Statements and Releases

Over the past year, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to take action to fight hatred and violence against Muslim and Arab communities. Members of these communities, including Palestinian Americans, have been murdered or wounded in hate-fueled attacks; shot and subjected to other assaults as they simply walked down streets; bullied at schools, including by having their religious head coverings ripped off; and denied jobs, harassed, or demoted at work merely because of their faith or ethnicity.

President Biden and Vice President Harris are leading efforts to bring about much-needed change and have repeatedly condemned such violence, discrimination, and bias. These efforts are part of a larger Administration initiative to counter hate in all its forms, to keep every community safe, to promote equal justice, and to afford all Americans a fair shot at success. For generations, Muslim and Arab Americans have contributed to the enrichment and prosperity of our nation through their public, military, and community service, in addition to many other invaluable contributions. And like all Americans, they are entitled to the promise and opportunities of our great nation.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is highlighting some actions taken as part of its forthcoming National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Hatred Against Arabs in the United States, including important steps to address daily concerns regarding safety and discrimination, as well as issues related to travel. The Administration will continue to lead a whole-of-government and a whole-of society effort to counter hate.

Completed executive branch actions that are part of the forthcoming Strategy include:

Improving Safety and Security

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) have completed an unclassified assessment on violent threats facing Muslim and Arab communities in the United States. The assessment will be published this week, and is the first of what will be an annual assessment by these agencies regarding threats facing these communities.

• Since 2021, DOJ has awarded over $100 million in grants to law enforcement and prosecution agencies, community-based organizations, and civil rights groups to address hate crimes through outreach, investigations, prosecutions, community awareness and preparedness, reporting, hotlines, and victim services. This figure includes nearly $30 million in grants announced last month.

• DOJ continues to support law enforcement agencies’ transition to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Beginning in January 2021, NIBRS became the national standard for law enforcement crime data reporting in the United States and the transition to NIBRS represented a significant improvement in how reported crime is measured and estimated by the federal government. Since 2015, DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the FBI have provided more than $150 million to law enforcement agencies and state Uniform Crime Programs to support their transitions to NIBRS.

• The DOJ Civil Rights Division continues to prosecute Islamophobic and other hate crimes, including hate crimes directed at students on campus. Last week, a New Jersey man pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime for breaking into the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, during the Eid-al-Fitr holiday and damaging and destroying religious artifacts because of the Islamic faith of those associated with the facility.
• DOJ’s United Against Hate initiative, led by all 94 United States Attorneys’ Offices (USAOs), combats unlawful acts of hate by teaching community members how to identify, report, and help prevent hate crimes and by building trust between law enforcement and communities. To date, at least 45 USAOs have engaged directly with Muslim communities.

• Attorney General Garand directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and all 94 USAOs across the country to work with local law enforcement and community leaders to protect communities from hate-fueled violence in the last year and recently reaffirmed DOJ’s commitment to combat the disturbing rise in the volume and frequency of threats against Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian as well as Jewish communities here in the United States. DOJ created a webpage aimed at raising awareness of resources for addressing these threats, and it will continue to publicize its efforts.
  
  
• During the September 2024 Protecting Places of Worship Week of Action, the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships hosted workshops to encourage partnerships to take collective action against hate-based violence, including Islamophobic violence and hate crimes against Arabs. This emphasis included promotion of a guide to applying for Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding.
  
  
• DHS has announced that it will distribute $210 million in Nonprofit Security Grant Program funds as the second tranche of additional funding the Biden-Harris Administration secured to protect faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations against targeted attacks. This funding opportunity will be made available in late October.

• DHS published two resource guides to help faith communities and others address swatting, hoax threats and doxing. The DHS Resources for Swatting and Hoax Threats provides information on how to handle swatting calls and hoax threats, while the DHS Resources for Individuals on the Threat of Doxing infographic defines what doxing is and outlines proactive steps individuals can take to prevent doxing.

Tackling Discrimination and Bias

• The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has published the Workplace Rights Federal Toolkit, a compilation of resources for employees of the federal government regarding their workplace rights, including information about their rights to nondiscrimination and religious accommodation.

• The Department of Labor sent a letter to American Job Centers and other public workforce entities reminding them about their legal obligations to enforce prohibitions on discrimination based on actual or perceived religion, shared ancestry, or ethnic characteristics — including Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and related forms of discrimination – in federally funded activities and programs. The letter also included a fact sheet with examples of these forms of discrimination in the workforce development system.

• DOJ issued a fact sheet titled Confronting Discrimination Based on Religion in Schools: A Resource for Students and Families, which discusses scenarios involving students’ rights to pray and wear religious attire in schools.

• ED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Fact Sheet on Harassment based on Race, Color, or National Origin on School Campuses, reminding schools of their federal civil rights obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) to take prompt and effective action to respond to harassment that creates a hostile environment. ED OCR continues to investigate and resolve claims of shared ancestry discrimination under Title VI at schools. For example, ED OCR recently entered into a resolution agreement with the Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan to address concerns about a hostile environment for students based on shared Muslim/Arab Palestinian ancestry.

• ED released Free to Learn: Leading Inclusive Learning Environments in Higher Education, a new resource guide for fostering safe and inclusive campuses.

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a letter to the over 200 federally-funded Fair Housing Initiatives Programs and Fair Housing Assistance Programs on how to identify and counter Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and related forms of bias and discrimination in housing. Also, HUD created a webpage on protections against housing discrimination on the basis of religion, shared ancestry, or ethnic characteristics, which include the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

• The Department of Transportation (DOT) provided a number of resources related to travelers’ rights and opportunities to file a complaint when there may be an instance of discrimination by airlines or recipients of federal funding, including discrimination on the basis of religion or national origin. The Passengers’ Right to Fly Free from Discrimination is a guide designed to explain DOT’s role in protecting aviation passengers from unlawful discrimination. Similarly, the Guidance for Airline Personnel on Non-discrimination in Air Travel assists airline personnel in understanding their legal obligations not to discriminate against passengers. For example, this guidance notes that it is impermissible to remove a passenger from a flight simply because he is holding a book that appears to be a Quran.

• DOJ sent a letter to state, county, and municipal officials reminding them of the obligation of public officials to comply with the land use provisions of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and to inform them about documents issued by DOJ that may be of assistance to them in applying this federal civil rights law. RLUIPA is a federal law that protects people and religious institutions from discriminatory and overly burdensome land use regulations. For example, DOJ recently filed a complaint and consent decree in United States v. Hendricks County, settling allegations that Hendricks County violated RLUIPA and the Fair Housing Act by twice unlawfully denying zoning approval to an Islamic educational organization that sought to develop a religious seminary, school, and housing on land in Hendricks County.

• Some Americans, including many Muslims and Arabs, have documented how financial institutions use de-risking, a practice to terminate or restrict business relationships indiscriminately with broad categories of clients rather than analyzing and managing the risks of clients in a targeted manner. To help address de-risking, the U.S. Treasury Department has published its National De-Risking Strategy. The Treasury Department also has issued a proposed rule to improve the effectiveness of how banks manage potential risks associated with anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism in a risk-based manner, while avoiding one-size-fits-all approaches that can lead to financial institutions declining to provide financial services to entire categories of customers.

Addressing Issues Related to Travel

• The FBI published an Overview of the U.S. Government’s Terrorist Watchlisting Process and Procedures. This document advances transparency by providing a general description of this system and mechanisms to ensure that concerns about it are handled in a timely and fair manner.

• On January 20, 2021, President Biden rescinded the previous administration’s discriminatory Muslim Ban, which included many Arab countries and was inconsistent with our nation’s foundation of religious freedom for all. At President Biden’s direction, the U.S. Department of State conducted a review of visa applications and has taken various corrective actions to process applications that were impacted by the prior travel ban, including reconsidering previously denied applications and implementing a one-time fee credit for certain applicants.

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On October 14th, one year ago today, six-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi, a bright and cheerful American Muslim boy of Palestinian descent, was brutally killed in his family’s home in Plainfield, Illinois. The attacker also repeatedly stabbed and seriously wounded Wadee’s mother, Hanan Shaheen, resulting in murder, attempted murder, and hate crime charges in Illinois. After this heinous attack, Jill and I spoke with their family, as did Vice President Harris. We joined Americans from across the country in expressing our horror and offering our condolences and prayers.

One year later, we continue to think about them. We are grateful for Hanan’s recovery and her powerful voice for peace. But we know the hole in their heart that remains without their beloved son. Days like this are hard because it brings it all back. We keep them in our hearts.

On this day, let us all take steps that honor Wadee’s memory and reaffirm together that there is no place for hate in America, including hatred of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims. We can all reject hatred and expose misinformation and disinformation that is cynically aimed at turning us against one another. We can all reach across divides of background and belief to create greater understanding and unity in our country. No one in this country should be subjected to violence or hateful and dehumanizing rhetoric simply because of who they are. No one of any background in this country should be made to feel unsafe in America.  

Today, we also reaffirm our commitment to mobilize government to counter hate in all its forms. In May 2021, I signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which includes the Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer NO HATE Act, to enhance hate crime data collection and provide community-centered solutions to assist hate crime victims and their communities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has elevated hate crimes and criminal civil rights violations to its highest-level national threat priority, which has increased the resources for hate crimes prevention and investigations and made hate crimes a focus for all of the Bureau’s field offices. My Administration will continue to spare no effort in countering hate in all its forms.

Together, we must work to end acts of senseless violence and stand united in support of all of our fellow Americans, no matter their race, ethnicity, or creed. May we summon the courage and the strength to do so. 

May God bless Wadee Alfayoumi and his family.

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of South Carolina and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Tropical Storm Debby from August 4 to August 22, 2024.

Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Tropical Storm Debby in the counties of Bamberg, Barnwell, Berkeley, Colleton, Dillon, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Orangeburg, and Union.

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

Mr. Brett H. Howard of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.   

Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

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This year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners embody determination and resilience in the face of tragedy. For decades, the members of Nihon Hidankyo have served as a human testament to the catastrophic human toll of nuclear weapons, telling a story that humanity needs to hear. On behalf of the United States, I congratulate them on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their historic work to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again. We also congratulate Japan for this recognition of the moral clarity and steadfast commitment of its people and government to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons. 

As I was powerfully reminded last year when I visited Hiroshima and met with a survivor of the bombing, we must continue making progress toward the day when we can finally and forever rid the world of nuclear weapons. The United States stands ready to engage in talks with Russia, China, and North Korea without preconditions to reduce the nuclear threat. There is no benefit to our nations or the world to forestall progress on reducing nuclear arsenals. Reducing the nuclear threat is important not despite the dangers of today’s world but precisely because of them. These nuclear risks erode the norms and agreements we have worked collectively to put in place and run counter to the vital work of today’s Nobel Laureates.  

Yesterday’s announcement by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee reminds us that we must continue our progress toward a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons. Let us all take inspiration from this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners and recommit ourselves to the vital work of building a safer world. 

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Following Hurricane Helene’s devastating impacts across the Southeast and Appalachia, the Biden-Harris Administration continues its robust Federal efforts to help communities recover and rebuild. The storm heavily impacted North Carolina, where the Administration continues to surge resources and assist families, business owners, farmers, and other impacted communities receive the support and assistance they need and deserve.

Federal disaster assistance for Hurricane Helene survivors has surpassed $474 million – including more than $86 million in housing and other types of assistance for survivors in North Carolina. Survivors can register for assistance at one of three Disaster Recovery Centers in Caldwell, McDowell, and Buncombe Counties, or on disasterassistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621-3362, or via the FEMA app.

The Department of Defense continues to support search-and-rescue operations, route clearance, and commodities distribution across western North Carolina with 1,500 active-duty troops. The Department of Defense is also employing additional capabilities to assist with increasing situational awareness across the remote terrain of Western North Carolina. The Army Corps of Engineers continues missions supporting debris removal, temporary emergency power installation, infrastructure and water and wastewater assessments, and technical assistance. Over 2,000 North Carolina National Guard personnel along with over 200 Guardsmen from 15 States are conducting response operations in western North Carolina.

As response efforts continue in North Carolina, more than 1,250 FEMA staff remain on the ground, with more arriving daily. Nearly 400 Urban Search and Rescue personnel remain in the field helping people. These teams have rescued or supported over 3,200 survivors to date.  

Power has been restored to more than approximately 96 percent of customers, as a result of 10,000 utility personnel working around the clock. Cellular restoration also continues to improve, with more than 93 percent of cellular sites in service. FEMA is boosting response coordination by providing 40 Starlink units to ensure first responders can communicate with each other.

Commodity distribution, mass feeding, and hydration operations continue in areas of western North Carolina. FEMA continues to send commodity shipments and voluntary organizations are supporting feeding operations with bulk food and water deliveries coming via truck and aircraft. Mobile feeding operations are reaching survivors in heavily impacted areas, including three mass feeding sites in Buncombe, McDowell and Watauga counties. The Salvation Army has 20 mobile feeding units supporting this massive operation and has provided emotional and spiritual care to survivors. To date, the American Red Cross is engaging in targeted distribution of emergency supplies in low-income communities with high levels of minor or affected residential damage.

Additional recovery efforts in North Carolina include:

Supporting Infrastructure Recovery

As part of the robust, whole-of-government response to Hurricane Helene, the U.S. Department of Transportation is supporting response and recovery efforts in impacted communities in North Carolina. DOT personnel are on the ground in multiple locations of the state.

On October 5, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced $100 million in Quick Release Emergency Relief funding to support North Carolina. The funding helps pay for the costs of immediate emergency work resulting from Hurricane Helene flood damage. Additional funding will flow to affected communities from the Emergency Relief program.

FHWA worked closely with North Carolina and other federal agencies to assess infrastructure damage, including supporting hundreds of bridge inspections and other critical infrastructure assessments across the Southeast. On October 8, FHWA Acting Administrator Kristin White visited the region with Governor Roy Cooper, North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins and other federal, state and local officials and got a first-hand look at impacts from the storm and recovery efforts.   

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continues to work with partners in affected parts of North Carolina and Tennessee, as the national airspace steadily returned to normal operations.

The FAA Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations Team is on-site and leading communications restoration efforts at air traffic facilities. FAA also supported the North Carolina Air National Guard by providing advisory services at Rutherford County Airport and Avery County Airport.

The FAA worked with state and local governments, critical infrastructure owners and operators, and first responders to enable drones to support response and recovery. The FAA granted permission to allow Wing to temporarily conduct beyond visual line of sight drone package deliveries for Walmart’s pharmacy in western North Carolina, delivering essential items including prescription medicine, medical supplies, and medical equipment to hard-to-reach locations.

Additionally, President Biden’s approval of a Presidential Emergency Declaration for North Carolina affords the state a period of emergency regulatory relief from Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations, including flexibility around driving time for property- and passenger-carrying vehicles. This allows truck drivers to get essential supplies to affected areas in North Carolina. It may also provide opportunities for motorcoach buses to deliver relief teams to response locations and allow for the transport and evacuation of residents.

On October 10, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan joined Governor Cooper, Senator Tillis, Congressman Edwards and local officials to assess federal and state recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Helene. EPA and its state partners have made significant progress bringing drinking water and wastewater systems back online, including restoring service to more than 75 drinking water systems that serve approximately 260,000 people in the Asheville area. EPA is also providing technical assistance and drinking water testing to systems and private drinking water well owners across the Asheville area through their Mobile Drinking Water lab – giving residents clear data and confidence that their water is safe to drink. The lab is capable of testing 100 samples per day. Water utilities and private well owners must request sampling services through their local health departments. EPA will remain on the ground in North Carolina helping area residents as long as their assistance is needed.  

The Department of Energy’s Energy Response Organization remains activated to respond to storm impacts, and responders remain deployed to FEMA regional response coordination centers. Via the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council and Oil and Natural Gas Sub-Sector Coordinating Council, the Department of Energy has been coordinating continuously with energy sector partners on the ongoing Hurricane Helene response. As noted above, there are 10,000 line workers supporting power restoration efforts.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration continues to support post-disaster imagery flights following Hurricane Helene, already totaling over 68 flight hours during 20 flights, including over western North Carolina. This imagery not only supports FEMA and the broader response community, but the public at large.

Providing Financial Flexibilities to Homeowners and Taxpayers

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is providing a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as well as foreclosures of mortgages to Native American borrowers guaranteed under the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee program. Additionally, affected homeowners that have mortgages through Government-Sponsored Enterprises – including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – and the FHA are eligible to suspend their mortgage payments through a forbearance plan for up to 12 months.

HUD announced $3 million for the State of North Carolina to support people experiencing homelessness in communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. Funding from the Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing program will help residents and families who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have needs that are not otherwise served or fully met by existing Federal disaster relief programs.

This summer, HUD launched a new streamlined process for requesting additional flexibility on existing grants after a disaster is declared. Recipients of annual HUD funding – including in North Carolina – may request waivers to unlock and accelerate the use of their funding for disaster response and recovery. With the updated waiver process, HUD is proactively issuing maximum flexibility to communities impacted by disasters. These flexibilities will expedite the recovery process, reduce administrative burden, and allow impacted jurisdictions to quickly tailor programs and activities to address the post disaster needs of their communities. The Disaster Assistance and Recovery Team within HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling continues to conduct focused meetings with housing counseling agencies in each state impacted by these disasters to discuss their unique response and recovery challenges and identify resources available to assist.

The Internal Revenue Service announced disaster tax relief for all individuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. North Carolina taxpayers now have until May 1, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.

Protecting Public Health

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared a Public Health Emergency for North Carolina to address the health impacts of Hurricane Helene. HHS’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) continues to provide medical support for Hurricane Helene, predominantly onsite in North Carolina. These ASPR personnel are deployed to support Hurricane Helene response operations, which include four Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and personnel from a Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) in North Carolina. ASPR Health and Medical Task Forces and ASPR Disaster Medical Assistance Teams from the National Disaster Medical System are providing 24-hour surge support to three hospitals: Mission Hospital in Asheville, Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine, and Caldwell Memorial in Lenoir. To date, ASPR teams have seen nearly 1000 patients. ASPR will continue to work with federal, state, and local partners to prioritize medical assistance to other areas affected by Hurricane Helene as required and requested.  

Supporting Workers and Worker Safety

Working alongside the Department of Labor, the States of North Carolina has announced that eligible workers can receive federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance to compensate for income lost directly resulting from Hurricane Helene. And, through the Department of Labor’s innovative partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, displaced workers in North Carolina can now go to the post office in any other state and verify their ID for purposes of getting their benefits quickly.

Supporting Farmers and Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has put contingency plans and program flexibilities into place to ensure farmers, foresters and communities are able to get the support they need, such as by extending program signup opportunities, expediting crop insurance payments, and using waivers and emergency procedures to expedite recovery efforts on working lands. USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service has issued flexibilities and waivers for North Carolina to ensure that food and nutritional assistance reaches those in need as soon as possible. In North Carolina, waivers have been issued to increase access to WIC products, replace benefits through Summer EBT, allow the purchase of hot foods through SNAP, and more.

Additionally, USDA is currently coordinating over 200 staff on the ground in North Carolina, including saw support teams and emergency road clearance teams, to help clear trees and debris, including in Waterville, Marion, Newton, and Weaverville.

Supporting Students and Student Loan Borrowers

The Department of Education has offered technical assistance to states and local educational agencies to support recovery efforts and shared critical resources, including those developed by other federal agencies and organizations, to support restoring the teaching and learning environment.

The Department’s office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) has flexibilities that are automatically available to affected institutions of higher education to help their continued management of the federal student aid programs. These flexibilities help schools if they need to adjust their academic calendars, such as due to unexpected closures, and also help students who may need to take a leave of absence. The flexibilities also help students avoid reductions in their federal aid due to any state or federal disaster assistance provided. FSA will also work with affected institutions that need help on other areas, such as paying credit balances. FSA has communicated with schools located in the areas impacted by Hurricane Helene. Those communications included existing Department guidance about how natural disasters impact schools and their administration of financial aid, resources, and links to FEMA disaster aid information. FSA’s communications also included a way for schools to share more information about the disaster impact on their campus and submit questions about administrative relief and flexibilities.

The Department is ensuring affected borrowers in areas impacted by the hurricanes can focus on their critical needs without needing to worry about missing their student loan payments. Direct Loan borrowers and federally-serviced FFEL borrowers in the affected area who miss their payments will be automatically placed into a natural disaster forbearance. During forbearance, payments are temporarily postponed or reduced, and interest is still charged. Thanks to regulations issued by the Biden-Harris Administration, months in this forbearance will count toward PSLF and IDR forgiveness. Direct Loan and federally serviced FEEL borrowers are not required to take an action but have the option to call their servicer if they wish to enroll in the forbearance proactively. Perkins loan borrowers should contact their loan holder to request natural disaster forbearance. 

Continuing to Survey Data

The Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) continues working to measure river levels and flow, and repair streamgages that transmit critical data. USGS crews continue working to determine the extent of flooding by surveying for high-water marks. These flood-peak data and high-water marks are used to determine flood frequency and are critical in the design of infrastructure and in determining flood plain boundaries. USGS stood up a landslide response team that now includes 32 USGS scientists, 19 of which ware mapping landslides, to provide technical assistance to the North Carolina Geological Survey and Tennessee Geological Survey. Their work includes reconnaissance using satellite imagery, flights, and on-the-ground assessments to map landslides.

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To view the letter from the Physician to the Vice President, visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/VP-Harris-Health-Summary.pdf

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On October 1, Iran launched a ballistic missile attack against Israel.  This attack targeted Israel’s most populated city, Tel Aviv, and could have killed hundreds if not thousands of innocent people.  Fortunately, the attack was defeated and rendered ineffective thanks to the U.S. military working in partnership with Israeli Defense Forces.  Following that reckless attack, we made clear that Iran would face severe consequences.  We have since consulted with allies and partners, including a call between the President and his G7 counterparts, and today the Departments of the Treasury and State have announced new and significant measures to more effectively target Iran’s energy trade.  The new designations today also include measures against the “Ghost Fleet” that carries Iran’s illicit oil to buyers around the world. These measures will help further deny Iran financial resources used to support its missile programs and provide support for terrorist groups that threaten the United States, its allies, and partners.  

President Biden has consistently confronted Iran‘s destabilizing actions and will continue to do so.  Under the Biden-Harris administration, the United States has not lifted a single sanction on Iran and has designated over 700 individuals and entities connected to the full range of Iran’s destabilizing activities and support for terrorism across the Middle East and globally.  Today’s announcement has been coordinated with allies and partners, many of whom will announce their own measures to hold Iran accountable for its attack over the coming days.

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to attend the Inauguration of His Excellency Prabowo Subianto on October 20, 2024, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Honorable Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, will lead the delegation.

Members of the Presidential Delegation:

The Honorable Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir, United States Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia

The Honorable Don Graves, Deputy Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce

Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Department of Defense

The Honorable Daniel J. Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State

The Honorable Mira Rapp-Hooper, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania, National Security Council, The White House

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On October 10, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer met with Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso of Papua New Guinea in Washington, DC.  They discussed the deepening cooperation between the United States and Papua New Guinea as exemplified by the establishment of the inaugural U.S.-PNG Strategic Partnership Dialogue. Mr. Finer noted the status of new and ongoing projects being undertaken by the United States in cooperation with Papua New Guinea, including building a humanitarian assistance/disaster relief warehouse in Lae, connecting 19,000 Papua New Guinean households to electricity over the last three months under the Papua New Guinea Electrification Partnership, the $26 million flagship Peace Project under the U.S Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, and U.S. assistance to the Government of Papua New Guinea in resolving the ongoing fuel crisis.

Mr. Finer and Mr. Rosso reaffirmed the value and opportunities generated by our deepening partnership and discussed areas of potential future collaboration in education, people-to-people ties, resource conservation, access to banking services, and defense, especially where enabled by the U.S.-PNG Defense Cooperation Agreement. They agreed to be in touch over the coming weeks to continue the progress of the maturing relationship.

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Ethel Kennedy was an American patriot, a fighter for justice, and an extraordinary force for good.
 
A national and global leader, Ethel Kennedy used her voice to advocate for the causes she cared most about—from human rights around the world to conservation and gun safety. Guided by a deep sense of faith and an abiding optimism, she fought for over five decades to build a stronger nation and a better world.
 
Ethel was a leader of courage, and a reminder to all of us that from great loss can come great purpose. Her legacy will inspire people around the world for generations to come.
 
Doug and I send our love and our prayers to the Kennedy family. 
 

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Before Hurricane Milton made landfall, the Federal government pre-staged personnel and resources to ensure a robust and immediate response effort could begin once the storm passed. Following Hurricane Milton’s impact on Florida, the Biden-Harris Administration is working alongside State and local officials to carry out life-saving response efforts. As conditions on the ground begin to improve, first responders have begun assessing damage and assisting communities. The top response priorities include search and rescue, power restoration, route clearance, and debris clean-up.

President Biden and Vice President Harris have been regularly briefed about the initial impacts of Hurricane Milton, as well as the Federal government’s ongoing support to State and local officials for their rescue and response efforts. This morning, President Biden spoke to Governor Ron DeSantis and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about the initial impacts of Hurricane Milton. The President reiterated that he will provide any Federal support the State needs to speed response and recovery.

President Biden directed FEMA to immediately open disaster recovery centers across the impacted communities so there are one-stop-shops for residents to learn about all the Federal support that is available to them and apply for assistance in person.

Additionally, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration authorized Florida Power and Light to fly large drones to quickly assess the damage to the power grid, so ground crews can restore power more quickly.

The President directed Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess how fast they can re-open the Port of Tampa to get fuel, food, water, and basic goods flowing into the area again.

More than 50,000 workers from 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada already are dedicated to the power restoration efforts, beginning that work as soon as it was safe to do so. Additionally, three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Temporary Power teams are staged in the region to provide temporary power to critical facilities, such as hospitals.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has been on the ground in Florida since last night, and today she surveyed the damage alongside her State and local counterparts. She will continue working closely with them to determine any unmet needs. She is joined on the ground by more than 1,000 Federal responders.

Since last night, the President has spoken with numerous Florida officials, including: Senator Rick Scott; Representatives Gus Bilirakis, Kathy Castor, and Anna Paulina Luna; Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward; Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson; Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings; Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; Pasco County Chair Ron Oakley; and Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert. The President told each of them to call him directly if they need additional assistance on rescue, response, and recovery efforts. The President also emphasized that he will be with them and their communities before, during, and after the storm. The Vice President has also spoken to officials from impacted areas.

These urgent efforts are in addition to the expansive Federal response and recovery efforts underway across the Southeast and Appalachia following Hurricane Helene.

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Senator Tim Johnson was a tenacious fighter for the people of South Dakota.
 
Throughout his career—as a member of the South Dakota legislature, as the state’s sole representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, and as a U.S. Senator—he brokered compromise and advanced commonsense solutions that improved the lives of South Dakotans and all Americans.
 
Senator Johnson secured support for critical water infrastructure that delivered clean water to communities across South Dakota, including Native reservations and rural communities across the state. He played a vital role in passing the Affordable Care Act, which delivered high-quality, affordable health care to millions of Americans, including tens of thousands of South Dakotans. And as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, he championed community banks and housing finance reforms to help ensure that rural communities across the nation have the support they need to access safe and affordable housing.
 
His life and legacy will be felt by generations of South Dakotans and all Americans to come. Doug and I send our prayers to his wife, Barbara, and the entire Johnson family.
 

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     Today, we pay tribute to General Casimir Pulaski, a Polish immigrant who served alongside American soldiers in the Revolutionary War and made the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation.  And we honor the culture and contributions of all our Nation’s Polish Americans who follow his legacy, standing up for the cause of freedom at home and around the world.

     General Pulaski dedicated his life to the pursuit of liberty — not just for himself or his country but for all of us.  Born and raised in Warsaw, Poland, he fought against the Russian domination of Poland — efforts that ultimately led him to flee his home country.  Later in life, when he was offered an opportunity to join another fight for liberty on the other side of the world, he took it — joining our Nation’s fight for independence.  General Pulaski’s service was critical:  He led a critical counterattack that helped slow the British, and during the course of the war, it was said that he even saved George Washington’s life. 

     General Pulaski’s story and service are just one example of how much Polish Americans have shaped our Nation’s history and our future.  Our country’s Polish-American communities have helped create new possibilities for all of us — leading in every sector, powering our economy, and enriching our culture.  They also strengthen our deep alliance and partnership with Poland and its people at a critical time in our history.  Since Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, the people of Poland have courageously stood up for freedom, liberty, and justice, rallying around the Ukrainian people and offering them safety and light in their darkest moments.  At the same time, Poland has donated tanks, artillery, and aircraft to support Ukraine’s self-defense all while becoming an important hub for aid from key partners.

     No one knows better than the people of Poland that, in moments of great upheaval and uncertainty, what you stand for is important and who you stand with makes all the difference.  Today, we celebrate General Casimir Pulaski, who decided to stand with our Nation to fight for our freedoms.  And we honor all the Polish Americans, who continue to push our Nation forward and fight for a future based on our most fundamental values:  dignity, liberty, and opportunity.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2024, as General Pulaski Memorial Day.  I encourage all Americans to commemorate this occasion with appropriate programs and activities paying tribute to General Casimir Pulaski, honoring all those who champion freedom around the world, and celebrating the vast contributions of the Polish American communities.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., spoke today with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany. The President underscored the enduring strength of the U.S.-German relationship and noted his intention to continue our strong collaboration on geopolitical priorities, including supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., spoke today with President João Lourenço of Angola. The President thanked President Lourenço for his continued leadership on both regional and global priorities and underscored the U.S. commitment to deepening our strategic partnership with the government and people of Angola.  

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In celebration of International Day of the Girl, the First Lady is honoring ten young women who are leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities 

In honor of International Day of the Girl, First Lady Jill Biden will celebrate ten young women leaders, selected by the White House Gender Policy Council, who are leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities across the United States.    

As an educator for more than 40 years, Dr. Biden has continued to be a champion for young people here in the United States and abroad. Together with the White House Gender Policy Council, Dr. Biden is hosting the second “Girls Leading Change” event at the White House to recognize the profound impact young women are having on their communities and their efforts to strengthen our country for generations to come.     

“Everywhere I travel, I see inspiring girls leading change in their communities,” said First Lady Jill Biden. “These incredible honorees are meeting the challenges they see in the world by developing innovative new technologies, expanding access to education, erasing silence through the power of art and poetry and more. It is an honor to celebrate these young leaders at the White House and I hope that their courage and determination inspires the next generation.”  

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that girls can pursue their dreams free from fear, discrimination, violence, or abuse; and to advancing the safety, education, health, and wellbeing of girls everywhere. Investing in young people means investing in our future; they should have the opportunity and resources they need to succeed. Since day one in office, this Administration has taken actions to advance the safety, education, health, and well-being of girls. A full summary of these actions can be found via a White House Fact Sheet released today HERE.  

“Girls Leading Change” will begin at 5:30 PM ET today, Thursday, October 10th, and be available via livestream at whitehouse.gov/live  

  2024 Girl Leading Change Honorees   

Cheyenne Anderson (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 

Cheyenne Anderson, Iztac Citlali (White Star), age 17, is an artist and photographer who aims to lift up underrepresented communities, including those of her own Chicana, Mexica, and Apache heritage, through creative art forms. In ninth grade, Cheyenne created and co-edited a book, titled South Valley, which features poetry and artwork from fellow youth poets and local community members that showcase the beauty and spirit of Albuquerque’s South Valley. Through her art and elevating the art of others, Cheyenne hopes to inspire people of all backgrounds to share their unique stories. 

Emily Austin (Alcabideche, Portugal) 

Emily Austin, age 17, is a proud daughter of a U.S. Navy service member. Emily and her family have moved to seven different duty stations. She has attended seven different schools, over the course of her education. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Bloom, an organization started by military-connected teens dedicated to empowering teens from military families and elevating their voices. Emily started the Bloom Ambassador program to directly connect teens from military families to Bloom staff members and opportunities in their region, cultivating a sense of community and providing peer support through the shared joys and challenges of the military lifestyle. 

Sreenidi Bala (Farmington, Connecticut) 

Sreenidi Bala, age 16, is an advocate for the accessibility of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for students of all abilities. After recognizing a gap in STEM education for neurodivergent students in her school district, Sreenidi developed an elective to fill that gap called ASPIRE Adaptive STEM. Sreenidi also founded Code for All Minds—a free online platform offering educators and families comprehensive lessons in coding, digital citizenship, and essential technology skills tailored for students with learning disabilities. Through partnerships with neurodiversity advocacy groups and local college access programs, Code for All Minds has created and distributed adaptive STEM curriculums to schools across the country. 

Noel Demetrio (Lake Forest, Illinois) 

Noel Demetrio, age 17, is dedicated to supporting refugee and immigrant communities. Noel is the founder of Project Xenia, a local program that aims to educate students about displacement and show how they can support and welcome refugees into their community. Project Xenia has also helped fund scholarships for Ukrainian refugees in her local community. Noel serves as a Girl Delegate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to the United Nations and attended the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to advocate for the rights of girls all over the world. 

Serena Griffin (Oakland, California) 

Serena Griffin, age 17, is passionate about empowering youth through poetry, songwriting, and storytelling, and using creative expression as a tool for social change. She is the founder of EmpowHer Poets, a free afterschool program that provides writing workshops to local Bay Area youth, particularly young girls of color, to encourage them to find power in their voices. In addition, Serena is the current Berkeley Vice Youth Poet Laureate. She also serves as a member of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls Youth Advisory Council, advising on the impact of state legislation on youth and its implementation in schools.  

Pragathi Kasani-Akula (Cumming, Georgia) 

Pragathi Kasani-Akula, age 17, is a scientist and innovator dedicated to developing novel solutions that make health care more accessible to people across the world. Following her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, she developed a prototype for a low-cost, less invasive test to detect triple negative breast cancer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pragathi also worked with the ScioVirtual Foundation to teach an online course on epidemiology to students across the nation, including education on how to advance public health. 

Meghna “Chili” and Siona “Dolly” Pramoda (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) 

Meghna “Chili” Pramoda, age 17, and Siona “Dolly” Pramoda, age 16, are advocates for digital safety for all. As co-founders of SafeTeensOnline (STO), the Pramoda sisters have educated and empowered over 5 million teens worldwide. STO’s work consists of year-round online awareness campaigns through social media and teen-led large-scale survey and research initiatives on topics such as internet usage and patterns of cyber incidents. During the COVID-19 pandemic when the world moved online, the Pramoda sisters noticed that older members of their community often felt isolated due to a lack of digital literacy. As a result, STO expanded from a teen-focused organization to one that also educates parents, teachers, and grandparents on safe digital practices and on how to build judgment-free spaces online. 

Kira Tiller (Gainesville, Virginia) 

Kira Tiller, age 18, is a disability rights activist who aims to expand accessibility and amplify the voices of young people with disabilities. After Kira discovered that the flashing lights during school fire drills posed a seizure risk for her due to her epilepsy, she dedicated herself to advocating for legislation to ensure students with disabilities are fully accommodated and protected during emergency situations at school. Kira founded and is the executive director of a national, student-led organization called Disabled Disrupters, which advocates for state and federal disability rights legislation and helps students take action to advance disability equity. 

Morgaine Wilkins-Dean (Denver, Colorado) 

Morgaine Wilkins-Dean, age 18, is a Gold Award Girl Scout who is working to eliminate gun violence in her community and across the country.  Morgaine’s high school experienced three firearm-related incidents in a single year that resulted in the loss of two of her classmates. As a result, Morgaine worked with the Denver Public School Board on gun violence prevention and safe gun storage policies. Due in part to Morgaine’s advocacy, this school year, for the first time, Denver Public Schools are required to educate families about the risks associated with unsecured firearms at home. 

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International Day of the Girl provides an opportunity to celebrate the leadership of girls around the world and recommit to addressing the barriers that continue to limit their full participation. Today, to commemorate International Day of the Girl, First Lady Jill Biden will host the second “Girls Leading Change” event at the White House to recognize outstanding young women from across the United States who are making a difference in their communities. This year’s event will honor 10 young women leaders, selected by the White House Gender Policy Council, who are leading change and shaping a brighter future for generations to come.  

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that girls can pursue their dreams free from fear, discrimination, violence, or abuse; and to advancing the safety, education, health, and wellbeing of girls everywhere. Investing in young people means investing in our future; and they should have the opportunity and resources they need to succeed.

That’s why, since day one in office, this Administration has taken action to advance the safety, education, health, and well-being of girls, including:

• Accelerating Learning and Improving Student Achievement. The American Rescue Plan, the largest one-time education investment in our history, included $130 billion to help schools address the impact of the pandemic on student well-being and academic achievement. To sustain these efforts, the Biden-Harris Administration increased funding and targeting of federal grants to better support academic recovery—from the Education Innovation and Research program to extended-day and afterschool programming through 21st Century Community Learning Centers. And the Administration’s Improving Student Achievement Agenda for 2024 is helping accelerate academic performance for every child in school.

• Canceling Student Debt. President Biden and Vice President Harris vowed to fix the federal student loan program and make sure higher education is a ticket to the middle class—not a barrier to opportunity. The Biden-Harris Administration has approved nearly $170 billion in loan forgiveness for almost 5 million borrowers through more than two dozen executive actions with the goal of helping these borrowers get more breathing room in their daily lives, access economic mobility, buy homes, start businesses, and pursue their dreams.

• Cutting Child Poverty Nearly in Half in 2021. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that no child should grow up in poverty. Their expansion of the Child Tax Credit helped cut child poverty nearly in half in 2021 to a record low of 5.2%. President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting to restore this expansion, which would lift over a million girls out of poverty and narrow racial disparities. The Biden-Harris Administration has also lifted hundreds of thousands of girls out of poverty by updating the Thrifty Food Plan and creating SunBucks, a new program that helps low-income families afford groceries over the summer when they don’t have access to school meals.

• Supporting Youth Mental Health. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and that mental health care is health care—period. That’s why they invested almost $1.5 billion to strengthen the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and launched the National Mental Health Strategy, with ongoing investments to strengthen the mental health workforce, ensure parity for mental health and substance use care, connect Americans to care, and better protect youth from the harms of social media. The Biden-Harris Administration is also delivering the largest investments in school-based mental health services ever, bringing 14,000 new mental health professionals into schools across the country and making it easier for schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver care.
   
• Preventing Gun Violence, Including Domestic Violence with Firearms. Gun violence is the leading killer of children and teenagers in the United States. President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken historic executive action to reduce gun violence and violent crime. In 2022, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the most significant new gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. The intersection between guns and domestic violence can be especially deadly, and BSCA expanded background checks to keep guns out of the hands of more domestic abusers, narrowed the “boyfriend loophole” so an individual convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence against a dating partner is prohibited from purchasing a firearm, and expanded funding for red flag laws that allow for temporary removal of firearms from an individual who is a danger to themselves or others. President Biden established the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris. The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic investments in law enforcement and community-led crime prevention and intervention strategies and has announced more executive actions to reduce gun violence than any other administration. Most recently, building on life-saving actions that the Administration has already taken, President Biden signed a new Executive Order in September 2024 to improve school-based active shooter drills and combat emerging firearms threats. The President and Vice President also announced new actions to support survivors of gun violence, promote safe gun storage, fund community violence intervention, and improve the gun background check system, among other actions.
   
• Launching the American Climate Corps. President Biden launched the American Climate Corps to give a diverse new generation of young people the tools to fight the impacts of climate change today and the skills to join the clean energy and climate-resilience workforce of tomorrow. The American Climate Corps is tackling the climate crisis, including by restoring coastal ecosystems, strengthening urban and rural agriculture, investing in clean energy and energy efficiency, improving disaster and wildfire preparedness, and more. More than 15,000 young Americans have already been put to work in high-quality, good-paying clean energy and climate resilience workforce training and service opportunities through the American Climate Corps—putting the program on track to reach President Biden’s goal of 20,000 members in the program’s first year ahead of schedule.
   
• Providing Children with Healthier, More Sustainable Environments. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program has awarded nearly $3 billion and funded approximately 8,700 electric and low-emission school buses nationwide, protecting children from air pollution by transforming school bus fleets across America. The Biden-Harris Administration also invested $15 billion toward replacing every toxic lead pipe in the country within a decade, protecting children and schools from lead exposure that can cause irreversible harm to cognitive development and hamper children’s learning. And earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency provided $58 million to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities.

• Fighting Online Harassment and Abuse. Online harassment and abuse is increasingly widespread in today’s digitally connected world and disproportionately affects women, girls, and LGBTQI+ individuals. President Biden established the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse to coordinate comprehensive actions from more than a dozen federal agencies, and his Executive Order on artificial intelligence directs federal agencies to address deepfake image-based abuse. The Department of Justice also funded the first-ever national helpline to provide 24/7 support and specialized services for victims of online harassment and abuse, including the non-consensual distribution of intimate images; raised awareness of new legal protections against the non-consensual distribution of intimate images that were included in the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022; and funded a new National Resource Center on Cybercrimes Against Individuals.

• Keeping Students Safe and Addressing Campus Sexual Assault. The Department of Education restored and strengthened vital Title IX protections against discrimination on the basis of sex for students and employees. The Department of Justice awarded 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. And 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 released data on sexual violence at educational institutions and is working to improve sexual violence prevention and response on campus.

• Supporting Vulnerable Youth. The Biden-Harris Administration has taken action to support the needs of vulnerable and underserved youth—from helping prevent youth homelessness and human trafficking to supporting employment initiatives for youth with disabilities. This includes $800 million in dedicated funding to support students experiencing homelessness through the President’s American Rescue Plan. The Department of Health and Human Services also issued landmark rules to improve the child welfare system, particularly for the most vulnerable children, and to advance the safety and wellbeing of families across the country, including for LGBTQI+ children in foster care. And the Department of Justice has funded programs to help communities develop, enhance, or expand early intervention programs and treatment services for girls who are involved in the juvenile justice system.

The Biden-Harris Administration has also taken action to support girls around the globe by fighting to advance the human rights of women and girls and promote access to education, health, and safety, including:

• Promoting Girls’ Education Globally. The United States is investing in girls’ education around the world, which in turn advances health and economic development. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) invested more than $2.5 billion from FY 2021-2023 to increase access to quality basic and higher education, and reached 18.7 million girls and women in 69 countries in FY23 alone to advance gender equality in and through education. The Departments of State and Labor have also supported efforts to promote girls’ education through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs in Kenya and Namibia, as well as technical and vocational education training centers for adolescent girls in Ethiopia. The United States has strongly condemned the restriction of girls’ education in Afghanistan, including by restricting visas for individuals believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, repressing women and girls by limiting or prohibiting access to education.

• Closing the Gender Digital Divide. Last year, Vice President Harris launched the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (Wi-DEF) to accelerate progress towards closing the gender digital divide. To date, Wi-DEF has raised over $80 million, including an initial $50 million commitment from USAID. Building on the success of the Fund, the Women in the Digital Economy Initiative includes commitments from governments, private sector companies, foundations, civil society, and multilateral organizations that have pledged more than $1 billion to accelerate gender digital equality. This Initiative supports girls’ access to digital learning opportunities, provides employment and educational skills, and helps fulfill the historic commitment of G20 Leaders to halve the digital gender gap by 2030. Since the launch of Wi-DEF, the United States has invested $102 million in direct and aligned commitments to closing the gender digital divide and accelerating gender digital equality.

• Preventing and Responding to Online Harassment and Abuse Globally. To address the scourge of online harassment and abuse against girls and women, 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 supported programs to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Since the Global Partnership was launched in 2022, the Department of State has supported projects in every region to prevent, document, and address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, cultivate safe online use, and respond to survivors’ needs. 

• Championing Girls’ Leadership in Addressing the Climate Crisis. In 2023, Vice President Harris announced the Women in the Sustainable Economy Initiative—an over $2 billion public-private partnership to promote women’s access to jobs in the green and blue industries of the future—including by advancing girls’ access to STEM education. Through WISE, the Department of State is investing more than $12 million in programs to benefit girls, including programs that promote girls’ economic skills and opportunities in STEM and that foster girls’ roles in leading, shaping, and informing equitable and inclusive climate policies and actions.

• Strengthening HIV Prevention Services for Girls. To address key factors that make adolescent girls and young women particularly vulnerable to HIV, the United States launched the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe) public-private partnership as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2014. Announced in 2023, PEPFAR’s DREAMS NextGen program is the next phase of DREAMS that will take a more nuanced approach that is responsive to the current context within each of the 15 DREAMS countries. PEPFAR has invested more than $2 billion in comprehensive HIV prevention programming for girls through DREAMS—including $1.3 billion since the start of the Administration—and the program reaches approximately 2.5 to 3 million girls annually.

• Increasing Efforts to End Child Marriage Globally. To address the global scourge of child, early, and forced marriage, USAID and the Department of State invested $86 million in 27 countries to support programs that prevent and respond to this harmful practice, including by equipping girls and young women with education and workforce readiness skills; providing education, health, legal, and economic support; and raising awareness. Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, the United States also made its first-ever contribution to the UNICEF-UNFPA Global Programme to End Child Marriage, which works in 12 countries in Africa and South Asia to promote the rights of adolescent girls, and is contributing more than $2 million in FY 2024 to UNFPA to help reach refugee adolescent girls and prevent child marriages in humanitarian settings.

• Leading Programs to End Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting. To address the harmful practice of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C), USAID invested in programs to address this issue in Djibouti, Egypt, Mauritania, and Nigeria. The United States is a long-standing donor to the UNICEF-UNFPA Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, and invested $20 million from FY 2020-FY 2023 in this partnership, which has succeeded in advocating for legal and policy frameworks banning FGM/C in 14 of 17 countries and supported more than 6.3 million women and girls with FGM/C-related protection and care services.

• Promoting Young Women’s Civic and Political Participation. The Biden-Harris Administration has advanced the political and civic participation of women and girls as a pillar of democracy promotion efforts worldwide. The Administration launched Women LEAD, a $900 million public-private partnership focused on building the pipeline of women leaders around the world, including by supporting programs to reach girls and young women. Under this umbrella, the USAID-led Advancing Women’s and Girls’ Civic and Political Leadership Initiative provides more than $25 million to identify and dismantle the individual, structural, and socio-cultural barriers to the political empowerment of women and girls in ten focus countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Kyrgyz Republic, Yemen, and Fiji. Furthermore, the State Department is launching a new $1.25 million program in Africa that will empower and equip young women leaders to take on decision-making roles in democratic transition processes.

• Protecting Girls in Humanitarian Emergencies. The United States government has increased its support for girls in humanitarian and fragile contexts. Since 2021, USAID has more than doubled the percentage of its humanitarian budget allocated to the protection sector, which includes child protection and gender-based violence activities serving girls. In FY 2023, USAID provided $163 million specifically towards addressing gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies. In 2022, USAID and the Department of State launched Safe from the Start: ReVisioned, which seeks to better address the needs of girls and women from the onset of a conflict or crisis.

• Combatting Child Trafficking. To combat child trafficking, including trafficking of girls, the Department of State has committed $37.5 million through Child Protection Compacts, building capacity in Jamaica, Peru, and Mongolia, and establishing new partnerships with Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, and Romania. These partnerships strengthen country responses to child trafficking to more effectively prosecute and convict traffickers, provide comprehensive trauma-informed care for child victims—including girls—and prevent child trafficking in all its forms.
  

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The Biden-Harris Administration has worked to strengthen our ties with ASEAN and deliver on our commitments to the region. Over the past three and a half years, we have pursued an unprecedented expansion in the breadth and depth of U.S.-ASEAN relations, including upgrading our relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and institutionalizing cooperation in five new areas—health, transportation, women’s empowerment, environment and climate, and energy—as well as deepening our cooperation in foreign affairs, economics, technology, and defense. To date, we have made significant progress in fulfilling 98.37 percent of our commitments in the ASEAN-U.S. Plan of Action (2022-2025) and its Annex. The United States will continue working with ASEAN, including through ASEAN-led mechanisms, to build an open, inclusive, transparent, resilient, and rules-based regional architecture in which ASEAN is its center.
 
DELIVERING ON OUR COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

This year, the United States and ASEAN are celebrating 47 years of U.S.-ASEAN relations. President Biden and Vice President Harris remain committed to ASEAN centrality and supporting the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, which shares fundamental principles with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy. ASEAN is at the heart of the U.S. approach to the Indo-Pacific, as reflected in numerous U.S. initiatives to promote economic prosperity and regional stability. Through the U.S.-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the United States has demonstrated that we are a reliable and enduring partner for our combined one billion people. Key U.S.-ASEAN accomplishments under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership include:

• The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) extended the U.S.-ASEAN Regional Development Cooperation Agreement to 2029 enabling the launch of the new five-year ASEAN USAID Partnership Program in March 2024. 
• The United States plans to conduct a second U.S.-ASEAN maritime exercise in 2025, co-hosted by Indonesia. U.S. and ASEAN Member States’ navies will exercise communication, information sharing, and the implementation of maritime security protocols in accordance with international law.
• In August 2024, the United States and ASEAN agreed to formalize U.S.-ASEAN health cooperation, elevating our engagement to a biennial U.S.-ASEAN Health Ministers Dialogue. USAID also officially launched the U.S.-ASEAN-Airborne Infection Defense Platform to bolster the region’s tuberculosis response capacity.
• The United States is launching a cybersecurity training program for the ASEAN Secretariat that will enhance the cybersecurity awareness, knowledge, and skills of our partners who are the backbone of ASEAN institutions.  
• At the third U.S.-ASEAN High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate this year, the United States unveiled the U.S.-ASEAN Climate Solutions Hub to help ASEAN members states develop and implement their contributions under the Paris Agreement.
• In 2023, the United States and ASEAN held the inaugural Dialogue on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to advance human rights for persons with disabilities across Southeast Asia, including working with private sector to find ways to support accessibility across Southeast Asia.

As a reflection of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership reaching its full potential, the United States and ASEAN celebrated the launch of the U.S.-ASEAN Center in Washington, DC in December 2023. The Center has already hosted several high-profile ASEAN-related events and is on track to become the key hub for ASEAN’s engagement with the United States.

• In June 2024, the Center hosted the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, for his first working visit to the United States, where he launched a speaker series.
• In August 2024, the Center hosted an ASEAN Day celebration, showcasing a wide array of cultural activities from ASEAN Member States.
• The Center is also partnering with the Antiquities Coalition to host a Cultural Property Agreement workshop.

The U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership (USASCP) is a key mechanism for our engagement on innovating sustainable cities of the future. Since it was launched in 2018, USASCP has invested more than $19 million in over 20 projects across urban sectors throughout the region. USASCP tackles the varied challenges of rapid urbanization, including accelerating climate action and promoting sustainable urban services.

• In 2024, the USASCP Smart Cities Business Innovation Fund 2.0 will grant $3 million for net-zero urban innovation projects to strengthen private sector investment in sustainability and climate action across the ASEAN region.
• In 2022, the Smart Cities Business Innovation Fund 1.0 granted a total of $1 million to six awardees across the region, including a solar panel recycling facility in Da Nang Vietnam and a seaweed/bioplastics manufacturer in Tangerang Indonesia.
• The United States paired municipal water and wastewater facility operators from five cities across the United States and the ASEAN Smart Cities Network to share their expertise.

This year marks the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative’s (YSEALI) second decade of building youth leadership capabilities across Southeast Asia to promote cross-border cooperation on regional and global challenges. YSEALI’s 160,000 strong digital network and 6,000 plus alumni community is creating new opportunities for its members to shape YSEALI’s next 10 years of impact. The State Department is well on its way to doubling the number of Southeast Asian youth participating in the YSEALI Academic and Professional Fellowships by 2025, in line with the commitments laid out by President Biden and Vice President Harris during the May 2022 U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit.

• The United States has invested over $1.8 million to empower nearly 500 young women as part of the YSEALI Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA). In celebration of the WLA’s 10th anniversary, the U.S. Mission to ASEAN granted $44,000 to alumni groups to foster collaboration and find innovative ways to close the gender leadership gap.
• The YSEALI Seeds for the Future Program—a grant program intended to support innovative initiatives in Southeast Asia—has provided nearly $3 million for more than 500 young leaders to carry out projects that improve their communities.
• The Department of State’s YSEALI Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund supported 16 YSEALI alumni-led public service projects in 2024. 

ENHANCING CONNECTIVITY AND RESILIENCE

The Biden-Harris Administration continues to build greater connectivity with ASEAN and enhancing regional resilience to bolster economic development and integration. The United States is ASEAN’s number one source of foreign direct investment, and U.S. goods and services trade totaled an estimated $500 billion in 2023. Since 2002, the United States has provided more than $14.7 billion in economic, health, and security assistance to Southeast Asian allies and partners. During that same period, the United States provided nearly $1.9 billion in humanitarian assistance, including life-saving disaster assistance, emergency food aid, and support to refugees throughout the region. As a durable and reliable partner of ASEAN, the United States supports the governments and people of Southeast Asia in enhancing the region’s connectivity and resilience. In addition to U.S. companies’ substantial investments, the United States is cooperating with the private sector to equip the region’s workforce with the skills needed to succeed in Southeast Asia’s burgeoning digital economy. Other key U.S. initiatives supporting this effort include:

• USAID announces $2 million of new funding to support the sustainable development of critical minerals, supporting ASEAN’s goal of raising environmental, social, and governance standards for mineral sector development. 

• Through the Japan-U.S.-Mekong Power Partnership (JUMPP), the U.S. Department of State has implemented over 60 technical assistance activities to strengthen national power sectors and regional electricity market, enhancing the clean energy export potential of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam to the ASEAN market. 
• The U.S. Trade and Development Agency is supporting a feasibility study to develop two cross-border interconnections, further expanding our longstanding support to connect the ASEAN Power Grid.
• USAID is expanding cooperation with the ASEAN Center for Energy to support private sector and multilateral development bank investment to operationalize regional connectivity through the ASEAN Power Grid.
• Through the ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting and Digital Senior Officials’ Meeting, we are intensifying our cooperation on trusted information and communications technology infrastructure – including undersea cables, cloud computing, and wireless networks, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and combatting online scams.
• The United States supported development of the ASEAN Responsible AI Roadmap and provided AI technical assistance for the Digital Economy Framework Agreement. Our collective effort ensures ASEAN can foster an inclusive environment where affirmative, safe, secure, and trustworthy AI innovation can flourish.
• Under the U.S.-ASEAN Connect framework, the U.S. Mission to ASEAN is leveraging the U.S. government and private sector expertise to advance economic engagement, including through workshops covering topics such as best practices to strengthen cybersecurity and how to harness digital technologies.

Over the past three and a half years, the Biden-Harris Administration has also spurred investment and economic growth through the advancement of over $1.4 billion in private sector investments in the ASEAN region. This past year alone, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has invested over $341 million in ASEAN markets. To further our cooperation and support, DFC has announced that it will open new offices in Vietnam and the Philippines to source more opportunities and further advance private sector investment. DFC’s key initiatives and investments have included:

• Loaning up to $126 million loan to power company PT Medco Cahaya Geothermal to strengthen Indonesia’s energy security.
• Initiating DFC’s first investment in Lao PDR with a $4 million loan portfolio guarantee to Phongsavanh Bank, which will work with Village Funds to give farmers financing to scale their businesses, increase their incomes, and improve their livelihoods.
• Initiating DFC’s first investment in East Timor with a $3 million loan to microfinance institution Kaebauk Investimentu No Finansas, which will provide financing to small businesses, especially rural and unbanked ones.

We look forward to continue advancing our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN in 2025 by formulating a new plan of action to guide the next five years of our enduring partnership as we work to further the prosperity of our combined one billion people.

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Tim Johnson served the people of South Dakota with distinction, and it was an honor to serve alongside him in the United States Senate for over a decade.

He always put South Dakotans first, and he never forgot where he came from. He worked tirelessly to bring clean drinking water to Americans wherever they lived: rural towns, inner cities, and Tribal lands. And he steered critical investments toward Indian Country and to South Dakota’s development and infrastructure.

As a Senator, Tim improved access to health care for millions of Americans by providing a critical vote on the Affordable Care Act, advocating for veterans’ health care funding, and fighting to expand Medicaid in South Dakota.

We also worked together to establish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to defend the backbone of our economy—hardworking Americans.

Over the years, Jill and I got to know Tim and Barb as true friends. Our hearts are with Barb, his three children, his eight grandchildren, and the people of South Dakota, whose lives Tim touched.

May God bless Tim Johnson.

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Ethel Kennedy was an American icon—a matriarch of optimism and moral courage, an emblem of resilience and service. Devoted to family and country, she had a spine of steel and a heart of gold that inspired millions of Americans, including me and Jill. We were blessed to call her a dear friend.

Growing up in an Irish-Catholic family, I often looked to the Kennedy family for proof of America’s promise. Ethel’s husband, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, was one of my heroes, inspiring an entire generation to make real that promise for all Americans. Together, they were guided by values that were the same as those my grandparents and parents taught me around the kitchen table: Everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. We each have an obligation to one another, to give hate no safe harbor, and to leave no one behind.

After his shattering death, Ethel showed our whole nation a way forward, turning pain into purpose and continuing his march toward civil rights and social justice, an end to poverty at home, and securing peace abroad—all while raising their 11 children. Four years later, when I lost my own wife and infant daughter, Ethel was always there for me and my sons. She helped us find strength and perseverance. She taught us how to channel grief into the service of a greater good.

When I moved into the Oval Office as President, I placed a bust of Robert Kennedy by the fireplace, as he and Ethel always had a place in my heart. I cherish the cards she would send me and my family. And when Ethel presented me with the RFK Ripple of Hope Award in 2016, it was one of the greatest honors of my life because I received it from a hero in her own right. For over 50 years, Ethel traveled, marched, boycotted, and stood up for human rights around the world with her signature iron will and grace.

Through it all, Ethel’s story was the American story.

Jill and I send our love to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; to her nieces and nephews and the entire Kennedy family; and to the millions of people around the world touched over the decades by her remarkable life of strength and service.

May God bless Ethel Kennedy, a dear friend, and a great American.

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