{"id":77454,"date":"2019-04-02T11:29:01","date_gmt":"2019-04-02T18:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.46.6.243\/?p=77454"},"modified":"2019-04-02T11:29:01","modified_gmt":"2019-04-02T18:29:01","slug":"president-trump-at-2019-prison-reform-summit-and-first-step-act-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=77454","title":{"rendered":"President Trump at 2019 Prison Reform Summit and First Step Act Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Well, thank you very much.  Please.  Thank you.  We are very honored to be joined by our incredible Vice President.  Mike \u2014 please, stand up, Mike.  (Applause.)  Mike Pence.  Today we\u2019re here to celebrate the truly extraordinary bipartisan \u2014 that\u2019s a very pleasant word \u2014 (applause) \u2014 that\u2019s a pleasant word \u2014 achievement of the FIRST STEP Act.  Very important.  This landmark legislation will give countless current and former prisoners a second chance at life and a new opportunity to contribute to their communities, their states, and their nations.  And that\u2019s what they\u2019re doing.  Many distinguished \u2014 (applause) \u2014 that\u2019s true.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k9K8AEsVx6I\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Many distinguished guests are here with us for today\u2019s \u2014 really, this is a ceremony that\u2019s something that\u2019s very special.  And I want to just recognize a few of them: Attorney General William Barr.  Thank you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>A man doing a great job \u2014 Secretary Alex Acosta.  (Applause.)  Where\u2019s Alex?<\/p>\n<p>Ben Carson.  Ben.  HUD.  (Applause.)  Setting records over at HUD.  Really good, Ben.  I\u2019m proud of you.<\/p>\n<p>Secretary Rick Perry \u2014 former Governor of Texas.  (Applause.)  And I have to say Rick really pioneered what we\u2019re here for today.  He was an early advocate and has done a great job in a lot of ways, but as Governor of Texas also.  An early pioneer of what we\u2019re doing today.  Thank you, Rick.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And a very special thanks also to members of Congress.  We have with us Senators Chuck Grassley.  Where is our Chuck?  (Applause.)  Chuck.  Chuck.  Thank you, Chuck.  And I\u2019m glad I found him.  I\u2019d be in trouble if I didn\u2019t find him.  (Laughter.)  Bill Cassidy.  Bill.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Bill.  Senator Cassidy.  Mike Lee.  Mike?  Thank you, Mike.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Senator Rob Portman.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Rob.  Cindy Hyde-Smith.  (Applause.)  Ran a great race.  Ran a great race. Good job.  Congratulations, Cindy.  Great job.  And a friend of mine \u2014 Roger Wicker, senator.  (Applause.)  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>And a lot of congressmen and women are here.  But just to introduce a few of them: Congressman Doug Collins.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Josh Gottheimer.  Thank you, Josh.  (Applause.)  And Tom Reed.  No Labels.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>A lot of governors are here, and some we\u2019re going to leave out \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 because I don\u2019t like them.  But that\u2019s okay.  I\u2019ll get to like them.  Kentucky Governor \u2014 a man I do like \u2014 Matt Bevin.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>An incredible guy, a friend of mine and all of us for a long time, and he\u2019s going to be leaving the governorship one day soon, and we\u2019re not going to be happy about that at all: Phil Bryant.  Fantastic governor.  (Applause.)  He is a fantastic governor.  And he built the African American Museum, and it\u2019s one of the best jobs I\u2019ve seen in a long time.  A lot of money but under budget and ahead of schedule, right, Phil?  And he was proud of that.  (Applause.)  You don\u2019t see that often in government.<\/p>\n<p>North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.  Doug?  Thank you, Doug.  (Applause.)  And Mrs. Burgum.  And Mrs. Burgum.  Thank you very much.  And Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.  (Applause.)  Thanks, Ken.  Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine.  Karl, thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Karl.  And Florida\u2019s former Attorney General, Pam Bondi \u2014 respected by everybody.  (Applause.)  Where\u2019s Pam?  Thank you, Pam.<\/p>\n<p>And they\u2019re joined by many faith and law enforcement leaders.  We have tremendous numbers of people here today that are just such strong believers in not only what we\u2019re doing but also faith.  And faith is a good thing.  In my book, it\u2019s a great thing.<\/p>\n<p>I also want to recognize someone that you all know well, who worked tirelessly on this project.  And to achieve it he went through a lot.  And I\u2019ll tell you what \u2014 he got there, and he got there with flying colors, because he believes, and a lot of other people believe \u2014 both conservative and liberal, and those in the middle: Jared Kushner.  (Applause.)  Jared?<\/p>\n<p>And he did not want me to do that.  Because I saw this beautiful line and \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 and he didn\u2019t want it but other people did.  They insisted that I do it and it was real easy.  But, you know, Jared has had a very easy life.  He was doing phenomenally in New York, and everything he touched has turned to gold.  And then, one day, he said, \u201cI want to come down and I want to have peace in the Middle East.  And I want to do criminal justice reform.  And I want to do all these wonderful things.\u201d  And his life became extremely complex.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>And he wouldn\u2019t trade it.  I don\u2019t think he\u2019d trade it, because what he\u2019s doing is incredible.  And he is doing great in the Middle East.  I think you\u2019re going to have, someday \u2014 before we\u2019re finished, I think you\u2019re going to have something very important signed, and I hope so.  You\u2019re doing a great job.  Thank you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>So, many people said \u2014 in fact, I guess we could say almost all people said \u2014 that criminal justice reform would never pass.  But we came together as a group, we worked across party lines, and we got it done.  And it\u2019s an incredible thing when you see some of the people here \u2014 so conservative and then some so liberal.  And we just have a lot of great people that came together.  They knew it had to be done.<\/p>\n<p>As President, I pledged to work with both parties for the good of the whole nation.  And that\u2019s what it is: It\u2019s for the good of the whole nation.  And it\u2019s something that is so important to me in terms of this and lots of other things.  And it\u2019s happening.  Slowly, but surely, it\u2019s all happening.<\/p>\n<p>The more I met and spoke with those involved in our criminal justice system, the more clear it became that unfair sentencing rules were contributing to the cycle of poverty and crime like really nothing else before.  It was time to fix this broken system \u2014 and it\u2019s a system of the past \u2014 and to improve the lives of so many people.<\/p>\n<p>And you look at the safety and all of the things that are happening now as a result of the FIRST STEP \u2014 as an example, non-violent prisoners will have opportunities to participate in vocational training, education, and drug treatment programs.  When they get out of prison, they will be ready to get a job instead of turning back to a life of crime.  (Applause.)  All right?<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019m really \u2014 I\u2019m thrilled to report that, since I signed the FIRST STEP Act, more than 16,000 inmates have already enrolled in drug treatment programs.  (Applause.)  And my administration intends to fully fund and implement this historic law.  It\u2019s happening, and it\u2019s happening fast.  And it\u2019s a lot for some people to understand.  As soon as they understand it, they say, \u201cWow, why didn\u2019t we do this a long time ago?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And some of the great governors that are here with us today have already implemented it.  And they were a step ahead and now they\u2019re going a step further.  And I want to just congratulate them.  And these are states that I won\u2019t name because I don\u2019t know if I should be naming them, but these are states that you wouldn\u2019t think necessarily would be at the forefront of criminal justice reform.  You understand that.  (Applause.)  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>The FIRST STEP Act serves as a model for criminal justice reform as the state level and all over the state level \u2014 all over every aspect of what we do \u2014 and throughout many states that are following our lead and already moving similar legislation forward \u2014 many of them are \u2014 including Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, and Mississippi.<\/p>\n<p>The FIRST STEP Act also ensures that those in prison are placed closer to their families and home communities so they can have that communication that they need, greatly easing their return to society.  (Applause.)  It\u2019s really important.  Really important.  Right?<\/p>\n<p>And finally, the law rolls back provisions of the 1994 Clinton crime law that was so devastating to some many and that disproportionately impacted the African American community.  Nobody believes how much, and now they understand it.<\/p>\n<p>In less than four months, more than 500 people with unfair sentences have been released from prison and are free to begin a new life.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>One of these newly freed Americans is Troy Powell, who is with us today.  In 2004, Troy was sentenced to 20 years for doing a drug offense.  During his 15 years in prison, he took courses and worked as an electrician, and he got really good at being an electrician.  Really good.  In fact, if you ever lose your job, come see me.  I need electricians.  (Laughter.)  We could use them right here in the White House, Troy, if you want to know the truth.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>In February, Troy was released under the FIRST STEP Act.  Nine days later, he was hired at Boone Lumber Company in Lenoir, North Carolina.  And now Troy is saving \u2014 and really saving a lot of money because he\u2019s doing well.  You know, our economy is helping a little bit, Troy.  I\u2019ll tell you.  (Laughter and applause.)  But he\u2019s saving money to buy a home.  And he\u2019s got one in mind.  One particular home in mind.  He\u2019ll get it, I have no doubt about it.  So, Troy, congratulations.  Thank you very much.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Do you want to say a couple words?<\/p>\n<p>MR. POWELL:  Yeah, sure.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  He didn\u2019t know about it.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>MR. POWELL:  Oh, my God.  Man, this is crazy.  Well, first of all, I\u2019d like to say thank you to everybody here on Capitol Hill for finally getting this bill pushed through.  I mean, I know there was a lot of work involved in it.  And I would like to say thank you to the organizations that got me here, like #Cut50, and Amy, CAN-DO.  And them people, I mean, they\u2019ve done so much for me.  It\u2019s unbelievable how much they\u2019ve done for me.  I never thought \u2014 I never thought this bill would pass, and coming home and finding places like Boone Lumber Company that took a chance on me right out the door.  I mean, \u201cNo problem.  Come home to work.\u201d  You know?<\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t thank everybody enough for that, and \u2014 but more than just thanking everybody for these things, there\u2019s more that can be done.  I left so many people behind in prison doing 40 and 50 years for nothing.  I mean, absolutely nothing.  I mean, should I have went to prison?  Absolutely.  I committed a crime.<\/p>\n<p>But for 20 years for the small things that I had done?  I should\u2019ve definitely went to prison.  And I don\u2019t know what to say.  I think there \u2014 I think there should be a second step, that\u2019s what I say.  (Applause.)  I think there should be a second step.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Now, could I have said it better than that?  (Laughter.)  His statement about so many people \u2014 and that\u2019s true.  So many people in there that really are serving 40- and 50-year sentences for things that you wouldn\u2019t even believe; that some people wouldn\u2019t even be going to prison for today.  So I want to \u2014 I just think that was incredible.<\/p>\n<p>And don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m going to ask a couple.  But, you know, none of them know they\u2019re going to speak, and that makes it \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 that usually produces a much better speech.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re also proud to have with us on stage five more Americans who have been released under the FIRST STEP Act and transformed their lives, and that includes Gregory Allen.  Where\u2019s Gregory?  Gregory.  (Applause.)  Hi, Gregory.  You want to say something?  Come on.<\/p>\n<p>MR. ALLEN:  Mine is real short.  Two months ago, I was in a prison cell and I\u2019m in the White House.  (Laughter.)  That\u2019s going to tell you to make America great again.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  That\u2019s great.  And you know what?  The people of our country feel the same way as you people.<\/p>\n<p>MR. ALLEN:  Absolutely.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  They do.  They feel it.<\/p>\n<p>Yvonne Fountain.  Yvonne?  Yvonne, thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much, Yvonne.  (Applause.)  Oh, she wants to come up?  Come up, Yvonne.  She wants to \u2014 she wants to come up.  (Applause.)  Come on, Yvonne.<\/p>\n<p>MS. FOUNTAIN:  Thank you so much.  God bless you.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>I just want to say I am so grateful.  First, I want to thank God because God got me through a lot in prison.  Yes, I went to prison.  I did my time.  I was good the whole time.  I worked.  I stayed out of trouble.  I programmed.  I did what I needed to do.  When you y\u2019all passed this, I could\u2019ve fell through the floor.  (Laughter.)  Because I had to wait for years and years for them to pass that mandatory bill.  And that\u2019s a hard thing.<\/p>\n<p>But I\u2019m grateful.  I thank everybody who put their hands in it, all the hard work.  And I really thank you for signing that bill.  (Applause.)  When you signed that, I really could have fell through the floor.  Thank you so much.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  April Johnson.  April.  Come up, April.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. JOHNSON:  I just want to thank \u2014 thank you for signing the bill.  I got compassionate release from my daughter.  And because of that, I\u2019ll be able to spend what time she has left with her.<\/p>\n<p>MR. ALLEN:  Take your time.  Take your time.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JOHNSON:  She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in September and they have since gave her a grave prognosis.  And because of the bill and FIRST STEP Act, I\u2019ll be able to spend the rest of her time with her.  And I thank you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, sweetheart.  You take care.  (Inaudible.)<\/p>\n<p>MS. JOHNSON:  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:   Thank you very much.  Beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>Catherine Toney.  Catherine?  Catherine?  (Applause.)  Catherine \u2014 I thought that was you, Catherine.  Come.<\/p>\n<p>MS. TONEY:  Good evening, everyone.  First of all, I would like to thank God.  Then I would like to thank the President for signing the bill.  (Applause.)  I also would like to thank Jared.  (Applause.)  I would like to thank Van Jones, Jessica Jackson, #Cut50, Amy Povah.  I would also like to thank Harry Jackson \u2014 Bishop Harry Jackson.  He\u2019s been great through my release.  (Applause.)  I would like to thank Jared for calling corporate of Walmart, giving me \u2014 getting me my first job in 16 years.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>I would also like to thank Becky, which is here.  Ms. Becky, could you please stand up?  Becky Sadler.  She has worked with me since I\u2019ve left the White House the first time, getting me this job at Walmart with Jared \u2014 reached to them.  And I just want to thank everybody, both parties.<\/p>\n<p>And what I have to say is I feel as if the FIRST STEP Act needs to be fully implemented and it needs to be fully funded in order to make this step work.  It\u2019s so many people that we left behind that needs the same opportunity that we on this stage have.  And if they had the full funding that this step need, it would be many of us on this stage.  So I just want to thank everyone.  And God bless you all.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  And a man who\u2019s actually become much more famous than me, or anybody else in the room \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 his story is an incredible story, and it\u2019s been inspiring.  And I\u2019d just like to introduce quickly, Matthew Charles.  (Applause.) Matthew.  Come here, Matthew.<\/p>\n<p>MR. CHARLES:  Thank you.  I\u2019m truly humbled.  Nobody could be more famous than you.  I\u2019m truly humbled.  I\u2019m grateful.  I\u2019m thankful.  Jared, the President, I\u2019m thankful that you were insistent about getting this bill passed and signed.  When it stalled in the Senate, and you informed Mitch McConnell you wanted to actually do this before that Senate in Congress went out, I\u2019ll always remember that.  So I\u2019m just humble, thankful.  In all, I\u2019m still pleasantly overwhelmed and it\u2019s an experience that I\u2019ll never forget.  Thank you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  And I want to thank you all.  And a woman who I think is a terrific woman and spokesman, and I\u2019ve watched her, and we helped her a little bit.  She was in jail for a long time, and she had a long time to go.  And I\u2019d like to say \u2014 is Alice here?  Where\u2019s Alice?  Come up here, Alice, will you please?  (Applause.)  Alice Johnson.  Alice Johnson.  Come up.<\/p>\n<p>MS. JOHNSON:  Thank you so much.  First of all, everyone knows me \u2014 I have to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, first.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And I want to thank our incredible President, President Donald John Trump.  (Applause.)  I just told him I finally get a chance to hug you and properly say thank you for believing in me.  And I\u2019d like to thank all of the advocates who have fought so long for me, who have been working behind the scenes trying to magnify my case.<\/p>\n<p>I thank everyone in this room for your prayers.  And I also want to thank the media for being so kind to me \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 because you have really \u2014 you have really helped magnify my story.  (Laughter and applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Are you sure?  (Laughs.)  Good!<\/p>\n<p>MS. JOHNSON:  But thank you.  I\u2019m an example of a woman who has been given a second chance in life.  There are so many others who deserve that same second chance.  And so I\u2019m grateful for platforms like this, for events like this today, that magnifies that need \u2014 because somehow, when you see a face, when you see another human being like me who has been separated from their family almost 22 years, that changes things, that changes heart.<\/p>\n<p>God bless you and God bless America.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you, Alice.  You know, when you said \u2014 Alice said, \u201cI want to also thank the media,\u201d I sort of bent over and said, \u201cAre you sure?\u201d  (Laughter.)  She said \u2014 and I do, too.  I think it\u2019s fantastic.  That\u2019s great.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And a couple of people: Van Jones, please stand up.  Please.  (Applause.)  He goes after me on occasion \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 but you know what?  He came together with this one.  We all agree this is very, very strong.  This is a great bonding.  And we appreciate it.  You worked very hard on it, along with Ivanka.  Please stand up.  Ivanka.  (Applause.)  And Charlie Kirk.  Stand up real fast.  (Applause.)  And Matt Schlapp.  Stand up real fast.  (Applause.)  You guys \u2014 now, that\u2019s an example of seriously conservative people and they\u2019re totally into it, right?  I mean, so many.  So many.<\/p>\n<p>So, to recognize the dignity and the potential of every American, I have designated April as the \u201cSecond Chance Month.\u201d  And we have a beautiful certificate coming.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>As a result of our incredible economic turnaround \u2014 we had a big stock market day today, so that makes it even better, but a big day \u2014 there has never been a better time for those who need a second chance and they get a fresh start.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s so incredible to see people coming out of prison.  They\u2019ve done, historically, as you know, very, very poorly, oftentimes having to go back.  Because they come out; they can\u2019t get a job.  Nobody wants to hire them because they were in prions.  And because the economy is so strong, they\u2019re getting an incredible start, as we say.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s also maybe even more incredible to see what the people that are doing the hiring are saying.  They are in love with what\u2019s happening.  (Applause.)  They\u2019re hiring people that are great, and they\u2019re letting everyone know it.  Everyone know it.  Pretty incredible.<\/p>\n<p>So the good economy is really giving them a chance \u2014 and a second chance, and in some cases, really a third chance.  And they\u2019re working out.  I can\u2019t say everybody, but the word is that it\u2019s been terrific.  It\u2019s been just terrific.  Employers all over the country are helping out.  And Walmart has been a big factor.  Ivanka, I know that was through you.  And other of the major companies, but also smaller companies.  And they are \u2014 the results are incredible.  They\u2019re just really good.  And we\u2019re very, very happy about that.  So congratulations to everybody in the room.<\/p>\n<p>Since my election, we\u2019ve created more than 5.3 million jobs.  Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in more than 50 years.  Last year, a record 73 percent of new jobs went to people who were out of the labor force \u2014 totally out; totally out \u2014 and now they\u2019re coming off the sidelines and going back to work.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And you\u2019ve seen where I\u2019ve said a lot because I\u2019m very proud of it.  And I said, \u201cWhat do you have to lose?\u201d  And people would say, \u201cWell, maybe you shouldn\u2019t say it.\u201d  But I meant that because it was tough.  African American unemployment is the lowest level in the history of our country right now.  (Applause.)  And that goes for Hispanic American, Asian American.  Women are very close.  Women are at a 64-year low.  It\u2019s up to 64.  Soon to be historic, I hope.  And it\u2019s been incredible.<\/p>\n<p>African American income, by the way, and Hispanic American income is the highest level it\u2019s ever been in the history of our country.  That\u2019s a big factor, too.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>But to take advantage of everything, those with criminal records still face many barriers toward gainful employment.<\/p>\n<p>When Catherine Toney was released in February, she had difficulty finding work due to her past record.  She applied to the local Walmart in Daphne, Alabama.  As part of our Pledge to America\u2019s Workers, Walmart is looking to change its hiring practice; it has already started very strongly, and is hiring a lot of great people.  And some are getting a second chance, and some are getting a little bit more than that.  And I want to thank Walmart.<\/p>\n<p>And I really want to thank some of the big companies of our country.  They\u2019re doing an incredible job.  What they\u2019re doing is \u2014 I think, even if you go back, Van, 5 years, 10 years, you go back just a short while ago, nobody would believe what\u2019s happening with respect to exactly what we\u2019re talking about today.  Very few people would believe it.  So we\u2019re very, very proud.<\/p>\n<p>They interviewed Catherine.  They were really impressed by her resolve, her ability to speak so beautifully.  She\u2019ll probably end up running for office.  (Laughter.)  And two weeks ago, she began her first day on the job.  And I have no doubt she\u2019s going to be very successful, and she\u2019ll do a terrific job.<\/p>\n<p>So, Catherine, we can\u2019t wait to see you and all that you achieve over what will be a long, long life.  And we appreciate it very much.  (Applause.)  We appreciate it very much.  Thanks, Catherine.  We look forward to that.<\/p>\n<p>Americans with criminal records are unemployed at rates up to five times higher than the national average.  Today, I am announcing that the Second Step Act will be focused on successful re-entry and reduce unemployment for Americans with past criminal records.  And that\u2019s what we starting right away.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019m very proud to say that we\u2019re leading the way, but a lot of states are now following us.  They\u2019re liking it; they\u2019re following us.  And, believe it or not, it\u2019s great for our people, it\u2019s great for the people that it so deeply affects.  But, you know, it\u2019s also great for the economy.  We actually \u2014 it\u2019s hard to believe, we save a tremendous amount of money because people are coming out with these 40- and 50-year sentences for what you would consider to be everything serious, but not that serious.  And they\u2019re getting out and they\u2019re working instead of being in prison.  And we\u2019re saving hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars and doing good at the same time.  So that\u2019s sort of a rare occurrence.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Our goal is to cut the rate to single digits within five years.  And I think that\u2019s very, very achievable, especially if the economy keeps going the way it is.  And we\u2019re going to keep it going the way it is.<\/p>\n<p>When we say \u201cHire American,\u201d we mean all Americans, including former inmates who have paid their debt to society.  And they\u2019ve paid it, in many cases, more than many of the people that we think of in our society.  They have really paid their debt.<\/p>\n<p>Our bond with our fellow citizens is what stitches us together as one united nation, sharing one common destiny.<\/p>\n<p>We will achieve our goal by encouraging employers to adopt Second Chance hiring practices.  That\u2019s a movement that\u2019s very, very en vogue.  But, when I say \u201cen vogue,\u201d it\u2019s something that\u2019s happening and it\u2019s happening all over.  And, again, we\u2019re going to lead that way, but we are really being studied by a lot of great governors in a lot of states.  And some are even with us.  I don\u2019t want to let them get too far ahead of us, because I would hate to have that down.  (Laughter.)  We came in second; that\u2019s no good.  But they really are.  They\u2019re doing a fantastic job at the state level.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re also making it easier to work by removing obstacles to securing housing, and driver\u2019s licenses and occupational licenses.  And we\u2019re promoting mentorship through proven programs such as Prison Fellowship \u2014 something that people really find very important and very good.  (Applause.)  Right?<\/p>\n<p>My administration is also supporting funding for re-entry programs, including $88 million for Second Chance Act.  You know that.  (Applause.)  And an estimated $28 million for the Pell Grants pilot program.  Great, great program.  (Applause.)  And really, I think maybe more than anything else, we\u2019re now proving that we are a nation that believes in redemption.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And to remind us what is possible, we are joined by a couple of people.  First of all, is Pastor Scott here?  Darrell Scott.  Where\u2019s the pastor?  Is he here someplace?  He\u2019s worked so hard.  I wanted to point him out.  Darrell, thank you very much.  Thank you, Darrell.  (Applause.)  Darrell Scott.  Thank you.  Worked so hard.  Every time I see him on television, I say, \u201cI don\u2019t want to go against that guy.\u201d  (Laughter.)  He\u2019s a tough pastor and a good friend.<\/p>\n<p>And also a man who has served time in federal prison but today he\u2019s with us, and he\u2019s now a Professor of Law at a place called Georgetown University \u2014 and one of his students happens to be my daughter, Tiffany \u2014 so, Shon \u2014 hey, could I ask Shon to come up, please?  (Applause.)  Where is Shon?  Are you here?  Where is Shon?  Shon, come up.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>Is my daughter okay as a student?<\/p>\n<p>MR. HOPWOOD:  She is.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  She better be.  (Laughter and applause.)<\/p>\n<p>MR. HOPWOOD:  It\u2019s fun to get to come back here.  The one thing I realized when we worked on FIRST STEP was I got to meet a lot of really cool people.  And we worked on this together, and I have become friends with so many of you.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s astonishing to me that so many people want to come work and help people that are in prison.  Because when you\u2019re in prison, it feels very lonely and there\u2019s not a lot of hope.  And now there is more hope in the federal system than there ever has been at any point since I have been watching.  And that\u2019s because of the work that everybody in this room has done.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for helping people like me.  Thank you for giving second chances.  I think you are going to be rewarded in a way that you cannot even imagine when we get more people like my friend, Matthew Charles \u2014 who, by the way, came over to our house last night for dinner.  And you know what my daughter said?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  What?<\/p>\n<p>MR. HOPWOOD:  My 7-year-old daughter said, \u201cDad, how do I talk to Matthew?  He\u2019s so famous!\u201d  (Laughter and applause.)<\/p>\n<p>So, thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership on this.  You have gotten things done that has taken decades of work from a lot of people in this room.  And to see the fruits of your labor is just amazing to watch.  Thank you, sir.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  Keep up the good work.<\/p>\n<p>And the FIRST STEP Act proves that, really, beyond almost anything we can think of, our country can achieve amazing breakthroughs when we put politics aside and put the interests of all Americans first.  It\u2019s true.  It\u2019s so true.  Especially in these times.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>If we work together for the common good, we can forge a future of even greater safety, opportunity, dignity, and freedom for the families across this incredible nation of ours.<\/p>\n<p>I want to again thank everybody in the room, everybody for being with us.  So many leaders.  I see Paula White; she\u2019s worked so hard on bringing the faith-based community together.  (Applause.)  And where\u2019s Paula?  That\u2019s great.  So hard.  (Applause.)  I want to thank you.  I want to thank you.  Such a great job.<\/p>\n<p>And most importantly, I want to congratulate all of the people that have been so incredibly successful.  They\u2019ve left a place called prison, and as you said brilliantly, they arrived at the White House.  They go from prison to the White House.  And you know what?  You\u2019re going to have an incredible future.  Everybody in this room \u2014 you know who we\u2019re talking about \u2014 and the people standing on this stage, you\u2019re going to have an incredible future.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s my honor and it\u2019s the honor of all of the folks in this room that have helped to have been part of a process, I think, that\u2019s going to go down as a tremendous day in the history of our country.  A lot of tremendous things are about to happen.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Well, thank you very much. Please. Thank you. We are very honored to be joined by our incredible Vice President. Mike \u2014 please, stand up, Mike. (Applause.) Mike Pence. Today we\u2019re here to celebrate the truly extraordinary bipartisan \u2014 that\u2019s a very pleasant word \u2014 (applause) \u2014 that\u2019s a pleasant word \u2014 achievement of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,16,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-law-enforcement","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/whitehouselogo200.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=77454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=77454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=77454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=77454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}