(Archived Content)
TG-769
Thank you all for coming.
It's a privilege and pleasure to have the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, with us today.
Before I introduce the First Lady, I thought I'd tell her a little bit about Treasury; about the Treasury tradition of public service that you all represent.
I first walked into this building more than two decades ago. And I quickly realized that the great strength of this department was the dedication, integrity and excellence of its career civil service.
Our tradition – the Treasury tradition – is defined by a commitment to improving government; to respecting the constraints of limited resources; to helping Americans meet their obligations as citizens so that they can enjoy the benefits they earn as citizens; and to protecting the financial security of the nation.
In this period of crisis, that tradition has proven enormously important.
You've designed and implemented - with great care and skill – programs that helped lift this economy out of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
You've helped restore a measure of financial security for families and businesses.
You've made sure that millions of Americans got their social security checks and their retirement benefits at precisely the sort of moment when they needed them most.
You've implemented Recovery Act tax cuts – including the largest middle class tax cut in American history – which played a major role in restoring economic growth.
You've helped bring needed financing to struggling states.
You've worked with our partners around the world to make sure that, as a global community, we were we were acting together to expand trade and economic growth.
And, you've helped design a very strong set of financial reforms; reforms that will restore trust and confidence in our financial system.
You have done more in months than most countries do in years.
Now, the President of the United States has given you his full support throughout this period of challenge. He has shown real political courage in taking on the tough challenges early.
When President Obama took office, he had a choice. He could have stood aside and simply hoped that the financial fires would burn themselves out. He could have commissioned studies and debated all the options for months and months. He could have waited for political consensus to emerge. Instead, he decided to act. And he acted with unprecedented speed and strength.
That was the right choice. We still have a long way to go. We still have a lot of challenges to meet. But we are coming back. We are healing the damage caused by the crisis. We are growing again. And a key reason for that is all of you.
I feel so fortunate to work with such a strong and dedicated group of public servants; with people who are so committed to serving their country and to making their government do a better job for all Americans.
Now, before I close, I want to recognize a very special guest with us, Valerie Hunter.
Valerie is an IRS revenue officer in Austin, Texas, who has served our nation with distinction for almost three decades. Valerie is also the widow of the late Vernon Hunter who was killed in a violent attack at the Austin IRS offices this past February.
It is a tragic thing that a man who survived two tours in Vietnam would die senselessly at his desk in Austin, involved in the vital service of helping his fellow citizens bear their fair share of the privilege of being American.
Vernon was a man who cherished family and faith and who always sought to help the least fortunate in his community. Today, as we did in February, we celebrate his life and his legacy.
And Valerie, know that your Treasury family stands with you always.
With that, let me turn it over to the First Lady of the United States.
She is a strong and inspirational advocate for the President's agenda of reform and renewal, a great supporter of military and working families, and a national champion of healthy lifestyles.
On behalf of the women and men of the Treasury Department, I welcome her to Treasury and thank her for coming.
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