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Today, I am proud to announce that my Administration is releasing a new Global Health Security Strategy—outlining actions the United States will take over the next five years to prevent, detect, and effectively respond to biological threats wherever they emerge.

This has been a priority for me since day one. Every American experienced the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. And every American saw how this global health challenge had local consequences—on our hospitals, our schools, our businesses, and our communities. No sector of society was immune. That’s why—as my Administration worked to end the COVID-19 pandemic—we’ve also focused on ensuring our nation is prepared for any future pandemic, outbreak, or biological threat.

This new Global Health Security Strategy lays out how we will deliver on this goal. It will help drive comprehensive and cohesive efforts across our government, while generating greater support from foreign partners, the private sector, and civil society to ensure long-term impact. It will help protect people—across our nation and around the world—from security threats, particularly those posed by infectious diseases. And it will make the United States stronger, safer, and healthier than ever before at this critical moment.

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The post Statement from President Joe Biden on the Release of the Global Health Security Strategy appeared first on The White House.

Today, I am proud to announce that my Administration is releasing a new Global Health Security Strategy—outlining actions the United States will take over the next five years to prevent, detect, and effectively respond to biological threats wherever they emerge.

This has been a priority for me since day one. Every American experienced the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. And every American saw how this global health challenge had local consequences—on our hospitals, our schools, our businesses, and our communities. No sector of society was immune. That’s why—as my Administration worked to end the COVID-19 pandemic—we’ve also focused on ensuring our nation is prepared for any future pandemic, outbreak, or biological threat.

This new Global Health Security Strategy lays out how we will deliver on this goal. It will help drive comprehensive and cohesive efforts across our government, while generating greater support from foreign partners, the private sector, and civil society to ensure long-term impact. It will help protect people—across our nation and around the world—from security threats, particularly those posed by infectious diseases. And it will make the United States stronger, safer, and healthier than ever before at this critical moment.

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The post Statement from President Joe Biden on the Release of the Global Health Security Strategy appeared first on The White House.

We applaud the House’s bipartisan passage of legislation to reauthorize one of our nation’s most critical intelligence authorities, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).  The Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act ensures that the Intelligence Community has the tools that it needs to identify and disrupt threats to the American people from hostile nation states, terrorist organizations, hackers, spies, and more.  It also includes some of the most significant reforms in the history of FISA to strengthen oversight of how the authority is used and to protect privacy.  We encourage the Senate to swiftly pass this bill before the authority expires on April 19.

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The post Statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on the House’s Bipartisan Vote to Reauthorize of FISA Section 702 appeared first on The White House.

We applaud the House’s bipartisan passage of legislation to reauthorize one of our nation’s most critical intelligence authorities, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).  The Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act ensures that the Intelligence Community has the tools that it needs to identify and disrupt threats to the American people from hostile nation states, terrorist organizations, hackers, spies, and more.  It also includes some of the most significant reforms in the history of FISA to strengthen oversight of how the authority is used and to protect privacy.  We encourage the Senate to swiftly pass this bill before the authority expires on April 19.

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The post Statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on the House’s Bipartisan Vote to Reauthorize of FISA Section 702 appeared first on The White House.

President Biden welcomed Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala to the White House today.  President Biden congratulated the Czech Republic, a stalwart Ally, on celebrating 25 years in NATO and on the recent passage of legislation requiring it to spend at least 2 percent of its GDP on defense.  The leaders reaffirmed their iron-clad commitment to the NATO Alliance, which makes us all safer.  President Biden also welcomed the Czech decision earlier this year to purchase 24 U.S. F-35s, a $4.5 billion deal that contributes to U.S. jobs, bolsters the Czech Republic’s defense modernization, and deepens the U.S.-Czech defense relationship.

The leaders underscored their unwavering support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal invasion.  They also coordinated on challenges in the Middle East. The two condemned the blatant and unprecedented attacks against Israel by Iran and its proxies.  They also discussed Israel’s right to self-defense against the threats it faces in accordance with international law and efforts to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza.  The leaders also spoke about the U.S.-Czech energy security relationship, deepening strategic ties, and shared democratic values.  President Biden and Prime Minister Fiala also announced their countries’ intent to sign a memorandum of understanding on countering foreign information manipulation that will help defend democratic institutions from foreign disinformation.

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The post Readout of President Biden’s Meeting with Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic appeared first on The White House.

President Biden welcomed Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala to the White House today.  President Biden congratulated the Czech Republic, a stalwart Ally, on celebrating 25 years in NATO and on the recent passage of legislation requiring it to spend at least 2 percent of its GDP on defense.  The leaders reaffirmed their iron-clad commitment to the NATO Alliance, which makes us all safer.  President Biden also welcomed the Czech decision earlier this year to purchase 24 U.S. F-35s, a $4.5 billion deal that contributes to U.S. jobs, bolsters the Czech Republic’s defense modernization, and deepens the U.S.-Czech defense relationship.

The leaders underscored their unwavering support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal invasion.  They also coordinated on challenges in the Middle East. The two condemned the blatant and unprecedented attacks against Israel by Iran and its proxies.  They also discussed Israel’s right to self-defense against the threats it faces in accordance with international law and efforts to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza.  The leaders also spoke about the U.S.-Czech energy security relationship, deepening strategic ties, and shared democratic values.  President Biden and Prime Minister Fiala also announced their countries’ intent to sign a memorandum of understanding on countering foreign information manipulation that will help defend democratic institutions from foreign disinformation.

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The post Readout of President Biden’s Meeting with Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic appeared first on The White House.

Southwest Career and Technical Academy

Las Vegas, NV

12:46 P.M. PDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hi, everyone.  (Applause.)

Good afternoon, everyone.  Good afternoon. 

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  Hello, everybody.  We ready to go?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yes.  (Applause.)

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  All right.  Let’s get this started.

So, I first want to thank Attorney General Ford, who is here with us, and Representative Titus for joining us today.  (Applause.) 

And thank you so much, Madam Vice President.  So, good to see you again.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Good to see you again.  And it’s —

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  So —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — great to be back in Las Vegas.

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  Yes.  So, I want to talk about the fact that you travel around this country connecting with communities and young leaders.  And, in fact, just this past fall, you did the “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour, where I hear you engaged with over 15,000 students on college campuses across the country on the most urgent issues before us — in particular, the fight for our most fundamental freedoms.

One freedom that you’re focused on is the freedom to be safe from gun violence.  And tragically, we know all too well how important this issue is because our communities have faced it firsthand right here in Nevada.

You’ve been a leader on so many issues throughout your career, including this one.  So, it’s no surprise that you were named to oversee the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.  (Applause.)  That deserves claps.

So, my question is: What can we do to end this senseless violence that is harming our communities?  And what is the administration doing to lead on this issue?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  And, Angela, I want to thank you for your leadership.  Moms Demand Action, the work that you — there is Students Demand Action, just the whole group — for years, you all just show up and remind people of the real impact of gun violence in America on parents, on students, on children.  And so, I thank you for your leadership.

Xochitl, it’s so good to see you again.  And thank you for being here and being a part of this —

MS. GOMEZ:  Thank you.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — and using your voice in such a courageous way. 

And it is wonderful to be back in Nevada and here in Las Vegas.  So, thank you all for being here.

So, you know, I just actually met, before I came on stage, with three students who survived the December shooting at UNLV.  And they’re so courageous, these young leaders.  And their stories, sadly, are the stories of so many young people in our country and the stories that I heard continuously during the college tour.

And their stories reflect a very tragic fact, which is that in America today, the number-one cause of death of our children — the number-one cause of death of the children of America is gun violence — not car accidents, not some form of cancer.  Gun violence. 

Today in America, one in five people has a family member that was killed by gun violence.

And, you know, it doesn’t have to be this way.  It doesn’t have to be this way.

During the college tour — and it was — it was universities, it was colleges, it was state colleges, it was trade schools — college-aged young leaders.  And I would ask every — in every room that I went, I would ask, “Please raise your hand” — I’d look at the students, the young people — “Please raise your hand if at any time between kindergarten and 12th grade, you had to endure an active shooter drill.”

In fact, I’ll ask the students right now.  Anybody who’s here, if at any point between kindergarten and 12th grade, did you have to endure an active shooter drill? 

I’d like the older adults and the press to look at what we’re seeing — the number of hands that go up. 

When I would talk with young people — I talked with one particular younger student and — on the subject of active shooter drills, and that student said to me, “Yeah, I — that’s why I don’t like going to fifth period.”  And I said, “Why, sweetheart?  Why don’t you like going to fifth period?”  “Well, because, in that classroom, there’s no closet to hide in.”

The idea that our children and our young people are sitting in a room where they are supposed to be enjoying the wonders of the world and exploring with enthusiasm all that there is to learn and that any part of their mind is also concerned that someone might bust into the classroom — so, this issue is tragic on every level.

I was just recently in Parkland, Florida, and I met with the parents and family members of the victims of that horrendous mass shooting.  I also — they’ve — they’ve preserved the school, the building where it happened.  It’s going to be destroyed soon.  But they’ve — they’ve preserved it in a way that it has stopped at a moment in time.

And so, I walked through the hallways and into the classrooms where that shooting took place, which was maintained as — as basically a crime scene.  And I will — I want to spare anybody here the — the image of what I saw, but I’m not going to, because I think people have to understand the significance of this.

It was a moment frozen in time.  So, there was blood in the hallways.  There were sheets of homework that were spewn around the classrooms, chairs and desks that were upturned.  There wa- — backpacks.  Th- — it happened Valentine’s, and so Valentine’s wishes. 

This is what we’re talking about.  And it doesn’t have to be this way. 

On this issue, we have within our grasp, within our means things that we can do that can mitigate against, that can reduce the likelihood of these things happening. 

I don’t need to tell Nevada this — 1 October, the tragedy of that.  But thankfully, the leaders of Nevada, starting, I would say, with so many of our young leaders — Moms Demand Action and others — pushed for things like safe storage laws, saying we can put in place some smart rules to reduce the likelihood of gun violence.

And let me just be clear: Part of what I think has bogged this situation down and has not allowed for the kind of smart policy that we know can happen is because people, some, are pushing a false choice which suggests you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away.  I’m in favor of the Second Amendment, and I believe we need assault weapon bans.

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  Right.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  We need background checks — universal background checks.  We need red-flag laws.  (Applause.)

But, you know — and then we — one of the things that I announced last week that we’re — we’ve been very proud to do — President Joe Biden, me, and our administration — is to close the gun show loophole.

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  Yes.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  So, I was talking with my team about it, and I said, “You know, I’ve been working on this thing for a long time.”  They said, “What a- — what are you talking about?”  Well, they found the pris- — press clippings, because back in 2007 — I know half this room was not born then.  (Laughter.)  Back in 2007, when I was the elected DA of San Francisco, I was out at the place called the Cow Palace in San Francisco protesting the gun show loopholes.

And so, we’ve — so many of us — have been in this movement for a long time to — to close that loophole, which essentially is this: Gun dealers — registered gun dealers are required to do background checks. 

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  That’s right.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  But if a gun dealer is — is selling guns at a — let’s call it a flea market or a gun show, they bypass the requirement to do background checks.  And, of course, where do you think the bad guys are going to go to get their guns?  The place where nobody’s going to check into their background.  Right?

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  Right.  Right.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And so, we have finally closed that — that loophole.  And — and I say that to say also that those of us who are in this movement, we do see progress and, therefore, we cannot give up.  We cannot give up.  (Applause.)

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  That’s right.  We absolutely see progress.

Before I ask the next question, I just want to honor survivors that are amongst us —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  — and those that have been taken from us too soon.  You are the heart and soul of this movement and why we get up and put one foot in front of the other and do this work every single day.  So, thank you so much.

So, Madam Vice President, one important solution for gun violence prevention that doesn’t get enough credit or attention, which you spoke about, is secure firearm storage.  So, Nevada has passed a few secure storage measures into law over the past several years, which shows how communities and advocates and state and local leaders can prevent a tragedy that can strike when guns are not properly stored, whether it’s a child that finds a firearm and hurts themselves or someone else or someone that may take this firearm or steal it to commit a crime.

So, why is secure storage so important for gun safety and gun violence prevention, especially when we are thinking about the young leaders here today?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Secure storage is exactly what it suggests.  It’s about the responsibility that any gun owner should feel and have to secure that gun so that children, young people, those who don’t have the authority to use the gun don’t have access to it.  It’s just — it’s just that basic. 

Put it in a lockbox, because — especially if a young person is just curious or, you know, wants to, you know, play with a gun — let’s not make it too easy to get. 

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  That’s right.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And that’s what secure storage is about. 

You know, the — the numbers that I have seen suggest that as many as 75 percent of school shootings resulted from an — from a gun that was not secured.  Tragically, as many as 80 percent of youth suicide is a gun that was not secured.

So, I, again, applaud the leaders of Nevada for saying, “Hey, it’s — you know, just — I’m not saying I’m going to take your gun.  Just, you got a gun; lock it up.”

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  That’s right.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And, also, secure storage includes keeping ammunition separate from the gun, because we also want to just make sure that there would have to be some level of — of thought and reflection that goes into anyone pulling a gun out and thinking about using it.

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  That’s right.  Yes.  Thank you so much, Vice President.

MS. GOMEZ:  Madam Vice President, gun violence and so many other things in our lives cause trauma and impact our mental health.  This is especially true for young people like me and I’m sure a lot of the students in this room.  You know, our generation has grown up with active shooter drills and so much more, and I know this firsthand, sad- — sadly.  And I know that you care about this and have brought attention to the issue. 

So, I guess I want — want to know: What is the administration doing to help address this and better help and support our mental health? 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Xochitl.  We are talking about trauma and a profound amount of trauma that exists in our communities as a result of gun violence, whether it be the trauma that is associated with a child having to go to school and endure active shooter drills and always having on their mind, at some point, being nervous or concerned that their life might be in danger just by going to school.  

There’s the trauma associated with parents, who — many will say a silent prayer when they drop their kids off at school that that child will come home at the end of the day safe.

There is the trauma associated with everyday gun violence in America, which far too many communities are experiencing.

And a lot of that trauma goes undiagnosed and untreated.  And as I was — as I do talk with many survivors of gun violence, you know, trauma is — it’s on — it’s a big wound that is invisible to the eye but can be very present.  And we got to help people find productive ways of healing.

And so, mental health is about recognizing that the body doesn’t just start from the neck down when we talk about healthcare; there’s also the healthcare we need from the neck up, and that’s mental health care. 

And so, the work that we’ve been doing as an administration is to deal with this on a number of levels, and one is that in our Bipartisan Safe Communities Act that we got passed — the first meaningful gun safety legislation in 30 years, that President Biden and are proud that we could get passed with bipartisan support, which (inaudible) —

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  That deserves applause.  (Applause.) 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Yeah.  (Laughter.) 

And so, part of what we did there is we put a billion dollars into getting resources to public and — and — schools — to public schools to hire mental health counselors in public schools. 

But to the point of even just talking with the — the young leaders that I just spoke with from UNLV, we still have so much more work to do to make sure that mental health services are available to meet the demand.

One of the things I love about Gen Z — and I love many things about Gen Z — your generation is willing to talk about mental health and the need for support.  You know, older generations still kind of have a stigma about it.  Younger generations are so much smarter on this subject, which is they want to talk about it.  But when they talk about it, we — those of us who are in a position to do something about it — got to make sure the resources are there for them.

And so, there is still a lot more work to be done.  But it makes a difference, because it is about healing.  It’s about creating safe spaces where people can talk about their fears and not feel that they’re being judged.  And that’s very important. 

Everyone, I believe, has a right to feel and be safe.  And there are many ways we will get there, and one of them is to make sure people have the support they need to deal with the emotional impact of this.  Yeah.

MS. GOMEZ:  That’s — yeah.  (Applause.)

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  Yes, claps.

MS. GOMEZ:  Madam Vice President, you are an inspiration.  You know, personally — I’m sure like a lot of us here in this room — I look up to you.  You know, this room is full of passionate young leaders, and you have called on us to take charge.

So, I guess, I — we — we’d like to know: What advice would you like to leave us with today?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Oh, I’ve got plenty of advice.  How much time do you have?  (Laughter.)

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  Let’s hear it.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, let me start with a — a challenge that I would issue, and I did it — I started it during the college tour.  But for all the young leaders here who are thinking about your life and your — your role of leadership as you go on in life, I’m going to challenge you to consider a profession in the mental health — the mental health professions, of which there are many. 

But do think about that, because one of the most effective ways that we offer mental health is to do it based on peer support, which is people who have gone through something are usually best equipped to help people who are going through that thing.  And so, I would challenge you then.

Okay.  So, let’s see.  Let me start with this: Never allow yourself to be limited by other people’s limited ability to imagine who can do what.  Do you understand what I’m saying?  I see everybody nodding over there.  (Laughter.)  You know what I’m saying.

Don’t ever listen to people who look at you and say, “Ah, you’re too young.”  “Ah, nobody like you has ever done that before.”  “Ah, wait, your turn.”  “Ah, it’s going to be so much work.” 

Don’t you listen to that.  Don’t you ever listen to that.

I like to say I eat “no” for breakfast.  (Laughter.)  I don’t hear “no” until maybe it’s spoken the 10th time.

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  I’m going to use that now. 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Oh, I eat “no” for breakfast.

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  I’m going to use that. 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Remember your power right now.  You know, there’s something that’s been happening in our country over the last several years that I think is so unfortunate and — and very upside down, which is that some would suggest that the measure of your strength is based on who you beat down, instead of understanding the true measure of an individual’s strength, I believe, is based on who you lift up.  It — (applause) — right?  Truly. 

And if you ever question your strength as an individual, see what happens when you help someone — just one person — with anything and what that does for them.  That’s your strength, and it’s a superpower.  It’s a superpower to have some level of concern and consideration for the well-being of other people and then take it upon yourself to do something about that.

More advice?  Okay, yes.  (Laughter.) 

Don’t you ever let anybody tell you who you are.  You tell them who you are. 

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  That’s right.  (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  A piece of advice my mother gave me: You may be the first to do many things; make sure you’re not the last.  Okay?  (Applause.)  Okay.

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  I hope you’re taking notes, y’all.  I hope you’re taking notes.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  So, I think I’m going to end with that one.  (Laughter.)  I could keep rolling. 

But — but, you know, dream with ambition.  I say, to each one of you, dream with ambition.  Ambition is a good thing.  It’s good to believe that you can do something and then go for it.  Go for it, and know that you will have a community of people — sometimes you don’t see them, but you got to know it — that will applaud you as you go out there and go for it.

You know, and — and remember that there may be many times where you might be the only one in a room — be it a boardroom, a meeting room — who looks like you or who has had your life experience.  But I want all the young people to look around this auditorium to know that we will all be in that room with you.

So, never feel alone in a way that allows a circumstance to make you feel small.  Know that you have a community of people who applaud your ambition and want you to go out there and go for it.  Okay? 

Always remember that —

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  Thank you so much.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — because our country will be the better for all that you guys do.

So, there we go.  That’s it.  Enough of that.  (Laughs.)  (Applause.)

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:   Yes, I appreciate you, Madam Vice President.  Thank you so much for your leadership.  And thank you for imparting such wisdom on these young students. 

I watch you all the time and follow you, and I see your passion for young leaders.  You understand how important it is to pour into them because that is the strength of this country.  Right?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That’s right.  That’s right.

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  So —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And the future of our country, starting right now.

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  100 percent, I’m with you. 

Well, thank you so much.  I appreciate it.

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you.

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  Thank you, Xochitl.

MS. GOMEZ:  Thank you.  (Applause.)

MS. FERRELL-ZABALA:  Thank you, everybody, for being here. 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, all.

END                1:09 P.M. PDT

The post Remarks by Vice President Harris in a Moderated Conversation with Angela Ferrell-Zabala and Xochitl Gomez on the Impact of The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act appeared first on The White House.

Bottega Exchange

Las Vegas, Nevada

2:44 P.M. PDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Can we hear it for Joi?  (Applause.)

Hi, everyone.  Please have a seat.  Have a seat. 

Joi, you are — and I — and I got to meet that baby girl of yours.  Oh, my god, she’s precious.  To you and your husband and to your family, I thank you for your courage and your willingness to share your story.

And to everyone here, I thank you for your leadership and your work and all that you are doing on behalf of so many people who deserve to be seen, deserve to be heard, and whose voices are so important about what this issue means. 

I want to thank the leaders who are here.  I don’t want to miss anybody.  I hope I don’t.  But I do know that Arizona Senator Burch is here.  Where are you?   Hi.  There you are.  (Applause.)  We were just together on Friday in Tucson. 

I’m — you know, again, if I could just take a moment to say that I have met some extraordinary people over the course of these last two years, who have been willing to share something that is so personal and would otherwise be very private — it’s their business — it’s not everybody’s business; it’s their business — and, because of what has happened, have decided to share your stories because you know how many other people are being affected who may not have the ability to stand before a microphone and the press and talk about these things.

And that takes a lot, because you’re going through your own experience and you’re sharing it with perfect strangers.  And so, I want to thank you guys. 

And there’s so many other people who, over the course of these last two years, have been sharing their story so that we understand this is not about politics, this is not about ideology.  This is about the fact that far too many people are suffering and should not have to.

So, thank you guys.  And thank you again to Senator Burch.  (Applause.)

Congresswoman Dina Titus, I thank you always for your leadership in this beautiful state of Nevada.  (Applause.)  Nevada State Party Chair Daniele — where is she? — thank you very much — Monroe-Moreno.  (Applause.)

My dear friend, the Attorney General, General Ford, I thank you — (applause) — for fighting for justice every day and fighting for the — the spirit behind the principles that were the foundation for our country and are enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.  I thank you for your work.

And then Senator Jacky Rosen could not be here, but let’s get her reelected, please, to the United States Senate.  (Applause.)

So, I was in Tucson on Friday, and we talked about it, and I’m going to just share a little bit about what is obvious to everyone here.  Freedom is fundamental to the promise of America.  When we talk about the promise of America, foundationally, we believe in freedom.  We know that the strength of our nation has been a function of many things, including our commitment to the expansion of rights.

But for the first time in a very long time, we are seeing a full-on attent — intent to restrict rights, to take rights. 

We just witnessed the highest court in our land, almost two years ago — the court of Thurgood and RBG — take a constitutional right that had been recognized from the people of America, from the women of America. 

And thereafter, in state after state, laws being proposed and passed that would criminalize healthcare providers — I mean, literally laws that are providing for prison time for doctors and nurses — in Texas, for life — laws that would punish women, laws that are meant to judge and make people feel as though they’ve done something wrong and as though they are alone and should be embarrassed, laws that are immoral.

An example being those that make no exception even for rape or incest, which means you are telling a survivor of a crime — a violation to their body — violence to their body — that they don’t have the right to determine what happens to their body next.  Immoral.

So, we are here to say that we’re not going to stand for this.  It is not okay, and we are prepared to organize and to take to the streets and to knock on doors and to text folks and to let everyone know their power at this moment to protect the rights of the people of our country. 

And so, I wanted to stop by here to thank, in particular, the organizers and volunteers that are doing this work in preparation for the ballot initiative coming up in November here in Nevada.  (Applause.) 

And, look, they’re holding up their clipboards.  Exactly.  (Laughs.)  (Applause.)

And you guys are making such a difference, because it is also about reminding folks that we’re all in this together and reminding folks it doesn’t have to be this way.  It doesn’t have to be this way. 

But, you know, the thing about a democracy that is founded on the notion of individual rights and liberties and freedoms is that we got to fight and be vigilant to maintain those rights and freedoms.  Right?

You know, the nature of democracy is such that it’s really — there’s a duality to it.  When a democracy is intact, oh, the strength — the strength that it invests in its people, in protection of their individual rights and liberties and freedoms — the strength it gives its people.  And it is very fragile.  A democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it.  (Applause.)

And that’s what you all are doing.  That’s what — and that’s what we’re doing together.  That’s what we’re doing together.

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And we are going to win across — we’re going to win this ballot initiative.  And Joe Biden and I are going back to the White House.  

But let me just tell you — (applause) — and here’s the thing about this election in terms of that point about the White House and who sits in those seats — I know that the speakers mentioned it earlier.  On this issue of — of the freedom to make decisions about one’s own body, the right to have access to reproductive healthcare, the right to have that autonomy and that authority and not have it be taken from their government, not having people who sit up in a — in a statehouse telling people what they’re supposed to do and what is in their best interest as though the women of America don’t know what is in their own best interest — on the issue of this subject and then the upcoming election, let us be clear: There is a direct track between what we have seen in states like Arizona, what the people of Nevada are fighting for, and who the previous president was.

Let’s not forget, Donald Trump made clear his intention to select three members of the United States Supreme Court so that they would overturn the protections of Roe v. Wade.  It was his stated intention, and they did as he intended.

And you all — many of you may remember, I was in the United States Senate at the time and served on the Judiciary Committee and would raise the subject.  Sadly, a lot of us could see what was going to come, and exactly what we feared happened because there was a president who has the power to select members of the United States Supreme Court who intended to undo these protections.

Let’s be clear, then, that when he sits back and most recently says, “Well, I believe that the states should make these decisions,” he says — right?  Okay.  So, you believe that the states have a right to reinstate laws from the 1800s to criminalize healthcare providers, to provide up to prison for life, no exception for crimes of violence to someone’s body.

So, let’s all be clear: What we are seeing in these states that we are talking about are Trump abortion bans, and he can’t get away from that.  Those are Trump abortion bans. 

And this election is about many, many important issues, including the ability of the people to organize in support of what we believe to be foundational values and principles about who we are as America. 

And when we look at our power, let’s not forget the power of the people, and let’s not overlook the momentum we’ve already achieved.  I’ll remind us: When this issue has been on the ballot —

(A child in the audience cries.)

Yes, my love.  (Laughter.)   

When this issue has been on the ballot — from Kentucky to California, from Virginia to Ohio, when this issue has been on the ballot, the voters voted in favor of freedoms — in red state and blue — making clear, by the way, this is not a partisan issue — making clear there is a consensus among the American people that it is wrong to take rights from the people of our country.

So, momentum is on our side.  We have 205 days until the election.  Yes, I am counting.  (Laughter.)

And I do believe that the work that we are doing and are committed to doing — because you’re here — over these next 205 days is not only important, but it’s — it’s fun.  (Laughs.) 

Isn’t it fun to work on a campaign?  (Applause.)  Isn’t it fun to meet people you may not have otherwise ever met before who all come together in a place like this, who are all carrying those — those boards, just working together because we believe in each other and we know the power that we have, especially when we come together?

And so, I just want to leave everyone with this thought, which is there is so much good in our country and in the world, but we can’t take anything for granted. 

And this is an extraordinary group of leaders who are doing this work here in this beautiful state of Nevada, who are going to have an impact, for the most part, on people that you may never meet, people who may never know your name, but who are forever going to be benefited because of the work that you all are doing.  (Applause.) 

And so, I came by to thank you for all that you are doing in defense of our country and each other.  And let’s just carry on.  And we’re going to take this to November.

And we’re going to reelect Jacky Rosen to the United States Senate.  (Applause.)  And we’re going to get this ballot measure passed.  And we’re going to reelect Joe Biden as President of the United States, and I’m going to head back too.  (Applause.) 

Thank you all very much.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.) 

END                     2:56 P.M. PDT

The post Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Reproductive Freedoms Organizing Event appeared first on The White House.

Bottega Exchange

Las Vegas, Nevada

2:44 P.M. PDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Can we hear it for Joi?  (Applause.)

Hi, everyone.  Please have a seat.  Have a seat. 

Joi, you are — and I — and I got to meet that baby girl of yours.  Oh, my god, she’s precious.  To you and your husband and to your family, I thank you for your courage and your willingness to share your story.

And to everyone here, I thank you for your leadership and your work and all that you are doing on behalf of so many people who deserve to be seen, deserve to be heard, and whose voices are so important about what this issue means. 

I want to thank the leaders who are here.  I don’t want to miss anybody.  I hope I don’t.  But I do know that Arizona Senator Burch is here.  Where are you?   Hi.  There you are.  (Applause.)  We were just together on Friday in Tucson. 

I’m — you know, again, if I could just take a moment to say that I have met some extraordinary people over the course of these last two years, who have been willing to share something that is so personal and would otherwise be very private — it’s their business — it’s not everybody’s business; it’s their business — and, because of what has happened, have decided to share your stories because you know how many other people are being affected who may not have the ability to stand before a microphone and the press and talk about these things.

And that takes a lot, because you’re going through your own experience and you’re sharing it with perfect strangers.  And so, I want to thank you guys. 

And there’s so many other people who, over the course of these last two years, have been sharing their story so that we understand this is not about politics, this is not about ideology.  This is about the fact that far too many people are suffering and should not have to.

So, thank you guys.  And thank you again to Senator Burch.  (Applause.)

Congresswoman Dina Titus, I thank you always for your leadership in this beautiful state of Nevada.  (Applause.)  Nevada State Party Chair Daniele — where is she? — thank you very much — Monroe-Moreno.  (Applause.)

My dear friend, the Attorney General, General Ford, I thank you — (applause) — for fighting for justice every day and fighting for the — the spirit behind the principles that were the foundation for our country and are enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.  I thank you for your work.

And then Senator Jacky Rosen could not be here, but let’s get her reelected, please, to the United States Senate.  (Applause.)

So, I was in Tucson on Friday, and we talked about it, and I’m going to just share a little bit about what is obvious to everyone here.  Freedom is fundamental to the promise of America.  When we talk about the promise of America, foundationally, we believe in freedom.  We know that the strength of our nation has been a function of many things, including our commitment to the expansion of rights.

But for the first time in a very long time, we are seeing a full-on attent — intent to restrict rights, to take rights. 

We just witnessed the highest court in our land, almost two years ago — the court of Thurgood and RBG — take a constitutional right that had been recognized from the people of America, from the women of America. 

And thereafter, in state after state, laws being proposed and passed that would criminalize healthcare providers — I mean, literally laws that are providing for prison time for doctors and nurses — in Texas, for life — laws that would punish women, laws that are meant to judge and make people feel as though they’ve done something wrong and as though they are alone and should be embarrassed, laws that are immoral.

An example being those that make no exception even for rape or incest, which means you are telling a survivor of a crime — a violation to their body — violence to their body — that they don’t have the right to determine what happens to their body next.  Immoral.

So, we are here to say that we’re not going to stand for this.  It is not okay, and we are prepared to organize and to take to the streets and to knock on doors and to text folks and to let everyone know their power at this moment to protect the rights of the people of our country. 

And so, I wanted to stop by here to thank, in particular, the organizers and volunteers that are doing this work in preparation for the ballot initiative coming up in November here in Nevada.  (Applause.) 

And, look, they’re holding up their clipboards.  Exactly.  (Laughs.)  (Applause.)

And you guys are making such a difference, because it is also about reminding folks that we’re all in this together and reminding folks it doesn’t have to be this way.  It doesn’t have to be this way. 

But, you know, the thing about a democracy that is founded on the notion of individual rights and liberties and freedoms is that we got to fight and be vigilant to maintain those rights and freedoms.  Right?

You know, the nature of democracy is such that it’s really — there’s a duality to it.  When a democracy is intact, oh, the strength — the strength that it invests in its people, in protection of their individual rights and liberties and freedoms — the strength it gives its people.  And it is very fragile.  A democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it.  (Applause.)

And that’s what you all are doing.  That’s what — and that’s what we’re doing together.  That’s what we’re doing together.

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And we are going to win across — we’re going to win this ballot initiative.  And Joe Biden and I are going back to the White House.  

But let me just tell you — (applause) — and here’s the thing about this election in terms of that point about the White House and who sits in those seats — I know that the speakers mentioned it earlier.  On this issue of — of the freedom to make decisions about one’s own body, the right to have access to reproductive healthcare, the right to have that autonomy and that authority and not have it be taken from their government, not having people who sit up in a — in a statehouse telling people what they’re supposed to do and what is in their best interest as though the women of America don’t know what is in their own best interest — on the issue of this subject and then the upcoming election, let us be clear: There is a direct track between what we have seen in states like Arizona, what the people of Nevada are fighting for, and who the previous president was.

Let’s not forget, Donald Trump made clear his intention to select three members of the United States Supreme Court so that they would overturn the protections of Roe v. Wade.  It was his stated intention, and they did as he intended.

And you all — many of you may remember, I was in the United States Senate at the time and served on the Judiciary Committee and would raise the subject.  Sadly, a lot of us could see what was going to come, and exactly what we feared happened because there was a president who has the power to select members of the United States Supreme Court who intended to undo these protections.

Let’s be clear, then, that when he sits back and most recently says, “Well, I believe that the states should make these decisions,” he says — right?  Okay.  So, you believe that the states have a right to reinstate laws from the 1800s to criminalize healthcare providers, to provide up to prison for life, no exception for crimes of violence to someone’s body.

So, let’s all be clear: What we are seeing in these states that we are talking about are Trump abortion bans, and he can’t get away from that.  Those are Trump abortion bans. 

And this election is about many, many important issues, including the ability of the people to organize in support of what we believe to be foundational values and principles about who we are as America. 

And when we look at our power, let’s not forget the power of the people, and let’s not overlook the momentum we’ve already achieved.  I’ll remind us: When this issue has been on the ballot —

(A child in the audience cries.)

Yes, my love.  (Laughter.)   

When this issue has been on the ballot — from Kentucky to California, from Virginia to Ohio, when this issue has been on the ballot, the voters voted in favor of freedoms — in red state and blue — making clear, by the way, this is not a partisan issue — making clear there is a consensus among the American people that it is wrong to take rights from the people of our country.

So, momentum is on our side.  We have 205 days until the election.  Yes, I am counting.  (Laughter.)

And I do believe that the work that we are doing and are committed to doing — because you’re here — over these next 205 days is not only important, but it’s — it’s fun.  (Laughs.) 

Isn’t it fun to work on a campaign?  (Applause.)  Isn’t it fun to meet people you may not have otherwise ever met before who all come together in a place like this, who are all carrying those — those boards, just working together because we believe in each other and we know the power that we have, especially when we come together?

And so, I just want to leave everyone with this thought, which is there is so much good in our country and in the world, but we can’t take anything for granted. 

And this is an extraordinary group of leaders who are doing this work here in this beautiful state of Nevada, who are going to have an impact, for the most part, on people that you may never meet, people who may never know your name, but who are forever going to be benefited because of the work that you all are doing.  (Applause.) 

And so, I came by to thank you for all that you are doing in defense of our country and each other.  And let’s just carry on.  And we’re going to take this to November.

And we’re going to reelect Jacky Rosen to the United States Senate.  (Applause.)  And we’re going to get this ballot measure passed.  And we’re going to reelect Joe Biden as President of the United States, and I’m going to head back too.  (Applause.) 

Thank you all very much.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.) 

END                     2:56 P.M. PDT

The post Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Reproductive Freedoms Organizing Event appeared first on The White House.

Today, the President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden Jr., welcomed the Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, Mohammed Shia’a Al-Sudani, to the White House.  The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the enduring strategic partnership between Iraq and the United States and discussed their visions for comprehensive bilateral cooperation under the 2008 U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.  The President and Prime Minister agreed on the importance of working together to advance regional stability and reinforce and respect Iraqi sovereignty, stability, and security.

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani affirmed that a diversified and growing Iraqi economy, integrated with the region and the global economic system, is the foundation for lasting stability in the region and prosperity for the Iraqi people.  The two leaders exchanged views on how political, economic, and security cooperation between the United States and Iraq could advance shared goals, including the development of a strong and stable Iraqi nation that promotes peace and progress throughout the broader Middle East.

Energy and Environment

President Biden applauded Iraq’s progress towards energy self-sufficiency, and the two leaders discussed Prime Minister Sudani’s interest in future opportunities for cooperation to ensure Iraq becomes self-sufficient by 2030, with help from U.S. companies.  President Biden affirmed continued U.S. support for Iraq’s efforts to modernize its energy sector, reduce methane emissions, improve public health, more reliably provide electricity for the Iraqi people, and complete the electrical grid connections with neighboring countries, including the ongoing efforts to connect Iraq’s grid with Jordan and GCC countries.  The two leaders discussed future plans to develop Iraq’s resources in a manner that ensures all Iraqis benefit from their country’s natural wealth, consistent with Iraq’s constitution. 

Prime Minister Sudani and President Biden affirmed the importance of ensuring Iraqi oil can reach international markets and expressed their desire to reopen the Iraq-Turkiye Pipeline. 

Regional Integration and Political Cooperation

President Biden reaffirmed U.S. support for Iraq in strengthening relations with the international community and states of the region to ensure security, stability, and enhanced prosperity for its peoples.  President Biden pledged continued U.S. support for greater economic integration of Iraq with the Middle East region. 

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani discussed their shared view that the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) is integral to Iraq’s overall prosperity and stability.  In that vein, the President commended the Prime Minister’s and Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) efforts to reach durable agreements that resolve longstanding challenges, including the recent arrangement to pay two months of KRG civil servant salaries, and encouraged continued progress.  The President also affirmed U.S. support for strengthening democracy in Iraq, including free, fair, and transparent regional elections in the IKR.

Economy and Finance

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani discussed Iraq’s progressive efforts to reform the financial and banking sector to connect Iraq to the international economy and increase trade while shielding the Iraqi people from the harmful impacts of corruption and money-laundering.  Through 2023 and 2024, banks in Iraq have expanded their correspondent relationships with international financial institutions to enable trade financing, with the majority of trade finance now occurring through these channels.  The two leaders affirmed the importance of these and other measures to improve the investment climate in Iraq to attract foreign capital and promote economic growth.  The United States and Iraq commit to strengthen their cooperation to achieve greater transparency and collaboration against money-laundering, financing terrorism, fraud, corruption, and sanctionable activity that could undermine the integrity of both countries’ financial systems.  The two sides also committed to support the Central Bank of Iraq to fully wind down the wire auction mechanism by the end of 2024 and transition to direct correspondent relationships between Iraqi and international banks, a transformation that will connect Iraqi people and businesses with the international economy.

The Lasting Defeat of ISIS

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani discussed their commitment to a stable and secure Iraq.  They agreed that Iraq’s security forces must be able to ensure that ISIS can never again reconstitute inside Iraq to threaten the Iraqi people, the region, or the international community, including the United States.  President Biden reiterated his belief that a strong Iraq, capable of self-defense, is critical to regional stability and committed to bolstering the capabilities of security forces across all of Iraq to secure the country’s territory and people.

Nearly ten years after establishing the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, the two leaders discussed the Coalition’s successes in both Iraq and Syria, where all Iraqi security forces including in Kurdistan were critical to the territorial defeat of ISIS.  Both leaders paid tribute to the sacrifices made by Iraqi, United States, and other friendly countries’ military personnel serving side-by-side as partners during the historic campaign against ISIS, as well as the civilians killed by ISIS, including the massacres at Camp Speicher, Mount Sinjar, and Hit.  Prime Minister Sudani emphasized the national effort that was required to defeat ISIS and discussed his affirmative agenda to continue rebuilding Iraq and restore its position as an engine of stability and growth for the broader Middle East.  President Biden noted that the enduring defeat of ISIS would help ensure Iraq’s, the region’s, and the world’s security in the future, as well as its ability to fulfill the Iraqi people’s aspirations to develop economically, attract foreign investment, and provide regional leadership.

Enduring Bilateral Security Cooperation

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani also discussed the natural evolution of the global D-ISIS Coalition in light of the significant progress that has been made in ten years.  The two leaders expressed their commitment to the ongoing Higher Military Commission (HMC) process and its results, and the three working groups that will assess: the continued threat from ISIS, operational and environmental requirements, and bolstering Iraq’s security force capabilities.  The two leaders affirmed they would review these factors to determine when and how the mission of the Global Coalition in Iraq would end, and transition in an orderly manner to enduring bilateral security partnerships, in accordance with Iraq’s Constitution and the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.

The leaders further affirmed their intent to convene later this year the U.S.-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue (JSCD) for talks on the future of the bilateral security partnership.

Strategic and Enduring Partnership

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani renewed their commitment to bilateral partnership for the benefit of their two nations and decided to expand cooperation in all areas discussed in the Higher Coordinating Committee (HCC) meetings co-chaired by the U.S. Secretary of State and Iraqi Minister of Planning.  The two leaders affirmed their intent to continue their consultations on a shared vision for comprehensive, productive partnership to advance common goals.

###

The post Joint Statement from the Leaders of the United States and the Republic of Iraq appeared first on The White House.

Today, the President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden Jr., welcomed the Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, Mohammed Shia’a Al-Sudani, to the White House.  The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the enduring strategic partnership between Iraq and the United States and discussed their visions for comprehensive bilateral cooperation under the 2008 U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.  The President and Prime Minister agreed on the importance of working together to advance regional stability and reinforce and respect Iraqi sovereignty, stability, and security.

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani affirmed that a diversified and growing Iraqi economy, integrated with the region and the global economic system, is the foundation for lasting stability in the region and prosperity for the Iraqi people.  The two leaders exchanged views on how political, economic, and security cooperation between the United States and Iraq could advance shared goals, including the development of a strong and stable Iraqi nation that promotes peace and progress throughout the broader Middle East.

Energy and Environment

President Biden applauded Iraq’s progress towards energy self-sufficiency, and the two leaders discussed Prime Minister Sudani’s interest in future opportunities for cooperation to ensure Iraq becomes self-sufficient by 2030, with help from U.S. companies.  President Biden affirmed continued U.S. support for Iraq’s efforts to modernize its energy sector, reduce methane emissions, improve public health, more reliably provide electricity for the Iraqi people, and complete the electrical grid connections with neighboring countries, including the ongoing efforts to connect Iraq’s grid with Jordan and GCC countries.  The two leaders discussed future plans to develop Iraq’s resources in a manner that ensures all Iraqis benefit from their country’s natural wealth, consistent with Iraq’s constitution. 

Prime Minister Sudani and President Biden affirmed the importance of ensuring Iraqi oil can reach international markets and expressed their desire to reopen the Iraq-Turkiye Pipeline. 

Regional Integration and Political Cooperation

President Biden reaffirmed U.S. support for Iraq in strengthening relations with the international community and states of the region to ensure security, stability, and enhanced prosperity for its peoples.  President Biden pledged continued U.S. support for greater economic integration of Iraq with the Middle East region. 

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani discussed their shared view that the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) is integral to Iraq’s overall prosperity and stability.  In that vein, the President commended the Prime Minister’s and Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) efforts to reach durable agreements that resolve longstanding challenges, including the recent arrangement to pay two months of KRG civil servant salaries, and encouraged continued progress.  The President also affirmed U.S. support for strengthening democracy in Iraq, including free, fair, and transparent regional elections in the IKR.

Economy and Finance

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani discussed Iraq’s progressive efforts to reform the financial and banking sector to connect Iraq to the international economy and increase trade while shielding the Iraqi people from the harmful impacts of corruption and money-laundering.  Through 2023 and 2024, banks in Iraq have expanded their correspondent relationships with international financial institutions to enable trade financing, with the majority of trade finance now occurring through these channels.  The two leaders affirmed the importance of these and other measures to improve the investment climate in Iraq to attract foreign capital and promote economic growth.  The United States and Iraq commit to strengthen their cooperation to achieve greater transparency and collaboration against money-laundering, financing terrorism, fraud, corruption, and sanctionable activity that could undermine the integrity of both countries’ financial systems.  The two sides also committed to support the Central Bank of Iraq to fully wind down the wire auction mechanism by the end of 2024 and transition to direct correspondent relationships between Iraqi and international banks, a transformation that will connect Iraqi people and businesses with the international economy.

The Lasting Defeat of ISIS

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani discussed their commitment to a stable and secure Iraq.  They agreed that Iraq’s security forces must be able to ensure that ISIS can never again reconstitute inside Iraq to threaten the Iraqi people, the region, or the international community, including the United States.  President Biden reiterated his belief that a strong Iraq, capable of self-defense, is critical to regional stability and committed to bolstering the capabilities of security forces across all of Iraq to secure the country’s territory and people.

Nearly ten years after establishing the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, the two leaders discussed the Coalition’s successes in both Iraq and Syria, where all Iraqi security forces including in Kurdistan were critical to the territorial defeat of ISIS.  Both leaders paid tribute to the sacrifices made by Iraqi, United States, and other friendly countries’ military personnel serving side-by-side as partners during the historic campaign against ISIS, as well as the civilians killed by ISIS, including the massacres at Camp Speicher, Mount Sinjar, and Hit.  Prime Minister Sudani emphasized the national effort that was required to defeat ISIS and discussed his affirmative agenda to continue rebuilding Iraq and restore its position as an engine of stability and growth for the broader Middle East.  President Biden noted that the enduring defeat of ISIS would help ensure Iraq’s, the region’s, and the world’s security in the future, as well as its ability to fulfill the Iraqi people’s aspirations to develop economically, attract foreign investment, and provide regional leadership.

Enduring Bilateral Security Cooperation

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani also discussed the natural evolution of the global D-ISIS Coalition in light of the significant progress that has been made in ten years.  The two leaders expressed their commitment to the ongoing Higher Military Commission (HMC) process and its results, and the three working groups that will assess: the continued threat from ISIS, operational and environmental requirements, and bolstering Iraq’s security force capabilities.  The two leaders affirmed they would review these factors to determine when and how the mission of the Global Coalition in Iraq would end, and transition in an orderly manner to enduring bilateral security partnerships, in accordance with Iraq’s Constitution and the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.

The leaders further affirmed their intent to convene later this year the U.S.-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue (JSCD) for talks on the future of the bilateral security partnership.

Strategic and Enduring Partnership

President Biden and Prime Minister Sudani renewed their commitment to bilateral partnership for the benefit of their two nations and decided to expand cooperation in all areas discussed in the Higher Coordinating Committee (HCC) meetings co-chaired by the U.S. Secretary of State and Iraqi Minister of Planning.  The two leaders affirmed their intent to continue their consultations on a shared vision for comprehensive, productive partnership to advance common goals.

###

The post Joint Statement from the Leaders of the United States and the Republic of Iraq appeared first on The White House.

Today, the President and First Lady released their 2023 federal income tax return. After restoring the bipartisan tradition of sharing presidential tax returns with the public, President Biden has now shared a total of 26 years of tax returns with the country. Once again demonstrating his commitment to being transparent with the American people, President Biden has released the most tax returns of any commander-in-chief while in office.
 
President Biden believes that all occupants of the Oval Office should be open and honest with the American people, and that the longstanding tradition of annually releasing presidential tax returns should continue unbroken.
 
The President and First Lady filed their income tax return jointly and reported federal adjusted gross income of $619,976. They paid $146,629 in federal income tax, and their 2023 effective federal income tax rate is 23.7 percent.
 
The President and First Lady also reported contributions of $20,477 to 17 different charities. Among those gifts to charity was a $5,000 contribution to the Beau Biden Foundation, a public charity dedicated to ensuring that all children are free from the threat of abuse. They also donated to St. Joseph on the Brandywine, their home parish, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and the National Fraternal Order of Police Foundation, among other charities.
 
The President and First Lady also released their Delaware income tax return and reported paying $30,908 in Delaware income tax. The First Lady also released her Virginia income tax return and reported paying $3,549 in Virginia income tax.
 
View the President and First Lady’s tax returns here.
 
The Vice President and the Second Gentleman also released their 2023 federal income tax return, as well as state income tax returns for California and the District of Columbia. Including today’s release, the Vice President has published 20 years of tax returns. 
 
The Vice President and the Second Gentleman reported federal adjusted gross income of $450,299. They paid $88,570 in federal income tax, amounting to a 2023 effective federal income tax rate of 19.7 percent. They also paid $15,167 in California income tax, and Mr. Emhoff paid $11,599 in District of Columbia income tax. They contributed $23,026 to charity in 2023.
 
View the Vice President and Second Gentleman’s tax returns here.

###

The post The President and Vice President release their 2023 tax returns, setting new record for transparency appeared first on The White House.

Today, the President and First Lady released their 2023 federal income tax return. After restoring the bipartisan tradition of sharing presidential tax returns with the public, President Biden has now shared a total of 26 years of tax returns with the country. Once again demonstrating his commitment to being transparent with the American people, President Biden has released the most tax returns of any commander-in-chief while in office.
 
President Biden believes that all occupants of the Oval Office should be open and honest with the American people, and that the longstanding tradition of annually releasing presidential tax returns should continue unbroken.
 
The President and First Lady filed their income tax return jointly and reported federal adjusted gross income of $619,976. They paid $146,629 in federal income tax, and their 2023 effective federal income tax rate is 23.7 percent.
 
The President and First Lady also reported contributions of $20,477 to 17 different charities. Among those gifts to charity was a $5,000 contribution to the Beau Biden Foundation, a public charity dedicated to ensuring that all children are free from the threat of abuse. They also donated to St. Joseph on the Brandywine, their home parish, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and the National Fraternal Order of Police Foundation, among other charities.
 
The President and First Lady also released their Delaware income tax return and reported paying $30,908 in Delaware income tax. The First Lady also released her Virginia income tax return and reported paying $3,549 in Virginia income tax.
 
View the President and First Lady’s tax returns here.
 
The Vice President and the Second Gentleman also released their 2023 federal income tax return, as well as state income tax returns for California and the District of Columbia. Including today’s release, the Vice President has published 20 years of tax returns. 
 
The Vice President and the Second Gentleman reported federal adjusted gross income of $450,299. They paid $88,570 in federal income tax, amounting to a 2023 effective federal income tax rate of 19.7 percent. They also paid $15,167 in California income tax, and Mr. Emhoff paid $11,599 in District of Columbia income tax. They contributed $23,026 to charity in 2023.
 
View the Vice President and Second Gentleman’s tax returns here.

###

The post The President and Vice President release their 2023 tax returns, setting new record for transparency appeared first on The White House.

Greensboro, North Carolina

Thank you, Governor Cooper. During the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to see first-hand how your leadership is pushing this state forward – from strengthening our workforce to investing in women’s health and helping us end cancer as we know it.  Roy, you are an incredible governor and Joe could not ask for a better partner in North Carolina.

Dr. Clarke and Dr. Oakley, thank you for the warm welcome to Greensboro and GTCC today.  

I am glad to highlight your Early/Middle College so more students might enroll!

It’s a question every high school student knows all too well. On birthdays, in school hallways, at the dinner table – it can seem like the only thing anyone wants to talk about.

“Well, what do you plan to do next?”

For many students, the answer to what they want to do next isn’t only “I don’t know” – it’s “I don’t know where to start.”

Nearly 60 percent of graduating high school students don’t go directly to a four-year college.

Six out of 10 students.

As a community college professor, I teach students who are part of that 60 percent.

And I see every day how they are still struggling to figure out their next steps, still searching for an answer to that persistent question. Because for most people, a high school diploma alone isn’t enough to find a great career. But that doesn’t mean there’s only one path to success.

President Biden is helping young people and their families find answers.

Last month, he announced Classroom to Career, an ambitious new proposal, partnering with states, giving every student in America the opportunity to take community college courses in high school through dual enrollment.

Classroom to Career reimagines high school education, giving young people a pathway to their careers by exposing them to job training earlier. Or, a head-start on a two- or four-year degree, making college more affordable.

Career-connected learning—programs that bridge the gap between what students learn and the careers they will eventually find—is not a new idea.

Dual enrollment is not a new idea. Many states offer it in some form.

What is new is that President Biden’s entire Administration is committed to making it a reality for all students through unprecedented collaboration and historic investments.

He sees that this pipeline of support from high school to college to career is the future of our workforce. And that’s why we’re here today.

North Carolina has been a leader in providing those opportunities, and is exemplary in transforming high school into a place that prepares students for jobs.

In just a moment, we will have the opportunity to hear from students and administrators about how these programs are doing just that.

And it’s not just happening in Greensboro, or Asheboro, or Dobson. It’s all across the state.

I just visited Pitt Community College. I met incredible high school students in their college classrooms:  One was getting his associate degree – training to repair cars, and another showed us how she’s learning to detect impurities in medications in her biotechnology class.

These are the skills that are needed for their future careers.  And, they’re getting them in high school!

This isn’t a Democrat or Republican idea. It’s an American idea, championed by leaders from all sides of the political spectrum.

Joe ran for president to help rebuild the middle class, and in the last three years he’s created more than 15 million jobs.

Industries like biotechnology, manufacturing, and clean energy are thriving in North Carolina, and businesses are looking for workers.

Classroom to Career is the link that will give high school students the skills they need to fill the jobs Joe created.

This is going to change lives, lift up families, and grow our economy.

It’s what we need to do today to open up all the possibilities of tomorrow – for our young people, our communities, and our country.

I can’t wait to hear more about your experiences.

Thank you for spending time with me today.

###

The post Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at Visit to Guilford Technical Community College appeared first on The White House.

Greensboro, North Carolina

Thank you, Governor Cooper. During the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to see first-hand how your leadership is pushing this state forward – from strengthening our workforce to investing in women’s health and helping us end cancer as we know it.  Roy, you are an incredible governor and Joe could not ask for a better partner in North Carolina.

Dr. Clarke and Dr. Oakley, thank you for the warm welcome to Greensboro and GTCC today.  

I am glad to highlight your Early/Middle College so more students might enroll!

It’s a question every high school student knows all too well. On birthdays, in school hallways, at the dinner table – it can seem like the only thing anyone wants to talk about.

“Well, what do you plan to do next?”

For many students, the answer to what they want to do next isn’t only “I don’t know” – it’s “I don’t know where to start.”

Nearly 60 percent of graduating high school students don’t go directly to a four-year college.

Six out of 10 students.

As a community college professor, I teach students who are part of that 60 percent.

And I see every day how they are still struggling to figure out their next steps, still searching for an answer to that persistent question. Because for most people, a high school diploma alone isn’t enough to find a great career. But that doesn’t mean there’s only one path to success.

President Biden is helping young people and their families find answers.

Last month, he announced Classroom to Career, an ambitious new proposal, partnering with states, giving every student in America the opportunity to take community college courses in high school through dual enrollment.

Classroom to Career reimagines high school education, giving young people a pathway to their careers by exposing them to job training earlier. Or, a head-start on a two- or four-year degree, making college more affordable.

Career-connected learning—programs that bridge the gap between what students learn and the careers they will eventually find—is not a new idea.

Dual enrollment is not a new idea. Many states offer it in some form.

What is new is that President Biden’s entire Administration is committed to making it a reality for all students through unprecedented collaboration and historic investments.

He sees that this pipeline of support from high school to college to career is the future of our workforce. And that’s why we’re here today.

North Carolina has been a leader in providing those opportunities, and is exemplary in transforming high school into a place that prepares students for jobs.

In just a moment, we will have the opportunity to hear from students and administrators about how these programs are doing just that.

And it’s not just happening in Greensboro, or Asheboro, or Dobson. It’s all across the state.

I just visited Pitt Community College. I met incredible high school students in their college classrooms:  One was getting his associate degree – training to repair cars, and another showed us how she’s learning to detect impurities in medications in her biotechnology class.

These are the skills that are needed for their future careers.  And, they’re getting them in high school!

This isn’t a Democrat or Republican idea. It’s an American idea, championed by leaders from all sides of the political spectrum.

Joe ran for president to help rebuild the middle class, and in the last three years he’s created more than 15 million jobs.

Industries like biotechnology, manufacturing, and clean energy are thriving in North Carolina, and businesses are looking for workers.

Classroom to Career is the link that will give high school students the skills they need to fill the jobs Joe created.

This is going to change lives, lift up families, and grow our economy.

It’s what we need to do today to open up all the possibilities of tomorrow – for our young people, our communities, and our country.

I can’t wait to hear more about your experiences.

Thank you for spending time with me today.

###

The post Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at Visit to Guilford Technical Community College appeared first on The White House.

Oval Office

3:35 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, Mr. Prime Minister, welcome.  Welcome, welcome, welcome. 

I was reminiscing with the Prime Minister very briefly as you walked in the door.  Twenty-five years ago, almost to the day, I was standing on the Senate floor arguing for the admission of Czechoslovakia, at the time — the Czech Republic — into NATO.  Twenty-five years.  I was a pretty smart guy.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  (Laughs.)

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  The best decision we made.  You’ve been a great, great ally.  And we’ve only grown closer and stronger as nations, both the United States and the Czech Republic.

Together, we’re deepening defense cooperation to ensure the security of our people, as well as including the modernization of your military force with the purchase of F-35 aircraft and helos.  It’s just amazing what you’re doing.

And together, we’re going to bolster our energy security and expand our clean power.  We’re going to get to talk about that in some detail in a little bit.

And together, we’re standing — and I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your outspokenness and the support of the people of Czechoslova- — the Czech Republic with defending the people of Ukraine, as defined by what you’ve done.  You continue to just speak out. 

I want to thank you for helping — Mr. Prime Minister, for helping secure nearly 1 million rounds of ammunition for Ukraine.  And I’m committed to — we’re committed to doing our part. 

The Congress has to pass the continued funding — (coughs) — excuse me — which has significant from the United States and pass our bipartisan national security bill.  They have to do it now — now.  There’s overwhelming support in the House and Senate if they’ll — the Speaker will just let a vote take place. 

And, you know, because as the Czech Republic remembers: Russia won’t stop in Ukraine.  Russia will not stop in Ukraine.  The impact on NATO would be significant.  And Putin is going to keep going, putting Europe, the United States, and the entire world at risk if we don’t stop them in Ukraine.

And so, Mr. Prime Minister, thank you, again, for being here today.  I look forward to our discussion.  I’m really delighted you’re here — really delighted you’re here.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  Thank you.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  The floor is yours.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  Mr. President, thank you very much for your invitation and warm welcome.  It’s nice to be here.

The relations between our countries are now very strong.  And they have also a long tradition.  The United States — States had a main role in founding of independent Czechoslovakia.  Our first president, Masaryk, had an American wife.  And the Czech community in the U.S. is largest we have abroad.

Here, I can mention Madeline Albright —

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  — is an excellent example.  She was the U.S. Secretary of State but also a Czech native from Prague.

We are part —

THE PRESIDENT:  And let me know it all the time.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  Yes, yes, yes.

We are partners in NATO.  And we work together in defense and business.  And most importantly — it’s most important that we share the same values: human rights, freedom, democracy.

And we need to deal with challenges like Russian aggression in Ukraine, terrorism, difficult situation in the Middle East.  And in such a situation, deep security cooperation between democratic countries is a must. 

Mr. President, I appreciate your leadership in support of Ukraine.  We are also doing our best to help Ukraine and to stop Putin’s aggression.

In 1968, I was a little boy.  In 1968, I saw Russian tanks in the streets of my town.  And I don’t want to see this again.

So, we must continue to support Ukraine as long as possible.  That is the reason why we started Czech Ammunition Initiative.  It will provide Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery shells very soon.  It will happen in next few weeks and months.

And Czechia is also country with most Ukrainian refugees per capita in Europe — maybe in the world.

The international situation is very difficult globally, and our cooperation is very important for stability in Central and Eastern Europe.

And you mentioned: I am glad that my government made some important decisions in defense and security.  We agreed on the Defense Cooperation Agreement, and we decided to get F-35 fighter jets for Czech — Czech army.  This is very important.  It will make our cooperation and security much stronger.

Also, business relations are developing very well.  Our trade exchange is bigger every year.  And we have now some Czech companies investing millions of dollars in the U.S. and employing thousands of — thousands of Americans.  I’m very proud of that.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  So are we.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  Mr. President, I — I believe my visit will make our nation stronger and will bring more benefits for our countries. 

I look forward to our meeting, and I will be happy to discuss these things in detail.

Thank you, once again, Mr. President, for your invitation and kind, welcoming words.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  You’re a great ally.  Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  Thank you.

(Cross-talk.)

Q    President Biden, are you watching any of the Trump trial?

(The President shakes his head no.)

  3:43 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic Before Bilateral Meeting appeared first on The White House.

Oval Office

3:35 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, Mr. Prime Minister, welcome.  Welcome, welcome, welcome. 

I was reminiscing with the Prime Minister very briefly as you walked in the door.  Twenty-five years ago, almost to the day, I was standing on the Senate floor arguing for the admission of Czechoslovakia, at the time — the Czech Republic — into NATO.  Twenty-five years.  I was a pretty smart guy.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  (Laughs.)

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  The best decision we made.  You’ve been a great, great ally.  And we’ve only grown closer and stronger as nations, both the United States and the Czech Republic.

Together, we’re deepening defense cooperation to ensure the security of our people, as well as including the modernization of your military force with the purchase of F-35 aircraft and helos.  It’s just amazing what you’re doing.

And together, we’re going to bolster our energy security and expand our clean power.  We’re going to get to talk about that in some detail in a little bit.

And together, we’re standing — and I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your outspokenness and the support of the people of Czechoslova- — the Czech Republic with defending the people of Ukraine, as defined by what you’ve done.  You continue to just speak out. 

I want to thank you for helping — Mr. Prime Minister, for helping secure nearly 1 million rounds of ammunition for Ukraine.  And I’m committed to — we’re committed to doing our part. 

The Congress has to pass the continued funding — (coughs) — excuse me — which has significant from the United States and pass our bipartisan national security bill.  They have to do it now — now.  There’s overwhelming support in the House and Senate if they’ll — the Speaker will just let a vote take place. 

And, you know, because as the Czech Republic remembers: Russia won’t stop in Ukraine.  Russia will not stop in Ukraine.  The impact on NATO would be significant.  And Putin is going to keep going, putting Europe, the United States, and the entire world at risk if we don’t stop them in Ukraine.

And so, Mr. Prime Minister, thank you, again, for being here today.  I look forward to our discussion.  I’m really delighted you’re here — really delighted you’re here.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  Thank you.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  The floor is yours.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  Mr. President, thank you very much for your invitation and warm welcome.  It’s nice to be here.

The relations between our countries are now very strong.  And they have also a long tradition.  The United States — States had a main role in founding of independent Czechoslovakia.  Our first president, Masaryk, had an American wife.  And the Czech community in the U.S. is largest we have abroad.

Here, I can mention Madeline Albright —

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  — is an excellent example.  She was the U.S. Secretary of State but also a Czech native from Prague.

We are part —

THE PRESIDENT:  And let me know it all the time.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  Yes, yes, yes.

We are partners in NATO.  And we work together in defense and business.  And most importantly — it’s most important that we share the same values: human rights, freedom, democracy.

And we need to deal with challenges like Russian aggression in Ukraine, terrorism, difficult situation in the Middle East.  And in such a situation, deep security cooperation between democratic countries is a must. 

Mr. President, I appreciate your leadership in support of Ukraine.  We are also doing our best to help Ukraine and to stop Putin’s aggression.

In 1968, I was a little boy.  In 1968, I saw Russian tanks in the streets of my town.  And I don’t want to see this again.

So, we must continue to support Ukraine as long as possible.  That is the reason why we started Czech Ammunition Initiative.  It will provide Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery shells very soon.  It will happen in next few weeks and months.

And Czechia is also country with most Ukrainian refugees per capita in Europe — maybe in the world.

The international situation is very difficult globally, and our cooperation is very important for stability in Central and Eastern Europe.

And you mentioned: I am glad that my government made some important decisions in defense and security.  We agreed on the Defense Cooperation Agreement, and we decided to get F-35 fighter jets for Czech — Czech army.  This is very important.  It will make our cooperation and security much stronger.

Also, business relations are developing very well.  Our trade exchange is bigger every year.  And we have now some Czech companies investing millions of dollars in the U.S. and employing thousands of — thousands of Americans.  I’m very proud of that.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  So are we.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  Mr. President, I — I believe my visit will make our nation stronger and will bring more benefits for our countries. 

I look forward to our meeting, and I will be happy to discuss these things in detail.

Thank you, once again, Mr. President, for your invitation and kind, welcoming words.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  You’re a great ally.  Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER FIALA:  Thank you.

(Cross-talk.)

Q    President Biden, are you watching any of the Trump trial?

(The President shakes his head no.)

  3:43 P.M. EDT

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Oval Office

12:19 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, Mr. Prime Minister, welcome.  Welcome to the White House.  Welcome to the Oval Office.

The — before I begin, I want to discuss some of the events that took place in the Middle East the past weekend.

As you know, Iran launched an unprecedented aerial attack against Israel, and we mounted an unprecedented military effort to defend Israel.  Together with our partners, we defeated that attack.

The United States is committed to Israel’s security.  We’re committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and prevent any conflict from spreading beyond what it already has.

We’re also committed to the security of our personnel and partners in the region, including Iraq.  The partnership between Iraq and the United States is critical.  We’ve seen over the last decade as our troops have served side by side to help defeat ISIS, and we’ve seen this in our Strategic Framework Agreement as well. 

And I want to personally thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for your focus on strengthening Iraq’s economy and energy independence.  That’s a goal we share today with you, and we’re going to discuss that later today.

Mr. Prime Minister, thank you again for being here.  Thank you for making the effort to be here. 

Simply put, our partnership is pivotal for our nations, for the Middle East, and, I believe, for the world.

Again, welcome, and the floor is yours.

PRIME MINISTER AL-SUDANI:  (As interpreted.)  Thank you, Mr. President, in the name of God.  Thank you, Mr. President, for this invitation that comes at a sensitive time.  Despite your domestic engagement in the light of the developments on the international stage, this shows the importance of this visit and meeting.

This visit and meeting are significant in the history of the bilateral relations between our two countries.  The relationship between Iraq and the United States is at an important juncture. 

We aim to discuss the sustainable foundations for a 360-degree strategic partnership, ensuring a smooth and systematic transition from a military security-based relationship to a comprehensive economic, political, environmental, educational, and security partnership according to the Strategic Framework Agreement.

The war against ISIS/Daesh formed the foundation of our relations over the course of the past decade.  Mr. President, we have fought together and we have achieved victory together.  And we have achieved a remarkable victory thanks to the sacrifices of the Iraqi people and the unity of all the components and the support of the international community and the global coalition.

Iraq today is recovering, witnessing service projects, infrastructure repairs.  And we are going to discuss today our sustainable partnership according to the Strategic Framework.

We have laid down the transition methodology, according to the HMC military committee.  The HMC — that is tasked to assess the level of a threat operation on environmental requirements and the capability of the ISF, Iraqi Security Forces.  And we will be committed to the outcomes of this committee.

And we also have a Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue that will lay the foundation for a sustainable bilateral relationship between the two partners in the security and military fields.

Most importantly, the HCC, the High Coordination Committee, is actually — have met today — today and discussed many things.  My government is very serious about activating the

Strategic Framework Agreement.  There are many benefits that are going — coming out of this for the two friendly countries of us. 

Mr. President, I came today carrying the concerns of my people, who aspire for services for prosperity.  And — but that — that does not mean that we forget about our humanitarian responsibility, about what’s happening in the region.

And in the spirit of partnership, we may — our views may be divergent about what’s happening there in the region, but we agree certainly about the international law, the international humanitarian law, and the responsibility to protect the law of war.  And we reject any aggression against the civilians, especially women and children.  And we encourage the commitment not to — about respecting international norms and diplomatic relations.

As humanity, we need a system that respect these laws.  And we think if we kept silent about what’s happening, that we will establish a precedent that will be followed, whether it is bad or good precedent.

We’re actually very eager about stopping this war, which claimed the life of thousands of civilians — women and children.  And we encourage all the efforts about stopping the expansion of the area of conflict, especially the latest development.  And we encourage all — for restraints and to protect the safety and security of the region.

Thank you.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Thank you.

12:30 P.M. EDT

 

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Oval Office

12:19 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, Mr. Prime Minister, welcome.  Welcome to the White House.  Welcome to the Oval Office.

The — before I begin, I want to discuss some of the events that took place in the Middle East the past weekend.

As you know, Iran launched an unprecedented aerial attack against Israel, and we mounted an unprecedented military effort to defend Israel.  Together with our partners, we defeated that attack.

The United States is committed to Israel’s security.  We’re committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and prevent any conflict from spreading beyond what it already has.

We’re also committed to the security of our personnel and partners in the region, including Iraq.  The partnership between Iraq and the United States is critical.  We’ve seen over the last decade as our troops have served side by side to help defeat ISIS, and we’ve seen this in our Strategic Framework Agreement as well. 

And I want to personally thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for your focus on strengthening Iraq’s economy and energy independence.  That’s a goal we share today with you, and we’re going to discuss that later today.

Mr. Prime Minister, thank you again for being here.  Thank you for making the effort to be here. 

Simply put, our partnership is pivotal for our nations, for the Middle East, and, I believe, for the world.

Again, welcome, and the floor is yours.

PRIME MINISTER AL-SUDANI:  (As interpreted.)  Thank you, Mr. President, in the name of God.  Thank you, Mr. President, for this invitation that comes at a sensitive time.  Despite your domestic engagement in the light of the developments on the international stage, this shows the importance of this visit and meeting.

This visit and meeting are significant in the history of the bilateral relations between our two countries.  The relationship between Iraq and the United States is at an important juncture. 

We aim to discuss the sustainable foundations for a 360-degree strategic partnership, ensuring a smooth and systematic transition from a military security-based relationship to a comprehensive economic, political, environmental, educational, and security partnership according to the Strategic Framework Agreement.

The war against ISIS/Daesh formed the foundation of our relations over the course of the past decade.  Mr. President, we have fought together and we have achieved victory together.  And we have achieved a remarkable victory thanks to the sacrifices of the Iraqi people and the unity of all the components and the support of the international community and the global coalition.

Iraq today is recovering, witnessing service projects, infrastructure repairs.  And we are going to discuss today our sustainable partnership according to the Strategic Framework.

We have laid down the transition methodology, according to the HMC military committee.  The HMC — that is tasked to assess the level of a threat operation on environmental requirements and the capability of the ISF, Iraqi Security Forces.  And we will be committed to the outcomes of this committee.

And we also have a Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue that will lay the foundation for a sustainable bilateral relationship between the two partners in the security and military fields.

Most importantly, the HCC, the High Coordination Committee, is actually — have met today — today and discussed many things.  My government is very serious about activating the

Strategic Framework Agreement.  There are many benefits that are going — coming out of this for the two friendly countries of us. 

Mr. President, I came today carrying the concerns of my people, who aspire for services for prosperity.  And — but that — that does not mean that we forget about our humanitarian responsibility, about what’s happening in the region.

And in the spirit of partnership, we may — our views may be divergent about what’s happening there in the region, but we agree certainly about the international law, the international humanitarian law, and the responsibility to protect the law of war.  And we reject any aggression against the civilians, especially women and children.  And we encourage the commitment not to — about respecting international norms and diplomatic relations.

As humanity, we need a system that respect these laws.  And we think if we kept silent about what’s happening, that we will establish a precedent that will be followed, whether it is bad or good precedent.

We’re actually very eager about stopping this war, which claimed the life of thousands of civilians — women and children.  And we encourage all the efforts about stopping the expansion of the area of conflict, especially the latest development.  And we encourage all — for restraints and to protect the safety and security of the region.

Thank you.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Thank you.

12:30 P.M. EDT

 

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James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:39 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Good afternoon, everyone.

Q    Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I just have a — just something really quick at the top. 

Is the — the mics are always funky.  Is it funky?

Q    It’s normal.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No?

Q    You sound good.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, okay.  (Laughter.)  Let’s get going.

With all seriousness, though, it was obviously a very busy weekend at the White House.

The President spent hours in the Situation Room, closely monitoring the latest developments in the Middle East with his national security team.  He was engaged in extensive diplo- — diplomacy, speaking with the Israeli Prime Minister on Saturday night and convening a call with G7 leaders on Sunday morning.

The President also organized a joint statement with the G7 that strongly condemned Iran’s brazen and unprecedented attack.

Today, the President received an updated briefing from his national security team and, as you all know, met with the leaders of Iraq and will meet with the leaders of the Czech Republic later this afternoon.

With that, we have my NSC colleague, Admiral John Kirby, who’s here to do a much deeper dive and also take your questions on the Middle East.

(A laptop computer chimes.)

MR. KIRBY:  Somebody is due soon.  (Laughter.)

Good afternoon.

Q    Good afternoon.

MR. KIRBY:  As you all know and certainly Karine restated it, Iran and its proxies operating in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq also conducted an unprecedented attack on the State of Israel with over 300 weapons, including more than 100 ballistic missiles, as well as land-attack cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles or drones. 

President Biden instructed the United States to defend Israel to the maximum extent possible and defeat that attack, and we did.

With the support of our partners, the United States enabled Israel to spectacular- — spectacularly defeat it. 

Despite launching more than those 300 weapons from Iran and the region, Israel and a coalition of partners were able to defeat 99 percent of the attacks.  There is virtually no infrastructure damage to Israel. 

But their attack requires an unequivocal condemnation from the international community.  And so, as Karine said, the President convened the G7 yesterday, and they have forcefully condemned that attack and urged for calm and de-escalation. 

And I’d like to take just a few minutes to correct the record on a few points that have come out in the last several hours.

I’ve seen reporting that the Iranians meant to fail, that this spectacular and embarrassing failure was all by design.  I’ve also seen Iran say that they provided early warning to help Israel prepare its defenses and limit any potential damage.

All of this is categorically false.  To coin the phrase from the President — or steal a phrase from the President, it’s “malarkey.”

This attack failed because it was defeated by Israel, by the United States, and by a coalition of other partners committed to Israel’s defense.

So, let’s be straight.  Given the scale of this attack, Iran’s intent was clearly to cause significant destruction and casualties.

Iranian leaders launched so many missiles and other munitions because they knew that many were going to be defeated, but the aim was to get as many as of them through Israeli — Israel’s defenses as possible.  

Now, I’ve also seen this speculation about messages passed forth and warnings.  We did receive messages from Iran, and they received messages from us too.  But there was never any message to us or to anyone else on the timeframe, the targets, or the type of response. 

In fact, before yesterday, it was presumed that 100 ballistic missiles might overwhelm even the best defensive systems.  That was Iran’s intent.  And as you all saw for yourself, it didn’t work. 

This attack was defeated thanks to our preparations, to a coalition of committed partners, and to Israel’s remarkable defensive systems.

And I want to focus on that last point for just a moment.  Israel today is in a far stronger strategic position than it was only a few days ago. 

Iran’s vaunted missile program –- something it has used to threaten Israel and the region –- proved to be far less effective. 

Israel’s defenses, on the other hand, proved even better than many had long assumed.  Israel’s defense was strengthened by a coalition of countries led by the United States and working together. 

The United States has never before so extensively and so directly defended Israel from attack.

To ensure that that continues to be the case, the House of Representatives must urgently pass the national security supplemental, which has already passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.  That supplemental includes funding that the President requested for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling system — systems that saved countless lives this weekend and have saved many lives from Hamas and from Hezbollah rockets over the past six months.

Passing that bill is the fastest and surest way to get Israel the aid it needs.  And we must act urgently to replenish Israel’s air defenses, just as Congress must act urgently to replenish — replenish Ukraine’s air defenses, which also continue to be attacked every single day, with the same Irania- — Iranian-made drones.

Now, finally, much of the world today is standing with Israel. 

When the President spoke to G7 leaders yesterday, they were unified in their condemnation of Iran and their determination to hold Iran accountable. 

At the President’s direction, our teams are now following up with G7 capitals on new multilateral sanctions to target Iran’s missile and other nefarious programs.  G7 countries that had yet to designate the IRGC a terrorist organization are now considering doing so.

And going forward, we will be working to further isolate Iran internationally and increase economic and other forms of pressure.

So, that’s the upshot here: a stronger Israel, a weaker Iran, a more unified alliance of partners.  That was not Iran’s intent when it launched this attack on Saturday night — not even close.  And again, they failed.  They failed utterly.

Now, as you also know, President Biden is welcoming both the Iraqi Prime Minister and Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic to the White House. 

The President and Prime Minister al-Sudani from Iraq will discuss the U.S. and Iraq’s shared vision for our broad, multifaceted relationship.  During the meeting, these leaders will reaffirm their commitment to advancing regional stability, to expanding opportunities for Iraq’s people, and reinforcing Iraq’s sovereignty, security, and stability. 

The Iraqi Prime Minister will be here for almost a week.  And in that time, he will meet a range of administration officials, including both Secretary Blinken at the State Department and Secretary Austin at the Defense Department.  He will have opportunities to share his priorities and vision for Iraq with a variety of audiences here in Washington and in other parts of the United States.  

Now, of course, the President will be taking the opportunity to discuss how we will continue to work with Prime Minister Sudani to defuse regional tensions and to prevent Iraq from being drawn into conflict.  Iraq, the President firmly believes, is central to the region’s stability. 

And then, later, as Karine previewed, he’ll have a chance to meet with President — I’m sorry — Prime Minister Fiala to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Czech Republic as a NATO Ally. 

Over the past 25 years, our alliance has grown stronger and the relationship between our two countries have grown even closer as we’ve deepened defense cooperation, including through the Czech Republic’s purchase of 24 F-35 fighters earlier this year.

The President will congratulate the Prime Minister on legislation that Czechia recently passed requiring it to spend at least 2 percent of its GDP on defense, which, as you know, is the NATO goal.

Lead- — the leaders will also discuss their strong support for Ukraine, and the President will thank the Prime Minister for leading an effort to help secure nearly 1 million rounds of ammunition for Ukraine.

And one more thing, if you’ll just bear with me.  I’m almost done.  Today marks the one-year conflict in Sudan.  Since fighting erupted a year ago, civilians have been forced to bear the brunt of this senseless conflict: thousands have been killed and wounded; women and girls have been kidnapped and assaulted; hundreds of thousands of families have been displaced; communities and livelihoods have been utterly destroyed; and famine, now, is threatening to take hold.

That’s why the United States continues to commit resources to create conditions for a potential peace process, to hold accountable actors who are seeking to sow more violence, and to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the civilians who urgently need it. 

We reiterate our calls for all parties in this conflict to lay down their weapons and put an end to this intolerable violence for the future of Sudan but, most of all, for the future of the Sudanese people.

Thank you.  Appreciate your patience.

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

Q    Israel’s military chief just said, quote, “There will be a response to the attack from Iran.”  So, does the U.S. have any indication of what those next steps are from Israel?

MR. KIRBY:  We would let the Israelis speak to that.

Q    Does the U.S. expect to be consulted in advance of them taking any next steps?

MR. KIRBY:  I — I won’t get into our diplomatic conversations or expectations.  The Israeli government will determine for themselves if there’s going to be a response and what that response is going to look like. 

Q    And are you able to discuss the specific roles played by other members of the regional coalition from over the weekend, specifically Jordan and Saudi Arabia, whether they helped shoot down missiles or what other actions they may have done over the weekend?

MR. KIRBY:  No, I think we’ll let other members of the coalition speak for themselves.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    John, Israel is reportedly looking at options that would send a message to Iran but not cause casualties.  Is the administration presenting alternatives to Netanyahu?

MR. KIRBY:  This is a — these — this is an Israeli decision to make, whether and how they’ll respond to what Iran did on Saturday.  And we’re going to leave it squarely with them.

Q    Their decision to make, but are you making suggestions?

MR. KIRBY:  We are not involved in their decision-making process about a potential response.

Q    And just — is the President — does he have any plans to speak to Netanyahu again?

MR. KIRBY:  I don’t have anything on the calendar to speak to.  But, look, I mean, they’ve — they’ve spoken frequently over the last six months.  They’ll absolutely speak again at the appropriate time.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  John, just one day before the attack, President Biden issued a warning to Iran: “Don’t.”  And now the U.S. is not taking any part in an Israeli reprisal.  So, does that signal to Iran that it can defy the U.S. without facing any consequences?

MR. KIRBY:  I don’t know, man.  If I’m sitting in Tehran and I’m taking a look at what just happened on Saturday night, I don’t think I’d be betting that the United States is not willing to get engaged here and help defend Israel.  I mean, you had American fighter pilots in the air, in combat operation, shooting down drones and missiles that were heading towards — towards Israel, as well as U.S. Navy destroyers at sea, knocking them down from there.

So, the message should be very clear to anybody: When the President says we’re going to take our commitments to the region seriously, when we’re going to help Israel defend itself.  We got skin in the game, and we proved that.

Q    I understand what you’re saying about deterrence.  But what about the consequences? 

MR. KIRBY:  As I just said and Karine also lead in, he had a conversation with G7 leaders.  He’ll be engaging with other allies and partners.  We have achiev- — we have seen swift condemnations about what Iran did from the international community.  And we’re going to be working with international partners to — to work up options to hold Iran appropriately accountable.

Q    And then just on the logistics of this.  With roughly 300 drones and missiles shot down, can you talk about how you will assess the debris fields and the shrapnel and how much that impacted people on the ground? 

MR. KIRBY:  Well, we’re not going to be doing any kind of an assessment of the impact on the ground.  The Israeli Defense Forces and Israeli officials have already been out and about looking at the impact on the ground.  There were very few missiles that got through, and the only damage that was done — it was very minor damage to one airbase in — in Israel that did not even put that airbase out of commission.

The Israelis have already spoken to this.  I believe they’ve already released imagery of some of the things they found on the ground. 

Sadly, a young girl — an innocent civilian, less than 10 years old — was severely wounded.  That was the only casualty that we’re aware of.

Q    Thank you, John.

Q    Thank you.  John, a couple of questions on Iran and then on Iraq, on the Prime Minister visit.  You just said that the White House were not informed of the timing of the Iranian attack on Israel, but the President told us that he — the attack is going to be sooner than later, and almost a day after, the attack happened.  So, just can you explain this one?

MR. KIRBY:  I never said we didn’t have an idea.  I never said we didn’t have information that — that we could — that we could act on and speak to our Israeli counterparts about. 

What I said was: Iran never delivered a message giving us the time and the targets.

Q    The exact timing, you mean?

MR. KIRBY:  No, no.  No, no, no.  No timing.  I mean, I want to be clear: This whole narrative out there that Iran passed us a message with what they were going to do is ridiculous.

Q    Okay.  Do you believe that Iranian nuclear sites is a legitimate target?

MR. KIRBY:  You’re — I’m not going to get into targeting discussions here from the podium. 

Q    Okay.  Let me ask you about the Prime Minister.  Is the White House satisfied with the way that the Iraqi government is reining in the militias in Iraq, considering they are one of the proxies of the Iranian regime?

MR. KIRBY:  We’re going to — we’re going to have an in-depth discussion with the Prime Minister and his team about the continued activities of militia groups in Iraq.  And — and we’ll reinforce our views about how seriously we take the force protection of our — our troops and our facilities there. 

And we’ll also expect — I fully expect that — that we’ll talk with the Prime Minister about the counter-ISIS mission in Iraq and its — and its potential future. 

Q    And finally, just when he said, “in the spirit of partnership, we disagree with the United States,” and he mentioned something like “we need a new system for international law — to respect international law, international humanitarian law, protection of civilians, and diplomatic missions.”

So, he’s hinting at the Israeli attack in Damascus.  He’s also hinting about not doing enough to respect international law.  Is this a point of disagreement between you and the Iraqi government? 

MR. KIRBY:  You’ll have to talk to the Prime Minister about what he meant by those comments.  Iraq is a — a key partner, one we really value.  We wouldn’t be having this meeting today, he wouldn’t be having meetings this week if it wasn’t an important relationship.

As I said, the President believe — believes that Iraq is critical to regional stability.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Danny.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Thanks, Admiral.   You said just now that this — that Iran’s attack was a spectacular and embarrassing failure.  Do you and does the President believe that Israel should now take this as a win and show restraint? 

MR. KIRBY:  I — I know where the context of the question is coming in.  During his conversation with the Prime Minister on Saturday night, first of all, he congratulated the Prime Minister for the exceptional effort by the Israeli Defense Forces and, of course, commended, as you would expect the Commander-In-Chief to do, the participation of U.S. forces in this coalition and the great work that was done. 

I mean, it’s easy to — you know, I was looking some — looking at some of the video before I came out here that’s running on some of your networks, and, you know, it’s easy to look at that like it’s some kind of a computer game, right?  It looks so simple — things getting knocked out of sky.

Let me tell you something: It’s not simple.  It’s hard.  And a lot of planning and preparation had to go into that and a lot of coordination.  And the President talked to the Prime Minister about that. 

He also noted that this was an extraordinary success, a military success.  And that that success alone, just for itself, speaks volumes about Israel’s standing in the region — that they — they don’t stand alone, that a coalition came to help them defend themselves.  It also says a lot about Israel’s military superiority, and it says just as much about Iran’s military inferiority when it came to this particular set of attacks.

And the President urged the Prime Minister to think about what that success says all by itself to the rest of the region.  He — he —

Q    You mean in terms of thinking about — I mean, but — think about the restraint about, you know, the — maybe this should not go further than — you know, further escalation?

MR. KIRBY:  All I’ll — all I’ll say is: The President, from the beginning of this conflict on October 7th, has been steadfast and consistent.  We don’t want to see a war with Iran.  We don’t want to see a broader regional conflict.  We will do what we have to do to defend Israel.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Asma.

Q    Yeah, does the — this administration believe Israel will indeed strike Iran?  I mean, is it your assessment that that is inevitable at this point? 

MR. KIRBY:  That’s going to be up to the Prime Minister and the War Cabinet to speak to.

Q    But your assessment or the administration’s assessment?

MR. KIRBY:  I’m not going to provide intelligence assessments from here.  As I — as far as I know, the War Cabinet is still debating and talking about their next steps.  I think I’m going to let them speak to whatever their next steps might be. 

Q    And if I may also ask one question on Gaza.  What is the administration’s assessment of the timeline for a Rafah invasion, given the conversations that you all have been having?

MR. KIRBY:  Again, you’re asking me a question that really should be asked to the Israeli Defense Forces and the Prime Minister, not —

Q    No, but I know —

MR. KIRBY:  — not to the United States. 

Q    — you guys have been having conversations.  I just want to get a sense of are these, like, ongoing conversations still?  Are you (inaudible)?

MR. KIRBY:  (Laughs.)  I — I — yes, of course we’re talking to the Israelis all the time.  Now, obviously, in the last 48 hours particularly, the conversation has been about what Iran did.  But yes, we have — continue to talk to them about what’s going on down in Rafah.  And we expect — hope in coming days to be able to have yet another round of discussions with them about what their intentions are with respect to Rafah, but the focus, rightly, right now is on what Iran just did.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  J.J.

Q    On the U.S. military.  Given whatever the White House and President Biden know about what’s going to happen next in the Middle East, are there any fresh U.S. military preparations?

MR. KIRBY:  Fresh — fresh military preparations for?

Q    Whatever.  (Laughter.)

Q    Wide open. 

MR. KIRBY:  Yes.  I mean — (laughter) — we — we’re always looking at force protection in the region.  We’re always looking at our force posture.  We’re always evaluating it based on the threats and the challenges.  You can expect that Secretary Austin and the entire team over there at the Department of Defense is going to stay vigilant to whatever the threat might be.

Q    Thanks.  You said a moment ago that it’s ridiculous –this narrative that Iran provide — provided some advanced notice about specifics here.  But where we’re hearing that from, you know, specifically is U.S. Ally, Turkey; U.S. partner, Iraq.  That’s where that information is coming from.  So, what is the discrepancy exactly that’s happening there?

MR. KIRBY:  I can’t possibly answer that question, Trevor.  All I’m telling you is it’s nonsense.  I — I mean, it — think about this for a minute.  Can you imagine a world in which Iran would pick up the phone and say, “Hey, we’re about to try to swack Israel with 300 cruise missiles and drones.  We just wanted to let you know it’s coming.  And oh, by the way, here’s what we’re going to hit.”  I’m sorry.  It just didn’t happen. 

I can’t account for what sources might be telling you all about what they heard.  I’m telling you what we heard. 

And while we did get a message from Iran and we passed messages to Iran as well, which I won’t get into the details of, none of it was, “Here’s the targets.  Here’s the timeframe.  Here’s the munitions we’re going to put on target.” 

Q    And on that subject of communications with Iran generally, you’ve said, without preconditions, you’re willing to sit down with North Korea.  Does the same apply to Iran and to reopening some diplomatic discussions —

MR. KIRBY:  No.

Q    — with them?

No.  And do you want to elaborate on —

MR. KIRBY:  No.

Q    — why that is?  (Laughter.)  Okay. 

As far as sanctions in response to Iran, Iranian oil production is now higher than it was two years ago.  Is there a reason that you aren’t taking more steps against Iranian oil exports?  And does it have to do with domestic political pressures around gas prices?

MR. KIRBY:  I don’t have any — as you know, we don’t preview sanctions.  And I’m not going to start doing that today, except to note what I said in my opening statement, that part of the discussion with the G7 leaders was the possibility of additional sanctions on Iran unilaterally and — and hopefully multilaterally, but we’ll see where that goes. 

Q    And anything on — on where the oil prices or oil — oil experts are coming from Iran and — and whether you want to stop that?

MR. KIRBY:  Again, I won’t get ahead of economic pressure tools that we might be applying in the future.  We’re working our way through that.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    A U.S. official told CNN over the weekend that the Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, asked his Israeli counterpart to notify the U.S. ahead of any potential response to the Iran attack.  Is there a confidence that Israel will provide that advanced certification to the U.S.?

MR. KIRBY:  I’ll just tell you that we are and will remain in very close contact with our Israeli counterparts. 

Q    So, do you expect to get an advance notification?

MR. KIRBY:  We will stay in close contact with our Israeli counterparts.

Q    On the hostage talks.  Hamas rejected the latest proposal.  The U.S. has said that Hamas rejecting it — has rejected the deal.  But do you think Israel needs to allow Gazans to return home unrestricted, and should the IDF pull back so they can do that, that being a sticking point?  

MR. KIRBY:  First of all, we don’t consider it a dead letter.  As far as we’re concerned, there’s a viable proposal on the table and Hamas ought to take it.  And we’re not letting up on the idea of negotiating for a hostage deal so we can get a ceasefire, so we can get more aid in, but that’s still very much an active football in our — in our heads.

And as for movement north, we — what we’ve talked to the Israelis about is you got a million and a half people that are seeking refuge down in Rafah.  It’s by far the largest concentration of Palestinians in Gaza.  They need to be accounted for.  Whatever kind of military operation they’re thinking about doing in Rafah or anywhere else, to your point about moving north, they have to provide safe venues for them to do that.  They have to provide food, water, medicine, shelter.  All that has to be baked in to whatever future military operations happen on the ground in Gaza.

Q    That does sound, though, like you’re saying that Israel should consider allowing Gazans to move up north, which has been a sticking point in those hostage talks.

MR. KIRBY:  We want to see them — we want to see them account for the future safety and security of the more than a million refugees that are now taking refuge down near Rafah with whatever — baked in to whatever military plans they might have for operations on the ground.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Francesca.

Q    On the ceasefire negotiations.  A U.S. official said yesterday that the latest proposal included almost everything that Hamas had asked for.  And so, how is it that the negotiations are at a standstill at this point?  Is the U.S. planning another counterproposal?

MR. KIRBY:  I don’t know of a new proposal.  There is a very good proposal on the table that CIA Director Bill Burns helped negotiate in Cairo a week or so ago that the Israelis were able to get behind.  And now it’s time for Hamas to step up and take that deal.  It will allow for dozens of the hostages — the most at-risk pool of them — to get out, and it’ll allow for about six weeks of a ceasefire so we can get some calm and we can increase humanitarian assistance.

There’s a deal on the table.  That’s what Hamas needs to take.

Q    And when the President spoke yesterday to congressional leaders, did he receive any sort of a commitment from House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the bipartisan national security supplemental bill to the House floor this week?

MR. KIRBY:  I’ll let the Speaker speak to whatever his plans might be.  Certainly, we heard from Leader McConnell and from — and from Leader Jeffries about the importance of — of mak- — of passing this supplemental and getting it — and getting it on — on its way.

And as I said in my opening statement, the fastest way — I mean, you’ve got — you got two good friends here — Israel and Ukraine — that — very different fights, to be sure, but active fights for their sovereignty and for their safety and security.  And time is not on anyone’s side here in either case.

So, they need to move quickly on this.  And the best way to get that aid into the hands of the IDF and into the hands of the Ukrainian soldiers is to pass that bipartisan bill that the Senate passed. 

Q    I understand that that’s the — your pref- –preference, the bipartisan bill that the Senate passed.  But is the White House opposed to an approach that takes the issues separately — Israel only or —

MR. KIRBY:  We are opposed to a standalone bill that would just work on Israel.  As we’ve seen proposed, we would — we would oppose a standalone bill, yes.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Gabe.

Q    Admiral, I know you said it was Israel’s decision.  But ask it bluntly: If Israel retaliates against Iran, would the U.S. support that?

MR. KIRBY:  To answer bluntly: I’m not going to get into hypotheticals.  We don’t want to see a war with Ukraine [Iran].  We don’t want to see a wider conflict.  As the President said to the Prime Minister on Saturday night, we will continue to do what we have to do to help Israel defend itself.

But you’re asking me to get ahead of, as far as I know, a decision that the War Cabinet hasn’t even made.

Q    But if it were to happen, does —

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, it’s a — it’s a terrific hypothetical, Gabe, that I’m just not going to entertain.

Q    Thanks.  John, has President Biden considered maybe beefing up the public Iran posture to be more than just one word?

MR. KIRBY:  You’re — you’re referring to “Don’t”?

Q    Yeah.  Because he said, “Don’t” —

MR. KIRBY:  And so, let’s talk about —

Q    — and they did it anyway.

MR. KIRBY:  And let’s talk about —

Q    So, now what?

MR. KIRBY:  — what we did, Peter.  Let’s talk about “don’t” and “did.”  Let’s talk about Saturday night.  He made it clear that he didn’t want to see escalation in the region.  And —

Q    And then there was —

MR. KIRBY:  Let me finish.  He added military resources to the region right after October 7th.  And then, when we had an inkling that this kind of thing was coming, he added even more military resources to the region: more destroyers that were capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, fighter s- — a fighter squadron that was able to shoot down drones.  And that’s what we did.

So, you can talk about the “don’t” word all you want.  But let’s talk about what did happen.  And what did happen was Iran utterly failed.  And if I’m sitting in Tehran right now, I’m betting that President Biden takes it pretty seriously.  When he says “don’t escalate,” he’s going to act to make sure that you can’t.  And they didn’t.

Yes, they fired an unprecedented amount of munitions.  But how much of a success did they have, Peter?  None, zero, very little infrastructure.  It was an embarrassing failure for the Supreme Leader, for the IRGC.

Q    Now that we know that the Iranians do not listen to President Biden’s public warnings, is there any regret here about unfreezing billions of dollars for Iranian leaders during the President’s administration?

MR. KIRBY:  What unfreezing are you talking about?

Q    He unfroze billions of dollars.  There was a —

MR. KIRBY:  For Iranian leaders?

Q    Yeah.

MR. KIRBY:  Really?  I don’t think so.

Q    Okay.  You guys say —

MR. KIRBY:   So, first of all —

Q    — it’s for humanitarian purposes.  But doesn’t that —

MR. KIRBY:  But you don’t believe me.

Q    On — well, doesn’t that free up money for them to spend on other stuff?  Where do you get the money for an unprecedented number of munitions to — to fire at Israel?

MR. KIRBY:  So, first of all, I’m betting if they’re sitting in Tehran, they’re taking it seriously when President Biden says he’s going to defend Israel.  We put skin in the game — a whole heck of a lot of it — and knocked almost everything out of the sky.  So, I’m betting they’re taking it pretty seriously.

And as for this — this unfreezing, that — none of that fund — none of those funds — funds set up in an account, by the way, by the previous administration — goes directly to the Supreme Leader of the IRGC.  It can only be used for humanitarian purposes.  And we’re watching that account very, very closely to make sure that that’s what happens.

Q    And you guys often defend all the trips to Delaware by saying, “The President is not on vacation.  He’s working.  He can be the President from anywhere.”  So, why did he have to come back on Saturday?

MR. KIRBY:  Well, we got indications — shortly after arriving, we got better, firmer intelligence and information about the specific timing of what we expected to be this Iranian attack, and the President didn’t bat an eye before getting back on that helicopter and coming back.

And he was here all Saturday night in the Situation Room, from mid-afternoon until late at night, getting real-time updates from General Kurilla and from his defense team all throughout the night, including calling Prime Minister Netanyahu right from the Situation Room.

And as Karine mentioned, on Sunday, he was right back at it again, working the G7, calling King Abdullah.  I don’t know what else to tell you.  He had a very busy, full weekend.

Q    John, on Iran.  What is the current thinking on whether Iran’s Revolutionary Guard should be designated as a terrorist organization?

MR. KIRBY:  We already have. 

Q    And then, just do you have any update on getting additional humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza?  You had said —

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah.

Q    — last week that you added 300 trucks on Wednesday.  Within where — where the weekend (inaudible)?

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah.  Forgive me. 

Q    (Inaudible.)

MR. KIRBY:  I don’t know if Karine might have already briefed this out to you guys.  But, you know, over the last week or so, more than 2,000 trucks have gotten in.  And even throughout the course of the weekend, as Israel was dealing with a quite daunting attack by Iran, they were still able to get some trucks into Gaza.

So, in these early days, after the previous phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu where the President talked about the need to increase humanitarian assistance, we have seen Israel take steps to in- — to — to do exactly that. 

Now, as we’ve also said, it’s still not enough.  The — the need is dire.  And what we’re going to be doing is watching for a sustained commitment to doing that over time.  But — but thus far, there has been an increase in humanitarian assistance.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Just one on the timing of the wa- — of any type of warning.  So, are you saying Iran never told a U.S. partner — Switzerland, Oman, any of them — Turkey, Iraq — never gave them any information about the attack they were preparing to launch and that that information never reached the U.S.?

MR. KIRBY:  The United States had no messages from Iran or from anybody else, as I said in my opening statement, that — that offered a specific timeframe or a specific set of targets or the types of weapons that they were going to fire.

Q    So, just concretely, why would U.S. partners in Turkey, Jordan, Iraq lie about passing along Iranian messages about any forthcoming attack to the U.S.?

MR. KIRBY:  Look, I’m not — I’m not calling anybody a liar here.  I’m telling you, from our perspective, what we knew and what we didn’t know.  And we were able to help with Israel’s defenses because we had information that we had received and Israel had received through our own — our own efforts, but it never came as some sort of message from Iran with, I mean, the — the timing and the target.

I — it’s — it’s — it kind of boggles my mind that anybody would believe that Iran would pick up the phone and tell the United States, who — who they know —

Q    (Inaudible) the United States.

MR. KIRBY:  — who — who they know has been very, very directly involved with helping Israel defend itself and very public about doing that, and detail the times and the targets.

Look, this to me seems like a lot of, you know, Monday morning quarterbacking kind of stuff — would have, could have, should have.  And — and maybe they want to make it appear like, you know, this was some sort of small pinprick of an attack that they never meant to succeed. 

You can’t throw that much metal in the air, which they did, in the timeframe in which they did it and convince anybody, realistically, that you weren’t trying to cause casualties and you weren’t calling — trying to cause damage.  They absolutely were.

Q    And just one more.  Is the meeting with Israli — Israeli officials on Rafah still — is that happening this week?

MR. KIRBY:  I don’t have a date for you.  We’re still trying to get that nailed down.  As I said earlier, we’d like to continue those conversations.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Hi, Admiral.  House Majority Leader Scalise said on Friday that Speaker Johnson was negotiating with the White House modifications to the Ukraine aid package.  Are you — what is being negotiated?  And you just categorically said that the White House opposes a standalone Israel bill —

MR. KIRBY:  That’s right.

Q    — supplemental.  Are you also opposed to changes to the supplemental?  For example, changing —

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah.  I —

Q    — aid to alone —

MR. KIRBY:  I know it would make your jobs a lot easier if I negotiated this thing up here in public.

Q    (Laughs.)  No, I just —

MR. KIRBY:  But I’m not going to do that.  You’re right.  The President did have an opportunity to speak with Speaker Johnson and other congressional leaders, including — including McConnell and Jeffries.  And he made it clear that the best and the fastest way to stand by our allies and partners is for the House of Representatives to take up the bipartisan bill that the Senate passed.

Q    But are you also opposed to the modifications and changes, as you oppose the standalone?

MR. KIRBY:  I’ve answered the question.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you so much, John.  First of all, thank you for your dedication this weekend in keeping us all informed.  I think we all saw more of us than our own families, which was really cool.  I got —

MR. KIRBY:  You certainly saw more of me than my family did.  (Laughter.)

Q    I got two questions.  First of all, administration officials told us on Sunday that they had help from India, China, and Iraq.  Can you just detail, you know, some — give us some of the details on that?  And does that represent a move forward in U.S.-China relations, that you were able to cooperate on (inaudible)?

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, as I said earlier, I think I’ll let other countries speak to their participation and cooperation and the degree that the — that they’re comfortable doing that.  I can only speak for the United States and what we did.

Q    Does this represent a step forward for the U.S.-China —

MR. KIRBY:  I think it — what it — I think what it says is — without getting into the specific contributions of other countries, as I said in my opening statement, it shows that Israel is not standing alone, that — I mean, that, unlike Iran, which is increasingly isolated on the world stage, Israel has friends.  Israel has great skill, great professionalism, great military capability.  And that’s not by accident.  All of that comes from the support that they get, particularly from the United States, but other countries as well.

Q    And then, if the U.S. can — and allies can help shoot down Iranian drones over Israel, why can’t they do the same over Ukraine?

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, I knew this question was coming too.  Look, different conflicts.  Different conflicts, different airspace, different threat picture.  And the President has been clear since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the United States is not going to be involved in that — that conflict in a combat role.  And we haven’t. 

We have been providing Ukraine the tools that they need to help defend their airspace.  And, unfortunately, we can’t do that right now because we don’t have that national security supplemental funding that — that they so desperately need.

Q    The Assyrian Christians are the indigenous people of Iraq.  And before liberation, they had about two and a half million, and they’re down to nearly 200,000.  And just last month, the Iraqi Supreme Court removed all of their — had five seats in the Kurdish parliament for many decades, and those were renewed — were removed.  Have you — has that come up in any of the discussions?

MR. KIRBY:  I’ll take the question.

Q    Thank you.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  And thank you, John, for all you did over the weekend.  I have two questions.  First, you mentioned the shipping of aid to Gaza from Israel.  Do we have a U.S. consular official at the border who is confirming that the aid actually gets there?

MR. KIRBY:  I’m not aware of a consular presence at the border.  But we’re in, as I said, constant touch with our Israeli counterparts.  We — you know, we also have David Satterfield, who is the President’s Special Envoy, for that exact purpose.  And, I mean, he’s — he’s like Waldo.  I mean, he’s all over the place — (laughter) — constantly up and down, I mean, making sure that that stuff is getting in and keeping the President and the whole team fully informed.

Q    My other question is that: Given the recent developments with Iran, is the U.S. going to step up its contacts with the opposition to the current regime in Tehran?  And I mean, specifically, exile groups in the United States, plus, on the ground, the Baluchi, Azeri, the Kurds, and the Sunni, who are in opposition to the regime.

MR. KIRBY:  I don’t know of any such efforts in the wake of the — the attacks. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  A couple more.  Way in the back, go ahead.

Q    Thank you, John.  Why is the U.S. not going to participate in a counteroffensive?

MR. KIRBY:  Again, I think I’ve answered this question.  The President had a good chat with the Prime Minister.  We talked about the incredible success that the — that we and they achieved on Saturday night and the message that success sends not only to the region but also to Iran as well. 

And as I’ve also said and as the President has certainly said, we’re not looking for a war with Iran.  We’re not looking to broaden and deepen this conflict in the region.

Q    How exactly is he trying to de-escalate this situation?

MR. KIRBY:  Everything the President has been doing since the 7th of October has been designed to try to de-escalate and to try to keep the conflict from widening and deepening.  And that includes the moves that he made in the last 10, 12 days to add resources to the region so that we could help Israel better defend itself. 

And, my goodness, it all paid off.  I mean, instead of having a hundred ballistic missiles land inside of Israel and cause untold damage to infrastructure and to human lives, none of that occurred.  And the reason none of it occurred was because the President was ahead of the problem set.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Brian.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  John, just a couple of follow-ups.  The coalition to put together limiting Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, is that still solid in the face of what’s going on?

MR. KIRBY:  As the President has said, we’d love nothing better than to be able to solve Iranian nuclear progress — nuclear weapons progress through diplomacy.  Unfortunately, that’s not an option right now because the — the Iranians, well before any of this, just weren’t negotiating in good faith.  None of the diplomatic efforts were — were paying off.

And so, that effort kind of fell moribund as we look for other ways to increase pressure on Iran. 

The President has also said that while he would prefer to deal with this threat diplomatically, he also will make sure that he’s got options and choices available to him —

Q    But —

MR. KIRBY:  — to ensure that Iran never achieves a nuclear weapons capability.

Q    But the countries that were backing that coalition — still a member?  They’re all — China, Russia —

MR. KIRBY:  I mean, you’re talking about a process that’s just moribund right now, Brian. 

Q    Okay.  And —

MR. KIRBY:  I mean, it —

Q    And so, the other follow-up: the container ship.  Was there — there have been rumors.  Is there any — the container ship that was seized by Iran, was there anything of a sensitive nature on it?  Do we know what was on it?

MR. KIRBY:  I think I’d refer you to the Pentagon on that.  I don’t have an update on the cargo.

Q    I — finally, I — well, I want to thank you for using which “swack” and — and, of course, “Where’s Waldo?” 

MR. KIRBY:  I’m going to hear about that one from my wife.  (Inaudible.)  (Laughter.)

Q    But the — but at the end, you understand the reason why the question about advanced knowledge, because the President did come back early.  And I think you spoke to it —

MR. KIRBY:  I didn’t say — I never said we didn’t have an advanced sense of what the — I —

What I said was: We didn’t get that sense from the Iranians sending us a telegram.

Q    Right.  But — but, as Peter asked, I believe, there was — we were told not specifics, but that something was going to occur.

MR. KIRBY:  No.  I don’t — 

Q    Clear that one up for me.

MR. KIRBY:  It’s not about being told.  I think you all understand: We have lots of tools and vehicles, through intelligence and other information methods, to glean in- — to glean a picture of what an adversary may or may not do.  Now, sometimes it’s right.  Sometimes it’s not 100 percent right.

We had a good sense of what Iran was planning to do, and we achieved that level of situational awareness on our own and working with our Israeli counterparts.  The notion — the idea that Iran sent us an email or picked up the phone and told us what they were planning to do is just ludicrous.  It didn’t happen.  I don’t know how else to be more clear about it.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Andrew.   And then we’ll wrap it up.

Q    Thank you, John.  And Happy Tax Day.  (Inaudible) here.  (Laughter.)

MR. KIRBY:  (Inaudible.) 

Q    There’s been reporting — there’s been reporting that — (laughter).

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  (Inaudible.)

MR. KIRBY:  She’s right.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Right?

MR. KIRBY:  You’re right.

Q    Okay.  So, there’s been reporting that the President suggested to the Prime Minister that Israel take the win and not go further with an offensive response. 

MR. KIRBY:  I’ve seen that report, yeah.

Q    I — I have colleagues who are reporting that Israel is very much in the process of planning an offensive response to — to these — to this weekend’s attacks.  Given the political situation in Israel — Prime Minister Netanyahu’s coalition, some of which is a bit extreme, and his own situation — does the President have faith that the Prime Minister will not escalate the situation out of his own political interests, as opposed to genuine Israeli security interests?  And then I have an unrelated one for you.

MR. KIRBY:  I’m not going to be able to get into Prime Minister Netanyahu’s psychology or his political calculations or what’s going into his decision-making process.

Q    I’m asking if the President is concerned about this, though.

MR. KIRBY:  What I would tell you is that the President and the Prime Minister speak frequently, certainly as appropriate.  And the President has been consistent publicly and privately that he doesn’t want to see the war between Israel and Hamas escalate any more than it — than it already has and he doesn’t want to see a broader regional conflict.  And he’s certainly not looking for a war with Iran.  And I am confident that the Prime Minister is aware of the President’s concerns.

Q    Okay.  And on — on Gaza.  This morning, you said that Israel has been doing things the President asked them to do, but we really need to see it sustained over time.

MR. KIRBY:  And you want to know how long is that time.

Q    No, sir.

MR. KIRBY:  Okay.  (Laughter.)

Q    That would — that would imply that — you didn’t want to call it an ultimatum, but the — the conditions that the President laid out in his prior phone call with the Prime Minister, that — about the aid workers, the conditions on the ground for humanitarian workers, and aid getting into Gaza — that that needed to change or there could be changes in U.S. policy towards Gaza. 

Can you just lay out here whether the President is considering that — you know, that set of circumstances and Israel’s defense against future attacks from nation-states such as Iran to be — to be separate things?  That that — that when you say we need to see it sustained over time, that that — the possibility of policy changes is still a reality separate and apart from the President’s, as he calls it, “ironclad” commitment to Israeli security?

MR. KIRBY:  I’ve said many times that both things are and can be true.  You can be a staunch defender of Israel’s defense.  And we are — and I think he proved that to a fare-thee-well Saturday night — and still be able to have some tough, candid conversations with the way in which they are fighting Hamas inside Gaza. 

And those conversations are continuing, and, as I said, hopefully, we’ll get to be able to sit down again with our Israeli counterparts about the — whatever their thinking are — whatever the thinking is about — about Rafah.

So, both things are true; both things can be true.  And — and those are the discussions that we’re having.  You can — you can be a good friend of — of Israel.  In fact, I would argue that only a good friend can do what we did Saturday night and yet still be willing to have tough conversations with the Israeli government about the prosecution of the — of the operations they’re conducting inside Gaza.

Q    So, they’re being considered separate matters?

MR. KIRBY:  I think I’ve answered the question. 

Q    Okay. 

MR. KIRBY:  Thank you for your patience.  Appreciate it.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No worries.

Q    Thanks, John. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Hi.  Oh, I don’t know.  Seung Min.  I feel like you guys got all the news of the day.  (Laughs.)

Q    Yeah, well, Happy — Happy Tax Day to you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Happy Tax Day.  I did take care of my taxes.  (Laughter.)  I don’t — I don’t have a wife to take care of my taxes.  (Laughter.)

Q    Ouch.

Q    Can you — just on the other sort of big news of the day.  Is the — is the President going to be paying any sort of attention or will be briefed on — on the criminal proceedings of former President Trump in New York?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, as you know, the President is pretty busy today.  He has two bilats, as you know, with the — as you just saw, with the Iraqi Prime Minister and one with the Czech Republic.  So, it’s a busy day focusing on, obviously, our national security priorities and continuing the strong alliances that we have with these two leaders — obviously, two separate meetings — and continuing to — you know, continue to deliver for the American people.

I — I’m sure he’ll — he’ll, you know, get an update at some point today, but his focus right now are the meetings that he have — he has and what he continues to do every day.

Q    Right.  And setting aside the fact that the former President is the — is the current President’s general election candidate or challenger for this year, what is the Pre- — what is President Biden, the White House’s reaction to this moment in time? 

I mean, it is a historic occasion — “occasion” is an odd word to say — but it — you have a former President going on criminal trial for the first time in history.  So, what is the White House’s reaction to that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I do want to be super mindful, even me commenting on that.  It is an ongoing case.  I just want to be super, super mindful and not comment on an ongoing case, even if it’s asking an opinion about the, you know — the historic nature of what’s happening and what’s going to occur over the next couple of weeks.  So, do want to be mindful.  And he happens to be, as you just said, a candidate — a presidential candidate for 2024, so going to be mindful.

The President is going to continue to focus on — on the week ahead.  He’s going to be traveling, as you all know, to Pennsylvania.  He has two important bilats today.  And it’s always about the American people for this President, and that’s going to be his focus.

Go ahead, Mary.

Q    As you just mentioned, the President is heading to Pennsylvania again this week.  He’s making multiple visits to the state.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    Can you just give us a sense of what we can expect in the coming days?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, it’s a three — coming day or coming —

Q    Days.  (Laughs.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay, days.  I didn’t know if you said “weeks.”  I’m like, “Wow, weeks.” 

Coming days — it’s a three-day swing to Pennsylvania.  He starts it off tomorrow.  He’s going to start his trip in his hometown of Scranton, where he’ll deliver remarks at — at a campaign event.  So, that’s obviously a campaign event, so they will provide more details.

On Wednesday, he’s going to travel to Pittsburgh, where he’ll deliver remarks again on other pieces of the economic agenda.  So, you can foc- — you can imagine a very strong focus on the economy this week.  And so, we’ll have more on that from us tomorrow on what Wednesday is going to look like. 

And then on Thursday, which is, he’ll — obviously, he’ll continue his swing.  He’ll travel to Philadelphia for more campaign events, and certainly the campaign will provide any details on that particular day.

So, it’s Tuesday and Thursday are the campaign priorities, obviously, and they’ll speak to that.  And then there’s an economic focus on Wednesday, and so we’ll have more to share tomorrow on that.

Go ahead.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  So, first of all, with the Iraqi leader here, lawmakers in that country are set to vote on a bill that includes a death penalty or life in prison for same-sex relations.  Would passing such a bill harm U.S. ties?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, you saw the Iraqi Prime Minister and the President have a bilat today, and I think it shows the importance of that alliance and the continued diplomacy engagement that we’ve done — the President continues to do just across the globe, obviously.

The President has been very, very — I think, very vocal about any type of — well, supporting the LGBTQ+ community and has spoken out about any type of humanitarian — or human rights, I should say — any — you know, any human rights violations that we see from here.  And they — we always have those honest conversations with — with leaders, and the President always has, again, those honest conversations. 

I’m not going to get into — I’m not going to get ahead of what’s happening currently in Iraq, but we’ve been pretty — we’ve been pretty clear about making sure that human rights — human rights — any human rights violations or if we see anything that is — you know, that — that we think needs — we need to speak to, we do, but I’m just going to be —

Q    And the President will raise that issue today?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — look, the President always raises human rights issues if it warrants with a — with a leader.  I’m going to be really mindful.  We’ll have a readout, obviously, of these two bilats. 

I’m — I can’t say for sure that that’s going to come up, but the President has never backed down from having these types of frank, honest conversation and where he stands, and we know where he stands with that community — with LGBTQ+ community.

Q    And then one other topic.  Tesla is laying off more than 10 percent of its global workforce — falling sales and intensive price war for EVs.  Does the ongoing turmoil in the EV market and the very slow consumer transition away from internal combustion engine vehicles make you doubt your full-throated commitment to this space?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look — and I think I’ve talked about this before.  You — look, when it comes to EV, we’ve saw an E- — we’ve seen EV sales, obviously, rise — a record high.  And EVs are more affordable than ever, and I think that’s important. 

Last year, EV sales surpassed 1 million for the first time ever, a 50 percent increase.  And under this President, EV sales have more than quadrupled.  Sales of hybrids and EVs are now record high of 18 percent of all light-duty vehicle sales.  Average price of EV is down 20 percent a year ago.

And so, look, the President has always talked about — one of his priorities, as it relates to the economy, is lowering costs.  And we see that with — with these EV sales, obviously, and also creating a — manufacturing jobs in order — if you’re seeing the EV sales go up — right? — you’re going to see a continuation of manufacturing jobs that are needed.  And so, that is important.  We can — we believe it’s going to create jobs. 

I can’t speak to Tesla’s decision.  They are a private — obviously, a private company.  

But we believe what we’re trying to do and what we’ve been trying — trying to do in last couple of years — whether it’s manufacturing, whether it’s dealing with the climate crisis by making sure EVs are — are available and creating EVs — more EVs and lowering those costs — is working. 

And so, that’s what’s going to be the President’s priority.

Go ahead.

Q    House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that he’ll move forward with the vote on additional Israel aid.  If Congress were to pass additional aid for Israel and only that, will President Biden reject it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, we’ve been very clear — my colleagues from here just moments ago — that we will not accept a standalone.  A standalone would — would actually not help Israel and Ukraine.  It would actually delay the needs that they — the — the needs that — the needed aid that they obviously need to fight. 

When you see what was happening in Ukraine — obviously, the brave people of Ukrainian [Ukraine] are fighting against a tyrant.  We need to make sure that they have the assistance that they need. 

We saw what happened in Israel just over — over the weekend and the leadership that this President has shown.  It would — it would actually — it would actually not help them if we do a standalone, and we do not support a standalone. 

What we want to see is that bipartisan national security supplemental that passed overwhelmingly, 70-29, in the Senate.  And we believe if the — if the Speaker were to put that on the floor, it would pass overwhelmingly. 

And so, that’s what we want to see.  The President made clear to the — in that conversation that he had just yesterday with Leader — Leader Schumer, Leader Jeffries, and the Speaker, he was very clear about that.  We need — the Speaker needs to move forward on the bipartis- — on the national security supplemental, which we believe would get a bipartisan — overwhelming bipartisan support. 

That’s what we want.  That’s what we have to see.  A standalone, we do not support.

Q    Did the President think that that conversation moved the needle at all?  I mean, this supplemental has been at a standstill in Congress.  So, in that conversation with House Speaker Mike Johnson, did he receive any sort of commitment that these two would move together?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, you s- — you heard from Leader — Leader Schumer.  You heard from Leader Jeffries.  They called on the Speaker to move forward.  We saw what happened over the weekend.  We see what happens every day in Ukraine — every day.  And if they want to move qui- — quickly, if they want to do this in an easy way — if the Speaker wants to do this the easiest way pas- — possible, the fastest way possible, there is a — there is a national security supplemental that is waiting, that is ready to be put on the floor. 

We know it would get bipartisan support.  We know this.  We’ve heard from Republicans.  We know where Democrats stand. 

And so, they have to put this on the — put this on — you know, they’ve got to put this on the floor.  The Speaker has to move quickly — has to move quickly.

Q    On another topic.  The Baltimore bridge crash is now under federal criminal investigation.  Has the President been briefed on that?  And has he been in touch with anyone in the Maryland delegation?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, what I will say is the President is regularly updated on what’s happening in Baltimore.  Obviously, the port, moving forward with that is really important, getting the bridge back up.  As you know, the Department of Transportation, in the early days, announced $60 million to help in that effort.  We’re going to continue to talk with the Maryland delegation of what they need and how much this is going to cost to get that going. 

But the President does get regularly updated.  There’s investigation happening, as you just stated.  I’m not going to get in — you know, I’m not going to comment to that.  I’m going to let that independent investigation move forward.

Go ahead. 

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Earlier this month, did President Biden tell Xi Jinping to stop supporting Russia’s assault on Ukraine?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I’m not going to get into diplomatic conversations.  We had a readout of that call that he had about 10 days ago with President Xi.  It was an important call.  It talked — it was a continuation of their summit that they had in San Francisco a couple of months ago.  And so, I’m just not going to get ahead of or go into details about private conversation.  I think the President and we have been very clear.

Q    Okay.  So, the U.S. has announced some sanctions and an executive order to address the support that China has given Russia in those months between the summit and now but also said we are prepared to take further steps.  So, is the administration going to do more to deter Beijing?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, you know, the President certainly is — is — he’s going to underscore — he’s going to continue to underscore the concerns — right? — that he has to China, while also reiterating our readiness to conduct diplo- — diplomacy with North Korea — right?  That’s a part of this too — in our determination to take steps to deter further provocations by the DPRK, obviously. 

And also, you know — so, we’re always going to be very clear about that.  You spoke about the executive action.  I’m just going to be super careful about what — what was said between the two leaders.  We did a readout, and we’ve been always very clear — always very clear to speak — to speak very directly about our concerns and underscore our concerns to China. 

Q    But just to be clear —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — it came up?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I’m just going to be really careful.  You have the readout.  I’m going to leave the readout to speak for itself. 

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Jared.

Q    Is the White House satisfied with the FISA renewal bill that passed the House and is headed to the Senate?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I think it’s important that it moved out of the House, and now it’s going to go to the Senate.  And we’ve talked about that.  There was a deadline, as you know, and it needs to — we’ve got to get going with the FISA.  It’s really important to get that done.

Q    Some of the changes that the White House is okay with — the reforms —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, we’re — we’re — I think we’re — we’re satisfied that it has gone — it is moving.  It’s going to go to the Senate.  We’ll see what happens there.  But it is — we — you’ve heard from us.  You heard from even National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who talked about that the last time he was at the podium.  It’s — it’s important to our national security that we move forward with FISA.  Now it’s in the Senate.

Go ahead, Ed.

Q    Yeah, thanks, Karine.  I want to ask about gas prices.  They’ve been going up: over the last month, 20 cents a gallon.  Is the President considering any new actions, like releasing more oil from the Strategic Petroleum Res- — Reserve?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, don’t have — I don’t have any new actions to read out. 

I will say — I will note that gas prices remain well below their peak back in 2022.  I think that’s important.  And the — the average gas price right now is cheaper than this time last year.  And that’s because of what this President has been doing over the last three years, including the SPR. 

And, look, let’s not forget: Jobs are up, wages are up, clean energy manufacturing is up — all of these things are incredibly important — because of this President’s historic investment that he has made. 

And so — but I would — I think it’s important to note that it remains well below the 2020 peak — 

Q    But —

MS.  JEAN-PIERRE:  — 2022 peak, pardon me. 

Q    But it’s only three cents lower than a year ago.  It’s up 52 percent from when President Biden came into office.  Any, then, talk about changes in policies that — to encourage the future investment in oil and gas (inaudible)?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, the President is committed to lowering costs.  He is.  That is something that you see at the center of every economic policy.  When he’s here giving remarks, he’s talking about lowering costs.  He understands how the American people are still being squeezed. 

And so, the reason that it remains below 2022 — the gas prices, as you’re asking me — is because of the historic investment that this President has made. 

So, of course, we’re going to continue to monitor and do everything that we can to answer those questions by the American people: What else can we do to lower costs?  But it is important that it is cheaper — it is cheaper to get gas than it was a year ago.  And that’s because of the — of what this President has been doing, because of historic investment that he’s taken. 

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Is there — to follow up on that, is there any indication that when the President asked for the richest Americans to pay their fair share, that inflation and the rise in gas prices are linked to that request?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Say that one more time.

Q    Do you think that it — the rise in prices of gas and inflation, which is still rising, is linked to the President’s request that the richest Americans pay their fair share?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, what I — here’s what I will say: The way we see the economy is very different than the way Republicans see the economy and how we make sure we have an economy that works for all.  Making sure that the we- — the wealthiest among us — the billionaires and corporations — pay their fair share we believe is the way to go here, not putting that burden on everyday Americans. 

That’s an economic policy that we believe in and a policy that br- — builds the economy from the bottom up, middle out, not trickle-down. 

And so, we’re going to continue to lower costs.  And we’re going to ask those billionaires and corporations to actually pay their fair share.  That’s something Americans want to see.  That’s something Americans want to see. 

As — as it relates to inflation, we look at a trend here, and we have seen inflation moderate over the past several months.  And that’s important, as well, to note.  But, look, we see it very differently.  We want to make sure we’re protecting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, lowering costs.  Republicans don’t want to protect that, and they want to give billionaires and corporations a tax break.  That’s not how we see this. 

Q    And to fo- —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, sure.

Q    Quick follow-up.  Earlier, there was reports that the administration released that the Department of Justice — and they haven’t commented on it — may have reached — the courts are reaching out to Julian Assange for a plea deal.  Any update from you guys here as to whether or not there would be a pardon or you would support a plea deal?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  That’s a Department of Justice question. 

Q    But — but the President —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  That — that is a Department of Justice question.  I ca- — I’m not going to get into it.

Q    And they’re not responding to it, so would you —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I would refer to Department of Justice. 

Go ahead. 

Q    Thank you.  So, this week, a ton of people will be here for the National Cannabis Policy Summit, and there’s currently still a patchwork of state marijuana laws to regulate the drug safety, including whether there are traces of lead in products.  Since marijuana is still illegal at the federal level but becoming more common at the state level, is the administration doing anything to try to improve safety regulations of products or any consideration of legalizing marijuana moving forward at the federal level?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I will give you a little bit of an update.  So, as you all know, the President asked — asked Secretary of HHS and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review how marijuana is scheduled.  HHS has concluded their independent review, guided by the evidence.  The scheduling review is now with DOJ.  And any input should be certainly directed to them at a time and in a manner they say is appropriate. 

So, this is a matter, at this point, once — now that HHS has do- — has completed their review, it’s in Department of Justice, and they can speak to where — where marijuana rescheduling is at this point. 

All right.  Oh, go ahead.  Go ahead, Jon.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  I’m just wondering, looking backwards, the 2020 election cycle — so, you’re not impacting the upcoming election cycle. 

Q    No, no, no.  (Laughter.)

Q    Looking backwards —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  Let’s see where this is going.

Q    No, you don’t — actually don’t know where it’s going.   (Laughter.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, I didn’t say that.  I said, “Let’s see where this is going.”  I have no idea where this is going.  (Laughter.)  I have no clue. 

Q    I’m going to help you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — yeah, I know you will. 

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I know you will.

Q    In — in 2020, do you think that the American electorate was helped by seeing Donald Trump and Joe Biden on the same stage —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh.

Q    — at the same time —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I knew this was — now I know where this is going.  (Laughter.)

Q    — at a presidential debate?  Was that helpful, do you think, in terms of people making that decision?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You know, that — that’s a question for the American people.  I can’t speak to that from here.  I can’t. 

Q    Yeah.  And the — now —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And 2020 was a different time. 

Q    Yeah.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It was a different time. 

Q    And looking ahead to this upcom- — upcoming election cycle.  Do you think it would be helpful to see these two — (laughter) — candidates who are in a rematch —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So slick.

Q    — on the same stage —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So slick. 

Q    — at the same time also competing against each other in a presidential debate?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  As the President would say, you can’t kid a kidder.  (Laughter.)

What I will say is that is a question for the campaign.  They will gladly, I’m sure — gladly take — take that question. 

All right, everybody.  Thank you so much. 

Q    Thanks, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thanks for your patience.  I know it was a long one.

 2:41 P.M. EDT

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