Statements and Releases

Three years ago, President Biden and our Australian and United Kingdom partners committed to AUKUS, an enhanced security partnership that promotes a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable. As this partnership has grown, it has strengthened the security of our allies in the region as well as our own security here at home. Over the past three years, our countries have made significant strides in supporting Australia’s acquisition of a conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability. Australian sailors are now enrolled in U.S. and UK nuclear power training schools, Australian personnel are embedded in U.S. shipyards, and each of our countries have made significant investments to strengthen our respective defense industrial bases creating thousands of highly-skilled jobs. AUKUS partners recently implemented sweeping changes in each of our export control regimes opening up defense trade between our three countries. Through deep integration of our innovation communities, AUKUS partners are steadily developing and deploying advanced capabilities for our warfighters. These efforts will continue in the years to come as we collaborate and invest in this historic partnership.

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Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced additional federal investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) totaling $1.3 billion. With these new investments, combined with the previously announced $16 billion in total federal investments in HBCUs, the Biden-Harris Administration has set another record of over $17 billion in federal investments in HBCUs from Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 through current available data for FY 2024.

Investments in HBCUs continue to be one of the most powerful engines of economic mobility for students and their families and have proven to more than pay for themselves. Despite representing only 3% of colleges and universities, HBCUs provide college access to twice as many Pell Grant-eligible low- and middle- income students as non-HBCU institutions. HBCUs have produced an astonishing 40% of all Black engineers, 50% of all Black teachers, 70% of all Black doctors and dentists, 80% of all Black judges, and the first Black American and first woman to be Vice President of the United States, Vice President Kamala Harris. HBCUs foster more upward mobility than most US colleges: about 30% of HBCU students move up at least two income quintiles compared to 18% for non HBCUs. And research by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) found that, compared to the Ivy League and other top-ranked non-HBCU institutions, HBCUs help more than five times as many students move from the bottom 40% to the top 60% of U.S. household.

A report by the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) published in May further underscores this point. The report found that, even in the face of historic underfunding, HBCU enrollment was associated with an increased likelihood of completing a bachelor’s degree and higher household income, and noted that HBCUs have seen a surge in applications and enrollment in recent years – indicating that students increasingly recognize and appreciate their value.

But beyond just serving as an engine of economic mobility for students and their families, HBCUs make a substantial contribution to the national economy. New research by the UNCF finds that HBCUs generate $16.5 billion annually in economic impact on communities across the United States, as well as over 136,000 jobs, and $146 billion in collective lifetime earnings for their graduates.

As a component of this outsized economic impact, HBCUs play a significant role in the research and development (R&D) that drives vital progress in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). As such, the Biden-Harris Administration has made it a priority to expand the capacity of HBCUs to offer high quality STEM education programs and to compete for federal R&D dollars. In the first six months of the Administration, President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act – which requires federal research agencies to provide funding and other support for expanding the R&D capacity of HBCUs. The Biden-Harris Administration has worked diligently to implement this law.

The Biden Harris Administration has advanced racial equity, economic opportunity, and educational excellence through HBCUs since Day One, including by reestablishing the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Biden-Harris Administration is the most diverse administration in history and many members are HBCU graduates, including Vice President Kamala Harris,  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Willie Phillips.

The additional $1.3 billion in federal investments announced today will further build on the Administration’s commitments and on HBCUs’ demonstrated track record of delivering excellence. These investments include:

• $188 million in competitive grants to HBCUs through the Department of Education, including grants that will support R&D capacity building.

• $1.1 billion in funding to support students at HBCUs directly through need-based grants and other federal programs, including Pell Grants.

While there is more work to be done, the Biden-Harris Administration continues to build on an unprecedented track record of delivering for HBCUs and the students and communities they serve:

• The Department of Defense U.S. Air Force established the first-ever HBCU-led University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). Led by Howard University with seven other HBCUs and funded at $90 million over five years, this program will focus on advancing the deployment of autonomous technologies for Air Force missions. Participating HBCUs include Bowie State University, Delaware State University, Florida Memorial University, Hampton University, Jackson State University, Norfolk State University, Tuskegee University, and Tougaloo College.

• The Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration established the first-ever Connecting-Minority-Communities program delivering funding for 43 HBCUs to purchase high-speed internet, purchase equipment, and hire IT personnel to tackle the digital divide impacting HBCUs.

• The Department of Commerce CHIPS for America hosted the launch of the HBCU CHIPS Network, a collaboration of several HBCUs and the Georgia Institute of Technology to increase the coordination of the resources at HBCUs and jointly contribute to workforce and research development needs of the semiconductor industry. Chips are critical in powering our consumer electronics, automobiles, data centers, critical infrastructure, and virtually all military systems.

• The Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will provide $4.2 million in grant funding to HBCUs, through the EPP/MSI Cooperative Science Center program.

• The Department of Agriculture announced a $262.5 million investment to support 33 projects across U.S. institutions of higher education designed to train the next generation of diverse agricultural professionals. Through the USDA NextGen program, the projects are led by 1890 land-grant institutions (historically Black land-grant universities), 1994 land-grant institutions (Tribal Colleges and Universities, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)), and institutions of higher education located in the Insular Areas. This historic investment will provide training and support to more than 20,000 future food and agricultural leaders through 33 projects executed by more than 60 institutions across 24 states and Insular Areas.

• The Department of Energy announced the inaugural $7.75 million Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Clean Energy Education Prize, a competition that will support HBCUs in developing programming to strengthen the participation of K-12 and community college students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The competition, which has announced its first 10 winning HBCU teams, is supporting the creation of clean energy community networks to inspire the next generation of students to work in STEM fields related to clean energy.

• The Department of Education provided nearly $25 million to HBCUs under the Research and Development Infrastructure program to transform their research infrastructure, including strengthening research productivity, faculty expertise, physical infrastructure, and partnerships leading to increases in external funding.

• The Department of Education announced nearly $2.3 million in new grant awards for the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program, which strengthens science and engineering education programs and reduces barriers to entry in STEM careers for students of color, particularly women. Four HBCU grantees across three states (Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina) will receive a total of more than $1 million in funding.

• The Department of Education announced nearly $15 million in new grants under the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program to prepare the next generation of teachers at HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions. These new awards include four HBCU grantees across four states (Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas), receiving a total $1.6 million in funding. This brings the total investment in Hawkins to $38 million under the Biden-Harris Administration, which is the first Administration to secure funding for the Hawkins program.  

• The Department of Transportation announced Prairie View A&M University in Texas as the first-ever HBCU to lead a University Transportation Center. Prairie View A&M and 11 other HBCUs were among 34 schools to receive a portion of a $435 million grant for development of interoperable technology systems, which allow equipment, software, and applications to work together, communicate, and exchange data.

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is pioneering efforts to close opportunity gaps in STEM, including nearly $12 million for eight HBCUs to support programs in artificial intelligence and machine learning and create a more diverse pipeline of talent for careers in data-intensive space-based Earth science.

• The White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through HBCUs established the Executive HBCU Space Lab, a new collaboration between HBCUs, the Federal government, and industry partners to increase HBCU engagement in space-related federal contracting. The Executive HBCU Space Lab is a solutions-oriented initiative that will release resources including SpaceTechConnect, a free platform to highlight space-related capabilities at HBCUs.

• The Executive HBCU Space Lab will release a federal contracting playbook to equip HBCUs with the necessary knowledge and tools to effectively secure and manage federal contracts, ensuring they fully leverage opportunities to benefit their institutions and communities.

• The Department of Health and Human Services National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences established HBCU-Connect, a new initiative with HBCUs to inspire the development of environmental health science leaders from diverse backgrounds. HBCU-Connect is a multifaceted effort to strengthen ties between the institute and faculty and students at academic institutions that are often underrepresented in the sciences.

• The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau launched the Maternal Health Research Collaborative for MSIs, providing roughly $30 million in research support to seven HBCUs over five years. The funding will build capacity of HBCUs to conduct Black maternal health research to fully understand and address the root causes of disparities in maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and maternal health outcomes; and to find community-based solutions to address these disparities and advance health equity.

• The Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to HBCUs totaled $147.5 million to support research, training, research capacity building, and outreach efforts. NIH funding included endowment awards to strengthen the research infrastructure of the HBCU award recipients to conduct minority health and health disparities research. Other NIH funding has assisted several HBCUs in contributing towards building a diverse scientific workforce, including mentorship and student training programs and career development opportunities for faculty.

• The National Science Foundation has awarded $10.5 million for Ideas Lab projects, under its Advancing Research Capacity at HBCUs through Exploration and Innovation (ARC-HBCU) opportunity, to assess and address research capacity needs, increase access to research facilities and build human capital at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Among the awards include a $3 million award to Central State University and a consortium of six HBCUs to advance research capacity in semiconductors. The consortium includes North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Fayetteville State University, Hampton University, Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, Coppin State University, and Meharry Medical College.

• The National Science Foundation, as part of Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) initiative, awarded an Atlanta-based HBCU consortium a $14 million competitive grant to establish a hub that promotes equity in the national research ecosystem and serves as a model for other HBCUs and emerging research institutions. The consortium includes Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College.

• Micron and GlobalFoundries, two leading semiconductor companies, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, recently announced their Minority Serving Institution Semiconductor Network, an investment of over $10 million across 15 schools, including HBCUs. Micron and its partners have come together to focus additional funding toward student programming and infrastructure at HBCUs, HSIs, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, and tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) to diversify the semiconductor workforce and bring attention to education equity in STEM degrees. 

• The National Science Foundation announced a new $2 million grant award to Clark Atlanta University under the HBCU CHIPS Network. The HBCU CHIPS Network, which was launched in February, is a collaboration with over 30 HBCUs and Georgia Institute of Technology to increase the coordination that supports semiconductor workforce development. HBCU partners include Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, Delaware State University, Jackson State University, Norfolk State University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

• The National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on STEM (CoSTEM), in support of the CHIPS and Science Act, established an Interagency Working Group (IWG) on HBCU, TCU, and MSI STEM Achievement. The Council provides a coordinated federal approach to carry out sustained outreach activities to increase clarity, transparency, and accountability for federal research agency investments in STEM education and research at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, including such institutions in rural areas. In May 2024, CoSTEM issued a report and recommendation on advancing research capacity at high-research activity status HBCUs. Federal agencies, the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs, and the White House Initiative on HBCUs will work together to issue additional recommendations and advance the model best practices recommended in the report.

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced awards totaling $5.5 million for HBCUs to conduct housing and community development research to support the production of affordable housing, support homeownership, advance use of renewable energy, and address infrastructure inequity affecting underserved communities.

• The Department of Justice (DOJ) has increased both the number of HBCUs applying for grants and its HBCU approval rate. Over the past five years, DOJ’s grant awards to HBCUs have increased 83% (from $900,000 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 to $5.2 million in FY23).

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I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.
 
I am thankful that former President Trump is safe. I commend the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their vigilance. As President Biden said, our Administration will ensure the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to carry out its critical mission.

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I have been briefed by my team regarding what federal law enforcement is investigating as a possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. A suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe. I am relieved that the former President is unharmed. There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened. As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.

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On Thursday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan welcomed 20 leaders of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for a round table discussion.  The discussion focused on two areas: increasing pathways for HBCU students into national security fields, and identifying areas through which federal agencies can support HBCUs in managing their unique security challenges.  This discussion followed up on a round table Mr. Sullivan hosted with HBCU presidents in February 2023.
 
During the conversation, Mr. Sullivan shared the progress that national security and foreign policy Departments and Agencies have made implementing benchmarks directed by President Biden in his White House Memorandum on Revitalizing America’s Foreign Policy and National Security Workforce, Institutions, and Partnerships.  Mr. Sullivan reported the addition of more than 4,000 paid internships across agencies including the State Department, the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Intelligence Community (IC).  He also described the expansion of Centers of Academic Excellence on HBCU campuses for training and research on the challenges of the future.  Mr. Sullivan affirmed that the Administration is eager to continue making progress on addressing obstacles to HBCU student recruitment and hiring.  HBCU presidents shared their desire to expand partnerships with Federal agencies to support groundbreaking research and improve programs to meet national security needs.  
 
HBCU presidents also spoke about security challenges facing their institutions, most notably the challenges and concerns associated with both domestic violent extremism and racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism.  They expressed gratitude for the support that local and regional federal law enforcement liaisons have provided to HBCUs’ threat prevention partnership and coordination efforts.  Mr. Sullivan discussed with HBCU leaders existing and new U.S. Government resources available to all college campuses, including HBCUs, to help to bolster their preparedness and resilience against both physical and cyber-attacks, as well as training, toolkits, and grant funding available for security hardening.  Some of these resource include the DHS Prevention Resource Finder, the U.S. Department of Education’s Free to Learn: Leading Inclusive Learning Environments in Higher Education Resource Guide, an HBCU Bomb Threat Resource Guide, and CISA’s K-12 School Security Guide Companion for School-Based Law Enforcement and School Resource Officers. 
 
The Biden-Harris Administration has consistently demonstrated its commitment to supporting the vital mission of HBCUs, having invested a record over $16 billion dollars in HBCUs, including nearly $4 billion in emergency support and recovery funding through the American Rescue Plan.
 
The roundtable participants included:

• Chris Rey, J.D., President, Barber-Scotia College (NC)
• Dr. Roslyn Artis, President, Benedict College (SC)
• Dr. Darren Martin, President, Bluefield State University (WV)
• Dr. Aminta H. Breaux, President, Bowie State University (MD)
• Dr. Morakinyo A.O. Kuti, President, Central State University (OH)
• Dr. Monique Guillory, President, Dillard University (LA)
• Dr. Martin Lemelle, Jr., President, Grambling State University (LA)
• Darrell K. Williams, President, Hampton University (VA)
• Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith, President, Harris-Stowe State University (MO)
• Dr. Ben Vinson, III, President, Howard University (DC)
• Dr. Bobbie Knight, President, Miles College (AL) 
• Dr. David Kwabena Wilson, President, Morgan State University (MD)
• Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston, President, Norfolk State University (VA)
• Dr. Maurice D. Gipson, President, Philander Smith University (AR)
• Dr. Tomikia LeGrande, President, Prairie View A&M University (TX)
• Dr. Marcus Burgess, Interim President, St. Augustine’s University (NC)
• Dr. Adena Loston, President, St. Philip’s College (TX)
• Dr. Mark Brown, President, Tuskegee University (AL)
• Dr. Herman Felton, Jr., President, Wiley College (TX)
• Dr. Vann R. Newkirk, Sr., President, Wilberforce University (OH)

From the White House:

• Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs 
• Jen Daskal, Deputy Assistant to the President & Deputy Homeland Security Advisor
• Curtis Ried, Deputy Assistant to the President & National Security Council Chief of Staff & Counselor
• Amanda Mansour, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Partnerships & Global Engagement, National Security Council
• Brent Robinson, Director for Partnerships & Global Engagement, National Security Council
• Bintou Njie, Special Advisor to the Vice President for Africa
• Dr. Dietra Trent, Executive Director for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities

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From worker heat exhaustion to bridge failures, extreme heat is increasingly placing strain on lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure. Earlier this week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the United States just experienced its fourth-hottest summer on record.  Globally, August 2024 was the warmest August in the agency’s 175-year record.

Recognizing that extreme heat is the deadliest type of disaster among all weather-related hazards, the Biden-Harris Administration hosted the first-ever White House Summit on Extreme Heat, bringing together over 100 participants from around the country and across the government. The Summit, announced by President Biden earlier in the summer, convened federal agencies and White House senior staff alongside leaders – including workers exposed to extreme heat, healthcare professionals, emergency responders, and researchers and innovators – who represent many of the communities that are fighting on the front lines of extreme heat to discuss lessons learned from this year’s extreme heat, highlight Administration progress in tackling extreme heat and advancing environmental justice, and amplify successful best practices to manage extreme heat that have been locally tailored and community driven.

At the Summit, National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi also announced a new Extreme Heat Call to Action, which calls upon state, local, Tribal and Territorial governments, along with the private sector and non-profit organizations to lead by example and use all of the tools at their disposal to protect people from extreme heat looking ahead to 2025. The Call to Action invites interested organizations to submit a commitment to take action in advance of the 2025 heat season, including a wide range of approaches and tools which could be used to protect people and resources from extreme heat, such as actions highlighted in the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit and the National Heat Strategy:

• Long-term adaptation and resilience actions, like improving tree canopy and installing new cooling infrastructure;
• Heat planning actions, like running a heat tabletop exercise or creating a community phone tree in partnership with trusted community partners;
• Heat preparedness actions, like equipping emergency responders and healthcare providers with new resources to address extreme heat;
• Heat response actions, like opening new Resilience Hubs or cooling centers during extreme heat events; and
• Heat recovery actions, such as establishing new ways to track progress on key heat and health metrics.

The White House will collect submissions for the Call to Action through November 1, 2024, which may include information about the goals that communities have set and the new actions they are planning in advance of future extreme heat events. As part of this effort, the White House hopes to understand and amplify a number of promising commitments and actions. 

The White House also announced the publication of a Draft Community Heat Action Checklist, a new tool for local governments taking their first critical steps towards planning and preparing for extreme heat. This document supplements existing tools on Heat.gov helping communities map, understand, and address their heat risk. It also builds on major investments by the Biden-Harris Administration relevant to understanding, preventing, and responding to extreme heat—including investments in urban and community forests, green and resilient building retrofits, lowering cooling costs for American families, and in protecting our nation’s workers from extreme heat. This work also advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to align climate resilience investments across the public and private sector through common principles and opportunities for action to build a climate-resilient nation through the National Climate Resilience Framework, the federal interagency National Heat Strategy, and other regulatory actions.

Additionally, given that climate change is fueling extreme heat both at home and abroad, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) issued a toolkit to Mission leaders that will help ensure the well-being of Agency workforce members during extreme heat events across the world. The toolkit outlines key measures Missions can take to prepare for and respond to extreme heat. USAID also announced more than $18 million in humanitarian assistance to populations experiencing the increasingly severe impacts of climate change – including extreme heat and drought.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda includes more than $50 billion to help Americans in every state become more resilient to climate impacts like hurricanes, wildfires, drought, and extreme heat. The Extreme Heat Summit will highlight how those investments are moving the country forward in heat response and inspire communities nationwide to take additional future steps.

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom at the White House. The leaders had an in-depth discussion on a range of foreign policy issues of mutual interest.  They reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend against Russia’s aggression.  They expressed deep concern about Iran and North Korea’s provision of lethal weapons to Russia and the People’s Republic of China’s support to Russia’s defense industrial base. They reiterated their ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, the urgent need for a ceasefire deal that will free the hostages and enable increased relief in Gaza, and the need for Israel to do more to protect civilians and address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. They also condemned Iran-backed Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. They discussed U.S.-UK cooperation on clean energy and advanced technologies, on AUKUS, as well as opportunities to deepen our strong U.S.-UK economic ties. President Biden underscored his support for the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and its role in maintaining peace and stability in Northern Ireland.

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Over the past four years, President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken action to ensure the promise of America reaches every community—including Black communities. These actions have delivered historic results, enabling more Black Americans to access a quality education, obtain a good-paying job, start a business, and buy a home—driving significant gains in wealth. From growing economic and educational opportunities to improving health outcomes, from enhancing public trust and public safety to advancing equity, civil rights, and racial justice, the Biden-Harris Administration has demonstrated its deep commitment to ensuring equal opportunity for all and investing in the future of Black Americans.

Securing Economic Mobility, Educational Opportunity, and the American Dream for Black Communities

President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that the promise of America—the American Dream—is that everyone should have a fair shot at getting ahead. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, we have made progress:

• Achieved the lowest Black unemployment rate on record and created 2.4 million jobs for Black workers as of August 2024
• Lifted 400,000 Black children out of poverty by increased SNAP benefits through updating the Thrifty Food Plan, and continuing to call on Congress to restore the full expanded Child Tax Credit—which, during the COVID-19 pandemic, cut Black child poverty in half benefitting 600,000 and brought racial poverty disparities to a record low
• Grew Black American business ownership at the fastest rate in over three decades
• Tripled the number of SBA-backed loans to Black-owned businesses
• Awarded a record $10 billion in federal contracts to Black-owned small businesses in Fiscal Year 2023
• Invested a record of more than $16 billion in Historically Black Colleges and Universities
• Secured a $900 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award—the largest increase in the past 10 years—and $23 million in first-ever funding to the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program to increase the number of teachers of color and multilingual educators across the country
• Approved the cancellation of almost $170 billion in student loan debt for nearly 5 million borrowers, including a significant number of Black borrowers who are disproportionately burdened by student debt 
• Took on racial bias in home appraisals and closed the Black-white home misevaluation gap by 40%
• Reduced mortgage insurance premiums for FHA loans, saving 76,000 Black households an average of $900/year
• Cut costs for high-speed internet to 5.5 million Black households with the Affordable Connectivity Program
• Distributed $2.2 billion in financial assistance to over 43,000 farmers who experienced discrimination
• Led a historically equitable economic recovery—Black wealth, even after adjusting for inflation, is up 60% relative to pre-pandemic levels—the largest increase on record

Ending Health Disparities

President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to keeping health care costs down for individuals and families and improving access to health care to address disparities in Black communities. To improve health outcomes for the Black community, the Biden-Harris Administration has:

• Ensured more Black Americans have health care than ever before by lowering premium costs by an average of $800 for millions of Americans, increasing Black enrollment in Affordable Care Act coverage by 95%, or over 1.7 million people since 2020
• Lowered monthly premiums for health insurance, capped the cost of insulin at $35 and all out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 for people on Medicare, and announced new negotiated prices for the first ten prescription drugs for Medicare price negotiation—expected to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in the first year of the program alone

• Made sickle cell disease the first focus of the new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services models, aimed to lower the high cost of drugs, promote accessibility to drug therapies, and improve patient care
• Expanded Medicaid postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months in 46 states and Washington, D.C., covering 700,000 more women in the year after childbirth
• Secured an additional $1.5 billion for Head Start
• Delivered $1 billion to help meet the mental health needs of young people by preparing and hiring a projected 14,000 additional mental health professionals to serve America’s schools

Making Communities Safer and Strengthening America’s Commitment to Justice

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to using every available federal lever to advance effective, accountable policing, build trust, and improve public safety so that the promise of equal justice under the law is a reality for all. To enhance equal justice and public safety for all communities, including the Black community, the President has:

• Signed an Executive Order on police reform when Congressional Republicans would not pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act; restricted the use of force, banned chokeholds, restricted the use of no-knock warrants and created the first-ever national database of federal law enforcement misconduct
• Created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention
• U.S. Surgeon General named gun violence a public health crisis and issued a public health advisory on how to reduce violence.
• Signed into the law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the most significant gun violence reduction legislation enacted in nearly 30 years, and taken more meaningful executive action than any other president to make our schools, churches, grocery stores, and communities safer
• Secured $400 million in funding dedicated specifically for community violence interventions that invests in evidence-informed strategies to prevent violence
• Cracked down on the source of illegal firearms by making it illegal to manufacture “ghost gun” kits, enacting the first-ever federal gun trafficking law, taking a “zero tolerance” approach to rogue gun dealers, and regulating the number one source of guns involved in gun trafficking investigations – unlicensed sellers.
• Pardoned thousands of Americans under federal and D.C. law for simple possession of marijuana
• Helped bring violent crime to its lowest level in 50 years—lower than during any year of the previous administration

Restoring the Soul of Our Nation

President Biden believes that advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our government and requires sustained leadership and partnership with all communities. To make the promise of America real for Black communities, the President has:

• Signed two Executive Orders directing the federal government to address inequality
• Protected Black history as American history
• Signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, the first new federal holiday since MLK Day
• Designated Springfield 1908 Race Riot and Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monuments
• Signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act to classify lynching for the first time as a federal hate crime
• Worked to protect the sacred right to vote through executive actions and continued calls for legislation
• Appointed the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, more Black women to federal circuit courts than all previous presidents combined, and more Black judges in a single term than any other president

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Thirty years ago today, the Violence Against Women Act was signed, becoming the first comprehensive federal law to focus on preventing and addressing violence against women and to provide justice and support for survivors. Written and championed by President Biden when he served in the Senate, this landmark legislation has transformed the way government upholds its duty to protect the women and girls of our nation. We would not be where we are today without his work and the tireless efforts of advocates, allies, and the brave survivors who have shared their stories and determination to ensure others do not have to experience what they did or face it alone.
 
As someone who has spent my entire career fighting for the health, safety, and wellbeing of women and girls, I have seen the impact of the Violence Against Women Act up close. As a courtroom prosecutor, I specialized in crimes against women and children. As District Attorney of San Francisco, I made it a priority to prosecute more sexual assault and domestic violence cases and secure higher conviction rates. My office also provided survivors with access to mental health counseling and job training to help get them back on their feet and regain control over their own lives.
 
As Attorney General of California, I led efforts to provide resources and support for victims of crimes while overseeing the second largest Department of Justice in our Nation. I also tackled a long-standing backlog of untested rape kits – a backlog that was an obstacle to justice for survivors and ensuring that perpetrators could not continue to victimize their communities. Additionally, I prosecuted the first case in the country against an operator of a cyber exploitation website. Then, as a United States Senator, I led legislation to make these acts a federal crime and also supported a wide range of legislation that expanded protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, and trafficking.
 
President Biden and I have continued to prioritize this urgent work in the White House. We fought to successfully reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, strengthening the law to expand protections for LGBTQI+ survivors, survivors living on Tribal lands and in Alaska Native villages, and women and girls across our nation. I also joined the President in launching a federal task force to tackle online harassment and image-based abuse. And as the person overseeing the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, I am proud to say that we finally addressed the boyfriend loophole to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
 
As we reflect on the lifechanging progress we have made over the last 30 years, we recommit to the critical work ahead. Together, alongside survivors, advocates, and allies, President Biden and I will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that every woman throughout America has the freedom to live safe from violence and hate. 
 

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Administration Also Urges Congressional Action on De Minimis Reform

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking new actions to enforce our laws and protect American consumers, workers, and businesses by addressing the significant increased abuse of the de minimis exemption, in particular China-founded e-commerce platforms, and strengthening efforts to target and block shipments that violate U.S. laws.
 
Over the last ten years, the number of shipments entering the United States claiming the de minimis exemption has increased significantly, from approximately 140 million a year to over one billion a year. This exponential increase in de minimis shipments makes it more challenging to enforce U.S. trade laws, health and safety requirements, intellectual property rights, consumer protection rules, and to block illicit synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and synthetic drug raw materials and machinery from entering the country.
 
The majority of shipments entering the United States claiming the de minimis exemption originate from several China-founded e-commerce platforms, putting American consumers at risk, undercutting American workers and businesses, and resulting in the importation of huge volumes of low-value products such as textiles and apparel into the U.S. market duty-free. A shipment is eligible for the de minimis exemption if the aggregate fair retail value of the articles imported is $800 or less. De minimis shipments enter the United States with less information than other imports and are not subject to duties and taxes.   
 
The growing volume of de minimis shipments makes it increasingly difficult to target and block illegal or unsafe shipments. Foreign corporate giants who exploit the de minimis exemption do so for a variety of reasons.  Some companies exploit the de minimis to conceal shipments of illegal and dangerous products and avoid compliance with U.S. health and safety and consumer protection laws. Other foreign entities use it to circumvent U.S. trade enforcement actions intended to level the playing field for American workers, retailers, and manufacturers.
 
With today’s announcement, the Administration is using executive authority to stop the abuse of the de minimis exemption. The Administration also calls on Congress to pass legislation this year to reform the de minimis exemption comprehensively to further protect American consumers, workers, and businesses.
 
Administration Action Intended to Reduce De Minimis Import Volumes
New Rulemaking to Reduce De Minimis Volume and Strengthen Trade Enforcement: The Administration intends to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would exclude from the de minimis exemption all shipments containing products covered by tariffs imposed under Sections 201 or 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, or Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. 
 

• Section 301 tariffs currently cover approximately 40% of U.S. imports, including 70% of textile and apparel imports from China. Some e-commerce platforms and other foreign sellers circumvent these tariffs by shipping items from China to the United States claiming the de minimis exemption. If finalized, these goods would no longer be eligible for the de minimis exemption.

• It would also ensure that de minimis exemption eligibility for products covered by trade enforcement actions is consistent across U.S. trade laws. Products covered by antidumping or countervailing duty orders are already excluded from de minimis exemption eligibility. 

Administration Action to Protect U.S. Consumers, Workers, and Businesses
New Rulemaking to Improve Accountability and Enforcement in De Minimis Shipments: The Administration intends to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the entry of low-value shipments that will propose to strengthen information collection requirements to promote greater visibility into de minimis shipments.

• This regulatory action will propose to require specific, additional data for de minimis shipments – including the 10-digit tariff classification number and the person claiming the de minimis exemption – which will improve targeting of de minimis shipments and facilitate expedited clearance of lawful de minimis shipments.

• The proposed regulatory changes will also clarify who is eligible for the administrative exemption, and requires filers to identify the person on whose behalf the exemption is being claimed.

• These new requirements would help U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) protect consumers from goods that do not meet regulatory health and safety standards and protect U.S. businesses from unfair competition against imported goods that would otherwise be charged duties or restricted from entry. 

Final Rule to Prevent De Minimis Shipments from Circumventing Safety Standards: Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff intend to propose a final rule requiring importers of consumer products to file Certificates of Compliance (CoC) electronically with CBP and CPSC at the time of entry, including for de minimis shipments.

• This regulation would strengthen CBP’s and CPSC’s ability to target and block unsafe products from entering the U.S. market and would help prevent foreign companies from using the de minimis exemption to circumvent consumer protection testing and certification requirements.

Comprehensive Legislative Reforms on De Minimis Needed to Protect American Consumers, Workers, and Businesses
The Administration is pursuing significant regulatory action to address the surge in de minimis imports that put American consumers, workers, retailers, and manufacturers at risk.  But further comprehensive de minimis reforms are needed, and these reforms require congressional action.  The Administration stands ready to work with Congress to pass comprehensive de minimis reform legislation by the end of the year.  Key reforms Congress should advance include:

• Exclusion from de minimis eligibility of import-sensitive products.  Congress should act to exclude import-sensitive products, including textile and apparel products, from the de minimis exemption. 

• Exclusion from the de minimis exemption of shipments containing products that are covered by Section 301, Section 201, or Section 232 trade enforcement actions.  The Administration intends to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to exclude shipments containing products covered by Section 301, Section 201, or Section 232 trade remedies actions, but legislative action by Congress to make this statutory change would help to achieve this important reform more quickly. 

• Passage of previously proposed de minimis reforms in the Detect and Defeat Counter-Fentanyl Proposal.  These reforms would, among other actions, increase transparency and accountability under the de minimis program by requiring more data from shippers, including the product tariff classification number, and give border officials tools they need to more effectively track and target the millions of shipments coming in claiming the de minimis exemption.  The Detect and Defeat Counter-Fentanyl proposal incorporates many of the bipartisan ideas put forward by Members of Congress, and will increase CBP’s ability to detect and seize illicit drugs and the raw material used to make them, and hold drug traffickers accountable. 

Administration Action to Protect American Textile and Apparel Manufacturers
American textile and apparel producers play a critical role in the U.S. defense industrial base and support hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the United States.  U.S. textile and apparel manufacturers are facing unfair competition from several China-founded e-commerce giants, as these companies take advantage of the de minimis exemption to ship huge volumes of textile and apparel products to American consumers. In addition to the de minimis reforms highlighted above, the Administration is exploring other decisive actions to support U.S. textile and apparel manufacturers and their workers. 

• Executive Branch Action to Expand Procurement of Certain Textile and Apparel Products:  The Administration will explore ways to increase procurement of certain textile and apparel products across agencies, as a way of ensuring that U.S. taxpayer dollars are supporting U.S. taxpayer jobs in the textile and apparel sector.

• Strengthened Textile and Apparel Enforcement:The Administration continues to prioritize enforcement efforts against illicit textile and apparel imports through intensified targeting of small package shipments, joint trade special operations, increased customs audits and foreign verifications, and the expansion of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List.

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Today, the White House, Department of Agriculture, and Environmental Protection Agency convened a roundtable with key stakeholders from the farm credit and finance community to discuss how the Biden-Harris Administration can leverage its historic investments in climate smart agriculture to reduce emissions and store carbon at scale, while opening up new revenue streams for producers.

America’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters play critical role in our fight against climate change through the implementation of climate smart agriculture practices. The Administration has sought to accelerate the expansion of climate smart agricultural practices through the Investing in America agenda by investing in innovative and science-based financial assistance, local technical support, and understanding the business case for climate smart agriculture and forestry.

Participants discussed opportunities to reduce barriers to adoption of climate smart agricultural practices, as these tools must work for operations of all sizes and ensure equity in delivery. Administration officials and participants agreed that to address the climate crisis and build stronger rural economies, solutions should continue to be locally led, science based, and encourage innovation. The discussion also highlighted the role of efforts to improve outreach and education as well as financial and environmental measurement, verification, and reporting. Administration officials sought feedback on implementation of investments, efforts to scale up climate smart agriculture, and opportunities for stacking and aligning incentives.

The discussion emphasized the impact of historic investments from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and the importance of improved financing of agricultural practices, technologies, and systems that are part of the climate solution. Participants highlighted the need for aligned and patient capital to support the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices; and, discussed approaches to standardization and scaling of finance solutions. Administration officials closed the roundtable by underscoring the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to investing in farmers, ranchers, and forester and advancing climate smart solutions through a whole of society approach to tackling the climate crisis.

Attendees:

• Akiptan
• Climate United
• Compeer Financial
• Couser Cattle Company
• Environmental Defense Fund
• Farm Credit Council
• Farmer Mac
• Gradable
• Growers Edge
• National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
• Native Agriculture Financial Services
• Soil and Water Outcomes Fund

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Today, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive strategy for responsible innovation, the White House convened leaders from hyperscalers, artificial intelligence (AI) companies, datacenter operators, and utility companies to discuss steps to ensure the United States continues to lead the world in AI. Participants considered strategies to meet clean energy, permitting, and workforce requirements for developing large-scale AI datacenters and power infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations in the United States.
 
At the roundtable, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and industry leaders committed to partnering closely to maintain American leadership in AI that will achieve shared national security, economic, and environmental goals. Developing and operating leading AI in the United States is vital for protecting national security and ensuring that AI systems are safe, secure, and trustworthy. Participants also discussed ways to create good paying jobs for workers, including roles for pipefitters and electrical workers, and keep energy costs low for consumers. The United States is the global leader in AI, and we are taking action to ensure future AI infrastructure creates jobs for American workers, and is built in the United States and powered by clean energy.
 
To accelerate public-private collaboration in advancing U.S. leadership in AI, the Administration is announcing several new actions following today’s convening:
 

• The White House is launching a new Task Force on AI Datacenter Infrastructure to coordinate policy across government. Led by the National Economic Council, National Security Council, and the White House Deputy Chief of Staff’s office, the interagency Task Force will provide streamlined coordination on policies to advance datacenter development operations in line with economic, national security, and environmental goals. The Task Force will work with AI infrastructure leaders to identify opportunities and work with agencies to ensure adequate resourcing, designate agency single points of contact, and properly prioritize AI datacenter development to reflect the importance of these projects to American national security and economic interests. Finally, the Task Force will build on recent work to identify existing authorities and areas where legislative action is needed to modify or strengthen federal authorities to support AI datacenter development.
  
• The Administration will scale up technical assistance to Federal, state, and local authorities handling datacenter permitting. The Permitting Council will work with AI datacenter developers to set comprehensive timelines for Federal agency action and will allocate funds to agencies that accelerate evaluations for FAST-41 covered clean energy projects that support datacenters.
  
• The Department of Energy (DOE) is creating an AI datacenter engagement team to leverage programs to support AI data center development. DOE has curated a suite of resources – including loans, grants, tax credits, and technical assistance – that can help datacenter owners and operators secure clean, reliable energy solutions. DOE is also planning a series of convenings with datacenter developers, clean energy solutions providers, grid operators, and other stakeholders to drive development of innovative solutions.
  
• The Department of Energy will continue to share resources on repurposing closed coal sites with datacenter developers. Retired and retiring coal sites provide a unique opportunity for redevelopment of energy infrastructure that can power new data centers. Existing land and facilities at the power plant site can be repurposed, such as electricity infrastructure for connections to the grid. Combining site features with financial incentives available from Federal or state and local authorities can make attractive opportunities for project developers.
  
• The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will identify Nationwide Permits that can help expedite the construction of eligible AI datacenters and share that information with AI datacenter developers to expedite critical projects.
  
• Industry leaders at today’s convening committed to enhance cooperation with policy makers and explore further solutions, through ongoing dialogue and collaboration.
  
• Hyperscalers at today’s convening reaffirmed their commitments to achieving net zero carbon emissions and to procuring clean energy to power their operations.

 
Each of these steps advances significant work already undertaken by the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure the United States leads the way in responsible AI innovation and development, including through President Biden’s landmark 2023 Executive Order on AI. These actions will enable datacenters catalyzing the industries of the future to be built here in the United States by American workers.
 
Participants in the convening included:
 
Industry:
Andres Gluski, President and CEO, AES
Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer, Alphabet
Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon
Dario Amodei, CEO, Anthropic
Michael Intrator, CEO, CoreWeave
Arshad Mansoor, President and CEO, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Calvin Butler, President and CEO, Exelon
Javier Olivan, Chief Operating Officer, Meta
Brad Smith, President and Vice Chairman, Microsoft
Jensen Huang, President and CEO, Nvidia
Sam Altman, CEO, OpenAI
Chad Williams, Chairman and CEO, Quality Technology Services (QTS)
 
Government:
Jeff Zients, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy
Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce
Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff
Lael Brainard, Assistant to the President and National Economic Advisor
Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy
Ali Zaidi, Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor
Kristine Lucius, Deputy Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President
Navtej Dhillon, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council
Neelesh Nerurkar, Senior Advisor for Energy and Climate, National Economic Council
Jack Groarke, Senior Policy Advisor, National Economic Council
Ben Buchanan, Special Advisor for Artificial Intelligence
Tarun Chhabra, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Technology and National Security
Benjamin Della Rocca, Director for Technology and National Security
Christopher Davis, Chief of Staff, Department of Energy
Carla Frisch, Acting Executive Director and Principal Deputy Director, Office of Policy, Department of Energy
Ted Dean, Counselor to the Secretary, Department of Commerce

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will host the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday, September 21. The President looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan.

This will be President Biden’s first time hosting foreign leaders in Wilmington as president—a reflection of his deep personal relationships with each of the Quad Leaders, and the importance of the Quad to all of our countries.

The Biden-Harris Administration has made elevating and institutionalizing the Quad a top priority, from the first-ever Quad Leaders Summit at the White House in 2021, to annual Summits since then. In recent years, Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times, and Quad governments continue to meet and coordinate at all levels.

The Quad Leaders Summit will focus on bolstering the strategic convergence among our countries, advancing our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and delivering concrete benefits for partners in the Indo-Pacific in key areas. These include health security, natural disaster response, maritime security, high-quality infrastructure, critical and emerging technology, climate and clean energy, and cybersecurity.

The next Quad Summit will be hosted by India.

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For too long, we have ignored the right of women to be free from the fear of attack based on their gender. For too long, we have kept silent about the obvious.” – Joseph R. Biden, Jr. speaking at a Hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, June 20, 1990

Today, President Biden will deliver remarks at the White House to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), landmark bipartisan legislation that he wrote and championed as a U.S. Senator and has worked across the aisle to strengthen ever since. He will reflect on the significant progress we have made in reducing violence and supporting survivors as well as the work ahead to realize VAWA’s promise of a nation where every woman and girl can live free from fear, free from violence, and free from abuse.

Working to end gender-based violence has been a cornerstone of President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’ careers. VAWA was the first comprehensive federal law to focus on preventing and addressing violence against women and to provide justice and support for survivors. The law transformed the nation’s response to gender-based violence by recognizing that domestic violence and sexual assault are not a private matter but rather a violation of fundamental rights and dignity. Between 1993 and 2022, annual domestic violence rates dropped by 67% and the rate of rapes and sexual assaults declined by 56%.

In the three decades since the original VAWA was signed into law, President Biden has worked with survivors, advocates, experts, and Members of Congress of both parties to reauthorize and strengthen the law four times. As President, he signed into law the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022—critical legislation that expands access to safety and support for survivors, increases prevention efforts, and establishes new federal protections against online harassment and abuse. The President and Vice President also secured the highest-ever funding levels to implement VAWA, and the Biden-Harris Administration has acted quickly to implement the law’s new programs and protections.

To mark the 30th anniversary of VAWA, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing the following new actions:

• Providing new funds to address gender-based violence and support survivors. The Department of Justice—the lead agency in VAWA implementation—will announce more than $690 million in FY 2024 grant funding to support survivors of gender-based violence. This includes more than $40 million to implement new grant programs established by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, including trauma-informed training for law enforcement, pilot programs for serving protection orders electronically, strategies to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and victim-centered and trauma-informed restorative practices programs that address gender-based violence. By September 30, the Department of Justice will have announced funding awards for more than 40 grant programs and initiatives to help states, Tribes, territories, law enforcement, victim advocates, and community-based organizations address gender-based violence.
  
• Meeting the housing needs of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Gender-based violence is a leading cause of homelessness for families with children. Today, five federal agencies—the Departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs—are issuing a new interagency statement to affirm VAWA’s housing protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking as well as other individuals, such as those who assist survivors. The new statement underscores survivors’ housing rights under VAWA, identifies potential housing scenarios that highlight the need for VAWA’s housing protections, and reaffirms the agencies’ commitment to enforcing VAWA’s expanded housing protections in a manner consistent with each agencies’ authorities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is also announcing the establishment of the Office on Gender-Based Violence, as directed by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, which is located in the Office of the Secretary and coordinates and implements policies and programs to address the safe housing and economic stability needs of survivors.
  
• Addressing online harassment and abuse. The Department of Justice will announce a funding award for the new National Resource Center on Cybercrimes Against Individuals as authorized by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022. This new Resource Center will help law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim services organizations prevent, enforce, and prosecute cybercrimes against individuals, including cyberstalking, the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, and other forms of technology-facilitated abuse. The Department of Justice will also announce approximately $5.5 million in new grant funds to support local law enforcement in prosecuting cybercrimes against individuals and a $250,000 award to provide training and technical assistance to schools and other youth-serving organizations to improve youth online safety and support young survivors of technology-facilitated abuse.
  
• Engaging the private sector to combat image-based sexual abuse. Image-based sexual abuse—including real images distributed without consent and synthetic content generated by artificial intelligence (AI)—has skyrocketed in recent years, disproportionately targeting women, children, and LGBTQI+ people and emerging as one of the fastest growing harmful uses of AI to date. Today, following the Vice President’s leadership in underscoring the urgent need to address deepfake image-based sexual abuse and the White House Call to Action to Combat Image-Based Sexual Abuse, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing a set of voluntary commitments from AI model developers and data providers to curb the creation of image-based sexual abuse and proactively reduce the risk of new images from being generated without someone’s consent as well as ensure that known, verified instances of image-based sexual abuse are excluded from their products and systems. These actions complement new efforts from the private sector to support voluntary principles to combat image-based sexual abuse through a working group with advocates, survivors, and researchers.
  
• Supporting states in using federal funds to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Guns and domestic violence are a lethal combination: access to a gun makes it five times more likely that a woman will die at the hands of her abuser. State laws that require people under domestic violence-related restraining orders to turn in their firearms are associated with a 14 to 16 percent lower intimate partner firearm homicide rate. To help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, the Department of Justice is expanding technical assistance and federal funding opportunities for state and local law enforcement programs that remove firearms from domestic abusers convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence or subject to a protective order. The Department’s new resources—which will include training, toolkits, and best practices from the Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Firearms Technical Assistance Project—follow a recent Resource Guide to Address the Intersection of Domestic Violence and Firearms that encourages states to use federal funds for law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts to address this critical intersection. North Carolina, for example, is pursuing opportunities to use federal funding to address firearms and domestic violence by creating training materials for judges, district attorneys and survivors.
  
• Strengthening enforcement of new provisions to narrow the “boyfriend loophole.” President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which narrowed the “boyfriend loophole” by prohibiting persons convicted of misdemeanor crimes in dating relationships from purchasing or possessing firearms for at least five years. To further implement and enforce this protection, the Department of Justice will work with states to educate them about the scope of this provision and to help ensure that the records of prohibited abusers are available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. These efforts will inform the work of both law enforcement as well as state records repositories and court systems.
  
• Disrupting the cycle of abuse by supporting youth exposed to domestic violence.The Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services within the Department of Health and Human Services will announce $19 million in new funds to support state and local coalitions, Tribal communities, and community-based programs in disrupting the cycle of domestic violence. These funds will be used to meet the needs of children exposed to family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence as well as to provide services to their non-abusing parents—with the goal of preventing future violence and supporting children and families.

The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to preventing and ending gender-based violence wherever it occurs. Because, as then-Vice President Biden made clear on the 20th anniversary of VAWA, even one case of gender-based violence is too many. The Administration will continue to take steps to realize VAWA’s fundamental promise of a nation where every survivor of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking can access the safety, justice, and healing they need and live free from fear, free from violence, and free from abuse.

Implementing the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022
VAWA remains just as important today as it was when the law was first passed in 1994, and the Biden-Harris Administration is continuing to implement the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022’s expanded protections and services, including for survivors from underserved and marginalized communities, as well as investments in prevention, and new protections against online harassment and abuse.

• Protecting and supporting survivors of gender-based violence. The Department of Justice awarded more than $630 million in VAWA grants and cooperative agreements in FY 2023 and more than $690 million in grants in FY 2024 to serve survivors and bolster coordinated community responses aimed at responding to and ending domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. This includes enhanced access to resources for underserved communities, including for LGBTQI+ survivors; funding for survivor-centered, community-based restorative practice services; and increased support for culturally specific services and services in rural communities.
  
• Expanding access to justice and strengthening gender-based violence protections for Tribal communities. The Department of Justice awarded $68 million in FY 2023 VAWA grants and more than $85 million in FY 2024 VAWA grants to support Native communities to provide services and promote justice for survivors. In making these awards, the Department took new measures to increase access to the Tribal Governments Grant Program. The Department has also supported Tribal implementation of new provisions that recognized expanded special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Native perpetrators of sexual violence, child violence, stalking, assaults on Tribal law enforcement officers, and sex trafficking on Tribal lands, in addition to domestic and dating violence. These efforts have included launching a new Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Reimbursement Program. The Department also launched a pilot program to support Alaska Native Tribes that want to exercise special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indian offenders for certain crimes, including crimes of sexual and domestic violence.
  
• Supporting the housing needs of survivors. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, which awarded $10 million in VAWA technical assistance funding in 2023, is working closely with its VAWA technical assistance providers and program offices to provide robust training and technical assistance to Department’s housing grantees, owners, and managers. The Department also published a first-of-its-kind report on the housing needs of survivors of human trafficking, as required by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 and is releasing a new fact sheet that applies the report’s findings to help assist youth trafficking survivors and youth at risk of trafficking with housing needs.
  
• Promoting and strengthening prevention services and responses to stop violence before it occurs.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided more than $49 million in FY 2024 to more than 110 state health departments and state, territorial, and Tribal sexual assault coalitions for the Rape Prevention and Education Program throughout the United States. Additionally, the Department of Justice will award more than $20 million in FY 2024 to support colleges and universities in preventing and responding to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. These funds help support comprehensive prevention education for students and expanded training for school-based personnel and campus health centers. Separately, the Department of Education—in collaboration with the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services—launched a Task Force on Sexual Violence in Education that has issued new reports on data regarding sexual violence at educational institutions, held listening sessions, and solicited public input on ways to continue the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to improve sexual violence prevention and response on campuses.
  
• Supporting survivors of online harassment and abuse. To support survivors of image-based abuse, the Department of Justice funded the first-ever national helpline to provide 24/7 support and specialized services for victims of the non-consensual distribution of intimate images. Operated by the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, the Image Abuse Helpline and Online Safety Center is significantly expanding support to survivors of online harassment and abuse, meeting the rising need for services to address the non-consensual creation and distribution of intimate images. The Department of Justice also funded a new project in FY 2023 to address the traumatic impact of image-based sexual abuse through a combination of direct services, capacity building, training, and education to help combat technology-facilitated gender-based violence. In addition to the new actions being announced today to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, the Department of Justice has taken steps to raise awareness of the new provision in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 that created a federal civil cause of action to address the non-consensual distribution of intimate images through resources distributed to United States Attorneys’ Offices and national legal and service organizations.
  
• Strengthening protections for domestic violence survivors at risk of experiencing gun violence. To implement the National Instant Criminal Background Check System Denial Notification Act—which was included in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022—the Federal Bureau of Investigation is actively reporting denied transactions of attempted firearm transfers to appropriate state, local, and Tribal law enforcement within 24 hours. These reports are helping law enforcement investigate and prosecute cases against individuals legally prohibited from receiving firearms who try to do so, including domestic abusers.
  
• Improving trauma-informed and victim-centered investigations and expanding pathways to justice for survivors. The Department of Justice implemented a new grant program authorized in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 to support demonstration projects and initiatives to train law enforcement officers on trauma-informed and victim-centered investigations of gender-based violence. The Department released a new Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen our National Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Involving Adult Victims, setting out principles that will lead to better outcomes for survivors, safer communities, and greater accountability for perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual assault, and implemented new funding to support effective policing and prosecution of these crimes. Furthermore, the Department has taken several steps to expand pathways to justice for survivors by implementing a new program, authorized in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, to support, enhance, and expand restorative practice programs that prevent or address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and build evidence for victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive restorative practices addressing these harms.

Addressing Gender-Based Violence Beyond VAWA
Building on the foundation of VAWA, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken numerous additional actions to address gender-based violence wherever it occurs—at home, at work, in the military, in schools, in communities, and online.

• Addressing gun violence by domestic abusers. In addition to signing the most significant legislation to reduce gun violence in nearly 30 years and narrowing the “boyfriend loophole,” President Biden established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which is overseen by Vice President Harris, to lead the Administration’s efforts to end our nation’s gun violence epidemic. The Department of Justice has invested $250 million in community-based violence intervention programs and provided $750 million for states to implement crisis interventions, such as red flag laws. And the Department successfully defended at the Supreme Court the constitutionality of a federal law that helps keep guns out of the hands of individuals subject to domestic violence protective orders.
  
• Implementing historic military justice reforms and supporting survivors. One of President Biden’s earliest acts in office was to call for the establishment of the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military to strengthen the military justice response to sexual violence. Since then, we have advanced historic and bipartisan legislative reforms to better protect survivors and fundamentally change how the military investigates and prosecutes sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, and related offenses—transferring prosecutorial decisions from commanders to independent military prosecutors and establishing the Offices of Special Trial Counsel. Building on these reforms, in July 2024, the Department of Defense implemented additional Independent Review Commission recommendations to improve the Department’s response to sexual assault by removing barriers for those seeking help and by professionalizing the survivor response workforce. The Department of Defense has also made record investments in sexual assault prevention and survivor support, more than doubling annual funding from $500 million to more than $1 billion in 2024 for these lifesaving services, with more than 1,000 integrated primary prevention personnel in place as of June 2024. This work is making a difference: for the first time in nearly a decade, rates of sexual assault and harassment within the active-duty force are down.
  
• Investing in communities to support survivors and save lives. The President’s American Rescue Plan invested nearly $1 billion in supplemental funding for domestic violence and sexual assault services and supports through the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Program. The President also signed into law the VOCA Fix Act, which has provided more than $1.4 billion for the Crime Victims Fund to support local programs and services for survivors. Since the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) became law in 1984, we have invested more than $38 billion dollars in local programs that provide mental health, housing, legal assistance, victim advocacy, crisis intervention, and other services to help victims of gender-based violence and other crimes.
  
• Keeping students safe and addressing campus sexual assault. The Department of Education restored and strengthened vital Title IX nondiscrimination protections for students and employees. The Department’s rule provides protection from sex-based harassment, including sexual violence; promotes accountability and fundamental fairness through a transparent and reliable process; and provides clarity to ensure that students, employees, and families understand their rights and that institutions know their responsibilities. The new rule also clarifies that schools have a responsibility to address sex discrimination and harassment that occurs under its programs and activities whether the conduct takes place online, in person, or both, and strengthens definitions for sex-based harassment under Title IX to address the growth in technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including AI-generated abuse.
  
• Strengthening protections for survivors of sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. President Biden signed into law new protections to support survivors and address sexual assault and sexual harassment in the workplace through the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act and the Speak Out Act. The Office of Personnel Management issued guidance on the use of “safe leave” to support federal employees’ access to paid time off and leave without pay for purposes related to seeking safety and recovering from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and related forms of abuse. The Department of Labor is publishing a package of new resources on “safe leave” policies and awarded new grants under the Fostering Access, Rights and Equity Grant program, which assists underserved and marginalized low-income women workers who have been impacted by gender-based violence and harassment. Separately, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued new resources to help federal agencies and employers prevent and remedy harassment, including sexual harassment, and create respectful workplaces.
  
• Supporting survivors in accessing housing, homeless assistance, and community services. In February 2024, the Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $57 million in Domestic Violence Bonus projects serving survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. In July, the Department announced the availability of at least another $52 million in Domestic Violence Bonus projects, which will be issued in early 2025. The Department also directed Homeless Continuum of Care recipients to offer services to people experiencing trauma or a lack of safety related to gender-based violence, consistent with the new definition of “homeless” for survivors included in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022. And Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grantees used nearly $13 million of CDBG funds and another $8.3 million of CDBG-CV funds in FY 2023 to support services for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. CDBG funds supported crisis intervention, crisis hotline, counseling, emergency shelter and housing assistance, legal assistance, and other community services for adults and children as well as survivors.
  
• Developing the first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. The White House issued the first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, a comprehensive, government-wide plan to prevent and address sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and other forms of gender-based violence. The National Plan provides a framework for guiding federal action across each of seven strategic pillars—from prevention to economic security and housing stability to online safety.
  
• Preventing and responding to online harassment and abuse in the U.S. and globally. To strengthen support for survivors of online harassment and abuse, the President established and the Vice President launched the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse, which has coordinated comprehensive actions from more than a dozen federal agencies and supported a record investment of more than $36 million in dedicated funding to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence in the U.S. and globally. The President’s Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence includes a focus on deepfake image-based abuse and directs federal agencies to take key actions to address this growing online harm. Additionally, the Department of Justice is accelerating its enforcement efforts against the misuse of generative AI to produce child sexual abuse material. The Department will aggressively hold accountable those who exploit AI to create obscene, abusive, and increasingly photorealistic images of children and is prosecuting AI-enabled criminal conduct to the fullest extent of the law and will seek increased sentences wherever warranted. Globally, the Biden-Harris Administration launched the 15-country Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, which has advanced international policies to address online safety, and spurred new programs to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence and counter its chilling effects on women leaders and democratic participation.
  
• Helping protect survivor privacy and economic security. President Biden signed several new laws to help survivors protect and maintain their privacy and enhance their access to funds and tools like a phone line. The Safe Connections Act allows a survivor of domestic abuse to separate a mobile phone line from an account shared with an abuser. Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission has solicited comment on whether its rules implementing the Safe Connections Act should be updated to stop abusers from using connectivity tools in vehicles to harass and intimidate their partners and has called on auto manufacturers and wireless service providers to help ensure that smart car services are not being used to stalk, harass, or intimidate survivors of gender-based violence. Other laws signed by President Biden include the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, which allows survivors of domestic violence and others who have faced economic abuse to sever joint student loan debt, and the SECURE 2.0 Act, which allows survivors of domestic abuse to elect to receive penalty-free distributions from an employer-sponsored retirement plan.
  
• Addressing gender-based violence in Native communities. In addition to the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions to implement the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, President Biden issued an Executive Order directing federal agencies to address the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous peoples, which significantly impacts women, girls, LGBTQI+ people, and Two-Spirit Native Americans. Pursuant to the Not Invisible Act, the Departments of Justice and the Interior established the Not Invisible Act Commission in 2022, a cross-jurisdictional advisory committee composed of law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing or murdered individuals, and survivors. The Commission provided recommendations to improve the federal government’s efforts to address violent crime and the high rates of people reported missing in Native communities, which the Departments responded to earlier this year. Additionally, the United States relaunched the North American Trilateral Working Group on Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls, in collaboration with the governments of Canada and Mexico, and with the participation of Indigenous women leaders from all three countries.
  
• Improving access to sexual assault forensic examinations. Over the past three years, the Department of Justice has dedicated more than $124 million to the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, which provides funding to support the inventory, tracking, and testing of previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits; the collection and testing of DNA from arrestees and offenders; and resources to address the cold case sexual assault investigations and prosecutions that result from evidence and Combined DNA Index System hits produced by tested sexual assault kits; among other services. The Department has also provided nearly $18 million to increase access to trained sexual assault medical forensic examiners, improve access to wrap-around care for survivors, and establish regional Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training programs and a Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing model to prepare current and future SANEs. With $10 million in FY 2024 funding, the Department will implement a new program to further address nationwide gaps in the availability and quality of post-sexual assault medical forensic care by establishing new SANE/Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner programs, strengthening existing ones, and providing technical assistance to support these programs.
  
• Combatting human trafficking and strengthening protections for noncitizen trafficking victims. The Biden-Harris Administration released an updated National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking laying out an integrated federal response to human trafficking as well as a National Human Trafficking Prevention Framework. Since then, the Department of Justice has disseminated more than $190 million in funding to combat human trafficking and support survivors and released updated guidelines for its employees who work with victims and witnesses of crime to provide enhanced protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking and for other vulnerable victims.

Separately, the Department of Homeland Security adopted a victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive approach to protecting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking as well as other vulnerable victims. The Department of Homeland Security also finalized a rule to strengthen the integrity of the T nonimmigrant visa process, which enables certain noncitizen victims of human trafficking to remain in the U.S. for an initial period of up to four years, and ensure eligible victims of human trafficking can access protections and stabilizing benefits in a timely manner. Additionally, the Department established a process to conduct bona fide determinations and provide employment authorization and deferred action to noncitizen victims of crime, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, with pending petitions for U nonimmigrant status for those who met certain standards.

• Investing in preventing and ending gender-based violence globally. Over the last two fiscal years, the United States maintained the highest-ever level of investment—$250 million—to address gender-based violence globally. This work is guided by the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally, which addresses 21st century challenges, including the rise of gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic; technology-facilitated gender-based violence; and safety risks related to climate migration and displacement. Under this strategy, we secured the first-ever U.S. commitment to the United Nations Global Programme to End Child Marriage and continued our long-standing commitment to the United Nations Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation.
  
• Advancing justice and accountability for conflict-related sexual violence. The Biden-Harris Administration has condemned sexual violence whenever and wherever it occurs, including in South Sudan, Iraq, Haiti, Ukraine, and the attacks committed by Hamas in Israel on October 7 – and in Gaza against hostages. In 2022, President Biden issued an historic Presidential Memorandum on Promoting Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, committing to fully exercising U.S. authorities—including sanctions, visa restrictions, and security assistance vetting—to impose consequences on perpetrators of this human rights abuse. The Biden-Harris Administration has since issued two sets of sanctions against perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence around the globe, launched the Dignity in Documentation Initiative to provide support for efforts to investigate and document conflict-related sexual violence, and will support justice for survivors by promoting accountability for crimes punishable under international law. Vice President Harris condemned conflict-related sexual violence and convened survivors at the White House in 2024.

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The post FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act and Strengthens Commitment to Ending Gender-Based Violence appeared first on The White House.

Today’s report shows that we are turning the page on inflation, which has fallen to 2.5%, close to the level the month before the pandemic started. With inflation coming back down close to normal levels, it is important to focus on sustaining the historic gains we have made for American workers during this recovery.

The President and the Vice President are fighting to lower costs, expand opportunities, and grow the middle class. That means creating jobs and supporting small businesses in communities across the country. It means cutting taxes for middle class families and hardworking Americans, while asking billionaires and large corporations to pay their fair share to reduce the deficit. And it means making housing, health care, and prescription drugs more affordable. Congressional Republicans would raise costs by nearly $4,000 per family while cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy. While the President and Vice President fight for the future, Congressional Republicans would drag us backward.

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The killing of Aysenur Eygi is a horrific tragedy that never should have happened. Doug and I are keeping her family and loved ones in our prayers. Aysenur was peacefully protesting in the West Bank—standing up against the expansion of settlements—when her young life was senselessly cut short. No one should be killed for participating in a peaceful protest. The shooting that led to her death is unacceptable and raises legitimate questions about the conduct of IDF personnel in the West Bank.  Israel must do more to ensure that incidents like this never happen again.
 
Israel’s preliminary investigation indicated it was the result of a tragic error for which the IDF is responsible. We will continue to press the government of Israel for answers and for continued access to the findings of the investigation so we can have confidence in the results. There must be full accountability.
 
The United States will continue to hold accountable anyone in the West Bank – Israelis and Palestinians – who stokes violence and undermines peace and stability.
 

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The post Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on Aysenur Eygi appeared first on The White House.

I am outraged and deeply saddened by the death of Aysenur Eygi. Aysenur was a recent U.S. college graduate. She was also an activist whose idealism led her to travel to the West Bank to peacefully protest the expansion of settlements. The shooting that led to her death is totally unacceptable. 

Israel has acknowledged its responsibility for Aysenur’s death, and a preliminary investigation has indicated that it was the result of a tragic error resulting from an unnecessary escalation. The U.S. government has had full access to Israel’s preliminary investigation, and expects continued access as the investigation continues, so that we can have confidence in the result. We will continue to stay in close contact with Israeli and Palestinian authorities regarding the circumstances that led to Aysenur’sdeath. 

There must be full accountability. And Israel must do more to ensure that incidents like this never happen again. 

The violence in the West Bank has been going on for too long. Violent extremist Israeli settlers are uprooting Palestinians from their homes.  Palestinian terrorists are sending car bombs to kill civilians.  I will continue to support policies that hold all extremists – Israelis and Palestinians alike – accountable for stoking violence and serving as obstacles to peace.

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Today is a day of solemn remembrance as we mourn the souls we lost in a heinous terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. We stand in solidarity with their families and loved ones. We also honor the extraordinary heroism on display that fateful day by ordinary Americans helping their fellow Americans. We will never forget.
 
On September 11, 2001 terrorists sought to attack and destroy our way of life—our democracy, our freedoms, and everything we hold dear as Americans. In that endeavor they failed. In the days that followed, we were all reminded that unity is possible in America. Together, we made clear we will not bend or break in the face of terrorism. We rallied around the victims and their families. We worked to overcome the hate and discrimination that many of our fellow Americans experienced following the attacks. And we fought for the country we love and the ideals we cherish. All of this work continues today.
 
Hundreds of thousands of Americans served in Afghanistan and elsewhere to selflessly and bravely protect the American people and our homeland.  They deployed to root out the evil of terrorism and to deny terrorists a safe haven. I will always honor their service and sacrifice.
 
In 2011, President Obama ordered an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, and two years ago, President Biden ordered an operation that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden’s deputy. We remain vigilant against any terrorist threat directed at the United States or the American people and we continue to disrupt terrorist networks wherever we find them.
 
Today, I will travel to the hallowed ground of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania to honor the victims and their families. As I do so, I will also reflect on the incredible selflessness and courage of the American people. And as we commemorate this day, we should all reflect on what binds us together as one: the greatest privilege on Earth, the pride and privilege of being an American.

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The post Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris on the Anniversary of September 11 appeared first on The White House.

Today, our nation comes together to renew our sacred vow: Never Forget.

Never forget each of the 2,977 precious lives stolen from us when terrorists attacked our nation. Never forget their families who still bear the grief from that searing September morning. Never forget the heroic citizens and survivors who rushed to help their fellow Americans. And never forget that when faced with evil—and an enemy that sought to tear us apart—we endured.

In the crucible of September 11 and the days that followed, we showed what Americans are made of. Firefighters and police officers running into the inferno of jet fuel and debris at Ground Zero. Civilians and service members at the Pentagon rushing into the fiery breach to rescue their colleagues. The heroes of Flight 93, who confronted terror with absolute courage and undoubtedly saved more American lives. Neighbors who showed up for neighbors to grieve and to rebuild. And hundreds of thousands of women and men whose hands went up—ready to serve our country.

On this day 23 years ago, terrorists believed they could break our will and bring us to our knees. They were wrong. They will always be wrong. In the darkest of hours, we found light. And in the face of fear, we came together—to defend our country, and to help one another. That is why terrorists targeted us in the first place: our freedom, our democracy, our unity.

They failed. But we must remain vigilant. Today, our longest war is finally over. But our commitment to preventing another attack on our people never will be. We will continue to disrupt terrorist networks wherever we find them. And we will continue to deliver justice to terrorists who plot against America—just as we did with Osama bin Laden in 2011 and Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2022.

And above all, we will continue to remember: we are the United States of America. We endure. We overcome. And there is nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. May God bless our fallen and their families. May God protect our troops and first responders. And may God bless the United States of America. 

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Today’s reports show we are making real progress growing the middle class, with incomes up more than $3,000 last year and up since Vice President Harris and I took office, accounting for inflation. In addition, health insurance coverage reached record highs under our Administration thanks to our work to build on the Affordable Care Act and lower health care costs.

Let’s be clear: we must do more to lower poverty by restoring the expanded Child Tax Credit that cut child poverty nearly in half in 2021 and passing our plan to build millions of homes and make rent more affordable—policies Congressional Republicans have repeatedly blocked. While Congressional Republicans try to drag us backward by imposing a sales tax of nearly $4,000 per year on middle class families while cutting taxes for billionaires, the Vice President and I will keep fighting to lower poverty and build up the middle class by lowering taxes on families.

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The post Statement from President Joe Biden on the Census Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage Reports appeared first on The White House.