President Obama Unveils 2013 Budget at NOVA-Annandale

UPDATE - 11:37 a.m. Monday, Feb. 13

President Obama is shaking hands and mingling with the crowd of students at Northern Virginia Community College on his way out of town following the release of his 2013 budget. His appearance this morning focused on the educational and career-oriented aspects of the budget, which includes an $8 billion fund to train people for careers in high-demand industries.

"An economy built to lasts means doing everything we can to help students learn the skills they need early," Obama told the audience, which was largely quiet but clearly listening carefully.

Obama's budget also included proposals to increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans and increase spending on infrastructure.

Students at the event said they were largely impressed and pleased with Obama's emphasis this morning on the role of community colleges in the economy.

"I found it interesting that he talked about turning the community college system into a more career-oriented system, but at the same time, I think he should cater to [other] fields as well," said Sasan Mousavi, a student at Northern Virginia Community College in Loudoun County, who came to the Annandale event. "I would hope he wouldn't forget about that group or students."

UPDATE - 11:15 a.m. Monday, Feb. 13

President Obama released his 2013 budget during his visit to Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Va. this morning.

As part of this morning's presentation, made to a crowd of students, administrators, special invited guests and the media, Obama unveiled what the White House is calling a "Blueprint to Train Two Million Workers for High-Demand Industries through a Community College to Career Fund."

According to a White House release, the $8 billion initiative will be administered by the Departments of Labor and Education.  "... This Fund will help forge new partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train two million workers for good-paying jobs in high-growth and high-demand industries.  It provides funding for community colleges and states to partner with businesses to train workers in a range of high-growth and in-demand areas, such as health care, transportation, and advanced manufacturing."

Obama joked about his multiple appearances at Northern Virginia Community College campuses in the area, saying he is about three credits short of graduation.

Follow @AnnandalePatch on Twitter for additional details and live updates from inside this morning's event. Sign up for the Annandale Patch email newsletter for daily news from Annandale, Va.

UPDATE - 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 13

President Obama is at the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College this morning to talk about his 2013 budget, healthcare, community college education and more.

It is not the president's first trip to Annandale, nor his first to the Annandale campus of the community college. He was and was at the Alexandria campus .

He is speaking in the Richard J. Ernst Community Center to a crowd of more than 200 people, including students, administrators, special guests and the media.

to Obama's re-election campaign in Virginia, some believe. The Los Angeles Times this morning called today's appearance and Obama's budget a preview of coming election battles.

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Original Story - Friday, Feb. 10, 2012

President Barack Obama is returning to Annandale on Monday, Feb. 13 and will unveil his 2013 budget at ’s Annandale campus, according to the Associated Press.

Additional details about the event have not been released, but the news was first alluded to on the college’s Facebook page, which posted a message around 6 p.m. Thursday announcing that a “special event” would happen on Monday.

In the same message, the college announced that access to the campus would be restricted from Sunday evening through Monday afternoon.

Obama recently visited the area about the housing crisis. He also spoke in Arlington on Feb. 3 about . The last time he spoke at NOVA-Annandale was on April 19, 2011 when he discussed his plans to reduce the national deficit without cutting money from education.

Last year, Obama also visited where he and spoke about his proposed jobs bill.

First Lady Michelle Obama stopped by the area last month when she to announce new guidelines for school lunches.