Readout of the President’s Meeting with the Family Members of the Victims of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Disaster

In the Red Room and the State Dining Room, the President had individual discussions with family members of the victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster. He was joined by Secretary Ken Salazar, Carol Browner, Valerie Jarrett and Admiral Thad Allen.

The President expressed his condolences and told them that he, the First Lady and the entire administration are behind them and will be there long after the cameras are gone as they go through their unimaginable grief. He also said that while offshore drilling is a part of our nation’s overall energy strategy, he simply could not go forward with new deepwater drilling until we have the proper safety measures in place to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again.