President Obama Address in Laos

In the first visit by an American president to the country of Laos, President Obama announced that the U.S. will double its annual funding to $90 million dollars over the next three years to expand work in removing unexploded bombs dropped in Laos during the Vietnam War. From 1964-1973, the U.S. dropped more than two million tons of bombs in Laos, many of which did not explode. The president also talked about the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), saying that failure to move ahead on the trade deal would not only have economic consequences but call into question American leadership in the region. close