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Redford Fire Department Station 1
Redford, Michigan

2:03 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hi.  (Applause.) 

Oh, good afternoon, everybody.  Good afternoon.  Good afternoon.  It is my great honor to be with everybody this afternoon.

Matt, I want to thank you for your leadership and for all that you do for so many.

You know, everyone here, you all have chosen to live a life of service in the most extraordinary way.  And I’m so thankful to all of you — to Matt, for your leadership — and everybody here. 

And it is so good to be in the house of labor.  Thank you all.  (Applause.)  Thank you all.  Thank you all. 

And, you know, yours is a profession that is more than a profession.  It really is about a calling. 

You know, my — I was just telling Matt — my brother-in-law just retired as a firefighter in California.  So, for me, this is personal and it is professional.  I know what you guys do, and I know your character.  I know your families.  I know what it means for the whole community for you all to take on the lives that you have decided to live, and I’m so thankful to you.

You guys work long shifts with unpredictable hours in some of the most dangerous conditions.  You do so on behalf of people you’ve never met.  Sometimes, those people will never know your name, but because of what you do with such sincerity and the highest level of skill and professionalism, their lives are forever better.  And they always know and have the comfort of going to sleep at night knowing that should any tragedy come their way that you guys are out there and would be there.

It’s an extraordinary thing you do, and it’s a great gift that you have that you give.  And so, I am so thankful to you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

And, of course, I am thankful for the union that supports you and your right to all that you deserve in terms of the wages and the benefits that you so rightly have earned.  (Applause.)

And I also want to thank the other brothers and sisters from labor who are here from UAW — (applause); IBE- — IBEW; LIUNA.  Where are your orange T-shirts?  I know you’re here somewhere.  I thank you all, all of you. 

So, look, just yesterday, we saw another example of the power of collective bargaining — right? — when the longshoremen and the U.S. Maritime Alliance came together, ended a strike, and reached an agreement on a record wage.  Right?  (Applause.)  They did good.  They did good. 

And I say, everywhere I go, look, collective bargaining benefits everybody.  And you know the — the term — and I’m looking at our young leaders who are here.  I’m so glad you guys are here.  (Applause.)  So, collective bargaining, it’s really — it’s just a basic logical point. 

So, here’s what it means.  It means that in any negotiation, you want the outcome to be fair.  Right?  We all want fairness, right?  Everybody wants fairness — or should. 

So, here’s the thing about collective bargaining.  If you want the outcome to be fair, you got to realize, if you’re requiring the one worker to negotiate against the big entity, do we really think that the outcome is going to be fair?  Probably not.  But if you let the workers together, as the collective, then negotiate against the big entity, it’s more likely that the outcome will be fair.  

That’s the basic point of collective bargaining.  That’s the basic point of why we want our unions to be able to do their work on behalf of workers every day, because we know when union wages go up, everyone’s wages go up.  (Applause.)  Yeah. 

And when union workplaces are safer, all workplaces are safer.  (Applause.) 

And the bottom line is: When unions are strong, America is strong.  (Applause.)  And our unions have always fought to make our nation, then, more equal, more fair, and more free. 

And in this election, in 32 days, everything we have fought for is on the line. 

This election is about two very different visions for our nation: one that is focused on the past, and ours that is focused on the future. 

We fight for a future where we protect the fundamental freedom to organize.  We fight for a future where workers, all workers, are treated with dignity and respect; a future where we tap into the ambition and the aspirations of the American people and build what I call an “opportunity economy” so that every American has an opportunity to buy a home, start a business, build wealth — intergenerational wealth for their family. 

Over the last three and a half years, our nation has seen historic small-business creation as an example of that focus. 

In Michigan alone, we have seen more than 500,000 new small-business applications.  And when I am president, I plan to build on that progress and that success, including by raising the start-up deduction — tax deduction for small businesses from $5,000 for — to $50,000 to help more entrepreneurs start a small business. 

I’ll tell you guys, my sister and I were raised by our mother, who worked very hard, and we lived on an apartment above a daycare center.  And it was run by and owned by the woman that we called our second mother, who lived two houses down.  She was a small-business owner, and her name was Ms. Shelton. 

And I grew up as a child knowing about who our small businesses are, right?  They’re leaders in the community.  They’re civic leaders.  They hire locally.  They train.  And so, that’s one of the reasons I’m focused on small businesses as part of how we lift up the middle class in America’s economy.

We need to also build more housing in America.  Housing is too expensive. 

My mother saved up for years, until I was a teenager, when she was able to buy our first home. 

And right now, we have a serious housing shortage in America, and that’s part of what is driving up costs.  And so, we are going to cut red tape, we’re going to work with the private sector, and we’ll build 3 million new homes by the end of my first term — (applause) — including — including providing first-time homebuyers with a $25,000 down payment assistance so they can just get their foot literally in the door to be able to invest in the American dream — (applause) — which not everyone has access to these days.

We need to lower the cost of living, because, look, our economy, while we’re making good progress — just this morning, in fact, we got a solid jobs report: over 250,000 jobs created last month, unemployment fell.  And just a few weeks ago, the Federal Reserve cut down interest rates, which is going to be great for a lot of folks.  But there’s still more work we need to do. 

Prices for everyday things like groceries are still too high.  You know it, and I know it.

And so, we have a plan to lower costs on everything from health care to groceries, including what I’ve done in my career as attorney general, which is we got to take on corporate price gouging. 

We got to take on what we need to do to understand that if you want to grow the middle class, we need more middle-class tax cuts.  And the tax cut that is part of my plan will give a tax cut to 100 million Americans. 

We need to expand Child Tax Credit, and I will do that to expand it to $6,000 so that for the first year of a child’s life, their parents have the resources that they need to be able to buy a crib or a car seat, and in that very critical stage of their child’s development, just be able to do more than get by but be able to get ahead. 

And I say all this to say, I will always put the middle class and working families first.  I come from the middle class, and I will never forget where I come from.  I will never forget where I come from.  (Applause.)

And we know we cannot have a strong middle class without American manufacturing. 

Over the last three and a half years, we brought manufacturing back to America.  We created 730,000 manufacturing jobs and announced the opening of more than 20 new auto plants in the United States.  And we did it by investing in American industry and American workers.

And I want to make sure that America, not China, wins the competition for the 21st century.  (Applause.)

So, under my plan, we will invest in the industries that built America, like steel, iron, and the great American auto industry — (applause) — yeah — so we can ensure that the next generation of breakthroughs, from advanced batteries to electric vehicles, are not only invented but built right here in America by American union workers.  (Applause.)

So, the election is in 32 days, and Americans have a big choice to make.  And I think it’s very important, then, to point out Donald Trump has a very different approach than mine. 

And let’s be real about who Donald Trump is.  Let’s be real.  This is a time for real talk. 

He was handed $400 million on a silver platter and filed for bankruptcy six times.  This is a man who has only ever fought for himself.  This is a man who has been a union buster his entire career, who has called union leaders, quote, “Dues Sucking” people.  And as president, he did not lift a finger to save the pensions of millions of American workers. 

We did.  We did.  (Applause.)

This is a man who sold promise after promise to American workers but never delivered, who said he supports so-called right-to-work laws “100 percent.”  Those are his words. 

He who joked and laughed about firing striking workers.  You remember that? 

AUDIENCE:  Yes.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Who rolled back labor standards and made it easier for companies that break labor laws to get federal contracts. 

And Donald Trump is a man who tried to cut funding for our first responders, including SAFER grants for firefighters. 

So, brothers and sisters, as we stand here in a house of labor, we will not be fooled.  We will not be gaslighted.  Donald Trump’s track record is a disaster for working people, and he’s trying to gaslight people all over our country.  But we know the facts and we know the truth: He is an existential threat to America’s labor movement.  Just look at his track record to know. 

He said he was the only one who could bring back America’s manufacturing jobs — Michigan knows what I’m about to say — then America lost nearly 200,000 manufacturing jobs when he was president, including tens of thousands of jobs in Michigan.  And those losses started before the pandemic, so we’re clear, making Donald Trump one of the biggest losers of manufacturing jobs in American history.  (Applause.)

And recall his record — his track record for the auto industry.  He promised workers in Warren that the auto industry would, quote, “not lose one plant” during his presidency.  Then American automakers announced the closure of six auto plants when he was president, including General Motors in Warren and Stellantis in Detroit.  Thousands of Michigan autoworkers lost their jobs. 

And now he is making the same empty promises to the people of Michigan that he did before, hoping you will forget how he let you down.  But we know, if he wins again, it will be more of the same. 

Everything he intends to do is spelled out in Project 2025.  If reelected, he intends to launch a full-on attack on unions and the freedom to organize.  He will ban public-sector unions, roll back workplace safety protections, and appoint a union buster to run the Department of Labor.

And on top of that, Donald Trump will give billionaires and the biggest corporations massive tax cuts like he did last time. 

He will cut Social Security and Medicare and impose what I call a Trump sales tax, a 20 percent tax on everyday goods and necessities, which will cost — the economists have said — which will cost the average American over $4,000 a year more. 

And if that weren’t enough, he intends to end the Affordable Care Act.  And even after he tried to repeal it time and time again when he was president, he still has no plan to replace it. 

Did you guys see the debate?  (Laughter and applause.)  “Concepts of a plan.”  He has “concepts of a plan.”  (Laughter.)  Come on. 

And, you know, I’ve said many times he is an unserious human — (laughter) — but the consequence of him is quite serious, because think about that: “concepts of a plan.” 

So, he’s going to threaten the health care and health coverage of 45 million people in America based on a concept — think about that — to take us back to when insurance companies could deny people with preexisting conditions.  You remember what that was like?

So, look, I’m here to say, and I think we all know: It’s time to turn the page.  It’s time to turn the page.  (Applause.)  We’re not going back. 

America is ready to chart a new way forward, because we are not going back. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  No, we’re not.  We’re not going back.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  No, we’re not.

And so, it all comes down to this.  We are here together because we know what is at stake.  And we are here together — and I’m looking at the young leaders — because we love our country.  We love our country.  (Applause.)  Yes, we do.  We love our country.

And I do believe it is the highest form of patriotism to then fight for the ideals of our country and to fight to realize the promise of America. 

We have 32 days to get this done, and we know this is going to be a very tight race until the very end.  And we are the underdog, so we have some hard work ahead of us.  But I know who’s here.  We like hard work.  Hard work is good work.  Hard work is good work.  (Applause.)

And we know what we stand for, so we know what to fight for.  We stand for opportunity, we stand for dignity, and we stand for the future.

And so, we know when we fight —

AUDIENCE:  We win!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — we win. 

God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

Thank you all.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END                 2:20 P.M. EDT

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The President and First Lady will continue the tradition of welcoming members of the public to tour the White House Gardens and South Grounds. 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.
 
These 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 of the tour beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. Timed tickets will be distributed, one ticket per person, on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
Once attendees have received their tickets, the South Lawn entry point for everyone will be located on 15th St, NW between E Street, NW and Constitution Avenue, NW, near the Boy Scout Memorial. The ADA entrance will be located at 15th Street, NW and Alexander Hamilton Place, NW.

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The post The White House Announces 2024 Fall Garden Tours appeared first on The White House.

Today the White House released visitor log records generated in June 2024. This set includes 90,735 records, bringing the total number of records posted to 1,653,271

These records were posted pursuant to the White House’s policy to voluntarily disclose visitor log records. This release is consistent with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to becoming the first administration to post visitor log records from its first full year in office.

To learn more about the policy, read our voluntary disclosure policy. To view visitor log records, view our disclosure page.

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The post June 2024 Visitor Logs Records Posted appeared first on The White House.

2:06 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, folks.  My name is Joe Biden.  (Laughter.)

Q    Welcome to the briefing room.

Q    Welcome, Mr. President. 

Q    We’ve been waiting for you. 

THE PRESIDENT:  Welcome to the swimming pool.

Q    Finally.  This is — this is great.

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, look, folks, good afternoon.  The past two days have gotten some — we’ve gotten very good news about the American economy. 

Just yesterday, shipping carriers, after some discussion, and the International Longshoreman’s Union came to an agreement to keep their ports in the East Coast and Gulf ports open.  We averted what could have become a major crisis for the country.  And a tentative agreement, which includes record wage increases for dockworkers and shows the importance of collective bargaining and represents, I think, critical progress toward a strong contract. 

I especially want to thank the carriers, the port operators, and the longshoreman’s union for reaching this agreement at a time when the nation has experienced such terrible devastation from Hurricane Helene.  It was truly a service to the American people for all the parties to come together and to respond to our request to keep the ports open. 

I was determined to — to avert a crisis at this moment, because it’s a critical moment.  If we didn’t do this now, we’d have a real problem.  

I also want to thank my White House team for the work — they worked around the clock to bring the parties together. 

But, today, I — we got more incredible news.  Although the strength of the American economy is a — it’s about the strength of the American economy.  The new jobs report, as you all know and you’ve been reporting, created 250,000 jobs in September.  The expectation was for 150,000 jobs in September, which is — far exceeds that number.  Not only the previous two months — but not only that, the previous two months was revised up 150,000 — 75,000 jobs. 

And from the very beginning, we were told time and again that the polices we were pursuing — we’d put forward weren’t –weren’t going to work, make things worse, including some of the other team who are still saying they’re going to make things worse.  But we’ve proven them wrong.

You know, we were told our American — we’ve — we were told our American Rescue Plan was too big and it would crowd out private investment.  We proved them wrong.  It vaccinated a nation and got immediate economic relief to people in need. 

When I came to office determined to end trickle-down economics and to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up — I know you’re tired of hearing me say that over and over again, but that was the policy; it remains the policy — because when you do that, everyone does well.  When the middle class grows, the nation is stronger.  And the nation is stronger when there is a strong union movement as well. 

We were told it wouldn’t work, but I was also determined to do what was ignored for much too long.  Presidents have been authorized since the ‘30s to be able to spend the money given by Congress — to spend the money on hiring American workers and using American product where they were available.  And that’s what we did.  

We were told that was going to be a big problem, but all the money we — I was authorized to spend by the Congress has gone to building a mi- — to — gone to hiring American workers and using American products.  We were told it wasn’t going to be — I — we were told that was going to be a big problem, but it’s working. 

We were also told that our historic laws to invest in America and all Americans would crowd out private-sector investment.  Well, that was proven wrong too.

We’ve attracted nearly $1 trillion since we’ve come to office in private-sector investment from domestic and foreign companies investing in America — in America.  And not this stuff with sh- — shipping jobs overseas for cheaper labor and bringing back a product to America.  We’re building it here and sending it overseas.  And look at the results across the board.

Unemployment is back down 4- — to 4.1 percent.  And every month f- — that Vice President Harris and I have been in office, we’ve been — there’s been — we’ve created jobs every single month. 

The nation has now created 16 million jobs since I’ve come to office, more jobs created in a single presidential term than at any time in American history. 

Our GDP shows our economy grew at — at 10 percent under my administration.  Unemployment reached the lowest level in 50 years. 

We were also told inflation couldn’t come down without massive job losses or sending the economy into economic recession. 

Once again, the outside experts were wrong.  Inflation has come way down.  Wages have gone up, growing faster than prices.  The interest rates are down.  A record 19 million new business applications have been filed for.  The stock market continues to reach new heights. 

We’ve got more work to do though to keep getting — keep — to keep getting prices down, like more affordable housing, extending what I’ve done for seniors and lowering prescription drug costs by letting Medicare negotiate the prices — make sure that’s available to everyone. 

And, by the way, what we’ve done so far — just what we’ve brought down the prices for seniors under Medicare, it saved the taxpayers billions of dollars — billions of dollars.  Saved the taxpayers billions of dollars.  That’s important to note because they don’t have to pay the exorbitant and ratio- — irrational prices that these companies are charging.

The simple fact is we’ve gone from an economy in crisis to literally having the strongest economy in the world.  And — but we got — we — we got more work to do.  We’ve got more work to do to deal the — the things I’ve just mentioned.  And we’re going to have to deal with unforeseen costs of what this — this hu- — this hurricane is going to cost.  It’s going to cost a lot of money, and I’m going to probably have to ask the Congress before we leave for more money to deal with some of those problems, but that remains to be seen. 

I’ll take a few questions before I turn it over to —

Q    Mr. President —

THE PRESIDENT:  You pick out the questions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, okay.  Yes, sir.  (Laughter.)  Yes, sir. 

Go ahead, Josh. 

Q    Thanks again for doing this, Mr. President.  Two questions.  The first, Florida Senator Marco Rubio described today’s jobs report as having “fake numbers.”  What do you make of that?  And how worried are you that many Americans are hearing that the jobs numbers aren’t real? 

THE PRESIDENT:  Look, I’m going to be very careful here.  If you notice anything the MAGA Republicans don’t like, they call “fake.”  Anything.  The job numbers are what the job numbers are.  They’re real.  They’re sincere.  They’re — what we are. 

But — and, by the way, just look at how the EU talks about us, how they’d like to have an economy like ours.  Let’s talk about the rest of the world looks at us and what we’re doing. 

So, I — well, I don’t want to get going. 

Q    And — and then, secondly, could you clarify some of your comments yesterday with regard to strikes on Iranian oil facilities?  What did you mean by them, given some of the reactions we’re seeing in the market?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, look, the Israelis have not concluded how they’re — what they’re going to do in terms of a strike.  That’s under discussion.  I think there are — if I were in their shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Weijia.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Thank you so much, Mr. President, for being here. 

This week, Senator Chris Murphy said, “It’s certainly a possibility that the Israeli government is not going to sign any diplomatic agreement prior to the election,” which is what you have been calling for for so long, “potentially to try to influence the result.” 

Do you agree?  Do you have any worries that Netanyahu may be trying to influence the election, and that’s why he has not agreed to a diplomatic solution?

THE PRESIDENT:  No administration has helped Israel more than I have.  None.  None.  None.  And I think Bibi should remember that. 

And whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know, but I’m not counting on that.

Q    You’ve said many times recently that you want to speak to him, that you plan to —

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I didn’t say “plan to.”  I didn’t say “want to.”

Q    You don’t want to?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I didn’t say that.  You’re making it sound like I’m seeking an inv- — speak- — I’m assuming when they make their judgment of how they’re going to respond, we will then have a discussion. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Selina.

Q    Thank you.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President, for being here.  What are you advising the Israelis to do in terms of their retaliation to Iran?  And at this point, you still haven’t spoken to Netanyahu.  Is it fair to say that you have little personal influence over what he decides to do?

THE PRESIDENT:  No.  Look, our — our teams are in contact 12 hours a day.  They’re constantly in contact.  I’ve already had my presidential daily brief.  We’ve already had interface between our military, our — the diplomats.  It’s in constant contact. 

They are trying to figure out — this is High Holidays as well.  They’re not going to make a decision immediately.  And so, we’re going to wait to see what they — when they want to talk. 

Q    But over the past few months, they’ve consistently defied your administration’s own advice.  So, do you believe that the Israelis are going to listen to the advice you’re giving them?

THE PRESIDENT:  What I know is the plan that I put together received the support of the U.N. Security Council and the vast majority of our allies around the world as a way to bring this to an end. 

One of — look, the Israelis have every right to respond to the vicious attacks on them not just from the Iranians but from the — everyone from Hezbollah to the Houthis to — anyway.  And — but the fact is that they have to be very much more careful about dealing with civilian casualties.

Q    So, how should they respond?  You expressed concerns about attacks on Iranian oil facilities.  How should they respond?

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s between me and them.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  We got to move on.  Go ahead, Tam.

Q    The election is a month away.  One, I’d like to know how you’re feeling about how this election is going.  And then, also, do you have confidence that it will be a free and fair election and that it will be peaceful?

THE PRESIDENT:  Two separate questions.

Q    Very much.

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m confident it’ll be free and fair.  I don’t know whether it will be peaceful. 

The things that Trump has said and the things that he said last time out when he didn’t like the outcome of the election were very dangerous. 

If you notice — I — I noticed that the vice-presidential Republican candidate did not say he’d accept the outcome of the election.  And they haven’t even accepted the outcome of the last election.  So, I’m — I’m concerned about what they’re — what they’re going to do.

Q    Are you making any preparations?  Getting security briefings related to domestic security?

THE PRESIDENT:  I always get those briefings.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  We got to move on.  Go ahead, Akayla.  And we have — do a couple more.

Q    Hi.  Hi, Mr. President.  When are you considering imposing sanctions on Iran?  And would you include oil in those sanctions?

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s som- — that’s be- — that’s under consideration right now, the whole thing.  I’m not going to discuss that out loud.

Q    And just on your comments yesterday on the port strike.  You said by “the grace of God,” it’s going to hold.  Is there any reason you think that this —

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, there’s more to do.

Q    — this temporary suspension —

THE PRESIDENT:  It’s a month from now, and there’s more to do in terms of everything from the whole notion of me- — me- — excuse me — mechanization of the ports and the like.  There’s more to more to re- — more to resolve.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Danny.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Thank you, Mr. President.  Last night, you said that there’s still a lot to do to avoid an all-out war in the Middle East.  I mean, firstly, aren’t we pretty close to that definition already?  And — and, secondly, what — what can you really do to stop that happening?

THE PRESIDNET:  There’s a lot we are doing.  The main thing we can do is try to rally the rest of the world and our allies into participating, like the French are, in — in Lebanon and other places to tamp this down.  And — but when you have proxies as irrational as Hezbollah and the Houthis and — it’s a — it’s a hard thing to determine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Toluse.

THE PRESIDENT:  I’ve got to go, kid.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I know.  I know.  (Laughter.)  He’s telling me, “I got to go.”

THE PRESIDENT:  I said I’d take a couple questions.  (Laughter.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right. 

Q    We’ll take (inaudible) —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You’re the la- — you’re the last one, Toluse.

THE PRESIDENT:  I think she’s decreasing her credibility.  (Laughter.)

Q    First — first time in four years; you have to take some more.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Toluse, you’re going to be the last one.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Thank you for — for spending some time here with us.  There have obviously been a number of crises that the country has been facing over the past several days with the hurricane, with port strike, with the situation in the Middle East.  Can you talk about how your vice president, who is running for the presidency, has worked on these crises and what role she has played over the past several

days?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, she’s — I’m in constant contact with her.  She’s aware of where — we all — we’re singing from the same song sheet.  We — she helped pass the l- — all the laws that are being employed now.  She was a major player in everything we’ve done, including passage of legislation, which we were told we could never pass.  And so, she’s been — and her — her staff is interlocked with mine in terms of all the things we’re doing.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, sir.  Thank you, sir.

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It’s up to you, sir.  (Laughs.)

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Totally up to you, sir.

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  All right.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, Nandita.  Nandita.

Sir — sir — no.  No.  Sir — I didn’t call on you, sir.  I didn’t call on you.  Nandita.

Q    Pope Francis is calling for a day of —

Q    Thank you.  Thank you, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Nandita. 

Q    — prayer —

Q    Mr. President —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go, Nandita.

Q    — and fasting.  What’s —

Q    Mr. President —

THE PRESIDENT:  On Pope Francis —

Q    Yeah.

THE PRESIDENT:  — calling for a day of prayer and fasting —

Q    A day of prayer and fasting this Monday, October 7th.  You reaction, sir?

THE PRESIDENT:  I will prayer and fast.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  That’s —

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Mr. President, what is acceptable to you in terms of Israel’s response?  How long are you okay with Israel bombing Lebanon?  What is acceptable to you?

Q    Mr. President —

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, guys.  That’s it.  Thank you, everybody. 

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you, Mr. President.  Thank you, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you, every- — thank you, sir.

Q    Mr. President, on Ukraine.  Have you made a decision on long-range weapons?

Q    Do you re- — want to reconsider dropping out of the race?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m back in.  (Laughter.)

Q    What made you want to come here today, Mr. President?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, everybody.

Q    Thank — thank you, Mr. President.

Q    Thank you. 

Q    Please come back. 

Q    Thank you, Karine.

Q    Karine, can we do that again?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No.  (Laughter.)

You hear- — you heard I was already told that.  (Laughs.) 

Q    So, that’s why we were late? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, are we always on — any — always on time?  (Laughter.)  I — I could call myself out for that.

All right, everybody.  Thank you so much.  Thank you, Mr. President.

Okay.  So, this week, the United States has faced a — a number of competing challenges, from tensions in the Middle East, to a port strike that threatened our nation’s supply chains, to a historic hurricane that washed away entire communities.

Moments like these underscore the importance of American leadership and resolve, and they show what is possible when we come together.

Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, we were able to successfully protect our allies, ensure the viability of critical supplies, stand up for good-paying union jobs, and get resources to people impacted by the storm in North Carolina and beyond.

In the Middle East, the president showed that our ironclad support for Israelis’ security is not just a talking point; it saves lives.  Prior to Iran’s attack on Israel, the president convened his national security team in the Situation Room to monitor developments in real time, ensure we were prepared to assist in Israelis’ defense, and protect U.S. personnel in the region.

Under the president’s leadership, the United States successfully defended Israel an- — from Iran’s missiles, standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Israel.

On the home front, the president and his team brought union workers, ocean carriers, and port operators to the table to — successfully to resolve a strike that threatened U.S. supply chains and the economic progress this president has made to lower prices for the American people.

And in the Southwest United States — Southeast, pardon me, United States, the administration pre-positioned 1,500 federal personnel, along with critical resources like food, water, and fuel, to ensure that communities in the path of Hurricane Helene were prepared ahead of the storm. 

Now, we are getting more resources into the hardest-hit communities every day, and we have provided over $45 million directly to individuals and families to help them recover.

And a wide range of bipartisan officials, including the governors of every affected state, are working together with us and have praised the federal response. 

These response- — responses underscore why leadership matters.  The president’s leadership in this moment helps to save lives, pra- — protect critical alliances, and ensure that our economy remains strong.  But more importantly, it proves that nothing is beyond America’s capacity when we do it together.

And really quickly, because I know you all a- — asked for this.  This is the week ahead.  Next week, the president will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to discuss his administration’s work to replace lead pipes in the state and across the country through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  This law is investing historic resources into our communities and creating good-paying jobs.

The president will also be traveling to Philadelphia for a campaign engagement. 

He will also travel to Germany and Angola to underscore the enduring strength and importance of two strategic bilateral relationships in addressing a comprehensive range of global stra- — challenges.  The value of strong alliances and partnerships in the defense of freedom and democracy has never resonated more in Europe, Africa, and beyond.

President Biden has made revitalizing our international alliances and partnerships a key priority, recognizing that today’s challenges require global perspectives and shared responses.

Those are the details I am able to share with — for now, but certainly, we will have more in the upcoming days. 

And finally, n- — finally, we have Lael Bran- — Brai- — Brainard — (laughs) — our national economic adviser to the president.  She’s going to provide more information on how the president helped reopen our ports, as well as the strong job market economy report that we saw today, showing that more than 250,000 jobs this — this September under the president — President Biden.

MS. BRAINARD:  Well, thanks, Karine.  And it’s good to see everybody today.

It is a good day for American workers and families.  We saw more than 250,000 new jobs created in the month of September.  We saw unemployment back down to 4.1 percent at a time when inflation is back down to pre-pandemic levels.

The East Coast and Gulf ports are opening back up, and dockworkers are getting back to work on the basis of a strong tentative agreement on wages and a contract extension between the International Longshoreman’s Association and the United St- — States Maritime Alliance.

Just a week ago, the negotiation had totally stalled out.  The union and employers had not spoken to each other for months.  The last time a wage offer had been put on the table was in the middle of 2023.

The president and the vice president directed us to get the parties back to the table to reach a good deal.  We worked around the clock to help them find common ground. 

And the president was clear throughout that process on three things: We needed to get the union and the employers back to the table on the basis of a strong progress on wages so nothing would get in the way of hurricane recovery; Taft-Hartley was off the table because collective bargaining works; and workers should share in the large profits of the ocean carriers, particularly after those dockworkers sacrificed so much to keep goods moving for the American public during the pandemic.

And as a result of the hard work that I undertook along with Secretary Buttigieg, [Acting] Secretary Su, a number of people in the White House.  We are seeing dockworkers get a fair share of the industry’s record returns.  We’re seeing ports opening so consumers and businesses can get what they need.  And we don’t expect to see any effects on our economy or for consumers, businesses, and farmers because we have strong supply chains that we built in the wake of the pandemic. 

The president and the vice president have consistently supported the collective bargaining process.  When employers and workers come to the table, they find a good outcome. 

That’s a vastly different approach from previous administrations that might have busted unions and rolled back worker protections. 

And finally, I would simply say that the data that we’re seeing, the data we saw last week confirms that our economy is delivering for workers. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  I’m going to take a couple of questions. 

Go ahead, Selina.

Q    Thank you so much for being here.  Would you say at this point that the U.S. has achieved a soft landing?  And if not, at what point will we be there?

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah, I would say that, look, we have seen unemployment — the lowest average unemployment rate of any administration in 50 years, and we have seen inflation come back down to pre-pandemic levels. 

That is exactly the kind of growth that you would want to see.  Growth has actually been revised up.  It’s been above 3 percent over the last year, and we’re continuing to see very resilient consumers.  So, yes, that’s exactly the kind of Goldilocks results that you would want to see.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Josh.

Q    Thanks again for doing this.  If I could ask about an otherwise strong jobs report.  You still have manufacturing employment dip by 7,000.  What do you think is happening in the manufacturing sector right now?  Is this response to higher rates, or are you seeing something else going on?

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah, so I think if you look more broadly across the administration, you have seen manufacturing jobs growing by more than 700,000, in contrast to the previous administration that actually saw manufacturing job losses even before the pandemic. 

And I think the right way to think about this — because we have so much new investment dollars from the Investing in America agenda, the right way to think about it is to look at construction and manufacturing jobs together.  And there, what we’ve seen is continued growth. 

That construction workforce is hard at work with factory construction that is multiples of the previous administrations.  That construction of factories is going to turn into the manufacturing jobs of the future. 

So, we see that investment in today’s economy, whether it be in chip manufacturing or clean energy, that is going to result in tomorrow’s manufacturing jobs.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine. 

Just after the last Fed rate cut, do you think the administration has won its fight against inflation?

MS. BRAINARD:  So, I would say, if you look at the data on inflation, it is now back down to pre-pandemic levels.  Don’t forget, nobody said that could happen with a strong labor market.  I think people just really need to go back and see some of the predictions.  Nobody thought we could have the strongest recovery in our peer economies — strongest on jobs, strongest on growth — and get inflation down as fast as we did. 

And so, that just shows that the president’s investments and the focus on supply chains has really worked. 

Q    And then just a follow-up on the consumer confidence

numbers.  I mean, there was, you know, an upward revision in August, but now it’s down in September.  I’m just sort of wondering if you can comment on that.

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah, so I think the most recent Michigan sentiment numbers actually are showing strength.  And, you know, if you look at what consumers are talking about, they’re talking about good jobs, good job opportunities.  And we’ve seen a lot of people moving into new sectors with better wages, and there is now a lot more confidence that interest rates are coming down, inflation is down, and that’s going to enable consumers to feel more confident about investing in some of those bigger-ticket items.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Just a couple more. 

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  On the jobs report, the data also showed that the employment picture in July and August was also brighter than previously thought.  For Americans who are concerned about the rate that they may pay on their mortgage or their car that they might buy, what do you see that doing to the path of interest rates going forward?

MS. BRAINARD:  You know, I think that we are now in a part of the recovery where inflation is back down, and that’s really what is going to determine whether interest rates continue to fall.  And market interest rates have remained low.  Mortgage rates have come all the way down close to 6 percent.  We anticipate, because inflation is back down, that that will continue to show through to market rates.

Q    And on the hurricane that ravaged the Southeast, what are your early indications of how that could impact economic growth and the jobs picture in November, with so many in that region out of work?

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah, so we do think normally with a hurricane of this size, with the devastation that it has caused in many communities, that it will affect the employment statistics for that month.  But what we know is that, generally, you see the economy overall bouncing back very quickly and the growth numbers really becoming sort of strong pretty rapidly because of all that rebuilding activity that we are committed to. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Jacqui.

Q    That was my —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, okay.

Q    — on interest rates.  Yeah.  (Laughter.) 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    How concerned are you right now about the instability

in the Middle East and its impact on oil prices?

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah, so, it is something that we track very closely.  Obviously, prices at the pump right now, $3.18 on average — not that I track it closely, but that is today’s number — (laughter) — and below $3 in many states.  We believe that global markets are well supplied, and continue to expect that in the U.S., we’ll continue to see those low gas prices. 

And of course, we have really effective ways of addressing some of those geostrategic volatility.  We’ve used it in the past.  We have the capacity to use it again. 

So, right now, markets are very well supplied, and we anticipate them to remain so. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, last question to — oh — 

Q    Yeah, I’ll —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, I — I can go to Gerren too.  (Laughs.)  Go ahead. 

Q    Thanks.  A federal judge in Missouri issued an injunction blocking the president’s student loan program hours after a judge in Georgia allowed it to advance.  What is the White House’s message to this dizzying legal battle?  And that was lifted up as an economic policy to, particularly, closing the racial wealth gap.  And what is your message to Black and brown Americans who are really relying on this relief?

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah.  So, student loan debt relief is so important for so many young people who are trying to build wealth, particularly for people who are first generation, to be able to invest in small businesses, to invest in starting a family, to invest in a house for the first time.  So, we are going to continue to work to deliver that debt relief to so many students who deserve it. 

I do want to say that we have 5 million Americans who have already received debt relief.  And, you know, you can go on TikTok and other social media platforms and see their testimonials what a difference it makes in their lives.  And that is why the president, vice president going to continue working so hard to deliver.  

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Awesome.  Thank you so much, Lael.

MS. BRAINARD:  Thank you.

Q    More Americans are food insecure.

MS. BRAINARD:  Thank you. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you.  Thank you so much. 

Q    Could you address food insecurity?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I appreciate it. 

Q    The numbers are rising —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you, thank you.

Q    — according to the USDA.  Food insecurity numbers? 

Maybe, Karine, if you could address it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No.  Not — not right now.

Q    Food insecurity?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I’m — I’m not talking to you, sir.

Q    Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m just not.  It would be nice if you would be less disrespectful in the room.

Q    I’m just asking questions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Inappropriately. 

Okay.  Go ahead, Josh.  I don’t know if — maybe you guys are done with me.  Maybe I can walk out.  (Laughs.)  You guys got — you guys got all the best.  (Laughs.)  You guys got all the best. 

Go ahead, Josh.

Q    So, if we were to, like, zoom out —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — President Biden came in here today. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    He’s going to be with Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey this week.  Then he goes to Germany and Angola.  He said he’s singing from the same song sheet as vice president Kamala Harris on the campaign.  How does he see his public role in the next few weeks as we get closer to the election?  What does — what’s he trying to achieve?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — look —

Q    And how’s he thinking about it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I think he’s doing his job as president, right?  I think that’s the most important thing.  I mean, I started off at the top, at least of this — this part of the program, where I said that we’ve had three major events happen this week.  And what did the president do?  What did the vice president do?  They worked shoulder and shoulder to deal with these major events. 

Now we see a deal with the port — a negotiated deal with the ports.  Obviously, it — it — that collective bargaining is extended until January 15th, which is incredibly important, especially in the midst of a hurricane that we saw — this historic hurricane that we just saw — Hurricane Helene. 

We s- — we see what’s happening in the Middle East.  The president and the vice president continue to have diplomatic conversations, if you will, to deal — to de-escalate, to deal with what we’re seeing in — in that — in the region.

And the hurricane.  You saw the — the vice president in — in Georgia; the president in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, himself, and also in North — also in Florida, pardon me. 

And so, I think what you’re going to see is him continuing to do his job, working closely with the vice president. 

Look, before Hurricane Helene, President Biden was planning to campaign this week, and you heard — you heard me say he’s going to go to Pennsylvania.  He’s going to go to Wisconsin next week.  And so, we have — you know, we — we have — you all have covered how much of a whirlwind week this has been. 

And so, the president is going to be president.  He’s going to be commander in chief.  And obviously, he’s going to be supporting his vice president. 

I can’t speak specifically about the campaign because of — we do respect the Hatch Act here — at least for myself, as a federal employee, and many of us here. 

And so, look, he’s going to continue to — to do the work that he’s doing.  We saw strong jobs numbers.  That’s one of the reasons he came out.  He came out because he wanted to talk about that.  He wanted to talk about what we have seen this week.

And so — and so, look, we’re going to continue to doing the work, and I think that’s what the American people want to see. 

Go ahead, Selina.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  So, former President Donald Trump threatened to revoke the legal status of Haitian migrants.

What is the president’s reaction to that?  This is something that the former president had tried to do during his own administration. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, here’s the fact.  The fact is they are here legally, right?  That is the fact.  TPS, that’s what it gives you.  And honestly, I wouldn’t take legal advice from the former president.  I don’t know.  That’s not something I would do. 

Go ahead.

Q    And how concerned is the administration about the economic impact of Hurricane Helene?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, as you can see, we have been working around the clock.  The president directed his team very early on to work around the clock to make sure that the states who were — that were affected, the states that he’s visited and the vice president has visited over the past couple of days, got everything that they need.  And we — and we did that by pre-positioning — pre-positioning some of the personnel — about 1,500 federal personnel — to do that. 

What we are doing: We’re going to make sure — obviously, we’re going to always monitor any of the economic impact.  But we’re going to continue to make sure that we are dealing — we are focused on lifesaving and life-sustaining efforts.  That’s the focus that we’re going to have here. 

And we’re going to continue to monitor.  But obviously, reacting and providing the needs of the states right now, of the — of citizens who are living in those states is probably the most key and most important.  And continue to call on Congress to move forward with additional funding. 

As you know, in the CR there was a robust ask for funding — for disaster funding, and that didn’t make it in the bipartisan CR.  And so, we got to get that done.  And we’re going to continue to have conversations with Congress.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Nandita.

Q    Karine, I tried asking the president this —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Nandita, I’ve called on you, like, three times today.  (Laughter.)  I know some folks in the back are just going to be like, “Yeah.” 

Q    I appreciate it.  I appreciate it.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So — yeah.

Q    I tried asking President Biden —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  (Laughs.)

Q    (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I hear you, Kimberly.  I hear you.

Go ahead.

Q    What is acceptable to the U.S. in terms of Israel’s response, right?  How long is the U.S. comfortable with Israel bombing Lebanon?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I know you guys are going to ask this question every which way, and I totally understand that.  We are having conversations, discussions.  We’re in contact with the Israelis on — on what’s next. 

We have been very clear there will be consequences.  You saw the joint statement with the G7.  There’s going to be consequences.  There’s going to be sanctions.  And I’m not going to preview those sanctions from here. 

But we have always said Israel has the right to defend itself.  And we — and you saw just on Tuesday night — and not just Tuesday night, in April — how — how much we are prepared to defend and protect Israel, because that is our ironclad commitment. 

I’m not going to get into pu- — into diplomatic conversations in — in the public here.

Q    And there was a report that quotes U.S. officials saying the White House wants to take advantage of the massive blow to Hezbollah’s leadership and infrastructure to push for a new Lebanese president in the coming days.  Can you comment on that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to comment on that.  I’m not going to comment on sources or reporting out there.  That is — that is not something I’m going to speak to, sourcing that I can’t even verify from here. 

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  On the port strike reaching a tentative agreement.  The White House and several officials were involved in — in the 90-day extension of those talks.  I’m wondering what the significance of that timeline is and whether the election being five weeks away played any role in it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, this is about the right thing to do for workers.  Many of those workers put their lives at risk during the pandemic.  We have always said collective bargaining is — works.  We believe it works.  And we have seen — we have seen parties reach a fair agreement when you put — when you have — when they come in — come to the table and — in good faith and do that collective bargaining.  This is what’s important. 

It was important to this president to get this done.  This is not about an election.  This is about what is the right thing to do for the American people.  This is the right thing to do for — for workers, again, who — who deserve higher wages, who deserve benefits. 

And so, the president is proud to have been able to do that.  His team — obviously, with his team, in the dir- — and he directed his team to do this.  And so, now collective bargaining is going to continue, and we’ll see where we are in the next couple of — couple of months. 

But this is not about politics for this president.  He — and you have seen that in the last three and a half years when we’ve been in these types of situation where there was negotiation, and we have been very, very clear: collective bargaining and supporting workers.

Q    On congressional funding.  You mentioned some of the items that were lacking in the short-term funding bill that Republicans had put forth.  I’m wondering if the president has spoken with any members of the Big Four in Congress to bring those concerns to them directly. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I don’t have any conversations to speak to that the president has had with members of Congress. 

I mean, you saw him on the road.  He was able — you saw him in a bipartisan way on the road in North Carolina, South Carolina, in Georgia, and — and Florida.  And he — you saw him with Republican congressional members and governors and Republican — and Democratic congressional members and also governors.  And you saw that bipartisanship. 

I’m certainly not going to get into any private conversations that they have had.  But we will continue to speak to congressional leadership and members about getting that extra funding.  It is important.  They need to act.  They need to act. 

AIDE:  Karine, you (inaudible).

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.  Go ahead.

Q    Hey, thanks, Karine.  Can you talk about how President Biden will be marking Monday’s one-year anniversary of the October 7th attack on Israel?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, obviously, it’s going to be a painful — a painful day for — for many, including for — for all of us here.  And so, we will have more to share on how we will be commemorating that devastating day that we saw a year ago.  Don’t have anything to share at this time. 

Q    And — and, secondly, this was President Biden’s first time — correct? — to the press briefing room —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — since he’s —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yep.

Q    What — why not —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And you’re welcome. 

Q    Yeah.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You’re welcome.  I know you’re — I know this —

Q    I know.  I know.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I know the way — the way this question is going to go.

Q    We appreciate it.  I —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It’s going to be great.  It’s going to be great.  (Laughs.)

Q    Let’s — let’s do it again.

Q    I would have preferred a further question, but that’s all — that’s all right.  (Laughter.)  But real quick: Why not — why didn’t he come in the three and a half years before? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I —

Q    Why —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, he came today.  And you got to see him.

Q    Yes.  Yeah, but —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And you were here. 

Q    — you know, I mean, he had the opportunity —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Aw, man.  Come on.

Q    All right.  All right.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Come on.  He was here.  He took your questions.  And he —

Q    It seemed like he wanted to stay a little bit longer.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — (laughter) —

Q    Every Friday?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  He is — he is — every Friday?  (Laughter.)  Friday — Friday with the POTUS.  Friday with the POTUS.  We —

Q    I’ll bring ice cream.  Bring ice cream.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, no, you guys got to bring the ice cream.  You guys got to bring the ice cream. 

(Cross-talk.)

Okay.  I’m going to do a couple more.  Go ahead.  I haven’t called on you.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  I want to go back to Haitians and the TPS.  But first, you know, it was — it’s another week of misery in Haiti. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    There was this report from the World Food Programme describing acute hunger.  What more can the U.S. do to improve the situation in Haiti?  And conc- — if there’s no improvement, is it conceivable that the TPS for Haitians will never be lifted?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, on your last question, I’ll do that first — the last part of your question, I’ll do that first.  I — we — I can’t predetermine what TPS status is going to be.  It’s not something that I can do from here.  Obviously, as you know, that is a decision with DHS and the State Department.  They decide TPS and the best way to move forward.  So, I’m not going to get into a hypothetical about that.

But as it relates to Haiti more broadly and to the question of instability and what’s happening, look, despite that — despite the instability that continues, the recent deployment, as you know, of MSS mission is a unique opportunity to build a foundation of security and bring hope to Haitians that deserve to live their lives free of violence. 

And so, to that end, the United States has delivered well over $300 million to support the MSS mission, while urging the international to community — community to support that — that mission as well.  The United States will continue to hold those undermining Haiti’s institutions and committing serious human rights abuses accountable.  That is our commitment. 

We are committed to doing our part both to address immediate security needs and invest in Haiti’s long-term successes.  We stand with the people of Haiti and will continue supporting their aspirations of more security, certainly democratic and prosperous future.  That is our commitment, and we’ll continue to support the mission. 

Go ahead, Michael.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  It seems as if the president has spoken with pretty much every governor in the affected —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  He has.  He has.  That was affected in the region.

Q    But has he spoken with Governor DeSantis of Florida?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Touché.  Good point.  So — (laughter).  Touché. 

So — and I think we read out that he spoke to the governor of Tennessee on our way back from — back from our trip to Florida and Georgia yesterday. 

I don’t have a — a conversation to read out with the Florida — the governor of Florida.  But what I can say is that we have been in touch.  Our team has been in touch with local officials on the ground.  We are committed to providing what is needed in the state, obviously, to those who were affected in the state, and are committed — our commitment is clear.  The president has always said it doesn’t matter if you’re in a red state or a blue state; he’s a president for all Americans.  And that’s — continues to be, certainly, his commitment. 

Go ahead.

AIDE:  Last one.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I know.  I’m getting — I’m getting pulled.  But go ahead.  Then I’ll come back to you.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  The president seemed to suggest that he is asking — or he seems to be suggesting that Israel should consider other alternatives, rather than attacking Iranian oil facilities.  But should Israel make such an attack, how is the administration preparing for an Iranian retaliation on the Strait of Hormuz that would disrupt oil supply and disrupt oil prices globally?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, also as the president said, we continue to have these discussions.  I’m not going to get into hypotheticals Israel — about Israel’s response to Tues- — Tuesday — Tuesday night attacks. 

What I will say is that we understand that they are still determining what exactly they will do.  That is something that we understand. 

I’m just not going to prejudge.  I’m not going to get ahead of anything, and the discussions to continue.

Q    But can we say that the administration is preparing for that possibility?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I’m just not going to get — I’m not going to speculate.  They’re still — I’m — I’m telling you, they’re — still haven’t decided what their next steps are going to be. 

Q    Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So that’s what I’m saying to you.  That’s what we understand.  I don’t have anything else beyond that.

Q    And on Angola — on the President’s trip, Karine.  Amnesty International is criticizing the administration’s, quote, “silence” on human rights violations in Angola ahead of the president’s visit, calling out the administration’s focus on private-sector investment to counter China.  This is obviously in reference to the Lobito Corridor.  Do you have a response?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I mean, I — we get this question — this type of question about human rights violations any time he meets, he travels and if that’s going to come up.  The president, as you know, has never shied away from direct conversation about human rights and democracy in any conversation, and I could expect that he will do the same in this upcoming trip. 

And so, I don’t have anything beyond that, but the president has never shied away from that.  Never shied away.

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Does the administration have any concerns about how the — the aftermath of this storm could impact the vote, whether it’s talking to the Postal Service about mail-in ballots that may not be getting to people or impacting the infrastructure in these critical states?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, we are go- — using every available resources to help this com- — the community respond.  That’s what we’re going to do and recover from this disaster.  That is our commitment.  That’s what you’ve heard from this president. That’s what you heard from the FEMA administrator and so many others in the president’s administration, and certainly that means ensuring that Americans’ have — voices are heard this November.  And so, that is our commitment.  We want to make sure that people’s voices are heard. 

And so, any specifics on where the infrastructure is and what that looks like, certainly, I would have to refer you to the state election officials on — on those and — and cybersecurity and infrastructure and all of those pieces — on what that looks like for them.  But — but —

Q    Have any of the states voiced concerns to the administration?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — well, I cannot speak to that.  I have not heard of that. 

But look, our commitment, again, is to make sure that the resources available so that community can respond to recovery and also get back on their feet and deal with this disaster.  We want to make sure — we want to make sure that Americans’ voices are heard this — this November. 

That is im- — important and so — but certainly that is something that state elected officials can speak to more directly, but we’re going to try and make sure they get back on — back on that.

And I haven’t called on you yet.  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you. 

Q    Former President Trump is accusing the Biden administration of using FEMA funding to support undocumented migrants.  How is the White House responding to that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:   I mean, it’s just categorically fla- — false.  It is not true.  It is a false statement.  And look, the fact of the matter is — I think the Washington Post fact-checker did a piece and the headline recently, just moments ago, not too long ago, and the headline was “No, Biden didn’t take FEMA relief money to use — to use on migrants – but Trump did.”

I’ll leave it there. 

Q    And a quick follow-up —

Q    Karine?  Karine? 

Q    — on that?  A follow on — 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yep.  Yep.  Yep.   

Q    Secretary Mayorkas had said earlier this week that he was concerned that FEMA didn’t have enough funding until the end — for the rest of the hurricane season.  Now that President Biden has seen the damage firsthand in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia — we heard him say at the podium he may have to call Congress back from recess — what exactly is he waiting for to be able to make that call?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — look, here’s the thing: We put forth a pretty substantial, robust — I mentioned this moments ago — to be part of the CR.  We were disappointed that it was not part of the CR.  And if congressional Republicans were serious — if they were really, truly serious — about doing something for the communities that was impacted by Hurricane Helene, they would join us in calling for additional funding.  This is what we’ve been doing.  And so, if they’re serious, they would get to — to work and get that done. 

Just like in the — with the border, if they were serious about the border, they wouldn’t vote against their own bipartisan proposal that they worked with us on — they’re against it now; they weren’t — they would move it forward.  It would actually start fixing the broken system that we’re seeing right now. 

And, you know, they can — if they really want to help us in dealing what we’re seeing, whether it’s at the border or getting more funding for disaster monies that’s going to be needed to get into the communities, they should be serious.  Congressional Republicans need to get serious here, and they’re just not.

Go ahead, Akayla.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Just a quick question on the port strike suspension.  Is the White House going to continue to be in touch with ILA to sort of support those negotiations as they continue?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I think, look, there’s congressional — congressional — collective bargaining continues.  I think that’s really important.  That’s what we’re seeing, and that’s what we want to continue to see.  And so, we will be in touch as necessary. 

But I think what’s important is they came up with an agreement.  That’s because of this president’s leadership.  And the way to get this done is getting col- — is continuing that collective bargaining, and we believe that certainly works. 

Thanks, everybody.  All right.  Have a great weekend. 

Q    Thank you. 

2:55 P.M. EDT

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     In the face of incredibly dangerous fires, Americans have always met the moment — whether it is the first responders rushing in to keep everyone safe or the neighborhoods that come together to rebuild from the rubble.  During Fire Prevention Week, we encourage all Americans to learn more about fire safety.  We recommit to preventing fires before they occur and supporting families affected by fires.  And we extend our gratitude to the firefighters and first responders whose extraordinary bravery saves lives.

     As President, I have seen the devastating toll fires take on families across the country.  I have met with families who lost their homes and small business owners who lost their livelihoods to fires.  I have met with firefighters who saved lives while risking their own — some had fought massive wildfires when they had never been trained for that before.  This year, more than 1,400 people, including 43 firefighters, lost their lives to fires.  And thousands of acres of land have been burned by wildfires — in total, more acres have been burned than the size of some States. 

     With climate change, these fires will only get more ferocious, deadly, and costly.  But my Administration is doing everything we can to fight the climate crisis and keep people safe.  That is why I have made the most significant climate investment anywhere in the world.  Through my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are investing billions of dollars to strengthen our early wildfire detection programs, prevent and mitigate drought, and — in the event of a wildfire — restore and rehabilitate ecosystems.  At the same time, my Inflation Reduction Act is putting us on the path to cut America’s carbon emissions in at least half by 2030 with historic investments in green manufacturing, clean energy, and climate-smart agriculture.

     My Administration is also committed to ensuring firefighters have the resources and support they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.  That is why, in my first months as President, I invested $350 billion from the American Rescue Plan to help States and cities keep first responders, including firefighters, on the job.  The law also increased Federal firefighting grants by $300 million, paying for hundreds of emergency response vehicles, thousands of sets of turnout gear, critical cancer research, and more local firefighters in the field.  The Department of Labor proposed a rule that would substantially update protections for emergency response workers, including firefighters, for the first time in more than four decades.  Further, I am proud to have increased the Federal firefighter minimum wage to $15 an hour — a first step toward giving firefighters the pay they deserve.  And we have launched new programs to recruit, retain, and train Federal firefighters.  I also signed the Fire Grants and Safety Act, directing millions of dollars to fire stations and communities across the country so they can prevent fires and mitigate the damage if they do occur.

     We are also committed to advancing public safety and uplift Fire Prevention Week’s theme of “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!”  Smoke alarms are essential to ensuring you and your family can leave home quickly in the event of a fire.  Make sure to install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every floor of the house.  Once a month, remember to test your smoke alarm by pressing the test button.  And replace smoke alarms either every 10 years or if they stop responding when tested. 

     The First Lady and I remain in awe of the heroism and courage of our firefighters and all the communities who have come together to rebuild in the wake of devastating fires — we truly are a good Nation because we are a good people.  During Fire Prevention Week, we honor our first responders and firefighters for keeping us safe.  We recommit to supporting all Americans rebuilding their lives after a fire.  And we spread awareness about smoke alarms and fire safety.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 6 through October 12, 2024, as Fire Prevention Week.  I call on all Americans to participate in this observance with appropriate programs and activities and by renewing their efforts to prevent fires and their tragic consequences.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourth 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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     In 1683, 13 families left the only home they had ever known to flee religious persecution and start new lives in America, establishing the first German settlement just outside Philadelphia.  On German-American Day, we celebrate the history, culture, and countless contributions of our Nation’s 40 million German Americans.

     The hard work, achievements, and sacrifices of German Americans have shaped the very idea of America.  German-American immigrants established some of our Nation’s earliest and most extensive newspapers, advancing the role of the free press in America.  German-American scholars and writers, scientists and musicians, and leaders in every sector are the source of some of America’s best ideas and most exciting possibilities.  And today, German Americans are not only a proud part of our country’s character, but they also tie us closer to Germany and its people.

     My Administration is committed to growing the friendship, allyship, and partnership between Germany and the United States.  This month, I will be traveling to Germany to meet with their leaders and coordinate on shared priorities like securing democracy around the world, countering antisemitism and other forms of hatred, and advancing cooperation on economics, trade, and technology.  We will also continue to stand together to support the brave people of Ukraine in their defense against Russian aggression.

     Today, may we celebrate the culture and bonds German Americans have built over the hundreds of years they have called this country home.  Together, may we recommit to fighting for a better future, full of new possibilities for our Nation.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 6, 2024, as German-American Day.  I urge all Americans to celebrate the rich and varied history of German Americans and remember the many contributions they have made to our Nation.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourth 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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Today, we received good news for American workers and families with more than 250,000 new jobs in September and unemployment back down at 4.1%.  With today’s report, we’ve created 16 million jobs, unemployment remains low, and wages are growing faster than prices. Under my Administration, unemployment has been the lowest in 50 years, a record 19 million new businesses have been created, and inflation and interest rates are falling. And we’re seeing the power of collective bargaining to lift up workers’ wages—including the progress made by dockworkers on record wages with carriers, and port operators and the reopening of East Coast and Gulf ports.

Make no mistake: We have more to do to lower costs and expand opportunity. Congress should pass our plan to build millions of new homes, expand prescription drug price caps, empower workers and protect the right to organize, and cut taxes for hardworking families. Congressional Republicans have a different plan—more giant tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations, ending the Affordable Care Act, undermining workers by cutting overtime and making it harder to organize, and imposing a national sales tax that would raise costs by nearly $4,000 per year. While they put billionaires first, we’ll keep fighting to grow the middle class.

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Ripon College
Ripon, Wisconsin

5:41 P.M. CDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Can we hear it for Liz Cheney?  (Applause.) 

AUDIENCE:  Thank you, Liz!  Thank you, Liz!  Thank you, Liz!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  It is so good to be back in Wisconsin.  (Applause.)  I thank you, everyone, for being — please have a seat.  I thank you all for being here.  But I just — I have to emphasize that every time I come here and — and, Liz, I was actually a kid here, too, when my parents were at the University of Wisconsin.  (Laughs.)  So, we have that in common as well. 

In fact, Tony Evers always says when I land, “Welcome home.”  (Laughter.)  But I — I say all that to say every time that I’ve come here recently, one of the conversations that we have, all of us together, is how much we love our country and that that really is the binding factor in us all being together and taking the time to be together, to really just renew and remind everyone of what is at stake, but borne out of love that we have this fight.  (Applause.)

And I want to thank you, Liz Cheney, for reminding us that that, regardless of party affiliation, is a factor that binds us all.  And so, I thank you for your support and your leadership and your courage.  (Applause.)

I also want to thank all the other great leaders who are with us today.  Governor Tony Evers — (applause) — where is he?  There you are.  Thank you.

Mayor Grant, thank you for the warm welcome.  (Applause.)

I want to thank Senator Tammy Baldwin, who is traveling around the state — (applause) — but who I know you will reelect in November.  (Applause.)

Thank you, Sheriff Michek, for your support and your life of service to the people of Iowa County.  (Applause.) 

And so, I — I do want to say a bit more about Liz Cheney.  You all know her leadership, and she has obviously, and so importantly, been a leader for the people of Wyoming, but she has also been an extraordinary national leader and has served with great honor.  (Applause.) 

And she not only, as she has talked today, recognizes that character is among the most important attributes of leadership, but she also personifies that attribute.  And she possesses some of the qualities of character that I most respect in any individual and any leader: courage, especially at a moment like this, where there are so many powerful forces that have been intent on trying to demean and belittle and make people afraid. 

And there are many who know it is wrong, and then there are those who have the courage to speak out loudly about it and the conviction to speak truth.  And, you know, it is so admirable when anyone does it, and especially when it is difficult to do in an environment such as this.  But Liz Cheney really is a leader who puts country above party and above self, a true patriot — (applause) — and it is my profound honor — my profound honor to have your support.  (Applause.) 

And I also want to thank your father, Vice President Dick Cheney, for his support and — (applause) — and what he has done to serve our country. 

Every endorsement matters, and this endorsement matters a great deal, Liz.  And it carries the spicals — special significance, because, as you said, we may not see eye to eye on every issue, and we are going to get back to a healthy two-party system — I am sure of that — where we will have vigorous debates.  (Applause.) 

And as you said, you may not have — have supported a Democrat for president before, but as you have also said, we both love our country, and we revere our democratic ideals.  And we both also believe in the nobility of public service, and we know that our oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America is a sacred oath — an oath that must be honored and must never be violated.  (Applause.)

And your words today and the reason we are all here today, I think, really do underscore perhaps one of the most fundamental questions that is facing the American people in this election: Who will obey that oath?  Who will abide by the oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America?  (Applause.)

I have had the privilege — (laughs).

AUDIENCE:  Kamala!  Kamala!  Kamala!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you. Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you. 

And I have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution six times in my career, including as vice president, as a United States senator, and as the top law enforcement officer of the largest state in our country.  (Applause.)  Responsible for upholding and enforcing the laws of the state and the laws of the United States was the work I did.  And I have never wavered in upholding that oath, and I have always executed it faithfully and without reservation.  (Applause.)

And therein lies the profound difference between Donald Trump and me.

He, who violated the oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.  And make no mistake: He, who if given the chance, would violate it again. 

Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.  (Applause.)  And as you have heard and know, he refused to accept the will of the people and the results of an election that was free and fair. 

As you have heard, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers.  He threatened the life of his own vice president and refused to engage in the peaceful transfer of power.

And let us be clear about how he intends to use power if elected again.  He has called for jailing journalists, political opponents, anyone he sees and deems as being an enemy.  He has pledged to destroy the independence of the Department of Justice, and he called for deploying our active-duty military against our own citizens.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Kristallnacht!  Weird!

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  He’s weird!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  W- — I — well, I believe —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We’re not going back!

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  You and my running mate both.  (Laughing.)

Well, listen, I believe that anyone who recklessly tramples on our democratic values, as Donald Trump has; anyone who has actively and violently obstructed the will of the people and the peaceful transfer of power, as Donald Trump has; anyone who has called for, I quote, “termination” of the Constitution of the United States, as Donald Trump has, must never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States.  (Applause.) 

Never again.  Never again.  (Applause.)

And the tragic truth — the tragic truth that we are facing in this election for president of the United States is that there is actually an honest question about whether one of the candidates will uphold the oath to the Constitution of the United States.  That is the tragic truth of this election, that this is actually an honest question that we are having as Americans.

And I know the vast majority of us agree that upholding the Constitution must be a basic requirement we expect of anyone seeking the highest office in the land.  I know the vast majority of us, regardless of your political party, agree we must hold sacred America’s fundamental principles — from the rule of law, to free and fair elections, to the peaceful transfer of power.  (Applause.)

And if you share — if you share that view, no matter your political party, there is a place for you with us and in this campaign, because those principles, I know, unite us across party lines.  And in this election, I take seriously my pledge to be a president for all Americans.

My entire career — (applause) — my entire career, I’ve only had one client: the people.  (Applause.)  And when I say that — and when I say that, I mean all the people, not just those who share my party affiliation. 

Through all my decades in law enforcement, I never asked a victim or a witness, “Are you a Republican or a Democrat?”  The only question I ever asked was, “Are you okay?”  And that is the kind of president we deserve, and I pledge to you that is the kind of president I will be.  (Applause.) 

Because the president of the United States must not look at our country through the narrow lens of ideology or petty partisanship or self-interest.  The president of the United States must not look at our country as an instrument for their own ambitions. 

Our nation is not some spoil to be won.  The United States of America is the greatest idea humanity ever devised — the nation that inspired the world to believe in the possibilities of a representative government.  And so, in the face of those who would endanger our magnificent experiment, people of every party must stand together.

And let me be clear: Democracy and freedom are not only at stake here at home; they are also at stake around the world.  As president of the United States, I will strengthen, not abdicate America’s global leadership.  (Applause.)

Last week, I met with Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy — (applause) — and the message I delivered was the same message I’ve shared with him every time I’ve seen him: I stand with Ukraine, and I always will.  (Applause.)

And I told him, as I have before, I want Ukraine to prevail.  By contrast, in our debate, Donald Trump couldn’t even bring himself to say he wanted Ukraine to win the war — couldn’t even bring himself to say that.

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  A war that Putin, a brutal dictator, launched against a free and independent people.  Trump wants to force Ukraine to give up its sovereign territory, a bedrock principle upon which we stand and fight for.  And you know who else wants them to give up their sovereign —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Putin!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — absolutely — territory.  (Laughter.)  Putin.  Putin.  And that’s not a plan for peace.  It’s a plan for surrender. 

Well, I believe that in the global struggle between tyranny and democracy, the president of the United States must always be on the side of freedom.  (Applause.)

So, we are gathered here today in Ripon, not far, as the congresswoman mentioned, from a small building where the Republican Party was born in 1854.  Liz Cheney stands in the finest tradition of its leaders.  (Applause.)  And if — and if people across Wisconsin and our nation are willing to do what Liz is doing to stand up for the rule of law, for our democratic ideals, and the Constitution of the United States, then together, I know we can chart a new way forward not as members of any one party but as Americans.  (Applause.)  Americans who are united — united in our devotion to the country we love. 

I thank you all.  May God bless you.  And may God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.) 

Thank you all.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)                                END                 5:58 P.M. CDT

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South Lawn

7:14 P.M. EDT

Q    Mr. President, your thoughts on the dockworkers’ agreement?

THE PRESIDENT:  I just spoke with all of your colleagues at the airport.  So, I’m going to repeat myself. 

The dockworkers are going back to work.  And they’ve — the next 90 days, they’re going to settle everything.  (Inaudible.)

But I don’t know whether you got to see it, but I thought Liz Cheney not only did something that took courage, it took physical courage.  It took physical courage.  I admire her.  (Inaudible.)

Her dad and I worked together a long, long time.  She is her father’s daughter. 

Q    What do the states in the storm zone need, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Say it —

Q    What do the states in the storm zone — what do they need after what you saw today?

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, in the storm zone.

Q    Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  I was wondering what storm you’re talking about.  The — they’re getting everything they need.  And they’re very happy across the board.  So, we just got to keep — I’m going to have to go back to the Congress to get some more money for (inaudible).

Q    Mr. President, how confident are you that a full-out, all-out war could be averted in the Middle East?

THE PRESIDENT:  How confident are you it’s not going to rain?  Look, I f- —

Q    What are (inaudible) —

THE PRESIDENT:  I don’t believe there’s going to be an all-out war.  I think we can avoid it.  But there’s a lot — a lot to do yet.  A lot to do yet.

Q    Will there be American troops sent to combat to help Israel? 

THE PRESIDENT:   Go- — gone back to help Israel?

Q    Will there be American troops sent to combat to help Israel?  Yes or no.

THE PRESIDENT:  We’ve already helped Israel.  We’ll continue to.  We’re going to protect Israel.

7:16 P.M. EDT

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Tonight the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance came together to reach a tentative agreement that reopens the East Coast and Gulf ports, and I want to applaud all involved for their efforts. This step indicates progress toward a strong contract and represents the power of collective bargaining. As I have said, this is about fairness – and our economy works best when workers share in record profits. Dockworkers deserve a fair share for their hard work getting essential goods out to communities across America.

# # #

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I want to applaud the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance for coming together to reopen the East Coast and Gulf ports. Today’s tentative agreement on a record wage and an extension of the collective bargaining process represents critical progress towards a strong contract. I congratulate the dockworkers from the ILA, who deserve a strong contract after sacrificing so much to keep our ports open during the pandemic. And I applaud the port operators and carriers who are members of the US Maritime Alliance for working hard and putting a strong offer on the table.

I want to thank the union workers, the carriers, and the port operators for acting patriotically to reopen our ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding. Collective bargaining works, and it is critical to building a stronger economy from the middle out and the bottom up.

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On October 2, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates.  They discussed follow-up from President Sheikh Mohamed’s historic visit to Washington and welcomed the UAE’s designation as a Major Defense Partner of the United States.  Mr. Sullivan and President Sheikh Mohamed reaffirmed the shared commitment to advance cooperation in artificial intelligence and related technologies based on the important understandings concluded during President Sheikh Mohamed’s visit.  They also consulted on regional matters.  Mr. Sullivan welcomed the UAE’s extraordinary commitment to supporting the humanitarian response in Gaza.  They further discussed the situation in Lebanon and the importance of a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes in safety.  On Sudan, Mr. Sullivan expressed concern about the continued escalation of fighting that is destroying civilian lives and infrastructure and impeding humanitarian efforts.  Mr. Sullivan also expressed concern about violence affecting diplomatic facilities throughout the conflict, including the UAE Ambassador’s residence in Khartoum this week.  They agreed to be in close touch over the coming days and weeks.

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The President’s Commission on White House Fellows is pleased to announce the appointment of the 2024-2025 class of White House Fellows. Founded in 1964, the White House Fellows program offers exceptional young leaders first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. Fellows spend a year working with senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top-ranking Administration officials, and leave the Administration equipped to serve as better leaders in their communities. Fellowships are awarded on a non-partisan basis.

This year’s Fellows advanced through a highly competitive selection process, and they are a remarkably gifted, passionate, and accomplished group. These Fellows bring experience from across the country and from a broad cross-section of professions, including from the private sector, state government, academia, non-profits, medicine, and the armed forces.

Applications for the 2025-2026 Fellowship year will be accepted starting November 1, 2024. The application link and additional information is available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/fellows/.

Class of 2024-2025 White House Fellows

Patrick Branco is from Kailua, Hawai‘i, and is placed at the Department of the Navy. He has been the Director of External Affairs with Hawai‘i Green Growth, a United Nations (UN) hub catalyzing action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals for the Asia-Pacific region. Branco is the first from Hawai‘i to receive the Congressman Rangel International Affairs Fellowship, funding his master’s degree at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He served at the State Department in Colombia, Pakistan, Venezuela and the Secretary of State’s Operations Center. In 2020, he was elected to the Hawai‘i State House of Representatives. Branco currently serves as a U.S. Navy officer reservist and is proficient in Spanish, Korean, and Hawaiian.

Nicholas Dockery is from Indianapolis, Indiana, and is placed at the Office of the First Lady: Joining Forces Initiative. With a distinguished career in the Infantry and Special Operations Community, Nick has deployed to numerous combat zones and operational areas worldwide. For bravery and wounds in combat, Nick was awarded two Silver Stars and two Purple Hearts. His military experience is complemented by his academic and advisory roles; he served as a research fellow at the Modern War Institute and as an advisor to the Military Times Charitable Foundation. Nick has received the West Point Nininger Award for Valor at Arms, the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award, and the title of 2022 Soldier of the Year. An advocate for equine therapy, Nick passionately supports its use in helping veterans cope with PTSD. Nick holds a Master of Public Policy from Yale University and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Tawny Holmes Hlibok, Esq. is from West Palm Beach, Florida, and is placed at the Domestic Policy Council. As a third-generation Deaf person and attorney, she is a dedicated advocate for deaf children’s education rights and language equity including access to sign languages. Tawny is a tenured associate professor in Deaf Studies at the world’s only university for the Deaf, Gallaudet University, where she recently won $3.75 million funding to lead a national implementation and change center for early intervention with deaf babies and their families in partnership with HRSA and NICHQ. She also serves as the executive director of the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf.

DeAnna Hoskins is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and is placed at the Department of the Army. She has served as President/CEO of JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA), a national nonprofit that empowers people directly impacted by the criminal justice system. DeAnna is a nationally- recognized advocate and policy expert who has shifted the national narrative on the disparities and limitations of having a criminal background. She has served as Senior Policy Advisor and as Deputy Director of the Federal Interagency Reentry Council at the U.S. Department of Justice. DeAnna was also the founding Director of Reentry for Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners in Ohio.

Michael Kennedy is from Morehead City, North Carolina, and is placed at the United States Coast Guard. As a nurse practitioner, her career involves direct patient care while leading process improvement in rural and underserved settings. Michael attended Lenoir Community College to become a Registered Nurse and later earned a B.S. Nursing from Barton College. Witnessing disparities in practice led Michael to East Carolina University for an M.S. Adult Nurse Practitioner, Post-M.S. Nursing Leadership, Doctorate of Nursing Practice, and Post-DNP Nursing Education. To better serve her community, Michael completed a Post-M.S. Adult-Gerontological Acute Care NP and Post-DNP Psychiatric-Mental Health NP at Duke University. Michael is a Great 100 Nurse and Bonnie Jones Friedman Humanitarian Award recipient.

Hoa Nguyen is from Silver Spring, Maryland, and is placed at the National Economic Council and the United States Coast Guard. At Montgomery College, she is an associate professor and chair of the business department, where she helped implement a zero-textbook-cost Business degree, saving students thousands of dollars in education costs. Under her leadership, faculty and students have won multiple local, state and national awards and recognitions. Hoa also co-led numerous initiatives that led to the launch of the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Taskforce at the college. Hoa received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Arizona.

Amnahir Peña-Alcántara is from Bronx, New York, and is placed at the Department of Commerce: National Institute of Standards and Technology. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University funded by the NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program and the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship. Her research focuses on polymer blends for stretchable electronics. She graduated from MIT with a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering, and was a researcher at Northwestern University, Oxford University, and MIT. She has interned in wearable technology and textile fabrication companies in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and India.

Padmini Pillai is from Newton, Massachusetts, and is placed at the Social Security Administration. Padmini is an immunoengineer bridging the gap between discoveries in immunology and advances in biomaterial design to treat human disease. She has led a team at MIT developing a tumor-selective nanotherapy to eliminate hard-to-treat cancers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Padmini was featured in several media outlets including CNBC, The Atlantic, and The New York Times to discuss vaccination, immunity, and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on vulnerable communities. Padmini received her Ph.D. in immunobiology from Yale University and a B.A. in biochemistry from Regis College.

Maddy Sharp is from San Diego, California, and is placed at the Office of the Second Gentleman. She is a physician leader committed to securing a healthier and more equitable future for all Americans. She has served as a health policy fellow for Senator Amy Klobuchar and a policy research fellow for Secretary John Kerry. Madison has performed clinical work and research in Nicaragua, Jordan, and the Navajo Nation to reduce health disparities and championed policies to enhance healthcare delivery. She completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Madison holds an M.D. from the Yale School of Medicine and B.A. from Yale University, where she captained the NCAA Division I field hockey team.

Jason Spencer is from Medford, New York, and is placed at the Department of Commerce. Jason is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy serving as an Information Warfare and Intelligence Officer. At sea, he was assigned to aircraft carriers and destroyers deployed to the Middle East and Europe. Ashore, Jason served as Targeting Officer and Aide-de-Camp to the Commander of U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and later as Aide-de-Camp to the Commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii. At the Pentagon, he served as Senior Intelligence Briefer for the Chief of Naval Operations – Intelligence Plot and as an Executive Officer to the Joint Staff’s Director for Intelligence. Jason earned a B.A. in international studies and political science from Virginia Military Institute, an M.A. from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, and an M.P.A. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Nalini Tata is from New York City, New York, and is placed at the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs. She is a neurosurgery resident at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center/Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she helps treat the spectrum of emergency and elective neurosurgical conditions between a level I trauma center and a world-renowned cancer institute. Her published work spans clinical and non-scientific journals with a focus on advancing equity in access to care. Her career in neurosurgery and long-standing interest in public policy are closely bound by a deep-rooted dedication to public service. She received her BSc in neurobiology from Brown University, MPhil from the University of Cambridge, M.D. from Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, and MPP in Democracy, Politics, and Institutions from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Alexander Tenorio is from Los Angeles, California, and is placed at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is a neurological surgery resident at the University of California, San Diego. He is the proud son of Mexican immigrants and dedicated to improving health disparities. He has led a research team investigating neurological traumatic injuries at the U.S.-Mexico border with his published work featured in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times. In his commitment for health equity, he partnered with Hospital General de Tijuana in Mexico to improve their neurosurgical care. He earned an M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco and B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Zachary White II is from Birmingham, Alabama, and is placed at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is a Radiation Oncology resident physician and cancer researcher at Stanford University. Passionate about health equity, Zach co-chairs Stanford Medicine’s GME Diversity Committee, promoting diverse medical trainees’ recruitment and development, and provides health education to communities to improve health literacy. Zach graduated summa cum laude from Tuskegee University with a B.S. in biology and earned an M.S. in biomedical and health sciences from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He received his M.D. from the University of South Alabama, where he served as class president.

Ryan Wisz is from Aiken, South Carolina, and is placed at the Central Intelligence Agency. He is a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy serving as a Submarine Warfare officer. At sea, he has served aboard Attack and Ballistic Missile submarines and has deployed seven times, including missions vital to national security. Ashore, he has served as aide-de-camp to the Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and as the Submarine Squadron Engineer in San Diego, California. Prior to military service, he was a Page in the South Carolina House of Representatives and Senate. He received his B.S. in economics from the University of South Carolina and is a Distinguished Graduate from the Naval Postgraduate School with his MBA and published master’s thesis. He has received numerous personal and unit awards during his Navy service, is active in local tutoring, and passionate about financial education and physical fitness.

Mark York is a seventh-generation farmer from Lake Wilson, Minnesota, and is placed at the Department of Defense Office of Strategic Capital. He is a Ph.D. candidate in computer science at Harvard, where he researches crowdsourcing and reinforcement learning algorithms in collaboration with MIT. He is the co-founder and President of Farm Yield Africa, a non-profit providing tractor services and microcredit to 1,500 farmers in Ghana since 2016. Mark has worked as a consultant, and before that he led a data science team at a startup building agricultural risk models. He began his career at Cargill as a commodity trader and data scientist. Mark studied agronomy and mathematics at South Dakota State University, where as Student Body President he introduced legislation at the state and local level.

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We, the Leaders of the G7, express deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s direct military attack against Israel, which constitutes a serious threat to regional stability.

We unequivocally reiterate our commitment to the security of Israel. Iran’s seriously destabilizing actions throughout the Middle East through terrorist proxies and armed groups—including the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas— as well as Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq, must stop. Yesterday we discussed coordinated efforts and actions to avoid escalation in the area.

A dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks fueling uncontrollable escalation in the Middle East, which is in no one’s interest. Therefore, we call on all regional players to act responsibly and with restraint. We encourage all parties to engage constructively to de-escalate the current tensions. International humanitarian law must be respected.

On the eve of the tragic anniversary of Hamas’ attacks on October 7, 2023, we condemn once again in the strongest possible terms such unjustified acts of deliberate violence and stand with the families of the victims and the hostages taken by Hamas.

We also reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the unconditional release of all hostages, a significant and sustained increase in the flow of humanitarian assistance, and an end to the conflict. We fully endorse the efforts by the US, Qatar and Egypt to reach such a comprehensive deal, in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, and tens of  thousands of innocent lives have been lost. We reiterate the absolute need for the civilian population to be protected and that there must be full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access, as a matter of absolute priority. We will continue working to set the conditions for a durable peace, leading to a two State solution, where Israel and Palestine coexist side-by-side in peace, with security for both.

We are also deeply concerned about the situation in Lebanon. We recall the need for a cessation of hostilities as soon as possible to create space for a diplomatic solution along the Blue Line, consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. This is the only path to durably de-escalate tensions, stabilize the Israel-Lebanon border, fully restore the sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability of Lebanon, and return displaced citizens to their homes with safety and security on both sides. We urge all actors to protect civilian populations. We are committed to providing humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs of civilians in Lebanon.

We also express our deep condolences to the families of the civilian victims in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon.  

We underscore the importance of the United Nations in resolving armed conflict and mitigating the humanitarian impact in the Middle East. In this regard, we acknowledge the role of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to restore peace and security. We are committed to reinforce our support to the mission, pursuant to applicable UN resolutions.

We will continue to be in close contact with all actors to this end.

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From September 30 – October 2, First Lady Jill Biden traveled to Mexico City, Mexico as the Head of the U.S. Presidential Delegation to the inauguration of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. The First Lady was joined by United States Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar; U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra; U.S. Administrator of the Small Business Administration, Isabel Casillas Guzman; U.S. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware; U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut; U.S. Representative of the 44th District of California and Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Nanette Barragán; Deputy Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary, Carlos Elizondo; and Mayor of Tucson, Arizona, Regina Romero.

During the visit, the First Lady delivered remarks at a reception hosted by Ambassador Salazar, where she highlighted the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthening the partnership between the United States and Mexico. The First Lady and Ambassador Salazar also attended a dinner hosted by President Sheinbaum the evening before the inauguration, where she met with and congratulated President Sheinbaum. In addition to attending the President’s inauguration, the First Lady and the Delegation attended a luncheon in honor of President Sheinbaum. Concluding their travel, the First Lady and members of the Delegation visited the Museo Frida Kahlo to celebrate the shared cultural connections between the United States and Mexico. 

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    American workers and the unions who fight for them represent the best of our country.  They help power our economy and strengthen our middle class.  On National Manufacturing Day, we celebrate the ingenuity, grit, drive, and determination of the American worker.  We thank them for their contributions, and we recommit to investing in their productivity and success.

     There have always been competing visions for the future of America.  Some envision a future in which the failed trickle-down policies that hurt working families for more than 40 years are continued.  When I think about our future, I see an America where we grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up — not the top down.  I see an America where working people finally have a fair shot.  Above all, I see a future that is made right here in America. 

     That is why my Administration has invested in American manufacturing to restore the backbone of our Nation:  the middle class.  Together, we are doing what has always worked best in this country — investing in all of America and in all Americans.  My Investing in America agenda — including my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act — is revitalizing American manufacturing.  So far, we have attracted over $910 billion in private sector investment in manufacturing and clean energy nationwide and seen spending on factory construction soar to new records, roughly triple the pre-pandemic average.  These investments are helping create hundreds of thousands of jobs — including over 700,000 manufacturing jobs — building new semiconductor fabs, electric vehicle and battery factories, and so much more, here in America.  And we are working with employers, unions, community colleges, high schools, and other partners to ensure American workers are trained for the good manufacturing jobs we are generating.

     We have also made sure that Federal funds support American manufacturing.  “Buy American” has been the law of the land since the 1930s.  Past administrations said a lot but did not do a lot.  On my watch, Federal projects have been made with American products and built by American workers.  I fought for the passage of the “Build America, Buy America Act,” which established domestic content preferences in Federal infrastructure spending, as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  I signed the “Federal Research and Development in Support of Domestic Manufacturing and United States Jobs” Executive Order, directing Federal agencies to prioritize domestic manufacturing when it comes to research, development, innovation, and bringing inventions to market.  My Administration also made the strongest changes to Buy American rules in nearly seven decades by increasing the domestic content threshold for Federal procurement from 55 percent to 65 percent in 2024.  I also announced new requirements for lumber, glass, fiber optic cables, and other construction materials used in Federal infrastructure projects to be made in America.  And we will keep working to ensure that American taxpayer dollars are invested in American workers.

     Growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, I learned a basic value set — money does not determine your worth, and all anyone wants is a fair shot.  When I look at the economy, I see it through the eyes of Scranton.  That is why I came into office determined to write a new chapter in our American comeback story — one where we can take pride in knowing that we can still get big things done in this great Nation. 

     During National Manufacturing Day, may we rededicate ourselves to writing that story by making the phrase “Made in America” not just a slogan but a reality.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 4, 2024, as National Manufacturing Day.  I thank our manufacturing workers for all that they do to strengthen our Nation, encourage all Americans to look for ways to get involved in their communities, and call on everyone to join me in participating in National Manufacturing Day and, most importantly, buying American.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third 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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Aboard Air Force One
En Route Tallahassee, Florida

11:20 A.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right, we can do this really quickly.

So, today, we’re going — we’re on our way to Florida and Georgia, where the president will s- — will further survey damage caused by Helene and meet with state and local leaders regarding ongoing response efforts.

The president will participate in an aerial tour of the affected areas on his way to Perry, Florida. On the ground, the president will then visit the Keaton Beach community and receive an — an operational briefing.

From there, the president will head to Valdosta, Georgia, followed by a visit to the f- — to the rural community of Ray City, where he will meet with residents and local business owners who are trying to move forward in the wake of this disaster.

The president spoke with Governor Kemp this morning to discuss disaster response operations and other — and offer further support as needed.

The president and his entire administration will continue to do everything in our power to help the people of Florida, Georgia, and every community affected by this storm.

Yesterday, we announced that the president approved 100 percent federal cost share for emergency response a- — activities in Florida and Georgia, as well as Tallahassee [Tennessee] and North Carolina. This means that the federal government will cover 100 percent of the costs associated with things like debris removal, first responders, search and rescue, shelters, and mass — and mass — and mass feeding.

This latest announcement builds the president’s previously approved requests for major disaster declarations from the governors of Florida and Georgia, which unlocked additional assistance for residents on their road to recovery.

As a result, the pres- — the Biden-Harris administration has provided nearly $4 million directly to individuals and families in need of critical financial assistance.

Still, we know there is more work to be done. And we will be here, doing that work, for as long as it takes.

As you can see, I have Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack standing next to me here to discuss what assistance the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing to help people in Florida and Georgia, including farmers and rural communities.

And with that, go ahead, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY VILSACK: Okay, thanks very much.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Just hold on tight. (Laughs.)

SECRETARY VILSACK: Obviously at USDA, our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families who have been impacted by this storm. Our job, obviously, is to try to keep farms viable and operational, to basically get as much help as quickly as possible to as many people as possible.

Let me start by, first of all, recognizing the stress that a lot of the farmers are under and the important role that we think the Farm Stress line — Hotline provides for farmers who are in trouble. Going to give you one — a telephone number for folks to call if they’re feeling a little bit stressed out to get some help. It’s 883-381-7243. 883-381-7243. In addition to that Stress Line, obviously we’ve got a number of programs.

When people think of the Department of Agriculture, they normally think of the crop insurance programs and risk management tools. We’ve given instructions to our crop insurance carriers to expedite, as quickly as possible, the loss adjustments that are necessary to make payments. Many of these farmers, particularly in the Southeast, have exercised the additional coverage for hurricane and wind damage. We expect and anticipate under those coverages, hopefully, payments can be made within 30 days. That is consistent with the president’s instruction to try to get folks as much help as possible, as quickly as possible.

In addition to the risk management tool for crops, we have a variety of other programs — programs that help repair structures and fences, programs that help eliminate soil erosion, programs that help remove debris, programs that will pay for the loss of livestock. This is particularly true in Georgia, where you’ve got a lot of contract poultry facilities where poultry houses have been destroyed by the — by the — by the storm. So we’re going to be there to try to provide help and assistance to get those fact — get those folks back on their feet. Help with feed for livestock if you have to travel an extended distance to get feed because of the storm.

There are a lot of uninsured losses, and there are programs to make sure that those uninsured losses are also covered.

And also there are obviously damage to trees and forest in the area. We have programs to assist in that area as well.

So, that’s on the farm side.

We’re expediting — we’re — we’re sending search teams or will send search teams into the counties where we’ve seen the most damage and most impact so that the — the farmers can go into their county office, get the k- — help, assistance, and direction that they need to be able to make application for whatever program fits their — fits their need and their losses.

I want to also say that part of our job is obviously to coordinate with FEMA. We have over 190 folks from USDA that are currently at the regional center in Atlanta or in the D.C. headquarters working collaboratively with FEMA to make sure that we’re coordinating and collaborating.

I would also say that we’re investing in rural communities. When we get to the recovery stage after we’ve assessed damage and try to triage things, we’ll begin working with communities in terms of housing, housing repair, water and wastewater treatment facilities that need repair, electric lines that need repair. We’ll be there to provide help and assistance through programs.

And we also have, obviously, a food assistance responsibility. We’ve already provided these — these states with flexibility in terms of child nutrition programs and senior nutrition programs, in terms of the types of meals they can serve, and — and the location of those meals.

And obviously, any governor who requests disaster SNAP assistance will get it from the department as quickly as we possibly can get it.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. We don’t have that much time. But go ahead, Darlene.

Q Could you talk a little bit about what is being done to — there was a story on the radio this morning about bananas being stuck at one of the ports. And, you know, th- — they only last so long. Is there anything being done to get food that’s stuck at ports out and — perhaps to places like Asheville that have been affected by the storm?

SECRETARY VILSACK: Well, the — a lot of what we’re talking about in terms of the ports are in containers. And so, it’s going to be difficult to get to the containers based on the fact that there’s a work stoppage there.

That’s why the president has urged the shippers, in particular, to focus on getting this thing resolved and making sure that the collective bargaining system works. That’s the most effective way of getting the bananas to wherever they need to go.

And hopefully, the shippers will come to the table, union will come to the table, collective bargaining will work, and we’ll get this thing resolved quickly.

Q Secretary Vilsack, you know, we’ve just gone through a period of pretty intense inflation that affected food prices. To what extent are you concerned that the kind of double whammy of the port strike and this — this really large-scale hurricane are going to exacerbate the kind of pressures on food prices that we saw that are just, you know, abating now?

SECRETARY VILSACK: The current food inflation rate at grocery stores is around 1 percent, which is about half the 20-year average. So, it is good to see that it has come down.

At this point, a short labor stoppage at — at the ports should have minimal impact and effect on prices. Obviously, if we’re talking about a longer situation of duration, that may have an impact. But at the end of the day, that’s why the president has been so forceful in suggesting people need to get to the table and then get — get this resolved.

This is the first strike in 50 years. These people know how to get to “yes.” They just need to get to “yes.”

Q Can you define —

Q Can you tell us what the impact has been —

Q I’m sorry, wait. Can you define, please, what you mean by “shorter” and “longer”?

SECRETARY VILSACK: Well, the hope would be that this thing ends tomorrow. All right? That would be short.

The re- — the reality is our assessment is, if this lasts a couple of weeks, we’re not talking about a significant disruption. If you get into months, then, obviously, that’s a situ- — a different situation, which we’ll cover it when — when and if that occurs.

Q Can you tell us what the impact on American farmers in terms of their exports? You know, how much runway is there for —

SECRETARY VILSACK: Most of our exports go through the West Coast. It’s about $90 million on a — on a daily basis —

MILITARY AIDE: I’m so sorry. We’re about to land, and it’s going to be a very quick stop.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.

SECRETARY VILSACK: The — the biggest impact is on imports.

Q Karine —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I am so sorry, guys.

Q — very quickly on the student loan debt. There was a Georgia judge that just is letting it expire. Do you have any reaction to that? It’s —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not going to — to get into that.

Q Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

I’m — it’s an ongoing matter, so I can’t get into that at this time. So, I’m just — I’m not going to get into the litigation.

Q Is he meeting with Kemp? Is he meeting with DeSantis while he’s there, please?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things. DeSantis is not going to be there, but we have been in touch with his team. We understand that he has other areas to survey today, so — but we have been in touch with his team.

As you know, the president has been committed — a full — a full administration, all the agencies are han- — all hands on deck in trying to make sure that we deal with the — the devastation that we’re seeing. You saw the president yesterday in North Carolina and South Carolina, the vice president in Georgia. And now we’re going to Florida — Florida and Georgia ourselves.

And so, the governor can speak for his travel today, but he won’t be there. But, obviously, we’ve been in touch with his —

Q (Inaudible) about Governor Kemp as well?

Q (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, we — look, we — the president spoke to Governor Kemp this morning. He won’t be there, but we obviously are inviting them. They are welcome to join us. And we are doing everything that we can to make sure that we give — give some relief to folks on the ground, to Americans on the ground dealing with this disaster.

Q Has he spoken —

Q He spoke to Governor Kemp. Has he spoken to Governor DeSantis?

AIR FORCE ONE CREW MEMBER: If you could just please take your seats. (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Sorry, guys.

Q Has he spoken to DeSantis?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t have a call to — to read out.

Q Has he spoken to Governor Kemp again today?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We just spoke to Governor Kemp, as I said at the top.

I’m sorry, guys. We got to sit.

11:30 A.M. EDT

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South Lawn

9:30 A.M. EDT

Q    Mr. President, can the country afford the port strike?  Can the country afford these ships to stay off (inaudible)?

THE PRESIDENT:  I think we’re making progress on that.

Q    How much progress, sir?

THE PRESIDENT:  We’ll find out soon.

Q    What kind of sanctions —

Q    Any updates on —

Q    What kind of sanctions are you considering on Iran?  What kind of sanctions are you considering?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’ll tell them before I tell you.

Q    Did Tim Walz lose the debate?

Q    Any updates on the hostages — on the hostages in Gaza, sir?

Q    Did Tim Walz lose the debate?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, he didn’t.  And, by the way, the other guy lost the debate.  He misrepresented everything, including — anyway, I —

Q    Sir — the hostages in Gaza, sir.  The hostages in Gaza.  Do you have any updates on them?

THE PRESIDENT:  Not — not right now.

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Would you support Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities, sir?

THE PRESIDENT:  We’re in discussion of that.  I think — I think that would be a little — anyway.

Q    Do you believe that Donald Trump was acting as a private candidate and not as president when he sought to overturn the 2020 election, as Jack Smith laid out in his filing?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’ll let Jack Smith make that case.

(Cross-talk.)

Q    (Inaudible) response to the retaliation?  Will you let Israel retaliate?  What are the plans to allow Israel to strike back against Iran?

THE PRESIDENT:  First of all, we don’t allow Israel.  We advise Israel.  And there’s nothing going to happen today.  We’ll talk about that later.

Q    G20 and APEC Summits next month.  Is it a good chance to sit down with President Putin to discuss international security?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m sorry?

Q    G20 and APEC Summits next month.  Is it a good chance to discuss international security and Ukraine with Putin?

THE PRESIDENT:  I doubt whether Putin will show up.

Q    Are you surprised the race between Harris and Trump is so close right now?  Are you surprised?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I’m not.  It always gets this close.  She’s going to do fine.

9:32 A.M. EDT

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     By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America (the “President”), I hereby grant permission, subject to the conditions set forth herein, to Southwebb Bridge Company LLC (the “permittee”) to construct, maintain, and operate a vehicular and pedestrian crossing located on the United States border with Mexico in Laredo, Texas, as described in the “Presidential Permit Application Laredo 4/5 International Bridge” dated March 15, 2022 (“March 15, 2022, Application”), by the permittee to the Secretary of State and determined to be complete on June 6, 2024, in accordance with 33 U.S.C. 535d and associated procedures.
 
    The term “Border facilities” as used in this permit consists of the bridge, its approaches, and any land, structures, installations, or equipment appurtenant thereto located on the United States side of the international boundary between the United States and Mexico in the proposed project site located approximately 12.6 miles south/southeast of the City of Laredo, Texas, approximately 3.0 miles west of U.S. Highway 83, approximately 4.4 miles southwest of Texas State Highway Loop 20, approximately 10.5 miles southwest of State Highway 359, and approximately 10.6 miles south of Interstate Highway 35.
 
     This permit is subject to the following conditions:
 
     Article 1.  The Border facilities herein described and all aspects of their operation are subject to all the conditions, permissions, and requirements of this permit and any subsequent Presidential amendment to it.  The construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities shall be in all material respects as described in the March 15, 2022, Application.
 
     Article 2.  The standards for and the manner of construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities are subject to inspection by the representatives of appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies.  The permittee shall grant officers and employees of such agencies that are duly authorized and performing their official duties free and unrestricted access to said Border facilities.
 
     Article 3.  The permittee shall comply with all applicable Federal laws and regulations regarding the construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities.
 
     Article 4.  (1)  The permittee shall take or cause to be taken all appropriate measures to mitigate adverse impacts on or disruption of the human environment in connection with the construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities.  Mitigation measures are those that avoid, minimize, or compensate for adverse impacts.
 
     (2)  The permittee shall hold harmless and indemnify the United States for any claimed or adjudged liability arising out of construction, maintenance, and operation of the Border facilities, including environmental contamination from the release, threatened release, or discharge of hazardous substances or hazardous waste.
 
     (3)  The permittee is responsible for obtaining any required Federal, State, and local permits, approvals, and authorizations prior to commencing construction activities.  The permittee shall implement the mitigation identified in any environmental decision documents prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and Federal permits, including stormwater permits and permits issued in accordance with section 402 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1342).  The permittee shall comply with applicable Federal, State, and local environmental laws.
 
     Article 5.  The permittee shall immediately notify the President or the President’s designee of any decision to transfer custody and control of the Border facilities or any part thereof to any executive department or agency (agency) of the United States Government.  Said notice shall identify the transferee agency and seek the approval of the President for the transfer of the permit.  In the event of approval by the President of such transfer, this permit shall remain in force and effect, and the Border facilities shall be subject to all the conditions, permissions, and requirements of this permit and any amendments thereof.  The permittee may transfer ownership or control of the Border facilities to a non-Federal entity or individual only upon the prior express approval of such transfer by the President, which approval may include such conditions, permissions, and requirements that the President, in the President’s discretion, determines are appropriate and necessary for inclusion in the permit, to be effective on the date of transfer.
 
     Article 6.  The permittee is responsible for acquiring and maintaining any right-of-way grants or easements, permits, and other authorizations as may become necessary or appropriate.  To ensure the safe operation of the Border facilities, the permittee shall maintain them and every part of them in a condition of good repair and in compliance with applicable law and use of best management practices.
 
     Article 7.  To the extent authorized by law, and consistent with any Donation Acceptance Agreements (DAAs) already executed with the permittee under the Donation Acceptance Authority found in 6 U.S.C. 301a and section 559 of title V of division F of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public Law 113-76), as amended, as continued by 6 U.S.C. 301b, the permittee shall provide to the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Commissioner) of the Department of Homeland Security and the heads of any other relevant agencies, at no cost to the United States, suitable inspection facilities, infrastructure improvements, equipment, and maintenance, as set forth in the DAAs.  Nothing in this permit obligates such agencies to provide a particular level of services or staffing for such inspection facilities or for any other aspect of the port of entry associated with the Border facilities.
 
     Article 8.  Before beginning design activities, the permittee shall fulfill requirements associated with the following conditions, as refined by the relevant agencies below and as consistent with applicable law:

     (1)  Obtain the concurrence of the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico;

    (2)  Provide a plan for the approval of the Commissioner detailing how the permittee will fund the necessary staffing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the Border facilities upon commencement of operations and thereafter;

    (3)  Provide a plan for the approval of the Administrator of General Services (Administrator) and the Commissioner detailing how the permittee will fund the necessary operations and maintenance costs for the Border facilities upon commencement of operations and thereafter;

    (4)  Provide a plan for the approval of the Administrator and the Commissioner detailing how the permittee will fund construction, outfitting (furniture, fixtures, and equipment to include information technology and necessary inspection technologies), technology integration, and outyear refresh of said program elements for the Border facilities detailed in their March 15, 2022, Application; and

    (5)  Provide a plan for the approval of the Secretary of Transportation detailing construction and funding of commercial motor vehicle inspection facilities and detailing how the permittee will ensure the necessary funding for appropriate Department of Transportation staffing and operations and maintenance costs for the Border facilities upon commencement of operations and thereafter.

     Relevant agencies will coordinate with the permittee to further refine the above conditions, as necessary, within 1 year of permit issuance.
 
     Article 9.  The permittee shall not initiate construction until the Department of State has provided notification to the permittee that the Department of State has completed its exchange of diplomatic notes with the Government of Mexico regarding authorization.  The permittee shall provide written notification to the President or the President’s designee at the time that the construction authorized by this permit begins, at the time as such construction is completed, interrupted, or discontinued, and at other times as may be requested by the President.
 
     Article 10.  Upon request, the permittee shall provide appropriate information to the President or the President’s designee with regard to the Border facilities.  Such requests could include requests for information concerning current conditions, environmental compliance, mitigation, or anticipated changes in ownership or control, construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of the Border facilities.
 
     Article 11.  The permittee shall file any applicable statements and reports required by applicable Federal law in connection with the Border facilities.
 
     Article 12.  The permittee shall make no substantial change inconsistent with the March 15, 2022, Application to the Border facilities, in the location of the Border facilities, or in the operation authorized by this permit, unless such changes have been approved by the President.  The President may terminate, revoke, or amend this permit at any time at the President’s sole discretion.  The permittee’s obligation to implement any amendment to this permit is subject to the availability of funds.  If the permittee permanently closes the Laredo 4/5 International Bridge and it is no longer used as an international crossing, then this permit shall terminate, and the permittee may manage, utilize, or dispose of the Border facilities in accordance with applicable authorities.  This permit shall continue in full force and effect for only so long as the permittee continues the operations hereby authorized. 
 
     Article 13.  This permit shall expire 5 years from the date of its issuance if the permittee has not commenced construction of the Border facilities by that date.
 
     Article 14.  This permit is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
 
     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, have hereunto set my hand this third 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.

The post PRESIDENTIAL PERMIT AUTHORIZING SOUTHWEBB BRIDGE COMPANY LLC TO CONSTRUCT, MAINTAIN, AND OPERATE A VEHICULAR AND PEDESTRIAN BORDER CROSSING NEAR LAREDO, TEXAS, AT THE INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO appeared first on The White House.

I applaud the historic agreement and conclusion of the negotiations between the Republic of Mauritius and the United Kingdom on the status of the Chagos Archipelago. It is a clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes. This agreement affirms Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, while granting the United Kingdom the authority to exercise the sovereign rights of Mauritius with respect to Diego Garcia. 

Diego Garcia is the site of a joint U.S.-UK military facility that plays a vital role in national, regional, and global security. It enables the United States to support operations that demonstrate our shared commitment to regional stability, provide rapid response to crises, and counter some of the most challenging security threats we face. The agreement secures the effective operation of the joint facility on Diego Garcia into the next century.

We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with Mauritius and the United Kingdom in upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific.

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The post Statement from President Joe Biden on the Occasion of an Agreement between the Republic of Mauritius and the United Kingdom on the Status of the Chagos Archipelago appeared first on The White House.