Blogs

On Friday, the White House Office of Public Engagement hosted a Celebration of Black Men, an event highlighting the achievements of Black male leaders and entrepreneurs across the fields of professional sports, arts and design, media, academia, and finance. The event underscored the Administration’s commitment to investing in Black Americans’ ability to succeed by expanding access to economic opportunity – a key part of Bidenomics.

Event participants comprised over 120 Black men including members of national and local community organizations, university students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other regional institutions, government officials, and leaders from the private sector.

During a panel conversation moderated by Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Public Engagement Stephen Benjamin, Black entrepreneurs had the opportunity to discuss their respective journeys navigating different industries, and provided insights and advice for younger audience members in attendance. Participants also celebrated Black male White House and Agency leaders representing the most diverse Administration in history.

Officials emphasized the Administration’s dedication to furthering the implementation of the President’s policy agenda to secure and expand the unprecedented gains made for Black Americans. This historic event marked a continuation of the White House’s 2024 celebration of Black History Month.

Biden-Harris Administration Participants:

• Stephen Benjamin, Assistant to the President, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement
• Michael Smith, CEO of Americorps
• Eric Morrissette, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Commerce Performing the Nonexclusive Functions and Duties of the Under Secretary for Minority Business Development
• Taylor Wright, Senior Advisor for Public Engagement, Office of Public Engagement

Program Participants:

• Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24)
• Jason Wright, President, Washington Commanders
• Olajuwon Ajanaku, Founder, Eastside Golf
• Jarrid Tingle, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Harlem Capital
• Dr. Brandon Frame, Founder & Chief Visionary Officer, TheBlackManCan Inc.
• Rashan Brown, Founder, Poetry Me, Please

HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed into law legislation approved this afternoon by the Connecticut General Assembly that allocates $17 million to cover a gap in federal assistance to the state this winter from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

Federal LIHEAP money is used by the state to fund the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), which is administered by the Connecticut Department of Social Services and helps low-income residents afford to heat their homes during the winter months. This year, Congressional Republicans blocked consideration of President Joe Biden’s request for additional funding for LIHEAP, rolling this aid back to the lowest levels since the winter of 2018-2019.

The legislation signed into law today by Governor Lamont designates $13.5 million in supplemental aid for CEAP this winter season, and $3.5 million for Operation Fuel, a nonprofit that provides energy assistance support to Connecticut residents.

“The federal LIHEAP program is an important safeguard to assist our most vulnerable residents, seniors, and families with children,” Governor Lamont said. “Working with the state legislature, we have identified one-time funds that can be used to supplement the decline in assistance that our state received this winter. The Connecticut Department of Social Services and Operation Fuel will work to ensure this funding gets to those in need. I continue to urge bipartisan leaders in Congress to follow the example of what Connecticut’s Congressional delegation have repeatedly demanded – more federal funding for LIHEAP next winter.”

The legislation is Senate Bill 111, An Act Concerning Home Energy Assistance. It was approved in the Senate by a vote of 35 to 0 and in the House of Representatives by a vote of 147 to 0. The bill took effect immediately upon being signed by the governor this afternoon

Vice President Kamala Harris met today with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House. The Vice President and the King discussed latest developments in Gaza and the Vice President thanked the King for providing vital humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including the eleven airdrops of medical supplies to the field hospital that Jordan has established in Gaza. The leaders also discussed the situation in Rafah. The Vice President reaffirmed the Biden-Harris Administration’s position that a military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the more than one million people sheltering there. 

 

 Photo Jordan news 

Governor Lamont Orders Executive Branch State Office Buildings Closed to the Public Tuesday Due to Winter Storm

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is ordering all State of Connecticut executive branch office buildings closed to the public on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, due to the significant winter storm that is anticipated to impact the state throughout the day.

For the duration of this storm-related closure, the governor is directing that:

1. All level 1 executive branch state employees should report to work as scheduled or directed;
2. All level 2 executive branch state employees whose job duties can be completed remotely should telework, or they may request use of accrued leave; and
3. All level 2 executive branch state employees whose job duties cannot be completed remotely should not report to work in-person.
4. 

The terminology used for state employee classifications was established through an executive order issued in 2018. Level 1 state employees include those who were previously designated as “essential” based on their respective job duties. Level 2 state employees include those who were previously designated as “nonessential.”

The governor’s storm-related directive applies to executive branch offices. Decisions regarding the operations of offices within the judicial and legislative branches are made by the leaders of those respective branches of state government.

“The timing of winter storm is of particular concern, especially considering that snowfall rates are expected to be heavy during the morning rush hour commute and continue through the afternoon,” Governor Lamont said. “Out of an abundance of caution, I am directing all executive branch state office buildings closed to the public on Tuesday. Level 2 state employees who work in those buildings should stay home, and those who can complete their jobs remotely should work from home for the day. I strongly encourage everyone in Connecticut to stay off the roads on Tuesday unless absolutely necessary, particularly during the height of the storm so that plow crews can clear the roads and keep everyone safe. Please check on your neighbors, especially those who are elderly or need assistance, to make sure they are safe.”

The Connecticut Department of Transportation has more than 600 trucks and more than 900 drivers prepared to respond to the storm and clear the roads.

For emergency management news and resources, visit the state’s CTPrepares website at ct.gov/ctprepares. That website also contains a useful list of contact information for each of the state’s utility companies, should a customer experience an outage.

Twitter: @GovNedLamont

Facebook: Office of Governor Ned Lamont

Governor Lamont Implements Ban on All Tandem Tractor Trailers and Empty Tractor Trailers Ahead of Winter Storm

Ban on All Limited Access Highways Takes Effect at Midnight 12:01 am Tuesday and Remains in Effect Until Further Notice

Governor Ned Lamont today announced that due to the severe winter storm that is anticipated to impact Connecticut, he has signed an order banning all tandem tractor trailers and empty tractor trailers from traveling on all limited access highways statewide effective at 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, and remaining in effect until further notice.

This travel ban on tandem tractor trailers and empty tractor trailers is being implemented in coordination with the neighboring states of New York and Massachusetts, who are enacting similar bans on their roads during the storm.

Limited access highways are those designed to carry large volumes of traffic at generally high speeds and have controlled access with on and off ramps. (For a list of limited access highways in Connecticut, click here.)

“During the peak periods of the storm, we are anticipating treacherous conditions that will make travel very difficult,” Governor Lamont said. “We’ve consulted with our neighboring states and have decided as a region that it’s in the best interest of safety to enact this travel ban on tandem tractor trailers and empty tractor trailers during the duration of the storm.”

The Office of the Governor will send out a notification when it has been determined when this ban will be lifted.

**Download: Order implementing a travel ban on all limited access highways in Connecticut for tandem and/or empty tractor trailers

Twitter: @GovNedLamont

Facebook: Office of Governor Ned Lamont

Mayor Justin Elicker with an important message for New Haven residents about the snowstorm headed our way.  Por favor espere para escuchar este mensaje en español. 

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for our region beginning tonight and through most of the day Tuesday with a projected snowfall of 6 to 10 inches. 

In order to help ensure that our snowplows can quickly and efficiently clear city streets, a citywide parking ban will be in effect beginning tonight at 12 midnight. In residential areas, there is no parking on the odd-numbered side of the streets. On all posted snow emergency routes and in the downtown area, there is no parking on both sides of the street. There is also no parking within 25 feet of a fire hydrant, intersection or bus stop.   

For residents in need of an off-street parking option, there are multiple free and low-cost options available, including selected school parking lots, Yale University parking lots and downtown parking garages. The full list is available on the city’s website at newhavnenct.gov/snow.    

For individuals who might need a warm and safe place to stay, our walk-in winter Warming Centers will be open with extended hours, beginning Monday 7 pm and operate continuously through Wednesday 

7 am. The list of warming centers can also be found on the city's website or by calling 2-1-1. 

Finally, please stay off the roads if you can, please shovel your sidewalks so there is a path at least 3 feet wide to ensure wheelchair and stroller access, and please check on your family, friends and neighborhoods who might need a helping hand. Finally, as always, please call 9-1-1- for any life-threatening emergencies. 

Thanks for your cooperation everyone, stay safe and enjoy the snow! 

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Usher, Her , Alicia keys, Lil Jon

ATL  half time performance..

Operation Fuel, Inc.

New Haven home incentive program

Click link Below 

Saweetie on The night Cap

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, very much.  (Applause.)  Folks, look, I was — where — I’m going to stand in the middle here so I can get both sides.
 
Folks, you know, my dad used to have an expression, for real.  He’d say, “You know, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about being treated with respect.  It’s about making sure that people know what you do matters.  It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay,’ and mean it.” 
 
I have a reputation that I’m proud of: being the most pro-union president in American history.  And there’s a simple reason for that.  When unions are doing well, everybody does well.  Not a joke.  (Applause.)  By the way, that’s a fact.
 
I had the Treasury Department do a study: What are the impact of union movement?  What’s the impact?  The impact is when you do well, everybody does better.  Workers that aren’t even members of a union are getting raises because of the things you guys have done and the work you’ve done and organizations.
 
So, I came to say thank you, thank you, thank you.  And we’re just getting started.  We’ve got over 260- — 300- — 260,000 jobs — new jobs just here in the state of Nevada.
 
Come here, Congresswoman. 
 
REPRESENTATIVE TITUS:  (Inaudible.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  By the way, I’ve got a passport with me because she gave me — this is her district here — she gave me a passport to come here.
 
But all kidding aside, look, there’s a simple proposition.  For the longest time — and I know I don’t look — I know I only look like I’m 40.  (Laughter.)  Times two.  (Laughter.)
 
But, look, one of the things that I’m — I was raised in a family — we weren’t poor, but we weren’t — we were middle class and sometimes lower middle class.  We lived in a three-bedroom, split-level home with four kids and a grandpop.  It was a safe neighborhood, but it was — it was — you know, we didn’t have the money to make it to college.  We had to go borrow the money or work through college, that kind of thing. 
 
We didn’t — and I’m the first in my family to go to college — the first Biden to go to college.  And it’s because a lot of people made sacrifices for me to get there, along with my sister.  And my sister is a hell of a lot brighter than I am.  (Laughter.) 
 
My sister was three years younger than me.  She’s now 23 years younger than me.  I don’t know how the hell that happened.  (Laughter.)  And she’s managed all my campaigns. 
 
We got — we went to the same university at the same time, two years apart.  I graduated.  She graduated with honors.  (Laughs.)  Anyway.
 
The point is this: I’ve never believed that trickle-down economics is the way to build an economy, meaning that if the very weal- — and, by the way, if the very wealthy do well, that’s good by me, as long as they start paying their taxes.  That’s a different issue.  But anyway.  (Applause.)
 
But all kidding aside, the idea was the trickle-down economy would work because what would happen is you would have the very wealthy doing well and that would all drop down to the middle-class folks and poor folks.  I’ve never believed that.  Not a lot dropped on my dad’s kitchen table growing up.
 
So, I’ve always believed that you build the economy from the middle out and the bottom up.  That way, the working-class folks have a shot and the middle class grows.
 
And guess what?  You’ve heard me say it before, and I mean it.  And when I first said it, everybody thought I was going to get in real trouble, but I didn’t care.  Wall Street did not build America.  The middle class did — built America, and unions built the middle class.  (Applause.)  There would be no middle class without the union.  No, I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
 
And, by the way, even the business folks in — on Wall Street and other places are beginning to understand that.  There’s much less resistance now to deal with these issues. 
 
And so, we’re just on a roll here.  We’ve created over 15 million brand new jobs just in three years — more than any president has in American history in that period of time.  We’ve — we’ve actually made sure that we have all kinds of additional help. 
 
People are getting the paychecks for — Hispanics at 4- — 4- — they’re making 40 percent more money than they did before we started, in terms of wealth.  African Americans, 50 percent.  But this — it’s about everybody.  It’s not about just one group of people.  Because when we all do well, everybody does well.  I really mean it.
 
So, I came to say thank you — not just thank you for the support you’ve given me the last time out and this time, but thank you for having the faith in the union.  Thank you for continuing to push it because this really matters.  It matters, it matters, it matters.
 
And so, like I said, my dad would say, “It’s all about dignity — being treated with dignity.”  My dad would no more walk by the — the shoeshine guy in the Hotel DuPont, where the DuPont company was, and — or the — if he saw the chairman of the board, he’d say hi.  But he’d walk over and make sure he said hi to the shoeshine guy too, because that’s what we’re all about.  That’s what built America. 
 
And b- — we’re coming back.  We really are.  We have the best economy in the world.  Inflation is coming down.  There are still too expensive — too much is at expense and a little bit of corporate greed going on, too, nationwide.  (Laughter.) 
 
There’s — by the way, there’s a little article written — you ought to — I’ll get you a connection to it.  It’s called — it’s about Snick- — what’s happening with the Snickers bars.
 
Snickers bars — you know that candy? 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBERS:  Yeah.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, they haven’t raised the price of a Snickers bars.  They just took 10 percent of it out.  (Laughter.)  Oh, no, no.  It’s a lot smaller.  So, that’s how they’re making more money.
 
But, anyway, I thank you for all you do and the way you make people happy.  And I know it’s not always easy.  So, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)
 
11:28 A.M. PST   
 

Our immigration system has been broken for decades. That is why President Biden and I have spent the last three years putting forward solutions to fix it and address the root causes of migration.

On the first day of our Administration, we sent a comprehensive immigration reform bill to Congress that included an increase in funding for border security and a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, such as Dreamers who have been here for years.

We have partnered with countries in the Western Hemisphere to address global pressures that are forcing people from their homes, and worked with the private sector to promote investment in Central America. Last October, as part of our national security supplemental request, we asked for $14 billion for border security, which would increase personnel and technology to secure the border and provide assistance to cities to manage the influx of migrants.

At each step, we have been clear: Congress must act. Unfortunately, we have too often been met with those who sought to play political games instead of participating in solutions.

For the past two months, President Biden, members of our Administration, and bipartisan Senate negotiators have worked together. Thanks to their collaboration, additional solutions are now at hand. Congress must quickly pass this agreement.

This package will also ensure that the United States can continue to fulfill its role of global leadership by supporting the people of Ukraine in their brave fight against unprovoked Russian aggression; providing Israel what it needs to defend itself against Hamas terrorists; ensuring life-saving humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people; and strengthening our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.

This agreement on border security and immigration does not include everything we have fought for over the past three years — and we will continue to fight for these priorities – but it shows: we can make the border more secure while preserving legal immigration, consistent with our values as a nation.

Let us remember: we are a nation of immigrants. Immigrants have always helped strengthen our country, grow our economy, and drive innovation. We know that in America, diversity is our strength. So rather than politicize this issue, let us all address it with the urgency and seriousness it requires.

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Image courtesy Collab New Haven

Collab is taking applications for its Spring 2024 Business Accelerator Program. This free, 12-week course offers education, mentoring, and technical help to entrepreneurs who want to build unique businesses and create positive change. 

Please email with questions, or visit Collab New Haven to apply by the March 10 deadline.