Making house calls

The President gave a remarkable speech last night, outlining how far we’ve come over the last seven years and the values that will continue to guide our work in the months to come. It may have been the President’s last State of the Union, but he and his team aren’t letting up one bit -- we know there's still work to do to create more opportunity for more people.

To complete our unfinished business, we need to hear from you in person and online. As part of "Big Block of Cheese Day” -- our annual White House online open house – the Cabinet and I will be on social media to take your questions about the State of the Union Address and the President’s vision for an American future built on hope, optimism, and opportunity.

Find out who else from the Administration will be joining in the conversation around the State of the Union -- and connect with us online using the hashtag#BigBlockofCheeseDay.

Now, an online open house is great, but you also have to make house calls in this business. So all of us in the Cabinet will be fanning out across the country in the coming days to talk with people in their communities and get feedback about ways to move the country forward.

We’re calling this the "State of the Union: Cabinet in Your Community Tour". The tour will take me to Pennsylvania later today to see firsthand the progress we’ve made and the work that remains in giving every American the opportunity to get ahead and stay ahead.

First, I’ll tour the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, where, with the help of DOL funding, they’re providing job training services to individuals who want to get their lives back on track while they pay their debts to society. After that, I’ll tour PTR Baler & Contractor, a small business that embodies the progress and values that make America so unique. In the last two years, the manufacturer has nearly doubled in size by partnering with the local community college and embracing diversity. Nine languages are spoken on the shop floor, and the CEO says that diversity is a core of their business strength.

I am so inspired by the hardworking Americans I’ve met during my travels across the country, and we have more work to do to ensure that their efforts are rewarded. Whether it’s the school bus driver in Connecticut who has to take her child to work because she doesn’t have paid family leave, or the fast-food worker in Detroit who was sleeping in her car with her three kids, there are too many people whose highest and best dreams remain out of reach -- and we’ll be working every day we have left in this Administration to give them a shot at a brighter future.

So look for us in your communities or join us online: Log on to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr, and use the hashtag #BigBlockofCheeseDay. We'll do our very best to answer as many of your questions as we can.

Together, our work continues.

Thanks for everything,

Secretary Tom Perez
Department of Labor