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Ethel Kennedy was an American patriot, a fighter for justice, and an extraordinary force for good.
 
A national and global leader, Ethel Kennedy used her voice to advocate for the causes she cared most about—from human rights around the world to conservation and gun safety. Guided by a deep sense of faith and an abiding optimism, she fought for over five decades to build a stronger nation and a better world.
 
Ethel was a leader of courage, and a reminder to all of us that from great loss can come great purpose. Her legacy will inspire people around the world for generations to come.
 
Doug and I send our love and our prayers to the Kennedy family. 
 

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Before Hurricane Milton made landfall, the Federal government pre-staged personnel and resources to ensure a robust and immediate response effort could begin once the storm passed. Following Hurricane Milton’s impact on Florida, the Biden-Harris Administration is working alongside State and local officials to carry out life-saving response efforts. As conditions on the ground begin to improve, first responders have begun assessing damage and assisting communities. The top response priorities include search and rescue, power restoration, route clearance, and debris clean-up.

President Biden and Vice President Harris have been regularly briefed about the initial impacts of Hurricane Milton, as well as the Federal government’s ongoing support to State and local officials for their rescue and response efforts. This morning, President Biden spoke to Governor Ron DeSantis and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about the initial impacts of Hurricane Milton. The President reiterated that he will provide any Federal support the State needs to speed response and recovery.

President Biden directed FEMA to immediately open disaster recovery centers across the impacted communities so there are one-stop-shops for residents to learn about all the Federal support that is available to them and apply for assistance in person.

Additionally, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration authorized Florida Power and Light to fly large drones to quickly assess the damage to the power grid, so ground crews can restore power more quickly.

The President directed Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess how fast they can re-open the Port of Tampa to get fuel, food, water, and basic goods flowing into the area again.

More than 50,000 workers from 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada already are dedicated to the power restoration efforts, beginning that work as soon as it was safe to do so. Additionally, three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Temporary Power teams are staged in the region to provide temporary power to critical facilities, such as hospitals.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has been on the ground in Florida since last night, and today she surveyed the damage alongside her State and local counterparts. She will continue working closely with them to determine any unmet needs. She is joined on the ground by more than 1,000 Federal responders.

Since last night, the President has spoken with numerous Florida officials, including: Senator Rick Scott; Representatives Gus Bilirakis, Kathy Castor, and Anna Paulina Luna; Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward; Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson; Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings; Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; Pasco County Chair Ron Oakley; and Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert. The President told each of them to call him directly if they need additional assistance on rescue, response, and recovery efforts. The President also emphasized that he will be with them and their communities before, during, and after the storm. The Vice President has also spoken to officials from impacted areas.

These urgent efforts are in addition to the expansive Federal response and recovery efforts underway across the Southeast and Appalachia following Hurricane Helene.

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The East Room

As we come together today, our hearts are breaking for the communities upended by yet another devastating hurricane.
 
Families waiting for news of loved ones, of homes, of the places where their kids took their first steps, where they got married, where they built their lives.
 
Maybe some of you know someone who’s been in the path of one of these storms.
 
We grieve with you. And we stand with you. President Biden and Vice President Harris are making sure the affected areas have every resource they need.
 
Welcome to the White House!
 
I’m grateful to Congresswoman McIver for joining us to honor these girls.
 
And we have some of the incredible girls from our first group of honorees with us. Thank you for coming back and supporting this year’s class. 

Today, we say proudly, for all to hear, that girls are powerful. And that no one is too young to lead.

Last year, I worked with the White House Gender Policy Council to create this event—to honor you, the next generation creating change right now.
 
Our world isn’t always kind.
 
And when you’re young—in middle school hallways and at high school lunch tables—it can feel like life is happening to you, like people are telling you what to think and who to be.
 
Don’t let them.
 
Each of you has a way of seeing life that no one else does—a perspective you add to every conversation, to every choice you make. And every time you show up as your true self—with your boldness, with your insight, with your questions—you shape our world.

That’s what this years’ honorees did. They didn’t wait for life to happen to them. They stepped forward—spent their weekends and hours after school to make our world kinder, fairer, and filled with more possibility.
 
You show us that girls can do anything, can be leaders and scientists, writers and entrepreneurs, advocates for change, and, of course, president!
 
I teach writing and English at a community college not far from here.
 
At the end of the school year, teachers hope our students feel changed. I know I do. But what you might not know is that you—all of you—you change your teachers too. My students’ perspectives challenge me and shape me.
 
To the young girls in the audience, that’s true in your classrooms too. The conversations you have stay with your teachers and classmates long after the bell rings or summer break begins.
 
You’re already changing the world, even though you might not realize it.
 
Every time you tell us who you are, with the words you write, with the hours you dedicate to something you believe in.
 
When you accept someone else for being themselves.
 
When you’re not afraid to follow your curiosity and share what you’ve learned.
 
It isn’t always easy, but it’s important.
 
And that bravery is what we need in the face of our, at times, unkind world. It’s how we unlock new ideas, come up with innovations that might seem impossible to someone else.
 
The earth is brighter because of you. Keep filling it with your ideas and your hard work, leading us toward the future you want to see.
 
Thank you.
 
***
 
Thank you all for the important work you’re doing. You’re already leading the next generation forward. Can we get another round of applause for our honorees?
 
And Karine, I’m grateful to you for taking the time to join us today.
 
To the middle-schoolers in the audience, to all the girls leading change, there’s something I want to point out to you.
 
It’s the people in this room.
 
They’re leaders of non-profits and tech companies. Military families and public servants. Elected officials from across the country. And they’re girls, just like you.
 
They’re all here for you. To support you.
 
They believe in you. And so do I. And so do your President and Vice President.
 
Hold on to that unique perspective you have. And as you look to the future, know that you will never be alone. This community will be right there beside you.
 
There’s power when we come together.
 
A power to hold each other up, even when we want to crumble, to heal one another, to share our inner strength. To create lasting change.
 
So, if you’ve ever wondered, “Can I—one person, one girl—can I make a difference?”
 
Standing here, among all these incredible women and girls, we have an answer: Yes, you can!
 
Let this community be a light we all carry inside us for the days to come, connecting us across generations, so the confidence of girlhood can become the courage of womanhood.
 
Now, please enjoy the reception.

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Senator Tim Johnson was a tenacious fighter for the people of South Dakota.
 
Throughout his career—as a member of the South Dakota legislature, as the state’s sole representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, and as a U.S. Senator—he brokered compromise and advanced commonsense solutions that improved the lives of South Dakotans and all Americans.
 
Senator Johnson secured support for critical water infrastructure that delivered clean water to communities across South Dakota, including Native reservations and rural communities across the state. He played a vital role in passing the Affordable Care Act, which delivered high-quality, affordable health care to millions of Americans, including tens of thousands of South Dakotans. And as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, he championed community banks and housing finance reforms to help ensure that rural communities across the nation have the support they need to access safe and affordable housing.
 
His life and legacy will be felt by generations of South Dakotans and all Americans to come. Doug and I send our prayers to his wife, Barbara, and the entire Johnson family.
 

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     Today, we pay tribute to General Casimir Pulaski, a Polish immigrant who served alongside American soldiers in the Revolutionary War and made the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation.  And we honor the culture and contributions of all our Nation’s Polish Americans who follow his legacy, standing up for the cause of freedom at home and around the world.

     General Pulaski dedicated his life to the pursuit of liberty — not just for himself or his country but for all of us.  Born and raised in Warsaw, Poland, he fought against the Russian domination of Poland — efforts that ultimately led him to flee his home country.  Later in life, when he was offered an opportunity to join another fight for liberty on the other side of the world, he took it — joining our Nation’s fight for independence.  General Pulaski’s service was critical:  He led a critical counterattack that helped slow the British, and during the course of the war, it was said that he even saved George Washington’s life. 

     General Pulaski’s story and service are just one example of how much Polish Americans have shaped our Nation’s history and our future.  Our country’s Polish-American communities have helped create new possibilities for all of us — leading in every sector, powering our economy, and enriching our culture.  They also strengthen our deep alliance and partnership with Poland and its people at a critical time in our history.  Since Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, the people of Poland have courageously stood up for freedom, liberty, and justice, rallying around the Ukrainian people and offering them safety and light in their darkest moments.  At the same time, Poland has donated tanks, artillery, and aircraft to support Ukraine’s self-defense all while becoming an important hub for aid from key partners.

     No one knows better than the people of Poland that, in moments of great upheaval and uncertainty, what you stand for is important and who you stand with makes all the difference.  Today, we celebrate General Casimir Pulaski, who decided to stand with our Nation to fight for our freedoms.  And we honor all the Polish Americans, who continue to push our Nation forward and fight for a future based on our most fundamental values:  dignity, liberty, and opportunity.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2024, as General Pulaski Memorial Day.  I encourage all Americans to commemorate this occasion with appropriate programs and activities paying tribute to General Casimir Pulaski, honoring all those who champion freedom around the world, and celebrating the vast contributions of the Polish American communities.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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South Court Auditorium
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

2:02 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon. 

Q    Good afternoon.

THE PRESIDENT:  I’ll be brief.  Last night, Hurricane Milton made landfall, as we all know, on the west coast of Florida.  It brought hurricane winds, heavy rains, including 10 to 20 inches of rain in the Tampa area overnight. 

Storm surge measurements are still being taken, but 38 tornadoes ripped through 13 counties.  Four deaths have been reported thus far. 

It’s too early to know the full account of the damage though, but we know lifesaving measures did make a difference.  More than 80,000 people followed orders to safety — to safely shelter last night.  And we’ve had search and rescue teams at the ready for any calls for help this morning. 

There are still very dangerous conditions in the state, and people should wait to be given the all-clear by their leaders before they go out.  We know from previous hurricanes that it’s often the case that more lives are lost in the days following the storm than actually during the storm itself. 

Vice President Harris and I have been in constant contact with the state and local officials.  And we’re offering everything they need.  I must have spoken to somewhere between 10 and 15 mayors and county executives and all the governors.

And, in fact, starting this morning, we are getting direct assessments from the storm of FEMA and Director Criswell as well, also Florida Governor DeSantis, with whom I had a chance to speak. 

And the vice president and I have just convened a meeting this morning with the leaders of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, including Northcom commander, who has responsibility for providing defense support to civilian authorities — and that, apparently, is going very well — as well as from the Coast Guard and FEMA, we’ve received reports. 

We focused on what the American military can do like no one else can: provide emergency support for communities in need and we’re required by the governor in a federal — and — required by the governor in the affected states.  And I’ve spoken to all the governors — not today, all of them, but I’ve spoken to all of them thus far.  And how we can be ready to go in an instant when the call comes. 

At my direction, Defense Secretary Austin has provided a range of capabilities both to Florida for Hurricane Milton as well as the states impacted by Hurricane Helene.  And the more capabilities are available, we assess the pressing needs, we can get whatever they need. 

To the servicemen and women who are on the ground responding to this — these disasters: Thank you.  Thank you for pr- — your professionalism, your dedication to every mission you’re given.  And you’re repeating it again.

This is a whole-of-government effort that also includes the Department of Energy and Department of Transportation, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is providing mortgage relief for impacted homeowners. 

As directed, FEMA is going to open disaster recovery centers all across the impacted communities right away so there’s one stop for the residents can go to to learn about the support they might need.  And that  — it’ll be advertised where those places are.

Three million people are without power.  But more than 40 million [40,000] power work- — powerline workers have come from around the country, from Canada to Florida, to restore power across the state. 

In addition, the Federal Aviation has authorized Florida Power and Light to fly large drones before other manned aircraft can get up in the sky to quickly assess the damage on the ground so ground crews can restore power as quickly as possible. 

The Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers are assessing how fast they can reopen the Port of Tampa to get fuel, food, water, and other basic goods flowing into the area again and quickly. 

Additionally, Vice President Harris and I said yesterday and we’ll say it again: To anyone who seeks to take advantage of our fellow Americans’ desperation, whether you’re a company engaging in price gouging or a citizen trying to scam your neighbors, we will go after you and we will hold you accountable. 

Now, not only that.  Our fellow Americans are putting their lives on the line to do this dangerous work and received death thre- — some received death penalties [threats] yesterday as a result of reckless, irresponsible, and relentless disinformation and outright lies that continue to flow.  Those who engage in such lies are undermining the confidence in the rescue and recovery work that’s opening and ongoing.  As I speak, they’re continuing. 

These lies are also harmful to those who most need help.  Lives are on the line.  People are in desperate situations.  Have the decency to tell them the truth.  

So, let me say this.  To all the people impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, despite the misinformation and lies, the truth is we’re providing the resources needed to rescue, recover, and rebuild — and rebuild. 

Let me close with this.  I know recovery and rebuilding projects can take a long and difficult time.  But as — long after the press and the cameras move on, I promise you — you have to pick up the pieces still.  I want you to know we’ll do everything in our power to help you put the pieces back together and get all that you need. 

May God bless you.  And may God bless our troops and our first responders, who are — many — in some cases risking their lives to help. 

Thank you very much.  I’ll be reporting again tomorrow.

Thank you.

Q    Mr. President, on FEMA funding.  On FEMA funding.  How much time does Congress have to act before FEMA or the SBA run out of money?

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s in discussion now, and I don’t want to give you — mislead you.  I think in terms of the SBA, it’s pretty right at the edge right now.

And I think the Congress should be coming back and moving on emergency needs immediately.  And they’re going to have to come back after the election as well, because this is going to be a long haul to- — for total rebuilding.  It’s going to take several billion dollars.  It’s not going to be a matter of just a little bit.

But we’re providing now to make sure people have the emergency relief they need with dollars just to be able to get a prescription filled, to get a baby formula do- — all the thing- —

That $750 that they’re talking about, Mr. Trump and every- — all those other people know it’s a lie to suggest that’s all they’re going to get.  That’s bizarre.  It’s bizarre.  They got to stop this.  It’s s- — I mean, they’re being so damn un-American with the way they’re talking about this stuff.

But there’s going to be a need for significant amounts of money.  We’re already underway at trying to calculate what the cost will be because you don’t want to mislead anybody.  We want to make sure all the costs are able to be covered.

Q    Have you spoken to Speaker Johnson about coming back before the election to vote?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I haven’t.

Q    Mr. President, are you calling on Congress to come back early?

THE PRESIDENT:  I think Congress should move as rapidly as they can, particularly on the most immediate need, which is small business.

Q    Mr. President, the vice president said yesterday that — that FEMA has what it needs.  There’s enough resources.  They don’t need — that Congress does not need to come back right away.  Who’s right?

THE PRESIDENT:  FEMA has what it needs.

Q    Okay.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s different than SBA.

Q    Okay.  So, it’s SBA that — they need to come back and do SBA?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, but they’re going to need a lot more.

Q    Mr. President, wh- — what did you — what did Prime Minister Netanyahu tell you about his plans relating to retaliation against Iran?

THE PRESIDENT:  He’s coming over to help with the storm.

Q    Mr. President, have you spoken with former President Trump at all —

THE PRESIDENT:  Are you kidding me?

Q    — about the disinformation?

THE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  Mr. President Trump — former President Trump, get a life, man.  Help these people. 

Q    Will you hold him accountable?  You said you were going to hold those accountable.

THE PRESIDENT:  The public will hold him accountable. 

Q    The —

THE PRESIDENT:  You better, in the press, hold him accountable because you know the truth. 

Q    Well, do you plan to speak with former President Trump?

THE PRESIDENT:  No.

2:10 P.M. EDT

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., spoke today with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany. The President underscored the enduring strength of the U.S.-German relationship and noted his intention to continue our strong collaboration on geopolitical priorities, including supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., spoke today with President João Lourenço of Angola. The President thanked President Lourenço for his continued leadership on both regional and global priorities and underscored the U.S. commitment to deepening our strategic partnership with the government and people of Angola.  

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In celebration of International Day of the Girl, the First Lady is honoring ten young women who are leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities 

In honor of International Day of the Girl, First Lady Jill Biden will celebrate ten young women leaders, selected by the White House Gender Policy Council, who are leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities across the United States.    

As an educator for more than 40 years, Dr. Biden has continued to be a champion for young people here in the United States and abroad. Together with the White House Gender Policy Council, Dr. Biden is hosting the second “Girls Leading Change” event at the White House to recognize the profound impact young women are having on their communities and their efforts to strengthen our country for generations to come.     

“Everywhere I travel, I see inspiring girls leading change in their communities,” said First Lady Jill Biden. “These incredible honorees are meeting the challenges they see in the world by developing innovative new technologies, expanding access to education, erasing silence through the power of art and poetry and more. It is an honor to celebrate these young leaders at the White House and I hope that their courage and determination inspires the next generation.”  

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that girls can pursue their dreams free from fear, discrimination, violence, or abuse; and to advancing the safety, education, health, and wellbeing of girls everywhere. Investing in young people means investing in our future; they should have the opportunity and resources they need to succeed. Since day one in office, this Administration has taken actions to advance the safety, education, health, and well-being of girls. A full summary of these actions can be found via a White House Fact Sheet released today HERE.  

“Girls Leading Change” will begin at 5:30 PM ET today, Thursday, October 10th, and be available via livestream at whitehouse.gov/live  

  2024 Girl Leading Change Honorees   

Cheyenne Anderson (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 

Cheyenne Anderson, Iztac Citlali (White Star), age 17, is an artist and photographer who aims to lift up underrepresented communities, including those of her own Chicana, Mexica, and Apache heritage, through creative art forms. In ninth grade, Cheyenne created and co-edited a book, titled South Valley, which features poetry and artwork from fellow youth poets and local community members that showcase the beauty and spirit of Albuquerque’s South Valley. Through her art and elevating the art of others, Cheyenne hopes to inspire people of all backgrounds to share their unique stories. 

Emily Austin (Alcabideche, Portugal) 

Emily Austin, age 17, is a proud daughter of a U.S. Navy service member. Emily and her family have moved to seven different duty stations. She has attended seven different schools, over the course of her education. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Bloom, an organization started by military-connected teens dedicated to empowering teens from military families and elevating their voices. Emily started the Bloom Ambassador program to directly connect teens from military families to Bloom staff members and opportunities in their region, cultivating a sense of community and providing peer support through the shared joys and challenges of the military lifestyle. 

Sreenidi Bala (Farmington, Connecticut) 

Sreenidi Bala, age 16, is an advocate for the accessibility of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for students of all abilities. After recognizing a gap in STEM education for neurodivergent students in her school district, Sreenidi developed an elective to fill that gap called ASPIRE Adaptive STEM. Sreenidi also founded Code for All Minds—a free online platform offering educators and families comprehensive lessons in coding, digital citizenship, and essential technology skills tailored for students with learning disabilities. Through partnerships with neurodiversity advocacy groups and local college access programs, Code for All Minds has created and distributed adaptive STEM curriculums to schools across the country. 

Noel Demetrio (Lake Forest, Illinois) 

Noel Demetrio, age 17, is dedicated to supporting refugee and immigrant communities. Noel is the founder of Project Xenia, a local program that aims to educate students about displacement and show how they can support and welcome refugees into their community. Project Xenia has also helped fund scholarships for Ukrainian refugees in her local community. Noel serves as a Girl Delegate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to the United Nations and attended the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to advocate for the rights of girls all over the world. 

Serena Griffin (Oakland, California) 

Serena Griffin, age 17, is passionate about empowering youth through poetry, songwriting, and storytelling, and using creative expression as a tool for social change. She is the founder of EmpowHer Poets, a free afterschool program that provides writing workshops to local Bay Area youth, particularly young girls of color, to encourage them to find power in their voices. In addition, Serena is the current Berkeley Vice Youth Poet Laureate. She also serves as a member of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls Youth Advisory Council, advising on the impact of state legislation on youth and its implementation in schools.  

Pragathi Kasani-Akula (Cumming, Georgia) 

Pragathi Kasani-Akula, age 17, is a scientist and innovator dedicated to developing novel solutions that make health care more accessible to people across the world. Following her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, she developed a prototype for a low-cost, less invasive test to detect triple negative breast cancer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pragathi also worked with the ScioVirtual Foundation to teach an online course on epidemiology to students across the nation, including education on how to advance public health. 

Meghna “Chili” and Siona “Dolly” Pramoda (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) 

Meghna “Chili” Pramoda, age 17, and Siona “Dolly” Pramoda, age 16, are advocates for digital safety for all. As co-founders of SafeTeensOnline (STO), the Pramoda sisters have educated and empowered over 5 million teens worldwide. STO’s work consists of year-round online awareness campaigns through social media and teen-led large-scale survey and research initiatives on topics such as internet usage and patterns of cyber incidents. During the COVID-19 pandemic when the world moved online, the Pramoda sisters noticed that older members of their community often felt isolated due to a lack of digital literacy. As a result, STO expanded from a teen-focused organization to one that also educates parents, teachers, and grandparents on safe digital practices and on how to build judgment-free spaces online. 

Kira Tiller (Gainesville, Virginia) 

Kira Tiller, age 18, is a disability rights activist who aims to expand accessibility and amplify the voices of young people with disabilities. After Kira discovered that the flashing lights during school fire drills posed a seizure risk for her due to her epilepsy, she dedicated herself to advocating for legislation to ensure students with disabilities are fully accommodated and protected during emergency situations at school. Kira founded and is the executive director of a national, student-led organization called Disabled Disrupters, which advocates for state and federal disability rights legislation and helps students take action to advance disability equity. 

Morgaine Wilkins-Dean (Denver, Colorado) 

Morgaine Wilkins-Dean, age 18, is a Gold Award Girl Scout who is working to eliminate gun violence in her community and across the country.  Morgaine’s high school experienced three firearm-related incidents in a single year that resulted in the loss of two of her classmates. As a result, Morgaine worked with the Denver Public School Board on gun violence prevention and safe gun storage policies. Due in part to Morgaine’s advocacy, this school year, for the first time, Denver Public Schools are required to educate families about the risks associated with unsecured firearms at home. 

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International Day of the Girl provides an opportunity to celebrate the leadership of girls around the world and recommit to addressing the barriers that continue to limit their full participation. Today, to commemorate International Day of the Girl, First Lady Jill Biden will host the second “Girls Leading Change” event at the White House to recognize outstanding young women from across the United States who are making a difference in their communities. This year’s event will honor 10 young women leaders, selected by the White House Gender Policy Council, who are leading change and shaping a brighter future for generations to come.  

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that girls can pursue their dreams free from fear, discrimination, violence, or abuse; and to advancing the safety, education, health, and wellbeing of girls everywhere. Investing in young people means investing in our future; and they should have the opportunity and resources they need to succeed.

That’s why, since day one in office, this Administration has taken action to advance the safety, education, health, and well-being of girls, including:

• Accelerating Learning and Improving Student Achievement. The American Rescue Plan, the largest one-time education investment in our history, included $130 billion to help schools address the impact of the pandemic on student well-being and academic achievement. To sustain these efforts, the Biden-Harris Administration increased funding and targeting of federal grants to better support academic recovery—from the Education Innovation and Research program to extended-day and afterschool programming through 21st Century Community Learning Centers. And the Administration’s Improving Student Achievement Agenda for 2024 is helping accelerate academic performance for every child in school.

• Canceling Student Debt. President Biden and Vice President Harris vowed to fix the federal student loan program and make sure higher education is a ticket to the middle class—not a barrier to opportunity. The Biden-Harris Administration has approved nearly $170 billion in loan forgiveness for almost 5 million borrowers through more than two dozen executive actions with the goal of helping these borrowers get more breathing room in their daily lives, access economic mobility, buy homes, start businesses, and pursue their dreams.

• Cutting Child Poverty Nearly in Half in 2021. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that no child should grow up in poverty. Their expansion of the Child Tax Credit helped cut child poverty nearly in half in 2021 to a record low of 5.2%. President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting to restore this expansion, which would lift over a million girls out of poverty and narrow racial disparities. The Biden-Harris Administration has also lifted hundreds of thousands of girls out of poverty by updating the Thrifty Food Plan and creating SunBucks, a new program that helps low-income families afford groceries over the summer when they don’t have access to school meals.

• Supporting Youth Mental Health. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and that mental health care is health care—period. That’s why they invested almost $1.5 billion to strengthen the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and launched the National Mental Health Strategy, with ongoing investments to strengthen the mental health workforce, ensure parity for mental health and substance use care, connect Americans to care, and better protect youth from the harms of social media. The Biden-Harris Administration is also delivering the largest investments in school-based mental health services ever, bringing 14,000 new mental health professionals into schools across the country and making it easier for schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver care.
   
• Preventing Gun Violence, Including Domestic Violence with Firearms. Gun violence is the leading killer of children and teenagers in the United States. President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken historic executive action to reduce gun violence and violent crime. In 2022, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the most significant new gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. The intersection between guns and domestic violence can be especially deadly, and BSCA expanded background checks to keep guns out of the hands of more domestic abusers, narrowed the “boyfriend loophole” so an individual convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence against a dating partner is prohibited from purchasing a firearm, and expanded funding for red flag laws that allow for temporary removal of firearms from an individual who is a danger to themselves or others. President Biden established the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris. The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic investments in law enforcement and community-led crime prevention and intervention strategies and has announced more executive actions to reduce gun violence than any other administration. Most recently, building on life-saving actions that the Administration has already taken, President Biden signed a new Executive Order in September 2024 to improve school-based active shooter drills and combat emerging firearms threats. The President and Vice President also announced new actions to support survivors of gun violence, promote safe gun storage, fund community violence intervention, and improve the gun background check system, among other actions.
   
• Launching the American Climate Corps. President Biden launched the American Climate Corps to give a diverse new generation of young people the tools to fight the impacts of climate change today and the skills to join the clean energy and climate-resilience workforce of tomorrow. The American Climate Corps is tackling the climate crisis, including by restoring coastal ecosystems, strengthening urban and rural agriculture, investing in clean energy and energy efficiency, improving disaster and wildfire preparedness, and more. More than 15,000 young Americans have already been put to work in high-quality, good-paying clean energy and climate resilience workforce training and service opportunities through the American Climate Corps—putting the program on track to reach President Biden’s goal of 20,000 members in the program’s first year ahead of schedule.
   
• Providing Children with Healthier, More Sustainable Environments. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program has awarded nearly $3 billion and funded approximately 8,700 electric and low-emission school buses nationwide, protecting children from air pollution by transforming school bus fleets across America. The Biden-Harris Administration also invested $15 billion toward replacing every toxic lead pipe in the country within a decade, protecting children and schools from lead exposure that can cause irreversible harm to cognitive development and hamper children’s learning. And earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency provided $58 million to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities.

• Fighting Online Harassment and Abuse. Online harassment and abuse is increasingly widespread in today’s digitally connected world and disproportionately affects women, girls, and LGBTQI+ individuals. President Biden established the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse to coordinate comprehensive actions from more than a dozen federal agencies, and his Executive Order on artificial intelligence directs federal agencies to address deepfake image-based abuse. The Department of Justice also funded the first-ever national helpline to provide 24/7 support and specialized services for victims of online harassment and abuse, including the non-consensual distribution of intimate images; raised awareness of new legal protections against the non-consensual distribution of intimate images that were included in the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022; and funded a new National Resource Center on Cybercrimes Against Individuals.

• Keeping Students Safe and Addressing Campus Sexual Assault. The Department of Education restored and strengthened vital Title IX protections against discrimination on the basis of sex for students and employees. The Department of Justice awarded more than $20 million in FY 2024 to support colleges and universities in preventing and responding to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. And the Department of Education—in collaboration with the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services—launched a Task Force on Sexual Violence in Education that has released data on sexual violence at educational institutions and is working to improve sexual violence prevention and response on campus.

• Supporting Vulnerable Youth. The Biden-Harris Administration has taken action to support the needs of vulnerable and underserved youth—from helping prevent youth homelessness and human trafficking to supporting employment initiatives for youth with disabilities. This includes $800 million in dedicated funding to support students experiencing homelessness through the President’s American Rescue Plan. The Department of Health and Human Services also issued landmark rules to improve the child welfare system, particularly for the most vulnerable children, and to advance the safety and wellbeing of families across the country, including for LGBTQI+ children in foster care. And the Department of Justice has funded programs to help communities develop, enhance, or expand early intervention programs and treatment services for girls who are involved in the juvenile justice system.

The Biden-Harris Administration has also taken action to support girls around the globe by fighting to advance the human rights of women and girls and promote access to education, health, and safety, including:

• Promoting Girls’ Education Globally. The United States is investing in girls’ education around the world, which in turn advances health and economic development. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) invested more than $2.5 billion from FY 2021-2023 to increase access to quality basic and higher education, and reached 18.7 million girls and women in 69 countries in FY23 alone to advance gender equality in and through education. The Departments of State and Labor have also supported efforts to promote girls’ education through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs in Kenya and Namibia, as well as technical and vocational education training centers for adolescent girls in Ethiopia. The United States has strongly condemned the restriction of girls’ education in Afghanistan, including by restricting visas for individuals believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, repressing women and girls by limiting or prohibiting access to education.

• Closing the Gender Digital Divide. Last year, Vice President Harris launched the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (Wi-DEF) to accelerate progress towards closing the gender digital divide. To date, Wi-DEF has raised over $80 million, including an initial $50 million commitment from USAID. Building on the success of the Fund, the Women in the Digital Economy Initiative includes commitments from governments, private sector companies, foundations, civil society, and multilateral organizations that have pledged more than $1 billion to accelerate gender digital equality. This Initiative supports girls’ access to digital learning opportunities, provides employment and educational skills, and helps fulfill the historic commitment of G20 Leaders to halve the digital gender gap by 2030. Since the launch of Wi-DEF, the United States has invested $102 million in direct and aligned commitments to closing the gender digital divide and accelerating gender digital equality.

• Preventing and Responding to Online Harassment and Abuse Globally. To address the scourge of online harassment and abuse against girls and women, the Biden-Harris Administration launched the 15-country Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, which has advanced international policies to address online safety and supported programs to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Since the Global Partnership was launched in 2022, the Department of State has supported projects in every region to prevent, document, and address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, cultivate safe online use, and respond to survivors’ needs. 

• Championing Girls’ Leadership in Addressing the Climate Crisis. In 2023, Vice President Harris announced the Women in the Sustainable Economy Initiative—an over $2 billion public-private partnership to promote women’s access to jobs in the green and blue industries of the future—including by advancing girls’ access to STEM education. Through WISE, the Department of State is investing more than $12 million in programs to benefit girls, including programs that promote girls’ economic skills and opportunities in STEM and that foster girls’ roles in leading, shaping, and informing equitable and inclusive climate policies and actions.

• Strengthening HIV Prevention Services for Girls. To address key factors that make adolescent girls and young women particularly vulnerable to HIV, the United States launched the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe) public-private partnership as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2014. Announced in 2023, PEPFAR’s DREAMS NextGen program is the next phase of DREAMS that will take a more nuanced approach that is responsive to the current context within each of the 15 DREAMS countries. PEPFAR has invested more than $2 billion in comprehensive HIV prevention programming for girls through DREAMS—including $1.3 billion since the start of the Administration—and the program reaches approximately 2.5 to 3 million girls annually.

• Increasing Efforts to End Child Marriage Globally. To address the global scourge of child, early, and forced marriage, USAID and the Department of State invested $86 million in 27 countries to support programs that prevent and respond to this harmful practice, including by equipping girls and young women with education and workforce readiness skills; providing education, health, legal, and economic support; and raising awareness. Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, the United States also made its first-ever contribution to the UNICEF-UNFPA Global Programme to End Child Marriage, which works in 12 countries in Africa and South Asia to promote the rights of adolescent girls, and is contributing more than $2 million in FY 2024 to UNFPA to help reach refugee adolescent girls and prevent child marriages in humanitarian settings.

• Leading Programs to End Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting. To address the harmful practice of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C), USAID invested in programs to address this issue in Djibouti, Egypt, Mauritania, and Nigeria. The United States is a long-standing donor to the UNICEF-UNFPA Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, and invested $20 million from FY 2020-FY 2023 in this partnership, which has succeeded in advocating for legal and policy frameworks banning FGM/C in 14 of 17 countries and supported more than 6.3 million women and girls with FGM/C-related protection and care services.

• Promoting Young Women’s Civic and Political Participation. The Biden-Harris Administration has advanced the political and civic participation of women and girls as a pillar of democracy promotion efforts worldwide. The Administration launched Women LEAD, a $900 million public-private partnership focused on building the pipeline of women leaders around the world, including by supporting programs to reach girls and young women. Under this umbrella, the USAID-led Advancing Women’s and Girls’ Civic and Political Leadership Initiative provides more than $25 million to identify and dismantle the individual, structural, and socio-cultural barriers to the political empowerment of women and girls in ten focus countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Kyrgyz Republic, Yemen, and Fiji. Furthermore, the State Department is launching a new $1.25 million program in Africa that will empower and equip young women leaders to take on decision-making roles in democratic transition processes.

• Protecting Girls in Humanitarian Emergencies. The United States government has increased its support for girls in humanitarian and fragile contexts. Since 2021, USAID has more than doubled the percentage of its humanitarian budget allocated to the protection sector, which includes child protection and gender-based violence activities serving girls. In FY 2023, USAID provided $163 million specifically towards addressing gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies. In 2022, USAID and the Department of State launched Safe from the Start: ReVisioned, which seeks to better address the needs of girls and women from the onset of a conflict or crisis.

• Combatting Child Trafficking. To combat child trafficking, including trafficking of girls, the Department of State has committed $37.5 million through Child Protection Compacts, building capacity in Jamaica, Peru, and Mongolia, and establishing new partnerships with Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, and Romania. These partnerships strengthen country responses to child trafficking to more effectively prosecute and convict traffickers, provide comprehensive trauma-informed care for child victims—including girls—and prevent child trafficking in all its forms.
  

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The Biden-Harris Administration has worked to strengthen our ties with ASEAN and deliver on our commitments to the region. Over the past three and a half years, we have pursued an unprecedented expansion in the breadth and depth of U.S.-ASEAN relations, including upgrading our relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and institutionalizing cooperation in five new areas—health, transportation, women’s empowerment, environment and climate, and energy—as well as deepening our cooperation in foreign affairs, economics, technology, and defense. To date, we have made significant progress in fulfilling 98.37 percent of our commitments in the ASEAN-U.S. Plan of Action (2022-2025) and its Annex. The United States will continue working with ASEAN, including through ASEAN-led mechanisms, to build an open, inclusive, transparent, resilient, and rules-based regional architecture in which ASEAN is its center.
 
DELIVERING ON OUR COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

This year, the United States and ASEAN are celebrating 47 years of U.S.-ASEAN relations. President Biden and Vice President Harris remain committed to ASEAN centrality and supporting the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, which shares fundamental principles with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy. ASEAN is at the heart of the U.S. approach to the Indo-Pacific, as reflected in numerous U.S. initiatives to promote economic prosperity and regional stability. Through the U.S.-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the United States has demonstrated that we are a reliable and enduring partner for our combined one billion people. Key U.S.-ASEAN accomplishments under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership include:

• The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) extended the U.S.-ASEAN Regional Development Cooperation Agreement to 2029 enabling the launch of the new five-year ASEAN USAID Partnership Program in March 2024. 
• The United States plans to conduct a second U.S.-ASEAN maritime exercise in 2025, co-hosted by Indonesia. U.S. and ASEAN Member States’ navies will exercise communication, information sharing, and the implementation of maritime security protocols in accordance with international law.
• In August 2024, the United States and ASEAN agreed to formalize U.S.-ASEAN health cooperation, elevating our engagement to a biennial U.S.-ASEAN Health Ministers Dialogue. USAID also officially launched the U.S.-ASEAN-Airborne Infection Defense Platform to bolster the region’s tuberculosis response capacity.
• The United States is launching a cybersecurity training program for the ASEAN Secretariat that will enhance the cybersecurity awareness, knowledge, and skills of our partners who are the backbone of ASEAN institutions.  
• At the third U.S.-ASEAN High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate this year, the United States unveiled the U.S.-ASEAN Climate Solutions Hub to help ASEAN members states develop and implement their contributions under the Paris Agreement.
• In 2023, the United States and ASEAN held the inaugural Dialogue on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to advance human rights for persons with disabilities across Southeast Asia, including working with private sector to find ways to support accessibility across Southeast Asia.

As a reflection of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership reaching its full potential, the United States and ASEAN celebrated the launch of the U.S.-ASEAN Center in Washington, DC in December 2023. The Center has already hosted several high-profile ASEAN-related events and is on track to become the key hub for ASEAN’s engagement with the United States.

• In June 2024, the Center hosted the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, for his first working visit to the United States, where he launched a speaker series.
• In August 2024, the Center hosted an ASEAN Day celebration, showcasing a wide array of cultural activities from ASEAN Member States.
• The Center is also partnering with the Antiquities Coalition to host a Cultural Property Agreement workshop.

The U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership (USASCP) is a key mechanism for our engagement on innovating sustainable cities of the future. Since it was launched in 2018, USASCP has invested more than $19 million in over 20 projects across urban sectors throughout the region. USASCP tackles the varied challenges of rapid urbanization, including accelerating climate action and promoting sustainable urban services.

• In 2024, the USASCP Smart Cities Business Innovation Fund 2.0 will grant $3 million for net-zero urban innovation projects to strengthen private sector investment in sustainability and climate action across the ASEAN region.
• In 2022, the Smart Cities Business Innovation Fund 1.0 granted a total of $1 million to six awardees across the region, including a solar panel recycling facility in Da Nang Vietnam and a seaweed/bioplastics manufacturer in Tangerang Indonesia.
• The United States paired municipal water and wastewater facility operators from five cities across the United States and the ASEAN Smart Cities Network to share their expertise.

This year marks the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative’s (YSEALI) second decade of building youth leadership capabilities across Southeast Asia to promote cross-border cooperation on regional and global challenges. YSEALI’s 160,000 strong digital network and 6,000 plus alumni community is creating new opportunities for its members to shape YSEALI’s next 10 years of impact. The State Department is well on its way to doubling the number of Southeast Asian youth participating in the YSEALI Academic and Professional Fellowships by 2025, in line with the commitments laid out by President Biden and Vice President Harris during the May 2022 U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit.

• The United States has invested over $1.8 million to empower nearly 500 young women as part of the YSEALI Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA). In celebration of the WLA’s 10th anniversary, the U.S. Mission to ASEAN granted $44,000 to alumni groups to foster collaboration and find innovative ways to close the gender leadership gap.
• The YSEALI Seeds for the Future Program—a grant program intended to support innovative initiatives in Southeast Asia—has provided nearly $3 million for more than 500 young leaders to carry out projects that improve their communities.
• The Department of State’s YSEALI Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund supported 16 YSEALI alumni-led public service projects in 2024. 

ENHANCING CONNECTIVITY AND RESILIENCE

The Biden-Harris Administration continues to build greater connectivity with ASEAN and enhancing regional resilience to bolster economic development and integration. The United States is ASEAN’s number one source of foreign direct investment, and U.S. goods and services trade totaled an estimated $500 billion in 2023. Since 2002, the United States has provided more than $14.7 billion in economic, health, and security assistance to Southeast Asian allies and partners. During that same period, the United States provided nearly $1.9 billion in humanitarian assistance, including life-saving disaster assistance, emergency food aid, and support to refugees throughout the region. As a durable and reliable partner of ASEAN, the United States supports the governments and people of Southeast Asia in enhancing the region’s connectivity and resilience. In addition to U.S. companies’ substantial investments, the United States is cooperating with the private sector to equip the region’s workforce with the skills needed to succeed in Southeast Asia’s burgeoning digital economy. Other key U.S. initiatives supporting this effort include:

• USAID announces $2 million of new funding to support the sustainable development of critical minerals, supporting ASEAN’s goal of raising environmental, social, and governance standards for mineral sector development. 

• Through the Japan-U.S.-Mekong Power Partnership (JUMPP), the U.S. Department of State has implemented over 60 technical assistance activities to strengthen national power sectors and regional electricity market, enhancing the clean energy export potential of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam to the ASEAN market. 
• The U.S. Trade and Development Agency is supporting a feasibility study to develop two cross-border interconnections, further expanding our longstanding support to connect the ASEAN Power Grid.
• USAID is expanding cooperation with the ASEAN Center for Energy to support private sector and multilateral development bank investment to operationalize regional connectivity through the ASEAN Power Grid.
• Through the ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting and Digital Senior Officials’ Meeting, we are intensifying our cooperation on trusted information and communications technology infrastructure – including undersea cables, cloud computing, and wireless networks, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and combatting online scams.
• The United States supported development of the ASEAN Responsible AI Roadmap and provided AI technical assistance for the Digital Economy Framework Agreement. Our collective effort ensures ASEAN can foster an inclusive environment where affirmative, safe, secure, and trustworthy AI innovation can flourish.
• Under the U.S.-ASEAN Connect framework, the U.S. Mission to ASEAN is leveraging the U.S. government and private sector expertise to advance economic engagement, including through workshops covering topics such as best practices to strengthen cybersecurity and how to harness digital technologies.

Over the past three and a half years, the Biden-Harris Administration has also spurred investment and economic growth through the advancement of over $1.4 billion in private sector investments in the ASEAN region. This past year alone, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has invested over $341 million in ASEAN markets. To further our cooperation and support, DFC has announced that it will open new offices in Vietnam and the Philippines to source more opportunities and further advance private sector investment. DFC’s key initiatives and investments have included:

• Loaning up to $126 million loan to power company PT Medco Cahaya Geothermal to strengthen Indonesia’s energy security.
• Initiating DFC’s first investment in Lao PDR with a $4 million loan portfolio guarantee to Phongsavanh Bank, which will work with Village Funds to give farmers financing to scale their businesses, increase their incomes, and improve their livelihoods.
• Initiating DFC’s first investment in East Timor with a $3 million loan to microfinance institution Kaebauk Investimentu No Finansas, which will provide financing to small businesses, especially rural and unbanked ones.

We look forward to continue advancing our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN in 2025 by formulating a new plan of action to guide the next five years of our enduring partnership as we work to further the prosperity of our combined one billion people.

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Tim Johnson served the people of South Dakota with distinction, and it was an honor to serve alongside him in the United States Senate for over a decade.

He always put South Dakotans first, and he never forgot where he came from. He worked tirelessly to bring clean drinking water to Americans wherever they lived: rural towns, inner cities, and Tribal lands. And he steered critical investments toward Indian Country and to South Dakota’s development and infrastructure.

As a Senator, Tim improved access to health care for millions of Americans by providing a critical vote on the Affordable Care Act, advocating for veterans’ health care funding, and fighting to expand Medicaid in South Dakota.

We also worked together to establish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to defend the backbone of our economy—hardworking Americans.

Over the years, Jill and I got to know Tim and Barb as true friends. Our hearts are with Barb, his three children, his eight grandchildren, and the people of South Dakota, whose lives Tim touched.

May God bless Tim Johnson.

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Ethel Kennedy was an American icon—a matriarch of optimism and moral courage, an emblem of resilience and service. Devoted to family and country, she had a spine of steel and a heart of gold that inspired millions of Americans, including me and Jill. We were blessed to call her a dear friend.

Growing up in an Irish-Catholic family, I often looked to the Kennedy family for proof of America’s promise. Ethel’s husband, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, was one of my heroes, inspiring an entire generation to make real that promise for all Americans. Together, they were guided by values that were the same as those my grandparents and parents taught me around the kitchen table: Everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. We each have an obligation to one another, to give hate no safe harbor, and to leave no one behind.

After his shattering death, Ethel showed our whole nation a way forward, turning pain into purpose and continuing his march toward civil rights and social justice, an end to poverty at home, and securing peace abroad—all while raising their 11 children. Four years later, when I lost my own wife and infant daughter, Ethel was always there for me and my sons. She helped us find strength and perseverance. She taught us how to channel grief into the service of a greater good.

When I moved into the Oval Office as President, I placed a bust of Robert Kennedy by the fireplace, as he and Ethel always had a place in my heart. I cherish the cards she would send me and my family. And when Ethel presented me with the RFK Ripple of Hope Award in 2016, it was one of the greatest honors of my life because I received it from a hero in her own right. For over 50 years, Ethel traveled, marched, boycotted, and stood up for human rights around the world with her signature iron will and grace.

Through it all, Ethel’s story was the American story.

Jill and I send our love to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; to her nieces and nephews and the entire Kennedy family; and to the millions of people around the world touched over the decades by her remarkable life of strength and service.

May God bless Ethel Kennedy, a dear friend, and a great American.

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Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date.  In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 of October 14, 2019, with respect to the situation in and in relation to Syria, is to continue in effect beyond October 14, 2024.

The situation in and in relation to Syria undermines the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, endangers civilians, and further threatens to undermine the peace, security, and stability in the region, and continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

Therefore, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 with respect to the situation in and in relation to Syria.

                              Sincerely,

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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Girls have the power to shake and shape our world.  They will grow up to be doctors, CEOs, artists, entrepreneurs, tradeswomen, service members, scientists, or anything they put their minds to — leading our Nation to a bigger and brighter future.  During International Day of the Girl, we honor the lives and contributions of girls worldwide, celebrate their limitless potential, and recommit to opening doors of opportunity so girls everywhere can realize their dreams. 

Girls play an invaluable role in the success of our communities.  When young women and girls are afforded the same opportunities as young men and boys, we are all better off.  Economies grow, education rates and health outcomes improve, and political instability and violence decline.  Yet, throughout the world, girls continue to face persecution, violence, and intimidation, and they are barred from fully participating in their communities — socially, educationally, economically, and politically.

That is why my Administration has taken steps to provide girls with the support they need to thrive, beginning in their homes and classrooms.  My American Rescue Plan expanded the Child Tax Credit, which reduced child poverty to a historic low.  The American Rescue Plan was also the largest one-time education investment ever in our Nation’s history, bringing more teachers, counselors, social workers, after-school and summer programs, and tutoring to public schools across the country.  My Administration continues to call on the Congress to restore the expanded Child Tax Credit, guarantee affordable high quality child care from birth to kindergarten for 16 million children, and make universal, free preschool available to every four-year-old in America.  These actions would lift girls across the country out of poverty and ensure they enter the classroom ready and excited to learn. 

In addition, my Administration made it easier for schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver mental health services to their students.  We invested over $1.5 billion to strengthen the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, invest in school-based mental health services, and launched the National Mental Health Strategy, with ongoing investments to strengthen the mental health workforce, ensure mental health parity, and connect Americans to care.  We remain dedicated to using every tool in our toolbox to empower girls both in and out of the classroom. 

We also remain committed to ensuring that girls can live free from violence, fear, and abuse.  Last month, we marked the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a bill I authored more than three decades ago.  Since then, every time we have reauthorized this law, we have strengthened it.  For example, we broadened the law’s protections to better address dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.  We expanded services for our Nation’s most vulnerable populations and invested in prevention programs for young people.  We provided more than $690 million in grants to over 40 VAWA-funded programs in States and Tribal communities nationwide.  Through VAWA and other laws like the Victims of Crime Act and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, we are working every day to empower girls and end gender-based violence.  

Furthermore, we are aggressively combating the harmful effects that social media can have on our children.  My White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse worked directly with parents and teens to develop ways for children to stay safe online and prevent the misuse of technology that harms girls.  We are also tackling the next frontier of gender-based violence and abuse:  deepfake images and videos generated by artificial intelligence.  My Administration also restored and strengthened vital protections under Title IX to help keep students and employees safe from sexual assault and harassment on campus. 

My Administration continues to stand with women and girls who are facing threats to their basic human rights in far too many conflicts around the world.  We continue to condemn sexual violence committed by Russia’s forces against women and girls in Ukraine, and we condemn the terrorist group Hamas’ appalling, despicable acts of rape, mutilation, and other forms of sexual violence in Israel on October 7, 2023, and against hostages in captivity.  In 2022, I signed a historic Presidential Memorandum to promote justice and accountability for acts of conflict-related sexual violence, and I have since announced dedicated sanctions and new initiatives to hold perpetrators accountable and support survivors.  During this year’s NATO Summit, we revised the Women, Peace, and Security Policy to address emerging security threats that put girls at risk, including the climate crisis and conflict-related sexual violence.  And we are committed to eliminating child, early, and forced marriage and ending female genital mutilation and cutting, which have lifelong consequences on the health and well-being of victims, families, and communities. 

Guided by the belief that our Nation and our world are at their best when there are endless possibilities for all women and girls, my Administration is devoted to helping girls reach their full potential.  At the first Summit for Democracy, we established the Advancing Women’s and Girls’ Civic and Political Leadership Initiative to build and sustain girls’ participation in political and civic engagement.  And this year, my Administration launched Women Leading Effective and Accountable Democracy in collaboration with international allies to advance women and girls’ leadership in democratic, peace, and security processes.  And, thanks to the leadership of Vice President Harris, our Administration has galvanized more than $2.9 billion in investments to advance the economic status of women around the world, helping ensure girls will play a meaningful role in the industries of the future.

When First Lady Jill Biden spoke at the White House’s first-ever celebration of Girls Leading Change last fall, she reminded the world about the power of girls.  She said, “I hope you leave here knowing that your boldness is beautiful, that you belong in all places of power, that your future can be anything you want it to be, and that you will never be in this alone.”  On this International Day of the Girl and every day, let us each commit to doing our part to create a brighter future worthy of the talents, aspirations, and dreams of all our girls.  Because when girls do well, we all do well.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2024, as International Day of the Girl.  I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with programs, ceremonies, and policies that advance equity and opportunity for girls everywhere.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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On October 14, 2019, by Executive Order 13894, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the situation in and in relation to Syria.

The situation in and in relation to Syria undermines the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, endangers civilians, and further threatens to undermine the peace, security, and stability in the region, and continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.  For this reason, the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 of October 14, 2019, must continue in effect beyond October 14, 2024.  Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 with respect to the situation in and in relation to Syria.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

  October 10, 2024.

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Today’s report shows inflation has fallen back down to 2.4%, the same rate as right before the pandemic. We keep making progress, with inflation returning to pre-pandemic levels, 16 million jobs created, lower interest rates, and low unemployment. Our economy has grown 3.2% per year under the Biden Harris Administration—stronger than during the previous administration. Incomes are up almost $4,000, after adjusting for inflation. We are working around the clock to help the families affected by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene recover and rebuild, supported by our strong and resilient recovery.

President Biden and Vice President Harris will keep fighting to lower costs—by building new homes to lower rents, capping prescription drug costs and reducing health insurance premiums, and lowering taxes for middle-class families—as Congressional Republicans keep pushing trickle-down economics that would raise costs by nearly $4,000 per family while cutting taxes for billionaires and big corporations.

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met with Taoiseach Simon Harris of the Republic of Ireland today in the Oval Office to mark 100 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Ireland.  The President reflected on the deep cultural, people-to-people and economic ties between the two countries, and expressed confidence that the next 100 years will see even deeper cooperation.  The President and Taoiseach Harris affirmed that the United States and Ireland will continue to strengthen our partnership and friendship—founded on our shared history, heritage, and hope—in the years ahead.

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2:59 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much, Rabbi, for that introduction.  And before I want to be- — before I begin, I want to say, we’re prepared for another hurricane hitting Florida, and that’s what I’ve been doing and why I had to p- — push back these — this sev- — several times.  And I apologize. 

I directed my team to do everything we can to save lives and help communities before, during, and after the hurricane — the one that has just passed and this awful one that’s about to hit. 

My most important message today is for those who are in impacted areas, please, please listen to your local authorities, follow all safety in- — instructions and evacuation orders.  This is serious — very serious. 

But now to the events of the day.  You know, as the — my friends, the — the rabbis in Delaware who I’ve become friends with over the years, have been engaged with, can tell you, I was one of those lucky Christians who was raised by a — a Christian who was — he had — he understood what was going on. 

My dad was what we — you’d call “a righteous Christian.”  My dad literally raised us to believe that we had to stand up for the — any community being persecuted, and he used to rage — he used to rage at dinner about why we didn’t bomb the railroad tracks in Auschwitz and why we didn’t — and this is the God’s truth, as the rabbis at home could tell you. 

And he used to talk about how we wouldn’t let the — that one ship land and — and — with the Jewish refugees on it at the time, during — during the — Hitler’s era.  And, you know, he — he talked about how it was important for people to know what happened and not forget. 

And one of the things that it taught me was that I — every one of my children and grandchildren, when they turned the age of 14, we put them on a plane and I flew them to Dachau, because I wanted them to see — want them to see that no one could pretend it wasn’t happening. 

You go through — you walk through the gate, and you’ll be liberated.  Well, to stand — you see those beautiful homes along the outside of that gate, and you’ll know they had to know.  They had to know what was going on.  And — and I wanted them to understand.  I wanted them to see where the ovens were.  I wanted them to know what was going on and — because I wanted them to be aware — aware. 

And I think one of the things that I’m about to talk about is — you know, the country has been sort of a — I don’t know how I could say it — has not paid nearly much attention to our hi- — the history that brought us —

But when I went over shortly after the — the second, smaller holocaust, but even more vividly seen by the whole world on the 7th, it was — it was because I wanted to let the world know where I stood and where America stood.  And I saw the remnants of what had happened 10 days earlier.  I saw — and the — anyway, you all know; you understand it. 

But now, this event today — I want to thank you for joining this call, and I apologize for having had to reschedule it. 

You know, at my direction, last week, the United States military took unprecedented action again to actively assist the successful defense of Israel.  You’ve — you’ve heard me say before that I got very badly criticized as a young senator for saying, “I’m a Zionist.”  You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist.  It’s not necessary. 

And the idea — I firmly believe — without an Israel, every Jew in the world’s security is less stable.  I mean that.  It doesn’t mean that Jewish leadership doesn’t have to be more progressive than it is, but it does mean it has to exist, and that’s what worries me most about what’s going on now.

You’ve heard me say before that my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people and the security of Israel as the right to exist is independent — independent of that — of everything else.  The Jewish state has to remain.  It has to remain — the ironclad commitment to it.

In the last three years, it’s been the honor to do this High Holiday with all of you from the White House in a season of joy and a season of pain.  And that’s what we’ve been going through: a season of joy and pain.

You know, you are the rock for your people.  I want to thank you for all you do every single day for your congregations, for your communities, for our country.

You know, I know this year’s call is very different, and it’s a very — a difficult time for the Jewish community and for Jews around the world.  In the midst of the High Holidays, two days ago, we commemorated the first anniversary of October 7th, the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.

And a year later, with the trauma and the loss from that day and its aftermath, it’s still raw.  It’s hard to memorialize and mourn a tragedy that’s still ongoing.  Hostages still in captivity — some American Jews as well; loved ones still in harm’s way; survivors carrying wounds, seen and unseen, that never go away.  The families and friends left behind will never, never be the same. 

I just spoke with Pres- — Prime Minister Netanyahu for about an hour this morning and offered my condolences on this somber one-year anniversary. 

Throughout this year, my wife, Jill, and I, Kamala and Doug mourned along with all of you, including after the appalling execution of the six hostages, including America’s own Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 24-year-old last week — who just turned — would have turned 24 last week.

My administration is doubling down on our work to secure the release of the remaining hostages, just as we have freed hostages already.  And we will not rest until they’re all home.

As you saw just last week, the United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran and all its proxies — Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.  We’re doing everything we can to ease the suffering of all the people from this war against Hamas and that Hamas started.

As Israel’s ambassador to Washington said at the memorial two days ago, quote, “We remember the Jewish commandment that we are all created in the image of God,” and “the loss of innocent life — Israel — Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese, or others — is a tragedy.”  Well, I feel the same way.  Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year’s conflict.

I also want you to know that I see you, I hear you, I see your pain from the ferocious surge of antisemitism in America and, quite frankly, around the world — absolutely despicable.  And I hope we h- — we learned a lesson from our parents’ generation.  We have to stand up.  We have to call it out.  It has to be stopped.

In America, we respect and protect the fundamental right of free speech to protest peacefully.  But there is no place — emphasize, no place — anywhere in America — none — for antisemitism, hate speech, or threats of violence of any kind against the Jews or anyone else.

Long before October the 7th — long before — I launched the first National Security [Strategy] to Counter Antisemitism in American history — the first time in American history.  Vice President Harris and I and our entire administration are aggressively implementing that commitment.

Since we took office, we secured a record of over $800 million for the physical security of nonprofits, including synagogues, Jewish community centers, Jewish day schools all around the country. 

Since October 7, ‘23 — in 2023, we’ve secured an additional $400 million — the largest single increase ever in funding — ever. 

And we have concrete evidence that our historic assistance is making an impact and the investment matters. 

The Department of Education has put our colleges on notice about something that should be obvious to everyone — that antisemitism is discrimination.  Say it again: Antisemitism is discrimination and prohibited under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. 

And the Department of Homeland Security has proved — provided resources to train campus law enforcement, administrators on how to ensure Jewish students are safe on campus.  And we’re going to keep working to ensure — ensure that Jewish students can get their education free of intimidation and harassment. 

The Department of Justice is also moving swiftly to investigate and prosecute antisemitic hate crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable. 

We encourage you, as members of your community, to please report incidences to local law enforcement. 

My administration is calling on the social media companies to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism and other hateful content, including the vile antisemitic attacks online that we’ve seen in recent days against public officials leading responses to recovery efforts to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

You know, it’s appalling, but we — it must end now.  We have to speak and end it now.

Globally, our nation’s first ambassador to the level of special envoy and to monitor and combat antisemitism is Deb- — Debor- — Deborah Lipstadt — Lipstadt.  And Deborah has mobilized more than 40 countries and international organizations to support our new guidelines for countering antisemitism around the world.  And this matters, but I know there’s so much more to do. 

And let me assure you as your president that you are not alone.  You belong, always — always have, always will be, and always must be protected. 

From the inception of our nation, Jewish Americans have enriched every part of American life.  Let me say that again.  From our very inception as a nation, Jewish Americans have enriched every part of American life, and you’re going to continue to do so for many years to come. 

Let me close with this.  I think about the wisdom I’ve learned from Jewish communities in Delaware and across the country that I’ve gotten to know over the years.  It seems to me there is a delicate yet profound balance between joy and pain to the High Holidays. 

Rosh Hashanah is a day of celebration in the Je- — of — for the Jewish New Year.  But it’s also a day of judgment.

Similarly, Yom Kippur is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar, yet Jewish scholars say it’s also the happiest day because it’s a time of — for forgiveness and for renewal.

And in two weeks, you celebrate another holiday for the singing and dancing of the — for — for the Torah.  You know, I know you’ll do so with profound sorrow in your soul because, last year, that holiday was shattered by October the 7th.

From my perspective, Jewish people have embodied this duality of pain and joy for generations.  It’s your strength.  The Jewish people have always chosen to find joy and happiness and light, despite centuries of suffering, persecution, and pain. 

That’s the ending and — of what — this — look, this is — is enduring — it’s an enduring lesson and legacy for the Jewish people and for all of America to understand. 

So, thank you for continuing to find joy in the darkness and shine your light on the nation and on the world. 

God bless you all.  And may you have a happy New Year.

3:11 P.M. EDT

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James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

2:02 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Hi.  Good afternoon, everybody. 

Q    Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, the safety of all Americans is the Biden-Harris administration’s first priority.  As the security situation in Lebanon becomes increasingly volatile, I want to take a moment to talk about the numerous steps the Biden-Harris administration is taking to support Americans who seek to depart or relocate within Lebanon.

We are working around the clock to help Americans in Lebanon by providing as many options as possible to depart and offering loans to U.S. citizens who need assistance.

Since September 27th, the United States has secured more than 4,000 airplane — airplane seats for American citizens, lawful permanent residents, and their family members to depart Lebanon.  We have reserved seats for Americans and their family members on daily commercial airlines that continue to fly out of Beirut, and we have organized additional flights for U.S. citizens; lawful permanent residents and their spouses, children, and parents to depart Lebanon.

As long as the Beirut airport remains open, we will continue to make more airplane seats available daily.  To date, the number of seats available continues to exceed demand.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut remains open and can help Americans who need emergency passports or other documentation.  We urge Americans to take advantage of these options.  

Ultimately, a diplomatic resolution is the only way to achieve lasting stability and security across the Isra- — Israel-Lebanon border.  We are in discussions for when we will be able to achieve that.

Now, earlier today, as many of you saw, the president and the vice president received an update regarding Hurricane Helene response and recovery efforts.

Under their leadership, FEMA has provided $344 million in direct assistance to survivors, along with an additional $180 million to ensure our federal partners can carry out their critical recovery work.

More than 8,000 federal re- — personnel are deployed, including FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistant teams that are in the neighborhood — in the — in neighborhoods across the affected states helping survivors apply for assistance.  These personnel across the Southeast, including Florida, will both continue Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and respond to the impacts of Hurricane Milton.

As the president has said, we will be there for the communities devastated by this storm for as long as it takes. 

The president and vice president received a briefing on the administration’s lifesaving preparations ahead of Hurricane Milton.  The president continues to mobilize a whole-of-government effort to prepare for Hurricane Milton.

Earlier this week, the president quickly approved the state of Florider — Florida’s and the — and the Simo- — Seminole Tribe of Florida’s request for an emergency declaration pre-Milton landfall.  He directed his team to keep working to increase the size and presence of our efforts as we prepare for Milton’s landfall.

The president spoke directly to Governor DeSantis, Tampa Mayor Castor, Clearwater Mayor Rector, and Pinellas County Chairwoman Peters to make sure we are meeting their needs and gave them his personal number so they can call him directly.

As the president’s — at the president’s direction, the administration has been in touch with more than 60 local officials in cities and counties along the likely path of impact to ensure needs are met in advance of the storm.

The president gathered his Cabinet, representing 16 agencies and departments, to ensure every corner of the U.S. government is assisting with Helene recovery and preparations for Milton.

And at the president’s direction, FEMA Administration — Administrator Criswell will travel to Florida tonight to join the pers- — the personnel on the ground and ensure every Floridian gets the help that they need.  FEMA is pre-staging a full slate of response capabilities in Florida and the region, including eight Urban Search & Rescue teams; three U.S. Coast Guard swiftwater rescue teams; 15.6 million meals, 13.9 million liters of water already pre-positioned; an additional 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to deploy as needed; more than 1,000 staff already in the region.

And as the president and the vice president have said, any attempts to price gouge Americans, whether at the gas pumps, airports, or hotel counter, during this storm are unacceptable.  The Justice Department, FTC, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau put out a statement warning consumers about those looking to take advantage of natural disasters.

The administration will also continue to work out — to — to work out and call out misinformation and conspiracy theories around the storm and federal and state responses.  This is wrong, dangerous, and it must stop immediately.  You heard the president speak to this just moments ago.

Everyone, especially those in positions of power, must do everything they can to encourage survivors to register for assistance, not discourage them by allowing these falsehoods to fester.

This storm will be catastrophic.  It will be catastrophic.  We urge everyone to listen to local officials and, if you are told to evacuate, do so — please do so immediately.

If you can’t evacuate or need a safe place to shelter, text “shelter” and your zip code to 43362 to get a list of open shelters near you.

With that, I will turn it over to Administrator Criswell, who is joining us virtually.  Thank you so much, Administrator.  I know you are incredibly busy today, but thank you for your time.

And with that, I’m going to just turn it over to you. 

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  (Via teleconference.)  All right.  Thank you very much, Karine.

So, good afternoon, everybody.  As you just heard from Karine, I just had an opportunity to brief President Biden and Vice President Harris on our preparatory actions as we prepare for Hurricane Milton to make landfall in Florida. 

The entire federal family is leaning forward for Milton’s response.  And right now, I am in North Carolina continuing to lead the response and recovery efforts for the impacts to Helene across many states.  But I will be traveling this evening to Florida to be with the team that I have there on the ground, as well as meet with the governor and his team, to make sure that we are working side by side to meet the needs of Floridians as Hurricane Milton passes through the state.

I want to deliver a very important message to the people of Florida: This is going to be a catastrophic storm.  It is going to be a potentially deadly storm.  Please listen to your local officials, as they will be giving you the best information about what you need to do where you are located. 

This storm is going to bring deadly storm surge, intense winds, flooding, but it is already bringing tornadoes across Florida.  So, if you do get an emergency message on your phone right now for a tornado warning, please seek shelter immediately. 

My heart goes out to all of the Floridians who have been in the path of many storms.  They have had impacts from Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Debby, Hurricane Idalia, and now Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.  Floridians, they’re no strangers to these storms, but this one, Hurricane Milton, is expected to be catastrophic. 

And I promise you that FEMA is ready.  FEMA and the entire federal family will be there to provide those immediate lifesaving activities and begin to stabilize the incident after the storm passes. 

And, again, I will be there on the ground to assess the impacts and prioritize the movement of federal resources to where the state needs them most.

Today, tonight, and tomorrow, these are going to be tough as we watch the impacts move across Florida.  And, again, we’re already seeing impacts from this storm with tornadoes and high winds happening in different parts of Florida.

The most important thing is your safety.  And I need everyone listening to do everything you can to protect yourself and your family as Milton passes.

Some of you may still be able to safely evacuate.  Others, it may be too late.  Again, I need you to listen to your local officials.  They will know exactly what you are still able to do.

And if you receive, again, a tornado warning on your phone, through a NOAA radio, or from your local officials — there are tornadoes that are happening now — you need to seek shelter immediately. 

I have also been in contact with Governor DeSantis, Mayor Castor, Mayor Welch, and Mayor Dyer, as well as all the Tribal nations in Florida that are in the path of this storm. 

The president’s swift approval of the pre-landfall emergency declaration for Florida, as well as the Seminole Tribe of Florida, allows us to be able to employ the resources that we have staged to immediately begin to save lives and support the response activities.

In addition to the thousands of people that I already have on the ground in Florida for Hurricane Helene, as well as the previous storms from previous years, at the president’s direction, I sent an additional 1,200 search and rescue personnel, 6 incident management assistance teams, multiple power assessment teams, and dozens of medical facility assessment personnel into the area pre-landfall.

We’ve also staged over 500 ambulances, and the search and rescue teams include high-water vehicles and air assets, as well as boats, to support those lifesaving activities in the first hours after the storm passes.

As you heard Karine say, we’ve also pushed millions of meals and liters of water into Florida to support those immediate needs. 

And let me be clear: The movement of these resources and these commodities are not taking away from our ongoing response and recovery efforts in North Carolina and the other states that were impacted by Hurricane Helene. 

We are built for this.  We have managed multiple simultaneous catastrophic incidents before, and we are prepared to do this again. 

And I want the people to hear it from me: FEMA is ready.  Our agency is postured to respond to this storm and maintain our current response and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene-impacted states.  And we will be providing and I will be providing regular updates to President Biden and Vice President Harris as this storm passes so we can make sure that we are getting all of the federal resources that are needed to support their response.  And they have directed me, as they always do, to make sure that Floridians continue to get everything they need. 

I want to be clear, we at FEMA stand ready to both continue our support to Hurricane Helene and respond to the impacts from Hurricane Milton.  This is what we do best.  We manage complex incidents.  We coordinate, we communicate, and we respond. 

And, again, I will be traveling to Florida later today so I can join my team, as well as our state partners that are in the field preparing for the impacts from Hurricane loteim [Milton].

My leadership team, they are the best of the best.  They are trained to work across multiple states and support the impacts that states are going to be feeling.  And I want to know — I want everybody to know that we are prepared for what we need to do to support Florida, as well as all of the other states.

Before I take questions, I just want to emphasize, once again, because this is extremely important: People need to listen to their local officials.  They need to take this storm seriously.  It’s going to hit the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane, and it will still be a hurricane as it departs on the eastern coast of Florida.  There will be flooding.  There will be tornadoes, storm surge. 

Take the actions you need to to protect yourself and your family.  We do not need to lose any lives as a result of this storm.  We have the time to prepare.  Make sure that you’re taking those actions now.

And with that, Karine, I’ll take any questions. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you so much, Administrator.  I just want to remind folks that she can only hear us; can’t see us.  So, I’m going to start calling on folks right now. 

Go ahead.  Go ahead, Aamer.

Q    Thank you.  I appreciate you making this time.  Do you have an estimate of the universe of how many people are not heeding the evacuation orders and remain at risk?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  I do not have an estimate, but what I can tell you is that I was in Florida on Monday.  I met with the mayor of Tampa and the mayor of St. Petersburg, and I saw people leaving the area.  People are listening.  They are leaving.

But we know there’s always a few that want to stay behind and protect their home.  This storm is different.  This storm is going to bring deadly storm surge, and so I want people who still have time to evacuate to make sure that they’re doing so but doing so safely, under the guidance and the advice of their local officials.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, M.J.

Q    Thank you, Administrator.  This is M.J. Lee with CNN.  The White House has been talking a lot about the threat of misinformation, disinformation as it relates to storm recovery efforts.  Can you talk to us about whether there’s one piece of incorrect information that you think, in your view, has been most damaging that you think would be the most important to clarify?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Well, honestly, I think all of it is damaging to our ability to be able to reach people.  It’s intentional to create distrust, and that level of distrust is, as the president said earlier today, un-American.  And what we need to do is make sure people can get the assistance that they need and they deserve. 

And so, I want people to be able to come to us, register for assistance so we can help them on their road to recovery.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Nandita.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Administrator, you have said that FEMA has enough money to get through both Hurricanes Helene and Milton, but that you’re assessing how much more you need from Congress.  Is there an assessment that you can share with us?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  We’re continuing to make that assessment, as we do not know what it’s going to cost us right now to get through Hurricane Milton.  I think, as I briefed all of you before, we went into Immediate Needs Funding in August of this year.  That allowed me to make sure I had enough money for this response, and I needed that for Hurricane Helene. 

Without going into INF, I probably would not have had enough money to support Hurricane Helene.

With the full authority to spend against the president’s fiscal year ‘25 budget, I’ve been able to start paying the recovery projects that we put on hold.  But the — the amount that we’re spending for Hurricane Helene and the amount that we anticipate we’re going to spend for Hurricane Milton, we are watching that very closely and assessing it every day so we can have a good estimate of how much more that we will need to be asking for in a supplemental.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Selina.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Thank you, Administrator Criswell.  Selina Wang with ABC News.  Could you give any specific examples about the real-world impact that this misinformation is having, both in terms of are you seeing people who aren’t taking precautions because they don’t trust the government or FEMA or NOAA?  And then, in terms of the threat to FEMA workers, have you seen examples of threats against them on the ground?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Yeah.  I think the — the biggest thing is that — what I am hearing is people that are not coming to us and asking us for assistance.  They’re not registering for the help that they need, or they are afraid to approach some of our staff because they are unsure of what the government is doing. 

I think one of the biggest ones that I continue to hear is that we’re going to take their land from them.  Simply untrue.  When you register for assistance, we give you an initial amount of money, $750, to help support those immediate needs.  And there were rumors out there that if you a- — you received this money and you didn’t pay it back that we would take your home.  Simply untrue. 

This is a series of — of assistance that we give over time, those immediate needs.  We’ve already given out over $60 million in North Carolina alone for people’s property losses, as well as this immediate assistance.  We will continue to give that money out. 

And as it relates to my staff, I mean, it’s just demoralizing.  I think that they take it personally.  They have left their families and their homes to come here and support people in need.  But they’re focused.  They continue to stay focused on why they’re here.  They know their purpose, and that is to help people, and we’ll continue to do that

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Gabe.

Q    Thank you, Administrator.  You said before that you have dealt with misinformation in the past.  Why do you think that misinformation is so rampant this time around?  Is it because of the election?  Is it because of certain politicians?  Is it become — because of tech platforms?  Or is it because of, potentially, a foreign actor?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Yeah.  I mean, I have definitely seen misinformation before.  We have had misinformation for, you know, ver- — a long time.  But we have seen it increase recently. 

We saw a significant increase in the response in Maui and, even more — the greatest amount that I’ve seen in this response to Hurricane Helene.  You know, I don’t want to speculate as to why we’re seeing this increase.  It’s just damaging, and it’s — just makes it harder for us to do our job, and it’s a distraction for the people that are out there doing really hard work to help the people get the assistance that they need and deserve. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Ken.

Q    Could you just describe the — the storm is going to be making landfall at — late at night on — on the west coast.  To what extent does that add to the complications or the dangers for residents?  And — and just how unique is it, the fact that it will be a hurricane when it hits the west coast but also a hurricane when it exits the east coast of Florida?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  I think any time we see a storm hit during the evening, it just complicates things — right? — because we know that we will have power outages as a result of this.  It will be dark.  People will have to try to protect themselves without the same level of light that they’re used to.  It just creates a whole other level of complication. 

But as we heard from Director Brennan earlier today, it is very rare for a storm to be a hurricane when it makes landfall and as it exits the state.  It’s going to move quickly, according to him, through the state, but that means it’s going to create these catastrophic impacts across the state.  We’re going to see the most significant storm surge on the west coast, but we know, from Hurricane Ian, how much inland flooding and flash flooding that happened on the east coast in the Orlando area. 

And so, we’re concerned about that, and that’s why I talked to the mayor of Orlando earlier today, to make sure he knew that even though the west coast is getting a lot of focus on this, that the east coast is going to have significant threats as well.  And that’s why I’ve also got incident management teams right there in the Orlando area to help work side by side with the local officials so we can get those resources in as quickly as possible when this storm is making landfall and moving across the state.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And I know, Administrator, you have to head out. 

Akayla, you have the last question.

Q    Okay.  Hi, Administrator.  I’m just wondering if the administration is confident that the election will still be able to be conducted by November — that power outages, that roads will be safe to drive on so voters can cast their ballot.

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  So, you know, the election piece is with the states, and we have resources that we can help them with to ensure we meet whatever needs that they have, and — and we’ll continue to work with them if they have any specific requirements. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you so much, Administrator.  Safe travels.  I know you’ve been in —

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Thanks, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — North Carolina for some time helping on the ground there.  We really appreciate everything that you’re doing.  And safe travels to Florida tonight.  Thank you. 

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Thanks, Karine.  Thanks, everybody.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  Aamer.

Q    Oh, great.  On the — the Netanyahu call earlier today.  Was the president told by Prime Minister Netanyahu how he intends to respond to Iran after the October 1 attack?  And then, secondly, the prime minister’s office and President Trump have confirmed they spoke last week.  Was the White House informed of that call ahead of time?  And do you know the contents of that call?  And just generally, are you comfortable with that type of conversation happening?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, a couple of things.  You a- — you just asked me a slew of things there.  I just — I do want to say, I know there’s the rabbi call that the president is going to be doing momentarily.  We’ll let you know when that happens.  I think we’re running a little bit behind, and I know that there’s going to be an opportunity for all of you all to — to tune in. 

Let me just give you a couple of just top lines on the call.  It lasted about 30 minutes.  It was 30 minutes long.  It was direct.  It was productive — obviously, the call that the president had with the prime minister of Israel.

They discussed a range of issues, and we are going to have a readout shortly that you all will — will have to — to get a better sense of what was discussed on the call.  So, I’m not going to get ahead of that.  I know the team is — is working through that at — at this time. 

So, as you all know, the U.S. and — and the Israeli government have been discussing — have had discussion since last week after — certainly since after the Iran attack.  And so, that — those discussions continued with the president and the prime minister.  Certainly not going to get into those discussions.  There’s going to be a readout.  Don’t have anything else beyond — beyond that to share.

But I can say that they did have a discussion about that, and it is a continued discussion.  It started off with, obviously, staff-level discussion in the last week.  And obviously, the two leaders had an opportunity to — to talk directly.  Like I said, it was productive.  It was direct.  It lasted about 30 minutes. 

And this is on top of more than a dozen calls that the pr- — president and the prime minister have had since October 7th of last year.

As it relates to your — one of your questions there about the — the book, look, as you know, there are —

Q    There wasn’t a — I’m sorry —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, okay. 

Q    About — about the Trump conversation last week. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh.  Oh — wait.

Q    Did I — did I ask about the book as well?  But —

Q    We can come back to the book. 

Q    We can come back.  There’s plenty of questions, if you’d like to answer that as well.  But —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.

Q    — particularly about Trump’s conversation, I think that’s more pertinent to today’s call.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, say more about the Trump conversation.

Q    So, Trump spoke with Netanyahu last week. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, I see what you’re saying.  Okay.

Q    And —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  Yeah, okay.  (Laughs.)

Q    And were you guys aware what that — and are you —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I — I don’t — I don’t — that’s something for, obviously, the Trump — the Trump team to speak to.  I can’t speak to that, about their conversation.  I just don’t have anything to add about that.

Q    Well, I guess what’s more relevant —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — are we having, like, two — two different — a former administration and a current administration doing foreign policy at the same time?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I mean, look, as you know, there’s one — one president as a — at a time.  That has been the way that we’ve done this — right? — in this country.  And so, that is what exists. 

The president — the current president — the President Biden had a conversation with the prime minister.  They’ve had m- — as I mentioned, more than — more than a dozen conversations since the past — the past year, since October 7th of 2023.  And I think what you have seen from this administration is the continued support for Israel’s security. 

You saw that over the past c- — past couple of days, obviously, since the — past couple of weeks.  When Iran attacked Israel, the president directed his military to protect Israel.  He was very proud to be able to do that.  And that support continues. 

They had a — as I said, a direct, a productive conversation, as they’ve had for many times.  This is — when you think about the president and the — and the prime minister, they’ve known each other for decades — for decades.  And so, that’s what I can speak to. 

I’m not going to get into the former president and his conversation with world leaders.

Q    And if I can just ask one about the book.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    Russia said today that the COVID testing material that was given to Putin by Trump was nothing abnormal.  Back then, there was a lot of trading going on of material.  Is that true?

And then, if it is true —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — why was the president going after Trump yesterday at the Casey fundraiser over giving Putin this material?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, that was a — a political event, so I’m going to let the president —

Q    Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — speak to whatever he — what he said at that event.  I’m not going to say be- — go beyond that. 

What I will say is, when it — as it relates to what happened in the last administration, how then the president behaved and — and what he was able to — you know, to do, whatever is being reported, I’m going to leave it to the 2020 — that time in 2020 to that administration. 

Look, what I can say and we can say very proudly and — and forcefully, I believe, is how this president responded to a once-in-a-century pandemic.  He put forth a comprehensive strategy to move forward, to get shots in arms, money in pockets, at a time where the economy was at a tailspin.  And this is a president that took that very, very seriously, along with a critical partnership that he had with the vice president, and that’s why we’ve seen the economy turn around.  That’s why we all sitting here today without masks on, because the president actually took this seriously and made sure that we were able to get out of the pandemic.  That’s what I’m going to speak to. 

The president said what he — he wanted to say yesterday, and I’ll leave it as that.

Q    But that — I guess, are you — is it just adding some misinformation then?  Because that — what the president — the last president at that time was doing what it sounds like he thought was the right thing.  Everybody needed material at that time. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m going to let the former president speak for himself and how he behaved and the actions that he’s took.  That is for him to speak to.  What I can speak to is what the president has done over the last three and a half years. 

And look, when we came into this administration, we did not have a comprehensive strategy to deal with COVID.  That did not happen. 

I mean, you had a former president who was telling people to inject bleach — to inject bleach.  And you have this president and this vice president who took it very seriously and put forth a comprehensive strategy to deal with a once-in-a-century pandemic.  And the economy is now — just looking at the data, the economy has turned around.  We are leading with the economy worldly, globally.  And, you know, we are in a different place.  We are in a different place.  And that is because of the leadership of this president. 

We all saw — you all — some of you were in this room — when the former president would come to the podium to talk about the — the pandemic and the lies that was spewing and what was happening.  And this president took it seriously.  That’s what I can say. 

Go ahead, Gabe.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Regarding the Woodward book and Prime Minister Netanyahu, you said that — and you have referenced the dozen calls the president has had —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  More — more than a dozen calls.

Q    — with the prime minister since the start of the w- –

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    As it was brought up last time, he hadn’t had one before this — before October — excuse me, before August 21st. 

In the book, Woodward reports that the president used an expletive when referring to Netanyahu and calling him a bad guy and other disparaging remarks.  What’s the White House response to that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I’ll say first that, look, there’s going to be many books that are written about this administration and many administrations.  It’s — it’s a typical thing to — to occur.  Nothing atypical about that. 

I’m not going to weigh in on particulars in each one of those books.  What I can say to that question that you asked me: I cannot confirm.  That is not something that I can confirm from here. 

Q    But does — does it speak of the relationship of President Biden and Netanyahu?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — and this is what I’ve said moments ago, Gabe, which is this president and the prime minister have known each other for decades, and their conversations, their — their relationship have always been honest and direct.  And this 30-minute conversation that they had today was also direct and very productive. 

And, you know, you — you have heard the president say he doesn’t agree with everything and they have disagreements, but because they have had these decade- — decades-long

relationship, they’re able to be honest with each other. 

I think what matters here is that this administration, this president’s commitment to Israel’s security is iron- — is ironclad.  And that will be — conti- — certainly be — be — continue to be the case.

Q    And quickly, on another topic, on the reporting in that book that he — that former President Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin at least seven times since leaving office, is that appropriate?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, we’re not aware of those calls.  I certainly can’t confirm any of those calls from here, but it if — but if it is indeed true, are we concerns?  Do we have serious concerns?  Yes, if it is true.  Again, I cannot confirm any of those calls. 

Let’s not forget, it is concerning, especially when we know the former president was lobbying against more aid for Ukraine — to Ukraine to defend themselves against Russia’s aggression. 

So, if true, it is concerning.  But again, I want to be really clear, I cannot confirm any of these calls. 

Q    But is it — how is it possible that the intelligence community wouldn’t know that —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I can’t —

Q    — a former president spoke with Putin?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I hear you.  I just cannot confirm those calls happened. 

Q    And the president has not been briefed on this?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I cannot confirm any of these calls were true.

Go ahead.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Given that the president canceled his foreign trip — he would have left, I think, tomorrow morning for Germany and Angola — can you give us just a sense of what the next few days will look like as he is monitoring Milton? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    Will he be here the whole time, probably?  Is it possible he will go to Delaware over the weekend?  Are you guys talking about a possible trip to Florida at some point —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — already?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, as you saw this morning, the president is going to continue to get hurricane briefings, not just on Milton and how we’re preparing and what’s happening.  Obviously, we’re all certainly very much focused — he’s going to be laser focused on that, as well as the vice president.  And so, he’ll continue to be updated, continue to get those briefings. 

I don’t have any travel to read out to you at this time, whether it is to the impacted areas or outside of that. 

What I can say is the president is going to continue to — to be laser focused on the storms and what’s happening, the pre- — the preparations, how we are still certainly responding to the immediate needs of folks who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene as well.  That is also very much in — in front of us and what we’re trying to do and get done there. 

But that’s going to be his focus.  You’ll continue to hear more from the president — I can guarantee you that — over the next couple of days. 

But what we want to share very, very clearly with Floridians out there: It is important to evacuate.  It is important to take this storm very, very seriously.  It will be catastrophic. 

You heard from the FEMA administrator.  She is headed down to Florida to — to be there with her team, to assist on the ground as we are pre-positioning and preparing for this storm. 

Q    And just back to the phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu.  Did the president at any point in this phone call — you said that it was constructive — urge the prime minister to not take certain actions as they relate to either the situation in Lebanon or potential retaliatory strikes against Iran? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I’m going to say what I said moments ago.  This was a continued discussion on the leaders’ level.  As you know, the staff level has been talking since last week.  And it is certainly to continue to speak to the response on Iran’s attack and a — and a long — a long list of other — other conversations and issues that they wanted to discuss between the two leaders. 

I don’t have anything else to — to speak to or to say.  There’s going to be a readout shortly that will have a little bit more detail of that conversation.  I’m just not going to get into specifics from here. 

Q    Would it — would it be safe to say that the president now has a clear understanding of and a clear picture of what Israel’s plans are for retaliating against Iran?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I can tell you is they had a discussion, a con- — they continued their discussion on — on a response to Iran’s attack, a discussion — last week, a discussion that certainly started at the staff level, and now the two leaders were able to have a productive, straightforward, honest conversation, as they tend to do. 

I don’t have anything beyond that. 

Go ahead, Selina.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  So, Vice President Harris was also on that call between President Biden and Netanyahu.  Can you just explain the role she played in that call?  Did she just listen in?  Did she weigh in on the issues as well?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I would refer you to her team to speak to that.

Q    And just going back to the contents of the call.  I know there’s a readout coming out soon. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    But can you just describe the tone of that call in terms of was the president continuing to push back on issues that were being presented to him from Netanyahu?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It was dir- — direct, and it was productive.  That’s what I’ll share. 

Q    And can we say at this point if Israel has made a decision on how they want to respond?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  They continue to have a discussion on Israel response to the attacked — Iran’s attack last week.  I’m not going to go into specifics or details.  There’s going to be a readout shortly. 

Go ahead.  Go ahead, Michael.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Going back to your warnings against price gouging during the hurricanes.  I’m just wondering, does the administration have any reports that that’s actually happening, or was this just intended to be a preemptory strike to keep it from happening?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, I think certainly a preemptive st- — a preemptive attempt to keep it from happening.  We’re keeping a close eye on prices at the pump, at the airport, obviously, and also these hotel counters to just make sure that it doesn’t happen. 

We tend to see this type of behavior during this time, and we want to be very, very clear: It is not okay.  It is not — there is no time to do that.  But certainly when people are evacuating, when people are fearful about — about what’s — what’s to come, especially with a historic hurricane like Hurricane Milton, we want to make sure that this is not happening. 

And that’s why the Department of Transportation is on top of it.  You have DOJ, FDC, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  And so, they’re going to certainly take actions here and — to protect consumers.  And that is what we want to make sure that we’re doing.  We’re protecting consumers.  We’re protecting Americans.  And so, that’s our focus. 

Go ahead.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Going back to the reporting in the — the Woodward book.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    If former President Trump has been speaking to President Putin — he’s also had calls and meetings with other foreign leaders, both since he left office and since he announced his latest campaign for the presidency — is the administration at all concerned that he appears to be running a — a shadow foreign policy while campaigning for president against —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — the incumbent administration?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And so, look, I’m going to give you the same answer that I give to Aamer here, which is, as we know, it’s one president at a — at a time.  That is how we do our business here in this country, as you know very — very clearly. 

Look — and I said, if there was a — we cannot confirm this — if there was a call with President Putin, if that is indoo- — indeed true, yeah, there are concerns, especially when you had the former president lobbying against Ukraine aid.  Yeah. 

But I cannot confirm that.  I cannot confirm those calls.

Q    What about hi- — his meetings with foreign leaders such as Viktor Orbán, who has opposed aid to Ukraine as well?  Is — is —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I’m going to let the for- — the former president speak to his calls with world leaders.  I’m not going to dive into that. 

But what I will say is that this president is focused at — at what’s at hand, right?  He had a conversation with the prime minister — 30 minutes, as I stated, half an hour.  It was direct.  It was very much honest.  It was to show that, you know, we’re going to continue to have those discussions with Israel on how they’re going to respond after Iran’s attack last week.  You saw what this administration, what this president directed his military to do.  And our commitment to Israel’s security continues to be ironclad. 

That is what I can speak to, and that is what we’re focused on. 

Q    One — one more —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And as you know, we have a hurricane, Milton, that’s coming, and you heard from the president.  So, he has a lot to focus on —

Q    Right.  And one —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — and that —

Q    One —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — and as a — as his le- — as a leader, that’s what he’s going to do. 

Q    One more on the same topic.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sure. 

Q    Traditionally, when — when former presidents do interface with — with foreign leaders, there — there is a process by which they can liaise with the incumbent administration to be possibly briefed on any — any policy concerns and — and possibly provide a readout of those conversations afterwards. 

Has President — has former President Trump availed himself of — of any resources that might be available to him?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have anything to speak to on that particular question.  But I — I understand your question.  I just don’t have anything for you at this time. 

Go ahead, Aurelia.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  One more try on the Bibi call.  Sorry. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sure.

Q    Do — did the president, during this conversation, address the latest comments Prime Minister Netanyahu made, saying that Lebanon could experience the same level of destruction as Gaza if they don’t free themselves from Hezbollah?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, as I stated, they had a productive and honest conversation.  But what I will say very clearly about that particular question is we — we cannot and will not see Lebanon turn into Gaza — into another Gaza.  That is not what we want to see. 

The suffering in both Gaza and Lebanon adds even greater urgency, as you’ve heard from us, to our efforts certainly to end the conflicts and lay a foundation for lasting peace and security in the region. 

For over a year — you think about what has occurred for over a year.  You’ve seen Hezbollah has attacked Israel and rejected all off-ramps to this conflict.  That’s what you have seen. 

The suffering we are seeing in Lebanon could have been avoided — could have been avoided, if — if Hezbollah would have stopped its rockets’ attacks on Israel. 

So, look, I’m going to just reiterate what our position is when it comes to Lebanon.  We are working our way back towards a ceasefire process, and that’s going to create a space to negotiate a diplomatic resolution that only ends the fighting — that’s what we’re going to continue to do — and allow civilians from both sides of the Blue Line to return — to return home.  And we want to see that be done safely and certainly with security as well. 

And so, that’s what our focus is going to be on.

Go ahead, in the middle.

Q    Wh- —

Q    Thank you, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, no —

Q    I’ve got a — I’ve got a FEMA —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I keep trying to call her, and it’s a —  let me let her go.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  So, more on the — on the Middle East.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    At this point, does the White House understand that Israel is planning to attack energy facilities in Iran?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, we’ve spoken to that.  And, look, I’m not going to get into hypotheticals.  I’m not going to get that — get into that from here.  That has been asked of the president; that has been asked of us last week.

What I can say is that we’ve had discussions.  We’re continuing discussions with Israel on their response to Is- — to Iran’s attack last week.  I’m not going to dive into it.  I’m not going to get into it from here.

And so, you saw that happening on the staff level.  And now what you saw today was that happening on the leaders level. 

I’m not going to get into hypotheticals or speculations from here.

Q    And how would you describe right now the relationship between the president and Netanyahu?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, they’ve known each other for decades.  They’ve known each other for decades.  And because of that, they’re able to have that frank conversation.  Because of that, the president is able to be honest, and they’re both able to be honest to each other. 

And I think what — what I can report to you, and I’ve said this multiple times already: The conversation that they had today was productive and it was direct, very much in line with many other conversations that they have had, not just in the past year but over decades. 

And I think you’ve heard the president speak directly about his relationship with the prime minister.

And so, they’ve known each other for a long time.  They have had a decades-long friendship.  And I think — I think that’s — that says — that says it all for me. 

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  Staying on the Middle East.  You said that the administration will continue evacuating U.S. citizens from Lebanon as long as the airport is open.  Do you have any guarantee that Israel is not bombing the airport?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Say that one more time, the last part.  I didn’t hear that.

Q    Do you have — does the White House have any guarantee that Israel will not bomb Beirut airport?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, we’re going to have very direct conversations with the government of Israel about the shape and the nature — as we speak about Lebanon, specifically, right? — and the ultimate scope of their campaign.  And those conversations are going to continue.

And I’m not going to get into specific conversations that we’re having, but it will be — it will continue to be very direct.  And — and that’s what you’ve seen over the past year, and that’s what’s going to continue.

Q    You also said that you are working towards a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — as this outcome to the crisis.  So, wh- — how exactly will this materialize, considering Israel has rejected a ceasefire, a diplomatic solution, and Hezbollah leaders are being killed one after the other?  So, who are you talking to when you talk about ceasefire?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, we want to see — as the president has said, we want to reach a ceasefire deal — that’s what we want to see — and, again, to provide space for that diplomatic resolution, those diplomatic conversations.  And we want to see civilians on both sides to return back home and — on both sides of the border, obviously.

And so, those discussions continue.  We have been very clear that those conversation have been continuing for some time now.  And ultimately — ultimately, we need a diplomatic resolution.  We understand that.  We have to have a diplomatic resolution, and that’s the only way to achieve that long-lasting stability — right? — when you think about security across the Israel — Israel and Lebanon border.

And so, that’s what we want to see.  It doesn’t stop us from having those conversations, to having those discussions.

Today, you heard from me, you heard from — from us, that the two leaders spoke about an array of issues.  They continued that discussion about how they’re — how Israel is going to respond to Iran’s attack from last week, and a bunch of other things that are incredibly important to both leaders. 

We’ll have a readout shortly that will share a little bit more.

Q    And one last question.  In two weeks, there is already eight hospitals in Lebanon that are out of service.  There is thousands of being — people being killed.  There is 1 million forced to flee their homes. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    And the Israelis has calling for more troops.  So, how can this not be a scenario in Gaza that we have seen it unfolding? 

And second, is — isn’t that a mission creep?  How do you agree with the Israelis on the outcome of the war if Netanyahu said, “We’re going to continue regardless of what the White House, more or less, is saying as long as we are not achieving our — our aims in Lebanon”?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look — look, I’m going to say what I said moments ago.  We do not want to see Gaza — what happened in Gaza happen in Lebanon.  That’s what I said, and that is something that we do not want to see. 

And as we’ve said, Israel does have the right to defend itself and, you know, to go after their — their security threats that they see. 

But one civilian casualty is too many, and we’ve been very clear about that.  They must take — Israel must take every feasible precaution to prevent civilian harm.  And those are the conversation, discussions that we’re going to continue to have. 

And, look, you heard from us.  We announced some huma- — humanitarian assistance for Lebanon for the challenges that they’re dealing with — $157 million — we announced that last week — to deal with those — to those humanitarian challenges. 

And so, we’re aware of what’s going on, and we’ve been very clear.  We’ve been very clear on this.

Go ahead, Jared.

Q    Just two kind of clarifying questions — at least clarifying for me; they may be clear for others.  But have you — in the talks that the president has had with the Israeli prime minister, sort of beyond just kind of the details or the readout, is there now an expectation that Israel would inform the administration in advance of action it’s planning to take against Iran?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I can tell you: that the discussions continue on how Israel’s going to respond to that attack, to the attack from Iran last week.  Those discussions continue.  I’m not going to get into details from here or specifics.

Q    And then just quickly on — on the — Lebanon.  You talked about kind of the efforts being made to help Americans get out. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, Americans who are in Lebanon.

Q    So far, are those all — are those all commercial flights at this point?  Or are you talking about, like, some military charters or diplomatic charters as well?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  So, what I spoke to was commercial flights and what we’re trying to do: get some seats on — certainly on these flights.  I would refer you to the State Department.  They did a very well — a very good laydown of this as well, and they’re certainly helping to lead that effort.  So, I would refer you to the State Department on any specifics. 

Go ahead, Phil.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  You’re pretty consistent: You don’t often speculate about hypotheticals.  But today, on more than one occasion, you’ve said that if it’s true that former President Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin, then that’s concerning. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    I’m — I’m wondering: Why is this administration willing to speculate about that in particular?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I said if it’s true —

Q    Speculation.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It’s speculation, but if it’s true — because I knew — right? — we all knew that you all will have — will have questions about — for us about the national security concerns, about our thoughts about this. 

And so, if it is indeed true — right? — we’re talking about President Putin here.  We see what’s happening in Ukraine.  Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.  That’s about democracy.  That’s about Ukrainians fighting for their freedom. 

And we’ve heard the former president say and lobby against the — the funding for Ukraine. 

So, yeah, if it is true, it is indeed concerning, because we’re talking about our national security here.  So, we wanted to be ver- — I want it to be very, very clear.  And so, I’ll leave it there.

Q    And then a second question.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sure.

Q    Does President Biden regret making Merrick Garland his attorney general, as Mr. Woodward has reported? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, the reason I’m able to speculate — because that’s a national security concern.  I wanted to be very clear about that.  But as I’ve stated many times before, there’s going to be many books written about an administration.  It’s not — it’s very much typical.  And I’m just not going to comment on every specific — every — every matter that comes up or any particulars that come up.

Q    And then a national security question.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah. 

Q    Mr. Woodward also reports that, according to intelligence reports, White House officials here believed that there was as much of a 50 percent chance that Russia would use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine.  I mean, is — is — that 50 percent odds number, is that accurate?  And if so —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — would this administration, you know, let the American public know that that kind of risk is real? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Again, I’m not going to speak to everything that is in a book, every particular.  There’s going to be many books written, and we understand that.  It’s not atypical.  But I won’t respond to every piece in the book. 

All right, guys.  Got to go.  Thank you so much.  We’ll see you tomorrow. 

2:52 P.M. EDT

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