Whitehouse.gov Feed

Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C.

1:40 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Please, please have a seat.  Thank you very, very much.

Chairman Williams, thanks for that introduction and for your leadership of Fort Mojave Indian Tribe.  You know, it was great to meet you last week in Nevada. 

And thank you, Secretary Haaland, for hosting this White House Conservation Summit here.  You know, and I want to thank you for — all your fellow Cabinet members and the federal employees across agencies to carry out this historic conservation plan across our nation, because it is a big deal. 

We’re grateful to have incredible partners, including members of the Congress, Tribal leaders, conservation advocates all here today. 

And, folks, my first week in office, I issued an executive order establishing the country’s first-ever National Conservation Goal.  And we called it the “Americ-” — “America the Beautiful.”  And it’s a nationwide campaign to protect and conserve by 2030 at least 30 percent of the lands and waters that support and sustain our nation. 

And last year, on Earth Day, I signed an executive order to protect America’s forests and to harness the power of nature in the fight against climate change.  I’m here today to talk about the incredible progress that we’ve made.

You know, in my first year in office, we protected more lands and waters than any American President since John Kennedy.  And — (applause) —

And with — with the help of members of Congress here today, I signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the — the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in climate and environmental justice and conservation ever anywhere in the world.  (Applause.) 

Over the past two years, these investments have helped protect our iconic outdoor spaces, preserve our historic sites, and make our nation more resilient to the devastating impacts of climate change. 

We also relied on important partners to help us meet the — meet these goals. 

Farmers and ranchers have implemented critical conservation and stewardship practices across 50 million acres in private land in areas the size of the state of South Dakota. 

In Alaska, we protected the Tongass National Forest and the salmon Bristol Bay — of Bristol Bay.  (Applause.) 

And we — we restored the protections and status that the previous administration rolled back in Bears Ears National Monument — (applause); the Grand Staircase Escalante; and North — the North East Canyons and — and Seamounts of — the marine monument. 

Last year — (applause) — last year, I had the honor of visiting Camp Hale Continental Divide in Colorado — (applause) — and adding that to the list of national monuments for the first time to be added in my administration.  

It matters.  This matters, because when we conserve our country’s natural gifts, we’re not just protecting the livelihoods of people who depend on them — like the family farms, outdoor recreation businesses, rural communities welcoming visitors across — from all across the country and around the world that matter.  We’re protecting the heart and the soul of our national pride.  We’re protecting pieces of history, our — telling our story that will be told for generations upon generations to come. 

You know, our natural wonders are literally the envy of the world.  They’ve always been and they always will be as central to our heritage as a people and essential to our identity as a nation. 

That’s why the budget I released earlier this month includes new funding to increase access to our natural areas for Americans from all backgrounds.  And we’re going to continue to take aggressive steps toward conservation with the big actions I’m announcing — about to announce today.

First, I’m proud to use my authority under the Antiquities Act to establish the — and I — I want you to know it’s a big deal — the — (laughter) — Havina Kwa’ May [Avi Kwa’ Ame] — I — I’m having trouble —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Kwa’ Ame!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible)!

THE PRESIDENT:  I got it.  (Laughter and applause.)  I just know it as “Spirit Mountain” — (applause) — in Nevada. 

It’s one of our most beautiful landscapes that ties together one of the largest contiguous wildlife corridors in the United States: 500,000 acres.  (Applause.)  It’s breathtaking.  Breathtaking deserts, valleys, mountain ranges.  Rich in biodiversity.  Sacred lands that are central to the creation story of so many Tribes who have been here since time immemorial. 

Look, you know, it’s a place of reverence.  It’s a place of spirituality.  And it’s a place of healing.  And now it’ll be recognized for the significance it holds and be preserved forever.  Forever.  (Applause.)

And I look forward to visiting myself. 

I want to thank my friends in Congress who fought so hard for this day to become possible: Senators Jacky Rosen.  (Applause.)  Catherine Cortez Masto.  Representatives Susie Lee, Dina Titus.  (Applause.)

And a special thanks to you, Mr. Chairman, for your partnership.

Look, second thing we’re doing is we’re protecting the Castner Range in Texas as a national monument.  (Applause.)

Thank you, Veronica Escobar, Representative, for your leadership in this.  (Applause.)  Now, I hope you’ll still have reason to call me, because you called me a lot on this one.  I — (laughter) —

This is managed by the United States Army at Fort Bliss, and it tells the story of the Tribal Nations who lived there and the members of our Armed Forces who trained on those lands. 

It’s also a place of incredible beauty.  And right now — right now, as winter gives way to spring, Mexican gold poppies are bursting into bloom.  You see — I wish I — what I wanted to do was have all this in a video behind me here because — (laughter) — because when you see it, it’s just breathtaking.  Transforming desert plains and hills into a sea of vibrant yellow and oranges, framed with the rugged mountains and the blue sky.

The people of El Paso have fought to protect this for 50 years.  Their work has finally paid off.  (Applause.)  And now we’ll clear the area of old munitions, create access to the outdoors for communities and parks, and we’re going to — green spaces that — they’re harder and harder to find.  And importantly, Castner Range will be preserved for future generations. 

Folks, the third thing we’re doing today — I’m — I’m issuing a presidential memorandum directing the Secretary of Commerce to immediately consider designating 777,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean southwest of Hawaii as a new — (applause) — as a new — new national marine sanctuary.

You know — (applause) —  that’s an area larger than Alaska and Colorado put together and three times the size of Texas.  That’s no small amount of land.  (Laughter.)  (Inaudible.)

It would make it the largest ocean area on the planet with the highest level of protection.  (Applause.)  And it will help us meet our goal of conserving — the goal I set when I got elected — of protecting and conserving 30 percent of our oceans.  (Applause.) 

It’s a network of islands and reefs where waters are filled with the — most of the diverse — the most diverse marine on the plan- — marine life on the planet: sharks, rays, marlins, tunas, turtles, whales, ancient coral forests — many that are threatened and endangered right now but won’t be.

And I want to thank Brian — Senator Brian Schatz and Mazie — Mazie, where are you?

SENATOR HIRONO:  Here.

THE PRESIDENT:  There you are.  (Applause.)  There — I want to say — (applause) — Mazie —

Representative — and Representatives Ed Case and Jill Kotuda [Tokuda] — (applause) — and many — and many Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander leaders — you know, look — who have worked tirelessly to protect our oceans.  I want to thank you. 

I mean, I genuinely mean it.  Thank you.  It wouldn’t have
happened without you. 
And that’s not all we’re doing today.  Earlier, you heard Secretary Haaland announce that she’s taking steps to modernize the management of America’s public lands to put conservation on an equal footing with development, to safeguard more places for people to hike, hunt, camp, and fish. 

And we’re going to be moving her- — ahead today with a strategy to conserve — to conserve the wildlife corridors across agencies and across our entire landscape. 

Whether it’s the National Park Service or the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service or private landowners, we need to be coordinated to make sure that habitats we’re conserving along migration routes, no matter where or who’s in charge of that land. 

And today, we’re releasing the first-ever United States Ocean Climate Action Plan to harness the tremendous power of the ocean to help in our fight against climate — the climate crisis. 

We know — (applause) — we know and you well know we can reduce emissions by building offshore wind farms, better protect our coastal and fishing communities from worsening storms, changing fish- — changing fisheries, and other impacts on climate change. 

And — and I’m also committed to working with the Tribal leaders here — as well as Senator Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell, and Representative Mike Simpson — to bring healthy and abundant salmon runs back to the Colorado [Columbia] River system.  (Applause.)

Let me close with this.  Our country’s natural treasures define our identity as a nation.  They’re a birthright — they’re a birthright we have to pass down to generation after generation.  They unite us. 

That’s why our conservation work is so important.  It provides a bridge to our past and to our future — not just for today, but for all ages. 

Rachel Carson, an environmentalist and — and author, wrote, quote, “Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” 

I share with all of you here today the enduring reverence for the power and the promise of the country’s extraordinary natural wonders.  And they are extraordinary.

When I was Vice President, I went to most of the national parks, and I brought my family because I wanted them to see them.  Going down the Colorado River, the Snake River.  Just incredible, incredible, incredible places.

But we got to keep it going.  We got to keep the faith.  We got to remember who we are.  We’re the United States of America.  And we owe to our children, our grandchildren, our great-great-grandchildren, and all to come what we have and what we can preserve.  There is nothing beyond our capacity if we work together. 

So, God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.) 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you!  It’s a good day.  (Applause.)  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

1:52 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President<span class="dewidow"> </span>Biden at the White<span class="dewidow"> </span>House Conservation in Action<span class="dewidow"> </span>Summit appeared first on The White House.

     James J. Blanchard, of Michigan, to be a Member of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy for a term expiring July 1, 2025, vice Anne Terman Wedner, term expired.

     Tanya Monique Jones Bosier, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years, vice Gerald Fisher, retired.

     Fara Damelin, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Federal Communications Commission.  (New Position)

     Jeremy C. Daniel, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois, vice Gary Scott Feinerman, resigned.

     Joel Ehrendreich, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Palau.

     Brendan Abell Hurson, of Maryland, to be United States District Judge for the District of Maryland, vice George Jarrod Hazel, resigned.

     Matthew James Maddox, of Maryland, to be United States District Judge for the District of Maryland, vice Paul William Grimm, retired.

     Kara C. McDonald, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Lithuania.

     Tara K. McGrath, of California, to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of California for the term of four years, vice Robert S. Brewer, Jr., resigned.

     Danny Lam Hoan Nguyen, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years, vice Fern Flanagan Saddler, retired.

     Eric G. Olshan, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania for the term of four years, vice Cindy K. Chung, resigned.

     Darrel James Papillion, of Louisiana, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, vice Carl J. Barbier, retired.

     John Joseph Sullivan, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the United States Institute of Peace for a term of four years, vice Stephen J. Hadley, term expired.

     Loren E. Sweatt, of Virginia, to be a Member of the National Mediation Board for a term expiring July 1, 2023, vice Gerald W. Fauth, term expired.

     Loren E. Sweatt, of Virginia, to be a Member of the National Mediation Board for a term expiring July 1, 2026.  (Reappointment)

# # #

The post Nominations Sent to the<span class="dewidow"> </span>Senate appeared first on The White House.

     Each year, as winter gives way to spring, Mexican Gold Poppies burst into bloom, transforming the undeveloped desert plains and hills of Castner Range into a sea of vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds framed by the rugged mountains and azure blue sky.  Visitors from across the Nation come to witness this natural wonder, and families from local communities gather to mark quinceañeras, weddings, and other special occasions with this colorful tableau as backdrop.  Located on Fort Bliss near the heart of El Paso, Texas, Castner Range — stretching from the heights of the Franklin Mountains, eastward across canyons and arroyos, and descending to lower elevation plains of the Chihuahuan Desert — serves as a testament to the modernization of the American military and the military service members who trained there from 1926 to 1966.  In addition to containing evidence of Castner Range’s important historical role in our Nation’s national defense, Castner Range hosts significant archeological sites documenting the history of the Tribal Nations that inhabited the area since time immemorial, rare plant and animal habitat, and unique geological features.  Once it is safe for public access following remediation of military munitions and munitions constituents, Castner Range will become a natural classroom offering unique opportunities to experience, explore, and learn from nature in a unique setting that is close to a major urban center.  Access to nature is particularly important for underserved communities, like those bordering Castner Range, that have historically had less access to our public lands.  Castner Range will also provide opportunities for important research on archeological sites, plant and animal communities, and geological features in areas that have been inaccessible for many decades.

     The Department of the Army acquired Castner Range in the 1920s and 1930s, and with the establishment of an Anti-Aircraft Training Center in 1940, Castner Range — and Fort Bliss more broadly — became the largest overland air defense missile range and training center in the world.  In 1945, Fort Bliss became home to the 1st Anti-aircraft Guided Missile Battalion, the first missile battalion in Army history.  In 1948, the Army established the 1st Guided Missile Regiment at Fort Bliss, which later became the 1st Guided Missile Brigade.  This unique component trained at Castner Range and provided skills to the Army as it transitioned into the era of modern guided-missile warfare.  In the 1960s, a training area known as the “Vietnam Village” was constructed and used for close combat exercises, but military training on Castner Range largely ended in 1966.  As a result of the cessation of military activities, much of this rugged landscape has since been reclaimed by nature.

     Archeologists have identified 41 archeological sites within Castner Range despite access restrictions due to remaining munitions in the area.  Some of these sites are culturally important to Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples — including Apache and Pueblo peoples and the Comanche Nation, Hopi Tribe, and Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma — and provide evidence of Indigenous Peoples’ presence in the area from at least 6,000 B.C.  Three of those sites — the Fusselman Canyon Rock Art District, the Northgate Site, and the Castner Range Archeological District — are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

     Within Castner Range, there is a site that contains rock art from around 1350 A.D. depicting animal footprints, geometric designs, a human handprint, and a bird’s head.  Pottery and arrow shaft straighteners have also been found in the area.  Another site includes several rock shelters, a shallow cave, bedrock mortars, and rock art, which is visible on the overhangs and undersides of fallen and stacked granitic boulders.  Similarities between the rock art in this area and rock art found in Hueco Tanks State Park to the east and at sites in Mexico provide evidence of interactions among the ancient Indigenous Peoples in the region.  Elsewhere within Castner Range, evidence of occupation from approximately 250 to 1500 A.D. includes burial sites, roasting pits, a pit house, ceramics, and other artifacts.  Initial investigations in another area within Castner Range have uncovered evidence of occupation between 900 B.C. and 1400 A.D., including rock art, fire pits, pottery, bedrock mortars, and lithic scatters.  Additional opportunities to study these sites and potentially identify new sites will become available as closed areas are opened to researchers and Tribal Nations are consulted or otherwise engaged in relevant approval processes, providing new insights into the history of Indigenous Peoples in the area.

     The area also contains the World War II-era Anti-Mechanized Target Firing Range, which was built by the Army in 1940 and is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places due to its significance to military history.  This firing range was used as a high-speed anti-tank weapons training course to provide soldiers with essential training in preparation for combat in World War II.  Today the foundations and other remnants stand as a physical reminder of this pivotal moment in world history.  

     Evidence of mining that occurred before the Army’s acquisition of Castner Range can be found at the El Paso Tin Mine site, which is also eligible for listing in the National Register of Historical Places and contains the remains of a tin mine briefly in operation at the turn of the 20th Century.  As World War II drove a surge in the demand for tin, the mine reopened briefly in 1942, but the lack of abundant tin caused the mine to close again shortly thereafter.

     Although completely contained within the city limits of El Paso, Castner Range is undeveloped due to its history of military use and, following the cessation of live fire exercises more than half a century ago, Castner Range has reverted to a state that is representative of the natural Chihuahuan ecosystem of the region.  Indian Springs, Cottonwood Springs, Mundy Springs, and Whispering Springs provide sources of water and rare habitat for wildlife in this harsh desert ecosystem.  The area also provides habitat for a large and diverse array of Chihuahuan Desert plants, birds, and mammals.  The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has indicated that habitat is likely to exist for the American peregrine falcon, Mountain plover, Golden eagle, Texas horned lizard, black-tailed prairie dog, Baird’s sparrow, Western burrowing owl, Franklin Mountains talussnail, Alamo beard tongue, Sand prickly pear, Desert night-blooming cereus, and the endangered Sneed pincushion cactus.  Golden eagles and Western burrowing owls, for example, have been observed at Castner Range.

     Castner Range also contains undeveloped geological resources.  The Franklin Mountains and various landslide blocks along the eastern front of the mountains define the topography of the highest elevations of Castner Range.  Over time, erosional events exposing the Red Bluff Granite followed by the deposition of the Bliss Sandstone have resulted in a geologic feature known as an unconformity.  The Castner Limestone formation of the mid-elevation foothills is the oldest rock in the El Paso area and contains abundant, well-preserved, and ancient Precambrian fossilized algae.  Two specimens were closely examined in 1958 and were identified as Oollenia frequens.  It is expected that future research will identify other specimens once access becomes possible.  On the desert floor of the lower elevations and emanating from Fusselman Canyon and similar mountain canyons, Castner Range contains the Franklin Mountains’ only remaining undeveloped alluvial fans — broad, sloping triangular areas created when rapidly moving water descending through canyons emerges onto the desert floor and deposits eroded material.

     WHEREAS, section 320301 of title 54, United States Code (the “Antiquities Act”), authorizes the President, in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected; and

     WHEREAS, I find that Castner Range contains significant archeological and paleontological resources, rare and fragile biological and ecological resources, and unique geological features that are of scientific interest; and

     WHEREAS, I find that Castner Range contains sites of cultural significance to Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples; and

     WHEREAS, I find that Castner Range is an important part of the history of Native Americans and the United States military; and

     WHEREAS, I find it is in the public interest to preserve and protect the objects of scientific and historic interest located within Castner Range; and

     WHEREAS, I find that each of the objects identified above, and those of the same sort that may not be expressly identified in this proclamation, are objects of historic or scientific interest in need of protection under 54 U.S.C. 320301; and

     WHEREAS, I find that there are threats to the objects identified in this proclamation and that a national monument reservation is necessary to protect the land along with its objects of historic and scientific interest within Castner Range for current and future generations; and

     WHEREAS, I find that the boundaries of the monument reserved by this proclamation represent the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects of scientific or historic interest to be protected by the Antiquities Act;

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by section 320301 of title 54, United States Code, hereby proclaim the objects identified above that are situated upon lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be the Castner Range National Monument (monument) and, for the purpose of protecting those objects, reserve as part thereof all lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government within the boundaries described on the accompanying map, which is attached hereto and forms a part of this proclamation.  These reserved Federal lands and interests in lands encompass approximately 6,672 acres.

     All Federal lands and interests in lands within the boundaries of the monument are hereby appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, or other disposition under the public land laws or laws applicable to the Department of the Army, including withdrawal from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; from disposition under all laws relating to mineral, solar, and geothermal leasing; and from conveyance under section 2844 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2013.

     The Secretary of the Army (Secretary) shall manage the monument pursuant to applicable legal authorities, including section 2846 of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2018, and in accordance with the terms, conditions, and management direction provided by this proclamation.  The Secretary shall prepare, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, a management plan for the monument, which shall include access for outdoor recreational opportunities as well as historic and scientific research at a time and in a manner determined by the Secretary (considering ongoing and future remediation of hazardous substances or munitions, any needed controls to ensure explosives safety, and other limitations provided in law), consistent with the proper care and management of the objects identified above.  The Secretary shall promulgate such regulations for management of the monument as the Secretary deems appropriate.  The Secretary shall provide for maximum public involvement in the development of the management plan, including consultation with federally recognized Tribal Nations, State and local governments, and interested stakeholders.  The final decision over any management plan and regulations rests with the Secretary.

     The Secretary shall expeditiously conduct military munitions response actions at Castner Range in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (42 U.S.C. 9615 et seq.), and section 2846 of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2018, and shall conduct response actions in a phased manner that allows for public access to areas of the monument when and under the conditions necessary to protect human health and safety.  Nothing in this proclamation shall affect the responsibilities and authorities of the Department of Defense under applicable environmental laws within the monument boundaries.  Nothing in this proclamation shall affect the Secretary’s ability to authorize access to and remediation of contaminated lands within the monument.

     The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent permitted by law and in consultation with Tribal Nations, ensure the protection of sacred sites and traditional cultural properties and sites in the monument and provide access to Tribal members for traditional cultural, spiritual and customary uses, consistent with the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, 42 U.S.C. 1996, and Executive Order 13007 of May 24, 1996 (Indian Sacred Sites).  Such uses shall include allowing collection of medicines, berries and other vegetation, forest products, and firewood for personal non-commercial use in a manner consistent with the proper care and management of the objects identified herein, and in consideration of the presence of military munitions and munitions constituents.

    In recognition of the importance of these lands and objects to Tribal Nations, and to ensure that management decisions affecting the monument reflect Tribal expertise and Indigenous Knowledge, the Secretary shall meaningfully engage with Tribal Nations with cultural ties to the area to develop the management plan and to inform subsequent management of the monument.

     The establishment of this monument is subject to valid existing rights, including valid water rights. Consistent with the proper care and management of the objects identified above, nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to preclude the renewal or assignment of, or interfere with the operation, maintenance, replacement, modification, or upgrade of, existing water infrastructure, including flood control, pipeline, or other water management infrastructure; State highway corridors rights-of-way; or existing utility and telecommunications rights-of-way or facilities within or adjacent to the boundaries of existing authorizations within the monument.

     Nothing in this proclamation shall preclude low-level overflights of military aircraft, flight testing or evaluation, the designation of new units of special use airspace, or the use or establishment of military flight training routes or transportation over the lands reserved by this proclamation.

     Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge or diminish the jurisdiction of the State of Texas with respect to fish and wildlife management.  Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge or diminish the rights or jurisdiction of any Tribal Nation.

     Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to alter the authority or responsibility of any party with respect to emergency response activities within the monument, including wildland fire response or search and rescue operations.

     Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation; however, the national monument shall be the dominant reservation.

     Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature of the monument and not to locate or settle upon any of the lands thereof.

     If any provision of this proclamation, including application to a particular parcel of land, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this proclamation and its application to other parcels of land shall not be affected thereby.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on the Establishment of the Castner Range National Monument,<span class="dewidow"> </span>2023 appeared first on The White House.

     Yuman Tribes tell that creation began at a towering mountain in the southernmost reaches of Nevada at the confluence of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.  The Mojave people call this mountain Avi Kwa Ame, or Spirit Mountain.  The mountain and the surrounding arid valleys and mountain ranges are among the most sacred places for the Mojave, Chemehuevi, and some Southern Paiute people, and are also significant to other Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples, including the Cocopah, Halchidhoma, Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Kumeyaay, Maricopa, Pai Pai, Quechan, Yavapai, and Zuni.  These Tribal Nations have been here since time immemorial, and the area contains evidence of human occupancy reaching back more than 10,000 years.  Tribal members still sing songs, passed from generation to generation throughout their history, that tell the stories of travel and connection to the springs, peaks, and valleys in alignment with the migration patterns of game species, the availability of water, and the life cycles of the plants they have continually harvested.

     For the Tribal Nations that trace their creation to Avi Kwa Ame, the power and significance of this place reside not just in the mountain itself, but radiate across the valleys and mountain ranges of the surrounding desert landscape containing the landmarks and spiritually important locations that are linked by oral traditions and beliefs.  Tribal Nations have shared those traditions and beliefs across many generations through Salt Songs, Bird Songs, and other origin songs, which are central to Tribal members’ knowledge of the landscape, enabling them to navigate across the diverse terrain, find essential resources, and perform healing, funeral, and other rituals.  These traditional and place-based songs connect Tribal members to their homelands, allowing for profound relationships with Avi Kwa Ame and its surroundings and providing healing and spiritual connections even if they are far from home.

     The presence of Avi Kwa Ame — which has been designated as a Tribal cultural property and listed on the National Register of Historic Places — in the eastern portion of the area provides a distinctive lens through which members of Tribal Nations experience these sacred lands, the plants and animals found there, and their spiritual traditions.  In these traditions, power emanates from the mountain itself, creating spiritual and visual connections throughout the landscape.

     The Avi Kwa Ame landscape includes the McCullough and Lucy Gray Mountains in the west; the Piute and Eldorado Valleys, split by the Highland Mountains, in the center; the Castle and Dead Mountains in the south; and the Eldorado Mountains and the monument namesake, Avi Kwa Ame, part of the Newberry Mountains, in the east.  This entire landscape is an object of historic and scientific interest requiring protection under section 320301 of title 54, United States Code (the “Antiquities Act”).  The landscape as a whole is significant and unique, providing context for each of its constituent parts, which are themselves objects warranting protection.  As well as being an object itself, the landscape contains innumerable individual geologic features, archaeological sites, and havens for sensitive and threatened species — including the Mojave desert tortoise, Gila monster, and desert bighorn sheep — and it provides habitat for centuries-old Joshua trees and other objects that are independently of historic or scientific interest and require protection under the Antiquities Act.  Some of the objects are also sacred to Tribal Nations; are sensitive, rare, or vulnerable to vandalism and theft; or are dangerous to visit and, therefore, revealing their specific names and locations could pose a danger to the objects or the public.

     People have lived, traveled, and worked in this landscape for more than 10,000 years.  Across the Avi Kwa Ame landscape, projectile points and pictographs give testament to Indigenous peoples’ hunting activities, while groundstone artifacts, milling artifacts, and ancient quarries demonstrate how tools were created and used to find, extract, and process both plant and mineral resources.  Fluted projectile points, which are some of the earliest stone tool technologies in North America and rarely recorded in southern Nevada, have been found in the McCullough Mountains and nearby areas.  Numerous rockshelters can be found amid the cliffs that surround these valleys, where ancestral Indigenous peoples camped or lived.  Pottery fragments as old as 1,500 years, found near some of these rockshelters, are believed to have been used either in more stable settlements or camps or for safely transporting materials across long distances.  While evidence of the passage of Indigenous peoples is present throughout the landscape, more permanent occupation in the area was limited by water availability, and most camping areas or settlements were temporary, facilitating hunting or allowing people to gather plants or minerals.  The Piute Valley is at the center of paleoclimate and anthropological studies focusing on paleoclimatic changes and their influences on uses of the land by Indigenous peoples.

     Many of the plant and animal species that live in this landscape have spiritual, cultural, or medicinal value to Indigenous peoples.  Traditional hunting of bighorn sheep in the mountainous areas of southern Nevada remains culturally important for some Tribal Nations today.  For centuries, people have gathered piñon nuts in the ridges of the McCullough, Newberry, and New York Mountains.  The McCullough Mountains contain rockshelters, lithic scatters, artifact scatters, petroglyphs, pine nut caches, a trail, and a residential camp; these places were likely used for winter camps that allowed Indigenous peoples to hunt and collect piñon nuts.  To the north, the Highland Mountains hold evidence of many residential camps, quarries, and rockshelters, as well as petroglyphs depicting resources in the area, such as acorns, large game, and water.  One rockshelter in the Highland Mountains is particularly unique in that it contains hundreds of well-preserved, otherwise perishable objects, including some likely used for capturing small game.  To the northeast, the Eldorado Mountains feature petroglyphs likely inscribed by members of the Fort Mojave Tribe and pictographs that likely were used to provide direction and facilitate travel as people migrated or searched for resources, while the Newberry Mountains in the south contain evidence of quarrying and rockshelters.  Ancient Indigenous peoples visited the Castle and New York Mountains to obtain stone such as obsidian for tools, leaving behind petroglyphs and other evidence of their presence.  Hiko Spring and the adjacent canyon contain numerous Indigenous petroglyphs along with etchings made by Euro-American settlers as far back as the late 19th century.  Rockshelters are also found in the Newberry Mountains, and canyons in the area, including Grapevine Canyon and Sacatone Wash, contain petroglyphs that mark the presence of Indigenous peoples for millennia.  The cliffs above Bridge Canyon contain constructed rock walls that continue to be studied to determine their origin and purpose. 

     The Avi Kwa Ame area’s rugged geology, which is unlike the rest of southern Nevada, tells the story of a landscape dramatically changed by its volcanic history, which has sparked the imaginations of geologists for more than 150 years.  Each mountain range — the Highland, Castle, Eldorado, Newberry, Lucy Gray, McCullough, and New York Mountains — has long served as a distinct and important scientific resource to geologists.  The plutons, intrusive dikes, and other igneous formations in these ranges have provided particularly important insights into the study of volcanism during the Tertiary period, especially the Miocene epoch.

     The Avi Kwa Ame area’s desert location and geography also allow for a soundscape that is among the most naturally quiet in the United States.  Additionally, the area’s exceptional dark skies, rare in highly populated Clark County, have been noted for the excellent stargazing opportunities they offer and for benefits to migratory birds.

     The Lucy Gray Mountains, captured within the western border of the area, include incised drainages within rounded igneous boulder fields and isolated springs that support an important migration route for desert bighorn sheep.  Rising between the flat expanses of the Ivanpah and Piute Valleys, this range represents an important area for igneous geology and soils research related to volcanism and tectonism. 

     To the northwest, the McCullough Mountains are characterized by an undulating crest flanked by rocky outcrops and cliffs, punctuated by black basalt and springs.  For millennia, Indigenous peoples have sought refuge in the higher elevations that provide respite from the heat of the valley floor; sustenance in the form of piñon nuts and game for hunting; and water and shelter.  The ancient Precambrian rock and its desert vegetation — ranging from creosote in the low elevation, to blackbrush and Joshua trees in the middle elevations, to old-growth piñon and juniper in the peaks — provide habitat for desert bighorn sheep and many other animal species.

     Running north-south through the center of the landscape, the Highland Mountains contain distinctive large, tilted, colorful igneous and sedimentary rocks and stark cliffs of exposed Precambrian rock.  These mountains provide a vital home to a small remnant herd of desert bighorn sheep that survived when most other sheep populations in Nevada were lost to drought, human encroachment, disease, and other environmental pressures.  Indigenous peoples camped and hunted in these mountains, and ancient rockshelters and petroglyphs are found throughout the range.  Igneous features in the area have also been the subject of decades of geological study by researchers seeking to enhance understanding of ancient volcanic activity. 

     The low-lying Piute and Eldorado Valleys run through the center of the Avi Kwa Ame area.  These valleys contain spiritual pathways and trails that emanate from Avi Kwa Ame that have been followed by Yuman peoples for generations and continue to be significant to Tribal Nations today.  Characterized by Mojave Desert vegetation, these valleys provide core habitat for the ancient and threatened Mojave desert tortoise.  To the southwest, the Castle Mountains extend from within the Avi Kwa Ame area across the border into California, providing important connectivity for bighorn sheep migrating between southern Nevada and protected lands within California.

     In the northeast corner lie the Eldorado Mountains, formed of Precambrian rock and containing sharp ridges with narrow, deep canyons extending to the east that fade into bajadas on the western slope.  The highest of these mountains, Ireteba Peak, is named after Irataba, a Mojave Tribal leader of the mid-1800s.  Water is scarce here and summer temperatures exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit, yet the area contains evidence of longstanding human activity, including petroglyphs and pictographs, as well as historic mine sites.

     The turbulent geologic past of the Avi Kwa Ame area has sculpted a landscape of steep cliffs, rolling foothills and bajadas, and arid valleys with limited water.  Precambrian schist, gneiss, and granite can be found on the west side of the Eldorado Mountains and McCullough Mountains and in the Eldorado Valley, as well as in the Nellis Wash area.  The Piute and Eldorado Valleys and the mountains surrounding them have long been a focus for studies of groundwater, geology, alluvial fan formation, flood hazard management, continental extension, and faulting and volcanism. 

     Among the quartzite cliffs and felsic plutonic rock of the Newberry Mountains, which form part of the eastern boundary of the Avi Kwa Ame area, stands Spirit Mountain, the highest peak within the range.  Avi Kwa Ame has been studied extensively by geologists researching the processes that cause the formation of geologic features, such as dikes and batholiths, as well as the development of new methods for geochronology.  The mountain’s geology features Precambrian rocks in the north and white and pink granitic spires in the south.  Avi Kwa Ame and the surrounding Newberry Mountains are foundational in the creation stories of the Mojave, Pai Pai, Cocopah, Kumeyaay, Havasupai, Maricopa, Hualapai, Yavapai, Quechan, and Halchidhoma and are recognized by many Tribes as a place of great spiritual importance.  In the foothills of the Newberry Mountains, Hiko Spring Canyon contains the year-round Hiko Spring, an area that has been used by humans for hundreds if not thousands of years, evinced by a collection of petroglyphs depicting bighorn sheep, handprints, and other geometric shapes, as well as historic rock carvings. 

     Many of the features that made this landscape accessible to Indigenous peoples were also used by Euro-American settlers and traders.  Early expeditions of fur traders, miners, and the military passed through the southern part of the Avi Kwa Ame landscape, often following the Mojave Trail, which is still visible today.  The trail is part of a network of ancient trails used by Indigenous peoples to safely traverse the harsh and unforgiving Mojave Desert.  The easternmost miles of the Mojave Trail in Nevada pass by Granite Springs in the far southeastern corner of the Avi Kwa Ame area.  The springs were the first stop on the Mojave Trail for ancient Indigenous peoples heading west from the Colorado River and have provided life-sustaining water to many generations of travelers.  The area contains petroglyphs and rockshelters and holds historic and cultural significance for Tribal Nations. 

     In 1826, Jedediah Smith led a fur trapping expedition on a segment of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail, subsequently labeled the Mojave Road, which was the first use by traders of European descent.  The Mojave Road, which bisects the Avi Kwa Ame landscape, continued to be used by traders and settlers traveling between New Mexico and California throughout the 19th century.  To the east, within Grapevine Canyon in the Bridge Canyon Wilderness, evidence of 19th century mining roads from the Searchlight District remains on the landscape, as do traces of the Quartette Railroad, which the Quartette Mining Company operated in the early 1900s between Searchlight and the Colorado River.  The New York Mountains and Piute Valley were also later used for military training exercises for armored vehicles as part of the Desert Training Center during World War II and during the Cold War, including some under the command of General George S. Patton.  Additionally, in the Chiquita Hills area, there is evidence of training operations, including foxholes, rock walls, and gun turrets.

     While there is evidence of Indigenous mining in the area going back hundreds of years, the 1890s saw settlers of European descent in the area discover a number of valuable mineral deposits, including turquoise, gold, silver, copper, lead, and molybdenum, which gave rise to a number of mining districts that are replete with evidence of the landscape’s mining history.  Southwest of the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness, near the California border, the Crescent Townsite area contains the remnants of a rich history of mining of turquoise and gold, including evidence of railroad construction and mineral exploration and extraction.  The surrounding historic Crescent Mining District, which stretched into the New York Mountains and the south end of the McCullough Range, was a hub for turquoise mining in the late 19th century.  There is evidence of mining in this area by Indigenous peoples since at least the late 13th century.  Workshops, homes, pottery, and polishing tools have all been found, indicating that Indigenous peoples mined the Crescent Peak area for turquoise long before Europeans permanently settled in the Americas.  The area was later developed for gold mining; remnants of the mining history, including an early 20th century arrastra and remnants of a railroad, are scattered among ancient Joshua trees standing sentinel to the passage of generations.  While limited studies have occurred, the historic mining districts of Searchlight and Newberry, along with areas in Nellis Wash, also contain remnants of the area’s mining past that may provide new historical insights into the metal extraction industry in the area during the first half of the 20th century.  As a testament to the harsh and remote landscape and the limited resources necessary to support human habitation, materials from early mining activity and railroads were often repurposed to support subsequent mining and construction of homes and other buildings both inside and outside the Avi Kwa Ame area. 

     Piute Valley also contains the historic Walking Box Ranch site, which is known for its significance in the history of cattle ranching, mining, entertainment, and politics in southern Nevada.  The ranch, initially part of vast holdings grazed by historic Rock Springs Land and Cattle Company in the 19th century, was sold off in the 1920s and was purchased by Hollywood silent film stars Clara Bow and Rex Bell in 1931.  The couple operated the ranch together for over a decade as a functioning cattle ranch and occasional vacation retreat for their Hollywood friends.  Among the dignitaries hosted by the Bells were General Patton and some of his troops while they were training in the area during World War II.  Later, Bell went into politics and served as Nevada’s Lieutenant Governor.  The United States acquired the property in 2005, and the entire ranch, including the main house, outbuildings and related structures, and associated landscape features, is considered architecturally significant as a well-maintained example of cattle ranch property of the Southwest.  Of particular interest are the main house, which features Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, and the barn and elements of the corrals, which provide preserved examples of railroad tie construction. 

     The rich human history revealed by the Avi Kwa Ame area coexists with the area’s scientifically significant biological diversity, rare plants and animals, and ecology.  As a whole and across a broad range of taxa, the Avi Kwa Ame area has been noted for providing ecological and habitat connectivity for a wide range of species, offering great potential for scientific studies of plants, animals, and ecosystems.  Situated where the Mojave and Sonoran Desert ecosystems converge, and incorporating a wide elevation gradient that supports a broad range of ecosystems, the area both provides homes to a diverse range of species and communities and offers tremendous potential to support adaptation to climate change. 

     The bajadas and rolling valleys of the Avi Kwa Ame area support plant communities ranging from creosote-bursage scrub, shadscale scrub, and blackbrush to piñon-juniper woodland.  The area showcases the transition between the vegetation of the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts, creating unique assemblages of species that do not typically occupy the same ecosystems and as a result are of interest to ecologists, climate scientists, and biologists.  Biological soil crusts, desert pavement, and bedrock cliffs and outcrops support unique soil environments and can be found throughout the Avi Kwa Ame area.  The Eldorado Valley and Lucy Gray Mountains in particular are of interest to biologists who study biological soil crusts.  Nearly the entire area has been classified as an Ecologically Core or Ecologically Intact portion of the Mojave Desert region.  Sites spanning a vegetation gradient in the Newberry Mountains provide data for botanists and climate scientists to study changes in climate, land use, and vegetation, and to understand paleoclimate, climate and vegetation change, and desert community ecology.  The creosote-white bursage scrub community fills the valleys, plains, and bajadas at low elevations in the Avi Kwa Ame area.  This plant community also supports four-winged saltbush and wolfberry.  Dune-like sandy soils are home to creosote bush and big galetta grass, while the lowest elevations are spotted with Mojave yucca or Joshua trees.  Catclaw acacia, honey mesquite, and sweetbush, rare in arid environments, can be found in washes.  The area is also home to rare plants, including the yellow two-tone penstemon, two-toned beardtongue, rosy two-toned penstemon, and white-margined penstemon, as well as rare bryophytes such as American dry rock moss in Grapevine Canyon.

     Joshua trees, found in both the Piute and Eldorado Valleys and west toward the Lucy Gray Mountains, are predicted to be negatively impacted by climate change because of their slow growth and weather-dependent reproduction, and the Piute Valley is scientifically important for studies of this fragile species.  In the southwest portion of the area, along the California border from the New York Mountains to the Piute Valley, visitors find thriving forests, particularly around the portion of Highway 164 that runs from Searchlight to the California border.  This portion of Highway 164 is known as “Joshua Tree Highway” because of the unique density of these trees.  Just north of the New York Mountains and Highway 164, the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness and surrounding area comprise a stunning, old-growth Joshua tree forest, home to Nevada’s largest known Joshua tree.  The wilderness, named for the Paiute phrase for “ancient ones,” contains trees up to 800 years old.  Many bird species rely heavily on the nesting cavities the trees provide, and the Wee Thump area is both home to western bluebirds, northern flickers, hairy woodpeckers, and ash-throated flycatchers; and the location of Nevada’s only known sightings of the gilded flicker.

     Dry slopes, ridges, and valley bottoms found across the Avi Kwa Ame landscape support shadscale scrub plant communities, featuring budsage, winterfat, rabbitbrush, big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, and black greasewood, along with native desert grasses such as bottlebrush squirreltail, Sandberg bluegrass, and Indian ricegrass, and flowering plants such as polished blazingstar.  Middle-elevation slopes and upper bajadas are home to blackbrush scrub communities, which shade into piñon-juniper woodland in upper elevations.  In the lower reaches of the Newberry Mountains, Mojave Desert plants such as teddy bear cholla, Mojave yucca, barrel cactus, and even smoke tree can also be found.  One of the few wet areas, Grapevine Wash, supports cottonwood trees and canyon grape, along with cattails and rushes.  The location of the Newberry Mountains at the convergence of the Mojave, Great Basin, and Sonoran Deserts makes the area the terminus for the range of 45 plant species, resulting in an area of unusual diversity that is significant for studies of climate, vegetation, and environmental change. 

     Along with diverse plant communities, the Avi Kwa Ame landscape supports an array of desert wildlife, including many species that rely on the area’s natural springs and seeps.  The Hiko, Piute, and Roman dry washes are internationally known for the important bird habitat they provide, including catclaw acacia, mesquite, cottonwood, desert willow, and sandbar willow that provide rare pockets of habitat for species distinct from those in the surrounding desert.  Additionally, Phainopepla, a sensitive species that is the most northerly representative of silky flycatchers, use the trees for nesting and eat mistletoe seeds in these washes, making them uniquely important for this species in Nevada. 

     The landscape overall supports a broad array of bird species and has long been important for ornithologists.  A diverse cadre of raptors, such as ferruginous hawk, bald eagle, golden eagle, burrowing owl, and peregrine falcon hunt their prey and nest, both above and below ground, in the stark landscape.  Species of interest to both amateur and professional ornithologists make their homes here, including Gambel’s quail, sage thrasher, Bendire’s thrasher, Costa’s hummingbird, gilded flicker, rufous hummingbird, cactus wren, northern mockingbird, ash-throated flycatcher, American goldfinch, and potentially Yuma ridgeway’s rail.

     A broad variety of desert mammal species also make their homes in the area, ranging from the tiny pocket gopher to large ungulates like mule deer, along with a diversity of predators including bobcats and ring-tailed cats.  An incredible array of bat species, including 18 species that have been identified as at-risk by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), call the landscape home, including pollinators like the pallid bat, the rare spotted bat, and a diverse group of insectivorous bat species that roost in rock crevices, former mines, and other small spaces.  The area provides important habitat and vital connectivity for the Nelson (desert) bighorn sheep.  The Highland Range has been identified as crucial bighorn habitat, and bighorn sheep also traverse the ridges of the McCullough and Lucy Gray Mountains, the western slopes of the Newberry Mountains, and the Nellis Wash.

     Among reptiles and amphibians, the area is most notable as habitat for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise.  The elusive desert tortoise, with its long lifespan, low juvenile survival rate, and extreme capacity for conserving water, is a rare and incredible symbol of this challenging landscape.  The Piute and Eldorado Valleys and other low-lying portions of the Avi Kwa Ame area, including Nellis Wash, have long been recognized as the highest priority for desert tortoise habitat conservation and restoration in southern Nevada; the connectivity and condition of the habitat as well as its location within critical habitat recovery units make this area uniquely suited to supporting tortoise conservation.  The area is also critical to scientific studies of desert tortoise population biology, genetics, and ecology. 

     Many other reptile species rely on the area, including the elusive and beautiful banded Gila monster; the stocky, iguana-like chuckwalla; the western banded gecko; and the colorful Great Basin collared lizard.  Species unique to and emblematic of the Mojave Desert, including the Mojave Desert sidewinder and Mojave shovel-nosed snake, make their homes here, along with the shimmering, nocturnal desert rosy boa, all of which are BLM sensitive species.  Amphibians, which are rare in harsh desert environments, including the Arizona toad, also survive in this dry environment, and the red-spotted toad has been known to breed in Grapevine Canyon. 

     The flowering plants that survive despite the challenges of the sunbaked landscape, such as the brilliant fields of wildflowers in the Newberry Mountains, support and are supported by pollinators like the monarch butterfly, northern Mojave blue butterfly, MacNeill sooty wing skipper, and flat-faced cactus bee.  The area also contains potential habitat for the endemic Mojave gypsum bee and Mojave poppy bee. 

     Protection of the Avi Kwa Ame area will preserve its diverse array of natural and scientific resources, ensuring that the cultural, prehistoric, historic, and scientific values of this area endure for the benefit of all Americans.  The living landscape holds sites of historical, traditional, cultural, and spiritual significance; is the setting of the creation story of multiple Tribal Nations; and is inextricably intertwined with the sacred significance of Avi Kwa Ame.  The area contains numerous objects of historic and scientific interest, and it provides world-class outdoor recreation opportunities, including hiking, camping, birdwatching, motorized touring, stargazing, hunting, and pursuing amateur geology, all of which support a growing travel and tourism economy in the region.

     WHEREAS, the Antiquities Act authorizes the President, in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected; and

     WHEREAS, I find that each of the objects identified above, and objects of the type identified above within the area, are objects of historic or scientific interest in need of protection under 54 U.S.C. 320301, regardless of whether they are expressly identified as an object of historic or scientific interest in the text of this proclamation; and

     WHEREAS, I find that the unique objects and resources within the Avi Kwa Ame landscape, in combination, make the landscape more than the mere sum of its parts, and the entire landscape within the boundaries reserved by this proclamation is an object of historic and scientific interest in need of protection under 54 U.S.C. 320301; and

     WHEREAS, I find that there are threats to the objects identified in this proclamation, and in the absence of a reservation under the Antiquities Act, the objects identified in this proclamation are not adequately protected by applicable law or administrative designations, thus making a national monument designation and reservation necessary to protect the objects of historic and scientific interest in the Avi Kwa Ame landscape for current and future generations; and

     WHEREAS, I find that the boundaries of the monument reserved by this proclamation represent the smallest area compatible with the protection of the objects of scientific or historic interest as required by the Antiquities Act; and

     WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to ensure the preservation, restoration, and protection of the objects of scientific and historic interest on the Avi Kwa Ame lands, including the entire monument landscape, reserved within the Avi Kwa Ame boundary;

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by section 320301 of title 54, United States Code, hereby proclaim the objects identified above that are situated upon lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument (monument) and, for the purpose of protecting those objects, reserve as part thereof all lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government within the boundaries described on the accompanying map, which is attached hereto and forms a part of this proclamation.  These reserved Federal lands and interests in lands encompass approximately 506,814 acres.  Due to the distribution of the objects of the types identified in this proclamation across the Avi Kwa Ame landscape, and because the landscape itself is an object in need of protection, to confine the boundaries of the monument to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects of historic or scientific interest requires the reservation of the entire area described on the accompanying map.

     All Federal lands and interests in lands within the boundaries of the monument are hereby appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, or other disposition under the public land laws, from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and from disposition under all laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing, other than by exchange that furthers the protective purposes of the monument.

     This proclamation is subject to valid existing rights.  If the Federal Government subsequently acquires any lands or interests in lands not owned or controlled by the Federal Government within the boundaries described on the accompanying map, such lands and interests in lands shall be reserved as a part of the monument, and objects of the type identified above that are situated upon those lands and interests in lands shall be part of the monument, upon acquisition of ownership or control by the Federal Government.

     The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) shall manage the monument, pursuant to applicable legal authorities, through the BLM, as a unit of the National Landscape Conservation System, and through the National Park Service (NPS), in accordance with the terms, conditions, and management direction provided by this proclamation.  The NPS and the BLM shall manage the monument cooperatively and shall prepare an agreement to share, consistent with applicable laws, whatever resources are necessary to properly manage the monument; however, the NPS shall continue to have primary management authority over the portion of the monument within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and the BLM shall have primary management authority over the remaining portion of the monument.  After issuance of this proclamation, the Secretary shall, consistent with applicable legal authorities, transfer administrative jurisdiction of lands managed by the Bureau of Reclamation within the boundaries of the monument to the BLM.

     For purposes of protecting and restoring the objects identified above, the Secretary shall prepare and maintain a monument management plan (management plan).  In preparing the management plan, the Secretary shall take into account, to the maximum extent practicable, maintaining the undeveloped character of the lands within the monument, minimizing impacts from surface-disturbing activities, providing appropriate access for hunting and wildlife management, and emphasizing the retention of natural quiet, dark night skies, and visual resources.  The Secretary shall provide for maximum public involvement in the development of the management plan, including consultation with federally recognized Tribal Nations and State and local governments.  In the development and implementation of the management plan, the Secretary shall maximize opportunities, pursuant to applicable legal authorities, for shared resources, operational efficiency, and cooperation.

     The Secretary, through the BLM, shall establish and maintain an advisory committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) with the specific purpose of providing information and advice regarding the development of the management plan and management of the monument.  This advisory committee shall consist of a fair and balanced representation of interested stakeholders.  A majority of the membership shall be made up of members of Tribal Nations with a historical connection to the lands within the monument, with the remaining members representing local governmental entities, recreational users, conservation organizations, wildlife or hunting organizations, the scientific community, business owners, and local citizens.

     In recognition of the importance of Tribal participation in the care and management of the objects identified above, and to ensure that management decisions affecting the monument are informed by and reflect Tribal expertise and Indigenous Knowledge, the Secretary shall meaningfully engage the Tribal Nations with historical and spiritual connections to the monument lands in the development of the management plan and management of the monument.  The Secretary shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with interested Tribal Nations to set forth terms, pursuant to applicable laws, regulations, and policies, for co-stewardship of the monument.

     Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge or diminish the rights or jurisdiction of any Tribal Nation.  The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent permitted by law and in consultation with Tribal Nations, ensure the protection of sacred sites and cultural properties and sites in the monument and provide access to Tribal members for traditional cultural, spiritual, and customary uses, consistent with the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (42 U.S.C. 1996), Executive Order 13007 of May 24, 1996 (Indian Sacred Sites), and the November 10, 2021, Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Interagency Coordination and Collaboration for the Protection of Indigenous Sacred Sites.  Such uses shall include collection of medicines, berries and other vegetation, forest products, and firewood for personal noncommercial use so long as each use is carried out in a manner consistent with the proper care and management of the objects identified above.

     Livestock grazing has not been permitted in the monument area since 2006, and the Secretary shall not issue any new grazing permits or leases on such lands.

     Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to preclude the renewal or assignment of, or interfere with the operation, maintenance, replacement, modification, upgrade, or access to, existing flood control, utility, pipeline, and telecommunications facilities; roads or highway corridors; seismic monitoring facilities; or other water infrastructure, including wildlife water developments or water district facilities, within or adjacent to an existing authorization boundary.  Existing flood control, utility, pipeline, telecommunications, and seismic monitoring facilities, and other water infrastructure, including wildlife water developments or water district facilities, may be expanded, and new facilities of such kind may be constructed, to the extent consistent with the proper care and management of the objects identified above and subject to the Secretary’s authorities and other applicable law.

     For purposes of protecting and restoring the objects identified above, the Secretary shall prepare a transportation plan that designates the roads and trails on which motorized and non-motorized mechanized vehicle use will be allowed.  Except for emergency or authorized administrative purposes, including appropriate wildlife management, motorized vehicle use in the monument shall be permitted only on roads and trails documented as existing as of the date of this proclamation.  Any additional roads or trails designated for motorized vehicle use must be designated only for the purposes of public safety needs or protection of the objects identified above.  The Secretary shall monitor motorized and non-motorized mechanized vehicle use and designated roads and trails to ensure proper care and management of monument objects.  

     To further the protection of the monument, the Secretary shall evaluate opportunities to work with local communities to locate and develop a visitor center or other visitor information facilities to enhance public services and promote management efficiencies.

     Nothing in this proclamation shall preclude low-level overflights of military aircraft, the designation of new units of special use airspace, or the use or establishment of military flight training routes over the lands reserved by this proclamation.  Nothing in this proclamation shall preclude air or ground access to existing or new electronic tracking communications sites associated with the special use airspace and military training routes.

     So long as carried out in a manner consistent with the proper care and management of the objects identified above, nothing in this proclamation shall preclude the safe and efficient operation of airplanes over the lands reserved by this proclamation.

     Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge or diminish the jurisdiction of the State of Nevada (State), including its jurisdiction and authority with respect to fish and wildlife management, including hunting on Federal lands.  The Secretary shall seek to continue collaborating with the State on wildlife management and shall expeditiously explore entering into a memorandum of understanding, or amending an existing memorandum of understanding, with the State to facilitate such collaboration.

     Nothing in this proclamation alters, modifies, or amends the Clark County Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan.

     If any provision of this proclamation, including its application to a particular parcel of land, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this proclamation and its application to other parcels of land shall not be affected thereby.

     Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation; however, the monument shall be the dominant reservation.

     Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature of the monument and not to locate or settle upon any of the lands thereof.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

                               JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on Establishment of the Avi Kwa Ame National<span class="dewidow"> </span>Monument appeared first on The White House.

Hello everyone and welcome to today’s panel discussion on the economic case for why the President is taking on junk fees on behalf of working Americans.  Excited to hear from our great group of panelists.

Junk fees are those sneaky fees that are hidden from consumers when they are shopping for the best price, and sneak up on them when they have already made up their mind and are about to make payment.  Each year, “junk fees” cost Americans tens of billions of dollars. Junk fees hit the most vulnerable Americans the hardest.

They can take hundreds of dollars a month out of the pockets of hard-working families and undercut honest transparent price competition in many markets. That’s why the President has called for action to crack down on junk fees in his State of the Union address and at the Competition Council over the last 12 months.

According to recent surveys, junk fees is an area where 75 percent of the American people regardless of party lines want us to act. 

But junk fee regulation isn’t just popular, and it isn’t just a real cost savings for millions of families at a time when every dollar counts – it’s also smart economics.  Regulating junk fees by leveling up the playing field has a strong foundation in decades of economic scholarship.  Junk fees weaken competition, penalize honest businesses that want to be transparent up front about the all-in price, and lead to a race to the bottom.

I cannot think of a better set of panelists to explain the economic case against junk fees.  They have written some of the central papers on deceptive pricing and how junk fees harm competition – and have real world experience in trying to price in a fair and transparent manner while others are hiding the ball and in leveling up the playing field so businesses who are doing the right thing are not undercut.

We’ll hear from David Laibson, a renowned economist, on how junk fees undermine markets by weakening and distorting competition, imposing the largest burden on the most vulnerable households.  

We’ll hear from Vicki Morwitz, an eminent psychologist and behavioral scientist, on how common pricing practices – such as drip pricing and partitioned pricing – deceive and confuse consumers about the actual cost of what they’re buying.

We’re joined by Bill Kovacic who was a member and Chair of the Federal Trade Commission during the George W. Bush Administration and Chair. He will speak to the long bipartisan history of scrutinizing junk fees, including at the FTC during the administration of President Bush.

Finally, we’re going to hear from Laura Dooley from Stubhub, who will speak to her company’s efforts to introduce up front, all-in ticket pricing in 2015, breaking away from the industry standard of dripping in those fees through the purchasing process. She’ll explain how her company lost out when they acted alone, and how government junk fee regulation can solve this collective action problem by creating one standard and a level playing field for the ticket seller industry.

I am pleased that a number of businesses are already taking action to provide customers with transparency and get rid of junk fees. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau increased its oversight of banks’ reliance on junk fees in late 2021, leading 15 of the 20 largest banks to end bounced check fees.  This month, the Department of Transportation launched a dashboard comparing family seating fee policies of major airlines.  I am pleased to see that United, American, Alaska, and Frontier airlines have all made commitments to provide fee-free family seating.

Many of you have played an integral role in these actions and are doing more work to address some of the most pervasive junk fees in your sectors.

We have representatives in the room today from sixteen agencies, including The Department of Transportation, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, and Department of Housing and Urban Development. I want to say thank you for all the work you’ve been doing to crack down on junk fees in your industries and excited for this conversation to provide us all with more information to be maximally creative and forward thinking as we work on this issue.

And with that, I will pass it off to Michael Negron and Neale Mahoney who have been leading this work at the NEC to facilitate the panel discussion.

###

The post Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by NEC Director Lael Brainard on the Economic Case for Junk Fees<span class="dewidow"> </span>Policies appeared first on The White House.

The extreme MAGA Republican House Freedom Caucus has made their priorities clear: imposing devastating cuts to public safety and increasing costs for working- and middle-class families, all to protect and extend tax breaks skewed to the wealthy and big corporations. In fact, their tax cuts would be so expensive that their deep and harmful cuts would not reduce the deficit.

That’s in sharp contrast with the President’s Budget, which invests in America, lowers costs for families, protects and strengthens Medicare and Social Security, and reduces the deficit by $3 trillion over 10 years, while ensuring no one making less than $400,000 per year pays a penny more in new taxes.

Combined with other commitments extreme MAGA House Republicans have already made, the extreme Freedom Caucus proposal will be a disaster for families in at least five key ways: endangering public safety, raising costs for families, shipping manufacturing jobs overseas and undermining American workers, weakening national security, and hurting seniors.

Last week, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirmed that Congressional Republicans’ budget math doesn’t add up. CBO found that—in order to meet Congressional Republicans’ stated commitment to balancing the budget in 10 years without raising taxes on the wealthy or corporations, and without cutting Social Security, Medicare, defense, and some veterans’ benefits—Congressional Republicans would need to eliminate everything in the rest of the Federal budget.

The extreme MAGA Republican House Freedom Caucus proposal will be a five-alarm fire for families—including by raising costs. Unlike extreme MAGA Republicans in the House who are focused on repealing the Inflation Reduction Act—which would raise costs on everything from health insurance, to prescription drugs, to utility bills—President Biden is focused on lowering everyday costs and giving working families more breathing room.

The extreme MAGA Republican House Freedom Caucus proposals will:

• Make Health Care More Expensive: Extreme MAGA Republicans in the House have signed onto a bill to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. That will increase health care premiums by an average of $800 per year for nearly 15 million Americans.
  
• Increase Energy Costs.  The extreme MAGA House Republicans would eliminate a law that will lower utility bills for American families by hundreds of dollars per year. Their plans would deny Americans critical savings on electric vehicles, energy-efficient windows, solar panels, and more.
  
• Make College More Expensive. The extreme MAGA Republican House Freedom Caucus proposal would not only eliminate Pell Grants altogether for 80,000 students, it would also reduce the maximum award by nearly $1,000 for the remaining 6.6 million students who receive Pell Grants—making it harder for them to attend and afford college.
  
• Eliminate Preschool and Child Care Slots. The extreme MAGA Republican House Freedom Caucus proposal would mean 200,000 children lose access to Head Start slots and 100,000 children lose access to child care—undermining our children’s education and making it more difficult for parents to join the workforce and contribute to our economy.
  
• Strip Medicaid Coverage and Food Assistance from Millions of People. Extreme MAGA Republicans want to impose failed policies that take Medicaid coverage away from people who fail to meet bureaucratic work reporting requirements. When it was tried, this policy led to nearly 1 in 4 losing Medicaid coverage – including working people and people with disabilities, caused uninsured rates to spike and led people to go without needed care, and failed to increase employment. Their proposals also put food assistance at risk for millions of older people and parents, and would mean 1.2 million women, infants, and children would lose vital nutrition assistance through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), significantly increasing child poverty and hunger.

###

The post FIVE-ALARM FIRE: The House Freedom Caucus’ Extreme Budget Proposal Raises Costs for<span class="dewidow"> </span>Families appeared first on The White House.

Last night, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Vermont and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe storm and flooding from December 22 to December 24, 2022.

Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storm and flooding in the counties of Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, and Washington.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named William F. Roy as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. 

Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

###

The post President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Vermont Disaster<span class="dewidow"> </span>Declaration appeared first on The White House.

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration‘s commitment to protect, conserve, and restore our country’s iconic lands and historic sites for the benefit of future generations, today President Biden will sign a proclamation establishing the Castner Range National Monument, in El Paso, Texas. This action will protect the cultural, scientific and historic objects found within the monument’s boundaries, honor our veterans, servicemembers, and Tribal Nations, and expand access to outdoor recreation on our public lands.  

Located on Fort Bliss, Castner Range served as a training and testing site for the U.S. Army during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The Army ceased training at the site and closed Castner Range in 1966. Once the area is sufficiently remediated to be safe for public access, Castner Range will offer unique opportunities for the El Paso community to experience, explore, and learn from nature. President Biden is committed to expanding access to nature for underserved communities that have historically had less access to our public lands, like those bordering Castner Range. Protecting Castner Range connects the area with the Franklin Mountains State Park, creating continuous habitat for wildlife and improved public access for outdoor recreation. Castner Range also hosts significant cultural sites documenting the history of Tribal Nations, including the Apache and Pueblo peoples and the Comanche Nation, Hopi Tribe, and Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma.

At the White House Conservation in Action Summit today, the President will announce additional actions to conserve and restore lands and waters across the nation, including establishing Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada. The President will also direct the Secretary of Commerce to consider exercising her authority to protect all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands. These new commitments build on President Biden’s record of delivering on the most ambitious land and water conservation agenda in American history.  

President Biden is committed to supporting locally-led conservation efforts. This designation advances the President’s America the Beautiful Initiative, which includes our country’s first national conservation goal.

Castner Range National Monument

Castner Range National Monument consists of 6,672 acres of high-desert mountains, making up the southern component of the Franklin Mountain range, just outside of El Paso, Texas. Located on Fort Bliss Military Base, Castner Range served as the training and testing site for the U.S. Army from 1926-1966. The Army ceased training at the site and closed Castner Range in 1966.

Before the U.S. Army used the lands, Castner Range was home to the Apache and Pueblo peoples and the Comanche Nation, the Hopi Tribe, and Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma. The Castner Range area contains more than 40 known archeological sites including living structures, hearths, remnants of pottery and other tools, as well as a myriad of petroglyphs and images on the rock faces that make up the canyons and mountains of Castner Range.

The local El Paso community cherishes the Franklin Mountains for their natural and ecological features. Castner Range remains an area of high biodiversity for desert species in America, including spring blooms of the Mexican Poppy. In addition to the poppies, this section of the Franklin Mountains also contains a high concentration of natural springs. Along with creosote brush vegetation, it provides important habitat to wildlife that call Castner Range home, including the American peregrine falcon, Golden eagle, mountain plover, Texas horned lizard, Black-tailed prairie dog, Baird’s swallow, and the Western burrowing owl. The endangered Sneed pincushion cactus and a host of other rare or endemic plants also inhabit the area. Protecting Castner Range ensures connectivity with other protected areas and migratory corridors for species to travel without the threat of human impacts.

The U.S. Army will manage the national monument consistent with protection of the objects of historic and cultural significance and will commence a land management planning process with robust public engagement in the next sixty days. Castner Range will continue to undergo evaluation, planning and remediation of munitions through The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) process, informed by public input and consistent with this proclamation. The Army will work with Tribes and the community to secure public access to the monument in phases, as it is safe and appropriate.

Though previous national monument designations have protected important historic military sites, this would be the first national monument directly managed by the U.S. military since national battlefields were transferred to the National Park Service in the 1930s.

Background on Antiquities Designations

President Theodore Roosevelt first used the Antiquities Act in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Since then, 18 presidents of both parties, including recent Presidents Trump, Obama, G.W. Bush, and Clinton have used this authority to protect unique natural and historic features in America, including the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Colorado’s Canyons of the Ancients.

In addition to designating Castner Range National Monument, today the President is also taking action to establish Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada. These are President Biden’s second and third new monument designations, following the creation of the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado last fall.

###

The post FACT SHEET: President<span class="dewidow"> </span>Biden Designates Castner Range National<span class="dewidow"> </span>Monument appeared first on The White House.

Nevada Landscape Is Sacred to Indigenous Peoples, Protects One of World’s Largest Joshua Tree Forests and Connects Wildlife Habitat

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protect historically and scientifically important sites, honor culturally significant areas, and conserve and restore our country’s treasured outdoor spaces, today President Biden will sign a proclamation establishing the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. This designation will honor Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples by protecting this sacred Nevada landscape and its historically and scientifically important features, while conserving our public lands and growing America’s outdoor recreation economy.

Avi Kwa Ame is considered to be among the most sacred places on Earth by the Mojave, Chemehuevi, and some Southern Paiute people. It is also important to other Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples including the Cocopah, Halchidhoma, Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Kumeyaay, Maricopa, Pai Pai, Quechan, Yavapai, and Zuni Tribes. Its scenic peaks include Avi Kwa Ame (Spirit Mountain), which is designated as a Traditional Cultural Property on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its religious and cultural importance. The area is also home to the one of the world’s largest Joshua tree forests, and provides continuous habitat or migration corridors for species such as the desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, and Gila monster.   

At the White House Conservation in Action Summit today, the President will announce additional actions to conserve and restore lands and waters across the nation, including establishing Castner Range National Monument in Texas. The President will also direct the Secretary of Commerce to consider exercising her authority to protect all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands. These new commitments build on President Biden’s record of delivering on the most ambitious land and water conservation agenda in American history.  

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to honoring Tribal sovereignty, protecting Tribal homelands, and conducting regular, meaningful, and robust consultation with Tribal Nations. Today’s action builds on the President’s commitment to protect America’s lands and waters through the Administration’s America the Beautiful Initiative, which supports locally-led conservation efforts across the country in pursuit of the U.S.’s first national conservation goal.

Avi Kwa Ame National Monument

The Avi Kwa Ame National Monument protects and preserves the rich ecological, historic, cultural, and scenic values of this unique desert landscape. The monument designation protects sacred space for spiritual uses, including Spirit Mountain, which is central to the creation story of many Tribal Nations, while ensuring continued access to hunting, camping, hiking, OHV use, photography, and other recreational activities. The natural springs, natural soundscapes, and dark skies protected within the monument will support Nevada’s outdoor recreation economy, while safeguarding these historically and scientifically important treasures for generations to come.

The designation of the new national monument creates one of the largest contiguous areas of protected wildlife habitat in the United States, tying together the protected lands of the Mojave Desert in California to the southwest with the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and other protected areas to the east near the Colorado River. Avi Kwa Ame and the surrounding landscape provide native species – including desert bighorn sheep, Gila monsters, desert tortoises, and Arizona toads – a space to thrive and adapt amid the pressures of a changing climate. The designation also provides protection to an ancient and intact Joshua tree forest that contains Nevada’s largest Joshua tree.

To help sustain the health of wildlife populations in Avi Kwa Ame, the national monument proclamation recognizes and reaffirms the State of Nevada’s ongoing primary role in the management of wildlife within the monument. Hunting, trapping, wildlife watching, aerial surveys, wildlife infrastructure installation and maintenance, and a wide range of other wildlife management activities will continue to be allowed within the national monument. The proclamation further directs the Interior Department to build on its ongoing partnership with the Nevada Department of Wildlife to explore developing a memorandum of understanding to further improve these collaborative efforts.

Recognizing the critical role that sportsmen and sportswomen have played historically – and continue to play – in restoring and conserving bighorn sheep and other wildlife populations in southern Nevada, the proclamation requires representation from the sportsmen and sportswomen community on a monument advisory committee.

Consistent with direction in the proclamation, the Interior Department will enter into a memorandum of understanding with Tribal Nations to carry out co-stewardship of the monument and will work with local communities to locate and develop a visitor center and other visitor facilities.

The national monument designation recognizes and respects valid existing rights. The proclamation specifies that maintenance and upgrades to water infrastructure for flood control, utilities, water district facilities, wildlife water catchments, and other uses may continue; and that transmission lines, pipelines, and roads can continue to be maintained and upgraded. The proclamation allows for military, commercial, and private flights in and out of existing or future airports in the area. It also does not change the class II air quality designation for the area or affect the State’s authority over administering air quality designations.

The national monument spans approximately 506,814 acres of lands managed by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and National Park Service. All of the land reserved by the proclamation is currently owned by the Federal government; existing State and private lands within the boundary are not included in the monument. 

The designation will not slow the positive momentum of clean energy development in the State of Nevada, which will continue to play a leading role in helping the nation meet its goal of permitting 25 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2025. Outside of the national monument boundaries, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has identified more than 9 million acres of public lands within the State of Nevada that may be appropriate for solar development. Additionally, BLM is currently reviewing more than three dozen proposed renewable energy projects in the state that would add more than 13 GW of potential clean energy generation to the grid if constructed.

Background on Antiquities Act Designations

President Theodore Roosevelt first used the Antiquities Act in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Since then, 18 presidents of both parties, including recent Presidents Trump, Obama, G.W. Bush, and Clinton have used this authority to protect unique natural and historic features in America, including the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Colorado’s Canyons of the Ancients.

In addition to designating Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, today the President is also taking action to establish Castner Range National Monument in Texas. These are President Biden’s second and third new monument designations, following the creation of the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado last fall.

###

The post FACT SHEET: President<span class="dewidow"> </span>Biden Designates Avi Kwa Ame National<span class="dewidow"> </span>Monument appeared first on The White House.

President Establishes New National Monuments in Nevada and Texas; Directs Secretary of Commerce to Consider Expanding Protections for Pacific Remote Islands Which Would Reach Goal of Conserving 30% of U.S. Ocean by 2030

At the White House Conservation in Action Summit today, President Biden will announce major new actions to conserve and restore lands and waters across the nation, including by establishing Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada and Castner Range National Monument in Texas. The President will also direct the Secretary of Commerce to consider exercising her authority to protect all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands. These new commitments build on President Biden’s historic climate and environmental record, including delivering on the most ambitious land and water conservation agenda in American history.  

Today’s announcements include:

• Establishing two new national monuments: Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada and Castner Range National Monument in Texas. The designation of these two national monuments demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protect historically and culturally significant areas and conserve our nation’s treasured outdoor spaces. Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada will honor Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples while conserving our public lands and growing America’s outdoor recreation economy. In Texas, Castner Range National Monument will expand access to the outdoors for the El Paso community while honoring our nation’s veterans and servicemembers. Together, these new national monuments protect nearly 514,000 acres of public lands.
  
• Protecting all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands. The President will direct the Secretary of Commerce to consider initiating a new National Marine Sanctuary designation within the next 30 days to protect all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands. If completed, the new sanctuary would ensure the U.S. will reach the President’s goal of conserving at least 30% of ocean waters under American jurisdiction by 2030.
  
• New actions to conserve, restore, and expand access to lands and waters. The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing a series of new steps to conserve, restore, and expand access to lands and waters across the country. These include a proposal to modernize the management of America’s public lands, a plan to harness the power of the ocean to fight the climate crisis, a strategy to better conserve wildlife corridors, and new funding to improve access to outdoor recreation, promote Tribal conservation, reduce wildfire risk, and more.

These actions build on more than two years of the Biden-Harris Administration’s progress and historic investments to advance conservation, restoration, and stewardship nationwide:

• During his first year in office, President Biden protected more lands and waters than any president since John F. Kennedy, including by restoring protections for Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monuments. Last year, President Biden designated his first new national monument, Camp Hale – Continental Divide in Colorado.
  
• Thanks to the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, President Biden has, over his first two years in office, invested over $10 billion in conservation initiatives – more than any other modern president.
  
• Under the President’s leadership, the Administration is making unprecedented investments in land, water, and wildlife conservation, including by launching the $1 billion America the Beautiful Challenge. These investments will help meet the President’s goal – set during his first week in office – of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
  
• The Biden-Harris Administration has protected nationally-significant lands and waters across the country, including recent actions to restore protections for roadless areas of the Tongass National Forest, prevent future oil and gas leasing in the entire U.S. Arctic Ocean, safeguard Bristol Bay in Alaska and the world-class salmon fishery it supports, and protect America’s most-visited wilderness area, the Boundary Waters in Minnesota. The Administration is also working to protect Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, the Thompson Divide in Colorado, and accelerating restoration efforts in the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay, the Everglades, and the Columbia River Basin.

Establishing Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada

Today President Biden will sign a proclamation establishing the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. This designation will honor Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples by protecting this sacred Nevada landscape and its historically and scientifically important features, while conserving our public lands and growing America’s outdoor recreation economy.

Avi Kwa Ame is considered to be among the most sacred places on Earth by the Mojave, Chemehuevi, and some Southern Paiute people. It is also important to other Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples including the Cocopah, Halchidhoma, Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Kumeyaay, Maricopa, Pai Pai, Quechan, Yavapai, and Zuni Tribes. Its scenic peaks include Avi Kwa Ame (Spirit Mountain), which is designated as a Traditional Cultural Property on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its religious and cultural importance. The area is also home to the one of the world’s largest Joshua tree forests, and provides continuous habitat or migration corridors for species such as the desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, and Gila monster.

Establishing Castner Range National Monument in Texas

President Biden will also sign a proclamation establishing the Castner Range National Monument, in El Paso, Texas. This action will protect the cultural, scientific, and historic objects found within the monument’s boundaries, honor our veterans, servicemembers, and Tribal Nations, and expand access to outdoor recreation on our public lands. 

Located on Fort Bliss, Castner Range served as a training and testing site for the U.S. Army during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The Army ceased training at the site and closed Castner Range in 1966. Once the area is sufficiently remediated to be safe for public access, Castner Range will offer unique opportunities for the El Paso community to experience, explore, and learn from nature. President Biden is committed to expanding access to nature for underserved communities that have historically had less access to our public lands, like those bordering Castner Range. Protecting Castner Range connects the area with the Franklin Mountains State Park, creating continuous habitat for wildlife and improved public access for outdoor recreation. Castner Range also hosts significant cultural sites documenting the history of Tribal Nations, including the Apache and Pueblo peoples and the Comanche Nation, Hopi Tribe, and Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma.

Directing Consideration of a Sanctuary to Complete Protections for Waters Around the Pacific Remote Islands

Consistent with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to conserving 30% of lands and waters by 2030, the President will sign a Presidential Memorandum directing the Secretary of Commerce to, using the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, consider initiating a sanctuary designation within the next 30 days to expand protections around the Pacific Remote Islands southwest of Hawaii. Such protections would encompass areas unaddressed by previous administrations so all areas of U.S. jurisdiction around the islands, atolls, and reef of the Pacific Remote Islands will be protected.

The potential new National Marine Sanctuary identified in the Memorandum would conserve 777,000 square miles, including the existing Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument and currently unprotected submerged lands and waters. The region has a rich ancestral tie to many Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island communities. The process for a potential sanctuary designation would allow the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to further explore the area’s scientific, cultural, and ancestral linkages, and tailor its management accordingly.

The President is also directing the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a public process to work with regional Indigenous cultural leaders to appropriately rename the existing Pacific Remote Islands National Monument, and potentially the Islands themselves, to honor the area’s heritage, ancestral pathways, and stopping points for Pacific Island voyagers, and to provide posthumous recognition for young Native Hawaiian men sent to secure U.S. territorial claim to the islands in the run up to World War II.

New Federal and Other Actions to Conserve, Restore, and Expand Access to Lands and Waters

Ocean Climate Action Plan: The Ocean Policy Committee, co-chaired by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, is releasing the first-ever United States Ocean Climate Action Plan, a groundbreaking roadmap to harnesses the power of the ocean to advance immediate, transformational steps to protect ocean health and address the climate crisis. Acknowledging that there is no path to a healthy and livable climate without the ocean, the plan outlines new actions on the Administration’s ocean-climate priorities, including efforts to advance climate solutions, promote environmental justice, support healthy communities, and ensure a robust and sustainable ocean economy.

Wildlife Corridors Guidance: The White House Council on Environmental Quality is issuing new guidance to Federal agencies on how to better incorporate ecological connectivity and wildlife corridors into federal planning and decision-making. The guidance highlights the importance of connectivity across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater habitats, encouraging collaboration across management and ownership boundaries with states, Tribes, local governments, and private land owners. This helps deliver on one of the America the Beautiful Initiative’s six early focus areas – supporting collaborative conservation of fish and wildlife habitat and corridors.

Strengthening the Stewardship of America’s Public Lands: The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management will, in the coming weeks, seek public input on a proposed rule that will help update and modernize the agency’s tools and strategies for managing America’s public lands. With climate change imposing mounting impacts on the nation’s public lands, and the growing importance of public lands for recreation and conservation, the proposed rule would help ensure that the nation’s lands continue to provide abundant and well-connected wildlife habitat, supply clean drinking water, and power local economies.

New Partnership to Protect Military Readiness and Preserve Green Space: The Department of the Interior and the Department of Defense are partnering to allocate $80 million through a combination of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and matching funds from DoD’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program (REPI) to preserve green space around military installations and improve access to outdoor recreation for millions of Americans. The Departments will make the funding available to states through a competitive process that could support projects on Tribal, private, state, or local lands.

$100 Million Tribal Conservation Funding Pledge: Today, Native Americans in Philanthropy, in collaboration with Biodiversity Funders Group and 15 philanthropies, is launching the Tribal Nations Conservation Pledge with an initial commitment of more than $100 million. This is a new platform for philanthropic organizations to support the conservation work of Tribal Nations and public-private partnerships between the Biden-Harris Administration, Tribes, and philanthropy. The pledge calls on funders to commit to a self-determined amount of funding, or a self-determined percentage of annual programmatic funding, to support the biodiversity and conservation efforts of Tribes, inter-Tribal organizations, and Tribal consortia.

America the Beautiful 2022 Annual Report: The Biden-Harris Administration is releasing the 2022 America the Beautiful Annual Report, an update on progress made to support locally-led conservation and restoration efforts and meet the President’s goal to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

New Partnership to Accelerate the Conservation of At-Risk Species: The Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Alliance of Forest Owners and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement Inc., will announce a memorandum of understanding which formalizes the Wildlife Conservation Initiative, a collaborative partnership focused on advancing the conservation of at-risk and listed species within private working forests nationwide. The announcement comes as the Department of the Interior celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act and highlights the landmark law’s importance in preventing imperiled species’ extinction, promoting the recovery of wildlife, and conserving the habitats upon which they depend. 

Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program: Soon the Federal Highway Administration and the Department of Transportation will open applications for the first-of-its-kind $350 million Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. The program will build infrastructure that is proven to improve roadway safety – particularly in rural communities – and bring down the roughly 200 deaths stemming from more than one million collisions every year between vehicles and wildlife.

Nearly $200 Million to Reduce Wildfire Risk to Communities: Yesterday the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced nearly $200 million in Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) program grants to communities across the country. Funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CWDG program is designed to assist communities, including Tribal communities, non-profit organizations, state forestry agencies and Alaska Native corporations with planning for and mitigating wildfire risks to communities and critical infrastructure as the nation faces an ongoing wildfire crisis.

State Wildlife Grants: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is distributing over $56 million for state fish and wildlife agencies through the State Wildlife Grant Program to support conservation and stewardship efforts for imperiled wildlife and their habitats.  

Boating Infrastructure Grants: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is distributing over $20 million in grant funding to assist states and territories in the construction, renovation and maintenance of marinas and other boating facilities for outdoor recreation. Grants will support projects in 20 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to increase outdoor recreation access and waterway stewardship.  

Pactola Reservoir Protection: The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management announced actions to consider protections for cultural and natural resources in the Pactola Reservoir – Rapid Creek Watershed in South Dakota, including drinking water for Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base, from the adverse impacts of mineral exploration and development. The Pactola Reservoir is the largest and deepest reservoir in the Black Hills National Forest, with 14 miles of shoreline and 150-foot depths on 800 acres and provides high quality recreation for communities and visitors. 

###

The post FACT SHEET: Biden-<span class="dewidow">⁠</span>Harris Administration Takes New Action to Conserve and Restore America’s Lands and<span class="dewidow"> </span>Waters appeared first on The White House.

The United States welcomes today’s announcement in Geneva of a major prisoner exchange agreement by the parties to the Yemen conflict. Under the deal, 887 detainees related to the war will be released by all sides. This important step builds on the positive environment created by a truce in Yemen that has effectively stopped the fighting for the past 11 months. We thank UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and the International Committee of the Red Cross for their hard work finalizing the agreement. Over the past year and thanks to active and persistent U.S. diplomacy, Yemen has seen the lowest level of violence since the war began over a decade ago. We remain committed to building on this work to advance a durable resolution to the conflict.

###

The post Statement from NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson Welcoming the Prisoner Exchange Agreement Reached for<span class="dewidow"> </span>Yemen appeared first on The White House.

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

2:14 P.M. EDT
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh my gosh.  Hello. 
 
Q    Hello.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Hello.
 
MR. SUDEIKIS:  Hello. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I wonder why so many people are here today.  (Laughter.)
 
Q    I’m here for you.  
 
Q    Karine —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, right.  Right, you’re here for me.
 
Q    Karine, before — before you begin —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, no, no, no.  Nope.  That’s not — we’re not doing this.  We’re not doing this. 
 
Q    I would like to request —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’re not doing this.  We’re not doing this. 
 
Q    I would like to request that you call on everyone from across the room. 
 
You’ve been discriminating against me and discriminating against some people in the briefing room. 
 
Q    Sir!
 
Q    And I’m saying that this is the U.S. —
 
Q    Come on!
 
Q    — this is not China —
 
Q    Let her start.
 
Q    — this is not Russia. 
 
Q    You’re being rude. 
 
Q    Let her start. 
 
Q    This is not Russia!
 
Q    Be respectful.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.
 
Q    What you are doing, you are making a mockery of the First Amendment.
 
Q    Simon!
 
Q    Decorum, please.  Decorum, please. 
 
Q    Let her start.  Respect her.
 
Q    It’s been seven months.  You’ve not called on me.
 
Q    Decorum, please.
 
Q    You blow off my messages.  I’m saying that that’s not right.  That’s not right. 
 
Q    Let her start the briefing!
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Fun times.  Welcome, guys.  (Laughter.)
 
Q    That’s not right.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Welcome.  Welcome to the press briefing room.
 
Q    (Inaudible) you are trying to silence some people —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.
 
Q    — but this is not right.
 
Q    Sir!
 
Q    Sir, let it go. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Are you ready?  Are we going to behave? 
 
Q    Thank you. 
 
Q    It’s not about behaving —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  While many folks —
 
Q    — I’m saying that it is to respect the First Amendment.
 
Q    Decorum, please.
 
Q    Simon!  
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.
 
Q    Sorry to our guests.  We apologize. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yes, I apologize. 
 
MR. SUDEIKIS:  It’s all good.  It’s all good. 
 
MR. GOLDSTEIN:  No, that’s all right.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I apologize.
 
Okay, while many — while many folks here in the U.S. are focused on March Madness or the World Baseball Classic — go Team USA tomorrow night, by the way — we at the White House today are going to focus on another sport, which is soccer — or football, as some of my guests might say — (laughter) —
 
MS. WADDINGHAM:  Thank you.  Football.  Thank you. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — specifically AFC Richmond. 
 
And I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of the “Believe” ba- — banners that we’re seeing around — that you all may be seeing around the White House complex today.
 
It is an honor — it is truly an honor to have Coach Lasso here with us today.  (Laughter.)
 
On a serious note though, because this is actually very serious for the reasons that they are all here — Jason and his castmates — and there’s a real message around mental health.  And they are meeting with the President and the First Lady, as you all know, this afternoon on this important topic.
 
And as you know, the President has made mental health the centerpiece of his Unity Agenda.
 
And I know that Jason wants to share a few words.  And so, Coach Lasso, the podium is yours.
 
MR. SUDEIKIS:  I appreciate it.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And here you go.
 
MR. SUDEIKIS:  Thank you.  Thank you. 
 
Yeah, I didn’t — I truly did not know it was going to be this when — on the way here — (laughter) — until we were out here.  And so, thank you for taking an interest. 
 
And I know you’re here for bigger reasons than us, but I just want to say that on behalf of myself, everyone here with me today and the numerous other folks that — that it takes to make our show, “Ted Lasso,” it is sincerely an honor to visit the White House and to have the opportunity to speak to the President and to the First Lady about the importance of mental health.
 
So, like, no matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter who you voted for, we all — probably, I assume — we all know someone who has — or have been that someone ourselves, actually — that’s struggled, that’s felt isolated, that’s felt anxious, that has felt alone.  Right?
 
And it’s actually one of the many things that, believe it or not, that we all have in common as human beings, right?
 
And so, that means that we — it’s something that we can all, you know, and should talk about with one another when we’re feeling that way or when we recognize that in someone feeling that way. 
 
So, please, you know, we encourage everyone — and it’s a big theme of the show — is, like, to check in with your — you know, your neighbor, your coworker, your friends, your family, and ask how they’re doing and listen sincerely.  You know?  I mean, you all ask questions for a living, but you also listen for a living.  So, you know, who am I preaching to?  The choir, that is.  Okay?  (Laughter.) 
 
And look — and while — look, while it’s easier said than done, I — we also have to know that we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help ourselves.  And that does take a lot, especially when it’s something that has such a negative stigma to it, such as mental health.  And it doesn’t need to be that way.
 
And if you can ask for that help from a professional, fantastic.  If it needs to be a loved one, equally as good in a lot of ways, because it’s — sometimes you just need to let that pressure — that pressure valve release.
 
The President is working on, and his — and his own team — although his team is real; our team is make-believe.  (Laughter.)  Don’t think I don’t know that.  Despite what the people that FIFA and EA will tell you, we are actually a make-believe team.  (Laughter.) 
 
But, you know, they’re working very hard to make sure that the — that — you know, that option is available to as many Americans as possible.
 
Now, look, I know in this town a lot of folks don’t always agree — right? — and don’t always feel heard, seen, listened to.  Yes?  But I truly believe that we should all do our best to help take care of each other.  That’s my own personal belief.  I think that’s something that everybody up here on stage believes in.  That’s things we talk about in the writers’ room and we talk about in the editing room and everything in between.
 
And just like — you know, you just want to emulate, you know, these make-believe folks that we all play at AFC Richmond and the way they take care of one another.  That is the wish fulfillment of the show, aside from me playing coach and these guys being professional footballers.  You know, that’s like — you know, that’s — that’s — that’s a big part of the show.  (Laughter.)
 
Now, I — I can’t help but take this opportunity to take at least one question.  So, please, yeah.
 
Q    So, you’re going to do better than 20th?
 
MR. SUDEIKIS:  Ahhh — wait.  Hold on.  The — decorum, right?  That was the word we were using?  Decorum. 
 
Yes, sir.  A familiar face.  Hi. 
 
MR. LANCE:  Trent Crimm.  (Laughter.)  Fake journalist.  (Laughter.)
 
MR. SUDEIKIS:  Yes, sir.  Yes, Trent.  Nice to see you.
 
MR. LANCE:  How do you feel about Kansas City being one of the named hosting cities for the 2026 World Cup?
 
MR. SUDEIKIS:  Ooh, here I was hoping for a softball.  (Laughter.)  Okay, you know what?  I’m very excited, truth — truth be told.
 
Yeah, Kansas City is going to be one of these teams — I mean, I love this town.  What I am genuinely worried about is once we get all these folks from all over the world to come to Kansas City and see our city, eat our food, meet our people, you’re going to have, you know, a lot of folks that won’t want to move away.  That’s what I’m worried about.  (Laughter.)
 
That’s it for us.  All right.  Thank you very much.  All right, see you guys. 
 
Thank you sincerely so much for having us and putting up with us.
 
Now on to greener pastures.  (Laughter.)
 
All right, thank you.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you so much.  Thank you.
 
MR. SUDEIKIS:  All right, see you guys.  Absolutely.
 
MS. WADDINGHAM:  Thank you so much. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you.  Thank you so much. 
 
Q    Would you do a Biden impression? 
 
MR. SUDEIKIS:  Excuse me? 
 
Q    You don’t have a little —
 
Q    Your Joe Biden. 
 
Q    — Joe Biden impression for us? 
 
MR. SUDEIKIS:  No, I think — they got the real one here now.  You know?  (Laughter.)  Yeah.  No, I — I need fake teeth and, you know, and injected with a lot more chutzpah to pull that off.  So, you now.  Okay. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, boy.  Oh, boy. 
 
Q    We just want to know if you’re going to do better than 20th.
 
MR. SUDEIKIS:  Oh, I don’t know.
 
I — yes.  Yes. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thanks, guys.  Thank you so much.  Thank you.
 
Q    Thank you.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you. 
 
Okay, I just got to say something before we start.  I know some folks are probably going to leave the room.
 
Q    Karine, one (inaudible).  You can’t keep — you can’t keep discriminating against some people in the briefing room because you don’t like them and you don’t like their questions.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sir, you have a choice. 
 
Q    No, you’ve been —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You have a choice. 
 
Q    — discriminating against me —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You have a choice.
 
Q    — and against a number of people —
 
Q    Shhh —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.
 
Q    — in the briefing room.  And I’m saying that that’s not right.  This is not China.  This is not Russia.  This is the United States.
 
Q    Decorum!
 
Q    This is the White House.
 
Q    Come on.
 
Q    Simon — Simon, the point is —  
 
Q    I think you should —
 
Q    The point is you’re not letting her talk.
 
Q    The rest of us are here too, pal.
 
Q    It is based on (inaudible) —
 
Q    You’re not letting her talk.   
 
Q    (Inaudible.)
 
Q    If you have grievances, you should bring them to her later.
 
Q    I have done that. 
 
Q    Right now, this is —
 
Q    I have done that!
 
Q    — for the entire press corps.
 
Q    All my emails have been ignored.
 
Q    And the press corps is tired of dealing with this. 
 
Q    I’ve done that.
 
Q    It isn’t about you, Simon. 
 
Q    Understand that you get questions all the time and you don’t (inaudible) —
 
Q    The point is —
 
Q    — to sit here for eight months and being discriminated against.  Understand that — 
 
Q    Take your legitimate questions —
 
Q    — you’re in the front row.  And you feel comfortable, and you get —
 
Q    — to the Press Secretary at another time. 
 
Q    — to ask questions all the time. 
 
Q    But you have people in the back who don’t get any questions. 
 
Q    Don’t make assumptions about what the rest of us do.  Mind your manners when you’re in here.  If you have a problem, you bring it up afterwards
 
But you are impinging on everybody in here who is only trying to do their job.
 
Sorry.
 
Q    Okay, thank you.  I’m saying that you shouldn’t discriminate against some people because you don’t agree with their question, you’re offended —
 
Q    You made your point. 
 
Q    — by their question.
 
Q    You made your point.
 
Q    You made your point.
 
Q    We all heard it. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Guys, as you all know — many of you know, this is the White House Press Briefing Room.  A historic room.  A room that should have the decorum.  A room where folks should respect their colleagues and respect the guests that are here.
 
And I understand that there’s going to be give-and-take.  That’s the way the press briefing has gone for — for decades before me.  And I will always, always respect that. 
 
But what I will not — what I will not appreciate is disrespecting your colleagues and disrespecting guests who are here to talk — who were here to talk about an incredibly important issue, which is mental health. 
 
And what has just occurred this last 10, 15 minutes is unacceptable.  It is reg- —
 
Q    You’ve been discriminating against me.  You’ve been dis- —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It is unacceptable. 
 
Q    — against me for months. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So we’re going to — so we’re either going to continue the briefing or we can just end the briefing right here.
 
Q    No.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  Well, then let’s go.
 
Q    Let’s go.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Now, for my next guest, my colleague, John Kirby, is joining me here today to talk about President Xi’s visit to Moscow and take any questions that you may have.
 
Again, another guest that should be respected in this room and allowed to take questions from the front and from the back.  And that’s what we do every day.  And that’s what we’re going to continue to do.
 
Go ahead, Admiral.
 
MR. KIRBY:  Thanks, Karine.  Afternoon, everybody.
 
Q    Hello, John.
 
MR. KIRBY:  I do — thank you.  I do have a few things to get through.  And I promised Karine I’d try to be as brief as I could, but there’s a — there’s a lot going on.  So just please bear with me, and then I’ll be happy to take as many questions as — as time will allow.
 
Today, I think you — as you all know, President Xi is visiting Russia to meet with President Putin.  Now, you also probably know that China has already issued a 12-point plan for the conflict in Ukraine, which includes an essent- — an essential point, and that’s respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. 
 
We encouraged President Xi to advocate for this exact essential key point, which must include the withdrawal of Russian forces from sovereign Ukrainian territory consistent with the U.N. Charter. 
 
The entire world would like to see this war end — especially the Ukrainians themselves, who have put forward their own plan for a just peace, which draws, again, on these same U.N. principles.
 
And let’s remember, this war could actually end right now if Russia would withdraw its troops from the country. 
 
We hope that President Xi will press President Putin to cease bombing Ukrainian cities, hospitals, and schools; to halt the war crimes and atrocities; and to withdraw all his troops.
 
But we are concerned that, instead, China will reiterate calls for a ceasefire that leaves Russian forces inside Ukraine sovereign territory.  And any ceasefire that does not address the removal of Russian forces from Ukraine would effectively ratify Russia’s illegal conquests, enabling Russia to entrench its positions and then to restart the war at a more advantageous time for them.
 
This would — the world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, aided by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its terms without any viable pathway to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.  Any such attempt — any such attempt would violate the U.N. Charter and defy the will of the 141 countries that demanded, just weeks ago at the U.N. General Assembly, that Russia immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw from Ukraine.
 
Efforts to end this conflict must take Ukraine’s position into account.  And so we encourage President Xi to play a constructive role by speaking with President Zelenskyy, which he has not done since Russia launched this invasion.  Because China, quite frankly, we believe, should hear directly from the Ukrainians and not just from the Russians.
 
And we encourage President Xi to press President Putin directly on the need to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.  The world and China’s neighbors will certainly be watching closely.
 
I also have a few updates for you on Israel.  First, we welcome the understandings reach- — reached in Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday between senior political and security officials of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.  This was the second meeting in this particular format following the gathering that was in Aqaba three weeks ago, and it included participation by senior officials from the United States, from Egypt, and from Jordan.
 
The parties held candid and constructive conversations on steps to improve security and stability for Palestinians and Israelis and on efforts to strengthen the economic stability of the Palestinian people. 
 
Meetings at this level have not taken place in nearly 10 years.  And they helped to build a critical foundation to deescalate tensions and reduce violence.  And that’s what we want to see happen.
 
We look forward to continuing these discussions as we enter the holy month of Ramadan, of Passover, and Easter.
 
Now, President Biden has also spoken, I think as you know, yesterday with Prime Minister Netanyahu.  In that call, he welcomed the meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh and reinforced the need for all sides to take urgent collaborative steps to enhance security coordination, condemn all acts of terrorism, and maintain the viability of a two-state solution. 
 
He also reiterated his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and our ongoing cooperation to counter all the threats posed by Iran — and there are many.
 
The President also stressed that democratic values have always been and must remain a hallmark of U.S.-Israeli bilateral relations.  Democratic societies are strengthened by genuine checks and balances, and fundamental changes should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support.  He offered his support for efforts underway to forge a compromise on proposed judicial reforms consistent with those core principles.  And we call on all Israeli leaders to reach such a compromise without delay.
 
On a separate topic: Earlier today, I think you saw the President issued a statement welcoming the recovery and soon return of Jeff Woodke, a U.S. citi- — a U.S. citizen who had been held hostage in Africa for more than six years.  He is safe, and he is in the hands of the U.S. government officials.
 
As the President said in that statement not too long ago, we extend our deepest appreciation to the Nigerien government for their help in securing his release.  For more than six years, there has been a multi-pronged effort dedicated to locating and recovering Jeff, which was spearheaded by our military, our law enforcement, and our intelligence community, working together with French support.
 
Jeff, like other hostages and wrongful detainees, will be offered the best medical care possible, of course, to include post-isolation support.  After a full medical screening, he will be reunited with his loved ones in the near future. 
 
I think you can understand why we’d ask you to please allow Jeff and his family a little bit of privacy here as he adjusts to new surroundings and to life moving forward and to coming back into American society. 
 
The Biden-Harris administration remains unwavering in our commitment to bringing Americans wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad home to their loved ones.  And this is yet another example of the President’s commitment in that regard. 
 
Lastly, I know it’s not lost on any of you that today is the 20th anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Whatever one thinks about the war and what started it, I can tell you two things. 
 
One, we’re looking ahead, and we’ve got a — a good collaboration, a good partnership with Iraq and Iraqi Security Forces, who we continue to partner with in an “enable, advise, and assist” role, because there’s still a viable threat of ISIS there in Iraq and in Syria. 
 
And number two, the President and the First Lady remain absolutely committed, as they always have been, to the men and women of America — of our military, as well as across the interagency, who served, fought, died, and suffered in Iraq. 
 
Some 4,399 troops did not make it home from the war.  More than 30,000 came home forever changed by wounds and injuries. 
 
And it’s not just them; it’s their families that continue to suffer, that continue to sacrifice.  There’s 4,399 chairs at 4,399 dinner tables that are empty.  And it’s important for us always to remember that and never forget the bravery, the courage, the sacrifice that went into fighting that war, again, regardless of how you feel about it.
 
President Biden and the First Lady are going to commit — stay committed to those — to those families going forward.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m going to — go ahead — start in the back.  Go ahead.  Please start.
 
Q    Yes, Karine. 
 
Q    Oh, okay.  Thank you.  Just on Russia.  First of all, Moscow has indicated that they’ll put a pause on the grain deal by May 18th if the U.S. doesn’t comply with some of their demands, which include putting some banks back in the SWIFT system, resuming exports of agricultural equipment.  What’s your reaction to that?  And what’s the plan B if they do halt?
 
MR. KIRBY:  So, first, I — we obviously welcome the extension.  It’s for, I think, 60 days — not the 120 that I think we were — that everybody was hoping for.  But a 60-day extension.  That’s a good thing. 
 
In fact, over the weekend, I think two ships left with hundreds of thousands of metric tons of corn.  And a lot of that corn, a lot of that grain is heading for low- and middle-income countries that have been suffering — no question — have been suffering since the beginning of this war with food insecurity. 
 
So, it’s a good thing.  And we’re grateful for the work of Turkey, for the U.N. to move forward with that. 
 
I don’t have any — and I won’t get into speculating about repercussions one way or another.  We’re focused on now getting — now that this is extended, making sure we get those ships loaded and get them out and get them to places where they need to be.  That’s — that’s what — that’s what the focus is. 
 
Q    And can you just remind us of your position on — you know, doubtless there are going be conversations between President Xi and Putin about assistance to Russia in Ukraine.  What is the U.S.’s position on that?  And what if China does decide to aid Russia?
 
MR. KIRBY:  All right, so on the — on the communications — hang on, I just want to write this down so I don’t forget it.
 
The — you’ve heard the President say this himself.  He wants to have another conversation with President Xi, and he’ll do that.  And we’ll do that at the most appropriate time. 
 
I don’t have a call in the schedule to speak to, but it’s important that we keep those lines of communication open, particularly now when tensions are so high.  That’s why we’re — you know, we still want to get Secretary Blinken back to Beijing.  That visit was postponed; it wasn’t canceled.  And we’re still hopeful that we can get that back on the cal- — calendar. 
 
As a matter of fact, we’re having discussions with the PRC right now about a potential visit by Secretary Yellen and Secretary Raimondo to go over there and talk about economic issues.  So there’s that — that we’re still working. 
 
So all — all of that — keeping those lines of communication open — are still valuable. 
 
Now, you asked about lethal weapons and a provision of lethal weapons by China.  We’ll see what they come out of this meeting talking about.  I mean, we don’t know if there’s going to be some sort of arrangement. 
 
I would just tell you that we still don’t believe that China has taken it off the table.  We still don’t believe and haven’t seen any indication that they’re moving in that direction or they’ve made a decision to provide or that they’re actually going to do that.
 
We continue to believe it’s not in China’s best interest to do that, to help Mr. Putin slaughter innocent Ukrainians.  It’s hard to believe that they would think that that’s in their best interest. 
 
It would also run counter to what we’ve heard President Xi talk about in terms of what his ultimate goal here is.  I think he put an op-ed out today talking about sovereignty, territorial integrity, finding a peaceful way to end this war that — providing lethal weapons would seem to be inconsistent with that goal.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Alex.  Alex. 
 
Q    When is the right time for a ceasefire?
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Alex.  Alex.  Go ahead.  Alex, go ahead. 
 
Q    Thank you.  Thank you, Karine.  Admiral, do you all — are you encouraged by progress — or seeming progress in Israel on the judicial reforms?  It seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu and his critics agree on some key things but not others.  How do you assess the situation?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Well, we’re glad that they’re talking.  The President was — was encouraged by the — the efforts by President Herzog to come up with some alternatives.  We’re certainly going to let Israeli leaders speak to the details of that.  This is for them to work out. 
 
But one of the messages that President Biden had when he spoke to the Prime Minister yesterday was: It’s important for those efforts to be fully explored and for compromises to be made, because the beauty of democracy is, in fact, compromise.  And the strength of our — of both our democracies is that we believe in checks and balances and also in a consensus among the — the populace that — to make these changes, whatever changes they are, to make them sustainable.  All that has to be factored in.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Mary.
 
Q    Thanks.  Just a couple follow-ups here.  You said that you haven’t seen any confirmation that China has made a decision yet when it comes to providing aid.  Why do you think China hasn’t made this decision yet?  Do you think they’re waiting for this meeting today or —
 
MR. KIRBY:  Difficult to know.  It’s hard.  You know, we — I couldn’t possibly get inside President Xi’s decision-making to see, you know, what — what he’s thinking. 
 
China has, as you know, not condemned the war, but they haven’t provided lethal weapons.  They haven’t participated in — in sanctions the way we obviously would have preferred them to do.  They have — they have made their own sovereign decisions.  And largely, at least tacitly, many of those decisions have come down on the side of Russia here, including buying into the Russian propaganda that this war is some sort of existential threat to Russia and it’s the West or the U.S. and NATO pushing Russia, which is — of course is nonsense. 
 
I can’t speak for President Xi and why he hasn’t moved in this direction.  I would just reiterate here from the podium, what we’ve reiterated to pr- — to Chinese officials privately: that we don’t think it’s in their best interest, it’s not going to bring an end to this war any faster, and, as I said earlier, it certainly appears inconsistent with what President Xi has said publicly about what he wants to see happen. 
 
Q    And on the phone call between President Biden and President Xi, what is the holdup here?
 
MR. KIRBY:  It —
 
Q    You all seem interested in talking.  Are the Chinese not interested?
 
MR. KIRBY:  There’s no holdup — no holdup at all.  We want to make sure when we have this conversation it’s at the — at the appropriate time and in the right context. 
 
President Xi has been kind of busy of late.  I mean, he had the People’s Congress, which just ended; now he’s in Moscow.  So, look, when it’s the right time and — for both leaders, we’ll get them on the phone. 
 
But just as importantly, to my first answer on this, we’re still trying — you know, still interested in working towards getting Secretary Blinken back to Beijing.  I mean, he was practically on the plane when we had to pull that visit back and postpone it. 
 
And as I said, we’re having active discussions with the PRC right now about the potential visit by Secretary Yellen and a — and one by Secretary Raimondo.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.
 
Q    Thanks, John.  On the — on the call yesterday with the Pres- — Prime Minister Netanyahu, was — has there been any discussion within the U.S. government of withholding potentially some military assistance to Israel because of the — if these judicial reforms do proceed, there are a number of instances around the world —
 
MR. KIRBY:  One of the —
 
Q    — where the U.S. holds — withholds military assistance for democratic reasons or concerns (inaudible)?
 
MR. KIRBY:  One of the — one of the main things that President Biden stressed to Prime Minister Netanyahu was our ironclad support for Israel’s security and that — that that’s going to continue.  We face some common challenges in the region, not — not the least of which is Iran.  That will continue.
 
Q    And then, just on a different topic, the other NSC side — the homeland security side, in light of some of the discussions regarding protests surrounding the potential future indictment of the former President.  You addressed this a little bit yesterday, but can you get — has the White House been briefed on any security concerns or is involved in any operational planning to ensure — investigating threats or otherwise ensure homeland security?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I’m not aware of any specific briefings or — or specific threats.
 
As I said yesterday, we — we always monitor this.  Even absent the context of — of those comments, we’re constantly monitoring this — as you would think we should, particularly in the wake of what happened on January 6th.  But I’m not — I’m not tracking any individual or specific threats or any specific or operational moves by — by the federal government. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Jeff.  And then we’ll go back.
 
Q    Thanks.  John, does the President plan to invite Prime Minister Netanyahu to Washington for a visit?
 
MR. KIRBY:  There’s nothing on the schedule right now for that.
 
Q    And more broadly, on the Russia question, is there another way to look at President Xi’s visit other than a show of support for President Putin?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I think, clearly — look, take a couple steps back here.  I mean, this is a relationship that has been burgeoning of late.  There two countries have — have grown closer.
 
It — but they are both countries that chafe and bristle at U.S. leadership around the world, that chafe and bristle at this idea — I know it’s — it sounds like a wonky term, but this rules-based order inter- — this international rules-based order, which so many countries helped to establish in the wake of World War Two.
 
These two countries, they don’t like that much.  And they like to challenge it.  And they — and in China’s case in particular, they certainly would like to challenge U.S. leadership around the world.  And in — in President Putin, President Xi sees a potential ally in that effort. 
 
For President Putin, he sees in President Xi a lifeline of sorts for a war that he’s conducting that has clearly not gone in the — anywhere near the direction he wanted it to go and a military that is clearly failing on the battlefield.
 
So, it’s a bit of a marriage of convenience, I’d say, less than it is of affection.
 
And, again, we’ll — we’ll see where — we’ll see where this goes after this — after this meeting.  But these are not two countries that have, you know, decades-long experience working together and full trust and confidence.  It’s a burgeoning of late based on America’s increasing leadership around the world and trying to che- — and trying to check that.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Lalit.
 
Q    Thank you.  I wanted to ask you about the comment of India protests against — there was an attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco yesterday.  The doors were broken.  The windows were broken. 
 
MR. KIRBY:  Yeah.
 
Q    And graffiti was (inaudible) the wall.  Is the President aware about it?  And I haven’t seen any action being taken by the San Francisco police yet.
 
MR. KIRBY:  We — we certainly condemn that — that vandalism.  It’s just absolutely unacceptable.  The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service is working with local authorities.
 
I can’t speak for the San Francisco police, but I can say that the Diplomatic Security Service is working with local authorities to properly investigate.  And obviously, State Department is going to be working, from an infrastructure perspective, to repair the damage.  But it’s unacceptable.
 
Q    Now that you have a U.S. ambassador to India confirmed by the Senate, it has been around two years now that you didn’t have an ambassador to India.  Can you look back and say how did it impacted your ties with India not having an ambassador on the ground in Delhi?
 
MR. KIRBY:  It always helps if you have a Senate-confirmed ambassador in a country, particularly one that’s so important, like India, to us in the region and around the world.
 
But we didn’t let that stop us.  President Biden has prioritized that bilateral relationship.  And even though — without an ambassador, we — we certainly had a very competent chargé there and a very competent career staff in the embassy that were able to continue to advance our foreign policy interests in this bilateral relationship and did so quite effectively.
 
But, obviously, having an ambassador is always important, and we look forward to that — to having (inaudible).
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Way in the back, behind Alex.
 
Q    Karine, thank you.  What is the administration doing specifically to counter the growing Russia and China relationship?
 
MR. KIRBY:  What we’re focused on is revitalizing our alliances and partnerships around the world and advancing our foreign policy goals around the world and in working to strengthen the foreign policy objectives and the mutual security objectives that we share with so many other countries. 
 
I mean, last week, on Monday, the President was in San Diego to unveil, with Prime Minister Sunak and Prime Minister Albanese of Australia, this AUKUS deal.  This is a — an opportunity now to help Australia get their own nuclear-powered submarines.  That’s just one example. 
 
That’s what we’re focused on.  It’s not about — it’s not about countering them; it’s about advancing our goals. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Peter.
 
Q    Thanks.  John, Russia and China — it seems like this — these two superpowers are teaming up now against the U.S.  Why did President Biden let this happen?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Peter, these are two countries that have long chafed, as I said to Jeff — long chafed at U.S. leadership around the world and — and the network of alliances and partnerships that we have.
 
This is not — this is not something that these two countries just cooked up since President Biden got elected.
 
Q    But — but he was —
 
MR. KIRBY:  It is something that they have been —
 
Q– since he’s been President, he has talked tough.  He tried to pressure Putin and Xi to act right or risk their standing on the world stage.  Does he see now that they don’t care?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I think if you ask a lot of Russians, they certainly care.  I mean, this — their economy is — is barely being propped up by some pretty radical measures by — by Mr. Putin.  Their military has been roundly embarrassed inside Ukraine, and they continue to lose ground there. 
 
And as for China, again, take a look at the way the President has really revitalized and restored alliances and partnerships that were let go, if not ridiculed, in the previous administration.  We have prioritized them. 
 
And there’s no other nation around the world that has this alliance and partnership network that we do.  Five of our seven treaty alliances are in the Indo-Pacific.  And President Biden has priotor- — prioritized each and every one of them. 
 
Q    Specific to these two leaders, though, do you think that Putin and Xi fear President Biden?
MR. KIRBY:  You’d have to ask them whether they fear or they not.
 
Q    Should they?
 
MR. KIRBY:  It is not about fear.  It’s about President Biden advancing our foreign policy goals around the world.  It’s about President Biden revitalizing these alliances and partnerships.  It’s about President Biden and what he’s doing to preserve our national security interests around the world.  That’s what we’re focused on. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.  Welcome back. 
 
Q    Thank you.  It’s been a minute.  Has the President spoken to Jeff Woodke or his family yet today?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I don’t think there’s been any direct communication by the President with respect to the family yet.  I mean, we’re just delighted — this news just broke, as you know — we’re just delighted to be able to get him back in our hands.  We’re going to make sure he gets the care he needs. 
 
And I’m sure there’ll be appropriate communications at the right time.  But as I said in my opening statement, we also — this is — I mean, six years, and they just got word today.  We need to give the family a little breathing space.
 
Q    And — sorry, really quick — your reaction to President Putin visiting Mariupol over the weekend? 
 
MR. KIRBY:  So, look, a couple of things there.  I mean, I certainly won’t speak to his travel habits, but Mariupol is far from the fighting.  It’s far from the frontlines. 
 
I hope he did get to see — I hope he did get to see the damage and the destruction that his troops did to that city.  And I heard in the press release that he was going to look at all the ways they rebuilding — they’re rebuilding Mariupol.  Ha!  How about the fact that they shouldn’t have to rebuild it because he shouldn’t have bombed —
 
Sorry.  He shouldn’t have — yeah, I was going to use a word I shouldn’t use here.  (Laughter.)
 
So, I hope he got to see what his troops, his military, and his war did to that city.  But we’ll — but we’ll let him speak to — to his — what he came away from. 
 
I would also tell you that it’s clear that he knows — he has to know how badly he’s doing inside Ukraine.  I mean, more than 50 percent of the territory they took from Ukraine in the first weeks and months of the war, the Ukrainians have already taken back. 
 
And the only real active fighting right now is around Bakhmut.  And here we are on — what is it today, the 20th? — and Bakhmut is still not in Russian hands.  Now, they’re fighting over it; the Ukrainians aren’t giving up on it. 
 
And all the while, we are working to make sure — today, we’re announcing another package of assistance — $350 million worth of assistance, largely ammunition — to Ukraine.
 
While all that’s going on, we’re working to make sure that Ukraine is well suited and well postured to defend themselves in the weeks and months ahead. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Phil.
 
Q    Thanks, Karine.  Thanks, John.  Two quick follow-ups on China.  In your description of the relationship between the two — “convenience, not affection,” Russia viewing China as a “lifeline” — do you guys view Russia, at this point, as a client state of China?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I would say there’s — in that particular bilateral relationship, they certainly are the junior partner. 
 
Q    And then, in terms of the lines of communication — the President has talked about this; you’ve talked about it repeatedly — being critical to the relationship — the bilateral relationship with China — which lines are not currently open?
 
There was reporting last month about the military — mil-to-mil lines were not open; obviously, economic lines are open.  Seems like the Secretary of State —
 
MR. KIRBY:  Well, we’re hoping to get the economic lines open.  The military-to-military lines are not open.  And that’s — and that’s a problem. 
 
That was, as you know, one of the things we were hoping Secretary Blinken would get thawed for us, because they are frozen.  And, of course, that trip didn’t happen yet, so those lines are still not open.
 
But, look, through diplomatic channels, we still have the ability to speak with the Chinese.  And we are.  As I said, we’re working with them on a potential trip by Secretaries Yellen and Raimondo. 
 
And as I said earlier, the President will absolutely speak with President Xi at the appropriate time.  That’s still open. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.
 
Q    Hey, John, can you — thanks, Karine.  Can you talk more about the effort to release Jeff Woodke?  Was the White House directly involved in negotiations?  Were there any concessions?  What — what exactly changed in the last little bit?
 
MR. KIRBY:  We were — our team here at the NSC was — was involved in this.  Of course, Mr. Carstens, the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs over at the State Department, was keenly involved.  You saw that the President personally thanked the FBI Hostage Fusion Cell for their work, as well as just the work across the interagency; as I said in my opening statement, the intelligence community, other diplomats as well.  There was a lot — that was a team effort to get him out. 
 
There were no concessions made.  There were no swaps here.  This was just hard, grueling, deliberate work by diplomats and other experts directly with the — with the government of Niger to get him home.  And hopefully he’ll — I mean, he’ll be home soon.  But we’re looking forward to that.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay, a couple more —
 
Q    Staying — staying on the continent, Kamala Harris goes to Africa —
 
MR. KIRBY:  She does.
 
Q    — later this week.
 
MR. KIRBY:  She does.
 
Q    The First Lady has.  The Secretary of State has.
 
I wonder what — you know, at the end of — Biden plans later this — this year.  I wonder, at the end of the day, sort of, what message you hope to send to those nations, to the continent.
 
And is it a direct foil, a direct, you know — you know, to China — to China’s role in the region?
 
MR. KIRBY:  So, I — the message is the same that — that the President delivered when we had the African Leaders Summit here in December.  And that’s that Africa matters, the continent matters, and our relationships across the continent all matter. 
 
And — and we work on those relationships one at a time, because every country on the continent is different, has different needs and — and different expectations of American leadership. 
 
And that’s why the President, at the end of that summit, assigned Mr. Carson to be the Special Envoy for Implementation. 
 
And you’re seeing us now move out on that.  You mentioned the Vice President’s trip.  The First Lady was just there.  I mean, we are actively following through on the things we promised we would do at the end of that Africa Leaders Summit. 
 
So this is very much about Africa — African leaders, African nations — and not about anybody else. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Aurelia?
 
Q    Thank you so much.
 
Q    Can I ask you a follow-up question on Africa?
 
Q    I have a question on India and China.  There is a report from U.S. News saying that the U.S. provided intelligence to Indian military, and that helped them repel a Chinese incursion that happened last year.  Can you confirm that?  And does it mean that, you know, generally speaking, there is more intelligence sharing with India?
 
MR. KIRBY:  No, I can’t confirm that. 
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, James.
 
Q    Karine, thank you.  Admiral, thank you.  Two questions focused on China.  First, on the Xi-Putin visit, you and other senior officials have been vocal in recent weeks about your insights into consideration by the Chinese of providing some kind of direct or lethal assistance to the Russians.  And that’s why you’ve issued your public warnings against them doing that. 
 
One of the little-noted aspects of this relationship that I think is important came back in September when Putin and Xi last met in Uzbekistan.  And in his public comments, President Putin stated that they were eager to address the concerns about the Ukraine war that the Chinese had raised. 
 
So, I wonder if you have any insights into the nature of those Chinese concerns and what they may have communicated to the Russians about that.
 
MR. KIRBY:  I do not.  I don’t.
 
Q    The second question is on the Chinese-brokered rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran.  Since that deal was announced, has the United States been able to observe any changes in that relationship, in its security implications for the region, et cetera?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I think it’s too soon right now, James.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, two more.  Joey.
 
Q    Yeah, thank you.  You said there were no concessions made for the release of Mr. Woodke.  Does that mean there was no ransom payment at all?
 
MR. KIRBY:  That’s right.  That’s what that means.
 
Q    And Secretary of State Blinken was in Niger last week.  Did he negotiate at all for his release during that trip?
 
MR. KIRBY:  He certainly had discussions with leaders that he met there about Mr. Woodke, as you would expect him to.
 
Q    And where is Mr. Woodke right now?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I’m not going to get into the specifics of his location.  He’s still on the continent, but he’s in U.S. — he’s with U.S. government officials.
 
Q    Okay, thanks.
 
MR. KIRBY:  Yeah.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.
 
Q    Thank you, Karine.  Do you know if the Chinese government has contacted Kyiv regarding its 12-point plan?  And what’s the Ukrainian government reaction to the plan itself?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I certainly would refer you to comments that President Zelenskyy has already made.  I’m not going to speak for him or his administration.
 
To the best of my knowledge, I know of no conversations between the Chinese and Kyiv with respect to this so-called 12-point proposal.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Ed.
 
(Cross-talk by reporters.)
 
Go ahead, Ed.  Go ahead, Ed.
 
Q    Yeah, thank you.  Thank you, Karine.  Thank you.  So, we saw the Chinse, as alluded to here, broker a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran.  And now the Chinese said they want to broker peace in Ukraine.  What role would President Biden play in any negotiations with them?
 
MR. KIRBY:  He’s already talked to that.  He’s already said very clearly that when it comes to a negotiated settlement, if it comes to a negotiated settlement — and I’ll say it again, no reason for it to; Mr. Putin could just pull his troops out, be done — but if and when it comes to that, nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. 
 
And we will do — and the Ukrainians will find in us a strong and willing partner to help President Zelenskyy if and when he’s ready to negotiate.
 
But the starting point for us has got to be him.  The Ukrainians have to be heard.  Their perspectives have to be understood.  They have to have a voice in this process.
 
And so, it’s fine for the Chinese to go out there and say they want a ceasefire.  We’d all like a — we’d all like to see the fighting stop.  Who wouldn’t? 
 
But if it stops now, without any consideration of the Ukrainian side, without any discussion between the Chinese and the Ukrainians, without any accession by them to an idea of a ceasefire, it basically freezes in place what Mr. Putin has been able to achieve on the ground inside Ukraine.  It’s dwindling, but he still has occupied territory in Ukraine.  And that’s just unacceptable.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Last question.
 
Q    What’s the level of concern —
 
Q    Thank you.
 
Q    Real quick.  What’s the level —
 
Q    Thank you.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Ed.
 
Q    Just real quick.  What’s the level of concern about the growing influence of China around the world then?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Well, we’re certainly mindful that China has tried to expand their influence all around the world — in the Middle East, in Africa, in Latin America. 
 
They can speak to their foreign policy goals should they wish to; I can only speak to ours.  And our goals are not about countering or — or being a block or an obstacle.  There’s no effort to contain here.  It’s about advancing what President Biden believes are the appropriate foreign policy goals for this country, for the American people, and for the best interests of our allies and partners.
 
And again, I go back to what I said before: No other nation in the world — none — has the — a network of alliances and partnerships that the United States does, has as many friends around the world as the United States does who are interested in pursuing the same goals.
 
Secretary Austin, just a week or so ago, held the 10th Ukraine Defense Contact Group, more than 50 nations — again, more than 50 nations at each and every one. 
 
And those are voluntary participation events.  It’s not like we’re browbeating people to show up to agree to contribute to Ukraine. 
 
That’s — that’s the power of American convening leadership.  And you don’t see that power out of either Russia or China.  These are two countries who do not have that same network of friends and partners. 
 
And one of the reasons why that relation- — (Ms. Jean-Pierre begins to call on next reporter) — sorry —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  That’s okay.  (Laughs.)
 
MR. KIRBY:  He got me all — he got — he got me —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  He’s in the zone.  (Laughter.)
 
MR. KIRBY:  No, no, he got me all lathered up.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  (Laughs.)  He’s in the zone.  He’s in the zone.
 
Q    You’re on a roll, man.
 
MR. KIRBY:  You got me all lathered up now.
 
But one of the reasons why you’re seeing that tightening relationship is because they recognize that they don’t have that strong foundation of international support for what they’re trying to do, which is basically challenge American leadership around the world.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, last question.  You got the last question.
 
Q    Thank you very much.  The President travels to Ottawa this week, and the past President had a difficult relationship with Prime Minister Trudeau.  Does the United States feel that is — that episode is in the past and — or does that relationship need tending with Canada and Canada’s leadership?
 
MR. KIRBY:  We’ll have more to say later in the week about the trip to Canada.  The President is very excited about doing this — going up there and really going to Ottawa for no other purpose than the bilateral relationship. 
 
He has a terrific relationship with Prime Minister Trudeau — warm and friendly and productive. 
 
There’s an awful lot on the — on the plate there, from — everywhere from strengthening NORAD to climate change to, obviously, migration challenges, economic, and trade.  I mean, there’s a bunch of things.  We’ll have more to say later in the week.  But the President is very excited about this.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you, Admiral.
 
MR. KIRBY:  Thank you.  Appreciate it, everybody.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you.  Thank you.
 
Okay, just a couple things, and then we’ll get going. 
 
As you all know, earlier this month, President Biden released his budget, which will the following: invest in America; lower costs and cut taxes for working families; protect and strengthen Social Security, Medicare; and reduce the deficit by nearly $3 trillion over a decade — all while ensuring that no one making less than $400,000 per year pays a penny more in new taxes.
 
The day after the President released his budget, the House Freedom Caucus released their MAGA budget proposal, which is a five-alarm fire for hardworking families.
 
Each day this week, we will zero in on how the MAGA budget proposal would be a disaster by endangering public safety, raising costs for families, shipping manufacturing jobs overseas and undermining American workers, hurting seniors, and weakening national security and our ability to outcompete China.
 
Today, we’re showcasing how the MAGA budget proposal would endanger public safety.  And here is how it will do that: make our border less secure by eliminating funding for more than the 2,000 CBC agents and officers; defund the police — not fund the police, but defund the police by eliminating funding for 11,000 FBI personnel and 400 local law enforcement positions; allow an additional 150,000 pounds of cocaine, nearly 900 pounds of fentanyl, nearly 2,000 pounds of heroin into our country; slash rail safety inspections leading to 11,000 fewer rail safety inspections days next year alone; jeopardize our air safety by shutting down air traffic control tower services at one third of all U.S. airports.
 
And that’s just the start of it.  That’s just the beginning.  So we look forward to sharing more every day this week.
 
One — one last thing, and then we’ll get started.  We send our best wishes to everyone celebrating Nowruz across the United States and around the world, from the Middle East, to Central and South Asia, and to Europe.
 
The Nowruz holiday brings loved ones together around the Haft-Sin table to reflect on the year that has passed and renew hope for the year ahead.
 
This year comes at a difficult time for many families when people is — when people — when the hope is needed more than ever — including for the women of Iran, who are fighting for their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
 
The United States will continue to stand with the women of Iran and all the citizens of Iran who are inspiring the world with their conviction and their courage.
 
And together with our partners, we will continue to hold Iranian officials accountable for their attacks against their own people.
 
With that, you want to kick us off, Zeke?
 
Q    Yeah.  Thanks, Karine.  First, a moment of personal privilege here.
 
I just want to express our apologies in the press corps to the folks watching at home for the display we saw earlier.  Our responsibility is to them.  We’re here to ask questions on their behalf, to hold their government accountable because they can’t all be here.  You know, this isn’t about us.
 
So, with that, for you: There were some calls over the weekend, last couple of days, from small- and mid-size banks calling on the federal government to insure deposits above $250,000.  Is that something the President would be supportive of?
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, don’t have any new announcement at this time for you. 
 
And appreciate that, I should say.  I appreciate that.  I think the American people appreciate that because that is an important message to send to all of them who are watching.
 
But as you know, right now, Zeke, our goal is to ensure the financial system is stable. 

Q    The American people wants you to be fair, Karine.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  That is their focus of Treas- — that is the focus of Treasury and the bank regulators.
 
And as you saw, due to our actions this week at the direction of the President, Americans should be confident of their deposits.  We’ll be there when they — when they need them.
 
And — and so, again, that’s what our focus is going to be.  We don’t have any new announcements at this time.  But clearly, we want to make sure that our financial system is stable.
 
Q    And just briefly on a different topic.  Congress has sent the President the COVID origins bill.  Does he intend to sign that?
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I spoke to this last week.  We’re reviewing — we’re certainly reviewing it.  I just don’t have anything to share on the President signing the bill at this time or next actions.
 
Q    Thanks, Karine.  And I’ll join Zeke in what he said earlier.
 
What does the White House make of former President Trump calling on supporters to protest his potential indictment?
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, as you know, it’s an ongoing investigation.  We do not comment on any ongoing investigations from here.  We’ve been very consistent on that.  So, certainly I’m not going to break that — kind of break our protocol here, so I won’t — I won’t comment from here.
 
Q    I’m not asking about the potential indictment itself.  I’m asking about the former President calling on supporters to protest —
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, that —
 
Q    — the possibility that he might be indicted.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Understood.  Understood.  I wanted to say that at the top.
 
So, look, the President has been very clear when it comes to Americans who want to — to protest: They should do it peacefully.  And that is something that is incredibly important that the President has always continued to say, but I don’t want to get into, you know, hypotheticals from here.  And so, I’ll just leave it there.
 
Q    There’s one other thing related to this that isn’t hypothetical, because now House Republicans are requesting to speak with the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, about his ongoing investigation into former President Trump.  Is that, in the view of the White House, a proper use of federal taxpayer dollars to investigate or try to find out what a local prosecutor is doing?
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Again, I’m just not going to speak because that — they’re un- — that is an underlying connection to — to the — to the investigation.  Just not going to comment from here.
 
Look, our — the President is going to continue to focus on what the American people need, their priorities.  We’re going to continue to focusing — to focus on lowering costs.  We’re going to continue to focus on the President fighting for Medicare, Social Security, ACA.  That is what the President is going to do.
 
Look, if Republicans — and the President has said this over and over again — if they — Republicans want to work with us in a bipartisan way to deliver for the American people, to continue to build on the successes that we have seen in the last two years when it comes to the economic policy, building an economy from the bottom up, middle out, he’s willing to have that conversation.
 
Q    And we saw what the President proposed on Friday regarding changes to how the FDIC oversees banks and executives at banks, specifically.  Has he been in touch directly with any business leaders?  Or who was it here at the White House that may have had conversations with Warren Buffett, for example, about the banking crisis?
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So — so I’ve seen the reports of — on Warren Buffett that you all have been reporting on.  Don’t — don’t have anything to read out or to lay out on any conversation.  And so, I’ll just leave it there.
 
Q    And the President himself otherwise?
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Just — just don’t have anything to read out on conversations that the President may have had with anybody from the business sector or outside of — outside of the — of the White House.
 
What I can say is — and we’ve said this many times before — he has been kept regularly updated by his economic team, by the Chief of Staff.  And that continues.
 
Thank you.
 
Go ahead, Mary.
 
Q    To put a — a follow-up on Ed’s question about the former President’s message to his supporters.  You know, given what we’ve seen in the past when the former President has urged his supporters to “take our nation back,” are you concerned and worried as an administration about the threat of violence?
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, we — we are always prepared; I can say that from here.  I’m just not going to get into hypotheticals or any potential scenarios.  But we are always preparing.
 
Q    And on the issue of banking, there’s some reporting that Warren Buffett has been in touch with the administration, you know, playing a role in sort of helping to advise as you address the banking crisis.  Can you confirm that?  Can you comment on any conversations with Warren Buffett?
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, I — I think Ed just asked that question —
 
Q    Oh, I’m so sorry.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — Mary.  (Laughs.)
 
Q    Can you (inaudible) a little bit more?
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, I just don’t have anything for you at this time.  I can confirm that — that I have not had a conversation with Warren Buffett.  (Laughs.0  But, no, I just don’t have anything to read — to read out at this time.  No problem.
 
Q    Just following up on the broad question about banking, can you give us a sense of next steps in this?  You’ve expressed confidence that the banking system is strong, but there’s still some jitters out there.
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Understood.  Look, the President has already called for Congress to make it easier for regulators to do the following: clawback compensation, impose civil — civil penalties, and ban executives from working in the banking industry.
 
He will also — going to call on Congress and bank ral- — regulators to strengthen the rules for larger banks so this doesn’t happen again.

As you know — and I’ve said this many times before — in 2018, we saw that the previous administration rolled back some of the tough requirements put — put under — put in place under the Obama-Biden administration.  And so — which was — which was put in place to strengthen the financial system. 

So — so, the administration is — again, is going to actively look into what regulations or laws should be strengthened to prevent this from happening again. 

But, look, the actions that we saw this weekend, the actions that we have seen over the past 10 days or so should give the American people confidence that the — that, you know, depositors will have — their money will be there when they need it. 

And so, again, we have done everything that we can to make sure that we hold the — we hold the managers of these ba- — of these banks accountable and — and that this does not affect and we don’t put on the hook the taxpayers or the American people.

Q    Is the President worried or is the White House worried about the politics of this, in terms of banks getting bailouts and average Americans, so to say, not?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, the President made a commitment to make sure — and you heard — you heard, also, Secretary Yellen speak to this last week — and ba- — making sure that they’re not put on the hook for this, right?  Making sure that we make — that the investors, as I just mentioned, the managers, are — you know, are held accountable. 

And so, the President has made decisive force- — and forceful actions to strengthen, again, the public confidence in our banking system.  No taxpayers’ money is being used or put at risk in — with these actions that have been taken over the last 10 days or so.  And our banking system remains sound. 

That is something that you heard from Secretary Yellen directly herself just last week.  And this is all done because of the President’s direction that he asked the regularly — the regulators to take a look at it.  He asked the Treasury Department to take a look at it and make sure that we make these decisive actions.

And, again, we just saw this — some decisive action this weekend.  And so, we want to make sure — and we’re doing this to make sure that the Americans are confident — American people are confident in the work that this administration is trying to do to make sure that — that we meet the demands, that resources for depositors are met.

Go ahead.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Does the President believe that the actions of the last 10 days, which have been fairly extraordinarily — extraordinary in scale and scope, are enough?  That we’re past this, we’re through this, the system is going to be good to go from here on out?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, when you think about the accountability that the President put forth just on Friday, which focused on ensuring that senior bank executives are held fully accountable, it builds on our work to ensure key executives that — that ran Silicon Valley, for example — Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank are removed and investors in these two banks are — take their losses. 

But, again, Congress should act, should make it easier for regulators to claw back those compensations that I mentioned, impose civil penalties, and ban executives from working in the banking industry again. 

So, look, we — the President took the necessary actions to meet the moment that we’re in now.  He believes that Congress co- — needs to continue to act.  We’re going to continue to have those conversations. 

Of course, there are things that we can do without Congress, which is what we’re seeing the regulators do.  But this is a — this is a partnership.  This is — also, we have to do this in hand with Congress.  So, of course, more should be done and can be done. 

Q    And then just one quick follow-up.  Should — do you guys view this — you’ve said the issue of confidence several times, in terms of how people are perceiving this right now.  Do you view this primarily as a confidence issue, not a system issue or some bigger problem in terms of the banking sector?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, we want to make sure — I think it’s important — the President believes, as President of the United States, as we’re seeing what occurred these last, again, 10 days or so — I’ve lost count — but — that Americans should have confidence.  Right?  They should have confidence in the banking system.  They should have confidence in the actions that the regulators have taken, that — again, at the direct- — the direction of the President. 

And, as you asked me, “Should there be more work to be done?”  Absolutely.  We should not let Congress off the hook.  They should take actions in making sure that — moving forward, that our banking system continues, that we’re doing what — taking the actions to make our banks and banking system secure. 

So, again, more actions need to be taken, for sure.  The President has — has taken actions to deal with the moment that we’re in. 

I’ve said this before: What we’re seeing with these — these banks are distinct to those banks.  But — but we’re in a different place than we were in 2008 because of — because of the — because of the regulations that we saw fr- — in the Obama-Biden White House.  And so, that matters as well.

Q    Thanks, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    To follow up on that, Karine, you said that there are things that the White House or the administration can do without Congress.  Do you have a timeline on this, on when the- — we’ll see that —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, no, it’s a —

Q    — will it be days or weeks or —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It’s a good question, JJ.  Look, we’re already seeing some of that underway as regulators have taken action over the last few — few years to reverse the last administration’s deregulation.  And that is because of, again, the actions under this President.  And so, we’ve seen that.  But again, we cannot take Congress off the hook.  And the regulators are going to take — continue to do what the President asked of them, again, these past two years. 

But again, Congress has to act.  We need to make sure that they do their part in this as — as the President is ma- — taking actions to give the American people confidence. 

Go ahead. 

Q    Does the President view Jerome Powell’s stewardship of these events as at all a risk to his position as Chairman of the Federal Reserve?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, not at all.  The President has confidence in Jerome Powell.

Go ahead.

Q    Shares of First Republic Bank have declined in recent days.  Is the administration considering further steps to support that bank?  And do those options include, potentially, the FDIC taking over the bank?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, that’s something for the FDIC to speak to.  I’m not just — I’m not going to comment on any hypotheticals from here.

Q    And Senator Warren was on a number of Sunday shows yesterday.  She has said the Federal Reserve should stop hiking interest rates in an effort to control the high inflation, given the circumstances that we’re in. 
 
What’s the President’s level of concern that another rate increase this week could further weaken the banking industry and potentially threaten some of these smaller and mid-size banks?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I understand the question.  As it relates to the Federal Reserve, we’ve been very clear: They are independent.  They will make — the President believes that.  The President has been very clear on that.  And they are going to make their decision — their monetary policy decision, as it relates to the interest rate, as it relates to dealing with inflation, which are clearly both connected.  But I’m just not going to — we’re not going to comment on that from here.

Go ahead.  I haven’t called on you.

Q    How’s the — switching gears to climate a little bit.  How is the White House dealing with the new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that came out today?  Are there plans to change anything that the administration is doing, or just carry on the programs and plans you have right now?
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, have not spoken to our team about the reports.  We would need to — to go back and — and get their assessment on — on the report that you just mentioned that came out.  So, just don’t have anything to share at this time.  But happy — happy to come back to you on that.

Q    And in terms of preparations for any protests or rallies, what do those preparations look like?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m just not going to get into any — any details from here.  I think I answered this question just a little bit to your colleague.  And I just said we’re al- — we’re always prepared.  But certainly not going to get into hypotheticals.
Go ahead.

Q    What’s happening with the Cuban baseball defector?  And are there any concerns about how that might impact any relations with Cuba?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have anything to share at this time on that question.

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  While we’ve been in here, there’s been a couple of stories that have started to come out about the Economic Report of the President.  I think there’s an AP story and a New York Times story.  Do you have anything more to share on when that report is coming out and any of the toplines from it?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have anything to share at this time.  When we’re ready, we certainly will share that with all of you. 

Okay, go ahead, Courtney.  Go ahead, Courtney.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  I wanted to ask you — state leaders are campaigning for abortion access amendments to be put on the ballot in 2023 and 2024.  One example that’s gaining some steam is in Ohio.  Is the administration doing anything to support this effort or tracking those ballot initiatives, given that you —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Can you go back to what you said before you said Ohio?  What — what did —

Q    Yeah.  Ballot initiatives.  There’s leaders that are trying to put ballot initiatives for 2023 and ’24 for abortion access.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Abortion ac- —

Q    To expand abortion access.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  To abortion — expand —

Q    Kind of like what we saw in Kansas.  Gaining traction to do that in other states.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look — look, we — the President has been very clear about what — especially the day that Roe was no longer the — the law of the land — that we needed to do everything that was possible to make sure that we protect women’s rights — women’s rights to healthcare.  And he’s been very clear about that. 

I don’t have any specifics to say on those particular potential pieces of legislation.  But, clearly, we welcome legislation that’s going to support that, that’s going to support women having — being able to make their own decisions on their healthcare. 

And it is shameful — it is shameful that we’re seeing extreme elected officials out there talking — talking about national ban on abortion.  And we’re going to continue to call that out. 

We should not be talking about taking away the freedoms of Americans across the country, of women across the country.  And so, we’re going to continue to be very clear about that. 

But, certainly, we would support legislation that helps expand the access for women.

Q    And if you could provide an update on the case in Texas on mifepristone.  I know that you’ve gotten that question a couple of times about how you’re preparing.  We still don’t, obviously, have a court order.  But can you provide an update for people who are listening who are worried about this decision and how it might affect their care?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, I want to be very careful.  It’s a — it’s a — as you know, the decision has not happened.  It’s a — it’s an ongoing litigat- — litigation.  But I’ve spoken at this podium before how unprecedented if — if the decision, you know, were to ban a pill — this has been around for more than two decades, that’s in more than 60 countries. 

But again, this is about the FDA’s authority to make it — its independent, evidence-based decision on drugs. 

And so, those decisions on what medication can be used in our country should not be determined in court, and they should be determined based on their safety, science, and the data. 

And so, I want to be very clear.  But — so, we’ll wait.  We’ll await steps here and speak on this once a decision has been made. 

But again, you know, the President is going to continue to be very vocal when it comes to protecting women and their rights to choose for themselves, for their own body, on — on how they want to proceed and move forward with healthcare.

Q    Thanks.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Aurelia.

Q    Thank you so much.  Tomorrow, the President will take part in this White House Conservation in Action Summit at the Department of Interior, where he will — and I quote the guidance — “highlight the…administration’s actions and historic investments” for the environment and nature.
 
But just a few days ago, he greenlighted the Willow project in Alaska, so this — it looks like he’s sending conflicting signals here. 
 
So can you maybe elaborate on what his approach is on the environment and what he’s telling especially young activists who protested the Willow project?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, I — you know, I would disagree with that.  As — as we have said before, the step that the Department of Interior had ta- — had taken was because of certain legal constraints.  So we have to remember that.  These were le- — this was part of a legal kind of decision, as I explained last week.  And tomorrow’s event is about building on the President’s historic climate and conservation record, which the President is very proud of. 

If you think about what the President has done — protected more lands and waters in his first year than any President since JFK.  He — just last week, he declared the entire U.S. Arctic Ocean off limits to new oil and gas leasing.  And so — and the Interior Department also announced it’s preparing new regulations to protect 13 million acres in Alaska. 

And so, you know, the President is going to continue to fight for climate — to protect our climate and take those actions.  He’s made the largest-ever investments in conservation and restoration of our lands and waters. 

And so, the President is very proud of his record, and he certainly will never back down from it. 

Go ahead, Karen.

Q    Do you have any details of the Arts and Humanit- — Humanities Award Ceremony tomorrow?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I do.  I do have some information to share with all of you.  That’s the awards that are happening tomorrow. 

So — give me one second here. 

So, he’s going to — the President is going to host, in the East Room, a ceremony at the White House to present the 2021 National Humanit- — Humanities Medals and the 2021 National Medals of Arts.  First Lady Jill Biden will attend the ceremony as well. 

We will have more on the recipients of the awards later today.  But don’t have anything to preview.  But, certainly, we’ll have more to share.  And this will be, I believe, the first one in this administration in the past two years. 

Okay.  I’m trying — who have I not called on.

AIDE:  One more.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  One more?  (Laughs.)  Go ahead, Brian.

Q    Thanks a lot, Karine.  I wanted to ask about — President Trump is going to give a rally in Waco, Texas.  This is the 30th anniversary of the standoff between Branch Davidians and the FBI and the ATF in Waco.  Is the Biden administration concerned about anti-government activity in Waco around the rally?  Are there security concerns that President Trump may use this anniversary to foment anti-government sentiment at that — at that event?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, you know, I can’t speak to what the former President is going to do or say.  What I — I’m not tracking any — any security concerns.  So, don’t have anything more to share beyond that. 

All right, everybody.  I’ll see you tomorrow.  Thank you. 

Q    Thank you, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you.

3:22 P.M. EDT

The post Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the Cast of “Ted Lasso,” and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John<span class="dewidow"> </span>Kirby appeared first on The White House.

Today, I am gratified to share that American Jeff Woodke was released from captivity in West Africa. Jeff was kidnapped while serving people in the Sahel as an aid worker, and I am grateful that he will soon be reunited with his wife, Els, and their family after spending more than six years held hostage by terrorists. The United States extends our deep appreciation to the Nigerien government, which was a critical partner in helping to secure his release. I am also grateful for the hard work of dedicated public servants across the U.S. Government who made this possible, including the hard-working patriots of the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell based at the FBI, the U.S. military, and of the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs based at the Department of State. We remain committed to keep faith with Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained all around the world, and there is no higher priority for this Administration than our work to bring them home. 

###

The post Statement from President Joe<span class="dewidow"> </span>Biden on the Release of American Jeff<span class="dewidow"> </span>Woodke appeared first on The White House.

The President is announcing his intent to nominate four individuals to federal district courts and two individuals to the District of Columbia Superior Court—all of whom are extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution.

These choices also continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country—both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds.

This will be President Biden’s thirty-first round of nominees for federal judicial positions, bringing the number of announced federal judicial nominees to 161.

The President is also announcing his intent to nominate two individuals to serve as U.S. Attorneys. These are officials who will be indispensable to upholding the rule of law as top federal law enforcement officials.

These individuals were chosen for their devotion to enforcing the law, their professionalism, their experience and credentials, their dedication to pursuing equal justice for all, and their commitment to the independence of the Department of Justice.

The President has now announced 70 nominees to serve as U.S. Attorneys.

United States District Court Announcements

Jeremy C. Daniel: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Jeremy C. Daniel has served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois since 2014. Mr. Daniel was previously an associate at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP in Chicago, Illinois from 2007 to 2013. He served as a law clerk for Judge Virginia M. Kendall on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 2013 to 2014. Mr. Daniel received his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2007 and his B.S. from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2000. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

Judge Brendan Abell Hurson: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Maryland

Judge Brendan Abell Hurson has served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Maryland since 2022. Previously, Judge Hurson served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender and Senior Litigation Counsel in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland from 2007 to 2017 and again from 2018 to 2022. He also served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Virgin Islands from 2017 to 2018 and worked as an associate at Schulman, Hershfield, and Gilden, P.A. in Baltimore, Maryland from 2006 to 2007. From 2005 to 2006, Judge Hurson served as a law clerk for Judge Margaret B. Seymour on the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. He received his J.D., with honors, from University of Maryland School of Law in 2005 and his B.A. from Providence College, cum laude, in 2000

Judge Matthew J. Maddox: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Maryland

Matthew J. Maddox has served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Maryland since 2022. Previously, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland from 2015 to 2022. From 2012 to 2014, Judge Maddox worked as a litigation associate at Holland & Knight LLP. He served as a law clerk for Judge Andre M. Davis on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 2014 to 2015 and for Judge Gerald Bruce Lee on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2011 to 2012. Judge Maddox received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2011 and his B.A. from Morgan State University in 1999.

Darrel James Papillion: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

Darrel James Papillion has been a partner at Walters, Papillion, Thomas, Cullens, LLC in Baton Rouge, Louisiana since 2009.  He was previously a partner at Moore, Walters, Thompson, Thomas, Papillion & Cullens, A.P.L.C. from 2001 to 2009. From 1999 to 2001, he was an associate at Moore, Walters & Thompson, A.P.L.C. and from 1995 to 1999, he was an associate at McGlinchey Stafford A.P.L.C. Mr. Papillion served as a law clerk for Associate Justice Catherine D. Kimball of the Louisiana Supreme Court from 1994 to 1995. He received his J.D. from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in 1994 and his B.A. from Louisiana State University and A&M College in 1990.

District of Columbia Superior Court Announcements

Judge Tanya Jones Bosier: Nominee for the District of Columbia Superior Court

Judge Tanya Jones Bosier has served as a Magistrate Judge on the District of Columbia Superior Court since 2017. Previously, Judge Jones Bosier served as Assistant General Counsel for the District of Columbia Courts from 2015 to 2017 and as an Assistant General Counsel for the District of Columbia Department of Human Services from 2014 to 2015. Prior to that, Judge Jones Bosier served as an Assistant Attorney General in the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General from 2001 to 2014. She served as a law clerk for Judge Zoe A. Bush of the District of Columbia Superior Court from 2000 to 2001. Judge Jones Bosier received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law in 2000 and her B.A. from Syracuse University, cum laude, in 1995.

Danny Lam Nguyen: Nominee for the District of Columbia Superior Court

Danny Lam Nguyen is an Associate General Counsel at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he has worked since 2021. Previously, he served as a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 2018 to 2021. Mr. Nguyen also served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia from 2013 to 2018, and he was detailed to serve in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice as a Trial Attorney from 2017 to 2018. Mr. Nguyen was an associate, senior associate, and counsel at WilmerHale from 2006 to 2009 and 2011 to 2013. Mr. Nguyen served as a law clerk for Judge Reggie B. Walton on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia from 2009 to 2011. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2006, his M.Ed. from University of California, Los Angeles in 2003, and his B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles in 2001.

United States Attorney Announcements

Tara McGrath: Nominee for United States Attorney for the Southern District of California

Tara McGrath served as the civilian Litigation Attorney Advisor for the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific region from 2019 to 2022. Previously, Ms. McGrath served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California from 2008 to 2019, where she was Principal Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Section in 2015, and a Deputy Chief in the General Crimes Section from 2012 to 2014. She was also detailed to serve as a Trial Attorney in the Office of Enforcement Operations of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. from 2015 to 2018. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ms. McGrath served as a judge advocate while on active duty in the United States Marine Corps from 2001 to 2005 and worked for the Coastal Conservation League from 2005 to 2007. She received her J.D. from University of Michigan Law School in 2001 and her B.A. from Boston College, cum laude, in 1995.

Eric G. Olshan: Nominee for United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Eric G. Olshan has served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania since 2017. He is currently the Chief of the Economic/Cyber/National Security Crimes Section. From 2007 to 2017, Mr. Olshan served in the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., first as a Trial Attorney from 2007 to 2013 and then as Deputy Chief from 2013 to 2017. Mr. Olshan entered the Department of Justice through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. He served as a clerk for Judge Richard C. Tallman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2006 to 2007. Mr. Olshan received his J.D. from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in 2006 and his B.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003.

# # #

The post President<span class="dewidow"> </span>Biden Names Thirty-First Round of Judicial Nominees and Announces New Nominees to Serve as U.S.<span class="dewidow"> </span>Attorney appeared first on The White House.

     Today, I am pleased to sign into law S. 619, the “COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023.”  I share the Congress’s goal of releasing as much information as possible about the origin of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19).  In 2021, I directed the Intelligence Community to use every tool at its disposal to investigate the origin of COVID-19, and that work is ongoing.  We need to get to the bottom of COVID-19’s origins to help ensure we can better prevent future pandemics.  My Administration will continue to review all classified information relating to COVID–19’s origins, including potential links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.  In implementing this legislation, my Administration will declassify and share as much of that information as possible, consistent with my constitutional authority to protect against the disclosure of information that would harm national security.  

                               JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

THE WHITE HOUSE,
    March 20, 2023.

###

The post Statement by the President on S. 619, the COVID-<span class="dewidow">⁠</span>19 Origin Act of<span class="dewidow"> </span>2023 appeared first on The White House.

On Monday, March 20, 2023, the President signed into law:

H.J.Res. 26, which nullifies the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia; and

S. 619, the “COVID–19 Origin Act of 2023,” which requires the Director of National Intelligence to declassify certain
information relating to the origin of COVID-19.

###

The post Bills Signed: H.J.Res. 26, S.<span class="dewidow"> </span>619 appeared first on The White House.

East Room

1:13 P.M. EDT

THE FIRST LADY:  Hello.  Welcome to the White House.  And E- — (applause) — and Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak!  (Applause.)

“For the feeling of peace
for the sun after these long nights…
for women, life, and freedom
…freedom, for freedom, for freedom.”  (Applause.) 

Those lyrics are so powerful, aren’t they?

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

THE FIRST LADY:  When I first heard “Baraye,” I was stunned by the courage of this song and the women it lifts up.

Shervin Hajipour was arrested, but not before his video was seen 40 million times in two days.  (Applause.)  Not before his music became an anthem for freedom, sung in the streets.

And that’s why, in February, I was so honored to announce that Shervin had won a Grammy.  (Applause.)

And earlier this month, here in this room, we recognized the bravy [sic] of — bravery of Iranian women and girls fighting for freedom at the International Women of Courage awards.  (Applause.) 

Today, as the battle cry of “women, life, freedom” continues to reverberate around the world, we cannot celebrate the renewal of spring without thinking of them.  This new year, they, too, should be surrounded by support and kindness.

So, to the girls and women of Iran, I want to say: Your song sings in our hearts.  We see your struggle, and we stand with you.  You are not alone.  (Applause.)

Their courage is reflected in everyone who celebrates this holiday.  And so, together, we plant our hopes on the Haft-Sin table, weaving them among the sprouts of wheat or lentils, watering them with visions of victories we seek this new year.

Like seeds breaking through the earth, our hopes reach towards each shining sunrise, nourished by the healing that we find together, our love for one another, the wisdom gained from the year now finished, and the patience we learn from our ancestors.

Even as we are renewed, we are rooted in the history that lives inside of us, the families who shaped us, and the shoulders on which we stand.

History lives in this house as well, hammered into the beams of these walls and swirling in the marble of each fireplace.  It tells the stories and legends of where we’ve come from and who we’ve — who we’ve been.

And yet, standing here in front of a beautiful Haft-Sin; hearing music by DJ Danny — (laughter); and as we eat incredible food prepared by Chef Nasim Alikhani — (applause) — where are you?  Where are you, Chef?  I met you earlier.  She must be here.  Ah, somewhere?  Well, you’ll eat her food a little later.  (Laughter.)  

We know that the White House, too, can grow and evolve and begin something new.  With our unique talents and traditions, with our love and laughter, with our faith in the future that we want, we breathe new life into these halls.

This is an historic house, but you make it a home, alive with purpose and possibility.  So, let us begin once again, be reborn in hope and healing, wisdom and love.

And now, it is my pleasure to introduce astronaut and future commanding — commander of our next mission to the International Space Station, Lieutenant Colonel Jasmin Moghbeli.  (Applause.)

LIEUTENANT COLONEL MOGHBELI:  Thank you so much, Dr. Biden. 

Wow.  Never as a kid standing around the Haft-Sin for the Sal Tahvil could I have imagined I would get to say these next words right here in the White House: Nowruz Eide Shoma Mobarak.  (Applause.) 

Nowruz means “new day.”  It is the celebration of the arrival of spring and all the hope that comes with it.  It is a holiday full of symbolism, with each element of the Haft-Sin — or seven S’s — being representative.

Growing up, my brother and I took part in preparing the Haft-Sin.  We would help grow the sabzeh, a symbol of rebirth and growth, which often came in the form of a chia pet in our household.  (Laughter.)  The goldfish, a symbol of progress, was often one that my brother or I had won at a school fair.  The ayeneh — or mirror — that we used, a symbol of self-reflection, was the same one that had been used at my parents’ wedding, would eventually be used at my wedding, and now sits at my family’s Haft-Sin table.

And this year, for the first time, my daughters were able to participate as well by decorating the eggs and growing the sabzeh at our Haft-Sin. 

Last week, I went back to my elementary school and spent some time with the young students there.  I remember when I was a student, my mom would come in each Nowruz and speak to the — my classmates about the holiday and our culture.  It was at that same elementary school that my dream of someday becoming an astronaut began.

While visiting, one of the students asked me, “Are you going to be the first woman to walk on the moon?”  They’re referring to NASA’s Artemis program, which just last year completed its first test flight, Artemis 1, and will soon return astronauts to the Moon, paving the way for future human missions to Mars.  (Applause.)  Thank you.

I answered simply and honestly, “I don’t know.  But I could be.” 

Isn’t it amazing that I could say with complete honesty, as an Iranian American woman who wasn’t even born here, that I have just as much chance as anyone else of being on the Artemis 3 mission?  (Applause.)  That I’ve even had the opportunity to become a NASA astronaut in the first place, and that later this year, my lifelong dream of launching to space will come true as I will have the honor of commanding the Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station.  (Applause.)

Each Nowruz, we give thanks for our blessings and look ahead to the future.  Even during difficult times, we hope for renewal and transformation.

Reflecting on this past year, I stand here so proud of my Persian heritage but also incredibly proud to be an American.  (Applause.) 

It is now one of the greatest privileges of my life to introduce someone who celebrates the many vibrant cultures and traditions that make up our nation, someone who understands the importance of taking everyone with us as we push the boundaries of exploration that, in doing so, we benefit America, our beautiful planet, and those on it.

Please welcome — please join me in welcoming the President of the United States, Joe Biden.  (Applause.) 

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, hello, hello!  (Applause.)  Welcome to your house.  (Applause.) 

Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel.  I just want one commitment from you: When you head to Mars, you won’t take Jill; she’d be gone too long.  (Laughter.) 

An astronaut, a Marine, a mom.  A fellow American who will take us to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.  That’s America.  Think about it.  That’s who we are.

Good afternoon, everyone.  As we celebrate new beginnings, Jill and I, along with Kamala and Doug, are honored to host a new national tradition — and I say a “new national tradition” — the first Nowruz reception on this scale ever held in the White House.  And you’re evidence of it.  (Applause.)

Excuse me, I have a little bit of a cold. 

It’s a celebration that’s been a millennium in the making, observed by millions of people around the world this very day, and the roots in anci- — in ancie- — in ancient Persia.  You know, one that was carried on by people and in the gardens of Shiraz, the mountains of Kabul and Erbil, in the shores of Baku and beyond, most of which I’ve got a chance to visit — but I got to — get to come home too.  (Laughter.)  And one that has always been honored anew by diverse diaspora in communities across the United States, including all of you.

You know, folks, it’s the start of a new year that reminds us of hope and what that lies ahead from these darkest times so many have been through.

And we know that this year’s holiday comes at a difficult time for many families.  Hope where is needed more than ever is going to be coming.

Hope for families in Turkey and Syria, who are grieving for the loss of far too many loved ones from that devastating earthquake.

Hope for people in Afghanistan who continue to struggle with a grave humanitarian crisis.

Hope for women of Iran who are fighting for their human rights and fundamental freedoms.  (Applause.)  Isn’t it amazing how young your daughters or granddaughters are — how they’re moved by what they see on television?  It’s amazing.  Thank God it’s hard for them to believe.  It’s hard for them to believe.

The United States sta- — stands with those brave women and all the citizens of Iran who are inspiring the world with their conviction and, I have to emphasize, their courage — their genuine courage.

And together with our partners, we’re going to continue to hold Iran — Iranian officials accountable for their attacks against their people.

I also want to recognize two proud Iranian-Americans with us today who know better than anyone the power of holding on to hope and the possibility of a new day.  Jason — where’s Jason?  (Applause.)  He’s back there.  And Ye- — Yeganeh.  And there’s — and Rezaian.

Look, Jason and — you’re both been — were unju- — you were both unjustly detained in Iran.  Jason for 544 days.  We worked very hard to bring him home when I was Vice President.  Thank you for — both for being here today. 

And to all those — (applause) — all those who are unjustly detained in Iran or anywhere in the world, know that you are not forgotten, and we will not try and — stop trying to get you home. 

Returning wrongfully detained and people held hostage — and particularly Americans and their families — is a top priority for this administration.

And I’m very glad to say that, just today, an American aid worker, Jeff Woodke — Jeff Woodke has been released after spending six years hostage by a terrorist group in West Africa.  (Applause.)  He’ll soon be returned with his wife and family. 

And we’ll continue our work to bring home all Americans held hostage or unjustly detained.

You know, the — in the 14th century, the Persian — the Persian poet Hasez [sic] — Hafiz — excuse me — said: “Out of the great need, we are holding hands and climbing.”  “Out of the great need, we are holding hands and climbing.”

All around the world, wherever we need — the need is great, this holiday offers a moment to reach out — reach out and, together, to begin to climb toward a new day, one full of hope and new possibilities.

I thank all of you.  You’ve continued to spread the hope for this holiday across every part our own country. 

We see it in the homemade pastries and new presents exchanged.

We hear it in the sound of children banging pots and in the laughs of families who’ve come together.

And we feel it in the communities that gather to make this celebration such a joyous part of American culture, one that reflects the soul of who we are as a nation.

You know, it’s a soul that we also see reflected at this Haft-Sin — Haft-Sin — and I’m — (laughs) — I’m tempted to walk over.  Anyway.  (Laughter.)

The sprouts that remind us, though, that we can always begin anew.  The vinegar that symbolizes the power of tolerance.  The apple that inspires us to believe in a more beautiful and healthy future.

And even the table itself — a place where we gather in unity.  A place where young and old come together to honor the past and the present.  A place where we may disagree and debate but we always — always there’s a seat for everyone.

That’s America at our best: resilient, tolerant, courageous, hopeful, diverse.  That’s who we are.

We’re the only nation in the world built on an idea.  Every other nation — that’s not hyperbole.  Every other nation is based on things like geography, ethnicity, religion.  But we’re the only nation built on an idea that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, et cetera.

We’ve never fully lived up to it, but we’ve never, ever walked away from it.  And that’s due in large part to the waves of immigrant families who have come from every part of the world to push our nation ever forward, renewing and reinvigorating our nation generation after generation after generation.

We see that today in this very room.

Maybe you or your parents or grandparents came to America, uncertain of what life would bring but certain you and your children and grandchildren would be able to do anything you wanted to do here, try it.

You’ve grown up seeing your children forged by their heritage but also the kinds of friendships found every day in American things — soccer practice, band practice — just those special times, and all the things that make an extraordinary life in our generation — in our great nation.

And thanks to all of you for enriching the soul of this nation.  Thank you for adapting old traditions anew to tell the ongoing story of America, one firmly stamped by your experiences.

Let me close with this.  Few periods have been more challenging to our world than the one we’re going through right now.  And we face an inflection point.  I had a professor who said, “An inflection point is when you’re going down the highway at 65 miles an hour and you radically turn five degrees to the right.  You can never get back on the course you were on.”

Well, recent decisions — points — the decisions we make today are going to determine the course of our future for the next several decades to come.

Now more than ever, we need you — we need you — engaged in the work of our time to help fulfill the promise of this nation — the same promise of opportunity, equality that brought you and your families here in the first place.

That’s what I hope for this very day: to celebrate and connect, to feel the pride of community, to keep the faith in our country.

“Out of a great need, we’re all holding hands and climbing.”

We have to keep climbing.

I’ve never been more optimistic in my life about the future of this country.  And I mean that sincerely.

Let’s remember who in God’s name we are.  We are the United States of America.  (Applause.)  And there is nothing — I mean this from the bottom of my heart: There is nothing — nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together.

Happy Nowruz to all of you and your families.  And may God bless you all.

Before — (applause) — before the reception begins, we have a special performance for you — a special performance for you.  So, I’m going to — we’re going to get off the stage here and let you be truly entertained.  (Laughter.)

Thank you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)

(Musical performance begins.)

(Sahba Motallebi performs “Birth.”)

(Rana Mansour performs, “Woman, Life, Liberty.”)

(Musical performance concludes.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you both so very, very much.  You’re incredible.  You’re incredible.

Folks, you know, the Persian culture is amazing.  As a student of the Persian culture — not a practitioner, but a student — it’s incredible where the world is, where the world wouldn’t have been without — without the culture.  I really mean it.  (Applause.) 

If you’ll excuse me for quoting a non-Persian poet — (laughter) — that relates to today — because I know the hope in all your hearts, your desire — I mean, it’s real.  You can feel it in this room, just the looks on your faces, those of you who still have folks back there. 

Well, other people who have been persecuted as well have had poets that talk about their future.  One of my favorite poets happens to be an Irishman named Seamus Heaney, and Heaney wrote a poem called “The Cure at Troy.”  And there’s a stanza in the poem that I think reflects what all of you are thinking, should be thinking, and will succeed in doing.  He said,

“History [teaches us not to] hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
[That] longed-for tidal wave
Of justice [rises] up,
And hope and history rhyme.”

It’s my sincere hope we’re doing everything in our power — everything in our power to make that happen.  It’s an incredible, incredible culture.  Incredible people. 

And thank you for being here.  Thank you for making this day known to all Americans, because everybody watched this.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you’ve done.

And thank you for the incredible talent you sent.  (Laughter.)  You’re amazing.  (Applause.) 

Did you want to say anything, babe?  You want to say anything?

THE FIRST LADY:  Just please go and join the reception.  Thank you.  Thank you for coming to the White House.  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  You’re amazing!  Remember who you are. 

1:43 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President<span class="dewidow"> </span>Biden and First Lady Jill<span class="dewidow"> </span>Biden at Nowruz<span class="dewidow"> </span>Reception appeared first on The White House.

Today, I am pleased to announce that the Council of Economic Advisers has released the 2023 Economic Report of the President, which includes the Annual Report of the Council of Economic Advisers. This Report demonstrates the robust economic progress we have made over the past year, and makes the case for the Administration’s economic policy priorities.

The Report presents President Biden’s statement about our economic progress and challenges, and follows with nine in-depth chapters.

The Economic Report of the President

Chapter 1: Pursuing Growth-Enhancing Policies in Today’s Changing World 

Chapter 2: The Year in Review and the Years Ahead

Chapter 3: Confronting New Global Challenges with Strong International Economic Partnerships

Chapter 4: Investing in Young Children’s Care and Education

Chapter 5: Building Stronger Postsecondary Institutions

Chapter 6: Supply Challenges in U.S. Labor Markets

Chapter 7: Competition in the Digital Economy: New Technologies, Old Economics

Chapter 8: Digital Assets: Relearning Economic Principles

Chapter 9: Opportunities for Better Managing Weather Risk in the Changing Climate

To view the Report, visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ERP-2023.pdf

###

The post Statement from CEA Chair Cecilia Rouse on the Economic Report of the<span class="dewidow"> </span>President appeared first on The White House.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of the Interior, and other agencies continue government-wide effort to protect communities from the threat of wildfires
 

Today, Vice President Harris, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and White House Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu announced $197 million in funding awards to make communities more resilient to wildfires and strengthen the federal, state and local response.  The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Community Wildfire Defense Grant program – a $1 billion new initiative funded under the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and derived from legislation the Vice President authored in the Senate.

These funds will help over 100 at-risk communities in 22 states and seven Tribes develop and implement plans to protect themselves from wildfires. Activities funded include developing or updating a community’s Wildfire Protection Plan or implementing projects outlined in a community’s existing plan – such as removing overgrown weeds or dead vegetation from around homes, properly marking evacuation routes in preparation for smoky conditions, identifying invasive species that create fire risk like invasive bamboo, or clearing brush from around power poles.

As the President noted in the State of the Union last month, the changing climate has caused an increase in the number of wildfires that burn across the American West each year – often devastating disadvantaged communities in high-risk areas. In 2022, nearly 70,000 fires burned over 7.5 million acres. In response, the Biden-Harris Administration has directed the federal investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act to target the communities at greatest risk. 86 of the 100 grants announced for communities today are also going to areas considered underserved – in-line with the Administration’s commitment to Justice40.

This announcement follows the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) release of $50 million in new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding on March 17th for wildfire management and hazardous fuels treatments this year, which will help limit the severity of wildfires in at-risk areas. This funding will advance collaborative wildfire risk management efforts with private landowners, Tribes, states and local governments, help communities acquire slip-on tank units, support special pay supplements for federal wildland firefighters, and expand remote sensing for wildfire detection. These investments build on the $228 million in fiscal year 2023 funding allocated in December by the Department and $180 million allocated in fiscal year 2022.  

These combined announcements from the DOI and USDA – in addition to the Administration’s efforts to identify priority landscapes for hazardous fuels removal, raise wildland firefighter pay, invest in new technologies through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to better detect and stop wildfires, and strengthen our federal, state, and local capacity to respond to wildfires and remove hazardous materials – are making the communities safer in advance of this fire season. Last year DOI and USDA coordinated to treat over 3.5 million acres in high-risk areas – in line with a 5- and 10-year national strategy – to limit the threat of wildfires to communities. With help from state, local, and Tribal partners, they are on-pace to do even more this year.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act included over $7 billion in funding for the USDA, DOI, and NOAA to enhance our ability to mitigate and respond to wildfires. 

Wildland Fire Resilience & Response a Priority in the President’s Budget
The Biden-Harris Administration remains intensely focused on limiting the damage wildfires have on communities this fire season – and will use all available resources to protect homes, our economy, and the environment from climate-induced natural hazards. As part of the President’s 2024 budget request, he called on Congress to:

• Permanently increase pay for wildland firefighters – initially supplemented for 2 years through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – and provide them with the health – including mental health – resources that they need to do dangerous jobs. These first responders save lives, protect communities, and serve on the frontlines of our nation’s wildfire crisis;
• Provide housing for wildland fire personnel, who often struggle to find affordable housing options in hard to reach locations where they fight fires to protect communities;
• Increase funding for hazardous fuels treatment at the U.S. Forest Service by 28% above 2023 enacted levels; and,  
• Increase the Department of the Interior’s wildland fire and hazardous fuels management funding 21% above 2023 enacted levels.

Learn More About the Administration’s Approach to Wildfire Resilience

To learn more about the Federal government’s plan to respond to the increasing threat of wildfires, see the Department of Agriculture’s 10 Year Strategy to Confront the Wildfire Crisis – made possible through the fund provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also created the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission and charged it with making recommendations to improve federal policies related to the mitigation, suppression, and management of wildland fires in the United States, as well as the rehabilitation of lands devastated by wildland fire. Learn more about their work and the U.S. Fire Administration here. 

 

The post FACT SHEET: Biden-<span class="dewidow">⁠</span>Harris Administration Provides Communities Resources to Bolster Resilience to Wildfires in Advance of 2023 Fire<span class="dewidow"> </span>Season appeared first on The White House.

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve as key leaders in his administration:

• Nisha Desai Biswal, Nominee for Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation
• James J. Blanchard, Nominee for Member of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy 
• Fara Damelin, Nominee for Inspector General of the Federal Communications Commission
• Joel Ehrendreich, Nominee for Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Palau
• Kara C. McDonald, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Lithuania
• John J. Sullivan, Nominee for Member of the United States Institute of Peace Board of Directors
• Loren Sweatt, Nominee for Member of the National Mediation Board

Nisha Desai Biswal, Nominee for Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation
Nisha Desai Biswal brings over 30 years of experience in U.S. foreign policy and international development programs within the Executive Branch, Congress, and the private sector. Biswal is the Senior Vice President for International Strategy and Global Initiatives at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, overseeing the U.S. India Business Council and U.S. Bangladesh Business Council. Biswal served as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from 2013 to 2017, where she oversaw the U.S.-India strategic partnership during a period of unprecedented cooperation, including the launch of an annual U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Biswal also initiated the C5+1 Dialogue with Central Asia and the U.S.-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue during her tenure as Assistant Secretary. Prior to that, Biswal was Assistant Administrator for Asia at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), directing and supervising USAID programs and operations across South, Central, and Southeast Asia. She has also spent over a decade on Capitol Hill, working as Staff Director on the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Appropriations as well as professional staff on the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives.

Biswal serves as the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid and is on both the Board of the National Democratic Institute and the U.S. Institute of Peace International Advisory Council. She is a member of the United States Institute of Peace Afghanistan Study Group and the Aspen Institute’s India-U.S. Track 2 Dialogue on Climate and Energy. Biswal is a proud graduate of the University of Virginia, where she studied International Relations and Economics.

James J. Blanchard, Nominee for Member of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
James J. Blanchard has devoted his life to public service and the law. Currently, he is Senior Counsel at the global law firm of DLA Piper and is active with numerous diplomatic and non-profit organizations. Following his service as a Member of Congress, Blanchard served as Governor of Michigan, and later as U.S. Ambassador to Canada. In recognition of his outstanding service, Secretary of State Warren Christopher presented Blanchard with the Foreign Affairs Award for Public Service. In 1998, Blanchard authored ‘Behind the Embassy Door,’ a book highlighting his experiences as Ambassador. Blanchard remains active in U.S.-Canada relations and diplomatic affairs generally. He is Co-Chair of the Ambassadors Circle of the National Democratic Institute and Co-Chair of the executive committee of the Canada-U.S. Law Institute. He chaired the Board and remains active with the Meridian International Center, the leading public diplomacy center in Washington, D.C. A lover of history, Blanchard serves as President of the National Archives Foundation and is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Spy Museum. He and his wife Janet reside in Beverly Hills, Michigan. Blanchard received his B.A. and M.B.A. from Michigan State University (MSU) and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota. In 2015, he and his wife founded the Blanchard Public Service Forum at MSU, which provides opportunities for the MSU community to see, hear, and learn from national as well as international leaders, diplomats, and writers.

Fara Damelin, Nominee for Inspector General of the Federal Communications Commission
Fara Damelin serves as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (OIG), a nationwide organization with over 500 oversight professionals dedicated to protecting HUD’s programs and beneficiaries from fraud, waste, and abuse. She leads a cross functional team in executing the Inspector General’s (IG) priorities and strategic initiatives, developing OIG-wide oversight products, and implementing diversity, employee engagement, and professional development programs. Before joining HUD OIG, Damelin was Deputy Inspector General for AmeriCorps’ OIG, where she was responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the office, developing and implementing strategies to meet the IG’s priorities and goals, and serving as Whistleblower Protection Coordinator.

Previously, Damelin spent 14 years with the National Science Foundation (NSF) OIG as Investigative Attorney and subsequently Director of its Office of Investigations Legal Division. She conducted criminal, civil and administrative investigations involving fraud and research misconduct related to NSF grants, served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to help prosecute a criminal grant fraud case, and provided outreach to protect NSF programs and beneficiaries. Damelin has actively participated in cross-cutting initiatives and professional development programs sponsored by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and was recognized with four CIGIE Awards for Excellence. She began her federal career in 1995 as an employment attorney with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of General Counsel. She earned a J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1994 and a B.A. in Political Science from SUNY Binghamton in 1991. Damelin lives in Virginia with her husband and is the proud mom of their two daughters.

Joel Ehrendreich, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Palau
Joel Ehrendreich, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Counselor, currently serves as Director of the Office of Japanese Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Previously, he served as Director of Regional and Security Policy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Prior to that, he was Senior Operations Officer in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, a Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, a Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Okinawa, Japan, an Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy in Manila, the Philippines, and an Economic and Political Counselor at U.S. Embassy in Singapore. Earlier assignments include service at U.S. Embassies in New Delhi, India, Tokyo, Japan, Sydney, Australia, and the West African nation of Togo. Ehrendreich also served in the White House Situation Room as a Senior Duty Officer. Earlier in his career, he served in the Peace Corps in Niger. A native of Nebraska, Ehrendreich graduated from Drake University with a B.A. in Business Administration. He speaks French and Japanese. 

Kara C. McDonald, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Lithuania
Kara C. McDonald, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Counselor, currently serves as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. From January 2021 to April 2022, she was designated to serve concurrently as the Senior Official to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism for the Office of the Special Envoy. Previously, she was U.S. Consul General Strasbourg and Deputy Permanent Observer to the Council of Europe. She has also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Chisinau, Moldova, Director of Policy, Planning, and Coordination in the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau, Deputy Special Coordinator for Haiti, Director for United Nations and International Operations at the National Security Council, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and the Czech Republic desk. McDonald was also an International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Her other overseas assignments include U.S. Embassies in Bucharest and Port-au-Prince. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of State, McDonald was a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development.  Raised in Michigan, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Arts degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She speaks French, Romanian, and Russian.

John J. Sullivan, Nominee for Member of the United States Institute of Peace Board of Directors
John J. Sullivan is a partner in the law firm Mayer Brown L.L.P. and a Distinguished Fellow at the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University. His career spans four decades in public service in prominent diplomatic and legal positions under five Presidents as well as in private law practice. Most recently, he was the U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation from December 2019 to October 2022. Prior to his post in Moscow, Sullivan served for almost three years as the Deputy Secretary of State. In private practice at Mayer Brown, Sullivan has been a member of the Supreme Court and Appellate practice and was a Co-Founder of the National Security practice. During the Obama-Biden Administration, he was appointed Chair of the U.S.-Iraq Business Dialogue, a government advisory committee of business leaders on US commercial relations with Iraq. Previously, Sullivan held senior positions in the Departments of Justice, Defense, and Commerce in two prior administrations. Until January 2009, he was the Deputy Secretary of Commerce under President George W. Bush, following his service as the General Counsel of the department. In President Bush’s first term, he was appointed Deputy General Counsel of the Defense Department by Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. In the George H.W. Bush Administration, he was Counselor to Assistant Attorney General J. Michael Luttig in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.

Sullivan received his B.A. from Brown University and his law degree from the Columbia University School of Law. Sullivan is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and the recipient of numerous honors and awards for his work in foreign affairs, diplomacy, law, and public policy.

Loren Sweatt, Nominee for Member of the National Mediation Board
Loren Sweatt has served in various government roles throughout her professional career. Most recently, Sweatt has been a Senior Professional Staffer with the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in the United States Senate. Prior to that, Sweatt was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor. For 15 years, Sweatt served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the House of Representatives. Her experience includes all facets of labor policy. Sweatt holds a Bachelor’s from Texas Christian University and a Master’s of Business Administration from Marymount University.

###

The post President<span class="dewidow"> </span>Biden Announces Key<span class="dewidow"> </span>Nominees appeared first on The White House.