My support for President Barack Obama goes deeper than politics.  I am extremely proud of all he has accomplished. He is taking our country in the right direction but he is much more than his legislative accomplishments.

The very first bill the President signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Act, which ensures that women receive equal pay for equal work.  He stopped the country from slipping into a depression and turned the economy around.  We’ve added nearly 3.7 million private sector jobs in his administration, and have had 23 straight months of job growth.

The President also made fundamental reforms to K-12 education so more kids can realize the dream of going to college, and he made it easier for students to pay for college once they get there. He also passed landmark health care legislation making health care more affordable for families and small businesses, and has brought much-needed transparency and accountability to the insurance industry. 

Aside from his legislative accomplishments, I support President Obama because he honors the legacy of our African American heroes and continues to be an inspiration to millions of young kids.  He’s living proof that if you study hard and play by the rules, you can accomplish all of your dreams.  And despite all of the pressures of being President of the United States, he still makes time to be a wonderful father and a loving husband.  In a world that sometimes sheds only on the negative, it is good to see that he is one of many exceptions.  I stand with the President because he sets an example through his politics and personal life for the rest of the country and he deserves a 2^nd term to keep fighting for the American people. 

To learn more about the President’s accomplishments, click here.

This evening, Mitt Romney is hosting a policy-conference-slash-fundraiser where lobbyists and executives for Wall Street, big oil, health insurance, and more can meet with him and his policy advisers for $10,000 per person.

In other words, Romney is selling influence to the highest bidders.

In response, Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz joined a group of concerned citizens who had gathered outside the policy conference to call out Romney.

She told reporters who had gathered that in her many years of elected office, she'd never seen anyone tie together policymaking and fundraising so tightly—and should concern all Americans that a potential president would so shamelessly sell his policy positions to the special interests.

"I'm sure it's no coincidence Mitt Romney has committed to repealing Wall Street reform while selling tickets to this conference to Wall Street executives and lobbyists for $10,000. That's why I'm here today with our supporters to call Romney out on his web of Washington influence that he has consistently created. Not only is it hypocritical. It's outrageous, and it demonstrates that Romney is the typical Washington-style politician he criticizes. It's something we're not going to allow him to get away with.

"It's unbelievable that Romney would have a policy conference and tie policy decisions to contributions, particularly contributions in the amount of $10,000 and more. That's the kind of special-interest influence we need to rid of in politics—but that Romney clearly would continue and expand.

"His campaign is essentially saying, come to this policy conference. Give us $10,000, and we will make sure we give you the policy you are buying at this event. That's unacceptable."

Want to see just how interconnected Romney's Washington web of influence is? Check out this infographic.

On February 8 the US Department of Housing and Urban Development announced $404 million in Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) to be allocated to nearly 300 tribes in 27 states to be used for a range of affordable housing activities.

“These funds are making a real difference in tribal communities each and every day,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “Projects include affordable housing, infrastructure upgrades, community centers and safety programs that every community needs to thrive. These efforts are part of a broader commitment to ensure Native American communities can build their economies in response to their needs and as they see fit.”

With $250 million in IHBG funds still to be designated find out which communities have already received IHBG funds at HUD.gov.

When I think about how important this election is for my generation, I think of my family. I think of my 88 year-old Dad who woke up at the crack of dawn every morning during the Great Depression to run a paper route before school. A proud World War II veteran, my Dad taught me the importance of honesty, compassion, and determination.

I think of my Mom who turned down high-paying jobs in the corporate world after graduating from business school to teach English in Ethiopia and later became a human rights activist in my home state. From a young age, my Mom shared her passions of social justice, fairness, and activism with me.

And lastly, I think of my younger brother. After suffering a debilitating sports injury in high school, he worked tirelessly to get back on the field and give back to the soccer community that stood by him. He taught me the value of hard work, dedication, and character.

This election is about choices. In 270 days, we have the choice to either protect our country’s values of determination, fairness, and hard work, or turn back the clock on the progress we’ve made in the last four years. President Obama has worked hard every day to stand up for us, now it’s our time to stand up for him. For the next 270 days, I’ll be working to re-elect the President. There is just too much at stake to sit this one out.

Will you join me?

The Post-9/11 G.I. Reform Bill, the Ending Veteran Homelessness and Joining Forces initiatives, Veterans Job Corps, Hire a Hero Act, ending the war in Iraq, repealing "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell," a responsible drawdown in Afghanistan, and eliminating Osama bin Laden: These and many more examples have shown we have a commander-in-chief who understands our service members, their families, and veterans. The least I could do is to "have his back” and support his efforts in any way possible for re-election.

Are you in? We have 270 days left until Election Day on November 6. Phone bank, register voters, canvass, write letters, volunteer, and bring a friend. The President needs our help, and I am in.

After signing the National Alzheimer’s Project Act in January 2011, President Obama announced this week that an additional $50 million has been made available for cutting-edge Alzheimer’s research and an additional $26 million in caregiver support, provider education, public awareness, and improvements in data infrastructure. In addition the administration’s fiscal year 2013 budget will boost funding for Alzheimer’s research by $80 million.

“These new funds will help increase our understanding about how to manage Alzheimer’s disease, especially those services that allow families to plan in the early stages and support family caregivers,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee.

Find out more about the administration’s ongoing efforts to fight Alzheimer’s.

With this year’s presidential election only 270 days away, the sense of urgency and mission to re-elect President Barack Obama increases with each passing hour. There is so much at stake in the upcoming elections – especially for my community. As a first generation Latina, I am proud be the daughter of a hardworking, immigrant mother. The GOP’s discourse on immigration often seems so one-dimensional, discounting the human factor and extreme circumstances that lead many immigrants – especially parents – to come to this country and give their children the future they could otherwise not provide.

Many come to the United States to due to extreme economic hardships, some come due to intolerable violence in their home countries, others come simply to chase their dreams – but if there’s one thing I am sure they all come for is to give back. Give back to a country where everybody can see the fruits of their labor. Give back to a country whose basic principles respect the liberty and equality of all of those that inhabit it. And give back to a country where future generations can continue building the dream that was begun by those before them. My mother left everything behind in her native country and came to this country with nothing else but a dream. That dream is seeing her daughter become the first in her family to graduate college. For me, the dream is working for a man, who against all odds was able to become the President of a country that is the landmark of opportunity and hope – the country that made my mother’s dream come true.

Immigration is not solely about economic motives, it’s about real human beings that want the opportunity to chase dreams only this country can provide. For this reason, I will continue working for the remaining 270 days to make sure this country has a President that can protect not only the dream of a young immigrant mother, but the dreams of every single American that lives here. Si se puede!

Mark your calendars. In 270 days you will head to the polls.

A lot of work will be done between now and Election Day. We’ll be working hard to convince Americans of the importance of protecting our progress by re-electing President Obama. We need to remind voters of health care reform protecting young Americans by allowing them to stay on their parents’ insurance until they are 26 years old. We need to remind them of student aid reform that increased Pell Grants to its highest levels, opening the door to higher education to more Americans than ever. We need to remind voters about the war in Iraq and how the President made good on his promise this past year and brought our troops home.

I’ll be working every day to remind voters about these accomplishments and what the President wants to do over the next four years—like making college even more affordable so no American is denied the opportunity for a higher education because of cost.

But I can’t do it alone. Will you join me? Start by signing up on barackobama.com.

It will be a tough year, but together we can do it. It starts with you.

Will you join me?