Statements and Releases

Tonight, a bipartisan majority in the Senate joined the House to answer history’s call at this critical inflection point. Congress has passed my legislation to strengthen our national security and send a message to the world about the power of American leadership: we stand resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression.

I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week. The need is urgent: for Ukraine, facing unrelenting bombardment from Russia; for Israel, which just faced unprecedented attacks from Iran; for refugees and those impacted by conflicts and natural disasters around the world, including in Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti; and for our partners seeking security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. I want to thank Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, and all of the bipartisan lawmakers in the Senate who voted for this bill. This critical legislation will make our nation and world more secure as we support our friends who are defending themselves against terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin.

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Today, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard, Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden, and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su led a White House event announcing two new rules to support workers and grow the American economy from the bottom up and the middle out.

Senior administration officials were joined by workers, union leaders, and advocates to discuss new Department of Labor (DOL) actions to update the outdated overtime threshold and protect Americans from hidden fees that eat into their retirement savings. First, DOL’s overtime rule will extend overtime protections to millions of workers, fulfilling the promise that a hard day’s work leads to a fair day’s pay. The rule will also ensure that the threshold for determining overtime eligibility rises with wage growth in the future. Additionally, DOL’s new retirement rule will save Americans billions of dollars as they prepare for retirement by ensuring that savers receive retirement advice in their best interest, rather than in the interest of retirement professionals. By preventing hard-earned savings from being lost in hidden fees from bad advice, Americans can save up to 20% more in retirement savings.

Specifically, the new rules will:

• Extend Overtime Pay Eligibility: For more than 80 years, salaried workers earning less than a certain threshold have been entitled to time-and-a-half pay when they work more than 40 hours per week. However, the threshold that helps determine eligibility for overtime pay has risen far slower than wage growth, excluding many lower-paid salaried workers from overtime protections. DOL’s rule will raise the minimum salary threshold for the overtime exemption for executive, administrative, and professional employees in two stages, and provide for increases every 3 years to ensure the threshold keeps up with wage growth. This change will extend overtime protections to nearly 1 million workers based on an initial salary increase to $43,888 ($844 per week) on July 1, up from $35,568 ($684 per week). And it will extend protections to about 3 million more workers on January 1, 2025 based on a second increase to $58,656 per year ($1,128 per week).

• Enhance Retirement Security: DOL’s rule will protect the millions of Americans who are diligently saving for retirement when they rely on advice from trusted professionals on how to invest their savings. For example, hidden fees from bad advice on just a single product—fixed index annuities—is currently costing savers as much as $5 billion per year. The rule will require trusted investment advice providers to give prudent, loyal, and honest advice, and prevent them from providing recommendations that favor the investment advice providers’ interests—financial or otherwise—at retirement savers’ expense. These new safeguards will save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars per impacted middle-class saver.

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Reverend Cecil Williams was a beacon of light and love.

In all he did, Reverend Williams was guided by his faith. He fought for the rights and dignity of all people. He led re-entry programs for those leaving prison, provided clothing and housing for people in need, and helped thousands of people access healthcare. Under his leadership, San Francisco’s GLIDE Memorial Church became one of the first churches to welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community. Reverend Williams made GLIDE what it is today: a sanctuary of hope and healing, where all people are made to feel like family.

It was my honor to call Reverend Williams a dear friend. I have many fond memories over the years of attending GLIDE’s morning sermon on Thanksgiving—and then, joining Rev. and Jan downstairs to serve meals to members of the community. Cecil offered every person who walked through his doors a warm smile, a hot meal, and unconditional love.  

Our country is more just, more compassionate, and stronger for the leadership of Reverend Cecil Williams. Doug and I send our prayers to the entire Williams family.

The post Statement from Vice President Harris on the Passing of Reverend Cecil Williams appeared first on The White House.

Hillsborough Community College, Dale Mabry Campus
Tampa, Florida

3:30 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Please, sit down.

Before I begin, I want to say something to the kids here.  Your mom and dad, they owe you big for being here.  (Laughter.)  So —

(The President addresses children in the audience.)  (Inaudible.)

Where’s one of my team?  You know the deal when I got two young men over here making a sacrifice?  You know what we’re going to do, right?

AIDE:  Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  (The President addresses children in the audience.)  (Inaudible) my staff is going to come over and give you 5 bucks so you can buy ice cream for yourselves, or you can make mom and dad pay if they (inaudible).  All right?  Okay?  All right.

Okay.  I got that settled.  (Applause.)

You know, I — I look out at these beautiful children, and I think to myself, “They’re having to stand here and listen to some guy they have no idea what the heck he’s talking about.”  (Laughter.)  And I think of — you know, they think when you — when you have — when you’re elected to office, it’s great to have — your children have a great opportunity.  It’s a pain in the neck for them.  (Laughter.)  My kids had to stand for so many meetings.  I — anyway, I owe them big.
 
Look, first of all, thank you, thank you, thank you for being here.  Thank you for all you’re doing.  And it means a great deal.  Florida — I think Florida is in play, nationally.  (Applause.)
 
And Nikki is doing a hell of a job as your state chairman.  (Applause.)  And I made her promise she’s going to run again, I hope.  (Laughter and applause.)
 
Look, a couple of things I want to say.  You know, one of the things that earlier today I spoke about — up in Washington and — and, actually, also last week — talking about that this election is a basic, old-fashioned election.  It’s about getting out the votes.  It’s about putting together campaigns the old-fashioned way.  Not — not that we don’t use all the technology available, but just everything from knocking on doors to putting up road signs to make sure that we get people to the polls and all those things. 
 
And, you know, it’s a — we’ve got to — there are some animated issues.  Obviously, choice is one of the biggest ones.  But it’s not the only one. 
 
You know, I know you’re reading in the press lately that there’s a great concern among — I’ve been doing this for a couple years.  (Laughter.)  Well, it’s hell turning 50.  You know what I mean?  (Laughter.) 
 
And as — and I’ve spent an awful lot of my time dealing with foreign policy because I was chairman of that committee and because that’s why Barack asked me to — for eight years, to handle portions of that.  And one of the things that people don’t understand, I don’t think, fully, is we are the essential nation. 
 
No, not a joke.  It’s not hyperbole.  It’s not bragging. 
 
It’s — think of it this way: If the United States stepped off the world stage, like Trump wants us to do, who would lead the world?  Who would lead the world? 
 
And one of the things that’s happening now is that — and I’ve — say this in front of the press that — they’ve heard me say it before.  Every international meeting I attend with other heads of state — whether it’s the G7, the G20, all these international meetings — before I leave, literally, almost every one will walk up to me and wait to get me in a corner alone and grab my arm and say, “You’ve got to win.”  Not because of me, but because of the alternative.  And they say, “Because my democracy depends upon it,” meaning their democracy.
 
So, the whole world is looking, and they’re looking to see how we handle ourselves in this election — not just on whether we win or not but how we handle ourselves.
 
And one of the things that — you know, for me, I got involved when I was a kid in electoral politics out of the Civil Rights Movement.  And it all got down to one person at a time — I mean it sincerely — organizing. 
 
My state, to its great shame, was segregated by law.  That’s why I got involved as a kid when I got out of high school and into college.  And it’s about just doing the basic things: talking to people — literally, talking to people.
 
And, for example, we’re — I’m really excited.  We’ve raised almost a half a billion dollars so far.  (Applause.)
 
But here’s what excites me: So far, we have 1.6 million contributors — 1.6 million contributors — 550,000 more than we had last time at this stage of the game.  But here’s the deal.  Of those 1.6 million contributors, 97 percent contributed less than $200.  Think of all the numbers that that means.
 
We’re in a situation where they have — and as I said, where we raised almost — we’re headed toward a half a billion dollars.  And that’s all about ma- — being able to do the things we have to do in a campaign, especially one that’s as hard-fought as this and one that is so full of lies, so full of misrepresentations being made.
 
I think — you know, whether the press thinks I’m good, bad, or indifferent, I think they acknowledge that there’s less than truth that comes out of the other guy’s mouth.  And, you know, you wouldn’t know it from what you read and hear, but, you know, we’re in pretty good shape in the polls.  The — and I know you’re all activists, so that’s why I’m bothering to tell you this: The polls don’t win you an election.  (Applause.)
 
But in the last 23 national polls, I’ve been ahead in 10 of them, Trump has been ahead in 8, and we’ve been tied in 5.  More importantly, the momentum is clearly in our — our favor.
 
For example, we moved eight points in the latest Marquette poll and seven points in the Echelon poll.  And the Marist Poll now has us up by three nationwide. 
 
The point I’m making is, people are beginning to listen.  This is a time people begin to focus and listen.  They have generic impressions up to now, but now they’re l- — they’re listening.  And they’re beginning to listen.
 
And so, this campaigns — how many offices have we opened now, total?  Where — where is my —
 
AIDE:  A hundred and thirty-three.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  A hundred — we — we’ve opened a hundred — (applause) — a hundred and thirty-three offices. 
 
And here you are.  That’s — that’s the note I had.  Yeah. 
 
And here in Florida, we’re opening coordinated offices, hiring staff, and recruiting volunteers as well.
 
But, you know, I know we can do this, but I’ve never been more optimistic.  I know — I’ve been saying this for a long time: I’ve never been more optimistic about America than I am today. 
 
You know, when I w- — I wasn’t going to run in 2020, because I had lost my son in Iraq — because of Iraq in — in 19- — anyway, in 2015. 
 
But what happened was, remember when, in — down in — in Virginia, those folks came out of the woods carrying torches and with Nazi banners and singing?  For real.  It’s hard to make it up — make it up.  And — and it just was astounding to me.  And a young woman was killed — I spoke to her mom — who was a bystander. 
 
And they asked then-President Trump what he thought, and he said there were — “I think there are very fine people on both sides.”  That’s when I decided I had to run, for real, because our democracy is also at stake — literally, the democracy is at stake.
 
But the way to make sure people understand that is to go out and find out what’s on their minds, see what they need.  What is it they’re most concerned about?  And, you know, we — you know, we’ve — we’ve had enormous success when we’ve actually asked people — when we go out and do it the old-fashioned way.  And we’re just really kicking it up now.
 
We’re, you know — we’re getting toward the end here.  Last time out, we ran and we m- — we raised the vast majority of the money we made in the last three months.  That’s when people began to focus. 
 
But we’re going to do — we’re going to be — we have to be really organized in a big way.  But it’s basic organization; it’s not rocket science.  It’s — it’s knocking on doors.  It’s sending out postcards.  It’s getting on the telephone.  It’s going around and making sure people have rides to the polls, all those things. 
 
And, by the way, when I ran this time, I made it real clear what I was going to do.  I said I was going to change the way our economy works, instead of trickle-down economics where they go — where the very wealthy get all the tax breaks and all that will trickle down and grow the economy.  I’m a capitalist.  I don’t care if you — if you make a billion bucks.  Just pay your taxes.  (Applause.)
 
No, I — I really mean it.  You know what the average tax rate for someone making — there’s — we have a thousand billionaires in America.  You know what their average tax rate is?  8.3 percent.  It’s not a joke.  8.3 percent.  Anybody want to trade with their tax rate? 
 
AUDIENCE:  Yes!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  But, look, everything we’ve done because of your help you’ve provided over the last three and a half years, he wants to undo.  He’s made no bones about it — all of it.  Just like you have a — Scott wants to get rid of Social Security.  You know, these guys are for real. 
 
But look at what we’ve done.  We built — we’ve got a lot — we’ve got a lot more work to do, but we built the strongest economy in the world.  We got to get inflation even further down.  There’s a lot more we have to do.

And, by the way, I know a lot of people got — got a little frustrated with me when I said I’m going to be the most pro-union president in American history.  Well — (applause) — well, guess what?  I asked the Treasury Department to do a study: With all the union help we’re getting and all the union support that we’re — they’re h- — they’re getting, what — what’s the impact?  Everybody does better.  Everybody does better, even the people who are [not] paying for the union dues, because guess what?  I mean, paying the union wage — because they get the best workers in the world.
 
So, my — my generic point is there’s a lot we have going.  There’s no reason why we can’t — we can’t reclaim our heritage and who we are as the most generous, leading nation in the world and still grow. 
 
So, there’s a lot more to say, but I’m already saying too much. 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  No, you’re not.  No, you’re not, Mr. President.  No, you’re not.  (Applause.) 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Teamster in the house.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Teamsters in the house, that’s the — I tell you what.  They better damn well be in the house, man.  (Laughter and applause.)  I tell you what. 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  The only reason I have a pension —
 
THE PRESIDENT:  And, by the way —
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  — is because of you, sir.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Is that right?
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  The only reason I have a pension is because of you.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we did get that done.  (Applause.)   
 
Anyway.  Besides, I used to drive an 18-wheeler.  You know what I did?
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible) you helped negotiate.  
 
THE PRESIDENT:  That’s exactly right.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thirty-billion-dollar contract with one of the largest employers in America: UPS.  You stood strong with us, and we’ll stand strong with you, sir.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you.  (Applause.)
 
I mean, look, I’m getting a little off course here.  But the bottom line is this — (laughter) — it matters to ordinary people. 
 
When I said, when I got elected, I was going to build an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, because that way the poor have a chance, the middle class grow, and the wealthy still do very well.  They still do very well. 
 
And it’s working.  We’ve — we have 16 million new employ- — I mean, we — it’s working. 
 
We still have to deal with inflation, and there’s a lot of costs out there for ordinary people.  We’re going to be getting you a lot of information to get to the folks out there.
 
But, for example, we’re in a situation now where you have a circumstance where there’s a lot of junk fees.  For example, you have a bank overdraft, they charge you 37 bucks instead — but guess what?  Now they can only charge you eight.  (Applause.)  Because they’re supposed — because it ju- — I don’t want to cost them money, but that — exorbitant prices they’re charging.
 
Same with credit card overdrafts.  Same — a whole range of things that affect people. 
 
My dad — I’ll end with my dad.  My dad used to say — my dad was a really well-read man who never got a chance to go to college because of World War Two.  And his in- — he’d always say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about respect.  It’s about being able to look your kid” — he meant it — “being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay,’ and mean it.”
 
The only thing we’re about as Democrats, in my view, is giving everyone a shot.  Everyone gets a fair shot.
 
And I’ll be damned if we’re not going to do that this time out.  (Applause.)
 
So, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
 
Good seeing you.  
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you, Mr. President.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)
 
(Inaudible.)
 
Hey —
 
AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  (Inaudible) 10 bucks? 
 
AIDE:  (Inaudible.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  All right.  Okay.  Hey, kids, remember what I told you now?  (Laughter.)  Remember our deal?
 
All right.  Anyway, thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)
 
  3:44 P.M. EDT

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Today, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su convened asset owners representing over $1 trillion in public and pension fund capital who have committed to strong labor standards in their private equity investments. The White House also launched an initiative to promote strong labor commitments among funds, assets managers, and companies. A survey is live for investors and companies to share their commitments to strong labor principles.

President Biden made it clear that he is leading the most pro-labor and pro-union Administration in history. The White House is demonstrating it will use all of its tools to promote the free and fair choice to join a union. Capital providers are making commitments as well. These commitments from asset owners are an important step toward ensuring workers’ capital helps grow our economy from the bottom up and the middle out.   

State government, public, and labor union pension funds are the savings of hardworking Americans and their economic security in retirement.  The Biden-Harris Administration believes that it is critical that their funds, as they maximize risk-adjusted financial returns, emphasize the interests and goals of workers. Fund managers recognize this as well, which is why five key funds with over $1 trillion in assets have convened today in support of labor principles in their private equity investments. These principles include guaranteeing the free and fair choice to join a union, freedom of association and the recognition of the rights to collectively bargain, equal opportunity, a safe and healthy workplace, and the elimination of forced and compulsory labor, including child labor.

Additionally, to the extent in line with their fiduciary duty, funds will encourage their portfolio companies to remain neutral when workers seek to exercise the freedom to join together in a union; and when applicable, enter into neutrality agreements with labor organizations that include voluntary or card-check recognition, reasonable timelines to first contract, and a commitment to non-interference in union organizing. These funds are taking a public stance that workers’ rights are foundational to a healthy economy, and affirm the President’s commitment to worker empowerment and worker organizing.

Participants:

• Lael Brainard, National Economic Advisor
• Stephen Benjamin, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement
• Julie Su, Acting Secretary of Labor
• Elizabeth Schuler, President, AFL-CIO
• Sean McGarvey, President, North America’s Building Trades Unions
• Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers
• Rebecca Pringle, President, National Education Association
• Ed Kelly, President, International Association of Fire Fighters
• Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller
• Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller
• Theresa Taylor, President, CalPERS Board of Administration
• Michael Frerichs, Illinois State Treasurer
• Kevin McCormack, Executive Director, National Electrical Benefit Fund Investments
• Adam Blumenthal, Managing Partner and Chairman, Blue Wolf Capital Partners
• Andrea Kramer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Risk Officer, Hamilton Lane
• Stephen McCourt, Co-CEO and Managing Principal, Meketa Investment Group
• Cassandra Robertson, Special Assistant to the President for Labor Policy
• Vaishant Sharma, Senior Policy Advisor, National Economic Council

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Vice President Kamala Harris spoke today with President Isaac Herzog of Israel. She extended Passover greetings to him and the people of Israel. The Vice President noted that this Passover—a holiday when the history of persecution of Jews is recounted—is especially painful and resonant given the brutal Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, during which Hamas killed more than 1200 innocent people, including 44 Americans, took 240 people hostage, including Americans, and committed horrific acts of sexual violence.

They discussed developments in the Middle East and the Vice President underscored the Biden-Harris Administration’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, including international efforts to ensure Israel can defend itself against Iran and its proxies, and welcomed the supplemental funding package passed by the House of Representatives. The Vice President reiterated her deep concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and discussed steps to increase the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians and ensure its safe distribution. The Vice President reaffirmed that we are working to establish an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza as part of a deal that releases hostages and enables the delivery of additional humanitarian aid. Following her meeting earlier this month with families of Americans taken hostage on October 7, the Vice President underscored our commitment to secure the release of all hostages and bring home the remains of those deceased.

The Vice President and President Herzog discussed recent developments in the United States, including deplorable cases of harassment and calls for violence against Jews. The Vice President condemned this reprehensible Antisemitism as well as the rise in Antisemitism around the world, and she underscored her and President Biden’s commitment to speak out against it. The Vice President and President Herzog agreed to work together to combat Antisemitism and hate in all forms. 

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The Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) has issued its Annual Intellectual Property Report to Congress, which brings together the combined and coordinated efforts of the White House, the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, State, and Treasury, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the U.S. Copyright Office. The report provides an overview of the intellectual property enforcement strategy and related efforts undertaken by departments and agencies during fiscal year 2023.

To view the Annual Intellectual Property Report to Congress, visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IPEC-FY-23-Annual-Report_Final.pdf

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Yesterday, to celebrate Earth Day 2024, President Biden traveled to Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, VA, a national park system site developed by FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps, to announce $7 billion in awards through EPA’s Solar for All program and unveil major steps to advance the American Climate Corps. Building on the President’s climate, clean energy, and environmental justice accomplishments, yesterday’s announcements highlight the Administration’s unprecedented progress in tackling the climate crisis, cutting costs for everyday Americans, and creating good-paying jobs.

Leaders from across the country praised today’s announcements. Here’s what they are saying:

Climate and Environmental Justice Leaders

Ben Jealous, Executive Director, Sierra Club: “The effects of the climate crisis are not equal. And, until now, the opportunities to seize the power and benefits of clean energy have not been equal. Today, the Solar for All program’s specific focus on assisting low-income and disadvantaged communities—areas historically underserved and subjected to disproportionately dirtier air—will help reduce barriers to clean energy and provide better health outcomes. The massive amount of requests for funding that this program received—from red, blue, and purple states alike—makes clear that there is huge demand for clean energy nationwide and we must continue to fund and expand programs like this to help achieve our climate goals. The Inflation Reduction Act is working, and today’s announcement is proof of the progress we’re making.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Manish Bapna, President and CEO, Natural Resources Defense Council: “The benefits of solar and storage—lower energy bills, the ability to keep your refrigerator running during power outages, asset ownership, and more—have not been equally distributed in our country. This will help to change that reality, expanding the opportunity for underserved and disinvested communities across our country to realize the benefits of solar and storage.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Aru Shiney-Ajay, Executive Director, Sunrise Movement: “Today is a huge victory for our movement. Thousands of young people fighting for their future made this possible. The American Climate Corps will hire young people to better their communities and fight the climate crisis. In the coming months, we’ll be bringing this program to thousands of young people around the country and encouraging them to apply. The federal government must lead the way to develop the workforce we need to avert climate catastrophe and ensure young people from all walks of life have green union jobs. The ACC is the beginning of a new era.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Raul Garcia, Vice President of Policy and Legislation, Earthjustice: “We applaud the Biden administration for these historic investments to make solar accessible for an estimated 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities across the country. The Solar for All program will ensure those communities who have been overburdened by both pollution and high energy costs for decades will not be left behind in the rapid transition to a renewable energy future. The Inflation Reduction Act is transforming communities across the country, and we look forward to working with the Biden administration as this program is implemented to build on this important progress.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Lena Moffitt, Action Executive Director, Evergreen: “This is what bold, all-of-government climate action looks like. Climate voters sent President Biden to the White House to use every tool in his toolbelt to act on climate, and today he put on a master class. We could not be more excited that the visionary American Climate Corps is up and running—poised to connect 20,000 Americans to careers in climate solutions and build the workforce we need to lead the global clean energy economy. The innovative partnership with the North American Trade Building Trades Unions non-profit partner TradesFutures will help reinforce the on-ramp directly from the ACC into good paying union careers, granting corps-members access to industry leading apprenticeship readiness curriculum during their term of service. And we are thrilled to see $7 billion in Solar for All grants headed to states, innovative community organizations, and regional partnerships committed to delivering residential and community solar in disadvantaged communities. With today’s announcements, President Biden is continuing to prove that investments in climate action are investments in our communities, our workforce, and our future.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Paula García, Senior Energy Analyst and Energy Justice Lead, Union of Concerned Scientists: “The Solar for All grant program is a key part of the larger suite of clean energy investments advanced by President Biden and Congress that will help the United States combat climate change. Directing investments toward low-income and disadvantaged communities is imperative to ensuring a just transition to clean energy. If we don’t prioritize these populations, we risk exacerbating historical injustices and piling additional burdens on those who have been disproportionately affected by environmental harm. The announcement of these grants is an important step forward. While UCS research has shown clearly that more ambition is needed to meet climate goals, phase out fossil fuels and advance environmental justice, the Solar for All program will help create much needed momentum toward ensuring the many benefits of a decarbonized economy, including public health protections, reduced consumer energy costs and increased energy resilience, are reaching everyone.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Kate Wright, Executive Director, Climate Mayors: “Clean energy is a key component to addressing climate change and increasing community resilience. The new Solar For All funding will support historically overburdened communities with clean, affordable, and reliable energy to power a healthier and more sustainable future for American families. We are excited to support our mayors to meet this moment and put this unprecedented funding into action.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Eli Hopson, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Coalition for Green Capital: “These awards are a big win for residents across North and South Dakota and on Tribal lands in the region. We look forward to meeting with local leaders, including Tribal leaders, to collaborate in putting these dollars to work quickly and effectively and in as many communities as possible. We also congratulate many of our network partners who have received awards and will deliver for their communities in states across the country.”  [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Billy Briscoe, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Clean Energy Fund of Texas: “We are grateful to the EPA for selecting this multifaceted project as part of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Solar For All program.  This partnership with minority serving institutions of higher education will lower energy burden for low income communities, jumpstart the green economy with the creation of jobs through workforce training programs, and provide energy resiliency after a climate event.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Dr. Robert D. Bullard, Director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, Texas Southern University: “This funding will change the course of solar energy and equity across Texas and the South.  Southern states bear a disproportionate burden of high energy costs and climate pollution and now – with this funding – we can turn the tide.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Sara Chieffo, Vice President of Government Affairs, League of Conservation Voters: “President Biden has done more than any president in history to deliver on tackling the climate crisis and pollution, and we’re excited for the Biden-Harris administration’s continued commitment on clean energy and environmental justice the President announced for this year’s Earth Day. The historic Solar For All investments are a major step towards lowering energy costs for families across the country, helping combat the climate crisis at the scale and rate science requires, and putting us on the path for a clean energy future for all of our communities, especially in communities of color and those with low wealth. The Biden-Harris administration is continuing to invest in our youth and future generations with high-quality jobs to tackle the climate crisis through the American Climate Corps. We’re all in with the Biden-Harris administration to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect our communities, our climate, and our future.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Estefany Carrasco-González, Senior Director, Chispa: “Today’s Solar for All announcement is a welcome relief for our communities disproportionately impacted by climate change and rising energy costs for far too long. Chispa congratulates all the community-led winners who will soon be in a stronger position to lead us into a healthier and better energy future by expanding access to clean, local, affordable and reliable energy for all.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Duanne Andrade, Executive Director, Solar and Energy Loan Fund: “This is a tremendous opportunity for Florida, allowing us to finally ensure that access to solar power becomes a reality for working class families. For too long, the clean energy transition has left many behind. We’re ready to harness the power of one of our state’s most abundant resources- the sun-to create a cleaner, brighter, future for Floridians.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Autumn Johnson, Executive Director, AriSEIA: “We are delighted by the recent announcement of the grant award for the Solar For All program. This achievement is a testament to the collective efforts of all stakeholders involved, and we are immensely proud of the positive impact it will have on our communities. We want to specifically thank the Governor’s Office of Resiliency for their leadership, Solar United Neighbors, Arizona State University, Groundswell Capital, and the City of Phoenix.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Center for American Progress: “Today, @EPA announced the recipients of the $7B Solar for All program, which will distribute solar panels to low-income households. This is a historic investment to increase the accessibility & affordability of clean energy to low-income communities. This program is expected to benefit 900,000 households in low-income communities – reducing carbon emissions and air pollution, and delivering over $350 million in annual savings for overburdened households.” [X Thread, 04/22/2024]

Rocky Mountain Institute: “Today @EPA announced award winners for Solar for All. This means 60 new programs across the country dedicated to increasing solar for low-income + disadvantaged communities. Solar for All is expected to: Serve 900K households over 5 years; Increase solar capacity for low-income households by a third; Drive cost savings of over $350 million on utility bills for American families.” [X Thread, 04/22/2024]

Elected Officials

Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT): “The United States can and must lead the world in transforming our energy systems away from fossil fuels. The Solar for All program – that I successfully championed – will not only combat the existential threat of climate change by making solar energy available to working class families, it will also substantially lower the electric bills of Americans and create thousands of good-paying jobs. This is a win for the environment, a win for consumers, and a win for the economy.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY): “Today on Earth Day, Americans can start applying for the American Climate Corps. I’ve been so proud to work hard for this program alongside youth activists across this country. Happy Earth Day!” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Sen. Dick Durbin (IL): “I have long supported efforts to fight the climate crisis, including creation of a Climate Corps, modeled after FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps to improve America’s public lands, forests, & parks. Glad to see @POTUS announce that Americans can now apply.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Sen. Tom Carper (DE), Chairman of Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee: “Every American should experience the benefits of our clean energy future, no matter their zip code or income. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is delivering $7 billion for residential and community solar projects in communities with the greatest need across our nation. I applaud the Biden Administration for deploying clean energy to over 900,000 households and lowering energy costs, all while creating good-paying jobs. That’s what I call a win-win-win!” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR): “I’ve pushed for a Climate Corps to create jobs while protecting our health, planet, and future—so it’s wonderful to see @POTUS marking Earth Day this year with major investments in both the American Climate Corps and @EPA’s Solar for All program! We need bold action on climate.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Sen. Alex Padilla (CA): “California has long been a national leader in solar power production and storage, but for too long, the benefits of residential solar have been limited to high-income households and new developments. This significant investment in California’s Solar for All project will slash energy costs for low-income communities, create good-paying jobs, and build toward California and the nation’s ambitious renewable energy goals.” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08): “Because of the leadership of President Biden we have enacted the largest effort to combat the climate crisis in the history of the world. It’s working. There is no Planet B.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07): “Thrilled to see WA getting more than $156 million to expand solar energy programs across our state! The Inflation Reduction Act, which I proudly helped pass, continues to deliver federal funds for clean energy infrastructure across America.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Rep. Richard Neal (MA-01): “On this #EarthDay2024, we celebrate @POTUS announcing $7B in grant awards through Solar for All, including $156M for @MassDOER. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, this program will lower energy costs & reduce pollution in underserved communities.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11): “From the largest-ever investment in climate and clean energy to bold actions to slash emissions, @HouseDemocrats & @POTUS are getting it done. I’m excited to celebrate this progress on #EarthDay as we renew the fight for our climate and communities!” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-02): “Happy Earth Day! Today we celebrate w/ @MDCleanEnergy who was awarded over $62 mil in @EPA Solar for All Funding, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, of which I’m a strong supporter. This $$ will allow MCEC to deliver solar energy to homes in disadvantaged communities.” [X Post, 4/22/2024]

Rep. Gwen Moore (WI-04): “President Biden is taking historic actions to mobilize the next generation of climate leaders. The American Climate Corps is listing 2,000 jobs across 36 states today — and that’s just the beginning! Exciting news! Thanks to Biden and Democrats’ policies, the EPA is unleashing $7B for low-income solar projects, aiming to lower energy costs and reduce pollution in underserved communities across the nation.” [X Thread, 04/22/2024]

Rep. Brittany Pettersen (CO-07): “Today is Earth Day! To celebrate, @POTUS just announced $7 Billion Solar for All grants to deliver residential solar. As the Representative of the most naturally beautiful congressional district in the country, I will always fight for policies that protect our planet!” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02): “Congratulations to @EPA’s 60 Solar for All selectees!  Funded by $7 billion in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants, they will deliver solar energy to nearly a million homes in low-income and disadvantaged communities.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Rep. Deborah Ross (NC-02): “Exciting news! @EPA announced $7 billion in grants for affordable, resilient solar energy made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act. The Solar for All program will help ensure all communities have equitable access to residential rooftop and community solar power.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01): “I am deeply proud to have helped cosponsor and champion this legislation to create our nation’s first Climate Corps! Let’s do this!” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Rep. Nydia Velaquez (NY-07): “This is wonderful Earth Day news! Americans can now apply to join the American Climate Corps. http://ClimateCorps.gov already has nearly 2K postings in 36 states, DC, and PR. This program will help fight the climate crisis by mobilizing the next generation of climate leaders!” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM): “New Mexico was awarded $156M from @EPA’s Solar for All program—an unprecedented investment in clean, affordable renewable energy for low-income communities, benefitting all New Mexicans. #SolarForAll.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Gov. Phil Scott (VT): “Today, on Earth Day, the EPA has announced it accepted our Department’s application for the Solar for All Program. Vermont will receive over $62 million. This funding will be a huge boost for our state as we transition to clean, renewable energy.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

State Sen. Jeremy McPike (VA): “It was great to join @potus at Prince William Forest Park today to celebrate #EarthDay and announce the new American Climate Corps initiative! $7 billion in grants through the Solar for All program will expand access to affordable solar energy right here in Virginia.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Commissioner Lesley Briones, Precinct 4, Harris County, Texas: “The Solar for All grant funding is a generational opportunity for Harris County to take another bold step forward as the global leader of the energy transition. The $249.7 million will give us the ability to aggregate electricity on behalf of residents and change the way we deliver power to their homes. I am grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for investing in large-scale, transformational change that will bring high-paying union jobs, affordable and reliable electricity, decreased dependence on ERCOT, and resilience in the face of climate change. By expanding access to rooftop and community solar, we will assist families facing high-energy costs and help keep Harris County the epicenter of the energy transition.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Commissioner Alisa Simmons, Precinct 2, Arlington, Texas: “On this Earth Day, I am thrilled to highlight the EPA’s announcement that the Texas Solar for All Coalition, of which Tarrant County is a member, has been awarded close to $250 million in federal money for clean energy projects to benefit disadvantaged communities. The Solar for All program is a small subset of the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act legislation, which seeks to lower greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and drive wider societal access to the benefits of clean energy..” [Statement, 04/22/2024]

Mark Jeffreys, Cincinnati City Councilman: “Big news: EPA just announced Solar for All grants. OH received $156M for solar for low-moderate income households.  In Cincinnati, this means 1,000-2,500 households will get solar effectively eliminating their utility bills. This is a $7B announcement overall saving lower incomed Americans $350M/year in utility bills and lowering emissions.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Senate Democrats: “Big News: Because of the Inflation Reduction Act that Democrats Delivered: This Earth Day, the @EPA is announcing its selections for $7 billion in grant awards for the Solar for All competition.” [X Post, 04/22/2024]

Energy and Commerce Democrats: “President Biden announces $7 billion in Solar for All Grants that will deliver solar power to over 900,000 low-income households nationwide. The funding is made possible thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act that Democrats delivered last Congress. Solar for All is going to save these households about $400 a year on their electricity bills while also creating more than 200,000 jobs and reducing carbon pollution. A big win this Earth Day that will save Americans’ money, grow our economy, and combat the climate crisis.” [X Thread, 04/22/2024]

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Administration announces $1 billion for clean water for Tribal Nations and funding to combat megadrought in the West through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda

President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that every person should have access to clean drinking water and a healthy environment. Since Day One, the Biden-Harris Administration has worked to secure clean water for all, protect our vital freshwater resources, and ensure every community can count on water free of pollutants when they turn on the faucet. The Administration also recognizes that wetlands and other freshwater resources are critical in our fight against climate change.

Today, during Earth Week, the White House is convening state, Tribal, and local leaders from across the country for a White House Water Summit where the Administration will announce a new national goal and partnership to conserve and restore freshwater resources. The America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge: A Partnership to Conserve andRestore America’s Rivers, Lakes, Streams, and Wetlands sets a bold, new national goal to protect, restore, and reconnect 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of our nation’s river and streams.

To achieve the new national freshwater protection goal and to ensure that our freshwater resources are protected for current and future generations as part of the America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge, the Biden-Harris Administration is also launching a new initiative that calls on all states and other governments and entities, including Tribes, interstate organizations, cities, and local communities to advance their own policies and strategies for conserving and restoring America’s freshwater systems. Over 100 inaugural members from across the country have already signed on to support freshwater restoration in their communities, including ten states, eight Tribes, and 24 local governments.

To bring safe, clean water to Tribal communities, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Services (IHS) and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) are announcing over $1 billion from the President’s Investing in America agenda and a new partnership. Roughly half of Tribal households lack access to clean drinking water or adequate sanitation. Today’s announcement includes $700 million from IHS and $320 million from BOR to accelerate the delivery of drinking water and community sanitation infrastructure projects in Indian Country. In addition, IHS and BOR are announcing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two agencies to leverage BOR’s engineering capacity to accelerate the delivery of Tribal water projects.

Our nation’s lakes, rivers, streams, estuaries, and wetlands are fundamental to the health, prosperity, and resilience of our communities and are held sacred by many Tribal Nations. They are not only the sources of clean drinking water that flows into the taps of our homes, but also economic drivers supporting jobs and outdoor recreation across the nation. By absorbing and storing carbon, our nation’s waterways and wetlands – and the forests, grasslands, and farmlands they nourish – play a critical role in the fight against climate change.

Although critically important to both people and nature, our freshwater resources are at increased risk. Through 2019, the U.S. wetlands loss rate increased 50 percent over the prior decade. That was before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Sackett decision last year, which dramatically reduced federal protections for wetlands in one of the largest judicial rollbacks of environmental protections in U.S. history.  Despite this, Congressional Republicans are continuing a decades-long effort to undermine Clean Water Act safeguards.

Many states are already using their own authorities and resources to better protect America’s freshwater systems. For example, North Carolina recently set a goal to protect one million acres of natural lands, with a special focus on wetlands, and to restore one million acres of forests and wetlands within the state. New York state recently enacted statutory changes to its Freshwater Wetlands Act that will safeguard an additional million acres of valuable wetlands. And Washington recently protected almost 1,000 miles of rivers as Outstanding National Resource Waters, one of the highest levels of protection afforded to our freshwater resources.

At the White House Water Summit and throughout Earth Week, the Biden-Harris Administration is making additional announcements to build resilience to climate change and ensure every community has access to clean water:

• The Department of the Interior is announcing an additional $11 million in new resources from the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART program to help combat Western megadrought. The Biden-Harris Administration is leading a comprehensive effort to make Western communities more resilient to climate change and address the ongoing megadrought across the region by harnessing the full resources of President Biden’s historic Investing in America agenda. Together, the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provide the largest investment in climate resilience in our nation’s history, including $15.4 billion to enhance the West’s resilience to drought and deliver unprecedented resources to protect river systems across the West.
  
• As part of the Biden-Harris Get the Lead Out Partnership, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is partnering with three of its members – Chicago, Detroit, and Milwaukee – to launch the Great Lakes Lead Pipes Partnership, a first-of-its kind, mayor-led effort to accelerate lead pipe replacement in cities with the heaviest lead burdens. Many of the estimated 9 million lead pipes remaining in the United States are concentrated in Great Lakes metropolitan areas. This partnership will provide a collaborative forum for Great Lakes big cities to share emerging best practices to encourage faster, more equitable replacement programs and overcome common challenges, including by reducing per pipe replacement costs, improving community outreach, and spurring water workforce development.

• The Department of the Interior is announcing more than $70 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for 43 projects in 29 states that will address outdated or obsolete dams, culverts, levees and other barriers to the nation’s rivers and streams. This Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will help restore fragmented aquatic habitats and revitalize local economies in communities across the nation while creating new jobs in construction and implementation. Projects receiving funding will reconnect aquatic systems and improve fish passage to help conserve vulnerable species, while building safer infrastructure for communities, increasing recreational opportunities, and improving climate resilience. The funding is also part of an investment of over $3 billion across federal agencies in fish passage and aquatic connectivity projects under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) final rule to help communities prepare for and reduce flood damage. This rule strengthens standards by increasing elevations and flood proofing requirements of properties in areas at risk of flooding, where federal funds are used to develop or provide financing for new construction and substantial improvement within the FFRMS floodplain. This will strengthen resilience to flooding, protect lives and properties, minimize damage and disruption to households, reduce insurance costs and safeguard federal investments – ensuring that federally-funded construction projects are built to withstand current and future flood risks.
  
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced $123 million for state and territorial coastal management programs and national estuarine research reserves to support habitat restoration and conservation. Within this investment, $36 million will be designated for projects being carried out in partnership with or directly by Tribes and Native Hawaiians, including reacquisitions and restoration of ecological and culturally significant ancestral lands. This investment will help to protect critical resources for coastal habitat restoration, create new jobs, and boost resilience to extreme weather events across our nation’s coastal communities.

Today’s announcements build on recent actions that deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to ensuring safe drinking water, including finalizing the first-ever standard to protect communities from toxic “forever chemicals,” along with rulemakings to hold polluters responsible for PFAS cleanup and to enhance safeguards against dangerous chemical spills in our nation’s waters. The Administration is also continuing to deliver on President Biden’s goal to replace every lead pipe in America in the next decade.

Throughout Earth Week, the Biden-Harris Administration will announce additional actions to build a stronger, healthier future for all. On Monday, President Biden announced the launch of ClimateCorps.gov as well as $7 billion in awards through EPA’s Solar for All program. Tuesday is focused on helping ensure clean water for all communities; Wednesday will focus on accelerating America’s clean transportation future; Thursday will focus on steps to cut pollution from the power sector while strengthening America’s electricity grid; and Friday will focus on providing cleaner air and healthier schools for all children.

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Today, my Administration is strengthening privacy protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act as part of our efforts to help protect access to reproductive health care. No one should have their medical records used against them, their doctor, or their loved one just because they sought or received lawful reproductive health care.

Privacy and confidentiality have always been essential to high-quality health care. But today’s rule comes at a time when access to reproductive health care is under attack following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In addition to being forced to travel hundreds of miles for care or having their fertility services interrupted because of Republican officials’ extreme out-of-touch agenda, women and their families live in fear that their deeply personal medical information will be disclosed—simply because of the type of care they needed.

The new protections that my Administration is putting in place are an important step forward in our fight to protect access to reproductive health care and ensure patient privacy and peace of mind. By safeguarding patient information, the new rule will help health care providers give complete and accurate information to patients and improve the quality of health care.

Vice President Harris and I will continue to call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law, and my Administration will keep taking action to protect patients and ensure access to high-quality health care.

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On Friday, April 19, the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) convened agencies from across the federal government as a part of the Administration’s gun violence emergency response protocol.  The in-person convening took place in the Roosevelt Room at the White House and included the Office of the Vice President and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, as well as participation from the following agencies:

• Department of Justice
• Department of Homeland Security
• Small Business Administration
• Department of Education
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Department of Veteran Affairs

Prior to this first in-person convening, OGVP has regularly convened federal agencies to help coordinate federal resources available to communities following mass shooting incidents, like the tragic shooting in Lewiston, Maine, as well helping communities experiencing concentrations of community violence.

Overseen by Vice President Harris, OGVP has also led regular listening sessions with communities that have experienced mass shootings and surges in gun violence including Buffalo, Uvalde, Parkland, Brooklyn Homes in Baltimore, Highland Park and Columbine, to better understand their specific and unique needs in the wake of these tragedies.

During Friday’s convening, OGVP Deputy Director Gregory Jackson briefed agency officials on the Administration’s gun violence emergency response protocol, as well as measures to help communities prevent future violence through community violence intervention, safe storage requirements, and funding available from the single largest investment in student mental health in history that is helping to hire and train more than 14,000 school mental health professionals. Agencies also briefed out on the various resources they have made available to communities following shooting tragedies, including victim services and resiliency centers.

This convening comes on the heels of the Biden-Harris Administration announcing a new rule that will save lives by reducing the number of firearms sold without background checks. This action implements the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years — and is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s strategy to stem the flow of illegally acquired firearms into our communities and hold accountable those who supply the firearms used in crime.

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President Biden spoke today with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss their steadfast support for Ukraine as it defends against Russian aggression. President von der Leyen congratulated President Biden on the House of Representatives’ recent passage of the national security supplemental, which will be essential to helping meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs once it passes the Senate and President Biden signs it into law. They spoke about how sustained international support is vital to Ukraine’s fight for freedom. 

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President Biden spoke today with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine to underscore the United States’ lasting commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends its freedom against Russian aggression. President Biden shared that his administration will quickly provide significant new security assistance packages to meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield and air defense needs as soon as the Senate passes the national security supplemental and he signs it into law. President Biden also underscored that the U.S. economic assistance will help maintain financial stability, build back critical infrastructure following Russian attacks, and support reform as Ukraine moves forward on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration. 

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President Biden will travel to Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, VA, a national park system site developed by FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps, to announce $7 billion in awards through EPA’s Solar for All program and unveil major steps to advance the American Climate Corps 

When President Biden took office, he pledged to restore America’s climate leadership at home and abroad. On his first day in office, the President signed the United States back into the Paris Agreement. And each day since, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to lead and deliver on the most ambitious climate agenda in history, including securing the largest ever climate investment and unleashing a clean energy manufacturing boom that has attracted hundreds of billions in private sector investment and created over 270,000 new clean energy jobs. The President’s agenda is also advancing environmental justice and ensuring that the benefits of climate investments reach overburdened communities, mobilizing the next generation of clean energy workers through the American Climate Corps, and delivering historic investments in our nation’s climate resilience. At the same time, the Administration is protecting America’s natural wonders, conserving more than 41 million acres of lands and waters.  
 
Building on his climate, clean energy, and environmental justice agenda, President Biden will travel today to Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia, to celebrate Earth Day 2024, and highlight his Administration’s unprecedented progress in tackling the climate crisis, cutting costs for everyday Americans, and creating good-paying jobs.
 
Expanding Access to Affordable Solar Energy
 
The President will announce $7 billion in grants through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar for All grant competition, a key component of the Inflation Reduction Act’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Selectees under the Solar for All program will serve every state and territory in the nation and deliver residential solar power to over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities, saving overburdened households more than $350 million in electricity costs annually – approximately $400 per household – and avoiding more than 30 million metric tons of carbon pollution over the next 25 years.
 
The selectees will provide funds to states, territories, Tribes, municipalities, and nonprofits across the country to develop long-lasting solar programs that enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed residential solar. In total, solar projects funded by this program will create nearly 200,000 jobs. The program also advances the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.   
 
Mobilizing the Next Generation of Climate Leaders through the American Climate Corps
 
Joined by future members of President Biden’s American Climate Corps, including current AmeriCorps members, President Biden will also announce several new actions to stand up the American Climate Corps – a groundbreaking initiative modeled after FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps that will put more than 20,000 young Americans to work fighting the impacts of climate change today while gaining the skills they need to join the growing clean energy and climate-resilience workforce of tomorrow. The President will announce these actions at Prince William Forest Park, a national park system site developed by FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps and stewarded by the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service.

Nearly a century after FDR established the Civilian Conservation Corps, President Biden will announce today that Americans can now apply to join the American Climate Corps through a newly launched website, ClimateCorps.gov. The website will feature nearly 2,000 positions located across 36 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. These positions are hosted by hundreds of organizations advancing clean energy, conservation, and climate resilience. The website, which is launching in its beta form, will be regularly updated with new American Climate Corps positions. Its goal is to make it easy for any American to find work tackling the climate crisis while gaining the skills necessary for the clean energy and climate resilience workforce of the future. The first class of the American Climate Corps will be deployed to communities across the country in June 2024.
 
The Biden-Harris Administration is also announcing a new partnership with the North America’s Building Trades Unions’ nonprofit partner TradesFutures. Beginning this summer, every American Climate Corps member will have access to TradesFutures’ industry leading apprenticeship readiness curriculum during their term of service in the American Climate Corps, providing members with the opportunity to be trained in the foundational skills necessary for careers in the clean energy and climate resilience economy and putting them on a pathway to good paying, union jobs.
 
Many American Climate Corps members will also have access to a streamlined pathway into federal service after a recent update to modernize the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Pathways Programs. The update will expand applicant eligibility for the Recent Graduates program to include individuals who have completed qualifying career or technical education service within designated American Climate Corps programs.
 
Today, three states – Vermont, New Mexico, and Illinois – are launching new state-based climate corps programs, building on 10 states that have already launched successful climate corps programs, demonstrating the power of skills-based training as a tool to expand pathways into good-paying jobs. These states will work with the American Climate Corps as implementing partners to ensure young people across the country are serving their communities, while participating in paid opportunities and working on projects to tackle climate change.
 
Additionally, beginning as a collaboration between the Department of the Interior, the Energy Communities Interagency Working Group, and AmeriCorps VISTA, a new interagency public private partnership – Energy Communities AmeriCorps – will place American Climate Corps members in priority energy communities across the country. The program will help support community-led projects, including environmental remediation, in the places that have powered our nation for generations.
 
Conserving America’s Lands, Waters, and Wildlife
 
These announcements come on the heels of a series of major conservation actions by the Biden-Harris Administration. Just last week, the Department of the Interior published a final rule to maximize protections of significant surface resources such as irreplaceable wildlife habitat for caribou and migratory birds on more than 13 million acres in the western Arctic while supporting subsistence uses and needs of Alaska Native communities. This action brings the number of acres of America’s lands and waters conserved under President Biden to 41 million. Additionally, the Interior Department released a final environmental analysis last week recommending denial of a right of way for the Ambler Road project; the proposed road, which would cross more than 200 miles of pristine lands, would have significant impacts on caribou and other subsistence resources upon which more than 60 Alaska Native communities rely.
 
In addition to these landmark conservation announcements in Alaska, the Interior Department released a rule to help guide the balanced management of all 245 million acres of America’s public lands that are overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. The rule will help to ensure the BLM continues to protect land health while managing other uses of public lands, such as clean energy development and outdoor recreation.
 
Throughout Earth Week, the Biden-Harris Administration will announce additional actions to build a stronger, healthier future for all: Tuesday will focus on helping ensure clean water for all communities; Wednesday will focus on accelerating America’s clean transportation future; Thursday will focus on steps to cut pollution from the power sector while strengthening America’s electricity grid; and Friday will focus on providing cleaner air and healthier schools for all children.
 
Biden-Harris Administration’s Top Climate Accomplishments

Deploying Clean, Affordable Electricity and Strengthening America’s Power Grid – 
President Biden has secured unprecedented investments in a clean power sector, unleashing a boom in American solar, wind, battery storage, and other clean energy technologies that are creating good-paying jobs and saving families money on utility bills. Through the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, U.S. solar generation is projected to increase up to eight-fold and wind generation is projected to triple by 2030. President Biden has jumpstarted the U.S. offshore wind industry, with 10 gigawatts of commercial-scale projects now approved, enough to power nearly four million homes, including two projects that are already delivering power to the grid and others with construction underway. The President’s Investing in America agenda is also supporting transmission buildout and other power grid upgrades, deployment of distributed energy resources in disadvantaged communities, investments in clean electricity across rural America, and American manufacturing of clean energy technologies – all in pursuit of the President’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035. Through the President’s Federal Sustainability Plan, the U.S. Government is leading by example and has already signed agreements to provide federal facilities in 18 states with 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030.
 
And thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, clean energy project developers get access to expanded tax incentives if they pay workers prevailing wages and employ registered apprentices, helping make more clean energy jobs good-paying and union jobs.
 
Bolstering Climate Resilience and Adaptation – President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is building communities that are not only resilient to the impacts of the climate crisis, but also safer, more equitable, and economically stronger. To support this vision, the President secured more than $50 billion for climate resilience and adaptation through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act and released the first ever National Climate Resilience Framework. The President’s investments are upgrading aging roads and bridges, including critical evacuation routes, providing tax credits for families to weatherize their homes, restoring critical waterways, forests, and urban greenspaces, supporting resilient and climate-smart agriculture, bolstering water infrastructure and drought resilience across the American West, protecting federal assets from future flood risk, modernizing our electric grid, and funding research to develop the latest energy-storage technologies here in America.
 
Accelerating a Clean Transportation Future – President Biden is taking a whole-of-government approach to position the U.S. as a global leader in innovative and sustainable transportation.  The Administration’s National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization is a landmark strategy for cutting all greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. transportation sector by 2050. The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act invest tens of billions to decarbonize shipping, trucking, transit, rail, and aviation, all while making communities more walkable, bikeable, and connected. And through the President’s Federal Sustainability Plan, the federal government has ordered over 58,000 zero-emission vehicles and has begun installing more than 25,000 charging ports, adding to the 8,000 already in use across the government.
 
In addition, the President rallied automakers and autoworkers around a historic goal of having electric vehicles (EVs) account for at least 50% of new passenger vehicles sold by 2030. To support this goal while driving down consumer costs, the Administration secured tax credits that reduce the cost of new or used clean vehicles by thousands of dollars directly at the dealership and is investing $7.5 billion into building out a national EV charging network. Since President Biden took office, EV sales have quadrupled, prices have come down by more than 20%, the number of charging stations has grown by over 80% – putting us on track to deploy 500,000 chargers by 2026 – and the U.S. auto industry has added more than 100,000 jobs. Driven by Biden-Harris Administration policies, the sector is experiencing a manufacturing renaissance with more than $160 billion of investments in EVs, batteries, and their supply chains. And just last month, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the strongest-ever vehicle emission standards for light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles.
 
Cutting Energy Costs and Pollution at Homes, Schools, and in Communities – Reducing building emissions through efficiency improvements and electrification lowers energy bills for families, improves resiliency, and creates good-paying jobs. The President has created new programs to save American families on their energy bills through the Department of Energy’s Home Energy Rebates, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, and Treasury’s Home Energy Tax Credits. The Biden-Harris Administration is also strengthening energy efficiency standards to save households and businesses money, with standards updated by DOE for dozens of appliances expected to provide nearly $1 trillion in consumer savings over 30 years, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2.5 billion metric tons – equivalent to the emissions of 18 million gas-powered cars over 30 years. By invoking emergency authority, the President is expanding domestic heat pump manufacturing, which will cut the costs of heat pumps. To ensure that the 10 million new homes that will be built by 2030 are efficient and resilient, President Biden’s National Initiative to Advance Building Codes is accelerating adoption of modern building codes that protect people from extreme-weather events and help contribute to avoiding an estimated $1.6 billion a year in damages.

Revitalizing American Manufacturing for the Clean Economy – President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has helped catalyze historic manufacturing growth, with factories opening across the nation. To date, the private sector has announced nearly $700 billion in investments in manufacturing and clean energy. The President’s agenda is helping to make U.S. manufacturing the cleanest and most competitive in the world. The Inflation Reduction Act is investing more than $6 billion to slash climate pollution and support worker and community health at U.S. factories producing the steel, aluminum, cement, and other materials that form the backbone of our economy. To further support U.S. industrial competitiveness, the Biden Administration’s landmark Buy Clean initiative is leveraging the government’s sway as the largest purchaser on Earth to spur demand for low-emissions manufacturing and construction products.
 
Repowering Energy Communities – The Biden-Harris Administration is deploying programs to build capacity and spur economic development in the communities that powered our nation for generations, such as the clean manufacturing investments in the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) Program and DOE’s Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grants Program, in addition to ARC’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative and EDA’s Assistance to Energy Transition Communities. In addition, new bonus tax credits in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act are incentivizing clean energy companies to expand access to good-paying jobs in energy communities across the nation.

Advancing Environmental Justice –  Since Day One, the Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized a whole-of-government approach to environmental justice. The President signed a historic Executive Order that calls on the federal government to bring clean energy and healthy environments to all and mitigate harm to those who have suffered from pollution and environmental burdens like climate change. Through the Justice40 Initiative, over 500 programs across 19 federal agencies are being reimagined and transformed to maximize the benefits of President Biden’s unprecedented investments – from clean energy projects to floodwater protections to wastewater infrastructure – to communities that need them most. At the same time, the Administration is taking unprecedented action to protect communities from PFAS pollution, accelerate Superfund and brownfield cleanups, tighten standards for hazardous air pollutants, and enhance air quality enforcement.
 
Delivering Clean Water and Replacing Lead Pipes – President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting to ensure a future where every American has access to clean, safe water. The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests over $50 billion in upgrading the nation’s water infrastructure – the largest investment in clean water in American history. This funding is going towards expanding access to clean drinking water, replacing lead pipes, improving wastewater and sanitation infrastructure, and removing PFAS pollution in water. President Biden has also made a historic commitment to replace every toxic lead pipe in the country within a decade, protecting families from lead poisoning that can irreversibly harm brain development in children. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency issued proposed improvements to the Lead and Copper Rule that would require water systems to rapidly replace lead service lines.

Conserving our Lands and Waters –The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic action to conserve and restore America’s lands and waters, including signing an Executive Order to set the first-ever national conservation goal to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 through the America the Beautiful Initiative. Last week the Administration launched Conservation.gov and the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, a new website and data portal that will help connect people with information, tools, resources, and opportunities to support land and water conservation projects in communities across the country. The Administration has already protected more than 41 million acres of lands and waters, and President Biden is on track to conserve more lands and waters than any President in history. This includes establishing five new national monuments and restoring protections for three more; creating four new national wildlife refuges and expanding five more; protecting the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, the nation’s most visited wilderness area; safeguarding Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska; and withdrawing Chaco Canyon in New Mexico and Thompson Divide in Colorado from further oil and gas leasing to protect thousands of sacred sites and pristine lands.

To conserve and steward old growth forests, USDA announced a proposal to amend 128 forest land management plans to conserve and steward old-growth forest conditions on national forests and grasslands nationwide. This builds upon the Biden-Harris Administration’s protection of Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world. The Administration is also taking continued action to protect and conserve our nation’s rivers and watersheds for the people and communities that depend on them, protecting the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River Basin in the face of an ongoing megadrought, and beyond. This includes taking historic action to restore healthy and abundant wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin, part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s unprecedented commitment to honor the United States’ obligations to Tribal Nations.
 
Investing in Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry – President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is supporting America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners, who play a critical role in addressing the climate crisis through the deployment of climate-smart practices and systems. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has supported 80,000 farms in implementing climate-smart practices on over 75 million acres. In Fiscal Year 2023, USDA made record investments in private lands conservation, totaling nearly $3 billion in financial assistance to producers.  Leveraging both climate impact and economic opportunities, the Administration is creating new market opportunities through the groundbreaking Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities and efforts that are part of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge.
 
Rallying Leaders of the World’s Largest Economies to Raise Global Climate Ambition –President Biden has restored America’s climate leadership at home and abroad. Under his leadership, the Administration is securing commitments from more than 155 countries to reduce methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030; successfully galvanizing other countries at COP28 to commit, for the first time, to transition away from unabated fossil fuels, stop building new unabated coal capacity globally, and triple renewable energy globally by 2030 and nuclear energy by 2050; launching a new Clean Energy Supply Chain Collaborative to work with international partners to diversify supply chains that are critical to a clean and secure energy transition; mobilizing other governments to follow the U.S. lead and commit to achieve net-zero government emissions by 2050 through a new Net-Zero Government Initiative; and becoming a world leader in innovative debt-for-nature swaps that have helped countries restructure over $2 billion in debt and unlock hundreds of millions of new financing for nature and climate.

 
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Actions are the latest in a series of steps the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to improve safety, provide support for care workers and family caregivers, and to expand access to affordable, high-quality care

Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and to have access to quality care. That’s why, today, Vice President Harris is announcing two landmark final rules that fulfill the President’s commitment to safety in care, improving access to long-term care and the quality of caregiving jobs. Ensuring that all Americans, including older Americans and people with disabilities, have access to care – including home-based care – that is safe, reliable, and of high quality is an important part of the President’s agenda and a part of the President’s broader commitment to care. Today’s announcements deliver on the President’s promise in the State of the Union to crack down on nursing homes that endanger resident safety as well as his historic Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, which included the most comprehensive set of executive actions any President has taken to improve care for millions of seniors and people with disabilities while supporting care workers and family caregivers.

Cracking Down on Inadequate Nursing Home Care

Medicare and Medicaid pay billions of dollars per year to ensure that 1.2 million Americans that receive care in nursing homes are cared for, yet too many nursing homes chronically understaff their facilities, leading to sub-standard or unsafe care. When facilities are understaffed, residents may go without basic necessities like baths, trips to the bathroom, and meals – and it is less safe when residents have a medical emergency. Understaffing can also have a disproportionate impact on women and people of color who make up a large proportion of the nursing home workforce because, without sufficient support, these dedicated workers can’t provide the care they know the residents deserve. In his 2022 State of the Union address, President Biden pledged that he would “protect seniors’ lives and life savings by cracking down on nursing homes that commit fraud, endanger patient safety, or prescribe drugs they don’t need.”

The Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule finalized today will require all nursing homes that receive federal funding through Medicare and Medicaid to have 3.48 hours per resident per day of total staffing, including a defined number from both registered nurses (0.55 hours per resident per day) and nurse aides (2.45 per resident per day). This means a facility with 100 residents would need at least two or three RNs and at least ten or eleven nurse aides as well as two additional nurse staff (which could be registered nurses, licensed professional nurses, or nurse aides) per shift to meet the minimum staffing standards. Many facilities would need to staff at a higher level based on their residents’ needs. It will also require facilities to have a registered nurse onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide skilled nursing care, which will further improve nursing home safety. Adequate staffing is proven to be one of the measures most strongly associated with safety and good care outcomes.

To make sure nursing homes have the time they need to hire necessary staff, the requirements of this rule will be introduced in phases, with longer timeframes for rural communities. Limited, temporary exemptions will be available for both the 24/7 registered nurse requirement and the underlying staffing standards for nursing homes in workforce shortage areas that demonstrate a good faith effort to hire.

Strong transparency measures will ensure nursing home residents and their families are aware when a nursing home is using an exemption.

This rule will not only benefit residents and their families, it will also ensure that workers aren’t stretched too thin by having inadequate staff on site, which is currently a common reason for worker burnout and turnover. Workers who are on the frontlines interacting with residents and understanding their needs will also be given a voice in developing staffing plans for nursing homes. The Biden-Harris Administration also continues to invest in expanding the pipeline of nursing workers and other care workers, who are so essential to our economy, including through funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Improving Access to Home Care and the Quality of Home Care Jobs

Over seven million seniors and people with disabilities, alongside their families, rely on home and community-based services to provide for long-term care needs in their own homes and communities. This critical care is provided by a dedicated home care workforce, made up disproportionately by women of color, that often struggles to make ends meet due to low wages and few benefits. At the same time, home care is still very inaccessible for many Medicaid enrollees, with more than threequarters of home care providers not accepting new clients, leaving hundreds of thousands of older Americans and Americans with disabilities on waiting lists or struggling to afford the care they need.

The “Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services” final rule, finalized today, will help improve access to home care services as well as improve the quality caregiving jobs through its new provisions for home care. Specifically, the rule will ensure adequate compensation for home care workers by requiring that at least 80 percent of Medicaid payments for home care services go to workers’ wages. This policy would also allow states to take into account the unique experiences that small home care providers and providers in rural areas face while ensuring their employees receive their fair share of Medicaid payments and continued training as well as the delivery of quality care. Higher wages will likely reduce turnover, leading to higher quality of care for older adults and people with disabilities across the nation, as studies have shown. States will also be required to be more transparent in how much they pay for home care services and how they set those rates, increasing the accountability for home care providers. Finally, states will have to create a home care rate-setting advisory group made up of beneficiaries, home care workers and other key stakeholders to advise and consult on provider payment rates and direct compensation for direct care workers.

Strong Record on Improving Access to Care and Supporting Caregivers

Today’s new final rules are in addition to an already impressive track record on delivering on the President’s Executive Order on Care. Over the last year, the Biden-Harris Administration has:

• Increased pay for care workers, including by proposing a rule to gradually increase pay for Head Start teachers by about $10,000, to reach parity with the salaries of public preschool teachers.
• Cut child care costs for low-income families by finalizing a rule that will reduce or eliminate copayments for more than 100,000 working families, and lowering the cost of care for lower earning service members, thereby reducing the cost of child care for nearly two-thirds of children receiving care on military bases. Military families earning $45,000 would see a 34% decrease in the amount they pay for child care.
• Supported family caregivers by making it easier for family caregivers to access Medicare beneficiary information and provide more support as they prepare for their loved ones to be discharged from the hospital. The Administration has also expanded access to mental health services for tens of thousands of family caregivers who are helping veterans.

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If there is one word that defined David Pryor – and the essence of his character – it is integrity.
 
In serving the people of his beloved Arkansas as a State Representative, a U.S. Congressman, a Governor, and a Senator, David always kept his word. He never stopped fighting for working men and women, for the poor, for civil rights. And he was willing to reach across the aisle and do the right thing – even when it cost him politically.
 
David was my colleague in the Senate for 18 years, and he was my friend. His kindness was always on display: David would drag tables together in the Senate Dining Room to make sure Senators got to know one another on a personal level. Together, we worked to protect Americans from the epidemic of gun violence. David voted for the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, knowing he’d incur the NRA’s wrath – because it would save lives. David and I worked closely together to pass the Violence Against Women Act which David co-sponsored. As Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Aging, David fought for America’s seniors – standing up against elder abuse and improving nursing home care.
 
Our country is better off because David Pryor dedicated his life to public service. Today, Jill and I are praying for Barbara, David, Scott, former Senator Mark Pryor, and the extended Pryor family.

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Tomorrow night, Jews around the world will celebrate Passover, recounting their miraculous Exodus story from hundreds of years of enslavement in Egypt and their journey to freedom. This holiday reminds us of a profound and powerful truth: that even in the face of persecution, if we hold on to faith, we shall endure and overcome.
 
As Jews mark Passover with storytelling, songs, and rituals, they will also read from the Haggadah how, in every generation, they have been targeted by those who would seek to destroy them. This year, those words carry deeper resonance and pain in the wake of Hamas’ unspeakable evil on October 7th – the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. More than 1,200 people were brutally massacred. Women and girls were subjected to appalling sexual violence. More than 250 innocents were taken hostage, including Americans. We can never forget the horror of Hamas’ despicable atrocities.
 
Jews around the world are still coping with the trauma of that day and its aftermath. This Passover falls particularly hard on hostage families trying to honor the spirit of the holiday – a story centered on freedom – while their loved ones remain in captivity. Our hearts are with all the victims, survivors, families, and friends whose loved ones have been killed, taken hostage, wounded, displaced, or are in harm’s way.
 
My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad. My Administration is working around the clock to free the hostages, and we will not rest until we bring them home. We are also working to establish an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza as a part of a deal that releases the hostages and delivers desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians. We will continue to work toward a two-state solution that provides equal security, prosperity, and enduring peace for Israelis and Palestinians. And we are leading international efforts to ensure Israel can defend itself against Iran and its proxies, including by directing the U.S. military to help defend Israel against Iran’s unprecedented attacks last weekend.
 
The ancient story of persecution against Jews in the Haggadah also reminds us that we must speak out against the alarming surge of Antisemitism – in our schools, communities, and online. Silence is complicity. Even in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country. My Administration will continue to speak out and aggressively implement the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, putting the full force of the federal government behind protecting the Jewish community.
 
This year, let us remember the central Passover theme that even in the darkest of times, the promise of God’s protection will give us strength to find hope, resilience, and redemption. To all those celebrating this Festival of Freedom: Jill and I wish you a Happy Passover, Chag Sameach.

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Earlier this week, senior officials from the White House, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Transportation and Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works met with Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld to discuss progress and continued collaboration in response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

The White House underscored President Biden’s commitment to stand with Baltimore every step of the way in this recovery. White House officials thanked participants for the collaboration and partnership between teams at the federal and state level. The meeting focused on updates on removing wreckage from the channel, supporting impacted workers and the families of the victims, reopening the port to vessel traffic, and rebuilding the bridge.

The group discussed progress towards reopening a limited access channel, including Tuesday’s major milestone of removing a significant section of the bridge from the water. The limited access channel is expected to be complete by the end of April. Participants emphasized the need for a smooth return of cargo traffic to the port as the channel is reopened and went over the standard operating procedures for reopening maritime traffic after incidents. The group also discussed efforts to support impacted workers, including the launch of the Port of Baltimore Worker Retention Program and the PORT Act, and the group’s shared support for the families of workers who lost their lives in the bridge collapse. Participants also highlighted efforts at the state and federal level to ensure a rapid rebuild of the bridge. 

The White House will continue to work in lockstep with state and federal partners to minimize the impacts of the devastating collapse and to support affected communities.

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Today, members of both parties in the House voted to advance our national security interests and send a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage. At this critical inflection point, they came together to answer history’s call, passing urgently-needed national security legislation that I have fought for months to secure.
 
This package will deliver critical support to Israel and Ukraine; provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and other locations impacted by conflicts and natural disasters around the world; and bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. It comes at a moment of grave urgency, with Israel facing unprecedented attacks from Iran, and Ukraine under continued bombardment from Russia. I want to thank Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the House who voted to put our national security first. I urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs.

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Principal Deputy National Security Advisor (PDNSA) Jon Finer met yesterday with the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General (DG) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. PDNSA Finer reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to a successful conclusion of the International Health Regulations (IHR) and Pandemic Accord negotiations in the coming weeks. DG Tedros highlighted the critical role that the United States plays in global health and global health security, and welcomed the United States’ constructive engagement in the negotiations to date. The two discussed ongoing humanitarian crises in Gaza, Haiti, Sudan, and Ukraine and PDNSA Finer encouraged increased WHO engagement with Taiwan. PDNSA Finer also reaffirmed President Biden’s strong support for the House’s National Security Supplemental, which includes significant funding for humanitarian emergencies around the world. 

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