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Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Warren, MI
IUPAT District Council 1M
Warren, MI
5:15 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.
PARTICIPANT: Thank you for saving our pensions. Thank you for saving — (applause) —
PARTICIPANTS: Thank you.
PARTICIPANT: Thank you. Thank you for CHIPS and Science. Thank you for the Inflation Reduction Act. Thank you for all you’ve done for us.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, you know what? Y- — you guys make it easy. I mean, look, I — as you know, I am a long-standing supporter and friend of unions and labor. And — and the painters union, I am honored to have your support in this election.
But, look, you guys are the ones who make it easy. This is highly skilled work. You do it with a sense of pride. You do it with a sense of commitment. You are making our country stronger and better by the work that you do.
We just talked about the industrial work that you’re doing, whether it’s about a bridge, whether it’s about what we’re doing to invest in technology and the future industries. You’re transitioning also into batteries — all that work. And it’s highly skilled work.
And I love, for example, the apprenticeship programs and building up America’s workforce around training and, again, the highest of skills. The work that you are doing through an apprenticeship program that’s also about building community and family for the people who enter it — it’s about pride in work. It’s about the dignity of work.
The reason that I have fought for things like pensions is it’s literally about the dignity of work. You work hard. You deserve, at the point that you’re going to retire, to be able to retire with dignity. And we have to value the skill.
You know, my opponent, he doesn’t understand the importance of unions at all. No, but he’s — he just gives a lot of mouth. He —
PARTICIPANT: He’s got to care about people to understand them.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: He gives a lot of talk about what he cares about, but on the issue specifically of what is good for unions and union labor, he’s been awful. You look at what he did when he was at — president with the NLRB, the National Labor Relations Board — a bunch of union busters.
You look at — when he talked to his buddies, like his billionaire buddies — remember, he did the tax cut for billionaires and big corporations. He’s not workin- — he’s not working for or concerned about working people, middle-class people. And then when he’s talking to his buddy, he li- — he jokes about, “Yeah, if they’re striking, you should fire them.”
But what I know America understands about union labor is it’s just about fairness and it is about dignity. Wherever I go, I tell people: Look, if you’ve got a five-day workweek, if you’ve got sick time, if you’ve got vacation time, if you have a pension, thank a union member. Thank unions. Because whether somebody’s a member of a union or not, union labor and hard work is a — so much of what fought for workers’ rights across the board.
So, look, I’m here. I’m here for you. We have an election coming up in eight days.
PARTICIPANT: That you’re going to win. (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And we are going — we are going to win. You know what? We are going to win.
We may have bloody knuckles by the end of it, but we’re winning. We’re winning.
And — and because we stand for certain basic principles, and we know — we know when we know what we stand for, we know what to fight for.
PARTICIPANT: You’re here. He’s not.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Right. Right. It’s —
PARTICIPANT: Save our country from him.
PARTICIPANT: Please.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I’m — and you’re right. I mean, you look at — you look at how he just deg- — he — he talks down to the American people. He — he degrades who we are as America, in- — instead of fighting for who we are in terms of our capacity.
I look at our young leaders. They deserve to have a leader and a president of the United States who is not only optimistic but ambitious about what we can do. Donald Trump just recently talked about how he would get rid of CHIPS — the number of jobs for the painters union members, building trades members, writ large; what we did with the Inflation Reduction Act, the jobs we’ve created there; the work that we’ve done that’s been about partnering with the private sector to create incentives for them to put the money into it and also prioritizing, as I always will, letting them know, “As we create these jobs, put them through your apprenticeship programs. Let’s make those union jobs and good-paying jobs.”
All of that is at stake, but it’s a — it’s also about an approach and a value in character. And right now, you know, I’ve been saying: Look, imagine January 20th, because there will be — one of us is going to be elected, and one of us is going to be sitting in the Oval Office on January 20th.
And it’s a choice on many levels, including whether you want Donald Trump sitting in the Oval Office, stewing over his enemies list —
PARTICIPANT: No, no, no, no, no.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — or what we’re going to do together, which is there, focused on American workers and American families, on our to-do list.
So, we got a lot at stake. We are going to win. (Applause.)
END 5:21 P.M. EDT
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Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Hemlock, MI
Hemlock Semiconductor
Hemlock, Michigan
2:38 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Oh, please have a seat, everyone. Thank you.
Listen, I came by to say thank you, in particular to you all and the folks who are doing this work here.
A.B., Wendell, I want to thank you. And the — Congressman Kildee, you’ve been an extraordinary partner for us in Washington, D.C.
Mayor, I thank you for the warm welcome.
But I’m so excited about the work you all are doing here. This really does represent the best of who we are as a country.
You know, I think that when we understand who we are as a nation, we take great pride in being a leader on so many things, and we have a tradition of that.
But I think what we know as Americans is that we cannot rest on tradition. We have to constantly be on top of what is happening, what is current, and investing in the industries of the future as well as honoring the traditions and the industries that have built up America’s economy.
And what you all are doing here is exactly that.
First of all, we talked about the fact that the people who are doing this extraordinary work here, the workers here, you’re doing work that requires an incredibly high level of skill. As I listen to it, it’s about engineering. There’s a technology piece to this. There is a chemistry piece to this. There is math to this. And, I mean, it’s — it’s just — I mean, you’re doing robots, for God’s sake. (Laughter.) It’s good stuff.
And the fact that it’s right here and not very far from where you grew up and where you live. And if we’re really going to strengthen America, we got to understand that we can do many things at once. We can invest in industries of the future while also knowing, look, folks don’t want to have to leave home to have a good-paying job. And that job should be well enough paying that you are able to buy a home and to raise a family.
And what you guys are doing right here on the ground exemplifies all of that.
I was talking with Wendell and A.B. about the fact that what you are doing here on the ground makes real that investing in American industries and investing in American workers can happen at the same time. There doesn’t have to be a tension between the two.
That doing this work will also be about understanding, look, we got to win the competition for the 21st century. We’re not going to have China beat us in the competition for the 21st century.
And that’s about, then, doing the work that Corning is going to be doing about manufacturing of those solar panels, together with the work that you are doing here. What is it, polysilicone?
AUDIENCE: Polysilicon.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Si- — silicon. I’m sorry. (Laughter.) That wasn’t right.
Right? But doing the work here that is about — you’re — you’re creating the raw materials that these robots are then shipping out to other American-based manufacturers.
You’re doing the work that’s about building up a clean energy economy and a guess — and again, investing in workers. Wendell told me you’re going to be hiring 1,300 new workers starting today — good-paying jobs; $89,000 a year, I understand, at least. My staff said, “Yeah, that’s better than some of the White House jobs,” in terms of how much it pays. (Laughter.) I said, “Look, it’s important work.”
And you’re doing it in a way that also makes us so proud as a country.
And so, I came by, first and foremost, to thank you all. And as I said to many of you as we were on this tour, I’m going to be talking about you behind your back. (Laughter.) I am. I’m going to be talking about the fact that this is what we can do.
And I say this as a very proud, long-standing — my whole entire life working — I’ve always been a public servant. I believe in the important and good work that government can do.
I also know the limitations of government. And when we can find a way to have meaningful partnerships with the private sector, with industries, to do the kind of work that is happening here, everybody wins. Everybody wins.
And so, I want to thank you all for what you’re doing here as a great example of what was a vision that we had — the president and I and the congressman. We’re going to create a meaningful public investment in America’s private industries through the Chips Act, through the Inflation Reduction Act. And we’re going to infuse it with billions of dollars, knowing that if we do that, as that old saying comes, “If you build it, they will come.”
And that’s when you all stepped in, A.B. and Wendell, and created a facility like this and what’s happening across the way that’s going to be about hiring folks, who, by the way, are doing highly skilled work that are good-paying jobs that don’t require a college degree.
And that’s another point of emphasis that bears repeating. I believe that as we think of industries of the future and the future of America’s workforce, we need to get in front of this idea that the only high-skilled jobs are — require a college degree. It’s just not true.
And, in fact, when I become president of the United States, one of the things that I plan on doing immediately — people ask me, “What are you doing on day one?” — one of the things immediately is to reassess federal jobs — and I’ve already started looking at it — to look at which ones don’t require a college degree.
Because here’s the thing. That’s not the only qualification for a qualified worker. You’ve got to look at the skills; you’ve got to look at the experience.
And, again, you all are making that real and showing that on the ground right here.
So, there are many points that are about how do we think about the future of work, the future of the workforce, the future of American industry in a way that understands that we should be optimistic about what’s possible.
And look, we are eight days out from an election. So, I just got to also talk about the contrast, because my opponent spends full time talking about — just kind of diminishing who we are as America and talking down at people, talking about — I don’t know, that we’re the “garbage can of the world.” We’re not.
He just recently did a radio talk show and talked about how he’d get rid of the CHIPS Act. That’s — that was billions of dollars investing in just the kind of work that’s happening here.
And you know how we did it? We created tax credits to create the incentive for the private sector to do this work. That’s good work.
When he was president, he sold advanced chips to China that helped them with their agenda to modernize their military. That’s not about what’s in the best interest of America’s security and prosperity, which should be two of the highest priorities for president of the United States.
So, I say all that to say that there is a choice that the American public — a very serious choice presented in the next eight days. And as much as anything, it is a question about what is the direction in the future that we want for our country.
And I will refer to what you all are doing here to tell you that you are a source of my optimism and also my ambition about what we are capable of when we are focused on our capacity and we are focused on the future in such a meaningful way.
And so, I want to thank everybody for what you are doing. And, like I said, I’ll be talking about you. (Laughter.)
But thank you for your good work, everyone, and thank you for the time. Take care. (Applause.)
END 2:47 P.M. EDT
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Remarks by President Biden at a Reception in Celebration of Diwali
East Room
6:22 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Well, Madam President, thank you. (Laughter.) Shrusti, thank you for that introduction. You know, just promise me when you’re president one day and they say, “Joe Biden is in the waiting room,” you won’t ask, “Joe who?” (Laughter.)
MS. AMULA: I won’t.
THE PRESIDENT: My wife, Jill, wanted to be here today, but she’s traveling to Wisconsin. (Applause.) And Kamala couldn’t be here today because she’s traveling as well. (Laughter.) They both send their love.
You know, I selected Kamala to be my running mate for many reasons. She’s smart. She’s tough. She’s trusted. A district attorney, an attorney general of California, a United States senator, now vice president of the United States — there’s more experience that she has than the whole of that other guy she’s running against. (Laughter.) But most importantly — and I mean this sincerely from the bottom of my heart — she has character. She has character. (Applause.)
It’s one of the things we bonded over was the role of — each of our mothers played in our lives. They come from different places and different generations and different lives, but they shared a basic belief about — belief about America: Only in America is anything possible — only in America.
We just heard a great surgeon general — and Vivek has become a friend — talk about the journey that — that he an- — of that belief: a journey of hard work, education, and entrepreneurship; a belief in family, faith, and service. Contributions that come from all walks of life: factory workers, caregivers, business owners, drivers, teachers, police officers, firefighters, artists, entertainers, and so much more, including members of Congress, three of whom are here today. Ro — where are you, Ro? (Applause.) There you go. And Raja — (applause); and Shri. (Applause.) All right.
By the way, are your kids there, Ro?
REPRESENTATIVE KHANNA: Right there, yeah.
THE PRESIDENT: Come on up, guys.
AUDIENCE: Aw. (Two children join the president on stage.)
Aw.
THE PRESIDENT: (Addressing children.) (Inaudible.)
All right. (Laughter.)
You know, and the vice president, she — I don’t think she’s going to be stopping by, though, tonight.
You know, we just heard how far that journey can take you as we watched Suni Williams wish her ha- — you a ha- — us a happy Diwali from the International Space Station.
Now, I — we were going to do a live video, but as we pointed out already, she’s traveling 17,000 miles an hour, 5 miles a second, and she’s going to see 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets all while the very precise experiments are being done. It’s incredible. We couldn’t figure out when the hell she’d show up. (Laughter.)
You watch the video and you see NASA’s mesmerizing images of Earth, you’ll notice something simple and profound.
Astronauts talk about that thin blue line that separates Earth from space, life from destruction, lightness from darkness. But we thought — we thought what a wonderful way to celebrate the festival of lights at the White House, by looking up into the heavens, to keep our heads high as we seek the spirit of Diwali — knowledge over ignorance, goodness over hate, unity over division — and to look up focused on the North Star of our nation.
Unlike any other nation in the world, we’re unique in the world. We’re the only nation not based on race or religion or geography. America is based on an idea — literally, the only nation in the world based on an idea. The idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all women and men are created equal. “Endowed by their Creator,” it said. We mean it. We haven’t always throughout — throughout lives we de- — we deserve to be treated equally.
We’ve never fully lived up to that i- — but we’ve never walked away from it either. That’s because of you and generations before you bringing thousands of years of heritage, tradition to give shape and meaning to American life. And I mean this sincerely.
The first South Asians arrived in America in the late 1700s, but even — but even into the 18- and 1900s, this diverse community contributed to the growth of this nation, even serving this nation in uniform, but were denied citizenship and equal rights. But by the time I was elected United States senator in 1972, when I was 29 years old, a new wave of South Asians were even more welcome.
You all know the stories. Many of you were the first in your families to get a formal education. They scraped together their life savings for the first fight — flight ever, which was across the world to America — far from family, far from home, with just a single suitcase and a few dollars in their pockets. Teaching themselves English by watching television, listening to the radio; befriending neighbors of every background who lent a hand to help; planting seeds of a new life in big cities, small towns all across America that have grown into something remarkable.
The South Asian American community enriched every part of American life, and that’s the truth. And that is among the fastest growing, most engaged community in the country, you are now.
On this day in America, we think about that journey of light. Earlier in our nation’s founding, generations before [you lit a] diya in the shadow of the suspicion. Now, in the [our] time, Diwali is celebrated openly and proudly here in the White House.
And, by the way, this is not my house. This is your house. (Applause.) No, it really is. It’s the People’s House.
Every time they give — you know, they introduce me, “And now we’re going to hear from the next president,” I wonder, “Where the hell is he?” (Laughter.) (Inaudible.)
But we also know today we face an inflection point, on a serious note — one of those rare moments that only come in several gene- — once in ev- — every several generations, where the decisions we make today will determine the future to come for decades, literally.
Every generation has been called to move us forward to be the nation we say we are. But only once in every few generations are we reminded not to take the idea of America for granted, because it’s never guaranteed. That moment is now.
American democracy has never been easy. In a country as diverse as ours, we debate, we dissent, as we forge a path forward through compromise and consensus. But the key is we never lose sight of how we got here and why.
For me, 50 years of public service comes with — with that comes a clarity of conc- — confidence in America. We’re a nation with a heart, a soul that draws from old and new. In America, everything runs deep, especially the courage to serve and protect, to heal and to bear witness, to immigrate, to dare to dream.
With my presidency, I’ve tried to channel that American spirit by bringing to bear all my experiences and wisdom gained from it and to get us through one of the most difficult periods in our nation’s recent history and to be a bridge between generations like [linked] in memory and imagination and joined by our histories and with faith in our futures — a future with a new voices.
Now it’s your turn to use your voice to talk with family and friends; to talk to the people you work with, you pray with, you go to school with. Remind them we’re all a part of something bigger — and I mean this from the bottom of my heart — something special.
In fact, the story goes that when President Kennedy set the bold goal to send an American into space — and that inspired patriots like Suni Williams to become an astronaut — President Kennedy went to NASA headquarters. He asked a maintenance worker what his job was. And here’s what the janitor replied. He said, “I’m helping send America to the moon.” “I’m helping send America to the moon.”
Folks, no matter who you are, what you do, or where you come from, we all have a role to play to keep the American experiment going. The America of your dreams needs you now, quite frankly, more than ever.
Let me close with this. In late November 2016, a dark cloud formed from hate and hostility toward immigrants, including South Asian Americans, that we hear once again in 2024. It was then that Jill and I hosted the first Diwali reception, and it was at the vice president’s residence, an Irish Catholic president — vice president, at the time — opening our home for a holiday celebration by Hindus, Bi- — Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, and more. How America — how America can remind us all of our power to be the light, all of us.
Now, as president, I’ve been honored to host the biggest Diwali receptions ever at the White House. (Applause.)
To me, it means a great deal. As senator, vice president, and president, South Asian Americans have been key members of my staff, from Kamala to Dr. Murthy to so many of you here today.
I’m proud that I kept my commitment to have an administration that looks like America — looks like America — taps into the full talents of our nation, including a record number of South Asian Americans at every level across our entire government.
I was honored to have just lit the diya with several of them, as Jill and I have done each year in office. You’ll see it shortly in the Blue Room.
It was the chance to wish my staff happy Diwali, but it was also a chance to thank them for their service to our country, just as I offer my thanks and gratitude to all of you that are here tonight.
Together, we may show the power in the gathering of light — the light of knowledge; the light of unity and truth; the light of freedom of — for democracy, for America — America we share and cherish. Only in America is everything possible.
So, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here. Welcome to your home.
Happy Diwali, America. (Applause.)
God bless you all. Thank you. (Applause.)
6:33 P.M. EDT
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Remarks by Vice President Harris Before Air Force Two Departure | Joint Base Andrews, MD
Joint Base Andrews
Prince George’s County, Maryland
11:31 A.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Good morning. Good morning.
Well, briefly, I think, last night, Donald Trump’s event in Madison Square Garden really highlighted a point that I’ve been making throughout this campaign: He is focused and actually fixated on his grievances, on himself, and on dividing our country.
And it is not in any way something that will strengthen the American family, the American worker. It is — nothing about what he is saying that is actually going to support the aspirations, the dreams, and the ambitions of the American people.
It is absolutely something that is intended to and is fanning the fuel of trying to divide our country. And as I’ve said many times — I’ll say tomorrow night in my speech — there’s a big difference between he and I.
If he were elected, on day one, he’s going to be sitting in the Oval Office working on his enemies list. On day one, if I’m elected president of the United States, which I fully intend to be, I will be working on behalf of the American people on my to-do list.
I’ll take any questions you have.
Q Madam Vice —
AIDE: Let’s go to Tarini.
Q Madam Vice President, Michelle Obama said recently that you’ve faced a double standard in this campaign. Do you feel like you’ve had to clear a higher bar every day than Donald Trump?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: My role and responsibility of running for president of the United States is to make my case to the American people and to earn their support, and that is why I’m spending time traveling the country to listen to folks and to talk with them about my plans — my plans for strengthening our small businesses, my plan for helping people with homeownership, my plans to help young families with children. And that’s the work that I’m going to continue to do, not taking anyone for granted, but knowing that I have to earn their support.
And my plans and policies — including economists who have reviewed them — point to one fact, which is that my approach will strengthen America in many ways, including our economy.
Donald Trump will weaken America and our economy.
Q Madam Vice President —
AIDE: We’ll go to Ebony at CNN. Ebony.
Q You’re — you’re making several stops in Michigan today. Can you talk about your final pitch to Michigan voters today?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So I’m — I’ll be — I’m heading back to Michigan to talk with these working people, with families, with young people about the issues that they care most about. They want to make sure that we’re going to lower prices. They know that the price of groceries, for example, is too high; I know it too. So, I have a plan to deal with that in terms — of a number of things, including dealing with price gouging.
They want to know that they have an opportunity to live the American dream around homeownership. That’s why my plan about giving people a $25,000 down payment assistance if they are first-time homebuyer matters to the people of Michigan.
They care about American manufacturing. I’m going to be talking about that again. My plan includes what we will do to continue to invest in American-based industries, American manufacturing, and American workers. That is how we are going to remain strong and globally competitive and win the competition for the 21st century with China and anybody else.
Q One follow-up to your remarks about President Trump’s ra- — rally last night. Some people who watched that made comparisons between a rally that happened at Madison Square Garden in 1939 with neo-Nazis or Nazis back then. Do you see those comparisons?
And can you also expand on what he said and what you said yesterday about Puerto Rico?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Donald Trump has — this is not new about him, by the way. What he did last night is not a — a discovery. It is just more of the same and maybe more vivid than usual.
Donald Trump spends full time trying to have Americans point their finger at each other, fans the fuel of hate and division. And that’s why people are exhausted with him. That’s why people who formally have supported Donald Trump, have voted for him, are supporting me, voting for me.
People are literally ready to turn the page. They’re tired of it.
In terms of Puerto Rico, I — you know, even when I was in the United States Senate, I — knowing that Puerto Rico does not have a United States senator, I was intentional about doing what I could as a United States senator to make sure that among my priorities, it included paying attention to the needs of the people on that island, including in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
I have announced also my plan that is about my opportunity economy writ large, but a specific target that will include a task force focused on the needs of Puerto Rico, understanding that it has very specific needs in terms of upgrading and repairing its electrical grid, what it needs in terms of investment that will be public-private partnerships, and I’m going to continue to do it.
I’m very proud to have the support of folks like Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez and others, who were supporting me before that nonsense last night at Madison Square Garden and are supporting me because they understand that they want a president of the United States who is about uplifting the people and not berating, not calling America a “garbage can,” which is what Donald Trump — those are the words he has used.
So, there you go.
I’ll see you later. Okay, bye.
END 11:36 A.M. EDT
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FACT SHEET: Addressing U.S. Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern
Cross-border investment flows and the United States’ open investment policy contribute to our economic vitality. Countries of concern, however, are exploiting certain U.S. outbound investments in ways that threaten to accelerate the development of sensitive technologies and products that undermine our national security interests. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to keeping America safe by preventing countries of concern—namely the People’s Republic of China—from advancing in key technologies that are critical to their military modernization.
Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a Final Rule to implement President Biden’s Executive Order 14105 of August 9, 2023, “Addressing United States Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern.” The Final Rule provides the operative regulations and a detailed explanatory discussion regarding its intent and application.
As directed in the President’s Executive Order, the Final Rule prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in certain transactions involving a defined set of technologies and products that pose a particularly acute national security threat to the United States. The Final Rule also requires U.S. persons to notify the Department of the Treasury of certain other transactions involving a defined set of technologies and products that may contribute to a threat to the national security of the United States.
Covered technologies fall into three categories: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence. This narrow set of technologies is core to the next generation of military, cybersecurity, surveillance, and intelligence applications.
The United States already prohibits or restricts the export to countries of concern of many of the technologies and products covered by the Final Rule. This program complements the United States’ existing export control and inbound screening tools by preventing U.S. investment from advancing the development of sensitive technologies and products in countries of concern.
Today’s announcement follows extensive and thorough consultations with hundreds of stakeholders, bipartisan members of Congress, industry members, and foreign allies and partners and two rounds of formal comments from the public. The announcement is the final step in the process President Biden announced in August of 2023 when he signed the Executive Order.
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FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Advances Public Trust Through Federal Police Misconduct Database
White House announces new analysis of the strength and impact of NLEAD
President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to doing everything we can to make our communities safer, including by advancing effective and accountable policing. That’s why the President issued Executive Order 14074, Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices To Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety, which, in part, requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a national database documenting misconduct by federal law enforcement officers. The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD) is operational and searchable by federal law enforcement agencies, so that agencies are able to hire or promote the best personnel, and avoid hiring candidates with disqualifying histories.
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is releasing a new analysis on the size and scope of NLEAD, which has the participation of every federal agency that employs law enforcement officers:
NLEAD is comprehensive. As of last month, every one of the 90 federal agencies that employs law enforcement officers, consistent with relevant collective bargaining agreements, has reported into NLEAD as required by the Executive Order. The database contains 5,300 records covering misconduct for more than 4,300 past and present federal officers over the last 7 years. There are currently more than 150,000 law enforcement officers across the federal government.
NLEAD is being used regularly. This year, federal agencies already have conducted thousands of NLEAD checks to identify potential misconduct before making critical decisions about hiring, promotions, and officer work assignments.
NLEAD is making a difference. During these checks, NLEAD revealed dozens of positive hits – meaning instances of the types of misconduct identified in the Executive Order. When there is a positive hit, agencies can get more details about these incidents from the entity that reported the misconduct. This process has impacted holistic employment and officer assignment decisions, ensuring that officers who may undermine public trust do not end up in positions of authority. After conducting NLEAD checks, agencies repeatedly have made adverse employment decisions.
The Biden-Harris Administration has improved transparency around state and local policing. Most policing and most public interactions with police happen at the local level. That’s why President Biden and Vice President Harris have continued to urge Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to implement policing reforms at the state and local level. But we are not waiting for Congress to act, the Biden-Harris Administration has encouraged state and local agencies to expand their use of the National De-Certification Index (NDI), a registry containing state and local police misconduct that is currently in place in all 50 states and DC. Specifically:
- DOJ structured $471 million in discretionary grants to give priority consideration to law enforcement agencies that use the NDI.
- Law enforcement agencies can obtain accreditation through accreditation bodies if they adopt certain standards. Pursuant to the Executive Order, DOJ created standards for these accreditation bodies that includes reviewing NDI as part of background investigations for officers. Moreover, DOJ’s Community Policing Development program has been giving grant funding to agencies for them to obtain accreditation.
- DOJ provided $3 million in grant funding to expand the NDI so that it includes information about the same misconduct types as NLEAD.
Since May 2023, the number of NDI users has increased almost 75%, and the number of records in the database has increased almost 85%. The average number of monthly queries has increased about 85%.
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Remarks by President Biden After Casting His Early-Voting Ballot in the 2024 General Election | New Castle, DE
New Castle County Office Warehouse and Training Center
New Castle, Delaware
12:31 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: First-time voter. (Pointing to voters.)
Q Mr. President, do you want to —
Q Mr. President, is this bittersweet for you today?
THE PRESIDENT: Pardon me?
Q Is this bittersweet for you?
THE PRESIDENT: No, this is just sweet.
Q Do you think she will win?
THE PRESIDENT: I think we will. I think it’s a —
Q Mis- — Mr. President, can you come here and comment on former President Trump’s rally yesterday? He was saying a bunch of stuff about immigrant —
THE PRESIDENT: Embarrassing. Just simply embarrassing. It’s beneath any president, but that’s what we’re getting used to. That’s why this election is so important.
You know, most of the presidential scholars I’ve spoken to talk about the single most consequential thing about a president is character. Character. And there’s — he puts that in question every time he opens his mouth.
Q Mr. President, Egypt has a new proposal for a ceasefire — a two-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. What do you think about it?
THE PRESIDENT: I’m — my staff is talking to them right now. I’m going to get out here, get on a secure line, and follow up on that.
We need a ceasefire. We should end this war. It should end. It should end. It should end.
Q Prime Minister Netanyahu stressed that negotiations under fire is better than negotiation during ceasefire. What do you think about that?
THE PRESIDENT: I’ll reserve that for my discussion with him.
Q Mr. President, will we see you and Vice President Harris this week?
Q Mr. President, can you talk a little bit — are we going to see you with the vice president, Harris? But also, do you wish more like candidates like Lisa Blunt Rochester were using you as a surrogate?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’ve done a lot of surrogate stuff. And the fact of the matter is that I’ve also had to be president at the same time, so I’ve been in all the — all the battleground states. I’ve been campaigning, but I also have to con- — continue my job as president.
Q Will you be on the trail with the vice president this week, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: I’ve been on the trail. What — there’s –we’ve — we talk all the time, and they’re asking me to — where they think I should be to help them the most. I’m going to be in Pennsylvania. I’m going to head to Scranton and a few other places. So, (inaudible).
Q Sir —
Q Are you concerned about North Korea? Ten thousand troops now.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. And you got — I don’t even want to — it’s very dangerous. It’s very dangerous.
And the idea that Kamala’s opponent is talking to Putin and discussing what should be done — I mean —
Anyway. I — I’m not —
Q Sir — sir, Elon Musk is handing out checks to registered voters —
THE PRESIDENT: Tell him I registered.
Q — registered —
THE PRESIDENT: A million dollars.
Q Do you think that’s legal conduct? Do you think that’s election interference?
THE PRESIDENT: I think it’s totally inappropriate.
Thank you.
12:34 P.M. EDT
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FACT SHEET: One Month Following Hurricane Helene, Biden-Harris Administration Spearheads Ongoing Recovery Efforts and Support for Survivors
Since Hurricane Helene’s destructive landfall one month ago, the Biden-Harris Administration has mobilized a Federal response that has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in financial assistance to survivors, substantial debris removal and power restoration, and a sustained commitment to long-term recovery efforts. As President Biden and Vice President Harris have said, their Administration will be with the people across the Southeast and Appalachia no matter how long it takes.
Thus far, the Administration has approved over $2.1 billion in Federal assistance for those affected by Hurricane Helene, as well as Hurricane Milton, which made landfall in Florida shortly after Helene.
This includes over $1 billion in assistance for individuals and families to help pay for housing repairs, personal property replacement, and other recovery efforts. To date, the Administration has also approved over $1.1 billion in Public Assistance funding to support local and state governments. This funding is primarily being used to support debris removal, as well to pay for emergency protective measures like surging first responders and providing shelter, food, and water during and after the storms.
President Biden, Vice President Harris, and senior leaders across the Administration have spoken with and coordinated closely with Governors, Senators, Representatives, Mayors, and other state and local elected officials in impacted states before, during, and after the storms. The President, Vice President, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, and multiple cabinet members and other Administration leaders have been in impacted states to meet with state and local counterparts, survey damage, assess what additional Federal support should be prioritized, and meet with first responders and survivors.
On October 26, White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall traveled to North Carolina to coordinate recovery efforts with Governor Roy Cooper, FEMA, and philanthropic partners on the ground. She underscored the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to innovative partnerships that can speed recovery and rebuilding — through collaboration with state and local officials, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and philanthropic donors—for as long as it takes.
Nearly 5,000 Federal personnel remain deployed to North Carolina and Florida, working side-by-side with state and local officials, to help survivors get what they need to accelerate their recovery.
For communities affected by Helene, FEMA has delivered over 11 million meals and 9.6 million liters of water. FEMA now has 65 Disaster Recovery Centers open throughout all of the affected communities to provide survivors with in-person assistance with more opening each day. As of October 27, there will be 21 Disaster Recovery Centers open in North Carolina. Power and cellular service are restored for 99 percent of customers in impacted areas.
As communities begin their road to rebuilding, the Administration continues to provide support and resources, including:
Defense Personnel Supporting On-The-Ground Recovery
Throughout Hurricane Helene response operations, the National Guard and Department of Defense have been engaged in the whole-of-government response efforts across the impacted areas. Members of the North Carolina National Guard, together with active duty servicemembers and guardsmen from 15 other states, have conducted more than 1,200 ground missions and more than 400 air missions in coordination with the state of North Carolina, and under the direction of the Dual Status Commander.
These efforts delivered more than 13,500 tons of humanitarian aid overland, and nearly another 2,000 tons through the air. This includes 614,881 gallons of bulk water, 4,331 pallets of bottles of water, and 3,108 pallets of food. Service members were active in route clearance – clearing hundreds of miles of roads, which enabled increased access to some of the hardest hit areas of the state.
From the onset of this mission, the primary goal of active-duty Department of Defense Title 10 personnel and equipment was to provide immediate, short-term assistance to aid the most urgent response efforts. As of last week, Governor Cooper determined that the active-duty troops were no longer needed for this phase, and active-duty service members transitioned their mission to the National Guard and returned to their home bases. The National Guard, working with FEMA, and other Federal, state, and local partners, will remain actively engaged to address ongoing needs, rebuild infrastructure, and aid communities in long term recovery.
The National Guard has roughly 2,000 Guardsmen, 65 high-water vehicles, and 7 helicopters still mobilized across seven states for the response to Hurricane Helene.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has more than 450 personnel engaged in missions across six states – supporting debris removal, temporary power, infrastructure assessments, , and safe waterways assessments.
Supporting and Protecting Public Health
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking action to support providers and suppliers impacted by Hurricane Helene. These providers and suppliers may face significant cash flow issues from the unusual circumstances impacting facilities’ operations, preventing facilities from submitting claims and receiving Medicare claims payments. As a result of the presidential disaster declaration, and HHS public health emergencies declared in the wake of Hurricane Helene, CMS made available accelerated payments to Medicare Part A providers and advance payments to Medicare Part B suppliers affected by Hurricane Helene beginning October 2, 2024. CMS has also made available certain flexibilities related to provider and supplier fee-for-service Medicare debt.
Following storm damage from Hurricane Helene at Baxter International Inc.’s North Cove facility in North Carolina, the Biden-Harris Administration continues taking action to support access to IV fluids, including ensuring restoration of key production sites, protecting products, and opening imports, in partnership with manufacturers, distributors, hospitals, and other stakeholders. As a result of these steps, Baxter anticipates restarting the highest-throughput IV solutions manufacturing line within the next week. The Biden-Harris Administration also moved quickly to open up imports from six facilities around the world and made it easier for hospitals to produce their own IV fluid during the shortage.
Supporting Students and Student Loan Borrowers
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is partnering with disaster-declared states to determine the extent of impacts to educational communities; identify gaps in resources for response and recovery; and share critical resources to help restore learning conditions. These resources include Project SERV, which provides funding for local educational agencies and institutions of higher education that have experienced a traumatic crisis, including weather-related natural disasters, to assist in restoring a safe learning environment.
ED is ensuring affected borrowers in areas impacted by the hurricanes can focus on their critical needs without having to worry about missing their student loan payments. Direct Loan borrowers and federally-serviced Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) borrowers in the affected area who miss their payments will be automatically placed into a natural disaster forbearance. During forbearance, payments are temporarily postponed or reduced, and interest is still charged. Thanks to regulations issued by the Biden-Harris Administration, months in this forbearance will count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Income Driven Repayment forgiveness. Direct Loan and federally serviced FFEL borrowers are not required to take an action, but have the option to call their servicer if they wish to enroll in the forbearance proactively. Perkins loan borrowers should contact their loan holder to request natural disaster forbearance.
ED continues to monitor impacts to schools in the affected states, including school closures, damage to school buildings including ongoing utility outages, schools being used as shelters, and the number of displaced students and staff. ED is sending an assessment team to North Carolina this coming week to evaluate damages and work with the state to develop a plan to get students back into classrooms as quickly as possible. In parallel, ED is closely communicating with the leadership of 531 Title IV-participating institutions, across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia due to impacts associated with Hurricane Helene. ED has also posted electronic announcements, reminding impacted institutions of available regulatory flexibilities, and providing guidance on managing Title IV student aid during disaster situations.
Supporting Farmers, Agriculture, and Consumers
The Department of Agriculture (USDA), in coordination with approved insurance providers, announced more than $233 million to help farmers recover from hurricane damage during the fall harvest season. Currently, Hurricane Helene indemnities are estimated to be nearly $208 million for Georgia, nearly $13 million for Florida, $5 million for Alabama, and more than $4 million each for North and South Carolina.
To date, USDA has approved Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) benefits to help eligible residents cover the cost of groceries in 112 counties in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee. D-SNAP is a program focused on getting food assistance to those in need for people in communities affected by disasters, who may not otherwise be eligible.
Supporting Infrastructure and Transportation Recovery
Since Hurricane Helene made landfall, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been committed to helping water utilities and health departments in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and North Carolina as they work around the clock to bring clean, safe drinking water back to communities impacted by the storm. EPA and its state and local partners have made significant progress restoring drinking water and wastewater services in a vast majority of communities. In Western North Carolina, EPA has deployed two mobile water testing labs. EPA has received and analyzed approximately 700 samples, giving residents clear data about the safety of their drinking water. In addition to water testing, EPA has collected approximately 1,000 containers with oil, hazardous materials, or propane since clean-up efforts began in North Carolina.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) continues to support response and recovery efforts in impacted communities in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) worked with partners in affected areas to ensure the national airspace quickly returned to normal operations. The FAA deployed personnel to conduct vital infrastructure assessments and restore communications to impacted towers and airports, including Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina and ongoing work at Valdosta Regional Airport in Georgia, among others. Approximately 133 personnel from Technical Operations and the communications support team remain on the ground supporting a range of response and restoration activities.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sent $144 million in “Quick Release” Emergency Relief funding to North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. These funds represent a ‘down payment’ to help with the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. Additional funding will be flowing to affected communities from the Emergency Relief program pending availability of funds. FHWA also worked closely with all impacted states and other federal agencies to help support their assessments of infrastructure damage.
Providing Financial Flexibilities to Homeowners, Renters and Taxpayers
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as well as foreclosures of mortgages to Native American borrowers guaranteed under the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee program. The moratorium and extension are effective as of the President’s disaster declaration date in each state. When homes are destroyed or damaged to an extent that reconstruction or complete replacement is necessary, HUD’s Section 203(h) program provides FHA insurance to disaster victims, including renters. Borrowers from participating FHA approved lenders are eligible for 100 percent financing including closing costs. HUD’s Section 203(k) loan program enables individuals to finance the purchase or refinance of a house, along with its repair, through a single mortgage. Homeowners can also finance the rehabilitation of their existing homes if damaged. FHA is coordinating and collaborating with the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Agriculture to ensure consistent messaging and policies for single family loans regarding foreclosure moratoriums and repayment/arrearage agreements. Additionally, affected homeowners that have mortgages through Government-Sponsored Enterprises – including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – and the FHA are eligible to suspend their mortgage payments through a forbearance plan for up to 12 months.
The Internal Revenue Service announced disaster tax relief for all individuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Helene, including the entire states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina and parts of Florida, Tennessee and Virginia. Taxpayers in these areas now have until May 1, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service provided more than 1,000 employees to help with FEMA disaster relief call lines and intake initial information to help disaster victims get federal relief. IRS Criminal Investigation agents were also on the ground in devastated areas to help with search and rescue efforts and other relief work – including assisting with door-to-door search efforts.
Supporting Workers and Worker Safety
Working alongside the Department of Labor, the States of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee have all announced that eligible workers can receive federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance to compensate for income lost directly resulting from Hurricane Helene. And, through the Department of Labor’s innovative partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, displaced workers from North Carolina and South Carolina can now go to the post office in any other state and verify their ID for purposes of getting their benefits quickly.
Additional Response and Recovery Efforts
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has offered over $51 million in tentatively approved disaster loan funding to survivors of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The SBA also has hundreds of staff working on the ground supporting communities in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia in disaster recovery centers, as well as in loan processing and customer service centers that are fielding around 15,000 calls a day with an average wait time of 15 seconds. The SBA is continuing to process disaster loan applications while it awaits Congressional action to replenish their disaster loan funds.
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Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Philadelphia, PA
Church of Christian Compassion
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11:31 A.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hi. Good morning, everyone. Good morning.
Well, it is good to be back in Philadelphia, and we’re going to have a — an active day of speaking with folks in various neighborhoods around town and really highlighting something you hear me say often, which is: I truly believe it’s a lived experience to know the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us.
And so, we’ll be visiting with folks in different parts of town, talking with them about what we all have in common and — and a collective desire to bring the country together and to set a tone that really is about unifying our country around common desires and challenges, whether it be bringing down the prices of everyday necessities or what we can do to invest in our small businesses and lift up our families.
And this obviously will be in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who increasingly is using dark and divisive language, even more than he — he has done in the past.
He talks about America being the garbage can of the world and just continuously, I think, demeans the character and nature of who we are as America and who the American people are. And clearly, it is intended to keep fanning the flames of — of hate and division; referring to beautiful American, historic American cities like Detroit and Philadelphia in such disparaging words. And as we said, even just this morning, I think people are ready to turn the page. And — and that is about all I have.
AIDE: Julia —
(Cross-talk.)
AIDE: Hold on. Julia.
Q Oh, thank you.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hi.
Q Madam Vice President, Pennsylvania has been such a focus of this election for both campaigns. What do you make of some of the activity that Elon Musk is involved in in this state? Do you — do you worry about, you know, any little difference, including (inaudible) —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I haven’t really been paying attention. I’m focused on our work. (Laughs.) But thank you for asking.
(Cross-talk.)
Q Madam Vice President, you’ve talked about new homebuyers and $25,000 for them.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q What about people who are currently in their homes as neighborhoods gentrify and prices go up? What would you do for them?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, for cor- — current homeowners, there are — still facing the challenges, whether it be what we need to do around an issue I’ve addressed over the last four years, dealing with fair appraisal values and making sure that the appraisal system is fair, especially for people living in minority- and Black-owned communities — in terms of housing and home- — high levels of homeownership, we’ve seen bias there.
But also just bringing down the price of everyday living, whether it be groceries and what I’m going to do to address things like price gouging, or what we need to do to expand the Child Tax Credit to help people have more resources at the fundamental phases of their child’s development; the work that we are doing that is about small businesses.
A lot of neighborhoods, as we know here in Philadelphia and around the country — those homeowners often are also small-business owners and need more support. So, a lot of my plan is about giving them tax cuts, but also cutting a lot of the red tape so that they can continue to grow and prosper.
So, there are a multiple — multitude of issues that affect homeowners, including, obviously, the challenges for homeownership itself.
AIDE: Joey.
Q Yeah, Madam Vice President, are you getting the turnout that you need right here in Philadelphia to win Pennsylvania, particularly among Black voters? Are you concerned that you’re going to get the level that you need to to win this state?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I’m very excited about the reports that we’re getting about enthusiasm here in Philadelphia. And to your point, Philadelphia is a very important part of our path to victory, and it is the reason I’m spending time here, have been spending time here. But I’m feeling very optimistic about the enthusiasm that is here and the commitment that folks of every background have to vote and to — to really invest in the future of our country.
I think people are exhausted with things as they’ve been, and they’re prepared to act on their feelings about that.
AIDE: Akayla.
Q Madam Vice President, the former president has said he’s spoken to Prime Minister Netanyahu multiple times this month. Are you concerned that those conversations are undermining what the administration is trying to do in the Middle East?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: No. And I do believe that it is critically important that we, as the United States of America, be an active participant in encouraging, one, that this war ends, that we get the hostages out, but also that there is a real commitment among nations to a two-state solution and the day after, and we have to fulfill that responsibility.
AIDE: O.J.
Q Yes, Vice President Harris, as you go out in the community today, what is it that you can do or do you have a strategy to dispel all the informa- — all the mi- — misinformation in the political ads and what —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
Q — your opponent is spewing?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, to your point, there is a lot of misinformation, and he’s putting tens of millions of dollars into various TV markets around the country. And what I’m heartened by is that folks in the community, when I am there, they are aware of it and, frankly, don’t want to be played. They are aware of fact.
And what I am seeing is that not only are they aware of the misinformation, but they are also aware, if not eager, to know and hear more details about my plan for them, whether it be, again, on the issue of homeownership; bringing down costs; investing in small businesses; investing in families, including families with children. And — and folks are very receptive to that.
I think people really do want to know and see and feel that their leaders and that their president is prepared to do the hard work of thinking about them, not themselves, unlike Donald Trump, and has a plan that will be implemented on day one. And I’ve been very clear about that as well.
Look, just imagine the Oval Office on January 20th. It’s going to be one of two people. It’s going to be either Donald Trump or me.
If it’s Donald Trump, you can see what’s going — what that day is going to be. It will be him sitting at that desk, stewing over his enemies list. He is full of grievance. He is full of — of dark language that is about retribution and revenge.
And so, the American people have a choice. It’s either going to be that or it’ll be me there, focused on my to-do list, focused on the American people and getting through that list of — of goals and plans to improve the lives of the American people.
AIDE: Last one. Jeff.
Q Madam Vice President, can you give us a sense of your internal polling at the campaign and how that is making or influencing your decisions on what to do over the next nine days?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, to be very frank with you, my internal polling is my instinct. (Laughs.) I let the campaign people deal with the poll- — all that other stuff. And I am responding to what I’m seeing.
I mean, just two nights ago, we had 30,000 people show up — I think it was actually more than 30,000 people — with an incredible amount of enthusiasm. If you see the people showing up last night, every event that we do — and the feeling is one of energy and excitement.
What I love about the folks who are showing up is it’s every walk of who we are as a country and as Americans, every race, age, gender, from all different kinds of backgrounds together under one roof. It’s very exciting. The number of young people. You know, I’ve begun to really point out the first-time voters who are there, because now people are actually registered. And — and it’s — it’s very exciting. And the momentum is with us.
Q Do you need to win Pennsylvania —
AIDE: Thank you.
Q — to win this election (inaudible)?
AIDE: Thank you.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Pennsylvania will be key, no doubt. No doubt.
END 11:39 A.M. EDT
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Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Youth Basketball Facility
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4:26 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, Philly! (Applause.) Hey, Philly! (Inaudible.) Hey, Philly! (Applause.) Oh, I love this city. I just love this City of Brotherly Love. (Laughs.) (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: MVP! MVP! MVP!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We’re doing this.
We need a medic. We need a medic. We need a medic. We need a medic. Sounds like we need a medic.
AUDIENCE: MVP! MVP! MVP!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.
Well, hold on, everybody. Le- — hold on. Just a p- — let’s — we need a medic over there. Do we have somebody r- –part the way. So, we got a medic over there. Okay? All right.
That’s what we do. We look out for each other. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We’re not going back! (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You got that right.
Are we good?
Hold on. Let’s just make sure that’s handled.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Philly loves you, Kamala! (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: All right. Do we have a medic over there? Okay. Let’s — let’s handle that first. I have time. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.) (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Are we getting a medic over there? We good? We good?
Okay. All right.
Hey, Philly, it’s good to be back. (Applause.) It’s good to be back. And can we hear it for Coach Butler? (Applause.) Thank you.
So, Philly, I’ve got a question for you: Are you ready to do this? (Applause.) Are we gonna do this? (Applause.) Yes! Are we ready to vote? (Applause.) Are we ready to win? (Applause.)
It’s good to be back. (Applause.) (Laughs.)
So, I want to thank all the incredible leaders who are here. I want to start with Mayor Parker. Where are you, Mayor? (Applause.) A phenomenal leader. She has been an extraordinary friend.
Speaker McClinton, thank you. (Applause.) Representatives Dean and Scanlon, thank you. (Applause.) And let’s send Bob Casey back to the United States Senate. (Applause.)
And to all the community and elected leaders here, I thank you. I had a chance to visit with many of you this afternoon. I thank you for the leadership you provide in so many ways.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And I love you back. I love you back. (Applause.)
So, to everyone here, I thank you. I thank you, because you have taken time this afternoon, this Sunday afternoon, out of your busy lives, for us to all be here together under one roof to make the point that we are all in this together. (Applause.) We are all in this together.
And we are all here together because we also understand how high the stakes are at this very moment.
Philly, we’ve got nine days — nine days — nine days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. And we know this is going to be a tight race until the very end, so we have a lot of work ahead of us. But we like hard work. (Applause.) Hard work is good work. (Applause.) Hard work is joyful work. (Applause.)
And make no mistake: We will win. We will win. We will win. We will win. (Applause.)
And we will win because here’s how I think about it: When you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. (Applause.) And this election is about two extremely different visions for our nation: one, Donald Trump’s, who is focused on the past and himself —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We are not going back.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And here’s why — here’s why: Because we — because we are focused on the future, and we are focused on the needs of the American people, as opposed to a Donald Trump, who spends full time looking in the mirror, focused on himself. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, you know what? Hold — hold on a second. Listen — no, hold on. Hold on. Let’s — I want to talk about Gaza for a minute. I want to talk about Gaza for a minute. Okay?
We can and we must seize this opportunity to end this war and bring the hostages home. (Applause.) And I will do everything in my power to meet that end. (Applause.)
And we are here because we are fighting for our democracy — (applause) — and we respect the voices of all people — (applause) — and we’ve got a job to do in the next nine days to fight for this da- — democracy we love. (Applause.) Nine days.
And we understand we have an opportunity before us to turn the page on the fear and the divisiveness that have characterized our politics for a decade because of Donald Trump. We have the ability to turn the page on that same old, tired playbook, because we are exhausted with it — (applause) — and we are ready to chart a new way forward.
And, yes, we will be joyful in the process. (Applause.) Yes, we like to laugh. (Applause.) Yes, we know that when you care about the people and you understand what you are fighting for, there is joy in that fight, and that is why we are all in this together. (Applause.)
We are fighting for a future of our nation where we tap into the ambitions and the aspirations and the dreams of the American people. We are a new generation of leadership that is optimistic and excited about what our nation can do together. (Applause.)
And the great thing about living in a democracy, as long as we keep it, is that we the people have the power to choose the direction of our country and its leadership. The power is with the people. (Applause.)
And from the beginning, our campaign has been about building coalitions and building community. Look, over the next nine days, like I said, we are going to win. That is our highest order. But through that process, to all the friends here, I say: Let’s be intentional about building community. Let’s be intentional about building coalitions. (Applause.) Let’s be intentional about understanding we all have so much more in common than what separates us. We will be the better for it. (Applause.)
That’s what our campaign is about, because we know we are all in this together. We have so much more in common than what separates us. And we are going to fight for the country we love. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and that is why we are all here together, because we love our country. (Applause.) We love our country. And you got to fight for the thing you love. You got to fight for the thing you love.
And I do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism, the expression of the love of our country, to then fight for its ideals. It is the highest form of patriotism, and one of the most powerful ways we do that is with our vote. (Applause.)
So — all right. So, everybody is here because you’re prepared to do the work. So, here we are. From now until election day, we are going to get out the vote here in Pennsylvania. (Applause.)
And if you’ll give me a minute, I really right now want to speak to the young leaders who are here. Is Gen Z in the house? (Applause.) Who in — who is voting for their first time in their first election? (Applause.) All right.
Now, here’s the thing I love about you young leaders. You know, you are rightly impatient for change. (Applause.) You are rightly impatient.
You, who have only known the climate crisis — you are leaders in what we need to do to protect our planet. (Applause.)
You, who grew up with active shooter drills — you know what we have to do to fight for safety in our schools. (Applause.)
You, who right now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers, understand the importance of fighting for the right of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do. (Applause.)
And this is why I love you, the young leaders who are here, because, for you, this is not theoretical. This is not political. This is not about some debate. It is about your lived experience. And you are here — and I see you because I see your power — and you are here because you know your power. And I am so proud of you. (Applause.)
And, everyone, let us applaud our young leaders, our first-time voters. (Applause.) Let’s applaud them. Let’s applaud them. Let’s applaud them. (Applause.)
So, Philly, we have nine days — nine days to get this done. And for the next nine days, no one can sit on the sidelines.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: There is too much on the line, and we must not wake up the day after the election and have any regrets about what we could have done in these next nine days. So, let’s spend these next nine days knowing we did everything we could; that we connected with each other, with our neighbors; that we went up to perfect strangers in the grocery store and said, “You know what? I see you.”
Let’s — let’s approach this moment in a way that in the face of a stranger, we see a neighbor. And let’s talk with each other about what we have in common. (Applause.) Let’s build community. And let’s knock on doors. Let’s text and call potential voters. (Applause.) Let’s reach out to our family and our friends and our classmates and our neighbors. (Applause.) Tell them about the stakes in this election, and tell them about their power.
So, we are going to get folks to the polls, and we are going to make our voices heard. (Applause.)
And let’s give folks some important information. Election Day — we — let’s start with the basics. (Laughter.) Okay?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5th. (Laughter and applause.) I’m serious. Everybody is busy. Let’s start with that.
Let folks know you can vote then or you can vote early from today through Tuesday, October 29th. That’s two days from now. So, now is the time to vote early. Get it done tomorrow if you can. Go to IWillVote.com if you need information about where you vote.
And if you have received your ballot in the mail, do not wait. Fill it out today. (Applause.) Because the election is here, and the choice, Philly, is truly in your hands. The path to victory runs right through all the leaders who are here — (applause) — who — all of you. And your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power.
So, today, Philadelphia, I ask you: Are you ready to make your voices heard? (Applause.)
Do we believe in freedom? (Applause.)
Do we believe in opportunity? (Applause.)
Do we believe in the promise of America? (Applause.)
And are we ready to fight for it? (Applause.)
And when we fight —
AUDIENCE: We win!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — we win.
God bless you. God bless the United States of America. God bless you. (Applause.) Thank you all.
END 4:42 P.M. EDT
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Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris Marking 6 Years Since the Tree of Life Synagogue Attack in Pittsburgh
Today marks six years since a white supremacist used a weapon of war to murder 11 precious souls and wound many more at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. This unspeakable act — fueled by antisemitic hate — was the deadliest attack on the American Jewish community in our Nation’s history. As we remember the victims of this horrific mass shooting, we also honor the courage of the first responders, some of whom were injured during this attack, and commemorate the resilience of the Pittsburgh community. This summer, ground was broken on the nation’s first museum and education center on the history of antisemitism in America at the site of the synagogue, a symbol of this enduring strength.
As we know, today’s remembrance also comes amid a rise of antisemitism, here and around the world. Earlier this month, we marked one year since the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack against Israel in which 1,200 innocent people were massacred, 250 people taken hostage, and where Hamas committed unspeakable sexual violence.
I will always work to ensure the safety and security of Jewish people in the United States and around the world, and will always call out antisemitism whenever and wherever we see it. Doug and I are proud to have worked alongside President Biden to combat antisemitism, including through the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This work is not new for me: I have spent my entire career fighting antisemitism, including prosecuting hate crimes as a District Attorney and publishing an annual report on hate crimes as Attorney General of California to ensure that policymakers and law enforcement respond with a sense of urgency to this crisis. And since the beginning of our administration, we have secured record funding for the physical security of nonprofits and faith-based institutions around the country, including synagogues, Jewish Community Centers, and Jewish day schools.
Additionally, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights continues to investigate cases of antisemitism and other forms of hate on campus making clear that each university must ensure all students and faculty are safe and secure on campus. We also continue our work to ensure that every person in our Nation can live free from gun violence — in their places of worship, schools, and communities. To take on the epidemic of gun violence, our administration enacted the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years and created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which I am proud to lead.
Today, Doug and I stand in solidarity with the survivors of this attack, the families who lost loved ones, and the entire Jewish community.
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Statement from President Joe Biden Marking 6 Years Since the Tree of Life Synagogue Attack in Pittsburgh
Six years ago, as congregants prayed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on a quiet Shabbat morning, a gunman armed with an AR-15, multiple handguns, and hate in his heart, opened fire and killed 11 Jewish worshippers and wounded six more, in the deadliest act of Antisemitism in our history. It shattered families, pierced the heart of the Jewish community, and struck the soul of our nation.
For the families of the victims and the survivors, this difficult day of remembrance brings it all back like it just happened – and our country holds them and their loved ones close in our hearts. As we grieve the precious lives stolen on that day, we draw strength from the memory of the beautiful lives they lived, and from the hope of the Pittsburgh community that came together from all faiths to support their Jewish neighbors. In the years since, the Jewish community has also shown the country how to courageously turn pain into purpose. They have launched a global initiative to counter hate and hate-fueled violence. This summer, at the site of the synagogue, the nation’s first museum and education center on the history of Antisemitism in America broke ground. It is a symbol of the enduring spirit of Jewish resilience despite centuries of suffering, persecution, and pain.
Of course, this year’s remembrance of the Tree of Life attack falls just days after Jews observe the sacred holiday of Simchat Torah and the first Hebrew calendar anniversary of the October 7th attack in Israel, during which Hamas killed more than 1,200 people, took another 250 hostage, and committed horrific acts of sexual assault. One year later, the trauma and losses from that day and its aftermath are not only raw, but exacerbated by the appalling surge of Antisemitism against Jews in America and around the world.
Even before October 7th, I launched the first National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism in American history, and together with Vice President Harris, the Second Gentleman, and our entire Administration, we are aggressively implementing it. Since I have taken office, we have secured a record of $1.2 billion for the physical security of nonprofits including synagogues, Jewish Community Centers and Jewish day schools. We have put colleges on notice that Antisemitism is discrimination and is prohibited under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting Antisemitic hate crimes. Globally, we have mobilized over 40 countries and international organizations to support our new guidelines for countering Antisemitism. And to take on the scourge of gun violence, I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years and created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
There is more to do, but my Administration will continue to condemn and combat Antisemitism at every turn. As the Talmud says, “It is not your duty to finish the work but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.” On this solemn day of remembrance for the attack in the Tree of Life Synagogue, let us come together as Americans to ensure Antisemitism and hate in all its forms have no safe harbor in America – for all the lives we have lost and all those we can still save.
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Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Reproductive Health Care Clinic | Portage, MI
Private Office
Portage, Michigan
2:40 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you all for allowing us to have this conversation. And one of the reasons that I wanted to visit with you is you all are on the ground doing this very, very critical and important work.
And since the Dobbs decision came down two years ago, I do believe that we as a country have faced a health care crisis, and, yes, it includes the concern that we have about people’s access to abortion care and then the punishing of women, the criminalization of health care providers, but also we’ve seen clinics close around the country that provide all types of care, from Paps to breast cancer screenings, HIV testing, and so much else and just safe places for people to go.
DR. HENRY: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I know there’s also been an impact in terms of students thinking about their career as physicians and what type of practice they would actually engage in and where they would go.
We’ve been talking about health care deserts —
DR. HENRY: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — which we know is a long-standing concern but then exasperated by what we’ve seen most recently.
And so, I wanted to ask you, the experts, the trained and experienced folks who do the noble and important work of health care, to share a bit about how you are experiencing this moment in a way that can highlight the realities of this moment, the harm, and the reason why people, like here in the state of Michigan, should be concerned even though they’re not in Texas, where I was and just left, but understanding if there were a national abortion ban, what it would mean for women and people throughout the country.
So, Doctor, if you want to lead the discussion, but I would love to hear from you.
DR. ROGERS: Yes, we have Dr. Lakshmi Sundaresan that was going to respond to that question, but I’ll just say that it is very important that this not widen the gap of health disparities, that — that the care of a — a woman is between her and her doctor, and that it not further cause shortages of those physicians across the country.
DR. SUNDARESAN: So, I’m a family medicine physician and an abortion provider here on the western side of the state. I think we don’t have to imagine what a post-Dobbs world looks like. We’re living in a world that already has abortion bans that typically are regionally dependent.
Here on the western side of the state, we represent not only a safety net for our region here in the Midwest, but over the last 18 months, we — we’ve seen an influx of patients that are coming particularly from the South and the Southeast because of care deserts and already restrictive abortion bans.
But what we’re talking about here, especially with respect to this election, is that — and you — you know this better than we do — is that there’s an opportunity for multiple Supreme Court decisions that we will all be living through not just in terms of the political landscape but as physicians who are living through that experience with our patients.
And what is at stake is not just what we’re doing with respect to abortion care but what reproductive justice means at-large. We’re talking about access to gender-affirming services. We’re talking about access to contraception. And we’re talking about everyone’s ability to access care.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and including, to your point, prenatal care, postpartum care — all of that work that is done by physicians and — and folks such as you and — and existing, in many states with the fear that if you then do that work, somehow you may be punished or criminalized for doing that work.
DR. SUNDARESAN: And we have state protections in Michigan right now after 2022, but there is still a very real possibility of a federal ban.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah. How do you think about this in the context of what is happening in your profession and with — I — I know — I know you, even though we’ve all met just now, well enough to know that you are active in your profession —
DR. HENRY: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and probably very much in touch with your colleagues from around the country.
How are physicians and medical students talking about this moment right now and the fears, the challenges, the concerns and also what you would like to do in terms of — now you have all these microphones in front of you — right? — the public education about what this moment means from your perspective?
MS. HINNERS: Yeah, I think as medical students, we kind of have found ourselves in this sort of limbo. You know, we put all this hard work and time into doing what we want to, and we’re supposed to be excited about that, but there is this decision looming on November 5th that has this chance to monumentally impact our careers before they even start. Like, we haven’t dipped our toe in the pond yet.
And I know for me personally, that is affecting my decision on residency applications coming up soon. Like, I would like to be able to practice the medicine that I want to practice and give health care to people who need it. And, I mean, we’re not just talking about a few abortion restrictions. We’re talking about these very extreme bans that maybe don’t even have exceptions for rape or incest and things like that.
And I am a survivor of sexual assault. I volunteer with survivors of sexual assault. And the thought that I, potentially in the future, will not be able to provide people with the breadth of health care that I think is required after such a traumatic event like that is enough to, like, make me sick.
So, I am doing all that I can to make sure that my future that I have worked for for the past 26 years looks how I want it to, and I really hope that other people are kind of joining me in that.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It does — this moment does require, among many things, knowledge about what’s going on and also just empathy, which is when we know that there are people who are suffering, don’t we, collectively, as a society, want to end that suffering and give them the care they need with the dignity they deserve.
What else would you each or all like to share wh- — while we have all these folks here, who can, I think, benefit — and I certainly can — from what you all can share, in terms of what you see uniquely that we may not see about the effect of Dobbs in this moment on your profession, on your clients, on your — on your patients, on your community? How are you thinking about this moment in terms of even just what we do legislatively, what we do from a policy perspective?
DR. ROGERS: I am concerned about physicians in training, as our medical students are, and them making decisions about where they would do residency or where they would do training and that maybe not being in states and areas where they don’t have abortion rights and women don’t have the rights over their lives. So, that could create a further shortage in some of those areas where there’s already physician shortages and there’s already health disparities.
DR. HENRY: Yeah, because we already see where patients have to travel miles and miles to get the care that they need, and there have been stories where even when they get to those places to receive the help, they can’t get it because the physicians are afraid, and that’s not what we want.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Right. Or, to your point, overwhelmed — right? — in terms of you are taking in patients from states surrounding a state that still provides care and — and do you have the hours —
PARTICIPANT: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and do you have the personnel and staff to be able to actually handle it.
(The press departs as the conversation continues.)
END 2:48 P.M. EDT
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Remarks by President Biden at a LiUNA GOTV Kick-Off Event | Pittsburgh, PA
LiUNA District Council 12
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1:23 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello! (Applause.) Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Hello LiUNA! (Applause.) It’s good to be almost home. (Applause.) (Laughs.) Well, God love you. I tell you what.
You know, you guys build bridges, and you can’t be in a better city. There are more bridges in this city than any city in America. (Laughter.)
Look, folks, you know, we’ve been through a lot together. And I want to thank — I want to thank you for that introduction. It’s — it’s over the top, but I want to tell you, if I didn’t have my views about union movement, my Grandfather Finnegan wo- — from Scranton would come down and kick my rear end. (Laughter.) It’s real simple.
Look, folks, you know, I want to — Brent, thank you for all you’ve done. And, Phil, I —
And a big hello to my good friend, John Fetterman. John was here. I know he — (applause) — you had to be sitting down because I didn’t — if I didn’t see you, I’d get worried, John. (Laughter.)
I want you to know, if you got to be in a foxhole, man, you want this sucker with you. (Laughter.) You want him with you.
And, look — and, Chris — where’s Chris? Chris D- — there you go, Chris. Congratulations, Chris. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
And, you know, you’ve not only led the union movement, you built the middle class.
You know, all kidding aside, you know, when I started saying this year’s ago, people thought — looked at me like I was nuts.
There used to be a — it was a law that was passed in the ‘30s and — early ‘30s by Roosevelt, making it easier or fairer for unions to be able to organize because of strong opposition to organized labor. But there’s a provision in that law that no president really paid much attention to. And be — be honest with you, I didn’t realize until about 14 years ago that it existed.
It not only says how u- — they can’t block unions by doing un- — they still try to do unfair things. They can only block it. But this goes on to say any money appropriated by the United States Congress given to the president to build something or to spend it must be spent with American labor and American products.
Well, guess what? (Applause.) I’m the first who president said that means I mean it. That’s why there’s so much of an incredible growth.
We’ve hired more people in a four-year period than any president has in American history.
And, by the way, you’ve heard me say it a hundred times; I’m going to say it a thousand more times, as long as I have a breath: You know, Wall Street didn’t build America. The middle class built America, and you built the middle class. (Applause.) That’s a fact. You built it. That’s not a joke. There would be no middle class without you.
And, folk, look, the fact is that my dad — my dad never went to college, but my dad was a hardworking guy. And my dad used to have an expression. He’d say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.” He mea- — I’m seri- —
Our dinner table was a place we had conversation and, incidentally, ate. My dad would say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity. It’s about respect. It’s about your place in the community. It’s about how people treat you and look at you. And everybody” — and he meant it — “everybody determines w- — is entitled to be treated with dignity.”
Well, that’s what union — you’ve done. You’ve raised people’s expectations. You’ve given them pride. You’ve given them a — a reason for being. You’ve changed. And all the apprenticeships — remember how, when I got elected president, they were going to — business was going to help us, they were going to provide apprenticeships? Give me a break. (Laughter.) Give me a break. Businesses pr- — anyway. (Laughter.) I don’t want to get going here.
But, look, the — you know, 10 days — 10 days.
Now, I know I look like I’m only 40 — (laughter) —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Forty-six!
THE PRESIDENT: But I’m — 46, I’ll take that. I’ll — I’ll — (laughter) — I’d take 66. (Laughter.)
But all kidding aside, you know, this is the most important election of our lifetime, no matter how young or old you are. Not a joke. Not hyperbole. This is not Democrat, Republican. This is decency versus a lack of decency. This is about character, this election.
And, folks, you know — I got to choose my words here. The choice couldn’t be clearer. The choice couldn’t be more stark.
I am a president, as was pointed out by my buddy, that I walked the picket line. Well, so has Kamala walked the picket line.
You know, not only — the only picket line Trump ever looks at is one he can, in fact, cross the picket line. Not walk it. Cross it.
Name me something he’s ever done — one single thing — name me one single thing, as a private entrepreneur or as a candidate, he’s ever done for American labor.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Name me — no, I’m no- — no, I’m being deadly earnest, because this is — I mean, this — this even — shouldn’t even be clo — but he wins, everything you talked about, he said he wants to get rid of. Not one thing you talked about did he support. Not one thing. Not a single thing.
You know, even the — anyway — (laughter.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We’re not going to let him win!
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you can’t let him win. By the way, look, guys, the presidential historians tell us that the most consequential thing the president can possess is character.
By character, we mean that — will they stand up? Will they stand up? Are they going to tell you the truth? Are they going to tell you when they disagree? When they agree, are they going to fight for you? Character. Just plain old character, like you do when we were kids.
You knew the kids in the neighborhood who had character and didn’t have character. You knew who you could count on and couldn’t count on, man or woman.
I mean, seriously, think about it. This is pretty basic stuff. It’s about decency. It’s about honor.
And, look, I’m going to just say — and the most controversial thing I may have said — Trump has no character. He’s not demonstrated it. Whether he was having the people working — you know, I me- — anyway, I won’t — I shouldn’t’ get going. (Laughter.)
But, you know — but he — the thing he — he doesn’t give a damn about union workers or any workers for that matter. He views unions as getting in the way of the accumulation of wealth for individuals. That’s what he views it as.
Folks, it’s in labor’s interest to defeat Donald Trump more than any other race you’ve been in and as long as any one of you have been alive.
You know, I’ve given my heart and soul to labor my whole career as president, because it wasn’t hard. It was just where I was raised, who I was with, what I — what I’ve seen. You know, everybody deserves a shot, man — just a shot. No guarantee. Everybody deserves a shot as close to a level playing field as you can make it.
And the last thing we need is for Trump to get elected to take away all the things we’ve done. How many of you have pensions now, again? How many of you have — your families have pensions? They opposed it.
I mean, just go down the list of all the things that really matter to a family — to a hardworking family.
Look, you — organized labor — are his worst nightmare, but you’re also the best thing that ever happened to the American economy. We got a lot more work to do, Kamala and I — Kamala — Kamala does. A lot more work to do, but let me tell you what: We’re the envy of the world. We have the best economy in the world because of you. (Applause.) Lot more to do.
But here’s the deal, guys, from my — where I stand — my standpoint: You fight for ordinary people, like the neighborhood I grew up in, the people I grew up with in Claymont, Delaware; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware — people who just — just want a shot. They’re not asking for a favor. They just want an even shot. And he only knows — we — we’re all about lifting people up. Think about it.
I’m — I’ve never been this direct, but I tell you what, he’s about making sure he pushes people down. He thinks the way you get ahead is to push people down. But you get ahead — I was — we were talking on the way up here. You know, when I got — when I made the commitment that I’d only hire American workers and use American products, well, I was told that that — and labor began to flourish, et cetera — I asked the Treasury Department to do a study. When union workers — not labor; union — when unions do better, what does it do for the rest of the economy? Everybody does better. Everybody’s wages come up. Everybody. Everybody. (Applause.) You’re his worst nightmare.
Now, like I said, you know, we’ve worked together for a long time. Like I said, I know I don’t look like I’m 40, but I’ve been doing this for about 500 years — (applause) — and we’ve asked a lot of each other. But what I’m not asking of you is something that is not your interest. I’m going to ask you one more thing: Don’t do it for me. Do it for your kids. Do it for your family. Do it for your grandkids. Do it for your neighbors. Do it for people you know, people who need a helping hand.
Donald Trump is a loser. A lose- — (applause) — he’s a loser as a candidate, and — more importantly, in my view — and I’m just going to say it straight up — he’s a loser as a man. He’s a loser as a man.
We fought too hard for the gains we’ve made for the people we grew up with, neighborhoods we come from, and I know who was standing next to me the last four years: Kamala Harris.
Let me tell you something, folks, I picked her because she has a backbone like a ramrod. She doesn’t bend. I’m serious. She has a backbone like a ramrod.
And, folks, look, as I said, I’m from Scranton, and — a place where we stand up for one another in my neighborhood. So, please, follow your gut. Do what’s right. Do what’s the right thing to do for everybody, the people you grew up with, the people you work with, the people you love.
Our kids — make sure they — kids have to have access to a good education. This guy wants to literally do away with the Department of Education — do away with it. We’ve been fighting like hell to — anyway.
You know, your parents, all of you, you need health care, access to health care, affordable health care. We finally got it. We finally moved — we have more health care now than we ever had in American history. He’s tried 51 times to eliminate the health care bill — 51 times.
Look, you know, what’s the right thing to do for the people you grew up with, the people you work with, your neighbors, and I — you know, we got to give —
And one of the things I’d hope we’ve figured out — and not all the guys agreed to this initially — there’s not a damn thing that I could do that my sister couldn’t do as well or better.
My sister is my best friend and my life. We’re three years apart, two years apart in school. She graduated honors, taking the same exact courses I had at Delaware, and I graduated. She managed her — one of my campaigns. She jumps in a fight when p- — someone’s in trouble. We’re taught, like you guys, you see someone taken advantage of — what do you do? You’re told to get involved, get engaged even when you’re a kid, jump into the fight.
Well, look, folks, the fact is that we’re finally, finally getting to the point where women are beginning to have a shot, a fair shot — a fair shot. Like I said, they can do anything any man can do, including being president of the United States of America. (Applause.)
Look, I’m trying to be a good boy here. (Laughter.) There’s never been, in my view, a clearer choice, as a student history, someone who has known more world leaders than any living president — than any president ever has. I know them well, the good and the bad. The fact of the matter is that the — we know how important this election is.
It’s because of you we’ve created more jobs than any time in history. We have “Made in America” — become the — what is the standard now, not the exception.
Remember what corporations used to do under him? That was they’d send the job overseas to the cheapest labor they could find and then bring the product back home.
Well, when I went overseas and I talked with the South Koreans first about the CHIPS Act, I said, “Look, you guys are m-” — we invented the chip. We made sure it worked — those — smaller than the end of his little finger. And guess what? They decided to invest $15 billion.
I came back, and I said, “Why did you come when I talked to Samsung?” He said “because you’re the most qualified workers in the world.” You guys are not only the best in America, you’re the best in the world — that’s not a joke — the single best in the world.
And I asked why — so what — you know how much — remember we were — I was being criticized about how Biden was going to plan the economy too much and government is going to be too involved? Well, guess what? We brought off the sidelines in private investment $1 trillion in investment. (Applause.)
Remember, when we got elected, we were told there’s going to be a recession? No one’s talking about recession on our watch. I’m serious.
So, folks, look, I — I’m trying to be good. (Laughter.) But, look, I know how damn hard you fought for the gains we have. I know how damn hard you work for your fellow colleagues. I know how you stuck together. And I know how you reach down to help people.
You know, I — and I know you know that without the shot of a decent wage, without the shot of access to health care — basic health care — without the shot of being able to retire on something, to have something to look forward to, we’re in trouble.
Well, you guaranteed that’s not going to happen anymore in America.
We got more to do. We got to make housing more affordable. We got to — and we got to give people a break to start their first homes. We got to give people a break to get going.
That’s all in play. And if Kamala wins, it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen.
But folks, you know the fact is that I — I don’t — I don’t think it’s exaggeration. I can think of no man who has thought less of the average working person in America than this guy did, whether he was making sure that people worked overtime without getting paid on his gardens down in Mar-a-Lago or whether it’s what he passed. He’s created the largest deficit of any president in four years in American history.
You know what he wants to do now? He wan- — he — he caused a — he provided a $2 trillion tax cut for the super-wealthy, creating a gigantic deficit. You know what he’s proposing now? A $5 trillion tax cut for the same people.
The leading economists in the world got together and concluded that if Trump fulfilled his obliga- — his request that he wants for the economy, that we’d be in a recession. We’d lose thousands of jobs — millions of jobs.
So, you got to promise you’ll tell my wife I behaved — (laughter) — that I didn’t say all that I think. But you know in your gut, man — you know in your gut how important this is. You know it.
If everything we’ve worked for — everything you’ve allowed to happen, he has literally spoken out and said he’s opposed to. And his new great — the w- — wealthiest man in the world is now his ally, right? Well, that wealthiest man in the world turned out to be illegal worker here when he was here. No, I’m serious. He was supposed to be in school when he came on a student visa. He wasn’t in school. He was violating the law. And he’s talking about all these illegals coming our way.
Folks — and, by the way, on that score, what we’ve done, even though he wouldn’t allow the most important legislation to pass, which fixed the border — the pro- — problem at the border, we have fewer people crossing the border illegally now — or crossing the border, period, than any time since his third year as president of the United States. It matters.
Relationships matter and relationships with foreign leaders matter. Trust for our foreign leaders matter, and we built that trust.
So, anyway, guys, please — please, please, please — go the extra step. Call the people you know who may be undecided. Tell them, please — please give us a chance. Give labor the chance to really, really blossom in a way that has never had ever before, even in the Roosevelt years. You’re changing the world. You’re changing the world.
And, folks, we’re the best country by far. We’re the greatest country in the history of the world. (Applause.)
1:42 P.M. EDT
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Remarks by President Biden After Marine One Arrival | Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11:26 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: I assume you want to talk about Elon Musk being here illegally.
I’m only joking. What you got?
Q Mr. President, what do you say to the men that supported you but are not supporting Harris?
THE PRESIDENT: They’re making a mistake, in my humble opinion.
Q On the Iran strike, is — is this the end of it?
THE PRESIDENT: On the Iran strike, I had a — I had a long — the reason we’re a little late — I was on with the intelligence community for the last half hour — (inaudible) hour. And it looks like they didn’t hit anything other than military targets. My hope is this is the end.
Q Mr. President, the Chinese seemed to have hacked the Trump and Harris campaigns. Will there be repercussions for Beijing?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I got to find out more about that, but I’m getting that brief when I get back as to what they did, how much they hacked, and so on.
Q But if you find out that they did it, will there be repercussions?
THE PRESIDENT: We’ll have to talk about it.
Q Mr. President, did you get a heads-up from Israel on the Iran strike? Did you get any heads-up?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q How worried are you that former President Trump seems to be talking to Bibi Netanyahu quite frequently?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, the — the criticism is Trump is talking with Bibi, but Trump works for — for — Trumps works — Bi-
Trump work — talks to Bibi and his good multibillionaire friend talks to him a lot too. So, I guess they’re all three friends.
Q Are you — are you not concerned at all that he seems to be doing diplomacy while he’s not really representing the United States?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q What did you —
THE PRESIDENT: But I’m not surprised.
Q Sorry, sir. What did you think of Trump’s “America is garbage” comment comparing America being an — essentially in the trash can?
THE PRESIDENT: Look, Trump has no class at all. Zero. None.
Think — all kidding aside, if we — if this wasn’t a political campaign, how would you characterize the man in terms of his — his manners, his decency?
I mean, it’s beneath a president.
Q Mr. President, the North Korean troops in Russia — what kind of options do you have to respond to that? And when might we see a response there?
THE PRESIDENT: We have options, and it depends on what they do.
Thank you so very much.
11:28 A.M. EDT
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Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Houston, TX
Shell Energy Stadium
Houston, Texas
9:20 P.M. CDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Kelly and Beyoncé! (Applause.)
Hey, Texas! (Applause.)
Oh, it’s good to be back in Texas. (Applause.)
Thank you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, everybody. Thank you for being here this evening.
Can we hear it for Ms. Tina Knowles? (Applause.) For Ms. Kelly? (Applause.) And Beyoncé? (Applause.)
What a warm Texas welcome. I thank you all so very much, and I thank you, and I thank my friends for reminding us of exactly what we are fighting for in this campaign. We are fighting for freedom. (Applause.) Freedom. Freedom.
And to Andrea and everyone here tonight whose lives have been impacted by these Trump abortion bans, in this moment, I thank you for sharing your stories and for your courage. It is an honor to be here with so many leaders and all of you who have taken the time out of your busy lives to be here this evening so we can, as a community of people, as people who love our country, be clear, sound strong, and stand in favor of the freedom of every woman to make decisions about her
own body. (Applause.)
I also want to thank the members of Congress who are here, including Colin Allred. (Applause.) I’m counting on you to send him to the United States Senate so we can get right to work. (Applause.)
And to all the elected officials and community leaders, I thank you all. I thank you.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) See you later. See you later.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It’s okay.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: See —
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We’re not going back.
And we have — and we have a lot of work to do. And we have a lot of work to do, and we will not get distracted. (Applause.) We will not get distracted.
So, listen, Texas, we have 11 days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. Voting has already started, and we know this will be a tight race until the very end.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. So, here’s the thing. Here — hey, g- — okay, so we got work to do. We got work to do. We got work to do. And I love that there is so much enthusiasm, but let’s talk about the work we’ve got to do — (applause) — okay — because we’ve got 11 days to see this through. And we will win. (Applause.) We will win. We will win.
And we will win — and we will win because we know and understand what is at stake. We are 11 days out from an election that will decide the future of America, including the freedom of every woman to make decisions about her own body and her reproductive freedom. (Applause.)
And everyone here tonight is here because we are about fighting for our future and not letting some people take us back. (Applause.) Because we are not going back. We are not going back.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We are not going back.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And in America, we know freedom is not to be given. It is not to be bestowed. It is ours by right, and we are prepared to fight for it — (applause) — because we understand the stakes.
And moving forward, we understand that what we must do, Texas, is right here, you, who are ground zero in the fight for reproductive freedom, we must be loud. We must organize. We must mobilize. We must energize the people. (Applause.)
Because you all know, Texas is home to one of the most restrictive abortion bans in our country.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: In Texas, abortion is banned from the moment of conception.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You know what? You know what? Just send them to that small rally down the street. (Applause.) It’ll be fine. Some people don’t have a great sense of direction, but that’s okay. We’ll show them the way. We’ll show them the way.
Come on.
Because we know what’s at stake, and we will not be silenced. We know what’s happening here in Texas. Doctors and nurses could go to prison for life simply for providing reproductive care. Think about that. Life in prison for health care providers for doing what they think is in their patients’ best interest.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You know what? The beauty of our campaign is we’re fighting for democracy. (Applause.)
And what we know here in Texas is that there are some who would distract from the fact that Texas has a law now that offers a cash bounty for turning in someone who merely helps a friend or family member get the care they need.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
In Texas, the law provides for prison for life for health care providers for doing what they believe is in the best interest of their patient. In some counties in Texas, there — they have passed travel bans to prevent women from going to other states to receive care. These are the stakes.
And we know how we got here. When Donald Trump was president, he hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade. And as he intended, they did.
And now, more than 20 states have a Trump abortion ban. Now, one in three American women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban, including Texas and every state in the South except for Virginia. And many of these bans are causing care to be denied until a woman is at death’s door. Many have no exceptions even for rape and incest, which is immoral.
And let us agree, one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do with her body. (Applause.) Not the government.
If she chooses, she will talk with her priest, her pastor, her rabbi, her imam, but not the government and some people up in the state legislature — (applause) — telling her what’s in her best interest when she knows what’s in her own best interest.
And let us recognize: These same people — check this out — these same people who have argued that these Trump abortion bans are in the best interest of women and children, do look at their records. They tend to be in states with the highest rate of maternal mortality in the country.
For decades, these extremist leaders who have neglected prenatal care, maternity care, and postpartum care and who now, after continuously failing to support women and children, claim to care about women and children. Well, I have a question for them: Where you been? Where you been? (Applause.) Where you been when it comes to prioritizing care for women and children? Where have you been when it comes to helping pregnant women and new mothers? Where have you been when it comes to affordable child care? (Applause.)
And do note, many of these same extremist leaders have also refused to extend the Child Tax Credit, which lifted half of America’s children out of poverty; they, who have blocked proposals to lower child care costs for working parents; they who have tried to cut WIC and SNAP for low-income mothers and their children. The hypocrisy abounds.
And here’s what else is happening: These bans are driving doctors out of states like Texas, Idaho, Georgia, and North Carolina, leaving women who are already living in maternity care deserts — meaning there is no maternity care anywhere near them — leaving them with even fewer options. And since Trump abortion bans, fewer medical students are choosing to specialize in women’s health.
Over these past two years, the impact of Trump abortion bans has been devastating. We see the horrific reality that women and families face every single day, and the stories are vivid. They are difficult to hear. They are difficult to tell.
For example, here in Texas — can we roll the tape?
(A video is played.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: From his own mouth, “a great thing.” There is nothing great about what happened to women like Kate Cox, who was heartbroken to learn her much-wanted pregnancy was not viable; heartbroken when her doctors told her if she remained pregnant, she would be risking her own life or her ability to have children in the future. But the attorney general of Texas —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — threatened — threatened if Kate’s doctors helped terminate her pregnancy, they would be criminally prosecuted. So, Kate was forced to flee the state to get the care she needed.
In Louisiana, Kaitlyn Joshua was turned away from not one but two emergency rooms while miscarrying. She was bleeding. She was in pain. But because of a Trump abortion ban, doctors would not treat her, because if they did, they would have faced 15 years in prison. And so, Kal- — Kaitlyn had to go home, where she went through the pain of a miscarriage for more than a month and trying — the whole time — to hide her pain from her four-year-old daughter. We know that women have died because of Trump abortion bans.
Here today is Shanette Williams, the mother of Amber Nicole Thurman, a vibrant — (applause) — we must speak her name, Amber Nicole Thurman. (Applause.) I promised her mother I would speak her name. A vibrant 28-year-old mother of a 6-year-old son who died a preventable death because of Georgia’s abortion ban. Now, Shanette and her family are courageously sharing Amber’s story to make sure we all remember her as more than a statistic so that we remember Amber was a daughter, a sister, a mother, and that she was loved and that she should be alive today. (Applause.)
And listen, we’re all here because we know the reality is, for every story we hear about — about the suffering because of a Trump abortion ban, there are so many stories we’ve never heard, an untold number of women and the people who love them, who are silently suffering — women who are being made to feel as though they did something wrong, as though they are criminals, as though they are alone. And to those women, I say — and I think I speak on behalf of all of us: We see you, and we are here with you. (Applause.)
Texas, what is happening across this state and our country is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect of it. He brags about overturning Roe v. Wade. In his own words, quote, “I did it, and I’m proud to have done it.” That’s what he says.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And one has to ask: Proud that women are dying? Proud that doctors and nurses could be thrown in prison for life for administering lifesaving care? Proud that young women in America today have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers?
How dare he? Donald Trump — (applause) — Donald Trump even said everyone wanted Roe v. Wade to be overturned.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, a woman in Ohio was arrested and charged after having a miscarriage, so was a woman in South Carolina. They didn’t want this.
Hadley Duval, who became pregnant after being raped by her stepfather when she was 12 years old, she didn’t want this.
Ryan Hamilton, who is here tonight — his wife was denied treatment at the hospital for a miscarriage. They got home; he found her bleeding and unconscious. He dressed her, put her in a car, packed up their nine-month-old child and drove to a different emergency room, where doctors told them she could have died. Ryan didn’t want this. Let’s be clear.
And the men across America — this needs to be said — men across America do not want to see their daughters and wives and sisters and mothers put at risk because their rights have been taken. (Applause.) I see the men here, and I thank you.
The men of America don’t want this.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And now, the attorney general of Texas is suing the United States government —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — so that Texas prosecutors can get — check this out — so that Texas prosecutors can get their hands on private medical records of women who leave the state to get care.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Now, I’d ask everybody here, please do see the irony. Okay? Listen to this.
On the one hand, Donald Trump won’t let anyone see his medical records. (Laughter and applause.) I gave up mine.
And on the other hand, they want to get their hands on your medical records.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Simply put, they are out of their mind. (Applause.)
In just four years as president, Donald Trump was able to erase half a century of hard-fought progress for women, and now he wants to go even further.
He will force all 50 states to track and report on women’s miscarriages and abortions and go after access to contraception and IVF treatment. It’s right there in his Project 2025. Google it.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And let us be clear: If Donald Trump wins again, he will ban abortion nationwide.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And though we are in Texas tonight, I say it to the folks who might be watching from home — for anyone watching from another state, know this: If you think you are protected from Trump abortion bans because you live in Michigan or Pennsylvania or Nevada or New York or California or any state where voters or legislators have protected reproductive freedom, please know no one is protected if there is a Trump national abortion ban, and it will outlaw abortion in every single state.
Understand that. And he can do it with or without an act of Congress.
All that to say: Elections matter. (Applause.) Elections matter.
If Donald Trump is president again, he will likely get to appoint at least one additional Supreme Court justice.
Remember who we appointed? Call her Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Applause.)
But if he were — if he were reelected, he’d probably get to appoint one, if not two, members to the United States Supreme Court, at which point Donald Trump will have packed the court with five out of nine justices on that court who will sit —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — but think about that — who will sit for lifetime appointments, shaping your lives and the lives of generations to come. And that is among the many critical contrasts in this election.
Look, Donald Trump doesn’t trust women, but I do. We trust women. And we understand what’s at stake. (Applause.)
And with Colin Allred in the United States Senate, when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, I will proudly sign it into law as president of the United States. (Applause.) Proudly. Proudly.
So, to all the friends here, let us remember: Momentum is on our side.
I know sometimes in Texas, folks are like, “Is it worth it? Is it — does it make a difference?” Yes, it does. You are making a difference. And momentum is on our side. (Applause.) You are making a difference.
Since Roe was overturned, every time reproductive freedom has been on the ballot, from Kansas to California to Kentucky, in Michigan, Montana, Vermont, and Ohio, the people of America have voted for freedom every time it’s been on the ballot. (Applause.)
And often, they have voted by overwhelming margins from so-called red to so-called blue states, proving this is not a partisan issue.
Because Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs understand the decision of whether, when, and how to build a family is one of the most consequential decisions anyone can make, and we are fighting for an America where no matter who you are, where you live, you can make decisions about your own body for yourself. (Applause.)
So, moving forward, all of this is to say, reproductive freedom is on the ballot in this presidential election. And in 10 states around the country — including Arizona, Florida, and Nevada, and with the work of everyone here, freedom will win. Freedom will win. (Applause.)
And so, I want to take a moment to speak in particular to all the young leaders here and across America. Do we have anybody here from Gen-Z? (Applause.) Where are you at? Where are you at? (Applause.)
I’m counting on you, because the thing I love about you is you are impatient for change. (Applause.) You know it ain’t right that you may have fewer rights than your mother or your grandmother. You know it is not theoretical. You know it is not political. It is your lived experience.
And I see you, and I see your power. (Applause.) I see your power. And I know so many of you are voting for the first time. Can I see a raise of hands? (Applause.)
Can we applaud our leaders who are voting for the first time? (Applause.)
All right. We heard it for our young leaders. That’s right.
So, listen to everyone here, we know freedom has never come easy. Never come easy. There has been no moment of our progress as a country that did not come about without a fight. Let’s all be clear about that. And we are in the midst of a movement, and everyone here is a leader in that movement.
So, we do this, then, remembering those who came before us, those who struggled and sacrificed for our freedoms, who found fellowship and even joy in one another in the fight. They found strength and hope in fighting for our ideals, and that is what we are doing. That is what we are doing, because we know weeping may endure for a night — (applause) — but joy cometh in the morning. (Applause.)
So, Texas, Election Day is in 11 days. (Applause.) Early voting has already begun. (Applause.) So, now it is time to start making your plan. Go to IWillVote.com to get all the information you need.
And it is not only the presidency that is on the ballot. There are many important races, including Colin Allred running for Senate — (applause) — who, we must note, his opponent supported a national abortion ban six times —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — an opponent who said he does not support exceptions, even for victims of rape and incest.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, let’s remember, Texas: Your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power. (Applause.)
So, today, I ask you: Are you ready to make your voices heard? (Applause.)
Do we trust women? (Applause.)
Do we believe in reproductive freedom? (Applause.)
Do we believe in the promise of America? (Applause.)
And are we ready to fight for it? (Applause.)
And when we fight —
AUDIENCE: We win!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — we win.
God bless you. And God bless America. (Applause.)
END 9:48 P.M. CDT
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Background Press Call on Israel’s Targeted Strikes Against Military Targets in Iran
Via Teleconference
11:15 P.M. EDT
MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. Thanks so much for joining the call, especially one on short notice and late on a Friday.
As a reminder, this call is on background, attributable to a senior administration official. For your awareness, not for your reporting, on the call today we have [senior administration official].
This call is embargoed until the conclusion of the call.
[Senior administration official] is going to have a few words at the top, and then we’ll take your questions.
Over to you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you, everybody, for joining here late on a Friday.
So, I’m here to provide some brief comment and background on Israel’s response earlier this evening against Iran. And just as you will recall, on October 1st, so a few weeks ago, Iran launched an unprecedented attack of nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, which was a significant escalation. Many of these missiles targeted Israel’s most populated city of Tel Aviv. Those missiles had the potential to kill hundreds of civilians.
Fortunately, that attack was defeated and ineffective thanks in no small part to U.S. assistance. President Biden directed the U.S. military to help defend Israel during the attack. And in the hours after that attack, we promised serious consequences for Iran.
The next morning, on October 2nd, the President spoke with his G7 counterparts to coordinate a diplomatic response. And over the course of the following week, we and our partners implemented a coordinated series of sanctions against Iran.
And just to review:
The United States, we issued new sanctions against Iran’s oil sector, including its so-called Ghost Fleet that carries illicit oil products around the world.
The European Union for the first time sanctioned Iran’s civilian airliners, including Iran Air, rendering those airlines no longer able to access European destinations.
The United Kingdom and Australia issued new and sweeping sanctions against Iran’s missile program.
This is a coordinated effort across multiple jurisdictions that President Biden led, and those efforts are ongoing with allies and partners.
Tonight, Israel carried out a direct military response against Iran. Specifically, Israel conducted precision airstrikes against multiple military targets across Iran and outside populated areas.
The United States was not a participant in this military operation.
The President and his national security team, of course, worked with the Israelis over recent weeks to encourage Israel to conduct a response that was targeted and proportional with low risk of civilian harm, and that appears to have been precisely what transpired this evening.
The President discussed the overall situation with Prime Minister Netanyahu last week. He encouraged the Prime Minister to design a response that served to deter further attacks against Israel while reducing risk of further escalation. And that is our objective; it’s Israel’s objective, as well, as they have stated this evening.
Should Iran choose to respond, we are fully prepared to once again defend against any attack. We recently deployed a THAAD battery, which is a ballistic missile defense system, to Israel. And we have worked to strengthen Israel’s air defense systems in the run-up to tonight’s response.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have demonstrated clearly that we will always help defend Israel and secure its people and territory from Iran and its proxy terrorist groups.
If Iran chooses to respond once again, we will be ready, and there will be consequences for Iran once again. However, we do not want to see that happen. This should be the end of this direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran. Israel has made clear to the world that its response is now complete.
Accordingly, we would call on all countries of influence to press Iran to stop these attacks against Israel so that we can move beyond this direct cycle of attacks.
Over the coming days, we are prepared to lead an effort to secure an end to the war in Lebanon through an agreement that allows civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to safely return to their homes. We are also prepared to lead an effort to finally achieve a ceasefire in Gaza together, with the return of hostages, which must happen without delay.
The overall contours of those arrangements are in place. Tony Blinken was in the region last week. This week, there will be further engagements, including a meeting of hostage negotiators over the coming days. And it’s time to bring these deals to a resolution once and for all.
I would just note for some color on the recent hours here over the course of this evening: Of course, the President was briefed throughout the evening by Jake Sullivan, his National Security Advisor, as we are here at the White House. Secretary Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Minister Yoav Gallant, a couple of hours ago. And we just issued a — the Defense Department just issued a readout of that call, again, affirming Israel’s full right to self-defense against Iran and our support for its actions tonight, and our commitment to help defend Israel should Iran make the mistake to respond to this attack.
And with that, I’m happy to take a few questions.
MODERATOR: Thank you. We’ve got time for just a couple of questions.
First up, we’ll go to Aamer Madhani. You should be able to unmute yourself.
Q Hey. Thank you both. Did the U.S. assist in any manner at all? Target selection, intel, jamming? And do you assess this action to have had significant-enough impact on Iran’s ability to continue to strike Israel directly or its ability to arm Hezbollah?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, as I said in my statement, we did not participate in this military operation, and I think that’s very clear.
I would just say: I’ll leave it to the Israelis to describe the scope and breadth of their response this evening. It was extensive. It was targeted. It was precise. It was against military targets across Iran. It was in multiple waves. It was very carefully prepared. And again, I think it was designed to be effective.
And I think — again, I will leave it, though, to the Israelis to characterize and to provide more details, given that this was their military operation.
MODERATOR: Next up, we’ll go to Trevor Hunnicutt.
Q Hey. Thanks for doing this. Could you talk a little bit about what, if any, communications or indications you had from Iran heading into this about what level of response they’re willing to engage in? And could you talk a little bit about the President’s — any plans for the President to follow up with Netanyahu after this?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: We do have multiple channels with Iran, direct and indirect. We try to avoid any sense of miscommunication. And they know exactly what our position is on multiple issues, including the dangers and risks of their course of conduct, particularly the launching of 200 ballistic missiles focusing primarily on densely populated areas in Israel’s most populated city, which also includes tens of thousands of Americans.
That is totally unacceptable. We will not accept it. We will support Israel defending itself. And, obviously, we’ll support Israel fully in its right to self-defense. Iran knows our position on that is unequivocal. And we are quite clear that there’s no misunderstanding or miscommunication between us and Iran.
In terms of communication with the Israelis, we are in constant communication with the Israelis up and down their system — military to military, intel to intel, and at the political level. That is something that is ongoing and continuous.
Again, Jake briefed the President multiple times throughout the evening as this was unfolding and, of course, throughout the day today as it was developing. And I think that will obviously continue through the weekend. But I don’t have any calls to preview or read out.
MODERATOR: We have time for one last question. We’ll go to the line of Kayla Tausche.
Q Thank you, guys, so much for doing this. We appreciate it.
I have two questions. The first is: You’ve described these strikes as “designed to be effective.” Can you elaborate on what effect they were intended to have and whether they, in fact, did?
And then, you’ve suggested that this should be the end to the conflict, but does the administration believe it will be the end of the conflict?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, first of all, the effect, it’s a proportionate self-defense response to an unbelievably brazen and reckless ballistic missile attack, almost unprecedented in history, that has launched almost three weeks ago. So, the effect is to deter future attacks and also to degrade the capabilities of Iran being able to conduct those types of activities.
As to specific targets, I will say we know them, but I would leave it to the Israelis to discuss them in any further detail.
What was your second question? I’m sorry.
Q The second question was: You have suggested that this should be the end of the conflict, but does the administration actually believe that it will be?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, this should be the end of the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran. And so, we had a direct exchange in April, and that was closed off, and we’ve now had this direct exchange. Again, a direct — 200 ballistic missiles fired from Iran at Israel. Israel did not attack Iran. Iran attacked Israel, 200 ballistic missiles. And Israel, tonight, has responded to that attack as an exercise of self-defense. As far as we’re concerned, that should close out that direct exchange between Israel and Iran.
As to the broader conflicts in the region, obviously much more complex. I mentioned and alluded to them in my statement. We do have a number of initiatives ongoing with respect to those.
But as to the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran, we do think this should complete that direct exchange. And, again, should Iran choose to respond, we are fully prepared to defend Israel and support Israel, and there will be consequences should Iran make that unfortunate decision.
But as far as we’re concerned, this direct exchange, this should be the end of it. I will say we’ve heard the same thing from many across the region, including many with close ties to Iran. So we’ll see how that unfolds.
But that is our very strong view. That’s been communicated to our partners throughout the region, and obviously it’s been communicated through multiple channels, indirectly and directly, to Iran.
MODERATOR: Thanks, everyone. That’s all the time we have for tonight. As a reminder, this call was on background to a senior administration official, and the embargo is now lifted. Thanks so much, and have a good night.
11:27 P.M. EDT
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Remarks by President Biden on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Record of Delivering for Tribal Communities, Including Keeping His Promise to Make this Historic Visit to Indian Country | Laveen Village, AZ
Gila Crossing Community School
Laveen Village, Arizona
10:44 A.M. MST
PRESIDENT BIDEN: I’m Joe Biden. I’m Jill Biden’s husband (Laughter.)
Gov, thank you for that introduction and to the Gila Indian River Community — the — Gila — yeah, Gila — nothing wrong with me — (laughter) — Gila River Indian Community for welcoming me today.
You know — (applause) — I say this with all sincerity, this, to me, is one the most consequential things I’ve ever had an opportunity to do in my whole career and as president of the United States. It’s an honor — a genuine honor to be in this special place on this special day.
Thank you to Senator Mark Kelly, a great friend, who also is married to an incredible woman who is my friend.
Please have a seat, by the way. (Laughter.)
And Congressman Greg Stanton. I saw Greg when I came in. He’s over there somewhere. Greg, thank you.
And I’m putting these glasses on because I’m having trouble seeing this.
And all the elected leaders and the Tribal community leaders for being here.
You know, I can’t tell you what a special thanks I have for Deb Haaland, my Interior secretary. I was determined — (applause) — I was determined — I made a commitment when I became president to have an administration that looked like America. Except you’re America, and there’s — never has been — never has been a Native American, an Indigenous person who was on — in the Cabinet or in a — in the secretary’s job or any consequential job in a presidential administration.
She’s the first — but it’s clearly not the last — Native American Cabinet secretary ever. (Applause.) And her historic and dedicated leadership is strengthening the relationship between the Tribal Nations and the federal government — is unlike ever happened before.
That’s why we’re here today.
You know, when I got to the Senate, I was only 29 years old. I had to wait 17 days to be eligible. And I had — after I got elected, w- — while I waiting, my wife and daughter were killed and my two boys were badly injured.
And a guy that came to my assistance was a guy named Danny Inouye. And the first thing he taught me — not a joke — was, “Joe, it is not ‘Indians.’ It’s ‘Indian Nations’ — Indian N-” — (applause) — No, I — he was serious, deadly earnest about it.
It’s been 10 years since a sitting president — president came and visited Indian Country. That’s simply much too long.
And that’s why I am here today not only to fulfil my promise to be a president that — first president to visit Indian Country but, more importantly, to right a wrong, to chart a new path toward a better future for us all.
I am also here because, as I said, my wife Jill has been here 10 times in Indian Country, literally. The first lady sends her love and said, “Joe, make sure you come home.” (Laughter.) Because every time she goes — she spent a lot of time in, excuse me for saying this, the Navajo Nation. I’m worried — (applause) — every time she goes, I’m worried she’s not coming home. (Laughter.)
I watched that beautiful performance just now, and it moved me deeply. It’s a reminder of everything Native people enjoy and employ: sacred traditions, culture passed down over thousands of — thousands of years. (Applause.)
Long before there was a United States, Native communities flourished on these lands. They practiced democratic government before we ever heard of it, developed advanced agriculture, contributed to science, art, and culture. (Applause.)
But eventually, the United States was established and began expanding, entering treaties with sovereign Tribal Nations. But as time moved on, respect for s- — for Tribal sovereignty evaporated, was shattered, pushing Native people off their homelands, denying — denying their humanity and their rights, targeting children to cut their connection to their ancestors and their inheritance and their heritage.
At first, in the 19- — 1800s, the effort was voluntary, asking Tribes to sell their children — to send their children away to vocational schools. But then — then the federal government mandated — mandated the removal of children from their families and Tribes, launching what’s called the Federal Indian Boarding School era — era. Over a 150-year span — 150 years — from the early 1800s to 1870 — to 1970. One of the most horrific chapters in American history. We should be ashamed. A chapter that most Americans don’t know about. The vast majority don’t even know about it.
I was — I was at my hotel today. I told the pe- — the hotel staff, as we were leaving. They said, “Where are you going?” I told them. They said, “What are you doing?” I told them. They said they’re Natives here. They said, “I never knew that. I never knew that.” Think of how many people don’t know.
As president, I believe it’s imper- — important that we do know — know generations of Native children stolen, taken away to places they didn’t know with people they never met who spoke a language they had never heard. Native communities silenced. Their children’s laughter and play were gone.
Children would arrive at schools. Their clothes taken off. Their hair that they were told was sacred was chopped off. Their names literally erased and replaced by a number or an English name.
One survivor later recounted her days when taken away. She said, quote, “My mother standing on that sidewalk as we loaded into a green bus. I can see the image of my mom burned into my mind and my heart where she was crying.”
Another survivor described what it was like at the boarding school, and I quote, “When I would talk in my Tribal language, I would get hit. I lost my tongue. They beat me every day.”
Children abused — emotionally, physically, and sexually abused. Forced into hard labor. Some put up for adoption without the consent of their birth parents. Some left for dead in unmarked graves.
And for those who did return home, they were wounded in body and in spirit — trauma and shame passed down through generations.
The policy continued even after the Civil Rights Act, which got me involved in politics as a young man. Even after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, it continued.
All told, hundreds and hundreds of Federal Indian Boarding Schools across the country. Tens of thousands of Native children entered the system. Nearly 1,000 documented Native child deaths, though the real number is likely to be much, much higher; lost generations, culture, and language; lost trust.
It’s horribly, horribly wrong. It’s a sin on our soul.
I’d like to ask, with your permission, for a moment of silence as we remember those lost and the generations living with that trauma.
(A moment of silence is observed.)
After 150 years, the United States government eventually stopped the program, but the federal government has never — never — formally apologized for what happened until today.
I formally apologize — (applause) — as president of the United States of America, for what we did. I formally apologize. And it’s long overdue.
At the Tribal school — at a Tribal school in Arizona, a community full of tradition and culture, and joined by survivors and descendants to do just that: apologize, apologize, apolo- — rewrite the history book correctly. (Applause.)
I have a solemn responsibility to be the first president to formally apologize to the Native peoples — Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Native Alaskans — and [at] Federal Indian Boarding Schools.
It’s long, long, long overdue. Quite frankly, there’s no excuse that this apology took 50 years to make.
The Federal Indian Boarding School policy and the pain it has caused will always be a significant mark of shame, a blot on American history.
For too long, this all happened with virtually no public attention, not written about in our history books —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yeah, what about the people in Gaza?
THE PRESIDENT: — not taught in our schools.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: What about the people in Palestine, huh?
(Cross-talk.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Let her talk. Let her talk.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible) empty promise for our people. How can you apologize for a genocide while committing a genocide in Palestine?
Free Palestine! Free Palestine!
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Get out of here!
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Free Palestine!
THE PRESIDENT: No, no. Let — let her go. There’s a lot of innocent people being killed.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: There’s a lot of innocent people being killed, and it has to stop.
For those — (applause) — for those who went through this period, it was too painful to speak of. For our nation, it was too shameful to acknowledge. But just because history is silent doesn’t mean it didn’t take place. It did take place. (Applause.)
While darkness can hide much, it erases nothing. It erases nothing. Some injustices are heinous, horrific, and grievous. They can’t be buried, no matter how hard people try.
As I’ve said throughout my presidency, we must know the good, the bad, the truth of who we are as a nation. That’s what great nations do. We’re a great nation. We’re the greatest of nations. We do not erase history; we make history. We learn from history, and we remember so we can heal as a nation. It takes remembering.
This formal apology is the culmination of decades of work by so many courageous people, many of whom are here today: survivors and descendants, allies and advocates — like the nation’s Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and other — (applause) —
All of you who are part of that, stand up. Stand up. (Applause.) As my grandfather would say, you’re doing God’s work.
And other courageous leaders who spent decades shining a light on this dark chapter. And leaders like Secretary Haaland, whose grandparents were children at one of those boarding schools.
U.S. Interior Department, the same department that long ago oversaw Federal Indian Boarding Schools — guess what? — the extensive work on the — breaking ground, it’s happened with her. It’s appropriate that she is bringing an end to what that very agency did. (Applause.) Groundbreaking report documenting what happened.
We owe it to all of you across Indian Country. The truth — the truth must be told. And the truth must be heard all across America.
But this official apolocy [apology] is only one step toward and forward from the shadows of failed policies of the past. That’s why I’ve committed to working with Indigenous communities across the country to write a new and better chapter of our — in our history, to honor the solemn promise the United States made to Tribal Nations, to fulfill our federal trust and treaty obligations. It’s long, long, long overdue. (Applause.)
And I say this with all sincerity, from day one, my administration, Jill and I, Kamala and Secretary Haaland, our entire administration have worked to include Indigenous voices in all we do. Along with Secretary Haaland, I’ve appointed Native Americans to lead across the federal government.
I signed a groundbreaking executive order to give Tribes the — more autonomy to make your own decisions — (applause) — requiring federal agencies to streamline grant appro- — grant appropriations and applications, to comanage federal programs, to eliminate heavy-handed reporting requirements. It’s about representing your autonomy. And, I might add, it’s a hell of a lot more efficient when you do it too. (Applause.)
Folks, I’m proud to have reestablished the White House Council on Native American Affairs — (applause); relaunched the White House Tribal Na- — Tribal Nations Summit — (applause); and taken historic steps to improve Tribal consultation. (Applause.)
With the historic laws I’ve signed, we’re making some of the most significant investments in Native communities ever — ever in American history.
It’s part of my Invest in America agenda, and it’s helping all Americans from every state and every Tribe, and that’s good for all America.
Helping Native communities get through the pandemic with vaccine shots in arms and checks in pockets.
I’m proud this helped cut child poverty in Native communities by more than one third. (Applause.)
I’m proud our economy — our economic plan has created 200,000 jobs for Native Americans, record-low [un]employment in Native communities.
With the strong support from Secretary Haaland and all of you, we’re finally modernizing Tribal infrastructure, for God’s sake — (applause) — building new roads, new bridges; delivering clean water, affordable high-speed broadband in every Native community; and so much more.
Folks, we’re just getting started. We’re making historic climate investments in clean energy, conservation, and clean water [for] Native communities, including co-stewardships of our land and waters.
We just des- — designated the first National Marine Sancrutary — Sanctuary proposed by Indigenous communities, which is off the coast of California. We just got that done. (Applause.) And I have restored and designated multiple national monuments to honor Tribal Nations, including the Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon, right here in Arizona, where I had the honor of visiting. (Applause.) It was breathtaking. It was breathtaking.
I secured the first-ever advanced funding for Indian Health Services — (applause) — so Tribal hospitals can plan ahead, order supplies, hire doctors and know that the money will be there. (Applause.)
We’re also preserving ancestral Tribal homelands, restoring salmon and other native fish, recognizing the value of Indigenous knowledge and languages, especially those damaged in the boarding school era.
In fact, my administration was proud to defend the Indian Child Welfare Act — (applause) — an act that was passed in 1970 [1978] in no small part to remedy the harms of 150 years of taking Native children away from their families.
But you all know, that act was challenged just a few years ago in the summer of 2023. Those who opposed us challenged — challenged on the grounds that Native families should not have priority over everyone else in adopting Native children. Well, I took that all the way to the Supreme Court and we won. We won. (Applause.)
We also extended mental health programs through the Bureau of Indian Education so young people have the tools to end cycles of generational trauma.
As an educator, this is something Jill cares deeply about, my wife, just as she’s traveled across Native communities to increase access to health care and so much more, including helping open the first cancer cure [care] center in Navajo Nation. (Applause.)
And more to do — a lot more to do.
And, by the way, the infrastructure bill is over a trillion dollars. It’s not a decade. I mean, it’s not a quarter. It’s going to be there for a decade. Much, much more to come, and you got to get your fair share.
By [re]authorizing the Violence Against Women Act — an Act I took great pains in writing 30 years ago, we also — (applause) — we also reasirmed [reaffirmed] Tribal sovereignty and expanded Tribal jurisdiction in cases where outside predators [perpetrators] harm members of your Nation.
And as we mark Native Americans History Month in November — this November, we recognize the contributions of Indigenous people in — to American history. You — you are the first Americans. I might add, you’re among the most patriotic Americans. (Applause.) Well, that’s a fact. The whole of America should know, all Americans should know Indigenous people volunteer to serve in the United States military five times more than any other single group. (Applause.) Five times. Five. Five. Five. (Applause.) Many having paid the ultimate sacrifice in every war since our founding.
To all of you, thank you — thank you for serving in so many ways — as first responders, artists, entrepreneurs, educators, doctors, scientists, and so much more — sharing your culture and your knowledge for the good of future generations, believing in possibilities — the possibility to usher in a new era to a nation-to-nation relationship grounded in dignity and respect. It matters.
My dad used to have an expression. He’d say, “Joey, everyone — everyone — is entitled to be treated with dignity. Everyone.” “Everyone is enti-” — he meant it. (Applause.)
Well, let me close with this. It’s about restoring your dignity.
I know no apology can or will make up for what was lost during the darkness of the Federal Boarding School policy. But today, we’re finally moving forward into the light.
As president of the United States, I’ve had the honor to bestow our nation’s most prestigious medals to distinguished people and organizations all across America. That includes Native Americans who survived the boarding school era.
Early in my term, I bestowed the Medal of Freedom — our highest civilian honor — on a man my grandfather, who was an Irish immigrant and was not treated very well because he was an Irish Catholic in the coal-mine era in Scranton — but he went on to be an all-American football player at Santa Clara. And every time they’d talk about all-Americans, he’d say, “Joey, the greatest athlete in American history is Jim Thorpe.” (Applause.) Oh, I’m seri- — I knew a lot about Jim Thorpe before some of you probably even knew. (Laughter.)
As a child, Jim was taken from his home but went on to become one of the greatest athletes ever, ever, ever in all of American history.
And earlier this week, I bestowed two other revere- — revered medals — the National Medals of Arts and the National Medal of the Humanities — to 39 extraordinary Americans and organizations, including Roseta Wrol [Rosita Worl], an Alaskan Native. (Applause.)
More than 80 years ago, she was a six-year-old when she was taken to a federal boarding school. She spent three years without her family, her family not knowing if she’d ever come home. Nine years old, she was one of those who did come home.
Over the next seven decades, she became a leading anthropologist and advocate, building a new era of understanding. Her story, from being taken from her home as child to standing in the Oval Office receiving one of the nation’s most consequential medals, is a story of the truth, the power of healing.
When Roseta [Rosita] sees young people signing tradi- — singing traditional songs, just like we heard today, she says, and I quote, “We will hear the voices of our ancestors, and we are now hearing it through our children.”
For too long, this nation sought to silence the voices of generations of Native children, but now your voices are being heard.
That’s the America that we should be. That’s the America we can all be proud of. That’s who we are. For God’s sake, let’s make sure we reach out and embrace, because you make us stronger. You are America.
God bless you all. And may God protect our troops.
Thank you. (Applause.)
11:07 A.M. MST
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G7 Leaders’ Statement on Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) Loans
Today, we, the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), have reached a consensus on how to deliver approximately $50 billion in Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) loans to Ukraine.
These loans will be serviced and repaid by future flows of extraordinary revenues stemming from the immobilization of Russian Sovereign Assets, in line with G7 respective legal systems and international law. The loan proceeds will be disbursed through multiple channels to support Ukraine’s budgetary, military and reconstruction assistance, as consistent with all applicable law and G7 members’ respective legal systems. Our aim is to begin disbursing the funds by the end of the year.
We express our utmost appreciation for the timely implementation of this historic G7 Leaders’ decision by the Finance Ministers, who have agreed on a technical solution ensuring consistency, coordination, fair distribution of lending, and solidarity among all G7 partners. We are particularly grateful to the European Union and its Member States for their constructive engagement towards this remarkable result.
Today’s announcement confirms that the G7 fulfills the commitment they made in June at the Apulia G7 Leaders’ Summit. Russian illegal and unprovoked aggression has caused untold harm to the people of Ukraine and to global peace and security. We will not tire in our resolve to give Ukraine the support it needs to prevail. Russia must end its illegal war of aggression and pay for the damage it has caused to Ukraine in line with international law.
The G7 remains steadfast in its solidarity to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom, and its recovery and reconstruction. With the large amount of financing from the ERA loans to meet its pressing need, we have once again made clear our unwavering commitment to stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes. Time is not on President Putin’s side.
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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Disaster Declaration for the Havasupai Tribe
Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists for the Havasupai Tribe and ordered federal aid to supplement the Tribal Nation’s efforts in the areas affected by flooding from August 22 to August 23, 2024.
The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals for the Havasupai Tribe.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Federal funding also is available to the Havasupai Tribe and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the flooding.
Lastly, Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the Havasupai Tribe.
Mr. Benigno Bern Ruiz of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the Tribal Nation and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App. Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, can give FEMA the number for that service.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.
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POTUS 46 Joe Biden
Whitehouse.gov Feed
- Statement from President Joe Biden on the Contract Between the International Association of Machinists and Boeing
- Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on the Passing of Quincy Jones
- Statement from President Joe Biden on the Passing of Quincy Jones
- Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Scranton, PA
- Statement by President Joe Biden on Moldova’s Presidential Elections
- FACT SHEET: The Biden-Harris Administration Marks the Anniversary of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders’ Summit
- Remarks by Vice President Harris on a Campaign Call with Win With Black Women
- Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Detroit, MI
- Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Atlanta, GA
- Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Milwaukee, WI
Blog
Disclosures
Legislation
- Bill Signed: S. 2228
- Press Release: Bill Signed: S. 1549
- Bills Signed: S. 133, S. 134, S. 612, S. 656, S. 670, S. 679, S. 2685, S. 3639, S. 3640, S. 3851, S. 4698
- Bill Signed: H.R. 9106
- Bill Signed: S. 3764
- Memorandum on the Presidential Determination with Respect to the Efforts of Foreign Governments Regarding Trafficking in Persons
- Memorandum on the Presidential Determination and Certification with Respect to the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008
- Memorandum on the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2025
- Bill Signed: H.R. 7032
- Bills Signed: S. 2825, S. 2861
Presidential Actions
- President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Amends Vermont Disaster Declaration
- President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves New Mexico Disaster Declaration
- President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Disaster Declaration for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
- Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Iran
- Notice to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Iran
- Memorandum on Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
- A Proclamation on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, 2024
- A Proclamation on National Adoption Month
- A Proclamation on National Lung Cancer Awareness Month, 2024
- A Proclamation on National Veterans and Military Families Month, 2024
Press Briefings
- Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su En Route Philadelphia, PA
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Jared Bernstein
- Background Press Call on U.S. Efforts to Address U.S. Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern
- Background Press Call on Israel’s Targeted Strikes Against Military Targets in Iran
- On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby
- Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland En Route Phoenix, AZ
- Background Press Call on the U.S. Approach to Harnessing the Power of AI for U.S. National Security
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby
- On-the-Record Press Call on the G7’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans Effort
- Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre En Route Manchester, NH
Speeches and Remarks
- Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Scranton, PA
- Remarks by Vice President Harris on a Campaign Call with Win With Black Women
- Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Detroit, MI
- Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Atlanta, GA
- Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Milwaukee, WI
- Remarks by President Biden at a Carpenters Local 445 GOTV Event | Scranton, PA
- Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Little Chute, WI
- Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | West Allis, WI
- Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Janesville, WI
- Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi at Georgetown Law School on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Work to Rebuild our Middle Class and Accelerate American Manufacturing and Innovation
Statements and Releases
- Statement from President Joe Biden on the Contract Between the International Association of Machinists and Boeing
- Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on the Passing of Quincy Jones
- Statement from President Joe Biden on the Passing of Quincy Jones
- Statement by President Joe Biden on Moldova’s Presidential Elections
- FACT SHEET: The Biden-Harris Administration Marks the Anniversary of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders’ Summit
- The White House Celebrates Día de los Muertos
- Statement from President Joe Biden on the October 2024 Jobs Report
- 2025-2026 White House Fellowship
- FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces 1.2 Million Pensions Protected Under Biden-Harris Administration, Celebrates Historic Support for Unions
- Statement by President Joe Biden on the Beginning of the 2025 ACA Open Enrollment Period