Mayor Shirley Franklin Among Mayors Meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House

The nation’s mayors have been invited by U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden to the White House for a meeting with The Conference of Mayors leadership on the morning of Friday, February 20, 2009.   Led by U.S. Conference of Mayors President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, over 60 mayors will also meet with Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and White House Senior Staff. 

The mayors meeting with President Obama and Vice President Biden will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. in the East Room of the White House and will be OPEN to the press.  The mayors will also hold a press availability at the White House at 11:30 a.m. immediately following the meeting (location is TBD).

Following the White House meeting, the mayors will gather at the Capitol Hilton in Washington, D.C. for a session with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Program Director Gil Sperling, and U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office Acting Director Tim Quinn.  This meeting is CLOSED to the press.  

The nation’s mayors commend President Obama and Congress for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is in line with the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ priorities, and look forward to working with the Administration to implement this landmark legislation toward transforming our national economy for the 21^st Century.