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Roosevelt Room

5:34 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good evening. 

Within a few hours, Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Flor- — the western coast of Florida.  Already, we’re seeing impacts from the storm, including significant winds and heavy rain.  And there has also been frequent and widespread tornado warnings throughout the day, and they’re continuing and expected to expand as Milton moves over land, including a few that have already touched down in souther- — in South Florida. 

Currently, Milton is a Category 3, with wind speeds up to 120 miles per hour.  But no one should be confused: It’s still expected to be one of the most and worst destructive hurricanes to hit Florida in over a century. 

You know, both the heads of the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service made it very clear in conversations I’ve had with them earlier today: Milton still carries incredible destructiveness.  It can wipe out communities.  It can cause loss of life.  Storm surge is still expected to be up to 13 feet. 

So, I urge everyone in Hurricane Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow all the safety instructions they give.  At this point, evacuation is probably difficult, so I encourage people to look for safer shelter.  Sometimes moving just a — a few miles can mean the difference between life and death. 

We’ve already approved emergency declarations for Florida.  We have thousands of federal personnel on the ground.  And we have staged and are ready to go — we have 20 million meals, 40 million liters of water. 

At my direction, the secretary of Defense, Austin, has pre-positioned search and rescue teams, helicopters, and highs-water veh- — high- — high-water speed vehicles as close to the storm as possible so they’re ready to conduct lifesaving missions. 

And the administrators of — the administrator of FEMA will be on site tonight in Florida and the state’s emerge- — in the state’s emergency operations center.  Both Administrator Criswell and I will be in constant contact with state and local officials in the hours ahead. 

Once the storm hits, we’re going to work with state officials to clear debris, restore power, and it — do it as fast as possible.  The Army Corps of Engineers will pump out water and decrease flooding. 

We’ve already directed the Department of Defense to be ready to provide active-duty service members to support Florida after the storm — after the storm surge if Governor DeSantis requests the help, which I expect he might, just like we did in North Carolina. 

I have surged over 1,000 U.S. Coast Guard personnel to perform search and rescue missions and reopen the Port of Tampa as soon as possible. 

Now, I want to reiterate a point.  I made clear earlier today to the folks who have been impacted by Helene, this impact — and will be now impacted by Milton: Over the last few weeks, there has been reckless and irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies about what’s going on.  It’s undermining confidence in the people in Florida and the incredible rescue and recovery work that has been undertaken. 

Literally, there are — there are thousands of fellow Americans who are putting their lives at stake and putting it on the line to do the dangerous work that needs to be done now.  And it’s harmful to those who most need the help. 

Quite frankly, these lies are un-American.  And there is simply no place for them — not now, not ever. 

Former President Trump has led this onslaught of lies. 

Assertions have been made that property is being confiscated.  That’s simply not true.  They’re saying people impacted by these storms will receive $750 in cash and no more.  That is simply not true, either.  And they’re saying that money needed for these crises are being diverted to migrants.  What the hell — heck are they talking about?  Stop it.  It’s outrageous.  It’s just not true. 

Now the claims are getting even more bizarre.  Marjorie Taylor Greene, the congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather — we’re controlling the weather.  It’s beyond ridiculous.  It’s so stupid.  It’s got to stop. 

Let me close with this.  As difficult as these days and weeks have been, we’ve seen incredible courage by so many of our fellow Americans. 

I want to thank all the first responders for running toward danger instead of away from it, for saving lives and making a difference: FEMA personnel risking their lives, climbing on hillsides to reach people who — cut off by Helena [Helene]; Army National Guard flying through gale wind force that — it’s amazing what they’re doing; firefighting lifting collapsed wood and metal in attempt to get — see if there are survivors — any survivors under the debris, risking their lives; Coast Guard teams repelling from helicopters to rescue people and risking their own lives. 

And there are countless friends and neighbors who have sacrificed for the greater good: volunteers leaving their own families behind to help search for someone else’s family, fellow Americans looking out for one another. 

That’s America at its very best.  That’s who we are.

So, my final message tonight is to the people of Florida and all the impacted states: We’ve got your back.  We’ve got your back.  And Kamala and I will be there for as long as it takes to rescue, recover, and rebuild. 

May God bless you all.  And may God protect those serving in the eye of this storm on behalf of our nation. 

Thank you.

Q    Why do you think —

Q    Mr. President —

Q    — Trump is spreading misinformation?

Q    — the Kremlin has confirmed that —

Q    Why do you think Trump is —

Q    — former President Trump has sent testing kits — 

Q    — is spreading misinformation?

Q    — to — to President Putin during the height of the pandemic.  Do you have a comment, sir?

Q    Why do you think Trump is —

THE PRESIDENT:  Speaking of un-American.

Q    Why do you think Trump is spreading misinformation?

THE PRESIDENT:  I don’t know.  I — I simply don’t know.  You can speculate, but it — I — I just find it — I mean, I — and I’ve use the wor- — phrase more than I’ve used it ever in my whole career: un-American.  It’s un-American.  It’s not who the hell we are.  What are they talking about?

Q    Sir, have you considered calling him and asking him to stop doing that — to stop spreading this?

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, come on.

Q    Mr. President, does Governor DeSantis need to take Vice President Harris’ calls?

THE PRESIDENT:  All I can tell you is I’m talking to Governor DeSantis.  He’s been very gracious.  He’s thanked me for all we’ve done.  He knows what we’re doing.  And — and I think that’s important. 

Q    Can you say that Florida has everything it needs for this storm?

Q    How was your call with Netanyahu today?

THE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  We didn’t talk about the storm.

5:41 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden on Hurricane Milton appeared first on The White House.

The Biden-Harris Administration continues to both make urgent and life-saving preparations for Hurricane Milton and carry out response and recovery efforts for communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris received a briefing from members of their Administration about updates on the latest forecast for Hurricane Milton, expected impacts for the State of Florida, and the robust pre-landfall preparations underway. They also received an update on the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast and Appalachia. President Biden will address the Nation tonight regarding Hurricane Milton.

President Biden has spoken to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector, and Pinellas County Chairwoman Kathleen Peters to get firsthand reports on recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene and to discuss preparations for Hurricane Milton. The President told each of the officials to call him directly if they need additional assistance on response and recovery efforts.

More than 8,000 Federal personnel are on the ground across the Southeast, including in Florida, to continue Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and respond to the impacts of Hurricane Milton.

At the direction of President Biden, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will travel to Florida tonight to join the personnel on the ground and ensure every Floridian gets the help they need when this storm passes.

Additional updates on our efforts for Hurricanes Milton and Helene include:

Hurricane Milton Pre-Landfall Preparations

Pre-Landfall Outreach and Emergency Declarations

President Biden granted pre-landfall emergency declarations for the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida for Hurricane Milton, enabling FEMA to provide direct assistance to the state, local and Tribal response, preposition supplies and response assets and mobilize hundreds of personnel in the state, many of whom were already in place supporting the Hurricane Helene response.

The White House has been in contact with more than 60 Florida officials from all 51 counties that fall under the pre-landfall Emergency Declaration approved by President Biden. We remain in close communication with officials in the 16 cities and counties that will likely be in the direct path of the storm.

Surging Resources and Personnel to Florida

FEMA has over 1,000 responders on the ground in Florida supporting Hurricane Milton preparations and recovery efforts from previous disasters. There are over 1,400 search and rescue personnel pre-staged to support Hurricane Milton response efforts.

The U.S. Coast Guard has 1,300 personnel stationed in Florida ready to immediately assist with life-saving and life sustaining search and rescue operations throughout the State. The Coast Guard also has personnel ready who will work directly with the U.S. Army Corps of engineers to assess and open the critical lifeline of the Port of Tampa as quickly as possible to ensure necessary supplies and fuel can start to flow into the impacted areas again.

The State of Florida has activated over 6,000 members of the National Guard and expects to bring on an additional 3,000 National Guard members from Florida and other States to support State response activities.

The Federal government has pre-positioned resources to support local and state response efforts ahead of Hurricane Milton. FEMA pre-staged seven FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams, eight federal Urban Search & Rescue and swift water rescue teams, three U.S. Coast Guard Swift Water Rescue teams, 10 HealthCare System Assessment Teams, two U.S Army Corps of Engineers temporary power teams, debris experts, Environmental Protection Agency wastewater experts, over 500 ambulances, 20 helicopters prepared to support media requirements following landfall, and 60 High Water Vehicles with ladders from the Department of Defense.

Additionally, FEMA has five incident staging bases with commodities including food and water. Right now, FEMA has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to deploy to address ongoing Helene and Milton response efforts with capacity to expand as needed.

The Department of Defense is ready to support air search-and-rescue efforts, support urban search-and-rescue teams, provide helicopters to move personnel and equipment, and provide high water vehicles. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is staged across the area of impact and is prepared to support debris management, assessments of infrastructure and water/wastewater facilities, temporary power installations, and flood/water mitigation efforts.

Additional Efforts to Support Pre-Landfall Preparations and Protect Communities

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is leveraging state-of-the-art technology to keep communities safe throughout the southeast. NOAA’s fleet of “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft gather vital data to help improve track and intensity forecasts, supporting the 24-7 work of the National Weather Service (NWS). NWS provides the real-time, accurate information that assists local meteorologists and emergency operations leaders protect their communities and combat weather misinformation. Additionally, data from reconnaissance planes and drones used to survey damage following Hurricane Helene’s landfall will help us better prepare for post-Milton recovery operations.

The Department of Energy’s Energy Response Organization remains activated to respond to storm impacts. Via the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council and Oil and Natural Gas Sub-Sector Coordinating Council, the Department has been coordinating continuously with energy sector partners on both the ongoing Hurricane Helene response and potential impacts from Hurricane Milton.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has notified local public housing authorities and owners of its assisted multifamily and heath care properties within the State of Florida to immediately implement all appropriate safety protocols for residents and workers. HUD is committed to ensuring that residents of its assisted homes and properties receive critical information that can save lives during extreme weather events. HUD is also conducting outreach and communications on the programmatic flexibilities and waivers that can be utilized to assist communities and survivors. Additionally, HUD is working with communities, shelter operators and homelessness services providers to prepare and support them—in collaboration with FEMA and disaster assistance organizations such as the Red Cross—as they provide life-saving assistance before and after the storm.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is assessing potential critical supply chain disruptions following Hurricane Helene’s impact on the IV solution supply chain. ASPR is coordinating with B Braun, an IV solution manufacturer with a facility in Daytona Beach, Florida, to move their product out of the path of the storm and facilitate other activities that will mitigate potential impacts on future distribution. ASPR and HHS partners are committed to continue working with public and private partners to support the supply chain as facilities address return to full operational capacity. ASPR is encouraging manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors to evaluate product allocation and healthcare providers to implement product conservation strategies to maximize available supply. ASPR is in communication with stakeholders to reduce disruption and facilitate product allocation.

Protecting Impacts to Power and Travel Infrastructure

The Department of Transportation is deploying a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Field Incident Response team to Florida and pre-staging operations in Jacksonville to support any impacted towers and airports. The team will work with the State and local authorities and the Department of Defense within the established Emergency Operations Center. The Department of Transportation is also deploying the FAA Communication Support Team (CST), which plays a critical role in restoring communications at impacted air traffic management facilities. Specifically, the CST will set up Starlink and Mobile Phone Bonding kits, which increase signal stability and data throughout the region. The FAA Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations Team is on-site and leading the restoration efforts for communications at air traffic facilities. The FAA is placing aircraft on standby to transport personnel from various agencies, mobilize resources, and support damage assessments to infrastructure.

The FAA granted permission to the utility Florida Power & Light to use large Teros drones to assist with damage assessments and power restoration after Milton passes. These 1,800-pound drones can fly in harsh conditions and operate in winds up to 70 mph before crewed aircraft are able to fly.

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration is coordinating with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and is prepared to rapidly process Emergency Relief (ER) funding requests from FDOT. The ER program helps pay for long-term, permanent repairs, and other immediate emergency repairs, such as protecting remaining facilities and restoring essential traffic. It reimburses State, local, federal, Tribal, and territorial governments for eligible expenses associated with damage from natural disasters or other emergency situations based on their requests.

Hurricane Helene Response and Recovery

The Department of Defense continues to support search-and-rescue operations, route clearance, and commodities distribution across western North Carolina with 1,500 active-duty troops. The Department of Defense is also employing additional capabilities to assist with increasing situational awareness across the remote terrain of Western North Carolina. The Army Corps of Engineers continues missions supporting temporary emergency power installations, infrastructure assessments, and debris management oversight.

Mobilizing Financial Assistance and Surging Additional Personnel and Resources

Over $344 million in assistance has been provided to Hurricane Helene survivors. President Biden approved a 100 percent Federal cost-share for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee to assist in those States’ response efforts. In North Carolina alone, FEMA has approved over $60 million in aid for more than 51,000 households.

FEMA personnel and other Federal partners, including FEMA’s Surge Capacity Force, remain on the ground supporting impacted communities, with over 17.2 million meals and 13.9 million liters of water delivered and ensuring information is accessible, including resources in preferred languages and ASL.

Over the course of the last two weeks, 1,000 Urban Search and Rescue personnel have assisted over 3,200 survivors. FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are on the ground in neighborhoods in all Helene-affected States helping survivors apply for assistance and connecting them with additional State, local, Federal and voluntary agency resources.

Supporting Infrastructure Recovery

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced over $130 million in Quick Release Emergency Relief funding to support North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The funding represents a down payment to address the immediate needs to restore vital transportation systems in these states. Additional funding will flow to affected communities from the Emergency Relief program.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) worked with partners to ensure the national airspace returned to steady state operations and all airports across impacted states reopened. The FAA’s Security and Hazardous Materials Safety Communication Support Team was deployed to restore communications to impacted airports, including delivering satellite communications kits to the Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina and ongoing work at Valdosta Regional Airport in Georgia. The FAA Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations Team is on-site and leading communications restoration efforts at air traffic facilities. FAA also supported FEMA with two aircrafts to conduct flyover assessments and transport emergency personnel and gear, such as satellite communications kits.

Additionally, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued Regional Emergency Declarations for Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. This Declaration affords emergency regulatory relief from Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations, including maximum driving time for property- and passenger-carrying vehicles from the date of declaration. This allows truck drivers to get essential supplies to affected areas. The FMCSA Regional Declaration eliminates the need for each individual state to request a 14-day extension and allows FMCSA the ability to manage one declaration that includes all eight states and does not expire until October 27.

NOAA continues to support post-disaster imagery flights following Hurricane Helene, already totaling over 68 flight hours during 20 flights, including over western North Carolina. NOAA is currently repositioning to support Florida and the impacts of Hurricane Milton. NOAA’s aerial imagery captures damage to coastal areas caused by a storm and aids safe navigation. Aerial imagery is a crucial tool to determine the extent of the damage from flooding, and to compare baseline coastal areas to assess the damage to major ports and waterways, coastlines, critical infrastructure, and coastal communities. This imagery not only supports FEMA and the broader response community, but the public at large.

Supporting Students and Student Loan Borrowers

The U.S. Department of Education is lifting up a series of resources for students, families, and borrowers impacted by these hurricanes. These resources include guidance, in person support, technical assistance, and peer-to-peer connections for state and local leaders; resources for recovery needs such as mental health support for students and educators; flexibilities to help institutions of higher education continue to manage the Federal financial aid programs; and automatically enrolling affected borrowers with missed payments into a natural disaster forbearance. Thanks to regulations issued by the Biden-Harris Administration, this forbearance will count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment forgiveness.

Providing Financial Flexibilities to Homeowners and Taxpayers

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as well as foreclosures of mortgages to Native American borrowers guaranteed under the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee program. The moratorium and extension are effective as of the President’s disaster declaration date in each state. When homes are destroyed or damaged to an extent that reconstruction or complete replacement is necessary, HUD’s Section 203(h) program provides FHA insurance to disaster victims. Borrowers from participating FHA approved lenders are eligible for 100 percent financing including closing costs. HUD’s Section 203(k) loan program enables individuals to finance the purchase or refinance of a house, along with its repair, through a single mortgage. Homeowners can also finance the rehabilitation of their existing homes if damaged. FHA is coordinating and collaborating with the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Agriculture to ensure consistent messaging and policies for single family loans regarding foreclosure moratoriums and repayment/arrearage agreements. Additionally, affected homeowners that have mortgages through Government-Sponsored Enterprises – including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – and the FHA are eligible to suspend their mortgage payments through a forbearance plan for up to 12 months.

The Internal Revenue Service announced disaster tax relief for all individuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Helene, including the entire states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina and parts of Florida, Tennessee and Virginia. Taxpayers in these areas now have until May 1, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service is providing more than 1,000 employees to help with FEMA disaster relief call lines and intake initial information to help disaster victims get federal relief. IRS Criminal Investigation agents are also on the ground in devastated areas to help with search and rescue efforts and other relief work – including assisting with door-to-door search efforts.

Protecting Public Health

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services activated the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program for North Carolina to aid uninsured residents in replacing prescription medicines or certain medical equipment lost or damaged in Hurricane Helene.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with state and local officials to restore drinking water service in North Carolina and across the Southeast as well as provide assistance in debris and hazardous waste clean-up efforts.

Supporting Workers and Worker Safety

The U.S. Department of Labor announced initial emergency grant funding to Florida to support disaster-relief jobs and training services to help respond to Hurricane Helene. Additional grant funding for North Carolina is forthcoming. The National Dislocated Worker Grant – supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 – allows the Florida Department of Commerce to provide people with temporary disaster-relief jobs and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to address immediate, basic needs for those displaced by Hurricane Helene. The funding also enables the state to provide training and services to individuals in the affected communities.

Working alongside the Department of Labor, the States of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee have all announced that eligible workers can receive federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance to compensate for income lost directly resulting from Hurricane Helene. And, through the Department of Labor’s innovative partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, displaced workers from North Carolina and South Carolina can now go to the post office in any other state and verify their ID for purposes of getting their benefits quickly.

The Department of Labor is also working alongside on-the-ground personnel providing disaster relief, recovery, and rebuilding to prevent additional workplace disasters. This includes producing a worker safety training resource for resilience workers in Florida who are continuing to clear debris, rebuild infrastructure, and prepare for Hurricane Milton. This also includes activating the Wage and Hours Division Natural Disaster outreach, education and strategic enforcement program to provide employers and workers with the information they need to ensure everyone is paid correctly under the law.

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The post FACT SHEET: Hurricane Helene Recovery Continues as Biden-Harris Administration Prepares for Hurricane Milton appeared first on The White House.

President Biden spoke this morning with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel.  Vice President Harris joined the call.  The President affirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.  He condemned unequivocally Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st.  On Lebanon, the President emphasized the need for a diplomatic arrangement to safely return both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line.  The President affirmed Israel’s right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of missiles and rockets into Israel over the past year alone, while emphasizing the need to minimize harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut.  On Gaza, the leaders discussed the urgent need to renew diplomacy to release the hostages held by Hamas.  The President also discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the imperative to restore access to the north, including by reinvigorating the corridor from Jordan immediately.  They agreed to remain in close contact over the coming days both directly and through their national security teams. 

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The post Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel appeared first on The White House.

South Court Auditorium
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

12:42 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  In less than 14 hours, Hurricane Milton will make landfall on the Western Coast of Florida.  Winds will be fierce, at well over 100 miles per hour, with storm surges reaching up to 15 feet and up to 18 inches of rain.  It’s looking like the storm of the century.

I’m here with leaders in my administration who are on the front lines preparing for this storm and will brief me in our latest efforts to save lives and livelihoods. 

I want to emphasize a few things. 

First, many communities in Hurricane Milton’s path do not have a moment to catch their breath between Helene and Milton — two historic stor- — storms in two weeks.  I want to thank everyone who has followed local guidance to evacuate ahead of landfall.  I know it’s really tough leaving behind your home, your belongings, everything you own. 

But I urge everyone in Hurricane Milton’s path to follow all safety instructions as we head into the next 24 hours.  It’s a matter of — literally a matter of life and death. 

Second, for the last week, my team has done everything possible to prepare for this storm.  I immediately approved emergency declarations in Florida and the Seminole Tribe in Florida.  I also surged search and rescue teams, water, food, power generators, ambulances to the region. 

At my direction, Administrator Criswell will be in the State Emergency Operation Center in Florida tonight.  And Kamala and I are going to keep pressure on the companies so prices stay stable on gasoline, flights, and goods people need.

Finally, we’re teaming up with state and local officials to support impacted communities.

I have spoken with the Florida governor, DeSantis; with Mayor of Tampor- — Castor — mayor — the Tampa mayor; the Clearwater mayor, Rector; and the — and the Pinellas County Chairwoman Peters.  I offered them everything we need — everything we have, everything they need.  And I made it clear to them they should reach out if there is anything more they need.  I gave them my personal phone number here at the White House to contact me directly if that’s necessary.

Let me close with this.

I want to thank the governors of all the affected areas over the last couple weeks: Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia.

You know, we’ve been in constant contact.  And they’ve been thankful and appreciative of the help the federal government is providing.  And I’m appreciative of all they’re doing as well.  I’ve told them to contact me with anything else they need.

We have made available an unprecedented number of assets to deal with this crisis, and we’re going to continue to do so until the job is done.

But now I want to be clear about something.  Over the last few weeks, there has been a reckless, irresponsible, and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people.  It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken, and it’s harmful to those who need help the most.

There is simply no place for this to happen.

Former President Trump has led this onslaught of lies.  Assertions have been made that property is being confiscated.  That’s simply not true.

They’re saying people impacted by these storms will receive $750 in cash and no more.  That’s simply not true. 

They’re saying in — the money is needed to — for the — in the — for this crisis is being diverted to migrants.  What a ridiculous thing to say.  It’s not true.

Now the claims are getting even more bizarre.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather — we’re controlling the weather.  It’s beyond ridiculous.  It’s got to stop.

In moments like this, there are no red or blue states.  There’s one United States of America, where neighbors are helping neighbors; volunteers and first responders are risking everything, including their own lives, to help their fellow Americans; state, local, and federal officials are standing side by side.

Let me repeat: No one should make the American people question whether their government will be make — to ensure that this disaster, when it strikes, they’re be there.  We will, all of us.

Now I’m going to turn it over to Vice President Harris, if that’s okay with all of you. 

Thank you. 

Madam Vice President.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  (Via Teleconference.)  Thank you, Mr. President.  And, Liz, thank you for the work that you have been doing.

As the president said, we have working around the clock to prepare for Hurricane Milton and to ensure that people are safe, including ensuring federal, state, and local resources are being coordinated in a smart and efficient and effective way. 

We have also been in constant contact with the leaders in Florida to make sure that we are cutting any red tape that might get in the way of getting relief to folks; to make sure, also, that communities receive the resources and the support that they need as quickly as possible.

Already, we have sent more than 1,000 federal personnel to be on the ground in Florida to assist with what needs to happen in the state to prepare for this hurricane, and we will continue to scale up those efforts.

To the people of Florida and, in particular, the people of the Tampa res- — region, we urge you to take this storm seriously.  As has been said before, this is a storm that is expected to be of historic proportion. 

And many of you, I know, are tough, and you’ve ridden out these hurricanes before.  This one is going to be different.

And so, we ask you that, by every measure, understand it’s going to be more dangerous, more deadly, and more catastrophic.  So, please listen to your local officials.  They know what they’re talking about.  They know what they’re doing.

And if you are told to evacuate, please evacuate immediately.  Do not wait until it is too late. 

And in the hours and days ahead, President Biden and I and our administration will continue to do everything we can to protect the people who have been in the path of this storm.  And once the storm has passed, we will be there to help folks recover and rebuild, as we continue to do for those communities in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and across the Southeast who have been devastated by Hurricane Helene.

Finally, as the president mentioned, to any company that — or individual that might use this crisis to exploit people who are desperate for help through illegal fraud or price gouging — whether it be at the gas pump, the airport, or the hotel counter — know that we are monitoring these behaviors and the situation on the ground very closely and anyone taking advantage of consumers will be held accountable. 

The bottom line is this hurricane poses an extreme danger, and we urge everyone in Florida to take extreme caution.  And we are with you, and we will get through this together.

And with that, I will hand it over to Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you, Madam Vice President.

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, you will now receive a briefing on the latest forec- — forecast for Hurricane Milton and actions that we have taken to prepare for it and be ready to respond to it. 

You’ll hear from administrator of FEMA, Deanne Criswell; the director of the National Hurricane Center, Mike Brennan; the director of the National Weather Service, Ken Graham; Secretary of Homeland Security, Ali Mayorkas; and the commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Linda Fagan. 

We’ll begin the briefing with Administrator Criswell.  Over to you, Deanne.

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Thank you, Liz.

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, I just want to assure you we are taking this storm very seriously.  As you will hear from Dr. Brennan shortly, Milton is currently a Category 4 storm and will remain a hurricane as it crosses over Florida.

At your direction, Mr. President, I will be traveling down to Tallahassee tonight to embed at the state EOC to meet with my team as well as our state partners, and I will be there to assess the damages and the impacts immediately following the storm, working in close coordination with the state to ensure that they have everything that they need to support their priorities.

As you have always directed me to do, I am leaning forward to make sure that we are strategically placing our resources and our teams to be able to rapidly respond in Florida.

There are currently over a thousand federal personnel on the ground in Florida supporting the efforts from Hurricane Helene, as well as the previous storms that have happened over the last few years.  And I have directed, at your direction, an additional 1,200 search and rescue personnel from FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the Department of Defense to stage in Florida so they are ready to take action as soon as Milton makes landfall. 

This also includes 30 high-water vehicles, helicopters, as well as boats to be able to go in and support the counties and the states as needed. 

I’ve also moved over 500 ambulances to help assist with the response, six incident management assistance teams into — one specifically into Tampa and others throughout the region, multiple power assessment teams and dozens of medical facility assessment teams so they can go in and check on the health and medical facilities as soon as the storm passes.

And Mr. President and Madam Vice President, I have also moved millions of meals and liters of water into Florida to be able to support any of those immediate needs. 

I really appreciate, Mr. President and Madam Vice President, your continuous effort to help lift up the warnings and the guidance that you just gave about what people need to do in the path of Hurricane Milton. 

This is an extremely dangerous storm, and we need all of the residents that are in the path of the storm to listen to their local officials.  They will tell you if there’s still time to evacuate or what you need to do if you are still where you’re at.  They will give you the right information about what you need to do to protect yourself where you are at right now.

Sometimes just traveling a few miles inland can mean the difference between life and death, and nobody has to lose their life as a result of this storm. 

So, in short, Mr. President and Madam Vice President, I assure you, we are taking this storm extremely seriously.  We are focused, and we are ready to support the people of Florida.

THE PRESIDENT:  Deanne, you’re doing a hell of a job.  You always have.  I know we’ve been through a lot of this together, all three of us, including the vice president.

And I have one question right now, though.  What are you most worried about today and into tomorrow?  And what messaging can we do to help people in the hours before it makes landfall?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Mr. President, the — the biggest concern is making sure people have gotten out of harm’s way. 

Over the next 24 hours, we are going to see significant winds.  We are going to see storm surge.  We are going to see flooding from the rain.  People need to be able to take this storm seriously.  They need to move if they still have time to move out of harm’s way.  And we are prepared to support Florida with additional search and rescue assets to help save lives. 

That’s our immediate concern, Mr. President, is saving lives over the next 24 hours.

THE PRESIDENT:  Have you ever seen a storm like this one, since you’ve been in charge?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  I think this is going to be one of the biggest ones that we have seen after it makes landfall.  I mean, we — we saw a lot of impact from Hurricane Ian, but this one is different.  This one just looks different.  And I think we’re going to have a lot of impacts and people that are going to need our help, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much.

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Thank you.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Administrator Criswell —

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Yes, ma’am.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — are we concerned about any misinformation or disinformation regarding evacuations that we need to clear up at this point?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  There’s been a lot of misinformation out there, Madam Vice President.  That’s for sure.  But I have not heard anything specific to the evacuations. 

I think that the local officials, the state officials, have been very strong in getting that message out there and getting people to move out of harm’s way. 

I was in Florida on Monday.  I met with the mayor of Tampa as well as the mayor of St. Petersburg, and we saw people evacuating.  And so, they are listening to their local officials, and that was encouraging. 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That’s great.  Thank you. 

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  I think we’ll move on, then.  Thank you, Administrator Criswell.  We’ll move to Director Brennan from the National Hurricane Center.

DR. BRENNAN:  Thank you, Liz.  Mr. President, Madam Vice President, good afternoon. 

As — as Administrator Criswell mentioned, we are just hours away from seeing a potentially catastrophic hurricane landfall along the west coast of Florida, with the center of Milton expected to cross the coast late this evening or very early tomorrow morning. 

It is a powerful major hurricane and a large hurricane at that.  We are already seeing multiple life-threatening hazards playing out across Florida.  We have multiple tornado warnings in effect across portions of southern Florida.  We’re seeing winds increasing, heavy rainfall spreading across much of the state. 

And conditions are going to rapidly deteriorate over the next few hours, especially where landfall is going to occur, along the west coast.  That’s where we’re expecting that devastating storm surge of as much as 10 to 15 feet above ground level, from the — somewhere near the Tampa Bay region southward to Port Charlotte, with significant storm surge extending hundreds of miles, even farther south to the Fort Myers and Naples area. 

And that is why we have had — been supporting so many evacuation decisions to get people away from that — that devastating storm surge.  Time is running out now for people to leave along the west coast before conditions deteriorate further. 

Additionally, Milton is going to be a powerful hurricane when it makes landfall and move quickly across the state and remain at hurricane intensity as it moves across Florida tonight and as it enters the western Atlantic during the day tomorrow.  So, that is going to bring the risk of hurricane conditions to much of the central portion of the state. 

We have hurricane warnings in effect from Fort Myers up through Tampa, to Cedar Key along the west coast, all the way through the I-4 corridor, across Orlando to Daytona Beach, up to St. Augustine, including the Cape Canaveral area on the East Coast, down to Port St. Lucie.  So, a large area is at risk of seeing devastating wind impacts, widespread power outages, structural damage, and that could lead to a very unsafe environment after the storm, where we tend to see a lot of post-storm fatalities in this very dangerous environment that’s left. 

Additionally, we are expecting very heavy rainfall — 6 to 12 inches, amounts as high as 18 inches — across the heavily populated I-4 corridor from Tampa to Orlando to Daytona Beach, which could lead to widespread, catastrophic, and life-threatening flash flooding and urban flooding tonight and into Thursday in that area. 

And that’s an area where we lost about 16 people in Hurricane Ian to that same type of flooding.  So, there’s a tremendous risk to both life and property there. 

I do want to thank the administrator and FEMA and — and her — for her team’s support and our coordination on that. 

And I finally want to thank the NOAA and Air Force Reserve hurricane hunters who’ve been flying into Milton for days now, providing us just tremendously valuable direct data that has really helped inform our lifesaving forecast and warnings. 

So, thank you, Mr. President, Madam Vice President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Mike, I know you’re tired of hearing from me.  I’ve been talking to you so much lately.  But I appreciate your constant input you’ve given me and letting me know what’s going on. 

What more can you tell us about how the location of this storm is going to affect the storm surge in Florida?  I mean, because —

DR. BRENNAN:  Yeah.  I’ll —

THE PRESIDENT:  — that’s pretty consequential — right? — the surge?  I mean, that’s — is that what you’re focusing on?

DR. BRENNAN:  Yes, Mr. President.  The — just a shift of a few miles in the landfall location will make a big difference in what area sees that very worst storm surge.  So, a track of the center to the north of Tampa Bay would push the highest storm surge into Tampa Bay itself.  A track 5 or 10 or 20 miles south would push that higher storm surge, say, down to the Sarasota/Port Charlotte area. 

Even as close as we are to landfall, it’s not really possible to tell exactly where that worst surge will occur.  It’s one wobble away from shifting 10 or 20 miles.  So, that’s why we’ve, you know, conveyed that risk across such a large area to help support the evacuation of much of that west central coast of Florida.

THE PRESIDENT:  But Tampa Bay is particularly vulnerable, correct?

DR. BRENNAN:  Correct.  Yes, Mr. President.  It’s one of the most vulnerable locations along the entire west coast of Florida, because water gets funneled up into the bay.  If you were to see a worst-case scenario there, you could see storm surge as much as twice as high as they saw during Helene.  Where it got up to 7 or 8 feet in the bay, it could potentially get up above 10 feet in this — in this event.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thanks a lot, Mike.  I appreciate it.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hey, Mike.  It’s good to see you again.  And thank you for all your work. 

So, for the folks who have been living in Florida a long time and have experienced these storms many times, how are you talking with them about how this is going to be different and what and — and so, the difference between what they are used to and what this will be as a way to hopefully give them more encouragement to know that they need to get out.

DR. BRENNAN:  Yeah.  Thank you, Madam Vice President.  Yes, we’ve been en- — emphasizing the size and the intensity of the storm and the direction at which it’s approaching, which is unusual and really raises that storm surge risk for the west coast of Florida. 

We typically see hurricanes approach the west coast of Florida from the south or southeast, moving parallel to the coast.  This track more perpendicular to the coast really raises the storm surge risk.  And the size of the storm is going to produce hazardous impacts across much of the peninsula. 

So, we’ve been hitting, you know, the surge risk on both coasts, actually — the hurricane-force winds, the flooding rainfall threat, the tornadoes — and trying to re- — reemphasize the scale and breadth of the threat, which is somewhat unusual for Milton.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  And thanks for your good work.  It’s good to see you again.

THE PRESIDENT:  Mike, one more question.

DR. BRENNAN:  Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  For people listening, what is the — what is the width of the state of Florida, from the Tampa Bay area across to Sebastian Inlet and that area to Palm Beach? 

DR. BRENNAN:  Yeah, that’s a —

THE PRESIDENT:  What – what kind of distance are we talking about?

DR. BRENNAN:  You know, across the state of Florida, you’re probably talking about, you know, 150, maybe 200 miles.  I’d — I’d have to — that’s an estimate.  But the storm is going to be moving at 15 miles per hour, so it’s going to be moving across that area very quickly.  And the tropical storm force winds, the — the 30, 40 mile per hour winds or greater now extend almost out more than 200 miles from the center.  They’re going to get even larger as the storm approaches the coastline.  So, that’s going to cause those wind impacts to affect much of the state.

THE PRESIDENT:  The reason I asked the question is, I think, at — at least for me, having done a lot of this the last three years, emphasizes the consequential damage this storm can do.  I mean this, this — this is — it’s going to enter Florida on the west as a hurricane and leave as a hurricane, and that’s —

DR. BRENNAN:  That’s correct.

THE PRESIDENT:  — that’s pretty unusual.

Well, anyway —

DR. BRENNAN:  It is.

THE PRESIDENT:  — thank you.

DR. BRENNAN:  Yes.  Yes, sir.  Thank you.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you so much.  We will move on now to the National Weather Service Director, Ken Graham.

MR. GRAHAM:  All right.  Thanks, Liz.  I appreciate it.  And wanted to thank Administrator Criswell for — for everything through this, and Dr. Brennan as well.  The Hurricane Center has been really focused on this and on it with such great forecast the whole way.  I just wish we could minimize those impacts, but that doesn’t look like what’s going to happen.

So, Mr. President and Madam Vice President, we continue to work at the National Weather Service with our federal, state, and local decision-makers during the storms.

Look, we actually have our scientists embedded with FEMA, the state and local emergency operations centers, and we also have our scientists embedded with the U.S. Coast Guard District 7 to really help out with these — these decisions to make sure they’re right there to answer the questions as they come up. They’re covering, really, the subtleties, as — as you’ve mentioned in this forecast. 

Dr. Brennan mentioned those small changes can make a big difference.  Little wiggles really do matter.  Those small wobbles make a difference in the storm surge.  And all these big storms, they wobble and wiggle all the way in.  We’ll — we’ll see that happening as this gets closer to landfall.

So, as Administrator Criswell said, listen to those local officials.  I can’t stress enough, you know, 30 years with NOAA, 30 years in the Weather Service, this is a particularly dangerous track.  People really need to be getting into their — their safe locations as the impacts start deteriorating really quickly over the next few hours.

Words really matter in these storms.  Even if the winds decrease somewhat near landfall, we really try to avoid words like “weakened.”  It really gives a false sense of security to the public.  So, we really want to stress that no matter what happens to that — the wind speed in the system, catastrophic impacts will result either way.

The size and the wind speed — the actual size of it, will be expanding, as Dr. Brennan was saying.  So, much of that impact will cover most of the peninsula. 

And, Mr. President, like — like you said, Milt- — think about it.  Just — I just — goes over my — my mind over and over: Milton will enter as a hurricane and exit as a hurricane.

So, you’ll see damage from the landfall point on the west coast to — you’ll see damage on the east coast as well.  So, it’s really important to focus on those impacts.

Again, seeing those impacts on both coasts, we’re really starting to see the impacts as we speak.  I — I was just looking at the radar before doing this — this meeting here, and we’ve got tornadoes already touching down in some spots in Florida, and some have — have been confirmed that have touched down as well.  And about 90 percent of those tornadoes occur on that right front quadrant of a tropical system.

So, we’re really — our folks are — at the Weather Service are on duty 24 hours a day watching that radar to make sure that we can get those warnings out quickly to people so they — they can take cover.

And as Dr. Brennan said, think about it (inaudible — right? — 140 miles wide, now we’re 200, and we expected to be greater than 240 miles away from the center with these winds.  So, that’s a huge area that we can see some of those — that damage.

Very concerned about the storm surge.  And I wanted to double down on something.  It’s not just, you know, Tampa Bay with that 8- to 12-foot forecast or 10 to 15 down to Boca Grande.  I mean, you can see five to eight feet of storm surge all the way down to Chokoloskee.  Think about Fort Myers, Naples, well away from that center.  We just got to really keep reminding people they’re not safe, even though you’re not — you know, not near the center of the storm.

So, we’ll continue to — to really message that as we can.

The other part of this: Flooding could last a while.  So, unlike other areas with elevation, there’s not much elevation in — in Florida, so some of these rivers are going to be slow to drain.  Some of these rivers could stay up for about a week after the storm, and the storm surge will act as a blocker to drain some of that rain from the inland area.  So that could really be — add some challenges to some communities with these — the flooding and recovery efforts, as some of the roads will be pretty impassable.

So, you know, I was — I was looking at this, Mr. President, Madam Vice President, yesterday, I said the clock was ticking.  Today, I’m saying the alarm bell is going off.  People really need to start getting into their safe place. 

As always, the Weather Service remains on duty 24 by 7 to — to make sure the decision-makers have all the information they need and the updates to this storm.

THE PRESIDENT:  Ken, I’d like to focus on one thing you said.  I don’t think most people would think it, but, you know, the idea that sometimes it takes days for rivers to crest after a major storm like this — are there any particular areas of concern that you — you’ve — that are related to this type of flooding?  And how long do you think the flooding conditions could last? 

In other words, I think people think once — once the winds are died down and gotten through that, “Okay, we’re all set,” but these rivers flooding are consequential, and that takes time, right?

MR. GRAHAM:  It takes time.  That storm surge pushes up every nook and cranny of — of Florida.  So, it goes up bays, goes up rivers.  It fills in all these areas.  And then you add that incredible amount of rainfall, and that rain can’t drain because the storm surge has it blocked. 

So, just really looking at some of the areas in Hillsborough River, Alafia River, the Peace River — some of these type of traditional places that could flood are — are — we really got to watch those — those areas and those communities.  So —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  (Inaudible.)

MR. GRAHAM:  It takes quite a while for that water to drain.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hey, Ken, I have a question for you.  You — you mentioned words matter, and I know there is a lot of media following this — this briefing.  So, there have been — we’ve gone from a Cat 5 to a Cat 4, and the language that a lot of folks have been using is “downgrade.” 

But it sounds like you’re cautioning us that that may communicate a sense that the danger is lessened, when, in fact, it’s not. 

Can you talk a little bit about that?  Because I know a lot of folks are watching right now and — and would love to have your feedback on how we should be talking about this. 

MR. GRAHAM:  Yeah.  We need everybody that communicates to the public to be on the same page with the words, because I’ve — 30 years of doing this, I’ve seen this so many times.  People will think, “Oh, it was a Cat 5.  Now it’s a Cat 3.”  That’s not a reason to relax.  That’s not weakened.  That’s not diminished.  That means we’ve expanded the wind field.  The impacts don’t change associated with that.

And I’ve seen this in Hurricane Florence and other historic hurricanes. 

So, we have to be mindful of the words that we use and focus on those impacts.  Those impacts haven’t changed, no matter what the — the wind speed does over the next 24 hours.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  That’s very helpful.  Thank you.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you, Director Graham.  We’ll go now to Secretary Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security.  Ali, over to you.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Thank you very much, Liz. 

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, if I can just pick up on the important phrase “the words matter.”  I want to thank you for the strength and moral clarity with which you have been speaking to bat down false information that is being spread.  That false information is only hurting survivors in need of help, and it is also hurting the first responders who are so bravely risking their lives to deliver that help to the survivors.

Mr. President, Madam Vice President, we are executing on your directive to not only rely on FEMA to provide emergency relief but to draw upon other resources throughout the Department of Homeland Security and throughout the federal government, throughout your administration.

I know you will hear from the commandant of the United States Coast Guard, Linda Fagan.  The United States Coast Guard has deployed almost 1,300 personnel to Florida, not just for search and rescue but also to ensure the safety and security of the Port of Tampa, which is a critical lifeline for supplies that are needed by Florida and — and elsewhere.

I want to also say that our U.S. Customs and Border Protection has devoted search and rescue personnel as well as other parts of our department. 

To give you just a quick snapshot of some of the resources that are devoted from other parts of the administration, the Department of Defense is providing search and rescue, commodity movement, commodity distribution, and security to Florida.  We already have 1.5 million meals and 2.8 million liters of water ready to provide to people in need.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing temporary power, temporary roofing, debris removal support, and engineering expertise.  The U.S. Forest Administration is also providing debris removal.  This is absolutely critical so that our search and rescue personnel can reach the people in need and provide them with the humanitarian relief upon which they rely.

Health and Human Services is providing hospital and health-related support. 

The Small Business Administration has dedicated 137 personnel to assist people who have lost or whose businesses are destroyed to get them back up on their feet and understand what resources are available to them.

We have an entire administration dedicated to this effort at your direction.  And with that, I’ll pause.

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, Ali — Mr. Secretary, do you have everything you need from all the federal departments and the agencies in support of this response?  Is there any- — anything lacking?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  We — we certainly do have all of the resources.  We are well positioned to continue to respond to Hurricane Helene, to respond to Hurricane Milton, Mr. President.  We are meeting the moment and meeting the challenges because of the extraordinary people who have spoken before me.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I — you know, I want to thank the governors.  They’ve stepped up.  You know, all this disinformation going out about how, you know, we’re devoting all this money to migrants and we’re — I mean, all the — even one congresswoman suggesting that I control the weather and implying that I’m sending it to red states.  I mean, i- — stuff off the wall.  It’s like out of a — a comic book.

But, you know, people when they’re in trouble, are — for example — and I asked this to the — our administrator.  They said that you get $750, and that’s it.  And — and, “You’ve lost everything; you get $750.”  That’s — that’s not — that’s not it.  That’s just you’re giving them immediately what you need to get by the next day — to get a prescription, to get a whatever.

Is — is — are you getting calls already about what we’re going to be able to deliver for people who get in trouble?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  We — we are, Mr. President.  Let — let me say that, you know, one of the false narratives is that the federal employees who are actually delivering assistance will take an individual’s land.  And that is causing in- — individuals, survivors not to approach the people who are there to help and obtain the relief to which they are entitled and that we have available to them.

And the vice president knows very well, as a former prosecutor, that false information only is fuel for the criminal element to exploit individuals in positions of vulnerability.  And Madam Vice President, your words at the outset were so very important for that reason. 

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Mr. Secretary, I want to thank you and the folks in your agency working with FEMA, NOAA, and all the federal agencies.  I — I’ve seen — I’ve been on the ground, and the work that you all have been doing to coordinate with local and state law enforcement and first responders has been outstanding.  It really does show the best of the kind of work that we do in a moment of crisis to work together. 

So, I applaud the — the folks that work with you and your leadership in that regard.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Thank you, Madam Vice President.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you, Secretary Mayorkas.

We’ll go now to Admiral Linda Fagan, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Thank you.  Thank you, Mr. President, Madam Vice President, and I want to assure you that the Coast Guard is ready to respond. 

We continue to monitor the storm closely and are mindful of how dangerous and devastating the storm is and the potential to the region, which is still recovering from Hurricane Helene. 

My senior field commanders are well integrated with both the state and local emergency responders and have stood up incident commands. 

We continue to surge personnel and assets from across the country into the region, and I want to highlight how we prepare for storms.  And so, we have people in helicopters and aircraft and boats and cutters that would have been in harm’s way for the passage of this storm, and we have (inaudible) moved those people and assets out of harm’s way for the storm.  They are ready in position to begin to move back into the region as soon as it is safe to do so. 

In addition the aircraft and ships and boats, it includes shallow-water boats, medical teams, pollution response teams, crisis support teams. 

Our top priority is saving lives and safeguarding — safeguarding the marine transportation system.  This also includes responding to any pollution incidents.

We will begin to move back into the region as soon as it is safe to do so, with our primary initial focus being life-saving work and reopening the ports to re-enable the flow of commerce. 

I want to focus just for a minute on the Port of Tampa, which is the largest port in Florida.  And depending on the — the impacts of the storm, there could be some impacts to the port and commerce flow. 

We will conduct overflights as well as bring ships into the region to ensure that the channel and the harbor is clear and safe for commercial traffic.  We will work with the Army Corps of Engineers and others to do those assessments. 

We’ll work to re-establish the (inaudible) navigation constellation and work with the pilots in the area to ensure that ships are able to move safely in and out of the Port of Tampa. 

We’ll also need to ensure that the port has electricity for handling cargo and cargo flows. 

So, I share this with you, Mr. President, because we are myopically focused on regaining commerce flows into the Port of Tampa once the assessments are able to be made.  It does take a little bit of time, but we will move with all urgency to ensure that Tampa is reopened for commerce and commercial flows. 

We continue to monitor the storm closely, and a number of our briefers have spoken on the need to heed the evacuation or- — orders.  And I’d just like to emphasize that, my first responders — and as one of the critical first response agencies (inaudible) a hurricane response like this — my first responders have moved out of harm’s way and are not in the path of the storm.  They are ready for immediate reconstitution into the area, and you will see them moving quickly.  But as the storm effects come on, people really need to — need to move into safe positions so that they do not lose — lose their lives.

Mr. President, your Coast Guard is ready to respond, and we are well positioned for that.  Thank you, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Admiral, one of the things that — I don’t know whether people have not been through any kind of hurricane in the past may not understand is that when the rainfall and the flood surge are significant — but these elevated water levels are likely to be accompanied by large and destructive waves.  It’s not just the water rising.  There’s significant waves.  And what do you anticipate — if anyone else wants to respond, what do we anticipate in terms of the wave damage that’s done, not just the water rising, but these waves — large waves coming in?

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Sir, I’ll just touch on the — the impact of the — of the water and the — just the flow and significance of any kind of increased water flow, storm surge, whether it’s wave-driven or otherwise.  It creates conditions that are incredibly hazardous to life.  People can’t swim or save themselves, which again just emphasizes why it’s so critical that people evacuate and get themselves out of harm’s way.  And that allows then for the assessment with regard to any property or property impacts.

THE PRESIDENT:  I know search and rescue is obviously the number one priority immediately after the storm, but we know that the Port of Tampa is critical — critical for the state and the state’s economy and the region as well.  What can you and the Army Corps of Engineers do to get the port quickly reopened once this storm passes through?

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Yes.  Thank — thank you, Mr. President.  We’re already in conversations with the Army Corps of Engineers, aligned on the need to begin those assessments as quickly as possible to determine whether there were any impacts from the storm or not and regain and reopen the Port of Tampa. 

The Port of Everglades is also a critical port on the east coast of Florida.  The Port of Everglades remains open for fuel tankers to ensure that that commerce continues to flow into the state from other ports that are not in the direct impact of the storm. 

But sir, I assure you, we in the Corps of Engineers are already in conversation with regard to what it will take to reconstitute the Port of Tampa, and we will lean into that work as quickly as possible.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Admiral.  Appreciate it.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Commandant, I — I echo the president’s words.  Thank you for what you and the men and women of the Coast Guard have been doing in response to Hurricane Helene and now this, and your emphasis on the importance of the port in Tampa is critically important to recovery. 

So, thank you for all the work that you are doing.  I know that resources are spread thin, in terms of your folks being on the ground in every area right now, and you’re doing an extraordinary job.  So, thank you for that.

ADMIRAL FAGAN:  Thank you, Madam Vice President. 

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  To each of the dedicated professionals on this screen, we are truly in your debt and in debt to your teams for what they are doing right now to prepare for and respond to what is coming to Florida this evening. 

With that, we will conclude the public part of this briefing.  And if you’ll just stay on the screen for a few minutes, we can —

THE PRESIDENT:  Can I say one closing —

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  — have further conversation.

THE PRESIDENT:  — thing?

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Of course, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Pass on to your folks how much we respect and understand a lot of these folks are risking their lives —

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Yes.

THE PRESIDENT:  They’re risking their lives to help other people.  I mean, this is Americans helping Americans in ways that when — you know, it’s — to me, it’s a measure of who we are as a nation when we see this happen, and it constantly happens — Americans stepping up to help other Americans and risking their lives. 

So, thank all these first responders.  It really matters.  Really, from the bottom of our heart, thank you, thank you, thank you. 

1:21 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris During a Briefing on the Administration’s Life-Saving Preparations for Hurricane Milton appeared first on The White House.

**Media Preview Opportunity on Friday, October 11 at 8:00 AM**

The White House will continue its fall tradition of opening the White House Gardens and South Grounds to the public. This fall, tours of the White House Gardens will be available to the public from 10:00 a.m. ET to 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 12 and Sunday, October 13.

There will be an opportunity for a media preview of the White House Gardens tour from 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM ET on Friday, October 11. For interested media, please RSVP HERE by Thursday, October 10 at 3:00 p.m. ET. 

The White House Gardens tours are free and open to members of the public; however, a timed ticket is required for all attendees, regardless of age. The National Park Service (NPS) will distribute free, timed tickets outside the White House Visitor Center, located at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, each day beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. Timed tickets will be distributed, one ticket per person, on a first-come, first-served basis.

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The post The White House 2024 Fall Gardens Tour appeared first on The White House.

Let us all be clear: Americans impacted by a crisis should never be ripped off.

I have seen firsthand the devastating impact of price gouging during an emergency. As Attorney General of California during devastating wildfires that displaced thousands of residents, I took on those attempting to take advantage of the situation by raising hotel prices. As Senator, I worked to stop price gouging during the pandemic.

Those evacuating before Hurricane Milton or recovering from Hurricane Helene should not be subject to illegal price gouging or fraud – at the pump, airport, or hotel counter. Any company or individual that tries to exploit Americans in an emergency should know that the Administration is monitoring for allegations of fraud and price gouging and will hold those taking advantage of the situation accountable.

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The post Statement From Vice President Kamala Harris Warning Against Price Gouging and Fraud appeared first on The White House.

Private Residence
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

7:00 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello.  (Laughter.)  Good to see you all.

Look, it’s good to be almost home.  (Laughter.)  I lived not far from here, just across the line, in Delaware, and it’s good to be with family.  That’s what Pennsylvania and the Caseys are to me: family.  That’s a fact.

Matt and Staci and your children — thanks so much for hosting us.  Just what you wanted to hear, Bobby, that, you know, your brother — I call your brother and said, “We got 6,000 Secret Service agents showing up.”  (Laughter.)  And thanks for being one of my great friends, pal.  Thanks (inaudible). 

Look, we have something in common.  We share a common lot, Bob and I: We both married way up.  (Laughter.) 

Traci, your daughter’s here today.  Always great to see you. 

And along with a large, extended Casey family, including Casey’s sisters, Margi and Mary Ellen, and — and their families as well.

I also want to thank another great friend, Madeleine Dean.  Madeleine, you’re out there somewhere, but I don’t — (applause).  You know, since I’m the only — the second Irish Catholic ever to be elected, I — when I go to Ireland, I could get elected Taoiseach — but they did all my genealogy, and I think we’re related, kid.  I have — (laughter) — anyway.  You think I’m kidding.  I’m not.

Folks, it feels like Scranton again.  I grew up on North Washington Avenue and the Caseys grew up on Wyoming, a few blocks away — Wyoming Avenue.  Whether it was church or c- — or conversations around the kitchen table, my — the Finnegan family, my grandpop was with the — with the Tribune and he was — anyway, our families knew each other. 

You can define their mother and their father by a single word: integrity.  They’re two of the most honorable people I’ve ever known.  I — actually, we’re about the same age apart from hi- — his dad and me, and me and — and Bobby.  And — but it’s not a surprise that Bobby is just like his family — a man of character, a friend who always has your back, and leader who keeps his word.

Like his dad, Bobby has always believed in public service and public trust — that it was a public trust. 

And where we grew up — just like many of you, you grew up with a basic value set.  Bobby knows my mom taught me the same thing as he got taught, that you have to be a man of your word.  Without your word, you’re not a man.  She’d say, “Everybody is your equal, but no one’s — no one is better than you, Joey.”

“Courage,” she’d say to me, “every — lives in every heart, and one day it will be summoned.”

Well, I saw Bobby’s father and mother summon that courage.  I saw Bobby summon it as well. 

You know, Bobby knows what my dad taught me: No one’s looking for a handout, but everybody just wants a fair shot, a way up, a chance. 

My dad taught me — and I mean this sincerely.  He’d come home from work — our dinner table was a place we had conversation and, incidentally, ate.  And my dad used to say, and I — I’m not joking — he said, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about respect.  It’s about your place in the community.  It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay,’ and mean it.” 

Just a fair shot.  Well, that’s Bobby.  That’s Bobby, and a leader of Pennsylvania you can always count on. 

He fights for those core values.  He understands the struggles and hopes of people in Pennsylvania.  And he always stands up for working folks, folks.  He takes on powerful special interests, just as he’s able to walk across the aisle and get all things done for Pennsylvania when he can work in a bipartisan way. 

Bob Casey is one of the most effective, the most bipartisan senators in the entire country, and I’ve seen it throughout my career, especially in the last four years. 

When Kamala and I came to office, with Bobby’s help, we were determined to end the trickle-down economics — the idea that if the wealthy do very, very well, a lot will trickle down to the ordinary middle-class folks.  But guess what?  Not a whole lot ever trickled down on my dad’s kitchen table. 

You know, we were determined to grow this economy in a different way — grow it from the middle out and the bottom up.  That way, the wealthy still do very well, but everybody got a fighting chance. 

And if you notice, the vast majority of the mainstream economists are giving us credit for a fundamental shift.  We have the best economy in the world — that’s not hyperbole — in the world.

For me and Bobby, it comes down to looking out w- — you know, we — I — we call up where I come from in Scranton,  Scranton values versus Mar a Lago values.  I’ll g- — (laughter).  No, I mean it.  I’ll give you one example. 

For the longest time, I’ve been trying to give Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices.  I did that when I was a senator.  I worked like hell.  Well, we — we got it passed by a vote, and, with Bobby’s help, we finally took on Big Pharma. 

I d- — Big Pharma should be able to make money.  I’m not suggesting they shouldn’t, but Medicare was the only organization that could not negotiate drug prices.  They could, at the Veterans Administration, negotiate lower drug prices. 

For example, seniors with diabetes a- — they need insulin.  Well, it used to cost $400 a month on average.  It now costs $35 a month. 

You know how much it cost them to make it?  $10 a month.  Package it?  $12 a month. 

And starting in January, seniors will have a total out-of-pocket prescription drug cost capped at $2,000 no matter what they’re pay — no matter what they pay.  (Applause.)

You can get back on Air Force One with me — and this is not hyperbole — I can take you to any capital in the world.  If you take a prescription you have here in the United States, come with me — whether it’s Toronto, Berlin, Hamburg, wherever it is — and I can get you that same prescription from the same company somewhere between 20 and 60 percent less.  That’s not hyperbole.  That’s a fact.  That is a fact — a fact.

You know — so, you know, these expensive cancer drugs cost 10- 12-, 14,000 bucks a year.  Well, starting in January, seniors will not have to pay any more than $2,000 for the total drug costs. 

And, by the way, our reforms not only save seniors money, they save all you taxpayers money.  You know how much this little bill saves the American taxpayer, all of you?  $160 billion.  It doesn’t cost the c- — (applause) — it doesn’t cost the taxpayer a penny.  $160 billion.  Because they don’t have to pay — they don’t have to pay the exorbitant prices they were being charged before.  They pay what it costs them — what it costs the government to p- — to buy it. 

You know, we were told we couldn’t get that — any of this done.  Because of Bobby, we got it done. 

I can go on about Bobby and how he’s doing everything he can to keep the economy strong and working people and the middle class. 

You know, the middle class built this country.  That’s a fact.  And, you know, the fact is that unions built the middle class. 

I — I’m — you know, I come from the corporate state of Delaware.  We have more major corporations registered in Delaware than every other state in the Union combined.  Many of you have your corporations there.  Many of you have them.  So, I’m not antibusiness.  I represented that state for 36 years. 

But things that this guy wants to do — we’re running against.  We — I want to stren- – we strengthened the Affordable Care Act, which Trump wants to eliminate. 

If you eliminated the Affordable Care Act — this is a fact — 100 million people with pre-existing conditions would no longer get coverage.  What would that cost the government and all — I mean, think — think what it would cost the government if that were the case with all those costs. 

Bobby’s protecting Social Security and Medicare, which Trump wants to cut. 

Bobby has taken on corporate greed, what they call “shrinkflation.”  I — I want everybody to make a fair price, but the idea that — it’s outrageous that snack companies think folks won’t notice that they charge the same amount of money for bag of potato chips with fewer potato chips in it.  (Laughter.)  No, I’m not joking.  That’s going on, pal.  Seriously.

It’s taking advantage of the American people.  And one thing that angers me is when that happens.  Bobby knows the American people don’t like being played for suckers. 

He’s also fighting for the rights of workers to organize because they do better — all workers do better and the entire country does better. 

I had when — we did the — there — anyway, I won’t bore you with all the detail, but I had them check out when we were — more unions were coming in.  I said, “What — what’s the effect on the average worker?”  Everybody’s wages went up.  Everybody’s wages went up. 

He’s committed to defending women’s rights and voting rights and so much more.

It’s also critical that we lay out the stark contrast in choice of this election, folks.  I don’t care what your predilection is politically, but did you ever — literally, not a joke — did you ever study, see, think about a president who’s been so unethical as this president has been?  No, I’m — I’m not joking. 

Did you see what came out today?  It came out today that when — in the middle of the pandemic, we were short on tests that we could get tests to people — and, by the way, the way he handled the pandemic was this — was a — wa- — was a disgrace — disgrace.  Over a million people died.

But guess what?  Those sure — those tests to determine whether you had COVID were in short supply, so he called his good friend Putin — not a joke — and made sure he had the test.  He had the test.  What the hell is wrong with this guy? I’m not — I’m not jok- — I’m — serious.  I’m being deadly earnest. 

Pennsylvania is the kind of place that climbs into your heart and never leaves you.  And trust me, I know.  I was born here, and I married a Philly girl.  (Laughter and applause.)  I may be Irish, but I’m not stupid.  I married Dominic Giacoppa’s daughter.  (Laughter.)  You all think I’m kidding.  If I didn’t root for the Phillies, I’d be sleeping alone for a long time.  (Applause.)  They think I’m kidding.  (Laughter.) 

But any rate, trust me when I saw — wh- — when I say Pennsylvania never left Bob Casey and Bob Casey has never left Pennsylvania.  It’s part of who he is. 

But his opponent left Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania sure as hell left him.  His opponent doesn’t seem to understand that in Pennsylvania, money doesn’t determine your worth.  Money doesn’t determine your — it’s — I hope you make all the money in the world.  That’s wonderful.  Just pay your fair share of taxes like the rest of us do.  It’s okay by me.

But money doesn’t determine a person’s wealth or standing.  It’s your integrity, your character, your honor — your sense of integrity, character, and honor.  That’s the base, and that’s the company he keeps.  This guy — Bobby stands up for leaders.  (Applause.)

Look — and, by the way, he stands by other leaders of integrity, character, and honor, our great — great vice — our great vice president, Kamala Harris.

But he also — guess — this is the guy who — I’m going to say something self-serving.  When I left the Senate after 36 years, I was voted as the most — the guy who got more done crossing the aisle.  I — I’m a partisan guy.  I’m a Democrat.  But when things need to be done, we cross the aisle, shake hands.  That’s what this guy does.  He gets more bipartisan things done.  He’s a man that kids can look up to. 

Meanwhile, his opponent is lockstep with Donald Trump, voted by the history- — political historians as the most dishonorable president in American history.  That’s not hyperbole.  Just read what he’s saying, what he’s doing. 

But it’s worth repeating what Bobby just said about his opponent.  His opponent said the Supreme Court is overturning Roe v. Wade made him very, very happy.  His opportnent supposted [opponent supported] an extreme ban on — with no exceptions of rape for* incest. 

Not only that, as Bobby said, his opponent made a fortune investing millions of dollars in companies producing fentanyl in China that’s causing an overdose of epidemic ravi- — and, by the way, we’re talking about more people dying from fentanyl than any other cause now in teenagers.  Think about that.  Think about that. 

One of the things I’m doing — having a — a — I — I’ve spent more time with Xi Jinping than any world leader has, over 98 hours alone with him.  We’re making it real clear.  He’s got to change the deal.  He can’t continue to provide the byproducts with fentanyl — the products that were in the fentanyl.  And this guy is supporting it.

Folks, there is a fundamental choice in this election — a choice between a true Pennsylvanian, who sees Pennsylvania as a place to serve his people, or a Connecticut hedge fund CEO who still lives in Connecticut and who sees Pennsylvania only as a place from which to run for office. 

Bob understands something his opponent — his opponent doesn’t.  As I said before, Wall Street is a good pl- — I have nothing against Wall Street, but Wall Street didn’t build this country.  The middle class built this country, and unions built the middle class. 

Folks, let me close with this.  As you all know better than — as well as I do — and, by the way, I look out here, and I hate to — don’t want to ruin your reputation, but about a third of you, the reason why I’m in the Senate.  You think I’m joking.  You guys raised more money for me over the years when I was a senator — and, anyway — (laughter).

That — that — that’s when Delaware was — and they’re good people — that was — that was when Delaware was all DuPont and all red.

And — but, look, Bobby’s race is one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, and he’s being — this guy is being massively outspent.  But people in this — under this tent know the elections in Pennsylvania are always close.  This one is no different. 

Yes, we need to elect Kamala and Tim as president and vice president, but we also need to hold the Senate — hold the Senate.  We simply can’t hold the Senate without reelecting Bobby Casey.  That’s just a fact.  (Applause.) 

And, by the way, there’s no greater champion for Pennsylvania than Bob, and there’s no one I trust more in the United States Senate than Bobby.  And now we have to — we have to be champions for him, for the sake of the state, for the sake of our country. 

I know we can do this.  I’ve never been more — I’ve been doing — I know I only look like I’m 40, but — (laughter) — I’ve been around a hell of a long time.

But I can say with — with absolute integrity and honesty, I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future than I am today.  We have the strongest economy in the world.  We’re the only nation, from a historical perspective, that’s come out of every crisis stronger than we went into that crisis. 

And look who the world looks to.  We’re the strongest military, not — not only recently, in the history of the world — not a joke — in the history of the world. 

We’re the best workers in the world.  When I went back to get all the chips being made in — overseas, getting back — bringing back home, I met with the president of Samsung in South Korea, investing $15 billion in building a new (inaudible) — anyway, and I asked him why he was doing it.  And he said, “Because you have the most qualified workers in the world, and it’s the safest place in the world to invest my money.” 

We’re the most dyna- — dynamic scientists and entrepreneurs and innovators in the world.  And, again, that’s not hyperbole.  We have the best research universities in the world.  And above all, we’re the only nation in the world, as I said, that emerged stronger from crisis than we entered it.

And Bobby’s — with Bobby’s leadership, we’re doing it with the new playbook, based on one of the oldest truths of our nation: Believe in America.  Believe in the American people.  They just need a shot. 

We have to remember who in the hell we are.  I mean this sincerely.  I’m being deadly earnest.  We’re the United States of America.  There is nothing — nothing beyond our capacity, nothing, when we work together and — to get it done, and we’re going to do it this time. 

So please elect him.  We need him badly. 

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

7:14 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden at a Campaign Event in Support of Senator Bob Casey | Bryn Mawr, PA appeared first on The White House.

The Biden-Harris Administration continues to mobilize a whole-of-government effort to prepare for the impacts of Hurricane Milton, including pre-positioning resources and personnel and expediting debris removal efforts in Florida. These actions supplement the ongoing response and recovery efforts to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast and Appalachia.

Today, President Biden was briefed by members of his Administration who are driving preparations for Hurricane Milton and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene. The President directed his team to do everything possible to save lives and help communities before, during, and after these extreme weather events.

The President urges everyone to be aware of the evacuation orders that are in effect in multiple Florida counties. Shelters are open, and evacuation assistance is available. If you are told to evacuate, do so immediately for your safety and that of your loved ones. If you need a safe place to go nearby, text SHELTER & your zip code to 43362 to get a list of open shelters near you.

Yesterday, President Biden had calls with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to get firsthand reports on recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene and to discuss preparations for Hurricane Milton. The President also spoke with National Weather Service Director Ken Graham, who briefed the President in detail on the forecast and expected impacts of Hurricane Milton for the State of Florida. 

At the direction of President Biden, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was on the ground in Tampa, Florida, yesterday, where she met with local leaders to coordinate preparations ahead of Milton’s landfall.

Yesterday, President Biden quickly approved the Governor of Florida’s request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration. Under an emergency declaration, FEMA provides direct Federal support to states for life-saving activities and other emergency protective measures, such as evacuation, sheltering, and search and rescue. Earlier today, the President also approved an emergency declaration request from the Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

The Administration has been in touch with officials from the State of Florida, as well as 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 Administration has also been in touch with officials from the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes. The Administration has also reached out to state officials in South Carolina and Georgia and will continue outreach efforts based on Hurricane Milton’s latest trajectory.

FEMA has sufficient funding to both support the response to Hurricane Milton and continue to support the ongoing response to and recovery from Hurricane Helene– including funding to support first responders and provide immediate assistance to disaster survivors.

Additional updates include:

Pre-Staging Personnel and Resources

FEMA is pre-staging a full slate of response capabilities in Florida and the region, including seven FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams, eight FEMA Urban Search & Rescue and swift water rescue teams, three U.S. Coast Guard Swift Water Rescue teams, four Health Care System Assessment Teams, five Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and an Incident Management Team from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Additional pre-staged capabilities include U.S Army Corps of Engineers temporary power teams, debris experts and a roofing team, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency debris removal and wastewater experts, and 300 ambulances. In addition, the U.S. Department of Defense is posturing and staging forces to support FEMA and state partners including helicopters for search-and-rescue operations and to enable movement of personnel, equipment and commodities; and High Water Vehicles.  

FEMA has five incident staging bases with commodities including food and water. Right now, FEMA currently has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water in the pipeline to deploy as needed to address ongoing Helene and Milton response efforts and can expand as needed.

Protecting Public Health and Health Care Systems

Today, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a Public Health Emergency for Florida to address the health impacts of Hurricane Milton, the second public health emergency declaration for the state to aid in a hurricane response within the past two weeks.

The Department’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) pre-positioned approximately 100 responders in Atlanta along with medical equipment and supplies to support the delivery of health care services in Florida following the landfall of Hurricane Milton. The deployed personnel include ASPR Health Care Situational Assessment Teams who stand ready to work with state officials to assess the storm’s impacts on hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers, and other health care facilities and a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) from ASPR’s National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) for rapid response following health care assessments. A second DMAT is being pre-positioned in Atlanta to support additional response to either Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton, as needed.

In addition to the assessment teams and disaster medical system personnel, ASPR deployed personnel from an Incident Management Team and Regional Emergency Coordinators who integrate with FEMA, state health authorities, and emergency response officials to anticipate and assist Florida in meeting public health and medical needs in the wake of the storm. Logisticians and security personnel are also pre-positioned to provide support. ASPR is prepared to facilitate Public Health Emergencies for Hurricane Milton upon request. ASPR has also supported the HHS emPOWER program, which is available to identify the number of Medicare beneficiaries in affected zips codes who rely on electricity-dependent durable medical equipment and certain healthcare services, such as dialysis, oxygen tank, or home health, to help anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of at-risk citizens in potentially impacted areas.

Preparing for Impacts to Infrastructure

The Department of Transportation is deploying a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Field Incident Response (FIR) team to Florida and pre-staging operations in Jacksonville to prepare support for any impacted towers and airports. The team will work with the state and local authorities and the Department of Defense within the established Emergency Operations Center. The Department of Transportation is also deploying the FAA Communication Support Team (CST), which plays a critical role in supporting communication restoration at impacted airports. Specifically, the CST will set up Starlink and Mobile Phone Bonding kits, which increase signal stability and data throughout the region. The FAA is placing aircraft on standby to transport personnel from various agencies, mobilize resources, and support damage assessments to infrastructure.

In addition, similar to the approach on Hurricane Helene, the FAA will continue to closely coordinate with the Department of Defense, the Armed Services, including Active Duty and National Guard units, and State Emergency Operations Centers to support their use of drones to support response and recovery.  Drones can play a critical role in supporting search and rescue operations and damage assessments by providing real time video, imagery, and sensor capabilities in hard-to-reach places.       The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration is coordinating with the Florida Department of Transportation and monitoring the situation to be prepared to support.

The Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with Federal, state, local, and Tribal partners to support water systems, prepare for debris management, and ensure facilities, including Superfund sites, maintain critical public health and environmental protections while they recover from Hurricane Helene and prepare for Hurricane Milton. The agency has personnel on the ground in regional and national operations centers who are continuing to respond to Hurricane Helene and are preparing to offer support, guidance, and assistance to the State of Florida and everyone in the new storm’s path.

Additional Pre-Landfall Preparations

The Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is deploying wave sensors at eight locations in Florida between Naples and Crystal River to measure the coastal waves caused by the storm. USGS Field crews are also installing one rapid-deployment gauge on the Sunshine Skyway bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida. This specialized piece of equipment is a fully-functional streamgage designed to be deployed quickly and temporarily to measure and transmit real-time water level data in emergency situations. This data can be used by decision makers and emergency managers to monitor water levels as they work to save lives and property.

The Department of Energy’s Energy Response Organization remains activated to respond to storm impacts. Via the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council and Oil and Natural Gas Sub-Sector Coordinating Council, the Department of Energy has been coordinating continuously with energy sector partners on both the ongoing Hurricane Helene response and potential impacts from Hurricane Milton.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has notified local public housing authorities and owners of its assisted multifamily and heath care properties within the State of Florida to immediately implement all appropriate safety protocols for residents and workers. HUD is committed to ensuring that residents of its assisted homes and properties receive critical information that can save lives during extreme weather events. HUD is also conducting outreach and communications on the programmatic flexibilities and waivers that can be utilized to assist communities and survivors.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) announced it is extending measures to assist customers, U.S. exporters, and financial institutions impacted by Hurricane Helene and forecasted to be impacted by Hurricane Milton. EXIM is offering assistance to allow businesses and financial institutions that participate in EXIM’s programs to return to their business concerns when appropriate and without penalty due to missed deadlines or other timeliness issues.

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Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that an emergency exists for the Seminole Tribe of Florida and ordered Federal assistance to supplement the Tribe’s response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Milton beginning on October 5, 2024, and continuing.

The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe for the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding. 

Ms. Leda M. Khoury of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. 

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

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The post President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves the Seminole Tribe of Florida Emergency Declaration appeared first on The White House.

Department of Public Works Field Headquarters
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

1:42 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  (Applause.)  Hello, Milwaukee!  (Applause.)  It’s good to be back.  Thank you.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Welcome to Milwaukee, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, it’s good to be back in Milwaukee.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.   

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love Biden-Harris!  Milwaukee loves Biden-Harris!

AUDIENCE:  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you. 

AUDIENCE:  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!

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

If you have a seat, have one.  (Laughter.)  I said that once and there were no seats, and the guy looked at me like, “What the hell is the matter with you?”  (Laughter.) 

Before I begin, I want to say we’re prepared for another horrible hurricane to hit Florida.  I’ve directed my team to do everything it can to save lives and help the communities before, during, and after this hurricane. 

The most important message today for all those who may be listening to this in the impacted areas is listen to the local authorities, follow safety instruction, including evacuation orders.  This is serious.  And you got to be safe, because people are dying.  People have died so far — not from this hurricane, but from the last one. 

So, folks, let me — for this — get to today’s event.  

Shy, thank you for sharing your family’s story.  You said it all.  The worst thing — and I know from experience — for a parent is something happening to your children.  Your son, your family, your [and] families like yours exposed to lead poisoning in our water, they deserve a hell of a lot better than they’ve been getting.  And that’s why we’re here. 

That’s why people like Alfonso [Alonso] are getting to work removing those lead pipe services [service lines], delivering clean water. 

Kamala and I go all the way back to Flint worrying about what happened then — remember? — in Michigan.

AUDIENCE:  Yes.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, providing what’s good for our health and for our environment is also good for our economy and it’s good for jobs.  (Applause.)

Folks, the middle class built this country, and organized labor unions built the middle class.  (Applause.)  It’s a fact.

We’re lucky to have some great leaders here today who know how to get a job done.  Tony has heard me say this before, but I think Tony is one of the three best governors in the United States of America.  (Applause.)

And the great mayor, Chevy Johnson — Chevy, I tell you, you’re one of the best mayors, pal.  (Applause.)  You really are. 

Our great administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Michael Regan.  (Applause.)

And our great chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, Brenda Malloy [Mallory].  (Applause.)  Brenda, where are you?  You’re out — you’re out there somewhere.   

We’re here today because we’re finally addressing an issue that should’ve been addressed a long time ago in this country: the danger that lead pipes pose to our drinking water. 

For too long, local communities have known how important it was to deal with this problem.  It hadn’t been given the national priority it demanded though. 

I’m here today to tell you that I’m finally insisting that it gets prioritized, and I’m insisting it get done.  (Applause.)

One of the most important things we’re doing today is establishing a new rule that every lead pipe providing clean drinking water doesn’t — that — that doesn’t provide clean wa- — must be replaced.  Every single one.  Not only are we setting a priority, we’re showing up as a partner to get it done. 

Over the past couple of years, we’ve provided billions of dollars to states and communities to address this problem.  And today, I’m announcing an additional $2 billion in — (applause) — in grants to states and local communities to get the job done.  It matters. 

Folks, people often asking me, “Why do we have lead pipes in the first place?”  You probably ask yourself that.  “How did that happen?”  Well, it’s because when they were first put in place a long time ago, lead pipes were incredibly durable and they didn’t rust.  But since then, we’ve learned that lead pipes also leach poisonous toxins into the water that lead to terrible health consequences, particularly in the development of a child’s brain.  Think about what that does to a parent’s peace of mind. 

When I was a senator back in 1986, I supported a law that stopped new lead pipes from being put in the ground in the first place.  But that still left millions of older lead pipes that were already in the ground connected to homes, schools, childcare centers, and businesses, including some 340,000 lead pipe service lines right here in Wisconsin. 

And over the years, we’ve only chipped away at the problem, but chipping at a problem hasn’t fully solved it.  It’s taken too long.  It hasn’t been given a high enough priority until now.  (Applause.) 

Folks, as Kamala would say, “This is the United States of America, for God’s sake.”  There’s no safe — no safe level of lead exposure, period.  None. 

And the only way forward is to replace every lead pipeline and connect the American people to clean water.  No alternative.  And that’s why — (applause) — that’s why Kamala and I are the first administration to take on the challenge once and for all.  And we’re delivering. 

We know safe, clean drinking water is fundamental to the health of our communities, to enhance our economic growth, to basic human dignity. 

That’s why we’ve already replaced 367,000 lead pipe services [service lines] all across America.  And today — (applause) — nearly 1 million Americans no longer have to worry about the potential impacts of lead in their water. 

Like Lillie Key right here in Milwaukee.  She’s a nursing assistant, protecting the health of others.  She actually knows — actually at work right now.  But in her own home, there was a lead pipe threat to her own health and to all her grandchildren she helped raise there.  She was spending a big chunk of her paycheck on bottled water every month because it was too expensive to replace the lead pipes. 

But three — three weeks ago, Lillie got lead service line replaced for free.  (Applause.)  How?  Because of what I call In- — our Investing in America agenda. 

One of the many reasons Kamala and I fought so hard to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — which I might add is over a trillion 200 billion dollars — was not only to modernize our nation’s infrastructure — roads, bridges, ports, airports, transit system, electric grids, affordable high-speed broadband — but also to get rid of the godforsaken lead pipes drive cl- — dri- — deliver clean drinking water to everyone in their homes, their schools, and their businesses. 

Right here in Wisconsin, we’ve invested more than $200 million, replacing tens of thousands of lead pipelines.  And today — (applause) —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you, Joe!

THE PRESIDENT:  No, thank you.  Thank you.

Today, we’re releasing another $43 million for Wisconsin as part of two, six — $2.6 billion nationwide to support replacing lead pipe service lines.  (Applause.)

And while the federal government can’t do it alone, we’re providing the single largest investment ever to team up with states and cities to get the job done together.  And I mean team up at every level. 

Right after I signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Kamala announced our administration’s ambitious blueprint to use every tool — every tool at our disposal at the federal, state, and local level to protect our families from lead poisoning.  As a result of that work, I’m announcing a new rule, written into law from the Environmental Protection Agency, that requires water systems across America replace lead pipe service [lines] in — every single one in America within 10 years must be done.  (Applause.) 

I want that rule into law no matter who is president.  It matters.

We’re seeing that collaboration here, where the city of Milwaukee will now replace all of their lead pipe service lines within 10 years, instead of what was projected to take 60 years to get it done.  That was the projection. 

Folks, this is a big deal, as someone once said.  (Laughter.)

It’s about saving families from going through what Shy and Lillie’s families had to go through, saving hundreds of thousands of mothers and infants from low birth weights and children with [from] lasting brain damage, protecting more than a thousand adults from premature death from heart disease every single year because of lead. 

It’ll save lives, but it’ll also saves the taxpayers billions of dollars over time. 

It’s about the basics.  It’s about clean water.  To me, it’s a simple proposition. 

This is also about fairness.  Natio- — nationally, I’m directing nearly half of this funding go to disadvantaged communities that have borne the brunt of lead pipe poisoning for damn too long.  (Applause.) 

Studies show community of colors — cl- — community of — of color have been the hardest hit.  One study showed Black children were at least two times more likely to have elevated levels of lead in their blood than children of other racial groups.  We have an obligation to make things right.

Like all major investments we’re making in the environment, it’s also about creating jobs — good-paying jobs, many of them union jobs for laborers, plumbers, pipefitters, like Alfonso [Alonso]. 

That’s why my administration is bringing together the city of Milwaukee’s local unions, educators, employers to create an Invest in America workforce hub right here in Milwaukee.  (Applause.)  Sometimes, you forget the basics.

This — this is go- — this hub is going to train and connect residents to good-paying jobs replacing lead pipelines.  It’ll create new registered apprenticeships, helping everyone, including women and people of color, to access these jobs with good pay and benefits for themselves and their families. 

And we’re also using the power of our example as a global leader, helping replace lead pipes around the world.  Last month at the United Nations, I was proud that my wife, Jill, and our international aid agency, USAID, brought together 26 nations, funded primarily through philanthropy, to launch a coalition to end childhood lead poisoning — poisoning that kills more people in developing countries than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. 

Folks, replacing lead pipes is just one piece of our nation’s most ambitious clean water agenda ever.

We’re upgrading outdated — (applause) — we’re upda- — we’re upgrading outdated water mains and treatment plants, making them more resilient to climate disasters.  That means less likely to break down after massive floods and still run when the power grid goes down. 

We’re improving water systems on Tribal lands, where nearly half the population still lacks clean water.  Half the population on Tribal lands still lacks clean water.  It’s outrageous.  We’re committing to making it right. 

And as part of my Canc- — (applause) — and as part of my Cancer Moonshot initiative to end cancer as we know it, we’re detecting and removing so-called forever chemicals, referred to as “PFAS.”  These are chemicals that are found in many everyday products but are unsafe and shown to contribute to cancer and other health conditions.  We set the first-ever drinking water standard to protect 100 million Americans from PFAS — (applause) — including folks all across Wisconsin.

Folks, what’s the government for if it cannot protect the public health?  (Applause.)  And in the process, we’re creating jobs.  We’re building a better America.  And clean water is just one critical part. 

For example, earlier this year, I was in Milwaukee with your governor and your mayor when I announced nearly $36 million for the 6th Street project.  As you know, during the ‘60s, so-called “urban renewal” swept through this country.  The construction of I- — I-4 — I-94 and I-43 were torn down.  Roughly — they tore down roughly 17,000 homes and 1,000 businesses were lost, displacing residents and businesses all along 6th Street, all so — so the people outside the neighborhood could drive downtown more quickly.

With bike lanes and bus lanes gone, speeding and reckless driving increased, resulting in crash rates five times that of the city’s average; locking people out of opportunities, leaving them more isolated from the social and economic life for the rest of the city.  But not anymore. 

We’re going to rebuild the 6th Street.  We’re going to — a future with wider sidewalks for children walking to school, safer bike lanes for residents and visitors, dedicated bus lanes to get to work faster, new trees to provide shade, modern infrastructure to prevent sewage from flowing into the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan.  (Applause.)  We’re making it easy for historic Black communities in the north and Latino communities in the south to access jobs, schools, and entertainment opportunities in the city and around a central hub.  This will be life-changing. 

The bottom line is I said I’d keep my commitment to insist that all communities have access to investments that improve safety and security of their neighborhoods.  And that’s what we’re doing: giving everyone a fair shot — (applause) — and, my dad would say, “leaving no one behind.” 

Folks, there are some folks who don’t have any problem leaving people behind, like my predecessor in the White House and his allies in Congress; like your senator, Ron Johnson, who voted against —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  He voted against everything I just talked about — every single thing.  In fact, Ron Johnson called the law that is removing these lead pipe, protection [protecting] the — the public — for public health, creating jobs in Wisconsin — he called it a “radical” agenda.  (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  He’s a radical agenda. 

THE PRESIDENT:  (The president makes the sign of the cross.)  (Laughter and applause.)  I’m going to restrain my Irish side here.  (Laughter.) 

I don’t think there’s a damn thing radical about protecting kids from lead poisoning — (applause) — protecting women from — from low birth rates, protecting them from brain damage, and so much more. 

My predecessor, along with the senator, rolled back clean water protections that kept industries from polluting our water and destroying our wetlands.  They slashed the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget and eliminated important programs that guaranteed clean water.

You may also remember, when the last guy was president, he promised “Infrastructure Week” every week for four years — (laughter) — and he didn’t build a damn thing.  (Applause.)

Folks, in plain talk, we can’t go backwards.  We have to keep moving forward, protect the health and well-being of our families, our communities, and our country and, in the process, growing our economy and creating good-paying jobs.  We can’t wait any longer.  (Applause.)

Folks, let me close with this.  When folks see shovels in the ground on all these projects that protect people’s lives and put people to work, I hope they feel what I feel: pride — pride in their hometowns making a comeback; pride in America, that we can get big things done when we work together.

I’ve never been more optimistic — and I mean this from the bottom of my heart.  I’ve never more mo- — more — in my whole life, been more optimistic about our nation’s future. 

We just have to remember who the hell we are.  We’re the United States of America.  (Applause.) 

And there is nothing — there is nothing beyond our capacity when we work together.  So, let’s keep working together and get it done.  (Applause.)

God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.

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

Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

Thanks, everybody.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

2:02 P.M. CDT

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     On Leif Erikson Day, we celebrate the history and heritage of Nordic communities in the United States, whose contributions and cultures have helped shape our Nation.

     Many believe that roughly a millennium ago, Leif Erikson — a Norse explorer — and his crew were the first Europeans to reach the shores of North America.  His spirit of adventure, curiosity, and resilience would inspire generations of Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians, and Swedes to sail across an ocean and begin new lives in America.  These immigrants built bustling homes and enriched their communities, supporting and realizing the American Dream.  They fought for our freedoms in the military; built new churches, businesses, and schools; and spearheaded social movements.  Today, Nordic communities continue to enrich the fabric of the Nation. 

     Nordic-American communities in the United States are foundational to our partnership and friendship with our Nordic Allies and their people.  These nations share our vision for a world based on freedom, security, and opportunities for all.  Together, we are working in lockstep to tackle the climate crisis and pioneer the next generation of technology that will power everyone’s economies.  We are also standing with the brave people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s brutal assault.  I am proud that the United States supported the ratification process for Finland to join NATO, which was the fastest ratification in history.  And I was honored to welcome Sweden as NATO’s 32nd Ally earlier this year.  Together, I know that we will continue to stand for freedom and democracy for generations to come.

     Today, may we celebrate the important contributions and vibrant cultures of Nordic Americans to our Nation.  And may we continue the work that so many Nordic communities in this country began:  ensuring every American has an opportunity to reach the American Dream.

     To honor Leif Erikson, son of Iceland and grandson of Norway, and to celebrate Nordic-American heritage, the Congress, by joint resolution (Public Law 88-566) approved on September 2, 1964, has authorized the President of the United States to proclaim October 9 of each year as “Leif Erikson Day.”

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2024, as Leif Erikson Day.  I call upon all Americans to celebrate the contributions of Nordic Americans to our Nation with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth 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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Roosevelt Room

11:03 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thanks for your patience.  As you know, I put out a statement this morning that I’m canceling my trip to Germany and to Africa.  We’re going to try to re- — work those out later.  But I just don’t think I can be out of the country at this time.  Number one. 

And number two, we — we’re going to stay focused on what’s a- — what’s ahead of us right now.  I — I’ve been briefed by the senior leaders of this administration and — who are driving our preparedness for Hurricane Milton, which could be one of the worst storms in 100 years in Florida, and continued efforts on Hurricane Helene. 

I’ve directed this team to do everything it can to save lives and our communities and help our communities before, during, and after these extreme weather events that — and — and that’s being done.  That’s being done. 

I’ve spoken to all the political leaders in the region, some of them more than once.  And they — they’ve — I’ve told them anything they ask for, they can get, they — we’ve given — and we’ve gotten overwhelmingly response — a positive response from everyone from the governors of Florida up to North Carolina. 

And mayors, leaders, local (inaudible) have expressed their sincere gratitude for the work of FEMA and for the work of my entire administration. 

Now, I’ve also surged thousands of federal personnel on the ground across the Southeast already and deliver every available resource as fast as possible.  And my priority is to increase the size and presence of our effort and — as we prepare for another catastrophic storm about to make landfall.

You know, it’s been a — I’ve been in constant contact with my director of the National Weather Service, Ken Graham, who has kept me informed the last several days of what to anticipate.  You never know until it happens, but they’re very — very engaged. 

He made clear to me just how dangerous this storm is, indicating that winds had reached up 180 miles an hour — 180 — that — that’s not guaranteed it’s going to hit the store at 180 miles, but they’ve reached up to 180 miles an hour — and a possible storm surge, as it hits the coast of Florida, of 15 feet, which can be devastating.

The current path of this is storm is expected to hit Tampa Bay area and cut directly across the state — east to west, all the way across the state — with the potential for this storm to both enter Florida as a hurricane and leave Florida as a hurricane on the Atlantic coast.

This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century.  And, God willing, it won’t be, but that’s what it’s looking like right now.

I immediately approved the pre-landfall emergency declarations in Florida — this is — is the second one in a week — second time in a week, and there’ve been two before that, by the way. 

And I sent FEMA Administrator Criswell down to Florida yesterday to work and — intensively with the state and local partners as we prepare to deploy more resources.  She’s going to continue that work between Florida and North Carolina in the coming days.

I’m calling on the airlines and other companies to provide as much service as possible to accommodate evacuations and not to engage in price gouging, to just do it on the level.

And last night, I spoke again with the governor of Florida, DeSantis, and Tampa Mayor Castro and — or, excuse me, Castor — and I made it clear to them they should reach out, including to me directly, with everything else they may need as they see this storm hits.  I gave them my personal number to contact me here in the White House.

Most importantly, I’ve urged everyone — everyone currently located in Hurricane Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow safety instructions.  You all have been reporting on the highways and shoulders being opened.  Everybody is heading out.  And if you’re under evacuation or- — orders, you should evacuate now — now — now.  You should have already evacuated. It’s a matter of life and death, and that’s not hyperbole. It’s a matter of life and death.

So, let me add that FEMA has provided 300 ambulances to move people who can’t move themselves out of health care facilities. 

And while we prepare for Hurricane Milton, we’re still surging resources in North Carolina, in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, to respond to Hurricane Helene.  And it’s — it’s real.  The impact is still there.

And we’re going to leave — we’re not going to leave until the job is done.  It’s going to take time.  And before it’s all over, it’s going to take tens of billions of dollars to get it done.

And Kamala and I are keeping all of you in our prayers out there.  There’s a lot of people. 

The good news is, I re- — just before we called you in, I received information that the number of missing persons has been significantly reduced of lost from — from the first hurricane.  But we’ll have more information on that later.

So, that’s the situation, and we’re — we’re not going to leave until the job is finished.  It’s going to take a while.

Q    Sir, what’s the risk of political figures sharing misinformation during this time?

THE PRESIDENT:  The past is prologue is real.  But the fact of the matter is I — I think we have — I’ve been able to contact all the governors.  They’ve — are sticking up for what they’ve asked for.  They’re pointing out that they’re satisfied with everything they’re getting.

But I can’t speak for others on the Internet and — and I mean, it’s just — look, those who do it do it to try to damage the administration.  Well, that’s — we can take care of ourselves.  But it misleads people.  It puts people in circumstances where they panic, where they really, really, really worry.  They think “Now we’re not being taken care of.”

And it really is — and it’s going to sound — I’ll use an old phrase: It’s un-American.  It really is.

People are scared to death.  People know their lives are at stake — all that they’ve worked for, all that they own, all that they value.  And it’s just — it’s — it’s just — anyway.

Q    Mr. President, can you give us a sense of how Vice President —

Q    Mr. President, how soon do you think you’ll be able to travel to Germany and Angola?

(Cross-talk.)

Q    (Inaudible) Vice President Harris’ role in this?

THE PRESIDENT:  Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.  I’ll be — I’ll have plenty of time to talk about Angola.  I still plan on going to Africa.  I’ll have plenty of time to talk about what’s going on in — in Latin America and South America in terms of the Amazon.  And I’m going to be talking today with my friend, the chancellor of Germany, and we’re going to try to work that out.

We’ve already contacted all these people.  Okay?  But I’m going to be on the phone today. 

I’m heading shortly — when I get up from here, I’m heading out to Wisconsin, to Milwaukee.  And — but I think we can — I’m still planning on visiting all the places I said I’d be and all the conferences I said I’d participate in.

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Mr. President — what’s your relationship like, Mr. President, with the governor of Florida?  Is he cooperating as far as everything that you would like to do with — with Hurricane Milton?

(Cross-talk.)

THE PRESIDENT:  The governor of Florida has been cooperative.  He said he’s gotten all that he needs.  I talked to him again yesterday.  And I — and I said, “Whatever you” — I said, “No, you’re doing a great job.  It’s being — all being done well.  We thank you for it.”  And I literally gave him my personal phone number to call. 

So, I don’t know — there was a rough start in some places, but every governor — every governor, from Florida to North Carolina, has been fully cooperative and supportive and acknowledged what this team is doing, and they’re doing an incredible job.  But we got a lot more to do.

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Has the vice president been helpful in this as well, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.

11:12 A.M. EDT

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Given the projected trajectory and strength of Hurricane Milton, President Biden is postponing his upcoming trip to Germany and Angola in order to oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton, in addition to the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast.

###

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Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing that over 250 organizations, businesses, and stakeholders across the country have made voluntary commitments to the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose.

The Challenge, launched earlier this year, is a nationwide call-to-action to stakeholders across all sectors to increase training on, and access to, life-saving opioid overdose reversal medications like naloxone. The voluntary commitments highlighted today build on progress made under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s Unity Agenda, which calls on all Americans, in red states, blue states¸ and everywhere in between, to come together and help address the nation’s overdose epidemic.

Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic action and made unprecedented investments to reduce overdose deaths. The Administration removed decades-long barriers to treatment for substance use disorder and expanded access to life-saving overdose reversal medications like naloxone.  The Administration also acted to make naloxone available over-the-counter at groceries and pharmacies for the first time in history. Today, the nation is now seeing the largest decrease in overdose deaths on record.

The White House received commitments to the Challenge from private and public entities, spanning entertainment and hospitality, professional sports leagues, health care providers, trade associations, schools and universities, technology companies, transportation partners, faith groups, private businesses, and more. 
A number of organizations and businesses made new voluntary commitments as part of the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose, including:

• Amazon is equipping its North American operations facilities with naloxone and bolstering its emergency response procedures with comprehensive training for employees on how to recognize signs of an opioid overdose and properly administer naloxone. Amazon is rolling out its naloxone program in two phases, starting with its most densely populated fulfillment centers. By early 2025, the program will expand to all of Amazon’s operations sites in the U.S., covering over 500,000 employees at hundreds of sites nationwide.
  
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) commits to train its members and staff on proper use of opioid overdose reversal medications. They also commit to including opioid overdose medications in all first aid kits.
  
• The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to implement naloxone on flights, including trainings. They previously worked with the FAA to require that Emergency Medical Kits (EMK) carried by passenger airlines include naloxone.
  
• Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is implementing a district-wide training available to all school staff to recognize and reverse overdose. Currently, 136 APS health and security personnel have completed naloxone training. APS stocks naloxone in every elementary, middle, and high school in the district, serving nearly 50,000 students and 8,000 employees, and has opioid educational posters and brochures to increase school community awareness.
  
• Butler University formed the Butler Overdose Action Team, comprised of faculty, staff, and student leaders, in response to the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose. The team is leading campus-wide initiatives to increase awareness, training, and access to lifesaving opioid overdose reversal medication, and collaborating with local health organizations in Indianapolis to promote education on opioid use disorder on campus. Butler also recently placed naloxone in all 58 Emergency Kits across campus, and plans are underway for comprehensive naloxone training for students and employees.
  
• Charleston County School District (CCSD) commits to working with their community and local substance use agencies to provide educational programs on and promote the use of opioid overdose reversal medications (OORM). CCSD’s substance use program commits to educate students, staff, and parents/caregivers about the dangers of illicit fentanyl and how OORM can save lives. In addition, CCSD works closely with district nursing staff on the use and availability of OORM in CCSD’s 83 schools that serve approximately 49,000 students.
  
• The Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Department commits to train and equip all of its Police Officers with naloxone. The Department supports a regional transit agency in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, covering six counties and thirteen cities.
  
• Deloitte LLP will equip U.S.-based Deloitte Offices with naloxone by December 2024. Naloxone will be placed in Automated External Defibrillator (AED) cabinets at its offices across the U.S. Further, Deloitte will train select office personnel to recognize and help treat overdose.
  
• Keystone Contractors Association (KCA) is recommending to its members that every construction jobsite and contractor’s office have naloxone available on-site. This builds upon KCA’s work in prior years in launching the Pennsylvania Construction Opioid Awareness Week to get resources and training to construction employers to provide to their workers.
  
• Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) commits to reach its 500,000+ members, their families, and LIUNA affiliates with education on the importance of naloxone on jobsites, training on how to use the medication, and information on where and how to get it. This work is in addition to developing and promoting comprehensive safety and health information on opioid use.
  
• The National Hockey League (NHL) commits to working with its clubs and staff to make life-saving medication readily available across NHL offices and in arenas. NHL is helping clubs make naloxone available at home games with their first aid units, and ensuring on-site personnel are trained to administer it on game nights. NHL is also advising clubs to include naloxone in their travel medical kits, and encouraging its availability in the visiting team’s emergency bags.
  
• San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (SDMTS) now trains every newly hired Code Compliance Inspector (CCI) from the Transit Security and Passenger Safety Department in the recognition of opioid overdose and issues naloxone as required equipment for staff. In 2024, CCIs administered naloxone nearly 200 times, and the SDMTS Bus Division Road Supervisors also started carrying naloxone. SDMTS started training CCIs to carry and administer naloxone in July 2021 in response to the overdose crisis.

Commitments from these entities build upon steps taken in recent years by other organizations that joined the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose to address the overdose epidemic. Examples of these actions from organizations include:

• American Heart Association and Opioid Response Network are partnering on the EmPOWERED to End Opioid Misuse and Stimulant Use Disorder Initiative that aims to address opioid and stimulant usage within Black and Hispanic communities. They have partnered with Black and Hispanic churches to implement community trainings and disseminate educational tools to facilitate open and honest conversations with a wide range of people on the stigmatization of people experiencing opioid and substance use disorders.
  
• International Union of Painters & Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 35 prioritizes support for and awareness of mental health and substance use, and provides overdose education and training on naloxone to its members and apprentices. IUPAT also distributes naloxone to its members, apprentices, and jobsites. IUPAT is part of a broader effort by the Massachusetts Building Trades Recovery Council, which has distributed more than 11,000 doses of naloxone to 14 building trades unions across Massachusetts for distribution to their membership. The Recovery Council receives naloxone from Massachusetts’ Bureau of Substance Abuse Services’ Community Naloxone Program.
  
• The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) in Florida has developed overdose rescue training for operations, safety, and security staff, and implemented a ‘bus marshal’ program, where naloxone-equipped security officers ride strategically-targeted routes. This led to saving the life of a bus passenger who was experiencing overdose. JTA also launched ‘Safety on the Move’, delivering free overdose prevention and rescue training and naloxone kits to at-risk communities in partnership with Drug Free Duval, Community Coalition Alliance, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation, and North Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Overdose Response Strategy.
  
• The North Carolina Council of Churches (NCCC) hosts a Partners in Health and Wholeness initiative that works to bridge the issues of faith, health, and justice. This includes the Overdose Response program that offers opioid workshops to faith communities that seek to learn more about the opioid crisis and how they can help with response, and incorporates naloxone distribution upon request. They also received grant funding to provide local churches with resources for opioid-related initiatives for their members. 
  
• The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) has more than 1,400 businesses in its membership, including restaurants, food and hospitality vendors, and allied businesses that work within the food industry in DC, Northern Virginia, and Suburban Maryland. RAMW began partnering with the DC Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) to provide overdose education and naloxone distribution to restaurants in DC, including large trainings for business improvement districts. Restaurants can order a kit to receive by mail from RAMW’s website.
  
• The San Francisco Entertainment Commission is partnering with the San Francisco Department of Public Health to raise awareness about the presence of illicit fentanyl at and around nightlife spaces, and increase the entertainment industry’s access to life-saving naloxone. To date, they have led in-person trainings for staff at 18 nightlife businesses in San Francisco, distributed 300+ doses of naloxone at outreach events, and reached approximately 900 nightlife attendees through on-stage overdose prevention trainings before performances and other events.
  
• This Must Be the Place is a nonprofit providing free naloxone to attendees at music venues and festivals across the country. They committed to passing out over 60,000 free kits of naloxone at places like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and Dreamville. Seventy percent of the population they reach are receiving naloxone for the first time.
  
• United Airlines equips each of its enhanced medical kits on every aircraft and station across the network with opioid overdose reversal medications. All of United’s 28,000+ flight attendants are annually trained in the proper use of these life-saving medications. Over the past five years, United has purchased nearly 1,200 units annually, ensuring greater safety for both passengers and crew, including flight attendants and pilots.
  
• The University of Rhode Island (URI), through its Cooperative Extension program, established the Community First Responder Program (CFRP). CFRP provides more than 50,000 kits annually. CFRP offers in-person and online educational trainings for the public at schools and town halls, and to healthcare providers, first responders, police, and more. They also distribute naloxone and safer-use kits at events in partnership with CVS Health and the U.S. Postal Service. CFRP has expanded services to rural regions of five other New England states through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). CFRP is expanding its regional rural overdose education via collaborations with New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, Husson University School of Pharmacy (Maine), University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Western New England University College of Pharmacy (Massachusetts), and University of Vermont Cooperative Extension. As naloxone is often inaccessible to New England’s rural regions, CFRP offers to mail no-cost naloxone to participants completing its online interactive module, “Become a Community First Responder.”

Additional voluntary commitments can be found here.

In support of President Biden and Vice President Harris’ whole-of-government approach to address the overdose epidemic, federal agencies are working to help expand access to life-saving opioid overdose reversal medications like naloxone and save even more lives. These efforts also align with updated Guidelines for Safety Station Programs in Federal Facilitiesreleased in December 2023:

• The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has authorized first responders in its Office of Safety, Security and Personnel and throughout the U.S. Forest Service who are equipped and trained in the administration of opioid overdose reversal medications (OORM).  Additionally, USDA’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has provided OORM trainings to over 40 community partners across 15 states as part of its Rural and Farming Communities Mental Health and Suicide Prevention work. USDA remains committed to continuing and expanding the reach of these trainings.
  
• The Department of Commerce‘s Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) is training Special Agents in the use of opioid overdose reversal medications (OORM) in October 2024, allowing OEE Special Agents to safely and effectively deploy them. OEE will have OORM accessible during all preplanned enforcement operations by January 2025. 
  
• The Department of Defense (DoD) is committed to opioid safety and prevention of overdose. To strengthen DoD’s emergency response protocols, naloxone is available across installations in the Continental United States and training programs have been expanded, ensuring first responders are equipped and trained. The DoD remains committed to the safety and prevention of overdose by continuing its efforts to provide naloxone access to DoD first responders and investigators and to provide associated trainings beyond DoD first responders.
  
• The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is increasing training on and access to naloxone. The Indian Health Service (IHS) now mandates annual overdose response training for all IHS employees, contractors, students, and volunteers. Further, before 2025, naloxone training and a guide on procuring naloxone (i.e., using state standing orders, city and county public health departments, etc.) will be available to all U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers, and naloxone will be available in safety stations at all HHS regional offices. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in partnership with the Program Support Center (PSC) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH), will equip all AED stations in its headquarters with naloxone, and SAMHSA hosted an annual naloxone training for all staff as part of its International Overdose Awareness Day recognition. Additionally, naloxone training will be added to the HHS Learning Management System available to all HHS personnel, including volunteer Federal Civilian Responders.
  
• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued, and recently updated, a policy regarding the Administration of Naloxone by Non-Healthcare Providers. This policy directs DHS agencies and offices to identify their workforce populations at higher risk of exposure and develop a program to equip them with both naloxone and the training to use it.  The DHS Office of Health Security (OHS) developed virtual and in-person training modules that DHS agencies and offices can use to train their non-healthcare providers or as the basis for developing their own workforce-specific training. DHS continues to work to operationalize formal programs that equip non-healthcare providers with Component-procured naloxone.
  
• The Department of the Interior (DOI) has issued guidance on the training, carrying, and use of naloxone by DOI employees who may come into contact with persons suspected of opioid overdose during their normal course of duties. The guidance allows critical first responders – including emergency medical responders and emergency medical technicians (EMR/EMT), firefighter EMTs, and law enforcement officers – to have access to opioid overdose reversal medications at various sites nationwide, including national parks and tribal lands. As DOI components continue to conduct risk assessments to identify high-risk areas and appropriate personnel to be trained, the Department is poised to implement vital resources efficiently to preserve life and protect the public.
  
• The Department of Justice (DOJ) has enacted policies so employees most likely to encounter overdose victims have access to opioid overdose reversal medications (OORM) and the training to safely and effectively deploy them. Pursuant to these policies, its law enforcement agencies – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and U.S. Marshals Service – will have OORM accessible during all preplanned enforcement operations; all Federal Bureau of Prisons staff at all sites will have access to OORM 24 hours a day; and all DOJ public-facing facilities and law enforcement facilities will have safety stations equipped with OORM.
  
• The United States Postal Service (USPS) has trained 59,000 employees in 1,318 facilities in U.S. counties facing high numbers of overdose deaths in response to the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose. Also, USPS has procured and distributed naloxone to first aid kits in these facilities. As the USPS continues it communication activities on overdose prevention, it expects to reach over 500,000 employees, many of whom have public-facing roles as part of the Postal Service’s ubiquitous footprint across the United States. 
  
• The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working to make training available to all employees by December 2024 and will develop and issue a policy statement to support naloxone implementation by March 2025. VA also pledges to ensure opioid overdose reversal medications are available in all high-risk Veterans Health Administration health care areas, including at VA Medical Centers and outpatient clinics, and in all Vet Centers by the end of 2025.

Read more on the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose HERE.

Read more on the Biden-Harris Administration actions to address the overdose epidemic HERE.

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The post FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Over 250 Organizations Made Voluntary Commitments to White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose appeared first on The White House.

Today, President Biden announced new actions from his Investing in America agenda to connect Milwaukee, Wisconsin residents to good-paying jobs, including replacing lead pipes and upgrading infrastructure through the Milwaukee Workforce Hub. The city’s Hub is one of nine Investing in America Workforce Hubs launched by the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure all Americans —including women, people of color, veterans, and other that have been historically left behind–have access to job opportunities, and the training needed to fill them. This announcement comes during President Biden’s visit to Milwaukee, where he announced EPA’s final rule to replace lead pipes within a decade and announced $2.6 billion in new funding to deliver clean drinking water nationwide.
 
Thanks to funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, infrastructure projects totaling nearly $100 million are in the works across the City of Milwaukee. As part of these investments, the city has begun replacing 100 percent of its lead service lines, reducing the timeline for replacement from 60 years to 10 years in alignment with the President’s goal. The Biden-Harris Administration will create thousands of jobs for Milwaukee residents through these investments, and will continue to collaborate with local organizations, ensuring the city is training the skilled workers needed to accomplish these projects. The City of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District are leading the charge in creating workforce opportunities for the community.
 
Today, collaborators in the Milwaukee Workforce Hub are announcing commitments that will expand pathways into these good-paying jobs to meet the President’s goal.
 
Scaling Up and Expanding Apprenticeships
 
Registered apprenticeships are the gold-standard model for training a new generation of workers in the skilled trades and provide pathways to high-quality jobs for women and other historically underrepresented groups. Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has invested more than $730 million to expand Registered Apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships nationwide, leading to the hiring of more than 1 million apprentices.
 
In Milwaukee, local organizations are taking steps to use more apprentices on public projects and prioritize graduates of local pre-apprenticeship programs which serve underrepresented populations. These steps build on the city’s existing program, which puts residents on a path to a journey-level position in a skilled trade.   
 
In total, these actions will create opportunities for hundreds of new apprentices and help to grow certified pre-apprenticeship programs serving underrepresented populations, including high school students from Milwaukee Public Schools. These opportunities include:

The City of Milwaukee’s Department of Public Works and Milwaukee Water Works will run a pilot from 2025 to 2027 and require that 10 percent of all labor hours within each craft go to apprentices—half of whom must come from certified pre-apprenticeship programs that serve residents of Milwaukee who are currently underrepresented in apprenticeships. The new requirement would apply to multiple major road construction bids totaling $102 million, including a $36 million Reconnecting Communities project to reconnect communities divided by a road that prioritizes vehicle traffic over bikers and pedestrians, and a $24.3 million RAISE project to make complete streets improvements along one and a half miles of Villard Ave, including raised bike lanes, signal improvements, and curb extensions. The pilot will apply to all contracts replacing at least 300 lead service lines, creating 175 apprentice jobs and covering an estimated $82 million of lead service line replacement funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

• Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) will also change their procurement policies to require apprenticeships for all crafts working on all their projects, helping to bring new workers into specialized crafts like pipefitting and operating engineers. For 2025, this policy would apply to construction bids totaling approximately $90 million for the reclamation facilities, the conveyance system, and flood management projects. This policy is estimated to create at least 80 apprentice jobs, 40 percent of whom will be required to come from certified pre-apprentice programs serving traditionally-underrepresented residents of Milwaukee.  
  
• The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) continues its efforts to develop a local workforce to build state highways. Currently, WisDOT has implemented a Federal Highway Administration pilot on a $65 million freeway project which sets incentives for local residency workforce and apprentice requirements as part of federally funded highway projects. The department will consider the use of the special provisions in future projects to grow this effort in the Milwaukee area.

• Milwaukee area unions and postsecondary providers have committed to increase their apprenticeship classes as demand for apprentices on public contracts increases—projecting to increase classes by at least 200 apprentices. Specific union level increases include 50 new apprentices from the Laborers’ International Union of North America, 70 from the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, 75 from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, and 20 from International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
  
• The City of Milwaukee’s Environmental Collaboration Office will also implement a Community Benefits Agreement as it builds a new public Electric Vehicle (EV) charging network in the city through a nearly $15 million federal grant from US Department of Transportation. This Community Benefits Agreement will require electrician apprentices on each EV charging installation and include local hire requirements consistent with the City of Milwaukee’s Resident Preference Program.  At least 40 percent of the chargers will be put in historically disadvantaged communities.

Expanding Pipelines into Apprenticeship

These expanded registered apprenticeship slots will create new opportunities for hundreds of workers in the Milwaukee area. The Milwaukee Workforce Hub will work to ensure every resident has access to these opportunities, by investing in pre-apprenticeship programs that offer disadvantaged communities a chance to develop the skills and work experience needed to succeed in these apprenticeships. As a result of the Milwaukee Workforce Hub, dedicated funding for pre-apprenticeships in the area will grow by at least $650,000.

The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership/Building Industry Group & Skilled Trades Employment Program (WRTP | BIG STEP) currently serves 1,000 individuals every year and has been a leader in the Milwaukee construction sector for decades. In the coming months and years, WRTP | BIG STEP will lead the workforce hub’s construction sector coordination and job training, convening industry partners to develop workforce programs that provide Milwaukee residents access to good-paying and union job in the skilled trades. New investments include:

• MMSD will invest $350,000 in WRTP | BIG STEP for certified pre-apprenticeship programs, including transportation assistance, stipends while participants are in training, and on-going placement and retention for first-year apprentices.
  
• Employ Milwaukee and philanthropic organizations will invest up to $400,000 in additional funding for WRTP | BIG STEP, including capacity building to increase participation in apprenticeship-readiness initiatives. Employ Milwaukee, the workforce board for Milwaukee, will use formula funds from the U.S. Department of Labor to support innovative customized training cohorts in to meet the needs of the local construction industry with a goal of training 60-80 workers.
  
• Unions in the Milwaukee region will expand their investment in WRTP | BIG STEP. Unions have been investing about $625,000 per year in this pre-apprenticeship program, which trained over 1,000 people in 2023. Over the next two years, regional trades are striving to increase their investments in WRTP | BIG STEP to at least 3 cents per hour of member work on regional mega projects, including a $3.3 billion data center being built by Microsoft in Southeast Wisconsin. Unions will also partner with Milwaukee Public Schools to prepare students for pre-apprenticeship programs.

Providing Supportive Services

The Milwaukee Workforce Hub will also support residents as they begin working in these growing fields, by helping residents with supportive services, including career navigation services and stipends. These investments will help ensure that workers have the resources and skills they need for continued success in the industry.

• The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will invest $507,000 in workforce development through the Highway Construction Skills Training (HCST) program. WRTP | BIG STEP receives $143,800 in funding from WisDOT to run HCST. This year, WisDOT used grant funding from US DOT to lead a pilot to expand stipends and supportive services for job training participants in HCST. Lessons learned from the pilot, will be used to look at where stipends and higher supportive services help increase graduates in the program. 
  
• MMSD is partnering with Employ Milwaukee and Milwaukee Community Services Corps to provide career navigation services and paid work experience for 64 participants in water sector careers with $1 million from the U.S. Department of Labor. The funding also supports the development of water industry career pathways and competency maps in partnership with the Council for Adult & Experiential Learning.

Additional Federal Support for Workforce Development

In addition to commitments from partners, the Biden-Harris Administration is making millions in direct investments in Milwaukee to support job training and upskilling to meet the need for these historic investments.

• EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will incorporate key workforce development and labor best practices into the estimated $320 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other funding to clean up the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern. EPA will, for the first time, incorporate Project Labor Agreements into contract task orders with an estimated $275 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. This initiative will support local and regional jobs cleaning up contaminated sediments in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern. In addition, EPA is collaborating with local organizations to support local workforce development as part of the estimated $45 million in activities to restore important habitats across Milwaukee.
  
• The City of Milwaukee Water Works is partnering with Employ Milwaukee to upskill at least 60 city of Milwaukee workers in occupations to support the replacement of lead service lines. Employ Milwaukee is using $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor Community Project Funding to fund this partnership.
  
• Employ Milwaukee also received a $5 million Building Pathways to Infrastructure Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor that will prepare more than 480 unemployed and underemployed individuals for high-demand infrastructure jobs, including advanced manufacturing, information technology, and professional, scientific, and technical service occupations that support the growing sectors of renewable energy, transportation, and broadband infrastructure. Over $900,000 from this grant is going to the Milwaukee Area Technical College to assist underrepresented populations in accessing academic and non-academic support to enter civil engineering and drafting occupations that will support transportation and water investments from the Biden-Harris Administration. Other partners in the grant include Waukesha Area Technical College, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards, WOW Workforce Board, MKE Tech Hub, City of Milwaukee, and a variety of employers.
  
• The City of Milwaukee is investing more than $25 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to remediate lead paint. To help meet that demand, the City provided $3 million for Employ Milwaukee’s Healthy Homes Construction Careers Program, which is designed to connect trained workers with lead abatement certifications to contractors who are paid by the City of Milwaukee Health Department to remediate high lead risk homes. The training is free to the student, including the cost of training, certification, exam fees, stipends, incentives, and wages during work experience. To date, 344 workers had been enrolled in training so far.
  
• The Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub received nearly $50 million through President Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act to establish the region as a leader in personalized medicine. Biden-Harris Administration funding for the Wisconsin Tech Hub will create inclusive talent pipelines that can help develop and deploy cutting edge medical technologies; addressing workforce challenges that often face new industries.

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Since President Biden Took Office, Over 367,000 Lead Pipes Have Been Replaced Nationwide, Benefitting 918,000 People

President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting to ensure a future where every community has access to clean, safe water. Since Day One, the Biden-Harris Administration has worked to ensure that every American can turn on their tap and drink clean water without fear of lead and other toxic chemicals. As part of this historic commitment to clean water and environmental justice, President Biden committed to replace every lead pipe in the country within 10 years, issuing a comprehensive Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan to achieve that goal.

Today, to deliver on this promise, President Biden is traveling to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to announce that the Environmental Protection Agency is issuing a final rule that will require drinking water systems nationwide to replace lead service lines within 10 years. EPA is also investing an additional $2.6 billion for drinking water upgrades and lead pipe replacements, funded by President Biden’s landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  This announcement comes as part of the President’s commitment to spend his remaining months in office “sprinting to the finish” and delivering on his historic Investing in America agenda, which is improving the lives of Americans and planting the seeds for a better, more prosperous future for decades to come.

In its first year, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that it would develop this new rule, known as the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, to establish the first-ever national requirement to replace all lead service lines. Since then, President Biden secured a historic $15 billion in dedicated funding for lead pipe replacement, and hundreds of thousands of Americans have already had their lead pipes replaced. Because of the President’s actions today, millions more will benefit from lead-free infrastructure in the years to come.

Lead poisoning can cause serious health effects, especially in children. It can cause irreversible damage to cognitive development, damage the kidneys, slow learning, and cause cardiovascular disease. Lead exposure can also impact pregnancies, increasing the risk of low birthweights or even miscarriage. No level of lead exposure is safe. Yet, due to decades of inequitable infrastructure development and underinvestment, lead poisoning disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of color.

Today’s announcement will help protect Americans in communities across the country from these harms – the EPA estimates that every year, this final rule will prevent up to 900,000 infants from being born with low birthweight, stop up to 200,000 IQ points lost in children, and reduce up to 1,500 cases of premature death from heart disease.

To build on these commitments, today, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is investing over $416 million in new grants, prioritizing lead hazard reduction to protect children, alongside efforts to improve home health, energy efficiency, and community safety. HUD will provide funding to address lead-based paints in homes, develop training and partnerships to identify and control lead-based paint hazards, coordinate home inspections and more.

Replacing Lead Pipes in Milwaukee

Lead pipe replacement is actively underway in Milwaukee through a $30 million investment provided by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has accelerated Milwaukee’s lead replacement timeline from 60 years down to 10 years. Milwaukee is replacing lead pipes using union labor and prioritizing replacements in disadvantaged communities with the most need. The city is now a leader in the region, partnering with cities like Detroit in the Great Lakes Lead Pipes Partnership to accelerate lead pipe replacement across the Midwest.

Progress Replacing Lead Pipes Across America

Beyond Milwaukee, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking action to accelerate lead pipe replacement nationwide. President Biden secured a historic $15 billion in dedicated funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for lead pipe replacement, and an additional $11.7 billion that can be used for both drinking water projects and lead pipe replacement. Nearly half of this funding is required to flow to disadvantaged communities, including in neighborhoods and communities that shoulder most of the burden of lead poisoning. In addition to providing clean drinking water for millions, this effort is also creating good-paying jobs, many of them union jobs, in replacing lead pipes and delivering clean water to households. This effort also advances the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which sets the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

These actions from the Administration have already put cities across the country on track to meet the President’s goal of replacing every lead pipe within a decade:

• Detroit, Michigan, has received $90 million from this Administration for lead pipe replacement, which has allowed the city to accelerate from replacing 700 lead pipes per year to replacing over 8,000 this year. Detroit is now on track to replace all 80,000 lead pipes within 10 years.
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has received $98 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and American Rescue Plan to replace lead pipes, and is on track to replace every lead pipe by 2026. The city is already over halfway done with this work.
• St. Paul, Minnesota, received $16 million from the American Rescue Plan to enable the city’s Lead-Free St. Paul program to target the replacement of all lead pipes by 2032.
• Denver, Colorado has accelerated its efforts through $76 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, allowing the city to be on track to replace all lead pipes within a decade.
• Akron, Ohio is now on track to replace all lead service lines by 2027 thanks to $9 million in funding through the American Rescue Plan.
• And some communities have already finished replacing lead pipes. Following a lead-in-water crisis, Benton Harbor, Michigan, successfully replaced all its lead pipes within just two years, fueled by $18 million in funding from the President’s American Rescue Plan. And Edgerton, WI has replaced 100% of its known lead pipes after receiving funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Delivering Clean Water

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes more than $50 billion to help ensure every community has access to clean water – the largest investment in clean water in American history. Combined with new protections against toxic chemicals and over 42 million acres of lands and waters protected under President Biden, the Biden-Harris Administration has embarked on the most ambitious conservation and clean water agenda in the nation’s history, making historic progress to secure clean water for all. Highlights of this ambitious agenda include:

• Combatting toxic “forever chemicals” in drinking water and wastewater. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $10 billion to address harmful PFAS pollution in drinking water and wastewater. The EPA has also finalized the first-ever national standard to address these “forever chemicals” in drinking water, which will protect 100 million Americans from PFAS exposure, safeguarding public health and advancing environmental justice.
• Protecting freshwater at the source. Our rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands are the sources of clean drinking water that flows into our homes and economic drivers for many communities. Through the America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge, the Administration has launched a nationwide initiative to protect, restore, and reconnect 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of our nation’s rivers and streams by 2030. Over 200 states, Tribes, local governments, and businesses have joined the effort to meet these goals.
• Investing in clean water for Tribes. The Biden-Harris Administration has announced historic Tribal water infrastructure investments totaling over $5 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding will help bring clean water to Tribal Nations, where half of Tribal households lack access to basic clean drinking water or adequate sanitation. The Administration has launched 900 Tribal clean water infrastructure projects to date through these investments.

Investing in Wisconsin

Today’s announcement builds on a record of investment in the state of Wisconsin over the course of the President’s term in office. In addition to the President delivering on lead pipe replacement, the President’s Investing in America agenda has deployed $7.2 billion in public sector clean energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure investments, which have catalyzed an additional $8 billion from the private sector.

These investments include:

• $1.7 billion in funding to provide affordable, reliable high-speed internet to everyone in Wisconsin, with 72,000 homes and small businesses already connected.
• $4.1 billion for transportation – to rebuild our roads and bridges, expand our transit and rail, modernize our ports and airports, and more. This includes $1 billion in funding that the Biden-Harris Administration announced earlier this year to replace the Blatnik Bridge, an important route for people and freight in the Twin Ports area.
• 1.3 million seniors and Medicare beneficiaries who can receive free vaccines, $35 insulin, and, starting in January, a $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket costs.
• $3.3 billion from Microsoft to bring a new data center that will create over 4,000 jobs to Racine, Wisconsin on the site of a proposed investment from Foxconn in the prior Administration that never materialized.

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The post FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Issues Final Rule to Replace Lead Pipes Within a Decade, Announces New Funding to Deliver Clean Drinking Water appeared first on The White House.

Via Teleconference

11:34 A.M. EDT

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Hi.  Good morning, everyone.

Thank you for joining today’s press call to preview President Biden’s trip to Wisconsin and the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to ensure every community has access to clean, safe drinking water.

Today’s call will begin with on-the-record remarks from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Natalie Quillian and EPA Administrator Michael Regan.  After their remarks, we will have a question-and-answer period, which will be on background and attributable to “senior administration officials.”

As a reminder, the contents of this call and the written materials you received over email are embargoed until tomorrow, October 8th at 5:00 a.m. Eastern.

With that, I will turn it over to Natalie.  

MS. QUILLIAN:  Great.  Thank you.  And thank you all for joining us today. 

I’d like to begin with the big picture.  So, since day one, the president and the vice president have been clear that all Americans, no matter where they come from, should have access to their most basic needs, including being able to turn on the tap and drink clean drinking water without fear.

We know that there is no safe level of lead exposure.  Lead service lines pose a severe health risk, especially in our children, damaging the brain and kidneys.

That’s why the president committed to replace every lead pipe in the country within a decade.

But he didn’t stop there.  He secured over $50 billion to deliver clean water through his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including $15 billion in dedicated funding for lead pipe replacement.

Since then, Americans have had their lead pli- — pipes replaced, especially in disadvantaged communities, many of which are communities of color that shoulder most of the burden of lead poisoning.

And tomorrow, the president is furthering his commitments to provide clean, lead-free water nationwide. 

He’ll be traveling to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to announce EPA’s final rule that will require water systems nationwide to replace lead service lines within 10 years.  He will also announce an additional $2.6 billion from his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for drinking water upgrades and lead pipe replacements.

This funding not only provides clean drinking water, but this effort is also creating good-paying jobs, many of them union jobs, in replacing lead pipes and delivering clean water.

This investment will accelerate lead pipe replacement, helping to deliver clean water to families, kids, and communities across the nation.

And in Wisconsin, we’re already seeing the results.  Wisconsin has an estimated 340,000 lead pipes, the 10th most lead pipes of any state.  And because of the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure funding, Milwaukee’s lead pipe replacement timeline has accelerated from 60 years just down to 10 years.

And Milwaukee is now actively replacing lead pipes, using union labor, prioritizing replacements in disadvantaged communities with the most need.

And this announcement comes as part of the president’s commitment to spend his remaining months in office sprinting to the finish and delivering on his historic Investing in America agenda, which is improving the lives of Americans and planting the seeds for a better, more prosperous future for decades to come.

And now I’d like to turn it over to an amazing leader who is helping make this all possible, Administrator Regan. 

Administrator.

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, good morning, everyone.  And thank you all for joining this call.

(Inaudible) in implementing President Biden and Vice President Harris’s Investing in America agenda.  Your partnership is helping EPA (inaudible). 

Since the earliest days of this administration, and even before, President Biden had a vision to build a 100 percent (inaudible).

(Inaudible) understands the urgency of getting the lead out of communities, because he and Vice President Harris know that ensuring everyone has access to clean water is a moral imperative.

We know that over 9 million legacy lead pipes continue to deliver water to homes across the country.  But the science has been clear for decades: There is no safe level of lead in our drinking water. 

In children, lead can severely harm mental and physical development, slow down learning, and irreversibly damage the brain.  In adults, lead can cause (inaudible) and even cancer.

But thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris, we are moving farther and faster than ever before to address this critical issue.

PARTICIPANT:  Do we have an audio issue, Angelo?

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Yep.  Can we try your connection one more time?

PARTICIPANT:  Hold on one second.  We’re troubleshooting.  Sorry, everybody.  Hold on one second.

We — anything — is this better, Angelo?  This is Nick with Administrator Regan.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Yep, that is better.

PARTICIPANT:  Okay.  Should we start from the top or is there a certain point we should pick up at?

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Let’s start at the top.  Thank you.

PARTICIPANT:  Okay.  Thank you.

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, good morning, everyone.  And thank you all for joining today’s call. 

And I’d like to start by thanking the president’s deputy chief of staff, Natalie Quillian.  Natalie, I’m so grateful for your leadership in implementing President Biden and Vice President Harris’s Investing in America agenda.  Your partnership is helping EPA to make a lasting, tangible difference in communities all across the country. 

Since the earliest days of this administration and even before, President Biden had a vision to build a 100 percent lead-free future.

The president understands the urgency of getting the lead out of communities because he and Vice President Harris know that ensuring everyone has access to clean water is a moral imperative.

We know that over 9 million legacy lead pipes continue to deliver water to homes across our country.  But the science has been clear for decades: There is no safe level of lead in our drinking water.  In children, lead can severely harm mental and physical development, slow down learning, and irreversibly damage the brain.  In adults, lead can cause increased blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function, and cancer.

But thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris, we are moving farther and faster than ever before to address this critical issue, and EPA is at the center of the solution. 

I am very proud to announce that today, EPA has taken another historic step forward to ensure safe, clean drinking water for every child and every person in our nation.  Today, my agency is issuing a final rule requiring drinking water systems across the country to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years.  The rule also requires increased rigorous drinking water testing and a lower threshold for communities to act on and protect people from lead in drinking water. 

And these actions will help protect millions across this country.  In fact, our new rule will protect up to 900,000 infants from having low birth weight, reduce up to 1,500 cases of premature death from heart disease, prevent up to 200,000 IQ points lost in children, and help close the water equity gap every single year.  But these benefits not only protect public health, they can also reduce health care costs, improve school performance, and boost economic productivity. 

In addition to finalizing this historic rule today, EPA is also announcing $2.6 billion in new funding under the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help cities and states fund infrastructure upgrades to accelerate the removal of lead pipes. 

Folks, there has never been more federal funding available to remove lead pipes.  And let me just add that investing in our water infrastructure is not only an investment in public health, it’s an investment in local economies.  For every $1 billion invested in water infrastructure, we create approximately 15,500 jobs. 

President Biden is the president who is finally putting an end to this generational public health crisis, and, folks, delivering a lead-free America is President Biden’s legacy.

This is a matter of public health, a matter of environmental justice, a matter of basic human rights, and it is finally being met with the urgency it demands.  President Biden has kept his promises, and he is fighting every single day for a cleaner, safer, and healthy America. 

I’m truly grateful to everyone who helped us reach this moment, particularly those in EPA’s Office of Water, who worked tirelessly to finalize this rule. 

With today’s announcement, we have more than enough reason to be optimistic about what’s possible for the future of our country and the future of our planet. 

Now, with that, I’m happy to take a few questions.  Thank you.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you, Administrator, and thank you, Natalie.  With that, we will move to the question-and-answer portion of the call.  As a reminder, this will be on background and attributable to “senior administration officials” as they identify themselves.  Comments from Natalie and the administrator will be attributable to them specifically.

As some of you have done, please use the “raise hand” function on Zoom, and we will take a few of your questions.

Okay.  As you’re called upon, please identify yourself and your outlet.  We will start with Aamer. You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi.  Thank — thank all three of you for doing this.  Two questions.  One, can you just give us a little bit of a preview of, in Wisconsin, where the president will be visiting and sort of how he will be highlighting this announcement?

And then, secondly, is there any disappointment in the president — considering the significance of this announcement — that Senator Baldwin won’t be taking part?  Thanks.

MS. QUILLIAN:  I can — this is Natalie.  I can answer that.  I don’t think we have any specifics yet on exactly — to share where he will be visiting, but as soon as we do, we’ll make sure you have those.  And I think it’s fair to say he will highlight the historic investments that we have made so far, including an additional $2.6 billion that he’ll be — he will be announcing tomorrow, as well as highlighting the stories of Americans whose lead pipes in Wisconsin are being replaced or have been replaced and the impact that’s had on their families and their children. 

And then we’re — you know, Senator Baldwin is a — an amazing partner of this administration and leading the charge in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  So, we are just pleased to have such a great partner like her in Wisconsin.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you, Natalie. 

We will go to Rachel next.  You should be unmuted now. 

Q    Great.  Thank you, guys, for doing this and for taking my question.  I recall in the proposed rule, there had been some concerns raised about exemptions that could leave some places with lead pipes for significantly longer.  I recall Chicago being one of them — having lead pipes possibly for 40 or 50 years, even with these — this rule.  Is this still the case in the final rule?  And could you also send us a copy of the final rule on embargo?

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, Rachel, thank you for that question.  And let me just say that the final rule is significantly more stringent than the proposal was.  Some of those numbers that you raised just here and now, those numbers have been slashed significantly.  So, what I would like to say is we are very sure that 99 percent of these cities will meet the deadline, and we’re still taking a look at those that fit in that 1 percent category. 

But let me be very clear:  Those that may fit in that 1 percent category, we will aggressively pursue a timeline that stays in line with the president’s vision. 

Q    Could you give us some idea of, you know — you said those numbers have been slashed.  Can you give us an example and how much it’s been slashed by? 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, I’ll just say — and then I’ll turn it over to — to [senior administration official], who is the expert in our water office.  But, you know, the stringency — the off-ramp, if you will — is a significantly much higher hurdle to obtain, first and foremost.  We have really whittled down the flexibility in this rule. 

And, you know, secondly, this rule is a significant, significant step forward.  But we can’t forget — forget the resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other programs in the water office that will help these cities achieve the president’s vision. 

[Senior administration official], I don’t know if you want to add anything to that. 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thank you, [senior administration official].  I would just add only that, as you know, Rachel, the numbers associated with number of lead service lines that exist in places like Chicago at this point are estimates.  And as we get more information about what number of lead service lines exist, then, through the inventories that will be created — the first one is due October 16th, for example — we’ll be in a better position to determine whether communities actually need more time.  And we’ll go through a process for that.

I will add to that that in communities like Chicago, we’re not only looking at and tracking where — how many lead service lines or whether they need extension, but we’re working extensively to ensure that they receive financing to tackle some of those lead service line issues. 

For example, recently, we announced a $336 million loan to the city of Chicago for replacing lead service lines.  And I know that Chicago is working with other cities in the Midwest and the Great Lakes regions to share best practices to accelerate the removal of lead service lines. 

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you.  We will go to Annie next.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi.  Annie Snider from Politico.  I have two questions.  First of all, I hope you can speak to the vice president’s involvement in this.  If I recall correctly, her office briefed the proposed rule, and my understanding is that she played an important role in the regulatory use of this. 

And then, second of all, this rule is coming out well within the Congressional Review Act window.  Are you concerned at all about this rule getting targeted if Republicans take control of Congress and the White House next year?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, let me just say that the vice president, as you have stated, has been a significant partner to EPA as we have traveled the country and really highlighted the president’s vision, which is a 100 percent lead-free future, as well as helping the public understand the implications of lead exposure. 

And so, the vice president has been very, very involved.  We have had a number of good, solid policy discussions.  And that engagement with the vice president, under the president’s leadership, has led to a very, very strong rule, as well as a very strong strategy for how we deploy these resources in the cities and towns that need it the most. 

So, we’re very, very proud of our partnership with the vice president. 

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Okay.  We will go to Emma next.  You should be unmuted now.  (Inaudible.)

Q    Hi.  This is Emma Gardner for Inside EPA at Inside Washington Publishers.  Thank you so much for doing this.  I just have a couple of questions. 

One, I’d be interested if you could give us a specific action level threshold in terms of parts per billion in the new rule.  And, secondly, I would love to know how the new rule approaches lead service lines that run underneath private land and if there are any incentives for landowners to replace them — the — those pipes themselves.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Emma, I’ll take a stab at answering your two-part question.  The first question was, if I heard you correctly: What — what’s the action level in the new Lead and Copper Rule improvements?  It’s 10 parts per billion.  That’s the action level, which, as you know, previously was 15 parts per billion. 

Just one thing to note: In terms of private side, our rule requires that for full li- — full lead service line replacement where systems have access to the full lead service line.  And we know that there are a variety of rules and laws out there that may influence whether or not a community have — has access to that or requires permission for a local entity to — to enter into private property.

In the event that there’s private property that needs to be entered into and permission needs to be granted, the rule requires that systems ask the member of the — the owner of the property four different times about — for permission to replace that lead service line in two wholly different ways.  So, we’re trying to ensure that water systems around the country, where they do have lead service lines that are in private property, have a persistent way to get in touch with the landowner to get permission to replace them.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you.  We will go to Jacob next.  You should be unmuted now. 

Q    Hey, folks.  Thanks so much for doing this.  I also have a two-part question.  Firstly, just trying to follow up on a question from a previous reporter that I don’t think was totally answered, but could you just speak a little bit to the degree to which you’re concerned about, you know, efforts to overturn this rule through CRA efforts in Congress in, you know, a future Republican-led Congress? 

And, secondly, can you speak to what conversations you had with stakeholders, particularly water service providers, and — and thinking about possible legal challenges that this rule might face, especially as the Supreme Court has, you know, limited the ability of the government to — to issue these sorts of regulations moving forward.  Thanks.  

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, thank you, Jacob, for that question.  I’ll take the first part, and [senior administration official] can follow. 

Listen, this rule is grounded in science and within the four corners of our statutory authority.  And we have measured a number of times.  We’ve measured twice and we’re cutting once here.  We believe that it’s on solid legal footing, supported by the science. 

And listen, the outcomes are undeniable.  If you look at protecting up to 900,000 infants from being born with low birth weight or the reducing of 1,500 cases of premature death from heart disease, the cost benefits are at a 13-to-1 ratio. 

This is an opportunity to reduce lead exposure to millions of families all across the country, and we believe we’ve done it in a very strategic way, a legally sound way, supported by the science.  And the health benefits of this rule are undeniable.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Mr. Administrator, the second part of the question was regarding conversations with stakeholders.  And I would just say that we had repeated conversations with stakeholders throughout this process. 

We also received over 200,000 comments on the proposed rule.  The vast majority of them were supportive of the rule.  We met with stakeholders throughout this process.  We visited the cities where lead service lines are currently being replaced.

And we know that, as the administrator mentioned at the beginning, that this rule is built on actions that have already been taken and already underway both in states and communities across this country.  There are four states that already have requirements to replace lead service lines in 10 years — from Illinois to Michigan to Rhode Island to New Jersey.  There are communities throughout this country that, before this rule was in — put in place, where they’ve already been engaged in removing lead service lines — from Milwaukee to Detroit to Cincinnati to Pittsburgh. 

All across the country, communities are supportive and engaged in this effort today.

MS. QUILLIAN:  Angelo, can I just — this is Natalie.  Can I just jump in on the first question, too, to add to what Administrator Regan said?

Look, I think that we believe and hope that ending the poisoning of our kids from lead water should and could be a bipartisan priority.  And, indeed, we’ve seen many Republicans vote for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that made this possible. 

Now Wiscon- — Wisconsin’s other senator, Ron Johnson, did not vote for it, but we do think that this should be a bipartisan priority.  And I hope that all of our — our members of Congress would vote for keeping our water clean rather than continuing to have lead in the water.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you, Natalie.  We will have time for two more questions. 

Let’s go to Michael.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hey.  Thank you for this.  Appreciate the time, as always.  Just two kind of follow-up questions to some of the other questions that have been asked here.  Can you confirm that the 10 percent action level is not intended to be an individual homes action level? 

And then, secondly, how does the final rule deal with if — if a — if a water system exceeds the 90 percent of — you know, tests above 10 parts per billion, are — is that water system required to provide free filters to its citizens?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Mr. Administrator, let me take a stab at answering that question. 

Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne, for your question. 

I can confirm that the 10 percent action level is throughout the system, as you indicated.  It’s not just on an individual home.  But any individual who has an action level exceedance — it’s the 90th percentile, as you know, Mr.  Hawthorne.  But any individual household that has an exceedance of the action level will be required to be communicated with, get their test results, and be able to take action immediately. 

In addition to that, if the action level is exceeded on a repeated basis — four times in a five-year period, for example — then the community will be required to make filters available to all of the residents in the community, not merely the residents where the action level was repeated — reported.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you. 

And our final question will come from Miranda.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi.  Thanks for taking our questions. 

What are you hearing from water providers about progress they’ve made on their inventories?  And any — you know, do — do you expect them to, you know, meet the — the October 16th deadline?  Or could there — could there be some — are you hearing about any challenges so far on that front?  Thank you. 

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, thank you for the question, Miranda.  And we fully believe, as [senior administration official] has indicated, that these systems are, in many cases, moving forward already. 

I think it’s important for us to note that we know through conversations that these systems can step up and they can meet the challenge.  We have designed a very durable, strong rule that is grounded in the science, grounded in the law.  And we expect these water systems to step up and meet this rule, because under no circumstances do we want our children exposed to lead poison in their drinking water. 

And as Natalie indicated, this is a bipartisan effort here.  There have been folks on both sides of the aisle for a number of years who have been calling for the removal of lead service lines, which are the largest source of lead exposure in this country. 

And so, we fully believe that everyone can step up in a very cost-effective way and comply with this rule, and that is our expectation. 

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you, Administrator.  And that’s all the time that we have today.

As a reminder, the contents of this call and the materials you received over email are embargoed until 5:00 a.m. Eastern tomorrow. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to follow up with us, and thank you again for joining you.

12:00 P.M. EDT

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Vice President’s Residence
U.S. Naval Observatory
Washington, D.C.

SECOND GENTLEMAN DOUGLAS EMHOFF: Thank you.

As we gather here on what was the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust, I am filled with pain and despair.

This is an incredibly challenging day for Jews around the world – myself included.

October 7 hit us hard as a community.

We are still hurting. And today feels just as raw as it did one year ago.

What happened on October 7 is seared into our souls.    

I can’t stop thinking about the hostages and their families, and all of those we’ve lost over the past year.

Earlier today, I attended AJC’s National October 7 Memorial Commemoration at Sixth & I and recited a prayer for peace – that we all see the day soon when this war and bloodshed come to an end.

As the first Jewish spouse of an American President or Vice President, I take this role incredibly seriously.

Kamala is the one who encouraged me to use the platform I have to fight antisemitism and hate. She’s also the person who encouraged me to lean into my faith.

When we first moved into the Residence, we affixed a mezuzah on the doorpost, alongside our family.

Now, as we prepare to leave a legacy of our time here, we plant this pomegranate tree to honor this solemn day and for the families who will come after us to enjoy.

This is the first tree we planted since moving in, and it will be the first fruit tree ever planted by a Second Family at the Residence. 

Kamala and I are proud to continue a tradition with symbolic meaning for every family that’s lived here.

And it is especially meaningful to me that this property will now always commemorate the pain of the Jewish people, as well as the resilience and hope of the Jewish people.  

May the memories of those we’ve lost be a blessing.

Thank you.

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Embassy of Israel
Washington, D.C.

MR. SULLIVAN:  Thank you all for having me here today. 

Ambassador Herzog, Mike, thank you — both for your hospitality here and for a year that has been difficult and challenging, but you have always stayed committed to the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship and see it as larger than any two people, and I’m grateful to you for that.

And it means a lot to me that I’ve been invited here to mark this solemn occasion with all of you.

As you know, President Biden spoke with President Herzog earlier today, and he shared his deepest condolences with the President and the people of Israel as they commemorate this godawful anniversary. 

He lit a candle in the White House together with the First Lady, and they said a prayer in remembrance of those lost, loved ones massacred by terrorists who exalted in the assault and murder of innocent Jewish men, women, and children. 

Perhaps for the first time ever, this morning, the traditional mourning prayer, El Malei Rachamim, was read in Hebrew in the quiet of the residence of the White House.  One line from that prayer, as many of you know: “God full of mercy…grant rest on the wings of the Divine.” 

The thousands of miles between Washington and Israel do not feel so distant today.  As the President shared in his statement this morning, we grieve with the families and communities who are still in mourning, just as we share in the excruciating pain of those whose loved ones are still held hostage by Hamas, including American citizens. 

I’ve spent a lot of time with the families of the American hostages over the past year.  I remain humbled by their resilience and their courage.  Instead of succumbing to the dark paralysis of grief, they are working every day to secure the return of their loved ones — always thoughtful, always constructive, always pushing us hard, as they should. 

I look around this room and I see colleagues here that I’ve gotten to know very, very well through these challenging times.  In the days that followed October 7th, our defense, intelligence, and national security teams were in constant touch.  At President Biden’s direction, we moved military assets into the region, including carrier strike groups with their destroyer escorts and air wings, the finest on the planet, to protect U.S. forces in the region and, yes, to support the defense of the State of Israel. 

I traveled with President Biden to Israel on October 18th, the first president to visit Israel in a time of war.  And I was with him this past Tuesday.  He was scheduled to be in the Oval Office for his annual Rosh Hashanah call with Jewish leaders.  Instead, he was in the Situation Room, where, for the second time in five months, he ordered the U.S. military to take action to defend Israel from a significant attack by Iran. 

Side by side, U.S. naval destroyers joined Israeli air defense units in again intercepting a rainfall of inbound missiles — ballistic missiles from Iran.  We thank God we were successful in rendering that attack ineffective, but we remain highly vigilant to the further threats and attacks from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.

Backed by the ironclad security partnership of the United States, Israel has demonstrated its remarkable capacity, including through impressive operations that killed terrorists with Israeli and, yes, with American blood on their hands. 

The challenge going forward is to turn tactical wins in battle into a strategy that secures Israel’s people and its future.  That takes real discipline, it takes courage, it takes foresight to match the conduct of war to a clear and sustainable set of objectives and to turn tactical advantage into enduring strategic gains.  That is never easy, but it’s imperative, and we are here to work with you on that. 

Because as I look around this room, I see colleagues that I haven’t just gotten to know in the crucible of the past year but in the work that preceded it, a project to make real the vision of broader peace, stability, and economic connectivity across the Middle East and to make real a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live alongside one another in security, dignity, self-determination, and peace.

As the President said in his statement this morning, “I believe that history will also remember October 7th as a dark day for the Palestinian people because of the conflict that Hamas unleashed that day.  Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year of conflict — and tens of thousands have been killed, a human toll made far worse by terrorists hiding and operating among innocent people.” 

Ambassador Herzog spoke in his remarks of the Jewish commandment that every innocent life has value, whether it’s American or Israeli, Lebanese or Palestinian.  Every innocent life.

In my family, we read the poet John Donne, who said, and I quote, “Any man’s death diminishes me, / because I am involved in mankind.”  And we have to bring that spirit to this conflict as well. 

We have continued to actively pursue a pathway to a future where Israel enjoys normalized relations with all of its Arab neighbors, where Palestinians have a state of their own, and where Israel’s security is assured forever. 

And we have continued to stand strong against the antisemitism that still burns in America, around the world, and that has gotten oxygen since October 7th, as the Ambassador said.  And we will continue, from the President through every member of his administration, to stand firmly against it. 

I’m not blind to the difficulties of this moment.  I’m not blind to their deep roots.  The challenges are many.  The suffering and trauma is real, and it’s with me always.  And no one is ever criticized for predicting that things will only get worse in the Middle East.  The hard thing is to push past the hopelessness and put the pieces down that build toward a genuinely brighter future, even as we navigate the heightened risks and exacting human toll of the present day. 

This is a focus of my own conversations, President Biden’s conversations, the Vice President’s conversations, the Secretary of State, every member of our team, with leaders across the Middle East who recognize that this future I’m describing can still be the ultimate legacy of October 7th.  And we stand ready to work with all of you, everyone here, everyone of good faith across the region. 

But this future, as you all know and has been shown to us so many times, is far from assured.  We have to work to make it so. 

So, may God protect our troops and watch over the hostages.  May the memory of those lost be a blessing, just as the joyousness of their lives remains our light and inspiration forward. 

Thank you.  (Applause.)

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Joint Base Andrews
Prince George’s County, Maryland

5:09 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hi.  So, I just got off the phone with Administrator Criswell at FEMA, and I cannot stress enough to all the folks in Florida, in the Tampa area: Please listen to evacuation orders.  Please listen to your local officials, because I know a lot of folks out there have survived these hurricanes before — this one is going to be very, very serious.  

And I urge you to please just grab whatever you need.  Listen to the orders you’re getting from your local officials.  They know what they’re telling you, and they know what Milton is about to be.  So, please do that.

The other point I’d make is that there is a lot of mis- and disinformation being pushed out there by the former president about what is available, in particular, to the survivors of Helene.  And first of all, it’s extraordinarily irresponsible.  It’s about him; it’s not about you.

And the reality is that FEMA has so many resources that are available to folks who desperately need them now and resources that are about helping people get back on their feet and rebuild and have places to go.  You are entitled to these resources. 

People are entitled to these resources, and it is critically important that people apply for the help that is there to support.  That — all of those resources were created for just these kinds of moments, in an emergency situation, knowing that folks are entitled to have the relief that they so rightly need at this moment in time.

So, listen to your sheriffs.  Around the places that have been impacted by Helene, listen to your local sheriff, who’s going to tell you straight about what’s available to you and how, for so many reasons and ways, there are no conditions attached to the relief that’s available to you.

Q    Madam Vice President, Governor DeSantis — NBC is reporting Governor DeSantis is ignoring your calls on hurricanes’ resources and — and help.  How does that hurt the situation here?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  You know, moments of crisis, if — if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader says they’re going to put politics aside and put the people first. 

 People are in desperate need of support right now, and playing political games with this moment, in these crisis situations — these are the height of emergency situations — is just utterly irresponsible, and it is selfish, and it is about political gamesmanship, instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do, which is to put the people first.

     Q    Madam Vice President, Milton’s arrival —

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you. 

     Q    — what does it mean for resources?

                        END                     5:12 P.M. EDT

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