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South Court Auditorium
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

Good evening.

We owe our schools and our communities better. We cannot accept this as normal. We must protect our children and educators from gun violence.

Thank you for being here.

It’s hard to believe that this is one of our last gatherings of educators at the White House.

The day after Joe was inaugurated, nearly four years ago, I began my time as First Lady by thanking our nation’s educators, alongside Randi and Becky.

The pandemic was still raging, so we sat six feet apart. And on that day, I promised you that as long as Joe was in the White House, educators would always have a seat at the table. That promise has been my guiding light over the last four years, and I hope you have felt your impact in all we’ve accomplished together. 

We began this journey together.

I asked Randi and Becky to help gather us again as this chapter comes to a close.

And my message to you is simple: thank you.

Over the last four years, we’ve built an even stronger education system in this country—and it took all of us. Because policies don’t work unless we implement them in our classrooms. And our schools don’t transform lives without educators who are dedicated to this calling.

So thank you.

Thank you for opening your hearts and your classrooms to me, all across the country. For joining me for the first-ever Teachers of the Year State Dinner here at the White House. For coming together during the last election. For using your “teacher voice” to organize and get out the vote.

And I know that you will continue to push our nation forward in the way that only teachers can, making sure that our students are front and center.

Joe and I will be there with you every step of the way.

Most of all, I want to thank you for devoting your lives to our nation’s students through the good days and tough ones, through setbacks and breakthroughs, through careful lesson plans and all the surprises we could never plan for.

Being your First Lady has been the honor of my life. But being your colleague has been the work of my life.

Last Thursday, I taught my last class of the semester, and my final class ever at Northern Virginia Community College.

I will always love this profession, which is why I continued to teach full-time while serving as your First Lady.

And I couldn’t have done it without the love and support of fellow educators.

At every turn, you’ve stood by my side, lifted my spirits, and helped me remember that we’re in this together.

And I will always be grateful to those who lead us forward.

Becky, thank you for being a bold champion of students and educators—and for encouraging them to become change-makers too. You help us set our sights on a brighter future, and show us how to fight for every inch of progress.

Randi, you are a force, and you use your power to lift up educators so that we can lift up our students. You remind us that we are not alone, and that we are unstoppable when we act together.

Joe and I are so grateful to both of you, and all of the educators that you represent.

And now, I’ll turn it over to Randi.

***

Thank you, Becky.

Just a couple of weeks ago, on one of my final overseas trips, the U.S. Ambassador in Qatar told me about how, all of these years later, he still remembers the English teacher who changed his life.

All of us have someone we credit for creating an inflection point in our lives. And you are that someone.

Every day, you see something in your students—a spark of passion, a glimmer of talent—and you say, don’t let the world miss out on your light.

Thanks to you, light shines out of your classrooms, every student a sun ray of your legacy.

We don’t always see how far that light travels.

But right now, someone out there is standing a little taller because you helped them find the confidence they needed.

Someone is working a little harder because you pushed them to try.

Someone is braver because you helped them find their courage.

And someone has become a teacher and mentor to their own students, because all of us are links in an endless chain of educators.

And while the world shifts under our feet, we will always have each other.

So right now, more than anything else, my message to you is this: Lean on each other. Be each other’s strength. And never forget the power of education to transform lives.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, and happy holidays.

###

The post Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Virtual Thank You Event for Educators appeared first on The White House.

South Court Auditorium
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

Good evening.

We owe our schools and our communities better. We cannot accept this as normal. We must protect our children and educators from gun violence.

Thank you for being here.

It’s hard to believe that this is one of our last gatherings of educators at the White House.

The day after Joe was inaugurated, nearly four years ago, I began my time as First Lady by thanking our nation’s educators, alongside Randi and Becky.

The pandemic was still raging, so we sat six feet apart. And on that day, I promised you that as long as Joe was in the White House, educators would always have a seat at the table. That promise has been my guiding light over the last four years, and I hope you have felt your impact in all we’ve accomplished together. 

We began this journey together.

I asked Randi and Becky to help gather us again as this chapter comes to a close.

And my message to you is simple: thank you.

Over the last four years, we’ve built an even stronger education system in this country—and it took all of us. Because policies don’t work unless we implement them in our classrooms. And our schools don’t transform lives without educators who are dedicated to this calling.

So thank you.

Thank you for opening your hearts and your classrooms to me, all across the country. For joining me for the first-ever Teachers of the Year State Dinner here at the White House. For coming together during the last election. For using your “teacher voice” to organize and get out the vote.

And I know that you will continue to push our nation forward in the way that only teachers can, making sure that our students are front and center.

Joe and I will be there with you every step of the way.

Most of all, I want to thank you for devoting your lives to our nation’s students through the good days and tough ones, through setbacks and breakthroughs, through careful lesson plans and all the surprises we could never plan for.

Being your First Lady has been the honor of my life. But being your colleague has been the work of my life.

Last Thursday, I taught my last class of the semester, and my final class ever at Northern Virginia Community College.

I will always love this profession, which is why I continued to teach full-time while serving as your First Lady.

And I couldn’t have done it without the love and support of fellow educators.

At every turn, you’ve stood by my side, lifted my spirits, and helped me remember that we’re in this together.

And I will always be grateful to those who lead us forward.

Becky, thank you for being a bold champion of students and educators—and for encouraging them to become change-makers too. You help us set our sights on a brighter future, and show us how to fight for every inch of progress.

Randi, you are a force, and you use your power to lift up educators so that we can lift up our students. You remind us that we are not alone, and that we are unstoppable when we act together.

Joe and I are so grateful to both of you, and all of the educators that you represent.

And now, I’ll turn it over to Randi.

***

Thank you, Becky.

Just a couple of weeks ago, on one of my final overseas trips, the U.S. Ambassador in Qatar told me about how, all of these years later, he still remembers the English teacher who changed his life.

All of us have someone we credit for creating an inflection point in our lives. And you are that someone.

Every day, you see something in your students—a spark of passion, a glimmer of talent—and you say, don’t let the world miss out on your light.

Thanks to you, light shines out of your classrooms, every student a sun ray of your legacy.

We don’t always see how far that light travels.

But right now, someone out there is standing a little taller because you helped them find the confidence they needed.

Someone is working a little harder because you pushed them to try.

Someone is braver because you helped them find their courage.

And someone has become a teacher and mentor to their own students, because all of us are links in an endless chain of educators.

And while the world shifts under our feet, we will always have each other.

So right now, more than anything else, my message to you is this: Lean on each other. Be each other’s strength. And never forget the power of education to transform lives.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, and happy holidays.

###

The post Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Virtual Thank You Event for Educators appeared first on The White House.

Over the weekend, our nation paused to remember the innocent children and brave educators who were taken from us 12 years ago when someone armed with a weapon of war walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Today, senseless gun violence has once again visited our classrooms as students and teachers in Madison, WI had their last week of school before Christmas break tragically interrupted by a deadly shooting.
 
Doug and I are mourning the student and teacher who were killed and we are praying for all those who were injured, including those who remain hospitalized. We are also thinking of the young people and families who have had their lives forever changed by this act of gun violence. And we are sending our gratitude to the educators, members of law enforcement, first responders, and medical professionals who quickly and selflessly jumped into action to ensure that even more lives were not lost in this community. 
 
As we hold our loved ones closer this holiday season, we must resolve to do everything in our power to end this epidemic that has become the leading cause of death for kids throughout America. While we have made necessary progress together over the last four years, including through the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years and our first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, there is more work to be done to ensure that every person has the freedom to live safe from the horror of gun violence. Congress and state legislatures must make background checks universal, pass red flag and safe storage laws, and ban assault weapons. These commonsense solutions will save lives and make our children and communities safer.

# # #

The post Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris on the School Shooting in Madison, WI appeared first on The White House.

Over the weekend, our nation paused to remember the innocent children and brave educators who were taken from us 12 years ago when someone armed with a weapon of war walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Today, senseless gun violence has once again visited our classrooms as students and teachers in Madison, WI had their last week of school before Christmas break tragically interrupted by a deadly shooting.
 
Doug and I are mourning the student and teacher who were killed and we are praying for all those who were injured, including those who remain hospitalized. We are also thinking of the young people and families who have had their lives forever changed by this act of gun violence. And we are sending our gratitude to the educators, members of law enforcement, first responders, and medical professionals who quickly and selflessly jumped into action to ensure that even more lives were not lost in this community. 
 
As we hold our loved ones closer this holiday season, we must resolve to do everything in our power to end this epidemic that has become the leading cause of death for kids throughout America. While we have made necessary progress together over the last four years, including through the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years and our first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, there is more work to be done to ensure that every person has the freedom to live safe from the horror of gun violence. Congress and state legislatures must make background checks universal, pass red flag and safe storage laws, and ban assault weapons. These commonsense solutions will save lives and make our children and communities safer.

# # #

The post Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris on the School Shooting in Madison, WI appeared first on The White House.

U.S. Department of Labor
Washington, D.C.

12:38 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello.  (Applause.)  It’s a good day.  (Applause.) 

Thank you, Acting Secretary Su.

AUDIENCE:  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe! 

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  I — I had no choice.  (Laughter.)  My grandfather would come down from Heaven if I didn’t do this.  (Laughter.)

(Coughs.)  Excuse me, I have a little bit of a cold. 

Folks, you know, this is an incredible honor.  I really mean that.  And I want to thank Acting Secretary Su and the Department of Labor for this incredible honor.

You know, I measure the importance of the — any award I ever received based on the character and consequence of the organization that’s bestowing it.  And the Department of Labor is an organization of character and consequence.  And I’m honored — (coughs) — I’m honored to be joined today by leaders of character and conscious, many of them sitting right here in the front row.  Half of my Cabinet is here.  (Laughter and applause.)

I want to thank all — all the labor leaders here today, including Liz and the AFL-CIO; members of the Cabinet, including Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.  You know, you talked about that list that she — that the secretary brought in her pocket when she met with Trump — I mean, with Roosevelt — Trump? — Freudian slip — (laughter) — and — but I — I think she had a relative she left behind. 

Would you stand up, Madam Secretary — secretary of Interior?  (Applause.)

I’ve been around a long time, and she’s the only secretary I’ve ever worked with or had working for me who when I say, “That’s done,” she’d — “No, no, no.  We have this to do now.”  (Laughter.) 

Thank you, kiddo.

Look, you know, former Labor secretary, who is now in the White House, senior advisor (inaudible), is Tom Perez.  (Applause.)  Where is he? 

Tom, thanks for sticking with me. 

And members of Congress, including Maine — Maine senator, Angus King, and Cherlie [Chellie] Pingree — where — where is Ch- — where are you guys?  All over here.  Okay.  There you are.  (Applause.) 

And, by — and, by the way, last night, we were doing a — a Christmas event at the house, and I got finished talking to a group of folks from Labor, and my wife said, “And, by the way, his wife is a member of a labor union too.”  (Laughter and applause.) 

I’m Jill Biden’s husband.  She’s not here today, but she’s been a long-time union member of the National Education Association.  (Applause.)

And it’s fitting, with all these powerful women here, that we’ve gathered at headquarters of the Department of Labor, named after one of America’s greatest labor leaders — and that’s not hyperbole — Frances Perkins.

You know, we’re honored to be joined by her grandson, Tomlin.  Where are you, Tomlin?  (Applause.)  Thank you, bud.

Saturday, March 25th, 1911, Frances sat down for afternoon tea at her home with a close friend from New York City.  Suddenly, they hear the sound of a distant screams and sirens.  The building was in flames.  Her instinct was to run to the scene.

As she approached the fire and smoke, she recognized the Triangle Shirt[waist] Factory, a company that employed hundreds of workers, mostly immigrants and women, who worked long hours crammed into tight quarters, where managers locked them inside to make clothing.

In an instant, those workers were trapped in a brutal blaze.  With no safe exit, some workers forced to climb out the windows, holding on for dear life until their fingers gave out.  Others just jumped — prayed and jumped.

A total of 150 lives were lost that day.  It was the deadliest industrial disaster in American history. 

Frances was devastated.  But that fire ignited a passion in her.  It strengthened her resolve to fight even harder for working Americans and working families.

In her decades of service, she became a fierce defender of unions and workers’ rights, an architect of the New Deal, the first woman Cabinet secretary — the first woman Cabinet secretary.  I increased on that a little bit — (laughter) — because I know what my family is like.  All of — all the really bright people in my family are women.  (Laughter.)  And the longest-serving secretary of Labor in American history, God love you.

And the story goes, after Franklin Roosevelt asked her to become his Labor secretary, Frances Perkins immediately responded by outlining her goals, what she wanted done.  She said, “I want unemployment relief, overtime pay, child labor laws, minimum wage, worker’s compensation, national health insurance, and Social Security” — (laughs) — many of the benefits we take for granted as a consequence of Frances’s dedication to inciting courage. 

But that — can you imagine walking up to Roosevelt and saying, “Hey, I’ll take the job, but here’s the deal, man.”  (Laughter.)  “Let’s get this straight.”  Like I said, a little bit like when I asked Frances to do my job.

Hard-fought battles and — with Teamsters and, you know, at her — look, a real testament to her skill as an advocate for public servants.

An example that, through the Fair Labor Standards Act, she cemented the idea that if you’re working a full-time job, you shouldn’t have to live in poverty — a simple proposition.  If you work a little extra, you should have extra money for overtime.  Not a crazy idea.  Even — some even argue about it now.

Frances understood what my dad taught me, and I — you’ve heard me say this a thousand times, but it — he really would say this.  He said, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about respect.  It’s about your place in the community.  It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay,’ and mean it.”  That’s my dad. 

In fact, during her 12 years in office, she accomplished everything on her list, except expanded health care for health insurance.  It took 65 years later and a guy named Barack Obama and I to get the Affordable Care Act passed.  (Applause.)  And thank God all of us here have protected and expanded the Affordable Care Act.

Look, it’s clear that Frances Perkins and a generation of activists and labor leaders laid the groundwork for much of what we’ve accomplished in the last four years.

We’re fundamentally transforming the economy by breaking an economic orthodoxy that has failed this nation for generation after generation, in my view: trickle-down economics, the notion that if you — every — the wealthy do very, very well, a little will trickle off — off their tables onto our kitchen table. 

My dad used to say, “Nothing ever trickled on my table, honey.”  (Laughter.)  No, I’m serious. 

My dad was a really well-read man who didn’t get to go — he went — accepted to Johns Hopkins, but during the war, he never got to go.  But my dad was a well-read guy. 

Well, you know, the primary benefits to the very wealthy and the biggest corporations were trickle-down economics, and that didn’t do much for working people and the middle class and left too many people behind. 

Together, we built an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down, and because we know this simple truth: Wall Street didn’t build America; the middle class built America, and u- — (applause) — and unions built the middle class.  (Applause.)  Un- — and that’s a fact. 

In fact, as th- — as the secretary of Treasury will tell you, I asked her to do a study because I was going to get hit, because I knew they’d say by having unions increase in their numbers and their wages go up, we were going to cost people thing.  Guess what?  The study the Treasury did showed that when unions do well, all workers do well -– union and non-worker [non-union], across the board.  (Applause.)

It matters.  It works.  It’s fair.

Kamala and I are so proud of the great job creation record of any — actually, the greatest job correction [creation] of any single president in a single term: over 6 [16] million jobs so far, including over 1.5 million manufacturing and construction jobs — good-paying jobs you can raise a family on and don’t have to require a four-year degree.  And get this: There are more women, especially mothers, in the workforce than ever before in American history.  (Applause.)

We’re so damn proud to have protected pensions of millions of union workers and retirees — (applause) — when I signed the Butch Lewis Act. 

You know, think about that.  Imagine what the average American would say if you were going to do that with their Social Security, which this guy wants to do.  Imagine if he said, “Your pension, you can’t count on it anymore.” 

In addition, we’ve recovered more than $1 billion in back wages and damages for over 600,000 workers here in America.  (Applause.)

We wo- — we’ve pushed for a right to a living wage and your right to overtime pay.

Jobs and factories are coming back home to America because we invested in the American agenda.  We’re modernizing American infrastructure. 

Last time, this guy had — last guy had the job, he had “Infrastructure Week” every week — didn’t build a damn thing.  (Laughter.)  Well, guess what?  We’re — we built a lot.  And guess what’s coming? 

Look, folks, one of the things that is frustrating — I knew this was going to happen because I’ve been around a long time, and I talked over to the secretary of Agriculture and other places.  Guess what?  All the things — we have $1.4 trillion in economic — in — in infrastructure growth.  That’s thousands of good-paying jobs. 

The CHIPS and Science Act investing billions of dollars — billions of dollars — building these fabs that are going to house hundreds of people working, thousands, and they’re going to be ba- — getting paid about average of $102,000 a year and don’t need a college degree.

So much — so much is going on.  But it’s going to take a little bit of time.  But we got to make sure to protect — protect the — the onslaught that’s going to come, because it’s hard to see right away.

And, by the way, I know I got criticized by putting as many of these programs in red states as blue states — actually more.  Well, guess what?  The red state guys screwed it up.  (Laughter.)  And we got a be- — benefit — we — we represent all of America, not just — not just blue America, not just Democrats, but all of America. 

Look, as we do all this, we’re — we’re buying America, using American workers, using American products.  And we’re standing up to Amer- — for American steelworkers against China’s unfair trade practices.

We appointed a National Labor Relations Board that actually believes in unions and has pro-union members on the board.  (Applause.)  A strange notion.  And a special thank you to the chair of the board, Lauren McFerran — (applause) — (inaudible) — who is here.  Where are you, Lauren?  There — thank you, Lauren. 

Don’t be so shy.  Raise your — stand up.  Let everybody see you.  (Laughter and applause.)

And it’s no accident — no accident that petitions to form unions have doubled — doubled under my presidency.  (Applause.) 

I got all this credit for walking the picket line.  It never crossed my mind not to walk the picket line.  (Laughter.)  No, I’m serious.  I didn’t think it was any big deal.  I walked a lot of picket lines.  The fact that I was president, I hadn’t thought about that.  And then Pamela [Kamala] walked the picket line.  We support the right to fair contracts.  

Here’s one, you know, that doesn’t get enough attention: When workers in sectors like construction, manufacturing, mining inhale toxic silica dust on the job, it can lead to lung cancer and other deadly diseases.  It’s been a major problem for decades, even under Secretary Perkins.  She led an investigation, but despite the science, big business blocked the regulation.

But not on our watch.  Not on your watch.  With your help, we carried Frances’s — Frances’s mantle and issued a rule that finally reduces such dangerous exposure. 

And, by the way — (applause) — our secretary — the secretary of Veterans Affairs is sitting in front of me here — one of the really good guys.  I really mean it.

And, you know, we — what we’ve done — what we did for the CHIPS and Science Act, and then we went — made sure we were going to take care of veterans.  We said all those folks, in my generation, exposed to Agent Orange couldn’t prove that their illness was a consequence of it and all those, like my son’s generation, that were exposed to toxic burn pits in Iraq and other places, that it’s assumed that — my son came back, for example, with Stage Four glioblastoma.  More brain injuries than anything else.  And guess what?  They’re entitled to the benefits that they were going to get if they had not lost their lives — their family.  (Applause.)

And to ad-lib here a little bit, I — I think the American people are beginning to figure out all we’re doing is what’s basically decent and fair — just basically decent and fair.

We have a lot of sacred obligations — I got into trouble for saying this before, but we only have one truly sacred obligation: to prepare those we send into harm’s way and pre- — care for them and their families when they come home.  And that’s a simple proposition.  Finally, that’s happening.

What — what you got?  Another million now?  A million you’re taking care of.

I make no apologies.  I’m so damn proud of that.  (Applause.)

Look, folks, in our four years together, we’ve made historic investments that have changed the course of the nation’s future and will have a lasting impact for decades to come.

And I’m here to say, to state the obvious, we could not have done this without the dedicated professionals here at the Department of Labor and all across this administration.  (Applause.)  Could not have done.

And I’m damn proud to be known as the most pro-labor administration in American history, because we are.  We are.  We make no apologies.  (Applause.)

Look, let me close with this.  Frances Perkins once said, “The people are what matter to government, and the government should aim to give people — all people under its jurisdiction the best possible life” — “the best possible life.”

For my dad, it was a simple proposition: Everybody deserves a shot.  No guarantee, but a shot.  Everybody deserves a shot.

All of you have helped the — upheld that vision, putting the people first, no matter who they are.

Another important legacy of our administration is making sure we learn from history, lift up stories that often have gone untold.

Earlier this year, during Women’s History Month, I signed the first-ever executive order on recognizing and honoring women’s history to increase representation of women and historic sites — in historic sites all across America.

Today, I’m proud to stand here in the Frances Perkins — Perkins Building, headquarters of the Labor Department, to designate Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine, a national monument.  (Applause.)

And Secretary Haaland is also going to be announcing five new national historic landmarks to honor women’s contributions to American history.  (Applause.)

They includes Charleston Cigar Factory — (coughs) — excuse me — where Black women led a workers’ strike that opposed gender and racial discrimination and advocated for better pay for working conditions.

Look, too many people want to rewrite history or ignore it.  Look, we wa- — all we want to do is make — le- — make sure we record history — record history — the good, bad, and the indifferent — who we are. 

I was able to show up at Indian Country and apologize for what we did to the Indian Americans, for the schools we made them go to and took them away, off the reservations with their parents.

Throughout our history, women’s vision and achievements have strengthened this nation, to state the obvious.

That’s why I’ve kept my commitment to have an administration that looks like America, and that includes having more women in senior access all across the board, starting with my amazing vice president, Kamala Harris.  (Applause.)

It’s about time we honor them in building the American Women’s Museum and — History Museum on the Mall — (applause) — and the Women’s Suffrage National Monument on the National Mall.  (Applause.)  

And, by the way, it’s time for Congress to move in authorizing that legislation — moving it forward.  They should do it now, before this Congress ends.  (Applause.) 

Folks, our administration is coming to an end, but our work continues.

We get up.  We keep going.  We keep the faith.  I know I will.  I know you will.  We just have to remember who in the hell we are.

We’re the United States of America.  (Applause.)  There is nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together — nothing, nothing, nothing.  (Applause.)

May God bless you all.  And may God prote- — protect our troops.  (Applause.)

And now I will sign the proclamation.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)

Here.

(The proclamation is signed.)  (Applause.)

12:57 P.M. EST

The post Remarks by President Biden Honoring our Nation’s Labor History and the Biden-Harris Administration’s Work to Strengthen America’s Workforce appeared first on The White House.

U.S. Department of Labor
Washington, D.C.

12:38 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello.  (Applause.)  It’s a good day.  (Applause.) 

Thank you, Acting Secretary Su.

AUDIENCE:  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe!  Thank you, Joe! 

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  I — I had no choice.  (Laughter.)  My grandfather would come down from Heaven if I didn’t do this.  (Laughter.)

(Coughs.)  Excuse me, I have a little bit of a cold. 

Folks, you know, this is an incredible honor.  I really mean that.  And I want to thank Acting Secretary Su and the Department of Labor for this incredible honor.

You know, I measure the importance of the — any award I ever received based on the character and consequence of the organization that’s bestowing it.  And the Department of Labor is an organization of character and consequence.  And I’m honored — (coughs) — I’m honored to be joined today by leaders of character and conscious, many of them sitting right here in the front row.  Half of my Cabinet is here.  (Laughter and applause.)

I want to thank all — all the labor leaders here today, including Liz and the AFL-CIO; members of the Cabinet, including Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.  You know, you talked about that list that she — that the secretary brought in her pocket when she met with Trump — I mean, with Roosevelt — Trump? — Freudian slip — (laughter) — and — but I — I think she had a relative she left behind. 

Would you stand up, Madam Secretary — secretary of Interior?  (Applause.)

I’ve been around a long time, and she’s the only secretary I’ve ever worked with or had working for me who when I say, “That’s done,” she’d — “No, no, no.  We have this to do now.”  (Laughter.) 

Thank you, kiddo.

Look, you know, former Labor secretary, who is now in the White House, senior advisor (inaudible), is Tom Perez.  (Applause.)  Where is he? 

Tom, thanks for sticking with me. 

And members of Congress, including Maine — Maine senator, Angus King, and Cherlie [Chellie] Pingree — where — where is Ch- — where are you guys?  All over here.  Okay.  There you are.  (Applause.) 

And, by — and, by the way, last night, we were doing a — a Christmas event at the house, and I got finished talking to a group of folks from Labor, and my wife said, “And, by the way, his wife is a member of a labor union too.”  (Laughter and applause.) 

I’m Jill Biden’s husband.  She’s not here today, but she’s been a long-time union member of the National Education Association.  (Applause.)

And it’s fitting, with all these powerful women here, that we’ve gathered at headquarters of the Department of Labor, named after one of America’s greatest labor leaders — and that’s not hyperbole — Frances Perkins.

You know, we’re honored to be joined by her grandson, Tomlin.  Where are you, Tomlin?  (Applause.)  Thank you, bud.

Saturday, March 25th, 1911, Frances sat down for afternoon tea at her home with a close friend from New York City.  Suddenly, they hear the sound of a distant screams and sirens.  The building was in flames.  Her instinct was to run to the scene.

As she approached the fire and smoke, she recognized the Triangle Shirt[waist] Factory, a company that employed hundreds of workers, mostly immigrants and women, who worked long hours crammed into tight quarters, where managers locked them inside to make clothing.

In an instant, those workers were trapped in a brutal blaze.  With no safe exit, some workers forced to climb out the windows, holding on for dear life until their fingers gave out.  Others just jumped — prayed and jumped.

A total of 150 lives were lost that day.  It was the deadliest industrial disaster in American history. 

Frances was devastated.  But that fire ignited a passion in her.  It strengthened her resolve to fight even harder for working Americans and working families.

In her decades of service, she became a fierce defender of unions and workers’ rights, an architect of the New Deal, the first woman Cabinet secretary — the first woman Cabinet secretary.  I increased on that a little bit — (laughter) — because I know what my family is like.  All of — all the really bright people in my family are women.  (Laughter.)  And the longest-serving secretary of Labor in American history, God love you.

And the story goes, after Franklin Roosevelt asked her to become his Labor secretary, Frances Perkins immediately responded by outlining her goals, what she wanted done.  She said, “I want unemployment relief, overtime pay, child labor laws, minimum wage, worker’s compensation, national health insurance, and Social Security” — (laughs) — many of the benefits we take for granted as a consequence of Frances’s dedication to inciting courage. 

But that — can you imagine walking up to Roosevelt and saying, “Hey, I’ll take the job, but here’s the deal, man.”  (Laughter.)  “Let’s get this straight.”  Like I said, a little bit like when I asked Frances to do my job.

Hard-fought battles and — with Teamsters and, you know, at her — look, a real testament to her skill as an advocate for public servants.

An example that, through the Fair Labor Standards Act, she cemented the idea that if you’re working a full-time job, you shouldn’t have to live in poverty — a simple proposition.  If you work a little extra, you should have extra money for overtime.  Not a crazy idea.  Even — some even argue about it now.

Frances understood what my dad taught me, and I — you’ve heard me say this a thousand times, but it — he really would say this.  He said, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about respect.  It’s about your place in the community.  It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay,’ and mean it.”  That’s my dad. 

In fact, during her 12 years in office, she accomplished everything on her list, except expanded health care for health insurance.  It took 65 years later and a guy named Barack Obama and I to get the Affordable Care Act passed.  (Applause.)  And thank God all of us here have protected and expanded the Affordable Care Act.

Look, it’s clear that Frances Perkins and a generation of activists and labor leaders laid the groundwork for much of what we’ve accomplished in the last four years.

We’re fundamentally transforming the economy by breaking an economic orthodoxy that has failed this nation for generation after generation, in my view: trickle-down economics, the notion that if you — every — the wealthy do very, very well, a little will trickle off — off their tables onto our kitchen table. 

My dad used to say, “Nothing ever trickled on my table, honey.”  (Laughter.)  No, I’m serious. 

My dad was a really well-read man who didn’t get to go — he went — accepted to Johns Hopkins, but during the war, he never got to go.  But my dad was a well-read guy. 

Well, you know, the primary benefits to the very wealthy and the biggest corporations were trickle-down economics, and that didn’t do much for working people and the middle class and left too many people behind. 

Together, we built an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down, and because we know this simple truth: Wall Street didn’t build America; the middle class built America, and u- — (applause) — and unions built the middle class.  (Applause.)  Un- — and that’s a fact. 

In fact, as th- — as the secretary of Treasury will tell you, I asked her to do a study because I was going to get hit, because I knew they’d say by having unions increase in their numbers and their wages go up, we were going to cost people thing.  Guess what?  The study the Treasury did showed that when unions do well, all workers do well -– union and non-worker [non-union], across the board.  (Applause.)

It matters.  It works.  It’s fair.

Kamala and I are so proud of the great job creation record of any — actually, the greatest job correction [creation] of any single president in a single term: over 6 [16] million jobs so far, including over 1.5 million manufacturing and construction jobs — good-paying jobs you can raise a family on and don’t have to require a four-year degree.  And get this: There are more women, especially mothers, in the workforce than ever before in American history.  (Applause.)

We’re so damn proud to have protected pensions of millions of union workers and retirees — (applause) — when I signed the Butch Lewis Act. 

You know, think about that.  Imagine what the average American would say if you were going to do that with their Social Security, which this guy wants to do.  Imagine if he said, “Your pension, you can’t count on it anymore.” 

In addition, we’ve recovered more than $1 billion in back wages and damages for over 600,000 workers here in America.  (Applause.)

We wo- — we’ve pushed for a right to a living wage and your right to overtime pay.

Jobs and factories are coming back home to America because we invested in the American agenda.  We’re modernizing American infrastructure. 

Last time, this guy had — last guy had the job, he had “Infrastructure Week” every week — didn’t build a damn thing.  (Laughter.)  Well, guess what?  We’re — we built a lot.  And guess what’s coming? 

Look, folks, one of the things that is frustrating — I knew this was going to happen because I’ve been around a long time, and I talked over to the secretary of Agriculture and other places.  Guess what?  All the things — we have $1.4 trillion in economic — in — in infrastructure growth.  That’s thousands of good-paying jobs. 

The CHIPS and Science Act investing billions of dollars — billions of dollars — building these fabs that are going to house hundreds of people working, thousands, and they’re going to be ba- — getting paid about average of $102,000 a year and don’t need a college degree.

So much — so much is going on.  But it’s going to take a little bit of time.  But we got to make sure to protect — protect the — the onslaught that’s going to come, because it’s hard to see right away.

And, by the way, I know I got criticized by putting as many of these programs in red states as blue states — actually more.  Well, guess what?  The red state guys screwed it up.  (Laughter.)  And we got a be- — benefit — we — we represent all of America, not just — not just blue America, not just Democrats, but all of America. 

Look, as we do all this, we’re — we’re buying America, using American workers, using American products.  And we’re standing up to Amer- — for American steelworkers against China’s unfair trade practices.

We appointed a National Labor Relations Board that actually believes in unions and has pro-union members on the board.  (Applause.)  A strange notion.  And a special thank you to the chair of the board, Lauren McFerran — (applause) — (inaudible) — who is here.  Where are you, Lauren?  There — thank you, Lauren. 

Don’t be so shy.  Raise your — stand up.  Let everybody see you.  (Laughter and applause.)

And it’s no accident — no accident that petitions to form unions have doubled — doubled under my presidency.  (Applause.) 

I got all this credit for walking the picket line.  It never crossed my mind not to walk the picket line.  (Laughter.)  No, I’m serious.  I didn’t think it was any big deal.  I walked a lot of picket lines.  The fact that I was president, I hadn’t thought about that.  And then Pamela [Kamala] walked the picket line.  We support the right to fair contracts.  

Here’s one, you know, that doesn’t get enough attention: When workers in sectors like construction, manufacturing, mining inhale toxic silica dust on the job, it can lead to lung cancer and other deadly diseases.  It’s been a major problem for decades, even under Secretary Perkins.  She led an investigation, but despite the science, big business blocked the regulation.

But not on our watch.  Not on your watch.  With your help, we carried Frances’s — Frances’s mantle and issued a rule that finally reduces such dangerous exposure. 

And, by the way — (applause) — our secretary — the secretary of Veterans Affairs is sitting in front of me here — one of the really good guys.  I really mean it.

And, you know, we — what we’ve done — what we did for the CHIPS and Science Act, and then we went — made sure we were going to take care of veterans.  We said all those folks, in my generation, exposed to Agent Orange couldn’t prove that their illness was a consequence of it and all those, like my son’s generation, that were exposed to toxic burn pits in Iraq and other places, that it’s assumed that — my son came back, for example, with Stage Four glioblastoma.  More brain injuries than anything else.  And guess what?  They’re entitled to the benefits that they were going to get if they had not lost their lives — their family.  (Applause.)

And to ad-lib here a little bit, I — I think the American people are beginning to figure out all we’re doing is what’s basically decent and fair — just basically decent and fair.

We have a lot of sacred obligations — I got into trouble for saying this before, but we only have one truly sacred obligation: to prepare those we send into harm’s way and pre- — care for them and their families when they come home.  And that’s a simple proposition.  Finally, that’s happening.

What — what you got?  Another million now?  A million you’re taking care of.

I make no apologies.  I’m so damn proud of that.  (Applause.)

Look, folks, in our four years together, we’ve made historic investments that have changed the course of the nation’s future and will have a lasting impact for decades to come.

And I’m here to say, to state the obvious, we could not have done this without the dedicated professionals here at the Department of Labor and all across this administration.  (Applause.)  Could not have done.

And I’m damn proud to be known as the most pro-labor administration in American history, because we are.  We are.  We make no apologies.  (Applause.)

Look, let me close with this.  Frances Perkins once said, “The people are what matter to government, and the government should aim to give people — all people under its jurisdiction the best possible life” — “the best possible life.”

For my dad, it was a simple proposition: Everybody deserves a shot.  No guarantee, but a shot.  Everybody deserves a shot.

All of you have helped the — upheld that vision, putting the people first, no matter who they are.

Another important legacy of our administration is making sure we learn from history, lift up stories that often have gone untold.

Earlier this year, during Women’s History Month, I signed the first-ever executive order on recognizing and honoring women’s history to increase representation of women and historic sites — in historic sites all across America.

Today, I’m proud to stand here in the Frances Perkins — Perkins Building, headquarters of the Labor Department, to designate Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine, a national monument.  (Applause.)

And Secretary Haaland is also going to be announcing five new national historic landmarks to honor women’s contributions to American history.  (Applause.)

They includes Charleston Cigar Factory — (coughs) — excuse me — where Black women led a workers’ strike that opposed gender and racial discrimination and advocated for better pay for working conditions.

Look, too many people want to rewrite history or ignore it.  Look, we wa- — all we want to do is make — le- — make sure we record history — record history — the good, bad, and the indifferent — who we are. 

I was able to show up at Indian Country and apologize for what we did to the Indian Americans, for the schools we made them go to and took them away, off the reservations with their parents.

Throughout our history, women’s vision and achievements have strengthened this nation, to state the obvious.

That’s why I’ve kept my commitment to have an administration that looks like America, and that includes having more women in senior access all across the board, starting with my amazing vice president, Kamala Harris.  (Applause.)

It’s about time we honor them in building the American Women’s Museum and — History Museum on the Mall — (applause) — and the Women’s Suffrage National Monument on the National Mall.  (Applause.)  

And, by the way, it’s time for Congress to move in authorizing that legislation — moving it forward.  They should do it now, before this Congress ends.  (Applause.) 

Folks, our administration is coming to an end, but our work continues.

We get up.  We keep going.  We keep the faith.  I know I will.  I know you will.  We just have to remember who in the hell we are.

We’re the United States of America.  (Applause.)  There is nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together — nothing, nothing, nothing.  (Applause.)

May God bless you all.  And may God prote- — protect our troops.  (Applause.)

And now I will sign the proclamation.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)

Here.

(The proclamation is signed.)  (Applause.)

12:57 P.M. EST

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Today, families in Madison, Wisconsin, are grieving the loss of those who were killed and wounded at Abundant Life Christian School. It’s shocking and unconscionable.

We need Congress to act. Now.

From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that don’t receive attention – it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence. We cannot continue to accept it as normal. Every child deserves to feel safe in their class room. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write – not having to learn how to duck and cover.

Jill and I are praying for all the victims today, including the teacher and teenage student who were killed and those who sustained injuries. We are grateful for the first responders who quickly arrived on the scene, and the FBI is supporting local law enforcement efforts. At my direction, my team has reached out to local officials to offer further support as needed.

My administration has taken aggressive action to combat the gun violence epidemic. We passed the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years, I have taken more executive action to reduce gun violence than any other President in history, and I created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. But more is needed. Congress must pass commonsense gun safety laws: Universal background checks. A national red flag law. A ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

We can never accept senseless violence that traumatizes children, their families, and tears entire communities apart.

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Today, families in Madison, Wisconsin, are grieving the loss of those who were killed and wounded at Abundant Life Christian School. It’s shocking and unconscionable.

We need Congress to act. Now.

From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that don’t receive attention – it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence. We cannot continue to accept it as normal. Every child deserves to feel safe in their class room. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write – not having to learn how to duck and cover.

Jill and I are praying for all the victims today, including the teacher and teenage student who were killed and those who sustained injuries. We are grateful for the first responders who quickly arrived on the scene, and the FBI is supporting local law enforcement efforts. At my direction, my team has reached out to local officials to offer further support as needed.

My administration has taken aggressive action to combat the gun violence epidemic. We passed the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years, I have taken more executive action to reduce gun violence than any other President in history, and I created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. But more is needed. Congress must pass commonsense gun safety laws: Universal background checks. A national red flag law. A ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

We can never accept senseless violence that traumatizes children, their families, and tears entire communities apart.

###

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WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to renominate the following individual to continue serving as a key leader in his administration:

• Anton Hajjar, Nominee to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors

Anton Hajjar, Nominee to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors

Anton Hajjar was previously confirmed by the U.S. Senate via voice vote, and sworn into office as a Governor of the United States Postal Service on May 28, 2021.

Anton Hajjar is the former General Counsel of the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, and has significant experience representing unions and union workers. Since his retirement from active practice at the end of 2016, he has concentrated on pro bono legal work in the District of Columbia and Maryland.

He worked for seven years for the National Labor Relations Board in the New Orleans regional office and the Appellate Court Branch in Washington, D.C. In private practice, he was a Principal with O’Donnell, Schwartz & Anderson, PC and Of Counsel with Murphy Anderson PLLC. Hajjar has written articles and given presentations to federal judges, lawyers, union officials and lay audiences on labor and employment subjects. He has been an advisor and pro bono attorney in numerous employment discrimination cases. In 2002, he was elected to membership in the American Law Institute, and has served as a member of its governing board since 2010. The American-Arab Antidiscrimination Committee presented Hajjar with its Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award in 2012 and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. 

Hajjar has a J.D. from Tulane Law School and clerked for the Honorable John Minor Wisdom of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before law school, he was employed for three years as a U.S. Customs Inspector. Hajjar has also worked as merchant seaman, factory worker, truck driver, laborer, and hospital attendant.

He now lives in Chevy Chase, MD, with his wife Sandra Hughes, who was a labor attorney and consults on aging issues. They have two adopted children, Claire and Gregory, who were born in Lebanon. They have one grandchild.

# # #  

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WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to renominate the following individual to continue serving as a key leader in his administration:

• Anton Hajjar, Nominee to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors

Anton Hajjar, Nominee to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors

Anton Hajjar was previously confirmed by the U.S. Senate via voice vote, and sworn into office as a Governor of the United States Postal Service on May 28, 2021.

Anton Hajjar is the former General Counsel of the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, and has significant experience representing unions and union workers. Since his retirement from active practice at the end of 2016, he has concentrated on pro bono legal work in the District of Columbia and Maryland.

He worked for seven years for the National Labor Relations Board in the New Orleans regional office and the Appellate Court Branch in Washington, D.C. In private practice, he was a Principal with O’Donnell, Schwartz & Anderson, PC and Of Counsel with Murphy Anderson PLLC. Hajjar has written articles and given presentations to federal judges, lawyers, union officials and lay audiences on labor and employment subjects. He has been an advisor and pro bono attorney in numerous employment discrimination cases. In 2002, he was elected to membership in the American Law Institute, and has served as a member of its governing board since 2010. The American-Arab Antidiscrimination Committee presented Hajjar with its Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award in 2012 and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. 

Hajjar has a J.D. from Tulane Law School and clerked for the Honorable John Minor Wisdom of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before law school, he was employed for three years as a U.S. Customs Inspector. Hajjar has also worked as merchant seaman, factory worker, truck driver, laborer, and hospital attendant.

He now lives in Chevy Chase, MD, with his wife Sandra Hughes, who was a labor attorney and consults on aging issues. They have two adopted children, Claire and Gregory, who were born in Lebanon. They have one grandchild.

# # #  

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            Few Americans have had deeper influence in shaping labor and social policy in the United States than Frances Perkins.  Perkins became the first woman to serve as a Cabinet Secretary when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed her as the Secretary of Labor in 1933.  During the subsequent 12 years, Secretary Perkins played a pivotal role in constructing the New Deal and helping to guide the country out of the Great Depression by designing and leading the implementation of sweeping labor and economic reforms that have made life better for generations of Americans.  The longest serving Secretary of Labor in United States history, Secretary Perkins was the architect of many programs and standards — including a minimum wage, overtime pay, unemployment insurance, and prohibitions on child labor — that have endured as the backbone of Federal support for workers and families and continue to benefit millions of Americans today.  Secretary Perkins chaired President Roosevelt’s effort to investigate the benefits of social insurance and then worked to achieve passage of the Social Security Act, which became one of the most successful programs in the United States to prevent poverty among older adults.  When the United States and other nations initially failed to face the horrors of the Holocaust, Secretary Perkins demonstrated leadership on behalf of immigrants and refugees by actively working to bring Jewish children and adults from Europe to the United States to ensure their safety.
     The Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine, played a pivotal role in Frances Perkins’ life and supported her work to deliver lasting protection and benefits to American workers and families.  The rural setting of the Perkins Homestead on the Damariscotta River was the place she felt most at home.  She spent her childhood summers there and returned frequently for respite throughout her career.  Continuously owned by her family for over 260 years, the Perkins Homestead remains much as it was during Secretary Perkins’ lifetime, including the buildings, structures, gardens, and paths where she spent substantial time throughout her life.  The core area contains historic structures including a brick house, an attached barn, a gravel driveway, a garden, and portions of a stone wall.  The surrounding landscape of the Perkins Homestead contains additional portions of the stone wall, an ice pond, walking trails, a family cemetery, foundations of the 18th and 19th century Perkins Homestead buildings, and remnants of a pre-Revolutionary era garrison.  Visitors to the Perkins Homestead today can wander through these places where Perkins returned time and again during her Government service.  They can view the stone wall where she sat listening to the radio on September 1, 1939, when it was reported that the Germans invaded Poland, prompting her to rush back to Washington, D.C., to assist the President.  Preserving the core area of the Perkins Homestead and its associated historic objects will ensure that current and future generations have the opportunity to learn about Secretary Perkins’ foundational contributions to the Nation’s social and labor policy through the place that helped shape her as a person and support her throughout her extraordinary career.
     Frances Perkins was born in Boston as Fannie Coralie Perkins in 1880.  At the age of 25, she changed her name to Frances Perkins, which she used for the rest of her life, even after marriage.  She graduated in 1902 from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, where she credited a class trip to a nearby mill with inspiring her early interest in improving working conditions for women and children.
     After college, Frances Perkins worked with social service organizations in Chicago and Philadelphia, including settlement houses for poor and unemployed people and an organization to support and protect immigrant and Black women and girls from labor and sexual exploitation they faced upon arrival in these cities looking for work.  These experiences deepened her resolve to help reduce poverty and support the working poor.
     In 1911, while employed at the New York City Consumers’ League, Frances Perkins heard the sirens of fire engines racing to put out flames that had engulfed the nearby Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.  Running to the site of the fire, she witnessed the horrific scene of workers, mostly young women, jumping to their deaths after being locked in the factory.  In total, 146 people died in the fire –- including many immigrant workers.  Perkins later cited that tragic day as the impetus for policies that would become central to the New Deal.
     Perkins’ subsequent work at the New York Factory Investigating Commission, where she investigated and advocated for worker health and safety reforms, led to 33 new State laws that improved worker safety, workplace sanitation, and working conditions; provided workers’ compensation; and placed limits on child labor.  These were some of the first workplace health and safety standards in the Nation, and they became models that other States and the Federal Government adopted.
     In 1919, Perkins was named to the New York State Industrial Commission, making her the first woman appointed to serve in a New York State government administration.  In 1929, newly elected Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked Perkins to become the State’s Industrial Commissioner and oversee the labor department.  As the United States careened toward the Great Depression, Perkins used her position to shine a national spotlight on rising unemployment while also helping workers in New York and elsewhere by connecting them to jobs through a State employment service and inviting surrounding States to participate in an unemployment insurance system.  Her early warnings regarding the depth of the Nation’s economic problems and her work to develop solutions established Perkins as a national leader in the 20th century employment and labor reform movements.
     When President Roosevelt formally asked Perkins to join his Cabinet as Secretary of Labor, she responded by saying that if she accepted the position, she intended to execute an ambitious plan of action that included establishing maximum hours and minimum wages, ending child labor, developing unemployment relief through public works, providing unemployment insurance, and creating an old-age pension and a national health insurance program.  After detailing her plan, she asked if President Roosevelt was sure he wanted this list of policies put in place, explaining that, “you won’t want me for Secretary of Labor if you don’t want those things done.”  President Roosevelt responded that he would back her; he had promised the American people that he would improve their lives, and he intended to keep his promise.
     At a time when few women were in leadership positions and just 13 years after the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, Frances Perkins became Secretary of Labor.  During an unprecedented 12 years in the position — from 1933 to 1945 — Secretary Perkins achieved hard-fought social and economic reforms, often over vocal opposition and personal attacks from critics.  She summarized her work in a five-page letter to President Roosevelt, describing the reforms as “a turning point in our national life — a turning from careless neglect of human values and toward an order . . . of mutual and practical benevolence within a free competitive industrial economy.”  The list of accomplishments detailed in her letter encompasses many programs and laws that continue to undergird the Nation’s economy and social safety net, including establishing Social Security and contributing to the development of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act.  She also helped create millions of jobs across the country through the novel Civilian Conservation Corps and Public Works Administration. 
     As Secretary of Labor, Perkins often supported the rights of workers to organize unions and to negotiate with employers through collective action, laying the foundation for the rebirth of American labor –- including through helping write recovery legislation that provided a right to collective bargaining and laid the groundwork for the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (also known as the Wagner Act).  She used her post not only to advance labor protections in national policy, but also to call personally for workers’ fair treatment and access to the halls of power.  She persuaded President Roosevelt not to deploy Federal troops to quell the 1934 San Francisco General Strike, and instead encouraged the parties to settle their differences, which was accomplished within a week, and she frequently advised President Roosevelt to help resolve contentious strikes for the benefit of workers.   
     At the close of her time at the Department of Labor, Perkins had accomplished nearly all of the items in the ambitious plan she laid out for President Roosevelt when he asked her to serve, but she lamented the one exception:  health care benefits for American workers.  Historians have also noted that, because of deep racial inequities and injustices of the time –- including segregation -– the benefits of the New Deal were not available to all Americans initially. 
     When her time as Secretary of Labor concluded, Perkins continued in public service as President Harry Truman’s appointee to the United States Civil Service Commission, a post she held from 1945 until 1953.  She then became a lecturer at the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, a role she held until her death in 1965. 
     When Secretary Perkins died, the Secretary of Labor at the time, W. Willard Wirtz, recognized her legacy as central to the New Deal, stating that “every man and woman in America who works at a living wage, under safe conditions, for reasonable hours, or who is protected by unemployment insurance or social security is her debtor.”  The final resting place of Secretary Perkins is near her daughter, husband, sister, parents, and grandparents in the Glidden Cemetery, located a half mile north of the Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine. 
     Throughout Perkins’ life and career, the Perkins Homestead served as a place of rejuvenation and reflection, including during her time as Secretary of Labor.  Throughout her working life, she continued the family tradition of summer visits to Maine, often living there with her daughter from August into September.  Perkins and her sister became joint owners of the property in 1927 and it stayed within the family until 2020.  Perkins wrote about how the woods surrounding the brick house and the shoreline at the Perkins Homestead’s edge restored and comforted her, and how the brick house provided a place for her to relax and to recover from her work as Secretary of Labor.
     The Perkins Homestead, originally over 200 acres, was settled by Perkins’ great-great grandfather in the early 1700s.  A mid-18th century garrison existed on the property that was in use for 3 years during the French and Indian War. 
     The core area, on the west end of the Perkins Homestead, has a brick house built by the Perkins family in 1837 along with a connected barn.  The two-story home is constructed of bricks manufactured on site at the family brickyard.  The east end of the Perkins Homestead borders the Damariscotta River and has a family cemetery, foundations of the 18th and 19th century Perkins Homestead buildings, the remains of the brick kilns, wharves, and a clay pit from the 19th century brickyard, as well as the remains of the garrison.  Agricultural fields, pastures, woodland, and planted trees connect the two sides of the Perkins Homestead.
     The National Park Service first documented the Perkins Homestead through the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1960, while Secretary Perkins still occupied the home.  In 2009, the National Park Service listed the Brick House Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places; the Brick House Historic District included the brick house, adjacent structures, and the wooded and agricultural lands extending to the shoreline of the Damariscotta River.  In 2014, the Secretary of the Interior designated this same 57 acres as the Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark, recognizing the property’s historic importance and nationally significant association with Frances Perkins.
     The Perkins Homestead contains several objects that reflect Secretary Perkins’ lifelong commitment to supporting and protecting American workers.  Hanging above a doorway in the brick house is a custom “No Smoking” sign that reflects the lasting influence the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire had on Perkins.  It reads:  “Please Do Not SMOKE In Any Part of This Building.  DANGEROUS.  F. Perkins.”  The brick house also includes Secretary Perkins’ Award for Distinguished Service, which the Department of Labor presented to her on March 4, 1963, on the occasion of the Department’s 50th anniversary.  The Award citation reads:  “For her courage in entering an arena previously considered a masculine domain; for her strength in guiding the Department through a dozen years of domestic stress and international travail; for her spirit in waging the good fight for good objectives; and finally, for herself.”  
     Conserving the Perkins Homestead will ensure that the family home and surrounding landscape that were a constant source of support for Secretary Perkins will remain protected and accessible in perpetuity for the benefit of all people to learn about her life, her unparalleled contributions to labor and social policy that would eventually benefit generations of Americans, and core principles at the heart of the New Deal that she championed:  economic security and dignity for workers.
     WHEREAS, section 320301 of title 54, United States Code (the “Antiquities Act”), authorizes the President, in the President’s discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected; and
     WHEREAS, the Perkins Homestead was designated a National Historic Landmark on August 25, 2014, establishing its national significance as the ancestral home and lifelong summer residence of Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve as a Cabinet Secretary and one of our Nation’s most influential and effective public servants whose legacy includes the historic New Deal; and
     WHEREAS, the Frances Perkins Center has been managing and preserving the approximately 57-acre Perkins Homestead, including the objects identified above and additional archives and collections illustrating the historic value of this site, and has expressed support for inclusion of the Perkins Homestead in the National Park System; and
     WHEREAS, the Frances Perkins Center has donated to the Federal Government for the purpose of establishing a unit of the National Park System fee interest in the core area comprising approximately 2.3 acres of land in Newcastle, Maine, which includes several historic objects associated with the Perkins Homestead and Perkins’ life located on this site, including the brick house, the connected barn, and portions of the stone wall; and
     WHEREAS, in support of the establishment of a national monument to be administered by the National Park Service, the Frances Perkins Center has also indicated its intent to develop a partnership with the National Park Service to help manage, oversee, interpret, maintain, and protect the Perkins Homestead (including the core area) and the historic objects it contains as appropriate; and
     WHEREAS, the Frances Perkins Center has indicated an interest in donating a majority of the remaining approximately 54.7 acres of the 57-acre Perkins Homestead to the Federal Government in the future; and
     WHEREAS, the designation of a national monument to be administered by the National Park Service would recognize the historic significance of Frances Perkins and her role in the New Deal, particularly her contributions to social welfare, safe working conditions, and protection of workers’ health and well-being, and would provide a national platform for preserving and interpreting this important history; and
     WHEREAS, I find that all the objects identified above, and objects of the type identified above within the area described herein, are objects of historic interest in need of protection under section 320301 of title 54, United States Code, regardless of whether they are expressly identified as objects of historic interest in the text of this proclamation; and
     WHEREAS, I find that the boundaries of the monument reserved by this proclamation represent the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects of historic interest identified above, as required by the Antiquities Act; and
     WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to preserve and protect the objects of historic interest associated with the Perkins Homestead in Maine;
     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by section 320301 of title 54, United States Code, hereby proclaim the objects identified above that are situated on lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be part of the Frances Perkins National Monument (monument) and, for the purpose of protecting those objects, reserve as part thereof all lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States within the boundaries described on the accompanying map, which is attached to and forms a part of this proclamation.  The monument’s boundaries are coextensive with the Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark boundaries, and the reserved Federal lands and interests in lands within the monument’s boundaries comprise approximately 2.3 acres.
     All Federal lands and interests in lands within the boundaries of the monument are hereby appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, leasing, or other disposition under the public land laws, including withdrawal from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and from disposition under all laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing. 
     The establishment of the monument is subject to valid existing rights.  Specifically, the Frances Perkins Center retains reserved rights to occupy and use the premises; complete preservation, maintenance, and renovation work; and store and maintain artifacts currently located in the brick house.  These reserved rights shall expire not later than 25 years after the date of this proclamation. 
     If the Federal Government acquires any lands or interests in lands not owned or controlled by the Federal Government within the boundaries described on the accompanying map, such lands and interests in lands shall be reserved as part of the monument, and objects of the type identified above that are situated upon those lands and interests in lands shall be part of the monument, upon acquisition of ownership or control by the Federal Government.
     The Secretary of the Interior shall manage the monument through the National Park Service, pursuant to applicable legal authorities and consistent with the purposes and provisions of this proclamation.  For the purpose of preserving, interpreting, and enhancing the public understanding and appreciation of the monument, the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, shall prepare a management plan for the monument.  The management plan shall ensure that the monument fulfills the following purposes for the benefit of present and future generations:  (1) to preserve the historic objects and other resources within the boundaries of the monument, and (2) to interpret in its entirety the story of Frances Perkins and the history of the New Deal, including the impact Perkins had as the first woman Cabinet Secretary; the complexities of Perkins as an individual and of her ideas, perspectives, and views; and her role in advancing hallmark labor, economic, and social reform within the historical and political context of the early-to-mid 20th century. 
     The National Park Service shall consult with appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies; local communities; nongovernmental organizations; and the general public in the region of the monument — including the Frances Perkins Center and the Damariscotta River Association — in developing the management plan for the monument, which shall include resource management, interpretation and education, visitor access, and services at the monument.  The National Park Service shall also consult on all aspects of the management plan with the Penobscot Nation and other Wabanaki Peoples, whose ancestral lands include areas in Maine near the monument.
     The National Park Service is directed, as appropriate, to use applicable authorities to seek to enter into agreements with other entities, including the Frances Perkins Center, to address common interests and promote management efficiencies, including the provision of visitor services, interpretation and education, establishment and care of museum collections, and preservation of historic objects. 
            Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation; however, the monument shall be the dominant reservation.
     Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature of the monument and not to locate or settle upon any of the lands thereof.
     If any provision of this proclamation, including its application to a particular parcel of land, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this proclamation and its application to other parcels of land shall not be affected thereby.
     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
 
 
 
                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on the Establishment of the Frances Perkins National Monument appeared first on The White House.

            Few Americans have had deeper influence in shaping labor and social policy in the United States than Frances Perkins.  Perkins became the first woman to serve as a Cabinet Secretary when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed her as the Secretary of Labor in 1933.  During the subsequent 12 years, Secretary Perkins played a pivotal role in constructing the New Deal and helping to guide the country out of the Great Depression by designing and leading the implementation of sweeping labor and economic reforms that have made life better for generations of Americans.  The longest serving Secretary of Labor in United States history, Secretary Perkins was the architect of many programs and standards — including a minimum wage, overtime pay, unemployment insurance, and prohibitions on child labor — that have endured as the backbone of Federal support for workers and families and continue to benefit millions of Americans today.  Secretary Perkins chaired President Roosevelt’s effort to investigate the benefits of social insurance and then worked to achieve passage of the Social Security Act, which became one of the most successful programs in the United States to prevent poverty among older adults.  When the United States and other nations initially failed to face the horrors of the Holocaust, Secretary Perkins demonstrated leadership on behalf of immigrants and refugees by actively working to bring Jewish children and adults from Europe to the United States to ensure their safety.
     The Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine, played a pivotal role in Frances Perkins’ life and supported her work to deliver lasting protection and benefits to American workers and families.  The rural setting of the Perkins Homestead on the Damariscotta River was the place she felt most at home.  She spent her childhood summers there and returned frequently for respite throughout her career.  Continuously owned by her family for over 260 years, the Perkins Homestead remains much as it was during Secretary Perkins’ lifetime, including the buildings, structures, gardens, and paths where she spent substantial time throughout her life.  The core area contains historic structures including a brick house, an attached barn, a gravel driveway, a garden, and portions of a stone wall.  The surrounding landscape of the Perkins Homestead contains additional portions of the stone wall, an ice pond, walking trails, a family cemetery, foundations of the 18th and 19th century Perkins Homestead buildings, and remnants of a pre-Revolutionary era garrison.  Visitors to the Perkins Homestead today can wander through these places where Perkins returned time and again during her Government service.  They can view the stone wall where she sat listening to the radio on September 1, 1939, when it was reported that the Germans invaded Poland, prompting her to rush back to Washington, D.C., to assist the President.  Preserving the core area of the Perkins Homestead and its associated historic objects will ensure that current and future generations have the opportunity to learn about Secretary Perkins’ foundational contributions to the Nation’s social and labor policy through the place that helped shape her as a person and support her throughout her extraordinary career.
     Frances Perkins was born in Boston as Fannie Coralie Perkins in 1880.  At the age of 25, she changed her name to Frances Perkins, which she used for the rest of her life, even after marriage.  She graduated in 1902 from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, where she credited a class trip to a nearby mill with inspiring her early interest in improving working conditions for women and children.
     After college, Frances Perkins worked with social service organizations in Chicago and Philadelphia, including settlement houses for poor and unemployed people and an organization to support and protect immigrant and Black women and girls from labor and sexual exploitation they faced upon arrival in these cities looking for work.  These experiences deepened her resolve to help reduce poverty and support the working poor.
     In 1911, while employed at the New York City Consumers’ League, Frances Perkins heard the sirens of fire engines racing to put out flames that had engulfed the nearby Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.  Running to the site of the fire, she witnessed the horrific scene of workers, mostly young women, jumping to their deaths after being locked in the factory.  In total, 146 people died in the fire –- including many immigrant workers.  Perkins later cited that tragic day as the impetus for policies that would become central to the New Deal.
     Perkins’ subsequent work at the New York Factory Investigating Commission, where she investigated and advocated for worker health and safety reforms, led to 33 new State laws that improved worker safety, workplace sanitation, and working conditions; provided workers’ compensation; and placed limits on child labor.  These were some of the first workplace health and safety standards in the Nation, and they became models that other States and the Federal Government adopted.
     In 1919, Perkins was named to the New York State Industrial Commission, making her the first woman appointed to serve in a New York State government administration.  In 1929, newly elected Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked Perkins to become the State’s Industrial Commissioner and oversee the labor department.  As the United States careened toward the Great Depression, Perkins used her position to shine a national spotlight on rising unemployment while also helping workers in New York and elsewhere by connecting them to jobs through a State employment service and inviting surrounding States to participate in an unemployment insurance system.  Her early warnings regarding the depth of the Nation’s economic problems and her work to develop solutions established Perkins as a national leader in the 20th century employment and labor reform movements.
     When President Roosevelt formally asked Perkins to join his Cabinet as Secretary of Labor, she responded by saying that if she accepted the position, she intended to execute an ambitious plan of action that included establishing maximum hours and minimum wages, ending child labor, developing unemployment relief through public works, providing unemployment insurance, and creating an old-age pension and a national health insurance program.  After detailing her plan, she asked if President Roosevelt was sure he wanted this list of policies put in place, explaining that, “you won’t want me for Secretary of Labor if you don’t want those things done.”  President Roosevelt responded that he would back her; he had promised the American people that he would improve their lives, and he intended to keep his promise.
     At a time when few women were in leadership positions and just 13 years after the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, Frances Perkins became Secretary of Labor.  During an unprecedented 12 years in the position — from 1933 to 1945 — Secretary Perkins achieved hard-fought social and economic reforms, often over vocal opposition and personal attacks from critics.  She summarized her work in a five-page letter to President Roosevelt, describing the reforms as “a turning point in our national life — a turning from careless neglect of human values and toward an order . . . of mutual and practical benevolence within a free competitive industrial economy.”  The list of accomplishments detailed in her letter encompasses many programs and laws that continue to undergird the Nation’s economy and social safety net, including establishing Social Security and contributing to the development of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act.  She also helped create millions of jobs across the country through the novel Civilian Conservation Corps and Public Works Administration. 
     As Secretary of Labor, Perkins often supported the rights of workers to organize unions and to negotiate with employers through collective action, laying the foundation for the rebirth of American labor –- including through helping write recovery legislation that provided a right to collective bargaining and laid the groundwork for the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (also known as the Wagner Act).  She used her post not only to advance labor protections in national policy, but also to call personally for workers’ fair treatment and access to the halls of power.  She persuaded President Roosevelt not to deploy Federal troops to quell the 1934 San Francisco General Strike, and instead encouraged the parties to settle their differences, which was accomplished within a week, and she frequently advised President Roosevelt to help resolve contentious strikes for the benefit of workers.   
     At the close of her time at the Department of Labor, Perkins had accomplished nearly all of the items in the ambitious plan she laid out for President Roosevelt when he asked her to serve, but she lamented the one exception:  health care benefits for American workers.  Historians have also noted that, because of deep racial inequities and injustices of the time –- including segregation -– the benefits of the New Deal were not available to all Americans initially. 
     When her time as Secretary of Labor concluded, Perkins continued in public service as President Harry Truman’s appointee to the United States Civil Service Commission, a post she held from 1945 until 1953.  She then became a lecturer at the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, a role she held until her death in 1965. 
     When Secretary Perkins died, the Secretary of Labor at the time, W. Willard Wirtz, recognized her legacy as central to the New Deal, stating that “every man and woman in America who works at a living wage, under safe conditions, for reasonable hours, or who is protected by unemployment insurance or social security is her debtor.”  The final resting place of Secretary Perkins is near her daughter, husband, sister, parents, and grandparents in the Glidden Cemetery, located a half mile north of the Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine. 
     Throughout Perkins’ life and career, the Perkins Homestead served as a place of rejuvenation and reflection, including during her time as Secretary of Labor.  Throughout her working life, she continued the family tradition of summer visits to Maine, often living there with her daughter from August into September.  Perkins and her sister became joint owners of the property in 1927 and it stayed within the family until 2020.  Perkins wrote about how the woods surrounding the brick house and the shoreline at the Perkins Homestead’s edge restored and comforted her, and how the brick house provided a place for her to relax and to recover from her work as Secretary of Labor.
     The Perkins Homestead, originally over 200 acres, was settled by Perkins’ great-great grandfather in the early 1700s.  A mid-18th century garrison existed on the property that was in use for 3 years during the French and Indian War. 
     The core area, on the west end of the Perkins Homestead, has a brick house built by the Perkins family in 1837 along with a connected barn.  The two-story home is constructed of bricks manufactured on site at the family brickyard.  The east end of the Perkins Homestead borders the Damariscotta River and has a family cemetery, foundations of the 18th and 19th century Perkins Homestead buildings, the remains of the brick kilns, wharves, and a clay pit from the 19th century brickyard, as well as the remains of the garrison.  Agricultural fields, pastures, woodland, and planted trees connect the two sides of the Perkins Homestead.
     The National Park Service first documented the Perkins Homestead through the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1960, while Secretary Perkins still occupied the home.  In 2009, the National Park Service listed the Brick House Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places; the Brick House Historic District included the brick house, adjacent structures, and the wooded and agricultural lands extending to the shoreline of the Damariscotta River.  In 2014, the Secretary of the Interior designated this same 57 acres as the Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark, recognizing the property’s historic importance and nationally significant association with Frances Perkins.
     The Perkins Homestead contains several objects that reflect Secretary Perkins’ lifelong commitment to supporting and protecting American workers.  Hanging above a doorway in the brick house is a custom “No Smoking” sign that reflects the lasting influence the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire had on Perkins.  It reads:  “Please Do Not SMOKE In Any Part of This Building.  DANGEROUS.  F. Perkins.”  The brick house also includes Secretary Perkins’ Award for Distinguished Service, which the Department of Labor presented to her on March 4, 1963, on the occasion of the Department’s 50th anniversary.  The Award citation reads:  “For her courage in entering an arena previously considered a masculine domain; for her strength in guiding the Department through a dozen years of domestic stress and international travail; for her spirit in waging the good fight for good objectives; and finally, for herself.”  
     Conserving the Perkins Homestead will ensure that the family home and surrounding landscape that were a constant source of support for Secretary Perkins will remain protected and accessible in perpetuity for the benefit of all people to learn about her life, her unparalleled contributions to labor and social policy that would eventually benefit generations of Americans, and core principles at the heart of the New Deal that she championed:  economic security and dignity for workers.
     WHEREAS, section 320301 of title 54, United States Code (the “Antiquities Act”), authorizes the President, in the President’s discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected; and
     WHEREAS, the Perkins Homestead was designated a National Historic Landmark on August 25, 2014, establishing its national significance as the ancestral home and lifelong summer residence of Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve as a Cabinet Secretary and one of our Nation’s most influential and effective public servants whose legacy includes the historic New Deal; and
     WHEREAS, the Frances Perkins Center has been managing and preserving the approximately 57-acre Perkins Homestead, including the objects identified above and additional archives and collections illustrating the historic value of this site, and has expressed support for inclusion of the Perkins Homestead in the National Park System; and
     WHEREAS, the Frances Perkins Center has donated to the Federal Government for the purpose of establishing a unit of the National Park System fee interest in the core area comprising approximately 2.3 acres of land in Newcastle, Maine, which includes several historic objects associated with the Perkins Homestead and Perkins’ life located on this site, including the brick house, the connected barn, and portions of the stone wall; and
     WHEREAS, in support of the establishment of a national monument to be administered by the National Park Service, the Frances Perkins Center has also indicated its intent to develop a partnership with the National Park Service to help manage, oversee, interpret, maintain, and protect the Perkins Homestead (including the core area) and the historic objects it contains as appropriate; and
     WHEREAS, the Frances Perkins Center has indicated an interest in donating a majority of the remaining approximately 54.7 acres of the 57-acre Perkins Homestead to the Federal Government in the future; and
     WHEREAS, the designation of a national monument to be administered by the National Park Service would recognize the historic significance of Frances Perkins and her role in the New Deal, particularly her contributions to social welfare, safe working conditions, and protection of workers’ health and well-being, and would provide a national platform for preserving and interpreting this important history; and
     WHEREAS, I find that all the objects identified above, and objects of the type identified above within the area described herein, are objects of historic interest in need of protection under section 320301 of title 54, United States Code, regardless of whether they are expressly identified as objects of historic interest in the text of this proclamation; and
     WHEREAS, I find that the boundaries of the monument reserved by this proclamation represent the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects of historic interest identified above, as required by the Antiquities Act; and
     WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to preserve and protect the objects of historic interest associated with the Perkins Homestead in Maine;
     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by section 320301 of title 54, United States Code, hereby proclaim the objects identified above that are situated on lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be part of the Frances Perkins National Monument (monument) and, for the purpose of protecting those objects, reserve as part thereof all lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States within the boundaries described on the accompanying map, which is attached to and forms a part of this proclamation.  The monument’s boundaries are coextensive with the Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark boundaries, and the reserved Federal lands and interests in lands within the monument’s boundaries comprise approximately 2.3 acres.
     All Federal lands and interests in lands within the boundaries of the monument are hereby appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, leasing, or other disposition under the public land laws, including withdrawal from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and from disposition under all laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing. 
     The establishment of the monument is subject to valid existing rights.  Specifically, the Frances Perkins Center retains reserved rights to occupy and use the premises; complete preservation, maintenance, and renovation work; and store and maintain artifacts currently located in the brick house.  These reserved rights shall expire not later than 25 years after the date of this proclamation. 
     If the Federal Government acquires any lands or interests in lands not owned or controlled by the Federal Government within the boundaries described on the accompanying map, such lands and interests in lands shall be reserved as part of the monument, and objects of the type identified above that are situated upon those lands and interests in lands shall be part of the monument, upon acquisition of ownership or control by the Federal Government.
     The Secretary of the Interior shall manage the monument through the National Park Service, pursuant to applicable legal authorities and consistent with the purposes and provisions of this proclamation.  For the purpose of preserving, interpreting, and enhancing the public understanding and appreciation of the monument, the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, shall prepare a management plan for the monument.  The management plan shall ensure that the monument fulfills the following purposes for the benefit of present and future generations:  (1) to preserve the historic objects and other resources within the boundaries of the monument, and (2) to interpret in its entirety the story of Frances Perkins and the history of the New Deal, including the impact Perkins had as the first woman Cabinet Secretary; the complexities of Perkins as an individual and of her ideas, perspectives, and views; and her role in advancing hallmark labor, economic, and social reform within the historical and political context of the early-to-mid 20th century. 
     The National Park Service shall consult with appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies; local communities; nongovernmental organizations; and the general public in the region of the monument — including the Frances Perkins Center and the Damariscotta River Association — in developing the management plan for the monument, which shall include resource management, interpretation and education, visitor access, and services at the monument.  The National Park Service shall also consult on all aspects of the management plan with the Penobscot Nation and other Wabanaki Peoples, whose ancestral lands include areas in Maine near the monument.
     The National Park Service is directed, as appropriate, to use applicable authorities to seek to enter into agreements with other entities, including the Frances Perkins Center, to address common interests and promote management efficiencies, including the provision of visitor services, interpretation and education, establishment and care of museum collections, and preservation of historic objects. 
            Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation; however, the monument shall be the dominant reservation.
     Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature of the monument and not to locate or settle upon any of the lands thereof.
     If any provision of this proclamation, including its application to a particular parcel of land, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this proclamation and its application to other parcels of land shall not be affected thereby.
     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
 
 
 
                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on the Establishment of the Frances Perkins National Monument appeared first on The White House.

On Wright Brothers Day, we celebrate the bold vision, steadfast determination, and transformative innovation of Orville and Wilbur Wright.  Their aircraft, which completed the first sustained, controlled, and powered flight 121 years ago, forever altered the course of human history and took our Nation to new heights.

     The Wright brothers embody the best of America’s grit, heart, and unstoppable spirit of ingenuity.  Before they took to the skies that fateful December day, the Wright brothers had spent years conducting arduous research, redesigns, and dangerous trials.  They were driven by the belief that what so many had written off as impossible could actually be done — that sustained, controlled, and powered flight was possible.  And on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, they were proven right — their aircraft, the Wright Flyer, took flight for 12 seconds.  In less than a minute, that one feat altered our understanding of technological possibilities and human potential forever, laying the foundation for putting a man on the moon; breaking the sound barrier; and beginning a new, deeper exploration of our universe. 

     My Administration has been committed to building on their legacy of innovation and advancement.  We have made improvements to modern air travel — from making airports more accessible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to making air travel safer.  And we have harnessed the spirit of American ingenuity in everything we do, like tackling the climate crisis, working toward ending cancer as we know it, and ensuring that the technologies of the future will benefit Americans for generations to come.

     On Wright Brothers Day, we honor two visionary men from Dayton, Ohio, who chose to look to the sky with not just wonder but with an ambition to take Americans where no one had gone before.  Because of their work, generations of visionary scientists, engineers, and dreamers and doers have followed in their footsteps, believing that, here in America, we do big things and nothing is beyond our capacity. 

     The Congress, by a joint resolution approved December 17, 1963, as amended (77 Stat. 402; 36 U.S.C. 143), has designated December 17 of each year as “Wright Brothers Day” and has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 17, 2024, as Wright Brothers Day.

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

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on Wright Brothers Day, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

On Wright Brothers Day, we celebrate the bold vision, steadfast determination, and transformative innovation of Orville and Wilbur Wright.  Their aircraft, which completed the first sustained, controlled, and powered flight 121 years ago, forever altered the course of human history and took our Nation to new heights.

     The Wright brothers embody the best of America’s grit, heart, and unstoppable spirit of ingenuity.  Before they took to the skies that fateful December day, the Wright brothers had spent years conducting arduous research, redesigns, and dangerous trials.  They were driven by the belief that what so many had written off as impossible could actually be done — that sustained, controlled, and powered flight was possible.  And on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, they were proven right — their aircraft, the Wright Flyer, took flight for 12 seconds.  In less than a minute, that one feat altered our understanding of technological possibilities and human potential forever, laying the foundation for putting a man on the moon; breaking the sound barrier; and beginning a new, deeper exploration of our universe. 

     My Administration has been committed to building on their legacy of innovation and advancement.  We have made improvements to modern air travel — from making airports more accessible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to making air travel safer.  And we have harnessed the spirit of American ingenuity in everything we do, like tackling the climate crisis, working toward ending cancer as we know it, and ensuring that the technologies of the future will benefit Americans for generations to come.

     On Wright Brothers Day, we honor two visionary men from Dayton, Ohio, who chose to look to the sky with not just wonder but with an ambition to take Americans where no one had gone before.  Because of their work, generations of visionary scientists, engineers, and dreamers and doers have followed in their footsteps, believing that, here in America, we do big things and nothing is beyond our capacity. 

     The Congress, by a joint resolution approved December 17, 1963, as amended (77 Stat. 402; 36 U.S.C. 143), has designated December 17 of each year as “Wright Brothers Day” and has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 17, 2024, as Wright Brothers Day.

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

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on Wright Brothers Day, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

Via Teleconference

4:47 P.M. EST

MODERATOR:  Hi, everyone.  Thanks for joining our gaggle late in the day today.  Kirby has some words here at the top, and then we’ll get into as many questions as we can. 

MR. KIRBY:  Hey, everybody.  Good afternoon.  Sorry for the late afternoon gaggle.  Obviously, lots going on here.  So, again, thanks for joining late.

I do want to start by expressing our deep condolences to all the victims and the families, and certainly the community of Madison, today.  Just horrific news, and news that no family, no parent, no sibling, no son or daughter ever wants to hear.  So, just terrible. 

And we will continue to stay focused on the community there in Madison, and we’ll obviously offer whatever help may be required or needed of local and state authorities. 

I can tell you that the President has been briefed on the school shooting there and that senior White House officials are, as you would expect we would be, in touch with our local counterparts there in Madison to provide whatever support that they need. 

Now, I want to address a couple of more things here before we take your questions, and first to the continued interest in drones. 

And just at the outset, I think it’s important to remember a bit of context here.  There are more than 1 million drones that are lawfully registered with the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States, and there are thousands of commercial, hobbyist, and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day.  That is the ecosystem that we are dealing with.  And it is legal.  It is proper.  In fact, in many cases, these drones provide valuable services, both on the commercial side and on the law enforcement, public safety side. 

And with the technology evolving as it is, we have every expectation that the number of drones in the skies over the United States is going to increase over time.

Now, with respect to what’s going on in and around New Jersey, the FBI has received now tips of some 5,000 reported drone sightings in the last few weeks, about 100 of which they felt needed to be followed up on.  So out of 5,000 tips, they did the analysis and determined that about 100 required following up on.

We also have federal government resources and personnel supporting state and local officials as they investigate these reports.  We’re obviously quickly working to help state and local authorities prioritize and follow up on the leads that are still being followed up on.  As Secretary Mayorkas said, we have sent additional advanced detection technology to the region, and of course, we’ve sent some trained visual observers as well.

Having closely examined the data, having closely looked at the tips and collated them as best we can from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and even stars that were mistakenly reported as drones.  We have not identified anything anomalous or any national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the Northeast. 

The work continues.  So that said, we obviously
recognize the concern among many communities.  We continue to support state and local authorities, as I said, with technology and law enforcement support.  And we will continue to follow up, as appropriate, on the leads that are still active. 

But I want to stress again: Our assessment at this stage is that the activity represents commercial, hobbyist, law enforcement drones, all operating legally and lawfully, and/or civilian aviation aircraft. 

As we continue to work through the leads that are out there, we’ll continue to share what we can.  And I would add that this assessment that I just read out is coming from law enforcement officials. 

I want to add that we urge Congress to enact counter-UAS — unmanned aerial systems — legislation that has been proposed and repeatedly requested by this administration that would extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to help identify and counter any threat that does emerge.  There are gaps and seams, for instance, between the various government agencies — federal, local and state.  And this counter-UAV, counter-drone legislation would help us close some of those gaps and seams.  So we need Congress to act. 

And so, when Congress reconvenes in January, we’re going to be calling on them to put in place a bipartisan task force [commission] to examine congestion in the skies and to help set appropriate rules to address the public’s concerns.

Now, additionally, there have been a limited number of visual sightings of drones over military facilities in New Jersey and elsewhere, much of which is, of course, restricted airspace.  Such sightings near or over DOD installations are not new.  And DOD takes unauthorized access over its airspace seriously, as you would expect them to do, and they coordinate closely with federal and law enforcement authorities as appropriate.  And they are actively engaged with local commanders to ensure that there are appropriate detection and mitigation measures in place. 

And lastly, if I could, turning to North Korea and Russia. 

Throughout this conflict, we’ve seen North Korean support for Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war, including the transfer of missiles, artillery ammunition.  And, in October, of course, we announced that more than 1,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Russia on a purported training mission. 

In reality, Russia, due to Ukraine’s strong defense, and out of military desperation, sought additional support to facilitate and to perpetuate its war. 

Over the past few days, we have seen these North Korean soldiers move from the second lines on the battlefield to the front lines on the battlefield meant to be actively engaged in combat operations.  It’s not surprising — and of course, it’s also not surprising that now North Korean soldiers are suffering losses on the battlefield in response to Russia’s escalation, which, of course, the introduction of North Korean soldiers represents in terms of escalation.

The United States has announced new assistance, including the use of long-range capabilities to degrade North Korean and Russian forces before they attack.  And we have continued to surge security assistance, announcing two drawdowns in just recent weeks, and one USAI package.

Today, the Biden-Harris administration is announcing new sanctions on nine DPRK — North Korean — individuals and seven entities, including banks and shipping companies, all of which is over, of course, Kim Jong Un’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as the DPRK’s continued ballistic missile testing. 

These sanctions contribute toward broader efforts to degrade the DPRK’s ability to continue generating revenue for its weapons of mass destruction program and for providing munitions and ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine. 

We’re going to continue to hold accountable all actors who facilitate financially and militarily Russia’s illegal and brutal war in Ukraine.  And it goes without saying, or at least I hope it goes without saying, that we stand by Ukraine and the Ukrainian people as they defend their freedom, their territorial integrity, their sovereignty, their citizens, their lives, and their livelihoods.  That’s been a consistent theme, it’s been a consistent effort by this administration since Mr. Putin decided to cross the line in February of ‘22.  And I can assure you, with every day that we have left in this administration, we’re going to make good on that commitment. 

With that, I can take your questions.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our first question will go to Nandita with Reuters.

Q    Hi.  Can you hear me?

MODERATOR:  Yep.

Q    Thank you.  I wanted to ask about President-elect Trump’s comments on Ukraine today.  He’s obviously raised doubts about President Biden’s strategy of sending long-range missiles to Ukraine.  Today he said Ukraine has to agree to a deal.  I’m curious what you think of Trump’s comments and what they mean for President Zelenskyy and the future of Ukraine.

MR. KIRBY:  I’m not going to engage in a public back-and-forth here, but I do want to make a couple of points. 

There are things you’ve heard me say before, but, my goodness, if you need to hear, I’ll say it again: Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.  We’re not going to have talks about them without them involved.  We’re not going to force their hand in terms of what their next steps might be. 

President Zelenskyy was elected by the Ukrainian people to be their representative in the executive branch of their government, and he is.  And he gets to decide if and when there’s going to be a negotiation. 

Now, we all believe there should be a negotiated end to this war.  That’s probably the most likely and the best way it’s going to end.  We recognize that.  But President Zelenskyy gets to determine under what terms, what conditions, when, and how he wants to engage in negotiations.  And as we have made clear to him in the past, so I can today: When he makes that decision, as long as President Biden is Commander-in-Chief, he will find in this administration a supporter as he moves forward to negotiating.  But he gets to determine that.  And if he does do it, he gets to determine the conditions.

What we’re going to — the third thing I’ll say is that between now and that day, whenever that day is, we’re going to make sure that his army has what they need to continue to succeed on the battlefield and to push the Russians back and to make it harder on Mr. Putin to continue to fight this war. 

I mean, even as we’re talking here, it is true that the Russians have made some plodding progress in the east, and it is true that they are going after Ukrainian lines in and around Kursk, but they’re doing it with North Korean soldiers, because that’s how desperate he is.  And the progress that they’re making in the east, yes, not denying that they’re making progress, but it’s coming at a heavy cost for Russian soldiers as well. 

One of the things that Mr. Putin has had to buy a lot of in terms — and he’s bought a lot of missiles, he’s bought drones, he’s bought artillery shells, and he’s getting them from all kinds of different places.  He’s also had to buy a lot of body bags.  And I think that shouldn’t be forgotten.  And that’s it.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Aamer with the AP.

Q    Hey.  Thank you, John.  One question I had was: Did the administration consult with President-elect Trump’s team before the decision to loosen restrictions on the use of American-provided ATACMS? 

And then, just secondly, on your point about North Koreans now being seen moving up to the front lines, is there anything specific triggering this?  And is there an assessment of how many North Korean troops have been injured or lost thus far?  Thank you.

MR. KIRBY:  So, let me take your second one first.  I don’t know that we have an exact number, but we do believe that they have suffered some significant losses, killed and wounded, but it’s difficult for me to put an actual number on it.  I would say certainly in the realm of dozens, several dozens. 

And we’re just now starting to see this movement of them from the second line to the front line.  So it’s a fairly new development, Aamer, and we might be able to have a little bit more granularity as days go on, but I wouldn’t have put it in this opening statement if we didn’t assess that these were fairly significant losses.  Again, we just don’t have a hard number on it, but just the figures that we are seeing and trying to triangulate tell us that, again, this has not been an insignificant set of losses for these guys. 

And, look, we said it at the time: If they want to enter the fight, they do so at their own peril, and now they’re learning what that means.

On your first question: Look, the conversations that we were having inside the administration about ATACMS started before the election.  All I can assure you is that in the conversations we’ve had with them since the election, and we’ve had it at various levels, we have articulated to them the logic behind it, the thinking behind it, why we were doing it, and to stress to them that this was in response, quite frankly, to the North Korean troops being put on the battlefield, which they did before the election.

Q    John, just real briefly, is it incorrect when President-elect Trump said that he wasn’t consulted?

MR. KIRBY:  Again, Aamer, I’m not going to get into a back-and-forth with the President-elect or his team.  I can only tell you the decision about ATACMS was made before the election, before we had a result, and it was made internal to this administration, as it should be.  And it was made because of a decision by Putin to use North Korean troops, which was a decision he made before the election.  So, all that happened pre-election.

Post-election, we have had the appropriate level of conversations with the incoming team about various national security issues, including the war in Ukraine, to explain what we’re doing, what we’re seeing, why we’re doing it, you know, so that, as I said the other day — I think I said this in the briefing room — there should be no decision we are taking or that we have taken in recent weeks that should come as a surprise to them.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Francesca with USA Today.

Q    Thanks so much for doing this.  I had a question about something else that the President-elect had said today.  Kirby, he said that the U.S. military and both President Biden know where the drones are coming and going from.  He indicated perhaps that you know more than you’re letting on, and said that you should stop keeping people in suspense, that you should tell them what you know.  Could you just respond to that and whether the administration does know more, whether the military and the White House do know more about where the drones are coming and going from?

MR. KIRBY:  I’ve talked to you guys last week.  We did a backgrounder over the weekend.  And I’m talking to you all today.  And today, as I think you hopefully picked up in my opening statement, we are now able to tell you what our assessment is to date, and our assessment is to date, as I indicated, what we believe these things are. 

Now, again, that’s the assessment to date.  So I would say that we are making a very good-faith effort to be as open and direct with all of you and with the American people as we can.  And that will continue.  That will continue all throughout the coming days.  There’s absolutely no effort to be anything other than as upfront as we can be. 

Now, what we’re not going to do is speculate, and we’re not going to hypothesize.  We’re not going to provide content that we can’t be sure is accurate. 

So, you know, I recognize that some of the criticism over the last few days has been that we haven’t said more of what we know.  It’s because we didn’t have as much information as we do now after a few more days of extra resources, extra personnel, extra analysis. 

And so, that’s why I’m coming out here at 4:30 on a Monday to let you know what we’ve learned.  And we’re going to continue to do that, because we know there are, you know, ongoing concerns about this. 

But I want to stress again: Please, if you do anything in your coverage, please make sure that you remind people that there are over a million legal drones in the country and that thousands of them are flying around on any given day, legally, lawfully, performing valuable services, including for the betterment of citizens on the ground.  It’s okay to fly drones.  It’s legal to do it, you know, if you’re registered with the FAA, and our assessment is that the vast, vast majority are. 

And the other thing I’d ask you to please keep front and center is that we’re watching — we’re monitoring this in real time and analyzing it in dang near real time.  And still today, on Monday, we have not seen anything that indicates a threat to national security or a public safety risk.  And obviously, if we did, we would, as appropriate, take the right action, do the right things, execute the right policies, and be as transparent with the American people about it as we could.

Q    Kirby, if I just could really quickly, not to get into intelligence assessments, but is there anything that you’re seeing in the intelligence that perhaps he was referring to that you’re not able to tell us about right now?

MR. KIRBY:  No.  I mean, the short answer to that is no.

Look, you know that I’m always careful when I’m asked about intelligence assessments one way or another.  But if there was something there that would indicate — that would contradict my statement that there was no national security threat at play right now that we know of, or a public safety risk, obviously I wouldn’t say it that way.  You know, it’s not like there’s a bit of intel out there that I’m obfuscating or obscuring from you. 

If we had information, intelligence or otherwise, that told us that there was a national security threat posed by this drone activity, I would say that.  Maybe I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly what the threat is or who it’s from or what the purpose is, but I would.  And I can’t — I just can’t say that to you honestly, because we haven’t seen it.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Kayla with CNN.

Q    Thank you.  And thank you, Admiral, for doing this. 

First, I just wanted to see if you could elaborate at all on the nature of the discussions between the White House and Trump teams on Ukraine, in which the President-elect has said he wants to see a ceasefire on day one. 

And second, I wanted to see if you could comment on the impeachment of President Yoon in South Korea, what it means for the alliance, and whether the U.S. believes, as some in the country do, that President Yoon should be charged with insurrection.  Thanks.

MR. KIRBY:  I will defer to the incoming team to speak to whatever policies that they want to pursue from a national security perspective.  That’s the appropriate thing.  You know, they should speak to whatever decisions that they believe they’re going to make or approaches that they want to take.  I mean, that’s not for me to comment on or to go into any depth on.

I would just tell you — well, I don’t want to just repeat what I said before.  I’d point you back to my previous answer.  Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.  We want to put President Zelenskyy in the best possible position so that if and when he’s ready to negotiate an end to this war, he can do it from a position of strength, from a position of some leverage.  And that’s why we continue to flow so much security assistance to him in these closing weeks of the administration.  And that’s going to continue.

What the next team decides to do or how they want to handle that, that really would be for them to speak to.  And I just don’t think it’s useful or productive for me to go beyond that. 

Obviously, we continue to watch events in South Korea very, very closely.  A significant ally.  Remains a significant ally.  An alliance that is incredibly healthy now after the result of these last four years of really working on our alliances and partnerships in the Pacific. 

As you know, the President spoke with the acting president, Han Duck-soo, over the weekend — I think it was on Saturday evening — to congratulate him and also to reaffirm our commitment to the South Korean people, to the alliance.

I will not speak to internal domestic issues inside South Korea, your question about whether he should be charged with insurrection.  Those kinds of things are for South Korean officials, South Korean legislators, the South Korean people to determine, not the United States.  All I’ll say is that, as the President said to Acting President Han Duck-soo, this is an important relationship for us, it’s a terrific alliance.  The United States is going to stay committed to it.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Cheyenne with ABC.

Q    Hi.  Thank you for doing this.  The President-elect also mentioned changing a trip to Bedminster.  Do you have any reason to believe that Bedminster, New Jersey, has been at all at risk with any of these drone sightings?

And also, you’ve talked about the thousands of drones flying around legally on any given day.  What’s your explanation for why this became a concern just recently in New Jersey?  Do you think it’s just a chain reaction?

MR. KIRBY:  I don’t know the answer to that.  I don’t.  But I can tell you we’re working hard to triangulate all of these sightings.  And as I said, of the 5,000 that the FBI took in, and the local law enforcement, there were about 100 that were deemed — that required, I should say, to follow up on. 

So, I don’t know.  I can’t explain the number of sightings.  Many of them are duplicative.  In other words, you might get, like — this is an example, not — a hypothetical example — but you might get 10 sightings of a single aircraft.  So that counts as 10 sightings, but it may only be one aircraft.  So, as this has become a story locally and certainly through the media, more and more people are looking skyward, and more and more people are seeing things, and more and more people are calling them in and taking video of them.  But in a lot of instances, it turns out to be the same thing seen by multiple people.  But I just can’t explain.  I don’t know.

But your question, I think, gets to why I made those comments at the beginning: to remind people of the sheer size and scope of unmanned aerial systems that are flying legally and lawfully every day over this country.  And again, it’s to our benefit, commercially and even from a public safety and law enforcement perspective.  So, that there are lots of drones in the sky I think is without dispute, and that the vast, vast majority of them are doing good things for people on the ground also should not be in dispute. 

As for the issue of Bedminster, it is already designated as restricted air space, so it is unlawful to fly in that space, with or without it being a manned aircraft, without the FAA’s approval.  So it’s already restricted.  I can’t speak to the President-elect’s travel or what he’s decided to do or where he’s decided to go, but I think it’s important to remember that it is already restricted airspace.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Nadia.

Q    Thank you.  I have a couple of questions.  First, the mother of Austin Tice has sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu, asking him to hold Israeli strikes outside of Damascus because she believes that Austin Tice might be held in a jail there.  Do you think that Israeli strikes might affect his chances of being found alive?  And I have another question.

MR. KIRBY:  I really don’t have anything for you on that one, Nadia.  That’s a — you know, I think that’s a question better put to the Tice family and to the IDF. 

I would just tell you that we continue to work very, very hard to try to find out where Austin is, how Austin is, and stemming from that information, what we can do to try to get him home.  And sadly, regrettably, I just don’t have additional detail to provide for you on that today.  We’re still working this very, very hard. 

Q    Okay.  Also, the President-elect Trump said today that Turkey holds all the keys to what’s happening in Syria.  In fact, he’s insinuating that Turkey is a major player of what’s taken on unfolding events in Syria, and he praised President Erdoğan as a smart guy.  What’s your assessment of Turkey’s role on what we have seen so far in the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime?

MR. KIRBY:  There’s no question that the Turks are significant players here in whatever the outcome in Syria is going to be, as they have been over the course of the last 14 years.  And that’s why Secretary Blinken went to Turkey last week.  It’s why we continue to have conversations with them at all different levels about what they’re doing, what their concerns are.

As I have said in the past, they have legitimate concerns with a terrorist threat along that border with Syria.  Turkish citizens have fallen victim to terrorist activities there.  You can’t very well blame the Turks for being concerned about that threat. 

On the other hand, we have a relationship with the Syrian Democratic Forces to go after ISIS.  We want to keep that focus of them and us, and so we have certainly talked about our concerns with respect to that mission set as it relates to Turkey’s military operations on the other side of that border. 

And if there’s a need — as there’s a need to deconflict and to work through some of those overlapping concerns, well, we’ll do that because Turkey is, as you rightly said, a NATO Ally. 

So they have had, and legitimately so, have had a large interest in what’s going on in Syria.  We recognize that.  We also recognize that sometimes their goals aren’t exactly the same as ours, and so we talk to them about that, and we’ll continue to do so.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Alex with the Wall Street Journal.

Q    Thanks so much.  Real quickly — Kirby, I noticed you said that this assessment is coming from law enforcement.  Just checking if any intelligence agencies, or especially military intel, is part of what went into this assessment, knowing that some of the drones went over Langley and Wright-Patt.

And just trying to get a sense of, you know, how did the administration work to get this info.  You mentioned, you know, you didn’t have it before.  Now you do.  Sort of what went into this?  Is this like — you know, were there a bunch of meetings?  Did FBI send a bunch of folks out?  Can you just give us some detail on how you’ve gotten to this point now in the assessment? Thanks. 

MR. KIRBY:  I kind of already did, Alex.  I said we surged resources, detection capabilities.  We surged personnel, including visual observers, from federal agencies, predominantly DHS.  The military, the Defense Department has surged some additional detection capabilities, certainly with respect to Naval Weapons Station Earle and Picatinny Arsenal. 

So, the assessment I was able to offer today was really the result of the collective action of all of these efforts, including continued work by local law enforcement and state officials. 

The work continues.  This is our assessment to date.  We will continue to look at this as hard as we can.  But it is really the result of an influx of resources and personnel applied to this particular problem set. 

I think the Pentagon already spoke to Wright-Patterson.  There was no — as I understand it, no disruption of operations.  I think some of the original reporting out of there was lacking some context that I think the Pentagon added to and provided. 

And, look, on intelligence, I would just say that this is a true interagency effort, and we’re all working really hard to apply the right resources to the problem set and to be as open and transparent with people as we can be.  And I think I best leave it at that.

Again, I want to foot-stomp what I said earlier.  It’s important for people to understand the ecosystem of drones over the skies of the United States.  I mean, there’s a lot of activity.  And again, the vast, vast, vast majority of it is legal and lawful.  And we believe — again, to date, our assessment is that the sightings thus far have been of that ilk.  But we’ll continue to keep looking.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We have time for one more question, and we’ll go to Robin Wright.

Q    Thank you, John.  Can I take you further afield to Syria and ask you: Has there been any more contact between the United States and HTS?

And secondly, can you give us a sense of what Iran is doing in Syria?  The head of the IRGC said that there have been evacuations of 4,000 citizens from Iran.  Do you have a sense of what Iran is doing in the aftermath of Assad’s demise or what it’s planning to do?  Thank you.

MR. KIRBY:  I can tell you, on HTS, as Secretary Blinken indicated, we have been in direct contact with HTS, as we have been with other groups.  We also have indirect ways of communicating with all those groups as well, and we’re pulling on all those levers to make sure that we can very closely monitor this transition to what we hope will be — well, we hope it will be a peaceful transition, but to a stable, secure, sovereign Syria that meets the aspirations of its people. 

But I don’t have any additional or specifics about conversations with HTS, except to reiterate what Secretary Blinken said.  We have been in touch with them and I suspect we will be going forward. 

I also think, Robin, you shouldn’t — no one should expect that we’re going to get into a detailed readout of every single conversation that we have with every rebel group or opposition leader as it unfolds.  I wouldn’t expect that you’re going to see that. 

And as for Iran, you know, I would be lying to you if I said we had, you know, perfect visibility on everything that Iranian leaders are doing or deciding when it comes to Syria.  I can go so far as to say we certainly have seen indications that the Iranians are pulling people and resources out of Syria.  That is true.  But at what scale and on what timeline, it’s difficult for us to be very granular on that.  We just don’t have perfect visibility.  But it’s clear to us that they certainly weren’t willing or able to come to Assad’s rescue.  And in the aftermath of his departure, it’s clear to us that they are reevaluating, I think is the best way to put it, their presence in Syria and have already started to move some people and some resources out. 

That’s really as far as I can go.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And thank you, everyone, for joining us today.  As always, if we weren’t able to get to you, please reach out to the NSC press distro, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.  Thanks all.

5:24 P.M. EST

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Via Teleconference

4:47 P.M. EST

MODERATOR:  Hi, everyone.  Thanks for joining our gaggle late in the day today.  Kirby has some words here at the top, and then we’ll get into as many questions as we can. 

MR. KIRBY:  Hey, everybody.  Good afternoon.  Sorry for the late afternoon gaggle.  Obviously, lots going on here.  So, again, thanks for joining late.

I do want to start by expressing our deep condolences to all the victims and the families, and certainly the community of Madison, today.  Just horrific news, and news that no family, no parent, no sibling, no son or daughter ever wants to hear.  So, just terrible. 

And we will continue to stay focused on the community there in Madison, and we’ll obviously offer whatever help may be required or needed of local and state authorities. 

I can tell you that the President has been briefed on the school shooting there and that senior White House officials are, as you would expect we would be, in touch with our local counterparts there in Madison to provide whatever support that they need. 

Now, I want to address a couple of more things here before we take your questions, and first to the continued interest in drones. 

And just at the outset, I think it’s important to remember a bit of context here.  There are more than 1 million drones that are lawfully registered with the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States, and there are thousands of commercial, hobbyist, and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day.  That is the ecosystem that we are dealing with.  And it is legal.  It is proper.  In fact, in many cases, these drones provide valuable services, both on the commercial side and on the law enforcement, public safety side. 

And with the technology evolving as it is, we have every expectation that the number of drones in the skies over the United States is going to increase over time.

Now, with respect to what’s going on in and around New Jersey, the FBI has received now tips of some 5,000 reported drone sightings in the last few weeks, about 100 of which they felt needed to be followed up on.  So out of 5,000 tips, they did the analysis and determined that about 100 required following up on.

We also have federal government resources and personnel supporting state and local officials as they investigate these reports.  We’re obviously quickly working to help state and local authorities prioritize and follow up on the leads that are still being followed up on.  As Secretary Mayorkas said, we have sent additional advanced detection technology to the region, and of course, we’ve sent some trained visual observers as well.

Having closely examined the data, having closely looked at the tips and collated them as best we can from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and even stars that were mistakenly reported as drones.  We have not identified anything anomalous or any national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the Northeast. 

The work continues.  So that said, we obviously
recognize the concern among many communities.  We continue to support state and local authorities, as I said, with technology and law enforcement support.  And we will continue to follow up, as appropriate, on the leads that are still active. 

But I want to stress again: Our assessment at this stage is that the activity represents commercial, hobbyist, law enforcement drones, all operating legally and lawfully, and/or civilian aviation aircraft. 

As we continue to work through the leads that are out there, we’ll continue to share what we can.  And I would add that this assessment that I just read out is coming from law enforcement officials. 

I want to add that we urge Congress to enact counter-UAS — unmanned aerial systems — legislation that has been proposed and repeatedly requested by this administration that would extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to help identify and counter any threat that does emerge.  There are gaps and seams, for instance, between the various government agencies — federal, local and state.  And this counter-UAV, counter-drone legislation would help us close some of those gaps and seams.  So we need Congress to act. 

And so, when Congress reconvenes in January, we’re going to be calling on them to put in place a bipartisan task force [commission] to examine congestion in the skies and to help set appropriate rules to address the public’s concerns.

Now, additionally, there have been a limited number of visual sightings of drones over military facilities in New Jersey and elsewhere, much of which is, of course, restricted airspace.  Such sightings near or over DOD installations are not new.  And DOD takes unauthorized access over its airspace seriously, as you would expect them to do, and they coordinate closely with federal and law enforcement authorities as appropriate.  And they are actively engaged with local commanders to ensure that there are appropriate detection and mitigation measures in place. 

And lastly, if I could, turning to North Korea and Russia. 

Throughout this conflict, we’ve seen North Korean support for Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war, including the transfer of missiles, artillery ammunition.  And, in October, of course, we announced that more than 1,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Russia on a purported training mission. 

In reality, Russia, due to Ukraine’s strong defense, and out of military desperation, sought additional support to facilitate and to perpetuate its war. 

Over the past few days, we have seen these North Korean soldiers move from the second lines on the battlefield to the front lines on the battlefield meant to be actively engaged in combat operations.  It’s not surprising — and of course, it’s also not surprising that now North Korean soldiers are suffering losses on the battlefield in response to Russia’s escalation, which, of course, the introduction of North Korean soldiers represents in terms of escalation.

The United States has announced new assistance, including the use of long-range capabilities to degrade North Korean and Russian forces before they attack.  And we have continued to surge security assistance, announcing two drawdowns in just recent weeks, and one USAI package.

Today, the Biden-Harris administration is announcing new sanctions on nine DPRK — North Korean — individuals and seven entities, including banks and shipping companies, all of which is over, of course, Kim Jong Un’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as the DPRK’s continued ballistic missile testing. 

These sanctions contribute toward broader efforts to degrade the DPRK’s ability to continue generating revenue for its weapons of mass destruction program and for providing munitions and ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine. 

We’re going to continue to hold accountable all actors who facilitate financially and militarily Russia’s illegal and brutal war in Ukraine.  And it goes without saying, or at least I hope it goes without saying, that we stand by Ukraine and the Ukrainian people as they defend their freedom, their territorial integrity, their sovereignty, their citizens, their lives, and their livelihoods.  That’s been a consistent theme, it’s been a consistent effort by this administration since Mr. Putin decided to cross the line in February of ‘22.  And I can assure you, with every day that we have left in this administration, we’re going to make good on that commitment. 

With that, I can take your questions.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our first question will go to Nandita with Reuters.

Q    Hi.  Can you hear me?

MODERATOR:  Yep.

Q    Thank you.  I wanted to ask about President-elect Trump’s comments on Ukraine today.  He’s obviously raised doubts about President Biden’s strategy of sending long-range missiles to Ukraine.  Today he said Ukraine has to agree to a deal.  I’m curious what you think of Trump’s comments and what they mean for President Zelenskyy and the future of Ukraine.

MR. KIRBY:  I’m not going to engage in a public back-and-forth here, but I do want to make a couple of points. 

There are things you’ve heard me say before, but, my goodness, if you need to hear, I’ll say it again: Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.  We’re not going to have talks about them without them involved.  We’re not going to force their hand in terms of what their next steps might be. 

President Zelenskyy was elected by the Ukrainian people to be their representative in the executive branch of their government, and he is.  And he gets to decide if and when there’s going to be a negotiation. 

Now, we all believe there should be a negotiated end to this war.  That’s probably the most likely and the best way it’s going to end.  We recognize that.  But President Zelenskyy gets to determine under what terms, what conditions, when, and how he wants to engage in negotiations.  And as we have made clear to him in the past, so I can today: When he makes that decision, as long as President Biden is Commander-in-Chief, he will find in this administration a supporter as he moves forward to negotiating.  But he gets to determine that.  And if he does do it, he gets to determine the conditions.

What we’re going to — the third thing I’ll say is that between now and that day, whenever that day is, we’re going to make sure that his army has what they need to continue to succeed on the battlefield and to push the Russians back and to make it harder on Mr. Putin to continue to fight this war. 

I mean, even as we’re talking here, it is true that the Russians have made some plodding progress in the east, and it is true that they are going after Ukrainian lines in and around Kursk, but they’re doing it with North Korean soldiers, because that’s how desperate he is.  And the progress that they’re making in the east, yes, not denying that they’re making progress, but it’s coming at a heavy cost for Russian soldiers as well. 

One of the things that Mr. Putin has had to buy a lot of in terms — and he’s bought a lot of missiles, he’s bought drones, he’s bought artillery shells, and he’s getting them from all kinds of different places.  He’s also had to buy a lot of body bags.  And I think that shouldn’t be forgotten.  And that’s it.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Aamer with the AP.

Q    Hey.  Thank you, John.  One question I had was: Did the administration consult with President-elect Trump’s team before the decision to loosen restrictions on the use of American-provided ATACMS? 

And then, just secondly, on your point about North Koreans now being seen moving up to the front lines, is there anything specific triggering this?  And is there an assessment of how many North Korean troops have been injured or lost thus far?  Thank you.

MR. KIRBY:  So, let me take your second one first.  I don’t know that we have an exact number, but we do believe that they have suffered some significant losses, killed and wounded, but it’s difficult for me to put an actual number on it.  I would say certainly in the realm of dozens, several dozens. 

And we’re just now starting to see this movement of them from the second line to the front line.  So it’s a fairly new development, Aamer, and we might be able to have a little bit more granularity as days go on, but I wouldn’t have put it in this opening statement if we didn’t assess that these were fairly significant losses.  Again, we just don’t have a hard number on it, but just the figures that we are seeing and trying to triangulate tell us that, again, this has not been an insignificant set of losses for these guys. 

And, look, we said it at the time: If they want to enter the fight, they do so at their own peril, and now they’re learning what that means.

On your first question: Look, the conversations that we were having inside the administration about ATACMS started before the election.  All I can assure you is that in the conversations we’ve had with them since the election, and we’ve had it at various levels, we have articulated to them the logic behind it, the thinking behind it, why we were doing it, and to stress to them that this was in response, quite frankly, to the North Korean troops being put on the battlefield, which they did before the election.

Q    John, just real briefly, is it incorrect when President-elect Trump said that he wasn’t consulted?

MR. KIRBY:  Again, Aamer, I’m not going to get into a back-and-forth with the President-elect or his team.  I can only tell you the decision about ATACMS was made before the election, before we had a result, and it was made internal to this administration, as it should be.  And it was made because of a decision by Putin to use North Korean troops, which was a decision he made before the election.  So, all that happened pre-election.

Post-election, we have had the appropriate level of conversations with the incoming team about various national security issues, including the war in Ukraine, to explain what we’re doing, what we’re seeing, why we’re doing it, you know, so that, as I said the other day — I think I said this in the briefing room — there should be no decision we are taking or that we have taken in recent weeks that should come as a surprise to them.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Francesca with USA Today.

Q    Thanks so much for doing this.  I had a question about something else that the President-elect had said today.  Kirby, he said that the U.S. military and both President Biden know where the drones are coming and going from.  He indicated perhaps that you know more than you’re letting on, and said that you should stop keeping people in suspense, that you should tell them what you know.  Could you just respond to that and whether the administration does know more, whether the military and the White House do know more about where the drones are coming and going from?

MR. KIRBY:  I’ve talked to you guys last week.  We did a backgrounder over the weekend.  And I’m talking to you all today.  And today, as I think you hopefully picked up in my opening statement, we are now able to tell you what our assessment is to date, and our assessment is to date, as I indicated, what we believe these things are. 

Now, again, that’s the assessment to date.  So I would say that we are making a very good-faith effort to be as open and direct with all of you and with the American people as we can.  And that will continue.  That will continue all throughout the coming days.  There’s absolutely no effort to be anything other than as upfront as we can be. 

Now, what we’re not going to do is speculate, and we’re not going to hypothesize.  We’re not going to provide content that we can’t be sure is accurate. 

So, you know, I recognize that some of the criticism over the last few days has been that we haven’t said more of what we know.  It’s because we didn’t have as much information as we do now after a few more days of extra resources, extra personnel, extra analysis. 

And so, that’s why I’m coming out here at 4:30 on a Monday to let you know what we’ve learned.  And we’re going to continue to do that, because we know there are, you know, ongoing concerns about this. 

But I want to stress again: Please, if you do anything in your coverage, please make sure that you remind people that there are over a million legal drones in the country and that thousands of them are flying around on any given day, legally, lawfully, performing valuable services, including for the betterment of citizens on the ground.  It’s okay to fly drones.  It’s legal to do it, you know, if you’re registered with the FAA, and our assessment is that the vast, vast majority are. 

And the other thing I’d ask you to please keep front and center is that we’re watching — we’re monitoring this in real time and analyzing it in dang near real time.  And still today, on Monday, we have not seen anything that indicates a threat to national security or a public safety risk.  And obviously, if we did, we would, as appropriate, take the right action, do the right things, execute the right policies, and be as transparent with the American people about it as we could.

Q    Kirby, if I just could really quickly, not to get into intelligence assessments, but is there anything that you’re seeing in the intelligence that perhaps he was referring to that you’re not able to tell us about right now?

MR. KIRBY:  No.  I mean, the short answer to that is no.

Look, you know that I’m always careful when I’m asked about intelligence assessments one way or another.  But if there was something there that would indicate — that would contradict my statement that there was no national security threat at play right now that we know of, or a public safety risk, obviously I wouldn’t say it that way.  You know, it’s not like there’s a bit of intel out there that I’m obfuscating or obscuring from you. 

If we had information, intelligence or otherwise, that told us that there was a national security threat posed by this drone activity, I would say that.  Maybe I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly what the threat is or who it’s from or what the purpose is, but I would.  And I can’t — I just can’t say that to you honestly, because we haven’t seen it.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Kayla with CNN.

Q    Thank you.  And thank you, Admiral, for doing this. 

First, I just wanted to see if you could elaborate at all on the nature of the discussions between the White House and Trump teams on Ukraine, in which the President-elect has said he wants to see a ceasefire on day one. 

And second, I wanted to see if you could comment on the impeachment of President Yoon in South Korea, what it means for the alliance, and whether the U.S. believes, as some in the country do, that President Yoon should be charged with insurrection.  Thanks.

MR. KIRBY:  I will defer to the incoming team to speak to whatever policies that they want to pursue from a national security perspective.  That’s the appropriate thing.  You know, they should speak to whatever decisions that they believe they’re going to make or approaches that they want to take.  I mean, that’s not for me to comment on or to go into any depth on.

I would just tell you — well, I don’t want to just repeat what I said before.  I’d point you back to my previous answer.  Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.  We want to put President Zelenskyy in the best possible position so that if and when he’s ready to negotiate an end to this war, he can do it from a position of strength, from a position of some leverage.  And that’s why we continue to flow so much security assistance to him in these closing weeks of the administration.  And that’s going to continue.

What the next team decides to do or how they want to handle that, that really would be for them to speak to.  And I just don’t think it’s useful or productive for me to go beyond that. 

Obviously, we continue to watch events in South Korea very, very closely.  A significant ally.  Remains a significant ally.  An alliance that is incredibly healthy now after the result of these last four years of really working on our alliances and partnerships in the Pacific. 

As you know, the President spoke with the acting president, Han Duck-soo, over the weekend — I think it was on Saturday evening — to congratulate him and also to reaffirm our commitment to the South Korean people, to the alliance.

I will not speak to internal domestic issues inside South Korea, your question about whether he should be charged with insurrection.  Those kinds of things are for South Korean officials, South Korean legislators, the South Korean people to determine, not the United States.  All I’ll say is that, as the President said to Acting President Han Duck-soo, this is an important relationship for us, it’s a terrific alliance.  The United States is going to stay committed to it.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Cheyenne with ABC.

Q    Hi.  Thank you for doing this.  The President-elect also mentioned changing a trip to Bedminster.  Do you have any reason to believe that Bedminster, New Jersey, has been at all at risk with any of these drone sightings?

And also, you’ve talked about the thousands of drones flying around legally on any given day.  What’s your explanation for why this became a concern just recently in New Jersey?  Do you think it’s just a chain reaction?

MR. KIRBY:  I don’t know the answer to that.  I don’t.  But I can tell you we’re working hard to triangulate all of these sightings.  And as I said, of the 5,000 that the FBI took in, and the local law enforcement, there were about 100 that were deemed — that required, I should say, to follow up on. 

So, I don’t know.  I can’t explain the number of sightings.  Many of them are duplicative.  In other words, you might get, like — this is an example, not — a hypothetical example — but you might get 10 sightings of a single aircraft.  So that counts as 10 sightings, but it may only be one aircraft.  So, as this has become a story locally and certainly through the media, more and more people are looking skyward, and more and more people are seeing things, and more and more people are calling them in and taking video of them.  But in a lot of instances, it turns out to be the same thing seen by multiple people.  But I just can’t explain.  I don’t know.

But your question, I think, gets to why I made those comments at the beginning: to remind people of the sheer size and scope of unmanned aerial systems that are flying legally and lawfully every day over this country.  And again, it’s to our benefit, commercially and even from a public safety and law enforcement perspective.  So, that there are lots of drones in the sky I think is without dispute, and that the vast, vast majority of them are doing good things for people on the ground also should not be in dispute. 

As for the issue of Bedminster, it is already designated as restricted air space, so it is unlawful to fly in that space, with or without it being a manned aircraft, without the FAA’s approval.  So it’s already restricted.  I can’t speak to the President-elect’s travel or what he’s decided to do or where he’s decided to go, but I think it’s important to remember that it is already restricted airspace.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Nadia.

Q    Thank you.  I have a couple of questions.  First, the mother of Austin Tice has sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu, asking him to hold Israeli strikes outside of Damascus because she believes that Austin Tice might be held in a jail there.  Do you think that Israeli strikes might affect his chances of being found alive?  And I have another question.

MR. KIRBY:  I really don’t have anything for you on that one, Nadia.  That’s a — you know, I think that’s a question better put to the Tice family and to the IDF. 

I would just tell you that we continue to work very, very hard to try to find out where Austin is, how Austin is, and stemming from that information, what we can do to try to get him home.  And sadly, regrettably, I just don’t have additional detail to provide for you on that today.  We’re still working this very, very hard. 

Q    Okay.  Also, the President-elect Trump said today that Turkey holds all the keys to what’s happening in Syria.  In fact, he’s insinuating that Turkey is a major player of what’s taken on unfolding events in Syria, and he praised President Erdoğan as a smart guy.  What’s your assessment of Turkey’s role on what we have seen so far in the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime?

MR. KIRBY:  There’s no question that the Turks are significant players here in whatever the outcome in Syria is going to be, as they have been over the course of the last 14 years.  And that’s why Secretary Blinken went to Turkey last week.  It’s why we continue to have conversations with them at all different levels about what they’re doing, what their concerns are.

As I have said in the past, they have legitimate concerns with a terrorist threat along that border with Syria.  Turkish citizens have fallen victim to terrorist activities there.  You can’t very well blame the Turks for being concerned about that threat. 

On the other hand, we have a relationship with the Syrian Democratic Forces to go after ISIS.  We want to keep that focus of them and us, and so we have certainly talked about our concerns with respect to that mission set as it relates to Turkey’s military operations on the other side of that border. 

And if there’s a need — as there’s a need to deconflict and to work through some of those overlapping concerns, well, we’ll do that because Turkey is, as you rightly said, a NATO Ally. 

So they have had, and legitimately so, have had a large interest in what’s going on in Syria.  We recognize that.  We also recognize that sometimes their goals aren’t exactly the same as ours, and so we talk to them about that, and we’ll continue to do so.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Alex with the Wall Street Journal.

Q    Thanks so much.  Real quickly — Kirby, I noticed you said that this assessment is coming from law enforcement.  Just checking if any intelligence agencies, or especially military intel, is part of what went into this assessment, knowing that some of the drones went over Langley and Wright-Patt.

And just trying to get a sense of, you know, how did the administration work to get this info.  You mentioned, you know, you didn’t have it before.  Now you do.  Sort of what went into this?  Is this like — you know, were there a bunch of meetings?  Did FBI send a bunch of folks out?  Can you just give us some detail on how you’ve gotten to this point now in the assessment? Thanks. 

MR. KIRBY:  I kind of already did, Alex.  I said we surged resources, detection capabilities.  We surged personnel, including visual observers, from federal agencies, predominantly DHS.  The military, the Defense Department has surged some additional detection capabilities, certainly with respect to Naval Weapons Station Earle and Picatinny Arsenal. 

So, the assessment I was able to offer today was really the result of the collective action of all of these efforts, including continued work by local law enforcement and state officials. 

The work continues.  This is our assessment to date.  We will continue to look at this as hard as we can.  But it is really the result of an influx of resources and personnel applied to this particular problem set. 

I think the Pentagon already spoke to Wright-Patterson.  There was no — as I understand it, no disruption of operations.  I think some of the original reporting out of there was lacking some context that I think the Pentagon added to and provided. 

And, look, on intelligence, I would just say that this is a true interagency effort, and we’re all working really hard to apply the right resources to the problem set and to be as open and transparent with people as we can be.  And I think I best leave it at that.

Again, I want to foot-stomp what I said earlier.  It’s important for people to understand the ecosystem of drones over the skies of the United States.  I mean, there’s a lot of activity.  And again, the vast, vast, vast majority of it is legal and lawful.  And we believe — again, to date, our assessment is that the sightings thus far have been of that ilk.  But we’ll continue to keep looking.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We have time for one more question, and we’ll go to Robin Wright.

Q    Thank you, John.  Can I take you further afield to Syria and ask you: Has there been any more contact between the United States and HTS?

And secondly, can you give us a sense of what Iran is doing in Syria?  The head of the IRGC said that there have been evacuations of 4,000 citizens from Iran.  Do you have a sense of what Iran is doing in the aftermath of Assad’s demise or what it’s planning to do?  Thank you.

MR. KIRBY:  I can tell you, on HTS, as Secretary Blinken indicated, we have been in direct contact with HTS, as we have been with other groups.  We also have indirect ways of communicating with all those groups as well, and we’re pulling on all those levers to make sure that we can very closely monitor this transition to what we hope will be — well, we hope it will be a peaceful transition, but to a stable, secure, sovereign Syria that meets the aspirations of its people. 

But I don’t have any additional or specifics about conversations with HTS, except to reiterate what Secretary Blinken said.  We have been in touch with them and I suspect we will be going forward. 

I also think, Robin, you shouldn’t — no one should expect that we’re going to get into a detailed readout of every single conversation that we have with every rebel group or opposition leader as it unfolds.  I wouldn’t expect that you’re going to see that. 

And as for Iran, you know, I would be lying to you if I said we had, you know, perfect visibility on everything that Iranian leaders are doing or deciding when it comes to Syria.  I can go so far as to say we certainly have seen indications that the Iranians are pulling people and resources out of Syria.  That is true.  But at what scale and on what timeline, it’s difficult for us to be very granular on that.  We just don’t have perfect visibility.  But it’s clear to us that they certainly weren’t willing or able to come to Assad’s rescue.  And in the aftermath of his departure, it’s clear to us that they are reevaluating, I think is the best way to put it, their presence in Syria and have already started to move some people and some resources out. 

That’s really as far as I can go.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And thank you, everyone, for joining us today.  As always, if we weren’t able to get to you, please reach out to the NSC press distro, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.  Thanks all.

5:24 P.M. EST

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Today, as we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, we celebrate the tremendous progress our country has made in bringing clean drinking water to all Americans – and we recommit ourselves to the work still to come.  

I am proud to have been one of the Senators who supported this landmark legislation. Before the Safe Drinking Water Act, America’s drinking water was unreliable and too often polluted with industrial waste or disease-causing contaminants. The Act was passed to meet these challenges head-on, and five decades later, our nation enjoys some of the safest drinking water in the world.

Along with the long-standing leadership of Vice President Harris, I have fought to ensure that the full vision of the Safe Drinking Water Act is realized by tackling the key challenges facing our drinking water system today, including toxic lead pipes, PFAS “forever chemicals,” aging water infrastructure, and pollution impacting our rivers, streams, and wetlands. Our Administration combined historic investments – including more than $50 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – and regulatory policies – including the first-ever requirement to identify and replace lead pipes within ten years – to make historic progress investing in key water infrastructure, including in Indigenous and rural communities, while also creating good-paying jobs and helping advance environmental justice.

Vice President Harris and I have always believed that every person in this country deserves to turn on a faucet and have clean drinking water. And because of my Administration’s investments and actions in water safety, a new legacy of clean, high-quality drinking water for our families and communities will continue to be felt for generations to come.

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Today, as we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, we celebrate the tremendous progress our country has made in bringing clean drinking water to all Americans – and we recommit ourselves to the work still to come.  

I am proud to have been one of the Senators who supported this landmark legislation. Before the Safe Drinking Water Act, America’s drinking water was unreliable and too often polluted with industrial waste or disease-causing contaminants. The Act was passed to meet these challenges head-on, and five decades later, our nation enjoys some of the safest drinking water in the world.

Along with the long-standing leadership of Vice President Harris, I have fought to ensure that the full vision of the Safe Drinking Water Act is realized by tackling the key challenges facing our drinking water system today, including toxic lead pipes, PFAS “forever chemicals,” aging water infrastructure, and pollution impacting our rivers, streams, and wetlands. Our Administration combined historic investments – including more than $50 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – and regulatory policies – including the first-ever requirement to identify and replace lead pipes within ten years – to make historic progress investing in key water infrastructure, including in Indigenous and rural communities, while also creating good-paying jobs and helping advance environmental justice.

Vice President Harris and I have always believed that every person in this country deserves to turn on a faucet and have clean drinking water. And because of my Administration’s investments and actions in water safety, a new legacy of clean, high-quality drinking water for our families and communities will continue to be felt for generations to come.

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The post Statement from President Joe Biden on the 50th Anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act appeared first on The White House.

Action Uplifts Women’s History by Honoring the First Woman Cabinet Secretary, Longest-Serving Secretary of Labor, and a Key Architect of the New Deal

Today President Biden will sign a proclamation establishing the Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle, Maine, to honor the historic contributions of America’s first woman Cabinet Secretary and the longest-serving Secretary of Labor.

Frances Perkins was the leading architect behind the New Deal and led many labor and economic reforms that continue to benefit Americans today. During her 12 years as Secretary of Labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she envisioned and helped create Social Security; helped millions of Americans get back to work during the Great Depression; fought for the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively; and established the minimum wage, overtime pay, prohibitions on child labor, and unemployment insurance.

During a visit to the Department of Labor’s Frances Perkins Building, President Biden will showcase Frances Perkins’s foundational legacy, which civil rights and women’s rights leaders have built upon to further expand opportunities for all Americans. The President will also highlight how his Administration has continued to stand with labor and strengthen America’s workforce. President Biden is proud to be the most pro-union and pro-worker president in history, including creating the Made in America office; requiring Project Labor Agreements on nearly all major federal construction projects of over $35 million; signing the Butch Lewis Act to save more than one million pensions; and becoming the first president in history to walk a picket line.

The designation of this new national monument advances President Biden’s March 2024 Executive Order to strengthen the recognition of women’s history. In addition to establishing the Frances Perkins National Monument, today Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland will announce five new National Historic Landmarks that will increase the representation of women’s history in historic sites across America and additional new actions to advance President Biden’s Executive Order.

Frances Perkins National Monument

At a time when few women were in leadership positions and just 13 years after the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, President Roosevelt asked Frances Perkins to become his Secretary of Labor. Perkins told President Roosevelt that if she accepted the position, she intended to execute an ambitious plan to protect American workers. Over her 12 years as Secretary of Labor, Perkins accomplished nearly everything on her list and laid the groundwork for the labor policy and social safety net that we continue to build on today.

The new national monument boundary encompasses the 57 acres of the Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark site in Newcastle, Maine. The Perkins Homestead played a pivotal role in Frances Perkins’ life and was the place Perkins felt most at home. She spent her childhood summers there, and returned frequently for respite throughout her ground-breaking professional career.  

Owned by her family for over 270 years, the Homestead remains much as it looked during Perkins’ lifetime. The 2.3-acre core area of the Homestead has been donated to the National Park Service and is reserved as part of the new monument, including the Perkins’ family home known as the brick house, a barn and outbuilding, gardens, and part of the stone wall surrounding the property. The remaining Homestead landscape extends from the core area to the Damariscotta River to the east, and contains other buildings, structures, gardens, and the paths used by Perkins and her family throughout her life. These lands are currently owned by the Frances Perkins Center which has been managing and preserving them, and they will be reserved and protected as part of the national monument if they are ever donated to the Federal Government in the future.

Advancing Women’s History and Telling a More Complete American Story

The establishment of the Frances Perkins National Monument furthers the Administration’s commitment to recognizing women’s contributions to our country. TheBiden-Harris Administration has invested more than $40 million to restore and support sites that recognize and elevate the stories of women who have shaped American history. Today, the Department of the Interior (DOI) is announcing additional new actions that advance the President’s Executive Order on Honoring and Recognizing Women’s History, including:

• Secretary Haaland is announcing five new National Historic Landmarks, DOI’s highest recognition of a property’s historical, architectural, or archeological significance. These include:
  • The Charleston Cigar Factory in Charleston, South Carolina. This new landmark, historically known as the American Cigar Company Building, will recognize the site where cigar factory workers – led by Black women – went on strike for better pay and working conditions, and against gender and racial discrimination on the job.
  • The Furies Collective House in Washington, D.C. This new landmark recognizes the former home of a group of young activists who created a social and political community credited with recognizing the existence and needs of lesbians in the women’s movement in the early 1970s, and who published a newspaper focused on questions of women’s identity, relationships, and roles in society.
  • The Lucy Diggs Slowe and Mary Burrill House in Washington, D.C. This new landmark includes the residence of Lucy Diggs Slowe, the first dean of women at Howard University, and her partner Mary Burrill. An advocate for educational parity between men and women students, Slowe helped modernize student affairs at Howard and other historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
  • Azurest South in Petersburg, Virginia. This new landmark is designed in the International Style, an architectural style developed in the United States and Europe in the 1920s and 1930s that dominated mid-20th century architecture, by Amaza Lee Meredith, a pioneering Black woman architect.
  • The Peter Hurd and Henriette Wyeth House and Studios in San Patricio, New Mexico. This new landmark recognizes the home and workspace of 20th century Realist painter Henriette Wyeth.    

• The National Park Service is announcing a $500,000 grant from the Historic Preservation Fund to support the renovation of the Seneca Falls Knitting Mill, a part of the Seneca Falls Village Historic District. The Fund’s support will enable the National Women’s Hall of Fame to expand its programming on women’s history and restore the mill, which was one of the few places in Seneca Falls, New York to employ women during its 150 years of operation.
  
• As directed by President Biden, DOI is releasing a new report on representation of women across sites of national importance, including National Historic Landmarks, national monuments, and national park sites. The report assesses which existing federal sites are significant to women’s history and offers opportunities to improve the recognition of women’s contributions to our country across the National Park Service, including through the National Historic Landmark program.

Background on Antiquities Act Designations

President Theodore Roosevelt first used the Antiquities Act in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Since then, 18 presidents of both parties have used this authority to protect natural and historic features in America, including the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, the Pullman National Monument, and the César E. Chávez National Monument.

The Frances Perkins National Monument will be President Biden’s 13th use of the Antiquities Act and his fourth new national monument commemorating a site that helps tell a more complete American story. Other designations under President Biden include the creation of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument, and the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument.

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Action Uplifts Women’s History by Honoring the First Woman Cabinet Secretary, Longest-Serving Secretary of Labor, and a Key Architect of the New Deal

Today President Biden will sign a proclamation establishing the Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle, Maine, to honor the historic contributions of America’s first woman Cabinet Secretary and the longest-serving Secretary of Labor.

Frances Perkins was the leading architect behind the New Deal and led many labor and economic reforms that continue to benefit Americans today. During her 12 years as Secretary of Labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she envisioned and helped create Social Security; helped millions of Americans get back to work during the Great Depression; fought for the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively; and established the minimum wage, overtime pay, prohibitions on child labor, and unemployment insurance.

During a visit to the Department of Labor’s Frances Perkins Building, President Biden will showcase Frances Perkins’s foundational legacy, which civil rights and women’s rights leaders have built upon to further expand opportunities for all Americans. The President will also highlight how his Administration has continued to stand with labor and strengthen America’s workforce. President Biden is proud to be the most pro-union and pro-worker president in history, including creating the Made in America office; requiring Project Labor Agreements on nearly all major federal construction projects of over $35 million; signing the Butch Lewis Act to save more than one million pensions; and becoming the first president in history to walk a picket line.

The designation of this new national monument advances President Biden’s March 2024 Executive Order to strengthen the recognition of women’s history. In addition to establishing the Frances Perkins National Monument, today Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland will announce five new National Historic Landmarks that will increase the representation of women’s history in historic sites across America and additional new actions to advance President Biden’s Executive Order.

Frances Perkins National Monument

At a time when few women were in leadership positions and just 13 years after the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, President Roosevelt asked Frances Perkins to become his Secretary of Labor. Perkins told President Roosevelt that if she accepted the position, she intended to execute an ambitious plan to protect American workers. Over her 12 years as Secretary of Labor, Perkins accomplished nearly everything on her list and laid the groundwork for the labor policy and social safety net that we continue to build on today.

The new national monument boundary encompasses the 57 acres of the Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark site in Newcastle, Maine. The Perkins Homestead played a pivotal role in Frances Perkins’ life and was the place Perkins felt most at home. She spent her childhood summers there, and returned frequently for respite throughout her ground-breaking professional career.  

Owned by her family for over 270 years, the Homestead remains much as it looked during Perkins’ lifetime. The 2.3-acre core area of the Homestead has been donated to the National Park Service and is reserved as part of the new monument, including the Perkins’ family home known as the brick house, a barn and outbuilding, gardens, and part of the stone wall surrounding the property. The remaining Homestead landscape extends from the core area to the Damariscotta River to the east, and contains other buildings, structures, gardens, and the paths used by Perkins and her family throughout her life. These lands are currently owned by the Frances Perkins Center which has been managing and preserving them, and they will be reserved and protected as part of the national monument if they are ever donated to the Federal Government in the future.

Advancing Women’s History and Telling a More Complete American Story

The establishment of the Frances Perkins National Monument furthers the Administration’s commitment to recognizing women’s contributions to our country. TheBiden-Harris Administration has invested more than $40 million to restore and support sites that recognize and elevate the stories of women who have shaped American history. Today, the Department of the Interior (DOI) is announcing additional new actions that advance the President’s Executive Order on Honoring and Recognizing Women’s History, including:

• Secretary Haaland is announcing five new National Historic Landmarks, DOI’s highest recognition of a property’s historical, architectural, or archeological significance. These include:
  • The Charleston Cigar Factory in Charleston, South Carolina. This new landmark, historically known as the American Cigar Company Building, will recognize the site where cigar factory workers – led by Black women – went on strike for better pay and working conditions, and against gender and racial discrimination on the job.
  • The Furies Collective House in Washington, D.C. This new landmark recognizes the former home of a group of young activists who created a social and political community credited with recognizing the existence and needs of lesbians in the women’s movement in the early 1970s, and who published a newspaper focused on questions of women’s identity, relationships, and roles in society.
  • The Lucy Diggs Slowe and Mary Burrill House in Washington, D.C. This new landmark includes the residence of Lucy Diggs Slowe, the first dean of women at Howard University, and her partner Mary Burrill. An advocate for educational parity between men and women students, Slowe helped modernize student affairs at Howard and other historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
  • Azurest South in Petersburg, Virginia. This new landmark is designed in the International Style, an architectural style developed in the United States and Europe in the 1920s and 1930s that dominated mid-20th century architecture, by Amaza Lee Meredith, a pioneering Black woman architect.
  • The Peter Hurd and Henriette Wyeth House and Studios in San Patricio, New Mexico. This new landmark recognizes the home and workspace of 20th century Realist painter Henriette Wyeth.    

• The National Park Service is announcing a $500,000 grant from the Historic Preservation Fund to support the renovation of the Seneca Falls Knitting Mill, a part of the Seneca Falls Village Historic District. The Fund’s support will enable the National Women’s Hall of Fame to expand its programming on women’s history and restore the mill, which was one of the few places in Seneca Falls, New York to employ women during its 150 years of operation.
  
• As directed by President Biden, DOI is releasing a new report on representation of women across sites of national importance, including National Historic Landmarks, national monuments, and national park sites. The report assesses which existing federal sites are significant to women’s history and offers opportunities to improve the recognition of women’s contributions to our country across the National Park Service, including through the National Historic Landmark program.

Background on Antiquities Act Designations

President Theodore Roosevelt first used the Antiquities Act in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Since then, 18 presidents of both parties have used this authority to protect natural and historic features in America, including the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, the Pullman National Monument, and the César E. Chávez National Monument.

The Frances Perkins National Monument will be President Biden’s 13th use of the Antiquities Act and his fourth new national monument commemorating a site that helps tell a more complete American story. Other designations under President Biden include the creation of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument, and the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument.

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