Statements and Releases

Today, in 2024 in America, women are being turned away from emergency rooms and forced to travel hundreds of miles for health care, while doctors fear prosecution for providing an abortion. And now, a court in Alabama put access to some fertility treatments at risk for families who are desperately trying to get pregnant. The disregard for women’s ability to make these decisions for themselves and their families is outrageous and unacceptable.
 
Make no mistake: this is a direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
 
I know that folks are worried about what they’re seeing happening to women all across America. I am too. I hear about it everywhere I go. My message is: The Vice President and I are fighting for your rights. We’re fighting for the freedom of women, for families, and for doctors who care for these women. And we won’t stop until we restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law for all women in every state.

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Today, White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack are traveling to Tarboro, North Carolina to launch the Investing in Rural America Regional Event Series to highlight investments from the Biden-Harris Administration in rural America. The Regional Event Series will continue throughout this year, building on the Administration’s Investing in Rural America Event Series in late 2023, and kicks off as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s fourth Investing in America tour this month, where Cabinet and Administration officials are fanning out across the country highlighting the impact of the President’s agenda. 

During today’s visit, White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden and Secretary Vilsack will visit Edgecombe Community College and announce over $770 million in new investments that will benefit more than 1 million people living in rural communities. This investment will support 216 projects in 45 states, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands to bring high-speed internet; clean, safe water; other critical infrastructure; and economic growth to rural communities as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. This investment includes:

• $51.7 million to expand access to high-speed internet for people in rural areas through the Reconnect Program and the Broadband Technical Assistance Program. USDA will begin accepting applications on March 22, 2024 for its fifth round of funding for the ReConnect Program to connect millions of people in rural America to affordable high-speed internet.
• $644.2 million to help 158 rural cooperatives and utilities provide clean drinking water and sanitary wastewater systems for 578,000 people in rural areas.
• $76.6 million for projects in underserved communities participating in the Rural Partners Network, which is transforming the way the federal government partners with rural communities by putting federal employees on the ground to help rural communities access federal resources. This investment will support 32 projects that expand access to jobs, business opportunities, quality health care, clean water and renewable energy. Tarboro, NC is part of the Rural Partners Network.

As a part of the Regional Event Series, Senior Administration Officials will travel to rural communities across the country throughout this year to highlight how the President’s Investing in America agenda is ensuring rural Americans do not have to leave their hometowns to find opportunity. Next month, White House Senior Advisor and Director of the Office of Public Engagement Steve Benjamin will travel to New Mexico to participate in a Rural Partners Network Forum and highlight how the President is investing in rural America.

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Today, the Biden-Harris Administration will issue an Executive Order to bolster the security of the nation’s ports, alongside a series of additional actions that will strengthen maritime cybersecurity, fortify our supply chains and strengthen the United States industrial base. The Administration will also announce its intent to bring domestic onshore manufacturing capacity back to America to provide safe, secure cranes to U.S. ports – thanks to an over $20 billion investment in U.S. port infrastructure under President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. Today’s actions are clear examples of the President’s work to invest in America, secure the country’s supply chains, and strengthen the cybersecurity of our nation’s critical infrastructure against 21st century threats – priorities his Administration has focused on relentlessly since taking office.

America’s prosperity is directly linked to maritime trade and the integrated network of ports, terminals, vessels, waterways, and land-side connections that constitute the Nation’s Marine Transportation System (MTS). This complex system supports $5.4 trillion worth of economic activity each year, contributes to the employment of more than 31 million Americans, and supports nearly 95% of cargo entering the U.S. 
The security of our critical infrastructure remains a national imperative in an increasingly complex threat environment. MTS owners and operators rely on digital systems to enable their operations, to include ship navigation, the movement of cargo, engineering, safety, and security monitoring. These systems have revolutionized the maritime shipping industry and American supply chains by enhancing the speed and efficiency of moving goods to market, but the increasing digital interconnectedness of our economy and supply chains have also introduced vulnerabilities that, if exploited, could have cascading impacts on America’s ports, the economy, and everyday hard-working Americans.

Today’s actions include:

President Biden will sign an Executive Order to bolster the Department of Homeland Security’s authority to directly address maritime cyber threats, including through cybersecurity standards to ensure that American ports’ networks and systems are secure. Now, the U.S. Coast Guard will have the express authority to respond to malicious cyber activity in the nation’s MTS by requiring vessels and waterfront facilities to mitigate cyber conditions that may endanger the safety of a vessel, facility, or harbor. The Executive Order will also institute mandatory reporting of cyber incidents – or active cyber threats – endangering any vessel, harbor, port, or waterfront facility. Additionally, the Coast Guard will now have the authority to control the movement of vessels that present a known or suspected cyber threat to U.S. maritime infrastructure, and be able to inspect those vessels and facilities that pose a threat to our cybersecurity. 

The U.S. Coast Guard will issue a Maritime Security Directive on cyber risk management actions for ship-to-shore cranes manufactured by the People’s Republic of China located at U.S. Commercial Strategic Seaports. Owners and operators of these cranes must acknowledge the directive and take a series of actions on these cranes and associated Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) systems. This action is a vital step to securing our maritime infrastructure’s digital ecosystem and addresses several vulnerabilities that have been identified in the updated U.S. Maritime Advisory, 2024-00X – Worldwide Foreign Adversarial Technological, Physical, and Cyber Influence, that was released today.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemakingon Cybersecurity in the Marine Transportation System.  Every day malicious cyber actors attempt to gain unauthorized access to MTS control systems and networks throughout the nation. The Proposed Rule will strengthen these digital systems by establishing minimum cybersecurity requirements that meet international and industry-recognized standards to best manage cyber threats. These actions build on prior actions by DHS including those taken by the Transportation Security Administration, and reflect the Administration’s commitment to leverage regulatory requirements in pursuit of safeguarding critical infrastructure.

The Administration continues to deliver for the American people by rebuilding the U.S.’s industrial capacity to produce port cranes with trusted partners. The Administration will invest over $20 billion, including through grants, into U.S. port infrastructure over the next 5 years through the President’s Investing in America Agenda, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. As a result, PACECO Corp., a U.S.-based subsidiary of Mitsui E&S Co., Ltd (Japan), is planning to onshore U.S. manufacturing capacity for its crane production. PACECO has a deep history in the container shipping industry, manufacturing the first dedicated ship-to-shore container crane in 1958 as PACECO Inc., and it continued U.S.-based crane manufacturing until the late 1980s. PACECO intends to partner with other trusted manufacturing companies to bring port crane manufacturing capabilities back to the U.S. for the first time in 30 years, pending final site and partner selection. 
The announcement is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s fourth Investing in America tour, where White House and Administration officials are traveling across the country to highlight the impacts of the President’s Investing in America agenda on communities, families, small businesses and the United States’ economic and national security. It also follows-up on the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience’s efforts to strengthen America’s supply chains, particularly by addressing supply chain risks resulting from threats and vulnerabilities inside U.S. ports. 

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Today, President Biden announced the approval of $1.2 billion in student debt cancellation for almost 153,000 borrowers currently enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan. The Biden-Harris Administration has now approved nearly $138 billion in student debt cancellation for almost 3.9 million borrowers through more than two dozen executive actions. The borrowers receiving relief are the first to benefit from a SAVE plan policy that provides debt forgiveness to borrowers who have been in repayment after as little as 10 years and took out $12,000 or less in student loans. Originally planned for July, the Biden-Harris Administration implemented this provision of SAVE and is providing relief to borrowers nearly six months ahead of schedule.

From Day One of his Administration, President Biden vowed to fix the student loan system and make sure higher education is a pathway to the middle class – not a barrier to opportunity. Already, the President has cancelled more student debt than any President in history – delivering lifechanging relief to students and families – and has created the most affordable student loan repayment plan ever: the SAVE plan. While Republicans in Congress and their allies try to block President Biden every step of the way, the Biden-Harris Administration continues to cancel student debt for millions of borrowers, and is leaving no stone unturned in the fight to give more borrowers breathing room on their student loans.

Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s SAVE plan, starting today, the Administration will be cancelling debt for borrowers who are enrolled in the SAVE plan, have been in repayment for at least 10 years and took out $12,000 or less in loans for college. For every additional $1,000 a borrower initially borrowed, they will receive relief after an additional year of payments. For example, a borrower enrolled in SAVE who took out $14,000 or less in federal loans to earn an associate’s degree in biotechnology would receive full debt relief starting this week if they have been in repayment for 12 years. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) identified nearly 153,000 borrowers who are enrolled in SAVE plan who will have their debt cancelled starting this week, and those borrowers will receive an email today from President Biden informing them of their imminent relief. Next week, the Department of Education will also be reaching out directly to borrowers who are eligible for early relief but not currently enrolled in the SAVE Plan to encourage them to enroll as soon as possible.

This shortened time to forgiveness will particularly help community college and other borrowers with smaller loans and put many on track to being free of student debt faster than ever before. Under the Biden-Harris Administration’s SAVE plan, 85 percent of future community college borrowers will be debt free within 10 years. The Department will continue to regularly identify and discharge other borrowers eligible for relief under this provision on SAVE.

Over four million borrowers have a $0 monthly payment under the SAVE Plan

Last year, President Biden launched the SAVE plan – the most affordable repayment plan ever. Under the SAVE plan, monthly payments are based on a borrower’s income and family size, not their loan balance. The SAVE plan ensures that if borrowers are making their monthly payments, their balances cannot grow because of unpaid interest. And, starting in July, undergraduate loan payments will be cut in half, capping a borrower’s loan payment at 5% of their discretionary income. Already, 7.5 million borrowers are enrolled in the SAVE Plan, and 4.3 million borrowers have a $0 monthly payment.  

Today, the White House Council of Economic Advisers released an issue brief highlighting how low and middle-income borrowers enrolled in SAVE could see significant saving in terms of interest saved over time and principal forgiven as a result of SAVE’s early forgiveness provisions.

President Biden’s Administration has approved student debt relief for nearly 3.9 million Americans through various actions

Today’s announcement builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s track record of taking historic action to cancel student debt for millions of borrowers. Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has approved debt cancellation for nearly 3.9 million Americans, totaling almost $138 billion in debt relief through various actions. This relief has given borrowers critical breathing room in their daily lives, allowing them to afford other expenses, buy homes, start businesses, or pursue dreams they had to put on hold because of the burden of student loan debt. President Biden remains committed to providing debt relief to as many borrowers as possible, and won’t stop fighting to deliver relief to more Americans.

The Biden-Harris Administration has also taken historic steps to improve the student loan program and make higher education more affordable for more Americans, including:

• Achieving the largest increases in Pell Grants in over a decade to help families who earn less than $60,000 a year achieve their higher-education goals.
  
• Fixing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program so that borrowers who go into public service get the debt relief they’re entitled to under the law. Before President Biden took office, only 7,000 people ever received debt relief through PSLF. After fixing the program, the Biden-Harris Administration has now cancelled student loan debt for nearly 800,000 public service workers.
  
• Cancelling student loan debt for more than 930,000 borrowers who have been in repayment for over 20 years but never got the relief they earned because of administrative failures with Income-Driven Repayment Plans.
  
• Pursuing an alternative path to deliver student debt relief to as many borrowers as possible in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the Administration’s original debt relief plan. Last week, the Department of Education released proposed regulatory text to cancel student debt for borrowers who are experiencing hardship paying back their student loans, and late last year released proposals to cancel student debt for borrowers who: owe more than they borrowed, first entered repayment 20 or 25 years ago, attended low quality programs, and who would be eligible for loan forgiveness through income-driven repayment programs like SAVE but have not applied.
  
• Holding colleges accountable for leaving students with unaffordable debts.

It’s easy to enroll in SAVE. Borrowers should go to studentaid.gov/save to start saving.  

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Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, Every U.S. State and Territory Will Receive Funding for Clean Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan will travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as part of the Administration’s Investing in America Tour to announce $5.8 billion in funding for clean water infrastructure from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to ensuring a future where every child and family has access to clean, safe water, and today’s announcement brings the total amount of clean water funding announced by EPA from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to $22 billion. The Infrastructure Law invests a total of over $50 billion to upgrade America’s water infrastructure, the largest investment in clean water in American history.

Over two million people in America live without running water, tens of millions more lack access to safe and reliable drinking water and sanitation, and over nine million homes, daycares, and businesses receive their water through a toxic lead pipe. Due to decades of inequitable infrastructure development and underinvestment, lack of access to clean water disproportionately affects low-income and underserved communities. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe this is unacceptable and must change. No child, no family, no teacher, and no American should lack access to clean water.

Today’s announcement delivers funding to every single state and territory in the country to expand access to clean drinking water, replace lead pipes, improve wastewater and sanitation infrastructure, and remove PFAS contamination in water. Additionally, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, nearly half of this funding will be provided as grants or forgivable loans to disadvantaged communities, advancing President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative and ensuring that no community is left behind. Today’s announcement will build upon the progress President Biden and Vice President Harris have already made to ensure every American can access clean water. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Administration has launched over 1,300 drinking water and wastewater projects across the country, including projects that will replace hundreds of thousands of lead service lines. To tell the story of how these transformative projects are impacting communities across the country, EPA is launching a new Investing in America’s Water Infrastructure Storymap today.

See below for details on key progress the Administration has made delivering clean water across America:

Delivering Clean Drinking Water

• Today, EPA is announcing over $3.2 billion through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to expand access to clean drinking water across the country, bringing the total amount of funding announced under this category to $8.9 billion. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests nearly $31 billion in funding for a wide range of drinking water projects, including upgrades to water treatment plants, water distribution and piping systems, PFAS treatment, and lead pipe replacement.
  
• One community benefitting from this funding is Ridgway, Colorado, where over 50,000 people rely on a single water treatment plant that is vulnerable to failure, putting their drinking water supply at risk. Through a $50 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the community will be able to build an additional treatment plant and extend service to additional communities, helping to ensure safe, reliable drinking water for the region.
  
• The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation is investing $1 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to construct seven major Rural Water Projects to deliver new supplies of clean drinking water to rural communities. In addition, the Department of the Interior has awarded $160 million for the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a planned 230-mile water pipeline that will deliver clean water to 50,000 people in southeastern Colorado whose groundwater supplies may be contaminated with radionuclides. The project was initially authorized by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and has now finally accelerated construction under the Biden-Harris Administration, with the first pipeline breaking ground and construction contracts awarded for multiple new segments in the past year.
  
• The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades – received $1 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help provide healthy ecosystems and safe drinking water for the 20 million Americans who rely on the Great Lakes. The program will completely restore eleven highly contaminated sites in the Great Lakes, three of which have already broken ground. Projects include the Milwaukee Estuary in Wisconsin and Cuyahoga River in Ohio, which have received a combined $415 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to clean up millions of cubic yards of contaminated sediment.

Replacing Lead Pipes

• The general-purpose drinking water funding announced today can also be used to replace toxic lead pipes, accelerating progress towards the President’s goal of replacing every lead service line in the country.
  
• The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also includes a historic $15 billion in dedicated funding for lead pipe replacement. To date, EPA has announced $6 billion of this funding, which will help replace hundreds of thousands of lead pipes. EPA will announce additional lead pipe replacement funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure for 2024 in the coming months.
  
• Since Vice President Harris last visited Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in June 2022 to highlight the importance of replacing lead pipes and securing clean water access, the city has received $42 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for lead pipe replacement, helping Pittsburgh towards its goal of replacing 100% of its lead pipes by 2026.

• In November 2023, EPA proposed updates to the Lead and Copper Rule that require water systems to replace lead service lines within 10 years. EPA is also financing major lead pipe replacement projects through its WIFIA (Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act) loan program. EPA announced low-interest loans of $340 million to the City of Philadelphia and $336 million to the City of Chicago to replace tens of thousands of lead pipes while creating thousands of jobs.
  
• The Administration’s Get the Lead Out (GLO) Initiative – launched in November 2023 as a part of the President’s goal of replacing all lead service lines within a decade – establishes a partnership with 200 underserved communities nationwide to provide the technical assistance they need to access federal funding and remove lead service lines from their communities. This initiative builds on EPA and the Department of Labor’s partnership with 40 underserved communities to support lead pipe replacement.

Improving Wastewater and Sanitation Infrastructure

• Today, EPA is announcing over $2.6 billion through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for a range of projects to improve wastewater, sanitation, and stormwater infrastructure, bringing the total funding announced for this purpose to $7 billion. Inadequate wastewater or sanitation systems put communities’ health at risk, and in total, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests nearly $13 billion in wastewater funding to expand and upgrade these critical systems across the country.
  
• Last week, EPA announced an expansion of its successful Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative to help an additional 150 underserved communities plan wastewater projects and access funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Through the pilot of this initiative, EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been assisting 11 communities since 2022.
  
• One member of the Wastewater Access Gap initiative is Lowndes County, Alabama, where roughly 90% of households have failing wastewater systems and many children and families are exposed to raw sewage in their own backyards. Through the program, EPA and USDA have worked with the Lowndes County community of White Hall to secure over $500,000 in federal funding for wastewater projects to date. In the Lowndes County community of Hayneville, EPA has awarded a 100% forgivable $8.7 million loan to address failing or non-existent wastewater systems in 650 homes.
  
• Since President Biden took office, the Indian Health Service in the Department of Health and Human Services has allocated $1.4 billion in funding from the Infrastructure Law to over 650 projects to build sanitation infrastructure in Tribal communities.

 Cleaning Up PFAS Pollution in Water

• The funding announced today includes over $1 billion dedicated to addressing emerging contaminants like PFAS, bringing the total funding announced for emerging contaminants to nearly $5 billion. PFAS “forever chemicals” can be present in drinking water or wastewater and contribute to a variety of harmful health impacts, including developmental challenges in children and increased risk of cancer. In total, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $10 billion to help communities build new treatment systems to remove PFAS pollution. Additionally, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 100% of funding to remove emerging contaminants like PFAS will be provided as grants or forgivable loans, greatly reducing barriers for all communities with PFAS contamination.
  
• One community benefitting from this funding is the city of Tucson, Arizona, where drinking water supplies have been stressed by both drought and the pollution of drinking water wells by harmful PFAS and other chemicals. Through a $33.5 million forgivable loan, the city will build a new drinking water treatment facility to eliminate these contaminants and restore clean drinking water for the community.
• In March 2023, EPA proposed the first-ever national drinking water standard for PFAS under President Biden’s plan to combat PFAS pollution and EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. Expected to be finalized in 2024, these drinking water standards will establish legally enforceable levels for six PFAS chemicals, a major step to protect public health from PFAS pollution.

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On this day in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which led to the forcible incarceration of over 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent – half of whom were children. It was shameful. Families were separated. Communities were torn apart. People were stripped of their dignity. And the unconstitutional and unconscionable policy was even upheld by the Supreme Court. 
 
In the face of injustice, 33,000 Japanese Americans stepped up and courageously served in the U.S. military during World War II. They demonstrated loyalty and patriotism. We honor those service men and women, as well as the legacy of civil rights leaders like Fred Korematsu, Minoru Yasui, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Mitsuye Endo, along with every Japanese American who organized and worked to right a wrong. Their sacrifice, their resilience and their belief that civil liberties and freedom must be vigorously defended inspire us today. 
 
I decided to run for President to restore the Soul of America. To confront racism, xenophobia, and hate in all its forms. To strengthen and preserve our democracy. We remember the tragic legacy of Executive Order 9066 – and the trauma it inflicted – by reaffirming the Federal Government’s formal apology to Japanese Americans. And by stating unequivocally: Nidoto Nai Yoni – to “Let It Not Happen Again.”

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Semiconductors are the brain of modern technology. While they are no larger than a fingernail and no thicker than a piece of paper, they are essential to every electronic device that we currently use – from computers and televisions to cars and washing machines. Thanks to our Administration’s CHIPS and Science Act, we are announcing the Department of Commerce’s preliminary agreement with GlobalFoundries, which will award approximately $1.5 billion to expand domestic production of semiconductors, strengthen U.S. supply chains, and create thousands of good paying jobs right here in America.
 
While in Singapore in August 2021, I convened CEOs and government leaders to make progress on global supply chain challenges. As part of that convening, I met with an executive from GlobalFoundries, and they committed to working with our administration to secure domestic supply chains. The preliminary agreement announced today will allow GlobalFoundries to create a new state of the art semiconductor production facility in Malta, NY, and will allow the company to expand existing operations in both New York and Vermont. The chips made by GlobalFoundries are critical for the development and manufacturing of vehicles and smartphones, and are used for satellite and space communications that are essential to our national defense and national security.
 
This investment will also create more than 10,000 good jobs over the next decade, including many union construction jobs that pay fair wages and offer benefits like child care services. Additionally, the domestic production of these chips will provide more supply chain stability to the auto and aerospace industries across the United States that currently rely on the shipment of these chips from overseas. And of course, these types of investments can have a multiplier effect in communities – driving small business growth, strengthening workforce pipelines, and helping more people access good jobs without having to leave their hometowns.
 
President Biden and I continue to be fully committed to growing our economy and creating opportunity in every part of America. Today’s announcement is another way in which we are delivering on that commitment in New York, Vermont, and communities throughout the country.

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President Biden called President Zelenskyy today to underscore the United States’ commitment to continue supporting Ukraine ahead of the two year anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion. This morning, Ukraine’s military was forced to withdraw from Avdiivka after Ukrainian soldiers had to ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction, resulting in Russia’s first notable gains in months. President Biden emphasized the need for Congress to urgently pass the national security supplemental funding bill to resupply Ukrainian forces. President Biden reaffirmed the strong bipartisan support in the U.S. government and among the American people for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to imposing costs on the Russian government to hold it accountable for its actions. 

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Vice President Kamala Harris met today with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in Munich, Germany to discuss Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Russian aggression.  The Vice President emphasized the Administration’s continued efforts to ensure passage of the President’s national security supplemental funding bill, and reaffirmed the strong bipartisan support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the U.S. government and among the American people.  The Vice President welcomed Ukraine’s progress on its path of Euro-Atlantic integration, and encouraged continued work to counter corruption and strengthen Ukraine’s democratic institutions, which will give confidence to investors and enable Ukraine’s rapid recovery and reconstruction when Russia ceases its unlawful aggression. 

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Vice President Kamala Harris met today with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany in Munich, underscoring the strength of the transatlantic relationship in addressing global challenges. The Vice President expressed appreciation for Germany’s exemplary contributions to Ukraine’s self-defense and for the Chancellor’s personal leadership to advance robust European and international support for Ukraine’s economic stability. The leaders noted reports of the death of Alexey Navalny, which underscores Russia’s brutality and the need to continue aiding Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression. The leaders also reiterated their commitment to close coordination on both countries’ approaches to managing competition with the People’s Republic of China. 

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This week, the Biden-Harris Administration hosted the 2024 White House Convening on Equity. This convening brought together Cabinet members, and nearly 100 stakeholders, including national civil rights organizations, community organizers, advocates, and policy leaders. Participants discussed the Administration’s whole-of-government equity agenda and the ambitious actions underway to redress systemic barriers to opportunity for underserved communities.

To commemorate the first anniversary of President Biden’s second equity Executive Order, on Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, the convening also marked the release of 23 Federal agencies’ updated Equity Action Plans and a progress report showcasing hundreds of equity accomplishments across the Administration. Highlights include federal actions that leverage the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic Investing in America agenda to uplift small disadvantaged businesses, reduce housing discrimination, advance environmental justice, invest in disadvantaged communities, address health disparities, promote rural development, bolster fairness in the justice system and civil rights enforcement, support victims and survivors of gender-based violence, and root out bias in emerging technology.

Cabinet officials, leadership from the White House, the Office of Management and Budget, and numerous agencies discussed their historic efforts to address barriers to equity and deliver equal opportunity for all Americans.

Participants

• Neera Tanden, Assistant to the President & Domestic Policy Advisor
• Stephen Benjamin, Assistant to the President, Senior Advisor to the President & Director of the Office of Public Engagement
• Rep. Steven Horsford, Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus
• Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior
• Marcia Fudge, Secretary of Housing & Urban Development
• Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education
• Isabel Guzman, Administrator of the Small Business Administration
• Don Graves, Deputy Secretary of Commerce
• Tanya Bradsher, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Janet McCabe, Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
• Nani Coloretti, Deputy Director of the Office of Management & Budget
• Carlos Monje, Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy

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Vice President Kamala Harris met with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani of Iraq today in Munich, Germany. The Vice President and Prime Minister Sudani reaffirmed their mutual interest in a strong and enduring partnership as envisioned in the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.  The Vice President emphasized the commitment of the United States to supporting Iraq in achieving a secure and stable future for its people, which is critical to ensuring a prosperous and interconnected Middle East. The Vice President urged the Iraqi government to prevent attacks against U.S. personnel and expressed appreciation for the Prime Minister’s efforts to date. She stated that the United States has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and will act, as needed, in self-defense. The leaders also discussed the importance of continuing the U.S.-Iraq Higher Military Commission, which will enable the transition to an enduring bilateral security partnership between the United States and Iraq and is the natural next step to build on the very successful collaboration of the past 10 years between Iraq and the Defeat ISIS coalition. The two leaders also discussed the importance of continuing U.S.-Iraq economic and energy cooperation through the High Coordinating Committee and continuing to economically integrate Iraq into the broader region. The Vice President reiterated President Biden’s invitation to Prime Minister Sudani to visit the White House.

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Vice President Kamala Harris met today with Prime Minister Robert Golob of Slovenia in Munich, Germany.  The Vice President welcomed Slovenia’s election to and membership on the United Nations (UN) Security Council for 2024-25, and the leaders expressed their commitment to coordination there on the basis of our shared democratic values and commitment to the principles of the UN Charter.  The Vice President thanked Slovenia for its contributions to humanitarian and security assistance in Ukraine and for welcoming and protecting Ukrainian refugees.  The Vice President and Prime Minister discussed the importance of a strong NATO and NATO-EU cooperation and continued Allied support and cooperation to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and democracy.  The Vice President and Prime Minister further committed to continue strengthening and deepening our countries’ bilateral relationship and to work together through multilateral institutions to confront the range of challenges affecting Transatlantic security.  They also discussed opportunities for closer cooperation to advance European energy security.

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Vice President Kamala Harris met today with President Isaac Herzog of Israel in Munich Germany. The Vice President reiterated her steadfast support for Israel and its right to defend itself in the face of threats from Hamas, and she again condemned Hamas as a barbaric terrorist organization that perpetrated a horrific massacre on October 7. The Vice President and President discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of all hostages held by Hamas and achieve a prolonged pause in fighting.  The Vice President also emphasized the importance of protecting civilians, increasing humanitarian assistance, and ensuring proper deconfliction mechanisms to ensure that aid can reach those in need inside Gaza.  The Vice President reaffirmed the Biden-Harris Administration’s position that a military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the more than one million people sheltering there. The leaders also discussed ongoing planning for post-conflict Gaza and progress made on that front, and the Vice President reiterated U.S. positions, including that Israel must be secure, there must be no forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, and the Palestinians must enjoy their right to freedom, dignity, security, and self-determination.

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“If we only look inward, we cannot defeat threats from outside; isolation is not insulation. In fact, when America has isolated herself, threats have only grown,” said the Vice President during her 16th foreign trip and third time at the Munich Security Conference

 
MUNICH – Today, Vice President Kamala Harris made a forceful case for America’s continued global leadership and the Biden-Harris Administration’s worldview while strongly rejecting the failed ideologies of isolationism, authoritarianism, and unilateralism. During her third time representing the nation at the Munich Security Conference, the Vice President condemned recent attacks on NATO, reaffirmed U.S. support for Ukraine, outlined how America’s global leadership benefits people across the country, and highlighted Biden-Harris accomplishments at home and abroad.
 
“We are committed to pursue global engagement, to uphold international rules and norms, to defend democratic values at home and abroad, and to work with our allies and partners in pursuit of shared goals,” said Vice President Harris. “However, there are some in the United States who disagree. They suggest it is the best interest of the American people to isolate ourselves from the world, to flout common understandings among nations, to embrace dictators and adopt their repressive tactics, and abandon commitments to our allies in favor of unilateral action. Let me be clear: That worldview is dangerous, destabilizing, and indeed short-sighted. That view would weaken America and would undermine global stability and undermine global prosperity.”
 
During her 16th foreign trip, Vice President Harris reaffirmed that her and President Biden’s “sacred commitment to NATO remains ironclad” and that “NATO is central to our approach to global security.” She outlined how, thanks to the leadership of the U.S., NATO is stronger, larger, more united, and more effective than ever before. The Vice President went on to unequivocally condemn recent attacks on NATO and offer a direct warning about what would happen if America abandoned its allies and cozied up to a dictator like Vladimir Putin by encouraging him.
 
“If we stand by while an aggressor invades its neighbor with impunity, they will keep going – and in the case of Putin, that means all of Europe would be threatened. If we fail to impose severe consequences on Russia, other authoritarians across the globe would be emboldened because you see, they will be watching – they are watching – and drawing lessons,” said Vice President Harris. “History has also shown us: if we only look inward, we cannot defeat threats from outside; isolation is not insulation. In fact, when America has isolated herself, threats have only grown.”
 
The Vice President also recounted how the world has come together under U.S. leadership to help Ukraine defend itself, achieve what many thought was impossible, and ensure that “Putin’s war has already been an utter failure for Russia.” She once again reiterated that America will continue to stand with Ukraine and our allies and partners around the world.

“I will make clear; President Joe Biden and I stand with Ukraine,” said Vice President Harris. “In partnership with supportive bipartisan majorities in both Houses of the United States Congress, we will work to secure critical weapons and resources that Ukraine so badly needs. And let me be clear, the failure to do so would be a gift to Vladimir Putin.”
 
Additionally, the Vice President made a clear case for how the U.S.’ role of global leadership “makes America strong and it keeps Americans safe.” She identified how being globally engaged is not only in the nation’s strategic interest, but also a direct benefit to the American people.
 
“I strongly believe America’s role of global leadership is to the direct benefit of the American people,” said Vice President Harris. “Our leadership keeps our homeland safe, supports American jobs, secures supply chains, and opens new markets for American goods. And I firmly believe our commitment to build and sustain alliances has helped America become the most powerful and prosperous country in the world…To put all of that at risk would be foolish.”
 
Finally, the Vice President highlighted a range of Biden-Harris accomplishments – from historic investments in infrastructure and domestic semiconductor manufacturing, to unprecedented investments in taking on the climate crisis, record small business creation, and the fact that America’s economy is the strongest in the world. She also spoke about what the Administration has been doing in the Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and elsewhere throughout the world. 
 
Later today, the Vice President will meet with foreign leaders to advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities, including on Ukraine and the Middle East. Her leadership at the Munich Security Conference will also continue tomorrow as she meets with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. The two leaders will deliver remarks to press at 7:30 a.m. ET. These remarks will be livestreamed at WhiteHouse.gov/Live

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President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto of the Republic of Kenya for a State Visit to the United States on May 23, 2024. The upcoming visit will mark the 60th anniversary of U.S.-Kenya diplomatic relations and will celebrate a partnership that is delivering for the people of the United States and Kenya. The visit will strengthen our shared commitment to advance peace and security, expand our economic ties, and stand together in defense of democratic values. The leaders will discuss ways to bolster our cooperation in areas including people-to-people ties, trade and investment, technological innovation, climate and clean energy, health, and security.  The visit will affirm our strategic partnership with Kenya and further the vision set forth at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit: African leadership is essential to addressing global priorities.

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President Joseph R. Biden spoke today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. The President and the Prime Minister discussed ongoing hostage negotiations. The President reaffirmed his commitment to working tirelessly to support the release of all hostages as soon as possible, recognizing their appalling situation after 132 days in Hamas captivity. The President and the Prime Minister also discussed the situation in Gaza, and the urgency of ensuring that humanitarian assistance is able to get to Palestinian civilians in desperate need.  The President also raised the situation in Rafah, and reiterated his view that a military operation should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the civilians in Rafah.

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New milestones announced represent the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to expanding SBIC program investments to high tech small start-ups and advanced manufacturing small businesses

Yesterday, the White House National Economic Council (NEC) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) hosted a convening with business leaders from around the country to celebrate recent Biden-Harris Administration reforms to the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program that expand the spectrum and diversity of private sector capital supporting small businesses and innovative startups. As a part of the President’s Bidenomics agenda to grow the economy from the middle out and bottom up, SBA announced the first SBIC licensee under the new reforms, and the first applicant to be greenlit to raise private capital under a new SBA-Department of Defense partnership focused on investing in small businesses supporting critical technology and manufacturing priorities vital to U.S. national security.

Federal officials, small business owners, investment professionals, and industry association leaders participated in a roundtable discussion about how the reforms will help amplify private sector investment in capital constrained and underserved markets. Under President Biden’s small business boom, Americans have filed a record 16 million new business applications, a sign of the hope and confidence in the economy from entrepreneurs and small business owners.

SBIC funds across the country manage over $42 billion in SBA-backed and private capital, providing equity investment and long-term loans to small businesses in a wide range of industries. In just the last year alone, SBICs have created or sustained more than 130,000 jobs, building on major investments the Biden-Harris Administration has made to support small businesses, spur record job growth and create high quality jobs in critical industries of the future. Financing to women-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned small businesses from the SBIC program totaled nearly $670 million, over a 25% increase from the year prior. SBA’s SBIC Diversification and Growth reforms that went into effect last August improve the ability for SBIC funds to bridge key funding gaps and provide patient capital to historically underserved small businesses.

At the convening, SBA made two landmark announcements about licensing milestones made possible through these reforms. First, SBA announced that a fund managed by Pelion Ventures was the first fund licensed as an Accrual SBIC under SBA’s new SBIC Diversification and Growth rule. SBA will commit up to $125 million to the Accrual SBIC fund as a match to private limited partner capital raised by this Salt Lake City based early-stage technology venture capital firm to support early-stage companies in industries such as software infrastructure, information services, developer tools, consumer technology, and e-commerce. Second, SBA announced Stifel North Atlantic received the first approval to raise private capital for the Additive Manufacturing (AM Forward) fund, as a part of the SBA-DOD SBIC Critical Technologies (SBICCT) initiative, a new partnership between SBA and DOD that will invest in manufacturing and service businesses that support the supply chains of leading defense, aerospace, and energy manufacturers. In seeking an SBIC license for this fund, Stifel North Atlantic aims to promote the advancement of numerous additive manufacturing production capabilities including workforce training, part design, machining and inspection, and part qualification, with the objective of increasing advanced manufacturing capabilities in the domestic supply chain. These milestones represent a spectrum of investment strategies, stages, industries, and geographic focus and reflect the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to serving all small businesses.

During the discussion, small business owners reflected on how critical SBIC funds have been to their ability to scale up and grow, including one small business owner who credited SBIC support with helping increase revenue ten-fold. Fund managers discussed how these reforms to the SBIC program address persistent gaps in capital-intensive and frontier technologies, as well as how the recent reforms provide new tools that improve their ability to invest in a more diverse ecosystem. Other business leaders stressed the importance of public-private partnerships in catalyzing small business development, especially in regions that have historically lacked access to private capital.

Participants included:

• Isabel Guzman, SBA Administrator
• Lael Brainard, National Economic Advisor
• Damien Dwin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lafayette Square
• Laurie Giandomenico, Senior Vice President of MITRE Engenuity
• Steve Glover, Chief Financial Officer of Pelion Venture Partners
• Eric Hare, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Global K9 Companies
• Carmen Ortiz-McGhee, Chief Operating Officer of National Association of Investment Companies
• Brett Palmer, President of Small Business Investor Alliance
• Ryan Porter, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of LiveView Technologies
• Frank St. John, Chief Operating Officer of Lockheed Martin

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President Biden will welcome President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland for a joint meeting at the White House on March 12.  The leaders will reaffirm their unwavering support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s brutal war of conquest.  The meeting also coincides with the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to NATO and underscores the United States’ and Poland’s shared ironclad commitment to the NATO Alliance, which makes us all safer.  The three will coordinate ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington.  They will also discuss the strong U.S.-Polish strategic energy security partnership, its robust economic relationship, and the United States’ and Poland’s shared commitment to democratic values.

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The Super Bowl is the most unifying event in America. Nothing brings more of us together. And the celebration of a Super Bowl win is a moment that brings a joy that can’t be matched to the winning team and their supporters. For this joy to be turned to tragedy today in Kansas City cuts deep in the American soul.

Today’s events should move us, shock us, shame us into acting. What are we waiting for? What else do we need to see? How many more families need to be torn apart?

It is time to act. That’s where I stand. And I ask the country to stand with me. To make your voice heard in Congress so we finally act to ban assault weapons, to limit high-capacity magazines, strengthen background checks, keep guns out of the hands of those who have no business owning them or handling them.

We know what we have to do, we just need the courage to do it.

Today, on a day that marks six years since the Parkland shooting, we learned that three police officers were shot in the line of duty in Washington, DC and another school shooting took place at Benjamin Mays High School in Atlanta.  Yesterday marked one year since the shooting at Michigan State University. We’ve now had more mass shootings in 2024 than there have been days in the year.

The epidemic of gun violence is ripping apart families and communities every day. Some make the news. Much of it doesn’t. But all of it is unacceptable. We have to decide who we are as a country. For me, we’re a country where people should have the right to go to school, to go to church, to walk the street — and to attend a Super Bowl celebration — without fear of losing your life to gun violence.

Jill and I pray for those killed and injured today in Kansas City, and for our country to find the resolve to end this senseless epidemic of gun violence tearing us at the seams.

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