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Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Social Security Totalization Agreement With Romania
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Madam President:)
Pursuant to section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Social Security Amendments of 1977 (Public Law 95-216, 42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)), I transmit herewith a social security totalization agreement with Romania, titled “Agreement on Social Security between the United States of America and Romania,” and the accompanying legally binding administrative arrangement, titled “Administrative Arrangement between the Competent Authorities of the United States of America and Romania for the Implementation of the Agreement on Social Security between the United States of America and Romania” (collectively the “Agreements”). The Agreements were signed at Bucharest on March 23, 2023.
The Agreements are similar in objective and content to the social security totalization agreements already in force with 30 countries. Such bilateral agreements provide for limited coordination between the United States and foreign social security systems to eliminate dual social security coverage and taxation and to help prevent the lost benefit protection that can occur when workers divide their careers between two countries.
The Agreements contain all provisions mandated by section 233 of the Social Security Act and, pursuant to section 233(c)(4), other provisions which I deem appropriate to carry out the purposes of section 233.
I also transmit for the information of the Congress a report required by section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act and prepared by the Social Security Administration on the estimated number of individuals who will be affected by the Agreements and the Agreements’ estimated cost effect. Also included are a summary of the main provisions and an annotated version of the Agreements with descriptions of each article. The Department of State and the Social Security Administration have recommended the Agreements to me.
I commend to the Congress the Agreement on Social Security between the United States of America and Romania and the Administrative Arrangement between the Competent Authorities of the United States of America and Romania for the Implementation of the Agreement on Social Security between the United States of America and Romania.
Sincerely,
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
The post Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Social Security Totalization Agreement With Romania appeared first on The White House.
Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Social Security Totalization Agreement With Romania
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Madam President:)
Pursuant to section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Social Security Amendments of 1977 (Public Law 95-216, 42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)), I transmit herewith a social security totalization agreement with Romania, titled “Agreement on Social Security between the United States of America and Romania,” and the accompanying legally binding administrative arrangement, titled “Administrative Arrangement between the Competent Authorities of the United States of America and Romania for the Implementation of the Agreement on Social Security between the United States of America and Romania” (collectively the “Agreements”). The Agreements were signed at Bucharest on March 23, 2023.
The Agreements are similar in objective and content to the social security totalization agreements already in force with 30 countries. Such bilateral agreements provide for limited coordination between the United States and foreign social security systems to eliminate dual social security coverage and taxation and to help prevent the lost benefit protection that can occur when workers divide their careers between two countries.
The Agreements contain all provisions mandated by section 233 of the Social Security Act and, pursuant to section 233(c)(4), other provisions which I deem appropriate to carry out the purposes of section 233.
I also transmit for the information of the Congress a report required by section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act and prepared by the Social Security Administration on the estimated number of individuals who will be affected by the Agreements and the Agreements’ estimated cost effect. Also included are a summary of the main provisions and an annotated version of the Agreements with descriptions of each article. The Department of State and the Social Security Administration have recommended the Agreements to me.
I commend to the Congress the Agreement on Social Security between the United States of America and Romania and the Administrative Arrangement between the Competent Authorities of the United States of America and Romania for the Implementation of the Agreement on Social Security between the United States of America and Romania.
Sincerely,
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
The post Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Social Security Totalization Agreement With Romania appeared first on The White House.
Readout of White House, Department of Agriculture, and Environmental Protection Agency Roundtable on Financing Climate Smart Agriculture
Today, the White House, Department of Agriculture, and Environmental Protection Agency convened a roundtable with key stakeholders from the farm credit and finance community to discuss how the Biden-Harris Administration can leverage its historic investments in climate smart agriculture to reduce emissions and store carbon at scale, while opening up new revenue streams for producers.
America’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters play critical role in our fight against climate change through the implementation of climate smart agriculture practices. The Administration has sought to accelerate the expansion of climate smart agricultural practices through the Investing in America agenda by investing in innovative and science-based financial assistance, local technical support, and understanding the business case for climate smart agriculture and forestry.
Participants discussed opportunities to reduce barriers to adoption of climate smart agricultural practices, as these tools must work for operations of all sizes and ensure equity in delivery. Administration officials and participants agreed that to address the climate crisis and build stronger rural economies, solutions should continue to be locally led, science based, and encourage innovation. The discussion also highlighted the role of efforts to improve outreach and education as well as financial and environmental measurement, verification, and reporting. Administration officials sought feedback on implementation of investments, efforts to scale up climate smart agriculture, and opportunities for stacking and aligning incentives.
The discussion emphasized the impact of historic investments from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and the importance of improved financing of agricultural practices, technologies, and systems that are part of the climate solution. Participants highlighted the need for aligned and patient capital to support the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices; and, discussed approaches to standardization and scaling of finance solutions. Administration officials closed the roundtable by underscoring the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to investing in farmers, ranchers, and forester and advancing climate smart solutions through a whole of society approach to tackling the climate crisis.
Attendees:
- Akiptan
- Climate United
- Compeer Financial
- Couser Cattle Company
- Environmental Defense Fund
- Farm Credit Council
- Farmer Mac
- Gradable
- Growers Edge
- National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
- Native Agriculture Financial Services
- Soil and Water Outcomes Fund
###
The post Readout of White House, Department of Agriculture, and Environmental Protection Agency Roundtable on Financing Climate Smart Agriculture appeared first on The White House.
Readout of White House, Department of Agriculture, and Environmental Protection Agency Roundtable on Financing Climate Smart Agriculture
Today, the White House, Department of Agriculture, and Environmental Protection Agency convened a roundtable with key stakeholders from the farm credit and finance community to discuss how the Biden-Harris Administration can leverage its historic investments in climate smart agriculture to reduce emissions and store carbon at scale, while opening up new revenue streams for producers.
America’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters play critical role in our fight against climate change through the implementation of climate smart agriculture practices. The Administration has sought to accelerate the expansion of climate smart agricultural practices through the Investing in America agenda by investing in innovative and science-based financial assistance, local technical support, and understanding the business case for climate smart agriculture and forestry.
Participants discussed opportunities to reduce barriers to adoption of climate smart agricultural practices, as these tools must work for operations of all sizes and ensure equity in delivery. Administration officials and participants agreed that to address the climate crisis and build stronger rural economies, solutions should continue to be locally led, science based, and encourage innovation. The discussion also highlighted the role of efforts to improve outreach and education as well as financial and environmental measurement, verification, and reporting. Administration officials sought feedback on implementation of investments, efforts to scale up climate smart agriculture, and opportunities for stacking and aligning incentives.
The discussion emphasized the impact of historic investments from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and the importance of improved financing of agricultural practices, technologies, and systems that are part of the climate solution. Participants highlighted the need for aligned and patient capital to support the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices; and, discussed approaches to standardization and scaling of finance solutions. Administration officials closed the roundtable by underscoring the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to investing in farmers, ranchers, and forester and advancing climate smart solutions through a whole of society approach to tackling the climate crisis.
Attendees:
- Akiptan
- Climate United
- Compeer Financial
- Couser Cattle Company
- Environmental Defense Fund
- Farm Credit Council
- Farmer Mac
- Gradable
- Growers Edge
- National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
- Native Agriculture Financial Services
- Soil and Water Outcomes Fund
###
The post Readout of White House, Department of Agriculture, and Environmental Protection Agency Roundtable on Financing Climate Smart Agriculture appeared first on The White House.
Readout of White House Roundtable on U.S. Leadership in AI Infrastructure
Today, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive strategy for responsible innovation, the White House convened leaders from hyperscalers, artificial intelligence (AI) companies, datacenter operators, and utility companies to discuss steps to ensure the United States continues to lead the world in AI. Participants considered strategies to meet clean energy, permitting, and workforce requirements for developing large-scale AI datacenters and power infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations in the United States.
At the roundtable, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and industry leaders committed to partnering closely to maintain American leadership in AI that will achieve shared national security, economic, and environmental goals. Developing and operating leading AI in the United States is vital for protecting national security and ensuring that AI systems are safe, secure, and trustworthy. Participants also discussed ways to create good paying jobs for workers, including roles for pipefitters and electrical workers, and keep energy costs low for consumers. The United States is the global leader in AI, and we are taking action to ensure future AI infrastructure creates jobs for American workers, and is built in the United States and powered by clean energy.
To accelerate public-private collaboration in advancing U.S. leadership in AI, the Administration is announcing several new actions following today’s convening:
- The White House is launching a new Task Force on AI Datacenter Infrastructure to coordinate policy across government. Led by the National Economic Council, National Security Council, and the White House Deputy Chief of Staff’s office, the interagency Task Force will provide streamlined coordination on policies to advance datacenter development operations in line with economic, national security, and environmental goals. The Task Force will work with AI infrastructure leaders to identify opportunities and work with agencies to ensure adequate resourcing, designate agency single points of contact, and properly prioritize AI datacenter development to reflect the importance of these projects to American national security and economic interests. Finally, the Task Force will build on recent work to identify existing authorities and areas where legislative action is needed to modify or strengthen federal authorities to support AI datacenter development.
- The Administration will scale up technical assistance to Federal, state, and local authorities handling datacenter permitting. The Permitting Council will work with AI datacenter developers to set comprehensive timelines for Federal agency action and will allocate funds to agencies that accelerate evaluations for FAST-41 covered clean energy projects that support datacenters.
- The Department of Energy (DOE) is creating an AI datacenter engagement team to leverage programs to support AI data center development. DOE has curated a suite of resources – including loans, grants, tax credits, and technical assistance – that can help datacenter owners and operators secure clean, reliable energy solutions. DOE is also planning a series of convenings with datacenter developers, clean energy solutions providers, grid operators, and other stakeholders to drive development of innovative solutions.
- The Department of Energy will continue to share resources on repurposing closed coal sites with datacenter developers. Retired and retiring coal sites provide a unique opportunity for redevelopment of energy infrastructure that can power new data centers. Existing land and facilities at the power plant site can be repurposed, such as electricity infrastructure for connections to the grid. Combining site features with financial incentives available from Federal or state and local authorities can make attractive opportunities for project developers.
- The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will identify Nationwide Permits that can help expedite the construction of eligible AI datacenters and share that information with AI datacenter developers to expedite critical projects.
- Industry leaders at today’s convening committed to enhance cooperation with policy makers and explore further solutions, through ongoing dialogue and collaboration.
- Hyperscalers at today’s convening reaffirmed their commitments to achieving net zero carbon emissions and to procuring clean energy to power their operations.
Each of these steps advances significant work already undertaken by the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure the United States leads the way in responsible AI innovation and development, including through President Biden’s landmark 2023 Executive Order on AI. These actions will enable datacenters catalyzing the industries of the future to be built here in the United States by American workers.
Participants in the convening included:
Industry:
Andres Gluski, President and CEO, AES
Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer, Alphabet
Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon
Dario Amodei, CEO, Anthropic
Michael Intrator, CEO, CoreWeave
Arshad Mansoor, President and CEO, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Calvin Butler, President and CEO, Exelon
Javier Olivan, Chief Operating Officer, Meta
Brad Smith, President and Vice Chairman, Microsoft
Jensen Huang, President and CEO, Nvidia
Sam Altman, CEO, OpenAI
Chad Williams, Chairman and CEO, Quality Technology Services (QTS)
Government:
Jeff Zients, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy
Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce
Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff
Lael Brainard, Assistant to the President and National Economic Advisor
Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy
Ali Zaidi, Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor
Kristine Lucius, Deputy Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President
Navtej Dhillon, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council
Neelesh Nerurkar, Senior Advisor for Energy and Climate, National Economic Council
Jack Groarke, Senior Policy Advisor, National Economic Council
Ben Buchanan, Special Advisor for Artificial Intelligence
Tarun Chhabra, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Technology and National Security
Benjamin Della Rocca, Director for Technology and National Security
Christopher Davis, Chief of Staff, Department of Energy
Carla Frisch, Acting Executive Director and Principal Deputy Director, Office of Policy, Department of Energy
Ted Dean, Counselor to the Secretary, Department of Commerce
###
The post Readout of White House Roundtable on U.S. Leadership in AI Infrastructure appeared first on The White House.
Readout of White House Roundtable on U.S. Leadership in AI Infrastructure
Today, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive strategy for responsible innovation, the White House convened leaders from hyperscalers, artificial intelligence (AI) companies, datacenter operators, and utility companies to discuss steps to ensure the United States continues to lead the world in AI. Participants considered strategies to meet clean energy, permitting, and workforce requirements for developing large-scale AI datacenters and power infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations in the United States.
At the roundtable, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and industry leaders committed to partnering closely to maintain American leadership in AI that will achieve shared national security, economic, and environmental goals. Developing and operating leading AI in the United States is vital for protecting national security and ensuring that AI systems are safe, secure, and trustworthy. Participants also discussed ways to create good paying jobs for workers, including roles for pipefitters and electrical workers, and keep energy costs low for consumers. The United States is the global leader in AI, and we are taking action to ensure future AI infrastructure creates jobs for American workers, and is built in the United States and powered by clean energy.
To accelerate public-private collaboration in advancing U.S. leadership in AI, the Administration is announcing several new actions following today’s convening:
- The White House is launching a new Task Force on AI Datacenter Infrastructure to coordinate policy across government. Led by the National Economic Council, National Security Council, and the White House Deputy Chief of Staff’s office, the interagency Task Force will provide streamlined coordination on policies to advance datacenter development operations in line with economic, national security, and environmental goals. The Task Force will work with AI infrastructure leaders to identify opportunities and work with agencies to ensure adequate resourcing, designate agency single points of contact, and properly prioritize AI datacenter development to reflect the importance of these projects to American national security and economic interests. Finally, the Task Force will build on recent work to identify existing authorities and areas where legislative action is needed to modify or strengthen federal authorities to support AI datacenter development.
- The Administration will scale up technical assistance to Federal, state, and local authorities handling datacenter permitting. The Permitting Council will work with AI datacenter developers to set comprehensive timelines for Federal agency action and will allocate funds to agencies that accelerate evaluations for FAST-41 covered clean energy projects that support datacenters.
- The Department of Energy (DOE) is creating an AI datacenter engagement team to leverage programs to support AI data center development. DOE has curated a suite of resources – including loans, grants, tax credits, and technical assistance – that can help datacenter owners and operators secure clean, reliable energy solutions. DOE is also planning a series of convenings with datacenter developers, clean energy solutions providers, grid operators, and other stakeholders to drive development of innovative solutions.
- The Department of Energy will continue to share resources on repurposing closed coal sites with datacenter developers. Retired and retiring coal sites provide a unique opportunity for redevelopment of energy infrastructure that can power new data centers. Existing land and facilities at the power plant site can be repurposed, such as electricity infrastructure for connections to the grid. Combining site features with financial incentives available from Federal or state and local authorities can make attractive opportunities for project developers.
- The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will identify Nationwide Permits that can help expedite the construction of eligible AI datacenters and share that information with AI datacenter developers to expedite critical projects.
- Industry leaders at today’s convening committed to enhance cooperation with policy makers and explore further solutions, through ongoing dialogue and collaboration.
- Hyperscalers at today’s convening reaffirmed their commitments to achieving net zero carbon emissions and to procuring clean energy to power their operations.
Each of these steps advances significant work already undertaken by the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure the United States leads the way in responsible AI innovation and development, including through President Biden’s landmark 2023 Executive Order on AI. These actions will enable datacenters catalyzing the industries of the future to be built here in the United States by American workers.
Participants in the convening included:
Industry:
Andres Gluski, President and CEO, AES
Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer, Alphabet
Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon
Dario Amodei, CEO, Anthropic
Michael Intrator, CEO, CoreWeave
Arshad Mansoor, President and CEO, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Calvin Butler, President and CEO, Exelon
Javier Olivan, Chief Operating Officer, Meta
Brad Smith, President and Vice Chairman, Microsoft
Jensen Huang, President and CEO, Nvidia
Sam Altman, CEO, OpenAI
Chad Williams, Chairman and CEO, Quality Technology Services (QTS)
Government:
Jeff Zients, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy
Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce
Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff
Lael Brainard, Assistant to the President and National Economic Advisor
Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy
Ali Zaidi, Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor
Kristine Lucius, Deputy Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President
Navtej Dhillon, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council
Neelesh Nerurkar, Senior Advisor for Energy and Climate, National Economic Council
Jack Groarke, Senior Policy Advisor, National Economic Council
Ben Buchanan, Special Advisor for Artificial Intelligence
Tarun Chhabra, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Technology and National Security
Benjamin Della Rocca, Director for Technology and National Security
Christopher Davis, Chief of Staff, Department of Energy
Carla Frisch, Acting Executive Director and Principal Deputy Director, Office of Policy, Department of Energy
Ted Dean, Counselor to the Secretary, Department of Commerce
###
The post Readout of White House Roundtable on U.S. Leadership in AI Infrastructure appeared first on The White House.
Proclamation on the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act
Tomorrow, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which has transformed our Nation’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking while also providing communities with the tools necessary to support survivors and save lives. I was proud to write VAWA and champion it three decades ago, and I am even prouder to honor its lasting legacy today.
Before VAWA, our country did not talk about violence against women as a national epidemic or an issue the Government had to address. As a society, we often overlooked domestic violence — calling it a family matter, not a crime. Too few police officers were trained on how to properly respond to domestic violence, and there were not enough places for survivors to go for the help they needed or the justice they deserved. There was no national hotline, and many survivors’ stories went untold.
That is why, as a United States Senator, I worked closely with brave and committed survivors and advocates to write VAWA ‑- and with the incredible efforts of activists and women’s rights leaders, we got it passed. Courageous survivors spoke out about the abuse they had endured, bringing this hidden epidemic out of the shadows and changing the way America saw this issue. VAWA was a game changer. We began to increase justice for survivors and accountability for perpetrators. And we finally acknowledged ending gender-based violence as a shared priority for the Nation and turned to developing the coordinated response that survivors need and deserve.
Beginning in 1994, VAWA has delivered critical resources and support to help survivors of gender-based violence. Shelters, rape crisis centers, housing, and legal assistance were made available, and funding was provided to train law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates, and judges to improve our justice system’s response to survivors. We also created the first-ever National Domestic Violence Hotline, which has provided millions of people with lifesaving, confidential support and this year answered its seven millionth call.
I have worked across the aisle to reauthorize VAWA four times since its initial signing, each time making this critical law even stronger. We strengthened protections against stalking, dating violence, trafficking, and sexual assault, expanded access to justice for Tribal communities, and improved services for immigrant, older adult, and LGBTQI+ survivors, among other underserved communities. As President, I signed the most recent reauthorization of VAWA in 2022, and secured the highest-ever funding level for VAWA implementation. We provided support for survivors and invested in prevention efforts and educational programs so that we can put a stop to violence and abuse before it occurs. And we established a new Federal civil cause of action for individuals whose intimate visual images are disclosed without their consent.
My Administration has prioritized putting an end to gender-based violence even beyond VAWA. I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly three decades, which narrowed the “boyfriend loophole” to help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. And I established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. We put in place new protections to support survivors and address sexual assault and sexual harassment in the workplace and released the first-ever National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, an all-of-government approach to preventing and addressing all forms of gender-based violence. And through the American Rescue Plan, we have invested $1 billion in supplemental funding for rape crisis centers, community support organizations, and other services for gender-based violence survivors.
We have led historic, bipartisan military justice reforms to ensure that prosecutorial decisions in cases of gender-based violence are fully independent from the chain of command and better protect survivors in our military. My Administration has restored and strengthened vital protections under Title IX to help keep students and employees safe from sexual assault and harassment on campus. And Vice President Kamala Harris and I launched a Federal task force that has taken concrete steps toward prevention, accountability for perpetrators, research, and support for survivors of online harassment and abuse, including launching the first 24/7 national helpline for survivors of image-based abuse.
When I presented VAWA to the Senate all those years ago, I envisioned a world where every woman could live free from fear, free from violence, and free from abuse. We have made tremendous strides toward achieving this vision, but there is still much more to do. On this milestone anniversary, let us recommit to creating a society that is truly safe and where we all agree that even one case of gender-based violence is too many. And let us honor the survivors and advocates, whose powerful voices and tireless dedication have changed our world for the better.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 13, 2024, as the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act. I call upon each of us to change the culture of violence against women and provide meaningful support to all survivors. Together, we can transform the country and build a Nation where all people live free of violence and abuse.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
The post Proclamation on the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act appeared first on The White House.
Proclamation on the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act
Tomorrow, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which has transformed our Nation’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking while also providing communities with the tools necessary to support survivors and save lives. I was proud to write VAWA and champion it three decades ago, and I am even prouder to honor its lasting legacy today.
Before VAWA, our country did not talk about violence against women as a national epidemic or an issue the Government had to address. As a society, we often overlooked domestic violence — calling it a family matter, not a crime. Too few police officers were trained on how to properly respond to domestic violence, and there were not enough places for survivors to go for the help they needed or the justice they deserved. There was no national hotline, and many survivors’ stories went untold.
That is why, as a United States Senator, I worked closely with brave and committed survivors and advocates to write VAWA ‑- and with the incredible efforts of activists and women’s rights leaders, we got it passed. Courageous survivors spoke out about the abuse they had endured, bringing this hidden epidemic out of the shadows and changing the way America saw this issue. VAWA was a game changer. We began to increase justice for survivors and accountability for perpetrators. And we finally acknowledged ending gender-based violence as a shared priority for the Nation and turned to developing the coordinated response that survivors need and deserve.
Beginning in 1994, VAWA has delivered critical resources and support to help survivors of gender-based violence. Shelters, rape crisis centers, housing, and legal assistance were made available, and funding was provided to train law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates, and judges to improve our justice system’s response to survivors. We also created the first-ever National Domestic Violence Hotline, which has provided millions of people with lifesaving, confidential support and this year answered its seven millionth call.
I have worked across the aisle to reauthorize VAWA four times since its initial signing, each time making this critical law even stronger. We strengthened protections against stalking, dating violence, trafficking, and sexual assault, expanded access to justice for Tribal communities, and improved services for immigrant, older adult, and LGBTQI+ survivors, among other underserved communities. As President, I signed the most recent reauthorization of VAWA in 2022, and secured the highest-ever funding level for VAWA implementation. We provided support for survivors and invested in prevention efforts and educational programs so that we can put a stop to violence and abuse before it occurs. And we established a new Federal civil cause of action for individuals whose intimate visual images are disclosed without their consent.
My Administration has prioritized putting an end to gender-based violence even beyond VAWA. I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly three decades, which narrowed the “boyfriend loophole” to help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. And I established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. We put in place new protections to support survivors and address sexual assault and sexual harassment in the workplace and released the first-ever National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, an all-of-government approach to preventing and addressing all forms of gender-based violence. And through the American Rescue Plan, we have invested $1 billion in supplemental funding for rape crisis centers, community support organizations, and other services for gender-based violence survivors.
We have led historic, bipartisan military justice reforms to ensure that prosecutorial decisions in cases of gender-based violence are fully independent from the chain of command and better protect survivors in our military. My Administration has restored and strengthened vital protections under Title IX to help keep students and employees safe from sexual assault and harassment on campus. And Vice President Kamala Harris and I launched a Federal task force that has taken concrete steps toward prevention, accountability for perpetrators, research, and support for survivors of online harassment and abuse, including launching the first 24/7 national helpline for survivors of image-based abuse.
When I presented VAWA to the Senate all those years ago, I envisioned a world where every woman could live free from fear, free from violence, and free from abuse. We have made tremendous strides toward achieving this vision, but there is still much more to do. On this milestone anniversary, let us recommit to creating a society that is truly safe and where we all agree that even one case of gender-based violence is too many. And let us honor the survivors and advocates, whose powerful voices and tireless dedication have changed our world for the better.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 13, 2024, as the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act. I call upon each of us to change the culture of violence against women and provide meaningful support to all survivors. Together, we can transform the country and build a Nation where all people live free of violence and abuse.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
The post Proclamation on the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act appeared first on The White House.
Statement by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the 2024 Quad Leaders Summit
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will host the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday, September 21. The President looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan.
This will be President Biden’s first time hosting foreign leaders in Wilmington as president—a reflection of his deep personal relationships with each of the Quad Leaders, and the importance of the Quad to all of our countries.
The Biden-Harris Administration has made elevating and institutionalizing the Quad a top priority, from the first-ever Quad Leaders Summit at the White House in 2021, to annual Summits since then. In recent years, Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times, and Quad governments continue to meet and coordinate at all levels.
The Quad Leaders Summit will focus on bolstering the strategic convergence among our countries, advancing our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and delivering concrete benefits for partners in the Indo-Pacific in key areas. These include health security, natural disaster response, maritime security, high-quality infrastructure, critical and emerging technology, climate and clean energy, and cybersecurity.
The next Quad Summit will be hosted by India.
###
The post Statement by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the 2024 Quad Leaders Summit appeared first on The White House.
Statement by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the 2024 Quad Leaders Summit
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will host the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday, September 21. The President looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan.
This will be President Biden’s first time hosting foreign leaders in Wilmington as president—a reflection of his deep personal relationships with each of the Quad Leaders, and the importance of the Quad to all of our countries.
The Biden-Harris Administration has made elevating and institutionalizing the Quad a top priority, from the first-ever Quad Leaders Summit at the White House in 2021, to annual Summits since then. In recent years, Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times, and Quad governments continue to meet and coordinate at all levels.
The Quad Leaders Summit will focus on bolstering the strategic convergence among our countries, advancing our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and delivering concrete benefits for partners in the Indo-Pacific in key areas. These include health security, natural disaster response, maritime security, high-quality infrastructure, critical and emerging technology, climate and clean energy, and cybersecurity.
The next Quad Summit will be hosted by India.
###
The post Statement by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the 2024 Quad Leaders Summit appeared first on The White House.
On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby
Via Teleconference
10:08 A.M. EDT
MODERATOR: Hey, everyone. Thanks for joining. Kirby has a few words here at the top, and then we’ll get through as many questions as we can. Thanks.
MR. KIRBY: Good morning, everybody.
As you all know, the Biden administration has repeatedly warned of the deepening security partnership between Russia and Iran since the outset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
One specific threat we have consistently exposed and warned about is the potential transfer of Iranian missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine. Secretary Blinken mentioned this morning. Here’s the current state of play. I just want to rehash it for you:
As has been reported recently, dozens of Russian military personnel have been trained in Iran to use the Fateh 360 close-range ballistic missile system. Russia has received these shipments of Iranian Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles and will probably employ them within weeks against Ukraine, which will, of course, lead to the deaths of even more Ukrainian civilians, particularly because of the way they use ballistic missiles against civilian infrastructure.
Moscow possesses an array of its own ballistic missiles, of course, but the supply of these Iranian missiles, which have a maximum range of about 75 miles, could allow Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets beyond the front line, while employing Iranian warheads for closer-range targets. This is obviously deeply concerning, and it certainly speaks to the manner in which this partnership threatens European security and how it illustrates Iran’s destabilizing influence now reaches well beyond the Middle East.
Russia’s support for Iran is destabilizing as well, as Moscow is sharing technology that Iran needs, including on nuclear issues. And, of course, we know that Russia also shares some space information with Iran. And we’ve been working with our allies to ensure that there is a significant consequence to this action.
Later today, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany will announce their intent to suspend certain lucrative commercial ties with Iran and their state-owned business. We will supplement their rea- — I’m sorry — we will supplement their action with our own sanctions that the Department of Treasury and the Department of State will be announcing later this morning, including additional measures against Iran Air. And we expect allies and partners will be announcing their own measures against Iran as well.
But this is a clear message from the E3 and the United States that if Iran continues to support the war in Ukraine, there will be significant economic costs.
The new Iranian president and the foreign minister have repeatedly claimed that they want to engage with Europe and garner sanctions relief. Destabilizing actions like this just fly in the face of that rhetoric and ultimately hurt their own economy.
With that, I can take some questions.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our first question will go to Trevor with Reuters.
Q Hey, thanks for doing this. Could you talk a little bit more about possible targets for sanctions, and, you know, also this kind of idea about threats to European security? You know, there’s obviously Ukraine, but broader than that, what do you see as kind of the risks to Europe right now?
MR. KIRBY: Look, these are close-range ballistic missiles, again, with a range of about 75 miles, so they don’t have a huge range. And we fully expect that Putin will use them, again, inside Ukraine. But we’ve also seen — I got asked about it yesterday, you know — drone and missile fragments falling outside of Ukraine. And you just never know in terms of the potential for miscalculations, for poor accuracy, for the effect on outside of Ukraine. So that’s a concern.
But the larger concern — and I tried to hint at this in the opening comments — is that both Iran and Russia get better because of this partnership. They share technology. They share tactics and procedures. They share intelligence. They share geostrategic ways to better cooperate.
And when you have two destabilizing actors like this getting closer and reinforcing one another in terms of their — what they believe they need to do militarily, that does increase the level of danger. Russia will get — has already benefited from the provision of drones by Iran. They’ll benefit more from this ballistic missile technology. And I think we can all agree, or at least I think we all should agree, that a Russian military that has more capability available to it, to kill innocent Ukrainians, is unsafe for all of us, certainly for our European partners.
And the same is true in the Middle East, Trevor, when you have Iran, that already has a growing and increasingly effective ballistic missile capability, is now available to — they can avail themselves of Russian technology to improve their capabilities. That, too, is dangerous in the Middle East.
So it’s dangerous on both ends of this, not just to Europe, but to the Middle East. And that’s why we’re issuing the sanctions that we’re issuing today.
As for additional details, I’d have to refer you to the Treasury Department on that. I don’t have anything more outside of the announcement of the sanctions to speak to today.
I would also say — and, obviously, you know we don’t pre-announce anything in the future — but we’ll continue to monitor this. And if we feel additional actions, including additional sanctions, are warranted, well, you know, we’ll take action in that regard as well.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Aamer with the AP.
Q Hi. Thank you both. How many short-range ballistic missiles did Iran transfer? And why did Iran move forward with it now? As you pointed out, you guys have been warning about this and concerned about this for months and months now.
And then, separately, does the administration want to see an independent investigation into the death of the young U.S. Turkish citizen in the West Bank?
And then finally, I just wanted to ask if you had any reaction to that House Republican report on the Afghanistan withdrawal, particularly the suggestion that the White House and NSC was resistant to taking input from agencies and outside. Thanks.
MR. KIRBY: Hey. There’s a lot there. I don’t have the number of missiles for you, Aamer. I really don’t have information to go beyond the downgraded intelligence that Secretary Blinken announced this morning. But we know these missiles have been delivered. But that’s really as far as I’m going to be able to go right now.
On the death of Ms. Eygi: You’ve heard us talk about this. You certainly, I hope, heard Secretary Blinken’s comments in London earlier today. We continue to mourn and grieve with the Eygi family about what happened here. And we note that the Israeli Defense Forces have completed their preliminary investigation in which they found they were at fault. And we also note that they have called for now a criminal investigation to pick up where they left off and move forward.
So we’re going to be watching that very, very closely. We know that’s an unusual step for the IDF. That’s not something that they do typically. So, again, it’s noteworthy. We’ll continue to watch where it goes and stay in touch with Israeli leaders as that moves forward, because obviously this is just a tragic, tragic outcome, and as Secretary Blinken said, it should not occur for an innocent bystander to be killed in a protest.
So, again, very, very deeply concerning to us, and we’ll be watching this investigation very closely.
I don’t have anything beyond that to speak to in terms of whether there should be something independent. I think we’re going to want to see where it goes now in terms of the criminal investigation and what they find, and if and how anyone is held accountable, before we move beyond that.
Q On Iran — why now? After months of worrying that this could happen, why do you believe it happened now? Why did they make the decision to move forward?
MR. KIRBY: I wish I could get inside the head of the Supreme Leader here and figure out why he’s doing what he’s doing. I can’t do that. All I can tell you is that this is something that we had warned about for months, publicly said we were concerned about the possible tren- — transfer of ballistic missiles and ballistic missile technology and expertise to Russia.
We made that — we downgraded that and put that out in the public, and we’ve been watching it ever since. And now we have seen, in fact, this deal get consummated, and so we’re making that public and doing something about it.
But as for the exact timing, it’s difficult for us to know how they executed on this particular timeline. The timeline is — and I’m not at all picking on your question, Aamer. It’s a fair — absolutely fair question. But the timeline itself is not the most relevant piece. What’s most relevant is that now Russia will have available to it additional ballistic missiles to rain down on the Ukrainian people and Ukrainian infrastructure. And that’s exactly how this guy is going to use these things now.
I mean, I’m not saying he’s not going to target military units; he might do that. But what he has been known for doing in the past is using ballistic missiles, because they’re incredibly fast, to hit civilian targets with obviously little or no notice.
And that’s why it’s so important for us to continue to do what we have to do to improve Ukrainian air defenses. And you saw in the last drawdown package of $250 million, there was additional air defense in there. Secretary Austin just met with the Contact Group last week in Germany, working hard to get additional air defense, like additional Patriot systems, to Ukraine to help them with this exact threat.
So while we wa- — while we monitored this deal as it formed, we also did and we’ll continue to do everything we can to help Ukraine defend against it.
From the President on down, the NSC, led by Mr. Sullivan, ran a very robust and thorough policy process. And I can tell you, without question, it reflected the input of all the departments and relevant agencies across the government, including military commanders in Kabul, as well as State Department diplomats in Kabul. They were wrapped up into that process and participated.
In fact, throughout the whole spring and summer of ’21, the NSC convened dozens of high-level planning meetings for the withdrawal, including senior leaders, again, from across the government. They coordinated formal rehearsals of the withdrawal and convened tabletop exercises for the interagency — exercises that explored all kinds of different scenarios, including the potential evacuation, not only of diplomats and military personnel, but of civilians.
And of course, there was — there were preps put in place to make sure that we could deal with a rapid deterioration of the security situation. That’s why Secretary Austin pre-positioned military assets in the region, nearby, for that very eventuality. That all came out of these tabletop exercises and drills that we conducted in that spring.
In fact, just to foot-stomp it even more, even before the President made his final decision about whether to leave Afghanistan, that planning for those kinds of eventualities began in March, before the President made his decision. And again, it included the top leaders across the government. And that planning included, again, withdrawal planning and an account for a full range of contingencies.
I would add one more point here, if you’ll allow me.
Throughout that entire time, the NSC solicited input, again, from key officials across the government and on the ground in Kabul, including military commanders with whom NSC leaders spoke personally multiple times, to ensure that we fully understood their views.
So, again, an awful lot of effort across the interagency and early on. And this idea that it was reckless and rushed and not inclusive of an interagency process is just bogus.
Thanks for the opportunity.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Barak with Axios.
Q Hi. Thank you for this. Kirby, Secretary of State Blinken said again today that the U.S. will present, he said, “in the coming time, very soon,” a new bridging proposal for the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. And at least what I hear from White House officials is a different message that says there’s nothing imminent, that there’s no new proposal that is ready to be presented, and it seems that there’s some sort of a contradictory message coming out from different parts of the administration.
So, I’m a bit confused, so if you can explain what’s going on.
MR. KIRBY: Thanks, Barak. I — it won’t surprise you, but I’m going to say exactly today what I’ve been saying in the last few days: We still have a shoulder to the wheel, and we’re still trying to arrive at a proposal — bridging proposal, if you will — that will get this thing to conclusion and get both sides to agree and get us started into phase one. We are still working at that diligently.
Now, we’re not doing it in the case of, you know, formal negotiation talks at this point. They ended without effect, of course, but the conversations are continuing.
What’s not clear to us, certainly in the wake of the execution of those six hostages, is whether we’re going to be able to get there. What’s not clear to us is whether Hamas will ever be able to come to the table in sincerity and sign on to something. And so, that’s the complicating factor here. It doesn’t mean that the work is not continuing. It is. Secretary Blinken is right; we’re still working on this.
But I just have to say: All that work has been made much more difficult by the events of last weekend and — or the weekend prior to last weekend.
Q But do you agree with what he said, that “in the coming time, very soon,” you will present a proposal? Because he said it also last Thursday, I think, or last Friday. And CIA Director Burns said the same thing on Saturday. But, again, it seems that the White House is in a different place. So are you or aren’t you planning to present something in the next few days?
MR. KIRBY: (Inaudible) — give you a prediction of the day it’s going to happen or what it’s going to look like. I can tell you that we’re still committed to trying to put something forward.
If I could, before you go to the next question — on Trevor’s question about sanctions, I did get some additional information. I just wanted to pass on that in addition to the Iran Air actions that I did mention we and our allies are taking — that those actions were taken — we’re going to be designating individuals and entities in Iran and Russia that are involved in the actual delivery of weapons components and weapons systems, including UAVs and, again, these close-range ballistic missiles.
So I apologize for my incomplete answer to Trevor, but I wanted to go ahead and flesh that out.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Alex with CNN.
Q Thanks, guys. John, just following up a little bit on Barak and what you said yesterday in terms of Hamas changing the terms of the deal: Is that — did they do it implicitly because, of the six hostages, there were three of whom were going to come out in the first phase and, therefore, the deal necessarily changes? Or did you actually get new terms, new demands, like more prisoners from Hamas, in the wake of the execution of those six prisoners? How did it change?
MR. KIRBY: My understanding is it was new demands.
Q They wanted additional Palestinian prisoners?
MR. KIRBY: I’m just going to go as far as saying it was new demands put forward by Hamas.
Q So after the six were executed, you then received new terms to be put into a new agreement?
MR. KIRBY: That is correct.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Kellie with NewsNation.
Q Hey, John. Thanks for taking my question. I just have two here. The first one: Just wanted to ask you about these claims that some Republicans are repeating, including Vance this morning, that Haitian migrants are eating cats and ducks in Ohio. Officials are saying there’s no evidence. Just how dangerous are these kind of comments?
MR. KIRBY: Well, yeah, as you rightly said, the Springfield Police Department actually did, in fact, push back on this absolute nonsense to say it’s not happening.
And what’s deeply concerning to us is you’ve got now elected officials in the Republican Party pushing, you know, yet another conspiracy theory that’s just seeking to divide people based on lies and, let’s be honest, based on an element of racism.
I think all Americans should expect more and better from the people that they’re electing to represent them. And I think what we need to have is, instead of complete BS being pushed out there, is a more meaningful discussion about how we can develop legal pathways for people to come into this country and fair opportunities for them if they come in legally. And that’s what we’re focused on.
It’s dangerous. This kind of language — this kind of disinformation is dangerous because there will be people that believe it no matter how ludicrous and stupid it is, and they might act on that kind of information and act on it in a way where somebody could get hurt. So, it needs to stop.
Q Thank you. And then, just really quickly, if I could ask you: Just — you know, with the debate happening tonight, we’re moving towards the election, can you speak to if and how preparations are being made for — within the NSC for a transition?
MR. KIRBY: You know, look, I’m not going to get into discussions about the politics of it, but, clearly, we all know that no matter how the American people vote in November, there’s going to be a transition to a new administration here come January. And so, as you would expect, it’s a little early, but it’s actually not that early for us to begin to start thinking through what that transition looks like and developing plans and preparations so that the next administration, whoever that might be, has available to it the information, the context, the history of the decisions that we’ve made, why we’ve made them, how we’ve made them, and that they can avail themselves of all that information and corporate knowledge as they come in.
So those plans are — I’m sorry — those preparations are in swing, as you would expect them to be. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, obviously, and still some time to do that, to have all those preparations complete.
At the same time, we’re laser-focused on continuing to execute on the national security interests, prerogatives, and priorities of this administration. And you will continue to see us do that every day, all the way up until the 20th of January, and you will continue to see the President, as Commander-in-Chief, lead those efforts.
And so, I expect you’ll also see quite a bit of activity on advancing our national security interests in this administration over the next four months as well.
Q Are you preparing for the possibility of the other, potentially, one candidate not accepting the results? And then, you know, how do you — and not accepting that this is — you know, that the security — you know, just how they’re going to go forward with the national security if one person doesn’t accept?
MR. KIRBY: I’m not going to get into hypotheticals, and that wouldn’t be a place for the NSC to comment anyway, one way or the other.
Look, there’s an election coming up in November. Somebody is going to win, and that person is going to be the head of the new administration. And we, here at the National Security Council, take seriously our obligations to make sure that whoever that is and whoever their team is, that they — when they fall in, they fall in on as much context and information that we can provide them to make their decision-making easier. That’s what we’re focused on.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Lara with the Wall Street Journal.
Q Hello. Can you hear me?
MODERATOR: We can. Yep.
Q Great. I have two questions. One on Ukraine. With Secretary Blinken in Kyiv this week, are there any new efforts by the administration to encourage Ukraine to the negotiating table? Is now the time for negotiations with Putin?
And then secondly, on Afghanistan — and, Kirby, I know you were at the Pentagon during that time, I believe — how involved was the Vice President in the Afghanistan withdrawal discussions? Can you talk a little bit about her role there? Thank you.
MR. KIRBY: So on your first question, Lara, Secretary Blinken is looking forward to getting into Kyiv to get an update from President Zelenskyy and his team about what’s going on on the battlefield; to certainly talk to them about the kinds of capabilities they’re going to need for battlefield success in the coming weeks and months as winter approaches; to reaffirm America’s support for their efforts to defend themselves and to claim back and claw back territory that the Russians have taken, particularly in the northeast part of the country. And I think, as you would expect, he’ll also talk to them about moving President Zelenskyy’s just peace proposal forward and doing what we can to support that.
He will make it clear, as we have been consistently saying, that it’s going to be up to President Zelenskyy, if and when he wants to negotiate an end to this war. Certainly, a negotiated end is the most likely outcome here. But when that happens, and under what conditions and circumstances, that’s going to be up to President Zelenskyy. And the point that Secretary Blinken will make is that we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that he, if and when he’s ready to make that decision, that he does so from the best possible position.
And so, that’s what this trip is really about. It’s not an arm twisting. It’s about learning, it’s about listening, and it’s about making sure that the Ukrainians know that we’re going to continue to do what we can to support them and, again, put them in the best possible position to negotiate if and when they’re ready.
On your second question: As the Vice President, she was involved in participating in all — and still does — in all major foreign policy decisions of the administration, and that includes the decision to leave Afghanistan, and interagency discussions that I just was talking about earlier on the withdrawal and the execution. She’s the Vice President of the United States, so she was absolutely a participant in all those discussions. So, I’d leave it there.
Q Just on — just a follow-up on Ukraine. Is Secretary Blinken expecting to be briefed on this victory plan that we’ve heard about? And do you or any other NSC officials have any details about it?
MR. KIRBY: You’d have to talk to Ukrainians about what they want to bring up with Secretary Blinken specifically. That’s going to be up to them if they have a, quote, unquote, “victory plan” that they want to talk to them about. I don’t know for sure whether that itself will come up.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Gabe with NBC.
Gabe, you’re on mute. You’re unmuting yourself and then muting yourself. You’re on mute. Now you’re on mute.
Okay, we’re going to — we’re going to move on and try back to you later.
We’re going to now go to Asma with NPR.
Q Hey. Thanks for doing this. I have two quick questions. One is on the sanctions around Iranian Air. John, can you spell out what that means? I’m a little confused, because my understanding is the U.S. doesn’t have flights to Iran. Are you talking about coordination of flights being stopped to European cities? If you could just spell that out.
And then, secondly, on the young woman who was killed in the West Bank, can you also clarify for me why — I know you said that, at this point, there’s not plans for a U.S. or independent investigation. Can you help us understand why you do not believe that that is necessary?
MR. KIRBY: Yeah, so let me take your second one first.
What I said was we’re going to watch and see what their now criminal investigation says before we make any determinations one way or another. So, I think we believe that it’s noteworthy that they’ve moved now from a purely military investigation to a criminal investigation. And we believe it’s prudent to let that investigation run its course and see where it goes before we make any follow-on decisions.
I didn’t say absolutely no call for an independent investigation. It’s just that we don’t believe that there’s a need to call for that at this moment. We want to see how this criminal investigation goes forward.
And on the Iran Air, and I’m sorry if I wasn’t more clear about that, but this is basically about the UK and E3 partners canceling bilateral arrangements with Iran and those — canceling those bilateral arrangements, which will restrict Iran Air and their services into the UK and into Europe. So it’s about restricting their movement into (inaudible).
Q So, flights. So, commercial flights, (inaudible).
MR. KIRBY: And we are sanctioning them as well.
Q Got it. Okay. So — sorry, commercial flights would be stopped, you’re saying, between — on this airline — between some European cities and Iran. Is that what you’re saying?
MR. KIRBY: That is my understanding, yes.
Q Okay. And when you say that the U.S. is also sanctioning, what does that mean?
MR. KIRBY: It’s — you know, I’d have to refer you to the Treasury Department for more specifics. But we are sanctioning Iran Air as well.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Rafael with La Nación.
Q Thank you very much for taking my question. John, you said yesterday at the briefing, when asked about Venezuela, that you are constantly looking at options going forward, depending on the decisions that Maduro makes. Does this mean that you’re holding back on any new sanctions, waiting to see if there’s a new move by the Maduro regime? Are there any — are you waiting to see the results of the negotiations between regional governments and the Maduro regime?
MR. KIRBY: What we’re waiting to see is whether Mr. Maduro is going to do the right thing and release the election data to the public so that the Venezuelan people can see the degree to which their will was actually met. That’s what we’re waiting to see. But — and we want to see it now.
What I’m — I’m not — this isn’t about holding anything back. We actually have issued sanctions on the Maduro government, and we won’t be bashful about doing it in the future if we feel we need to do it. But what needs to happen right now is Mr. Maduro needs to do the right thing, stop intimidating and falsely charging his opponents, and release the election data.
Q What makes you think that there’s going to be a change in attitude from the Maduro regime or that, you know, the talks between Maduro and Brazil, Colombia, Mexico are going to yield results, you know, towards a democratic transition?
MR. KIRBY: (Inaudible.) And again, the sanctions that we’ve issued, and whatever potential sanctions might be coming, will be done in accordance with our national interests, and they’ll be appropriately calibrated.
MODERATOR: Thank you. We’ll try again to go to Gabe with NBC.
Q Hey, this is Gabe’s producer here. Gabe went to the event. I just wanted to see if we could get any confirmation on these reports that the Quad Summit was going to be held in Wilmington this year, and any information on why it would not be in India.
MR. KIRBY: I don’t have anything with respect to this — a potential meeting to talk about today. Nothing to announce.
MODERATOR: Thank you. And that is all the time we have today. As always, if we weren’t able to get to you, reach out to the distro and we’ll try to get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you.
10:41 A.M. EDT
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On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby
Via Teleconference
10:08 A.M. EDT
MODERATOR: Hey, everyone. Thanks for joining. Kirby has a few words here at the top, and then we’ll get through as many questions as we can. Thanks.
MR. KIRBY: Good morning, everybody.
As you all know, the Biden administration has repeatedly warned of the deepening security partnership between Russia and Iran since the outset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
One specific threat we have consistently exposed and warned about is the potential transfer of Iranian missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine. Secretary Blinken mentioned this morning. Here’s the current state of play. I just want to rehash it for you:
As has been reported recently, dozens of Russian military personnel have been trained in Iran to use the Fateh 360 close-range ballistic missile system. Russia has received these shipments of Iranian Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles and will probably employ them within weeks against Ukraine, which will, of course, lead to the deaths of even more Ukrainian civilians, particularly because of the way they use ballistic missiles against civilian infrastructure.
Moscow possesses an array of its own ballistic missiles, of course, but the supply of these Iranian missiles, which have a maximum range of about 75 miles, could allow Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets beyond the front line, while employing Iranian warheads for closer-range targets. This is obviously deeply concerning, and it certainly speaks to the manner in which this partnership threatens European security and how it illustrates Iran’s destabilizing influence now reaches well beyond the Middle East.
Russia’s support for Iran is destabilizing as well, as Moscow is sharing technology that Iran needs, including on nuclear issues. And, of course, we know that Russia also shares some space information with Iran. And we’ve been working with our allies to ensure that there is a significant consequence to this action.
Later today, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany will announce their intent to suspend certain lucrative commercial ties with Iran and their state-owned business. We will supplement their rea- — I’m sorry — we will supplement their action with our own sanctions that the Department of Treasury and the Department of State will be announcing later this morning, including additional measures against Iran Air. And we expect allies and partners will be announcing their own measures against Iran as well.
But this is a clear message from the E3 and the United States that if Iran continues to support the war in Ukraine, there will be significant economic costs.
The new Iranian president and the foreign minister have repeatedly claimed that they want to engage with Europe and garner sanctions relief. Destabilizing actions like this just fly in the face of that rhetoric and ultimately hurt their own economy.
With that, I can take some questions.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our first question will go to Trevor with Reuters.
Q Hey, thanks for doing this. Could you talk a little bit more about possible targets for sanctions, and, you know, also this kind of idea about threats to European security? You know, there’s obviously Ukraine, but broader than that, what do you see as kind of the risks to Europe right now?
MR. KIRBY: Look, these are close-range ballistic missiles, again, with a range of about 75 miles, so they don’t have a huge range. And we fully expect that Putin will use them, again, inside Ukraine. But we’ve also seen — I got asked about it yesterday, you know — drone and missile fragments falling outside of Ukraine. And you just never know in terms of the potential for miscalculations, for poor accuracy, for the effect on outside of Ukraine. So that’s a concern.
But the larger concern — and I tried to hint at this in the opening comments — is that both Iran and Russia get better because of this partnership. They share technology. They share tactics and procedures. They share intelligence. They share geostrategic ways to better cooperate.
And when you have two destabilizing actors like this getting closer and reinforcing one another in terms of their — what they believe they need to do militarily, that does increase the level of danger. Russia will get — has already benefited from the provision of drones by Iran. They’ll benefit more from this ballistic missile technology. And I think we can all agree, or at least I think we all should agree, that a Russian military that has more capability available to it, to kill innocent Ukrainians, is unsafe for all of us, certainly for our European partners.
And the same is true in the Middle East, Trevor, when you have Iran, that already has a growing and increasingly effective ballistic missile capability, is now available to — they can avail themselves of Russian technology to improve their capabilities. That, too, is dangerous in the Middle East.
So it’s dangerous on both ends of this, not just to Europe, but to the Middle East. And that’s why we’re issuing the sanctions that we’re issuing today.
As for additional details, I’d have to refer you to the Treasury Department on that. I don’t have anything more outside of the announcement of the sanctions to speak to today.
I would also say — and, obviously, you know we don’t pre-announce anything in the future — but we’ll continue to monitor this. And if we feel additional actions, including additional sanctions, are warranted, well, you know, we’ll take action in that regard as well.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Aamer with the AP.
Q Hi. Thank you both. How many short-range ballistic missiles did Iran transfer? And why did Iran move forward with it now? As you pointed out, you guys have been warning about this and concerned about this for months and months now.
And then, separately, does the administration want to see an independent investigation into the death of the young U.S. Turkish citizen in the West Bank?
And then finally, I just wanted to ask if you had any reaction to that House Republican report on the Afghanistan withdrawal, particularly the suggestion that the White House and NSC was resistant to taking input from agencies and outside. Thanks.
MR. KIRBY: Hey. There’s a lot there. I don’t have the number of missiles for you, Aamer. I really don’t have information to go beyond the downgraded intelligence that Secretary Blinken announced this morning. But we know these missiles have been delivered. But that’s really as far as I’m going to be able to go right now.
On the death of Ms. Eygi: You’ve heard us talk about this. You certainly, I hope, heard Secretary Blinken’s comments in London earlier today. We continue to mourn and grieve with the Eygi family about what happened here. And we note that the Israeli Defense Forces have completed their preliminary investigation in which they found they were at fault. And we also note that they have called for now a criminal investigation to pick up where they left off and move forward.
So we’re going to be watching that very, very closely. We know that’s an unusual step for the IDF. That’s not something that they do typically. So, again, it’s noteworthy. We’ll continue to watch where it goes and stay in touch with Israeli leaders as that moves forward, because obviously this is just a tragic, tragic outcome, and as Secretary Blinken said, it should not occur for an innocent bystander to be killed in a protest.
So, again, very, very deeply concerning to us, and we’ll be watching this investigation very closely.
I don’t have anything beyond that to speak to in terms of whether there should be something independent. I think we’re going to want to see where it goes now in terms of the criminal investigation and what they find, and if and how anyone is held accountable, before we move beyond that.
Q On Iran — why now? After months of worrying that this could happen, why do you believe it happened now? Why did they make the decision to move forward?
MR. KIRBY: I wish I could get inside the head of the Supreme Leader here and figure out why he’s doing what he’s doing. I can’t do that. All I can tell you is that this is something that we had warned about for months, publicly said we were concerned about the possible tren- — transfer of ballistic missiles and ballistic missile technology and expertise to Russia.
We made that — we downgraded that and put that out in the public, and we’ve been watching it ever since. And now we have seen, in fact, this deal get consummated, and so we’re making that public and doing something about it.
But as for the exact timing, it’s difficult for us to know how they executed on this particular timeline. The timeline is — and I’m not at all picking on your question, Aamer. It’s a fair — absolutely fair question. But the timeline itself is not the most relevant piece. What’s most relevant is that now Russia will have available to it additional ballistic missiles to rain down on the Ukrainian people and Ukrainian infrastructure. And that’s exactly how this guy is going to use these things now.
I mean, I’m not saying he’s not going to target military units; he might do that. But what he has been known for doing in the past is using ballistic missiles, because they’re incredibly fast, to hit civilian targets with obviously little or no notice.
And that’s why it’s so important for us to continue to do what we have to do to improve Ukrainian air defenses. And you saw in the last drawdown package of $250 million, there was additional air defense in there. Secretary Austin just met with the Contact Group last week in Germany, working hard to get additional air defense, like additional Patriot systems, to Ukraine to help them with this exact threat.
So while we wa- — while we monitored this deal as it formed, we also did and we’ll continue to do everything we can to help Ukraine defend against it.
From the President on down, the NSC, led by Mr. Sullivan, ran a very robust and thorough policy process. And I can tell you, without question, it reflected the input of all the departments and relevant agencies across the government, including military commanders in Kabul, as well as State Department diplomats in Kabul. They were wrapped up into that process and participated.
In fact, throughout the whole spring and summer of ’21, the NSC convened dozens of high-level planning meetings for the withdrawal, including senior leaders, again, from across the government. They coordinated formal rehearsals of the withdrawal and convened tabletop exercises for the interagency — exercises that explored all kinds of different scenarios, including the potential evacuation, not only of diplomats and military personnel, but of civilians.
And of course, there was — there were preps put in place to make sure that we could deal with a rapid deterioration of the security situation. That’s why Secretary Austin pre-positioned military assets in the region, nearby, for that very eventuality. That all came out of these tabletop exercises and drills that we conducted in that spring.
In fact, just to foot-stomp it even more, even before the President made his final decision about whether to leave Afghanistan, that planning for those kinds of eventualities began in March, before the President made his decision. And again, it included the top leaders across the government. And that planning included, again, withdrawal planning and an account for a full range of contingencies.
I would add one more point here, if you’ll allow me.
Throughout that entire time, the NSC solicited input, again, from key officials across the government and on the ground in Kabul, including military commanders with whom NSC leaders spoke personally multiple times, to ensure that we fully understood their views.
So, again, an awful lot of effort across the interagency and early on. And this idea that it was reckless and rushed and not inclusive of an interagency process is just bogus.
Thanks for the opportunity.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Barak with Axios.
Q Hi. Thank you for this. Kirby, Secretary of State Blinken said again today that the U.S. will present, he said, “in the coming time, very soon,” a new bridging proposal for the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. And at least what I hear from White House officials is a different message that says there’s nothing imminent, that there’s no new proposal that is ready to be presented, and it seems that there’s some sort of a contradictory message coming out from different parts of the administration.
So, I’m a bit confused, so if you can explain what’s going on.
MR. KIRBY: Thanks, Barak. I — it won’t surprise you, but I’m going to say exactly today what I’ve been saying in the last few days: We still have a shoulder to the wheel, and we’re still trying to arrive at a proposal — bridging proposal, if you will — that will get this thing to conclusion and get both sides to agree and get us started into phase one. We are still working at that diligently.
Now, we’re not doing it in the case of, you know, formal negotiation talks at this point. They ended without effect, of course, but the conversations are continuing.
What’s not clear to us, certainly in the wake of the execution of those six hostages, is whether we’re going to be able to get there. What’s not clear to us is whether Hamas will ever be able to come to the table in sincerity and sign on to something. And so, that’s the complicating factor here. It doesn’t mean that the work is not continuing. It is. Secretary Blinken is right; we’re still working on this.
But I just have to say: All that work has been made much more difficult by the events of last weekend and — or the weekend prior to last weekend.
Q But do you agree with what he said, that “in the coming time, very soon,” you will present a proposal? Because he said it also last Thursday, I think, or last Friday. And CIA Director Burns said the same thing on Saturday. But, again, it seems that the White House is in a different place. So are you or aren’t you planning to present something in the next few days?
MR. KIRBY: (Inaudible) — give you a prediction of the day it’s going to happen or what it’s going to look like. I can tell you that we’re still committed to trying to put something forward.
If I could, before you go to the next question — on Trevor’s question about sanctions, I did get some additional information. I just wanted to pass on that in addition to the Iran Air actions that I did mention we and our allies are taking — that those actions were taken — we’re going to be designating individuals and entities in Iran and Russia that are involved in the actual delivery of weapons components and weapons systems, including UAVs and, again, these close-range ballistic missiles.
So I apologize for my incomplete answer to Trevor, but I wanted to go ahead and flesh that out.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Alex with CNN.
Q Thanks, guys. John, just following up a little bit on Barak and what you said yesterday in terms of Hamas changing the terms of the deal: Is that — did they do it implicitly because, of the six hostages, there were three of whom were going to come out in the first phase and, therefore, the deal necessarily changes? Or did you actually get new terms, new demands, like more prisoners from Hamas, in the wake of the execution of those six prisoners? How did it change?
MR. KIRBY: My understanding is it was new demands.
Q They wanted additional Palestinian prisoners?
MR. KIRBY: I’m just going to go as far as saying it was new demands put forward by Hamas.
Q So after the six were executed, you then received new terms to be put into a new agreement?
MR. KIRBY: That is correct.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Kellie with NewsNation.
Q Hey, John. Thanks for taking my question. I just have two here. The first one: Just wanted to ask you about these claims that some Republicans are repeating, including Vance this morning, that Haitian migrants are eating cats and ducks in Ohio. Officials are saying there’s no evidence. Just how dangerous are these kind of comments?
MR. KIRBY: Well, yeah, as you rightly said, the Springfield Police Department actually did, in fact, push back on this absolute nonsense to say it’s not happening.
And what’s deeply concerning to us is you’ve got now elected officials in the Republican Party pushing, you know, yet another conspiracy theory that’s just seeking to divide people based on lies and, let’s be honest, based on an element of racism.
I think all Americans should expect more and better from the people that they’re electing to represent them. And I think what we need to have is, instead of complete BS being pushed out there, is a more meaningful discussion about how we can develop legal pathways for people to come into this country and fair opportunities for them if they come in legally. And that’s what we’re focused on.
It’s dangerous. This kind of language — this kind of disinformation is dangerous because there will be people that believe it no matter how ludicrous and stupid it is, and they might act on that kind of information and act on it in a way where somebody could get hurt. So, it needs to stop.
Q Thank you. And then, just really quickly, if I could ask you: Just — you know, with the debate happening tonight, we’re moving towards the election, can you speak to if and how preparations are being made for — within the NSC for a transition?
MR. KIRBY: You know, look, I’m not going to get into discussions about the politics of it, but, clearly, we all know that no matter how the American people vote in November, there’s going to be a transition to a new administration here come January. And so, as you would expect, it’s a little early, but it’s actually not that early for us to begin to start thinking through what that transition looks like and developing plans and preparations so that the next administration, whoever that might be, has available to it the information, the context, the history of the decisions that we’ve made, why we’ve made them, how we’ve made them, and that they can avail themselves of all that information and corporate knowledge as they come in.
So those plans are — I’m sorry — those preparations are in swing, as you would expect them to be. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, obviously, and still some time to do that, to have all those preparations complete.
At the same time, we’re laser-focused on continuing to execute on the national security interests, prerogatives, and priorities of this administration. And you will continue to see us do that every day, all the way up until the 20th of January, and you will continue to see the President, as Commander-in-Chief, lead those efforts.
And so, I expect you’ll also see quite a bit of activity on advancing our national security interests in this administration over the next four months as well.
Q Are you preparing for the possibility of the other, potentially, one candidate not accepting the results? And then, you know, how do you — and not accepting that this is — you know, that the security — you know, just how they’re going to go forward with the national security if one person doesn’t accept?
MR. KIRBY: I’m not going to get into hypotheticals, and that wouldn’t be a place for the NSC to comment anyway, one way or the other.
Look, there’s an election coming up in November. Somebody is going to win, and that person is going to be the head of the new administration. And we, here at the National Security Council, take seriously our obligations to make sure that whoever that is and whoever their team is, that they — when they fall in, they fall in on as much context and information that we can provide them to make their decision-making easier. That’s what we’re focused on.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Lara with the Wall Street Journal.
Q Hello. Can you hear me?
MODERATOR: We can. Yep.
Q Great. I have two questions. One on Ukraine. With Secretary Blinken in Kyiv this week, are there any new efforts by the administration to encourage Ukraine to the negotiating table? Is now the time for negotiations with Putin?
And then secondly, on Afghanistan — and, Kirby, I know you were at the Pentagon during that time, I believe — how involved was the Vice President in the Afghanistan withdrawal discussions? Can you talk a little bit about her role there? Thank you.
MR. KIRBY: So on your first question, Lara, Secretary Blinken is looking forward to getting into Kyiv to get an update from President Zelenskyy and his team about what’s going on on the battlefield; to certainly talk to them about the kinds of capabilities they’re going to need for battlefield success in the coming weeks and months as winter approaches; to reaffirm America’s support for their efforts to defend themselves and to claim back and claw back territory that the Russians have taken, particularly in the northeast part of the country. And I think, as you would expect, he’ll also talk to them about moving President Zelenskyy’s just peace proposal forward and doing what we can to support that.
He will make it clear, as we have been consistently saying, that it’s going to be up to President Zelenskyy, if and when he wants to negotiate an end to this war. Certainly, a negotiated end is the most likely outcome here. But when that happens, and under what conditions and circumstances, that’s going to be up to President Zelenskyy. And the point that Secretary Blinken will make is that we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that he, if and when he’s ready to make that decision, that he does so from the best possible position.
And so, that’s what this trip is really about. It’s not an arm twisting. It’s about learning, it’s about listening, and it’s about making sure that the Ukrainians know that we’re going to continue to do what we can to support them and, again, put them in the best possible position to negotiate if and when they’re ready.
On your second question: As the Vice President, she was involved in participating in all — and still does — in all major foreign policy decisions of the administration, and that includes the decision to leave Afghanistan, and interagency discussions that I just was talking about earlier on the withdrawal and the execution. She’s the Vice President of the United States, so she was absolutely a participant in all those discussions. So, I’d leave it there.
Q Just on — just a follow-up on Ukraine. Is Secretary Blinken expecting to be briefed on this victory plan that we’ve heard about? And do you or any other NSC officials have any details about it?
MR. KIRBY: You’d have to talk to Ukrainians about what they want to bring up with Secretary Blinken specifically. That’s going to be up to them if they have a, quote, unquote, “victory plan” that they want to talk to them about. I don’t know for sure whether that itself will come up.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Gabe with NBC.
Gabe, you’re on mute. You’re unmuting yourself and then muting yourself. You’re on mute. Now you’re on mute.
Okay, we’re going to — we’re going to move on and try back to you later.
We’re going to now go to Asma with NPR.
Q Hey. Thanks for doing this. I have two quick questions. One is on the sanctions around Iranian Air. John, can you spell out what that means? I’m a little confused, because my understanding is the U.S. doesn’t have flights to Iran. Are you talking about coordination of flights being stopped to European cities? If you could just spell that out.
And then, secondly, on the young woman who was killed in the West Bank, can you also clarify for me why — I know you said that, at this point, there’s not plans for a U.S. or independent investigation. Can you help us understand why you do not believe that that is necessary?
MR. KIRBY: Yeah, so let me take your second one first.
What I said was we’re going to watch and see what their now criminal investigation says before we make any determinations one way or another. So, I think we believe that it’s noteworthy that they’ve moved now from a purely military investigation to a criminal investigation. And we believe it’s prudent to let that investigation run its course and see where it goes before we make any follow-on decisions.
I didn’t say absolutely no call for an independent investigation. It’s just that we don’t believe that there’s a need to call for that at this moment. We want to see how this criminal investigation goes forward.
And on the Iran Air, and I’m sorry if I wasn’t more clear about that, but this is basically about the UK and E3 partners canceling bilateral arrangements with Iran and those — canceling those bilateral arrangements, which will restrict Iran Air and their services into the UK and into Europe. So it’s about restricting their movement into (inaudible).
Q So, flights. So, commercial flights, (inaudible).
MR. KIRBY: And we are sanctioning them as well.
Q Got it. Okay. So — sorry, commercial flights would be stopped, you’re saying, between — on this airline — between some European cities and Iran. Is that what you’re saying?
MR. KIRBY: That is my understanding, yes.
Q Okay. And when you say that the U.S. is also sanctioning, what does that mean?
MR. KIRBY: It’s — you know, I’d have to refer you to the Treasury Department for more specifics. But we are sanctioning Iran Air as well.
MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Rafael with La Nación.
Q Thank you very much for taking my question. John, you said yesterday at the briefing, when asked about Venezuela, that you are constantly looking at options going forward, depending on the decisions that Maduro makes. Does this mean that you’re holding back on any new sanctions, waiting to see if there’s a new move by the Maduro regime? Are there any — are you waiting to see the results of the negotiations between regional governments and the Maduro regime?
MR. KIRBY: What we’re waiting to see is whether Mr. Maduro is going to do the right thing and release the election data to the public so that the Venezuelan people can see the degree to which their will was actually met. That’s what we’re waiting to see. But — and we want to see it now.
What I’m — I’m not — this isn’t about holding anything back. We actually have issued sanctions on the Maduro government, and we won’t be bashful about doing it in the future if we feel we need to do it. But what needs to happen right now is Mr. Maduro needs to do the right thing, stop intimidating and falsely charging his opponents, and release the election data.
Q What makes you think that there’s going to be a change in attitude from the Maduro regime or that, you know, the talks between Maduro and Brazil, Colombia, Mexico are going to yield results, you know, towards a democratic transition?
MR. KIRBY: (Inaudible.) And again, the sanctions that we’ve issued, and whatever potential sanctions might be coming, will be done in accordance with our national interests, and they’ll be appropriately calibrated.
MODERATOR: Thank you. We’ll try again to go to Gabe with NBC.
Q Hey, this is Gabe’s producer here. Gabe went to the event. I just wanted to see if we could get any confirmation on these reports that the Quad Summit was going to be held in Wilmington this year, and any information on why it would not be in India.
MR. KIRBY: I don’t have anything with respect to this — a potential meeting to talk about today. Nothing to announce.
MODERATOR: Thank you. And that is all the time we have today. As always, if we weren’t able to get to you, reach out to the distro and we’ll try to get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you.
10:41 A.M. EDT
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FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act and Strengthens Commitment to Ending Gender-Based Violence
For too long, we have ignored the right of women to be free from the fear of attack based on their gender. For too long, we have kept silent about the obvious.” – Joseph R. Biden, Jr. speaking at a Hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, June 20, 1990
Today, President Biden will deliver remarks at the White House to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), landmark bipartisan legislation that he wrote and championed as a U.S. Senator and has worked across the aisle to strengthen ever since. He will reflect on the significant progress we have made in reducing violence and supporting survivors as well as the work ahead to realize VAWA’s promise of a nation where every woman and girl can live free from fear, free from violence, and free from abuse.
Working to end gender-based violence has been a cornerstone of President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’ careers. VAWA was the first comprehensive federal law to focus on preventing and addressing violence against women and to provide justice and support for survivors. The law transformed the nation’s response to gender-based violence by recognizing that domestic violence and sexual assault are not a private matter but rather a violation of fundamental rights and dignity. Between 1993 and 2022, annual domestic violence rates dropped by 67% and the rate of rapes and sexual assaults declined by 56%.
In the three decades since the original VAWA was signed into law, President Biden has worked with survivors, advocates, experts, and Members of Congress of both parties to reauthorize and strengthen the law four times. As President, he signed into law the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022—critical legislation that expands access to safety and support for survivors, increases prevention efforts, and establishes new federal protections against online harassment and abuse. The President and Vice President also secured the highest-ever funding levels to implement VAWA, and the Biden-Harris Administration has acted quickly to implement the law’s new programs and protections.
To mark the 30th anniversary of VAWA, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing the following new actions:
- Providing new funds to address gender-based violence and support survivors. The Department of Justice—the lead agency in VAWA implementation—will announce more than $690 million in FY 2024 grant funding to support survivors of gender-based violence. This includes more than $40 million to implement new grant programs established by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, including trauma-informed training for law enforcement, pilot programs for serving protection orders electronically, strategies to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and victim-centered and trauma-informed restorative practices programs that address gender-based violence. By September 30, the Department of Justice will have announced funding awards for more than 40 grant programs and initiatives to help states, Tribes, territories, law enforcement, victim advocates, and community-based organizations address gender-based violence.
- Meeting the housing needs of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Gender-based violence is a leading cause of homelessness for families with children. Today, five federal agencies—the Departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs—are issuing a new interagency statement to affirm VAWA’s housing protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking as well as other individuals, such as those who assist survivors. The new statement underscores survivors’ housing rights under VAWA, identifies potential housing scenarios that highlight the need for VAWA’s housing protections, and reaffirms the agencies’ commitment to enforcing VAWA’s expanded housing protections in a manner consistent with each agencies’ authorities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is also announcing the establishment of the Office on Gender-Based Violence, as directed by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, which is located in the Office of the Secretary and coordinates and implements policies and programs to address the safe housing and economic stability needs of survivors.
- Addressing online harassment and abuse. The Department of Justice will announce a funding award for the new National Resource Center on Cybercrimes Against Individuals as authorized by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022. This new Resource Center will help law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim services organizations prevent, enforce, and prosecute cybercrimes against individuals, including cyberstalking, the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, and other forms of technology-facilitated abuse. The Department of Justice will also announce approximately $5.5 million in new grant funds to support local law enforcement in prosecuting cybercrimes against individuals and a $250,000 award to provide training and technical assistance to schools and other youth-serving organizations to improve youth online safety and support young survivors of technology-facilitated abuse.
- Engaging the private sector to combat image-based sexual abuse. Image-based sexual abuse—including real images distributed without consent and synthetic content generated by artificial intelligence (AI)—has skyrocketed in recent years, disproportionately targeting women, children, and LGBTQI+ people and emerging as one of the fastest growing harmful uses of AI to date. Today, following the Vice President’s leadership in underscoring the urgent need to address deepfake image-based sexual abuse and the White House Call to Action to Combat Image-Based Sexual Abuse, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing a set of voluntary commitments from AI model developers and data providers to curb the creation of image-based sexual abuse and proactively reduce the risk of new images from being generated without someone’s consent as well as ensure that known, verified instances of image-based sexual abuse are excluded from their products and systems. These actions complement new efforts from the private sector to support voluntary principles to combat image-based sexual abuse through a working group with advocates, survivors, and researchers.
- Supporting states in using federal funds to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Guns and domestic violence are a lethal combination: access to a gun makes it five times more likely that a woman will die at the hands of her abuser. State laws that require people under domestic violence-related restraining orders to turn in their firearms are associated with a 14 to 16 percent lower intimate partner firearm homicide rate. To help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, the Department of Justice is expanding technical assistance and federal funding opportunities for state and local law enforcement programs that remove firearms from domestic abusers convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence or subject to a protective order. The Department’s new resources—which will include training, toolkits, and best practices from the Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Firearms Technical Assistance Project—follow a recent Resource Guide to Address the Intersection of Domestic Violence and Firearms that encourages states to use federal funds for law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts to address this critical intersection. North Carolina, for example, is pursuing opportunities to use federal funding to address firearms and domestic violence by creating training materials for judges, district attorneys and survivors.
- Strengthening enforcement of new provisions to narrow the “boyfriend loophole.” President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which narrowed the “boyfriend loophole” by prohibiting persons convicted of misdemeanor crimes in dating relationships from purchasing or possessing firearms for at least five years. To further implement and enforce this protection, the Department of Justice will work with states to educate them about the scope of this provision and to help ensure that the records of prohibited abusers are available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. These efforts will inform the work of both law enforcement as well as state records repositories and court systems.
- Disrupting the cycle of abuse by supporting youth exposed to domestic violence.The Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services within the Department of Health and Human Services will announce $19 million in new funds to support state and local coalitions, Tribal communities, and community-based programs in disrupting the cycle of domestic violence. These funds will be used to meet the needs of children exposed to family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence as well as to provide services to their non-abusing parents—with the goal of preventing future violence and supporting children and families.
The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to preventing and ending gender-based violence wherever it occurs. Because, as then-Vice President Biden made clear on the 20th anniversary of VAWA, even one case of gender-based violence is too many. The Administration will continue to take steps to realize VAWA’s fundamental promise of a nation where every survivor of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking can access the safety, justice, and healing they need and live free from fear, free from violence, and free from abuse.
Implementing the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022
VAWA remains just as important today as it was when the law was first passed in 1994, and the Biden-Harris Administration is continuing to implement the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022’s expanded protections and services, including for survivors from underserved and marginalized communities, as well as investments in prevention, and new protections against online harassment and abuse.
- Protecting and supporting survivors of gender-based violence. The Department of Justice awarded more than $630 million in VAWA grants and cooperative agreements in FY 2023 and more than $690 million in grants in FY 2024 to serve survivors and bolster coordinated community responses aimed at responding to and ending domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. This includes enhanced access to resources for underserved communities, including for LGBTQI+ survivors; funding for survivor-centered, community-based restorative practice services; and increased support for culturally specific services and services in rural communities.
- Expanding access to justice and strengthening gender-based violence protections for Tribal communities. The Department of Justice awarded $68 million in FY 2023 VAWA grants and more than $85 million in FY 2024 VAWA grants to support Native communities to provide services and promote justice for survivors. In making these awards, the Department took new measures to increase access to the Tribal Governments Grant Program. The Department has also supported Tribal implementation of new provisions that recognized expanded special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Native perpetrators of sexual violence, child violence, stalking, assaults on Tribal law enforcement officers, and sex trafficking on Tribal lands, in addition to domestic and dating violence. These efforts have included launching a new Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Reimbursement Program. The Department also launched a pilot program to support Alaska Native Tribes that want to exercise special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indian offenders for certain crimes, including crimes of sexual and domestic violence.
- Supporting the housing needs of survivors. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, which awarded $10 million in VAWA technical assistance funding in 2023, is working closely with its VAWA technical assistance providers and program offices to provide robust training and technical assistance to Department’s housing grantees, owners, and managers. The Department also published a first-of-its-kind report on the housing needs of survivors of human trafficking, as required by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 and is releasing a new fact sheet that applies the report’s findings to help assist youth trafficking survivors and youth at risk of trafficking with housing needs.
- Promoting and strengthening prevention services and responses to stop violence before it occurs.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided more than $49 million in FY 2024 to more than 110 state health departments and state, territorial, and Tribal sexual assault coalitions for the Rape Prevention and Education Program throughout the United States. Additionally, the Department of Justice will award more than $20 million in FY 2024 to support colleges and universities in preventing and responding to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. These funds help support comprehensive prevention education for students and expanded training for school-based personnel and campus health centers. Separately, the Department of Education—in collaboration with the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services—launched a Task Force on Sexual Violence in Education that has issued new reports on data regarding sexual violence at educational institutions, held listening sessions, and solicited public input on ways to continue the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to improve sexual violence prevention and response on campuses.
- Supporting survivors of online harassment and abuse. To support survivors of image-based abuse, the Department of Justice funded the first-ever national helpline to provide 24/7 support and specialized services for victims of the non-consensual distribution of intimate images. Operated by the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, the Image Abuse Helpline and Online Safety Center is significantly expanding support to survivors of online harassment and abuse, meeting the rising need for services to address the non-consensual creation and distribution of intimate images. The Department of Justice also funded a new project in FY 2023 to address the traumatic impact of image-based sexual abuse through a combination of direct services, capacity building, training, and education to help combat technology-facilitated gender-based violence. In addition to the new actions being announced today to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, the Department of Justice has taken steps to raise awareness of the new provision in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 that created a federal civil cause of action to address the non-consensual distribution of intimate images through resources distributed to United States Attorneys’ Offices and national legal and service organizations.
- Strengthening protections for domestic violence survivors at risk of experiencing gun violence. To implement the National Instant Criminal Background Check System Denial Notification Act—which was included in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022—the Federal Bureau of Investigation is actively reporting denied transactions of attempted firearm transfers to appropriate state, local, and Tribal law enforcement within 24 hours. These reports are helping law enforcement investigate and prosecute cases against individuals legally prohibited from receiving firearms who try to do so, including domestic abusers.
- Improving trauma-informed and victim-centered investigations and expanding pathways to justice for survivors. The Department of Justice implemented a new grant program authorized in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 to support demonstration projects and initiatives to train law enforcement officers on trauma-informed and victim-centered investigations of gender-based violence. The Department released a new Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen our National Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Involving Adult Victims, setting out principles that will lead to better outcomes for survivors, safer communities, and greater accountability for perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual assault, and implemented new funding to support effective policing and prosecution of these crimes. Furthermore, the Department has taken several steps to expand pathways to justice for survivors by implementing a new program, authorized in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, to support, enhance, and expand restorative practice programs that prevent or address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and build evidence for victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive restorative practices addressing these harms.
Addressing Gender-Based Violence Beyond VAWA
Building on the foundation of VAWA, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken numerous additional actions to address gender-based violence wherever it occurs—at home, at work, in the military, in schools, in communities, and online.
- Addressing gun violence by domestic abusers. In addition to signing the most significant legislation to reduce gun violence in nearly 30 years and narrowing the “boyfriend loophole,” President Biden established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which is overseen by Vice President Harris, to lead the Administration’s efforts to end our nation’s gun violence epidemic. The Department of Justice has invested $250 million in community-based violence intervention programs and provided $750 million for states to implement crisis interventions, such as red flag laws. And the Department successfully defended at the Supreme Court the constitutionality of a federal law that helps keep guns out of the hands of individuals subject to domestic violence protective orders.
- Implementing historic military justice reforms and supporting survivors. One of President Biden’s earliest acts in office was to call for the establishment of the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military to strengthen the military justice response to sexual violence. Since then, we have advanced historic and bipartisan legislative reforms to better protect survivors and fundamentally change how the military investigates and prosecutes sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, and related offenses—transferring prosecutorial decisions from commanders to independent military prosecutors and establishing the Offices of Special Trial Counsel. Building on these reforms, in July 2024, the Department of Defense implemented additional Independent Review Commission recommendations to improve the Department’s response to sexual assault by removing barriers for those seeking help and by professionalizing the survivor response workforce. The Department of Defense has also made record investments in sexual assault prevention and survivor support, more than doubling annual funding from $500 million to more than $1 billion in 2024 for these lifesaving services, with more than 1,000 integrated primary prevention personnel in place as of June 2024. This work is making a difference: for the first time in nearly a decade, rates of sexual assault and harassment within the active-duty force are down.
- Investing in communities to support survivors and save lives. The President’s American Rescue Plan invested nearly $1 billion in supplemental funding for domestic violence and sexual assault services and supports through the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Program. The President also signed into law the VOCA Fix Act, which has provided more than $1.4 billion for the Crime Victims Fund to support local programs and services for survivors. Since the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) became law in 1984, we have invested more than $38 billion dollars in local programs that provide mental health, housing, legal assistance, victim advocacy, crisis intervention, and other services to help victims of gender-based violence and other crimes.
- Keeping students safe and addressing campus sexual assault. The Department of Education restored and strengthened vital Title IX nondiscrimination protections for students and employees. The Department’s rule provides protection from sex-based harassment, including sexual violence; promotes accountability and fundamental fairness through a transparent and reliable process; and provides clarity to ensure that students, employees, and families understand their rights and that institutions know their responsibilities. The new rule also clarifies that schools have a responsibility to address sex discrimination and harassment that occurs under its programs and activities whether the conduct takes place online, in person, or both, and strengthens definitions for sex-based harassment under Title IX to address the growth in technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including AI-generated abuse.
- Strengthening protections for survivors of sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. President Biden signed into law new protections to support survivors and address sexual assault and sexual harassment in the workplace through the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act and the Speak Out Act. The Office of Personnel Management issued guidance on the use of “safe leave” to support federal employees’ access to paid time off and leave without pay for purposes related to seeking safety and recovering from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and related forms of abuse. The Department of Labor is publishing a package of new resources on “safe leave” policies and awarded new grants under the Fostering Access, Rights and Equity Grant program, which assists underserved and marginalized low-income women workers who have been impacted by gender-based violence and harassment. Separately, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued new resources to help federal agencies and employers prevent and remedy harassment, including sexual harassment, and create respectful workplaces.
- Supporting survivors in accessing housing, homeless assistance, and community services. In February 2024, the Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $57 million in Domestic Violence Bonus projects serving survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. In July, the Department announced the availability of at least another $52 million in Domestic Violence Bonus projects, which will be issued in early 2025. The Department also directed Homeless Continuum of Care recipients to offer services to people experiencing trauma or a lack of safety related to gender-based violence, consistent with the new definition of “homeless” for survivors included in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022. And Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grantees used nearly $13 million of CDBG funds and another $8.3 million of CDBG-CV funds in FY 2023 to support services for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. CDBG funds supported crisis intervention, crisis hotline, counseling, emergency shelter and housing assistance, legal assistance, and other community services for adults and children as well as survivors.
- Developing the first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. The White House issued the first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, a comprehensive, government-wide plan to prevent and address sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and other forms of gender-based violence. The National Plan provides a framework for guiding federal action across each of seven strategic pillars—from prevention to economic security and housing stability to online safety.
- Preventing and responding to online harassment and abuse in the U.S. and globally. To strengthen support for survivors of online harassment and abuse, the President established and the Vice President launched the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse, which has coordinated comprehensive actions from more than a dozen federal agencies and supported a record investment of more than $36 million in dedicated funding to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence in the U.S. and globally. The President’s Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence includes a focus on deepfake image-based abuse and directs federal agencies to take key actions to address this growing online harm. Additionally, the Department of Justice is accelerating its enforcement efforts against the misuse of generative AI to produce child sexual abuse material. The Department will aggressively hold accountable those who exploit AI to create obscene, abusive, and increasingly photorealistic images of children and is prosecuting AI-enabled criminal conduct to the fullest extent of the law and will seek increased sentences wherever warranted. Globally, the Biden-Harris Administration launched the 15-country Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, which has advanced international policies to address online safety, and spurred new programs to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence and counter its chilling effects on women leaders and democratic participation.
- Helping protect survivor privacy and economic security. President Biden signed several new laws to help survivors protect and maintain their privacy and enhance their access to funds and tools like a phone line. The Safe Connections Act allows a survivor of domestic abuse to separate a mobile phone line from an account shared with an abuser. Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission has solicited comment on whether its rules implementing the Safe Connections Act should be updated to stop abusers from using connectivity tools in vehicles to harass and intimidate their partners and has called on auto manufacturers and wireless service providers to help ensure that smart car services are not being used to stalk, harass, or intimidate survivors of gender-based violence. Other laws signed by President Biden include the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, which allows survivors of domestic violence and others who have faced economic abuse to sever joint student loan debt, and the SECURE 2.0 Act, which allows survivors of domestic abuse to elect to receive penalty-free distributions from an employer-sponsored retirement plan.
- Addressing gender-based violence in Native communities. In addition to the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions to implement the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, President Biden issued an Executive Order directing federal agencies to address the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous peoples, which significantly impacts women, girls, LGBTQI+ people, and Two-Spirit Native Americans. Pursuant to the Not Invisible Act, the Departments of Justice and the Interior established the Not Invisible Act Commission in 2022, a cross-jurisdictional advisory committee composed of law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing or murdered individuals, and survivors. The Commission provided recommendations to improve the federal government’s efforts to address violent crime and the high rates of people reported missing in Native communities, which the Departments responded to earlier this year. Additionally, the United States relaunched the North American Trilateral Working Group on Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls, in collaboration with the governments of Canada and Mexico, and with the participation of Indigenous women leaders from all three countries.
- Improving access to sexual assault forensic examinations. Over the past three years, the Department of Justice has dedicated more than $124 million to the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, which provides funding to support the inventory, tracking, and testing of previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits; the collection and testing of DNA from arrestees and offenders; and resources to address the cold case sexual assault investigations and prosecutions that result from evidence and Combined DNA Index System hits produced by tested sexual assault kits; among other services. The Department has also provided nearly $18 million to increase access to trained sexual assault medical forensic examiners, improve access to wrap-around care for survivors, and establish regional Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training programs and a Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing model to prepare current and future SANEs. With $10 million in FY 2024 funding, the Department will implement a new program to further address nationwide gaps in the availability and quality of post-sexual assault medical forensic care by establishing new SANE/Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner programs, strengthening existing ones, and providing technical assistance to support these programs.
- Combatting human trafficking and strengthening protections for noncitizen trafficking victims. The Biden-Harris Administration released an updated National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking laying out an integrated federal response to human trafficking as well as a National Human Trafficking Prevention Framework. Since then, the Department of Justice has disseminated more than $190 million in funding to combat human trafficking and support survivors and released updated guidelines for its employees who work with victims and witnesses of crime to provide enhanced protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking and for other vulnerable victims.
Separately, the Department of Homeland Security adopted a victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive approach to protecting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking as well as other vulnerable victims. The Department of Homeland Security also finalized a rule to strengthen the integrity of the T nonimmigrant visa process, which enables certain noncitizen victims of human trafficking to remain in the U.S. for an initial period of up to four years, and ensure eligible victims of human trafficking can access protections and stabilizing benefits in a timely manner. Additionally, the Department established a process to conduct bona fide determinations and provide employment authorization and deferred action to noncitizen victims of crime, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, with pending petitions for U nonimmigrant status for those who met certain standards.
- Investing in preventing and ending gender-based violence globally. Over the last two fiscal years, the United States maintained the highest-ever level of investment—$250 million—to address gender-based violence globally. This work is guided by the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally, which addresses 21st century challenges, including the rise of gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic; technology-facilitated gender-based violence; and safety risks related to climate migration and displacement. Under this strategy, we secured the first-ever U.S. commitment to the United Nations Global Programme to End Child Marriage and continued our long-standing commitment to the United Nations Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation.
- Advancing justice and accountability for conflict-related sexual violence. The Biden-Harris Administration has condemned sexual violence whenever and wherever it occurs, including in South Sudan, Iraq, Haiti, Ukraine, and the attacks committed by Hamas in Israel on October 7 – and in Gaza against hostages. In 2022, President Biden issued an historic Presidential Memorandum on Promoting Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, committing to fully exercising U.S. authorities—including sanctions, visa restrictions, and security assistance vetting—to impose consequences on perpetrators of this human rights abuse. The Biden-Harris Administration has since issued two sets of sanctions against perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence around the globe, launched the Dignity in Documentation Initiative to provide support for efforts to investigate and document conflict-related sexual violence, and will support justice for survivors by promoting accountability for crimes punishable under international law. Vice President Harris condemned conflict-related sexual violence and convened survivors at the White House in 2024.
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The post FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act and Strengthens Commitment to Ending Gender-Based Violence appeared first on The White House.
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act and Strengthens Commitment to Ending Gender-Based Violence
For too long, we have ignored the right of women to be free from the fear of attack based on their gender. For too long, we have kept silent about the obvious.” – Joseph R. Biden, Jr. speaking at a Hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, June 20, 1990
Today, President Biden will deliver remarks at the White House to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), landmark bipartisan legislation that he wrote and championed as a U.S. Senator and has worked across the aisle to strengthen ever since. He will reflect on the significant progress we have made in reducing violence and supporting survivors as well as the work ahead to realize VAWA’s promise of a nation where every woman and girl can live free from fear, free from violence, and free from abuse.
Working to end gender-based violence has been a cornerstone of President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’ careers. VAWA was the first comprehensive federal law to focus on preventing and addressing violence against women and to provide justice and support for survivors. The law transformed the nation’s response to gender-based violence by recognizing that domestic violence and sexual assault are not a private matter but rather a violation of fundamental rights and dignity. Between 1993 and 2022, annual domestic violence rates dropped by 67% and the rate of rapes and sexual assaults declined by 56%.
In the three decades since the original VAWA was signed into law, President Biden has worked with survivors, advocates, experts, and Members of Congress of both parties to reauthorize and strengthen the law four times. As President, he signed into law the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022—critical legislation that expands access to safety and support for survivors, increases prevention efforts, and establishes new federal protections against online harassment and abuse. The President and Vice President also secured the highest-ever funding levels to implement VAWA, and the Biden-Harris Administration has acted quickly to implement the law’s new programs and protections.
To mark the 30th anniversary of VAWA, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing the following new actions:
- Providing new funds to address gender-based violence and support survivors. The Department of Justice—the lead agency in VAWA implementation—will announce more than $690 million in FY 2024 grant funding to support survivors of gender-based violence. This includes more than $40 million to implement new grant programs established by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, including trauma-informed training for law enforcement, pilot programs for serving protection orders electronically, strategies to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and victim-centered and trauma-informed restorative practices programs that address gender-based violence. By September 30, the Department of Justice will have announced funding awards for more than 40 grant programs and initiatives to help states, Tribes, territories, law enforcement, victim advocates, and community-based organizations address gender-based violence.
- Meeting the housing needs of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Gender-based violence is a leading cause of homelessness for families with children. Today, five federal agencies—the Departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs—are issuing a new interagency statement to affirm VAWA’s housing protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking as well as other individuals, such as those who assist survivors. The new statement underscores survivors’ housing rights under VAWA, identifies potential housing scenarios that highlight the need for VAWA’s housing protections, and reaffirms the agencies’ commitment to enforcing VAWA’s expanded housing protections in a manner consistent with each agencies’ authorities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is also announcing the establishment of the Office on Gender-Based Violence, as directed by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, which is located in the Office of the Secretary and coordinates and implements policies and programs to address the safe housing and economic stability needs of survivors.
- Addressing online harassment and abuse. The Department of Justice will announce a funding award for the new National Resource Center on Cybercrimes Against Individuals as authorized by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022. This new Resource Center will help law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim services organizations prevent, enforce, and prosecute cybercrimes against individuals, including cyberstalking, the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, and other forms of technology-facilitated abuse. The Department of Justice will also announce approximately $5.5 million in new grant funds to support local law enforcement in prosecuting cybercrimes against individuals and a $250,000 award to provide training and technical assistance to schools and other youth-serving organizations to improve youth online safety and support young survivors of technology-facilitated abuse.
- Engaging the private sector to combat image-based sexual abuse. Image-based sexual abuse—including real images distributed without consent and synthetic content generated by artificial intelligence (AI)—has skyrocketed in recent years, disproportionately targeting women, children, and LGBTQI+ people and emerging as one of the fastest growing harmful uses of AI to date. Today, following the Vice President’s leadership in underscoring the urgent need to address deepfake image-based sexual abuse and the White House Call to Action to Combat Image-Based Sexual Abuse, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing a set of voluntary commitments from AI model developers and data providers to curb the creation of image-based sexual abuse and proactively reduce the risk of new images from being generated without someone’s consent as well as ensure that known, verified instances of image-based sexual abuse are excluded from their products and systems. These actions complement new efforts from the private sector to support voluntary principles to combat image-based sexual abuse through a working group with advocates, survivors, and researchers.
- Supporting states in using federal funds to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Guns and domestic violence are a lethal combination: access to a gun makes it five times more likely that a woman will die at the hands of her abuser. State laws that require people under domestic violence-related restraining orders to turn in their firearms are associated with a 14 to 16 percent lower intimate partner firearm homicide rate. To help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, the Department of Justice is expanding technical assistance and federal funding opportunities for state and local law enforcement programs that remove firearms from domestic abusers convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence or subject to a protective order. The Department’s new resources—which will include training, toolkits, and best practices from the Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Firearms Technical Assistance Project—follow a recent Resource Guide to Address the Intersection of Domestic Violence and Firearms that encourages states to use federal funds for law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts to address this critical intersection. North Carolina, for example, is pursuing opportunities to use federal funding to address firearms and domestic violence by creating training materials for judges, district attorneys and survivors.
- Strengthening enforcement of new provisions to narrow the “boyfriend loophole.” President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which narrowed the “boyfriend loophole” by prohibiting persons convicted of misdemeanor crimes in dating relationships from purchasing or possessing firearms for at least five years. To further implement and enforce this protection, the Department of Justice will work with states to educate them about the scope of this provision and to help ensure that the records of prohibited abusers are available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. These efforts will inform the work of both law enforcement as well as state records repositories and court systems.
- Disrupting the cycle of abuse by supporting youth exposed to domestic violence.The Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services within the Department of Health and Human Services will announce $19 million in new funds to support state and local coalitions, Tribal communities, and community-based programs in disrupting the cycle of domestic violence. These funds will be used to meet the needs of children exposed to family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence as well as to provide services to their non-abusing parents—with the goal of preventing future violence and supporting children and families.
The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to preventing and ending gender-based violence wherever it occurs. Because, as then-Vice President Biden made clear on the 20th anniversary of VAWA, even one case of gender-based violence is too many. The Administration will continue to take steps to realize VAWA’s fundamental promise of a nation where every survivor of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking can access the safety, justice, and healing they need and live free from fear, free from violence, and free from abuse.
Implementing the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022
VAWA remains just as important today as it was when the law was first passed in 1994, and the Biden-Harris Administration is continuing to implement the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022’s expanded protections and services, including for survivors from underserved and marginalized communities, as well as investments in prevention, and new protections against online harassment and abuse.
- Protecting and supporting survivors of gender-based violence. The Department of Justice awarded more than $630 million in VAWA grants and cooperative agreements in FY 2023 and more than $690 million in grants in FY 2024 to serve survivors and bolster coordinated community responses aimed at responding to and ending domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. This includes enhanced access to resources for underserved communities, including for LGBTQI+ survivors; funding for survivor-centered, community-based restorative practice services; and increased support for culturally specific services and services in rural communities.
- Expanding access to justice and strengthening gender-based violence protections for Tribal communities. The Department of Justice awarded $68 million in FY 2023 VAWA grants and more than $85 million in FY 2024 VAWA grants to support Native communities to provide services and promote justice for survivors. In making these awards, the Department took new measures to increase access to the Tribal Governments Grant Program. The Department has also supported Tribal implementation of new provisions that recognized expanded special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Native perpetrators of sexual violence, child violence, stalking, assaults on Tribal law enforcement officers, and sex trafficking on Tribal lands, in addition to domestic and dating violence. These efforts have included launching a new Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Reimbursement Program. The Department also launched a pilot program to support Alaska Native Tribes that want to exercise special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indian offenders for certain crimes, including crimes of sexual and domestic violence.
- Supporting the housing needs of survivors. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, which awarded $10 million in VAWA technical assistance funding in 2023, is working closely with its VAWA technical assistance providers and program offices to provide robust training and technical assistance to Department’s housing grantees, owners, and managers. The Department also published a first-of-its-kind report on the housing needs of survivors of human trafficking, as required by the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 and is releasing a new fact sheet that applies the report’s findings to help assist youth trafficking survivors and youth at risk of trafficking with housing needs.
- Promoting and strengthening prevention services and responses to stop violence before it occurs.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided more than $49 million in FY 2024 to more than 110 state health departments and state, territorial, and Tribal sexual assault coalitions for the Rape Prevention and Education Program throughout the United States. Additionally, the Department of Justice will award more than $20 million in FY 2024 to support colleges and universities in preventing and responding to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. These funds help support comprehensive prevention education for students and expanded training for school-based personnel and campus health centers. Separately, the Department of Education—in collaboration with the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services—launched a Task Force on Sexual Violence in Education that has issued new reports on data regarding sexual violence at educational institutions, held listening sessions, and solicited public input on ways to continue the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to improve sexual violence prevention and response on campuses.
- Supporting survivors of online harassment and abuse. To support survivors of image-based abuse, the Department of Justice funded the first-ever national helpline to provide 24/7 support and specialized services for victims of the non-consensual distribution of intimate images. Operated by the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, the Image Abuse Helpline and Online Safety Center is significantly expanding support to survivors of online harassment and abuse, meeting the rising need for services to address the non-consensual creation and distribution of intimate images. The Department of Justice also funded a new project in FY 2023 to address the traumatic impact of image-based sexual abuse through a combination of direct services, capacity building, training, and education to help combat technology-facilitated gender-based violence. In addition to the new actions being announced today to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, the Department of Justice has taken steps to raise awareness of the new provision in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 that created a federal civil cause of action to address the non-consensual distribution of intimate images through resources distributed to United States Attorneys’ Offices and national legal and service organizations.
- Strengthening protections for domestic violence survivors at risk of experiencing gun violence. To implement the National Instant Criminal Background Check System Denial Notification Act—which was included in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022—the Federal Bureau of Investigation is actively reporting denied transactions of attempted firearm transfers to appropriate state, local, and Tribal law enforcement within 24 hours. These reports are helping law enforcement investigate and prosecute cases against individuals legally prohibited from receiving firearms who try to do so, including domestic abusers.
- Improving trauma-informed and victim-centered investigations and expanding pathways to justice for survivors. The Department of Justice implemented a new grant program authorized in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 to support demonstration projects and initiatives to train law enforcement officers on trauma-informed and victim-centered investigations of gender-based violence. The Department released a new Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen our National Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Involving Adult Victims, setting out principles that will lead to better outcomes for survivors, safer communities, and greater accountability for perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual assault, and implemented new funding to support effective policing and prosecution of these crimes. Furthermore, the Department has taken several steps to expand pathways to justice for survivors by implementing a new program, authorized in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, to support, enhance, and expand restorative practice programs that prevent or address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and build evidence for victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive restorative practices addressing these harms.
Addressing Gender-Based Violence Beyond VAWA
Building on the foundation of VAWA, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken numerous additional actions to address gender-based violence wherever it occurs—at home, at work, in the military, in schools, in communities, and online.
- Addressing gun violence by domestic abusers. In addition to signing the most significant legislation to reduce gun violence in nearly 30 years and narrowing the “boyfriend loophole,” President Biden established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which is overseen by Vice President Harris, to lead the Administration’s efforts to end our nation’s gun violence epidemic. The Department of Justice has invested $250 million in community-based violence intervention programs and provided $750 million for states to implement crisis interventions, such as red flag laws. And the Department successfully defended at the Supreme Court the constitutionality of a federal law that helps keep guns out of the hands of individuals subject to domestic violence protective orders.
- Implementing historic military justice reforms and supporting survivors. One of President Biden’s earliest acts in office was to call for the establishment of the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military to strengthen the military justice response to sexual violence. Since then, we have advanced historic and bipartisan legislative reforms to better protect survivors and fundamentally change how the military investigates and prosecutes sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, and related offenses—transferring prosecutorial decisions from commanders to independent military prosecutors and establishing the Offices of Special Trial Counsel. Building on these reforms, in July 2024, the Department of Defense implemented additional Independent Review Commission recommendations to improve the Department’s response to sexual assault by removing barriers for those seeking help and by professionalizing the survivor response workforce. The Department of Defense has also made record investments in sexual assault prevention and survivor support, more than doubling annual funding from $500 million to more than $1 billion in 2024 for these lifesaving services, with more than 1,000 integrated primary prevention personnel in place as of June 2024. This work is making a difference: for the first time in nearly a decade, rates of sexual assault and harassment within the active-duty force are down.
- Investing in communities to support survivors and save lives. The President’s American Rescue Plan invested nearly $1 billion in supplemental funding for domestic violence and sexual assault services and supports through the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Program. The President also signed into law the VOCA Fix Act, which has provided more than $1.4 billion for the Crime Victims Fund to support local programs and services for survivors. Since the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) became law in 1984, we have invested more than $38 billion dollars in local programs that provide mental health, housing, legal assistance, victim advocacy, crisis intervention, and other services to help victims of gender-based violence and other crimes.
- Keeping students safe and addressing campus sexual assault. The Department of Education restored and strengthened vital Title IX nondiscrimination protections for students and employees. The Department’s rule provides protection from sex-based harassment, including sexual violence; promotes accountability and fundamental fairness through a transparent and reliable process; and provides clarity to ensure that students, employees, and families understand their rights and that institutions know their responsibilities. The new rule also clarifies that schools have a responsibility to address sex discrimination and harassment that occurs under its programs and activities whether the conduct takes place online, in person, or both, and strengthens definitions for sex-based harassment under Title IX to address the growth in technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including AI-generated abuse.
- Strengthening protections for survivors of sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. President Biden signed into law new protections to support survivors and address sexual assault and sexual harassment in the workplace through the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act and the Speak Out Act. The Office of Personnel Management issued guidance on the use of “safe leave” to support federal employees’ access to paid time off and leave without pay for purposes related to seeking safety and recovering from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and related forms of abuse. The Department of Labor is publishing a package of new resources on “safe leave” policies and awarded new grants under the Fostering Access, Rights and Equity Grant program, which assists underserved and marginalized low-income women workers who have been impacted by gender-based violence and harassment. Separately, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued new resources to help federal agencies and employers prevent and remedy harassment, including sexual harassment, and create respectful workplaces.
- Supporting survivors in accessing housing, homeless assistance, and community services. In February 2024, the Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $57 million in Domestic Violence Bonus projects serving survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. In July, the Department announced the availability of at least another $52 million in Domestic Violence Bonus projects, which will be issued in early 2025. The Department also directed Homeless Continuum of Care recipients to offer services to people experiencing trauma or a lack of safety related to gender-based violence, consistent with the new definition of “homeless” for survivors included in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022. And Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grantees used nearly $13 million of CDBG funds and another $8.3 million of CDBG-CV funds in FY 2023 to support services for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. CDBG funds supported crisis intervention, crisis hotline, counseling, emergency shelter and housing assistance, legal assistance, and other community services for adults and children as well as survivors.
- Developing the first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. The White House issued the first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, a comprehensive, government-wide plan to prevent and address sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and other forms of gender-based violence. The National Plan provides a framework for guiding federal action across each of seven strategic pillars—from prevention to economic security and housing stability to online safety.
- Preventing and responding to online harassment and abuse in the U.S. and globally. To strengthen support for survivors of online harassment and abuse, the President established and the Vice President launched the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse, which has coordinated comprehensive actions from more than a dozen federal agencies and supported a record investment of more than $36 million in dedicated funding to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence in the U.S. and globally. The President’s Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence includes a focus on deepfake image-based abuse and directs federal agencies to take key actions to address this growing online harm. Additionally, the Department of Justice is accelerating its enforcement efforts against the misuse of generative AI to produce child sexual abuse material. The Department will aggressively hold accountable those who exploit AI to create obscene, abusive, and increasingly photorealistic images of children and is prosecuting AI-enabled criminal conduct to the fullest extent of the law and will seek increased sentences wherever warranted. Globally, the Biden-Harris Administration launched the 15-country Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, which has advanced international policies to address online safety, and spurred new programs to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence and counter its chilling effects on women leaders and democratic participation.
- Helping protect survivor privacy and economic security. President Biden signed several new laws to help survivors protect and maintain their privacy and enhance their access to funds and tools like a phone line. The Safe Connections Act allows a survivor of domestic abuse to separate a mobile phone line from an account shared with an abuser. Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission has solicited comment on whether its rules implementing the Safe Connections Act should be updated to stop abusers from using connectivity tools in vehicles to harass and intimidate their partners and has called on auto manufacturers and wireless service providers to help ensure that smart car services are not being used to stalk, harass, or intimidate survivors of gender-based violence. Other laws signed by President Biden include the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, which allows survivors of domestic violence and others who have faced economic abuse to sever joint student loan debt, and the SECURE 2.0 Act, which allows survivors of domestic abuse to elect to receive penalty-free distributions from an employer-sponsored retirement plan.
- Addressing gender-based violence in Native communities. In addition to the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions to implement the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022, President Biden issued an Executive Order directing federal agencies to address the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous peoples, which significantly impacts women, girls, LGBTQI+ people, and Two-Spirit Native Americans. Pursuant to the Not Invisible Act, the Departments of Justice and the Interior established the Not Invisible Act Commission in 2022, a cross-jurisdictional advisory committee composed of law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing or murdered individuals, and survivors. The Commission provided recommendations to improve the federal government’s efforts to address violent crime and the high rates of people reported missing in Native communities, which the Departments responded to earlier this year. Additionally, the United States relaunched the North American Trilateral Working Group on Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls, in collaboration with the governments of Canada and Mexico, and with the participation of Indigenous women leaders from all three countries.
- Improving access to sexual assault forensic examinations. Over the past three years, the Department of Justice has dedicated more than $124 million to the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, which provides funding to support the inventory, tracking, and testing of previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits; the collection and testing of DNA from arrestees and offenders; and resources to address the cold case sexual assault investigations and prosecutions that result from evidence and Combined DNA Index System hits produced by tested sexual assault kits; among other services. The Department has also provided nearly $18 million to increase access to trained sexual assault medical forensic examiners, improve access to wrap-around care for survivors, and establish regional Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training programs and a Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing model to prepare current and future SANEs. With $10 million in FY 2024 funding, the Department will implement a new program to further address nationwide gaps in the availability and quality of post-sexual assault medical forensic care by establishing new SANE/Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner programs, strengthening existing ones, and providing technical assistance to support these programs.
- Combatting human trafficking and strengthening protections for noncitizen trafficking victims. The Biden-Harris Administration released an updated National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking laying out an integrated federal response to human trafficking as well as a National Human Trafficking Prevention Framework. Since then, the Department of Justice has disseminated more than $190 million in funding to combat human trafficking and support survivors and released updated guidelines for its employees who work with victims and witnesses of crime to provide enhanced protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking and for other vulnerable victims.
Separately, the Department of Homeland Security adopted a victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive approach to protecting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking as well as other vulnerable victims. The Department of Homeland Security also finalized a rule to strengthen the integrity of the T nonimmigrant visa process, which enables certain noncitizen victims of human trafficking to remain in the U.S. for an initial period of up to four years, and ensure eligible victims of human trafficking can access protections and stabilizing benefits in a timely manner. Additionally, the Department established a process to conduct bona fide determinations and provide employment authorization and deferred action to noncitizen victims of crime, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, with pending petitions for U nonimmigrant status for those who met certain standards.
- Investing in preventing and ending gender-based violence globally. Over the last two fiscal years, the United States maintained the highest-ever level of investment—$250 million—to address gender-based violence globally. This work is guided by the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally, which addresses 21st century challenges, including the rise of gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic; technology-facilitated gender-based violence; and safety risks related to climate migration and displacement. Under this strategy, we secured the first-ever U.S. commitment to the United Nations Global Programme to End Child Marriage and continued our long-standing commitment to the United Nations Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation.
- Advancing justice and accountability for conflict-related sexual violence. The Biden-Harris Administration has condemned sexual violence whenever and wherever it occurs, including in South Sudan, Iraq, Haiti, Ukraine, and the attacks committed by Hamas in Israel on October 7 – and in Gaza against hostages. In 2022, President Biden issued an historic Presidential Memorandum on Promoting Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, committing to fully exercising U.S. authorities—including sanctions, visa restrictions, and security assistance vetting—to impose consequences on perpetrators of this human rights abuse. The Biden-Harris Administration has since issued two sets of sanctions against perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence around the globe, launched the Dignity in Documentation Initiative to provide support for efforts to investigate and document conflict-related sexual violence, and will support justice for survivors by promoting accountability for crimes punishable under international law. Vice President Harris condemned conflict-related sexual violence and convened survivors at the White House in 2024.
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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Vermont Disaster Declaration
Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Vermont and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding from June 22 to June 24, 202.
Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in the county of Lamoille.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Mr. William F. Roy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.
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The post President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Vermont Disaster Declaration appeared first on The White House.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Vermont Disaster Declaration
Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Vermont and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding from June 22 to June 24, 202.
Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in the county of Lamoille.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Mr. William F. Roy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.
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The post President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Vermont Disaster Declaration appeared first on The White House.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Pennsylvania Disaster Declaration
Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and ordered Federal assistance to supplement commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Tropical Storm Debby from August 9 to August 10, 2024.
The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, and Union.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Mr. Mark K. O’Hanlon of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the commonwealth and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App. Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, can give FEMA the number for that service.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.
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The post President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Pennsylvania Disaster Declaration appeared first on The White House.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Pennsylvania Disaster Declaration
Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and ordered Federal assistance to supplement commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Tropical Storm Debby from August 9 to August 10, 2024.
The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, and Union.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Mr. Mark K. O’Hanlon of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the commonwealth and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App. Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, can give FEMA the number for that service.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.
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The post President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Pennsylvania Disaster Declaration appeared first on The White House.
Statement from National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard on the August Consumer Price Index
Today’s report shows that we are turning the page on inflation, which has fallen to 2.5%, close to the level the month before the pandemic started. With inflation coming back down close to normal levels, it is important to focus on sustaining the historic gains we have made for American workers during this recovery.
The President and the Vice President are fighting to lower costs, expand opportunities, and grow the middle class. That means creating jobs and supporting small businesses in communities across the country. It means cutting taxes for middle class families and hardworking Americans, while asking billionaires and large corporations to pay their fair share to reduce the deficit. And it means making housing, health care, and prescription drugs more affordable. Congressional Republicans would raise costs by nearly $4,000 per family while cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy. While the President and Vice President fight for the future, Congressional Republicans would drag us backward.
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The post Statement from National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard on the August Consumer Price Index appeared first on The White House.
Statement from National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard on the August Consumer Price Index
Today’s report shows that we are turning the page on inflation, which has fallen to 2.5%, close to the level the month before the pandemic started. With inflation coming back down close to normal levels, it is important to focus on sustaining the historic gains we have made for American workers during this recovery.
The President and the Vice President are fighting to lower costs, expand opportunities, and grow the middle class. That means creating jobs and supporting small businesses in communities across the country. It means cutting taxes for middle class families and hardworking Americans, while asking billionaires and large corporations to pay their fair share to reduce the deficit. And it means making housing, health care, and prescription drugs more affordable. Congressional Republicans would raise costs by nearly $4,000 per family while cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy. While the President and Vice President fight for the future, Congressional Republicans would drag us backward.
###
The post Statement from National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard on the August Consumer Price Index appeared first on The White House.
POTUS 46 Joe Biden
Whitehouse.gov Feed
- Remarks by President Biden Participating in the Lobito Corridor Trans-Africa Summit | Benguela, Angola
- Readout of the 2024 White House Tribal Youth Forum
- Readout of the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor Summit
- Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia
- Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden in her Ancestral Hometown
- Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Joining Forces Event with Military Families at NAS Sigonella
- Background Press Gaggle by a Senior Administration Official on the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor
- FACT SHEET: Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment in the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor
- Remarks by President Biden and President João Lourenço of Angola Before Bilateral Meeting | Luanda, Angola
Blog
Disclosures
Legislation
- Press Release: Bills Signed: H.R. 599, H.R. 807, H.R. 1060, H.R. 1098, H.R. 3608, H.R. 3728, H.R. 4190, H.R. 5464, H.R. 5476, H.R. 5490, H.R. 5640, H.R. 5712, H.R. 5861, H.R. 5985, H.R. 6073, H.R. 6249, H.R. 6324, H.R. 6651, H.R. 7192, H.R. 7199, H.R....
- Press Release: Bill Signed: H.R. 7189
- Bill Signed: S. 2228
- Press Release: Bill Signed: S. 1549
- Bills Signed: S. 133, S. 134, S. 612, S. 656, S. 670, S. 679, S. 2685, S. 3639, S. 3640, S. 3851, S. 4698
- Bill Signed: H.R. 9106
- Bill Signed: S. 3764
- Memorandum on the Presidential Determination with Respect to the Efforts of Foreign Governments Regarding Trafficking in Persons
- Memorandum on the Presidential Determination and Certification with Respect to the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008
- Memorandum on the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2025
Presidential Actions
- A Proclamation on International Day of Persons with Disabilities , 2024
- Memorandum on Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
- A Proclamation on World AIDS Day, 2024
- A Proclamation on National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, 2024
- A Proclamation on Thanksgiving Day, 2024
- President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Puerto Rico Major Disaster Declaration
- President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Kentucky Major Disaster Declaration
- President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
- Press Release: Notice to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in Nicaragua
- Letters to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in Nicaragua
Press Briefings
- Background Press Gaggle by a Senior Administration Official on the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor
- Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby En Route Luanda, Angola
- Background Press Call on the President’s Travel to Angola
- Background Press Call on Venezuela
- Background Press Call on the Ceasefire Deal Between Israel and Lebanon
- Press Gaggle by Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates En Route Queens, NY
- On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
- On-the-Record Press Gaggle by Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer on the President’s Engagements at the G20 Summit
- On-the-Record Press Gaggle by APNSA Jake Sullivan on President Biden’s Meeting with President Xi Jinping
Speeches and Remarks
- Remarks by President Biden Participating in the Lobito Corridor Trans-Africa Summit | Benguela, Angola
- Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden in her Ancestral Hometown
- Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Joining Forces Event with Military Families at NAS Sigonella
- Remarks by President Biden and President João Lourenço of Angola Before Bilateral Meeting | Luanda, Angola
- Remarks by President Biden Honoring the Past and Future of the Angolan-U.S. Relationship | Belas, Angola
- Background Press Gaggle on President Biden’s Meeting with President Lourenço of Angola
- REMARKS BY FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN AT THE UNVEILING OF THE 2024 WHITE HOUSE HOLIDAY THEME AND DECOR
- Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Holiday Reception for National Guard Families
- Remarks by President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Dr. Daniel Driffin, and Jeanne White-Ginder Commemorating World AIDS Day
- Remarks by President Biden in Press Gaggle | Nantucket, MA
Statements and Releases
- Readout of the 2024 White House Tribal Youth Forum
- Readout of the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor Summit
- Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia
- Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- FACT SHEET: Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment in the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor
- Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with President João Lourenço of Angola
- Statement from NSC Spokesperson Sean Savett on Outcomes of the Fifth Negotiating Session on a Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution
- FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Trip to Angola
- Statement from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
- Press Release: Bill Signed: H.R. 1505