettlement center, where he will meet with a group of refugees and hear from the center’s staff about their vital work in helping refugees integrate into life in the United States.
  • Defense Secretary Ash Carter will travel to Fort Campbell, KY to deliver remarks to soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division that will soon deploy to Iraq to train, advise, and assist Iraqi security forces fighting ISIL. The next day he will travel to Miami, FL followed by Tampa, FL to meet with leaders from U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command about the administration's plan for the campaign in Iraq and Syria to counter ISIL and ensure the safety of the American people.
  • Attorney General Loretta Lynch will travel to Boston, MA to amplify the Administration’s work on criminal justice reform and reentry services.  In Boston, Lynch will visit the Boston Reentry Initiative (BRI), where she will meet with BRI participants and practitioners including reentry program officers, officials from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, local officials, and other members of the corrections community to learn more about the program and its successes. Lastly, Lynch will deliver remarks on criminal justice and reentry services at Harvard Law School.
  • Labor Secretary Tom Perez will travel to Philadelphia, PA to highlight the Administration’s efforts to provide training to ensure Americans have the skills needed to succeed in 21st century jobs. Perez will tour and meet with incarcerated individuals participating in a workforce training program at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, and visit a local manufacturer who has hired community college graduates who have received training through programs funded in part by the Department of Labor.
  • Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro will hold a town hall meeting with teachers, students, and parents in Nashville, TN to highlight efforts to expand broadband access to all Americans, including those living in public housing, through the ConnectHome initiative.
  • Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson will travel to Detroit and Dearborn, MI to host a roundtable with resettled refugees, as well as a discussion with interfaith student groups at the University of Michigan-Dearborn about the agency’s efforts to engage local communities in order to counter violent extremism.
  • Small Business Administration Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet will travel to Houston, TX and Atlanta, GA connecting with community leaders, business networks and millennials to highlight the agency’s efforts to help small businesses succeed by increasing access to SBA’s guaranteed loans and expanding its network of resource partners by creating a network of growth accelerators and incubators across the country that support entrepreneurs.
  • Ambassador Samantha Power will travel to South Orange, NJ to participate in a town hall at Seton Hall University to discuss the Administration’s foreign policy priorities.
  • White House Office of Management and Budget Director Shawn Donovan will participate in a moderated conversation at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD about the geography of poverty and the Administration’s innovative efforts, in partnership with communities, to promote economic mobility and opportunity and revitalize communities.

January 14th:

  • Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew will travel to Atlanta, GA to highlight the growing economy and important steps the Administration is taking to cement our recovery. Secretary Lew will specifically highlight Treasury’s financial inclusion initiatives, myRA, and other measures that empower the American people to grow businesses, improve household financial health, and plan for a secure retirement.  Secretary Lew will hold a roundtable with local business leaders and deliver remarks on financial inclusion at the Operation HOPE Global Forum.
  • Interior Secretary Sally Jewell will travel to Red Valley, AZ to highlight the Administration’s historic investments in building, strengthening, and restoring Indian Country. Jewell will visit the Cove Day School on Navajo Nation to discuss the significant budget gains for the Bureau of Indian Education.
  • Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will travel to Michigan to attend the Detroit Auto Show to highlight the Administration’s effort to support innovation in transportation technology and the importance of investing in climate friendly infrastructure of the future.  
  • Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will travel to Miami, FL to tour several energy grid projects to highlight the importance of investing in energy infrastructure in the face of a changing climate. Secretary Moniz will also discuss the role of clean energy in our economy and other actions that the Administration is taking on climate change. Secretary Moniz will also announce a major investment in research and development for grid technologies.
  • Acting Education Secretary John King will kick off his “Opportunity Across America” road trip in El Paso, TX to discuss how the Every Student Succeeds Act will build on progress made in public education since the beginning of the Obama Administration to ensure that every student —regardless of disability, race, zip code, or family income—is prepared to succeed in school and in life. King will also discuss the unique challenges and opportunities facing border communities.
  • EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will participate in a series of interconnected events regarding the green energy economy in Toledo, OH. McCarthy’s first stop will be Owens Community College, where she will tour vocational training labs and meet with students and faculty. She will then visit the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization (PVIC) on the campus of the University of Toledo. McCarthy will tour the PVIC and meet with students and faculty from both University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University. Her final stop will be First Solar, where she will tour a manufacturing plant and research center.
  • White House National Drug Control Policy Director Michael Botticelli will host a community forum at South College in Knoxville, TN on ways to prevent and treat prescription drug abuse and heroin use. This is part of a series of forum events across the country to continue the conversation that President Obama began in West Virginia in October, where he announced new public and private sector efforts to address the opioid epidemic.
  • Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management, Beth Cobert will travel to San Antonio, TX on to participate in a series of events, including a roundtable with Veterans and community leaders that will highlight the Administration’s successful efforts to increase the number of Veterans in the civilian Federal workforce.
  • National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu will host a Creativity Connects town hall meeting with artists and arts leaders in Atlanta, GA on to highlight the Administration's efforts to empower communities across the nation to use the arts to educate, problem solve, and create prosperity.

January 15th:

  • Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will travel to Columbus, OH to announce the expansion of USDA’s StrikeForce initiative, which addresses the specific challenges associated with rural poverty, and conduct a town hall event on increasing opportunity for our rural communities and lack of opportunity, in four new states including OH. Vilsack will hold a Rural Opportunity Town Hall at Ohio State University to discuss the Department’s has directed billions in investments to create jobs, build homes, feed children, assist farmers, and conserve natural resources in the country's most economically challenged areas.
  • Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker will travel to Denver, CO to discuss the impact of climate change on our nation’s economic growth. Pritzker will participate in an armchair discussion hosted by the Commons at the Colorado Technology Association to highlight Denver-area clean energy businesses, and how American businesses stand to compete and succeed globally following the historic Paris agreement.
  • Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell will hold a roundtable in Indianapolis, IN with local residents regarding how they have benefited from the Affordable Care Act, and to encourage Americans to secure coverage ahead of the January deadlines.
  • Interior Secretary Jewell will participate in a signing ceremony with the Pueblo of Isleta in New Mexico to celebrate the Comache Ranch fee to trust acquisition and to underscore the Administration’s commitment to strengthening tribal economies through self-determination.
  • VA Secretary Robert McDonald will visit VA’s Jamaica Plain Medical Center and National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Boston, MA to meet with researchers and discuss advancements being made to address the mental health of our veterans.
  • Unites States Trade Representative Michael Froman will travel to New York City to discuss how President Obama’s Made-in-America export agenda is boosting local exports and supporting family wage jobs. Froman specifically will visit a local small business to discuss how TPP would benefit American workers and businesses.
  • Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Jason Furman will participate in a moderated discussion at the Roosevelt Institute in New York City on the economic progress made since the President took office. Furman will also discuss some of the longer-term economic challenges that remain and steps we can take to strengthen our economy and level the playing field for all Americans.
  • Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler Radelet will participate in a roundtable discussion at the University of Southern California about the importance of service, intercultural understanding, and Americans engaging communities abroad. The event will highlight recent Peace Corps accomplishments, including a 40-year high in application numbers announced last October.
Broderick Johnson

Broderick Johnson

Assistant to the President, Cabinet Secretary, and Chair of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force