REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AT THE WHITE HOUSE MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT South Court Auditorium Eisenhower Executive Office Building

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 19, 2019 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AT THE WHITE HOUSE MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT South Court Auditorium Eisenhower Executive Office Building   3:49 P.M. EST      THE PRESIDENT:  This is a great group.  I know so many.  Please, sit down.  Please.      So, I heard about this.  Actually, for a couple of weeks, I heard about it.  And I said, “I have to do it.”  Not much going on around the White House.  (Laughter.)  You know, we’re not too busy.      But we have the great Ben Carson.  Thank you, Ben.  That’s great that you’re here.  Where’s Dr. Drew?  Where is he?  Dr. Drew.  Did I do your show?  (Laughter.)  Did you have the greatest ratings you’ve ever -- (laughs).  We had some good ratings, right?  Congratulations.  Everything going well?  It’s been a while.  Right at the beginning of this whole thing, right?  Good.  Thank you very much for all you do.      I want to just let you know how important it is -- the work you do and what you do.  And I want to thank Joe for the job he’s been doing.  It’s incredible.  Kellyanne, thank you so much.      The White House Mental Health Summit -- so important.  We’ve done things that a lot of people haven’t done, but this is one of the things that we have to bring up to date.  Because we’re way, way behind, in our country, on mental health.  And I think we’ve made a lot of progress in a short period of time.      We’re grateful to Secretary Alex Azar -- done an incredible job.  His son is with him today.  Alex, where’s your son?  Look how handsome he is.  (Laughter and applause.)      And, by the way, speaking of Ben Carson, the job he’s done at HUD with some concepts that -- if you were only in the real estate business, to head up HUD, you’d never be able to do what Ben is doing.  Because he’s brought some things into the fore that have been really fantastic, Ben.  So, thank you very much.  Incredible job you’re doing.  And I’m not surprised.  (Applause.)      My administration is strongly committed to helping Americans suffering from mental illness.  In the 1950s, there were over 250,000 -- but it’s truly 550,000 -- could be, probably.  You know, there’s no really accurate way of figuring it out.  But they’re looking at 610 [thousand]; they have numbers that are all over the place.      But these were people in mental hospitals and mental hospital beds in the U.S.  By 2016, this number had declined to 37,679.  They had a much more accurate number.  The first, they didn’t really know.  And the second, they knew: 37,000.  But it was anywhere from 550 [thousand] down to 37,000 beds.      Of the 11 million Americans living with severe mental illness, 4 million receive no mental health service of any kind.  Four million people.  There are more than one hundred and -- if you look at it, over 100,000 homeless individuals.  And I think that number has to be much, much higher than that, Alex.  Wouldn’t you think?  They say over 100,000.  You look at some states, they have over 100,000 -- one in particular-- homeless individuals with serious mental illness.      And we must give major consideration to building new institutions.  You know, when I was growing up in Queens, in New York, we had a number of mental institutions.  And I’d look and I’d see these big buildings.  And all of a sudden, you go and you don’t see them anymore.  And you say, “What happened to all of those beds?  What happened to all of that work?  And where are those people?”  And in many cases, those people are living on the streets.  It’s much different.      And somebody made the decision a long time ago and they did it for budgetary reasons, but we have to take care of our mentally ill.  We have to help people that are having problems.      But I see it.  So many areas of -- in Queens and other areas; New York City -- you saw these massive buildings.  In some cases, they did great work, I guess.  Not in all cases.  But you don’t have them anymore, Dr. Drew.  You don’t have them.  They’re gone.      And you say -- and these are thousands -- tens of thousands of rooms.  And you say, “Well, we have more population now, and yet we have far less beds and rooms.”  So we’re doing something about it.      At the same time, we need to keep very dangerous people off our streets.  And we want to take care of the mental illness, but we have a lot of very dangerous people on our streets.      This week's funding bill provides $3.9 billion for mental health programs -- $3.9 billion -- an increase of $328 million.      And my administration is focused on early detection, evidence-based programs, stopping the opioid epidemic -- which is an incredible problem.  Just the drug epidemic, period.  You could say "opioid," but you could still say "drugs."  There's never been anything like it.  And not only in this country, in all countries -- in almost all countries.  And supporting our new law enforcement professionals, who are doing such a fantastic job.      We’re also doing screening for our vets for mental illness, which is something they haven’t done.  Our vets are being taken care of now better than ever before.      We had Choice passed.  This was something they've been trying to get.  For close to 50 years, they've been trying to get it.  Veterans Choice -- where if you don’t see a doctor fairly quickly, you can go outside, get a wonderful private doctor, and we pay the bill.  It's made such a difference.  You don’t see the problems that you were seeing at the VA.  So, that’s a tremendous thing.      But we have to work on a lot of different things in that world.  That’s a big world -- between drugs, mental illness.  It's all -- it all comes together as one big problem.  And we're working on it very hard.      And many of the people in the room are the leaders on that.  And I just want to thank you.  That’s why I wanted to come over and say hello and thank you -- because you do a job.  You really are fully appreciated.  You feel you are underappreciated because you don’t see it.      But I'll tell you: The people of this country respect you so much.  You have one of the toughest professions anywhere in the world, even tougher than Ben.  And Ben's is tough.  (Laughter.)  Ben's is called "housing."  That’s tough.  You've got housing and plenty of other things on top of it.  You sort of have everything.      But I just want to thank you personally for the job you do.  It was really fantastic.  And thank you very much, all of you.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.  Appreciate it.  Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.                         END                 3:55 P.M. EST

Bill Announcement

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 19, 2019

On Thursday, December 19, 2019, the President signed into law: H.R. 5363, the "Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act or the FUTURE Act," which makes permanent $255 million in mandatory funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs); enable disclosure of tax return information for the administration of Federal student financial aid programs; and increase funding for the Federal Pell Grant program.

Statement from the President

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 19, 2019 Statement from the President I have signed groundbreaking legislation to support America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and to simplify the Federal financial aid application for millions of American families.  President Obama and the Obama Administration were unable to get this done.  I got it done. I wish to thank the leaders who helped pass this legislation: Secretary Betsy DeVos and Secretary Steven Mnuchin, along with Senator Lamar Alexander, Senator Tim Scott, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, Representative Virginia Foxx, and Representative Mark Walker. Thanks also to United Negro College Fund President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Lomax, Thurgood Marshall College Fund President and Chief Executive Officer Harry Williams, and National Association for Equal Opportunity President and Chief Executive Officer Lezli Baskerville. When I took office, I promised to fight for HBCUs, and my Administration continues to deliver. A few months ago, funding for HBCUs was in jeopardy. But the White House and Congress came together and reached a historic agreement. For the first time ever, I signed legislation to permanently fund HBCUs and other institutions that primarily serve first-generation and minority students. This action guarantees more than $2.5 billion over the next 10 years, including $850 million specifically for HBCUs. Today’s achievement continues my unprecedented commitment to HBCUs. During my first weeks in office, I moved the HBCU initiative, led by Johnathan Holifield, to the White House and worked with Congress to increase funding for HBCUs by more than $100 million. HBCUs have never had better champions in the White House. The bill I signed today also reforms the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The Internal Revenue Service will now seamlessly transfer applicants’ records to the Department of Education, so that families can use a simpler, shorter application for financial aid and those with student loans do not have to complete a cumbersome income certification process year after year.  This is a transformative change that has been talked about in Washington for more than a decade, but everyone always said it could not be done. We got it done. My Administration will continue to fight for HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions, as well as the millions of students and hundreds of communities they serve.  These wonderful institutions are essential to Keep America Great.

West Wing Reads Nancy Pelosi is Stalling on the Impeachment Trial Because She Knows Democrats Messed Up

Nancy Pelosi is Stalling on the Impeachment Trial Because She Knows Democrats Messed Up “Nancy Pelosi isn't stupid. The speaker of the House knows her party screwed up their ridiculous and desperate impeachment push, apparently not having thought things fully through,” Eddie Scarry writes in the Washington Examiner. “Immediately after her party voted, with a few Democratic defections, to impeach President Trump, she threatened to withhold sending both approved articles to the Senate for a trial.” Why did House Democrats go through a rushed impeachment process if the charges might not even be sent to the Senate? “The answer is obvious. Public support for impeachment and removal cratered after the congressional hearings last month”—particularly among independents. Click here to read more. Must-read: 4 Reasons Trump’s Impeachment Is The Weakest In U.S. History “House Democrats voted Wednesday evening to impeach Donald Trump but, media high-fives aside, what have they accomplished? They have failed to persuade the country; they have set a new, low standard for impeaching a President; [and] Mr. Trump will be acquitted in the Senate,” The Wall Street Journal editorial board writes. “Several Washington Post reporters were under fire late Wednesday night for celebrating ‘Impeachmas’ following the impeachment of President Trump . . . ‘Merry Impeachmas from the WaPo team!’ WaPo Congress reporter and CNN political analyst Rachael Bade remarked in the post,” Joseph Wulfsohn reports for Fox News. “There is a reason why impeachment is so rare: It is the process by which the Congress overturns the will of the people. Some 63 million Americans voted for Trump, and it is an intensely powerful action to disenfranchise them . . . Congressional Democrats are setting a dangerous precedent by which any future president may be impeached for political and policy disagreements,” Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) writes in USA Today.

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individual to Key Administration Post

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 19, 2019 President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individual to Key Administration Post   Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key position in his Administration: Sethuraman Panchanathan of Arizona, to be the Director of the National Science Foundation. Dr. Panchanathan currently serves as the Executive Vice President and the Chief Research and Innovation Officer at Arizona State University (ASU).  He is the Founding Director of the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing at ASU.  He was appointed to the National Science Board (NSB) in 2014 and served as the Chair of the Committee on Strategy for NSB.  He also served as a member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.  Dr. Panchanathan is the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).  He was the Chair of the Council on Research of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and Co-Chair of the Extreme Innovation Taskforce of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils.  He was appointed as Senior Advisor for Science & Technology by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey in 2018.  Dr. Panchanathan is a Fellow of the NAI, American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Society of Optical Engineering.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Madras in 1981 and in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science in 1984.  He then earned his master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1986 and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Ottawa, Canada, in 1989.

Statement from the Press Secretary

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 18, 2019 Statement from the Press Secretary Today marks the culmination in the House of one of the most shameful political episodes in the history of our Nation.  Without receiving a single Republican vote, and without providing any proof of wrongdoing, Democrats pushed illegitimate articles of impeachment against the President through the House of Representatives.  Democrats have chosen to proceed on this partisan basis in spite of the fact that the President did absolutely nothing wrong.  Indeed, weeks of hearings have proved that he did nothing wrong.   Throughout the House Democrats’ entire sham impeachment, the President was denied fundamental fairness and due process under the law.  The House blatantly ignored precedent and conducted the inquiry in secrecy behind closed doors so that Chairman Adam Schiff and his partisan political cronies could selectively leak information to their partners in the media to push a false narrative.  When public hearings were held before Chairman Schiff’s committee, Democrats continued their games and denied the President the ability to cross-examine witnesses or present witnesses or evidence.  The proceedings in the Judiciary Committee included no fact witnesses at all and consisted solely of a biased law seminar and a staffer rehashing the slanted report that was produced by Chairman Schiff’s rigged proceeding.  This unconstitutional travesty resulted in two baseless articles of impeachment that lack any support in evidence and fail even to describe any impeachable offense.  All of these antics make clear that Democrats have lost sight of what this country needs, which is a Congress that works for the people.  Their boundless animus for President Trump fuels their desire to nullify the 2016 election results, and improperly influence the 2020 election. The American people are not fooled by this disgraceful behavior.  They understand fairness, due process, and substantial, reliable evidence are required before any American should be charged with wrongdoing—and certainly before impeaching a duly elected President.  The President is confident the Senate will restore regular order, fairness, and due process, all of which were ignored in the House proceedings.  He is prepared for the next steps and confident that he will be fully exonerated.  President Trump will continue to work tirelessly to address the needs and priorities of the American people, as he has since the day he took office.

PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP APPLAUDS THE CIRCUIT COURT’S DECISION AND WILL CONTINUE WORKING TO PROVIDE AMERICANS WITH BETTER CARE AT LOWER COST

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 18, 2019 PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP APPLAUDS THE CIRCUIT COURT’S DECISION AND WILL CONTINUE WORKING TO PROVIDE AMERICANS WITH BETTER CARE AT LOWER COST “We’re creating a healthcare system that protects vulnerable patients, makes healthcare more affordable, gives you more choice and control, and delivers the high-quality care Americans deserve.” – President Donald J. Trump   A GREAT VICTORY FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: The 5th Circuit Court delivered a victory for the American people by ruling against a key part of Obamacare. In the case of Texas v. Azar, the 5th Circuit ruled that a key part of Obamacare – the individual mandate – is unconstitutional. The decision is expected to be litigated over the course of the next year.   While this is a great victory for the American people, there will be no immediate changes to your healthcare insurance while the case proceeds. The decision is a positive step toward moving away from Obamacare, which has failed the American people for too long. President Trump is committed to protecting Americans with preexisting conditions and will continue working to improve the quality, affordability, and accessibility of our healthcare system, as the courts continue to consider this case. OBAMACARE FAILED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: In addition to its unconstitutionality, Obamacare has failed the American people by increasing costs and reducing choices. While the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats promised Obamacare would lower premiums by $2,500, costs have soared. Obamacare has severely limited Americans’ ability to choose the best healthcare plan for them. Despite promises from President Obama and Congressional Democrats, millions of Americans lost their coverage and doctors after Obamacare was implemented. Obamacare has utterly failed to provide reliable, comprehensive care for all Americans. In 2017, 25.6 million Americans still lacked insurance. In 2018, only 12.5 million people were enrolled in Obamacare-compliant plans, falling far short of CBO’s 2013 projection of 27 million. IMPROVING CARE FOR ALL: The President is working to deliver a healthcare system that protects the vulnerable, provides affordability, ensures choice and control for patients, and delivers high-quality care. President Trump is increasing choices for consumers by expanding Association Health Plans, Health Reimbursement Arrangements, and short-term plans. President Trump is taking action to increase price transparency, empowering patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare. The President’s efforts to reduce drug prices have resulted in the largest single-year drop in prescription drug prices in more than half a century. President Trump will protect Americans with preexisting conditions. The President has taken action to protect and improve Medicare for our seniors. President Trump is committed to promoting innovative treatments for American patients. President Trump has taken action to improve kidney health and treatment, increase funding for and expand access to treatment for those struggling with addiction, step up pediatric cancer research, work on eliminating the HIV epidemic, and more.

Statement by the President

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 18, 2019

Statement by the President Today’s decision in Texas v. Azar is a win for all Americans and confirms what I have said all along: that the individual mandate, by far the worst element of Obamacare, is unconstitutional. This decision will not alter the current healthcare system. My Administration continues to work to provide access to high-quality healthcare at a price you can afford, while strongly protecting those with pre-existing conditions. The radical healthcare changes being proposed by the far left would strip Americans of their current coverage. I will not let this happen. Providing affordable, high-quality healthcare will always be my priority.  They are trying to take away your healthcare, and I am trying to give the American people the best healthcare in the world.

1600 Daily The White House • December 18, 2019 America spoke. House Democrats never listened.

The White House • December 18, 2019

America spoke. H0use Democrats never listened.     Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats are about to go down in history. Their legacy will be sealed tonight with an unfair, hyper-partisan impeachment vote that is unprecedented for all the wrong reasons.  President Donald J. Trump committed no crime. House Democrats agree: Their Articles of Impeachment against him do not claim a single criminal violation. For the first time in history, a President will be impeached for solely political reasons.   Also for the first time ever, an American President will be impeached without any votes from the minority party. A couple Democrats may join in opposing it, too.   The Pelosi-Schiff blitz will go down as the fastest impeachment in U.S. history. Why the rush? Because public support has dropped steadily throughout the process. Most Americans are against it. Democrats can’t afford to let it continue.   If House Democrats are remembered for anything else, it will be their rank hypocrisy. Obvious political double standards tend to get lost in the moment—especially with a Democrat-friendly media helping the cause—but history judges them harshly. During the Clinton impeachment, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY)—now chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee—warned that a partisan impeachment would be illegitimate. Such a ploy would “call into question the very legitimacy of our political institutions,” he said. He went so far as to lambast an impeachment attempt that didn’t have the “legitimacy of a national consensus” as a “partisan coup d’etat.” The amazing irony, of course, is that the Clinton impeachment was bipartisan, with five Democrats voting in favor of 3 of the 4 articles introduced. The Pelosi-Schiff impeachment of President Trump, however, is only bipartisan in the opposition to it. Americans have delivered their verdict. A new poll from Gallup finds that support for impeachment and removal has dropped 6 points. Other polls corroborate it: Recent ones from USA Today and Quinnipiac show that a majority of Americans oppose impeaching and removing President Trump from office. At town halls across America, constituents are demanding that House Democrats stop with impeachment and focus on the real issues facing our country. It should be obvious, and it is to everyone outside the Beltway Swamp: Americans are sick of Washington’s never-ending partisan circus. They’re tired of the excuses for obstructionism and inaction. They aren’t buying the phony, sanctimonious lip service to our Constitution and Founding Ideals from career politicians who never bother to defend either when it counts. Americans know House Democrats will go silent the moment they’re confronted with the Swamp’s own corruption, whether it be from FBI officials who used false information to spy on the Trump campaign or from Democrats’ own family members who got rich off conflicts of interest in Ukraine. Our citizens simply want their Government to work for them, not against them. Under President Trump, it finally is. The working-class boom is lifting wages for blue-collar workers, dropping the unemployment rate to a 50-year low, and slashing income inequality. On trade, this President renegotiated NAFTA and held China accountable for years of unfair and abusive practices that Washington ignored. Beyond that, illegal immigration is down, crime rates are down, and American service members are finally coming home while our NATO allies step up and contribute their fair share to the Alliance. But instead of listening to Americans and helping make Washington better, Democrats ignored them. The left sought impeachment from day one. They chased conspiracy theories to discredit the voices of 63 million Americans. They’ve called President Trump “illegitimate” and “not my President.” They’ve turned the most sacred power of Congress into a political weapon. They’ve made it clear democracy only counts if they win.  The message of the 2016 election was straightforward for anyone who listened: Put the American people first. Tonight, House Democrats will prove they never heard a word of it. In case you missed it: Read President Trump’s letter to Speaker Pelosi. Watch: “This has been rigged from the start.”

West Wing Reads These Have Been the Best Few Weeks of Trump’s Presidency

These Have Been the Best Few Weeks of Trump’s Presidency House Democrats will vote to impeach President Donald J. Trump tonight. “Yet these past few weeks have arguably been the best of Trump’s presidency — not despite impeachment, but in no small part because of it,” Marc Thiessen writes in The Washington Post. The accomplishments are many: USMCA is set to replace NAFTA, China has agreed to a major Phase 1 trade deal with America, and our booming economy is lifting wages and slashing income inequality. Even some Democrats are figuring that out: One of them, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (N-DJ), just announced he is switching to the Republican Party. Click here to read more. Meltdown: CNN legal analyst says ‘I don’t believe’ CNN poll showing support for impeachment is down “Ford Motor Co. is adding 3,000 jobs at two factories in the Detroit area and investing $1.45 billion to build new pickup trucks, SUVs, and electric and autonomous vehicles . . . Hiring will begin next year for the jobs that will pay on average about $61,000 a year,” Tom Krisher and David Eggert report for The Associated Press. Once again, Democrats’ partisan politics have backfired: “President Trump’s job approval rating has ticked up 6 percentage points since the Democrats' impeachment inquiry began, according to a new survey.” A majority of Americans also oppose impeachment and removing President Trump from office, Owen Daugherty reports in The Hill.   The top judge on the federal court overseeing U.S. surveillance activities just issued a stunning and unprecedented rebuke of the James Comey–led FBI. Judge Rosemary Collyer scolded the FBI for providing false and misleading information in applications to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser, Chuck Ross reports for The Daily Caller.

Text of a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Serious Human Rights Abuse and Corruption

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 18, 2019

NOTICE - - - - - - - CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE AND CORRUPTION        On December 20, 2017, by Executive Order 13818, the President declared a national emergency with respect to serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world and, pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), took related steps to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.      The prevalence and severity of human rights abuse and corruption that have their source, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States, continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.  For this reason, the national emergency declared on December 20, 2017, must continue in effect beyond December 20, 2019.  Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13818 with respect to serious human rights abuse and corruption.      This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.                                 DONALD J. TRUMP   THE WHITE HOUSE,     December 18, 2019.

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 18, 2019 President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts   Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following individual to key positions in his Administration: Neil Andrew Jacobs of North Carolina, to be the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere at the Department of Commerce. Dr. Jacobs is currently the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, where he is responsible for advancement of United States weather prediction, space innovation, unmanned systems, and developing the blue economy.  Dr. Jacobs previously served as Chief Scientist at Panasonic, where he directed research and development of aviation weather observing and forecast programs.  Before joining Panasonic, Dr. Jacobs worked on various projects including NASA's Earth Systems Science Program, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Program, and the Department of Energy's Ocean Margins Program.  He was Chair of the American Meteorological Society’s Forecast Improvement Group, and served on the World Meteorological Organization’s observing systems expert team.  Dr. Jacobs holds bachelor degrees in mathematics and physics from the University of South Carolina and an M.S. in air-sea interaction and a Ph.D. in numerical weather prediction from North Carolina State University.  He resides in Durham, North Carolina, with his wife Dr. Jennifer Modliszewski and sons Nicolaus and Theodore.   --- Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key positions in his Administration: Bryan S. Ware of Virginia, to be the Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security. Bryan S. Ware currently serves as the Assistant Secretary for Cyber, Infrastructure, and Resilience Policy at the Department of Homeland Security.  Mr. Ware is responsible for leading department-wide efforts to reduce national risks, with a focus on critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, Federal network security, countering cyber-crime, and improving the security and resilience of the global cyber ecosystem.  In 1998, Mr. Ware founded an artificial intelligence company, which he led until it was acquired in 2013 by Haystax.  After serving as Chief Technology Officer of Haystax, he served as CEO from 2016 until 2018.  Mr. Ware started his professional career with leading defense contractors working on advanced technology programs, including the Star Wars program, early UAV payloads, and counterterrorism technologies.  Mr. Ware has been issued multiple patents in artificial intelligence and mobile technology.  He holds a degree in Applied Optics from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Jeffrey A. Koses of Virginia (GSA Rep) to be a Member of the Committee for Purchase from People who are Blind or Severely Disabled (AbilityOne Commission). David Bohigian of Missouri to be a Member on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. Randolph R. Lowell of South Carolina to be a Member of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council. Robert D. Alverson of Washington State, to be a Member of the International Pacific Halibut Commission. Jay D. Vogt of South Dakota to be a Member of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The following individuals to be Members of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: Paul Hsu of Florida Michelle Park Steel of California Doris Flores Brooks of Guam Keiko Matsudo Orrall of Massachusetts Helen Van Etten of Kansas Edward Jerome Calvo of Guam Jennifer Carnahan of Minnesota David B. Cohen of California Grace Y. Lee of Michigan George Leing of Colorado Jan-le Low of Nevada Herman Martir of Texas Prem Parameswaran of New York Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa Chiling Tong of Maryland The following individuals to be Members of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board: Susan Braden of the District of Columbia Margaret Chai Maloney of California Alphonso Jackson of Virginia John M. Viola of New York The following individuals to be Members of the Commission on Presidential Scholars: Elizabeth Gunther of South Carolina James Zaleski of California The following individuals to be Members of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council: Alan D. Listhaus of Pennsylvania Howard M. Lorber of New York Eli Henry Miller of Massachusetts The following individuals to be Members of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: Robert S. Graham of Arizona Melinda Hildebrand of Texas