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On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, the President signed into law:
 
H.R. 4389, the “Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act of 2023,” which reauthorizes and amends the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation.

Thank you to Representatives Salazar, Larsen, Peltola and Joyce, and Senators Cardin and Boozman, for their leadership.

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Today, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution, proposed jointly by the United States and Japan, that would have reaffirmed the fundamental obligation of States Parties to the Outer Space Treaty not to place nuclear weapons in orbit around the Earth. The resolution also would have called on all Member States not to develop nuclear weapons specifically designed to be placed in orbit. Placement by a State Party of a nuclear weapon in orbit would not only violate the Outer Space Treaty, but would threaten the vital communications, scientific, meteorological, agricultural, commercial, and national security services that any and all satellites provide to societies around the globe. As we have noted previously, the United States assesses that Russia is developing a new satellite carrying a nuclear device. We have heard President Putin say publicly that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space. If that were the case, Russia would not have vetoed this resolution.

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Washington Hilton Hotel
Washington, D.C.

12:40 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Whoa!  Holy mackerel.  (Applause.)  Whoa!  (Applause.)  Hello, hello, hello!  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Please have a seat.  Whoa!  (Applause.)

Whoa!  What a welcome.  I’m going home.  (Laughter.)

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Building Trades.  God love you all.  (Applause.)  No, I really mean it.

And Shawn, thank you for your friendship, your partnership.  And it’s been an incredible honor — and I mean this from the bottom of my heart — an incredible honor to be endorsed by the Building Trades.  (Applause.)  I mean it.  You’re the best.

Not a joke.  It’s not a joke.  You’re the best in the world.  That’s not a joke.  You’re the best in the world.  You know, you had my back in 2020.  And because of you, I’m standing here as President of the United States of America — because of you.  (Applause.)  And that’s a fact. 

Because you, in 2024, we’re going to make Donald Trump a loser again.  (Applause.)  Are you ready?  Are you ready?  (Applause.)

I’m so damn proud to be with you.  And I really mean it: I’m proud to be with you.  All my — my relatives, my grandpop and everybody else up in — were — they’re all gone now, but in Scranton, they — my — I had an uncle who used to say, “Joey, you’re belt buckle to shoe shole [sole] union.”

Well, let me tell you something.  I’m proud to be the most union pres- — pro-union president in American history.  And it’s because of you.  You’re proof what have — I’ve always known.  Not a joke. 

I’ve always known that Wall Street didn’t build America.  The middle class built America, and unions built the middle class.  (Applause.)  That’s a fact.  That’s a fact.

Folks, being with you today reminds me of where I grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware.  I was up in Scranton last week. 

It’s great to have the mayor of Scranton, by the way, Paige Cognetti.  Where are you, Paige?  She’s here today.  I don’t — it’s a big crowd out there, but you’ll — if you see her, you’ll know her.  (Laughter.)

Look, in Scranton, I learned a basic value set that all of you learned as well, no matter where you’re from.  I learned that money doesn’t determine your worth.  I learned that all anyone wants is just a fair shot — a fair shot of making it.  Don’t block the road for me.  Give me an even shot. 

My dad, I swear to God, used to have an expression.  He’d come home from — after he closed — he’d come for dinner and then go back and close his — the shop.  My dad would say, “Joey a job” — and I mean it sincerely — “a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about respect.  It’s about being able to look your child in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay’ and mean it.”

That’s what we’re all about: dignity of all workers — the dignity of workers.  (Applause.)  I mean it.

And we all grew up — (applause) — we all grew up with folks who sort of looked down on us because of what our dads did.  They weren’t in business.  They weren’t executives.  They weren’t something special.  But they are special. 

You know, but people like Donald Trump learned a different lesson.  He learned the best way to get rich is inherit it.  (Laughter.)  He learned that paying taxes is something working people did, not him.  He learned that telling people “you’re fired” was something to laugh about.

Not in my household.  Not in my neighborhood.  (Applause.)  I mean it sincerely.  No joke.  Especially being fired because you had no protection. 

Folks, I guess that’s how you look at the world from Mar-a-Lago, where Trump and his rich friends embrace the same failed trickle-down policies that have failed working-class families and union families for over 40 years.

But if you grew up where we grew up, nobody handed you anything.  Being told you were fired wasn’t entertainment.  It was devastating.  It was a nightmare.

And, folks, we all know people like Trump who look down on us, don’t we?  We all know somebody we grew up with like that.

Well, folks, where I come from, it matters.  When I look at the economy, I don’t see it through the eyes of Mar-a-Lago, I see it through the eyes of — through the eyes of Scranton and working people like all of you and my family.

You know, we know the best way to grow an economy is from the bottom up and the middle out, not the top down.  My dad used to say not a whole hell of a lot trickled down on his kitchen table in that top-down policy.

When we do that, when we work from the bottom up and the middle out, the poor have a ladder up and the middle class does well.

And, by the way, the wealthy still do very well if they just start paying their damn taxes.  (Applause.)

So, it’s either Scranton values or Mar-a-Lago values.  These are competing visions of the economy at the heart of this election — competing visions of what we look at and see as Amer- — as America.

Folks, one of the reasons I ran for President was to rebuild the backbone of the middle class, and we have.  We’re following my blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America.  And guess what?  It’s working. 

You’re building that America.  You’re — in this room — are building that America.

For example, thanks to my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, more than 51,000 new manufacturing projects have been announced so far, and we’re just beginning.  It’s just beginning.  (Applause.)  It’s just — just starting.  (Applause.)

Roads, bridges, ports, airports, clean water systems, available high-speed Internet all across America and built by the Building Trades.  (Applause.)

Remember when President Pr- — Trump promised us — (laughs) — I’ve got to be careful.  (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Say it!  Say it!

THE PRESIDENT:  He promised us “Infrastructure Week.”  Well, I tell you what, it took four years; he never built a damn thing.  Nothing.  I’m serious.  (Applause.)  Are you surprised?

I’m sure — I’m making sure the projects, like project labor agreements, so highly skilled workers have a voice on the job. 

But even before Trump was president, Trump preferred non-union workers in his real estate projects.  And I don’t want to get into the stories.  But anyway.  Even he — even in that he didn’t keep his word.  He just asked contractors, vendors, and small businesses.  And — and if you read the press, if any of it’s true, he never paid them — a whole hell a lot of them.  The guy has never worked a day in a working man’s boots. 

By the way, he gave me a pair of boots as a gift, by the way.  (Laughter.)  I know how to put them on.  I still sometimes cut the yard.  The Secret Service doesn’t let me do it anymore.  (Laughter.)

Folks, I’m making Davis-Bacon requirements stronger to guarantee prevailing wage.  (Applause.) 

By the way, we’re making them stronger.  (Applause.)  That will — (applause) — that alone will increase wages for more than a million construction workers. 

Trump’s MAGA allies are trying to take it away now.  But it’s not going to happen on my watch.  (Applause.)

Since — since the 1930s, the law has said when the federal government spends taxpayers’ dollars on a project, it can only buy American products to do it and use American workers to get it done.  That’s “Buy America.”  Donald Trump failed to uphold that.  But not anymore.  My administration uses American products and American workers.  That’s why it’s going.  (Applause.)  I mean it.

Because, folks — (applause) — it’s — it’s not a joke.  It’s not a campaign line.  The God’s truth is you’re the best workers in the world.  That’s a fact.  You’re the best workers in the world. 

When I went out to South Korea to get them to beg- — start to build back those computer chips here in America, I said, “Why are you wil-” — and they decided to do it, invest- — investing billions of dollars.  I said, “Why are you doing it?”  He said, “Two things: You have the best workers in the world, and you have the safest place in the world to do it.”

Well, folks, when I think climate, I think jobs.  I think union jobs — good-paying jobs that don’t require a college degree. 

You’ve attracted nearly $700 billion in private-sector investment in advanced manufacturing, in semiconductors, clean energy, and so much more here in America, creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, Building Trades jobs.  In fact, construction of new factories has more than doubled in our administration.

Meanwhile — (applause) — meanwhile, Donald Trump still thinks windmills cause cancer.  (Laughter.)  That’s what he said. 

And, by the way, remember when he was trying to deal with COVID?  He said just inject a little bleach in your veins.  (Laughter.)  He missed; it all went to his hair.  (Laughter.)

Look, I shouldn’t have said that.  (Applause.)  I probably shouldn’t have said that.  (Laughter.)  You guys are a bad influence on me.  (Laughter.)

Trump and his MAGA allies want to repeal the most significant investments in climate ever — the work that — that you risked your lives doing lots of it.  You know, it — and he wants to risk all those jobs.  Are you surprised?  I’m not.

A lot of you don’t know that if you want to be a pipe fitter — a lot of people don’t know — if you want to be a pipe fitter or an electrician or any of the other trades here, it takes four or five years of hard work as an apprentice.

Most people think you can walk up (inaudible) — you guys should talk more about this.  They think you can walk up and you just say, “I want to be an electrician,” and you get a license.  It’s four or five years.  It’s like going back to college.  It’s going — like getting a college degree.

And that’s the reason — the reason you’re the best is because you’re the best trained in the world.  You get it; I get it.  But Donald Trump has no clue.

He undermined union apprenticeships by lowering standards and lowering pay.  He ended — I ended his anti-work policy to save the building trades apprenticeships program because they’re the gold standard of the world.  (Applause.)  They are.  They actually are.

And, look — and earlier this week — earlier this week, I teamed up together to recruit young people into the building trades.  It’s — my American Climate Corps will now pa- — pave a pathway to your apprenticeship program, because it matters.  It matters.

Through my American Rescue Plan, there’s — not a single Republican voted for, I might add — I also enacted the Butch Lewis Act — (applause) — the most pro-labor law in 50 years, because of you — because of you.  That one act — that one act has already protected hard-earned pensions of over 1 million workers and retirees and counting. 

We made that happen.  While Trump promised it, he never even lifted a finger to try to get it.  Are you surprised? 

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  I — hell no, I’m not, either.  (Laughter.) 

Trump put union busters on the Nabor La- — the National Labor Relations Board throughout his administration.  I’ve appointed people in my administration that actually care about American workers, like former bui- — the building trades leader, Marty Walsh, who was a great Labor Secretary — (applause) — during my administration.  

By the way, if you ever need — if you’re ever in a foxhole, I tell you, you want Marty Walsh — (pronounced in an accent) — with you, man.  (Laughter.)  Oh, you think I’m kidding.  He’s the real deal.

You know, I’ve walked proudly on union picket lines, while at the same time, Trump bashed unions from non-union shops.  (Applause.)  Are you surprised?

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  Look, I want to sign the PRO Act into law.  (Applause.) 

Trump said he’d veto it.  Trump said he’d veto it.  Beyond that, he supports a National Right to Work law, for God’s sake.

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I — think about it.  What is the single biggest killer that could happen?  A National Right to Work law. 

Look, he might as well say he doesn’t support any unions.

Are we going to let him — that happen, pal?  We’re not going to let that happen.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  Let me ask you: Does anyone here think the tax system is fair?  Raise your hand. 

Well, Trump is proud of his $2 trillion tax cut in his administration that overwhelmingly benefited the very wealthy and the biggest corporations while exploding the federal debt.  Trump added more to the national debt than any president in a single term in all of American history — to the national debt. 

I cut the national debt so far — (applause) — and still got all those other things did by doing simple things like, you know — remember those 40 Fortune 500 company — or those — those Fortune 500 companies, 40 of them — I think, no, it was 50 — who didn’t pay a single penny in taxes and made 40 billion dol- — 4 billion — $40 billion? 

Well, guess what?  I did a terrible thing.  I made them pay 15 percent.  (Laughter and applause.)  And we cut the deficit by $70 billion. 

Look, now Trump is saying if he gets elected, he wants to give another — by the way, that tax credit of his expires next year.  Okay?  (Applause.) 

Well, let me tell you something: It’s going to stay expired and dead forever if I’m reelected.  But anyway.  (Applause.)

He wants another — he wants to give another massive tax cut for the wealthy.  And he also says he wants to cut your Medicare and Social Security, and you’re going to let him — that happen? 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  No, he — by —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  By the way, these — these guys mean this stuff.  They mean it.  And the Republican caucus went ahead and said they want to do that too.

Look, folks, I remember there used to be two parties — real parties, you know.  But this ain’t your father’s Republican Party.  This is a different breed of cat.

Look, I got a better idea.  I’m going to protect Social Security and Medicare by making the very wealthy begin to pay their fair share of the — (applause) —

No billionaire — (applause) — look — look, guys — no billionaire — and there’s a thousand of them in America — a thousand billionaires — no billionaire should pay less in taxes than a teacher, a nurse, a construction worker, a police officer. 

Guess what?  You know what their average — average tax rate for a billionaire in America is?  8.3 percent.  That’s what they pay.  

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m serious.  I’m serious.  

Look, if we just charge them 24 percent in their tax, which isn’t the highest tax rate, we’d generate fi- — fifty- — $500 billion over the next 10 years, allow us to significantly cut the deficit, allow us to move all — have daycare.  Allo- — allow us to do so many things to make the country stronger.  

I want to point out one thing.  It’s a little off point, but I wanted you to remember it.  I asked the Treasury Department, because I was getting all this compliment and, from some, criticism about being so pro-union — I said, “What happens to wages generally when unions have to get paid a decent salary?”  Everybody’s salaries goes up.  Everybody.  (Applause.)  You grow the economy.  You grow the economy.  You grow the economy.  

Look, the bottom line is we’re doing what’s always worked best in this country: investing in all of America and all Americans.  

Our plan is working.  So far, we’ve created over 15 million new jobs, including 848,000 construction jobs for a record 8.2 million across the construction industry.

Folks — (applause) — and, by the way, did you know there are only two presidents in American history who left office with fewer American jobs than they entered it: Herbert Hoover and, yes, Donald “Herbert Hoover” Trump.  (Laughter and applause.)  Only two.  (Applause.)

Look, folks — folks, we’re moving again.  We’re moving again as a country.  We’re beginning to gain momentum.  We have the best economy in the world, but we got a lot more to do.  But we’re moving again because you guys and women.  I mean — I’m not being solicitous.  That’s why we’re moving.  We’re building again.  And we’re just getting started.  

Let me close with this.  As I travel the country, I see the amazing things you’re doing — I mean it, all over the country, in red states and blue states.  

And this past June, I was in Philadelphia, Sean’s hometown.  And I married a Philly girl.  You don’t screw around with Philly people.  (Laughter.)  

If I didn’t vote for every Phi- — root for every Philly team out there, I’d be sleeping alone.  (Laughter.)  You all think I’m kidding.  (Laughter.)  

Look, remember when that tanker truck crashed and closed the key stretch of I-95 in Philly?  It was expected, like in the last administration, it would take months and months for anything to happen.  

Well, 150,000 vehicles travel that overpass every single day.  So, what did we do?  We contacted all of you.  We organized.  You organized.  We rebuilt that.  You rebuilt that in less than two weeks, record time.  How?  Because you’re the building trades — laborers, operating engineers, cement finishers, plumbers, pipe fitters, steelworkers.  (Applause.)  So many union workers.  (Applause.)

You showed up — you showed up around the clock.  (Applause.)  And you got it done.  (Applause.)

By the way, that’s America.  

By the way, unions are more popular today than they’ve ever been in a long, long time, not because of Joe Biden supporting them — because of you.  You always step up.  You step into the breach.  You get things done.  

That’s the union movement.  That’s what it’s about.

In Baltimore, we’re moving heaven and earth — or as my dad, from Baltimore, would say, Baltimore ¬– Baltimore.  (Pronounced in an accent.)  

We’re moving heaven and earth to rebuild the F- — the Francis Scott Key Bridge after its tragic collapse, and we’re doing it with you — with union labor and American steel — (applause) — and American steel.

That’s America.  That’s the union movement.  (Applause.)

Look, folks, I mean you’re doing — you ought to see — I mean, I’ve been to the site.  It’s incredible.  I’ve been over that bridge a lot.  I mean, I commuted every day for 36 years as a U.S. senator, when my wife and daughter were killed and I used to commute back and forth to be with my boys.  And I’ve over that — that area in Baltimore Harbor.  You — it’s incredible what you’re doing.  

And, folks, the choice is clear.  Donald Trump’s vision of America is one of revenge and retribution.  A defeated former president who sees the world from Mar-a-Lago and bows down to billionaires, who looks down on American union workers.  It’s not just he’s not supporting; he looks down on us.  

I — no, I’m not joking.  Think about it.  Think about the guys you grew up with who you’d like to get into the corner and just give them a straight left.  (Laughter.)  I’m not suggesting we hit the president.  (Laughter.)  But we all know those guys growing up.  We all know guys like that growing up.  

My vision of America is one of hope and opportunity — the view from Scranton and working-class Americans like you.  

Here’s the future I see, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart.  I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s chances, not because I’m President, because of the state of the moment.  The world needs us.

Look at we — I just signed — we just signed the bill to give support to Ukraine.  We — (applause) — we rebuilt NATO.  (Applause.)  We increased it. 

Like it or not, we’re the leading country in the world.  The rest of the world looks to us.  

I see an America where we defend democracy, not diminish it.  I see an America where we protect freedoms, not take them away.  I see an economy that grows from the middle out and the bottom up, where the wealthy pay their fair share so we can have childcare, paid leave, and so much more, and still reduce the federal deficit and increase economic growth.  

Folks, imagine what we can do next.  Four —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.) 

THE PRESIDENT:  — more years (inaudible). 

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Are you ready?

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Are you ready to move forward?

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you.  We’re all ready.  We’re ready to move forward not back.  

Are we ready to choose unity over division, dignity over hate, truth over lies? 

Are you ready to choose freedom over democ- — for democracy?  (Applause.) 

We can do this.  I give you my word as a Biden, I’ve never been more optimistic about our future in my entire career.  

We just have to remember who we are.  And I mean this.  Think about it.  We are the United States of America, and there’s nothing beyond our capacity — nothing, nothing, nothing — when we do it together.  (Applause.)  We got to do it together.  

God bless you all.  God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.) 

Thank you all.  I don’t want to go.  (Applause.) 

1:05 P.M. EDT 

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Washington, D.C.

Thank you, Maria.

You give me hope too.

It’s what you do.

In Alzheimer’s, you’ve given others hope during some of their darkest times – even as you were going though yours – shining your light so others can find their way forward.

And you’re giving so many women hope.

Just look at this incredible center at the Cleveland Clinic, and all the women and families whose lives will be changed because of you.

In this moment, I can’t help but think of your mother – who changed so many lives of her own. You carry forward her legacy – fighting for the health of our nation and the planet, always looking for the best way to make the biggest difference for the most people. And with each mark you make on the world, you gift us with a little of her light and her love too.

I know all of us are so thankful. And I think she would be so proud.

Her tenacity is a part of you. Because when you set your mind to something – you don’t back down.

I’ve seen it myself – it’s why I’m here today.

Yes, it all started with that meeting Maria talked about.

I’d met you as second lady, when you were First Lady of California. But we had never sat down like that – never talked about what was on our hearts.

You laid out a problem that was so simple – but so often ignored: that women’s health is understudied and research is underfunded. And too many of our medications, treatments, and medical school textbooks are based on men.

This has created gaps in our understanding of conditions that mostly affect women, only affect women, or affect women and men differently, leaving women seeking health care in a medical world largely designed for men.

It was one of those moments that happen in life, where you learn something and you can never see the world the same way again.

Suddenly, the problem almost felt obvious – because we all know it.

If you ask any woman in America about her healthcare, she probably has a story to tell. You know her.

She’s the woman who gets debilitating migraines, but doesn’t know why, and can’t find treatment options that work for her.

She’s the woman going through menopause, who visits her doctor and leaves with more questions than answers, even though half the country will go through menopause at some point in their lives.

She’s the woman whose heart attack isn’t recognized because her symptoms don’t look like a man’s, even as heart disease is the leading cause of death among women.

As I’ve traveled to research centers and conferences and universities, I’ve shared this with the people I meet. And I see the nods each time – as women, and men, have the same realization I had with Maria.

But it’s not enough to just talk about it. President Biden and I knew we had to work to change this.

That’s why Joe has pushed forward all those pieces that may not have seemed possible before: The first White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, requesting $12 billion from Congress in his State of the Union, signing an Executive Order to make sure that when the government funds research, that work includes women from the beginning. And ensuring that when we make discoveries, those ideas get to the women and families waiting for answers.

And, as part of the initiative, ARPA-H – the agency Joe created to pursue breakthrough health research at lighting speed – launched a “sprint” for women’s health. That means this year, the agency will invest millions to push forward innovations that could be life-changing for women.

All of you have been a part of work like this on Alzheimer’s and other diseases. You’ve poured in resources. You’ve pushed science forward. You’ve changed how we talk about this disease. You’ve seen the power of conversations like the one Maria and I had – how they ripple outwards, reshaping our world.

All of you can create those ripples too – can take what you’ve learned here and share it, can find ways to shift the world. 

Because, if this is the difference one year can make, imagine where we will be this time next year – or the year after…or in 10 years!

There is so much more for us to discover – lives that could be transformed, or even saved. Families that could find the answers they need. Patients who no longer have to struggle with pain or confusion – who could get a second chance at life, not only women, but men too. Because these discoveries could give us insight into all of us. 

That’s the power of research: to investigate and innovate, to help and heal, to build a better health care system – one that places women and their lived experiences at its center.

Thank you for being a part of this work.

Together, we will write new stories about women’s health care. Ones where women leave doctors’ offices with more answers than questions. Where no woman or girl has to hear that, “it’s all in your head,” or, “it’s just stress” ever again. Where women don’t just survive, they lead long, healthy, and happy lives.

Thank you.

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The South Lawn

Thank you, Sharona.

It takes incredible courage to not only heal, but to also share your journey so that others can heal too. It’s that same bravery you called on when you chose to put on the uniform and protect others.

Thank you and your daughter for your service.

Every time the President’s Own play, you fill the hearts of all who hear you with pride – and today is no different. Let’s give the Marine Band another round of applause for that incredible rendition of our National Anthem. 

Warriors never ride alone.

That’s the promise of the Wounded Warrior Project – and, as you can see today: it’s true.

Because this isn’t a race. It’s a ride.

It’s not about how fast you can go or leaving people in your dust. It’s about riding as one.

And there’s a magic when you come together. In every look, laugh, encouraging word, or maybe a smile, you pull each other through the pedals, the miles, the days.

Recovery isn’t a race either. You don’t succeed by going faster. Some days you may even feel like you aren’t moving at all. There are challenges that never seem to go away. But warriors find a way forward, together. Because healing is not a straight line. It’s a journey that continues – and at some point, maybe today – you look back and realize just how far you’ve come.

And it’s not just you.

Beside the riders here, there are families.

You – military spouses and kids – may not have worn a uniform, but you serve our country too. Missions may end – wars may come to a close – but the sacrifices that your families make endure.

The Bidens are a military family.

My father was a Navy Signalman in World War II. And our son, Major Beau Biden, served for a year in Iraq as part of the Delaware Army National Guard.

So, as a military mom, and as your First Lady, I want to let you know how much all of you mean to me and to your Commander-in-Chief, President Biden.

The United States doesn’t demand military service of our citizens – you step forward: everyday heroes who sacrifice your own safety, willingly and proudly, so that others can be free.

You represent the best of this country. And you and your families deserve nothing less than our unconditional respect and support.

That’s what Joining Forces – my White House initiative to support military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors – is all about.

And so many of you have been with us from the beginning – have become old friends. It’s great to see you again. Thank you for your ideas, your hard work, and your collaboration. It’s what has allowed us to make so much incredible progress over the last three years:

An historic Executive Order that expands veterans’ access to high-quality, home-based care, which Joe signed last year. He got the PACT Act done, which means more benefits and health care for veterans harmed by toxins. His Administration is investing a record amount in free mental health services for veterans. He’s removing barriers to employment for military spouses, and pushing the private sector to hire veterans and military spouses. And he’s working to end veteran homelessness and prevent veteran suicide.

My husband often says that we have many obligations as a nation, but only one sacred obligation: to support you and your families when we send you into harm’s way, and when you return.

As President – and as a military dad – he never loses sight of that conviction.

That’s why he’s working tirelessly to make sure you and your families have what you need to thrive.

Today, and every day, we ride with you – your President, your nation, and all of us here.

With all my heart, thank you for your service and sacrifice.

May God bless our military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors.

Now, it’s time to begin your ride!

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Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)

In accordance with section 406 of division A, section 510 of division B, and section 405 of division C of the Act making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024 (H.R. 815; the “Act”), I hereby designate as emergency requirements all funding (including the transfer and repurposing of funds) so designated by the Congress in the Act pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as outlined in the enclosed list of accounts.

The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed memorandum from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. 

                             Sincerely,

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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State Dining Room

10:57 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning.  It’s a good day for America, it’s a good day for Europe, and it’s a good day for world peace, for real.  This is consequential.

I just signed into law the national security package that was passed by the House of Representatives this weekend and by the Senate yesterday. 

It’s going to make America safer.  It’s going to make the world safer.  And it continues America’s leadership in the world, and everyone knows it. 

It gives vital support to America’s partners and they — so they can defend themselves against threats to their sovereignty and to the lives and freedom of their citizens.  And it’s an investment in our own security, because when our allies are stronger — and I want to make this point again and again — when our allies are stronger, we are stronger.

I’m grateful for all — grateful to all those in Congress — Democrats, Republicans, independents — who voted for this bill.

It’s a path — to my desk, it was a difficult path.  It should have been easier, and it should have gotten there sooner.  But in the end, we did what America always does: We rose to the moment, we came together, and we got it done.

Now we need to move fast, and we are. 

Over two years, Russia has been responsible for a brutal campaign against Ukraine.  They’ve killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians, bombed hospitals — deliberately picked them out — bombed hospitals, kindergartens, grain silos; tried to plunge Ukraine into a cold and dark winter by striking their power grid.

Ukrainians have fought — the Ukrainians have fought back, defending their country and their families with extraordinary courage.  Many of you have been there with me many times.  It’s amazing what they do.  I mean, it’s amazing. 
 
Against such a larger military, Ukraine has regained over half the territory that Russia took from them in this invasion.  And they won important victories against Russia’s navy.  But make no mistake about: They’re a fighting force with the will and the skill to win — the will and the skill to win.

For months, while MAGA Republicans were blocking aid, Ukraine has been running out of artillery shells and ammunition.

Meanwhile, Putin’s friends keep giving him — are keeping him well supplied.  Iran sent him drones.  North Korea has sent him ballistic missiles and artillery shells.  China is providing components and know-how to boost Russia’s defense production.

With all this support, Russia has ramped up its airstrikes against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure, rained down munitions on U- — brave Ukrainians defending their homeland.  And now Americans are going to send Ukraine the supplies they need to keep them in the fight.

This weekend, there are reports — and this is — I find this amazing.  There are reports of cheers breaking out of the trenches in eastern Ukraine — probably came from one of your folks — a reporter or someone.  I’m not sure where it came from.  But that they’re cheering as they watch the House vote in support for Ukraine.

It’s not like they don’t understand what we’ve done.  Not like they don’t understand how critical this is for them.

I’m making sure the shipments start right away.

In the next few hours — literally, the few hours — we’re going to begin sending in equipment to Ukraine for air defense; munitions for artillery, for rocket systems; and armored vehicles. 

You know, this package is literally an investment, not only in Ur- — Ukraine’s security but in Europe’s security, in our own security.
 
We’re sending Ukraine equipment from our own stockpiles, and then we’ll replenish those stockpiles with new products made by American companies here in America: Patriot missiles made in Arizona, Javelins made in Alabama, artillery shells made in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. 
 
In other words, we’re helping Ukraine while at the same time investing in our own industrial base, strengthening our own national security, and supporting jobs in nearly 40 states all across America.
 
You know, the United States is not acting alone, to state the obvious.  Our allies in Europe and around the world, who for — constantly been asking me, “Are we going to step up?  We’re not going to walk away, are we?  How many” — and some of you have been in these international meetings with me.  They’re very concerned.  Had we failed to step up, Lord only knows what would happen to the cohesion of NATO.
 
We’re also sendi- — they’re also sending significant help to Ukraine.  We’re all standing together against this brutal dictator.  
 
As I’ve argued for months, this is directly — directly in the United States’ national security interest.  If Putin trium- — triumphs in Ukraine, the next move of Russian forces could very well be a direct attack on a NATO Ally.  And you all know full well that invoking Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty would be the first thing that comes to mind, which declares an attack on one is an attack on all.
 
If Putin attacks a NATO Ally, like he’s attacking Ukraine today, we’d have no choice but to come to their aid, just like our NATO Allies came to our la- — our aid after the September 11th attacks here. 
 
That’s why we’re supporting and surging support now to Ukraine: to stop Putin from drawing the United States into a war in Europe and in the future. 
 
You know, it seems to me we should take a little bit of a step back and realize what a critical moment this was for the United States and for NATO.  This is a historical moment.
 
In the last two years, we’ve helped unify, strengthen, and expand NATO.  Imagine if instead we had failed — we had failed to step up now and support Ukraine.  All those gains would have begun to unravel, the cohesion of NATO would have been weakened, and our national security would have been undermined, without any question.
 
You know, Putin started this war believing he could easily break the will of the people of Ukraine.  When that failed, he changed his strategy a little bit, thinking he could break the — break the will of NATO, break the will of the United States, break our will.  Well, he’s failed again.
 
America stands with our friends.  We stand up against dictators.  We bow to no one — to no one, certainly not Vladimir Putin. 
 
Look, this bill also includes vital support for Israel.  Just 10 days ago, we saw Iran launch over 100 missiles and drones at Israel.  And because of them and other allies across the countr- — world, including from the region, none — no serious damage occurred.  An unprecedented attack that followed years of Iran supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, and proxies of their own — their own attack on Israel.  They — they fund these guys. 
 
My commitment to Israel, I want to make clear again, is ironclad.  The security of Israel is critical.  I will always make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Iran and terrorists it supports.
 
And with this aid, the United States can help replenish Israel’s air defense and provide other critical defense so Iran can never carry out the destruction it intended with its attack 10 days ago.
 
But at the same time, this bill significantly — significantly increases humanitarian assistance we’re sending to the innocent people of Gaza, who are suffering badly.  They’re suffering the consequences of this war that Hamas started.  And we’ve been working intently for months to get as much aid to Gaza as possible.
 
This bill includes $1 billion for additional humanitarian aid in Gaza.  We’re going to immediately secure that aid and surge it — surge it, including food, medical supplies, clean water.  And Israel must make sure all this aid reaches the Palestinians in Gaza without delay. 
 
And everything we do is guided by the ultimate goal of bringing these hostages home, securing a ceasefire, and setting the conditions for an enduring peace. 
 
You know, there’s more that this bill does, in- — as you all know, the press here, including providing for support to strengthen even further our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as humanitarian aid to places including Haiti, Sudan, and Somalia. 
 
But there’s one thing this bill does not do: border security. 
 
You know, just this year, I proposed and negotiated and agreed to the strongest border security bill this country has ever, ever, ever seen.  It was bipartisan.  It should have been included in this bill, and I’m determined to get it done for the American people.  But I’ll come back to that in another mom- — another time. 
 
This is a reminder of what America can do when we s- — when we come together, despite our differences. 
 
I want to thank everyone in Congress who made it possible, especially the bipartisan leadership: Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson; Leader Jeffries; Leaders Schumer and McConnell.  They don’t always agree, but when it matters most, they stepped up and did the right thing.  And I mean this sincerely, history will remember this time.  History will remember this moment.
 
For all the talk about how dysfunctional things are in Washington, when you look over the past three years, we see that time and again on the critical issues we’ve actually come together.  It hadn’t always been easy, but when it’s come time to decide to rebuild America, we did it with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is just underway. 
 
When it came time to invest in our semiconductor industry and technica- — technologic- — technologies of the future, we did it with the CHIPS and Science Act. 
 
And when it came time to stand with Ukraine and Israel and help the people of Gaza, we did that as well. 
 
At the end of the day, most of us — whether we’re Democrats, Republicans, or independents — believe that America must stand up for what is right. 

We don’t walk away from our allies; we stand with them.  We don’t let tyrants win; we oppose them.  We don’t merely watch global events unfold; we shape them. 
 
That’s what it means to be the ins- — the indispensable nation.  That’s what it means to be the world’s superpower and the world’s leading democracy. 
 
Some of our MAGA Republican friends reject that vision, but this vote makes it clear: There is a bipartisan consensus for that kind of American leadership.  That’s exactly what we’ll continue to deliver. 
 
I thank you all very much.  And now I’m going off to make a speech at a hotel that I am late for.  And I’ll have plenty of time to answer questions on this and other matters. 
 
Thank you.
 
  11:08 A.M. EDT
 
 

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MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT:       Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 614(a)(1) of the FAA to determine whether it is important to the security interests of the United States to furnish up to $145 million in assistance to Ukraine without regard to any provision of law within the purview of section 614(a)(1) of the FAA.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, the President signed into law:

H.R. 815, which provides supplemental emergency appropriations for fiscal year 2024 to Federal agencies to respond to the situations in Israel and Ukraine, and for assistance to the Indo-Pacific region.  

Thank you to Leader Schumer and Leader McConnell, Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries, and many others for their leadership.

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The President is announcing his intent to nominate seven individuals to federal district courts—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 forty-eighth round of nominees for federal judicial positions, bringing the number of announced federal judicial nominees to 236.

United States District Court Announcements

1. Judge Michelle Williams Court: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Michelle Williams Court has been a judge on the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County since 2012, and supervising judge in the Court’s civil division since 2023. Previously, Judge Court worked as an attorney and later vice president and general counsel at Bet Tzedek Legal Services from 2002 to 2011. Before that, Judge Court worked as a senior associate at Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach from 2000 to 2002; as a fellow and civil rights specialist at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1999 to 2000; as a litigation associate at Litt & Marquez from 1995 to 1999; as a project attorney at the ACLU of Southern California from 1994 to 1995; and as an associate at Gilbert Kelly Crowley & Jennett from 1993 to 1994. Judge Court received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1993 and her B.A. from Pomona College in 1988.

2. Judge Anne Hwang: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Anne Hwang has been a judge on the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County since 2019. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Hwang served as a Deputy Federal Public Defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California from 2006 to 2018, becoming Chief Deputy Federal Public Defender in 2018. Before that, Judge Hwang worked as a litigation associate at Irell & Manella LLP from 2002 to 2006. She received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School in 2002 and her B.A. from Cornell University in 1997.

3. Danna Jackson: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Montana

Danna Jackson has been Tribal Attorney for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Pablo, Montana, since 2023. She previously served at the U.S. Department of the Interior as Senior Counselor to the Director of the Bureau of Land Management and then Senior Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science from 2021 to 2023. Before that, Ms. Jackson served as Chief Legal Counsel at the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in Helena, Montana, from 2016 to 2021 and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Tribal Liaison in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana from 2010 to 2016. Ms. Jackson also worked as a counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP from 2005 to 2010, after serving as a legislative assistant in the United States Senate from 2002 to 2005 and a staff attorney at the National Indian Gaming Commission from 2000 to 2002. She received her J.D. and her B.A. from the University of Montana in 1996 and 1993, respectively.

4. Judge Sarah Netburn: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

Judge Sarah Netburn has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York since 2012 and has been the Court’s Chief United States Magistrate Judge since 2024. From 2010 to 2012, Judge Netburn served as the Southern District of New York’s Chief Counsel to the Office of Pro Se Litigation. Prior to her judicial service, Judge Netburn worked from 2002 to 2010 at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP where she rose from associate to partner. She served as a law clerk for Judge Harry Pregerson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2001 to 2002. Judge Netburn received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law in 2001 and her B.A. from Brown University in 1994.

5. Stacey D. Neumann: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Maine

Stacey D. Neumann has worked in private practice at Murray, Plumb & Murray in Portland, Maine since 2013, and has been a partner at the firm since 2017. From 2009 to 2013, Ms. Neumann served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and then an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine. Before that, she was a staff attorney at the Vermont Office of the Defender General in Chittenden County from 2007 to 2009. Ms. Neumann served as a law clerk for Judge Peter W. Hall on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2006 to 2007 and for Judge John A. Dooley on the Vermont Supreme Court from 2005 to 2006. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Cornell Law School in 2005 and her B.A., magna cum laude, from James Madison University in 2000.

6. April Perry: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

April Perry has been Senior Counsel of Global Investigations and Fraud and Abuse Prevention at GE HealthCare since 2022. She was previously the General Counsel at Ubiety Technologies from 2019 to 2022. From 2017 to 2019, Ms. Perry served as the Chief Deputy State’s Attorney and Chief Ethics Officer for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. She also worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois from 2004 to 2016. Ms. Perry served as a law clerk for Judge Joel M. Flaum on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2003 to 2004. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law in 2003 and her B.S., magna cum laude, from Northwestern University in 2000.

7. Judge Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Central District of California

Judge Cynthia Valenzuela has been a judge on the California State Bar Court in Los Angeles since her appointment by the California Supreme Court in 2016. Previously, Judge Valenzuela worked as the Criminal Justice Act Supervising Attorney for the Central District of California in Los Angeles from 2011 to 2016 and as the head of national litigation at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles from 2006 to 2011. Before that, Judge Valenzuela served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California from 2000 to 2006; as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. from 1998 to 2000; and as a Special Assistant at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in Los Angeles from 1995 to 1998. She received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law in 1995 and her B.A. from the University of Arizona in 1991.

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America is a Nation founded on the promise of second chances. During Second Chance Month, we reaffirm our commitment to rehabilitation and reentry for people returning to their communities post incarceration. We also recommit to building a criminal justice system that lives up to those ideals and ensures that everyone receives equal justice under law. That is why today I am announcing steps I am taking to make this promise a reality.

I am using my clemency power to pardon 11 individuals and commute the sentences of 5 individuals who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses. Many of these individuals received disproportionately longer sentences than they would have under current law, policy, and practice. The pardon recipients have demonstrated their commitment to improving their lives and positively transforming their communities. The commutation recipients have shown that they are deserving of forgiveness and the chance at building a brighter future for themselves beyond prison walls.

Like my other clemency actions, these pardons and commutations reflect my overarching commitment to addressing racial disparities and improving public safety. While today’s announcement marks important and continued progress, my Administration will continue to review clemency petitions and deliver reforms in a manner that advances equal justice, supports rehabilitation and reentry, and provides meaningful second chances. 

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Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is using his authority under the Constitution to advance equal justice under law by granting clemency to 16 deserving individuals who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is pardoning the following eleven individuals:

Jason Hernandez – McKinney, Texas
Jason Hernandez is a 47-year-old man who was convicted of several non-violent drug offenses for conduct that began while he was still a juvenile. Had Mr. Hernandez been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a significantly shorter sentence. Since his conviction, Mr. Hernandez has accepted responsibility and demonstrated exemplary rehabilitation while incarcerated. President Obama commuted Mr. Hernandez’s sentence in 2013, and he was granted early termination of his supervised release in 2021 in recognition of his “exceptional” post-release conduct. He now runs a nonprofit that transformed the store in front of which he used to sell drugs into a market that provides good quality and affordable food. The mayor of his hometown, other city officials, colleagues, and community members uniformly attest to the change in Mr. Hernandez’s character since his conviction, the significant contributions he’s made to his community, and his humble, giving nature.

Beverly Holcy (Beverly Canty) – Palatka, Florida
Beverly Holcy is a 59-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense committed at the age of 27. Had Ms. Holcy been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, she would have received a significantly lower sentence. Ms. Holcy successfully served her sentence and completed her probation obligations. Since her release, she has been fully employed, volunteers at her church, and assists in various community activities. Coworkers, friends, and neighbors describe her as honest, trustworthy, dependable, reliable, hardworking, and compassionate.

Jeffrey Alan Lewis – Douglasville, Georgia
Jeffrey Alan Lewis is a 58-year-old man who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense at the age of 40. Had Mr. Lewis been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a significantly shorter sentence. Mr. Lewis served his sentence and completed the obligations associated with his supervised release. Since his release, he has been consistently employed, contributes to the community through charitable works and active community engagement, and he has built a reputation as “a family man.”

Bobby Darrell Lowery– Jackson, Mississippi
Bobby Darrell Lowery is a 50-year-old man who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense at the age of 25. He served his sentence and successfully completed the terms of his probation. Since his release, Mr. Lowery has maintained steady employment and actively volunteers at his church and at various community-based organizations. Friends and colleagues praise his work ethic, dedication to his family, and strong moral character.

Jesse Mosley– Ponchatoula, Louisiana
Jesse Mosley is a 42-year-old man who pleaded guilty to non-violent drug offenses at the age of 19. Had Mr. Mosley been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a significantly lower sentence. He served his sentence and completed his supervised release. Since his release, Mr. Mosley started a business, manages rental properties, and works as a realtor. He is described as generous and deeply committed to his family, his employees, and his community. Mr. Mosley regularly donates to school and local police department fundraising events, provides groceries and other necessities to those in need, and supports new businesses.

Katrina Polk– Washington, D.C.
Dr. Katrina Polk is a 54-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense at the age of 18. She successfully served her sentence and completed the terms of her supervised release. Since her release, Dr. Polk has furthered her education, including earning a PhD in public policy and administration. She has also engaged in extensive community service, locally and nationally, and is a respected advocate for the elderly. Colleagues, supervisors, friends, and community members uniformly praise her character and work ethic and consider her a role model, noting her demonstrated commitment to serving others.

Glenn Ray Royal – San Antonio, Texas
Glenn Ray Royal is a 49-year-old man who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense committed at the age of 20. Had Mr. Mosley been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a shorter sentence. He served his sentence and completed the terms of his supervised release. Since his release, he has earned two degrees and has steadily worked in the information technology field. He also serves as a mentor and coach for college students, assisting them with developing business plans, marketing plans, and websites. Friends and others attest to his trustworthiness and his dedication to his family and colleagues.

Alexis Sutton –New Haven, Connecticut
Alexis Sutton is a 33-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense. Ms. Sutton received early termination of her probationary sentence. Since then, she has taken classes in hopes of earning her nursing degree and ultimately becoming a registered nurse. She is an active participant in her church. Colleagues, friends, and neighbors describe her as resilient, reliable, caring, hard-working, and a role model, and they note her devotion to her family and her studies.

Ricky Donnell Tyler– Columbia, South Carolina
Ricky Donnell Tyler is a 54-year-old man who was convicted of non-violent drug offenses. He was 26 years old at the time of sentencing. He served his sentence and completed the terms of his supervised release. Since his release, he has earned a Class A driver’s license and has worked as a truck driver. In 2015, Mr. Tyler started his own business. He is dedicated to his family and mentors young people so that they might learn from his mistakes. His family and friends uniformly attest to his dedication to his work, family, and youth in his community.

Stacy Lynn Wilder– Albany, New York
Stacy Lynn Wilder is a 49-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense. Had Ms. Wilder been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, she would have received a significantly lower sentence. She served her sentence and completed the terms of her supervised release. Since her release, she has worked as a payroll examiner and in related roles in state government, earning promotions and positive feedback from her supervisors. She contributes money and goods to organizations that support the unhoused, animals, and veterans. Community members and neighbors describe her as trustworthy, hard-working, good-hearted, and someone who is always willing to help others.

Pilar Alejandra Yelicie-Rodriguez – Fairfax, Virginia
Pilar Alejandra Yelicie-Rodriguez is a 48-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense. She completed her sentence and the terms of her probation. Since her release, she has maintained steady work and has dedicated her time to her family and volunteered at her church. People describe her as reliable, loyal, and trustworthy, and uniformly commend her on being a devoted mother.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is commuting the sentences of the following five individuals:

Daequon Charles Davis – Johnson City, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute or to possess with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine.
Sentence: 262 months of imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (July 2017).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 120 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Jophaney Hyppolite – Miami, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture and to possess with intent to distribute more than 280 grams cocaine base; distribution and aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine base.
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (January 2013).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 360 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Xavier Martez Parnell – Clarksville, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including 500 grams or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
Sentence: 300 months of imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (September 2012).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 210 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Leshay Nicole Rhoton – Bristol, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base and 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
Sentence: 240 months of imprisonment; 10 years of supervised release (September 2013).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 150 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

Margaret Ann Vandyke – Ellenville, New York
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance (crack cocaine).
Sentence: 60 months of imprisonment; three years of supervised release (January 2022).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to expire on August 22, 2024, leaving intact and in effect the 3-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

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The U.S. freight system is vital to our nation’s economy. Trucks, ships, trains, and planes move 55 million tons of goods worth more than $49 billion every day, across a vast network that is essential to how Americans live and work. But while industry has made progress on reducing emissions from this sector, freight movement continues to represent a significant share of local air pollution, increasing the risk of asthma, heart disease, hospitalization, and other adverse health outcomes for the millions of Americans, especially overburdened communities, who live and work near highways, ports, railyards, warehouses, and other freight routes. The transportation sector is also the largest source of climate pollution in the U.S., with trucks and buses comprising nearly a quarter of emissions from the sector. That’s why President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is supporting solutions that address harmful pollution, and has spurred $165 billion of private sector investments in zero-emission vehicle technologies.

Building on this momentum, the Biden-Harris Administration is today announcing a first-ever national goal to transition to a zero-emissions freight sector for truck, rail, aviation and marine, along with a commitment to develop a national zero-emissions freight strategy. This whole-of-government strategy includes new federal investments announced today, continued engagement with stakeholders on zero-emissions freight infrastructure, and forthcoming action plans on each of the freight segments. The strategy will prioritize actions to address air pollution hot spots and tackle the climate crisis, mobilizing a broad range of government resources, and reflect public participation and meaningful community engagement, furthering the President’s commitment to environmental justice for all. This new commitment to zero-emissions freight aligns with and supports President Biden’s existing goals for a carbon pollution-free energy sector by 2035 and for achieving net-zero emissions from the transportation sector by 2050. It also aligns with the Administration’s commitment to work with other countries to identify pathways and implementation actions that enable zero-emissions medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to reach 30 percent of new sales in 2030 and 100 percent of new sales by 2040.

Investing in Zero-Emissions Freight Sector

The Administration is also unveiling several key steps under the strategy, including major new funding programs, a new initiative to track and accelerate deployment of charging and refueling infrastructure, and a new program to standardize heavy-duty vehicle charging depots:

As part of this commitment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing today a nearly $1 billion funding opportunity for cities, states and Tribes through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to replace Class 6 and Class 7 heavy duty vehicles – which include school buses, trash trucks, and delivery trucks – with zero-emissions vehicles. The funding will support infrastructure to charge, fuel and maintain heavy-duty zero emission vehicles along with workforce development and training to get this work done. Under the requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act, at least $400 million of the program’s funding will serve communities dealing with significant air pollution. Projects supported through this program will reduce air and noise pollution, improve public health, and create good-paying clean energy jobs.  

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is announcing the first tranche of its $400 million Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities Grant Program to improve air quality and reduce pollution for truck drivers, port workers and families that live in communities surrounding ports. The Department of Energy (DOE) is also announcing a $72 million investment to establish a “SuperTruck: Charged” program that will demonstrate how vehicle-grid integration enables depots and truck stops to provide affordable, reliable charging while increasing grid resiliency.

Convening Stakeholders to Accelerate the Transition to Zero-Emissions Freight

The Administration is today bringing together stakeholders from commercial truck fleets, ports, vehicle manufacturers, state and local governments, utilities, infrastructure providers, climate and environmental justice organizations for a convening at the White House focused on supercharging the buildout of the infrastructure necessary to make a zero-emissions freight ecosystem a reality in the United States. Today’s convening on zero-emissions freight infrastructure is designed to launch a series of engagements aimed at tackling emissions from the movement of goods across the nation and recognizes the great progress made already by leaders in freight decarbonization. The roundtable will mobilize action towards successfully implementing the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, with special attention paid to infrastructure targets from 2024 to 2027, and will provide Administration officials with insight into the opportunities and challenges facing communities looking to set actionable goals, integrate new planning methodologies, and protect people’s health.

Building on the Administration’s Freight Policies

Today’s announcements build on the Administration’s ongoing work across federal agencies to tackle emissions from America’s freight system. 

• Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization: In January 2023, DOE, EPA, DOT, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) jointly released the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization. Building on this work, the Biden-Haris Administration is coordinating with each of these agencies to draft a series of decarbonization strategies for each segment of the freight system.

• Zero-Emissions Freight Corridor Strategy: Last month, the Joint Office, in collaboration with DOE, DOT, and EPA, released the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, a vision for the development of charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure along high-volume freight highways and hubs by 2040. To complement this multi-phase strategy, DOT designated National Electric Vehicle Freight Corridors along the National Highway Freight Network and other key roadways.

• Heavy Duty Vehicle Regulations: In December 2022, EPA finalized standards to reduce emissions that form smog and soot from Model Year 2027 and later heavy-duty engines and in March 2024, the agency finalized new greenhouse gas emission standards from heavy-duty vehicles for Model Years 2027-2032. The standards will avoid 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and provide $13 billion in annualized net benefits to society related to public health, the climate, and savings for truck owners and operators. The final standards will also reduce dangerous air pollution, especially for the 72 million people in the United States who live near truck freight routes, bear the burden of higher levels of pollution, and are more likely to be people of color or come from low-income households.

Advancing Environmental Justice for All

Throughout the process of building a strategy to implement this new goal to transition to a zero-emissions freight ecosystem, the Biden-Harris Administration will provide opportunities for meaningful engagement from relevant stakeholders, including communities with environmental justice concerns, Tribal Nations, state and local governments, manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles and equipment, fleets and freight operators, and climate and environmental justice organizations. Such engagement will ensure the federal government’s actions to reduce emissions are better targeted, more effective, and reflect the priorities of community groups that have frontline experience with air pollution from the freight sector.

Disparities in ambient air quality have widened over the last decade even as air pollution levels have fallen, and the burden of persistent levels of elevated air pollution remains more heavily borne by communities of color and low-income families. While 120 million Americans live in places with unhealthy air quality, a higher percentage of the exposed population are people of color, who experience nearly eight times higher rates of pediatric asthma and 1.3 times higher risk of dying prematurely from exposure to pollutants. High levels of air pollution are often found in neighborhoods ringed by factories or next to highways, despite most sources meeting emission standards.

President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that every person has a right to breathe clean air and live in a healthy community – now and into the future. That is why, during his first week in office, President Biden signed Executive Order 14008, launching the most ambitious environmental justice agenda in our Nation’s history. To continue delivering on that vision, last year President Biden signed Executive Order 14096 focused on ensuring environmental justice for all people, further embedding environmental justice into the work of federal agencies to achieve real, measurable progress that communities can count on.

As the Biden-Harris Administration leads an all-of-government approach to cut pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, it will build on ongoing work and structure to further advance environmental justice, including:

• Commitment to Identifying and Investing in Disadvantaged Communities: Established in his first week in office, the President’s Justice40 Initiative set a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, clean transit, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. To date, 518 programs across 19 federal agencies, including 74 Inflation Reduction Act-funded programs, are being reimagined and transformed to  meet the Justice40 goal and ensure the benefits reach the communities that need them most, including cleaner air and accessible public transit. Federal agencies are making this happen with the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, which is used to identify disadvantaged communities that benefit from the Justice40 Initiative.

• Environmental Justice Across the Federal Government: Agencies across the Biden-Harris Administration, including DOT, DOE, and EPA, are pursuing a suite of actions that advance environmental justice, including through grants, strategic planning, and collaborative partnerships, and by strengthening public health protections under the Clean Air Act to reduce air pollution from mobile and stationary sources (e.g., revised ambient air quality standards, updated emission standards for passenger cars, commercial trucks and buses).

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Today, we pause to remember the lives lost during the Meds Yeghern—the Armenian genocide—and renew our pledge to never forget.

The campaign of cruelty began on April 24, 1915, when Ottoman authorities arrested Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople. In the days, months, and years that followed, one and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths—leaving families forever broken, and generations forever changed.

As we mourn this tragedy, we also honor the resilience of the Armenian people. After enduring one of the darkest chapters in human history, survivors began forging a better future for our world. With courage and commitment, they rebuilt their lives. They preserved their culture. They strengthened the fabric of nations around the world—including our own. And they told their stories to ensure that the mass atrocities that began on this day 109 years ago are never again repeated.

This remains our solemn vow. Today—and every day—the United States will continue to stand up for human rights and speak out against intolerance. We will continue to meet hate and horror with hope and healing. And, we will continue to stand with all those who seek a future where everyone can live with dignity, security, and respect. 

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Newly finalized rules will mandate automatic, cash refunds for cancelled or significantly delayed flights and save consumers over half a billion dollars every year in airline fees

WASHINGTON – Building on a historic record of expanding consumer protections and standing up for airline passengers, the Biden-Harris Administration announced final rules that require airlines to provide automatic cash refunds to passengers when owed and protect consumers from costly surprise airline fees. These rules will significantly expand consumer protections in air travel, provide passengers an easier pathway to refunds when owed, and save consumers over half a billion dollars every year in hidden and surprise junk fees.
 
The rules are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to lower costs for consumers and take on corporate rip-offs. President Biden signed an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in 2021 that encouraged DOT to take steps to promote fairer, more transparent, and competitive markets.
 
Requiring Automatic Cash Airline Refunds
The first rule requires airlines to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when owed because their flights are cancelled or significantly changed, their checked bags are significantly delayed, or the ancillary services, like Wi-Fi, they purchased are not provided.
 
Without this rule, consumers have to navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request and receive a refund — searching through airline websites to figure out how to make the request, filling out extra “digital paperwork,” or at times waiting for hours on the phone. Passengers would also receive a travel credit or voucher by default from many airlines instead of getting their money back, so they could not use their refund to rebook on another airline when their flight was changed or cancelled without navigating a cumbersome request process.
 
DOT’s rule makes it simple and straightforward for passengers to receive the money they are owed. The final rule requires refunds to be:

• Automatic: Airlines must automatically issue refunds without passengers having to explicitly request them or jump through hoops.
• Prompt: Airlines and ticket agents must promptly issue refunds within seven business days of refunds becoming due for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods.
• Cash or original form of payment: Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in cash or whatever original payment method the individual used to make the purchase, such as credit card or airline miles. Airlines may not substitute vouchers, travel credits, or other forms of compensation unless the passenger affirmatively chooses to accept alternative compensation.
• Full amount: Airlines and ticket agents must provide full refunds of the ticket purchase price, minus the value of any portion of transportation already used. The refunds must include all government-imposed taxes and fees and airline-imposed fees.

Protecting Against Surprise Airline Junk Fees
Secondly, DOT is requiring airlines and ticket agents to tell consumers upfront what fees they charge for checked bags, a carry-on bag, for changing a reservation, or cancelling a reservation. This ensures that consumers can avoid surprise fees when they purchase tickets from airlines or ticket agents, including both brick-and-mortar travel agencies or online travel agencies.

The rule will help consumers avoid unneeded or unexpected charges that can increase quickly and add significant cost to what may, at first, look like a cheap ticket. Extra fees, like checked baggage and change fees, have been a growing source of revenue for airlines, while also becoming more complex and confusing for passengers over time. In total, thanks to the final rule, consumers are expected to save over half a billion dollars every year that they are currently overpaying in airline fees.

DOT’s rule ensures that consumers have the information they need to better understand the true costs of air travel. Under the final rule, airlines are required to:

• Disclose baggage, change, and cancellation fees upfront: Each fee must be disclosed the first time that fare and schedule information is provided on the airline’s online platform — and cannot be displayed through a hyperlink.
• Explain fee policies before ticket purchase: For each type of baggage, airlines and ticket agents must spell out the weight and dimension limitations that they impose. They must also describe any prohibitions or restrictions on changing or cancelling a flight, along with policies related to differences in fare when switching to a more or less expensive flight.  
• Share fee information with third parties: An airline must provide useable, current, and accurate information regarding its baggage, change, and cancellation fees and policies to any company that is required to disclose them to consumers and receives fare, schedule, and availability information from that airline.
• Inform consumers that seats are guaranteed: When offering an advance seat assignment for a fee, airlines and ticket agents must let consumers know that purchasing a seat is not necessary to travel, so consumers can avoid paying unwanted seat selection fees.
• Provide both standard and passenger-specific fee information:  Consumers can choose to view passenger-specific fee information based on their participation in the airline’s rewards program, their military status, or the credit card that they use — or they can decide to stay anonymous and get the standard fee information.
• End discount bait-and-switch tactics: The final rule puts an end to the bait-and-switch tactics some airlines use to disguise the true cost of discounted flights. It prohibits airlines from advertising a promotional discount off a low base fare that does not include all mandatory carrier-imposed fees.

DOT’s Historic Record of Consumer Protection Under the Biden-Harris Administration
Both of these actions were suggested for consideration by the DOT in the Executive Order on Promoting Competition and build on historic steps the Biden-Harris Administration has already taken to expand consumer protections, promote competition, and protect air travelers. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, DOT has advanced the largest expansion of airline passenger rights, issued the biggest fines against airlines for failing consumers, and returned more money to passengers in refunds and reimbursements than ever before in the Department’s history.

• DOT launched the flightrights.gov dashboard, and now all 10 major U.S. airlines guarantee free rebooking and meals, and nine guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes a significant delay or cancellation. These are new commitments the airlines added to their customer service plans that DOT can legally ensure they adhere to and are displayed on flightrights.gov.
• Since President Biden took office, DOT has helped return more than $3 billion in refunds and reimbursements owed to airline passengers – including over $600 million to passengers affected by the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown in 2022.
• DOT has issued over $164 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations. Between 1996 and 2020, DOT collectively issued less than $71 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations.
• DOT recently launched a new partnership with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general to fast-track the review of consumer complaints, hold airlines accountable, and protect the rights of the traveling public.
• In 2023, the flight cancellation rate in the U.S. was a record low at under 1.2% — the lowest rate of flight cancellations in over 10 years despite a record amount of air travel
• DOT is undertaking its first ever industry-wide review of airline privacy practices and its first review of airline loyalty programs

In addition to finalizing the rules to require automatic refunds and protect consumers from surprise fees, DOT is also pursuing rulemakings that would:

• Propose to ban family seating junk fees and guarantee that parents can sit with their children for no extra charge when they fly. Before President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines last year, no airline committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating. Now, four airlines guarantee fee-free family seating, as the Department is working on its family seating junk fee ban proposal.
• Propose to make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory so that travelers are taken care of when airlines cause flight delays or cancellations.
• Expand the rights for passengers who use wheelchairs and ensure that they can travel safely and with dignity. The comment period on this proposed rule closes on May 13, 2024.

Travelers can learn more about their protections when they fly at FlightRights.gov. Consumers may file an airline complaint with the Department here.

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Tonight, a bipartisan majority in the Senate joined the House to answer history’s call at this critical inflection point. Congress has passed my legislation to strengthen our national security and send a message to the world about the power of American leadership: we stand resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression.

I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week. The need is urgent: for Ukraine, facing unrelenting bombardment from Russia; for Israel, which just faced unprecedented attacks from Iran; for refugees and those impacted by conflicts and natural disasters around the world, including in Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti; and for our partners seeking security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. I want to thank Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, and all of the bipartisan lawmakers in the Senate who voted for this bill. This critical legislation will make our nation and world more secure as we support our friends who are defending themselves against terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin.

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Today, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard, Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden, and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su led a White House event announcing two new rules to support workers and grow the American economy from the bottom up and the middle out.

Senior administration officials were joined by workers, union leaders, and advocates to discuss new Department of Labor (DOL) actions to update the outdated overtime threshold and protect Americans from hidden fees that eat into their retirement savings. First, DOL’s overtime rule will extend overtime protections to millions of workers, fulfilling the promise that a hard day’s work leads to a fair day’s pay. The rule will also ensure that the threshold for determining overtime eligibility rises with wage growth in the future. Additionally, DOL’s new retirement rule will save Americans billions of dollars as they prepare for retirement by ensuring that savers receive retirement advice in their best interest, rather than in the interest of retirement professionals. By preventing hard-earned savings from being lost in hidden fees from bad advice, Americans can save up to 20% more in retirement savings.

Specifically, the new rules will:

• Extend Overtime Pay Eligibility: For more than 80 years, salaried workers earning less than a certain threshold have been entitled to time-and-a-half pay when they work more than 40 hours per week. However, the threshold that helps determine eligibility for overtime pay has risen far slower than wage growth, excluding many lower-paid salaried workers from overtime protections. DOL’s rule will raise the minimum salary threshold for the overtime exemption for executive, administrative, and professional employees in two stages, and provide for increases every 3 years to ensure the threshold keeps up with wage growth. This change will extend overtime protections to nearly 1 million workers based on an initial salary increase to $43,888 ($844 per week) on July 1, up from $35,568 ($684 per week). And it will extend protections to about 3 million more workers on January 1, 2025 based on a second increase to $58,656 per year ($1,128 per week).

• Enhance Retirement Security: DOL’s rule will protect the millions of Americans who are diligently saving for retirement when they rely on advice from trusted professionals on how to invest their savings. For example, hidden fees from bad advice on just a single product—fixed index annuities—is currently costing savers as much as $5 billion per year. The rule will require trusted investment advice providers to give prudent, loyal, and honest advice, and prevent them from providing recommendations that favor the investment advice providers’ interests—financial or otherwise—at retirement savers’ expense. These new safeguards will save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars per impacted middle-class saver.

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Reverend Cecil Williams was a beacon of light and love.

In all he did, Reverend Williams was guided by his faith. He fought for the rights and dignity of all people. He led re-entry programs for those leaving prison, provided clothing and housing for people in need, and helped thousands of people access healthcare. Under his leadership, San Francisco’s GLIDE Memorial Church became one of the first churches to welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community. Reverend Williams made GLIDE what it is today: a sanctuary of hope and healing, where all people are made to feel like family.

It was my honor to call Reverend Williams a dear friend. I have many fond memories over the years of attending GLIDE’s morning sermon on Thanksgiving—and then, joining Rev. and Jan downstairs to serve meals to members of the community. Cecil offered every person who walked through his doors a warm smile, a hot meal, and unconditional love.  

Our country is more just, more compassionate, and stronger for the leadership of Reverend Cecil Williams. Doug and I send our prayers to the entire Williams family.

The post Statement from Vice President Harris on the Passing of Reverend Cecil Williams appeared first on The White House.

Hillsborough Community College, Dale Mabry Campus
Tampa, Florida

3:30 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Please, sit down.

Before I begin, I want to say something to the kids here.  Your mom and dad, they owe you big for being here.  (Laughter.)  So —

(The President addresses children in the audience.)  (Inaudible.)

Where’s one of my team?  You know the deal when I got two young men over here making a sacrifice?  You know what we’re going to do, right?

AIDE:  Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  (The President addresses children in the audience.)  (Inaudible) my staff is going to come over and give you 5 bucks so you can buy ice cream for yourselves, or you can make mom and dad pay if they (inaudible).  All right?  Okay?  All right.

Okay.  I got that settled.  (Applause.)

You know, I — I look out at these beautiful children, and I think to myself, “They’re having to stand here and listen to some guy they have no idea what the heck he’s talking about.”  (Laughter.)  And I think of — you know, they think when you — when you have — when you’re elected to office, it’s great to have — your children have a great opportunity.  It’s a pain in the neck for them.  (Laughter.)  My kids had to stand for so many meetings.  I — anyway, I owe them big.
 
Look, first of all, thank you, thank you, thank you for being here.  Thank you for all you’re doing.  And it means a great deal.  Florida — I think Florida is in play, nationally.  (Applause.)
 
And Nikki is doing a hell of a job as your state chairman.  (Applause.)  And I made her promise she’s going to run again, I hope.  (Laughter and applause.)
 
Look, a couple of things I want to say.  You know, one of the things that earlier today I spoke about — up in Washington and — and, actually, also last week — talking about that this election is a basic, old-fashioned election.  It’s about getting out the votes.  It’s about putting together campaigns the old-fashioned way.  Not — not that we don’t use all the technology available, but just everything from knocking on doors to putting up road signs to make sure that we get people to the polls and all those things. 
 
And, you know, it’s a — we’ve got to — there are some animated issues.  Obviously, choice is one of the biggest ones.  But it’s not the only one. 
 
You know, I know you’re reading in the press lately that there’s a great concern among — I’ve been doing this for a couple years.  (Laughter.)  Well, it’s hell turning 50.  You know what I mean?  (Laughter.) 
 
And as — and I’ve spent an awful lot of my time dealing with foreign policy because I was chairman of that committee and because that’s why Barack asked me to — for eight years, to handle portions of that.  And one of the things that people don’t understand, I don’t think, fully, is we are the essential nation. 
 
No, not a joke.  It’s not hyperbole.  It’s not bragging. 
 
It’s — think of it this way: If the United States stepped off the world stage, like Trump wants us to do, who would lead the world?  Who would lead the world? 
 
And one of the things that’s happening now is that — and I’ve — say this in front of the press that — they’ve heard me say it before.  Every international meeting I attend with other heads of state — whether it’s the G7, the G20, all these international meetings — before I leave, literally, almost every one will walk up to me and wait to get me in a corner alone and grab my arm and say, “You’ve got to win.”  Not because of me, but because of the alternative.  And they say, “Because my democracy depends upon it,” meaning their democracy.
 
So, the whole world is looking, and they’re looking to see how we handle ourselves in this election — not just on whether we win or not but how we handle ourselves.
 
And one of the things that — you know, for me, I got involved when I was a kid in electoral politics out of the Civil Rights Movement.  And it all got down to one person at a time — I mean it sincerely — organizing. 
 
My state, to its great shame, was segregated by law.  That’s why I got involved as a kid when I got out of high school and into college.  And it’s about just doing the basic things: talking to people — literally, talking to people.
 
And, for example, we’re — I’m really excited.  We’ve raised almost a half a billion dollars so far.  (Applause.)
 
But here’s what excites me: So far, we have 1.6 million contributors — 1.6 million contributors — 550,000 more than we had last time at this stage of the game.  But here’s the deal.  Of those 1.6 million contributors, 97 percent contributed less than $200.  Think of all the numbers that that means.
 
We’re in a situation where they have — and as I said, where we raised almost — we’re headed toward a half a billion dollars.  And that’s all about ma- — being able to do the things we have to do in a campaign, especially one that’s as hard-fought as this and one that is so full of lies, so full of misrepresentations being made.
 
I think — you know, whether the press thinks I’m good, bad, or indifferent, I think they acknowledge that there’s less than truth that comes out of the other guy’s mouth.  And, you know, you wouldn’t know it from what you read and hear, but, you know, we’re in pretty good shape in the polls.  The — and I know you’re all activists, so that’s why I’m bothering to tell you this: The polls don’t win you an election.  (Applause.)
 
But in the last 23 national polls, I’ve been ahead in 10 of them, Trump has been ahead in 8, and we’ve been tied in 5.  More importantly, the momentum is clearly in our — our favor.
 
For example, we moved eight points in the latest Marquette poll and seven points in the Echelon poll.  And the Marist Poll now has us up by three nationwide. 
 
The point I’m making is, people are beginning to listen.  This is a time people begin to focus and listen.  They have generic impressions up to now, but now they’re l- — they’re listening.  And they’re beginning to listen.
 
And so, this campaigns — how many offices have we opened now, total?  Where — where is my —
 
AIDE:  A hundred and thirty-three.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  A hundred — we — we’ve opened a hundred — (applause) — a hundred and thirty-three offices. 
 
And here you are.  That’s — that’s the note I had.  Yeah. 
 
And here in Florida, we’re opening coordinated offices, hiring staff, and recruiting volunteers as well.
 
But, you know, I know we can do this, but I’ve never been more optimistic.  I know — I’ve been saying this for a long time: I’ve never been more optimistic about America than I am today. 
 
You know, when I w- — I wasn’t going to run in 2020, because I had lost my son in Iraq — because of Iraq in — in 19- — anyway, in 2015. 
 
But what happened was, remember when, in — down in — in Virginia, those folks came out of the woods carrying torches and with Nazi banners and singing?  For real.  It’s hard to make it up — make it up.  And — and it just was astounding to me.  And a young woman was killed — I spoke to her mom — who was a bystander. 
 
And they asked then-President Trump what he thought, and he said there were — “I think there are very fine people on both sides.”  That’s when I decided I had to run, for real, because our democracy is also at stake — literally, the democracy is at stake.
 
But the way to make sure people understand that is to go out and find out what’s on their minds, see what they need.  What is it they’re most concerned about?  And, you know, we — you know, we’ve — we’ve had enormous success when we’ve actually asked people — when we go out and do it the old-fashioned way.  And we’re just really kicking it up now.
 
We’re, you know — we’re getting toward the end here.  Last time out, we ran and we m- — we raised the vast majority of the money we made in the last three months.  That’s when people began to focus. 
 
But we’re going to do — we’re going to be — we have to be really organized in a big way.  But it’s basic organization; it’s not rocket science.  It’s — it’s knocking on doors.  It’s sending out postcards.  It’s getting on the telephone.  It’s going around and making sure people have rides to the polls, all those things. 
 
And, by the way, when I ran this time, I made it real clear what I was going to do.  I said I was going to change the way our economy works, instead of trickle-down economics where they go — where the very wealthy get all the tax breaks and all that will trickle down and grow the economy.  I’m a capitalist.  I don’t care if you — if you make a billion bucks.  Just pay your taxes.  (Applause.)
 
No, I — I really mean it.  You know what the average tax rate for someone making — there’s — we have a thousand billionaires in America.  You know what their average tax rate is?  8.3 percent.  It’s not a joke.  8.3 percent.  Anybody want to trade with their tax rate? 
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  But, look, everything we’ve done because of your help you’ve provided over the last three and a half years, he wants to undo.  He’s made no bones about it — all of it.  Just like you have a — Scott wants to get rid of Social Security.  You know, these guys are for real. 
 
But look at what we’ve done.  We built — we’ve got a lot — we’ve got a lot more work to do, but we built the strongest economy in the world.  We got to get inflation even further down.  There’s a lot more we have to do.

And, by the way, I know a lot of people got — got a little frustrated with me when I said I’m going to be the most pro-union president in American history.  Well — (applause) — well, guess what?  I asked the Treasury Department to do a study: With all the union help we’re getting and all the union support that we’re — they’re h- — they’re getting, what — what’s the impact?  Everybody does better.  Everybody does better, even the people who are [not] paying for the union dues, because guess what?  I mean, paying the union wage — because they get the best workers in the world.
 
So, my — my generic point is there’s a lot we have going.  There’s no reason why we can’t — we can’t reclaim our heritage and who we are as the most generous, leading nation in the world and still grow. 
 
So, there’s a lot more to say, but I’m already saying too much. 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  No, you’re not.  No, you’re not, Mr. President.  No, you’re not.  (Applause.) 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Teamster in the house.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Teamsters in the house, that’s the — I tell you what.  They better damn well be in the house, man.  (Laughter and applause.)  I tell you what. 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  The only reason I have a pension —
 
THE PRESIDENT:  And, by the way —
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  — is because of you, sir.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Is that right?
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  The only reason I have a pension is because of you.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we did get that done.  (Applause.)   
 
Anyway.  Besides, I used to drive an 18-wheeler.  You know what I did?
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible) you helped negotiate.  
 
THE PRESIDENT:  That’s exactly right.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thirty-billion-dollar contract with one of the largest employers in America: UPS.  You stood strong with us, and we’ll stand strong with you, sir.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you.  (Applause.)
 
I mean, look, I’m getting a little off course here.  But the bottom line is this — (laughter) — it matters to ordinary people. 
 
When I said, when I got elected, I was going to build an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, because that way the poor have a chance, the middle class grow, and the wealthy still do very well.  They still do very well. 
 
And it’s working.  We’ve — we have 16 million new employ- — I mean, we — it’s working. 
 
We still have to deal with inflation, and there’s a lot of costs out there for ordinary people.  We’re going to be getting you a lot of information to get to the folks out there.
 
But, for example, we’re in a situation now where you have a circumstance where there’s a lot of junk fees.  For example, you have a bank overdraft, they charge you 37 bucks instead — but guess what?  Now they can only charge you eight.  (Applause.)  Because they’re supposed — because it ju- — I don’t want to cost them money, but that — exorbitant prices they’re charging.
 
Same with credit card overdrafts.  Same — a whole range of things that affect people. 
 
My dad — I’ll end with my dad.  My dad used to say — my dad was a really well-read man who never got a chance to go to college because of World War Two.  And his in- — he’d always say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about respect.  It’s about being able to look your kid” — he meant it — “being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay,’ and mean it.”
 
The only thing we’re about as Democrats, in my view, is giving everyone a shot.  Everyone gets a fair shot.
 
And I’ll be damned if we’re not going to do that this time out.  (Applause.)
 
So, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
 
Good seeing you.  
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you, Mr. President.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)
 
(Inaudible.)
 
Hey —
 
AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  (Inaudible) 10 bucks? 
 
AIDE:  (Inaudible.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  All right.  Okay.  Hey, kids, remember what I told you now?  (Laughter.)  Remember our deal?
 
All right.  Anyway, thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)
 
  3:44 P.M. EDT

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Today, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su convened asset owners representing over $1 trillion in public and pension fund capital who have committed to strong labor standards in their private equity investments. The White House also launched an initiative to promote strong labor commitments among funds, assets managers, and companies. A survey is live for investors and companies to share their commitments to strong labor principles.

President Biden made it clear that he is leading the most pro-labor and pro-union Administration in history. The White House is demonstrating it will use all of its tools to promote the free and fair choice to join a union. Capital providers are making commitments as well. These commitments from asset owners are an important step toward ensuring workers’ capital helps grow our economy from the bottom up and the middle out.   

State government, public, and labor union pension funds are the savings of hardworking Americans and their economic security in retirement.  The Biden-Harris Administration believes that it is critical that their funds, as they maximize risk-adjusted financial returns, emphasize the interests and goals of workers. Fund managers recognize this as well, which is why five key funds with over $1 trillion in assets have convened today in support of labor principles in their private equity investments. These principles include guaranteeing the free and fair choice to join a union, freedom of association and the recognition of the rights to collectively bargain, equal opportunity, a safe and healthy workplace, and the elimination of forced and compulsory labor, including child labor.

Additionally, to the extent in line with their fiduciary duty, funds will encourage their portfolio companies to remain neutral when workers seek to exercise the freedom to join together in a union; and when applicable, enter into neutrality agreements with labor organizations that include voluntary or card-check recognition, reasonable timelines to first contract, and a commitment to non-interference in union organizing. These funds are taking a public stance that workers’ rights are foundational to a healthy economy, and affirm the President’s commitment to worker empowerment and worker organizing.

Participants:

• Lael Brainard, National Economic Advisor
• Stephen Benjamin, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement
• Julie Su, Acting Secretary of Labor
• Elizabeth Schuler, President, AFL-CIO
• Sean McGarvey, President, North America’s Building Trades Unions
• Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers
• Rebecca Pringle, President, National Education Association
• Ed Kelly, President, International Association of Fire Fighters
• Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller
• Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller
• Theresa Taylor, President, CalPERS Board of Administration
• Michael Frerichs, Illinois State Treasurer
• Kevin McCormack, Executive Director, National Electrical Benefit Fund Investments
• Adam Blumenthal, Managing Partner and Chairman, Blue Wolf Capital Partners
• Andrea Kramer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Risk Officer, Hamilton Lane
• Stephen McCourt, Co-CEO and Managing Principal, Meketa Investment Group
• Cassandra Robertson, Special Assistant to the President for Labor Policy
• Vaishant Sharma, Senior Policy Advisor, National Economic Council

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