Feed aggregator

On Friday, April 19, the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) convened agencies from across the federal government as a part of the Administration’s gun violence emergency response protocol.  The in-person convening took place in the Roosevelt Room at the White House and included the Office of the Vice President and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, as well as participation from the following agencies:

• Department of Justice
• Department of Homeland Security
• Small Business Administration
• Department of Education
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Department of Veteran Affairs

Prior to this first in-person convening, OGVP has regularly convened federal agencies to help coordinate federal resources available to communities following mass shooting incidents, like the tragic shooting in Lewiston, Maine, as well helping communities experiencing concentrations of community violence.

Overseen by Vice President Harris, OGVP has also led regular listening sessions with communities that have experienced mass shootings and surges in gun violence including Buffalo, Uvalde, Parkland, Brooklyn Homes in Baltimore, Highland Park and Columbine, to better understand their specific and unique needs in the wake of these tragedies.

During Friday’s convening, OGVP Deputy Director Gregory Jackson briefed agency officials on the Administration’s gun violence emergency response protocol, as well as measures to help communities prevent future violence through community violence intervention, safe storage requirements, and funding available from the single largest investment in student mental health in history that is helping to hire and train more than 14,000 school mental health professionals. Agencies also briefed out on the various resources they have made available to communities following shooting tragedies, including victim services and resiliency centers.

This convening comes on the heels of the Biden-Harris Administration announcing a new rule that will save lives by reducing the number of firearms sold without background checks. This action implements the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years — and is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s strategy to stem the flow of illegally acquired firearms into our communities and hold accountable those who supply the firearms used in crime.

###

The post Readout of the White House Convening on Gun Violence Emergency Response Protocol appeared first on The White House.

On Friday, April 19, the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) convened agencies from across the federal government as a part of the Administration’s gun violence emergency response protocol.  The in-person convening took place in the Roosevelt Room at the White House and included the Office of the Vice President and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, as well as participation from the following agencies:

• Department of Justice
• Department of Homeland Security
• Small Business Administration
• Department of Education
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Department of Veteran Affairs

Prior to this first in-person convening, OGVP has regularly convened federal agencies to help coordinate federal resources available to communities following mass shooting incidents, like the tragic shooting in Lewiston, Maine, as well helping communities experiencing concentrations of community violence.

Overseen by Vice President Harris, OGVP has also led regular listening sessions with communities that have experienced mass shootings and surges in gun violence including Buffalo, Uvalde, Parkland, Brooklyn Homes in Baltimore, Highland Park and Columbine, to better understand their specific and unique needs in the wake of these tragedies.

During Friday’s convening, OGVP Deputy Director Gregory Jackson briefed agency officials on the Administration’s gun violence emergency response protocol, as well as measures to help communities prevent future violence through community violence intervention, safe storage requirements, and funding available from the single largest investment in student mental health in history that is helping to hire and train more than 14,000 school mental health professionals. Agencies also briefed out on the various resources they have made available to communities following shooting tragedies, including victim services and resiliency centers.

This convening comes on the heels of the Biden-Harris Administration announcing a new rule that will save lives by reducing the number of firearms sold without background checks. This action implements the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years — and is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s strategy to stem the flow of illegally acquired firearms into our communities and hold accountable those who supply the firearms used in crime.

###

The post Readout of the White House Convening on Gun Violence Emergency Response Protocol appeared first on The White House.

Prince William Forest Park
Triangle, Virginia

2:54 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, hello, hello.  (Applause.) 

Thank you, Za’Nyia, for sharing your story that embodies the spirit of Earth Day. 

On this day 54 years ago, with literally toxic rivers burning, air filled with pollution, millions of Americans from every age and background rallied together to stand for our environment and for future generations. 

I got to know Senator Gordan Nelson — Gaylord Nelson, excuse me — from Wisconsin when I got to the Senate.  And he organized the first Earth Day.  I later introduced the first climate bill in the United States Senate.  And all these years later, as president, I was able to sign into law the Inflation Reduction Act, the most si- — (applause) — the most significant [climate] investment every anywhere in the history of the world, and we’re just getting started.

Earth Day pushed the country forward, leading to Environmental Protection Agency, and we’re fortunate enough to have with us the EPA Administrator Michael Regan.  Where are you, Michael?  (Applause.)  Stand up.  Get up.  Get up.

I stole him from Carolina.  We’re not letting him go back.  (Laughter.)

And we’re joined by our great Secretary of Interior, Deb Haaland.  (Applause.)  Deb, stand up.  The first Native American ever to serve in a Cabinet.  (Applause.)

And AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith — Michael, where are you?  There y- — (applause) — joined by members of the Congress, including Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who, by the way, thought this was an important idea a long time ago and talked about dealing with the Climate Corps — one — needed one.  Ed, we owe you a lot, pal.  We owe you a lot.  (Applause.)

And Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who understands what beautiful territory looks like up in Vermont and has done everything in his power to protect it.  Bernie, you’re the best.  (Applause.)

And Representative Ocasio-Cortez of New York — you know, I learned a long time ago: Listen to that lady.  (Laughter.)  Listen to that lady.  We’re going to talk more about another part of the world too, real quickly.

Look, joined by all of you advocates and community leaders, that’s — this is a good day.

It’s fitting to be here in Pric- — Prince William Forest Park.  On March 31, 1933, during the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roose- — Roosevelt created the the Climate [Civilian] Conservation Corps, which is talked about a little bit, to put Americans to work to conserve our country’s natural resources. Thousands — thousands of young Americans from the Civilian Conservation Corps built this park, providing jobs, recreation, hope, and healing at the time.  

We know today we face another kind of existential threat that requires equally bold and clear action.  As President, I’ve seen the devastating toll of climate firsthand.  Since I’ve been president, I’ve flown over all the major fires and the thousands upon thousands of acres that have burned flat by wil- — wildfires — more acres than the entire state of Maryland combined.  I’ve met with families whose homes were wiped off the map by devastating hurricanes, floods, and storms. 

Last year was Earth Day’s [the Earth’s] hottest day [year] on record.  And over the last two years, natural disasters and extreme weather in America have caused $270 billion — $270 billion in damages.  And the impacts we’re seeing — decades in the making because of inaction — are only going to get worse, more frequent, ferocious, and costly.

But since Kamala and I took office, we’ve been acting.  And today, I’m proud to announce two major steps forward. 

The first: Energy costs are among the biggest costs for families to budget, particular poor and middle-income families.  In fact, low-income families can spend up to 30 percent of their paychecks on their energy bills.  It’s outrageous. 

To reduce family energy costs for folks with low and moderate incomes today, the Environmental Protection Agency will invest $7 billion from my Inflation Reduction Act in a new program called “Solar for All.”  (Applause.) 

It will award grants — 60 grants across the country to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and nonprofits to develop programs that enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to benefit from residential solar power.  And it’s a big deal. 

This new Solar for All program means that 900,000 households — 900,000 will have solar on their rooftops for the first time and soon.  Millions of families will save over $400 a year on utility bills.  And that’s $350 million nationwide.  My dad said it matters what’s there at the end of the — end of the paycheck.  But a month is out, do you have anything left?

It means we’ll cut more than 5 million metric tons of carbon pollution annually. 

And, folks, Solar for All will give us more breathing room and cleaner breathing room.  It’s going to also create 200,000 good-paying and union jobs over the five — (applause) — over the five years in communities that need them most: fenceline communities. 

You know, as I always say, I think about climate — when I think about it, I think not only about health and safety, but I think about jobs.  And that brings me to my second announcement.  

Last fall, I talked about a historic new program that my administration is launching, with the help of my colleagues on my right here, called the Cl- — the American Climate Corps.  As I said — and I’m not being solicitous — Ed — Ed Markey talked about that long before — long before.

It’s patterned after the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Peace Corps and America Corps [AmeriCorps]. Like them, it brings out the best in young people to do what’s best for America and will put tens of thousands of young people to work at the forefront of our climate resilience and energy future — clean energy future. 

Today, I’m proud to announce that Americans across the country can now apply — now apply to become the first members of the American Climate Corps.  We’re recru- — (applause) — we’re recruiting for over 2,000 positions in 36 states to start with — in Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, with many on the way.  Just go to ClimateCorps — as mentioned already, ClimateCorps.gov to apply.  You’ll get paid to fight climate change, learning how to install those solar panels, fight wildfires, rebuild wetlands, weatherize homes, and so much more that’s going to protect the environment and build a clean energy economy. 

To ensure a pathway to good union jobs and careers, you’ll have access to pre-apprenticeship training through a new partnership we’re announcing today with the North American Building Trade Unions [Trades Union]. And when y- — (applause) —

As you may remember, when I announced in 2020, I initially didn’t announce my climate position until I talked to the unions, because unions were all ag- — they thought climate cost them jobs.  Well, guess what?  IBEW stepped up, and they all stepped up, and now our strongest support comes from union members.  (Applause.)

When you finish your service — when you finish your term of service, you’ll also be eligible for a streamlined path to federal government jobs related to climate and clean energy.  

We’re also announcing a new collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies that puts American Climate Corps members in energy communities — like former coalmining communities, power plant communities — that have powered our nation but have been fenceline communities that have hurt very badly for generations. 

Today — today’s announcement builds upon an unprecedented and historic action we’ve already taken to tackle the climate crisis, deliver environmental justice, and build a clean energy future.  Just look at the last few weeks alone. 

To ensure clean energy [air], we issued new standards for chemical plants that emit toxic pollution.  Now, (inaudible).

And because of the Clean Air Act, we’re going to reduce the number of people at risk for cancer in fenceline communities who have been smothered for decades by pollution by 96 percent, according to the studies.  

And by the way, parenthetically, you know, my state of Delaware, which everybody thinks is a wealthy state — I lived in a place called Claymont, Delaware.  It’s in that arc that goes up into Philadelphia — into Pennsylvania and to the Delaware River.  More — more energy plants, more oil refin- — refineries than anywhere, including Houston, Texas.  And I lived in just — literally, the school I went to was literally a quarter mile from that border.

And the prevailing winds were southeast, where we lived.  So, there was never any incentive for the Pennsylvanians to move to do something, but it affected Delaware.  And we had the highest cancer rate in the 1970s of any nation — any state in the nation.  And guess what?  A lot of us from — me included, ended up with bronchial asthma and many other diseases. 

Fenceline communities are the ones we have to help first, because they’ve been taking the brunt of all this.

To ensure clean drinking water, we issued the first-ever national drinking water standard that’ll protect people from exposure to harmful substances known as “forever chemicals.” 

And after 30 years of inadequate protections, we finally are going to put a ban on asbestos, which we know causes cancer.  (Applause.)  

It’s all part of a plan to reassert America’s climate leadership.

We rejoined the Paris Agreement and sparked a domestic clean energy manufacturing boom, providing incentives for 80,000 farmers to implement climate-smart agricultural practice.  So, plant what absorbs carbon from the air and get them — pay them for doing it.   

We’ve quadrupled the number of electric vehicles sold, and 11,000 dealerships have now signed up to sell more.

We’re modernizing our infrastructure with better roads and highways and energy grids and more so they can withstand and recover from extreme weather. 

Already underway, we’re replacing every single lead pipe in America so everyone can turn on a faucet, home or at school, and drink clean water that doesn’t contain lead.  (Applause.)

We’re also reduting [reducing] flood risk for communities, improving drought re- — resilience, and conserving 41 million acres of our most precious and sacred lands and water.

I committed that I’m going to try to reserve — take — of all non-developed land and waters, we’re going to take 30 percent of it by 2030 and make sure it is conserved, period.  We’re well on our way.  (Applause.)
We’ve already attracted nearly $700 billion in private sector investments in advanced manufacturing and clean energy, creating tens of thousands of jobs here in America. 

And all across the board, we’re lifting up communities and workers too often left out in urban, rural, suburban, Tribal communities all across the country.

But, folks, despite the overwhelming devastation in red and blue states, there are still those who deny climate is in crisis.  Our MAGA Republican friends don’t seem to think it’s in crisis.  They don’t — they don’t want our — they actually want to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides the funding for a vast majority of these projects, and roll back clean air — protections for clean air and clean water. 

And y- — I’m not going to go into it now, but you — I’m not making it up.  It’s real.  Just listen to what they say.

Anyone in or out of government who willfully denies the impacts of climate change is condemning the American people to a very dangerous future — and the world, I might add.  They want to take us backwards, sideline our workers, let China and others lead the race for clean energy. 

I’m determined — absolutely determined — that we move forward — we move forward.  (Applause.)

Let me close with this.  In 1933 — and it was referenced by the congresslady — that when Roosevelt outlined the Civilian Conservation Corps, he said, quote — and I’m quoting — “More important than the material gains will be the moral and spiritual value of such work.”  He always put it in the context that went beyond just what the immediate need was. 

I’d say the same holds true for what we’re doing here today.  It has a moral imperative. 

And I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future.  We just have to remember who we are.  We’re the United States of America.  And there is nothing — nothing beyond our capacity if we work together.  (Applause.) 

And so, happy Earth Day, folks.  (Applause.)  And God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.

We’re going to get this done, I promise you, come hell or high water. 

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

Come on up.

All right, guys.  Let’s get this done.  Okay?  (Applause.)  All right.

God bless you all. 

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

3:08 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden to Commemorate Earth Day | Triangle, VA appeared first on The White House.

Prince William Forest Park
Triangle, Virginia

2:54 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, hello, hello.  (Applause.) 

Thank you, Za’Nyia, for sharing your story that embodies the spirit of Earth Day. 

On this day 54 years ago, with literally toxic rivers burning, air filled with pollution, millions of Americans from every age and background rallied together to stand for our environment and for future generations. 

I got to know Senator Gordan Nelson — Gaylord Nelson, excuse me — from Wisconsin when I got to the Senate.  And he organized the first Earth Day.  I later introduced the first climate bill in the United States Senate.  And all these years later, as president, I was able to sign into law the Inflation Reduction Act, the most si- — (applause) — the most significant [climate] investment every anywhere in the history of the world, and we’re just getting started.

Earth Day pushed the country forward, leading to Environmental Protection Agency, and we’re fortunate enough to have with us the EPA Administrator Michael Regan.  Where are you, Michael?  (Applause.)  Stand up.  Get up.  Get up.

I stole him from Carolina.  We’re not letting him go back.  (Laughter.)

And we’re joined by our great Secretary of Interior, Deb Haaland.  (Applause.)  Deb, stand up.  The first Native American ever to serve in a Cabinet.  (Applause.)

And AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith — Michael, where are you?  There y- — (applause) — joined by members of the Congress, including Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who, by the way, thought this was an important idea a long time ago and talked about dealing with the Climate Corps — one — needed one.  Ed, we owe you a lot, pal.  We owe you a lot.  (Applause.)

And Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who understands what beautiful territory looks like up in Vermont and has done everything in his power to protect it.  Bernie, you’re the best.  (Applause.)

And Representative Ocasio-Cortez of New York — you know, I learned a long time ago: Listen to that lady.  (Laughter.)  Listen to that lady.  We’re going to talk more about another part of the world too, real quickly.

Look, joined by all of you advocates and community leaders, that’s — this is a good day.

It’s fitting to be here in Pric- — Prince William Forest Park.  On March 31, 1933, during the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roose- — Roosevelt created the the Climate [Civilian] Conservation Corps, which is talked about a little bit, to put Americans to work to conserve our country’s natural resources. Thousands — thousands of young Americans from the Civilian Conservation Corps built this park, providing jobs, recreation, hope, and healing at the time.  

We know today we face another kind of existential threat that requires equally bold and clear action.  As President, I’ve seen the devastating toll of climate firsthand.  Since I’ve been president, I’ve flown over all the major fires and the thousands upon thousands of acres that have burned flat by wil- — wildfires — more acres than the entire state of Maryland combined.  I’ve met with families whose homes were wiped off the map by devastating hurricanes, floods, and storms. 

Last year was Earth Day’s [the Earth’s] hottest day [year] on record.  And over the last two years, natural disasters and extreme weather in America have caused $270 billion — $270 billion in damages.  And the impacts we’re seeing — decades in the making because of inaction — are only going to get worse, more frequent, ferocious, and costly.

But since Kamala and I took office, we’ve been acting.  And today, I’m proud to announce two major steps forward. 

The first: Energy costs are among the biggest costs for families to budget, particular poor and middle-income families.  In fact, low-income families can spend up to 30 percent of their paychecks on their energy bills.  It’s outrageous. 

To reduce family energy costs for folks with low and moderate incomes today, the Environmental Protection Agency will invest $7 billion from my Inflation Reduction Act in a new program called “Solar for All.”  (Applause.) 

It will award grants — 60 grants across the country to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and nonprofits to develop programs that enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to benefit from residential solar power.  And it’s a big deal. 

This new Solar for All program means that 900,000 households — 900,000 will have solar on their rooftops for the first time and soon.  Millions of families will save over $400 a year on utility bills.  And that’s $350 million nationwide.  My dad said it matters what’s there at the end of the — end of the paycheck.  But a month is out, do you have anything left?

It means we’ll cut more than 5 million metric tons of carbon pollution annually. 

And, folks, Solar for All will give us more breathing room and cleaner breathing room.  It’s going to also create 200,000 good-paying and union jobs over the five — (applause) — over the five years in communities that need them most: fenceline communities. 

You know, as I always say, I think about climate — when I think about it, I think not only about health and safety, but I think about jobs.  And that brings me to my second announcement.  

Last fall, I talked about a historic new program that my administration is launching, with the help of my colleagues on my right here, called the Cl- — the American Climate Corps.  As I said — and I’m not being solicitous — Ed — Ed Markey talked about that long before — long before.

It’s patterned after the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Peace Corps and America Corps [AmeriCorps]. Like them, it brings out the best in young people to do what’s best for America and will put tens of thousands of young people to work at the forefront of our climate resilience and energy future — clean energy future. 

Today, I’m proud to announce that Americans across the country can now apply — now apply to become the first members of the American Climate Corps.  We’re recru- — (applause) — we’re recruiting for over 2,000 positions in 36 states to start with — in Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, with many on the way.  Just go to ClimateCorps — as mentioned already, ClimateCorps.gov to apply.  You’ll get paid to fight climate change, learning how to install those solar panels, fight wildfires, rebuild wetlands, weatherize homes, and so much more that’s going to protect the environment and build a clean energy economy. 

To ensure a pathway to good union jobs and careers, you’ll have access to pre-apprenticeship training through a new partnership we’re announcing today with the North American Building Trade Unions [Trades Union]. And when y- — (applause) —

As you may remember, when I announced in 2020, I initially didn’t announce my climate position until I talked to the unions, because unions were all ag- — they thought climate cost them jobs.  Well, guess what?  IBEW stepped up, and they all stepped up, and now our strongest support comes from union members.  (Applause.)

When you finish your service — when you finish your term of service, you’ll also be eligible for a streamlined path to federal government jobs related to climate and clean energy.  

We’re also announcing a new collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies that puts American Climate Corps members in energy communities — like former coalmining communities, power plant communities — that have powered our nation but have been fenceline communities that have hurt very badly for generations. 

Today — today’s announcement builds upon an unprecedented and historic action we’ve already taken to tackle the climate crisis, deliver environmental justice, and build a clean energy future.  Just look at the last few weeks alone. 

To ensure clean energy [air], we issued new standards for chemical plants that emit toxic pollution.  Now, (inaudible).

And because of the Clean Air Act, we’re going to reduce the number of people at risk for cancer in fenceline communities who have been smothered for decades by pollution by 96 percent, according to the studies.  

And by the way, parenthetically, you know, my state of Delaware, which everybody thinks is a wealthy state — I lived in a place called Claymont, Delaware.  It’s in that arc that goes up into Philadelphia — into Pennsylvania and to the Delaware River.  More — more energy plants, more oil refin- — refineries than anywhere, including Houston, Texas.  And I lived in just — literally, the school I went to was literally a quarter mile from that border.

And the prevailing winds were southeast, where we lived.  So, there was never any incentive for the Pennsylvanians to move to do something, but it affected Delaware.  And we had the highest cancer rate in the 1970s of any nation — any state in the nation.  And guess what?  A lot of us from — me included, ended up with bronchial asthma and many other diseases. 

Fenceline communities are the ones we have to help first, because they’ve been taking the brunt of all this.

To ensure clean drinking water, we issued the first-ever national drinking water standard that’ll protect people from exposure to harmful substances known as “forever chemicals.” 

And after 30 years of inadequate protections, we finally are going to put a ban on asbestos, which we know causes cancer.  (Applause.)  

It’s all part of a plan to reassert America’s climate leadership.

We rejoined the Paris Agreement and sparked a domestic clean energy manufacturing boom, providing incentives for 80,000 farmers to implement climate-smart agricultural practice.  So, plant what absorbs carbon from the air and get them — pay them for doing it.   

We’ve quadrupled the number of electric vehicles sold, and 11,000 dealerships have now signed up to sell more.

We’re modernizing our infrastructure with better roads and highways and energy grids and more so they can withstand and recover from extreme weather. 

Already underway, we’re replacing every single lead pipe in America so everyone can turn on a faucet, home or at school, and drink clean water that doesn’t contain lead.  (Applause.)

We’re also reduting [reducing] flood risk for communities, improving drought re- — resilience, and conserving 41 million acres of our most precious and sacred lands and water.

I committed that I’m going to try to reserve — take — of all non-developed land and waters, we’re going to take 30 percent of it by 2030 and make sure it is conserved, period.  We’re well on our way.  (Applause.)
We’ve already attracted nearly $700 billion in private sector investments in advanced manufacturing and clean energy, creating tens of thousands of jobs here in America. 

And all across the board, we’re lifting up communities and workers too often left out in urban, rural, suburban, Tribal communities all across the country.

But, folks, despite the overwhelming devastation in red and blue states, there are still those who deny climate is in crisis.  Our MAGA Republican friends don’t seem to think it’s in crisis.  They don’t — they don’t want our — they actually want to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides the funding for a vast majority of these projects, and roll back clean air — protections for clean air and clean water. 

And y- — I’m not going to go into it now, but you — I’m not making it up.  It’s real.  Just listen to what they say.

Anyone in or out of government who willfully denies the impacts of climate change is condemning the American people to a very dangerous future — and the world, I might add.  They want to take us backwards, sideline our workers, let China and others lead the race for clean energy. 

I’m determined — absolutely determined — that we move forward — we move forward.  (Applause.)

Let me close with this.  In 1933 — and it was referenced by the congresslady — that when Roosevelt outlined the Civilian Conservation Corps, he said, quote — and I’m quoting — “More important than the material gains will be the moral and spiritual value of such work.”  He always put it in the context that went beyond just what the immediate need was. 

I’d say the same holds true for what we’re doing here today.  It has a moral imperative. 

And I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future.  We just have to remember who we are.  We’re the United States of America.  And there is nothing — nothing beyond our capacity if we work together.  (Applause.) 

And so, happy Earth Day, folks.  (Applause.)  And God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.

We’re going to get this done, I promise you, come hell or high water. 

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

Come on up.

All right, guys.  Let’s get this done.  Okay?  (Applause.)  All right.

God bless you all. 

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

3:08 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden to Commemorate Earth Day | Triangle, VA appeared first on The White House.

Prince William Forest Park
Triangle, Virginia

3:09 P.M. EDT
 
Q    Mr. President, what’s your message to the protesters?
 
Q    Do you condemn the antisemitic protests on college campuses?

THE PRESIDENT:  I condemn the antisemitic protests.  That’s why I’ve set up a program to deal with that.
 
I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians and their — how they’re being —
 
Q    Should the Columbia University President resign?
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I didn’t know that.  I’ll — I’ll have to find out more about it.
 
Q    Should she resign?
 
Q    Do you need the abortion issue to win the election?
 
THE PRESIDENT:  No, I need the abortion issue just to follow what’s right.
 
Q    What will your legacy be on abortion?
 
THE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  What will your legacy be as a newsperson?
 
3:10 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden in Press Gaggle | Triangle, VA appeared first on The White House.

Prince William Forest Park
Triangle, Virginia

3:09 P.M. EDT
 
Q    Mr. President, what’s your message to the protesters?
 
Q    Do you condemn the antisemitic protests on college campuses?

THE PRESIDENT:  I condemn the antisemitic protests.  That’s why I’ve set up a program to deal with that.
 
I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians and their — how they’re being —
 
Q    Should the Columbia University President resign?
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I didn’t know that.  I’ll — I’ll have to find out more about it.
 
Q    Should she resign?
 
Q    Do you need the abortion issue to win the election?
 
THE PRESIDENT:  No, I need the abortion issue just to follow what’s right.
 
Q    What will your legacy be on abortion?
 
THE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  What will your legacy be as a newsperson?
 
3:10 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden in Press Gaggle | Triangle, VA appeared first on The White House.

La Crosse Center

La Crosse, Wisconsin

1:56 P.M. CDT

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

Hi, everyone.  Hi.  Please have a seat.

I just want to say about Charlotte — she and I got a chance to visit just for a little bit.  And, you know, when we look at leaders like Charlotte, let’s just all know that our future is bright.  Our future is bright.  I mean, she’s dedicating herself to caring for other people.  She wants to study rural medicine and be an OB-GYN, where there is such a need for that work. 

And when I look at someone like her and all of you who are here, I know we’re going to be okay because we know what’s at stake.  And we’re prepared to fight for all that we know is right and good. 

So, thank you all.  And thank you for spending the time to be here today.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

How’d the training go?  Everybody good?  You pulled out your cell phones and figured out that whole app and everything?  We’re good, kind of?  (Laughter.)  Kind of.  We’ll keep — we’ll keep working on it.

So, let me just say, it’s — first of all, it’s good — (The Vice President picks up a handheld microphone.)  Here, this is what I wanted.  I hate talking behind a podium.

Let me just first, again, thank everybody who’s here.  You know, there is so much at stake in this election.  I know you all know that.  That’s why you are here instead of the 5,000 other things you could be doing. 

And I am very optimistic about what we are capable of.  I know what we are fighting for.  We’re not fighting against something; we’re fighting for all that we believe in to be good and right about our country. 

We love our country.  We love our country.  And we understand, then, what is at stake in terms of foundational, fundamental principles and ideals, including one of the most important: that of freedom.

I believe freedom is fundamental to the promise of America.

The promise of America is the promise of protecting and respecting individuals’ rights and liberty and freedom to make certain decisions, including those of heart and home.

And what is at stake right now in our country — on the topic of this convening, but there are so many others — is so fundamental to the question of what kind of country do we want to live in.  That’s what is before us in November.  And each of us has the power to answer that question.  What kind of country do we want to live in?

And what we know is that, sadly, almost two years ago now, the highest court in our land — the court of Thurgood and RBG — took a constitutional right that had been recognized from the people of America, from the women of America.

And thereafter, in state after state, we’ve been seeing laws proposed and passed that would criminalize healthcare providers — in some states, providing prison for life for doctors and nurses who simply provide healthcare.  Laws being proposed and passed that make no exception even for rape and incest. 

And many of you know, I started my career as a prosecutor.  You may not know why. 

So, one of the reasons is because, when I was in high school, I learned that my best friend was being molested by her stepfather.  And I said to her, “You’ve got to come and stay with us.”  I called my mother.  My mother said, “Of course she does.”  And she came to stay with us. 

And so, I decided at a young age I wanted to take on the work that was about protecting women and children from violence.

The idea that some would be proposing and passing laws that say to a survivor of a crime of violence to their body, a violation to their body, that you don’t have a right to make a decision about what happens to your body next, that’s immoral.  What we’ve been seeing in terms of the harm that has resulted — and those are the stories we know.

And so, we are here to say that we understand the nexus between where we currently are — including some in Wisconsin which would try and enforce a law from the 1800s.  I was just in Arizona.  I mean, can you imagine?  In the 1800s, in Arizona — before Arizona was even a state, before women could vote.  And there is a direct nexus between where we are on this subject and elections.

And on this subject in particular, there is a clear line between where we are now and who is to blame.  Because the former President was very clear with his intention: He would fill and appoint three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe.  And when they then got on that court, they did exactly what he intended.

And remember, let’s not forget that interview where he said women should be punished.  Let’s not overlook that he has said he is proud of what he did.  Proud that healthcare providers could go to jail, no exception?  Proud that our daughter — Doug and my daughter will have fewer rights than her grandmother?

And look at the reality of this in terms of the stories every day.  But here’s the thing: I’ve been traveling our country on this subject.  And one of the things I do believe is that the majority of us, as Americans, do have empathy.  And what I’m finding is that more and more people will openly agree that one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do with her body.  (Applause.)  Right?

If she chooses, she will talk with her priest, her rabbi, her pastor, her imam, but it should not be the government telling her what to do. 

What I am finding is that, when people go on election day, if they are encouraged and reminded that their vote can actually make a difference in terms of who holds that local seat, who holds that statewide seat — God love your governor.  God love your senator.  (Applause.)  God love Pocan.  Where is he?  (Laughs.)  (Applause.)  Right there. 

People, when they are encouraged and reminded of the power of the individual and their vote to weigh in on the subject, they see and know what is possible. 

So, that’s what we are in the process of doing, is traveling the country — I am — and you here, as leaders in Wisconsin, reminding people of what is at stake, reminding them that I think most of us don’t intend that other people would suffer, that most of us don’t intend that the government would be making such personal decisions for other people, and that this is a moment where we must stand up for foundational, fundamental values and principles.

And here’s the other piece that I will say.  When we think about what is at stake, it is absolutely about freedom.  (Applause.) 

You know, we talk about democracy.  Well, let’s think about it.  I think of — of democracy as — as having basically a — there’s a duality to the nature of it.  On the one hand, incredible strength.  When a democracy is intact, the strength it has in terms of what it does to protect its people and protect individual rights and freedoms when intact.

It is also very fragile.  It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it.  And so, fight we will and fight we must.

And here’s the thing: When we fight, we win.  (Applause.)  (Laughs.)  When we fight, we win. 

So, I will say let’s just make sure that we do everything we possibly can.  I’m just looking for — here, that’s where I knew it was.  A hundred and ninety-seven days.  (Laughter.)  We have 197 days to go, which is kind of a long time but really a short amount of time.  And there’s a lot we can get done. 

And I know I’m preaching to the choir here.  Elections can be fun. 

You know, one of the things that I love about ca- — yes, think about it.  (Laughter.)  But think about it.  I don’t know if the person you’re sitting next to right now you’ve met before or not, but what I love about campaigns: You get to meet people that you may have never met before who all come together because we care and we understand what’s at stake, and we understand the power of the collective, and we remember that we’re not in it alone; we’re all in it together.

And so, let’s think about these next 197 days — yes, 197 days — in a way that we remind ourselves that this is what the strength of our country looks like.  It’s about everybody staying engaged and involved. 

It’s about remembering that the sign of real leadership is based not on who you beat down but on who you lift up.  That real leadership — (applause) — right? — is about looking at someone and knowing that the character is about the kind of character that has some level of compassion and concern and care about the struggles of other people and then takes it upon themselves to do something about it.

And that’s what we are, then: a room of leaders who care and are willing to get engaged. 

And so, in this process, Wisconsin, I say: Let’s reelect Tammy Baldwin to the United States Senate — (applause); Pocan to the Congress — (applause); and Joe and me to the White House.  (Laughs.)  (Applause.)

Thank you all very much.  Thank you.  Thank you.

END                  2:06 P.M. CDT

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

On Friday, April 19, 2024, the President signed into law:

S. 382, the “Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Confirmation Act of 2023,” which takes certain land into trust for the benefit of the Puyallup Tribe.

Thank you to Senators Cantwell and Murray, and Representatives Kilmer and Strickland, for their leadership.

The post Bill Signed: S. 382 appeared first on The White House.

On Friday, April 19, 2024, the President signed into law:

S. 382, the “Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Confirmation Act of 2023,” which takes certain land into trust for the benefit of the Puyallup Tribe.

Thank you to Senators Cantwell and Murray, and Representatives Kilmer and Strickland, for their leadership.

The post Bill Signed: S. 382 appeared first on The White House.

President Biden spoke today with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss their steadfast support for Ukraine as it defends against Russian aggression. President von der Leyen congratulated President Biden on the House of Representatives’ recent passage of the national security supplemental, which will be essential to helping meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs once it passes the Senate and President Biden signs it into law. They spoke about how sustained international support is vital to Ukraine’s fight for freedom. 

###

The post Readout of President Biden’s Call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared first on The White House.

President Biden spoke today with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss their steadfast support for Ukraine as it defends against Russian aggression. President von der Leyen congratulated President Biden on the House of Representatives’ recent passage of the national security supplemental, which will be essential to helping meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs once it passes the Senate and President Biden signs it into law. They spoke about how sustained international support is vital to Ukraine’s fight for freedom. 

###

The post Readout of President Biden’s Call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared first on The White House.

President Biden spoke today with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine to underscore the United States’ lasting commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends its freedom against Russian aggression. President Biden shared that his administration will quickly provide significant new security assistance packages to meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield and air defense needs as soon as the Senate passes the national security supplemental and he signs it into law. President Biden also underscored that the U.S. economic assistance will help maintain financial stability, build back critical infrastructure following Russian attacks, and support reform as Ukraine moves forward on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration. 

###

The post Readout of President Biden’s Call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine appeared first on The White House.

President Biden spoke today with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine to underscore the United States’ lasting commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends its freedom against Russian aggression. President Biden shared that his administration will quickly provide significant new security assistance packages to meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield and air defense needs as soon as the Senate passes the national security supplemental and he signs it into law. President Biden also underscored that the U.S. economic assistance will help maintain financial stability, build back critical infrastructure following Russian attacks, and support reform as Ukraine moves forward on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration. 

###

The post Readout of President Biden’s Call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine appeared first on The White House.

President Biden will travel to Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, VA, a national park system site developed by FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps, to announce $7 billion in awards through EPA’s Solar for All program and unveil major steps to advance the American Climate Corps 

When President Biden took office, he pledged to restore America’s climate leadership at home and abroad. On his first day in office, the President signed the United States back into the Paris Agreement. And each day since, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to lead and deliver on the most ambitious climate agenda in history, including securing the largest ever climate investment and unleashing a clean energy manufacturing boom that has attracted hundreds of billions in private sector investment and created over 270,000 new clean energy jobs. The President’s agenda is also advancing environmental justice and ensuring that the benefits of climate investments reach overburdened communities, mobilizing the next generation of clean energy workers through the American Climate Corps, and delivering historic investments in our nation’s climate resilience. At the same time, the Administration is protecting America’s natural wonders, conserving more than 41 million acres of lands and waters.  
 
Building on his climate, clean energy, and environmental justice agenda, President Biden will travel today to Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia, to celebrate Earth Day 2024, and highlight his Administration’s unprecedented progress in tackling the climate crisis, cutting costs for everyday Americans, and creating good-paying jobs.
 
Expanding Access to Affordable Solar Energy
 
The President will announce $7 billion in grants through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar for All grant competition, a key component of the Inflation Reduction Act’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Selectees under the Solar for All program will serve every state and territory in the nation and deliver residential solar power to over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities, saving overburdened households more than $350 million in electricity costs annually – approximately $400 per household – and avoiding more than 30 million metric tons of carbon pollution over the next 25 years.
 
The selectees will provide funds to states, territories, Tribes, municipalities, and nonprofits across the country to develop long-lasting solar programs that enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed residential solar. In total, solar projects funded by this program will create nearly 200,000 jobs. The program also advances the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.   
 
Mobilizing the Next Generation of Climate Leaders through the American Climate Corps
 
Joined by future members of President Biden’s American Climate Corps, including current AmeriCorps members, President Biden will also announce several new actions to stand up the American Climate Corps – a groundbreaking initiative modeled after FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps that will put more than 20,000 young Americans to work fighting the impacts of climate change today while gaining the skills they need to join the growing clean energy and climate-resilience workforce of tomorrow. The President will announce these actions at Prince William Forest Park, a national park system site developed by FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps and stewarded by the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service.

Nearly a century after FDR established the Civilian Conservation Corps, President Biden will announce today that Americans can now apply to join the American Climate Corps through a newly launched website, ClimateCorps.gov. The website will feature nearly 2,000 positions located across 36 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. These positions are hosted by hundreds of organizations advancing clean energy, conservation, and climate resilience. The website, which is launching in its beta form, will be regularly updated with new American Climate Corps positions. Its goal is to make it easy for any American to find work tackling the climate crisis while gaining the skills necessary for the clean energy and climate resilience workforce of the future. The first class of the American Climate Corps will be deployed to communities across the country in June 2024.
 
The Biden-Harris Administration is also announcing a new partnership with the North America’s Building Trades Unions’ nonprofit partner TradesFutures. Beginning this summer, every American Climate Corps member will have access to TradesFutures’ industry leading apprenticeship readiness curriculum during their term of service in the American Climate Corps, providing members with the opportunity to be trained in the foundational skills necessary for careers in the clean energy and climate resilience economy and putting them on a pathway to good paying, union jobs.
 
Many American Climate Corps members will also have access to a streamlined pathway into federal service after a recent update to modernize the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Pathways Programs. The update will expand applicant eligibility for the Recent Graduates program to include individuals who have completed qualifying career or technical education service within designated American Climate Corps programs.
 
Today, three states – Vermont, New Mexico, and Illinois – are launching new state-based climate corps programs, building on 10 states that have already launched successful climate corps programs, demonstrating the power of skills-based training as a tool to expand pathways into good-paying jobs. These states will work with the American Climate Corps as implementing partners to ensure young people across the country are serving their communities, while participating in paid opportunities and working on projects to tackle climate change.
 
Additionally, beginning as a collaboration between the Department of the Interior, the Energy Communities Interagency Working Group, and AmeriCorps VISTA, a new interagency public private partnership – Energy Communities AmeriCorps – will place American Climate Corps members in priority energy communities across the country. The program will help support community-led projects, including environmental remediation, in the places that have powered our nation for generations.
 
Conserving America’s Lands, Waters, and Wildlife
 
These announcements come on the heels of a series of major conservation actions by the Biden-Harris Administration. Just last week, the Department of the Interior published a final rule to maximize protections of significant surface resources such as irreplaceable wildlife habitat for caribou and migratory birds on more than 13 million acres in the western Arctic while supporting subsistence uses and needs of Alaska Native communities. This action brings the number of acres of America’s lands and waters conserved under President Biden to 41 million. Additionally, the Interior Department released a final environmental analysis last week recommending denial of a right of way for the Ambler Road project; the proposed road, which would cross more than 200 miles of pristine lands, would have significant impacts on caribou and other subsistence resources upon which more than 60 Alaska Native communities rely.
 
In addition to these landmark conservation announcements in Alaska, the Interior Department released a rule to help guide the balanced management of all 245 million acres of America’s public lands that are overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. The rule will help to ensure the BLM continues to protect land health while managing other uses of public lands, such as clean energy development and outdoor recreation.
 
Throughout Earth Week, the Biden-Harris Administration will announce additional actions to build a stronger, healthier future for all: Tuesday will focus on helping ensure clean water for all communities; Wednesday will focus on accelerating America’s clean transportation future; Thursday will focus on steps to cut pollution from the power sector while strengthening America’s electricity grid; and Friday will focus on providing cleaner air and healthier schools for all children.
 
Biden-Harris Administration’s Top Climate Accomplishments

Deploying Clean, Affordable Electricity and Strengthening America’s Power Grid – 
President Biden has secured unprecedented investments in a clean power sector, unleashing a boom in American solar, wind, battery storage, and other clean energy technologies that are creating good-paying jobs and saving families money on utility bills. Through the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, U.S. solar generation is projected to increase up to eight-fold and wind generation is projected to triple by 2030. President Biden has jumpstarted the U.S. offshore wind industry, with 10 gigawatts of commercial-scale projects now approved, enough to power nearly four million homes, including two projects that are already delivering power to the grid and others with construction underway. The President’s Investing in America agenda is also supporting transmission buildout and other power grid upgrades, deployment of distributed energy resources in disadvantaged communities, investments in clean electricity across rural America, and American manufacturing of clean energy technologies – all in pursuit of the President’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035. Through the President’s Federal Sustainability Plan, the U.S. Government is leading by example and has already signed agreements to provide federal facilities in 18 states with 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030.
 
And thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, clean energy project developers get access to expanded tax incentives if they pay workers prevailing wages and employ registered apprentices, helping make more clean energy jobs good-paying and union jobs.
 
Bolstering Climate Resilience and Adaptation – President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is building communities that are not only resilient to the impacts of the climate crisis, but also safer, more equitable, and economically stronger. To support this vision, the President secured more than $50 billion for climate resilience and adaptation through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act and released the first ever National Climate Resilience Framework. The President’s investments are upgrading aging roads and bridges, including critical evacuation routes, providing tax credits for families to weatherize their homes, restoring critical waterways, forests, and urban greenspaces, supporting resilient and climate-smart agriculture, bolstering water infrastructure and drought resilience across the American West, protecting federal assets from future flood risk, modernizing our electric grid, and funding research to develop the latest energy-storage technologies here in America.
 
Accelerating a Clean Transportation Future – President Biden is taking a whole-of-government approach to position the U.S. as a global leader in innovative and sustainable transportation.  The Administration’s National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization is a landmark strategy for cutting all greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. transportation sector by 2050. The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act invest tens of billions to decarbonize shipping, trucking, transit, rail, and aviation, all while making communities more walkable, bikeable, and connected. And through the President’s Federal Sustainability Plan, the federal government has ordered over 58,000 zero-emission vehicles and has begun installing more than 25,000 charging ports, adding to the 8,000 already in use across the government.
 
In addition, the President rallied automakers and autoworkers around a historic goal of having electric vehicles (EVs) account for at least 50% of new passenger vehicles sold by 2030. To support this goal while driving down consumer costs, the Administration secured tax credits that reduce the cost of new or used clean vehicles by thousands of dollars directly at the dealership and is investing $7.5 billion into building out a national EV charging network. Since President Biden took office, EV sales have quadrupled, prices have come down by more than 20%, the number of charging stations has grown by over 80% – putting us on track to deploy 500,000 chargers by 2026 – and the U.S. auto industry has added more than 100,000 jobs. Driven by Biden-Harris Administration policies, the sector is experiencing a manufacturing renaissance with more than $160 billion of investments in EVs, batteries, and their supply chains. And just last month, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the strongest-ever vehicle emission standards for light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles.
 
Cutting Energy Costs and Pollution at Homes, Schools, and in Communities – Reducing building emissions through efficiency improvements and electrification lowers energy bills for families, improves resiliency, and creates good-paying jobs. The President has created new programs to save American families on their energy bills through the Department of Energy’s Home Energy Rebates, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, and Treasury’s Home Energy Tax Credits. The Biden-Harris Administration is also strengthening energy efficiency standards to save households and businesses money, with standards updated by DOE for dozens of appliances expected to provide nearly $1 trillion in consumer savings over 30 years, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2.5 billion metric tons – equivalent to the emissions of 18 million gas-powered cars over 30 years. By invoking emergency authority, the President is expanding domestic heat pump manufacturing, which will cut the costs of heat pumps. To ensure that the 10 million new homes that will be built by 2030 are efficient and resilient, President Biden’s National Initiative to Advance Building Codes is accelerating adoption of modern building codes that protect people from extreme-weather events and help contribute to avoiding an estimated $1.6 billion a year in damages.

Revitalizing American Manufacturing for the Clean Economy – President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has helped catalyze historic manufacturing growth, with factories opening across the nation. To date, the private sector has announced nearly $700 billion in investments in manufacturing and clean energy. The President’s agenda is helping to make U.S. manufacturing the cleanest and most competitive in the world. The Inflation Reduction Act is investing more than $6 billion to slash climate pollution and support worker and community health at U.S. factories producing the steel, aluminum, cement, and other materials that form the backbone of our economy. To further support U.S. industrial competitiveness, the Biden Administration’s landmark Buy Clean initiative is leveraging the government’s sway as the largest purchaser on Earth to spur demand for low-emissions manufacturing and construction products.
 
Repowering Energy Communities – The Biden-Harris Administration is deploying programs to build capacity and spur economic development in the communities that powered our nation for generations, such as the clean manufacturing investments in the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) Program and DOE’s Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grants Program, in addition to ARC’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative and EDA’s Assistance to Energy Transition Communities. In addition, new bonus tax credits in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act are incentivizing clean energy companies to expand access to good-paying jobs in energy communities across the nation.

Advancing Environmental Justice –  Since Day One, the Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized a whole-of-government approach to environmental justice. The President signed a historic Executive Order that calls on the federal government to bring clean energy and healthy environments to all and mitigate harm to those who have suffered from pollution and environmental burdens like climate change. Through the Justice40 Initiative, over 500 programs across 19 federal agencies are being reimagined and transformed to maximize the benefits of President Biden’s unprecedented investments – from clean energy projects to floodwater protections to wastewater infrastructure – to communities that need them most. At the same time, the Administration is taking unprecedented action to protect communities from PFAS pollution, accelerate Superfund and brownfield cleanups, tighten standards for hazardous air pollutants, and enhance air quality enforcement.
 
Delivering Clean Water and Replacing Lead Pipes – President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting to ensure a future where every American has access to clean, safe water. The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests over $50 billion in upgrading the nation’s water infrastructure – the largest investment in clean water in American history. This funding is going towards expanding access to clean drinking water, replacing lead pipes, improving wastewater and sanitation infrastructure, and removing PFAS pollution in water. President Biden has also made a historic commitment to replace every toxic lead pipe in the country within a decade, protecting families from lead poisoning that can irreversibly harm brain development in children. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency issued proposed improvements to the Lead and Copper Rule that would require water systems to rapidly replace lead service lines.

Conserving our Lands and Waters –The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic action to conserve and restore America’s lands and waters, including signing an Executive Order to set the first-ever national conservation goal to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 through the America the Beautiful Initiative. Last week the Administration launched Conservation.gov and the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, a new website and data portal that will help connect people with information, tools, resources, and opportunities to support land and water conservation projects in communities across the country. The Administration has already protected more than 41 million acres of lands and waters, and President Biden is on track to conserve more lands and waters than any President in history. This includes establishing five new national monuments and restoring protections for three more; creating four new national wildlife refuges and expanding five more; protecting the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, the nation’s most visited wilderness area; safeguarding Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska; and withdrawing Chaco Canyon in New Mexico and Thompson Divide in Colorado from further oil and gas leasing to protect thousands of sacred sites and pristine lands.

To conserve and steward old growth forests, USDA announced a proposal to amend 128 forest land management plans to conserve and steward old-growth forest conditions on national forests and grasslands nationwide. This builds upon the Biden-Harris Administration’s protection of Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world. The Administration is also taking continued action to protect and conserve our nation’s rivers and watersheds for the people and communities that depend on them, protecting the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River Basin in the face of an ongoing megadrought, and beyond. This includes taking historic action to restore healthy and abundant wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin, part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s unprecedented commitment to honor the United States’ obligations to Tribal Nations.
 
Investing in Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry – President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is supporting America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners, who play a critical role in addressing the climate crisis through the deployment of climate-smart practices and systems. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has supported 80,000 farms in implementing climate-smart practices on over 75 million acres. In Fiscal Year 2023, USDA made record investments in private lands conservation, totaling nearly $3 billion in financial assistance to producers.  Leveraging both climate impact and economic opportunities, the Administration is creating new market opportunities through the groundbreaking Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities and efforts that are part of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge.
 
Rallying Leaders of the World’s Largest Economies to Raise Global Climate Ambition –President Biden has restored America’s climate leadership at home and abroad. Under his leadership, the Administration is securing commitments from more than 155 countries to reduce methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030; successfully galvanizing other countries at COP28 to commit, for the first time, to transition away from unabated fossil fuels, stop building new unabated coal capacity globally, and triple renewable energy globally by 2030 and nuclear energy by 2050; launching a new Clean Energy Supply Chain Collaborative to work with international partners to diversify supply chains that are critical to a clean and secure energy transition; mobilizing other governments to follow the U.S. lead and commit to achieve net-zero government emissions by 2050 through a new Net-Zero Government Initiative; and becoming a world leader in innovative debt-for-nature swaps that have helped countries restructure over $2 billion in debt and unlock hundreds of millions of new financing for nature and climate.

 
###

The post FACT SHEET: President Biden Marks Earth Day 2024 with Historic Climate Action appeared first on The White House.

Actions are the latest in a series of steps the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to improve safety, provide support for care workers and family caregivers, and to expand access to affordable, high-quality care

Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and to have access to quality care. That’s why, today, Vice President Harris is announcing two landmark final rules that fulfill the President’s commitment to safety in care, improving access to long-term care and the quality of caregiving jobs. Ensuring that all Americans, including older Americans and people with disabilities, have access to care – including home-based care – that is safe, reliable, and of high quality is an important part of the President’s agenda and a part of the President’s broader commitment to care. Today’s announcements deliver on the President’s promise in the State of the Union to crack down on nursing homes that endanger resident safety as well as his historic Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, which included the most comprehensive set of executive actions any President has taken to improve care for millions of seniors and people with disabilities while supporting care workers and family caregivers.

Cracking Down on Inadequate Nursing Home Care

Medicare and Medicaid pay billions of dollars per year to ensure that 1.2 million Americans that receive care in nursing homes are cared for, yet too many nursing homes chronically understaff their facilities, leading to sub-standard or unsafe care. When facilities are understaffed, residents may go without basic necessities like baths, trips to the bathroom, and meals – and it is less safe when residents have a medical emergency. Understaffing can also have a disproportionate impact on women and people of color who make up a large proportion of the nursing home workforce because, without sufficient support, these dedicated workers can’t provide the care they know the residents deserve. In his 2022 State of the Union address, President Biden pledged that he would “protect seniors’ lives and life savings by cracking down on nursing homes that commit fraud, endanger patient safety, or prescribe drugs they don’t need.”

The Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule finalized today will require all nursing homes that receive federal funding through Medicare and Medicaid to have 3.48 hours per resident per day of total staffing, including a defined number from both registered nurses (0.55 hours per resident per day) and nurse aides (2.45 per resident per day). This means a facility with 100 residents would need at least two or three RNs and at least ten or eleven nurse aides as well as two additional nurse staff (which could be registered nurses, licensed professional nurses, or nurse aides) per shift to meet the minimum staffing standards. Many facilities would need to staff at a higher level based on their residents’ needs. It will also require facilities to have a registered nurse onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide skilled nursing care, which will further improve nursing home safety. Adequate staffing is proven to be one of the measures most strongly associated with safety and good care outcomes.

To make sure nursing homes have the time they need to hire necessary staff, the requirements of this rule will be introduced in phases, with longer timeframes for rural communities. Limited, temporary exemptions will be available for both the 24/7 registered nurse requirement and the underlying staffing standards for nursing homes in workforce shortage areas that demonstrate a good faith effort to hire.

Strong transparency measures will ensure nursing home residents and their families are aware when a nursing home is using an exemption.

This rule will not only benefit residents and their families, it will also ensure that workers aren’t stretched too thin by having inadequate staff on site, which is currently a common reason for worker burnout and turnover. Workers who are on the frontlines interacting with residents and understanding their needs will also be given a voice in developing staffing plans for nursing homes. The Biden-Harris Administration also continues to invest in expanding the pipeline of nursing workers and other care workers, who are so essential to our economy, including through funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Improving Access to Home Care and the Quality of Home Care Jobs

Over seven million seniors and people with disabilities, alongside their families, rely on home and community-based services to provide for long-term care needs in their own homes and communities. This critical care is provided by a dedicated home care workforce, made up disproportionately by women of color, that often struggles to make ends meet due to low wages and few benefits. At the same time, home care is still very inaccessible for many Medicaid enrollees, with more than threequarters of home care providers not accepting new clients, leaving hundreds of thousands of older Americans and Americans with disabilities on waiting lists or struggling to afford the care they need.

The “Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services” final rule, finalized today, will help improve access to home care services as well as improve the quality caregiving jobs through its new provisions for home care. Specifically, the rule will ensure adequate compensation for home care workers by requiring that at least 80 percent of Medicaid payments for home care services go to workers’ wages. This policy would also allow states to take into account the unique experiences that small home care providers and providers in rural areas face while ensuring their employees receive their fair share of Medicaid payments and continued training as well as the delivery of quality care. Higher wages will likely reduce turnover, leading to higher quality of care for older adults and people with disabilities across the nation, as studies have shown. States will also be required to be more transparent in how much they pay for home care services and how they set those rates, increasing the accountability for home care providers. Finally, states will have to create a home care rate-setting advisory group made up of beneficiaries, home care workers and other key stakeholders to advise and consult on provider payment rates and direct compensation for direct care workers.

Strong Record on Improving Access to Care and Supporting Caregivers

Today’s new final rules are in addition to an already impressive track record on delivering on the President’s Executive Order on Care. Over the last year, the Biden-Harris Administration has:

• Increased pay for care workers, including by proposing a rule to gradually increase pay for Head Start teachers by about $10,000, to reach parity with the salaries of public preschool teachers.
• Cut child care costs for low-income families by finalizing a rule that will reduce or eliminate copayments for more than 100,000 working families, and lowering the cost of care for lower earning service members, thereby reducing the cost of child care for nearly two-thirds of children receiving care on military bases. Military families earning $45,000 would see a 34% decrease in the amount they pay for child care.
• Supported family caregivers by making it easier for family caregivers to access Medicare beneficiary information and provide more support as they prepare for their loved ones to be discharged from the hospital. The Administration has also expanded access to mental health services for tens of thousands of family caregivers who are helping veterans.

###

The post Fact Sheet: Vice President Harris Announces Historic Advancements in Long-Term Care to Support the Care Economy appeared first on The White House.

Via Teleconference

4:35 P.M. EDT

MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining today’s press call previewing new actions President Biden will announce on Earth Day and to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s historic progress in tackling the climate crisis and conserving our nation’s lands and waters.

The call will begin with on-the-record remarks from Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Brenda Mallory, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, and Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe.

After their remarks, there will be a question-and-answer session that will be on background and attributable to “senior administration officials.”

As a reminder, the materials you received over email and the contents of this call are embargoed until 5:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday.

With that, Chair Mallory, I will turn it over to you.

CHAIR MALLORY:  Thanks so much, Angelo.  Hello, everyone.  It’s a pleasure to be here. 

The timing of this call is really fitting since National Park Week kicks off tomorrow.  And I hope that everybody takes a moment to take advantage of the waived entrance fees on Saturday at parks — something that I think we can all — we can all benefit from getting away from our desks. 

Earlier today, we launched Conservation.gov, a new resource hub to help connect people with information, tools, resources, and opportunities to support land and water conservation in communities across the country.  This includes finding places to recreate outdoors, to volunteer on public lands, and a financial assistance tool to access grant opportunities.

As you know, President Biden established our first national conservation goal to protect, conserve, and restore at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

We are on track to meet that goal.  As of today, President Biden has conserved more than 41 million acres of lands and waters in just over three years.  And he is on track to conserve more lands and waters than any president in history.

Ahead of Earth Day, the Biden-Harris administration has taken a series of major steps forward on the President’s historic land and water conservation agenda.

Today, the Interior Department acted to protect more than 13 million acres in the Western Arctic of the — of Alaska.

These special areas, including lands in and around Teshekpuk Lake and Colville River, are a rugged and wild landscape that provides undisturbed habitat for wildlife, including grizzly and polar bears, caribou, and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds. 

Importantly, the BLM also announced that it is inviting public input on whether to expand these protections or whether to protect additional special areas in the Western Arctic.

The Bureau of Land Management released its final environmental review for the Ambler Road project, which would span 211 miles of significant wildlife habitat, pristine waters, and subsistence areas through the iconic Brooks Range in north central Alaska, including Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.

The agency’s preferred approach is that the industrial road not be approved because it would have significant and irrevocable impacts — land, water, and species — including caribou and other subsistence uses for Alaska Native communities.

Also this week, we expanded four new wildlife refuges, which will allow for the voluntary conservation of over 1 million acres of wildlife habitat in New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas.

And yesterday, Interior finalized a landmark Public Lands Rule to help guide the balanced management of nearly 250 million acres of America’s public lands, putting conservation and restoration on equal footing with other uses.

Here’s the bottom line: President Biden laid out the most ambitious land and water conservation agenda in American history.  And he is delivering, already cementing a legacy as one of the nation’s strongest conservation presidents.

He is standing up to protect places that are simply too special to develop.  He is safeguarding lands and waters that are sacred to Tribal nations.  And he is making sure that we are passing cleaner water, healthier lands, abundant wildlife, and more recreation opportunities along to the generations that follow us.

I promise you we’ll have more good news to share on the President’s conservation agenda soon, including some announcements on freshwater conservation that I’ll be excited to talk about next week.

And I could not be prouder that this great work on conservation is part of the broader climate and environmental justice agenda that we are driving and that the President will talk more about on Monday.

Thank you.  And with that, I will turn it over to Ali Zaidi.

MR. ZAIDI:  Thank you, Chair Mallory.  Thanks, everybody, for — for gathering on a Friday afternoon. 

On Monday, the President will travel to Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia, a national park system site that was developed by FDR’s Civilian Climate Corps.  In the midst of a depression, President Roosevelt called on the American people to come together to take on the challenge and unlock the opportunity that sat inside of that — the opportunity to heal, the opportunity to lift folks up and to move America forward. 

The President — President Biden — will visit that site and talk about how the United States, in the face of a climate crisis — a climate crisis fully manifest to the American people in communities all across the country — is also an opportunity for us to come together — for us to come together to unlock economic opportunity, to create pathways to middle-class-supporting careers, to save people money and improve their quality of life.

As part of that, two of the signature announcements from — that he will make on Monday, the first will be about expanding the accessibility of clean energy, especially to low- and moderate-income Americans.  We’ve seen over the last several years, thanks to President Biden’s clean energy agenda, the payback periods on home improvements — rooftop retrofits, appliances that save folks money — those payback periods have been reduced.  The accessibility of these technologies has been increased.  And as a result, the American people are saving money.

The Solar for All program, which Deputy Administrator McCabe will speak to, is really, I think, emblematic of this swing-for-the-fences, big, bold climate action that the President has championed from day one.  Not just solar for some folks, but really making sure that we’re opening up a market where everybody, no matter their zip code or their economic background, can tap into the savings opportunity that clean energy represents.

So, with that announcement — one that will help 900,000 households tap into solar on roofs and in community gardens — I think we’ll be able to speak to the incredible possibilities. 

In addition to the announcement on Solar for All, the President will be taking steps to advance the American Climate (audio drops) he has launched through his executive authorities.  The groundbreaking corps represents, yet again, a way to make accessible the economic opportunity and upside that comes with tackling the climate crisis.

So, for young people of all backgrounds — no matter their qualification, no matter their zip code — there will now be pathways and positions that they can fill that help them gain the skills to succeed in the clean energy economy. 

And, you know, oftentimes when we talk about climate jobs, it’s sometimes ambiguous what we’re talking about.  So, let me be very specific.  That includes, for example, positions that will be opened up on a new website, ClimateCorps.gov, to learn how to become a solar installer.  It will include positions to participate in mangrove restoration, which boosts the resilience of coastal economies.  It will include positions to learn how to operate LiDAR, which helps pinpoint methane leakage and improve local air quality and tackle a super pollutant.

And part of what he will be announcing on Monday that’s so exciting is that we have been able to strike partnerships with a few key collaborators.  The first is a partnership with the North American [America’s] Building Trades [Union].  With them, we will be able to offer the American Climate Corps members training modules that put them on an accelerated path into apprenticeships and into a union job and a middle-class-supporting career.

We will also announce that we’ve finalized rulemaking that creates a streamlined and accelerated path for American Climate Corps members who want to join federal service.  Brenda talked about the 41 million acres that the President has added into conservation.  Those acres require folks to facilitate the conservation activities.  Whether it’s park service members or forest rangers, the next generation of those employees can be sourced in the American Climate Corps.

And in addition to that, we’ll announce new expansions of the American Climate Corps: three new states that will be launching partner initiatives; as well as a targeted expansion into energy communities, places that have powered America for decades, making sure that they are at the frontier of harnessing the new economic opportunity that’s in front of us.

So, both of these announcements, together against the backdrop of the Civilian Climate Corps, the legacy that it represents, will show how the President, again, through clear vision and big, bold steps, has continued to move the United States to a leadership position on climate change; taken unprecedented and historic action; and is making sure that this doesn’t just represent opportunity or possibilities for few but, really, comeback opportunities for communities all across the country and an economic surplus that’s accessible to all Americans, whether it’s by entering pathways to a climate career or plugging into the savings that come from clean energy.

So, again, very excited about the progress.  And, of course, the President will be talking more broadly about his climate agenda from recent wins to advance decarbonization in the industrial sector with clean steel and clean cement; efforts to accelerate a clean transportation future of both in the passenger side but also in transit and aviation, rail, and other freight.  He’ll talk about the progress we’ve made in the building sector and in the power sector.

And as Brenda noted, he’ll talk about how all of this work on climate has — has as a common thread a focus on environmental justice and worker empowerment.

So, with that, let me hand it over to Deputy Administrator McCabe to speak to the Solar for All announcement in greater detail.

MS. MCCABE:  Thanks, Ali.  This is Janet McCabe at EPA.  And thanks to Ali and Chair Mallory for their leadership and partnership on all of these incredible programs.

When President Biden took office, he promised to create an economy and build a future that benefits all Americans.  He and the Vice President were relentless in their pursuit of historic legislation to help clean up our air and water, strengthen our economy, create good-paying American jobs, and deliver life-changing investments to communities across the country.

Thanks to their leadership, the Congress passed the historic Inflation Reduction Act, granting EPA more than $41 billion to help carry out this administration’s ambitious goals.

One of the most innovative provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act was the creation of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was designed to mobilize private capital to address the climate crisis, ensure our country’s economic competitiveness, and deliver lower energy costs and economic revitalization to communities that have historically been left behind.   

Today, I am so pleased to announce that EPA has chosen 60 applicants to receive $7 billion in grant awards through the Solar for All grant competition, enabling nearly one million households in low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed solar energy.

The grant competition, which is funded by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, will provide funds to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and nonprofits across the country to develop long-lasting solar programs that are targeted towards the communities and people who need them most.

Some specifics: EPA received 150 applications, and applicants were selected through a robust multistage review that included input from hundreds of experts in climate, power markets, environmental justice, labor, and consumer protection from across the federal government.

The 60 selected applicants include 49 state-level awards totaling approximately $5.5 billion.  Six awards totaling over $500 million were selected to ensure that investments in solar energy are reaching Indian Country.  And we’re announcing five multistate awards totaling approximately $1 billion.

The multistate awards will reach people across the nation and invest in overburdened communities that the private market finds particularly challenging to serve.  They focus on low-income communities; communities around historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Tribal colleges and universities; households served by rural and municipal electric co-ops; families in the industrial heartland; and low-income customers who are unable to build rooftop solar but could still benefit from community solar.

This historic investment will generate more than $8 billion in savings on electric bills for the o- (audio drops) households over the entire life of the program.

And many of the 60 selected Solar for All applicants have already begun supporting low-income and underserved communities through innovative programs that are already bringing clean, affordable solar energy to homes in low-income communities. 

With this new funding, Solar for All selected applicants can launch thousands more projects like these throughout every state and territory across the country.  And let me give you a couple of examples.

Delmira Jennings and her husband, John, live in Athens, Georgia.  With the help of selected applicant Capital Good Fund’s Georgia BRIGHT leasing program, they were able to install a 13-kilowatt solar and 10-kilowatt-hour battery system in their home last February, which provided them with backup power for two days after a major storm last year.

Also, through the Solar Access for Nationwide Affordable Housing program, selected applicant GRID Alternatives’ team in San Diego installed a solar energy system at an organization called Trolley Trestle, a group home for youth transitioning out of the foster care system.  The new solar energy system will result in savings estimated at over $600,000 over 10 years, and that funding will be able to be reinvested to provide additional services to those who call Trolley Trestle home, including more job and life skills training.

And as a last example, the College of Menominee Nation, located on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin, recently completed a 40-kilowatt solar installation project, which was funded through a $200,000 grant from selectee GRID Alternatives’ Native-led Tribal Solar Accelerated [Accelerator] Fund program.

I’m so proud of the work of this administration so far and looking forward to these funds getting out into the community, giving people skills, putting them to work in their local communities, and allowing people to save on their energy bills so that they can put those dollars to other needs: a child’s college fund or that car repair or medical bill. 

Together, we’re saving families money, protecting public health, creating good-paying jobs, and building a cleaner and healthier future where solar technology is affordable and accessible for all.

Thank you all so much, and I’ll turn it back to you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Deputy Administrator. 

Now we will transition to the question-and-answer portion of the call.  As a reminder, this will be on background and attributable to “senior administration officials.” 

Please use the “raise hand” function on Zoom, and I will give you a minute to queue.

As you are called on, please make sure to identify yourself and your outlet.  And if we could keep it to one question per outlet so that your counterparts can also ask questions, that would be great.

With that, Elena, you should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi, there.  Thanks for doing this.  Elena Moore with NPR News.  I just have a — kind of to put a finer point on it, this move on the American Climate Corps, you mentioned that this is going to help young people of all backgrounds.  I mean, young voters, they have a lot of power this year.  Can you talk a —

(Cross-talk.)

Can you — sorry.  Can you talk a little bit more — more about the importance of — of appealing to this group and how this program does that?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, young people have their fingerprints all over President Biden’s climate agenda.  They helped us come up with a lot of the concepts that were passed in the Inflation Reduction Act.  And one of the big calls for young — from young people has been, “Don’t just deploy the solutions; have us be part of that.”  I think there’s a real hunger to participate in the problem-solving here.

We’ve seen really strong resonance from young people.  As we took the executive action to launch the American Climate Corps, a huge interest in the sort of initial signups and expressions of interest.  We’ve held a number of listening sessions, including with members of our Cabinet, Secretary Haaland; members of Congress, including representative Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Markey. 

And in those listening sessions, again, the call was: Help this corps look like America, and that is our commitment; recruit far and wide; do it in a way that sets up not just for a year of service but a lifetime career in clean energy.  We’ve taken those marching orders seriously.  And I think what we’re delivering will resonate a great deal. 

And — and it’s not, you know, a promissory note.  It’s job postings that will put boots on the ground this summer.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We will go to Maxine next.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hey.  Thanks so much for doing the call and calling on me.  There’s been some reporting recently suggesting that the White House is reconsidering again a possible climate emergency declaration.  Obviously, that wasn’t part of today’s call or the materials that were sent out embargoed for Monday.  But can you talk about your thinking on that and whether we can expect that in the near future?  Thanks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks, Maxine.  From day one, the President has seen the urgency of taking action on climate not just because of the situation it creates in our communities, represented in wildfires and floods and hurricanes, but also a profound sense of urgency to get American workers back in the game competing for the jobs of the future. 

For — for a number of years prior to the President taking office, those workers were sidelined, climate was scrubbed from the lexicon, standards were rolled back, and we disinvested both in solutions for climate change and our own competitiveness. 

Just to give you an example of how we’ve turned the tide on that, look at the President invoking the Defense Production Act, an emergency authority to jump-start our solar manufacturing capacity in the U.S.  Now we’re on track to increase that capacity eightfold. 

We used that same Defense Production Act to start, essentially overnight, a heat pump manufacturing industry.  We’ve now gotten governors together from across the country to set a deployment goal in this decade not of a few heat pumps, not of thousands of heat pumps, but 20 million — a big goal to get us going — and the sheet metal workers and the unions training up the workforce necessary to do that work.

So, we’ve, I think, taken it — taken climate on with the sense of urgency and the — and the recognition of the stakes.  And I think the President continues to direct his team to look at all tools, all authorities that will help us move forward on this objective, both of tackling the crisis and of unlocking the economic opportunity that comes with it.

MODERATOR:  Thanks.  We will move to Ben.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Yeah, hi.  Super short question.  It looks like the list of selected applicants for the Solar for All are not up yet.  Will that link be live well in advance of the embargo lift?  And, if not, is there a way to get a list of the selected applicants?

MODERATOR:  I know a few of you have had this question.  We will circle back with you on this.

Q    Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Okay.  Thank you.  We will go to James next.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi.  James Osborne, Houston Chronicle.  Thanks for taking my call.  Can you talk at all about how this — this Solar for All funding will sort of be used in Texas and what sort of projects and areas you’re focusing on in that state?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah, this is [senior administration official].  So, the kind of fundamental construct of Solar for All is to make sure that families in every community in this country have access to low-cost clean energy.  We know that installing solar on a rooftop or in a community garden near someone’s home is a great way to cut their electricity bills and help them feel the benefits of the clean energy transition.

All of the selectees that will be announced on Monday have committed to programs and have designed state-specific programs that will use a mixture of rooftop solar, community solar, community-serving solar, and battery storage to deliver those benefits to communities across the country. 

We’ll provide more details as part of the announcement on what’s happening in the 60 different geographies that will be funded here.  But the — the kind of through line for all of them will be solar projects that deliver the benefits of clean energy to households.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We will go to Carlos next.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Thank you.  The President will be in Virginia on Monday, where construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline has continued and led to recent erosion and sediment issues in southwest Virginia.  Does the President stand by his decision to approve all authorizations for the pipeline within the Fiscal Responsibility Act?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I think your question answers itself.  Congress in the legislation directed an outcome, and that outcome has now been implemented consistent with the law. 

And while we’re noting things that are being constructed in Virginia while the President will be out there, a project of over 2 gigawatts that will supply power to hundreds of thousands of Virginians, the first offshore wind project of the Mid-Atlantic, is also, this week, moving into construction with Dominion Power. 

So, lots of, I think, clean energy build-out taking place thanks to the President’s direct action.  And — and, as you note, yes, there is congressional action that took place that’s — that’s being implemented as well.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We will go to Zach next.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Thank you for doing this.  AP had a poll yesterday that showed most Americans — and this includes most Democrats and R- — and independents — do not have a firm grasp — either “not much difference” and “don’t know enough to say” — about how the IRA has affected the U.S. economy, U.S. workers, and climate change.  What has been so difficult about communicating the benefits here to the American people?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Look, I think part of the President showcasing the solutions to taking on the climate crisis and the economic upside to workers and the American people — part of him doing that on Monday on Earth Day is telling that story. 

He did it also today at the IBEW, where he talked about how the Inflation Reduction Act, the infrastructure law, and his broader economic policy has meant nearly 2,000 clean energy projects and a restart of a nuclear industry that had been languishing, the build-out of charging infrastructure, and grid modernization projects for the nearly 2,000 folks in that room who are working on those jobs.  They know that these policies are making a difference.

And, frankly, for the thousands of people who live in communities where we’re going from shuttered factories to ones that are reopening and humming — places like the 48C recipient announced this morning, TimberHP on Main Street in Madison, Maine, where there was an emptied-out, shutdown timber facility, now manufacturing clean energy solutions being shipped all across the world.

I think folks are feeling it.  And — and you better believe that the 900,000 households that will benefit from Solar for All — and someone asked about the Texas footprint of that program, where the AFL-CIO is part of building out the capacity to install that solar — people are going to feel it.  The American Climate Corps members, they’re going to feel it.

So, we’re seeing the visible difference manifest in communities, in people’s pocketbooks all across the country.  And the President and his senior team is going to keep telling that story because — because it’s good news that begets more action, more upside for the American people.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And our last question will go to Emily.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi.  Thank you so much.  My question is about Solar for All.  I’m curious if there was any special consideration given to programs that were — like, that were going to really focus on pairing that solar with batteries.  Just looking at, you know, the way net metering is evolving and thinking that that is going to be really important to maintain those benefits that — that rooftop solar provides.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah, it’s part — it was part of the — the design of the program was to — to give the applicants the opportunity to design programs for the specific geographic areas they wanted to serve that maximize the amount of benefits that could flow to households in those communities.  And that’s why battery storage was included as an enabling technology to help maintain the value of rooftop or community — community solar — solar projects.

So, yeah, there will be a — there will be a battery component in many of the selected applicants here. 

I think equally importantly, across the board, there is a commitment from all of the selected applicants to deliver at least a 20 percent utility bill savings to households in the programs that they design and serve.  And so, there’s a guarantee of energy cost savings for those families.  Whether it’s — it’s storage — it’s solar alone or solar plus storage or it’s a subscription to community solar facility, the through line is that — that families will be saving money as a result of this program.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And that is all the time we have today.

As a reminder, the contents of this call and the materials you all received over email are embargoed until 5:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday.

Thanks, everyone.

   5:10 P.M. EDT

The post Background Press Call by Senior Administration Officials on President Biden’s Historic Actions to Mark Earth Day appeared first on The White House.

President Biden will travel to Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, VA, a national park system site developed by FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps, to announce $7 billion in awards through EPA’s Solar for All program and unveil major steps to advance the American Climate Corps 

When President Biden took office, he pledged to restore America’s climate leadership at home and abroad. On his first day in office, the President signed the United States back into the Paris Agreement. And each day since, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to lead and deliver on the most ambitious climate agenda in history, including securing the largest ever climate investment and unleashing a clean energy manufacturing boom that has attracted hundreds of billions in private sector investment and created over 270,000 new clean energy jobs. The President’s agenda is also advancing environmental justice and ensuring that the benefits of climate investments reach overburdened communities, mobilizing the next generation of clean energy workers through the American Climate Corps, and delivering historic investments in our nation’s climate resilience. At the same time, the Administration is protecting America’s natural wonders, conserving more than 41 million acres of lands and waters.  
 
Building on his climate, clean energy, and environmental justice agenda, President Biden will travel today to Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia, to celebrate Earth Day 2024, and highlight his Administration’s unprecedented progress in tackling the climate crisis, cutting costs for everyday Americans, and creating good-paying jobs.
 
Expanding Access to Affordable Solar Energy
 
The President will announce $7 billion in grants through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar for All grant competition, a key component of the Inflation Reduction Act’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Selectees under the Solar for All program will serve every state and territory in the nation and deliver residential solar power to over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities, saving overburdened households more than $350 million in electricity costs annually – approximately $400 per household – and avoiding more than 30 million metric tons of carbon pollution over the next 25 years.
 
The selectees will provide funds to states, territories, Tribes, municipalities, and nonprofits across the country to develop long-lasting solar programs that enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed residential solar. In total, solar projects funded by this program will create nearly 200,000 jobs. The program also advances the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.   
 
Mobilizing the Next Generation of Climate Leaders through the American Climate Corps
 
Joined by future members of President Biden’s American Climate Corps, including current AmeriCorps members, President Biden will also announce several new actions to stand up the American Climate Corps – a groundbreaking initiative modeled after FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps that will put more than 20,000 young Americans to work fighting the impacts of climate change today while gaining the skills they need to join the growing clean energy and climate-resilience workforce of tomorrow. The President will announce these actions at Prince William Forest Park, a national park system site developed by FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps and stewarded by the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service.

Nearly a century after FDR established the Civilian Conservation Corps, President Biden will announce today that Americans can now apply to join the American Climate Corps through a newly launched website, ClimateCorps.gov. The website will feature nearly 2,000 positions located across 36 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. These positions are hosted by hundreds of organizations advancing clean energy, conservation, and climate resilience. The website, which is launching in its beta form, will be regularly updated with new American Climate Corps positions. Its goal is to make it easy for any American to find work tackling the climate crisis while gaining the skills necessary for the clean energy and climate resilience workforce of the future. The first class of the American Climate Corps will be deployed to communities across the country in June 2024.
 
The Biden-Harris Administration is also announcing a new partnership with the North America’s Building Trades Unions’ nonprofit partner TradesFutures. Beginning this summer, every American Climate Corps member will have access to TradesFutures’ industry leading apprenticeship readiness curriculum during their term of service in the American Climate Corps, providing members with the opportunity to be trained in the foundational skills necessary for careers in the clean energy and climate resilience economy and putting them on a pathway to good paying, union jobs.
 
Many American Climate Corps members will also have access to a streamlined pathway into federal service after a recent update to modernize the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Pathways Programs. The update will expand applicant eligibility for the Recent Graduates program to include individuals who have completed qualifying career or technical education service within designated American Climate Corps programs.
 
Today, three states – Vermont, New Mexico, and Illinois – are launching new state-based climate corps programs, building on 10 states that have already launched successful climate corps programs, demonstrating the power of skills-based training as a tool to expand pathways into good-paying jobs. These states will work with the American Climate Corps as implementing partners to ensure young people across the country are serving their communities, while participating in paid opportunities and working on projects to tackle climate change.
 
Additionally, beginning as a collaboration between the Department of the Interior, the Energy Communities Interagency Working Group, and AmeriCorps VISTA, a new interagency public private partnership – Energy Communities AmeriCorps – will place American Climate Corps members in priority energy communities across the country. The program will help support community-led projects, including environmental remediation, in the places that have powered our nation for generations.
 
Conserving America’s Lands, Waters, and Wildlife
 
These announcements come on the heels of a series of major conservation actions by the Biden-Harris Administration. Just last week, the Department of the Interior published a final rule to maximize protections of significant surface resources such as irreplaceable wildlife habitat for caribou and migratory birds on more than 13 million acres in the western Arctic while supporting subsistence uses and needs of Alaska Native communities. This action brings the number of acres of America’s lands and waters conserved under President Biden to 41 million. Additionally, the Interior Department released a final environmental analysis last week recommending denial of a right of way for the Ambler Road project; the proposed road, which would cross more than 200 miles of pristine lands, would have significant impacts on caribou and other subsistence resources upon which more than 60 Alaska Native communities rely.
 
In addition to these landmark conservation announcements in Alaska, the Interior Department released a rule to help guide the balanced management of all 245 million acres of America’s public lands that are overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. The rule will help to ensure the BLM continues to protect land health while managing other uses of public lands, such as clean energy development and outdoor recreation.
 
Throughout Earth Week, the Biden-Harris Administration will announce additional actions to build a stronger, healthier future for all: Tuesday will focus on helping ensure clean water for all communities; Wednesday will focus on accelerating America’s clean transportation future; Thursday will focus on steps to cut pollution from the power sector while strengthening America’s electricity grid; and Friday will focus on providing cleaner air and healthier schools for all children.
 
Biden-Harris Administration’s Top Climate Accomplishments

Deploying Clean, Affordable Electricity and Strengthening America’s Power Grid – 
President Biden has secured unprecedented investments in a clean power sector, unleashing a boom in American solar, wind, battery storage, and other clean energy technologies that are creating good-paying jobs and saving families money on utility bills. Through the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, U.S. solar generation is projected to increase up to eight-fold and wind generation is projected to triple by 2030. President Biden has jumpstarted the U.S. offshore wind industry, with 10 gigawatts of commercial-scale projects now approved, enough to power nearly four million homes, including two projects that are already delivering power to the grid and others with construction underway. The President’s Investing in America agenda is also supporting transmission buildout and other power grid upgrades, deployment of distributed energy resources in disadvantaged communities, investments in clean electricity across rural America, and American manufacturing of clean energy technologies – all in pursuit of the President’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035. Through the President’s Federal Sustainability Plan, the U.S. Government is leading by example and has already signed agreements to provide federal facilities in 18 states with 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030.
 
And thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, clean energy project developers get access to expanded tax incentives if they pay workers prevailing wages and employ registered apprentices, helping make more clean energy jobs good-paying and union jobs.
 
Bolstering Climate Resilience and Adaptation – President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is building communities that are not only resilient to the impacts of the climate crisis, but also safer, more equitable, and economically stronger. To support this vision, the President secured more than $50 billion for climate resilience and adaptation through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act and released the first ever National Climate Resilience Framework. The President’s investments are upgrading aging roads and bridges, including critical evacuation routes, providing tax credits for families to weatherize their homes, restoring critical waterways, forests, and urban greenspaces, supporting resilient and climate-smart agriculture, bolstering water infrastructure and drought resilience across the American West, protecting federal assets from future flood risk, modernizing our electric grid, and funding research to develop the latest energy-storage technologies here in America.
 
Accelerating a Clean Transportation Future – President Biden is taking a whole-of-government approach to position the U.S. as a global leader in innovative and sustainable transportation.  The Administration’s National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization is a landmark strategy for cutting all greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. transportation sector by 2050. The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act invest tens of billions to decarbonize shipping, trucking, transit, rail, and aviation, all while making communities more walkable, bikeable, and connected. And through the President’s Federal Sustainability Plan, the federal government has ordered over 58,000 zero-emission vehicles and has begun installing more than 25,000 charging ports, adding to the 8,000 already in use across the government.
 
In addition, the President rallied automakers and autoworkers around a historic goal of having electric vehicles (EVs) account for at least 50% of new passenger vehicles sold by 2030. To support this goal while driving down consumer costs, the Administration secured tax credits that reduce the cost of new or used clean vehicles by thousands of dollars directly at the dealership and is investing $7.5 billion into building out a national EV charging network. Since President Biden took office, EV sales have quadrupled, prices have come down by more than 20%, the number of charging stations has grown by over 80% – putting us on track to deploy 500,000 chargers by 2026 – and the U.S. auto industry has added more than 100,000 jobs. Driven by Biden-Harris Administration policies, the sector is experiencing a manufacturing renaissance with more than $160 billion of investments in EVs, batteries, and their supply chains. And just last month, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the strongest-ever vehicle emission standards for light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles.
 
Cutting Energy Costs and Pollution at Homes, Schools, and in Communities – Reducing building emissions through efficiency improvements and electrification lowers energy bills for families, improves resiliency, and creates good-paying jobs. The President has created new programs to save American families on their energy bills through the Department of Energy’s Home Energy Rebates, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, and Treasury’s Home Energy Tax Credits. The Biden-Harris Administration is also strengthening energy efficiency standards to save households and businesses money, with standards updated by DOE for dozens of appliances expected to provide nearly $1 trillion in consumer savings over 30 years, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2.5 billion metric tons – equivalent to the emissions of 18 million gas-powered cars over 30 years. By invoking emergency authority, the President is expanding domestic heat pump manufacturing, which will cut the costs of heat pumps. To ensure that the 10 million new homes that will be built by 2030 are efficient and resilient, President Biden’s National Initiative to Advance Building Codes is accelerating adoption of modern building codes that protect people from extreme-weather events and help contribute to avoiding an estimated $1.6 billion a year in damages.

Revitalizing American Manufacturing for the Clean Economy – President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has helped catalyze historic manufacturing growth, with factories opening across the nation. To date, the private sector has announced nearly $700 billion in investments in manufacturing and clean energy. The President’s agenda is helping to make U.S. manufacturing the cleanest and most competitive in the world. The Inflation Reduction Act is investing more than $6 billion to slash climate pollution and support worker and community health at U.S. factories producing the steel, aluminum, cement, and other materials that form the backbone of our economy. To further support U.S. industrial competitiveness, the Biden Administration’s landmark Buy Clean initiative is leveraging the government’s sway as the largest purchaser on Earth to spur demand for low-emissions manufacturing and construction products.
 
Repowering Energy Communities – The Biden-Harris Administration is deploying programs to build capacity and spur economic development in the communities that powered our nation for generations, such as the clean manufacturing investments in the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) Program and DOE’s Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grants Program, in addition to ARC’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative and EDA’s Assistance to Energy Transition Communities. In addition, new bonus tax credits in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act are incentivizing clean energy companies to expand access to good-paying jobs in energy communities across the nation.

Advancing Environmental Justice –  Since Day One, the Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized a whole-of-government approach to environmental justice. The President signed a historic Executive Order that calls on the federal government to bring clean energy and healthy environments to all and mitigate harm to those who have suffered from pollution and environmental burdens like climate change. Through the Justice40 Initiative, over 500 programs across 19 federal agencies are being reimagined and transformed to maximize the benefits of President Biden’s unprecedented investments – from clean energy projects to floodwater protections to wastewater infrastructure – to communities that need them most. At the same time, the Administration is taking unprecedented action to protect communities from PFAS pollution, accelerate Superfund and brownfield cleanups, tighten standards for hazardous air pollutants, and enhance air quality enforcement.
 
Delivering Clean Water and Replacing Lead Pipes – President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting to ensure a future where every American has access to clean, safe water. The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests over $50 billion in upgrading the nation’s water infrastructure – the largest investment in clean water in American history. This funding is going towards expanding access to clean drinking water, replacing lead pipes, improving wastewater and sanitation infrastructure, and removing PFAS pollution in water. President Biden has also made a historic commitment to replace every toxic lead pipe in the country within a decade, protecting families from lead poisoning that can irreversibly harm brain development in children. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency issued proposed improvements to the Lead and Copper Rule that would require water systems to rapidly replace lead service lines.

Conserving our Lands and Waters –The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic action to conserve and restore America’s lands and waters, including signing an Executive Order to set the first-ever national conservation goal to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 through the America the Beautiful Initiative. Last week the Administration launched Conservation.gov and the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, a new website and data portal that will help connect people with information, tools, resources, and opportunities to support land and water conservation projects in communities across the country. The Administration has already protected more than 41 million acres of lands and waters, and President Biden is on track to conserve more lands and waters than any President in history. This includes establishing five new national monuments and restoring protections for three more; creating four new national wildlife refuges and expanding five more; protecting the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, the nation’s most visited wilderness area; safeguarding Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska; and withdrawing Chaco Canyon in New Mexico and Thompson Divide in Colorado from further oil and gas leasing to protect thousands of sacred sites and pristine lands.

To conserve and steward old growth forests, USDA announced a proposal to amend 128 forest land management plans to conserve and steward old-growth forest conditions on national forests and grasslands nationwide. This builds upon the Biden-Harris Administration’s protection of Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world. The Administration is also taking continued action to protect and conserve our nation’s rivers and watersheds for the people and communities that depend on them, protecting the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River Basin in the face of an ongoing megadrought, and beyond. This includes taking historic action to restore healthy and abundant wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin, part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s unprecedented commitment to honor the United States’ obligations to Tribal Nations.
 
Investing in Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry – President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is supporting America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners, who play a critical role in addressing the climate crisis through the deployment of climate-smart practices and systems. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has supported 80,000 farms in implementing climate-smart practices on over 75 million acres. In Fiscal Year 2023, USDA made record investments in private lands conservation, totaling nearly $3 billion in financial assistance to producers.  Leveraging both climate impact and economic opportunities, the Administration is creating new market opportunities through the groundbreaking Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities and efforts that are part of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge.
 
Rallying Leaders of the World’s Largest Economies to Raise Global Climate Ambition –President Biden has restored America’s climate leadership at home and abroad. Under his leadership, the Administration is securing commitments from more than 155 countries to reduce methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030; successfully galvanizing other countries at COP28 to commit, for the first time, to transition away from unabated fossil fuels, stop building new unabated coal capacity globally, and triple renewable energy globally by 2030 and nuclear energy by 2050; launching a new Clean Energy Supply Chain Collaborative to work with international partners to diversify supply chains that are critical to a clean and secure energy transition; mobilizing other governments to follow the U.S. lead and commit to achieve net-zero government emissions by 2050 through a new Net-Zero Government Initiative; and becoming a world leader in innovative debt-for-nature swaps that have helped countries restructure over $2 billion in debt and unlock hundreds of millions of new financing for nature and climate.

 
###

The post FACT SHEET: President Biden Marks Earth Day 2024 with Historic Climate Action appeared first on The White House.

Actions are the latest in a series of steps the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to improve safety, provide support for care workers and family caregivers, and to expand access to affordable, high-quality care

Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and to have access to quality care. That’s why, today, Vice President Harris is announcing two landmark final rules that fulfill the President’s commitment to safety in care, improving access to long-term care and the quality of caregiving jobs. Ensuring that all Americans, including older Americans and people with disabilities, have access to care – including home-based care – that is safe, reliable, and of high quality is an important part of the President’s agenda and a part of the President’s broader commitment to care. Today’s announcements deliver on the President’s promise in the State of the Union to crack down on nursing homes that endanger resident safety as well as his historic Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, which included the most comprehensive set of executive actions any President has taken to improve care for millions of seniors and people with disabilities while supporting care workers and family caregivers.

Cracking Down on Inadequate Nursing Home Care

Medicare and Medicaid pay billions of dollars per year to ensure that 1.2 million Americans that receive care in nursing homes are cared for, yet too many nursing homes chronically understaff their facilities, leading to sub-standard or unsafe care. When facilities are understaffed, residents may go without basic necessities like baths, trips to the bathroom, and meals – and it is less safe when residents have a medical emergency. Understaffing can also have a disproportionate impact on women and people of color who make up a large proportion of the nursing home workforce because, without sufficient support, these dedicated workers can’t provide the care they know the residents deserve. In his 2022 State of the Union address, President Biden pledged that he would “protect seniors’ lives and life savings by cracking down on nursing homes that commit fraud, endanger patient safety, or prescribe drugs they don’t need.”

The Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule finalized today will require all nursing homes that receive federal funding through Medicare and Medicaid to have 3.48 hours per resident per day of total staffing, including a defined number from both registered nurses (0.55 hours per resident per day) and nurse aides (2.45 per resident per day). This means a facility with 100 residents would need at least two or three RNs and at least ten or eleven nurse aides as well as two additional nurse staff (which could be registered nurses, licensed professional nurses, or nurse aides) per shift to meet the minimum staffing standards. Many facilities would need to staff at a higher level based on their residents’ needs. It will also require facilities to have a registered nurse onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide skilled nursing care, which will further improve nursing home safety. Adequate staffing is proven to be one of the measures most strongly associated with safety and good care outcomes.

To make sure nursing homes have the time they need to hire necessary staff, the requirements of this rule will be introduced in phases, with longer timeframes for rural communities. Limited, temporary exemptions will be available for both the 24/7 registered nurse requirement and the underlying staffing standards for nursing homes in workforce shortage areas that demonstrate a good faith effort to hire.

Strong transparency measures will ensure nursing home residents and their families are aware when a nursing home is using an exemption.

This rule will not only benefit residents and their families, it will also ensure that workers aren’t stretched too thin by having inadequate staff on site, which is currently a common reason for worker burnout and turnover. Workers who are on the frontlines interacting with residents and understanding their needs will also be given a voice in developing staffing plans for nursing homes. The Biden-Harris Administration also continues to invest in expanding the pipeline of nursing workers and other care workers, who are so essential to our economy, including through funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Improving Access to Home Care and the Quality of Home Care Jobs

Over seven million seniors and people with disabilities, alongside their families, rely on home and community-based services to provide for long-term care needs in their own homes and communities. This critical care is provided by a dedicated home care workforce, made up disproportionately by women of color, that often struggles to make ends meet due to low wages and few benefits. At the same time, home care is still very inaccessible for many Medicaid enrollees, with more than threequarters of home care providers not accepting new clients, leaving hundreds of thousands of older Americans and Americans with disabilities on waiting lists or struggling to afford the care they need.

The “Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services” final rule, finalized today, will help improve access to home care services as well as improve the quality caregiving jobs through its new provisions for home care. Specifically, the rule will ensure adequate compensation for home care workers by requiring that at least 80 percent of Medicaid payments for home care services go to workers’ wages. This policy would also allow states to take into account the unique experiences that small home care providers and providers in rural areas face while ensuring their employees receive their fair share of Medicaid payments and continued training as well as the delivery of quality care. Higher wages will likely reduce turnover, leading to higher quality of care for older adults and people with disabilities across the nation, as studies have shown. States will also be required to be more transparent in how much they pay for home care services and how they set those rates, increasing the accountability for home care providers. Finally, states will have to create a home care rate-setting advisory group made up of beneficiaries, home care workers and other key stakeholders to advise and consult on provider payment rates and direct compensation for direct care workers.

Strong Record on Improving Access to Care and Supporting Caregivers

Today’s new final rules are in addition to an already impressive track record on delivering on the President’s Executive Order on Care. Over the last year, the Biden-Harris Administration has:

• Increased pay for care workers, including by proposing a rule to gradually increase pay for Head Start teachers by about $10,000, to reach parity with the salaries of public preschool teachers.
• Cut child care costs for low-income families by finalizing a rule that will reduce or eliminate copayments for more than 100,000 working families, and lowering the cost of care for lower earning service members, thereby reducing the cost of child care for nearly two-thirds of children receiving care on military bases. Military families earning $45,000 would see a 34% decrease in the amount they pay for child care.
• Supported family caregivers by making it easier for family caregivers to access Medicare beneficiary information and provide more support as they prepare for their loved ones to be discharged from the hospital. The Administration has also expanded access to mental health services for tens of thousands of family caregivers who are helping veterans.

###

The post Fact Sheet: Vice President Harris Announces Historic Advancements in Long-Term Care to Support the Care Economy appeared first on The White House.

Via Teleconference

4:35 P.M. EDT

MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining today’s press call previewing new actions President Biden will announce on Earth Day and to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s historic progress in tackling the climate crisis and conserving our nation’s lands and waters.

The call will begin with on-the-record remarks from Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Brenda Mallory, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, and Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe.

After their remarks, there will be a question-and-answer session that will be on background and attributable to “senior administration officials.”

As a reminder, the materials you received over email and the contents of this call are embargoed until 5:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday.

With that, Chair Mallory, I will turn it over to you.

CHAIR MALLORY:  Thanks so much, Angelo.  Hello, everyone.  It’s a pleasure to be here. 

The timing of this call is really fitting since National Park Week kicks off tomorrow.  And I hope that everybody takes a moment to take advantage of the waived entrance fees on Saturday at parks — something that I think we can all — we can all benefit from getting away from our desks. 

Earlier today, we launched Conservation.gov, a new resource hub to help connect people with information, tools, resources, and opportunities to support land and water conservation in communities across the country.  This includes finding places to recreate outdoors, to volunteer on public lands, and a financial assistance tool to access grant opportunities.

As you know, President Biden established our first national conservation goal to protect, conserve, and restore at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

We are on track to meet that goal.  As of today, President Biden has conserved more than 41 million acres of lands and waters in just over three years.  And he is on track to conserve more lands and waters than any president in history.

Ahead of Earth Day, the Biden-Harris administration has taken a series of major steps forward on the President’s historic land and water conservation agenda.

Today, the Interior Department acted to protect more than 13 million acres in the Western Arctic of the — of Alaska.

These special areas, including lands in and around Teshekpuk Lake and Colville River, are a rugged and wild landscape that provides undisturbed habitat for wildlife, including grizzly and polar bears, caribou, and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds. 

Importantly, the BLM also announced that it is inviting public input on whether to expand these protections or whether to protect additional special areas in the Western Arctic.

The Bureau of Land Management released its final environmental review for the Ambler Road project, which would span 211 miles of significant wildlife habitat, pristine waters, and subsistence areas through the iconic Brooks Range in north central Alaska, including Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.

The agency’s preferred approach is that the industrial road not be approved because it would have significant and irrevocable impacts — land, water, and species — including caribou and other subsistence uses for Alaska Native communities.

Also this week, we expanded four new wildlife refuges, which will allow for the voluntary conservation of over 1 million acres of wildlife habitat in New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas.

And yesterday, Interior finalized a landmark Public Lands Rule to help guide the balanced management of nearly 250 million acres of America’s public lands, putting conservation and restoration on equal footing with other uses.

Here’s the bottom line: President Biden laid out the most ambitious land and water conservation agenda in American history.  And he is delivering, already cementing a legacy as one of the nation’s strongest conservation presidents.

He is standing up to protect places that are simply too special to develop.  He is safeguarding lands and waters that are sacred to Tribal nations.  And he is making sure that we are passing cleaner water, healthier lands, abundant wildlife, and more recreation opportunities along to the generations that follow us.

I promise you we’ll have more good news to share on the President’s conservation agenda soon, including some announcements on freshwater conservation that I’ll be excited to talk about next week.

And I could not be prouder that this great work on conservation is part of the broader climate and environmental justice agenda that we are driving and that the President will talk more about on Monday.

Thank you.  And with that, I will turn it over to Ali Zaidi.

MR. ZAIDI:  Thank you, Chair Mallory.  Thanks, everybody, for — for gathering on a Friday afternoon. 

On Monday, the President will travel to Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia, a national park system site that was developed by FDR’s Civilian Climate Corps.  In the midst of a depression, President Roosevelt called on the American people to come together to take on the challenge and unlock the opportunity that sat inside of that — the opportunity to heal, the opportunity to lift folks up and to move America forward. 

The President — President Biden — will visit that site and talk about how the United States, in the face of a climate crisis — a climate crisis fully manifest to the American people in communities all across the country — is also an opportunity for us to come together — for us to come together to unlock economic opportunity, to create pathways to middle-class-supporting careers, to save people money and improve their quality of life.

As part of that, two of the signature announcements from — that he will make on Monday, the first will be about expanding the accessibility of clean energy, especially to low- and moderate-income Americans.  We’ve seen over the last several years, thanks to President Biden’s clean energy agenda, the payback periods on home improvements — rooftop retrofits, appliances that save folks money — those payback periods have been reduced.  The accessibility of these technologies has been increased.  And as a result, the American people are saving money.

The Solar for All program, which Deputy Administrator McCabe will speak to, is really, I think, emblematic of this swing-for-the-fences, big, bold climate action that the President has championed from day one.  Not just solar for some folks, but really making sure that we’re opening up a market where everybody, no matter their zip code or their economic background, can tap into the savings opportunity that clean energy represents.

So, with that announcement — one that will help 900,000 households tap into solar on roofs and in community gardens — I think we’ll be able to speak to the incredible possibilities. 

In addition to the announcement on Solar for All, the President will be taking steps to advance the American Climate (audio drops) he has launched through his executive authorities.  The groundbreaking corps represents, yet again, a way to make accessible the economic opportunity and upside that comes with tackling the climate crisis.

So, for young people of all backgrounds — no matter their qualification, no matter their zip code — there will now be pathways and positions that they can fill that help them gain the skills to succeed in the clean energy economy. 

And, you know, oftentimes when we talk about climate jobs, it’s sometimes ambiguous what we’re talking about.  So, let me be very specific.  That includes, for example, positions that will be opened up on a new website, ClimateCorps.gov, to learn how to become a solar installer.  It will include positions to participate in mangrove restoration, which boosts the resilience of coastal economies.  It will include positions to learn how to operate LiDAR, which helps pinpoint methane leakage and improve local air quality and tackle a super pollutant.

And part of what he will be announcing on Monday that’s so exciting is that we have been able to strike partnerships with a few key collaborators.  The first is a partnership with the North American [America’s] Building Trades [Union].  With them, we will be able to offer the American Climate Corps members training modules that put them on an accelerated path into apprenticeships and into a union job and a middle-class-supporting career.

We will also announce that we’ve finalized rulemaking that creates a streamlined and accelerated path for American Climate Corps members who want to join federal service.  Brenda talked about the 41 million acres that the President has added into conservation.  Those acres require folks to facilitate the conservation activities.  Whether it’s park service members or forest rangers, the next generation of those employees can be sourced in the American Climate Corps.

And in addition to that, we’ll announce new expansions of the American Climate Corps: three new states that will be launching partner initiatives; as well as a targeted expansion into energy communities, places that have powered America for decades, making sure that they are at the frontier of harnessing the new economic opportunity that’s in front of us.

So, both of these announcements, together against the backdrop of the Civilian Climate Corps, the legacy that it represents, will show how the President, again, through clear vision and big, bold steps, has continued to move the United States to a leadership position on climate change; taken unprecedented and historic action; and is making sure that this doesn’t just represent opportunity or possibilities for few but, really, comeback opportunities for communities all across the country and an economic surplus that’s accessible to all Americans, whether it’s by entering pathways to a climate career or plugging into the savings that come from clean energy.

So, again, very excited about the progress.  And, of course, the President will be talking more broadly about his climate agenda from recent wins to advance decarbonization in the industrial sector with clean steel and clean cement; efforts to accelerate a clean transportation future of both in the passenger side but also in transit and aviation, rail, and other freight.  He’ll talk about the progress we’ve made in the building sector and in the power sector.

And as Brenda noted, he’ll talk about how all of this work on climate has — has as a common thread a focus on environmental justice and worker empowerment.

So, with that, let me hand it over to Deputy Administrator McCabe to speak to the Solar for All announcement in greater detail.

MS. MCCABE:  Thanks, Ali.  This is Janet McCabe at EPA.  And thanks to Ali and Chair Mallory for their leadership and partnership on all of these incredible programs.

When President Biden took office, he promised to create an economy and build a future that benefits all Americans.  He and the Vice President were relentless in their pursuit of historic legislation to help clean up our air and water, strengthen our economy, create good-paying American jobs, and deliver life-changing investments to communities across the country.

Thanks to their leadership, the Congress passed the historic Inflation Reduction Act, granting EPA more than $41 billion to help carry out this administration’s ambitious goals.

One of the most innovative provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act was the creation of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was designed to mobilize private capital to address the climate crisis, ensure our country’s economic competitiveness, and deliver lower energy costs and economic revitalization to communities that have historically been left behind.   

Today, I am so pleased to announce that EPA has chosen 60 applicants to receive $7 billion in grant awards through the Solar for All grant competition, enabling nearly one million households in low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed solar energy.

The grant competition, which is funded by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, will provide funds to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and nonprofits across the country to develop long-lasting solar programs that are targeted towards the communities and people who need them most.

Some specifics: EPA received 150 applications, and applicants were selected through a robust multistage review that included input from hundreds of experts in climate, power markets, environmental justice, labor, and consumer protection from across the federal government.

The 60 selected applicants include 49 state-level awards totaling approximately $5.5 billion.  Six awards totaling over $500 million were selected to ensure that investments in solar energy are reaching Indian Country.  And we’re announcing five multistate awards totaling approximately $1 billion.

The multistate awards will reach people across the nation and invest in overburdened communities that the private market finds particularly challenging to serve.  They focus on low-income communities; communities around historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Tribal colleges and universities; households served by rural and municipal electric co-ops; families in the industrial heartland; and low-income customers who are unable to build rooftop solar but could still benefit from community solar.

This historic investment will generate more than $8 billion in savings on electric bills for the o- (audio drops) households over the entire life of the program.

And many of the 60 selected Solar for All applicants have already begun supporting low-income and underserved communities through innovative programs that are already bringing clean, affordable solar energy to homes in low-income communities. 

With this new funding, Solar for All selected applicants can launch thousands more projects like these throughout every state and territory across the country.  And let me give you a couple of examples.

Delmira Jennings and her husband, John, live in Athens, Georgia.  With the help of selected applicant Capital Good Fund’s Georgia BRIGHT leasing program, they were able to install a 13-kilowatt solar and 10-kilowatt-hour battery system in their home last February, which provided them with backup power for two days after a major storm last year.

Also, through the Solar Access for Nationwide Affordable Housing program, selected applicant GRID Alternatives’ team in San Diego installed a solar energy system at an organization called Trolley Trestle, a group home for youth transitioning out of the foster care system.  The new solar energy system will result in savings estimated at over $600,000 over 10 years, and that funding will be able to be reinvested to provide additional services to those who call Trolley Trestle home, including more job and life skills training.

And as a last example, the College of Menominee Nation, located on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin, recently completed a 40-kilowatt solar installation project, which was funded through a $200,000 grant from selectee GRID Alternatives’ Native-led Tribal Solar Accelerated [Accelerator] Fund program.

I’m so proud of the work of this administration so far and looking forward to these funds getting out into the community, giving people skills, putting them to work in their local communities, and allowing people to save on their energy bills so that they can put those dollars to other needs: a child’s college fund or that car repair or medical bill. 

Together, we’re saving families money, protecting public health, creating good-paying jobs, and building a cleaner and healthier future where solar technology is affordable and accessible for all.

Thank you all so much, and I’ll turn it back to you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Deputy Administrator. 

Now we will transition to the question-and-answer portion of the call.  As a reminder, this will be on background and attributable to “senior administration officials.” 

Please use the “raise hand” function on Zoom, and I will give you a minute to queue.

As you are called on, please make sure to identify yourself and your outlet.  And if we could keep it to one question per outlet so that your counterparts can also ask questions, that would be great.

With that, Elena, you should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi, there.  Thanks for doing this.  Elena Moore with NPR News.  I just have a — kind of to put a finer point on it, this move on the American Climate Corps, you mentioned that this is going to help young people of all backgrounds.  I mean, young voters, they have a lot of power this year.  Can you talk a —

(Cross-talk.)

Can you — sorry.  Can you talk a little bit more — more about the importance of — of appealing to this group and how this program does that?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, young people have their fingerprints all over President Biden’s climate agenda.  They helped us come up with a lot of the concepts that were passed in the Inflation Reduction Act.  And one of the big calls for young — from young people has been, “Don’t just deploy the solutions; have us be part of that.”  I think there’s a real hunger to participate in the problem-solving here.

We’ve seen really strong resonance from young people.  As we took the executive action to launch the American Climate Corps, a huge interest in the sort of initial signups and expressions of interest.  We’ve held a number of listening sessions, including with members of our Cabinet, Secretary Haaland; members of Congress, including representative Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Markey. 

And in those listening sessions, again, the call was: Help this corps look like America, and that is our commitment; recruit far and wide; do it in a way that sets up not just for a year of service but a lifetime career in clean energy.  We’ve taken those marching orders seriously.  And I think what we’re delivering will resonate a great deal. 

And — and it’s not, you know, a promissory note.  It’s job postings that will put boots on the ground this summer.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We will go to Maxine next.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hey.  Thanks so much for doing the call and calling on me.  There’s been some reporting recently suggesting that the White House is reconsidering again a possible climate emergency declaration.  Obviously, that wasn’t part of today’s call or the materials that were sent out embargoed for Monday.  But can you talk about your thinking on that and whether we can expect that in the near future?  Thanks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks, Maxine.  From day one, the President has seen the urgency of taking action on climate not just because of the situation it creates in our communities, represented in wildfires and floods and hurricanes, but also a profound sense of urgency to get American workers back in the game competing for the jobs of the future. 

For — for a number of years prior to the President taking office, those workers were sidelined, climate was scrubbed from the lexicon, standards were rolled back, and we disinvested both in solutions for climate change and our own competitiveness. 

Just to give you an example of how we’ve turned the tide on that, look at the President invoking the Defense Production Act, an emergency authority to jump-start our solar manufacturing capacity in the U.S.  Now we’re on track to increase that capacity eightfold. 

We used that same Defense Production Act to start, essentially overnight, a heat pump manufacturing industry.  We’ve now gotten governors together from across the country to set a deployment goal in this decade not of a few heat pumps, not of thousands of heat pumps, but 20 million — a big goal to get us going — and the sheet metal workers and the unions training up the workforce necessary to do that work.

So, we’ve, I think, taken it — taken climate on with the sense of urgency and the — and the recognition of the stakes.  And I think the President continues to direct his team to look at all tools, all authorities that will help us move forward on this objective, both of tackling the crisis and of unlocking the economic opportunity that comes with it.

MODERATOR:  Thanks.  We will move to Ben.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Yeah, hi.  Super short question.  It looks like the list of selected applicants for the Solar for All are not up yet.  Will that link be live well in advance of the embargo lift?  And, if not, is there a way to get a list of the selected applicants?

MODERATOR:  I know a few of you have had this question.  We will circle back with you on this.

Q    Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Okay.  Thank you.  We will go to James next.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi.  James Osborne, Houston Chronicle.  Thanks for taking my call.  Can you talk at all about how this — this Solar for All funding will sort of be used in Texas and what sort of projects and areas you’re focusing on in that state?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah, this is [senior administration official].  So, the kind of fundamental construct of Solar for All is to make sure that families in every community in this country have access to low-cost clean energy.  We know that installing solar on a rooftop or in a community garden near someone’s home is a great way to cut their electricity bills and help them feel the benefits of the clean energy transition.

All of the selectees that will be announced on Monday have committed to programs and have designed state-specific programs that will use a mixture of rooftop solar, community solar, community-serving solar, and battery storage to deliver those benefits to communities across the country. 

We’ll provide more details as part of the announcement on what’s happening in the 60 different geographies that will be funded here.  But the — the kind of through line for all of them will be solar projects that deliver the benefits of clean energy to households.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We will go to Carlos next.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Thank you.  The President will be in Virginia on Monday, where construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline has continued and led to recent erosion and sediment issues in southwest Virginia.  Does the President stand by his decision to approve all authorizations for the pipeline within the Fiscal Responsibility Act?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I think your question answers itself.  Congress in the legislation directed an outcome, and that outcome has now been implemented consistent with the law. 

And while we’re noting things that are being constructed in Virginia while the President will be out there, a project of over 2 gigawatts that will supply power to hundreds of thousands of Virginians, the first offshore wind project of the Mid-Atlantic, is also, this week, moving into construction with Dominion Power. 

So, lots of, I think, clean energy build-out taking place thanks to the President’s direct action.  And — and, as you note, yes, there is congressional action that took place that’s — that’s being implemented as well.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We will go to Zach next.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Thank you for doing this.  AP had a poll yesterday that showed most Americans — and this includes most Democrats and R- — and independents — do not have a firm grasp — either “not much difference” and “don’t know enough to say” — about how the IRA has affected the U.S. economy, U.S. workers, and climate change.  What has been so difficult about communicating the benefits here to the American people?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Look, I think part of the President showcasing the solutions to taking on the climate crisis and the economic upside to workers and the American people — part of him doing that on Monday on Earth Day is telling that story. 

He did it also today at the IBEW, where he talked about how the Inflation Reduction Act, the infrastructure law, and his broader economic policy has meant nearly 2,000 clean energy projects and a restart of a nuclear industry that had been languishing, the build-out of charging infrastructure, and grid modernization projects for the nearly 2,000 folks in that room who are working on those jobs.  They know that these policies are making a difference.

And, frankly, for the thousands of people who live in communities where we’re going from shuttered factories to ones that are reopening and humming — places like the 48C recipient announced this morning, TimberHP on Main Street in Madison, Maine, where there was an emptied-out, shutdown timber facility, now manufacturing clean energy solutions being shipped all across the world.

I think folks are feeling it.  And — and you better believe that the 900,000 households that will benefit from Solar for All — and someone asked about the Texas footprint of that program, where the AFL-CIO is part of building out the capacity to install that solar — people are going to feel it.  The American Climate Corps members, they’re going to feel it.

So, we’re seeing the visible difference manifest in communities, in people’s pocketbooks all across the country.  And the President and his senior team is going to keep telling that story because — because it’s good news that begets more action, more upside for the American people.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And our last question will go to Emily.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi.  Thank you so much.  My question is about Solar for All.  I’m curious if there was any special consideration given to programs that were — like, that were going to really focus on pairing that solar with batteries.  Just looking at, you know, the way net metering is evolving and thinking that that is going to be really important to maintain those benefits that — that rooftop solar provides.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah, it’s part — it was part of the — the design of the program was to — to give the applicants the opportunity to design programs for the specific geographic areas they wanted to serve that maximize the amount of benefits that could flow to households in those communities.  And that’s why battery storage was included as an enabling technology to help maintain the value of rooftop or community — community solar — solar projects.

So, yeah, there will be a — there will be a battery component in many of the selected applicants here. 

I think equally importantly, across the board, there is a commitment from all of the selected applicants to deliver at least a 20 percent utility bill savings to households in the programs that they design and serve.  And so, there’s a guarantee of energy cost savings for those families.  Whether it’s — it’s storage — it’s solar alone or solar plus storage or it’s a subscription to community solar facility, the through line is that — that families will be saving money as a result of this program.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And that is all the time we have today.

As a reminder, the contents of this call and the materials you all received over email are embargoed until 5:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday.

Thanks, everyone.

   5:10 P.M. EDT

The post Background Press Call by Senior Administration Officials on President Biden’s Historic Actions to Mark Earth Day appeared first on The White House.

If there is one word that defined David Pryor – and the essence of his character – it is integrity.
 
In serving the people of his beloved Arkansas as a State Representative, a U.S. Congressman, a Governor, and a Senator, David always kept his word. He never stopped fighting for working men and women, for the poor, for civil rights. And he was willing to reach across the aisle and do the right thing – even when it cost him politically.
 
David was my colleague in the Senate for 18 years, and he was my friend. His kindness was always on display: David would drag tables together in the Senate Dining Room to make sure Senators got to know one another on a personal level. Together, we worked to protect Americans from the epidemic of gun violence. David voted for the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, knowing he’d incur the NRA’s wrath – because it would save lives. David and I worked closely together to pass the Violence Against Women Act which David co-sponsored. As Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Aging, David fought for America’s seniors – standing up against elder abuse and improving nursing home care.
 
Our country is better off because David Pryor dedicated his life to public service. Today, Jill and I are praying for Barbara, David, Scott, former Senator Mark Pryor, and the extended Pryor family.

###
 

The post Statement from President Joe Biden on the Passing of Former U.S. Senator David Pryor appeared first on The White House.