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Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of Ireland

Statements and Releases - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 15:08

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of Ireland today to recognize his seven years of service as Taoiseach and Tánaiste. Having recently celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at the White House, they reflected on their cooperation over the years on shared priorities, particularly deepening U.S.-Ireland ties between our people and our economies. They noted recent progress in Northern Ireland with the restoration of its Executive and Assembly, reaffirming the critical role these institutions play in preserving the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. The President conveyed that he looks forward to continuing to build a vibrant future for U.S.-Irish relations with the new Taoiseach, once elected by the Dáil.  

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Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of Ireland

Whitehouse.gov Feed - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 15:08

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of Ireland today to recognize his seven years of service as Taoiseach and Tánaiste. Having recently celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at the White House, they reflected on their cooperation over the years on shared priorities, particularly deepening U.S.-Ireland ties between our people and our economies. They noted recent progress in Northern Ireland with the restoration of its Executive and Assembly, reaffirming the critical role these institutions play in preserving the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. The President conveyed that he looks forward to continuing to build a vibrant future for U.S.-Irish relations with the new Taoiseach, once elected by the Dáil.  

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Press Call by Senior Advisor to the President Anita Dunn and a Senior Administration Official on Historic Action to Make Healthcare More Affordable and Accessible

Press Briefings - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 14:51

Via Teleconference

5:04 P.M. EDT

MODERATOR:  Hi, everyone.  Thanks for joining today’s call. This is Kelly Scully from the White House Press team.  Thanks for joining today’s call with Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President Anita Dunn to discuss the adminis- —

(Cross-talk.)

— to discuss the administration’s work to make healthcare more affordable and accessible ahead of President Biden and Vice President Harris’s trip to North Carolina tomorrow.

Remarks at the top will be on the record.  We will then transition to the QA portion of the call, which will be on background and attributable to a “senior administration official.”

For your awareness and not for reporting, joining us for the QA portion of the call is [senior administration official]. 

As a reminder, this call and the factsheet I sent around earlier are embargoed until tomorrow at 5:00 a.m.

And with that, I will turn it over to Anita to kick us off.

MS. DUNN:  Thank you, Kelly.  And thank you — excuse me — everyone who has joined the call this afternoon.  (Coughs.)

PARTICIPANT:  (Inaudible.)

MS. DUNN:  I know.  Sorry.

Tomorrow, in Raleigh, North Carolina, President Biden and Vice President Harris will deliver remarks laying out their vision to protect and strengthen the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, and Medicare.  They will also discuss their plan to lower healthcare costs, including for prescription drugs.  This stands in stark contrast to a budget proposed by congressional Republicans just last week that would gut healthcare coverage for millions while allowing Big Pharma to drive up prescription drug costs.

The difference is simple: The President and Vice President have always believed that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. 

Fourteen years ago last week, then-Vice President Biden stood by President Obama’s side as President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law.  And as the Vice President so memorably said at the time, it was a big deal. 

After more than 50 attempts by Republicans to repeal it, including attempts that had the strong support of the President’s predecessor, the ACA stands stronger than ever thanks to the Biden-Harris administration.

In 2024, more than 21 million Americans, including over 1 million North Carolinians, signed up for ACA healthcare coverage.  Forty states, including D.C., have passed the Medicaid expansion.  Four of those happened under this President’s watch. 

One year ago, thanks to Governor Roy Cooper’s leadership, North Carolina passed Medicaid expansion, helping over 400,000 North Carolinians.  And Governor Cooper will be joining the President and the Vice President tomorrow. 

Americans are saving an average $800 a year on their premiums thanks to, first, the ARP and then the IRA.

But the Affordable Care Act is still very much under attack by Republican officials.  Just last week, the Republican Study Committee that represents every member of the House Republican leadership and 80 percent of the House Republican Conference introduced a budget that would gut the ACA, gut Medicaid, and end protec- — protection for preexisting conditions.  

So, if they got their way, these Republican officials would want a country where 45 million Americans, including 1.4 million North Carolinians, lose their health insurance.  One hundred million Americans with preexisting conditions would lose those protections, including 1.8 million people in North Carolina.  Young people would be kicked off their parents’ coverage.  It would be harder for millions of seniors, people with disabilities, and children to access healthcare. 

And prescription drug prices would skyrocket, because once you strip Medicare’s authority to negotiate prescription drug costs, you repeal the $35 insulin and the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap for healthcare costs.  And needless to say, you also increase the federal deficit as well.

Well, President Biden has been clear: not on his watch.  Not only will he protect the ACA, Medicaid, and Medicare, he will expand coverage and lower healthcare costs.  He will make expanded Affordable Care Act tax credits permanent.  These tax credits expire in 2025, and they’re going to need to be renewed.  There’s a real risk of them being taken away by the Republicans.  

President Biden also believes that you should have Medicaid-like coverage to those people in the 10 states that have not (inaudible) the ACA’s Medicaid expansion.  And some of those, as we know, are very large states.

President Biden and Democrats beat Big Pharma.  Now Medicare can negotiate lower drug prices for the first time in history.  He wants to go further and faster: have Medicare negotiate lower prices of at least 50 drugs per year –- 500 drugs over the next decade.  This could save taxpayers up to 200 billion additional dollars over the 10-year period, in addition to the $160 billion that the current program would save. 

And then, finally, expand the $35-a-month cap on insulin and the $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket drug spending to everyone, not just seniors.

Vice President Harris has been leading our fight to defend reproductive freedom, and she will drive a clear contrast on how President Biden’s predecessor handpicked the three Supreme Court Justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and that President Biden has sworn to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.  And if Congress sends him that bill, he will sign it immediately.

He — she will talk about the fact that Republicans in Congress want a national abortion ban — President Biden will veto that; that in the face of relentless, politically driven attacks by Republican officials, President Biden is fighting for access to contraception. 

And, of course, as you all know, tomorrow is the Supreme Court oral argument on medi- — medical abortion.  So, that is going to be context and background for the conversation tomorrow.

And that’s the split screen on healthcare you will see on clear display.  President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats want to expand access, make it more — make healthcare more affordable for everyone, and defend reproductive freedom.  Republicans want to gut healthcare, raise prices, and rip away those basic re- — reproductive freedoms even more than they have already been endangered.

So, that is the split screen.  That is the discussion tomorrow.  And that is the two very different visions for moving this country forward, as the President outlined in his State of the Union Address. 

So, thank you, Kelly.  And I’ll turn it back to you.

MODERATOR:  Thanks, Anita.  We will now transition to the QA portion of the call, which will be on background and attributable to a “senior administration official.”

If you have a question, use the “raise hand” feature at the bottom of your screen. 

Let’s go to Ron Brownstein.

Q    Hi, guys.  I was wondering, as you noted a little, there are many moving parts in this Republican Study Committee proposal: block granting Medicaid, the premium support voucher idea for Medicare, repealing the ACA, undoing the prescription drug negotiating authority.  I’m just wondering: What — what do you see as the common thread in all of these ideas? 

And could someone talk about what they would mean cumulatively?  When you kind of put all of them together, if you did all of these things, what would be the biggest changes people would see in the healthcare system?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah.  Happy — happy to walk through that. 

I mean, fundamentally, what you see in the RSC budget is a set of proposals that would take us backwards, raise Americans’ healthcare costs, and leave millions more people without health insurance. 

So, you know, they want to completely repeal the President’s reforms to lower prescription drug costs.  That means higher prescription drug costs for seniors.  It means higher government spending and handouts to Big Pharma, as Medicare can’t negotiate drug prices.

They want to convert Medicare into a premium support program, getting rid of the core guarantee of the Medicare program and leaving seniors facing, you know, higher premiums if they want to stay in the same kind of coverage that they have today.

The cuts to Medicaid, CHIP, and the Affordable Care Act in this proposal are devastating, taking $4.5 trillion out of this program over a decade.  To do that, you would need to zero out the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces, you would need to zero out Medicaid expansion, and then, after you’ve done that, you’d need to make further steep cuts to the base Medicaid budget.

These are, you know, astonishing — astonishing cuts that would just devastate a program — a set of programs that millions and millions of people rely on.  It’s 45 million people who would just have their coverage ripped away from them and tens of millions of more who could lose benefits or lose coverage altogether as states, you know, try to react to the, again, completely devastating cuts.

And they do all of this while — while fundamentally undermining and eliminating federal protections for people with preexisting conditions.  So, it’s taking us back to days of medical underwriting and — and ensuring that, you know, insurance companies are once again in the driver’s seat to charge higher prices to people who are sicker or older.

It is a — it is a completely different vision from the one the President and the Vice President have laid out and will continue to lay out tomorrow, where we — where we — instead of moving backwards, instead of raising costs and throwing people off healthcare programs, we need to build on our progress.  We need to lower prescription drug cros- — costs even further, and we need to bring these reforms to more people.  We need to, you know, continue to build on the Affordable Care Act to deliver health insurance, and we need to close the Medicaid coverage gap once and for all.

I think the — you know, the contrast could not — could not be more stark.  And, you know, as — as Anita said, it is — it is quite the split screen when it comes to a healthcare vision.

MODERATOR:  Let’s go to Tami with CNN.

Q    Thank you for taking my call.  So, the administration has been trying to sweeten the pot for a state — the 10 hold-out states to expand Medicaid.  There were various efforts in Kansas, Georgia.  Mississippi is still ongoing.  Has the — what has the administration been doing to try to get this over the finish line in these Republican legislatures?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah.  Thanks for that question.

As I’m sure you know, four states have expanded Medicaid since President Biden took office — most recently, North Carolina, where just in the last couple of months, nearly 400,000 people have gained Medicaid expansion coverage. 

But, you know, we are clearly putting points on the board here and getting more Medicaid expansion coverage to — to more people.  You know, the four states that have expanded can deliver Medicaid expansion to about a million people.  So, that’s obviously making a huge dent in this — in this issue and delivering coverage to more folks.

The — as I’m sure this group is aware, the American Rescue Plan included additional financial incentives for states that — that had been hold-outs and choose to expand Medicaid.  And those new financial incentives remain available for any state that wants to take them up and bring lifesaving health- — healthcare coverage to hundreds of thousands of their lowest-income residents.

We continue to be encouraged by conversations that advocates and hospital systems and others across the — across the country are having in their states about opportunities to — to, you know, address funding gaps for their rural hospitals and bring Medicaid expansion coverage to folks who need it.  And we will, you know, continue to work with any state that wants to on how we can drive the ball forward on Medicaid expansion in some of those hold-out 10 states.

MODERATOR:  Courtney with Bloomberg.

Q    Hi.  Can you hear me?

MODERATOR:  Yep.

Q    Thank you.  You mentioned that you’re planning this event tomorrow to happen in the backgrou- — or have in the background the oral arguments at the Supreme Court.  Can you talk about how you’re preparing for any outcome from those arguments?  I understand that you’re (inaudible) hesitant to talk about pending cases, but this is a topic that’s really important to Americans that rely on medication abortion — right now especially, given how limited abortion is in general across the country.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah.  Thanks for that question. 

You know, DOJ continues to defend the FDA’s actions on this, you know, critical medication that is — is an important part of our healthcare system before the Supreme Court.  And the President and Vice President remain firmly committed to defending women’s ability to access reproductive healthcare.

As you — as you heard from Anita, we’ll hear from the Vice President tomorrow about our broader vision on reproductive health.  For, sort of, particulars on the litigation and next steps, I would refer you to DOJ.

MODERATOR:  Let’s go to Jonathan with Huffington Post.

Jonathan?

We can’t hear you —

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  We can’t hear you.

MODERATOR:  — if you’re speaking.

Q    Is that better?  Can you hear me now?

MODERATOR:  Yep.

Q    Okay.  Sorry about that.  This is actually a question for [senior administration official], I think.  There were some reports earlier about Mark Robinson made some statements about the ACA, saying he favored — he didn’t favor repeal and replace, just repeal, some other things.  Is that likely to come up tomorrow?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah.  So, we have — we have lost [senior administration official], and we are, you know, having this call from the — from the White House.

And so —

Q    Ah.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  — you know, I want to stay focused on the — on, you know, the — the President’s agenda and the contrast with Republicans in Contr- — in Congress. 

But, you know, more broadly, Republican elected officials have made clear that they have a very different vision for healthcare in this country.  And you can absolutely expect to hear from the President and Vice President about the broader contrast.

MODERATOR:  All right.  Let’s go to Sarah.

Q    Hi.  Thanks for doing this.  I wanted to ask: One of the main criticisms from Republicans of these plans has been that the main reason for high enrollment is subsidies or the premium tax credits that you’re looking to make permanent in the 2025 budget.  So, how is President Biden going to respond to that criticism?  And, you know, what would it do not to have those subsidies extended again in the next year’s budget?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah.  You know, candidly, I’m not sure how it is a criticism that President Biden has made healthcare too affordable for American families.  You know, we are incredibly proud of the fact that 21.3 million people are enrolled in ACA coverage. 

And a big part of that is because we have made that coverage more affordable for folks, and we are going to keep — keep standing up for that affordability and ensure that Americans continue to see those low premiums and can get access to healthcare they need at a price they can afford.

MODERATOR:  Let’s go to Joyce.

Q    Yeah, hi.  Thanks for taking my question.  It sounds like tomorrow is all about contrasting the Biden administration agenda with the — what the Republicans are doing.  I’m just clarifying that — are there going to be any new initiatives announced tomorrow?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I don’t have anything in particular to preview beyond what is in the factsheet.

MODERATOR:  Let’s go to Amy with InsideHealthPolicy. 

Q    Yeah.  Hi.  I want to know if — we’ve heard about the — keeping the a- — the enhanced subsidies and a couple other policies.  But I’m curious — I’m not hearing public option or turning — changing it from — changing the benchmark from silver to gold and things like that.  I’m just curious if those policies that were from a couple years ago are still in play.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah.  Thanks for that question, Amy.  The President’s budget for FY ‘25 laid out a clear set of commitments in healthcare.  It includes extending the enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage; closing the Medicaid coverage gap; making a series of other changes to make it easier for kids, in particular, to get and keep health insurance; taking on — taking on junk facility fees; and continuing to lower drug prices, of course.

And so, that — that’s the — that’s the agenda that the President’s budget, you know, clearly laid out and that the President and Vice President will be — will be talking about.  Those are obviously not the only ideas in health policy that are important to American families and can lower — can lower healthcare costs. 

But — but that is the — that is the agenda that the White House has articulated and that you’ll hear from the President and Vice President about tomorrow.

MODERATOR:  Okay.  Seeing no additional questions, we can wrap the call. 

As a reminder, this call and the factsheet I sent over are embargoed until tomorrow at 5:00 a.m. 

If you have additional questions, you can follow up with me directly. 

Thank you, everyone.

5:23 P.M. EDT

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FACT SHEET: Update on the U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America

Statements and Releases - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 06:00

March 2024

Vice President Harris continues to lead the implementation of the Root Causes Strategy, which tackles the drivers of irregular migration by improving conditions in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras so people do not feel compelled to leave their homes.  This includes addressing economic, governance, and security challenges through five pillars: 1) Addressing economic insecurity and inequality; 2) Combating corruption and strengthening democratic governance; 3) Promoting human rights and labor rights; 4) Countering and preventing violence; and 5) Combating sexual and gender-based violence.  These efforts provide hope and opportunity to the people of Central America, affirming that a secure and prosperous future lies in their home communities.  

The Administration is on track to meet its commitment in the 2021 Root Causes Strategy to provide $4 billion to the region over four years.  Through new and ongoing programming, the Strategy is having far-reaching impacts throughout the region. 

Highlights of Biden-Harris Administration initiatives include:

  • Creating Opportunities:  U.S. government support for as many as 23,000 private sector firms in northern Central America has helped create and sustain up to an estimated 250,000 jobs.
  • Supporting Education:  The U.S. government has reached as many as 3 million youth through support for primary and secondary education in areas of high out-migration in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
  • Investing in Entrepreneurs to Create Jobs:  Since July 2021, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has invested over $325 million in 19 projects in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras across sectors, including financial inclusion, healthcare, climate finance, and affordable housing.  This includes a $45 million loan to a financial institution to increase lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a focus on women and rural borrowers; an $80 million loan to financial institutions to expand financing for SMEs, particularly for women entrepreneurs in Honduras; a $60 million loan to a financial institution in El Salvador to increase lending to small businesses and expand its climate finance portfolio; and a $7.5 million equity investment in a fund that will provide growth capital to sustainable agribusiness, digital connectivity, and health businesses, with an emphasis on women-owned and managed businesses in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
  • Enhancing Food Security, Agricultural Productivity, and Finance:  Through USAID’s Feed the Future programs, an estimated 63,000 farmers in Guatemala and Honduras utilized innovative technologies intended to increase production and income on more than 75,000 acres of farmland. The U.S. government helped unlock more than $57 million in private sector agricultural finance. This helps create greater income security and resilience to environmental and economic shocks. 
  • Ensuring Labor Rights:  Since 2021, 11 Department of Labor projects totaling $76 million supported labor capacity-building and training programs across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. These projects increased the capacity of approximately 2,800 labor rights actors, including government officials, employers, workers, and civil society, and provided training on the topics of child labor, forced labor, collective bargaining, safety and health, and other labor rights. 
  • Combating Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking:  Since Vice President Harris announced Joint Task Force Alpha, led by the Department of Justice, in June 2021, interagency efforts have led to over 220 U.S. convictions of members of human trafficking organizations; more than 275 arrests, including against leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators; more than 150 U.S. defendants sentenced, including significant jail sentences imposed; substantial seizures and forfeiture of assets and contraband including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, real property, vehicles, firearms and ammunition, and drugs; multiple indictments and successful extradition requests against foreign leadership targets; as well as myriad indictments, arrests, and convictions in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

In addition, the Biden-Harris Administration continues to make progress on new and existing initiatives across all five pillars of the Root Causes Strategy.

Pillar I: Addressing economic insecurity and inequality.

  • Investing in Entrepreneurs in the Region:  DFC will provide an equity investment of up to $2.5 million in a $10 million venture capital fund investing in early-stage technology entrepreneurs that provide solutions to underserved populations and to micro and small businesses in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.  Additionally, DFC will provide an additional equity investment of up to $4 million to a woman-led $20 million venture capital fund investing across the Western Hemisphere, including Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
  • Launching a Textiles and Apparel Supply Chain Directory:  The Office of theU.S. Trade Representative and Central American Trade Agencies and textiles and apparel industry stakeholders will work together under the Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), with support from the Inter-American Development Bank, to build a directory with detailed profiles of manufacturing and sourcing companies in the region, including information on business practices and production capabilities, to facilitate transparent sourcing, and bolster the region’s supply chain.  This will support inclusive trade to strengthen the U.S.-Central America supply chain, promote resiliency and nearshoring, and bolster labor and environment standards in the region’s textiles and apparel sector. 
  • Strengthening Food Security:  The Department of State will launch two $6 million soil mapping projects through the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Guatemala and Honduras to boost efforts to address degraded soils by providing on the ground tools for farmers to grow crops more efficiently and improve soil health to support regional food security and climate resilience.
  • Supporting Repatriated Migrants:  USAID supported national governments to receive and support nearly 150,000 returned migrants in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, which promotes sustainable reintegration of these migrants into their communities, helping to reduce repeat migration.  USAID also provided post-arrival humanitarian assistance (such as hygiene kits, food, clothing, and transportation) to nearly 78,000 returned migrants, and reintegration services (such as training, job placement, and psychosocial support) for nearly 27,000 returned migrants.
  • Empowering Women Entrepreneurs:  Through the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) exchange program, the Department of State is helping women build sustainable businesses and strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem across Central America, where there are now well over 1350 AWE alumni.  The Department of State also supported the establishment of a Women’s Business Resource Center in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, reaching more than 550 women entrepreneurs with entrepreneurship-support services, including information on their legal rights.  The Center provided 3,500+ hours of individual business advisory services, daycare services for over 100 children of women entrepreneurs, and supported the launch of 30 new businesses. 
  • Increasing Access to Quality Education and Vocational Skills:  USAID helped more than 3,600 teachers successfully transition from pandemic-era remote learning in 2021 to in-person schooling in 2023.  Since 2021, about 30,000 youth from high out-migration municipalities have completed USAID-supported vocational training programs that reflect local labor market needs.  More than 12,000 young people from the program were employed in new jobs after completing their vocational training.

Pillar II: Combating corruption, strengthening democratic governance, and advancing rule of law.

  • Imposing Consequences for Corrupt Actors:  Since 2021, the U.S. Government has promoted accountability through visa restrictions for over 1,200 individuals involved in acts of corruption or undermining democracy in Central America, rendering them generally ineligible for visas to the United States.  In addition, the Department of the Treasury has sanctioned 16 individuals and entities in El Salvador and Guatemala for their role in, among other things, serious human rights abuse and corruption.
  • Training Justice Sector and Government Personnel:  From FY 2021 to 2023, the Department of State and USAID conducted trainings for up to 27,000 justice sector personnel, government officials, and NGO staff aimed at strengthening partner governments’ judicial systems to more effectively manage accountability systems and processes, take action against corrupt acts, and raise awareness of ethical standards and legal obligations.

Pillar III: Promoting respect for human rights, labor rights, and a free press.

  • Organizing a Good Jobs Summit:  In summer 2024, the Department of Labor will organize a Central America Good Jobs Summit to reinforce the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protecting labor rights, respect for the rule of law, and economic inclusion while creating high quality jobs in the region.  The Summit will include worker organizations, private sector participation from U.S., multinational, and Central America companies, and civil society stakeholders.
  • Building Civil Society Capacity for Inclusive Growth:  For FY 2024, the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) plans to announce new funding of $6 million, matched by grantee co-investment of $5.2 million, for a total value of $11.2 million.  These funds will develop the capacity of organizations to address the drivers of migration.  IAF grants in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have benefitted more than 800,000 people since FY 2022 via community-led initiatives that each focus on multiple drivers of migration by creating economic opportunities, improving food security, protecting human rights, preventing and recovering from violence, and improving government accountability through civic engagement. IAF currently supports 107 organizations in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.  
  • Defending Civil Society:  Since 2021, Department of State assistance helped nearly 500 members of civil society in Central America return to work following threats and attacks on them for their civic work.  The Department of State also supported over 140 journalists and more than 25 news outlets from Central America to improve investigative reporting on issues of public interest.  Separately, USAID also supported more than 500 human rights defenders to report human rights violations and advocate for their protection.

Pillar IV: Countering and preventing violence, extortion, and other crimes perpetrated by criminal gangs, trafficking networks, and other organized criminal organizations.

  • Countering Firearms Trafficking:  In El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the U.S. government has provided $7.5 million to improve security and disrupt the diversion and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons resulting in the destruction of over 17 metric tons of unserviceable ammunition and over 4,000 small arms and light weapons since July 2021.
  • Imposing Consequences for Narcotics Trafficking:  U.S.-supported narcotics and asset seizures in Central America remain at historic highs.  Since 2021, more than $11 billion in illegal drugs and $472 million in illegal assets were seized through support from the Departments of Justice and State. 
  • Training Police:  Since 2021, the Department of State provided professional training for up to 18,000 civilian police across Central America.
  • Preventing Youth Violence:  Through USAID support, more than 90,000 at-risk youth in northern Central America accessed training and services, including leadership coaching, psychosocial support, conflict management, and employment and livelihoods training.

Pillar V: Combating sexual, gender-based, and domestic violence.

  • Assisting Victims of Gender-Based Violence:  With State Department support, the Guatemalan Police Department of Victim’s Attention significantly expanded its reach by inaugurating 19 new Offices of Victims Attention in the Western Highlands, a region home to several vulnerable indigenous communities.  This expansion already enabled the provision of culturally sensitive services to over 1,000 domestic and gender-based violence victims.
  • Increasing Awareness of Gender-Based Violence in the Region:  In FY 2023, USAID reached more than 27,000 through programs that help prevent or combat gender-based violence in northern Central America.  USAID supported a multi-media anti-violence campaign in Guatemala that reached more than 10 million people through posters, videos, and comic books.

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FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces Public-Private Partnership Has Generated More Than $5.2 Billion in Private Sector Commitments for Northern Central America

Statements and Releases - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 06:00

More than $1 billion in new commitments announced today will create economic opportunity and help address the root causes of migration in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.

Vice President Kamala Harris and the Partnership for Central America (PCA) today announced more than $1 billion in new private sector commitments, as part of Central America Forward (CAF), a public-private partnership that was created in response to the Vice President’s Call to Action for Northern Central America.

Today’s announcement brings the overall total of new commitments to more than $5.2 billion since May 2021.

To date, CAF and other PCA partners include more than 50 companies and organizations that have made commitments to support inclusive economic growth in the region. These entities represent the financial services, textiles and apparel, agriculture, technology and telecommunications, and nonprofit sectors, among others.

These investments are creating jobs, connecting people to the digital economy, expanding access to financing for small businesses, providing training and education for youth, women and workers, and improving economic livelihoods for people in the region.

These investments are materializing into tangible opportunities for families and communities across integrated supply chains in Central America and the United States – benefiting students, employees, entrepreneurs, and families – and shaping a model for mobilizing private sector commitments through collective action to drive economic development. 

NEW COMMITMENTS
The following companies and organizations announced major new commitments today:

  • Acceso is a global social enterprise committed to creating fundamental and lasting economic change in the lives of rural smallholder farming families. From 2023 to 2028, Acceso will invest $3.6 million directly in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras as part of a larger $30 million program to scale its proven seed-to-market model to strengthen local food systems, improve incomes and livelihoods, and increase women’s economic security. Over 10,000 producers in the agricultural, aquaculture, and artisanal fishing sectors will benefit directly from this investment, with an additional 30,000 benefiting from parallel collaborative efforts. The project will begin in El Salvador in partnership with USAID and the launch of the “Sustainable Market Access Project.”
  • Banco Cuscatlan, the second-largest bank in El Salvador, has committed to invest more than $30 million in El Salvador over the next five years, primarily in financial inclusion initiatives. These initiatives will enable 600,000 individuals to manage their money within the formal economy, providing access to more financial services, promoting investment in assets, increasing their savings, and fostering entrepreneurship. These initiatives are designed to create opportunities and promote sustainable development for future generations.
  • Corporación AG, the largest steel producer in Central America, plans to invest more than $150 million in Guatemala over the next three years to increase its production and distribution capacity and anticipates generating more than 500 full-time jobs and more than 1,000 indirect jobs.
  • Ficohsa, a leading provider of financial services in the region, committed to increasing their small and medium enterprise (SME) loan portfolio by $490 million over the next five years, prioritizing the growth of women-led businesses through preferential loans, insurance, and financial education. Additionally, Ficohsa will invest $50 million in digital services to expand financial inclusion and ensure that a greater share of remittances are banked and invested in assets, savings, and businesses. 
  • JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide, one of the world’s largest youth-serving NGOs, will commit $3.6 million through an impact consortium that will provide labor skills training and technical certifications to over 1,800 vulnerable girls in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The initiative aims to reduce gender inequality by promoting women’s employment in the technology industry, facilitate access to employment and self-employment, with the goal of reducing migration due to lack of economic opportunities. 
  • Meta will make a 3-year commitment to train 250,000 youth, entrepreneurs and small business owners in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras by July 2025.  Additionally, Meta is supporting an initiative to help over 9,000 women from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras including women who lead small and medium-sized enterprises to establish their online presence, seize the opportunities afforded by immersive technologies such as augmented reality, access financial services, and expand their operations to international markets.
  • Pearson is committed to helping improve workforce development through lifelong learning solutions focused on upskilling and reskilling the young adult population needed in the productive sectors. Pearson commits to providing free access to various Pearson programs and tools for 3,000 high achieving, low income, young adult English language learners in El Salvador.
  • Pantaleon, an agro-industrial organization, completed the first phase of urbanization for the Synergy Industrial Park and will soon have its official inauguration. Pantaleon has invested over $11M in the construction of the industrial park in Guatemala, generating 430 construction jobs. The Park has attracted $40M to date in new investment to Central America. As part of the new phases of Synergy, Pantaleon will commit an additional $42 million, including $15M toward workforce development with a special focus on women and indigenous communities; $25M in additional investment in the construction of the industrial park; and $1.5M to support the “Guatemala No Se Detiene” initiative to bring more foreign investment into Guatemala.
  • Conecta, the platform that incorporates the investments of Grupo Energía Bogotá in Guatemala, committed to invest over $260 million in Guatemala for six electrical power transmission projects, estimated to create over 3,000 direct and 7,600 indirect jobs. The projects will help connect thousands of people who lack access to electricity and have a positive impact on the local economy, generating employment, and contributing to improved well-being.

IMPACT OF PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS

  • Financial Inclusion and Access to Capital: Strengthening access to the formal financial sector allows businesses and individuals to save, invest, and access credit—fundamental building blocks to growth. Central America Forward investments have brought more than 2.5 million people into the formal economy, which is continued progress from 1 million financially announced in February 2023. Additionally, partners have provided more than $160 million in new access to capital for families and entrepreneurs to purchase a home, buy a car to get to work, and start new businesses, including more than $1.3 million in catalytic funding specifically for vulnerable populations and women in a region that has suffered from one of the highest rates of femicide globally.
  • Skilling and Workforce Development: CAF investments have reached over 1 million learners with training programs on entrepreneurship, digital and financial literacy, skills for employment, and women’s empowerment. 60,000 learners have been reached with programs that lead to certification or employment. Skill and workforce development efforts are critical enablers of access to opportunity and human development.
  • Job Creation: CAF investments have generated more than 70,000 new jobs across Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. In a region where only one quarter of the labor force is formally employed, these investments are critical. The new jobs include more than 15,000 in manufacturing sectors to strengthen supply chains in critical sectors across the Americas and more than 30,000 in integrated textile production supply chains between the United States and Central America that support quality jobs in both regions.
  • Digital Access: In May 2021, PCA mobilized commitments to expand digital access to 3 million people across the region. In record pace, by December 2022, 2 million of this goal had been reached and in July 2022 the original goal of 3 million was achieved. Going beyond that original goal, as of today, CAF investments have expanded digital access to more than 4.5 million people—surpassing the goal set at the launch of this initiative. Investing in connectivity supports individuals to access educational, employment opportunities, and grows new markets that create inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
  • Food Security and Climate Adaptation: Partners have invested and procured more than $253 million in new products, services, and production capacity across the agricultural sector to increase the region’s agricultural capacity, production, and exports to provide food security to families in Central America and across the world and in a region where more than 40% of the workforce depends on a sustainable agricultural sector for their livelihoods.
  • Advancing Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses: Partner organizations have supported over 350,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and partner organizations across the region, which has connected small business owners to new markets and grow their businesses by improving their management, financial, digital capabilities, and provided new lending and access to capital.

ADDITIONAL UPDATES ON CAF INITIATIVES

  • Good Governance, Good Jobs Declaration: PCA operationalized CAF’s Good Governance, Good Jobs Declaration, by announcing in June 2023 a Corporate Pledge on the Rule of Law, with ten company signatories.  PCA and Transparency International also launched the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Initiative (or “ACT Project”) in September 2023 to help companies fulfill their commitments to the pledge and improve their capabilities for transparent and legal business practices. The ACT Project, self-funded by companies who volunteer to join, holds them accountable for operating responsibly in accordance with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct.
  • CAF Investment Facilitation Team: A 12-member U.S. interagency delegation completed an extensive visit to Honduras in February 2024 to further explore the development of an economic corridor in Honduras. This strategic infrastructure project, led by Honduras and supported by the international community, multilateral development banks, and private sector, could potentially benefit the entire region, attracting investment, creating jobs, and providing social benefits to people throughout northern Central America. Other Investment Facilitation Team visits will take place to northern Central America in the months ahead.
  • Central America Service Corps: USAID has entered into agreements with six partners to work together to develop Central America Services Corps (CASC) activities in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. USAID, together with host-country governments and private sector partners, will work with over 60,000 vulnerable youth and offer them alternatives to irregular migration through community service projects and technical assistance to match youth to potential jobs, training and mentoring, facilitating financial inclusion efforts, and direct financial support through stipends. CASC activities have commenced in Honduras. After a successful pilot, USAID and the government of Guatemala will officially launch CASC in May of 2024, and El Salvador will launch its program soon after.      USAID coordinates activities with the U.S. Peace Corps, the Inter-American Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Partnership for Central America.
  • Civil Society Coordination: In 2023, PCA launched the Regional Civil Society Council, which aims to provide a critical platform for civil society in Northern Central America in shaping and advising on the coordination of PCA’s financial inclusion, capital access, diversity, digital access, and cross-cutting programs. Members of the Council include a diverse coalition of civil society, academia, and policy makers from the region, including indigenous groups.  
  • Financial Inclusion Consortium for Central American Remittances: The Financial Inclusion Consortium for Central American Remittances (FICCAR), an initiative of PCA in support of CAF, aims to boost people-to-people remittance to account transfers by at least 20 percentage points in the next five years. This collective commitment will result in digitizing nearly $14 billion in remittance transactions, resulting in safer, more secure, and lower-cost transactions that provide an opportunity to increase savings, thereby building assets and helping small businesses to grow.
  • In Her Hands (IHH): On June 7, 2022, Vice President Harris launched In Her Hands (IHH), a women’s economic security initiative with the goals of connecting more than 1.4 million women and their communities to the financial system and digital economy, accelerating women’s participation in the agroindustry, training more than 500,000 women and girls in core job skills, promoting gender parity, and elevating women within companies across the region. To date, PCA has mobilized $113 million to directly support new programs for women that includes skills training programs; English language learning; and access to financial inclusion tools such as bank accounts, credit, and digital platforms. Today, PCA is formally launching the IHH Gender Pledge with the following signatories: Accion, Bancolombia, Corporación AG, Davivienda, Grupo Mariposa, Meta, Millicom, Nespresso, Pantaleon, and Technoserve. The pledge focuses on the inclusion of women in the procurement and development plans for government, non-profits, and the private sector. 

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FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces New Initiatives to Strengthen the U.S.-Guatemala Relationship and Address the Root Causes of Migration from Guatemala

Statements and Releases - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 06:00

Vice President Kamala Harris will welcome President Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala to the White House on March 25, 2024 to recognize the enduring friendship and strategic partnership between Guatemala and the United States. During the visit, the leaders will take stock of the progress we have made to address the drivers of irregular migration, including creating good jobs, responsive governance, and opportunities for Guatemalans to invest in their own communities. In demonstrating U.S. support to the people of Guatemala, the Vice President is announcing the United States pledges to provide an additional $170 million for development, economic, health, and security assistance, subject to congressional notification. 

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing commitment under the Root Causes Strategy, the Vice President is also announcing the following:

  • Transforming Security and Justice Institutions: Through a $50 million “Guatemala Se Transforma” Initiative, the Department of State’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) will partner with Guatemala to bolster the rule of law in security and justice institutions.  Working with Congress, INL intends to commit funds now and additional resources in the future to this new initiative.
  • Central American Service Corps:  Vice President Harris announced the creation of the Central American Service Corps (CASC) at the Summit of Americas in 2022. After a successful pilot in Guatemala, the CASC program will expand in May, during an event featuring Guatemalan First Lady Lucrecia Peinado. This expanded program, funded by USAID, and partnering with the Peace Corps, and the Inter-American Foundation, will reach 2,800 young people in the first year who are most at risk of migrating by engaging them with volunteer, training, and employment opportunities in Guatemala. CASC could reach up to 25,000 young people in Guatemala over the next five years. 
  • Technical Assistance for Regulatory Reforms:  The Commerce Law Development Program (CLDP) will support legal and regulatory reforms to facilitate new infrastructure and public-private partnerships. These reforms will also promote workers’ rights. CLDP will provide technical assistance to improve Guatemala’s proposed port authority law, which would counter extortion and the use of maritime ports and airports by organized criminal organizations.  
  • Building Trade and Customs Capacity for Secure Textiles and Apparel Trade:  The Office of the United States Trade Representative and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will launch a Trade Capacity Building program to advance secure trade in textiles and apparel between the United States and Guatemala by encouraging engagement, including with existing government-to-industry stakeholder partnerships such as CBP’s Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Program and the Superintendence of Tax Administration of Guatemala’s Authorized Economic Operator Program.
  • Investment Facilitation Team Visit:  A United States Investment Facilitation Team, composed of relevant U.S. government agencies, will visit Guatemala in the next six months to support clean energy and infrastructure development, facilitate private sector operations, and promote sustainable economic development. 
  • Scaling of Agricultural Technologies:  USAID will implement a new Feed the Future program that will strengthen the capacity of existing research and education entities and based on their priorities, opportunities, and commitments, mainly to scale agricultural technologies. It will support research, education, extension, and advice related to “Climate Smart” agriculture.
  • Guatemala Biodiversity Conservation:  USAID will implement this new program to promote the conservation of biodiversity and strengthen the Guatemalan System of Protected Areas focusing on the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, and areas of ecological importance along the Pacific Coast.
  • Women’s Economic Empowerment Legal Reform Fund Project:  This project in Guatemala will support key congressional, governmental, and civil society partners to advance legislation and policy that reduces barriers to women competing in the workforce, while enhancing protection of women’s access and rights in the workplace. 
  • Indigenous and Civil Society Engagement:  The Department of State intends to provide $1.5 million to support multi-stakeholder engagements among the Government of Guatemala, private sector actors, civil society, and people from marginalized communities, including indigenous leaders, to ensure public policies are inclusive and to promote greater accountability to public interests. 
  • Advancing Women, Peace, and Security Opportunities Globally:  In 2024, the Department of State will add Guatemala as a focus country for the Supporting Her Empowerment Women for Inclusive New Security (SHE WINS) project. The effort will focus on advancing indigenous women’s meaningful civic participation through targeted capacity building and support for community initiatives through Plataforma de Mujeres Indígenas. Launched in 2022, SHE WINS supports the U.S. Strategy and National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security Strategy by advancing the leadership of local women leaders and women-led civil society organizations to address peace and security challenges in areas of conflict and crisis.  

These new programs will build upon the success of the early stages of the Root Causes Strategy in Guatemala.  Some of these successes include:

  • Guatemala Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (GEDI):   Launched by Vice President Harris in 2021, GEDI is fostering a robust business ecosystem in Guatemala by supporting over 3,500 entrepreneurs (including over 1,600 women and 1,700 indigenous people) through investment readiness and technical services.  In its first two years, GEDI facilitated $30 million in new investments, of which $4 million is for clean energy investments. GEDI has also directly created 1,500 new jobs and generated $7.5 million in new sales for small and growing businesses. This strategic collaboration with the private sector is instrumental in amplifying business growth, and includes notable partners PriceSmart, MasterCard, Argidius Foundation, Pomona Impact, Cargill, and many others.
  • Young Women’s Empowerment Initiative (YWEI):  Launched by Vice President Harris, YWEI has enhanced women’s employment opportunities and conditions, reducing gender-based violence, and closing the gender gap across sectors. Since 2021, nearly 19,000 youth have increased their capacity through re-engaging in secondary education and strengthening their soft skills, over 9,000 young women completed workforce training programs, and 27,000 young women have gained jobs and experienced better employment conditions. Just over 1,500 women have received support services after experiencing gender-based crimes. More than 32,000 women have improved their agricultural management and 29,000 women have increased access to economic resources such as credit, assets, and income.  
  • Creating Jobs:  In fiscal year 2023, Guatemalan businesses created more than 26,000 jobs in areas of high out-migration through U.S. support, helping thousands to build wealth for themselves and their families close to home.
  • Enhancing the Agriculture Sector:  Through extensive support from the United States government, more than 35,000 Guatemalan farmers have utilized innovative technologies to increase production and income on more than 33,000 acres of farmland, creating greater income security and resilience to shocks, including environmental shocks.
  • Boosting Education:  USAID reached nearly 69,000 learners in high out-migration municipalities in Guatemala, with programs aiming to improve math and reading skills, keep youth in school, and boost completion rates. 
  • Countering Gender-Based Violence:  Nearly 1,200 survivors of gender-based violence have received access to protection services in Guatemala, allowing them to put an end to the violence, and begin the healing process, and retake control of their lives.
  • Supporting Labor Pathways:  More than 13,000 Guatemalans were issued employment-based visas through the H-2 visa program to work temporarily in the United States, providing them with increased economic opportunity while supporting the demands of the U.S. labor market.
  • Reuniting Families:  More than 5,000 invitations have been issued on behalf of eligible Guatemalans that would allow those with a pending family-based immigration visa to travel to the United States and reunite with their family in a safe, orderly, and lawful way.

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FACT SHEET: Update on the U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America

Whitehouse.gov Feed - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 06:00

March 2024

Vice President Harris continues to lead the implementation of the Root Causes Strategy, which tackles the drivers of irregular migration by improving conditions in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras so people do not feel compelled to leave their homes.  This includes addressing economic, governance, and security challenges through five pillars: 1) Addressing economic insecurity and inequality; 2) Combating corruption and strengthening democratic governance; 3) Promoting human rights and labor rights; 4) Countering and preventing violence; and 5) Combating sexual and gender-based violence.  These efforts provide hope and opportunity to the people of Central America, affirming that a secure and prosperous future lies in their home communities.  

The Administration is on track to meet its commitment in the 2021 Root Causes Strategy to provide $4 billion to the region over four years.  Through new and ongoing programming, the Strategy is having far-reaching impacts throughout the region. 

Highlights of Biden-Harris Administration initiatives include:

  • Creating Opportunities:  U.S. government support for as many as 23,000 private sector firms in northern Central America has helped create and sustain up to an estimated 250,000 jobs.
  • Supporting Education:  The U.S. government has reached as many as 3 million youth through support for primary and secondary education in areas of high out-migration in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
  • Investing in Entrepreneurs to Create Jobs:  Since July 2021, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has invested over $325 million in 19 projects in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras across sectors, including financial inclusion, healthcare, climate finance, and affordable housing.  This includes a $45 million loan to a financial institution to increase lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a focus on women and rural borrowers; an $80 million loan to financial institutions to expand financing for SMEs, particularly for women entrepreneurs in Honduras; a $60 million loan to a financial institution in El Salvador to increase lending to small businesses and expand its climate finance portfolio; and a $7.5 million equity investment in a fund that will provide growth capital to sustainable agribusiness, digital connectivity, and health businesses, with an emphasis on women-owned and managed businesses in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
  • Enhancing Food Security, Agricultural Productivity, and Finance:  Through USAID’s Feed the Future programs, an estimated 63,000 farmers in Guatemala and Honduras utilized innovative technologies intended to increase production and income on more than 75,000 acres of farmland. The U.S. government helped unlock more than $57 million in private sector agricultural finance. This helps create greater income security and resilience to environmental and economic shocks. 
  • Ensuring Labor Rights:  Since 2021, 11 Department of Labor projects totaling $76 million supported labor capacity-building and training programs across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. These projects increased the capacity of approximately 2,800 labor rights actors, including government officials, employers, workers, and civil society, and provided training on the topics of child labor, forced labor, collective bargaining, safety and health, and other labor rights. 
  • Combating Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking:  Since Vice President Harris announced Joint Task Force Alpha, led by the Department of Justice, in June 2021, interagency efforts have led to over 220 U.S. convictions of members of human trafficking organizations; more than 275 arrests, including against leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators; more than 150 U.S. defendants sentenced, including significant jail sentences imposed; substantial seizures and forfeiture of assets and contraband including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, real property, vehicles, firearms and ammunition, and drugs; multiple indictments and successful extradition requests against foreign leadership targets; as well as myriad indictments, arrests, and convictions in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

In addition, the Biden-Harris Administration continues to make progress on new and existing initiatives across all five pillars of the Root Causes Strategy.

Pillar I: Addressing economic insecurity and inequality.

  • Investing in Entrepreneurs in the Region:  DFC will provide an equity investment of up to $2.5 million in a $10 million venture capital fund investing in early-stage technology entrepreneurs that provide solutions to underserved populations and to micro and small businesses in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.  Additionally, DFC will provide an additional equity investment of up to $4 million to a woman-led $20 million venture capital fund investing across the Western Hemisphere, including Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
  • Launching a Textiles and Apparel Supply Chain Directory:  The Office of theU.S. Trade Representative and Central American Trade Agencies and textiles and apparel industry stakeholders will work together under the Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), with support from the Inter-American Development Bank, to build a directory with detailed profiles of manufacturing and sourcing companies in the region, including information on business practices and production capabilities, to facilitate transparent sourcing, and bolster the region’s supply chain.  This will support inclusive trade to strengthen the U.S.-Central America supply chain, promote resiliency and nearshoring, and bolster labor and environment standards in the region’s textiles and apparel sector. 
  • Strengthening Food Security:  The Department of State will launch two $6 million soil mapping projects through the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Guatemala and Honduras to boost efforts to address degraded soils by providing on the ground tools for farmers to grow crops more efficiently and improve soil health to support regional food security and climate resilience.
  • Supporting Repatriated Migrants:  USAID supported national governments to receive and support nearly 150,000 returned migrants in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, which promotes sustainable reintegration of these migrants into their communities, helping to reduce repeat migration.  USAID also provided post-arrival humanitarian assistance (such as hygiene kits, food, clothing, and transportation) to nearly 78,000 returned migrants, and reintegration services (such as training, job placement, and psychosocial support) for nearly 27,000 returned migrants.
  • Empowering Women Entrepreneurs:  Through the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) exchange program, the Department of State is helping women build sustainable businesses and strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem across Central America, where there are now well over 1350 AWE alumni.  The Department of State also supported the establishment of a Women’s Business Resource Center in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, reaching more than 550 women entrepreneurs with entrepreneurship-support services, including information on their legal rights.  The Center provided 3,500+ hours of individual business advisory services, daycare services for over 100 children of women entrepreneurs, and supported the launch of 30 new businesses. 
  • Increasing Access to Quality Education and Vocational Skills:  USAID helped more than 3,600 teachers successfully transition from pandemic-era remote learning in 2021 to in-person schooling in 2023.  Since 2021, about 30,000 youth from high out-migration municipalities have completed USAID-supported vocational training programs that reflect local labor market needs.  More than 12,000 young people from the program were employed in new jobs after completing their vocational training.

Pillar II: Combating corruption, strengthening democratic governance, and advancing rule of law.

  • Imposing Consequences for Corrupt Actors:  Since 2021, the U.S. Government has promoted accountability through visa restrictions for over 1,200 individuals involved in acts of corruption or undermining democracy in Central America, rendering them generally ineligible for visas to the United States.  In addition, the Department of the Treasury has sanctioned 16 individuals and entities in El Salvador and Guatemala for their role in, among other things, serious human rights abuse and corruption.
  • Training Justice Sector and Government Personnel:  From FY 2021 to 2023, the Department of State and USAID conducted trainings for up to 27,000 justice sector personnel, government officials, and NGO staff aimed at strengthening partner governments’ judicial systems to more effectively manage accountability systems and processes, take action against corrupt acts, and raise awareness of ethical standards and legal obligations.

Pillar III: Promoting respect for human rights, labor rights, and a free press.

  • Organizing a Good Jobs Summit:  In summer 2024, the Department of Labor will organize a Central America Good Jobs Summit to reinforce the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protecting labor rights, respect for the rule of law, and economic inclusion while creating high quality jobs in the region.  The Summit will include worker organizations, private sector participation from U.S., multinational, and Central America companies, and civil society stakeholders.
  • Building Civil Society Capacity for Inclusive Growth:  For FY 2024, the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) plans to announce new funding of $6 million, matched by grantee co-investment of $5.2 million, for a total value of $11.2 million.  These funds will develop the capacity of organizations to address the drivers of migration.  IAF grants in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have benefitted more than 800,000 people since FY 2022 via community-led initiatives that each focus on multiple drivers of migration by creating economic opportunities, improving food security, protecting human rights, preventing and recovering from violence, and improving government accountability through civic engagement. IAF currently supports 107 organizations in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.  
  • Defending Civil Society:  Since 2021, Department of State assistance helped nearly 500 members of civil society in Central America return to work following threats and attacks on them for their civic work.  The Department of State also supported over 140 journalists and more than 25 news outlets from Central America to improve investigative reporting on issues of public interest.  Separately, USAID also supported more than 500 human rights defenders to report human rights violations and advocate for their protection.

Pillar IV: Countering and preventing violence, extortion, and other crimes perpetrated by criminal gangs, trafficking networks, and other organized criminal organizations.

  • Countering Firearms Trafficking:  In El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the U.S. government has provided $7.5 million to improve security and disrupt the diversion and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons resulting in the destruction of over 17 metric tons of unserviceable ammunition and over 4,000 small arms and light weapons since July 2021.
  • Imposing Consequences for Narcotics Trafficking:  U.S.-supported narcotics and asset seizures in Central America remain at historic highs.  Since 2021, more than $11 billion in illegal drugs and $472 million in illegal assets were seized through support from the Departments of Justice and State. 
  • Training Police:  Since 2021, the Department of State provided professional training for up to 18,000 civilian police across Central America.
  • Preventing Youth Violence:  Through USAID support, more than 90,000 at-risk youth in northern Central America accessed training and services, including leadership coaching, psychosocial support, conflict management, and employment and livelihoods training.

Pillar V: Combating sexual, gender-based, and domestic violence.

  • Assisting Victims of Gender-Based Violence:  With State Department support, the Guatemalan Police Department of Victim’s Attention significantly expanded its reach by inaugurating 19 new Offices of Victims Attention in the Western Highlands, a region home to several vulnerable indigenous communities.  This expansion already enabled the provision of culturally sensitive services to over 1,000 domestic and gender-based violence victims.
  • Increasing Awareness of Gender-Based Violence in the Region:  In FY 2023, USAID reached more than 27,000 through programs that help prevent or combat gender-based violence in northern Central America.  USAID supported a multi-media anti-violence campaign in Guatemala that reached more than 10 million people through posters, videos, and comic books.

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FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces Public-Private Partnership Has Generated More Than $5.2 Billion in Private Sector Commitments for Northern Central America

Whitehouse.gov Feed - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 06:00

More than $1 billion in new commitments announced today will create economic opportunity and help address the root causes of migration in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.

Vice President Kamala Harris and the Partnership for Central America (PCA) today announced more than $1 billion in new private sector commitments, as part of Central America Forward (CAF), a public-private partnership that was created in response to the Vice President’s Call to Action for Northern Central America.

Today’s announcement brings the overall total of new commitments to more than $5.2 billion since May 2021.

To date, CAF and other PCA partners include more than 50 companies and organizations that have made commitments to support inclusive economic growth in the region. These entities represent the financial services, textiles and apparel, agriculture, technology and telecommunications, and nonprofit sectors, among others.

These investments are creating jobs, connecting people to the digital economy, expanding access to financing for small businesses, providing training and education for youth, women and workers, and improving economic livelihoods for people in the region.

These investments are materializing into tangible opportunities for families and communities across integrated supply chains in Central America and the United States – benefiting students, employees, entrepreneurs, and families – and shaping a model for mobilizing private sector commitments through collective action to drive economic development. 

NEW COMMITMENTS
The following companies and organizations announced major new commitments today:

  • Acceso is a global social enterprise committed to creating fundamental and lasting economic change in the lives of rural smallholder farming families. From 2023 to 2028, Acceso will invest $3.6 million directly in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras as part of a larger $30 million program to scale its proven seed-to-market model to strengthen local food systems, improve incomes and livelihoods, and increase women’s economic security. Over 10,000 producers in the agricultural, aquaculture, and artisanal fishing sectors will benefit directly from this investment, with an additional 30,000 benefiting from parallel collaborative efforts. The project will begin in El Salvador in partnership with USAID and the launch of the “Sustainable Market Access Project.”
  • Banco Cuscatlan, the second-largest bank in El Salvador, has committed to invest more than $30 million in El Salvador over the next five years, primarily in financial inclusion initiatives. These initiatives will enable 600,000 individuals to manage their money within the formal economy, providing access to more financial services, promoting investment in assets, increasing their savings, and fostering entrepreneurship. These initiatives are designed to create opportunities and promote sustainable development for future generations.
  • Corporación AG, the largest steel producer in Central America, plans to invest more than $150 million in Guatemala over the next three years to increase its production and distribution capacity and anticipates generating more than 500 full-time jobs and more than 1,000 indirect jobs.
  • Ficohsa, a leading provider of financial services in the region, committed to increasing their small and medium enterprise (SME) loan portfolio by $490 million over the next five years, prioritizing the growth of women-led businesses through preferential loans, insurance, and financial education. Additionally, Ficohsa will invest $50 million in digital services to expand financial inclusion and ensure that a greater share of remittances are banked and invested in assets, savings, and businesses. 
  • JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide, one of the world’s largest youth-serving NGOs, will commit $3.6 million through an impact consortium that will provide labor skills training and technical certifications to over 1,800 vulnerable girls in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The initiative aims to reduce gender inequality by promoting women’s employment in the technology industry, facilitate access to employment and self-employment, with the goal of reducing migration due to lack of economic opportunities. 
  • Meta will make a 3-year commitment to train 250,000 youth, entrepreneurs and small business owners in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras by July 2025.  Additionally, Meta is supporting an initiative to help over 9,000 women from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras including women who lead small and medium-sized enterprises to establish their online presence, seize the opportunities afforded by immersive technologies such as augmented reality, access financial services, and expand their operations to international markets.
  • Pearson is committed to helping improve workforce development through lifelong learning solutions focused on upskilling and reskilling the young adult population needed in the productive sectors. Pearson commits to providing free access to various Pearson programs and tools for 3,000 high achieving, low income, young adult English language learners in El Salvador.
  • Pantaleon, an agro-industrial organization, completed the first phase of urbanization for the Synergy Industrial Park and will soon have its official inauguration. Pantaleon has invested over $11M in the construction of the industrial park in Guatemala, generating 430 construction jobs. The Park has attracted $40M to date in new investment to Central America. As part of the new phases of Synergy, Pantaleon will commit an additional $42 million, including $15M toward workforce development with a special focus on women and indigenous communities; $25M in additional investment in the construction of the industrial park; and $1.5M to support the “Guatemala No Se Detiene” initiative to bring more foreign investment into Guatemala.
  • Conecta, the platform that incorporates the investments of Grupo Energía Bogotá in Guatemala, committed to invest over $260 million in Guatemala for six electrical power transmission projects, estimated to create over 3,000 direct and 7,600 indirect jobs. The projects will help connect thousands of people who lack access to electricity and have a positive impact on the local economy, generating employment, and contributing to improved well-being.

IMPACT OF PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS

  • Financial Inclusion and Access to Capital: Strengthening access to the formal financial sector allows businesses and individuals to save, invest, and access credit—fundamental building blocks to growth. Central America Forward investments have brought more than 2.5 million people into the formal economy, which is continued progress from 1 million financially announced in February 2023. Additionally, partners have provided more than $160 million in new access to capital for families and entrepreneurs to purchase a home, buy a car to get to work, and start new businesses, including more than $1.3 million in catalytic funding specifically for vulnerable populations and women in a region that has suffered from one of the highest rates of femicide globally.
  • Skilling and Workforce Development: CAF investments have reached over 1 million learners with training programs on entrepreneurship, digital and financial literacy, skills for employment, and women’s empowerment. 60,000 learners have been reached with programs that lead to certification or employment. Skill and workforce development efforts are critical enablers of access to opportunity and human development.
  • Job Creation: CAF investments have generated more than 70,000 new jobs across Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. In a region where only one quarter of the labor force is formally employed, these investments are critical. The new jobs include more than 15,000 in manufacturing sectors to strengthen supply chains in critical sectors across the Americas and more than 30,000 in integrated textile production supply chains between the United States and Central America that support quality jobs in both regions.
  • Digital Access: In May 2021, PCA mobilized commitments to expand digital access to 3 million people across the region. In record pace, by December 2022, 2 million of this goal had been reached and in July 2022 the original goal of 3 million was achieved. Going beyond that original goal, as of today, CAF investments have expanded digital access to more than 4.5 million people—surpassing the goal set at the launch of this initiative. Investing in connectivity supports individuals to access educational, employment opportunities, and grows new markets that create inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
  • Food Security and Climate Adaptation: Partners have invested and procured more than $253 million in new products, services, and production capacity across the agricultural sector to increase the region’s agricultural capacity, production, and exports to provide food security to families in Central America and across the world and in a region where more than 40% of the workforce depends on a sustainable agricultural sector for their livelihoods.
  • Advancing Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses: Partner organizations have supported over 350,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and partner organizations across the region, which has connected small business owners to new markets and grow their businesses by improving their management, financial, digital capabilities, and provided new lending and access to capital.

ADDITIONAL UPDATES ON CAF INITIATIVES

  • Good Governance, Good Jobs Declaration: PCA operationalized CAF’s Good Governance, Good Jobs Declaration, by announcing in June 2023 a Corporate Pledge on the Rule of Law, with ten company signatories.  PCA and Transparency International also launched the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Initiative (or “ACT Project”) in September 2023 to help companies fulfill their commitments to the pledge and improve their capabilities for transparent and legal business practices. The ACT Project, self-funded by companies who volunteer to join, holds them accountable for operating responsibly in accordance with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct.
  • CAF Investment Facilitation Team: A 12-member U.S. interagency delegation completed an extensive visit to Honduras in February 2024 to further explore the development of an economic corridor in Honduras. This strategic infrastructure project, led by Honduras and supported by the international community, multilateral development banks, and private sector, could potentially benefit the entire region, attracting investment, creating jobs, and providing social benefits to people throughout northern Central America. Other Investment Facilitation Team visits will take place to northern Central America in the months ahead.
  • Central America Service Corps: USAID has entered into agreements with six partners to work together to develop Central America Services Corps (CASC) activities in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. USAID, together with host-country governments and private sector partners, will work with over 60,000 vulnerable youth and offer them alternatives to irregular migration through community service projects and technical assistance to match youth to potential jobs, training and mentoring, facilitating financial inclusion efforts, and direct financial support through stipends. CASC activities have commenced in Honduras. After a successful pilot, USAID and the government of Guatemala will officially launch CASC in May of 2024, and El Salvador will launch its program soon after.      USAID coordinates activities with the U.S. Peace Corps, the Inter-American Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Partnership for Central America.
  • Civil Society Coordination: In 2023, PCA launched the Regional Civil Society Council, which aims to provide a critical platform for civil society in Northern Central America in shaping and advising on the coordination of PCA’s financial inclusion, capital access, diversity, digital access, and cross-cutting programs. Members of the Council include a diverse coalition of civil society, academia, and policy makers from the region, including indigenous groups.  
  • Financial Inclusion Consortium for Central American Remittances: The Financial Inclusion Consortium for Central American Remittances (FICCAR), an initiative of PCA in support of CAF, aims to boost people-to-people remittance to account transfers by at least 20 percentage points in the next five years. This collective commitment will result in digitizing nearly $14 billion in remittance transactions, resulting in safer, more secure, and lower-cost transactions that provide an opportunity to increase savings, thereby building assets and helping small businesses to grow.
  • In Her Hands (IHH): On June 7, 2022, Vice President Harris launched In Her Hands (IHH), a women’s economic security initiative with the goals of connecting more than 1.4 million women and their communities to the financial system and digital economy, accelerating women’s participation in the agroindustry, training more than 500,000 women and girls in core job skills, promoting gender parity, and elevating women within companies across the region. To date, PCA has mobilized $113 million to directly support new programs for women that includes skills training programs; English language learning; and access to financial inclusion tools such as bank accounts, credit, and digital platforms. Today, PCA is formally launching the IHH Gender Pledge with the following signatories: Accion, Bancolombia, Corporación AG, Davivienda, Grupo Mariposa, Meta, Millicom, Nespresso, Pantaleon, and Technoserve. The pledge focuses on the inclusion of women in the procurement and development plans for government, non-profits, and the private sector. 

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FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces New Initiatives to Strengthen the U.S.-Guatemala Relationship and Address the Root Causes of Migration from Guatemala

Whitehouse.gov Feed - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 06:00

Vice President Kamala Harris will welcome President Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala to the White House on March 25, 2024 to recognize the enduring friendship and strategic partnership between Guatemala and the United States. During the visit, the leaders will take stock of the progress we have made to address the drivers of irregular migration, including creating good jobs, responsive governance, and opportunities for Guatemalans to invest in their own communities. In demonstrating U.S. support to the people of Guatemala, the Vice President is announcing the United States pledges to provide an additional $170 million for development, economic, health, and security assistance, subject to congressional notification. 

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing commitment under the Root Causes Strategy, the Vice President is also announcing the following:

  • Transforming Security and Justice Institutions: Through a $50 million “Guatemala Se Transforma” Initiative, the Department of State’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) will partner with Guatemala to bolster the rule of law in security and justice institutions.  Working with Congress, INL intends to commit funds now and additional resources in the future to this new initiative.
  • Central American Service Corps:  Vice President Harris announced the creation of the Central American Service Corps (CASC) at the Summit of Americas in 2022. After a successful pilot in Guatemala, the CASC program will expand in May, during an event featuring Guatemalan First Lady Lucrecia Peinado. This expanded program, funded by USAID, and partnering with the Peace Corps, and the Inter-American Foundation, will reach 2,800 young people in the first year who are most at risk of migrating by engaging them with volunteer, training, and employment opportunities in Guatemala. CASC could reach up to 25,000 young people in Guatemala over the next five years. 
  • Technical Assistance for Regulatory Reforms:  The Commerce Law Development Program (CLDP) will support legal and regulatory reforms to facilitate new infrastructure and public-private partnerships. These reforms will also promote workers’ rights. CLDP will provide technical assistance to improve Guatemala’s proposed port authority law, which would counter extortion and the use of maritime ports and airports by organized criminal organizations.  
  • Building Trade and Customs Capacity for Secure Textiles and Apparel Trade:  The Office of the United States Trade Representative and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will launch a Trade Capacity Building program to advance secure trade in textiles and apparel between the United States and Guatemala by encouraging engagement, including with existing government-to-industry stakeholder partnerships such as CBP’s Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Program and the Superintendence of Tax Administration of Guatemala’s Authorized Economic Operator Program.
  • Investment Facilitation Team Visit:  A United States Investment Facilitation Team, composed of relevant U.S. government agencies, will visit Guatemala in the next six months to support clean energy and infrastructure development, facilitate private sector operations, and promote sustainable economic development. 
  • Scaling of Agricultural Technologies:  USAID will implement a new Feed the Future program that will strengthen the capacity of existing research and education entities and based on their priorities, opportunities, and commitments, mainly to scale agricultural technologies. It will support research, education, extension, and advice related to “Climate Smart” agriculture.
  • Guatemala Biodiversity Conservation:  USAID will implement this new program to promote the conservation of biodiversity and strengthen the Guatemalan System of Protected Areas focusing on the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, and areas of ecological importance along the Pacific Coast.
  • Women’s Economic Empowerment Legal Reform Fund Project:  This project in Guatemala will support key congressional, governmental, and civil society partners to advance legislation and policy that reduces barriers to women competing in the workforce, while enhancing protection of women’s access and rights in the workplace. 
  • Indigenous and Civil Society Engagement:  The Department of State intends to provide $1.5 million to support multi-stakeholder engagements among the Government of Guatemala, private sector actors, civil society, and people from marginalized communities, including indigenous leaders, to ensure public policies are inclusive and to promote greater accountability to public interests. 
  • Advancing Women, Peace, and Security Opportunities Globally:  In 2024, the Department of State will add Guatemala as a focus country for the Supporting Her Empowerment Women for Inclusive New Security (SHE WINS) project. The effort will focus on advancing indigenous women’s meaningful civic participation through targeted capacity building and support for community initiatives through Plataforma de Mujeres Indígenas. Launched in 2022, SHE WINS supports the U.S. Strategy and National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security Strategy by advancing the leadership of local women leaders and women-led civil society organizations to address peace and security challenges in areas of conflict and crisis.  

These new programs will build upon the success of the early stages of the Root Causes Strategy in Guatemala.  Some of these successes include:

  • Guatemala Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (GEDI):   Launched by Vice President Harris in 2021, GEDI is fostering a robust business ecosystem in Guatemala by supporting over 3,500 entrepreneurs (including over 1,600 women and 1,700 indigenous people) through investment readiness and technical services.  In its first two years, GEDI facilitated $30 million in new investments, of which $4 million is for clean energy investments. GEDI has also directly created 1,500 new jobs and generated $7.5 million in new sales for small and growing businesses. This strategic collaboration with the private sector is instrumental in amplifying business growth, and includes notable partners PriceSmart, MasterCard, Argidius Foundation, Pomona Impact, Cargill, and many others.
  • Young Women’s Empowerment Initiative (YWEI):  Launched by Vice President Harris, YWEI has enhanced women’s employment opportunities and conditions, reducing gender-based violence, and closing the gender gap across sectors. Since 2021, nearly 19,000 youth have increased their capacity through re-engaging in secondary education and strengthening their soft skills, over 9,000 young women completed workforce training programs, and 27,000 young women have gained jobs and experienced better employment conditions. Just over 1,500 women have received support services after experiencing gender-based crimes. More than 32,000 women have improved their agricultural management and 29,000 women have increased access to economic resources such as credit, assets, and income.  
  • Creating Jobs:  In fiscal year 2023, Guatemalan businesses created more than 26,000 jobs in areas of high out-migration through U.S. support, helping thousands to build wealth for themselves and their families close to home.
  • Enhancing the Agriculture Sector:  Through extensive support from the United States government, more than 35,000 Guatemalan farmers have utilized innovative technologies to increase production and income on more than 33,000 acres of farmland, creating greater income security and resilience to shocks, including environmental shocks.
  • Boosting Education:  USAID reached nearly 69,000 learners in high out-migration municipalities in Guatemala, with programs aiming to improve math and reading skills, keep youth in school, and boost completion rates. 
  • Countering Gender-Based Violence:  Nearly 1,200 survivors of gender-based violence have received access to protection services in Guatemala, allowing them to put an end to the violence, and begin the healing process, and retake control of their lives.
  • Supporting Labor Pathways:  More than 13,000 Guatemalans were issued employment-based visas through the H-2 visa program to work temporarily in the United States, providing them with increased economic opportunity while supporting the demands of the U.S. labor market.
  • Reuniting Families:  More than 5,000 invitations have been issued on behalf of eligible Guatemalans that would allow those with a pending family-based immigration visa to travel to the United States and reunite with their family in a safe, orderly, and lawful way.

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The post FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces New Initiatives to Strengthen the U.S.-Guatemala Relationship and Address the Root Causes of Migration from Guatemala appeared first on The White House.

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the Human Rights Campaign 2024 Los Angeles Dinner

Speeches and Remarks - Sun, 03/24/2024 - 00:49

Los Angeles, CA

Thank you, Kelley. You and Becky are such an amazing power couple. Joe and I have really enjoyed getting to know you both. You have quickly established yourself as an inspiring leader of HRC, and we need you to continue to lead us with your grace and grit.

Good evening, everyone – you all look fabulous!

David Mixner meant so much to so many in this room, so I’d like to begin with his words: “You can walk through fear and be the one who describes colors of the sunset to those who sat back on the porch, or you can sit back on the porch and have the colors of the sunset described to you.”

You, the people in this room, have seen the colors of the sunset. You have walked through fear. And you’ve helped so many others do the same. It’s an honor to celebrate with you tonight.

When I was growing up in a suburb of Philadelphia and dreamed of what my life would become, I knew I wanted two things: a marriage like my parents – strong and loving and full of laughter – and a career.

I set out to find those things, but my path was a bit meandering.

It was the seventies – perhaps some of you remember: Vietnam, love beads, equal rights.

I wore my hair down to my waist, and so did most of the men I dated!

One day, I was asked on a date from out of the blue, and that evening, a handsome young Senator showed up at my door. I took one look at his perfect suit and his leather loafers and thought: well, it’s only one date.

One date eventually turned into a marriage proposal.

OK, if I’m being honest, it was five proposals. This was not a part of my plan!

And more than that, it wasn’t just my heart on the line.

As many of you know, years before, Joe’s wife, Neilia, and baby daughter were killed in a car accident. The boys, Beau and Hunter, had to be in the hospital for many months, and after all that they had lost, I knew that if I said yes to Joe, it had to be forever.  Eventually, I realized that my love for Joe and the boys outweighed any fears I had. And I said yes.

I’ll never forget what Joe said next. He said, “Jill, I promise you, your life will never change.”

Of course, this proved to be wildly untrue. Life is change. We learn and grow. We overcome heartbreaks we never could have imagined. We find wisdom, and grit, and empathy. This community knows that well – and while we’ve changed so much – made progress, there’s still so much more to do.

And, we can’t and won’t go back and refight the fights of the past.

Today, this community is under attack. Rights are being stripped away. Freedoms are eroding. More and more state laws are being passed targeting this community.

Just last night, we had to fend off more than 50 anti-gay amendments that Republicans tried to force into the government funding bill.

These were extreme measures aimed directly at this community – measures that would have limited healthcare, eroded protections for same-sex couples, and more. And they served only one purpose: to spread hate and fear.

History teaches us that democracies don’t disappear overnight.

They disappear slowly. Subtly. Silently.

A book ban. A court decision. A “don’t say gay” law.

Before World War II, I’m told, Berlin was the center of LGBTQ culture in Europe.

One group of people loses their rights. And then another, and another.

Until one morning you wake up – and you no longer live in a democracy.

Laws and attitudes can lead to devastating consequences – harm that can’t be undone, that leaves parents torn by grief. Parents and grandparents like Sue Benedict – may Nex rest in peace – and the countless others who have lost LGBTQ children to suicide, bullying, and hate. Parents who have stood by their kids, loved them, learned from them, but who will never have another tomorrow with them.

This is our chapter of history – and it’s up to us how it ends.

This isn’t the first time we have been tested. We have faced unspeakable tragedies before. An assassination in San Francisco. A barren field in Wyoming. A nightclub in Orlando.

And each time, we have persevered, we have pulled ourselves up from the depths of despair – with hope, with grace, and with love.

Our victories testify to that strength.

Thanks to President Biden, marriage equality is now the law of the land. He ended the ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. He’s made it possible for trans Americans to serve openly, honorably in the military. And he’s standing firmly against conversion therapy.

There are victories in the small moments too – moments that would have been unimaginable just a few decades ago: Being free to walk down the street as your authentic self. Co-workers that use your chosen name and pronouns. Communities that support you and understand you.

Yes, the MAGA extremists are seeking to erase these hard-fought gains, trying to unwind all the progress we’ve made.

They want us to be afraid.

They want to take our victories away, but we won’t let them. Your President won’t let them.  I won’t let them.

We’re going to fight. And we will win.

Today, tomorrow, and all the days after, until all people in all places can live freely, surrounded by love.

I love you.

Your President, President Biden loves you. 

Thank you for sharing this time with me.

###

The post Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the Human Rights Campaign 2024 Los Angeles Dinner appeared first on The White House.

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the Human Rights Campaign 2024 Los Angeles Dinner

Whitehouse.gov Feed - Sun, 03/24/2024 - 00:49

Los Angeles, CA

Thank you, Kelley. You and Becky are such an amazing power couple. Joe and I have really enjoyed getting to know you both. You have quickly established yourself as an inspiring leader of HRC, and we need you to continue to lead us with your grace and grit.

Good evening, everyone – you all look fabulous!

David Mixner meant so much to so many in this room, so I’d like to begin with his words: “You can walk through fear and be the one who describes colors of the sunset to those who sat back on the porch, or you can sit back on the porch and have the colors of the sunset described to you.”

You, the people in this room, have seen the colors of the sunset. You have walked through fear. And you’ve helped so many others do the same. It’s an honor to celebrate with you tonight.

When I was growing up in a suburb of Philadelphia and dreamed of what my life would become, I knew I wanted two things: a marriage like my parents – strong and loving and full of laughter – and a career.

I set out to find those things, but my path was a bit meandering.

It was the seventies – perhaps some of you remember: Vietnam, love beads, equal rights.

I wore my hair down to my waist, and so did most of the men I dated!

One day, I was asked on a date from out of the blue, and that evening, a handsome young Senator showed up at my door. I took one look at his perfect suit and his leather loafers and thought: well, it’s only one date.

One date eventually turned into a marriage proposal.

OK, if I’m being honest, it was five proposals. This was not a part of my plan!

And more than that, it wasn’t just my heart on the line.

As many of you know, years before, Joe’s wife, Neilia, and baby daughter were killed in a car accident. The boys, Beau and Hunter, had to be in the hospital for many months, and after all that they had lost, I knew that if I said yes to Joe, it had to be forever.  Eventually, I realized that my love for Joe and the boys outweighed any fears I had. And I said yes.

I’ll never forget what Joe said next. He said, “Jill, I promise you, your life will never change.”

Of course, this proved to be wildly untrue. Life is change. We learn and grow. We overcome heartbreaks we never could have imagined. We find wisdom, and grit, and empathy. This community knows that well – and while we’ve changed so much – made progress, there’s still so much more to do.

And, we can’t and won’t go back and refight the fights of the past.

Today, this community is under attack. Rights are being stripped away. Freedoms are eroding. More and more state laws are being passed targeting this community.

Just last night, we had to fend off more than 50 anti-gay amendments that Republicans tried to force into the government funding bill.

These were extreme measures aimed directly at this community – measures that would have limited healthcare, eroded protections for same-sex couples, and more. And they served only one purpose: to spread hate and fear.

History teaches us that democracies don’t disappear overnight.

They disappear slowly. Subtly. Silently.

A book ban. A court decision. A “don’t say gay” law.

Before World War II, I’m told, Berlin was the center of LGBTQ culture in Europe.

One group of people loses their rights. And then another, and another.

Until one morning you wake up – and you no longer live in a democracy.

Laws and attitudes can lead to devastating consequences – harm that can’t be undone, that leaves parents torn by grief. Parents and grandparents like Sue Benedict – may Nex rest in peace – and the countless others who have lost LGBTQ children to suicide, bullying, and hate. Parents who have stood by their kids, loved them, learned from them, but who will never have another tomorrow with them.

This is our chapter of history – and it’s up to us how it ends.

This isn’t the first time we have been tested. We have faced unspeakable tragedies before. An assassination in San Francisco. A barren field in Wyoming. A nightclub in Orlando.

And each time, we have persevered, we have pulled ourselves up from the depths of despair – with hope, with grace, and with love.

Our victories testify to that strength.

Thanks to President Biden, marriage equality is now the law of the land. He ended the ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. He’s made it possible for trans Americans to serve openly, honorably in the military. And he’s standing firmly against conversion therapy.

There are victories in the small moments too – moments that would have been unimaginable just a few decades ago: Being free to walk down the street as your authentic self. Co-workers that use your chosen name and pronouns. Communities that support you and understand you.

Yes, the MAGA extremists are seeking to erase these hard-fought gains, trying to unwind all the progress we’ve made.

They want us to be afraid.

They want to take our victories away, but we won’t let them. Your President won’t let them.  I won’t let them.

We’re going to fight. And we will win.

Today, tomorrow, and all the days after, until all people in all places can live freely, surrounded by love.

I love you.

Your President, President Biden loves you. 

Thank you for sharing this time with me.

###

The post Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the Human Rights Campaign 2024 Los Angeles Dinner appeared first on The White House.

Remarks by Vice President Harris on Gun Violence Prevention While at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School | Parkland, FL

Speeches and Remarks - Sat, 03/23/2024 - 23:59

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Parkland, FL

4:24 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  So, let me start by thanking the families for your courage and your bravery and the leadership that you have so selflessly given and demonstrated, born out of inconceivable loss and pain and suffering. 

Thank you for the generosity of your time today to spend time with me and my the- — my team and — and to share with us, knowing how extremely painful it is, who your family member, I’m going to say, is and was, and the importance of us remembering.  I do believe we have a duty to remember and a duty to bear witness to what happened here.

It is extraordinarily tragic.  These were beautiful people who have — I’ve come to know through their family members.  They are so much bigger and more than a statistic.  They should be so much bigger and more than the subject of politics or gamesmanship.

 We’re talking about beautiful people who each in different ways were heroes in the context of their community, be it their family, their classroom, or their lives, everything from — I mean, I’m going to now maybe leave out some, but I’m thinking about all of them — but from who was a extraordinary swimmer and — and received a scholarship to a — a veteran of our armed services to older brothers and younger sisters of their siblings — beautiful people whose lives were tragically taken by an act of violence.

You know, part of what I talked with the families about is the fact that one in five families in America has a family member that has died because of gun violence, that the leading cause of death for the children of America is gun violence.

 Some of us talked about the parents of — of children who were lost.  It — it wasn’t a car accident.  It wasn’t some form of cancer.  It was gun violence.

 And what I saw, then, here, after I spent time with the families, during the walkthrough of the building where these crimes occurred, is a moment frozen in time — high school classrooms.  The desks are still in the configuration they were in on that Valentine’s Day six years ago.

The moment is frozen in time where there was, in a classroom that was known for having a teacher that was pretty strict, the teacher relented to the students who said, “Hey, can’t we be a little bit more informal today, and instead of having the desks lined up in a row, have them pointed to face each other?” 

I was in classrooms where, frozen in time, the laptops of that era are still on the desks, which have since gathered dust.

Frozen in time, on some of the desks, the snacks that the students were eating, and on the whiteboard and plastered against the wall, various admonitions that the teacher had clearly given the students — I saw one that said something like, “No excuses allowed” — to tablets and — clearly, where notes and — and homework had been done, frozen in time.

And the families so rightly are so — have so — been so injured by this.  Those injuries that in acts of violence like this are seen and obvious and also invisible.  The trauma that results from this kind of violence that takes place every day in America and in a profound number took place here six years ago — trauma that, for the most part, though they will try to mitigate the pain, will never completely be healed.

We have to understand the facets of this, also, when we do reflect and review and, dare I say, study what happened here at Stoneman Douglas.  And we must be willing to have the courage to say that on every level, whether you talk about changing laws or changing practices and protocols, that we must do better.

The families here have been extraordinary leaders and advocates, I say to them, on behalf of families they may never meet and who may never know their names — advocating for issues like understanding, many of the parents and the — and the families shared with me, that the way that we are — we have constructed schools is based on the only conceivable emergency being potentially a fire, and so, constructing alarm systems and evacuation systems based on a fire alarm where, some of the families shared with me, we’ve not seen — I think I got this right — any major fatality in terms of a student dying from a fire in a school, but, oh, just since this happened, since Parkland, 150 schools shootings, if not more.

We have learned lessons about what we need to do in terms of how we construct schools in terms of the safety of a classroom.

I saw, in this moment frozen in time, the classroom doors where the locks really weren’t where they’re supposed to be if the point is to protect the children, the students, and their teachers. 

Looking at it in the context of what we are doing in terms of what are the protocols when there is an active shooter drill and have we trained everyone appropriately.

Thinking about how we can be better in terms of empowering families and communities when there is knowledge that someone might be a harm or create a harm to themselves or others, and are we being smart in terms of how we allow people to share that information so that communities and schools and parents can not only protect themselves but help others.

How are we upgrading our systems?  You know, technology has come a long way since most of our schools were constructed.  Do we have systems of communication that actually talk with each other technologically? 

And if anyone says, “Well, this is a matter of resources,” I’d invite you to really consider the resources in our children and school officials that we have lost because of what has been happening in our country.

And I want to talk specifically as the head of the White House Office on Gun Violence Prevention about what we must do to continue to elevate our collective concern and empathy around the tragedy in a way that we translate it into solutions.

Part of what the President and I have been able to do is invest about a billion dollars into, as of now, about 14,000 new mental health professionals being dispatched to our public schools to be a resource in the school that, hopefully, the way that the protocols are developed will not only be there to react to a concern but will also be there to engage in prevention through intervention and detection, and training those professionals with the information that we actually have that helps people to see the signs and then communicate them by obligation and by responsibility so that we can avoid predictable tragedies.

Red flag laws.  Red flag laws are simply designed to allow communities a vehicle through which they can share and have somewhere to share it information about the concern about the potential danger or the crying out for help of an individual, and then let’s get it to them before tragedy occurs.

You know, there are only about 21 states that have passed red flag laws.  So, part of why I’m here today is to challenge every state: Pass a red flag law.  See how these leaders and these parents, through their advocacy born out of tragedy, have changed some of the laws in this state, including on that issue,
to the betterment of everyone.

Of the states that have passed red flag laws — approximately 21 — only 6 have taken up the offer that we have made through our administration of federal resources to help them with the training and the implementation of these red flag laws.

Of the 21 that have passed red flag laws, I challenge the others: Come on over.  We got some resources for you to help you implement the work that you have done that has been the work of a leader on this tragic issue.

The second reason I am here is to announce that today I am launching the national Resource Center for red flag laws.  And this national resource center will be a place where we will, through that, provide for training for local leaders on how to use red flag laws and keep communities safe.

So, these are just but some of the ways that we can learn from what happened here.  And, of course, as you know, I will continue to advocate for what we must do in terms of universal background checks, an assault weapons ban; what we must continue to do to treat — diagnose and treat trauma in our communities.

And there won’t be complete agreement on all that must be done to address these kinds of tragedies, but there are some that, frankly, to un- — use a colloquialism, are just no brainers.

And one of the points, again, that I will emphasize about today is the red flag law as a tool that can help us address some of the tragedies that we know have occurred and occurred here.

So, with that, again, I will say thank you to the leaders of this community, starting with these families.  This school is soon going to be torn down, but the memory of it will never be erased.  And let us, through the courage and the call to action of these families, find it in ourselves to consider what they’ve been through as some level of motivation and inspiration for all of us to do more.

     Thank you.

 END                 4:38 P.M. EDT

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Remarks by Vice President Harris on Gun Violence Prevention While at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School | Parkland, FL

Whitehouse.gov Feed - Sat, 03/23/2024 - 23:59

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Parkland, FL

4:24 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  So, let me start by thanking the families for your courage and your bravery and the leadership that you have so selflessly given and demonstrated, born out of inconceivable loss and pain and suffering. 

Thank you for the generosity of your time today to spend time with me and my the- — my team and — and to share with us, knowing how extremely painful it is, who your family member, I’m going to say, is and was, and the importance of us remembering.  I do believe we have a duty to remember and a duty to bear witness to what happened here.

It is extraordinarily tragic.  These were beautiful people who have — I’ve come to know through their family members.  They are so much bigger and more than a statistic.  They should be so much bigger and more than the subject of politics or gamesmanship.

 We’re talking about beautiful people who each in different ways were heroes in the context of their community, be it their family, their classroom, or their lives, everything from — I mean, I’m going to now maybe leave out some, but I’m thinking about all of them — but from who was a extraordinary swimmer and — and received a scholarship to a — a veteran of our armed services to older brothers and younger sisters of their siblings — beautiful people whose lives were tragically taken by an act of violence.

You know, part of what I talked with the families about is the fact that one in five families in America has a family member that has died because of gun violence, that the leading cause of death for the children of America is gun violence.

 Some of us talked about the parents of — of children who were lost.  It — it wasn’t a car accident.  It wasn’t some form of cancer.  It was gun violence.

 And what I saw, then, here, after I spent time with the families, during the walkthrough of the building where these crimes occurred, is a moment frozen in time — high school classrooms.  The desks are still in the configuration they were in on that Valentine’s Day six years ago.

The moment is frozen in time where there was, in a classroom that was known for having a teacher that was pretty strict, the teacher relented to the students who said, “Hey, can’t we be a little bit more informal today, and instead of having the desks lined up in a row, have them pointed to face each other?” 

I was in classrooms where, frozen in time, the laptops of that era are still on the desks, which have since gathered dust.

Frozen in time, on some of the desks, the snacks that the students were eating, and on the whiteboard and plastered against the wall, various admonitions that the teacher had clearly given the students — I saw one that said something like, “No excuses allowed” — to tablets and — clearly, where notes and — and homework had been done, frozen in time.

And the families so rightly are so — have so — been so injured by this.  Those injuries that in acts of violence like this are seen and obvious and also invisible.  The trauma that results from this kind of violence that takes place every day in America and in a profound number took place here six years ago — trauma that, for the most part, though they will try to mitigate the pain, will never completely be healed.

We have to understand the facets of this, also, when we do reflect and review and, dare I say, study what happened here at Stoneman Douglas.  And we must be willing to have the courage to say that on every level, whether you talk about changing laws or changing practices and protocols, that we must do better.

The families here have been extraordinary leaders and advocates, I say to them, on behalf of families they may never meet and who may never know their names — advocating for issues like understanding, many of the parents and the — and the families shared with me, that the way that we are — we have constructed schools is based on the only conceivable emergency being potentially a fire, and so, constructing alarm systems and evacuation systems based on a fire alarm where, some of the families shared with me, we’ve not seen — I think I got this right — any major fatality in terms of a student dying from a fire in a school, but, oh, just since this happened, since Parkland, 150 schools shootings, if not more.

We have learned lessons about what we need to do in terms of how we construct schools in terms of the safety of a classroom.

I saw, in this moment frozen in time, the classroom doors where the locks really weren’t where they’re supposed to be if the point is to protect the children, the students, and their teachers. 

Looking at it in the context of what we are doing in terms of what are the protocols when there is an active shooter drill and have we trained everyone appropriately.

Thinking about how we can be better in terms of empowering families and communities when there is knowledge that someone might be a harm or create a harm to themselves or others, and are we being smart in terms of how we allow people to share that information so that communities and schools and parents can not only protect themselves but help others.

How are we upgrading our systems?  You know, technology has come a long way since most of our schools were constructed.  Do we have systems of communication that actually talk with each other technologically? 

And if anyone says, “Well, this is a matter of resources,” I’d invite you to really consider the resources in our children and school officials that we have lost because of what has been happening in our country.

And I want to talk specifically as the head of the White House Office on Gun Violence Prevention about what we must do to continue to elevate our collective concern and empathy around the tragedy in a way that we translate it into solutions.

Part of what the President and I have been able to do is invest about a billion dollars into, as of now, about 14,000 new mental health professionals being dispatched to our public schools to be a resource in the school that, hopefully, the way that the protocols are developed will not only be there to react to a concern but will also be there to engage in prevention through intervention and detection, and training those professionals with the information that we actually have that helps people to see the signs and then communicate them by obligation and by responsibility so that we can avoid predictable tragedies.

Red flag laws.  Red flag laws are simply designed to allow communities a vehicle through which they can share and have somewhere to share it information about the concern about the potential danger or the crying out for help of an individual, and then let’s get it to them before tragedy occurs.

You know, there are only about 21 states that have passed red flag laws.  So, part of why I’m here today is to challenge every state: Pass a red flag law.  See how these leaders and these parents, through their advocacy born out of tragedy, have changed some of the laws in this state, including on that issue,
to the betterment of everyone.

Of the states that have passed red flag laws — approximately 21 — only 6 have taken up the offer that we have made through our administration of federal resources to help them with the training and the implementation of these red flag laws.

Of the 21 that have passed red flag laws, I challenge the others: Come on over.  We got some resources for you to help you implement the work that you have done that has been the work of a leader on this tragic issue.

The second reason I am here is to announce that today I am launching the national Resource Center for red flag laws.  And this national resource center will be a place where we will, through that, provide for training for local leaders on how to use red flag laws and keep communities safe.

So, these are just but some of the ways that we can learn from what happened here.  And, of course, as you know, I will continue to advocate for what we must do in terms of universal background checks, an assault weapons ban; what we must continue to do to treat — diagnose and treat trauma in our communities.

And there won’t be complete agreement on all that must be done to address these kinds of tragedies, but there are some that, frankly, to un- — use a colloquialism, are just no brainers.

And one of the points, again, that I will emphasize about today is the red flag law as a tool that can help us address some of the tragedies that we know have occurred and occurred here.

So, with that, again, I will say thank you to the leaders of this community, starting with these families.  This school is soon going to be torn down, but the memory of it will never be erased.  And let us, through the courage and the call to action of these families, find it in ourselves to consider what they’ve been through as some level of motivation and inspiration for all of us to do more.

     Thank you.

 END                 4:38 P.M. EDT

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Statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the Terrorist Attack in Moscow

Statements and Releases - Sat, 03/23/2024 - 15:40

The United States strongly condemns the heinous terrorist attack in Moscow. We extend our deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones and to those who were injured or affected by these unconscionable attacks against innocent civilians. ISIS is a common terrorist enemy that must be defeated everywhere.

###

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Statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the Terrorist Attack in Moscow

Whitehouse.gov Feed - Sat, 03/23/2024 - 15:40

The United States strongly condemns the heinous terrorist attack in Moscow. We extend our deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones and to those who were injured or affected by these unconscionable attacks against innocent civilians. ISIS is a common terrorist enemy that must be defeated everywhere.

###

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Press Release: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate: Designation of Funding as Emergency Requirements in Accordance with Section 6 of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024

Presidential Actions - Sat, 03/23/2024 - 14:01

Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)

In accordance with section 6 of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (H.R. 2882; the “Act”), I hereby designate as emergency requirements all funding (including the transfer and repurposing of funds) so designated by the Congress in the Act pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as outlined in the enclosed list of accounts.

The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed memorandum from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. 

                             Sincerely,

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post Press Release: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate: Designation of Funding as Emergency Requirements in Accordance with Section 6 of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

Press Release: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate: Designation of Funding as Emergency Requirements in Accordance with Section 6 of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024

Whitehouse.gov Feed - Sat, 03/23/2024 - 14:01

Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Madam President:)

In accordance with section 6 of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (H.R. 2882; the “Act”), I hereby designate as emergency requirements all funding (including the transfer and repurposing of funds) so designated by the Congress in the Act pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as outlined in the enclosed list of accounts.

The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed memorandum from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. 

                             Sincerely,

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post Press Release: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate: Designation of Funding as Emergency Requirements in Accordance with Section 6 of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

Statement from President Joe Biden on the Bipartisan Government Funding Bill

Statements and Releases - Sat, 03/23/2024 - 13:03

The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open, invests in the American people, and strengthens our economy and national security. This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border that my Administration successfully fought to include. That’s good news for the American people.

But I want to be clear: Congress’s work isn’t finished. The House must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests. And Congress must pass the bipartisan border security agreement—the toughest and fairest reforms in decades—to ensure we have the policies and funding needed to secure the border. It’s time to get this done.

###

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Statement from President Joe Biden on the Bipartisan Government Funding Bill

Whitehouse.gov Feed - Sat, 03/23/2024 - 13:03

The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open, invests in the American people, and strengthens our economy and national security. This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border that my Administration successfully fought to include. That’s good news for the American people.

But I want to be clear: Congress’s work isn’t finished. The House must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests. And Congress must pass the bipartisan border security agreement—the toughest and fairest reforms in decades—to ensure we have the policies and funding needed to secure the border. It’s time to get this done.

###

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Press Release: Bill Signed: H.R. 2882

Legislation - Sat, 03/23/2024 - 13:02

On Saturday, March 23, 2024, the President signed into law:

H.R. 2882, the “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,”
which  provides funding through September 30, 2024, for projects and activities of departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

Thank you to Leaders Schumer and McConnell, Senators Murray and Collins, Speaker Mike Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and Representatives Granger and DeLauro, for their leadership.

###

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