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Six months ago, President Biden issued a landmark Executive Order to ensure that America leads the way in seizing the promise and managing the risks of artificial intelligence (AI). Since then, agencies all across government have taken vital steps to manage AI’s safety and security risks, protect Americans’ privacy, advance equity and civil rights, stand up for consumers and workers, promote innovation and competition, advance American leadership around the world, and more.
 
Today, federal agencies reported that they completed all of the 180-day actions in the E.O. on schedule, following their recent successes completing each 90-day, 120-day, and 150-day action on time. Agencies also progressed on other work tasked by the E.O. over longer timeframes.
 
Actions that agencies reported today as complete include the following:
 
Managing Risks to Safety and Security:
Over 180 days, the Executive Order directed agencies to address a broad range of AI’s safety and security risks, including risks related to dangerous biological materials, critical infrastructure, and software vulnerabilities. To mitigate these and other threats to safety, agencies have:

• Established a framework for nucleic acid synthesis screening to help prevent the misuse of AI for engineering dangerous biological materials. This work complements in-depth study by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Energy (DOE) and Office of Science and Technology Policy on AI’s potential to be misused for this purpose, as well as a DHS report that recommended mitigations for the misuse of AI to exacerbate chemical and biological threats. In parallel, the Department of Commerce has worked to engage the private sector to develop technical guidance to facilitate implementation. Starting 180 days after the framework is announced, agencies will require that grantees obtain synthetic nucleic acids from vendors that screen.
  
• Released for public comment draft documents on managing generative AI risks, securely developing generative AI systems and dual-use foundation models, expanding international standards development in AI, and reducing the risks posed by AI-generated content. When finalized, these documents by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will provide additional guidance that builds on NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework, which offered individuals, organizations, and society a framework to manage AI risks and has been widely adopted both in the U.S. and globally.
  
• Developed the first AI safety and security guidelines for critical infrastructure owners and operators. These guidelines are informed by the completed work of nine agencies to assess AI risks across all sixteen critical infrastructure sectors.
  
• Launched the AI Safety and Security Board to advise the Secretary of Homeland Security, the critical infrastructure community, other private sector stakeholders, and the broader public on the safe and secure development and deployment of AI technology in our nation’s critical infrastructure. The Board’s 22 inaugural members include representatives from a range of sectors, including software and hardware company executives, critical infrastructure operators, public officials, the civil rights community, and academia. 
  
• Piloted new AI tools for identifying vulnerabilities in vital government software systems. The Department of Defense (DoD) made progress on a pilot for AI that can find and address vulnerabilities in software used for national security and military purposes. Complementary to DoD’s efforts, DHS piloted different tools to identify and close vulnerabilities in other critical government software systems that Americans rely on every hour of every day.

Standing up for Workers, Consumers, and Civil Rights
The Executive Order directed bold steps to mitigate other risks from AI—including risks to workers, to consumers, and to Americans’ civil rights—and ensure that AI’s development and deployment benefits all Americans. Today, agencies reported that they have:

• Developed bedrock principles and practices for employers and developers to build and deploy AI safely and in ways that empower workers. Agencies all across government are now starting work to establish these practices as requirements, where appropriate and authorized by law, for employers that receive federal funding.
  
• Released guidance to assist federal contractors and employers comply with worker protection laws as they deploy AI in the workplace. The Department of Labor (DOL) developed a guide for federal contractors and subcontractors to answer questions and share promising practices to clarify federal contractors’ legal obligations, promote equal employment opportunity, and mitigate the potentially harmful impacts of AI in employment decisions. DOL also provided guidance regarding the application of the Fair Labor Standards Act and other federal labor standards as employers increasingly use of AI and other automated technologies in the workplace.
  
• Released resources for job seekers, workers, and tech vendors and creators on how AI use could violate employment discrimination laws. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s resources clarify that existing laws apply the use of AI and other new technologies in employment just as they apply to other employment practices.
  
• Issued guidance on AI’s nondiscriminatory use in the housing sector. In two guidance documents, the Department of Housing and Urban Development affirmed that existing prohibitions against discrimination apply to AI’s use for tenant screening and advertisement of housing opportunities, and it explained how deployers of AI tools can comply with these obligations.
  
• Published guidance and principles that set guardrails for the responsible and equitable use of AI in administering public benefits programs. The Department of Agriculture’s guidance explains how State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments should manage risks for uses of AI and automated systems in benefits programs such as SNAP. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a plan with guidelines on similar topics for benefits programs it oversees. Both agencies’ documents prescribe actions that align with the Office of Management and Budget’s policies, published last month, for federal agencies to manage risks in their own use of AI and harness AI’s benefits.
  
• Announced a final rule clarifying that nondiscrimination requirements in health programs and activities continue to apply to the use of AI, clinical algorithms, predictive analytics, and other tools. Specifically, the rule applies the nondiscrimination principles under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to the use of patient care decision support tools in clinical care, and it requires those covered by the rule to take steps to identify and mitigate discrimination when they use AI and other forms of decision support tools for care.
  
• Developed a strategy for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of AI deployed in the health care sector. The strategy outlines rigorous frameworks for AI testing and evaluation, and it outlines future actions for HHS to promote responsible AI development and deployment.

Harnessing AI for Good
President Biden’s Executive Order also directed work to seize AI’s enormous promise, including by advancing AI’s use for scientific research, deepening collaboration with the private sector, and piloting uses of AI. Over the past 180 days, agencies have done the following:

• Announced DOE funding opportunities to support the application of AI for science, including energy-efficient AI algorithms and hardware. 
  
• Prepared convenings for the next several months with utilities, clean energy developers, data center owners and operators, and regulators in localities experiencing large load growth. Today, DOE announced new actions to assess the potential energy opportunities and challenges of AI, accelerate deployment of clean energy, and advance AI innovation to manage the growing energy demand of AI.
  
• Launched pilots, partnerships, and new AI tools to address energy challenges and advance clean energy. For example, DOE is piloting AI tools to streamline permitting processes and improving siting for clean energy infrastructure, and it has developed other powerful AI tools with applications at the intersection of energy, science, and security. Today, DOE also published a report outlining opportunities AI brings to advance the clean energy economy and modernize the electric grid.
  
• Initiated a sustained effort to analyze the potential risks that deployment of AI may pose to the grid. DOE has started the process of convening energy stakeholders and technical experts over the coming months to collaboratively assess potential risks to the grid, as well as ways in which AI could potentially strengthen grid resilience and our ability to respond to threats—building off a new public assessment.
  
• Authored a report on AI’s role in advancing scientific research to help tackle major societal challenges, written by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Bringing AI Talent into Government
The AI and Tech Talent Task Force has made substantial progress on hiring through the AI Talent Surge. Since President Biden signed the E.O., federal agencies have hired over 150 AI and AI-enabling professionals and, along with the tech talent programs, are on track to hire hundreds by Summer 2024. Individuals hired thus far are already working on critical AI missions, such as informing efforts to use AI for permitting, advising on AI investments across the federal government, and writing policy for the use of AI in government.

• The General Services Administration has onboarded a new cohort of Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) and also announced their first-ever PIF AI cohort starting this summer.
• DHS has launched the DHS AI Corps, which will hire 50 AI professionals to build safe, responsible, and trustworthy AI to improve service delivery and homeland security.
• The Office of Personnel Management has issued guidance on skills-based hiring to increase access to federal AI roles for individuals with non-traditional academic backgrounds.
• For more on the AI Talent Surge’s progress, read its report to the President. To explore opportunities, visit https://ai.gov/apply
  

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Vice President Harris’s visit highlights recent $158 million Reconnecting Communities Award for The Stitch project to reconnect Atlanta neighborhoods and drive economic growth

Vice President Harris to meet with small business owners who are taking advantage of Biden-Harris Administration resources to help launch and scale their businesses

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris is kicking off a nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour with a stop in Atlanta, GA. During this multi-state tour, the Vice President will be traveling across the country to highlight how the Biden-Harris Administration has built economic opportunity, supported communities, and delivered for the American people. The tour reflects President Biden and Vice President Harris’ commitment to invest in all of America, create an economy in which every person has the freedom to thrive, and help underserved entrepreneurs access historic investments available locally to launch and scale their businesses, build wealth, and strengthen their communities.

While in Atlanta, Vice President Harris will highlight how the city is receiving $158 million for “The Stitch” project to reconnect midtown to downtown Atlanta through the Biden-Harris Administration’s first-of-its-kind Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program. When constructed, the Downtown Connector sliced through communities like Sweet Auburn, cutting it off from Downtown and displacing hundreds of homes and businesses in primarily Black working-class neighborhoods. The Stitch project will create a 14-acre mixed-use development cap on three-quarters of the Downtown Connector—increasing access to jobs, housing, education, and healthcare and creating public parks, plazas, and surface streets for walking and biking.

The Stitch is only one of the projects awarded across more than 40 states as part of the announcement of $3.3 billion from the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program, which is funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. This program will help rectify the damage done by past transportation projects – decades of harmful urban renewal projects and legacy policy decisions in the buildout of the Federal highway system that the Department of Transportation estimates displaced over a million people and businesses – while driving economic growth in underserved communities and helping advance racial equity.

The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program is yet another way the Biden-Harris Administration is advancing economic opportunity, while taking on the legacy of harm in communities that have grappled with decades of disinvestment or economic distress. The Administration is focused on supporting economic comebacks in communities across the country; especially those that have suffered from decades of disinvestment.

The President and Vice President’s strategy for investing in all of America has helped lead to a historically strong and equitable recovery, and a small business boom that is lifting communities across the country. Under the Biden-Harris Administration we’ve seen the three strongest years for new business applications on record. At the same time, Black business ownership has grown at its fastest pace in 30 years and the Latino new entrepreneurship rate reaching an all-time high in 2023. Today, the White House released the Building on the Biden-Harris Small Business Boom report to celebrate the start of National Small Business week and actions the Administration has taken to deliver for small businesses including:

• Setting New Records – over $178 billion, representing more than 28% of federal contract spending – in Federal Procurement Dollars Awarded to Small Businesses, including over $76 billion to Small Disadvantaged Businesses in Fiscal Year 2023
• On pace to nearly double the number of small dollar loans to small businesses in Fiscal Year 2024 thanks to Biden-Harris Administration policies. Less than one year since implementing policy reforms to increase access to small dollar loans, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is on pace to increase approved 7(a) loans under $150,000 by a third compared to Fiscal Year 2023 and nearly double the number of small loans approved compared to the final year of the previous Administration.
• Through the American Rescue Plan’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), Treasury has approved over $8 billion in SSBCI capital support for small businesses that is expected to catalyze at least $10 in private investment for each dollar of SSBCI capital funding.
• On track to deliver more than $250 billion to more than 500,000 small businesses through SBA’s lending programs by the end of the decade, meeting Biden-Harris Administration commitment. Since President Biden and Vice President Harris took office, SBA has taken numerous steps to expand access to capital – including finalizing rules to increase small dollar lending, expanding programs that help connect traditionally underserved businesses with resources, and revamping its Lender Match portal – leading to the delivery of nearly $124 billion in financing to small businesses through its 7(a), 504, and microloan programs to date.

Additionally, as part of her economic opportunity tour stop in Atlanta, the Vice President is helping highlight the historic Biden-Harris Administration investments in access to capital and small business support that are available to help entrepreneurs scale and grow their businesses in Georgia, including:

• With a $65 million investment from the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing (Georgia AIM) Coalition, led by the Georgia Institute of Technology, is driving the equitable development and deployment of innovation and talent in artificial intelligence for manufacturing across Georgia. Built as a network of over 40 partners – including the Technical College System of Georgia, Spelman College, Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, Georgia Cyber Center at Augusta University, Technology Association of Georgia Education, 21st Century Partnership, SW Regional Commission, University of Georgia and others – Georgia AIM is establishing an ecosystem focused on workforce development, technology innovation, and resilience in manufacturing.

Georgia AIM is one of 21 regional coalitions awarded funding through the ARP’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC) – led by the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration and the most impactful regional economic development competition in decades. These regional coalitions are growing critical industries that will strengthen regional economies, promote inclusive and equitable growth, and create thousands of good-paying jobs in industries of the future such as clean energy, next-generation manufacturing, and biotechnology. Across the nation, BBBRC projects are dedicating $140 million to help increase new business growth and entrepreneurial activity and $100 million to help small and midsized businesses adopt new processes and enter new markets.

• Through five lending and equity programs, Georgia’s ARP-funded State Small Business Credit Initiative is expected to deliver close to $200 million in capital support to Georgia small businesses and catalyze roughly $2 billion in private funding. Entrepreneurs in Georgia can apply through state-approved lenders to access these programs.

Georgia’s SSBCI program is part of the President and Vice President’s historic nearly $10 billion nationwide investment in capital access for small businesses through the Treasury Department’s ARP-funded SSBCI, which is expected to leverage $10 in private capital for every $1 of SSBCI capital and support roughly forty-six states and territories committing nearly $3 billion from SSBCI to equity-based financing programs, including over $1.4 billion through partnerships with private venture capital funds – the single largest infusion of federal funding for equity participation in early-stage small businesses in history. These investments are expected to catalyze over $30 billion in additional private investment and follow-on funding over the decade that will help underserved entrepreneurs tap into a critical source of capital for business development and wealth creation that has traditionally suffered from some of the most restrictive barriers to access.

• The ARP-funded Capital Readiness Program (CRP) is helping the Urban League of Greater Atlanta to deliver incubator and accelerator services through its Entrepreneurship Center to historically underserved entrepreneurs that are starting or operating enterprises in high-growth industries including healthcare, climate-resilient technology, infrastructure, and transportation and logistics. Capital Readiness programing is helping underserved entrepreneurs get the mentoring, coaching, and guidance in relationship building needed to help prepare for, secure, and deploy capital.

The Urban League of Greater Atlanta was one of the 43 winners of the $125 million CRP awards competition announced by Vice President Harris in August of 2023. This critical funding, administered by the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), is the largest-ever direct Federal investment in small business incubators and accelerators of its kind and the largest initiative in the over 50-year history of the MBDA.

• Three Georgia-based Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) received over $125 million in Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP) investments to increase their lending and investments to support small businesses and consumers in their communities, including two minority depository institutions (MDIs): Citizens Trust Bank in Atlanta and the Carver Financial Corporation in Savannah. These investments, stemming from funding Vice President Harris secured during her time in the Senate, are supporting low- and moderate-income community financial institutions across the country in providing loans, grants, and forbearance for small businesses, minority-owned businesses, and consumers, especially in low-income and underserved communities. Nationally, Treasury projects that the more than $8.57 billion invested in 175 federally-insured depository institutions that are CDFIs or MDIs through ECIP may increase lending in Hispanic communities by nearly $58 billion and in Black communities by up to $80 billion over the next decade.

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Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Washington and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides from January 5 to January 29, 2024. 

Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides in the counties of Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Ferry, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Skagit, Skamania, and Wahkiakum and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures in all areas within the state.

Mr. Lance E. Davis of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. 

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

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

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Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Washington and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides from January 5 to January 29, 2024. 

Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides in the counties of Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Ferry, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Skagit, Skamania, and Wahkiakum and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures in all areas within the state.

Mr. Lance E. Davis of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. 

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

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

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Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Kansas and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe winter storm from January 8 to January 16, 2024.

Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storm in the counties of Butler, Chase, Cloud, Edwards, Ford, Geary, Gray, Hodgeman, Morris, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Shawnee, Stafford, Trego, and Wabaunsee.

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

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

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

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

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The post President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Kansas Disaster Declaration appeared first on The White House.

Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Kansas and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe winter storm from January 8 to January 16, 2024.

Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storm in the counties of Butler, Chase, Cloud, Edwards, Ford, Geary, Gray, Hodgeman, Morris, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Shawnee, Stafford, Trego, and Wabaunsee.

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

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

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

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

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I applaud the UAW and Daimler for reaching a tentative agreement for a record contract. The UAW workers at Daimler are building the trucks and school buses of the future right here in America.

My Investing in America agenda will continue to create good jobs. This agreement is a testament to the power of collective bargaining and shows that we can build a clean energy economy with strong, middle-class union jobs.

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I applaud the UAW and Daimler for reaching a tentative agreement for a record contract. The UAW workers at Daimler are building the trucks and school buses of the future right here in America.

My Investing in America agenda will continue to create good jobs. This agreement is a testament to the power of collective bargaining and shows that we can build a clean energy economy with strong, middle-class union jobs.

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President Biden spoke earlier today with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The President reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security following the successful defense against Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack earlier this month. They also reviewed ongoing talks to secure the release of hostages together with an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The President referred to his statement with 17 other world leaders demanding that Hamas release their citizens without delay to secure a ceasefire and relief for the people of Gaza. The President and the Prime Minister also discussed increases in the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza including through preparations to open new northern crossings starting this week. The President stressed the need for this progress to be sustained and enhanced in full coordination with humanitarian organizations. The leaders discussed Rafah and the President reiterated his clear position.

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President Biden spoke earlier today with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The President reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security following the successful defense against Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack earlier this month. They also reviewed ongoing talks to secure the release of hostages together with an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The President referred to his statement with 17 other world leaders demanding that Hamas release their citizens without delay to secure a ceasefire and relief for the people of Gaza. The President and the Prime Minister also discussed increases in the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza including through preparations to open new northern crossings starting this week. The President stressed the need for this progress to be sustained and enhanced in full coordination with humanitarian organizations. The leaders discussed Rafah and the President reiterated his clear position.

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Washington Hilton
Washington, D.C.

8:12 P.M. EDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, thank you, thank you. 
 
You think your Irish grandparents are wondering.  (Laughter.)  My great-great grandparents who got here in 1846 are going, “What in the hell is going on?”  (Laughter.)
 
I want to thank you for the warm welcome.  But please, not so loud.  (Laughter.)  Donald is listening.  “Sleepy Don.”  (Laughter.)  I kind of like that.  I may use that again.   
 
Kelly O’Donnell, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, thank you for having me.
 
MS. O’DONNELL:  Thank you, sir.  (Applause.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  But, Kelly O., let’s be honest, you’re way too young to be president.  (Laughter.)
 
It’s been a year since I delivered this speech.  And my wife, Jill, who is with me tonight, was worried how I’d do.  I told her, “Don’t worry.  It’s just like riding a bike.”  She said, “That’s what I’m worried about.”  (Laughter.)
 
Of course, the 2024 election is in full swing.  And, yes, age is an issue.  I’m a grown man running against a six-year-old.  (Laughter and applause.)
 
But I feel great.  I really feel great.  I’m campaigning all over the country: Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina.  I always done well in the original 13 colonies.  (Laughter.)
 
And speaking of history, did you hear what Donald just said about the major Civil War battle?  Quote, “Gettysburg.  Wow.”  (Laughter.)
 
Trump’s speech was so embarrassing, the statue of Robert E.  Lee surrendered again.  (Laughter.)
 
But, look — (laughs) — age is the only thing we have in common.  My Vice President actually endorses me.  (Laughter.)
 
I’ve had a great stretch since the State of the Union.  But Donald has had a few tough days lately.  You might call it stormy weather.  (Laughter.)  What the hell.  (Laughter.)
 
Trump is so desperate, he started reading those bibles he’s selling.  (Laughter.)
 
Then he got to the First Commandment, “You shall have no other Gods before me.”  That’s when he put it down and said, “This book is not for me.”  (Laughter.)
 
Look, being here is a reminder that folks think what’s going on in Congress is political theater.  But that’s not true.  If Congress were a theater, they’d have thrown out Lauren Boebert a long time ago.  (Laughter and applause.)
 
Now, to all of my friends in the press — and Fox News — (laughter) — some of you complain that I don’t take enough of your questions.  No comment.  (Laughter.)
 
Of course, the New York Times issued a statement blasting me for, quote, “actively and effectively avoiding independent journalists.”
 
Hey, if that’s what it takes to get the New York Times to say I’m active and effective, I’m for it.  (Laughter.)  It’s okay.
 
I have hi- — higher standards.  I do interviews with strong independent journalists who millions of people actually listen to, like Howard Stern.  (Laughter.)
 
And I know you’re looking around and saying, “This guy has been doing this for 50 years.  He’s had his moment.  Give him some- — give someone else a chance.”
 
To say that, I say, “Lorne, ignore the critics.  Ignore the critics.”  (Laughter.)
 
Lorne is a great friend who has had eight comedians play me over the years on “Saturday Night Live.”  Eight.  And who the hell says I’m not a real job creator?  (Laughter.)
 
Look, Lorne has had even more comedians and actors joke about me.  Like the funny guy on “Weekend Update,” Michael Che.  (Laughter.)  He’s hilarious. 
 
Scarlett Johansson, you did such an incredible job in your State of the Union rebuttal that you should be — do “Weekend Update.”  (Laughter.)  Clearly, you’re — you’re the funny one in the family.  (Laughter.)
 
Look, folks, on a serious note, in addition to marrying up, Colin and I have another thing in common.  (Laughter.)  We both find strength in family. 
 
I got to spend time with his family yesterday in the Oval Office.  Colin’s dad was a high school teacher in Staten Island, and his mom is an incredible woman — a family of firefighters, was the Chief Medical Officer in New York City Fire Department on 9/11.  As a doctor, she rushed to Ground Zero, risking her own life, treating and saving fellow first responders.  Rushing into danger for others for others is my definition of patriotism and heroism.  (Applause.)
 
And so is what all of you do when you report truth over lies.  That’s why I want to close tonight with my genuine thanks to the free press. 
 
There are some who call you the “enemy of the people.”  That’s wrong, and it’s dangerous.  You literally risk your lives doing your job.  You do.  (Applause.)
 
Covering everything from natural disasters to pandemics to wars and so much more.  And some of your colleagues have given their lives, and many have suffered grievous injuries.  Other reporters have lost their freedom. 
 
Journalism is clearly not a crime.  Not here, not there, not anywhere in the world.  (Applause.)
 
And Putin should release Evan and Alsu immediately.  (Applause.) 
 
Just as we’re doing everything we can — we’re doing everything we can to bring home journalists — fellow journalists Austin and all Americans, like Paul Whelan, you know, who — wrongfully detained all around the world. 
 
And I give you my word as a Biden, we’re not going to give up until we get them home.  All of them.  All of them.  (Applause.)
 
On the third anniversary of January 6th, I went to Valley Forge.  And I said the most urgent question of our time is whether democracy is still — is still the sacred cause of America.  That is the question the American people must answer this year.  And you, the free press, play a critical role in making sure the American people have the information they need to make an informed decision. 
 
The defeated former President has made no secret of his attack on our democracy.  He has said he wants to be a “dictator on day one,” and so much more.
 
He tells supporters he is their “revenge” and “retribution.”  When in God’s name have you heard another president say something like that?  And he promised a “bloodbath” when he loses again.  We have to take this seriously.
 
Eight years ago, you could have written off it as just Trump talk.  But no longer.  Not after January 6th. 
 
I’m sincerely not asking of you to take sides but asking you to rise up to the seriousness of the moment; move past the horserace numbers and the gotcha moments and the distractions, the sideshows that have come to dominate and sensantio- — sensationalize our politics; and focus on what’s actually at stake.  I think, in your hearts, you know what’s at stake.  The stakes couldn’t be higher.
 
Every single one of us has roles to play — a serious role to play in making sure democracy endures — American democracy.  I have my role, but, with all due respect, so do you. 
 
In the age of disinformation, credible information that people can trust is more important than ever.  And that makes you — and I mean this from the bottom of my heart — it makes you more important than ever.
 
So, tonight, I’d like to make a toast. 
 
To a free press, to an informed citizenry, to an America where freedom and democracy endure.  God bless America.  (Applause.)
 
(The President offers a toast.) 
 
Now, I’m going to turn it over to Kelly, then you’ll hear from a real comedian.  (Laughter.) 
 
I think I know what I’m in for.  You know, Colin Jost has taken aim at me before with his jokes.
 
MS. O’DONNELL:  Oh, I’m sure.  You ready?
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Like saying, “After winning the South Carolina primary, Biden barely edged out his closest rival: time.”  (Laughter.)
 
Colin, when I win, I’m going to have a whole hell of a lot of time, and I’m going to be watching, pal.  (Laughter.)
 
Kelly, back to you.  (Applause.)
 
8:22 P.M. EDT

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Washington Hilton
Washington, D.C.

8:12 P.M. EDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, thank you, thank you. 
 
You think your Irish grandparents are wondering.  (Laughter.)  My great-great grandparents who got here in 1846 are going, “What in the hell is going on?”  (Laughter.)
 
I want to thank you for the warm welcome.  But please, not so loud.  (Laughter.)  Donald is listening.  “Sleepy Don.”  (Laughter.)  I kind of like that.  I may use that again.   
 
Kelly O’Donnell, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, thank you for having me.
 
MS. O’DONNELL:  Thank you, sir.  (Applause.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  But, Kelly O., let’s be honest, you’re way too young to be president.  (Laughter.)
 
It’s been a year since I delivered this speech.  And my wife, Jill, who is with me tonight, was worried how I’d do.  I told her, “Don’t worry.  It’s just like riding a bike.”  She said, “That’s what I’m worried about.”  (Laughter.)
 
Of course, the 2024 election is in full swing.  And, yes, age is an issue.  I’m a grown man running against a six-year-old.  (Laughter and applause.)
 
But I feel great.  I really feel great.  I’m campaigning all over the country: Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina.  I always done well in the original 13 colonies.  (Laughter.)
 
And speaking of history, did you hear what Donald just said about the major Civil War battle?  Quote, “Gettysburg.  Wow.”  (Laughter.)
 
Trump’s speech was so embarrassing, the statue of Robert E.  Lee surrendered again.  (Laughter.)
 
But, look — (laughs) — age is the only thing we have in common.  My Vice President actually endorses me.  (Laughter.)
 
I’ve had a great stretch since the State of the Union.  But Donald has had a few tough days lately.  You might call it stormy weather.  (Laughter.)  What the hell.  (Laughter.)
 
Trump is so desperate, he started reading those bibles he’s selling.  (Laughter.)
 
Then he got to the First Commandment, “You shall have no other Gods before me.”  That’s when he put it down and said, “This book is not for me.”  (Laughter.)
 
Look, being here is a reminder that folks think what’s going on in Congress is political theater.  But that’s not true.  If Congress were a theater, they’d have thrown out Lauren Boebert a long time ago.  (Laughter and applause.)
 
Now, to all of my friends in the press — and Fox News — (laughter) — some of you complain that I don’t take enough of your questions.  No comment.  (Laughter.)
 
Of course, the New York Times issued a statement blasting me for, quote, “actively and effectively avoiding independent journalists.”
 
Hey, if that’s what it takes to get the New York Times to say I’m active and effective, I’m for it.  (Laughter.)  It’s okay.
 
I have hi- — higher standards.  I do interviews with strong independent journalists who millions of people actually listen to, like Howard Stern.  (Laughter.)
 
And I know you’re looking around and saying, “This guy has been doing this for 50 years.  He’s had his moment.  Give him some- — give someone else a chance.”
 
To say that, I say, “Lorne, ignore the critics.  Ignore the critics.”  (Laughter.)
 
Lorne is a great friend who has had eight comedians play me over the years on “Saturday Night Live.”  Eight.  And who the hell says I’m not a real job creator?  (Laughter.)
 
Look, Lorne has had even more comedians and actors joke about me.  Like the funny guy on “Weekend Update,” Michael Che.  (Laughter.)  He’s hilarious. 
 
Scarlett Johansson, you did such an incredible job in your State of the Union rebuttal that you should be — do “Weekend Update.”  (Laughter.)  Clearly, you’re — you’re the funny one in the family.  (Laughter.)
 
Look, folks, on a serious note, in addition to marrying up, Colin and I have another thing in common.  (Laughter.)  We both find strength in family. 
 
I got to spend time with his family yesterday in the Oval Office.  Colin’s dad was a high school teacher in Staten Island, and his mom is an incredible woman — a family of firefighters, was the Chief Medical Officer in New York City Fire Department on 9/11.  As a doctor, she rushed to Ground Zero, risking her own life, treating and saving fellow first responders.  Rushing into danger for others for others is my definition of patriotism and heroism.  (Applause.)
 
And so is what all of you do when you report truth over lies.  That’s why I want to close tonight with my genuine thanks to the free press. 
 
There are some who call you the “enemy of the people.”  That’s wrong, and it’s dangerous.  You literally risk your lives doing your job.  You do.  (Applause.)
 
Covering everything from natural disasters to pandemics to wars and so much more.  And some of your colleagues have given their lives, and many have suffered grievous injuries.  Other reporters have lost their freedom. 
 
Journalism is clearly not a crime.  Not here, not there, not anywhere in the world.  (Applause.)
 
And Putin should release Evan and Alsu immediately.  (Applause.) 
 
Just as we’re doing everything we can — we’re doing everything we can to bring home journalists — fellow journalists Austin and all Americans, like Paul Whelan, you know, who — wrongfully detained all around the world. 
 
And I give you my word as a Biden, we’re not going to give up until we get them home.  All of them.  All of them.  (Applause.)
 
On the third anniversary of January 6th, I went to Valley Forge.  And I said the most urgent question of our time is whether democracy is still — is still the sacred cause of America.  That is the question the American people must answer this year.  And you, the free press, play a critical role in making sure the American people have the information they need to make an informed decision. 
 
The defeated former President has made no secret of his attack on our democracy.  He has said he wants to be a “dictator on day one,” and so much more.
 
He tells supporters he is their “revenge” and “retribution.”  When in God’s name have you heard another president say something like that?  And he promised a “bloodbath” when he loses again.  We have to take this seriously.
 
Eight years ago, you could have written off it as just Trump talk.  But no longer.  Not after January 6th. 
 
I’m sincerely not asking of you to take sides but asking you to rise up to the seriousness of the moment; move past the horserace numbers and the gotcha moments and the distractions, the sideshows that have come to dominate and sensantio- — sensationalize our politics; and focus on what’s actually at stake.  I think, in your hearts, you know what’s at stake.  The stakes couldn’t be higher.
 
Every single one of us has roles to play — a serious role to play in making sure democracy endures — American democracy.  I have my role, but, with all due respect, so do you. 
 
In the age of disinformation, credible information that people can trust is more important than ever.  And that makes you — and I mean this from the bottom of my heart — it makes you more important than ever.
 
So, tonight, I’d like to make a toast. 
 
To a free press, to an informed citizenry, to an America where freedom and democracy endure.  God bless America.  (Applause.)
 
(The President offers a toast.) 
 
Now, I’m going to turn it over to Kelly, then you’ll hear from a real comedian.  (Laughter.) 
 
I think I know what I’m in for.  You know, Colin Jost has taken aim at me before with his jokes.
 
MS. O’DONNELL:  Oh, I’m sure.  You ready?
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Like saying, “After winning the South Carolina primary, Biden barely edged out his closest rival: time.”  (Laughter.)
 
Colin, when I win, I’m going to have a whole hell of a lot of time, and I’m going to be watching, pal.  (Laughter.)
 
Kelly, back to you.  (Applause.)
 
8:22 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner appeared first on The White House.

President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda is providing unprecedented resources for K-12 schools to invest in healthier, more sustainable buildings and infrastructure—from removing lead pipes, to installing clean, reliable solar energy, to purchasing electric school buses. Schools across the country are putting these funds to use to cut harmful air pollution, including climate pollution, and invest in equitable, healthy, resilient, and sustainable schools. To ensure that schools have access to the many resources and technical assistance available to them through the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Administration is today hosting the first-ever White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds.
 
Over 90 students, teachers, advocates, school administrators, facilities and grounds experts, and labor leaders will come together at the White House alongside the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency to discuss deployment of the unprecedented levels of federal funding available for school infrastructure, clean energy, and healthy schools. The White House Summit will highlight stories from schools across America where communities are taking action to create more sustainable buildings and grounds that tackle the climate crisis, improve learning, and protect children’s health. The Summit will also underscore the opportunities for good-paying, union jobs—including jobs that don’t require a college degree—made available by the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic clean energy agenda. Participants will also have the opportunity to join an in-person workshop on the new “direct pay” provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, which are helping schools to directly access the benefits of clean energy tax credits for the first time ever.
 
Promoting Efficient and Healthy Schools
Alongside the Summit, the Biden-Harris Administration is releasing the 2024 White House Toolkit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 Schools. Designed for use by schools, the toolkit provides an overview of school infrastructure funding, programs, and technical assistance made available by the Biden-Harris Administration to support schools, teachers, and students in achieving energy efficiency, resilience to extreme weather, and cleaner air, water, and transportation. These include programs like the Department of Energy’s Renew America’s Schools Prize, which is providing $500 million to make energy efficiency, clean energy, and clean vehicles accessible for schools across the country—and is open for applications now. It also includes EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, which is providing $5 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to replace polluting diesel school buses with zero- and low-emissions models. The program has already funded over 5,000 clean school buses, providing cleaner air for communities and protecting children from asthma.
 
These programs also advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, clean transit, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
 
Recognizing Climate Leaders in Schools Across America
Today the U.S. Department of Energy is also announcing honorees for its Efficient and Healthy Schools Program. This program recognizes and assists school districts seeking to implement high-impact indoor air quality and efficiency improvements—like Livonia Public Schools in Michigan, which was honored for optimizing their operations to improve building performance. Others, like Broward County Public Schools in Florida, received recognition for implementing efficient and effective HVAC retrofits and other energy-saving measures, while Canajoharie Central School District in New York was honored for developing a comprehensive energy plan. These improvements will reduce energy bills and improve student and teacher health in schools across the country.
 
To date, 202 school districts in 45 states have joined the program, representing over 5 million students in over 8,400 individual schools—70% of which qualify for Title 1 federal funding on the basis of serving a high percentage of low-income students. The full list of 2024 U.S. Department of Energy Efficient and Healthy Schools Honorees can be found here. Additionally, earlier today U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced the 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees. 41 schools, 10 districts, three postsecondary institutions, and one early learning center from 24 states are being honored for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and offer effective sustainability education. Over the past decade, the award has recognized the work of over 750 schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions across 47 states. Learn more about the 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Honorees here.
 
Today’s Summit and announcements build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions to build healthier, more sustainable schools:

• Direct Pay for Clean Energy.  In March, the Treasury Department finalized rules for direct pay (officially known as “elective pay”) of certain tax credits. By authorizing direct pay, the Inflation Reduction Act for the first time makes tax-exempt entities, including schools, eligible to access clean energy tax credits and to fully participate in building and owning new clean energy projects. Schools can leverage these tax credits for clean energy investments such as solar, wind, geothermal, and storage, as well as for purchasing clean school buses and other clean vehicles. For example:
  • Manchester Public Schools (CT) anticipates receiving $2.5 million in tax credits from the IRS for installing ground source heat pumps and solar panels at Bowers Elementary School in 2023.
  • Seattle Public Schools (WA) anticipates receiving $7.5 million in tax credits from the IRS for installing ground source heat pumps and solar panels at 3 elementary schools in 2023.
  • Williamsfield Schools (IL) anticipates receiving $100,000 in tax credits from the IRS for 7 Electric School Buses funded through the EPA Clean School Bus rebates and 11 Electric Vehicle charging stations that were put into service in 2023.
     
• Clean School Buses. In January, EPA preliminarily selected 67 applicants to receive nearly $1 billion in funding under the 2023 Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition. Selected applicants will purchase over 2,700 clean school buses in 280 school districts, serving over 7 million students across 37 states. To date, the EPA Clean School Bus Program has awarded nearly $2 billion and funded approximately 5,000 electric and low-emission school buses nationwide. EPA anticipates announcing the awards for the 2023 Clean School Bus Program Rebates Competition in May 2024.
   
• Replacing Lead Pipes for Clean Drinking Water. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $15 billion toward President Biden’s commitment to replace every toxic lead pipe in the country within a decade, protecting children and schools from lead exposure that can cause irreversible harm to cognitive development and hamper children’s learning. In February, Vice President Harris traveled to Pittsburgh to announce $5.8 billion for clean water projects nationwide, including lead pipe replacement. Earlier this year, EPA announced $58 million in 2024 grant funding to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities.
   
• Investing in Disadvantaged Communities and Environmental Justice. EPA is currently accepting applications for $2 billion in Community Change Grants that can be used by schools to reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and other environmental and climate justice activities that benefit disadvantaged communities, such as facility improvements that improve air quality. Dedicated technical assistance is available to eligible applicants for application support, project planning, and more.
   
• Improving Indoor Air Quality.  Later this year, EPA will also award $32 million in grant funding to up to 6 organizations that will help K-12 schools in low-income, disadvantaged, and Tribal communities across the country develop and implement comprehensive indoor air quality (IAQ) management plans that address air pollution and improve energy efficiency of school facilities.
   
• Launching the 2024 Renew America’s School Prize. In March, DOE’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs launched its second round of funding under the 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize, a $180 million investment to support improvements like HVAC upgrades, renewable energy installations, lighting, alternative-fuel vehicle infrastructure, and more in K-12 public schools. In particular, the prize focuses on schools that serve disadvantaged communities. Submissions for the 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize are due by June 13. This prize builds on the first round of funding, which awarded $178 million in 2023 to over 90 school facilities across the country, impacting approximately 74,000 students and 5,000 teachers.
   
• Supporting America’s School Infrastructure. In November, the Department of Education awarded over $40 million in funding to eight Supporting America’s School Infrastructure (SASI) state grantees to conduct school facility needs assessments in high-need school districts, hire new staff, and develop or improve public school infrastructure data systems, among other actions.

###

The post FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Hosts First-Ever White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy Schools appeared first on The White House.

President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda is providing unprecedented resources for K-12 schools to invest in healthier, more sustainable buildings and infrastructure—from removing lead pipes, to installing clean, reliable solar energy, to purchasing electric school buses. Schools across the country are putting these funds to use to cut harmful air pollution, including climate pollution, and invest in equitable, healthy, resilient, and sustainable schools. To ensure that schools have access to the many resources and technical assistance available to them through the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Administration is today hosting the first-ever White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds.
 
Over 90 students, teachers, advocates, school administrators, facilities and grounds experts, and labor leaders will come together at the White House alongside the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency to discuss deployment of the unprecedented levels of federal funding available for school infrastructure, clean energy, and healthy schools. The White House Summit will highlight stories from schools across America where communities are taking action to create more sustainable buildings and grounds that tackle the climate crisis, improve learning, and protect children’s health. The Summit will also underscore the opportunities for good-paying, union jobs—including jobs that don’t require a college degree—made available by the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic clean energy agenda. Participants will also have the opportunity to join an in-person workshop on the new “direct pay” provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, which are helping schools to directly access the benefits of clean energy tax credits for the first time ever.
 
Promoting Efficient and Healthy Schools
Alongside the Summit, the Biden-Harris Administration is releasing the 2024 White House Toolkit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 Schools. Designed for use by schools, the toolkit provides an overview of school infrastructure funding, programs, and technical assistance made available by the Biden-Harris Administration to support schools, teachers, and students in achieving energy efficiency, resilience to extreme weather, and cleaner air, water, and transportation. These include programs like the Department of Energy’s Renew America’s Schools Prize, which is providing $500 million to make energy efficiency, clean energy, and clean vehicles accessible for schools across the country—and is open for applications now. It also includes EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, which is providing $5 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to replace polluting diesel school buses with zero- and low-emissions models. The program has already funded over 5,000 clean school buses, providing cleaner air for communities and protecting children from asthma.
 
These programs also advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, clean transit, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
 
Recognizing Climate Leaders in Schools Across America
Today the U.S. Department of Energy is also announcing honorees for its Efficient and Healthy Schools Program. This program recognizes and assists school districts seeking to implement high-impact indoor air quality and efficiency improvements—like Livonia Public Schools in Michigan, which was honored for optimizing their operations to improve building performance. Others, like Broward County Public Schools in Florida, received recognition for implementing efficient and effective HVAC retrofits and other energy-saving measures, while Canajoharie Central School District in New York was honored for developing a comprehensive energy plan. These improvements will reduce energy bills and improve student and teacher health in schools across the country.
 
To date, 202 school districts in 45 states have joined the program, representing over 5 million students in over 8,400 individual schools—70% of which qualify for Title 1 federal funding on the basis of serving a high percentage of low-income students. The full list of 2024 U.S. Department of Energy Efficient and Healthy Schools Honorees can be found here. Additionally, earlier today U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced the 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees. 41 schools, 10 districts, three postsecondary institutions, and one early learning center from 24 states are being honored for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and offer effective sustainability education. Over the past decade, the award has recognized the work of over 750 schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions across 47 states. Learn more about the 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Honorees here.
 
Today’s Summit and announcements build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions to build healthier, more sustainable schools:

• Direct Pay for Clean Energy.  In March, the Treasury Department finalized rules for direct pay (officially known as “elective pay”) of certain tax credits. By authorizing direct pay, the Inflation Reduction Act for the first time makes tax-exempt entities, including schools, eligible to access clean energy tax credits and to fully participate in building and owning new clean energy projects. Schools can leverage these tax credits for clean energy investments such as solar, wind, geothermal, and storage, as well as for purchasing clean school buses and other clean vehicles. For example:
  • Manchester Public Schools (CT) anticipates receiving $2.5 million in tax credits from the IRS for installing ground source heat pumps and solar panels at Bowers Elementary School in 2023.
  • Seattle Public Schools (WA) anticipates receiving $7.5 million in tax credits from the IRS for installing ground source heat pumps and solar panels at 3 elementary schools in 2023.
  • Williamsfield Schools (IL) anticipates receiving $100,000 in tax credits from the IRS for 7 Electric School Buses funded through the EPA Clean School Bus rebates and 11 Electric Vehicle charging stations that were put into service in 2023.
     
• Clean School Buses. In January, EPA preliminarily selected 67 applicants to receive nearly $1 billion in funding under the 2023 Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition. Selected applicants will purchase over 2,700 clean school buses in 280 school districts, serving over 7 million students across 37 states. To date, the EPA Clean School Bus Program has awarded nearly $2 billion and funded approximately 5,000 electric and low-emission school buses nationwide. EPA anticipates announcing the awards for the 2023 Clean School Bus Program Rebates Competition in May 2024.
   
• Replacing Lead Pipes for Clean Drinking Water. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $15 billion toward President Biden’s commitment to replace every toxic lead pipe in the country within a decade, protecting children and schools from lead exposure that can cause irreversible harm to cognitive development and hamper children’s learning. In February, Vice President Harris traveled to Pittsburgh to announce $5.8 billion for clean water projects nationwide, including lead pipe replacement. Earlier this year, EPA announced $58 million in 2024 grant funding to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities.
   
• Investing in Disadvantaged Communities and Environmental Justice. EPA is currently accepting applications for $2 billion in Community Change Grants that can be used by schools to reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and other environmental and climate justice activities that benefit disadvantaged communities, such as facility improvements that improve air quality. Dedicated technical assistance is available to eligible applicants for application support, project planning, and more.
   
• Improving Indoor Air Quality.  Later this year, EPA will also award $32 million in grant funding to up to 6 organizations that will help K-12 schools in low-income, disadvantaged, and Tribal communities across the country develop and implement comprehensive indoor air quality (IAQ) management plans that address air pollution and improve energy efficiency of school facilities.
   
• Launching the 2024 Renew America’s School Prize. In March, DOE’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs launched its second round of funding under the 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize, a $180 million investment to support improvements like HVAC upgrades, renewable energy installations, lighting, alternative-fuel vehicle infrastructure, and more in K-12 public schools. In particular, the prize focuses on schools that serve disadvantaged communities. Submissions for the 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize are due by June 13. This prize builds on the first round of funding, which awarded $178 million in 2023 to over 90 school facilities across the country, impacting approximately 74,000 students and 5,000 teachers.
   
• Supporting America’s School Infrastructure. In November, the Department of Education awarded over $40 million in funding to eight Supporting America’s School Infrastructure (SASI) state grantees to conduct school facility needs assessments in high-need school districts, hire new staff, and develop or improve public school infrastructure data systems, among other actions.

###

The post FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Hosts First-Ever White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy Schools appeared first on The White House.

     Small businesses are the engine of our economy and the heart and soul of our communities.  They employ nearly half of all private sector workers and contribute to every industry.  Getting them what they need to grow is one of the best investments our country can make.  During National Small Business Week, we celebrate the grit and strength of every entrepreneur who has chased a dream and put in the hard work each day to see their business and our Nation thrive.

     When I took office, the pandemic was raging, and our economy was reeling.  Hundreds of thousands of small businesses had closed forever, and millions more hung on by a thread.  Too many families faced the possibility of losing not only their life’s work but also their hopes of leaving something behind for their kids.  But we turned that around.  My Administration reformed the landmark Paycheck Protection Program, which got quick help to thousands of small businesses so they could keep paying their workers.  We delivered $450 billion in relief to help 6 million small businesses cover their bills and stay afloat.  I signed the American Rescue Plan, which provided additional support to 100,000 restaurants and to 225,000 child care centers, which so many parents rely on to be able to work themselves. 

     Three years later, America is in the midst of a historic small business boom.  Americans have filed a record 17 million new business applications — and every one of them is an act of hope.  The share of Black-owned businesses has more than doubled between 2019 and 2022, and Latino business ownership is growing at the fastest pace in at least a decade, generating new jobs and new wealth in local communities.  In all, our economy has added 15 million new jobs since I took office.  Growth is strong, wages are rising, and inflation is down.  We are witnessing a small business boom.  Across the country, we are experiencing a great comeback story — and small businesses are playing a key part. 

     From day one, they have been at the heart of my plan to grow our economy from the middle out and bottom up.  That is why — as my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes the biggest investment in our Nation’s infrastructure in generations, rebuilding roads, bridges, ports, public transit, and more — we are relying on America’s Main Street entrepreneurs to help us rebuild.  We set a goal of awarding $37 billion in these investments to small businesses so they can benefit from these projects and create good-paying jobs.  We are making sure every home and business in America has access to affordable, high-speed internet by the end of the decade so entrepreneurs everywhere can access more customers and have a fair shot.  We passed the CHIPS and Science Act to expand semiconductor manufacturing and ensure industries of the future are Made in America, creating tens of thousands of jobs, strengthening supply chains, and supporting small suppliers and businesses across the country.  As our Inflation Reduction Act makes the most significant investment in fighting climate change ever in the world, it is creating new markets for small clean-energy companies.  Altogether, my Investing in America Agenda has attracted $688 billion in private-sector investments from companies that are bringing jobs back to America where they belong, helping to rebuild our economy, our supply chains, and our small businesses. 

     To help small businesses grow, we are also expanding access to capital and to markets by using the power of the Federal Government as both a lender and customer.  Mom and pop businesses with only a handful of employees often need small loans of $100,000 or less, but not all banks offer them.  That is why the Small Business Administration (SBA) is expanding access to low-cost small-dollar loans and increasing the number of lenders that offer affordable guaranteed loans.  The SBA finalized rules that will provide rural and minority-, women-, and veteran-owned small businesses with more affordable loan options by authorizing more non-traditional lenders, like Community Development Financial Institutions, to offer guaranteed loans.  Because the Federal Government buys more goods and services than any entity in the world, we set a goal of increasing the share of Federal contracting dollars that must go to small disadvantaged businesses from less than 10 percent before I took office to 15 percent.  Last year, we awarded a record-setting $76 billion to these businesses, helping level the playing field and close the racial wealth gap.

     Meanwhile, we invested $10 billion in State-level small-business programs, which will catalyze tens of billions in private investments to expand access to capital for small businesses and entrepreneurs.  Further, my Administration has invested nearly $70 million in the Women’s Business Centers network, which is designed to promote and support women-owned businesses and can now be found in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. 

     Small businesses may only employ a few people instead of thousands, but together they make up 40 percent of our economy and 99.9 percent of all American businesses.  They are the glue that helps hold our Nation together.  In their dedication to their communities and in their courage, hope, sweat, and drive, small business owners embody the spirit of America and our boundless possibilities.  This week, we recommit to making that future real and leaving no one behind. 

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 28 through May 4, 2024, as National Small Business Week.  I call upon all Americans to recognize the contributions of small businesses to the American economy, continue supporting them, and honor the occasion with programs and activities that highlight these important businesses.

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

                     JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on National Small Business Week, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

     Small businesses are the engine of our economy and the heart and soul of our communities.  They employ nearly half of all private sector workers and contribute to every industry.  Getting them what they need to grow is one of the best investments our country can make.  During National Small Business Week, we celebrate the grit and strength of every entrepreneur who has chased a dream and put in the hard work each day to see their business and our Nation thrive.

     When I took office, the pandemic was raging, and our economy was reeling.  Hundreds of thousands of small businesses had closed forever, and millions more hung on by a thread.  Too many families faced the possibility of losing not only their life’s work but also their hopes of leaving something behind for their kids.  But we turned that around.  My Administration reformed the landmark Paycheck Protection Program, which got quick help to thousands of small businesses so they could keep paying their workers.  We delivered $450 billion in relief to help 6 million small businesses cover their bills and stay afloat.  I signed the American Rescue Plan, which provided additional support to 100,000 restaurants and to 225,000 child care centers, which so many parents rely on to be able to work themselves. 

     Three years later, America is in the midst of a historic small business boom.  Americans have filed a record 17 million new business applications — and every one of them is an act of hope.  The share of Black-owned businesses has more than doubled between 2019 and 2022, and Latino business ownership is growing at the fastest pace in at least a decade, generating new jobs and new wealth in local communities.  In all, our economy has added 15 million new jobs since I took office.  Growth is strong, wages are rising, and inflation is down.  We are witnessing a small business boom.  Across the country, we are experiencing a great comeback story — and small businesses are playing a key part. 

     From day one, they have been at the heart of my plan to grow our economy from the middle out and bottom up.  That is why — as my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes the biggest investment in our Nation’s infrastructure in generations, rebuilding roads, bridges, ports, public transit, and more — we are relying on America’s Main Street entrepreneurs to help us rebuild.  We set a goal of awarding $37 billion in these investments to small businesses so they can benefit from these projects and create good-paying jobs.  We are making sure every home and business in America has access to affordable, high-speed internet by the end of the decade so entrepreneurs everywhere can access more customers and have a fair shot.  We passed the CHIPS and Science Act to expand semiconductor manufacturing and ensure industries of the future are Made in America, creating tens of thousands of jobs, strengthening supply chains, and supporting small suppliers and businesses across the country.  As our Inflation Reduction Act makes the most significant investment in fighting climate change ever in the world, it is creating new markets for small clean-energy companies.  Altogether, my Investing in America Agenda has attracted $688 billion in private-sector investments from companies that are bringing jobs back to America where they belong, helping to rebuild our economy, our supply chains, and our small businesses. 

     To help small businesses grow, we are also expanding access to capital and to markets by using the power of the Federal Government as both a lender and customer.  Mom and pop businesses with only a handful of employees often need small loans of $100,000 or less, but not all banks offer them.  That is why the Small Business Administration (SBA) is expanding access to low-cost small-dollar loans and increasing the number of lenders that offer affordable guaranteed loans.  The SBA finalized rules that will provide rural and minority-, women-, and veteran-owned small businesses with more affordable loan options by authorizing more non-traditional lenders, like Community Development Financial Institutions, to offer guaranteed loans.  Because the Federal Government buys more goods and services than any entity in the world, we set a goal of increasing the share of Federal contracting dollars that must go to small disadvantaged businesses from less than 10 percent before I took office to 15 percent.  Last year, we awarded a record-setting $76 billion to these businesses, helping level the playing field and close the racial wealth gap.

     Meanwhile, we invested $10 billion in State-level small-business programs, which will catalyze tens of billions in private investments to expand access to capital for small businesses and entrepreneurs.  Further, my Administration has invested nearly $70 million in the Women’s Business Centers network, which is designed to promote and support women-owned businesses and can now be found in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. 

     Small businesses may only employ a few people instead of thousands, but together they make up 40 percent of our economy and 99.9 percent of all American businesses.  They are the glue that helps hold our Nation together.  In their dedication to their communities and in their courage, hope, sweat, and drive, small business owners embody the spirit of America and our boundless possibilities.  This week, we recommit to making that future real and leaving no one behind. 

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 28 through May 4, 2024, as National Small Business Week.  I call upon all Americans to recognize the contributions of small businesses to the American economy, continue supporting them, and honor the occasion with programs and activities that highlight these important businesses.

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

                     JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on National Small Business Week, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

A job is about more than a paycheck — it is about dignity and respect.  Our Nation’s workers built this country, and we need to have their backs.  On the most basic level, that means every worker in this Nation deserves to be safe on the job.  Too many still risk their lives or well-being in unsafe work conditions or dangerous roles.  On Workers Memorial Day, we honor our fallen and injured workers and recommit to making sure every worker has the peace of mind of knowing that they are protected at work and can return home safe to their families every night.

I am proud to be the most pro-labor President in history, and from day one, my Administration has fought to make workplaces safer and fairer.  Our American Rescue Plan invested $200 million into keeping workers safe during the pandemic and guaranteeing that workers had sick leave available if they got COVID-19.  We also used the full power of the Defense Production Act to deliver personal protective equipment to workers who needed it.  We vaccinated 230 million Americans so they could return to offices, stores, factory floors, and more without worrying about their health. 

Strong unions are at the core of all of this work.  Every major law that protects workers’ safety passed because unions fought for it.  That is why, as my Administration makes the biggest investment in our Nation’s infrastructure in generations, we are also incentivizing companies to hire union workers, pay prevailing wages, and support pre-apprenticeships and Registered Apprenticeships that help workers learn how to safely do the job.  At the same time, my Administration finalized a rule requiring Project Labor Agreements for most large-scale Federal construction projects, helping ensure these projects are completed safely, efficiently, and on time.

I am proud of my work standing up for unions, from being the first sitting President to walk a picket line to nominating union advocates to the National Labor Relations Board, which has helped protect the right to organize.  I also signed Executive Orders restoring and expanding collective bargaining rights for the Federal workforce, and I re-established labor-management forums at Federal agencies to ensure Federal workers on the job are heard.  I signed the Butch Lewis Act, protecting the pensions that millions of Americans worked their whole lives for.  I have expanded coverage through the Affordable Care Act and slashed prescription drug prices, making health care more affordable for millions of working families. 

At the same time, the Department of Labor has also made it easier for whistleblowers to report unsafe working conditions, regardless of their immigration status, and are hiring and training hundreds of workplace inspectors to ensure employers are meeting health and safety requirements.  Last year, my Administration issued the first-ever heat Hazard Alert to protect millions of farm, construction, and other workers who spend their days outside in increasingly extreme heat.  We also finalized a new rule to limit miners’ exposure to toxic silica dust — protecting more than 250,000 from its harmful effects.  The Department of Labor has also ramped up the enforcement of heat-safety rules, conducting more than 4,000 heat inspections in the past 2 years.  They have also completed over 65,000 workplace safety and health inspections since 2022, helping keep workers in high-risk industries safe.  Further, my Administration published a rule that allows workers to choose a representative to accompany an Occupational Safety and Health Administration official during a workplace inspection, ensuring workers are being heard.  The Department of Labor is working to develop a national standard to protect indoor and outdoor workers from extreme heat that can be hazardous to their health.

We are also fighting for the courageous first responders who routinely run toward danger to protect the rest of us.  The Department of Labor proposed a rule that would strengthen safety standards for emergency responder equipment, training, and vehicle operations for the first time in more than 40 years.  These new standards would transform many current industry best practices to requirements and could prevent thousands of injuries for more than one million brave first responders across the country.  I was also proud to sign the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, which boosted pay for over 10,000 Federal firefighters to help recruit more to the job, because I know that nothing keeps firefighters safe like more firefighters.  We are also committed to protecting firefighters from the harmful effects of toxic “forever chemicals”, which are still too often found in firefighting equipment and fire suppression agents.  I signed legislation extending the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program to firefighters who are permanently disabled and to families of firefighters who die after experiencing trauma like PTSD — it will not bring their loved ones back, but we owe them.

Today, our Nation is in the midst of a great comeback.  Our economy is growing, wages are rising, and inflation is down.  We have created a record 15 million jobs.  On Workers Memorial Day, we recommit to making sure that every worker in this country is safe on the job.  We honor those who lost their lives or have been injured on the job; we stand by their families; and we stand with the labor unions that are fighting to guarantee every worker safety, dignity, and respect.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 28, 2024, as Workers Memorial Day.  I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate service, community, and education programs and ceremonies in memory of those killed or injured due to unsafe working conditions.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on Workers Memorial Day, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

A job is about more than a paycheck — it is about dignity and respect.  Our Nation’s workers built this country, and we need to have their backs.  On the most basic level, that means every worker in this Nation deserves to be safe on the job.  Too many still risk their lives or well-being in unsafe work conditions or dangerous roles.  On Workers Memorial Day, we honor our fallen and injured workers and recommit to making sure every worker has the peace of mind of knowing that they are protected at work and can return home safe to their families every night.

I am proud to be the most pro-labor President in history, and from day one, my Administration has fought to make workplaces safer and fairer.  Our American Rescue Plan invested $200 million into keeping workers safe during the pandemic and guaranteeing that workers had sick leave available if they got COVID-19.  We also used the full power of the Defense Production Act to deliver personal protective equipment to workers who needed it.  We vaccinated 230 million Americans so they could return to offices, stores, factory floors, and more without worrying about their health. 

Strong unions are at the core of all of this work.  Every major law that protects workers’ safety passed because unions fought for it.  That is why, as my Administration makes the biggest investment in our Nation’s infrastructure in generations, we are also incentivizing companies to hire union workers, pay prevailing wages, and support pre-apprenticeships and Registered Apprenticeships that help workers learn how to safely do the job.  At the same time, my Administration finalized a rule requiring Project Labor Agreements for most large-scale Federal construction projects, helping ensure these projects are completed safely, efficiently, and on time.

I am proud of my work standing up for unions, from being the first sitting President to walk a picket line to nominating union advocates to the National Labor Relations Board, which has helped protect the right to organize.  I also signed Executive Orders restoring and expanding collective bargaining rights for the Federal workforce, and I re-established labor-management forums at Federal agencies to ensure Federal workers on the job are heard.  I signed the Butch Lewis Act, protecting the pensions that millions of Americans worked their whole lives for.  I have expanded coverage through the Affordable Care Act and slashed prescription drug prices, making health care more affordable for millions of working families. 

At the same time, the Department of Labor has also made it easier for whistleblowers to report unsafe working conditions, regardless of their immigration status, and are hiring and training hundreds of workplace inspectors to ensure employers are meeting health and safety requirements.  Last year, my Administration issued the first-ever heat Hazard Alert to protect millions of farm, construction, and other workers who spend their days outside in increasingly extreme heat.  We also finalized a new rule to limit miners’ exposure to toxic silica dust — protecting more than 250,000 from its harmful effects.  The Department of Labor has also ramped up the enforcement of heat-safety rules, conducting more than 4,000 heat inspections in the past 2 years.  They have also completed over 65,000 workplace safety and health inspections since 2022, helping keep workers in high-risk industries safe.  Further, my Administration published a rule that allows workers to choose a representative to accompany an Occupational Safety and Health Administration official during a workplace inspection, ensuring workers are being heard.  The Department of Labor is working to develop a national standard to protect indoor and outdoor workers from extreme heat that can be hazardous to their health.

We are also fighting for the courageous first responders who routinely run toward danger to protect the rest of us.  The Department of Labor proposed a rule that would strengthen safety standards for emergency responder equipment, training, and vehicle operations for the first time in more than 40 years.  These new standards would transform many current industry best practices to requirements and could prevent thousands of injuries for more than one million brave first responders across the country.  I was also proud to sign the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, which boosted pay for over 10,000 Federal firefighters to help recruit more to the job, because I know that nothing keeps firefighters safe like more firefighters.  We are also committed to protecting firefighters from the harmful effects of toxic “forever chemicals”, which are still too often found in firefighting equipment and fire suppression agents.  I signed legislation extending the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program to firefighters who are permanently disabled and to families of firefighters who die after experiencing trauma like PTSD — it will not bring their loved ones back, but we owe them.

Today, our Nation is in the midst of a great comeback.  Our economy is growing, wages are rising, and inflation is down.  We have created a record 15 million jobs.  On Workers Memorial Day, we recommit to making sure that every worker in this country is safe on the job.  We honor those who lost their lives or have been injured on the job; we stand by their families; and we stand with the labor unions that are fighting to guarantee every worker safety, dignity, and respect.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 28, 2024, as Workers Memorial Day.  I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate service, community, and education programs and ceremonies in memory of those killed or injured due to unsafe working conditions.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on Workers Memorial Day, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

While inflation has fallen more than 60% from its peak, today’s report reinforces the importance of our ongoing work to bring costs down. President Biden is fighting to lower the biggest bills families face. The President has secured legislation to lower costs for health care, prescription drugs, and insulin. He has called on Congress to pass his plan to lower housing costs by building one million new homes. And he is banning hidden junk fees and calling on corporations with record profits to pass their savings on to consumers. That’s a sharp contrast with Congressional Republicans, who are fighting for measures that raise costs for health care, housing, and utility bills while cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations.

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The post Statement from National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard on March PCE Report appeared first on The White House.

While inflation has fallen more than 60% from its peak, today’s report reinforces the importance of our ongoing work to bring costs down. President Biden is fighting to lower the biggest bills families face. The President has secured legislation to lower costs for health care, prescription drugs, and insulin. He has called on Congress to pass his plan to lower housing costs by building one million new homes. And he is banning hidden junk fees and calling on corporations with record profits to pass their savings on to consumers. That’s a sharp contrast with Congressional Republicans, who are fighting for measures that raise costs for health care, housing, and utility bills while cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations.

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The post Statement from National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard on March PCE Report appeared first on The White House.