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Launch of Strike Force on Unfair and Illegal Pricing; New Actions to Slash Credit Card Late Fees, Combat High Internet Costs, and Support Small Farmers; And New Report Showing That Administration Efforts to Eliminate Junk Fees Will Save Over $20 Billion Annually

President Biden is laser focused on lowering costs for hardworking Americans by taking action to end corporate rip-offs and other unfair practices that keep prices high. Under the President’s leadership, agencies across the Administration are working to promote competition, protect consumers, and lower prices by implementing the President’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy.

Today, President Biden will launch a new Strike Force to crack down on unfair and illegal pricing. President Biden is committed to making sure corporations are held accountable when they try to rip off Americans, including when they break the law while keeping prices high. To that end, the President is establishing a new Strike Force on Unfair and Illegal Pricing co-chaired by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This Strike Force will strengthen interagency efforts to root out and stop illegal corporate behavior that hikes prices on American families through anti-competitive, unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent business practices. DOJ and FTC, along with other agencies on the Strike Force, will focus their collaborative efforts on key sectors where corporations may be violating the law and keeping prices high, including prescription drugs and health care, food and grocery, housing, financial services, and more.

At its sixth meeting, President Biden’s Competition Council will announce three new actions to promote competition and lower costs and release a new report showing that the Administration’s work to eliminate junk fees will save Americans more than $20 billion each year:

• Ending excessive credit card late fees. Today, The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule to slash credit card late fees from the current average of $32 down to $8, saving consumers $10 billion a year, or an average savings of $220 per year for the more than 45 million people who are charged these late fees annually. For too long, surprise and hidden late fees have burdened consumers. By closing the loophole that has allowed companies to charge these excessive late fees, today’s action will not only save consumers billions of dollars but promote fair and competitive markets. It builds off of steps the CFPB has already taken to crack down on junk fees in the banking sector, including fees for basic customer services and moving to curb overdraft fees and bounced check fees. In addition, the CFPB has found that credit card interest rate margins have climbed to an all-time high and big banks are charging more in interest than smaller banks.
• Saving consumers more than $20 billion in junk fees. A new blog published today by the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) finds that actions from the Biden-Harris Administration will help eliminate more than $20 billion in junk fees annually going forward. Analysis of a number of major sectors across the economy show that consumers pay $90 billion in junk fees every year, including on live event tickets, internet and cable fees, apartment rentals, banking fees, auto dealer fees, and more. The CEA analysis cites extensive literature that indicates fees dripped in throughout the purchasing process after the consumer has already made decisions about what to buy make it difficult to comparison shop, disadvantage businesses that don’t want to employ junk fees, and lead to consumers paying more.
• Cracking down on bulk billing junk fees to lower costs and promote competition. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is circulating a proposed rule that would lower costs and increase choice for consumers by banning “bulk billing” arrangements, a practice by which landlords or providers charge everyone living or working in a building for a particular internet, cable, or satellite service, even if they don’t want it or haven’t opted in. These arrangements limit consumer choice by preventing tenants from choosing the services at the price point and level that are best for their needs, and can impose fees for unnecessary services and deter competition. In addition, the proposed rule seeks to address other exclusive arrangements between service providers and landlords that impede competition and drive-up prices, such as exclusive wiring arrangements, exclusive marketing arrangements, and certain revenue sharing agreements.
• Promoting competitive agricultural markets and ensuring fairness for farmers and ranchers. Fair competition is key to making sure America’s food markets operate effectively and producers and consumers have robust choices and opportunity. Today, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) finalized a rule to protect the farmers and ranchers who produce meat and poultry by cracking down on processing companies’ deceptive contracts, banning retaliatory practices that prevent small producers from raising concerns or coming together in associations, and protecting certain producers from discrimination. USDA’s work across the agricultural supply chain helps support more competition, which can lower food prices.

Today’s announcements build on far-reaching work the Competition Council has undertaken during the seven months since its last meeting, including:

• Cracking down on junk fees that cost consumers $90 billion each year. The FTC has proposed a rule that, if finalized as proposed, would ban companies from charging hidden and surprise junk fees and require that prices are listed upfront when consumers make purchases. In addition, the FTC finalized a rule to ban auto dealers from using bait-and-switch tactics to deceive consumers and to stop auto dealers from charging hidden junk fees for services that provide no additional value. The Department of Labor also proposed a rule that would reduce junk fees in retirement products and help ensure that the financial advice that Americans get about their retirement is in their best interest. Finally, the FCC proposed a rule to ban early termination fees for cable and satellite operators, and later this month will vote to finalize a rule to mandate all-in pricing for cable and satellite services.
• Prohibiting financial product comparison shopping tools from steering consumers to products based on kickbacks. The CFPB issued a circular stating that companies that provide consumers with comparison shopping tools—say for a credit card, loan, or bank account—are prohibited from steering consumers to products or lenders because they are receiving a kickback. Individuals often use these sites thinking they are receiving unbiased comparisons; manipulated results makes it difficult for consumers to honestly evaluate products, and may result in choosing a less advantageous product.
• Promoting competition in food and grocery markets. USDA continues to support new entrants in food markets, protect farmers and ranchers, and lower prices for consumers. This includes supporting domestic fertilizer production with over $50 million in grants awarded in October as part of up to $900 million in funding for the program. USDA also finalized a rule to improve poultry markets by making sure poultry growers receive the information they need about costs and payments from the large corporations they work with.
• Making health care markets more affordable and competitive. In December, the Department of Commerce released a proposed framework providing guidance that agencies can consider price as a factor when determining whether to exercise march-in rights for federally funded inventions connected to prescription drugs. In addition, HHS rejected more than 1,000 Medicare Advantage TV marketing ads in one year that were misleading to consumers and proposed a rule that if finalized will prohibit insurance companies from paying brokers to steer patients towards certain plans based on compensation, rather than options that meet best patient health needs. Additionally, HHS proposed to protect Medicare consumers from third parties selling their information without their consent. HHS also took historic steps to break up the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network vendor monopoly. Finally, FTC and HHS launched a probe into anti-competitive behavior by group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and drug wholesalers that may contribute to generic drug shortages and HHS is seeking input on how the agency can increase transparency and promote competition in Medicare Advantage markets.
• Improving transportation systems. The Surface Transportation Board has proposed a new reciprocal switching rule to improve efficiency and increase competition for moving goods across the country, by creating an opportunity for competitors to share the tracks with railroads that fail to provide reliable service. The Federal Maritime Commission is also implementing the bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act signed by President Biden, including issuing a final rule that provides new clarity and timelines on when shippers like farmers and retailers can be billed by ocean carriers. Finally, the Department of Transportation levied a record $140 million penalty on Southwest Airlines for their 2022 holiday meltdown—$90 million of the penalty will go towards compensating future Southwest passengers affected by cancellations or significant delays caused by the airline.
• Institutionalizing competition. The FTC and DOJ recently finalized updated merger guidelines to reflect the realities of the modern economy and help promote fair, open, and competitive markets as the two agencies review mergers that come before them. Further, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs released new guidance to ensure that competition continues to be at the center of future federal rulemaking.
• Lowering costs and improving access in the communications sector. The FCC is working to restore net neutrality, which will prohibit Internet Service Providers from blocking legal content, throttling speeds, and creating fast lanes that favor those who can pay for access. The FCC also adopted rules that prohibit digital discrimination in high-speed Internet access based on income, race, ethnicity, religion, and national origin, which will protect civil rights, lower costs, and increase internet access for Americans across the country.

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National Security Council

Via Teleconference

1:56 P.M. EST
 
MR. KIRBY:  Good afternoon, everybody.
 
As you know, over the weekend the U.S. Department of Defense and the Jordanian Royal Air Force collaborated over the weekend to airdrop 38,000 ready-to-eat meals into Gaza.  This operation saw 66 bundles of aid offloaded across three C-130 aircraft delivered to people in dire need of it.
 
We remain the largest provider of aid to Gaza, having provided now more than $180 million in humanitarian assistance since the 7th of October.  And we’ll keep at that job. 
 
Responding to the humanitarian crisis and the needs of the Palestinian people has been a priority since day one, and as I said, it remains one today. 
 
But, look, the truth is — and you heard the President talk about this — that the aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere near enough, and it’s not getting there fast enough.  We all need to do more, and the United States will do more.  There will be additional airdrops of humanitarian assistance from U.S. aircraft.  I’m sure you all want to know exactly when that’s going to be, where that’s going to be, and what’s going to be on those airplanes, and I am not in a position today to give you those sorts of operational details.  But there will be more airdrops.
 
We continue to work to increase the amount of aid that’s flowing through existing border crossings as well, at Rafah and Kerem Shalom, and to press the government of Israel to open additional crossings and routes into Gaza.
 
As the President said, we are also looking to develop a direct maritime route to facilitate the delivery of assistance, and we’re confident that we’ll have a number of international partners who will help us in that effort. 
 
We’ll also continue to insist that Israel facilitate more trucks and more routes and more aid to get to more people.
 
I think as you all know, Benny Gantz, from the Israeli war cabinet, will be meeting today with the Vice President and with Jake Sullivan and then tomorrow with Secretary Blinken.  And I can assure you that the issue of humanitarian assistance will be top on that agenda.
 
Of course, to really address the urgent needs of the civilian population in Gaza and to enable our humanitarian partners to more and to better distribute lifesaving aid, it’s essential to see a temporary ceasefire as part of this hostage deal. 
 
We call on Hamas to accept the terms that are on the table right now, whereby the release of vulnerable hostages — the sick, the wounded, the elderly, women — would help result in an immediate six-week ceasefire and enable a surge of humanitarian assistance.
 
Israel has agreed to this framework, and now the onus is on Hamas to do the same. 
 
And if I could switch to Haiti, if you don’t mind.
 
We are monitoring Haiti’s rapidly deteriorating security situation with grave concern.  Through the weekend, senior U.S. government officials remained in close contact with senior Haitian government officials and members of the international community to help stabilize the situation and to move quickly toward an enduring political solution.
 
We’re working with international partners to provide immediate support to the Haitian National Police and expedite the deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission that will help restore security urgently.
 
Violence serves only to delay a democratic transition while destroying and upending the lives of thousands.
 
Ultimately, the path forward lies with democratic governance and free and fair elections, which continue to be a priority in our engagements with our Haitian partners.
 
We remain committed to a peaceful transition of power from the current prime minister to a prime minister that the people select via those free and fair elections.  Prime Minister Henry has said the same, and we’re going to hold them to that.
 
We urge all actors: Put the people of Haiti first to stop the violence and to make necessary concessions to allow for inclusive governance, free and fair elections, and the restoration of democracy.
 
Thank you.
 
MODERATOR:  Awesome.  And we think we had a sound issue at the beginning, so Kirby is going to read the first two or so paragraphs that we think we missed.  We’ll have a transcript at the end, in a few hours, out online.  So, everyone should be able to reference that in case we missed anything else.  Sorry for the inconvenience.
 
MR. KIRBY:  Gives me a chance to be more eloquent the second time around.
 
As you all know, over the weekend the U.S. Department of Defense and the Jordanian Royal Air Force collaborated to airdrop some 38,000 ready-to-eat meals into Gaza.  And this included 66 bundles of aid altogether, packed into three C-130 aircraft. 
 
We remain the largest provider of aid to the Gaza response, having provided more than $180 million in humanitarian assistance since the 7th of October.
 
Responding to the humanitarian crisis and needs of the Palestinian people has been a priority since day one, and it remains one today.  But the truth is that the aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere near enough and nowhere fast enough.  And you heard that clearly from President Biden.  We all need to do more, and the United States will do more. 
 
And I know there’s a lot of interest in additional airdrops.  I can assure you that there will be additional airdrops from U.S. aircraft, but I am not in a position today to tell you exactly when that’s going to be, how many aircraft that’s going to include, and what’s going to be on those aircraft.  But I can assure you that the airdrop over the weekend was only the first, and we will continue to do that in coming days to supplement the flow of humanitarian assistance that’s coming in on the ground.
 
And speaking of that, we’re also going to continue to work with our Israeli counterparts to increase the amount of aid that’s flowing through those existing border crossings at Rafah and Kerem Shalom and to press the government of Israel to actually open up additional crossings and routes into Gaza.
 
I think that takes me right to where I left off.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And thank you all for your patience again for that. 
 
Our first question will go to Steve with Reuters.
 
Q    Thank you, John.  For a while there, you were doing 200 truck deliveries a day into Gaza.  What happened to that?  I mean, why isn’t Israel allowing more truck deliveries in there?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Steve, the numbers of trucks getting in, I think you know, has fluctuated almost day to day.  And at the high-water mark, we were up over 200 trucks for some matter of days.  But it’s not been a level we’ve been able to sustain in a reliable fashion since the beginning of the war.  There’s lots of reasons for that.  I mean, it is a war zone.  And the actual combat operations can combine to make it hard to get trucks in.  There’s an inspection regime that can at times slow that process down at both crossings. 
 
And as you — I think you know, we saw in recent weeks some protest activity at Kerem Shalom, which actually shut down Kerem Shalom for a few days.  We engaged our Israeli counterparts to do what they could to allow for peaceful protest but also locate the protesters in such a way that they were not a hindrance to the flow of aid. 
 
So there has been some obstacles to getting the aid in that are organic to the fact that we’re talking about a war zone, but also, there have been some inorganic obstacles thrown up, in some cases by some members of the Israeli cabinet, that have made it hard to get that aid in.  And that’s why I think you heard the President so very clearly make certain on Friday, when he was meeting with Prime Minister Meloni, that this is not a time for excuses. 
 
We’ve got to get more aid in the ground routes.  Although there are obstacles and it can be cumbersome, it’s still the best way to get the most aid in in a quick fashion — or the quickest fashion.  And we’ve got to do everything we can to make sure that happens. 
 
Q    And the Vice President yesterday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.  Is there any daylight between what she’s saying and what the President’s position is on this?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Not at all, Steve.  Not at all.  She made it clear that she was talking about a six-week ceasefire, a temporary ceasefire, which is exactly what the President has called for. 
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Aamer with the AP.
 
Q    Hey there.  Can you hear me?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Yes, sir.  Go ahead.
 
Q    Hey, sorry about that.  On the Gantz bit — meeting, how did this meeting come together?  Was this a Gantz request, or did the White House invite him?
 
And Israeli officials have made clear that Gantz doesn’t represent the Israeli government during this visit, so why host him for such a high-level meeting when — or meetings — when it’s obviously aggravating to the current government?  Thank you.
 
MR. KIRBY:  Thanks, Aamer.  This was a request by Mr.  Gantz — Minister Gantz — to come to the United States and have meetings.  And he’s a member of the war cabinet.  There is a war going on between Israel and Hamas.  We have been dealing with all members of the war cabinet, including Minister Gantz, since the beginning of the war, certainly when he joined the war cabinet, which was shortly after the 7th of October.  And we see this as a natural outgrowth of those discussions. 
 
If a member of the war cabinet from Israel wants to come to the United States, wants to talk to us about the progress of that war, giving us an opportunity to talk about the importance of getting humanitarian assistance increased and an opportunity to talk about the importance of this hostage deal, we’re not going to turn away that sort of opportunity.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to MJ Lee with CNN.
 
Q    Hey, John.  Thank you for doing this.  I just wanted to clarify one thing, if you can, on the hostage talks.  On the call with reporters yesterday, the senior administration official had said that Israel has basically accepted a six-week ceasefire proposal but that Hamas needs to clarify who exactly would be released in that first part of the vulnerable hostages category.
 
CNN had reported yesterday that, you know, according to a Hamas source, that one of their sticking points was Israel agreeing to a permanent ceasefire or at least a path to a permanent ceasefire, and that without one of those, Hamas would not release the remaining Israeli hostages.  Is that a Hamas sticking point, as far as the U.S. is concerned?  I was just hoping you could help clarify that.
 
MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, I think, obviously, I’m going to be a little careful here in speaking about the specific details of the negotiation process.
 
I would just say that Israel has put forward a forward-leaning offer, and that deal is on the table.  And as I said in my opening statement, we urge Hamas to accept that deal so that we can move forward. 
 
But, obviously, there’s still modalities here that need to be worked out, and that’s why we’re still engaged in these active conversations.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Andrea Mitchell with NBC.
 
Q    Hi, John.  Thanks for doing this.  Just to clarify, I know you can’t talk about details, but was the offer that you call forward leaning from Israel, did that include the specificity of the list of hostages who are still alive?  Or is that a new element that has been added to the mix?
 
Does the White House still think it’s possible to get a deal before Ramadan on or about March 10th? 
 
And has Hamas come forward with a deal that you also think is forward leaning?  Or is Hamas the major sticking point, from your concern?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, Andrea, I’ll try to take them in turn. 
 
As before — when we did this before, the week-long pause where we got the first tranche of hostages out, obviously a big part of that is the list — right? — the list of hostages and a list of Palestinian prisoners that are going to be exchanged.  That was part of the last deal, and you can certainly imagine that that’s a part of this deal too. 
 
Now, in this case, we’re talking about more — more of both — over a longer period of time.  And they would be sequenced; you would see several tranches of exchanges over the course of what we hope will be six weeks.  But the list of names is part of that. 
 
We obviously want all the hostages returned to their families, and we recognize that it’s likely that not all of them are still alive, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t still important to their loved ones.  And so, we’re working our way through all that with Hamas.
 
Again, what I would draw you to is what I said at the opening, and that’s that we certainly want an initial focus on the elderly, the sick, and the wounded, and women.  That’s what our immediate focus is on.  But that’s the goal, and that’s the approach that we’re taking to it. 
 
And you asked, you know, can we get this done before Ramadan.  I can tell you we’re certainly trying.  I mean, we would have liked to have this done yesterday, last week, the week before.  There’s no shortage of effort that’s being applied here to try to get this done as soon as possible. 
 
Q    But let me just ask you whether — is it — can you confirm reports that Israel has not returned, has not sent their teams to Cairo in — for whatever reasons, particularly because of objection to not knowing the accounting of the dead?  But in any case, is it true that the technical teams, or the teams from Israel, are not in Cairo with the other teams right now?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I think I’ll let the Israelis speak for their negotiating team and where they are. 
 
I would just remind two things.  One, talks do continue, negotiations are ongoing, and that, as I said earlier, Israel has put a forward-leaning deal on the table.  They have made an offer here, and the onus is on Hamas to accept it. 
 
But where their negotiators are, I’ll let them speak to it. 
 
And again, back to your question on Ramadan: We certainly are hopeful.  And that’s the goal here — is to get this done as soon as possible.  And certainly, we’d like to see it done before Ramadan begins. 
 
Q    Thank you, John. 
 
MR. KIRBY:  I think you had — I think I answered your third question about Hamas being the sticking point.
 
Q    Well, maybe you didn’t.  I’m sorry. 
 
Have they put forward, quote, a “forward-leaning” proposal as well?
 
MR. KIRBY:  They have not.
 
Q    And is it because of the numbers?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I’m not going to get into the details.  I’m not going to negotiate in public, Andrea.  I would just tell you that there is a framework deal on the table, a deal that Israel has put forward.  We believe it’s forward leaning.  We believe that Hamas should take up that deal.  And I think I really am going to have to leave it at that.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to JJ with Bloomberg.
 
Q    Hey there.  On the apparent intelligence leak from Germany that Russia is shopping around, kind of claiming that there’s direct Western involvement in the war in Ukraine, do you think that Berlin needs to do more to clarify that situation?  And is there any reason to think that wiretaps are ongoing?  Any evidence that they might be wiretapping other NATO members?
 
And then, on a different topic: On Apple and the antitrust fine, is there anything you can share as far as comment on the Europeans lodging that fine against Apple?  Thanks.
 
MR. KIRBY:  On Berlin, I think the Germans have already talked to this.  They’re investigating how that audio got leaked.  I think I’d refer you to the German officials on that.  And I won’t speak to the content that was leaked into the public domain.  That just plays right into the Russian hands.
 
I’ll just tell you that this is a bald attempt and a transparent attempt by the Russians to try to sow discord and to try to sow division and try to make it look like the West isn’t unified and, hell, that even the German government is not unified on what they’re doing.  And we’re just not going to — we’re not going to just bow down to that bald attempt.  We’re not going to accept the premise of it.  That’s what the Russians want. 
 
We’re all working together to try to support Ukraine.  And the Germans have been right there in it, absolutely.  Every nation has to decide for itself what it’s going to do.  And the Germans have stepped up; they’ve stepped up in meaningful ways.  And we look forward to continuing to work with Chancellor Scholz and his government as they continue to find ways to support Ukraine and as we, here at home, do everything we can to try to get that supplemental funding passed so we can continue to support Ukraine. 
 
You asked if there is evidence that they’re wiretapping others in the Alliance or in Europe.  I wouldn’t have the answer to that for you.  I can just tell you that we are certainly not unmindful of Russian efforts to conduct these kinds of activities.  And we take seriously our responsibility to safeguard our own communications. 
 
On the Apple fine question, JJ, I’m afraid I’m just going to have to refer you to the EU on that.  That’s about the extent of the comment that we’re going to be able to have today.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Vivian Salama with the Wall Street Journal.
 
Q    Thanks, Sam.  Hey, John.  I wanted to actually follow on Aamer’s questions from earlier. 
 
With regard to the Gantz visit, you know, the Israeli press is reporting that Netanyahu is, quote, “enraged” over this.  And so, I’m curious if the White House had attempted at the time, you know, before Gantz arrived, to reach out to Bibi, sort of a “Hey, I know you’re enraged, but I just wanted you to hear it from us” kind of thing. 
 
Like, did you try to reach out to him ahead of the meeting just to let him know it was happening?  And/or is POTUS or anyone else, Jake or someone, planning on calling Netanyahu after Gantz leaves just to kind of keep him apprised of the discussions, or are you just leaving that to Gantz himself to do?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I don’t have any discussion with Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak to today on this.  Again, Minister Gantz is a member of the war cabinet — a member of the war cabinet in the middle of a war, a war in which we are trying to help Israel and will continue to help Israel — and wanted to meet with U.S. officials.  And it was an opportunity not only to hear from him but also to relay our continued concerns about humanitarian assistance, about the importance of getting this hostage deal over the finish line.  And so, we’re going to take advantage of that opportunity. 
 
Q    Still rather unusual, though, for the Prime Minister to not approve of a meeting and for it to go ahead anyway.  So can you just kind of speak to the decision to go ahead with it, regardless of whether, you know, Bibi’s office kind of gave its blessings?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Well, I mean, I think I — I mean, obviously, we certainly recognize Prime Minister Netanyahu as the elected prime minister of the government of Israel, and we will continue to deal with him and with his entire war cabinet.  Mr. Gantz is a part of that war cabinet.  I think I’ve kind of already answered that question.  He asked for a set of meetings while he was here in Washington.  A member of the war cabinet of a country at war, an ally and a partner.  We weren’t going to just overlook that opportunity to have that discussion.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Alex Ward of Politico.
 
Q    Yep.  Thanks, John.  One quick clarification on Vice President Harris’s ceasefire comment.  I want to make sure that her main target for that comment was Hamas when she was talking about the need to agree to a six-week ceasefire. 
 
And then, secondly, USAID Administrator Power said today, after talking to aid workers, that, quote, “There’s a need for Israel to do much more to get aid to those who desperately need it.”  I know the administration has talked openly — you know, said consistently that more aid needs to get in, but she’s saying that this is mainly — or this is on Israel.  Is that the administration’s assessment?  Is she speaking for the administration on that?  Thanks.
 
MR. KIRBY:  I’m sorry, Alex, can you repeat the second question?  You were going really fast there.  I was just trying to keep up with you.
 
Q    No, fair enough.  The countdown clock had me a little worried there. 
 
So she said today, after speaking with aid workers, quote, “There’s a need for Israel to do much more to get aid to those who desperately need it.”  So just making sure — I know you guys have said more aid needs to get in; you said it today.  But she’s fingering Israel as the problem here.  Just making sure that that is, you know, reflective of the administration’s view that Israel needs to do more to get aid in.
 
MR. KIRBY:  Thanks, Alex.  So, on your first question, I mean, the short answer to it is yes.  I mean, she was very clear that there’s a deal on the table and Hamas needs to take that deal.  So, yes, she was definitely communicating to Hamas the importance of accepting this deal, a deal which I have described as forward leaning that the Israelis have put forward.  So, yes, clearly, that was a strong message to Hamas to accept this deal and let’s move forward. 
 
And I want to remind everybody again that the six-week ceasefire she was talking about, the temporary ceasefire she was talking about was in the context of this hostage deal.  It’s all a package.  You get six weeks of peace with no fighting.  That allows you to safely and effectively get all the hostages out.  Again, we’re talking about multiple tranches.  And there’s physical movement of people that has to be accomplished, and you can’t do that if it’s a combat zone. 
 
So it’s all part of a package deal that would — again, six weeks of no fighting: That will certainly help reduce civilian casualties and the damage to civilian infrastructure, give you the chance to do a multitiered approach of getting hostages out and not unimportantly — and this kind of gets to your second question — an increase of humanitarian assistance in. 
 
And, yes, you heard from the President, when he met with Prime Minister Meloni on Friday, that we believe Israel can and should do more to allow humanitarian assistance to get in unimpeded.  This, kind of, gets back to Steve Holland’s first question right at the beginning of the gaggle about whether Israel is holding things up and whether they’re responsible for some delays or obstacles.  And the answer is that there has been such — there have been such incidents where they have not been either able or willing, or maybe both, to keep the trucks going at an increased level. 
 
I mean, clearly, there’s a desperate need for this stuff.  And that’s why we have now taken on the role of dropping from the air, and we’ll continue to do that too to supplement. 
 
But honestly, the way to do this in scale, true scale and scope, is on the ground, through trunk convoys.  You just can’t replicate the volume and the speed with which you can do this as you can on the ground.  And that requires a lot of coordination between Israel, obviously other partners, but including and most especially aid organizations on the ground.  And just more needs to be done.  And we’ve been, yes, clear that Israel bears a responsibility here to do more.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Karen DeYoung with the Washington Post.  Karen, you should be able to unmute yourself.
 
Q    You said that Israel has agreed to the framework, and the ball is in Hamas’s court.  When the initial framework came out after the Paris meetings, both sides responded with additional — with changes and additional response.  Is what’s on the table now incorporating those changes in response from both sides, or is it Israel’s side and you’ve given it to Hamas as a last offer — in other words, take it or leave it?
 
Just as one example, the Hamas response demanded more crossings be open, which is something that the United States has also demanded.  Is that something that Israel has now agreed to?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, again, I’m going to be careful here, Karen, not to get into the specific details of the deal.  Nothing is negotiated until everything is negotiated.  And we’re still, obviously, in that process right now. 
 
But the short answer to your question is: Yes, there was back-and-forth, as you know — proposals and counterproposals — between the two sides over recent weeks.  And we believe that the deal that’s on the table now reflects the give-and-take through those negotiations — the back-and-forth, the proposals and counterproposals.
 
We believe it’s reflective of the concerns that both sides have voiced and hashed out.  But again, there’s still the details in front of us.  We believe that the deal on the table does reflect all that negotiation, and Hamas should take it up.
 
Q    If I could just — does that include opening more crossings for aid?
 
MR. KIRBY:  I won’t get into the specifics of the deal, as I said, Karen, but I also said in my opening statements that we continue to call on Israel to open up additional ground crossings beyond just Kerem Shalom and Rafah — or Kerem Shalom, because Rafah is obviously not in Israel.
 
But, yes, we are calling on Israel to open up additional ground crossings.  But that’s not — I don’t want to get into the details of the deal itself.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Asma Khalid with NPR. 
 
Q    Hi.  Thanks, John, for doing this.  I have two quick questions.  One is around the meeting that Jake is having today with Benny Gantz.  What is the message that Jake is trying to deliver to him?  And relatedly, are you all concerned at all about agitating the current Israeli government?
 
And then, secondly, what is your understanding of why Hamas has not agreed to the six-week temporary ceasefire deal?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Hang on.  I’m just writing it all down here. 
 
So, on the meeting between Jake and Benny Gantz, again, we’ll have a readout for you after that meeting is over.  And as you know, he will also be meeting with the Vice President. 
 
I think it’s safe to say, before we’ve done readouts in meetings, that both Jake and the Vice President will talk to Minister Gantz about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need to increase aid.  I think it’s safe to say that they’ll talk about progress of operations on the ground.  Certainly they’ll want to get a better sense from the Minister and the war cabinet where their thinking is with respect to operations in and around Rafah. 
 
And I think you can expect that they will also talk about the hostage deal itself.  Separate and aside from humanitarian assistance writ large, he’ll also want to talk to the Minister about getting this hostage deal implemented, getting it executed, getting it in place so that we can get that six weeks of no fighting, get all the hostages out, as well as, of course, getting opportunities to increase the aid. 
 
But those will be the main topics of discussion.  And, again, we’ll have a readout for you. 
 
I’ve already dealt with the issue of the Prime Minister stating concerns about Minister Gantz’s travel.  So I really don’t have anything more to add on that question. 
 
And I simply won’t negotiate here in public.  You asked me why has Hamas not signed on to it.  I think that’s a terrific question for Mr. Sinwar.  It is a forward-leaning proposal.  We believe it’s a solid proposal.  And we believe that it is in everyone’s best interest, including Hamas, for them to sign on on this and to move forward with it.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  I think we have time for one more question, so we’ll go to Fraser Jackson with France 24.
 
Q    Hi, Sam.  Thank you, Admiral.  I was late to the call, so sorry if this has already been asked.  But I wanted to ask about the tape — the conversation that Russia leaked between top German military officials.  Russia says that it’s proof that Germany is seeking war with Russia.  Germany has vehemently denied that.  Is there any U.S. assessment of this leak and how it was obtained?
 
MR. KIRBY:  It’s proof that the Russians want to sow division and discord and try to demonstrate that the West is divided.  And that’s what it’s proof of.  And obviously, none of that’s true. 
 
I’m not going to speak to the content in this leak.   The Germans are investigating it, and I think I’d refer you to them.  But as I said earlier, they have been a key friend, ally, and partner in this effort.  They have really stepped up to support Ukraine.  We’re grateful for that.  We’re grateful for Chancellor Scholz’s leadership.
 
And the last thing I’ll say is: Any validity that anybody gives to this only makes it easier for Putin to sell this ridiculous narrative that this is some sort of war between the West and Russia, the U.S. and Russia, NATO and Russia, or any other way he wants to couch this.  That’s exactly what he wants people to think, instead of what really happened here, which is: In February, two years ago, he decided to attack and invade a neighboring nation that posed no threat to him or anybody else, for that matter.  So nobody should buy into the rhetoric here.  That’s it. 
 
Q    Is there any U.S. assessment that Putin is using the hesitancy of the U.S. to send more Ukraine aid?  Is he trying to weaponize that to take advantage of it in the war?
 
MR. KIRBY:  Well, look, I mean, you don’t have to look any further than the air attacks that he continues to conduct, whether it’s cruise and/or ballistic missiles and/or drones.  He’s going after military targets in Ukraine, of course, and he’s going after the defense industrial base.  But he’s also throwing a hell of a lot of metal into the air so that he can get the Ukrainians to fire back at it and defend themselves, because he knows they’re working their way through inventory right now. 
 
So part of this is trying to get them to pare down their inventory because he knows that the United States is now not able to send a significant amount of support and aid to Ukraine. So he’s certainly taking advantage of what he’s seeing happen on Capitol Hill.  And the dysfunction in our own system up there on Capitol Hill is definitely giving him an opportunity to place his own military positions at greater advantage. 
 
And I’ll tell you, look — I mean, again, I talked about this last week but still true today: He’s not stopping, not on the ground either.  He’s got Avdiivka.  And over the last few days, he’s taken a couple other towns and villages to the west of Avdiivka.  He’s moving forward against Ukrainian defensive lines, defensive lines that they are having a harder time defending and holding because they’re not getting the support from the United States that they have been counting on. 
 
So it’s way past time for us to get that national security supplemental passed, way past time for us to start restocking Ukrainian shelves so that they can better defend themselves. 
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And thank you, everyone, again for joining.  Sorry again for the audio issue at the top.  Again, we’ll have a transcript out in a few hours. 
 
And if we weren’t able to get to you, feel free to reach out to the NSC press distro and we’ll try to get back as soon as we can.  Thanks.
 
2:31 P.M. EST
 

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The White House

Thank you, Secretary Blinken. Tony – your steady presence, your vision and character, make you an incredible Secretary of State. Thank you for everything that you do.

Second Gentleman Emhoff – Doug – you show us how important it is to have men join this fight. You’re an advocate for women and girls, helping to lift up voices that need to be heard. And you’re the best Second Gentleman ever.

Thank you, Jen Klein and her team at the White House Gender Policy Council – the first of its kind – for their work advancing the rights of women and girls around the world.

And my gratitude to the State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, led by Ambassador Gupta, for their partnership.

A special welcome to the members of the Washington diplomatic corps.

And we have former Secretary Albright’s family with us. Alice, thank you for carrying forward her legacy.

Welcome to you all.

There is a kind of silence that hangs in the air around us, even in a crowded room.

It sits beneath the ordinary: the blurs of our conversations, between the rumble of car engines, and the pounding of rain.

It’s the silence of children lost to war and violence. Of men who no longer speak of their dreams – because they can’t picture a future ahead. Of women whose words are smothered by communities and governments who wish to hold them back. Who have wounds and spirits it will take time to mend. Who speak, but go unheard.

It’s the hush that falls when hope is hard to find – under an authoritarian thumb, when rights slip away. The silence that seems to swallow cries for justice, for freedom, for equality.

The women on this stage have refused to bend to that silence.

You’ve spoken out for yourselves – and for others in the face of fear and risk, and those who have tried to steal your voices away.

As I read your stories, I was struck by that inner strength each of you hold. A strength that you held onto, even as others hoped to censor you – hoped you would stay quiet. That helped you raise your voices, even when you were afraid. That helps you shout, even when you’re tired, and say: we cannot wait. We deserve more, now. Because change never happens on its own.

There is power in a community of women – in this community. Power when our voices come together. To hold each other up, even when we want to crumble, to heal one another, to share that inner strength. To create lasting change.

You’re giving others opportunities greater than what you had – standing behind that next generation of courageous women, so the confidence of girlhood can become the courage of womanhood. So your daughters and nieces and all the girls coming after never have to worry if their voices are too loud, never have to fear that their bodies won’t be their own, never have to shrink, so their brothers can swell.

Because of you, they will fill that silence with their ideas and their dreams. They will reach for the breadth of the world with joy that never extinguishes. Boldness that never wavers. Determination that only grows.

Together, we will keep chipping away at the quiet that haunts our world.

And while there may be those who wish for us to fall silent – we will never fall. Because the steepness of the struggle will not stop our ascent.

That’s why we lift you up today, so your great acts of courage can inspire others to perform their own – big and small. Your voices carry across oceans and continents. Calling to the women and girls who need to hear your stories. And to the men and boys who need to hear them too.
It’s a song of the future reverberating through us, so we too can speak out and be the seekers of justice, the defenders of freedom. Because our chorus can topple tyrants and demagogues, and shatter oppression.

Because your fight is all of our fight.

And we are stronger than any force that hopes to silence us.

Thank you.

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Vice President Kamala Harris met today with Israeli War Cabinet Member Benny Gantz at the White House. The Vice President again condemned the brutal October 7th terrorist attack by Hamas and the taking of hostages, including American citizens. She reiterated U.S. support for Israel’s right to defend itself in the face of ongoing Hamas terrorist threats, and underscored our unwavering commitment to Israel’s security. The Vice President expressed her deep concern about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the recent horrific tragedy around an aid convoy in northern Gaza. The Vice President discussed the urgency of achieving a hostage deal and welcomed Israel’s constructive approach to the hostage talks.  She called on Hamas to accept the terms on the table whereby the release of hostages would result in an immediate six-week ceasefire and enable a surge of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza.  The Vice President and Minister Gantz discussed the situation in Rafah and the need for a credible and implementable humanitarian plan prior to contemplating any major military operation there given the risks to civilians.  She urged Israel to take additional measures in cooperation with the United States and international partners to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and ensure its safe distribution to those in need. 

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The post Readout of Vice President Harris’s Meeting with Member of Israeli War Cabinet Gantz appeared first on The White House.

Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C. 

1:31 P.M. EST

Q    Madam Vice President, you have a meeting coming up this afternoon.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yes, I do.

Q    What’s your message for Benny Gantz?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’re going to discuss a number of things in terms of the priorities that, certainly, we have, which includes getting a hostage deal done, getting aid in, and — and then getting that six-week ceasefire.

You know, the President and I have been very clear that Israel has a right to defend itself, that we have got to make sure that innocent civilians aren’t being killed, and that we’ve got to get these hostages out.  And that is one of the highest priorities right — that, right now, we have.

And, I’ll tell you, the President has been an extraordinary leader in getting us to this point that we have the six-week deal.  And so, Hamas needs to do its thing, as I talked about yesterday in Selma.

Q    Your remarks yesterday got a lot of attention because they were pretty sharp against Israel.  Is there any distance between you and President Biden on this issue?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  The President and I have been aligned and consistent from the very beginning.  Israel has a right to defend itself.  Far too many Palestinian civilians — innocent civilians have been killed.  We need to get more aid in.  We need to get the hostages out.  And that remains our position.

And I will tell you that it is important that we all understand that there — we’re in a window of time right now where we can actually get a hostage deal done.  We all want this conflict to end as soon as possible, and how it does matters.

So, thank you all.  Thank you.

                              END                 1:33 P.M. EST

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Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)
 
Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date.  In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660 of March 6, 2014, which was expanded in scope in Executive Order 13661, Executive Order 13662, and Executive Order 14065, and under which additional steps were taken in Executive Order 13685 and Executive Order 13849, is to continue in effect beyond March 6, 2024. 
 
The actions and policies of persons that undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets, as well as the actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation, including its purported annexation of Crimea and its use of force in Ukraine, continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.  Therefore, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660 with respect to Ukraine.
 
                                      Sincerely,
 
 
 
                                      JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
 

The post Letters to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Ukraine appeared first on The White House.

     On March 6, 2014, by Executive Order 13660, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of persons that undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets. 

     On March 16, 2014, the President issued Executive Order 13661, which expanded the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660, and found that the actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation with respect to Ukraine undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets. 

     On March 20, 2014, the President issued Executive Order 13662, which further expanded the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660, as expanded in scope in Executive Order 13661, and found that the actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation, including its purported annexation of Crimea and its use of force in Ukraine, continue to undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets.

     On December 19, 2014, the President issued Executive Order 13685, to take additional steps to address the Russian occupation of the Crimea region of Ukraine.

     On September 20, 2018, the President issued Executive Order 13849, to take additional steps to implement certain statutory sanctions with respect to the Russian Federation.

     On February 21, 2022, the President issued Executive Order 14065, which further expanded the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660, as expanded in scope in Executive Orders 13661 and 13662, and relied on for additional steps taken in Executive Orders 13685 and 13849, and found that the Russian Federation’s purported recognition of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic or Luhansk People’s Republic regions of Ukraine contradicts Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements and further threatens the peace, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and thereby constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

     The actions and policies addressed in these Executive Orders continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.  For this reason, the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660, which was expanded in scope in Executive Order 13661, Executive Order 13662, and Executive Order 14065, and under which additional steps were taken in Executive Order 13685 and Executive Order 13849, must continue in effect beyond March 6, 2024. 

     Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660.

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



                                     JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.



THE WHITE HOUSE,
    March 4, 2024.

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Lowering costs for Americans is one of my top priorities, and today we’re one step closer to bringing down the cost of prescription drugs for millions of seniors. That’s because Medicare has the power to negotiate prescription drug prices for the first time in history. As part of that process, Medicare selected ten drugs for negotiation, and last month Medicare sent offers to the manufacturers of those ten drugs, representing the first time Medicare has ever been able to stand up for a fair price for seniors through direct drug price negotiation.
 
Today, my Administration is announcing that manufacturers for all ten selected drugs will continue to participate in drug price negotiations, as all manufacturers have submitted counteroffers. This is an important milestone in our fight to give seniors the best possible deal on their prescription drugs and in lowering health care costs for all families. And it comes in the face of attacks from Big Pharma in the courts and from Republicans in Congress who continue to try to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act which would keep seniors on Medicare from benefitting from these lower cost drugs.
 
In my State of the Union address this week, I will discuss my Administration’s efforts to lower health care costs and how we will continue to take on Big Pharma to make prescription drugs more affordable for all Americans.

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The post Statement from President Joe Biden on Progress on Medicare Drug Price Negotiations appeared first on The White House.

In Zimbabwe we continue to witness gross abuses of political, economic, and human rights.  The targeting of civil society and severe restrictions on political activity have stifled fundamental freedoms, while key actors, including government leaders, have siphoned off public resources for personal gains.  These illicit activities support and contribute to a global criminal network of bribery, smuggling, and money laundering that impoverish communities in Zimbabwe, southern Africa, and other parts of the world.
 
In response to new and continuing corruption and serious human rights abuse, the United States is refocusing and elevating its efforts to hold accountable the individuals and entities that are responsible for this exploitation.  Today, the United States is employing a new set of tools in Zimbabwe, including the flagship Global Magnitsky sanctions program, to make clear that the egregious behavior of some of the most powerful people and companies in Zimbabwe matches the actions of the worst human rights abusers and corrupt actors globally.  
 
Specifically, the Department of the Treasury is designating three entities and eleven individuals, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Brigadier General (Retired) Walter Tapfumaneyi, and businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, for their involvement in corruption or serious human rights abuse. These designations build on recent U.S. Government actions, including pausing U.S. participation in the African Development Bank Dialogue and utilizing the Department of State’s new visa restriction policy for undermining democracy in Zimbabwe. These steps are concurrent with the termination of the preexisting Zimbabwe sanctions program that began in March 2003 and expanded on in subsequent orders.  Actions to retire the previous sanctions program and designate key actors under the Global Magnitsky sanctions program are part of an ongoing effort to ensure we are promoting accountability for serious human rights abuse and corruption in a targeted and strategic manner. 
 
Sanctions on these individuals and entities do not represent sanctions on Zimbabwe or its public.  The Administration reaffirms its commitment to work with the people of Zimbabwe; will continue to robustly support civil society, human rights defenders, and independent media to promote values consistent with the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001; and take additional measures to hold accountable those who deny Zimbabweans the democratic freedoms and good governance they deserve.
 

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Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)

Consistent with subsection 204(b) of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1703(b), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order that terminates the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288 of March 6, 2003, and revokes that order, Executive Order 13391 of November 22, 2005, and Executive Order 13469 of July 25, 2008.

The declaration of a national emergency in Executive Order 13288 with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic processes or institutions, as relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13391 and as expanded by Executive Order 13469, should no longer be in effect.   

Although I continue to be concerned with the situation in Zimbabwe, particularly with respect to acts of violence and other human rights abuses against political opponents and with respect to public corruption, including misuse of public authority, I have determined that the declaration of a national emergency in Executive Order 13288 is no longer needed.  Moreover, the United States Government will continue to use existing sanctions authorities to hold accountable persons involved in corruption and serious human rights abuse in Zimbabwe.

Therefore, I have determined that it is necessary to terminate the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288, and revoke that order, Executive Order 13391, and Executive Order 13469.

I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.


                                      Sincerely,



                                      JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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     By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 etseq.), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

     I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, find that the declaration of a national emergency in Executive Order 13288 of March 6, 2003, with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic processes or institutions, as relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13391 of November 22, 2005, and as expanded by Executive Order 13469 of July 25, 2008, should no longer be in effect.  Although I continue to be concerned with the situation in Zimbabwe, particularly with respect to acts of violence and other human rights abuses against political opponents and with respect to public corruption, including misuse of public authority, the declaration of a national emergency in Executive Order 13288 is no longer needed.  Accordingly, I hereby terminate the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288, and revoke that order, Executive Order 13391, and Executive Order 13469, and further order:

     Section 1.  Pursuant to section 202(a) of the NEA (50 U.S.C. 1622(a)), termination of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288, as relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13391, and as expanded by Executive Order 13469, shall not affect any action taken or proceeding pending not finally concluded or determined as of the date of this order, any action or proceeding based on any act committed prior to the date of this order, or any rights or duties that matured or penalties that were incurred prior to the date of this order.

     Sec. 2.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

          (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

          (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

     (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

     (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.



                                 JOSEPH B. BIDEN JR.



THE WHITE HOUSE,
    March 4, 2024.

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Edmund Pettus Bridge
Selma, Alabama 

2:50 P.M. EST

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Can we give it up for Azali?  (Applause.)  Oh, indeed, our hopes and dreams are alive and well.

Good afternoon, everyone.  Good afternoon.  Please have a seat.

I’ll tell you, when I listen to Azali, I know the future of our country is bright.

So, it is so good to be back in Selma, and I want to say on behalf of the Second Gentleman and me, it is a privilege to be with so many extraordinary leaders — members of Congress, members of our administration, dedicated activists, and dear friends.

So, before I begin today, I must address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  (Applause.)  What we are seeing every day in Gaza is devastating.  We have seen reports of families eating leaves or animal feed, women giving birth to malnourished babies with little or no medical care, and children dying from malnutrition and dehydration.

As I have said many times, too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.  And just a few days ago, we saw hungry, desperate people approach aid trucks, simply trying to secure food for their families after weeks of nearly no aid reaching Northern Gaza.  And they were met with gunfire and chaos.

Our hearts break for the victims of that horrific tragedy and for all the innocent people in Gaza who are suffering from what is clearly a humanitarian catastrophe.  (Applause.)

People in Gaza are starving.  The conditions are inhumane.  And our common humanity compels us to act.

As President Joe Biden said on Friday, the United States is committed to urgently get more lifesaving assistance to innocent Palestinians in need.

Yesterday, the Department of Defense carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian assistance, and the United States will continue these airdrops.  And we will work on a new route by sea to deliver aid.

And the Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid.  (Applause.)  No excuses.  They must open new border crossings.  They must not impose any unnecessary restrictions on the delivery of aid.  They must ensure humanitarian personnel, sites, and convoys are not targeted.  And they must work to restore basic services and promote order in Gaza so more food, water, and fuel can reach those in need.

As I have said repeatedly since October 7th, Israel has a right to defend itself.  And President Joe Biden and I are unwavering in our commitment to Israel’s security. 

Hamas cannot control Gaza, and the threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated.  Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that has vowed to repeat October 7th again and again until Israel is annihilated.

Hamas has shown no regard for innocent life, including for the people of Gaza, who have suffered under its rule for almost two decades.  And Hamas still holds dozens of hostages, for nearly 150 days now — innocent men and women, including American citizens, who were brutally taken from their homes and from a concert.

I will repeat: The threat of — Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated.  And given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire — (applause) — for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table.

This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in.  This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is more secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.  (Applause.)

Hamas claims it wants a ceasefire.  Well, there is a deal on the table.  And as we have said, Hamas needs to agree to that deal.

Let’s get a ceasefire.  Let’s reunite the hostages with their families.  And let’s provide immediate relief to the people of Gaza.  (Applause.)

I will now address the occasion for our gathering today on this hallowed ground on the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where, 59 years ago, on a cold Sunday morning, 600 brave souls set out from Selma.

Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, they marched for the freedoms that were theirs by birth and theirs by right: the freedom to vote, the freedom to live without fear of violence or intimidation, the freedom to be full and equal members of our nation.

They marched peacefully.  They knew violence against them was inevitable.  They knew they would be surrounded by troopers with nightsticks.  They knew they might be trampled by horses.  Even so, they marched forward.  (Applause.)

But they were forced to retreat.  And yet, they would not be deterred, defeated, or denied.  And they returned to this bridge while many were still bound in bandages because they knew what was on the other side: a promise of a future that was more equal, more just, and more free. 

And yes, they crossed this bridge.  And in so doing, they also built a bridge.  They brought together white Americans, Black Americans, all sorts of Americans, and ministers and rabbis, and members of L- — SCLC and SNCC, and folks of all ages and backgrounds.  (Applause.)

And less than six months later, the Voting Rights Act of 1964 [1965] was signed into law.  The story of Selma — a story of our nation.  (Applause.)

Freedom is fundamental to the promise of America.  Freedom is not to be given.  It is not to be bestowed.  It is ours by right.  (Applause.)

And the power behind the promise of freedom has always been in the faith of her people and our willingness to fight for freedom, be it on the fields of Gettysburg, in the schools of Little Rock, on the streets of Ferguson, and on this bridge right here in Selma.  (Applause.)

And today, we know our fight for freedom is not over because, in this moment, we are witnessing a full-on attack on hard-fought, hard-won freedoms, starting with the freedom that unlocks all others: the freedom to vote.  The sacred freedom to vote.

Today, in states across our nation, extremists pass laws to ban drop boxes, limit early voting, and restrict absentee ballots.  In Georgia, extremists passed a law to even make it illegal to give people food and water for standing in line to exercise their civic duty and right to vote.

I ask the friends here: Rev, whatever happened to “love thy neighbor”?  (Applause.)  The hypocrisy abounds. 

And do notice: The governor of Georgia signed that law on the 56th anniversary of this very march. 

Across our nation, extremists attack the integrity of free and fair elections, causing a rise of threats and violence against poll workers. 

In the face of these assaults on the freedom to vote and in honor of all those who crossed this bridge, President Biden and I will continue to demand that the United States Congress pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.  (Applause.)  The fight for freedom. 

Today, in states across our nation, extremists propose and pass laws that attack the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body — laws that would make no exception even for rape and incest. 

Here in Alabama, they attack the freedom to use IVF treatment.  Women and couples denied the ability to fulfill their dream of having a child. 

And consider the irony.  On the one hand, these extremists tell women they do not have the freedom to end an unwanted pregnancy.  And on the other hand, these extremists tell women they do not have the freedom to start a family. 

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.) 

The fight for freedom — that every person in our nation has a right to be free from the horror of gun violence.  (Applause.)  And yet, today, these extremists stand by and refuse to pass reasonable gun safety laws to keep our children and places of worship safe. 

Freedom — that every person in our nation has a right to be free to love who they love openly and with pride.  (Applause.)  And yet, just this past year, extremists have passed or proposed hundreds of laws targeting LGBTQ people. 

Freedom — that every person in our nation has the freedom to learn and acknowledge our country’s true and full history.  (Applause.)  And yet, today, extremists pass book bans — book bans, in this year of our Lord 2024 — while they also try to erase, overlook, and rewrite the ugly parts of our past. 

Fundamental freedoms under assault.  The freedom to vote.  The freedom from fear, violence, and harm.  The freedom to learn.  The freedom to control one’s own body.  And the freedom to just simply be. 

And understand the profound impact these attacks have on the next generation of our leaders.  Just last fall, 15,000 young leaders joined me during my “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour.  And, for them, these attacks on freedom are a lived experience. 

It is their lived experience that extremist leaders have intentionally closed polling places near college campuses and restricted the use of student IDs to vote, that it is Black voters and student voters who are most targeted by anti-voter laws.  (Applause.)

A lived experience that during the height of their reproductive years, the highest court in our land — the court of Thurgood and RBG — took a constitutional right that had been recognized from the people of America, from the women of America so that, now, this generation has fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers. 

Their lived experience that from kindergarten to 12th grade, they have consistently had to endure active-shooter drills while extremists refuse to pass universal background checks, red flag laws, and an assault weapons ban.  (Applause.)

Our young leaders — well, they are cleareyed about what’s at stake.  And in the spirit of a young John Lewis, I know they too will not be deterred, they will not be defeated, and they will not be denied. 

So, Selma, the challenges we currently face are not unlike the challenges faced by those 600 brave souls 59 years ago.  And in this moment, we too, then, are confronted with a fundamental question: What kind of country do we want to live in? 

Do we want to live in a country of freedom, liberty, and justice — or a country of injustice, hate, and fear?

We each have the power to answer that question with our voice, with our feet, and with our vote. 

I’ll close by sharing with you: In my West Wing office in the White House — (applause) — yeah, that’s where I work — (applause) — I hung a piece of artwork that is the first thing I see when I walk into my office in the morning.  It’s a large framed photograph taken on Bloody Sunday depicting an injured Amelia Boynton receiving care at the foot of this very bridge.  And, for me, it is a daily reminder of the struggle, of the sacrifice, and of how much we owe to those who gave so much before us. 

History is a relay race.  Generations before us carried the baton.  And now, they have passed it to us. 

So, let us continue to organize.  Let us continue to fight.  And let’s us make some good trouble along the way.  (Applause.)  

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

                               END                 3:07 P.M. EST

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Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Vermont and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe storm and flooding from December 18 to December 19, 2023.

Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storm and flooding in the counties of Essex, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Windham, and Windsor.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Mr. William F. Roy 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 state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

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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NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

Via Teleconference

11:42 A.M. EST
 
MODERATOR:  Everyone, good morning.  Thanks so much for joining today’s call on the humanitarian assistance airdrop into Gaza today.
 
As a reminder, the contents of today’s call are on background, attributable to senior administration officials.  This call is embargoed until the conclusion of the call.
 
On the line today, for your awareness, not for your reporting, we have [senior administration official], [senior administration official], and [senior administration official].
 
We’ll have a few words at the top, and then we’ll turn it over to Q&A.  With that, I’ll turn it over to our speakers to kick us off.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thank you, Eduardo.  And, you know, we really want to start here, at the top, by expressing our condolences from everyone at the White House to the families of those who were killed and those who were injured in the tragic incident that took place in northern Gaza this week.
 
And this tragic incident underscores the importance of expanding and sustaining the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza in response to the dire humanitarian situation.  But this is something that we have been working on collectively, at the highest levels of the U.S. government, since well before this incident occurred.
 
Really, since the beginning of the conflict, the United States has been leading efforts to get lifesaving humanitarian aid into Gaza to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinians who have nothing to do with Hamas.
 
For example, President Biden pushed relentlessly and made significant progress in terms of humanitarian access in Gaza, engaging personally to get an agreement from the leaders of Israel and Egypt to cooperate on the provision of humanitarian assistance to civilians into Gaza.  Really, before the President engaged in this area, there was no food, no water, and no medicine getting into Gaza. 
 
And it was the President’s visit to Israel, just after the tragic attack of October 7th, that secured the opening of the Rafah crossing into Egypt. 
 
In December, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan traveled to Israel and secured the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing, which has allowed additional aid to enter Gaza from southern Israel.
 
Soon after the incident of October 7th, the President appointed Ambassador David Satterfield our Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues, who has been on the ground sorting through the various procedures and requirements to get additional assistance through these border crossings and, really, to expand those to the greatest extent possible.
 
We, as the United States, have been the largest provider of aid to the Gaza response.  And thus far, we’ve provided $180 million since October 7th.  And this has been responding to the humanitarian crisis and the needs of the Palestinian people, which has really been priority for us since day one, since the conflict began.   
 
But the truth is — and you heard the President talk about this yesterday — that the aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere near enough and nowhere near fast enough.  And we continue to work to increase the amount of aid flowing through existing border crossings at Rafah and Kerem Shalom and to press the government of Israel to open additional crossings and routes into Gaza.
 
Yesterday, President Biden announced that we would carry out airdrops of aid into Gaza, and I’ll talk a little bit more about that in a moment.
 
We have also been working on additional pathways to get assistance into Gaza.  We have been in touch with officials in Israel, in Cyprus, working with the U.N., working with potential commercial entities, to see if we can set up a maritime route as well that would deliver assistance directly into Gaza by sea.
 
But back to the airdrops: Today, as the Central Command just put out, the Department of Defense and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into Gaza between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m.  And this, of course, is to provide the essential relief to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict.
 
Our C-130s dropped 38,000 meals along the coastline of Gaza, allowing for civilian access to the critical assistance.  And those locations were chosen specifically as areas where we thought people would be able to best access the aid.
 
There were 66 total bundles, 22 on each aircraft, which were dropped into Gaza to help alleviate the intense hunger and desperate situation there. 
 
This will be part of a sustained effort, in conjunction with our international partners, to scale up the amount of life-saving aid we’re getting into Gaza.
 
And really want to make clear this is, kind of, an overall campaign.  We’re looking at the land routes, we’re looking at the sea route, we’re looking at the air route to really ensure that we’re exploring every opportunity to get assistance in. 
 
And I think with that, let me turn it over to [senior administration official] to give a bit more of his perspective from the ground.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Sure, thank you.  Just to give you a little bit of background to all of this, the mechanisms that [senior administration official] referred to — opening up Kerem Shalom and making (inaudible) function as an inspection point; more efficiently coordination with Egypt, not just on humanitarian assistance, but commercial goods coming in from Egypt; opening up a channel from Jordan for international assistance headed up to Kerem Shalom — all of these mechanisms have been working. 
 
The challenge has not been getting 250, 300 trucks-load of assistance physically into Gaza.  The problem has been distribution, and distribution is what matters.  If you cannot move assistance from storage facilities, from warehouses — Kerem Shalom, Rafah — out to the communities at need throughout center and south Gaza; if you cannot get aid into the north — and that has been a major challenge since October — you’re not meeting the critical needs to provide that minimal feeding that prevents famine. 
 
Why is there a problem?  The problem has multiple routes.  But essentially what has gone on is: With the removal of police from the protective duties, U.N. and other convoys, Emirati, Jordanian, Palestine Red Crescent, lawlessness, which was always a problem in the background, has now moved to a very different level.  This is a product of, if you will, commercialization of the assistance; criminal gangs are taking it, looting it, reselling it.  They’ve monetized humanitarian assistance. 
 
There’s a way that you resolve this problem, and the way is you flood the market.  You bring in assistance from every point you can — air, sea, land — you bring it in, and you know that some of this assistance is going to be looted, is going to be self-distributed by desperate people, but you keep coming.  And what you do through that — and there’s international experience with this — you demonetize these commodities.  And with that, you de-incentivize the criminal groups, the gangs involved in attacking trucks, and you reduce the pressure on desperate people, not criminals, who just want food — because the food is there; it’s coming in. 
 
Now, the President’s intent is to see that flooding of the zone, which is why, to go to [senior administration official]’s comments, it is imperative that as many points of entry — the south; points of entry in the north, which we have been pressing for vigorously and about which we are hopeful; a maritime corridor; airdrops — all of them complement the other. 
 
And just a final note here: None of these — maritime corridor, airdrops — are an alternative to the fundamental need to move assistance through as many land crossings as possible.  That’s the most efficient way to get aid in at scale.  It’s the most efficient way to flood the zone. 
 
Thank you.
 
MODERATOR:  Okay.  I want to turn it next to [senior administration official] to give us an update on the hostage deal that is being negotiated and also how that relates to the humanitarian situation.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah, thanks.  I’ll be very brief.  But just to follow on the points of my colleagues: To really address the urgent needs of the civilian population in Gaza and to enable the humanitarian partners to safely distribute and get that distribution moving — the lifesaving aid — throughout Gaza, from north to center to south, at the scale that is needed, it’s essential that we see a ceasefire in Gaza. 
 
And the path to a ceasefire right now, literally at this hour, is straightforward.  And there’s a deal on the table.  There’s a framework deal.  The Israelis have more or less accepted it.  And there will be a six-week ceasefire in Gaza starting today if Hamas agrees to release the defined category of vulnerable hostages — this has been under negotiation now for some time — the sick, the wounded, elderly, and women. 
 
And again, that deal is on the table.  It would bring immediate relief to the people of Gaza, create the conditions needed to enable the urgent humanitarian work that must be done, that my colleagues just referred to.  And the onus right now is on Hamas. 
 
So there are talks still underway.  They’re ongoing today in Doha.  And we have been working to get this in place by Ramadan for some time.  There has been significant progress over the last few weeks.  But like all things, until a deal is actually done, it’s not done. 
 
But that’s where we are.  The President, as you know, spoke with the emir of Qatar and the president of Egypt this week, both on the hostage deal, really on the details and the remaining gaps. 
 
But we’re working around the clock to see if we can get this in place here over the coming week.  It is just essential for all the reasons that my colleagues just laid out, but also to save the lives of these vulnerable hostages. 
 
And I think, again, we have it; the framework is there.  The Israelis have basically signed on to the elements of the arrangement.  And right now, the ball is in the court of Hamas. 
 
And we are continuing to push this as hard as we possibly can, obviously for all the reasons that I just laid out and that my colleagues just briefed.
 
MODERATOR:  Thanks.  We have time for three or four questions.  Our first question will go to the line of Seung Min Kim.  You should be able to unmute yourself.
 
Q    Thanks so much for holding this call.  I know the second senior administration official talked about how some of the aid is inevitably going to be taken by other bad actors.  But in terms of the airdrop today, did the aid mostly get to where it needed to go?  And who are you partnering with on the ground with to ensure that it’s being distributed correctly?  And also, did the shipments also include water?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I can take that one.
 
We’ve been monitoring the location where the assistance was dropped since earlier, when the operation occurred, and we have seen civilians approaching the aid to distribute it amongst themselves.  And the sites were specifically chosen as ones where we thought there was the greatest likelihood of safety.  But this is being dropped in areas where we know — that are nearby, where people are sheltering and in need. 
 
Oh, and no, there was not water included.  It was food items — Meals Ready to Eat.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to the line of Vivian Salama.  You should be able to unmute yourself.
 
Q    Hey, guys.  Thanks so much for doing this.  I just wanted to get a status update on if the President has looked at possible maritime aid as well.  And so, can you talk a little bit about the imminence, or not, of that and any complications that you’re facing with regard to any potential maritime deliveries?  Thanks.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I can take this one.  The President has instructed us to explore all possible options.  As [senior administration official] noted, they include commercial options, they include USG options.  This is a complex puzzle that has to be put together.  (Inaudible.)  (Audio drop) — set as rapidly as we can.
 
MODERATOR:  Thanks.  Our next question will go to the line of Jeff Mason.  You should be able to unmute yourself.
 
Q    Thanks very much.  Just a couple of follow-up questions.  Can you say broadly whether you feel that Israel is cooperating enough on getting aid into Gaza?  Do you feel that having done this, having had to do this airdrop today, is a statement at all on their cooperation?
 
And then, a logistical question.  Can you give us a sense of where the U.S. planes took off from?  And did you coordinate with Hamas for the safety of the aircraft?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’ll take this. 
 
Look, the airdrops were an indication of the critical need on the part of the population of Gaza, particularly the population in the north.  The assistance and its movement into and within Gaza is an ongoing challenge.  The challenge is from various sources.  But it is not a reflection on Israel or Israeli practices.  It’s a reflection on need.  The need is there.  The need in the north is absolutely critical.  The need in the south and the center is growing.  So I want to clarify on that. 
 
[Senior administration official], over to you on the details of the drop logistics.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thank you.  Yes, the airdrops were conducted jointly with the Jordanian Air Force.  You saw U.S. C-130s, Jordanian C-130s operating out of Jordan. 
 
And the site was, of course, worked through in terms of finding a location where we thought it would be most likely to land safely but also near a population that was in need.  But it was not deconflicted — or was not, I should say, coordinated with any specific group on the ground.
 
MODERATOR:  Thanks.  Our next question will go to the line of Missy Ryan.  You should be able to unmute yourself.
 
Q    Great.  Thank you so much.  I just wanted to ask if you could speak about what we should expect going forward about the frequency of these kind of drops, as you all look into the maritime options as well.  Is this something that you expect to be happening on a daily basis?  And if there’s anything you could say about the extent to which this will go to address the needs that are facing Gazans.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I think I would just say that the fact that today’s airdrop was successful is an important test case to show that we can do this again in the coming days and weeks successfully. 
 
And we — our colleagues at DOD are planning additional drops.  But nothing further to share there in terms of timing.
 
I think, really, just to go back to what I said at the beginning, the fact that we are exploring every avenue, every channel, to get assistance into Gaza really just, I think, goes to speak to how dire and desperate the situation is there. 
 
So we will continue to pursue air options, maritime options, as well as pushing for additional land routes into Gaza.
 
MODERATOR:  Thanks.  Our next question will go to the line of Josh Wingrove.  You should be able to unmute yourself.
 
Q    Hey there.  Thank you.  I’m just wondering if you can share any more about the status of talks.  You describe the Israelis as being more or less on board.  Has that been the case for some time?  Is that the case as of today or recently?  And how can you help us level-set the possibility for an agreement?  Is it potentially a day or two, or in the coming week?  Is it just too hard to say?  Thank you. 
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I think these negotiations have kind of a pattern to them.  So if you go back over the last month, I think — about a month ago, it was really at a deadlock.  A framework began to develop.  And then the week before this one, we worked very hard with the Israelis to get a framework that is pretty much in the zone of a compromise amongst all the positions that had been on the table, and is a good one. 
 
And we had a number of meetings in Israel last week — again, not the week that’s just finishing, but last week.  And then the meeting in Paris kind of put that all together.  And, yeah, the Israelis have basically accepted what is — I think it’s been described — I don’t want to negotiate here or go into too much detail — but it is a six-week ceasefire.  You would see, for all the reasons that [senior administration official] has briefed, that calm would allow and enable a significant surge of the humanitarian work that has to be done.  That is all kind of laid out. 
 
And the deal is phased, as the President has said.  You know, we’ve worked to build something even more enduring. 
 
But again, it’s a hostage — the hostages have to be released.  And this vulnerable category of hostages, which is in the first phase, I mean, that is the deal.  And it’s now at the point of how will that happen and is Hamas committed to doing that.  That’s really the main issue now. 
 
And so, I just want to kind of emphasize — I mean, we would have a ceasefire if Hamas addresses that final issue.  I mean, that’s basically where it is. 
 
So it’s a lot of hard work from the Egyptians, the Qataris, from diplomats, from the President.  Repeated calls with the Israeli leadership and with the leadership of Qatar and Egypt.  And, you know, the deal is basically there. 
 
But I don’t want to create expectations one way or the other.  I’ll just say we’re doing everything we possibly can to get this in place, just given the importance, and to save the lives of these hostages and bring them out of Gaza, including American citizens.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We’ve got time for two more questions.  Our next question will go to the line of Felicia Schwartz.  You should be able to unmute yourself.
 
Q    Hi.  Thanks so much for taking my question.  One for [senior administration official] and one for [senior administration official].
 
I’m wondering how long you think that this proposal, as it exists now, can kind of stay on the table.  If Ramadan starts and this doesn’t move over the finish line, is that kind of the end for this version?
 
And then, just for [senior administration official] or maybe [senior administration official]: In terms of what was dropped today, were there also trucks that were able to get in today?  Can you just give us a sense of how you’re seeing this aid complement — you know, how it fits into this broader picture?  I think it’s something like 30 or 35 trucks that have been able to get in the past few days, but that number might be wrong.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I think — just want to say on the first one: I just — I don’t want to really characterize one way or the other.  A lot of work has been done here to get this in place.  We’re doing all we can to get it finalized as soon as possible.  And I think I’ll leave it there.  And that’s going to continue. 
 
We’ve always wanted this in place for Ramadan — to have a Ramadan period in which you have calm and you’re able to do the essential humanitarian work that is the focus of this call.  You know, this deal would enable that.  And so we’re going to continue doing all we possibly can. 
 
And again, I think right now, because where — the ball is literally in the court of Hamas.  And so, the Qataris have work to do.  The Egyptians have work to do.  That was the focus of the President’s calls this week.  But I would just say it is a complicated deal.  It is more complex than the first deal in November that was a five-day deal, extended day by day.  This is a six-week deal, and it has the potential to extend from there. 
 
But the first category is this category of vulnerable hostages — again, sick, elderly, and women.  And we want to get them out of Gaza, and we think we have the deal in place.  And we’re going to just keep pushing at it.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  With respect to trucks moving north, it’s our understanding that trucks have indeed moved, both last night and again today.
 
MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our last question will go to the line of Hiba Nasr.  You should be able to unmute yourself.
 
Q    Thanks.  My question is to you: One, you say about the hostage deal.  I want to understand: When you say there’s a framework of a deal on the table and everything is agreed on with the Israelis, is Hamas objecting a specific detail in the deal?  This is my first question. 
 
And my second question: How do you respond to the critics that what’s happening, and the airdrops now in Gaza, is humiliating for the United States because you weren’t able to get the aid any other way, and this is also another sign that you don’t have leverage over the Israeli government?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, on the first one, I think I’ve spoken to it in terms of where things stand, and I think I’ll leave it there. 
 
The deal is: This category of vulnerable hostages comes out, and you have an immediate ceasefire for about — again, it’s the first phase — six weeks.  And then there’s the second phase that we have to work out over those six weeks to build something more enduring, as the President has said. 
 
So that’s where we are.  The formula is there after a lot of hard work.  And we’re going to keep doing all we can to get this in place. 
 
But that is the immediate path to calm, to relief — the release of this vulnerable category of hostages.  That is on the table now.  And, you know, we’re going to work to try to get that done.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  With the second question: Look, we’ve made clear that the U.S. President’s intent is to get as much assistance distributed within Gaza as is possible. 
 
The situation on the ground in Gaza is enormously complex.  There is a campaign going on.  And just to note before the webinar ends, the campaign is going on for a reason.  It’s because a terrorist group holding hostages, including Americans, is continuing to fight and attack.  They could stop this — Hamas could — tonight, instantly, and allow the free movement of assistance, medicine, care to go to the civilians of Gaza with whom, under whom, in whose homes they have embedded themselves for these past 17 years. 
 
Now, in this complex world, we’ve got to find every possible way to move assistance to those in need.  The airdrops are part of that process. 
 
Q    Thank you.
 
MODERATOR:  Thanks, everyone.  That’s all the time we have for today.  Let us know if you have any follow-up questions.  We’re happy to take those. 
 
As a reminder, this call was on background, attributable to senior administration officials.  And the embargo is now lifted.  Have a good rest of your day.
 
2:07 P.M. EST
 

The post Background Press Call on the Humanitarian Assistance Airdrop into Gaza appeared first on The White House.

(March 1, 2024)

2:39 P.M. EST

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Good afternoon, everyone.

Q    Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Happy Friday.

Sorry, just give me a second.  All right.  Well —

So, I want to start by saying happy Women’s History Month and reaffirm this administration’s commitment to advancing rights and opportunities for women and girls in the United States and around the world.

This President has proudly championed historic legislation to advance gender equity, including legislation to support women in the workplace, such as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the Speak Out Act, and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, and to ensure all people can live free from violence through the strengthening and reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

The President is also proud of having the most diverse group of women at the highest levels of government in U.S. history, including the first woman Vice President and the first gender-equal Cabinet.

But, of course, we’re celebrating this month at a perilous time for women.  Our most fundamental freedoms are under relentless attack.

Since the unprecedented and unconscionable dismantling of the rights enshrined in the Roe v. Wade — in Roe v. Wade, we have seen an onslaught of abortion bans and other attacks on women’s reproductive freedom.

Look at what happened just this week.  After the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling put IVF at risk and raised issues about whether it would be available in other states, congressional Republicans rushed to proclaim their support for IVF. 

On Wednesday, though, Senator Duckworth introduced a bill that would protect access to IVF in every state, and Senate Republicans blocked it.  It’s completely outrageous. 

President Biden and Vice President Harris believe every woman in this country should have the freedom to make the decision to have a child.  That includes the one in five women struggling with infertility and who may need to rely on IVF.  This is just another basic issue of reproductive freedom now under attack.

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it paved the road for Republican elected officials to pursue their extreme agenda for families in Alabama and across the country.  And no attempts to publicly rebrand can change the fact that Republican elected officials have spent decades trying to eliminate the constitutional right to choose and undermine reproductive freedom. 

President Biden and Vice President Harris will continue to fight to protect access to reproductive healthcare and call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law for all women in every state. 

And more broadly, not just during this woman’s month history [Women’s History Month] but every day.  We remain committed to continuing this important work and service of advancing the full participation of women, a fund- — a foundational tenet to our democracy. 

And next, as you heard from President Biden earlier, today is an important milestone in ensuring access to mifepristone, a drug that has been approved by the FDA as — as a safe and effective — as safe and effective for more than 20 years, with major retail pharmacy chains newly certified to dispense this medicine.  Many woman — women will soon make the option to pick up their prescription at a local, certified pharmacy, just as they would for any other medication.  The administration continues to encourage all pharmacies that want to pursue this option to seek certification. 

In the face of relentless attacks on reproductive freedom by Republican elected officials, the President and the Vice President will continue to fight to ensure that women can get the healthcare they need, including mifepristone.  And we will continue to — to defend the FDA’s independent and evidence-based approval of this medicine and call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law. 

And today, we are also praying for the two lives lost in Texas as a result of the historic wildfires impacting the region.  We’re also thinking of the thousands of residents who have had to evacuate, many losing everything — everything they own as a result of these ongoing fires.

We remain grateful to the first responders on the ground who continue to put themselves into harm’s way to protect people and save lives.  With over 1 million acres burned, this is the largest wildfire in the history of Texas.  And unfortunately, this fight is not over. 

But as the President said when he was in Texas yesterday, the Biden-Harris administration is doing everything possible to help the people and communities devastated by these fires.  Hundreds of federal fire- — firefighters have been deployed to help fight the blaze, along with critical fire suppression equipment.  And FEMA has provided financial assistance to ensure Texas and Oklahoma have the resources they need to fight these fires and keep people safe. 

We continue to encourage those in the affected areas to remain vigilant and heed the warnings of local officials, especially if you are ordered to evacuate.  As always, we stand ready to provide further support as needed. 

And finally, yesterday, as you all know, the President traveled to Brownsville, Texas, and heard directly from the Border Patrol, asylum officers, and immigration enforcement officials about operational realities on the ground.  These officials emphasized the need for additional resources to secure the border and to make our asylum system fairer and faster. 

That is why, months ago, President Biden ordered his team to negotiate in good faith with a bipartisan group of senators to deliver significant policy changes and additional resources to the border.  And after months of negotiations, the President and the bipartisan group of senators reached the toughest and fairest border security and immigration agreement in decades. 

But once again, you heard the President yesterday highlight how critical that agreement is to securing our border.  You heard President Biden focused on solutions that would deliver for the frontline personnel and deliver for the American people. 

But elsewhere, the American people heard a much different story when congressional Republicans rejected the bipartisan border security agreement because, by their own admission, former President Trump thought it would hurt him politically. 

They showed the American people that, to them, partisan politics is more important than our border security.  When Governor Abbott chooses to use migrants as political pawns and leave them by the side of the road in the dead of winter, he shows Republicans are more interested in politics than solutions. 

Republicans called for policy changes at the border.  We have a bipartisan border security agreement that is supported by the Border Patrol union, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Wall Street Journal, and the bipartisan South Texas Alliance of Cities.  It is time for Republicans to stop — to stop blocking that agreement, put politics aside, and provide border officials with the tools and resources they need to secure the border.

With that, I — Admiral John Kirby is here to give us an update on what’s going on in the Middle East. 

Admiral. 

MR. KIRBY:  Thank you, Karine.  Appreciate that.

Good afternoon, everybody.

Q    Good afternoon.

MR. KIRBY:  I want to just start by talking about the tragic and alarming event in Northern Gaza yesterday in which many Palestinian civilians lost their lives while seeking humanitarian aid and assistance in the — a dire situation on the ground there.  We express our deepest condolences to the families of those who were killed and, of course, all those who are hurt as well. 

As you know, we’ve asked the government of Israel to investigate.  And it’s our assessment that they’re taking this seriously, and they are looking into what occurred so as to avoid tragedies like this from happening again. 

This event underscores the importance, we believe, of expanding and sustaining the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza since so much of it is in need.  And by no means should what happened yesterday preclude or prevent additional humanitarian assistance from getting in. 

I think, as you all know, the United States remains the largest provider of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.  And you heard directly from the President today that we’re going to — that we need to do more, and the United States will do more. 

As a matter of fact, as the President just announced, the United States will carry out airdrops of aid into Gaza in coordination with our international partners, particularly Jordan, in the coming days. 

We’re also going to redouble our efforts to open up a humanitarian maritime corridor to deliver amounts of humanitarian assistance by sea — hopefully large amounts by sea. 

This is, of course, in addition to expanding deliveries by land, which we have been keenly focused on now for — for many months.  We’ll continue to push Isra- — Israel to facilitate more trucks going in and more routes being open so that more aid can get to more people.  We’re going to continue to pull out every stop to get more aid to people who desperately need it. 

Now, as you all know, a deal that would trigger a six-week ceasefire is currently on the table.  In addition to the additional flow of aid that would come with that deal, we’re continuing to work to make sure that we can get the hostages out as well, and to see a reduction in the violence.

With the fighting stopped, aid will be able to flow more freely and, we hope, at an increased level and, of course, the hostages — starting with women, the elderly, and the wounded — can be released in stages and returned to their families.  And, again, we’re going to keep our shoulder to the wheel on that and work that very, very hard in coming days. 

Now, of course, as you all know, President Biden is glad to welcome Prime Minister Meloni of Italy to the White House today for a bilateral meeting to reaffirm the strong bilateral relationship that we have with Italy.  In fact, the meeting just started. 

Italy is the president of the G7 this year.  President Biden has been looking forward to the opportunity to coordinate with Prime Minister Meloni on their shared priorities for the G7 and the NATO Leaders Summits that are happening this summer. 

As you heard from the President just a little bit ago, the two leaders will, of course, discuss shared challenges on a range of global challenges that include humanitarian assistance for Palestinians, as well as the need to prevent regional escalation in the Middle East and to protect international shipping in the Red Sea. 

The leaders will also underscore their commitment to continue to support Ukraine as it confronts Russian aggression.  The President will, of course, raise the efforts that we’ve been pursuing to see our supplemental funding approved by Congress. 

The President appreciates Prime Minister Meloni’s leadership on all those issues.  And he looks forward to a very good discussion with her.

With that —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Seung Min.

MR. KIRBY:  — I’ll take some questions.

Q    Just to triple check, when — when the President said we were airdropping to Ukraine twice, he meant Gaza, correct?  He just misspoke?

MR. KIRBY:  He was referring to Gaza.

Q    Just want to make sure. 

And can you talk about how the U.S. ensures that the airdropped aid gets to the people who needs it and doesn’t end up in the hands of Hamas?

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, I’m really glad you asked that question, actually.  Having seen these kinds of operations myself over many years, there’s few military operations that are more complicated than humanitarian assistance airdrops.  This is — this is a tough military mission to do because so many parameters have to be exactly right. 

We’re going to pursue this the way we would pursue any such operation: carefully.  We know we have to move with a sense of alacrity.  We’re alive to the need.  But — but we’re going to do this in concert with our Jordanian partners.  And, again, the planning will be robust on this. 

That said, I think — I don’t “think” — I know that we will learn from the first airdrops and this will be a part of a sustained effort.  This isn’t going to be one and done.  There will be additional airdrops planned and executed.  And with each one, I think we’ll learn more, and we’ll get — we’ll get better at them. 

It’s very difficult.  It is extremely difficult to do an airdrop in such a crowded environment, as is Gaza.  Very, very densely populated.  A lot of people confined to small spaces.  So, you want to do it in a way that you can get it to — close — as close as you can to the people in need but not in a way that puts them in any danger. 

And so, the Pentagon will be doing a raft of planning on this.  They’ll work their way through that.  But I do want to stress that we fully expect that the — the third and fourth and fifth one won’t look like the first and second one.  We’ll learn and we’ll — and we’ll try to improve. 

Q    And are you able to be more precise than “coming days” as to when the airdrops will start?

MR. KIRBY:  I can just tell you “in coming days,” as the President said.  I don’t have an exact delivery schedule for you.  But we’re not waiting around.  And the Pentagon is working on this very, very hard. 

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Thank you, Admiral.  What are the risks associated with an airdrop like this?

MR. KIRBY:  Well, my goodness, first of all, the biggest risk is making sure that nobody gets hurt on the ground.  And so, you got to locate out areas to drop that you know will be safe for people so that they don’t — they don’t become victims of the drop itself.  I mean, when you’re dropping out of an airplane — again, it depends on what you’re dropping — in this case, the first deliveries will be food, most likely the MREs, the — the portable food that the military uses. 

And so, you want to be able to get it, again, in a place that’s safe from — nobody is getting hurt on the ground.  And then you want to make sure that it’s in a location that is also accessible to aid organizations to help distribute that food so that you want — you want to see, as best you can — and it may not be possible in Gaza — but, as best you can, a presence on the ground to help with the distribution so that — so that it — the drop itself doesn’t become a scene or a site of insecurity and instability, people rushing it and getting hurt in trying to get to it. 

And then, lastly, the big challenge is making sure that it’s physically in a — in a geographic location that is close to people that are — that are most in need. 

So, there’s an awful lot that goes into that.  And, of course, then, you know, there’s the whole air component of that — you know, the weather and the winds and the — you know, the — the need for the pilots and the aircraft to be safe as well. 

I mean, this is not — you know, this isn’t like an area of a humanitarian disaster such as an earthquake or — or a hurricane site.  This is a warzone.  So, there’s an added element of potential danger to the pilots and the aircraft.  And we have to factor that all in, too.

Q    Can you talk about the timing of the airdrops and why the U.S. hasn’t considered or hasn’t done one before now, given that this need for aid is not new?

MR. KIRBY:  We’ve been working on the idea for airdrops here for — for a little while — the idea of thinking about — through whether we need to do this. 

So — but, again, it’s not the kind of thing you want to just do in a heartbeat.  You want to think this — you want to think it through carefully.  And we’ve been doing that. 

But, certainly, the — the need is much more acute here in recent weeks.  And, again, we want to be — we want to answer that.

We had tried — and we still are trying — to get the ground movement increased.  And that’s another reason why we’re working so hard on this hostage deal, because it will give us some breathing space to increase that level of — of stuff on the ground.  But, obviously, it just hasn’t — we haven’t been able to — to meet the need. 

For all the work we’ve done to open up Kerem Shalom and work with the Israelis to increase the level, it just — it’s not meeting the need, and we recognize that.

Q    Thank you.

Q    How sustainable of an option does the President see these airdrops as — as being? 

And also, was there any communication between the President and Prime Minister Netanyahu before this announcement today?

MR. KIRBY:  I don’t have any conversations with the Prime Minister to — to speak to.  We obviously have been talking to our Israeli counterparts about this.  This is not going to come as a surprise to them that — that we’re considering doing this. 

In fact, they did one themselves a week or so ago.  And — and, certainly, we were — we were mindful of that.  They — they kept us informed.  So, no surprise to the Israelis that we’re doing this.

As for sustainability, we’ll have to see.  We’ll have to see how it goes. 

What I can tell you is that — in terms of how long, I can tell you that this first one coming in — in a few days will not be the last one.  It will be part of a larger, longer sustained effort to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance. 

I want to make another point, and that’s — it’s not just — you will see additional airdrops, but we’re also, as the President said, working on whether there can be a maritime component to this.  Is there a way to use shipping — maritime shipping and — you know, to try to get aid in from the coast as well as continuing our work to increase the flow on the ground?

I mean, the — the trucks are really — although it’s a — it’s a dangerous way to get aid in — and, tragically, we saw that yesterday — it’s also a very effective way of getting it in in scale.  Now, you can do that through — through the maritime effort, too, which is why we’re going to do that.

Q    Real quickly, did the maritime option start being considered after the Gaza attack?  Or has that been part of the discussion?

MR. KIRBY:  That’s been on the table before yesterday’s attack, yeah.

Q    Thanks, Admiral.  Can you just talk about the risks and how it actually works once — when it gets airdropped on the ground?  As you say, it’s very dense.  So, who takes the lead to actually distribute it, make sure it’s the right person?  Just, how does it work on the ground?

MR. KIRBY:  We’re working through all that, the — the modalities of that right now.  I mean, you want to make sure that, to the maximum degree possible, you’ve got aid organizations and partners on the ground that can help with the distribution — the collection of that and the distribution of that aid and — and to help us get it to the right people.  They’re the ones on the ground.  Whether it’s the U.N., whether it’s the World Food Program and others, they know where the needs are. 

Q    And can you talk about the size and scale of the impact here?  Is it equivalent to how many trucks — one airdrop, for instance?

MR. KIRBY:  I mean, look, on a — you know, one airdrop, which would be multiple pallets of — of material — you’re not just talking about, you know, one pallet, but you’ll have multiple pallets, depending on the size of the aircraft that we end up using and how much we drop — it can — can be, certainly, significant in terms of the size and scale and scope.  And the one advantage that it has over trucking is that it’s pretty quick.  I mean, it can — it c- — it can get to need, it can get to location pretty quickly. 

And as I said, we’ll try to do this in a sustainable way over time.  It will be a supplement to, not a replacement for, moving things in by ground.

Q    In terms of the maritime corridor, when do you think that could start?  And what are the key risks as you assess how to implement that?

MR. KIRBY:  Again, we’re at the early stages right now of working our way through this.  There — there’s going to be a security component to that.  You want to make sure if you do it that — same thing, that you’re getting the aid to people that need it and that the folks that are getting it ashore can be safe.  It is a warzone. 

And, you know, again, you’re talking about doing things in the maritime environment.  You know, weather and other external conditions — things you can’t control, obviously — play a — play a role. 

So, we’re still at the beginning stages of working through what that’s going to look like. 

We — we are in a much — we’re much further along in terms of the being able to execute airdrops than we are a maritime corridor.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Danny.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Thanks, Admiral.  You mentioned earlier that the — you’ve been working on the idea of airdrops for — for some time.  Were the tragic events in Gaza yesterday — did they help — did they, you know, encourage the President to accelerate that decision?  Did that sort of push him to — to push that decision forward?

MR. KIRBY:  Again, we were working on this idea now, again, for some time here, knowing that we weren’t meeting the need totally through convoys. 

I think what yesterday’s event underscores, and certainly underscored for the President, is the need to continue to find alternative routes and alternative means of getting humanitarian assistance in to — to Gazans.  It certainly underscores the importance of that. 

But again, I want to be clear: This isn’t about replacing trucks.  It’s not about replacing ground routes in.  It’s about supplementing those ground routes. 

And the last thing I’d say is it — it also underscored for the President how vitally it is — important it is for us to get this deal in place, this six-week ceasefire so that we can increase the aid. 

Q    But when did he make the decision?  He made the decision yesterday after — the final decision, did he make that yesterday after these events in Gaza? 

MR. KIRBY:  I don’t have an exact tick-tock of when he actually, you know, hit “Go.”  But in recent days, he certainly made it clear that he wanted to move forward in that direction.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Nandita.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  You spoke about U.S. asking Israel to investigate the events yesterday.  Just want to understand why the U.S. believes Israel can do a good job investigating itself.

MR. KIRBY:  Well, as I said in my opening statement, we do think that the indications are that they’re taking this seriously.  You saw them, I think, put out a — a statement from their IDF spokesman last night walking through their initial assessments of what happened.  So, as far as we understand it, they’re still looking at this. 

And there have been examples in the past where they have investigated incidents and have been very honest and upfront about mistakes they’ve made for — at the IDF level in the past, and not — not distant past, either. 

So, let’s see what they — what they come up with.  Let’s see what they learn.  And then — and then we’ll go from there.

Q    Is there a separate investigation that you have commissioned?  Or are you waiting for Israel to come up with it?

MR. KIRBY:  We’ve asked Israel to investigate. 

Q    And is there a timeframe that you’re hoping they will finish this investigation by?

MR. KIRBY:  We’re not — we’re not giving them a deadline.  I mean, obviously, we — we want to see as many answers as soon as possible because of the situation on the ground, because it’s so dire, because people are so desperate.  You know, we obviously want to make sure that appropriate steps are taken as soon as possible so that something like yesterday can’t happen again. 

Q    And the President said yesterday that, you know, he expects the — the events to disrupt the talks in Qatar.  Do you have any updates on how this could potentially impact those talks?  Are there any updates?

MR. KIRBY:  I think it’s too soon to know right now.  The — the talks are ongoing.  Negotiations are ongoing.  We still believe that — that they’re moving in the right direction.  But I think it’s too soon to know whether what happened yesterday is — is going to have a practical effect on it. 

I can tell you that we’re working very, very hard on this, as evidenced by the President’s phone call yesterday with the Emir of Qatar and the President of Egypt.  I mean, that should indicate to you just how hard we’re working on this.  And we’re still hopeful that we’ll be able to get there, hopefully, soon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    I think you’ve gotten at this a little, but can you just articulate why the U.S. cannot simply just send this aid in over ground into Gaza?  What — what are the holdups on the Israeli side by sending the trucks in?  Why — why does it have to be by air?

MR. KIRBY:  Well, Kevin, it doesn’t have to just be by air.  In fact, as I said earlier, we’re — the idea of airdrops is to supplement the delivery on the ground.  And even though you can pack an awful lot into a military aircraft, you can’t replicate the size and scale and scope of a convoy of 20 or 30 trucks.  I mean, it’s still the best way to get the maximum amount of assistance in over the shortest period of time. 

So, the airdrops would be a supplement to that.  And as we have said many times, the process that has been set up that the Israelis have been willing to work through is having an inspection regime of these trucks before they go into Gaza and recognize routes for how they’re going to get to people in need and routes that are informed by our aid partners on the ground.

Q    What leverage does the President have in convincing the Israelis to allow more trucks in?  And what levers is he willing to pull on that front?

MR. KIRBY:  This isn’t about pulling levers and — and trying to hold something over Prime Minister Netanyahu or the War Cabinet.  They have been willing to work with us on getting aid and assistance into — to Gaza. 

I want to be, as I said earlier, clear that it’s not been enough, not been — not been enough to the need, certainly not been enough for the speed that’s required.  We recognize that.  And that’s part of the conversations that we’ve been having with our Israeli counterparts. 

But we urged them, for instance, to open up Kerem Shalom as a second route.  They’ve done that. 

Now, has it been perfect?  No.  There’s been some protest activity in recent weeks that shut it down temporarily.  We worked our way through that.  There’s — there’s still a lot of hard work to do. 

The Israelis have tried airdrops themselves, and they’re supportive of our efforts to do the same.

Q    What about all the other crossings, though, in — in Israel, into Gaza?  Why aren’t they allowing aid through those places?

MR. KIRBY:  There’s other potential crossings — you’re right — into Gaza.  And, again, we continue to talk to the Israelis about the practicality of that.

Q    Thank you, John.  Was part of the consideration into moving into this airdrop plan and — and the maritime plan — I mean, there had been delays for ground shipments of flour just a couple of weeks ago, and Israel had been holding that up.  So, is part of this because Israel hasn’t been a reliable partner as much as the U.S. would like to see in terms of getting aid in?

 MR. KIRBY:  Part of this is very much because not enough aid is getting in and not enough people are getting the food, the water, the medicine, and the fuel that they need.  That’s what’s driving this. 

We are rec- — we recognize the situation is dire.  We recognize the need is great.  And it hasn’t been filled simply by the — the use of ground convoys.

Q    And is this a way to, kind of, get around the need for Israel to sort of go through these checkpoints when it’s on-the-ground convoys —

MR. KIRBY:  This is —

Q    — coming in?

MR. KIRBY:  This is a way to get more aid to more people quickly.

Q    And I know he said you don’t have an exact timeline.  But is there a plan for this aid to be dropped over the course of weeks?  Is it months?  What does that —

MR. KIRBY:  I would say, certainly, coming weeks.  I don’t want to — I can’t get too predictive right now.  We haven’t even done the first one.  I can assure you there won’t be just one.  This won’t be a one-and-done kind of thing.  There will be additional airdrops.  We will learn.  We will get better at them over time.  But I’d say, certainly, coming weeks.

Q    Thank you.  Will U.S. continue to supply weapons to Israel after what happened yesterday in Gaza?

MR. KIRBY:  We are still helping Israel with their needs to defend themselves.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Patsy.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  John, just a little bit of clarity on the maritime corridor that the President mentioned.  Is this the same kind of idea that was floated in Israel in December of having it come through Cyprus?

And, if I may ask the same questions that my colleagues have been trying to get to, did what happen in Gaza City yesterday reaffirm the President’s suspicion or frustration about the fact that Israelis cannot guarantee the delivery of aid to Palestinians and hastened his decision to airdrop?

MR. KIRBY:  So, on your first question, certainly, I think — well, the — the discussion that we’ve been having about a potential maritime option is — is informed by recent conversations about the potential use of Cyprus, for instance, as a potential way to maybe stage some of that. 

Again, I don’t want to get into too many specifics now.  The — this idea is still in its infancy.  And there’s a lot of work that has to be done.  So, I’m not guaranteeing you that, for instance, Cyprus would be used in any way. 

I’m just saying that the discussion we’re at now certainly was informed by previous discussions with partners in the region about what that could look like.  But, again, we’ve got a long way to go here, a lot of work on the maritime front to get this done. 

And as for your second question, again, the idea of airdrops is not a new one.  It’s something that we have floated in the interagency before yesterday. 

  Yesterday’s event, I think, underscores the need to find more creative ways of getting assistance in faster and at greater scale.  And we’re going to continue to do that. 

Again, I want to stress this — I know you’re getting tired of me saying this, but airdrops would supplement not replace ground movements.

Q    And can I — can I just add — continue on Gaza?  But on a separate note, I’ve been noting that administration officials have been repeating the line that Israel is a sovereign country and the U.S. does not dictate to them.  Matt Miller says this.  Olivia, I think, said this yesterday at the gaggle. 

So, help me understand here, because for the past couple of weeks, you’ve been telling us that you have been successful in affecting change in Israeli behavior.  You just mentioned it again in terms of opening of Kerem Salom [Shalom]. 

But I’m seeing a shift — and I don’t know if this is correct or not and if you can explain what’s behind the shift.  Is the administration trying to distance itself from what Israel is doing in terms of its conduct?  Or is it reflective of the pessimism of your inability to close the gap between what President Biden wants Prime Minister Netanyahu to do and what’s actually happening on the ground?  Can you explain if there is a shift?

MR. KIRBY:  I think maybe you’re reading a little bit more into what we’ve been saying.  Reiterating that Israel is a sovereign country is not — it’s not a shift at all.  It’s — it’s the truth.  When we — we don’t dictate terms to other sovereign countries. 

Israel is also a great friend and an ally.  And we — we can have conversations with them that, in some ways, you can’t have with other countries because you are friend and an ally, and you can be tough and you can be candid and you can be forthright with Israeli leaders.  And we — and we’re not afraid to do that.  

And, I mean — but, no, there’s no — there’s no shift here.  I mean, make no mistake, as I’ve said many times just today, not enough aid is getting in to people that need it.  It’s not happening fast enough.  It’s not having — happening in the quantity that — that we need.  And we’re — we’re trying to act to the need.  We’re trying to behave and change and be more creative to meet the desperate need of the people of Gaza.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Just a couple more.  Go ahead.

Q    Thanks, John.  You’ve laid out now, a couple of times, the practical challenges that will be part of this airdrop or these airdrops?  And I’m kind of curious about that, because those are risks that the United States now has to take on for itself, conducting those airdrops. 

The reason that those risks might fall to the United States is because Israel is starving those people.  So, why are we still so supportive of Israel when it is the one that is creating the problem that the United States now has to try to ameliorate?

MR. KIRBY:  Israel itself has tried to — to help with the delivery of humanitarian assistance.  As I said, they tried airdrops themselves just a week or so ago, on their own accord.  And we —

Q    So, why are so many people still starving?

MR. KIRBY:  We — there — it’s a — it’s a warzone.  And they — and there’s — there’s nowhere else for them to go.  It’s not like in some other con- — conflicts where they can — they can easily flee. 

And — and let’s not forget how this started.  Okay?  There’d be no need for airdrops if Hamas hadn’t chosen to break what was a ceasefire in place on the 6th of October.  So, let’s not forget how this — how this started. 

There is a need.  Many people are in desperate need of food, water, medicine, and fuel.  And the United States was and remains and will continue to be the leading provider of humanitarian assistance to them.  And we’ll — we take that responsibility seriously.

Q    But also remain — continue to be the main supporter of the people who are causing that assistance to be necessary.

MR. KIRBY:  We also know and recognize that Israel has a right to defend itself against a still-viable threat.  Again, please, if you haven’t done it, I encourage you to go online and read the 2017 manifesto of Hamas.  I know you’re smiling, but you should do it.  Because if you don’t have any —

Q    (Inaudible.)

MR. KIRBY:  Wait, let me finish.  Let me finish. 

This is an organization that has military capabilities and has every intent of wiping Israel and the Israeli people off the map.  That has to be unacceptable to everybody.  Mr. Sinwar chose to start this war.  There was a ceasefire in place; he broke it. 

Q    Do you think that the Israelis were defending themselves legitimately when they killed a hundred —

MR. KIRBY:  There have been —

Q    — people yesterday?

MR. KIRBY:  There have been too many people killed over the course of this conflict.  The President has said that himself.  Secretary Austin said it in testimony again yesterday.  Each civilian life — Palestinians certainly included in that — each one is a tragedy and should be avoided. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Sorry.  Thank you.  Last night, the IDF said they only fired warning shots into the crowd and the deaths — the majority of deaths was by trampling.  As of now, does the administration believe that assessment to be accurate?

MR. KIRBY:  We don’t have enough information to — to verify those comments.  That’s why I said we want to see an investigation.  We want to see more work done to figure out what happened.

Q    Admiral, the U.S. was one of several countries after the October 7th attack that cut funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, given reports in Israel suggesting that there were people there with ties to Hamas.  That obviously is the agency, really, that would be in a different situation responsible for bringing a lot of the humanitarian aid.

Is the administration rethinking cutting off funding for that organization at this point, given your assessment that not enough aid is — is getting in? 

MR. KIRBY:  No.  No.  The suspension of assistance to — to UNRWA, what was left unallocated, is still suspended.  There’s been no change in our policy on that.  And we’re working with other aid organizations, like the World Food Program, who are on the ground to assist with distribution as well. 

Look, you know, 13-some-odd thousand UNRWA employees on the ground in Gaza — the vast majority of them do great work, do it with good intent.  And as I said many times, you know, you don’t want to impugn the entire agency because of the potential actions of a few.

Now, they are investigating this.  We expect a full, thorough, credible, transparent investigation as to the — those employees that might have been involved in supporting Hamas and that those who were need to be held properly accountable. 

Q    It seems like not having them funded though and having to rely on other organizations, not having to resort to airdrops, that has complicated the situation. 

MR. KIRBY:  I would — I would —

Q    (Inaudible.)

MR. KIRBY:  — remind, as I said earlier, that the unallocated funds for UNRWA that we suspended were actually not intended for Gaza.  They had been earmarked for work in Jordan. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  Just a couple more.  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  I’ve got two questions.  First, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is threatening to hold Secretary Blinken in contempt if the State Department does not hand over material concerning the Afghanistan act- — After Action reports, specifically some internal notes.  What is the White House’s response to that contempt threat?

And then, how — did the White House ever direct the State Department to hold off on releasing those documents?

MR. KIRBY:  I’m going to refer you to the State Department on that.

Q    So, the — the committee says that in their interactions with the State Department, the State Department referred them to a White House lawyer.  So, can you tell us —

MR. KIRBY:  Again, you need to talk to the State Department about that.

Q    All right.  And a follow-up about Gaza.  You mentioned a second ago that the ceasefire was broken when Hamas attacked Israel.  Are you suggesting that Hamas bears ultimate responsibility for the current and ongoing humanitarian crisis there?

     MR. KIRBY:  The — the war that they’re in right now was started by Mr. Sinwar.  He’s the one who chose to break a ceasefire that was in place on the 6th of October. 

Now, obviously, in the — (a cellphone rings) — you got — you going to get that? 

Q    That’s not me.

MR. KIRBY:  Okay.  Obviously, in the conduct of this war — and we’ve been very honest about this too — that there have been too many innocent people killed through Israeli Defense Force operations in Gaza.  We’ve been very honest about that.  We want to see zero. 

So, certainly, we recognize that the prosecution of efforts against Hamas have caused civilian damage, civilian casualties.  And we don’t want to see anybody else hurt.  And that’s why we continue to work with our Israeli counterparts to be as careful and discriminate as possible. 

Q    Thank you, sir. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Oh, thank you.  So, I have a question regarding (inaudible) on ECOWAS.  Do you (inaudible) with the ECOWAS — he recently lifted sanction (inaudible).  And I wanted to find out whether you agree with that.  (Inaudible) talk to the president — President Bazoum of Niger.

MR. KIRBY:  Ma’am, you’re going have to let me take that question, if you don’t mind.  I’m not prepared to answer that one.  And I owe you an answer, and I’ll get you one. 

Q    Okay.  Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  We got to wrap it up.  Go ahead.

Q    Admiral, there was a pretty scathing report out this morning from the State Department IG’s office about a U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, Jonathan Kaplan.  It alleged, among other things, that he had poor relationships with local officials that were undercutting U.S. strategy there, he had poor relationships with staff, and that he ran afoul of some finance and other rules.  I’m wondering if you can state whether the President still has confidence in the Ambassador and if he shares any concerns about how his performance has hobbled U.S. efforts in the region.

MR. KIRBY:  The President understands that the State Department is taking this IG report seriously.  As far as we understand it, they’ve already started to implement many of the recommendations that the — that the IG has put forward.

Obviously, the President always wants his representatives overseas or at home to — to act and to lead and to manage people with — with dignity and respect.  That’s — that’s his expectation for — for all of us.  But — but he’s — he’s comfortable that the State Department is taking this seriously. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Thank you so much, Admiral. 

MR. KIRBY:  Thank you.  Appreciate it.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Have a great weekend.

Q    John, can we get quick comment on the Russian
nuclear threat?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thanks.  All right, go ahead.

Q    Just one quick one.  Could I have the White House’s reaction to the CDC deciding to drop the five-day isolation guidance on COVID?  Just your reaction to that and also how that may or may not affect protocol here at the White House.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, as far as protocol here, I don’t have any update for you at this time.  We’ll certainly have more to come soon. 

What I do want to say is that this announcement actually reflects the progress that we’ve made under this administration over the past three years to protect communities against COVID.  And it’s not by accident.  It is because of the policy that this President has put forth. 

Because when the President walked into this adminis- — into this administration, understanding COVID was obviously one of the crises that we had to deal with, he took action and put forth a comprehensive strategy to move forward; passed the American Rescue Plan that only Democrats voted for — not one Republican voted for — and it got to get the economy back on track, open up schools; and also make sure that we had a comprehensive strategy in making sure Americans got shots in arms, making sure they wore masks when we needed them, giving — giving the — the Americans the opportunity to actually deal with this pandemic. 

So, now we’re coming out of this pandemic.  Things have changed.  We are in a different place, which is good, right?  We are in a different place than we were when — obviously, when we walked — walked into this — into this adminis- — administration.  COVID no longer controls our lives, right? 

But we still have to use proven tools that protect people against rep- — respiratory viruses.  And that’s what the CDC guidance actually tells us.

As it relates to here and the White House and this campus, we’ll have more soon.  I just don’t have anything for you today. 

Go ahead.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  In his speech yesterday, the President actually extended an olive branch, inviting Trump to work with him to try and get that border deal through Congress.  Why did the President decide to do that?  Does he believe that Trump could be a trusted partner in this situation?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, you know this President.  If you watch this President very closely the last three years — shoot, if you’ve watched him his entire career, he believes in going across the aisle and working in a bipartisan way. 

And when Republicans decide to do that, when they come and work with us, we actually have gotten some really big things done on behalf of the American people.  Think about the CHIPS Act, right?  Think about the PACT Act that helps veterans and their family.  You think about the bipartisan infrastructure legislation. 

There have been things during this administration that have been historic and will change Americans’ lives that we have been able to do in a bipartisan way.

Let’s think about the gun violence: the first piece of gun violence legislation that was done in a bipartisan way.  We hadn’t seen that in 30 years.

So, look, the President — it’s not about politics for him.  I think when he put out the olive branch yesterday, as you just stated, at the end of his speech, it was to show this wasn’t about politics.  This is about the American people. 

And what we continue to see is Republicans not doing that.  They keep letting politics get in the way. 

So, the President, as he does many times, when he wants to work on behalf of the American people, he wants to see it d- — see it done in a bipartisan way.  And not just him — we’ve learned and we’ve seen that that’s what the American public wants to see as well.

Q    Is there anything you can share about what he learned from his visit in Texas yesterday and how it might inform potential executive action he’d take?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, look, as far as executive action, I’ve been very clear about that from here, from this podium, when you all have asked me.  We always, obviously, look at every — every scenario, every option.  We evaluate all of those things. 

But we do believe — which is why the President went to the border, to Brownsville, Texas, yesterday — that the way to move forward — the bottom line is we need to take action and — and move forward with the bipartisan agreement that came out of the Senate.  That is the way that we believe we can actually deal with what — the challenges at the border, we can deal with the broken immigration system. 

There is no executive action that will — that would do — would be able to do what this — what this negotiation came out in a bipartisan way. 

Look, what he was able to see — first of all, he was a- — eager to hear from — from the folks on the ground who deal with this every day.  As you know, the mayor of Brownsvil- — Brownsville is Republican himself and has to deal with this as well in his community.  And — and he wanted to — to see, you know, how — ho- — what’s going — what happens on the ground.  He also wants to see — continue to see that while we’re moving forward, it d- — it’s done in a fairly, humane way — right? — in a fair and humane way.  And that’s one of the reasons that he went down there. 

And he wanted to — he wanted to see what — what are the officials on the ground had to — had to say.  And it was clear to him that they desperately need resources.  They need more to do their jobs, to be able to do it in a fair and humane way.  They need more to be able to do their jobs and not see Republicans get in the way and continue to vote against what we’re asking for — more resources — and not actually do the job and actually protect Americans and deal with a broken immigration system. 

So, he saw that for himself.  He saw that they need more resources.  And he’s going to continue to be really steadfast and ver- — speak very clearly to the American people about what’s happening and why we are not able to get this bipartisan deal that came out of the Senate done because Republicans continue to reject it. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Oh, thanks, Karine. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, Z- — oh, go ahead.

Q    Oh, sorry.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’ll — I’ll get you.  I’ll get you, Zolan.

Go ahead.

Q    Just a quick question on mifepristone.  CVS and Walgreen ha- — Walgreens have started — are expected to start selling the pill in several states this month.  And we understand the President, of course, has encouraged all — a lot of other pharmacies to follow suit.  Are there any other retail pharmacies that have expressed interest since the White House, you know, released that?  Do you have any update on that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I will let pharmacies decide on their own.  Obviously, they can apply for certification.  We encourage them to afl- — apply for certification.  So, I don’t have any additional list to — to share with you.   

But obviously, this administration has a strong record on partnering with pharmacies on a range of issues.  And we’re going to continue to support pharmacies. 

And if they are interested in certainly — in that certification — and that’s what we want to see.  We want to make sure — the reason why this happened is because this administration has been committed and making sure that women have the ability and the right to make a decision — right? — the ability and the right to get what they need as they’re trying to figure out what is necessary for them.

I mean, it is their decision, right?  These are personal decisions that women have to make, and they should be able to have access to this.  And so, that —

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — has been our priority since the — since Dobbs decision almost two years ago. 

Q    And these pills are not available by mail yet.  Is that sort of the logical next step here?  Is that what the White House or the administration, you know, try to facilitate?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I don’t — look, I don’t want to get ahead of what could be potentially next.  I think this is a big deal, right? This is a big deal when you have these two major pharmacies that are — are now able to move forward. 

We’re going to let other pharmacies decide if they want to move with the forward certification.  We’re going to work very closely with these pharmacies and partner with them.  But I just don’t have anything else on — as to the next steps.

Q    And I have one follow-up on the President’s trip to the border yesterday.  We understand that a lot of migrants fly to Mexico and then cross the border.  And we don’t know if that was on, you know, that particular — discussing that particular topic was on the President’s agenda.  I mean, you know, was anything discussed on whether Mexico should be vetting more of these migrants or, you know, any discussions yesterday dur- — on this topic during the President’s visit?

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, as you know, we’ve had continued diplomatic conversations with Mexico and other — other countries in the region.  Right?  This is not just about — this is not just about the United States.  This is about — this is a regional situation, an issue that we have dealt with for the past three years, actually, under this administration, trying to do it in a diplomatic way. 

I don’t have anything else new to share.  We are — we talk to the government of Mexico pretty regularly.  We — you’ve seen our — some of our officials here, whether from NSC or just from the White House, who have gone down to Mexico and — and met with the Mexican president on trying to figure out how do we deal with the migration issue. 

And I think the most important thing to take out from the President’s trip is that he wanted to make it very clear to the American people: There is actually a piece of paper — right? — a negotiation, a proposal out there that was done in a bipartisan way, supported by the Border Patrol union, supported by U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and others that you don’t normally see. 

And we have a bipartisan deal that came out of the Senate.  Republicans listened to the former President, and they have rejected it.  They put politics in front of actually getting a solution for the American people. 

That’s kind of where we are.  He’s going to continue to make that really clear and push — and push to make sure that the American people know this. 

Q    Can you give us an update on the President’s State of the Union prep?  I know he’s up at Camp David for a while this weekend.  Is he bringing a team with him up there?  Do you know if he’s enlisted any outside writers to help him on it?  What’s — where does that sort of stand?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, certainly, we’ll — we’ll have more to share, more color to — to provide on the President’s preparation for the State of the Union. 

What I can say is what the President is — wants to do and what you will hear during the State of the Union is that he’ll lay out his historic achievements over the past three years and what he’s been able to do on behalf of the American people.  You’re hearing him talk about how he is on the side of the American people.  That’s important. 

The President has done more in three years in this administration than most president has done in two terms.  I mean, that is what we’ve seen: historic legislation after historic legislation, whether it’s done in a bipartisan way, or whether only Democrats voted for it.  That’s what this President has been able to do. 

And now, you know, he’s going to also talk about how we want to protect and implement those pieces of legislation, whether it’s the infra- — Inflation Reduction Act or the CHIPS and Science Act, we have to implement that so the American people can see the work that’s been done out of Washington, D.C. — again, whether it’s a bipartisan fashion or just Democrats voting for it. 

And so, you know, he’s going to talk about lowering costs, lowering healthcare costs in particular; making sure that we’re saving our democracy; protecting women’s rights, as I’ve been talking about; uniting the country.  Those are the things that the President is going to put at the forefront, certainly, of his — of his message to the American people next week.

And so, we’re — I would say stay tuned.  Stay tuned for more.

Q    And last year’s speech had sort of an unusual amount of audience interaction.  (Laughter.)  How much of that is going into the planning this year? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, that was — I mean, I think what you should take out of what happened last year is as — we were not expecting that.  The President was not expecting audience interaction, as you just stated.  (Laughter.) 

And you saw the President was pretty sharp in — in responding back to those Republicans in front of him and — and — and making them promise something that they didn’t think they would promise on protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. 

And I think it was a moment that the American people really, truly appreciated. 

I can’t — I can’t speak to — I can’t speak to what Republicans are going to do this year.  I can tell you that the President is ready.  He’s ready to take that moment, to talk about the state of the Union, to lay out his future vision of how he sees this next year and beyond, and what is it that he wants to get done and continue to build on historic accomplishments.  And I think that’s going to be really important to see. 

Go ahead, Zolan.

Q    Thank you.  So, yesterday at the border, the President once again called for legislative action at the border.  A month ago, he — he repeated that, but he also said that he was willing to take action himself.  Is the administration — could we expect to see him take action by himself, whether that be executive actions or an executive order?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, I kind of just answered this a moment ago.  Look, we’re — we always evaluate options.  We are.  We’re going to evaluate options.  That is something that we — we’re going to do here.  As we’ve done with any big issue that has come in front of the President, we evaluate all options.

We have not made any decisions yet.  That is kind of where we are — and — and about any additional actions, to your point, executive actions. 

But ultimately, what we believe the bottom line is: No — no executive action, no matter how aggressive it is, is going to do what came out of the Senate in a bipartisan way that the President worked with those members for — you know, for a couple of months. 

Q    What are the factors that the White House is weighing here?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    I’ve — I understand if there’s a preference for legislative action.  The Homeland Security Secretary was saying that’s less likely to run into legal — legal trouble.  But, I guess, what does — if that — if it’s the preference for legislative action, what tells the White House that there’s any chance that this bipartisan bill actually has a chance of passing at this point?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, we’ve been here before, right?  We’ve been here — and what I mean by that is there — there have been some bipartisan bills that have come out of this adminis- — come out of this — under this presidency — right? — in the past three years, where people thought it was dead and it wasn’t going anywhere, and it move forward.  Right? 

And so, the President has to be optimistic.  He has to lay down what’s at stake.  He has to call out Republicans and say to them, “Hey, you want to fix this?  This is a bipartisan bill that actually lays out ways to fix the challenges at the border and this immigration system.”  And he’s going to continue to do that. 

But the reality is — and you said — you said it yourself: The Secretary said that, you know, this is the way — legislation is the best way to go so that we don’t have to deal with the courts — right? — making this into law a piece of legislation that would be tough, that would be fair, that would do this in a way that moves it forward in dealing with the challenges at the border. 

And so, look, we’re always going to evaluate the options. We are.  But the reality is the way to actually deal with the challenges at the border, to actually move forward with what we’re seeing with this immigration — this broken immigration system that’s been — that we’ve been seeing for the past couple of decades, is to move forward with this bipartisan legislation.

Q    But you don’t think we get an announcement of anything before State of the Union?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I — what I’m saying to you is no decision has been made.  We are continuing to be very loud and clear.  The President, I thought, was very — very clear about that, very strong about that.  He — he went to Brownsville not — with other elected officials who were on the other side of the aisle, if you will.  And he saw for himself what was going on on the ground.  And he saw that more resources needed to be provided, and he spoke to the American people about this. 

So, you know, I think that this is something that Republicans really need to understand.  There is a deal.  There is a bipartisan deal.  They can’t listen — and they omitted [admitted] this — right?  They — they’re listening to the former President.  They’re listening to Donald Trump, who is trying to do things for himself.  It’s politics for himself, not about the American people. 

And what you saw from this President yesterday is how he’s putting the American people first.  And that’s what you’re going to see at the State of the Union as well next Thursday.

Go ahead.

Q    Thanks.  You talked about IVF at the top of the briefing.  But announcing the VP’s trip to Selma this weekend, the White House said she would encourage Americans to continue to fight for fundamental freedoms under attack throughout the country.  Will she specifically talk about the IVF ruling in Alabama and talk about reproductive rights during her remarks there?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I don’t have anything to share at this time on what the Vice President is going to speak to.  But what I can say, and you all have seen this — that she’s going to continue — continue to speak out against these continued attacks on reproductive freedom, as she has done for the past several — this past two, three years throughout this administration — obviously since the Dobbs decision. 

And he’s — she’s been on tour, right?  She’s been on tour talking about reproductive rights and how important it is to protect — to protect that.  She’s been to Wisconsin, Georgia, California, Michigan.  And so, she’s going to continue to do that. 

I’m not going to get ahead of what — her remarks and what she’s going to say in Alabama this weekend.

Go ahead, Weijia.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Given the uncertainty around when and if the House will take up the national security supplemental, can you talk about the President’s level-setting today with Prime Minister Meloni?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, we — Prime Minister Meloni has been, certainly, a partner in — as it relates to the war in Ukraine — obviously, that was started by the — by Mr. Putin.  And she has been a great partner.  So, that — obviously, that’s part of the agenda and having that conversation. 

I mean, what you’re asking me is a really good question, right?  I think our role in this and how we move forward — everyone is watching.  Everyone is watching how the U.S. is going to move forward as it relates to the national security supplemental.  Are we going to continue to provide the assistance that we have for Ukraine as they are bravely fighting for the democracy?  The world is watching. 

And that’s what House Republicans need to understand.  We were able to do it 70 to 29, getting that national security supplemental out of the Senate.  Now, all Speaker Johnson has to do is put it on the floor. 

We know that there is overwhelming bipartisan support for it.  We’ve heard from Republicans in the House say that. 

And it is — I mean, it is true that the world is watching what we’re doing.  And we’ve got to continue to be a leader on this.  The President has been a leader as it relates to what’s happening in Ukraine and making sure that they have the assistance and the security assistance to — to fight — fight for their freedom. 

And so, that is something that we do have to deal with when we meet with these leaders.  Like, you know, we have to be — they — they’re seeing what happened.  And so, Congress needs to take action.  Lives are at stake here.

Q    I’m just asking if the President is being blunt and saying, like, “Hey, it’s not looking good.”

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, I’m not going to get into specifics of — of their private conversation.  But I don’t even think that the President needs to say that, right?  I mean, the Prime Minister sees for herself, I’m sure, what is happening.  And they’re going to have an honest conversation. 

The President is good about having honest conversation with his counterparts across — obviously, in other countries.  So, they’ll have an honest conversation.  They’ll discuss that.  Not going to get into private specifics about that. 

But this is for — House Republicans need to understand: The world is watching how we’re — what we’re doing here, how we’re moving.  What are we going to do to — to really assist Ukraine?

And it’s not just about Ukraine and Israel and Indo-Pacific and, obviously, the all-important humanitarian aid that has to get into Gaza.  All of that is also connected to our own national security.  And we have to put the — Americans’ national security first. 

And right now, they’re not doing that.  They’re picking politics.  And so, that is something that they need to understand.

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    So, yesterday, the administration nominated Marty Walsh to the Board of Governors for the Postal Service.  Democratic and Republican members of Congress have been complaining about issues of the Postal O- — Postal Service now for a couple of years. 

Does the White House think there needs to be a change in leadership?  Are you satisfied with the job that Postmaster General DeJoy is doing?  Do you think there need to be changes in — in how the Postal Service is operating?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, I don’t have anything specific to share about that. 

But I can say, look, Marty Walsh is someone who served in this administration as Secretary of Labor.  The President was — you know, the President was proud of — of the work that Marty was able to get done.  And he is — he is certainly thrilled to — to nominate him in this new role. 

And, look, the President always wants to make sure that every agency, every department in this — in this — in this administration — obviously, in the federal government operates at its — at its best capacity — right? — at full capacity. 

And so, that’s what we want to see.  And it’s not about us.  It’s about the American people. 

Go ahead, Jacqui.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Is the administration coming around to the idea that physical border barriers work? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Can you say more?  Where is this — what do you mean?  Where’s this coming from?

Q    Well, it’s been six weeks since you guys won the Supreme Court case that would have allowed you to remove razor wire at the Texas border that you guys argued was — there’s an emergency, immediate need to take down.  But it’s still up.  So, DHS hasn’t touched it.  Why is it still up?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, you have to — to speak to the Department of — of DHS, obviously.  I just don’t have anything for you on that. 

We were very clear about what we thought about those wires.  Obviously, DOJ took action.  I just don’t have anything on timeline on those coming down.  I’m sure they’ll have more for you on that. 

Q    And the President said at the border yesterday that it’s long past time to act.  Heard all of your previous answers on, you know, executive orders.  But the President took 94 or so executive actions in his first 100 days that largely loosened immigration policy.  One of those was narrowing who ICE could remove.  And the administration, as of yesterday, I believe, is now calling on sanctuary cities to cooperate with ICE. 

So, why doesn’t the President act like he said it’s time to do and start undoing some of those policies that he put in place right when he got into office?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I think a couple of things.  On — since day one, the President took action.  He did.  He put forth a comprehensive immigration policy.  And he read — he did that because he understood what was happening — right? — he understood that the immigration system was broken.  He understood that we needed to take action.  And he did — three years. 

And during those three years, Republicans got in the way.  Anything — any resources — any additional resources that we asked for, they voted down.  They didn’t want to move forward with it. 

And so, the President tried to do the best that he can with what he was able to get.  And, you know, we get to a point at the end of the year where we start negotiating with Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, we come up with a piece of — piece of legislation, a proposal that is supported by the Department of — pardon me — the Border Patrol — right? — union, that’s supported by U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

I mean, we took action.  We have taken action over and over and over again, and Republicans reject it.

Q    It’s a comprehensive immigration —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  They get in the way —

Q    — overhaul versus narrow action that he could take to secure the border, improve the situation that we’re seeing ravaging communities.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  But we — we took action at the end of this — at the end of last year, worked with Republicans in the Senate, Democrats in the Senate, came up with a bipartisan agreement that would actually make a difference.  I mean, it’s Congress’s job to legislate.  It is their job to legislate.

Q    But you were never afraid of legal challenges with things like student loans. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  But here’s the thing —

Q    I mean —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Here’s the thing.  We take —

Q    — you’ve used executive orders —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We — we have —

Q    — when you wanted to.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — taken action over the last three years on the border.  We’ve taken policy action.  We have taken action.  The President has.

Now we need to get it into a place where we can actually make a real difference on the border challenges that we’re seeing.  And we did. 

I mean, we — this is — this is Republicans getting in the way because of what they were told by the former President.  That’s shameful.  It is.  You know, it’s — we’re talking about the American people — getting things done for the American people.  Majority of Americans care about this issue.  They care. 

So, the President worked across the aisle to get a — get a piece of — a proposal done that was negotiated in a bipartisan way that’s getting support from organizations that you would never dream would support —

Q    But in the meantime, while he’s shaming people for not acting, he is also not acting. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I am so sorry.  That is so false.  He has taken action.  He has taken action.  Republicans rejected it because of the last president.  That is not is — what is going on here.  It isn’t. 

I mean, they told on themselves.  Republicans told on themselves and said that the former President told them to not move forward with the bipartisan Border Patrol deal. 

Q    So, are you saying that there isn’t —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  They told on themselves.

Q    — executive action he can take?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’re saying that the best act — the best way to move forward is legislation.  That’s with any issue.  The best way to move forward is legislation.  Put that into law.  And we have a bipartisan agreement that would do that. 

By the way, the bipartisan agreement, that border — border — border deal has provisions in there that these House Republicans want — these congressional Republicans have been asking for for years.  So, what’s the problem?  What’s the problem?  Is it politics or is it the American people?  That’s for them to answer.

Go ahead.

Q    Karine, I just wanted to check in if the White House was tracking the troubles at New York Community Bancorp and if there were any concerns.  Given that it’s a big commercial real estate lender, is there any concerns about the broader commercial real estate market or community banking?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I’m going to be careful.  And we — we are very mindful here.  We don’t comment on — on — in every individual situation or institution, obviously.  But Treasury and regulators monitor the banking sector.  But broadly speaking, the banking system remains sound and resilient with substantial liquidity, including among regional banks. 

So, just going to be super mindful.  It’s being monitored, obviously, by — by Treasury and regulators. 

All right, I know I have to start wrapping it up. 

Q    In the back.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Jared.  I know I meant to call on you before. 

Q    I know that the President signed a CR today to prevent —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, he did.

Q    — the shutdown this weekend.  What’s his level of confidence after the meeting he had with the Big Four earlier this week that this might be the last CR he has to sign for some time?  Does he think that there really is a bipartisan agreement here to lock in these appropriations bills? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, the bipartisan agreement obviously prevents a shutdown.  But it is a — it is a — as you call it, a short-term fix, not a — not a long-term solution.  It is not a long-term solution. 

And so, Congress needs to do its job.  We’re going to continue to say that.  It is the basic duty that they have is to keep the government open.  They have to do this. 

And let’s not forget: They have to move in a — in — on the bipartisan nat- — national security supplemental.  Obviously, it was passed in a bipartisan way out of the Senate.  Just needs to go to the floor, and it’ll get bipartisan support — overwhelming bipartisan support.  And we got to do that. 

And — and, as you know, as I just stated, it is vitally important to Ukraine.  So, we’ve got to get that done. 

And so, look, we’re going to continue to say that the House has to do its job.  They have to move forward in keeping the government open.  It’s their basic duty.  It’s not difficult.  It is not difficult. 

I’m glad — obviously, we’re glad — you said the President signed the CR — and we’re glad to see that — to prevent a shutdown.  But it is a short-term fix.  And we need a long-term solution. The — the American people deserve this.

Q    But that meeting this week was really focused on finding that long-term solution, right?  It was on — on —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, it was also —

Q    — sort of the — the full-year appropriations.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I told — yes, that’s what we want to see. 

Q    Yeah.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  But they also — it was also about preventing a shutdown, which we were able to see, which is good, right?  It is good that the government is not shutting down t- — today.  It is good, right?  That is important for the American people. 

But we need to find a long-term solution.  That’s what we need to find. 

All right, in the back.  Way in the back.  Go ahead, Haisten.

Q    Thanks.  One immigration question.  Immigration has definitely risen since Biden took office, even without legislation being passed.  It’s much higher now than it was five years ago.  So, why is that if it’s not because of Biden executive actions that he took when he got into office?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, that’s why it’s so important to get this bipartisan deal that came out of the Senate done.  We understand that there’s challenges at the border.  We understand that the immigration system is broken.  It’s been broken for decades.  It was broken under the last administration.  We want to get this done. 

But I will say, since May of last year, DHS has removed or returned more than 565,000 individuals, and the vast majority of whom crossed the southern border.  So, you know, 565,000 removals and return is more than every full fiscal year since 2013.  So, that has been happening.  DHS has been doing everything that it’s ca- — it can to get that done. 

But we need to do more, which is why the President worked with the Senate in a bipartisan way.  We’ve got to see — we’ve got to see that bipartisan border — border deal move forward.

Q    Thanks.  And one more on a different topic.  ABC is reporting that the President’s aides are working to minimize disruptions from pro-Palestinian protests: making events smaller and withholding their locations until he arrives.  Do you have any reaction to that report?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I —

Q    And how do you — how do you guys vet —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I have not seen that report.  I would just refer you to Secret Service on that one. 

Go ahead, go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  A federal judge ruled against AstraZeneca in its lawsuit challenging the drug-pricing program.  Do you have a response?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have a response to that.

Q    And drugmakers are expected to answer by today on if they agree or disagree with Medicare’s initial offer on your drug-pricing program.  Have you received any responses from companies yet or have any update on how that’s going?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, here’s what I’ll say.  One of the important provisions that came out of the Inflation Reduction Act was the fact that Medicare was able to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies, getting to a place where we can actually lower costs for the American people dr- — obviously, on drugs — pharmaceutical drugs.  And that’s incredibly important.  And so, that’s what we’re going to see. 

We — the President wants to continue to — to make sure that we lower costs on these drugs — on these important pharmaceutical drugs for the American people.  That’s why he moved forward to do this.  Many, many elected officials for decades tried to do it and couldn’t do it.  And the President beat Big Pharma. 

I’m not going to get into any pharmaceutical companies. 

But I’ll get in — what I wanted to say, obviously, was how important it was for — to get that Inflation Reduction Act done, how important it is now for Medicare to be able to negotiate and help out millions of Americans across the country who pay just too much — too much for drugs — the pharmaceutical drugs here that are much cheaper in another country.  That shouldn’t be.  That shouldn’t be who we are as a country.  And so, the President obviously wants to see us continue — Medicare continue to lower some of these costs. 

Q    And someone asked about mifepristone and CVS and Walgreens, and you had implied — or not implied — suggested that you worked with pharmacies on — or were encouraging —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Their certification?

Q    — pharm- — pharmacies to apply for the certification, excuse me.  Can you talk about what that looked like with CVS and Walgreens and what the collaboration (inaudible) there was between the administration and those two companies?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, a couple of things back in. 

Back in — a year ago, January 2023, FDA took independent and evidence-based action to establish conditions under which pharmacies could choose to become certified to dispense mifepristone.  So, that’s how it all started. 

Several pharmacies had already been certified to dispense mifepristone, but today’s news confirms that some major national pharmacy chains have com- — have completed that process with drug sponsors and can — can begin dispensing mifepristone for the first time.  So, we expect certification effort to continue through the drug sponsors. 

And so, that’s how it works.  You’ve got to get the certification.  We work in partnership with pharmacies.  We want to encourage them to get that certification.  And that’s kind of how the process started over a year ago.

All right, guys.  Have a great, great weekend.  See you all next week. 

Q    Thank you.

3:49 P.M. EST

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When President Biden came into office, he promised to fight to lower health care costs for American families. By passing the Inflation Reduction Act, the President and Congressional Democrats finally allowed Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for seniors – while every single Republican in Congress voted against it.
 
Big Pharma and their allies have filed lawsuits all around the country to try to block Medicare from getting the best deal for American seniors. Today, a district court in Delaware rejected their efforts. This represents the third district court to side with the Administration in cases challenging the President’s prescription drug law, and is the first case to be fully decided on the merits.
 
While Big Pharma continues to use the courts to try to thwart lower prices for consumers, today’s win is an important victory. The President will never stop fighting to lower drug costs for the American people. 
 

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Yesterday, Interior Secretary Haaland, Small Business Administrator Guzman, Commerce Deputy Secretary Graves, U.S. Treasurer Malerba, and Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu, and USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Farah Ahmad convened a roundtable on increasing Tribal access to capital at the White House. The conversation included leaders from financial, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors to discuss innovative approaches to expand economic development and investment in Tribal communities across the country.

The Biden-Harris Administration has made strengthening the self-determination and economic vitality of Tribal Nations and Native people a key priority. Last December, President Biden signed a historic Executive Order urging federal agencies to make their funding streams and programs fully accessible to Tribal communities. These commitments create long-overdue opportunities to advance Tribal self-determination––and positively impact the lives of Tribal citizens for generations to come.

Senior Administration officials outlined their commitments to and strategies for reducing barriers to accessing capital, building on the current system of Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and improving economic development in Tribal communities. Secretary Haaland emphasized the importance of both public-private partnerships and interagency collaboration in expanding capital access, driving long-term economic growth, and robustly supporting Tribal sovereignty and self-determination. She issued a challenge to the philanthropic sector to commit 10% of total giving to projects in Indian Country and invited banks and financial institutions to bring increased financing to Tribal communities. Leaders from the financial and philanthropic sectors affirmed the unique opportunity to catalyze inclusive investments alongside the federal government to leverage the unprecedented levels of public investment in Tribal Nations.

Hosting partners Native Americans in Philanthropy, Hyphen, and Mission Driven Finance announced the establishment of two public-private partnerships:

• The Tribal Community Vision Fund (Vision Fund), a national multi-year initiative to expand capital access to promote self-determination and sustainable economic and community development in Indian Country. The Vision Fund seeks to raise and deploy $1.2 billion in private and philanthropic investments––in the form of grants, PRIs, MRIs, equity, and debt capital––to leverage historic levels of federal funding.

• The Indigenous Futures Fund, which seeks to accelerate the flow of the State Small Business Credit Initiative capital to Native entrepreneurs and enterprises. The Fund seeks to raise $2 million in grants and $25 million in investment capital to address the immediate needs and opportunities of Native businesses, as well as support the long-term capacity of financial intermediaries working in Indian Country, particularly Native CDFIs.

Philanthropic and financial institution attendees included:
Amalgamated Bank
Bezos Earth Fund
Bush Foundation
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Christensen Fund
Doris Duke Foundation
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Goldman Sachs
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
KeyBank
Marguerite Casey Foundation
Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
McKnight Foundation
Nathan Cummings Foundation
Northwest Area Foundation
Rasmuson Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Skoll Foundation
Spring Point Partners
Surdna Foundation
Wells Fargo

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. welcomed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy to the White House today to continue their close coordination on shared priorities.  The leaders exchanged views on Italy’s objectives under its G7 presidency, including abiding support for Ukraine, sustainable development, food and energy security, migration, as well as cooperation on artificial intelligence and continued joint efforts in support of the Partnership on Global Infrastructure and Investment. President Biden and Prime Minister Meloni reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine as it fights against Russian aggression.  The President commended Prime Minister Meloni’s leadership role in the G7 and European Union to bolster support for Ukraine, and Prime Minister Meloni emphasized the significance of sustained U.S. support for Ukraine.  The leaders discussed developments in the Middle East, including the importance of preventing regional escalation.  They reaffirmed their commitment to Israel’s right to self-defense consistent with international law and underscored the urgent need to increase deliveries of life-saving humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza.  President Biden and Prime Minister Meloni discussed the upcoming G7 Leaders’ Summit in Puglia and NATO Summit in Washington, underscoring the vitality of the transatlantic relationship and its centrality to addressing global challenges.

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Oval Office

2:01 P.M. EST

PRESIDENT BIDEN: Well, Prime Minister Meloni, thank you for being here again. And I have to admit to you, as she walked in the door — we’re good friends — and I played Ray Charles’s “Georgia” as she walked in the door. Now, most of you don’t know Ray Charles’s “Georgia,” but anyway.

Look, Italy and the United States are strong allies and really close friends. And as you said when we first met here in the Oval, Giorgia, that we have each other’s backs. And we do. And you’ve demonstrated that from the moment you took office.

And we also have Ukraine’s back. That’s why I’m urging the House of Representatives to pass the legislation that allows us to, in a bipartisan way, continue to support Ukraine now. They need the security bill now. And the bill includes funding for Ukraine so we can help keep Putin from — his onslaught from succeeding in Ukraine.

And I want to thank you, Giorgia, for Italy’s unwavering support for Ukraine and your leadership at the G7 this year.

Today, also, we’re going to discuss the Middle East and yesterday’s tragic and alarming event in North Gaza trying to get humanitarian assistance in there. And the loss of life is heartbreaking. People are so desperate that innocent people got caught in terrible war, unable to feed their families. And you saw the response when they tried to get aid in.

And we need to do more, and the United States will do more. In the coming days, we’re going to join with our friends in Jordan and others in providing airdrops of — of additional food and supplies into Ukraine [Gaza] and seek to continue to open up other avenues into Ukraine [Gaza], including the possibility of a marine corridor to deliver large amounts of humanitarian assistance.

In addition to expanding deliveries by land, as I said, we’re going to — we’re going to insist that Israel facilitate more trucks and more routes to get more and more people the — the help they need. No excuses. Because the truth is: Aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough now. It’s nowhere nearly enough.

Innocent lives are on the line and children’s lives are on the line, and we won’t stand by and let — until they — until we get more aid in there. We — we should be getting hundreds of trucks in, not just several.

And I won’t stand by, we won’t let up, and we’re not going to pull out — trying to pull out every stop we can to get more assistance in.

So, and here’s the deal. We’ve been working, and hopefully we’ll know shortly. And I know you’ve been informed: We’re trying to work out a deal between Israel and Hamas on the hostages being returned and — and immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks and — and to allow the surge of aid through the entire Gaza Strip — not just the south but the entire Gaza Strip.

And so, Giorgia, we have a lot to discuss today. Not — and then we’ll talk about everything from China on. But I’m happy you’re here and delighted to — that you came back. I know you’re on your way to Canada, right?

PRIME MINISTER MELONI: Yeah.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: Good. Well, the floor is yours, Madam.

PRIME MINISTER MELONI: Well, I’m delighted to be here today in my capacity as the G7 chair, and I look forward, Joe, to hosting you in Puglia next June for the Leaders’ Summit. I’m working on a concrete and substantial G7 Summit.

We intend, first and foremost, to reaffirm the rules-based international order, defending freedom and building peace for Ukraine. And in doing this, I think we need to tackle the narrative that wants the West against the rest.

So, the dialogue — our dialogue within the G7, within the Global South is essential.

The crisis in Middle East is of the utmost concern. We need to coordinate our actions in order to avoid an escalation. And in this regard, we do fully support the U.S. mediation efforts.

The humanitarian crisis is our number one — number one priority. Italy is concentrating its contribution on these. Meanwhile, we are cooperating with all regional actors that must be part of any future outcome.

We should work together on concrete steps to guarantee the two-state perspective, which is the only long-term, sustainable solution.

And then the Houthis’ attack on commercial vessels that endanger freedom of navigation in the Red Sea are unacceptable. EU naval operation Aspides, this — as you know, is under Italian tactical command, is an important response to the disruption of transit through the Red Sea.

Then, building on Italy’s role in the Mediterranean, the G7 will pay special attention also to the African continent. We’ve been discussing it for — many times. But I think we have to remember that Africa is not a poor continent; it is, on the contrary, incredibly rich in human and material resources. But it has been neglectic [sic] and — neglected and exploited with a predatory approach for a long time. And I want to reverse this approach, together with you, which is also a root cause of the migration crisis.

We need to support Africa’s development on an equal basis and put an end to illegal migration while fighting human trafficking. Human trafficking has become the most financially rewarding crime globally, and we cannot accept it no — any longer.

For this reason, I came here today also with a proposal to launch a global alliance against human traffickers.

The G7 will discuss artificial intelligence as well. AI is a means. It can be a good or a bad one; it depends on our capacity to govern it, to tackle the risks and the impact it can — the impact it can have, for example, on the labor market.

We want to develop AI, but, also, we want to be certain that it remains human-centered.

And then, last but not least, I came here to boost our strategic cooperation. And our relations are enriched by the presence of more than 20 million Italian Americans.

During our last meeting here in Washington, we said we wanted to improve our bilateral cooperation and our trade, and we did it. For in 2023, our bilateral trade reached the highest amount ever with 1- — $102 billion of exchange.

So, I think we did a good job, but I also think that we can do even better. And I hope this will be our mutual goal for this year.

Thank you, Joe.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: Well, it is. And I — I tried to help; I married an Italian American.

PRIME MINISTER MELONI: (Laughs.)

PRESIDENT BIDEN: So, thank you all very much.

2:11 P.M. EST

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Dear Mr. Chairman:  (Dear Madam Chair:)   (Dear Madam Chairwoman:)

In accordance with section 1264 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115-91), as amended, 50 U.S.C. 1549(a), I am transmitting the annual report on the legal and policy frameworks guiding the United States’ use of military force and related national security operations.

I am enclosing a copy of the unclassified report, as well as its classified annex.

                              Sincerely,


                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

View the unclassified report

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