Press Briefings

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Manchester, New Hampshire

2:06 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hey, guys. Hi. Hi. I’m sorry. Hi, everybody. All right. Just a quick thing on New Hampshire at the top. So, as you know, the president is going to be joined by Senator Bernie Sanders to discuss the work the Biden-Harris administration has done to cut health care costs.

Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which every single congressional Republican voted against, health care is more accessible and more affordable than ever before.

You will hear directly from President Biden today, who will discuss a new report that shows that nearly 1.5 million Medicare enrollees saved $1 billion on prescription drugs in just the first half of 2024 thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.

For years, Republican elected officials, including the previous administration, have tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which gives millions of Americans accessible — acc- — pardon me, access to quality, affordable health care.

Congressional Republicans have also proposed extreme budgets that would rip aw- — rip coverage away from millions of Americans while doing Big Pharma bidding — Big Pharma’s bidding to drive up prescription drug costs, eliminate the $35 cap on insulin, and get rid of the cap on out-of-pocket drugs.

Despite these attacks, President Biden and Vice President Harris remain focused on expanding access to health care and lowering prescription drug costs for families. And you’ll hear more from this president — from the president this afternoon.

With that, go ahead.

Q On the unauthorized release of classified documents, does the fact that the FBI is investigating suggest they believe it was an internal leak and not a hack?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, what I can just say — as you just stated in your question to me, the FBI is investigating this.

I’m not going to get into details or specifics. I’m going to let the, you know, authorized personnel who are looking into it speak to this. So, again, I would refer you to those — to those specific agencies. I just don’t have anything more to add. I’m going to let the FBI do their job and do what they need to do to get to the bottom of it.

Q Another question. On the — the seniors saving a billion dollars, does that take into account some of the higher premiums that have been reported for drug plans this year as a result of drug caps and the administration pulling billions of dollars from Medicare — the Medicare Trust Fund?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m sorry. I’m having a little bit of a hard time hearing you. So, you said —

Q As far as the — the billion dollars that seniors are saving —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — does that take into account the — the result of drug caps, as well as pulling from the Medicare Trust Fund?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, it’s a good question. Let me — I don’t have the specifics to that — of the billion dollars. Obviously, it’s saving Americans a lot on prescription drugs — a billion dollars, as I just stated — so I think that’s really important, and that’s what we wanted to note. The president will certainly share more.

I don’t have the specific on that particular question about caps, so I can talk to the team and get back to you. But I think the — the most important thing here to note is that because of the Inflation Reduction Act, because of the work that this administration has done to lower costs on drug — on drug pres- — on prescription drugs, you’re seeing the results of that.

Again, the Inflation Reduction Act — only Democrats voted for that; Republicans went against it. And now you have Medicare, who are — who’s able — Medicare is able to really negotiate lowering cost prices. And I think it’s a win. This is a win for Americans across the country.

This is what you’re going to hear from the president. Senator Bernie Sanders — obviously, he can speak for himself — has been a huge advocate of low- — lowering drug costs. So, I think it’s important. This report obviously shows a really critical number that matters, and I think — and connected that — connecting that to the Inflation Re- — Reduction Act. It — it’s a big deal. It’s a really big deal.

At that particular, specific question, I’m going to have to ask the team to get back to you on that.

Go ahead, Jeff.

Q Karine, the president told us on Friday, I believe, that he was aware of plans by Israel to respond to Iran, but he didn’t give us any details about that. Can you — and I’m not expecting you to give details —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — although you’d be welcome to.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.)

Q But my question is: Is the fact that Secretary Blinken is in the region right now — is that delaying a response by Israel?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things, and as — you’re right, I’m not going to — to go beyond what the president said, and I said this before — I’ve said in a briefing room a couple of times: We’re not going to preview — we don’t want to preview anything for the Iranians. That’s not something that we’re going to do from here. And at the end of the day, it’s Isr- — the Israeli government. It is their — it’s their military operation; they have to respond to that.

Obviously, we have continued to show our support for Israelis’ security. That continues to be ironclad.

And they — they live in a region — as you’ve heard us say many times — in a neighborhood that’s incredibly tough, and they have to deal with threats, and they have to be able to, certainly, protect themselves and react to those threats, obviously.

As it relates to — so — so, that’s that piece, right? So, they have to speak to that — the timing. That includes the timing, what is it going to look like. They have to speak to that.

Look, you know, you’ve seen the secretary go to the region multiple times, especially since October 7th of last year. And there — it’s — it’s diplomacy, obviously. It’s an opportunity to talk to — he’s in Israel today, but also to talk to our allies and partners in the region about what can we do to de-escalate tensions. That is something that we are very focused on: what can we do to stop the war, obviously, in Gaza, to get more humanitarian aid. And we have seen an uptick in humanitarian aid over the last couple of days. And so, that’s really critical and important.

So, what he’s doing in the region is important to what we’re trying to do — right? — getting to that de-escalation, but also a long-lasting peace.

I’ll — I’ll let the State Department — which they’ve spoken to a couple times already about his trip, about the meaning of it, where he’s going, what he’s going to do. Again, obviously, he’s in Israel today.

But I — I can’t really — I can’t really dictate or speak to how Israel is going to move forward, their timing of it, their military operation. That’s something for them to speak to.

But what Blinken — Secretary Blinken is trying to do is important to, I guess, the — the long-term goal here and what we’re trying to get, but also ending the war in Gaza and getting that humanitarian aid.

Q Just on Israel as well. Donald Trump confirmed that he spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Is the White House concerned at all about them having continued communications?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I’m — I’m just not going to speak to that.

Look, as you know, we talk to the Israeli government on a regular basis on the — all the issues that I just laid out s- — in responding to Jeff. And we have a — a long friendship with the Israeli people, and we are committed to their security, obviously, as I’ve stated before. And I’m just not going to comment about the former president, who’s now a candidate, talking — talking to the prime minister.

I would refer you to the prime minister directly if he has something more to say about that. And to the pr- — the former president.

Q Another one on the Middle East, Karine. La- — yes- — just yesterday, more than 60 people were killed in an Israeli strike on South Beirut. In one month, more than 1,500 people have died as a result of Israeli bombardments. Is this still a targeted operation?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, we have certainly seen the reports, and we’re going to have co- — we’re having conversations, as you know, as I just stated, on a regular basis with the Israeli government on — on this and — and obviously other matters.

Look — and — and I’ve said this before, we’ve said this before: Israel has the right and the responsibility to respond to threats, but obviously, they also have a responsibility that — that they — they make sure that a civilian ca- — one civilian casualty is too many, right? That they make sure that they do this in a way that we’re protecting civilian lives and so — or — and so –and we’ve said this before: Israel must take every feasible precaution to prevent civilians during this — during this time, during this operation.

And so, we’re — continue to — to talk to them. We’re going to continue to have those discussion.

We do not want to see one civilian, you know, killed in this, right? We want to make sure that all lives are — innocent lives are protected here. And so, we’re going to continue to have those conversations.

Q And on today’s event, if I may. How confident are you that all the work that has been done on — on drug costs won’t be undone by a future administration?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, so, look the Inflation Reduction Act is the law, as you know, right? And as I’ve stated many times, every single Republican voted against it. Obviously, they’re trying to repeal it. And — and, you know — and it’s something that’s — we see it as an odd thing to do because it’s — Democrats and Republicans see this as being very popular. And — and so — and what this law does: It delivers real benefits for Americans.

And like I said, today the president is going to announce that seniors have saved $1 billion — right? — in the last six months because of the Inflation Reduction Act.

And so, look, we’re going to — I think when it comes to the president and the vice president, we put the American people first. We’re focused on making sure that we deliver for them. The Inflation Reduction Act did just that, as it relates to health care costs. And obviously, the president is going to speak to this.

But it’s the law. It’s the law. And — and I think that’s important to note as well.

Q Karine, what — what’s the president’s political message today when he stops by the campaign office two weeks before Election Day?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, as you know, I can’t speak to politics from here. We do try to follow the law. But what I can speak to is his event — the official event that he’s going to be doing.

Lowering drug costs — I think that’s an important message to send to the American people. That’s an important message to send to Americans: how much the Biden-Harris administration has done everything that we can to continue to lower costs as we try to rebuild the economy.

Let’s not forget what the president and the vice president walked into. They walked into an economy that was in a downturn, and they were able to turn that around.

But we understand that people still feel it, right? Some people wake up in the morning and they’re trying to figure out how are they going to pay for a cancer drug — right? — how are they going to pay for a drug that’s going to save their lives. And here you see this president and this vice president actually take action.

We beat Big Pharma, which is something that many elected officials have tried to do. And this president and this vice president got it done.

So, that’s the message, I would say, that the president is trying to send to Americans just across the country, that we’re going to continue to fight for them. I’m not going to speak to — I would say stay tuned. You’ll hear from the president later today.

Q Is there a reason why New Hampshire today?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I think, as the president says all the time, he’s a president for all Americans. Doesn’t matter if it’s a red state, blue state. We have said, when you all ask me, “Well, how is the president going to get his message out,” this is part of it, right? Going to a place like New Hampshire, or, last week, he went to Wisconsin, he went to Pennsylvania.

He’s going across — across the country and making sure that the American people know what we have tried to do and — and are doing to make sure that we uplift Americans.

Anybody else?

Q There’s a report out about political fundraising targeting elderly dementia patients. Is the president concerned at all that any fundraising in his name may have done that inadvertently?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Is it from one of the camp- — it’s from the —

Q It was a CNN story today.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Was it the Republican campaign?

Q I think there is multiple.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I haven’t seen that, so I can’t speak to that. Look, more broadly — speaking more broadly here and not leaning into any campaign or any political ad, we have said, like, misinformation, we understand how dangerous that could be and that type of false information — how much that could be hurtful and harmful to people. And so, we’ve always called that out in the sense of, like, people have to be — be responsible.

And I can’t speak to this particular political ad. I haven’t seen it. And also, I just want to be careful to not speak to anything that is politically related to this election cycle.

Go ahead.

Q Has President Biden given officials a timeline to complete their investigation on the leaks — on the intelligence leak?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I would have to refer you to — as I just mentioned, the FBI is looking into it. I would have to refer you to them. I ca- — I don’t have a timeline to speak to.

Q Well, I mean, he’s only — you know, busy weeks ahead, you know, between the election and end of the year. There — you don’t have anything more to add on that with timing?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Are you — do you mean the — the —

Q The investigation. Just for —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I just can’t speak to that. That is something that the appropriate authorities can speak to. FBI is in- — looking into it. I just can’t speak to a timeline.

Yeah.

Q The president is scheduled to be in Wilmington this weekend. Is there any chance he’s going to — you know, and Harris is supposed to be in Philadelphia. Is there any chance that they’re going to appear together? Do you have anything to preview on that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: As you know, the president and the vice president has appeared together multiple times in the past several months or weeks and — whether it’s campaign or official.

So, I don’t have anything else to add beyond that, sp- — especially if you’re asking me about a campaign event. But I will say stay tuned. Stay tuned.

All right, guys. Thank you so much.

Q Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wow, that was quick. Okay. All right.

Q Quick and dirty.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) Quick and dirty.

2:20 P.M. EDT

The post Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre En Route Manchester, NH appeared first on The White House.

Via Teleconference

12:06 P.M. EDT

MODERATOR: Hey, everyone. Thanks for joining. Kirby has a few words here at the top, and then we’ll get started.

MR. KIRBY: Hey, everybody. Hope your week is off to a good start.

Building on the President’s trip to Germany and the solid, constructive discussions he had, not only bilaterally with German leaders, the President and the Chancellor, but also with the leaders of the European Quad on Ukraine, Secretary Austin visited Ukraine today. As I’m sure you saw, he announced that the President signed a new security assistance package, which included more 155 artillery ammunition, as well as 105-millimeter ammunition, HIMARS ammunition, and additional Javelin anti-tank systems.

As the President said as recently as late last month, the United States is going to continue to surge assistance to Ukraine so that it can prevail. Today’s announcement underscores that commitment. It shows our resolve to continue getting Ukraine the support that it needs through January.

Now, yesterday, I would also add, talking about Europe, Moldova held both a presidential election and a national referendum on whether to amend its constitution to support EU membership.

The results today indicate that Moldova has voted in favor of the national referendum on EU membership, which is a historic step forward in Moldova’s European integration. As for the presidential election, President Sandu received more than 42 percent of the vote in the first round, and this will head now to a runoff on November 3rd.

As I warned about last week, Russia has been working actively to undermine Moldova’s election and their European integration. In the past several months, Moscow has dedicated millions of dollars towards these efforts. Now, Russia did not succeed. As the results demonstrate, Moldovan democracy is strong, as is the will and desire of the Moldovan people to advance toward European integration.

The U.S. remains a proud partner of Moldova, and we will continue to stand with them as they endeavor to continue to protect their democracy and, quite frankly, to reach the aspirations of the Moldovan people.

Now, lastly, tomorrow, President Biden will host Prime Minister Robe- — I’m sorry, Robert Golob of the Republic of Slovenia for a conversation in the Oval Office. This is the third Slovenian prime minister to visit the White House and the first since 2006. It comes on the heels of the historic prisoner swap that brought Americans and other human rights activists and political dissidents home from Russian prisons earlier this year.

The two leaders will discuss the full spectrum of pressing issues confronting our two countries, including, of course, ongoing support for Ukraine, energy security and cooperation, and a shared approach to the Western Balkans.

With that, we can take some questions.

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

Q Hi. Thank you both. I wanted to ask about these classified documents that went out in the ether, I guess, over — or recently, and that came to light over the weekend. One, were these docs — is it understood whether they were leaked or hacked?

And then secondly on that, how concerned does the episode make the President about the security of classified info, both at the Pentagon and within the intelligence community, particularly since we’re in this moment of the Middle East conflict, the election just weeks away, and a plethora of active foreign interference?

MR. KIRBY: Thanks, Aamer. We’re not exactly sure how these documents found their way into the public domain. I know the Department of Defense is investigating this, and I’m sure that as they work through that, they’ll try to determine the manner in which they did become public. So I’m just not able to answer your question whether it was a leak or a hack at this point. We’ll let the investigation pursue its logical course there.

We’re deeply concerned, and the President remains deeply concerned, about any leakage of classified information into the public domain. That is not supposed to happen, and it’s unacceptable when it does. So he’s deeply concerned about that. And you can rest assured that he will be actively monitoring the progress of the investigative effort to figure out how this happened, and obviously he’ll be very interested in hearing any mitigation measures and recommendations that come as a result of the investigative efforts and how to prevent it from happening again.

Q Is it clear at this point — do you guys believe that — or have any reason to believe that more documents could be forthcoming showing sensitive intelligence?

MR. KIRBY: As we speak today, Aamer, the answer to that question is: No, we don’t have any indication at this point that there’s an expectation that there’ll be additional documents like this finding their way into the public domain.

But — and the “but” here is important — we’re obviously keenly focused on what happened here, learning how it happened, and preventing it from happening again. And in the course of that work, that investigative work, we’re certainly going to keep our antenna up and our eyes open for any potential future disclosures.

But let me just come back to where I started before. At this time, there’s no indication that we have a reason to suspect additional documents of this sort finding its way into the public domain.

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

Q Thank you so much. Can you guys hear me?

MR. KIRBY: Yes, ma’am.

Q Okay. Thank you. Admiral, I’m wondering, just on the on the documents question, you know, if there’s been any communication between the U.S. and Israel in the wake of the release of these classified documents, and also, if there’s any expectation by the administration that their release would impact the timing or the scope of any action that Israel would end up taking.

MR. KIRBY: Well, I’ll let the Israelis speak to if, what, how, and when they decide to take additional military action in response to Iran’s October 1st attack. That’s really for them to speak to.

But on your sec- — on your first question, yes, of course, we’ve been in communication with our Israeli counterparts about this public disclosure.

Q And then, on the death of Yahya Sinwar, it’s now been several days, and both the President and Jake Sullivan said last week that that they hoped that it would be seen as an opportunity or an opening for new discussions over a diplomatic resolution. I’m wondering if you could just update us on any conversations regarding a diplomatic outcome in Gaza, and then, in parallel, what you see as the opportunity for any type of ceasefire in Lebanon.

MR. KIRBY: Yeah, those are two very different questions.

On Gaza, of course in the wake of Sinwar’s killing, we have had conversations with our Israeli counterparts about what the next steps are here. And we have certainly expressed, as the President did publicly, our strong desire to see what can be done to find a diplomatic path forward here to get the hostages home. That remains a top priority of President Biden. The Israelis understand that that remains a top priority of the President. And again, we’ve had some initial conversations in the wake of Mr. Sinwar’s killing, of course.

I cannot sit here today and tell you that negotiations are about to restart in Doha or Cairo, or anywhere else for that matter. But, yes, we have started to begin to think about it here and had some initial conversations with our Israeli counterparts, as you would expect we would, in the wake of that truly historic news.

On Lebanon, we continue to engage in intensive diplomacy to see what can be done to try to find a path to a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. I think you know — at least, if you don’t know, I guess I’ll tell you — Amos Hochstein is in Beirut, as we speak, to continue those conversations to see what could be in the realm of the possible in terms of trying to find a meaningful ceasefire between those two sides.

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

Q Hey, John. Thanks so much for doing this. I just wanted to follow up on Kayla’s question a little bit. So, Biden said last Friday that he knows how Israel plans to retaliate to the Iranian attack. So, does the U.S. foresee this disrupting the Israeli operation in any way? And does the President plan to speak with Netanyahu again about this?

MR. KIRBY: I don’t have a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu to preview for you. They’ll speak, as they have and often do, at the appropriate time.

And I’m not going to get any further — I do appreciate the follow up, and I understand it, but I’m certainly not going to get into any public speculation about what an Israeli response could look like if, in fact, they decide to conduct one. That’s truly up to them to decide, and it’s absolutely up to them to speak to it one way or the other, not coming from the United States.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Aurelia with AFP.

Q Hi, and thanks both. I have a question on northern Gaza. Can you update us on the amount of aid that’s going in? Are you satisfied with the steps that the Israelis have taken? Or do you, you know, expect them to take more steps to get more aid into this territory?

MR. KIRBY: Well, the short answer to your question really is: Of course, we want more done. We need to see much more aid getting into Gaza. You mentioned the north. I would note that over the last few days to a week there’s been — more than 120 trucks have made it into northern Gaza, which is a good thing. It’s not enough, but it’s a good thing. We also noted and welcomed the air drops that the UAE conducted over the last couple of days, I think over the weekend. That also was helpful. But much more needs to be done, and we’re going to continue talking to our Israeli counterparts about that.

I mean, for instance, you know, there’s armed gangs at the Kerem Shalom crossing. You know, there’s plenty of trucks that are waiting to get in there, and they’re not able to get in there because of these armed gangs and criminal groups that are stopping it. So we all have to take a turn here and see what we can do to reduce that pressure down at Kerem Shalom so that that aid can get in. More needs to be done. But, yes, we have seen an uptick over the last few days.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to David Sanger with the New York Times.

Q Thanks, John, for doing this. Two quick things for you. The first: Just to follow up on the Iran answers, you’ve said several times now it’s up to the Israelis to decide when and where and how they’re going to strike. But when the President said “yes and yes” at the end of last week to the question of did he know when they were going to strike and where they were going to strike, is it reasonable for us to interpret that statement as saying that he and Prime Minister Netanyahu have come to some agreement, after the President’s quite public statements, about not hitting nuclear and energy sites?

MR. KIRBY: I think, David, I’m going to preserve the conversations that the President has with the Prime Minister and that we’ve had with our Israeli counterparts about this particular topic.

The President was referring to his knowledge of what their intentions were. And —

Q But I shouldn’t confuse that with an approval of what their intentions were?

MR. KIRBY: Israel is a sovereign state. They get to decide for themselves what they’re going to hit and how they’re going to hit it.

Q And I didn’t ask you whether they got to decide or not. I asked you whether the President is now in agreement with them.

MR. KIRBY: I’m just not going to go beyond what the President said, David.

Q Okay. And then, on the — one quick question on Russia. We’re, what, two weeks and a day or two ahead of the election. At this point in 2018 and 2020, the U.S. had issued, through various means, specific warnings to the Russians about non-interference. You may recall at one point they used a channel; it was mostly used for nuclear communications. I think that was 2018, if I remember right. Are you aware of any significant and high-level specific warnings for Russia on election interference in recent times?

MR. KIRBY: I think I would just say two things to that. Number one, we know and we’ve made public what we know about Russia’s attempts to interfere in this election. Now, the ODNI, as you know, David, puts out regular reports out there. We make it public what we’re seeing and what we know they’re trying to do. There’s an awful lot that we do to counter those operations by the Russians. Some of that we talk about, some of that we don’t.

I can tell you that we have made it perfectly clear to the Russians, in numerous ways, how unacceptable we find these activities and how strongly and staunchly we’re going to push back on them. I do not have a specific — an additional specific, as you put it, high-level warning to the Russians, except the only thing I would add is our concerns have been made perfectly clear to Mr. Putin and to the Russian government.

Q Has that been by the President himself? Or you’re only aware of the ones that (inaudible)?

MR. KIRBY: The President has had no direct communications with Vladimir Putin.

Q Great. Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Robin Wright with the New Yorker.

Q Thanks so much, John. I have a three-part question. First of all, have you seen any efforts by Iran recently, after the deaths of Nasrallah and Sinwar, to help its allies regroup, rearm, refinance? What has it been doing in the background?

Secondly, there are media reports that Naim Qassem, who is Nasrallah’s deputy, has moved to Tehran. Can you confirm that?

And third, the Iranian foreign minister met over the weekend with Hamas leaders in Istanbul. Do you have thoughts on that? Do you have a sense of what the goal was? Can you give us any insights? Thanks.

MR. KIRBY: Okay, there’s a lot there.

On your third question about the Istanbul meeting, Robin, I hope you’ll let me take that question and come back to you. I don’t have any insights to share on that. That doesn’t mean that we, at the NSC, don’t. That just means me, Kirby, don’t. So we’ll take that question and try to get you a better answer.

I don’t have anything on Nasrallah’s deputy going to Tehran. Nothing like that. Again, I’ll try to take that question back to the team and have them see if we’ve got a better answer for you than that. But I wouldn’t have any insights or perspectives to share on that at this time, except to say — and this kind of gets to your first question — it wouldn’t come as a shock to any of us to see Hezbollah leadership, at whatever level, staying in communication with Iran, and that would include travel to Tehran, given the incredible support that Hezbollah continues to get from Iran.

Now, you asked, specifically in the wake of his killing, have we seen something demonstrable and tangible. Not that I have to speak to today, except we’ve seen rhetoric out of the mullahs and out of the Supreme Leader, and we certainly have seen no diminution of Iranian desire to continue to support their proxies, whether that is Hezbollah, whether it’s Hamas, whether it’s the militia groups in Iraq and Syria, or, quite frankly, whether it’s the Houthis. There’s been no indication that Iran has changed its calculus and is somehow pulling the plug on the support to these groups.

Now, whether there’s something, again, demonstrable that we’ve seen since his killing, I’d have to go back and ask the question, but I don’t believe that we’ve seen any significant change one way or the other.

Q John, can I just follow up quickly and ask you to take that question to see if Iran is doing anything with Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, the PMF? Is it doing anything in the background, including, you know, urging the PMF to — or Kata’ib Hezbollah to go after Americans? I’m trying to see if there’s anything that the Iranians are doing in response to what’s happened over the last few weeks.

MR. KIRBY: Yeah, no, I get the question. I’m happy to take it. I will caveat this by telling you that they’re — you know, that some of what we’re seeing — what we see may or may not be suitable for public disclosure, but I’m happy to take the question and come back to you.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Anita with VOA.

Q Hello, John. Hope you’re well. Thank you for doing this. Okay, I have a Russia-Ukraine omnibus question, but before I get to it, I just want to check in: Any White House reaction to the death of Turkish cleric Gulen in the U.S.? Does this change anything between Washington and Ankara? Any communications, anything you want to say about that?

MR. KIRBY: Nothing at this time.

Q Okay. Let me move on to Russia-Ukraine. So, what response should we expect from the U.S. and allies amid these reports that Russia has North Korean soldiers working with them in Ukraine? Could this prompt either a surge in military assistance or an easing of the restrictions on Ukrainian use of long-range weapons?

And then, relatedly: As you know, Vladimir Putin is hosting the BRICS Summit this week. BRICS has not had a shortage of membership requests in recent years. What does this mean to you about whether trying to make, you know, Russia a pariah? Has that worked? Is that stance effective anymore? And what message is this sending to China that seems to think it can, you know, do whatever they want and not face any consequences?

MR. KIRBY: Who can do whatever they want and not face consequences? You cut out there.

Q Yeah. Sorry about that. I was asking what message this sends to China that it could continue to, you know, act however it wants but not face any consequences or lose any friends, more accurately.

MR. KIRBY: Yeah. Well, I mean, I think — I mean, I’ll work backward here. I don’t think the PRC has ever gotten that message. I mean, we’ve been none too shy about making our concerns known to the PRC, with respect to the fact that Chinese companies have provided components and elements to Russian weapons systems in the defense industrial base. And we’ve sanctioned them. We have had very frank conversations with Chinese leaders, including Jake with his counterpart, and the President and President Xi, about even that level of support to the Russian military. So, I think our message to the PRC has been clear and consistent and remains so.

On the BRICS, you know, I don’t think that you should look at this BRICS conference as some sort of coming-out party for Mr. Putin and for Russia. First of all, the BRICS as an organization isn’t new, and we’ve long said, you know, these countries — every country gets to make sovereign decisions about who they associate with and in what format. And, you know, we don’t view the BRICS arrangement as some sort of, you know, threat. These countries can decide for themselves who they want to associate with and especially how they want to be economically linked with one another.

Russia is increasingly isolated on the world stage. There’s no question about that. Mr. Putin is still having to take radical steps to prop up his currency and to keep his war economy going, and he continues to have to take drastic steps to try to keep an army in the field and to try to achieve even a modicum of success on the battlefield. That includes continuing to get drones and drone technology from Iran, artillery rounds from North Korea, and now these reports about North Korean soldiers deploying to Russia.

So, that’s your first question, and I’ll just — I’ll end with that. We’re obviously continuing to look into those reports, and we’re talking to our allies and partners about what they’re seeing on this as well. If it’s true that the DPRK soldiers are going there to join the war against Ukraine, it would certainly mark a dangerous and highly concerning development. I talked about that last week.

And as I said, we’re consulting allies and partners, and I think we plan to lay out in coming days what we’re seeing on this and lay out a little bit more about the consultations we’re having with partners.

But I also think — and this kind of gets to your second question — we also need to look at this for what it also is, and that is another demonstration of Putin’s growing desperation and his growing isolation that he’s got to reach out to North Korea for potential — potential — as I said, we’re looking into the reports — potential infantry support to his ground operations. There’s no question about it that his forces continue to suffer an extraordinary amount of casualties on the battlefield. As I said last week, you know, the estimate we have now is more than a thousand — actually, more than 1,200 — per day. And that is a truly historic amount of soldiers killed and wounded in this fight, all to accomplish a warped and twisted idea of his about Ukraine’s ability to exist as a sovereign state.

So I come back to what you said — your second question about, you know, what does this say about Russia’s isolation. I think all of this says and proves the point that Mr. Putin is increasingly desperate and increasingly isolated on the world stage.

Q John, I just want to thank you for keeping up with that question. That was very impressive. Thank you very much.

MR. KIRBY: This time I took notes.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question will go to Laura Kelly with The Hill.

Q Hi. Thank you so much for taking my question. Speaking to Moldova’s election, you said that Russia did not succeed, although it’s not necessarily viewed as black and white. While Russia was likely pushing for a “no” vote on the referendum, the result of such a slim margin makes it harder for the Moldovan government to put resources toward EU integration, and this is likely in Russia’s favor.

So, in Russian interference efforts ahead of the runoff election are likely to continue, you know, what lessons is the U.S. learning about Russia’s power to sway elections? And is the U.S. doing anything more or different to help the Moldovan government combat Russia election interference?

MR. KIRBY: We’re in touch with the Moldovans every single day, and that includes this day, about the vibrancy, the vitality of their democratic institutions and their electoral process.

And, yes, we know there’s a runoff coming, and we have every expectation that the Russians are going to want to try to affect that runoff. So we’re going to continue to work with the Moldovans in ways, public and non-public, about how they can improve their resiliency to that kind of influence.

And I think I stand by what I said before: Russia was not successful. They did not want to see the Moldovan people strive for or get a referendum that approved EU integration. And that’s what happened. I get that it was a slim margin. I have no doubt in my mind, and none of us here do, that the Russians tried to contribute to the “no” vote. Now, to what degree, I couldn’t quantify how successful they were in terms of the overall percentage of the “no” vote, but we know they were pushing really, really hard to affect it.

Bottom line is it didn’t pass. And what did succeed was a “yes” vote on EU integration, and we think that’s an important step forward, and we think that that absolutely reflects the aspirations of the majority of the Moldovan people.

But nobody is sitting back crowing on this. Nobody is doing touchdown dances here. There’s a runoff coming, and we got to make sure we continue to work with the Moldovans to ensure that that runoff is done in a way that respects and is appropriate to the aspirations of the electorate in Moldova.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our final question will go to Neria with Israel Channel 13.

Q Hi. Thank you so much, Sam. And thank you, Kirby, for doing that. I wanted to ask — you talked about talking to the Israelis about a possible solution for Gaza the day after Sinwar. Do you think — does the White House consider an international force controlling Gaza for a while until things would settle down?

MR. KIRBY: I’m not going to get ahead of where we are right now, except to say Secretary Blinken has been working on day-after options for months and months now. And I don’t — you know, we haven’t reached any, you know, final options on what a security footprint could look like in Gaza, how it would be comprised, where it would be deployed, who would run it. We just haven’t come to conclusion on those kinds of options.

But clearly, the people of Gaza, when this war is over, should have every right to seek peace and security and a way to go about their lives where they don’t have to worry about those lives being shattered by violence.

And so, there’s going to have to be a security footprint here and a security component to whatever the day after looks like. It’s just that we’re still working our way through that with not only the Israelis, but with our Arab partners. And I would go so far as to say we’re also working that through with Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority as well.

Q Great. Thank you so much.

MR. KIRBY: Yes, ma’am.

MODERATOR: Thank you. And unfortunately, that’s all the time we have today. As always, if we weren’t able to get to your questions, reach out to the press distro, and we’ll get back as soon as we can. Thanks.

12:36 P.M. EDT

The post On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby appeared first on The White House.

1:56 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Good afternoon, everyone.

Q Good afternoon.

Q Hi, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It feels like there’s an echo.

Q Yes, there is.

Q There is.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t know if you guys want to hear me twice. I don’t know if they’re fixing it or not.

Okay. Let’s get going.

Q (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I know. It does.

Q (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) Okay. Today, the Biden-Harris administration is taking a major step to expand contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Republican elected officials have made clear they want to ban or restrict birth control, defund federal programs that help women excess — access contraception, and repeal the ACA. Congressional Republicans have also repeatedly blocked federal legislation to safeguard the fundamental right to birth control for women in every state. It’s dangerous, and it’s unacceptable.

This new action under our administration would help ensure that millions of women with private health insurance can access the contraception they need, including over-the-counter contraception, at no cost.

At a time when contraception access is under attack, President Biden and Vice President Harris will continue to fight to protect access to reproductive health care and call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law.

Now, the president and the vice president response — their response to the recovery efforts continue to deliver for the people of North Carolina, Florida, and all communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Over 5,500 federal personnel are deployed to North Carolina and Florida.

Today, Administra- — Administrator Deanne Criswell is in North Carolina with Governor Roy Cooper and state officials to continue surveying damage and ensure that resources continue to make it to the communities and survivors who need them.

In total, nearly $2 billion in federal assistance has been approved for those affected by recent storms. In North Carolina, the administration has approved more than $300 million in assistance. This includes over $130 million for nearly 90,000 households. Additional, FEMA — additionally, FEMA has approved more than $189 million for debris removal and reimbursement of ener- — of emergency protective measures for the state.

And the administration also announced that the government will create a brand-new program for assistant impact [to assist impacted] communities with their recovery and rebuilding efforts. Additionally, 15 disaster recovery centers are operating in the impacted areas in North Carolina and have served more than 5,700 visitors, and power has been restored to 99 percent of impacted North Carolina customers due to thousands of utility personnel working around the clock.

All of this is thanks to the leadership of the president, the vice president, FEMA, and other administration leaders and the many state and local officials who have helped ensure a robust and well-coordinated response and recovery effort. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to help these communities respond and recover from these disasters.

And now, next, we have the first lady. First Lady Jill Biden is unveiling a new, enhanced educational White House public tour for visitors today at the White House. As a classroom teacher for 40 years, Dr. Biden knows that learning has to be engaging and interactive and that you have to meet students where they are, giving them what they need to spark their curiosity and imagination.

This is the first significant improvement to the tour in decades. And as the first lady said, and I quote, “We’ve added flex- — flexible, versatile, and dynamic tools of learning to the tour; created more pathways in the house to bring people fur- — further into the rooms; expanded the tour to now inc- — to now include the Diplomatic Reception Room; and we’ve included more educational content that visitors can touch, hear, and see up close.”

Get on that tour, folks.

The first lady hopes the tour inspires everyone who visits the White House to learn more about our shared history.

And on the week ahead, the president will be hitting the road this week to discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s work to deliver for the American people.

On Tuesday, tomorrow, the president will host a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Robert Golob t- — of the Republic of Slovenia before heading to Concord, New Hampshire, where he will join Senator Bernie Sanders to discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s work to lower cost of prescriction [prescription] drugs. During that event, the president is expected to discuss new data on savings for the first year — for the first year thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. He will also make a campaign-related stop while he is in the Granite State.

Then the president will travel to Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday and Friday where he will deliver remarks at the Gila River Indian Community and discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s record of delivering for Tribal communities, including keeping his promise to make this historic visit to — his historic vis- — visit to Indian Country as well. This — he will be — this will be the first as president to do this — his first as president to do this.

As always, we will be sharing more information as we get closer, certainly, to Arizona and tomorrow as well.

Okay. Darlene.

Q Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And we fix —

Q Apologies. Can you clarify one thing?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q You just said the president —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.

Q — after you were talking about New Hampshire, that he’s making a campaign-related stop.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q Is that in New Hampshire, or were you talking about Arizona?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: That’s going to be in New Hampshire.

Q Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yep, the Granite State. He’ll be making a campaign-related stop, and certainly the campaign will have more to share on that.

Q And then on the leak of information — classified information about Israel’s plans toward Iran. There was a leak of classified information last year in April. A member of the National Guard had posted a bunch of documents and whatnot online.

Has the Pentagon and the intelligence community done enough since then to —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So —

Q — protect —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can say is —

Q — this material?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — certainly we are aware of — of the reporting. Certainly, we are concerned — very concerned by them. Anything about — about the process and this — and — and how it’s being investigated by the U.S. government, I would have to refer you to the IC, the DOJ, and certainly DOD. I’m not going to get into particulars or specifics from here.

But we are aware of the reports, and we are definitely, and we are definitely very concerned about them.

Q Can you speak to any changes the president might have in mind that he might want to see going forward?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I’m not going to get ahead of it. As I just mentioned, the U.S. government is investigating this and — through the appropriate authorities. So, I’m going to let them d- — move through their process, see exactly what happened. I’m not going to get into it from here.

Q And speaking of classified information, what is the president’s plan for voting in the November 5th election?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, the president certainly looks forward —

Q That was a joke.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh. (Laughter.) So ser- — I’m sorry. I’m so serious today. Very funny, Darlene. Very good joke.

Q That’s okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.)

Q We can move on.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, the president is certainly looking forward to casting his ballot in the upcoming election. When we have more to share about what that looks like, where — you know, where he’s going to be, we certainly will share that.

Go ahead. Go ahead, Weijia.

Q Thank you, Karine. So, we just heard from Kirby that the White House is monitoring the progress of the investigative effort to figure out how this happened, not whether this happened. But just for the sake of clarity, can you confirm that the — the documents in question are authentic and do, in fact, include U.S. classified intelligence?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I appreciate the question. We’re — like I said, we’re certainly aware of the reports. We are very concerned. I’m not going to get into specifics. I’m not going to get into details. That’s something for DO- — DOJ, IC, and DOD to get into it, and certainly they can hopefully answer any questions that you may have on this particular matter.

But, look, as the reports are out there and what they’re — what we are hearing, certainly we are very concerned by them. They are being looked into. It’s being investigated by the appropriate authorities, by the — obviously, the U.S. government here. And so, I’m going to let them speak to it directly.

Q Kirby characterized the concern as stemming from the fact that they were in the public domain. So, I mean —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, it’s true. Any —

Q — as he talked about it —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — the implication was that this was classified information. I’m just asking, yes or no, was it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, look, any time — any time there are leaks like these that end up in the public domain — I just reiterating — reiterating what he said — of course, it is concerning. We have the appropriate authorities who are looking into this on our side of things.

And I’m going to be really mindful. I am not going to get into specifics. Was this, you know, classified? Was this not class- — I can’t get into that from here. That is something IC and DOD and DOJ can get into it on those specifics.

But any time we see any type of classified information that are — that is leaked and that is out there in a public domain, of course we are concerned — of course. But they can speak to their — you know, their — their — the — how authentic, how real — any of those pieces, they can speak to that. I’m not going to speak to that from here.

Q And then just a quick follow-up on Darlene. I know you’re figuring out his Election Day plans, but given the potential for political unrest in the days that follow, will the president be here? Does he plan to be here in Washington in the days that follow the election?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, the president is president wherever he is. The number one — obviously, the number one priority of this president is the American people. Obviously, the security of the American people is also a priority of his as well.

And I don’t have — I don’t want to get ahead of where he’s going to be, if he’s going to be here or not. We’ll have more to share as we get closer, certainly, to — to November 5th and what his schedule will — will look like.

But he is, indeed, president wherever he is. And so, his number one priority — his number one priority is the American people.

Q Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Selina.

Q Thanks, Karine. Elon Musk is pledging to give away $1 million every day up until the election to voters in battleground states. Some experts are saying this is clearly illegal vote buying. Does the White House believe what he’s doing is illegal?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I’m going to have to refer you to the FEC. I’m not going to comment from it — from here.

Q Can you talk about how the president is reacting to this in terms of does he believe it’s appropriate? Does he agree with what Governor Shapiro is saying about how this needs to be investigated?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I would leave it to Governor Shapiro and the legal authorities to speak to this. I’m just not going to speak to it from here and would have to leave it to FEC.

Q And if you could just talk broadly about what Trump has also said about making Musk the head of a new “government efficiency commission.” Does the White House see that as a conflict of interest, given the fact that Musk’s companies have so many contracts with government agencies —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — and it could potentially give him the power to regulate the agencies that hold sway over his own companies?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, since that’s a campaign-related item there, what they’re planning to do next or what it looks like under — you know, and — and their platform for his campaign, I’m just not going to respond to it from here.

Q Any reaction from the president or White House about Elon’s — Musk’s role at this moment in the political discussion?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I have no response, no — no comment on that at this moment.

Go ahead, Monica.

Q On the apparent leak of classified information. How concerned is the president about the message it sends to allies about the way the U.S. handles some of the most sensitive, top-secret information?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, what I can say is we take this very seriously. And as I’ve said many times already, we are very concerned. That’s — this is why the DOD, this is why IC, this is why DOJ are all looking into this. And so, I would have to refer you to them.

And as I stated many times, it’s being investigated. We need to get to the bottom of it. We need to get answers before I can give you anything further from here. But it’s being investigated by the appropriate authorities. We’re looking into it.

Are we concerned? Yes. Are we very concerned? Yes, we’re very concerned. And so, the appropriate authorities are looking into this.

Q And you just mentioned the president is going to be making a campaign-related stop —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yep.

Q — tomorrow in New Hampshire. He has so far only campaigned alongside Vice President Harris in an official campaign event capacity once. We have reporting that we don’t expect to see the two of them together in these final two weeks. What is the reason for that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, I would remind folks that he was in Philly — Philadelphia — just last week doing a campaign event — just last week — on his own. And so, would remind folks that he was doing that.

There’s going to be a campaign-related event, as I just mentioned, tomorrow. And there will be more to come. I think they’ll — there will be more to come.

Look, we cannot forget what we have seen this past couple of weeks: two historic hurricanes. Right? Let’s not forget that. The president was able to — because of his leadership and what his administration was able to do, we avoided a port — a port strike. Right? That’s something that he was able to do. And there are just many other, obviously, pressing issues that are not just here domestically but around the world, and the president has led on those issues.

And so, the most important thing that — the president believes that his job is to continue to be there for the American people, deliver for the American people, and that’s what you have seen him do.

Now, he’s going to be out there. I would say stay tuned. There is more to come. I just mentioned New Hampshire. There’s more to come in the upcoming days, and we’ll certainly share — share that with all of you.

Q And then, just finally, former President Trump is in North Carolina today. He was talking about some of the FEMA efforts there. He called the rescue effort, quote, “non-existent.” He repeated some misleading information about where some of the funds have been directed to.

So, how concerned is the White House still about what that might do to not just people taking in this information, again, that’s misleading but to voters specifically in key states where the devastation of the hurricanes has been evident?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, I’m glad in your question you said “misleading information,” which is true — misleading information that is being put out there. And — and it’s not just from us. You’ve heard from Republicans and Democrats — right? — in North Carolina who have said — who have — who have made it very clear by pushing these types of conspiracy theories — they are dangerous, they are unhelpful. And it is — it is not — it is not what leadership looks like. I’ll say it there — like that.

And — and it is a time, when you see something like that, these types of hurricanes that have impacted communities the way that they have — both of them, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton — it’s time that you bring a c- — you bring a community together and stand by each other.

And so, you’ve heard from, again, the governors of all of these states — well, in partic- — in particular, certainly, as we’re talking about governor in — in New Ham- — in, sorry, North Carolina, he spoke to this today. And he said, “The Biden-Harris administration has responded quickly and positively to our request. The federal government has been responsive to all — to our call for help.” That’s coming from the governor of North Carolina. We also heard from the mayor of Asheville as well.

And so, we have seen a bipartisan reaction to this, appreciation for what the amdin — for what this administration has been able to do. And the reason we’ve been able to do this work on the ground is because we’ve had a good partnership with local and state officials on the ground. And this type of conspir- — conspiracy theory that’s out there, it is dangerous. To your point in your question, it’s dangerous, it’s unhelpful, and it gets in the way.

Go ahead.

Q Thanks, Karine. Secretary Blinken is headed back to the Middle East today. Does the White House have any hope that this trip will be more successful than past trips, given that this comes after the death of Sinwar?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. So, a couple of things. I know the State Department — my colleagues over at the State Department spoke to this in greater detail, about the secretary’s trip, which is — starts tomorrow. He’s going to be going throughout the region. He’s going to discuss the importance of ending, certainly, the war in — in Gaza, securing the release of all hostages, alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people. And he’s going to underscore the importance of getting that food, medicine, and other humanitarian aid — it’s important to get that delivered to c- — civilians in Gaza. And he’s going to also discuss — continue to have the discussions that we’ve been having for the past several months now about the diplomatic solu- — resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

And so, we’re going to reaffirm — what — what you — what you’re going to see from this trip that the secretary is — is having throughout the region is reaffirming our commitment to what I just laid out to our partners across the region. And we do want to de-escalate the tensions and — and also, obvi- — obviously, provide that lasting stability. And that is the commitment that we — that — that we continue to have.

Look, you’re asking me — I know your question. Your question was do we think this will have an effect. We believe and this president believes when — a diplomatic resolution, diplomatic conversation is certainly key to dealing with issues that we’re seeing across the — across the globe.

Q And does the president have any reaction to former President Trump using this rhetoric about the “enemy from within” and specifically tying it to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff this weekend?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, it is — that type of language is un-American. It’s dangerous. I was just asked about misinformation that we’re — that we have been seeing during — certainly before the hurricanes hit and certainly now as it — after the impact and what we’re seeing on the ground and how we’re trying to work with our partners on the ground to make sure we get relief to folks on the ground. And that is — that type of misinformation, conspiracy theories, is only hurtful, and that is not what Americans want to see as a leader. That is not what they want to see as a lea- — leader.

And it’s also disrespectful to our military to ask our military to — to react or to do something in such a political — in a — such a political way. We should respect our men and women. They should be respected. They put their lives on the line for us, and we should respect them. And it’s incredibly disrespectful to them as well.

And so, it’s un-American, it’s dangerous, and it should stop.

Go ahead.

Q Thank you, Karine. Is there any latest understanding from the White House on when Israel is going to respond to Iran’s missile attacks?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I think we’ve been pretty consistent on that. This is something for — that decision, any military operation — operational decision has to — is up to Israel. We’ve been very clear in our commitment — in our commitment to Israel’s security. That is — continues to be ironclad. But that is something for the Israeli government to speak to.

Q And is there any word on what that re- — that response would look like? And is there sort of a red line that the U.S. would not allow?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I — I’m just not going to preview that from here. Us previewing that from here would certainly give a heads-up to the Iranians. It’s something that we’re not going to be doing. But that is — aside from that, that certainly is something for Is- — Israel to speak to.

Go ahead, K- — Kayla.

Q Thank you, Karine. I wanted to ask about the contraception rule that the administration is putting out today. As you mentioned at the top, the president is proposing a rule that would require insurers to cover the cost of over-the-counter contraception. The Congressional Review Act allows lawmakers to overturn federal regulations that are implemented in the final stages of a presidential term. And I mu- — I’m wondering if the White House believes that this type of rule could withstand that threat or if you think that anything that happens in these last few months is potentially subject to congressional reversal.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I’m going to be — I’m not going to — that’s getting into a hypothetical that I’m just not going to do from here.

Look, it’s going through a rulemaking process, as you know. From the moment that the president made this announcement, it’s now in a rulemaking process. We’ll hear back from the public. We feel pretty confident this is going to move forward.

And the reason why — as I stated at the top, why we’re doing this is because of the Dobbs decision. It’s because now we have women out there who don’t have the protections that they need on their own health care because Roe v. Wade, which was law of the land for almost — a constitutional right for almost 50 years were stripped away. And we have made that commitment from this administration, the Biden-Harris commi- — administration, to protect women, to do everything that we can.

Now we’re expanding ACA. Now we’re providing this potential opportunity to give the women — women oppor- — opportunity to make those difficult decisions and to have the — also the availability, obviously, of contraception.

And so, that is — that is our commitment that we have made here. I can’t get into, you know, what Congress is going to do, the hypotheticals from here. What I can — what we can focus on is keeping that commitment that we have made to women and families across the country.

Q And then tomorrow in New Hampshire. CNN is reporting that President Biden will appear with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders tomorrow. It’s an interesting contrast to Vice President Kamala Harris, who today is appearing at a campaign event with Republican Liz Cheney. I’m wondering if you can just talk about the rationale of the president’s to appear with Senator Sanders tomorrow and what message that’s meant to send to the party.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I think if you think about the commitment that both of them have had, the president and Senator Sanders, you are correct. He is going to be traveling when — to the Granite State with Senator Sanders, and they have been partners, right? They have been partners on a lot of these issues, including — including lowering cost for health care. We know that this is an issue that’s incredibly important to Senator Sanders.

So, for us, it makes sense. It makes sense to be doing this event together. They have been partners not just on this but on other important, critical needs of the American people. And this is what you’re going to see.

I’m not — I cannot speak for the vice president’s campaign. She’s doing what she needs to do. I’m going to let her campaign speak to that.

The president is going to continue to go into states and have really important conversation. And let’s not forget, the Inflation Reduction Hact [Act] was incredibly historic in lowering costs on health care, was important in one of the most — most historic pieces of legislation to deal with climate change.

There’s a lot there that we believe that the American people need to continue to hear it — hear from him. And he’s going to have Senator Sanders, which he really looks forward to being in — in the state with him on that issue.

Q So, would you say that — that it’s accurate, as some strategists have argued, that this is an effort by President Biden to embrace the more progressive flank, while Vice President Harris tacks to the center in these final days?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What the president is doing is going out there, speaking directly to the American people, and talking about how he’s delivering for them — how the — Biden-Harris is delivering for — for them, whether it’s lowering costs; climate change; pow- — powering up an economy, continuing to move that economy forward. That’s what you’re seeing from this president. And he’ll — he’s not going to shy away from it.

Go ahead.

Q Karine, thanks. Zooming out from this breach, which I know that you’re not going to discuss the specifics of. But you’ve had, over the last week, private correspondence between the secretaries of State and the Pentagon, the — to Israel; this Air National Guard leak from — from a year ago on Discord; the investigation into Rob Malley. Is there a problem safeguarding sensitive information?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I will say is the president continues to have complete confidence in his — in — in the agencies — right? — whether it’s DOD, I- — IC, or DOJ. And — and he has complete confidence in them. There is a — it — this is being looked into, investigation being done by the appropriate parties. And I’m not going to get into it. I’m not going to get into it.

Q Since —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Are we concerned? We are very concerned. We are. We’ve been very clear about that. And it’s being looked into. And so, I’m not going to — going to go beyond that.

Q Since the Discord leak, has the administration — what has the administration done to further safeguard national secrets?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not going to get into — into any specifics on that. As it relates to this particular moment of what we’re seeing with the — the reports out there, it’s being looked into. We are very concerned. DOD, IEC — IC, DOJ can speak to that, this particular incident, more broadly — these reports. I just don’t have anything else to share beyond that.

Q And do you know yet if it’s a leak or a hack?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Again, this is why I’m referring you to IC, DOD, DOJ. They can speak more to this, and I would leave it to them.

Go ahead, Sara.

Q Thanks, Karine. While the president was in Germany, did the issue of authorizing Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles deeper inside Russia come up during his bilateral meetings with the Germans or his meeting with the European Quad? Particularly, given the approval that some NATO Allies have provided, did they urge him to provide support for this?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not going to get into beyond what we’ve been able to share in the readouts. What I can say is that policy has not changed. And we said that. We said that going — I remember saying this at this podium before the president left to go to Berlin, Germany, just last week, and said our — our policy stance on that hasn’t changed, and it wasn’t going to change, and don’t expect any announcements.

So, it still says — stays the same. I don’t have anything to share beyond that, beyond what we’ve shared in — in readouts.

Q And then on a different topic. There’s a report that Israel gave the U.S. a document outlining its conditions for a diplomatic solution to end the war in Lebanon and allow people to return their o- — to their homes on both sides of the border. Can you confirm this?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can say is that many times we get, certainly, views from the Israeli government. We get their views on things and certainly the back-and-forth. I’ve said many times that we have regular conversation with — with our counterparts at — in the Israeli government, but I’m not going to get into diplomatic or private conversations from here.

Go ahead.

Q So, this administration has warned Israel that it could lose access to some U.S. weapon fundings if it doesn’t produce a dramatic increase in humanitarian aid coming into Gaza. Have you seen so far any dramatic improvement in delivering of aid?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, here’s what I’ll say to that. We are working to surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza. So, just a couple of things just to update all of you. Over the weekend, we welcomed an airdrop by the UAE of food parcels into central Gaza. We also noted the re- — the resumption of deliveries last week into nor- — northern Gaza as well, including through the vital lifeline from Jordan, with 129 trucks entering northern Gaza last week after an unacceptable slowdown since October 1st, which we’ve talked about just last week.

That number must further increase over the coming week, and we are grateful for Jordan’s leadership in organizing these deliveries. We also call on all parties to wo- — cooperate in dis- — in distributing the many hundreds of truckloads now on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing. The — the armed gangs threatening and looting deliveries from this platform are keeping vital supplies away from those in desperate need.

And we, here at t- — in the U.S., as the largest — are the largest contributor to the humanitarian response in Gaza and will continue to support all efforts to surge and safeguard assistance and enable its dis- — distribution into all — all areas of Gaza.

And one of the things, as I just stated earlier, is that the secretary is going to speak about — Secretary Blinken — is how do we continue to upsurge the humanitarian assistant into Gaza. So, that is going to be a priority, part of a — part of his — part of his discussions throughout the region as well.

Go ahead, Jared.

Q The task force — the House task force investigating the Butler, Pennsylvania, attempted assassination came out with an interim report today —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — pretty critical of the Secret Service, especially as it relates to the coordination and communication with local police.

One, does the White House, the president have a reaction to that? And, two, does the president still have full confidence in the current leadership at Secret Service?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, the president has deep respect for the Secret Service. And he knows that they — they have an extremely difficult job. He knows that the men and women who are part of the Secret Service put their lives on the line, day in and day out.

And so, we’re going to review the report. I’m not going to comment on the report right now. We’re going to review it. As you just said, it just came out this morning.

So, you know, and — and, I would add, Secret Service has also acknowledged their own shortcomings, and they have taken several steps to enhance the former president’s protection. And so, they’re continuing to do that work.

And the president has also been clear, from his point of view as well, to the Secret Service to make sure that they provide the highest level of protection for the former president. And so, that is what — that is what he’s asked for.

We know that the Secret Service has made — has made some changes — enhancing, certainly, the — the protection of the former president.

And as it relates to the report, we are going to review it.

Q Is President Biden confident in his own protection?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yes.

Go ahead.

Q Thank you. I have a question about Cuba. There have been multiple power outages on the island in recent days. So, I was wondering: Is the White House monitoring the situation, particularly for signs of unrest? Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, we are closely monitoring the blackouts on the island. And so, we are concerned about the potential humanitarian impacts on the Cuban people.

(A reporter sneezes.)

And so — bless you.

Q Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And like we have seen over the past few years, Cuba’s economic condition stemming from long-term mismanagement of its economic policy and resources has certainly increased the hardship of the people in Cuba.

And so — so — and so, certainly, just want to make clear that this is not — the U.S. is not to — is not to blame for the blackouts on the island or the overall energy situation in Cuba.

So, the Cuban — the Cuban government has not requested any assistance at this time, and so we will assess the appropriate next steps if they do request any assistance.

And so, a critical tenet of the Biden-Harris administration policy as it relates to — to — towards Cuba is to always advocate for the support of the Cuban people, and we’ve been always very clear about that. And so, we’ll continue.

Q (Inaudible) a follow-up. And I know —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — this is a hypothetical. But if the Cuban government were to request assistance, would the Biden-Harris administration be willing to provide it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, we’re going to — if that were to happen, we’re — certainly would assess the next best steps. I just — they have not. Again, it’s a hypothetical. And so, we’re going to assess what’s the next best step to do.

Oh, go ahead.

Q Thanks, Karine. The — there’s a recent report about how a number of Senate Democrats that are running for reelection are having ads that show images of President Trump touting their own cooperation with President Trump when he was in office, people like Senator Bob Casey saying that he bucked President Biden on fracking and supported President Trump on trade and tariffs.

Does the president, as the leader of the Democratic Party, have any thoughts about members of his own party talking about how much they’ve worked with President Trump in the past?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No.

Q You all have talked about the former president as a threat to democracy, talked about how much danger he — he would be if elected once again. The fact that other Senate Democrats aren’t having that same message, is that concerning at all?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I’m not going to speak to each individual campaign and what they’re doing in their campaign. That’s a political — certainly a political campaign and a political reaction to however they need — whatever they need to do on the ground, so I’m not going to speak to that.

The president stands by his comments, his fight for democracy. He stands by what he saw on January 6th. He stands by the threat to democracy that we saw on that day — a dark day in our democracy, when you saw 2,000 people go to the Capitol because they were told to by the former president — because they didn’t believe or were told not to believe free and fair elections; while, meanwhile, dozens of Republican judges were able to say, “Hey, yeah, no. This was a free and fair election,” and they didn’t believe that because they were told not to.

And what we saw on that day was horrific. It was horrific, and it was indeed an attack on our democracy. The president has spoken to this many, many times.

And so, that’s who I can speak to. I can speak for the — the president. I — I’m not going to speak for other senators and how they — how they decide to move forward with their campaign.

Go ahead, in the back.

Q Thank you. I wanted to ask about the upcoming presidential transition. When was the last time that Jeff Zients and the group of people working on the transition met with representatives from both campaigns? And can you provide an update on where you are in getting ready to hand off?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I don’t have any specifics for you at this time. I’m happy to get more information on where they are with that particular piece. I just don’t have anything to share on that.

As you know, we’ve been — we’ve offered our — our assistance to both — to both campaigns as we — as we move forward to a — a transition at some point, but I just don’t have an update on meetings on the — from here.

Q Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Naomi, in the back.

Q Thanks. The president likes to tout his deficit-cutting measures since he’s come into office. But, last week, the Treasury Department actually reported that the deficit grew to $1.8 trillion for fiscal 2024. What’s the White House’s response to that data?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, that’s why we’re — that’s why we’ve done the work that we have done as — especially moving forward with — with his- — these historic piece of legislation that speaks about how we’re — we’re going to deal with the deficit. Right? When we signed the pro- — the president signed, for example, last year, the $1 trillion debt deal that would cut the deficit by a trillion dollars. You saw that in other pieces of legislation that he was able to sign and move — pass through. And that’s why we have shown our commitment to dealing with the deficit.

And what we’re also seeing is what the former administration did. The former administration passed tax cuts for billionaires and — and corporations that had led to where we are currently with this deficit.

And so, the president has done the work and will continue to do the work to try and deal with — with, as you just laid out, the deficit that we’re seeing. And, look, what you’re see- — what we’re trying to do here from this administration is make sure that the economy continues to grow; that jobs are available, continue to grow; that we’re lowering the unemployment rate and lowering costs. That is something that the — this president and this vice president are trying to do.

Meanwhile, Republicans are doing the opposite. They want to continue to give these tax cuts to billionaires and corporations. They want to make it harder for middle-class families. And so, there’s a difference there. There — the contrast could not be more different in what we’re trying to do and what the other side is trying to do.

Q But do you not think this data sort of plays into public perceptions that Democrats are weaker in handling the economy as opposed to Republicans?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: But it’s not true. And so, what we’re going to speak to is how we have done the work to turn this economy around. We cannot forget where we were when the president walked into this administration: an economy that was in a downturn, and we saw a situation with the pandemic where there was no strategy. Businesses were closing down. Schools were — majority of schools were closed.

And so, this president has been able to turn that around with the help of the vice president. And so, this is why we’re going to — we’re going to go to New Hampshire tomorrow. We’re going to speak to the Inflation Reduction Act, what the president and the vice president has been able to do to lower costs, because we understand that there’s more work to do. We understand this is — when you think about health care, this is incredibly important.

You heard the announcement that we just made on contraception, making sure that we — expanding the ACA, because that’s important to women. And everything that we’re talking about, Republicans in Congress — majority of them don’t want to see. They’re on the other side of what we’re trying to do.

And so, look, we understand there’s more work to do, and we’re going to continue to push forward.

Go ahead, Jon.

Q Thanks a lot, Karine. I wanted to ask you about the vice president and the difficult position that she’s in, in the sense that she’s running for president and she is currently vice president. And it’s difficult, we’ve seen in interview after interview, for her to separate herself in terms of public positions from President Biden. Does she have a green light that if she wanted to express a differing point of view than the administration on any topic, foreign or domestic, she could do so? Or does — is she required to be a loyal vice president to President Biden?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I disagree. I mean, the interviews that I have seen, you’ve seen a incredibly strong, very clear-eyed vice president in how she sees this country moving forward and saying that, you know, she has been, indeed, a partner with this president and in these successes that we have seen from this administration.

And I would also note — now, this is to the rest of your question — just last week, in Philadelphia, the president spoke to this — spoke to you, asking about loyalty, about her cutting — certainly, cutting her own path. He talked about that. He talked about how, you know, every president has to cut their own path. He talked about how he was loyal to Barack Obama, but then, as a president, he was able to cut his own path forward.

And so, that’s what he — Kamala is going — going to do. This is, in his own words, what he wants to see the vice president do. And she — he sees her as being someone who has been loyal, just like he was loyal to Barack Obama. But she is going to certainly cut her own path.

And so, that’s what we’re seeing from — from this vice president. And he’s very proud to have seen her move forward in — in her — in her campaign. And, you know, I think what you’re seeing is a strong leader, someone who he understood and knew that she would be able to lead on day one.

Q You say you disagree with the premise of my question.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, well — well, not —

Q Can — can I just ask you —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — the premise of the question —

Q — something about that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — but you saying that —

Q May I — may I ask you something about that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, no, you — you just said that I disagree with you.

Q No, but I — I just want to —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m clear- —

Q — clarify.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yep. Go ahead. Go ahead.

Q Thank you, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, yeah.

Q Can you think of any issue, foreign policy or domestic policy, in which the vice president has a differing point of view than the president?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Here’s what —

Q Any daylight between them?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: W- — well, hold on. Here’s what I will say. I will say that they have been critical partners, as I’ve said many times, and it is true. You’ve heard that from both of them. And they are partners in the way that this administration has moved forward on many issues and the issues that they’ve had to really answer to to the American people, because that’s what they both care about, is making sure that we deliver for the American people.

The question, as I heard it — not this one, not this second go-around — the first go-around, the way that you asked the question was she hasn’t been able — she has been having a difficulty, if you will, in answering that question. And I have said to — and I was saying to you, I have not seen that. I’ve seen a president — a vice president, who is running for president, obviously, who has been — who has showed strength, leadership — and that’s what this president has seen as well; he has said this — and — and cares about the American people.

That’s what we have seen. And that’s what many of the American people want to see. They want to see a fighter, and that’s who she is.

Go ahead, Karen.

Q Thanks, Karine. Later today, the president is doing the National Arts and Humanities reception. Can you tell us about that event: Who’s going to be honored? Who’s coming here to the White House today for that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, it’s a good question. We’ll have more to share as we get closer. Obviously, that’s about — in three hours or less. So, we’ll have more information to share about who’s being honored.

And you’re right. The president is looking forward and the — and the first lady are looking forward to honoring the attendees today.

All right. Go ahead.

Q Thank you, Karine. So, Tuesday, the countries in BRICS are going to be going to Russia for a meeting. How concerned is the administration that this bloc of countries could undermine U.S. economic or trade strength that we have?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, what we’re focused on is on the work- — the — working with partners around the world and to build the broadcast [broadest] and deepest coalitions possible to help achieve our shared goals. That’s what we’re going to be focused on. And, you know, we’re not looking at BRICS as an — evolving into some kind of geopolitical rival. That’s not how we look at it — to the United States or anyone else.

And so, we’re going to continue to work with — with our relationships, our partnerships, whether it’s with Brazil, India, South Africa. And so, we’re going to continue to manage, certainly, those relationships. And — with China, for example. And — and so, that’s going to be our focus right now.

Q One of the newest members of BRICS is the United Arab Emirates.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q And in September — on September 23rd, the administration signed a deal with them to develop new AI technologies. How concerned, then, is the Biden administration that the — what we give to the UAE will then end up in Russia, China, or Iran’s hands through the BRICS agreements?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, we’ve worked extensively with UAE on — on advanced technology. That is something that we have done, and we’ve done that for the last two years. And — and so, that partnering is moving forward. And — and we believe it’s moving forward in the right direction.

So, we recognize — and this is why the president did an e- — an executive action, took an executive action on AI — we recognize the potential good — right? — of — of AI and look forward to, certainly, fur- — further- — furthering that and solidifying our collaboration in AI as we try to build the safeguards and protections. Again, that’s why we did the EO, an executive action on it.

Q But the transfer of — of technology — are you concerned about, through the BRICS agreement, that the transfer of technology will happen?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, again, we’ve worked extensively — really, truly extensively — with the — the UAE. And we are — we’re — I think where we’re headed, the movement, how we’re moving forward, is in a good place. And so, this is — this is a conversation that we’ve had over the last two years.

And so, we’re going to continue to have those conversation. We’re going to continue to work through this. And so, we believe it’s moving in the right direction.

Q Thanks, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Thanks, everybody. Thanks, everyone.

Q Thanks, Karine.

2:40 P.M. EDT

The post Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, October 21, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

Via Teleconference

8:45 A.M. EDT

MR. KIRBY:  Thanks very much.  I’ll just keep it short because I know you got questions. 

A really terrific day here in Berlin for the President.  I think you all saw how significant and emotional he was over — getting the Order of Merit from President Steinmeier.  He also had a chance bilaterally to meet with the President on issues like Ukraine and the Middle East. 

And then we came over here to the Chancellor.  He had some one-on-one time with Chancellor Scholz and then a working lunch.  Unsurprisingly, the main topics of discussion were, of course, Ukraine.  Further discussions about how we were going to continue to work with the EU to find a way to employ Russian sovereign assets to help with Ukraine’s reconstruction — that was a topic. 

Of course, there was also the issue of what’s going on on the battlefield and where the Germans see their perspectives about where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are, sort of President Biden sharing our perspective on how things are going on the battlefield. 

And then, of course, they talked about President Zelenskyy’s victory plan and how we can all work together to try to see if we can’t get to a just peace that President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people will approve of and, of course, you know, can implement. 

And then, now, the President is meeting with the European Quad leaders.  That’s going on right now.  I’m not in that room, but we’ll have a readout when it’s over.  And again, I have no doubt that issues regarding Ukraine and the Middle East will come up as well in the Quad. 

I forgot to mention — in the working lunch with Chancellor Scholz, they also did spend some time talking about the Middle East and the developments yesterday and how that might affect where we go forward here in terms of trying to find a way to end the war and with the opportunity that Sinwar’s death now provides us. 

So, again, that’s just kind of a rough summary of the discussions, and we will absolutely have a readout for you of the Quad meeting when it’s over.

So I can take some questions.

Q    John, real fast: Prime Minister Netanyahu today said, “We have before us a great opportunity to stop the axis of evil and create a different future.”  What gives the U.S. confidence, after Sinwar’s death, that Israel is ready for a ceasefire, that it sees a ceasefire as its best option?

MR. KIRBY:  We believe — continue to believe that finding an end to the war is critical, and we also believe that Mr. Sinwar’s death yesterday can provide an inflection point to getting there. 

I mean, look at what the Israeli Defense Forces have been able to do against Hamas.  I mean, they’ve really decimated their leadership, now knocking out the top leader himself.  They have, without question, completely eliminated any immediate threat that Hamas would pose from a military perspective.  They’ve knocked out military command structure.  They’ve gone after weapons caches.  They’ve made it much more difficult for Hamas to operate and act, plan and execute the way they did on October 7th. 

So, Hamas is in a much, much, much weakened position than it ever was before.  The President believes that certainly with Sinwar’s killing yesterday, that there’s a unique opportunity here for us all to kind of grab hold of to see what we can do to end the war and to get a ceasefire.  And we still believe that a ceasefire — actually, in the north too — but we still believe a ceasefire is important for Gaza to get those hostages home. 

So you asked me what gives us confidence.  I think, first of all, one thing that gives us confidence that now is a propitious opportunity is the incredible work that the IDF has done in decimating Hamas and now killing Hamas’s leadership. 

Q    But I guess the core question was: What gives you confidence that Prime Minister Netanyahu shares that view?  Does he share the view that you just articulated?

MR. KIRBY:  Well, I’ll let the Prime Minister speak for himself.  I mean, he said himself yesterday that this does provide a unique opportunity. 

Now, what we’ll do is continue to have consultations with our Israeli counterparts about how we take advantage of that opportunity.  The President still believes that intensive diplomacy is still the preferred path.  And now with Sinwar gone, we are in a unique opportunity to really take that to the next level, try to get a ceasefire in Gaza, but, as well, to try to get a ceasefire up in the north against Hezbollah, and then, again, do everything we can to prevent this from escalating. 

Q    Just to follow up on that, you know, in the past few months, when Israel has taken action against others — Nasrallah’s killing as an example — the big concern was that that had the potential to truly escalate the conflict in the Middle East into something closer to a regional conflict.  I guess I don’t quite understand.  Is the idea here that Sinwar was the chief stumbling block to a ceasefire, and with him gone, the remaining leadership that are sitting in Qatar, or wherever they are, are somehow going to be less of an obstacle to a ceasefire?  Is that the opportunity that you’re sort of dancing around?

MR. KIRBY:  Yes.  I’m not — sorry if I’m dancing.  I’m not trying to dance. 

Q    Not you personally, but —

MR. KIRBY:  But, yes, Sinwar was the main obstacle to getting a ceasefire done.  Every time his political advisors would — we’d negotiate with and through them to come up with a proposal, it would have to get to him.  Of course, that took time because of the communications challenges.  And then he would just — he would just refute it and refuse to move forward. 

And it’s not as if — as I’ve said this before, it’s not as if the Israelis weren’t willing to continue to find compromises, and they did.  Each and every time, Sinwar found a way to stop it.  Now he’s gone.  So, we’ll see.  I mean, Hamas, obviously, will make their own decisions about what their structure is going to look like and if and who might replace Mr. Sinwar. 

But, yes, his death does provide a unique opportunity here to try to take advantage of where we are with Hamas, where Israel is with Hamas, and see if we can’t get a ceasefire in place.

Q    But you haven’t gotten yet.  I mean, I know it’s early, it’s less than 24 hours, but you haven’t gotten any signals from those political Hamas officials that you were dealing through Qatar and whatever —

MR. KIRBY:  Not that I’m aware of.  Not that I’m aware of.

Q    — they haven’t sort of said, “Oh, well, let’s start talking again”?

MR. KIRBY:  Not that I’m aware of.  But as you rightly pointed out, I mean, this just happened yesterday.

We believe — and it was in the — look, it was in the President’s statement.  You know, the obstacle that was Sinwar has now been removed.  There’s a lot more work to be done.  And when the President is talking about that work, he’s talking about getting the diplomatic path back into some kind of swing.

Q    John, to your point about Sinwar, what are your fears as Hamas regroups?  What are your chief concerns right now?

MR. KIRBY:  Well, obviously, we’re going to be watching to see what they do here.  They have been — as I said, the leadership decimated, military structure decimated, but they still are a presence in Gaza, and they still do have some capability, so we’re certainly going to be watching that carefully.  And I’ve seen some statements out of them today, you know, basically pledging to continue the conflict and continue the war. 

They are in such a dramatically weakened position, it’s difficult to see from where we sit that they could perpetrate anything close to what they did on the 7th of October.  But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t still lethal to some degree, and so we’re going to have to watch that carefully. 

So, two things.  One, we’re going to continue to support Israel with defensive capabilities.  And that’s not going to stop.  Just because Mr. Sinwar is gone, it doesn’t mean that we’re going to, in some way, diminish our support to Israel and their defense capabilities. 

Two, as the President said last night to you all, this is an opportunity now to really step up and see what we can explore in terms of opportunities for a diplomatic solution and getting a ceasefire in place. 

We have to all — as we sit here, I mean, today, those hostages are still being held somewhere in Gaza, likely in tunnels, and their lives are still greatly at risk.  And there’s a keen sense of urgency — there has been, of course — but now, with Mr. Sinwar’s passing, it really underscores for us how urgent it is to see what we can do to get those hostages home.  And you heard Prime Minister Netanyahu say the same thing yesterday. 

Q    Let me ask a Ukraine question.  So, with regards to President Zelenskyy’s peace proposal and the two points — membership in NATO before the end of Biden’s presidency and also nuclear capabilities — where does the White House stand on that?  Have you had any change of heart or change of mind on that?  And how are you doing on the $50 billion loan?

MR. KIRBY:  Sorry, your first question was where’s our policy on what?

Q    On the peace — on the victory plan.

MR. KIRBY:  Oh, yeah.

Look, the President appreciated President Zelenskyy bringing it to the Oval Office and having a discussion about the victory plan. 

We’re obviously still digging through the details of it, so I’m not going to get into the nuts and bolts on every little item in it.  But I will say that, as we’ve made clear, we support President Zelenskyy’s plan for a just peace.  It’s critical that whatever that peace looks like, it has to be acceptable to him and to the Ukrainian people.  And we’re certainly not going to have any discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine.  And we’re certainly not going to have any discussions with foreign leaders that don’t comport with what we believe President Zelenskyy’s plans are for a just peace.

Q    The four leaders are literally having discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine right now, today.

MR. KIRBY:  With leaders who don’t — as I finished in my sentence, we’re not going to have discussions with leaders who don’t also comport to that plan, the idea of following through on his just peace plan. 

Q    Kirby, can you give a sense of to what extent President Biden is addressing the election on his trip here?  It obviously overhangs some of the things that he’s talking about in terms of alliances, in terms of what’s next for Ukraine.  How is he addressing that writ large?

MR. KIRBY:  The discussions he’s having today are not about the election.  It’s really about — well, first of all, thanking the German people for their incredible support of Ukraine, obviously showing his gratitude to the leadership here, President Steinmeier and Chancellor Scholz. 

But it’s really more about — as I kind of said in my opening statement, these are policy-heavy discussions, including the one he’s having right now, about some of the key still-open issues affecting our collective security, and that’s the war in Ukraine, and, of course, what’s going on in the Middle East, and really trying to work on policy solutions to solve these problems.  I mean, that’s really the gist of the meetings that he’s been at. 

Q    But —

Q    Hold on, hold on.  I’ll follow up.

I understand that it’s not a meeting about the election, but Europe is worried, and what happens in the U.S. election will help determine what happens next on those issues.  So, you know, what reassurances can he give, or can he just not, because he doesn’t know?  Nobody knows who’s going to win.

MR. KIRBY:  I think his purpose for coming and the thrust of his discussions are really about reaffirming everything that he’s done as President and Commander-in-Chief over the last three-plus years to improve alliances and partnerships, make them stronger, make them bigger, create ones where they didn’t exist before, and work together on cooperative solutions for some of these challenges. 

Now, we’ve been talking about Ukraine and the Middle East, but they are also talking about climate change.  They’re talking about terrorism.  They’re, you know, talking about, you know, clean energy transition.  All these transnational challenges that are before us. 

And his purpose is to reaffirm his commitment as President of the United States to seeing through, with the time he has left, on all those solutions.  I mean, nobody can be perfectly predictive about what’s going to happen next month.  And that’s democracy, and that’s the way it works. 

Q    He says all the time that whenever he comes to Europe, they want to know — remember the whole speech that he used to give at the beginning of his presidency about —

MR. KIRBY:  I’ll let — I will —

Q    — but how — so, like, are they asking him?

MR. KIRBY:  I will let the foreign leaders speak for themselves.  I’m not going to talk for them or what’s on their minds. 

Let me just tell — let me just put it this way, and I saw it today: American leadership matters to leaders here.  The United States matters.  The effect — you heard it in the speech that President Steinmeier gave today, that President Biden’s personal leadership has mattered when it comes to European security.  And the continent’s security has changed over the last three-plus years thanks to what Mr. Putin did. 

So, yes, he hears frequently from foreign leaders how important his personal leadership has been and his stewardship of these relationships, but also how important American leadership matters on the world stage.  So I’d leave it at that.

Q    John, I’m going to try one more time here.  You’ve talked about how the President —

MR. KIRBY:  You guys keep on trying.  I have to take away from that that I’m being unsatisfactory.  (Laughter.)

Q    Well, you said the President is here to cement his legacy, but he has less than a hundred days in office.  Is part of cementing that legacy handing over some of these achievements and responsibilities to European allies because of uncertainty about our election?

MR. KIRBY:  Well, so, first of all, I didn’t say he’s cementing his legacy.  He’s reaffirming all the things that he has done and making sure that these European leaders know that for the remainder of his time in office he’s going to keep working on these same goals.  So it’s not about cementing a legacy. 

I’m sorry, and the second part of your question was?

Q    So, as part of reaffirming his legacy, and with less than a hundred days left in office, is he preparing to hand over some of these things to European allies, given the uncertainty about our election?

MR. KIRBY:  No, this was not about handing over.  This wasn’t — these discussions today and the one going on right now is not about handing over responsibilities.  It is about talking to our allies and partners about what together we can continue to do to help Ukraine win this war, to bring the war in the Middle East to an end, and to address all those other transnational challenges. 

One of the things that the President is not only aware of but constantly restates is that while, you know, America is — the United States is the indispensable nation, he likes to say the “essential nation,” that we’ve got to have allies and partners in these challenges with us. 

First of all, it lends greater credibility to an effort if you’ve got partners.  And as I said, where there wasn’t an alliance or partnership to deal with a problem, President Biden has gone and created it.  The 50-plus Ramstein Group nations helping Ukraine and 20-plus nations that are helping in the Red Sea to beat back Houthi attacks on commercial shipping.  And concomitantly with that, an understanding by him that some nations have unique capabilities that we don’t have, and the ability to have conversations we can’t have that are critical to solving these problems.  So that’s what it’s really all about.

Q    Can I ask a follow-up on Ukraine?  You mentioned the victory plan and the discussions about that too.  Yesterday in Brussels, the Chancellor was very open about his — or very clear about his opposition to major parts in Zelenskyy’s victory plan, and Zelenskyy himself seemed a little frustrated by the conversations he had in Brussels yesterday.  So, I’m wondering — and also, the U.S. seems to take issue with some big parts in that victory plan.  So what is the path forward here?  What can the U.S., and maybe Germany also, offer?  What’s the game plan? Because the President himself said a tough winter is coming —

MR. KIRBY:  He did, yeah.

Q    And that’s the only thing that’s on the table right now.  So where are we there, and what’s the way forward?

MR. KIRBY:  The Quad leaders are meeting today, as you know, and they’re going to be talking about the victory plan.  As we’ve said — and I can — you know, it’s the same thing I would say today — we are still going through the victory plan in detail.  We’re still talking to our Ukrainian counterparts about it.  Today, the President has an opportunity to get the perspectives of these European leaders and to share his perspective on it. 

Look, again, without getting into — as I refused to do earlier, we’re not getting into every clause and subparagraph on this thing.  I would just tell you that we appreciate and respect the work that President Zelenskyy put into it and the thoughtfulness that he put into it, and we’re going to continue to work with him and his team to see what this just peace can and should look like, but with a recognition that — look, we believe that the best way the war ends is through a negotiated settlement, but it has to be up to President Zelenskyy to determine if and when that occurs and what the circumstances are.

Q    If I may, it’s not about the small details, though; it’s about the big lines in the victory plan that are an obstacle, obviously, like an unconditional invitation to NATO or long-range weapon use, like Western weapon use in Russian territory.  That’s not small and minor details.  That’s the big, you know, pillars of this victory plan.  So if you’re not in line there, what’s the future of this plan?

MR. KIRBY:  Why don’t we let the Quad leaders sit and talk about this before I go characterizing their positions on each of the components of it.  I’m not going to do that.  We’ve been very consistent with respect to NATO.  And I think somebody asked me a NATO question.  NATO is going to be in Ukraine’s future.  No question about that.  The first thing we have to do is help them win this war.  We got to make sure that they have what they need now.  And that’s why they talked about the battlefield today with Chancellor Scholz. 

Second is we got to make sure that if and when and however this war ends, Ukraine has the ability to not only have a strong, vibrant defense industrial base, but that they have pledging commitments from other countries, including the United States, for long-term security needs that they’re going to have.  They’re still going to have a long border with Russia no matter how this war ends.  They got to be able to deal with a potentially continued aggressive Russia. 

And then, even while all that’s going on, we’re going to continue to work with Ukraine on the necessary reforms that they will need to make in order to apply for NATO membership.  NATO isn’t [sic] going to be in their future.  We’ve put forward some pathways and some milestones to help them get there.  And that’s where we are.  That’s where we are in the United States.

Q    I just heard you say NATO isn’t going to be in their future.  Did you mean NATO is —

MR. KIRBY:  I said it is.

Q    — going to be in their future?

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah.  Did I say “isn’t”?

Q    Yeah.

MR. KIRBY:  No, NATO is going to be in Ukraine’s future. 

Q    Back to the Middle East for a second.  If and when the day comes when you do sit down again on the ceasefire proposal, is the current one on the table, the one that you’re working off of?  Or does the Sinwar situation mean you have to sort of go back to the drawing board or (inaudible)?

MR. KIRBY:  Well, (inaudible) that the ceasefire talks have been moribund now for several weeks because Mr. Sinwar simply refused.  And I wish I could tell you today that we’re getting the teams back together in Doha and we’re starting afresh.  That’s not where we are right now. 

I suspect — again, I don’t want to speculate, but I suspect that if and when we can get those talks back in place, the starting point will be where we left it.  Where that goes, I just don’t know.  We’re not in a position right now where serious negotiations are in the offing.

Q    And on the conversation yesterday with Prime Minister Netanyahu, obviously the Sinwar death was, you know, top of the conversation, I assume.  But did they also talk at all about what the retaliation for the Iran strikes will be?

MR. KIRBY:  As far as I understand, it was a very short call, mostly to congratulate him on killing Sinwar and then talking about the opportunity that Sinwar’s death now gives us, as I said earlier, in the diplomatic space.  That was the main focus. 

Q    Do you have a better understanding, though, on timing and scope of what they might do?

MR. KIRBY:  I’ll let the Israelis speak to their operations potential or otherwise.

Q    You don’t have to tell me what they’re doing, but do you have a good understanding of it?

MR. KIRBY:  I’m just — I’m not going to get into the specifics of diplomatic conversations we’ve had with the Israelis, and I’m certainly not going to talk about or speculate of any at all about their any potential military operations. 

Q    How diminished are Hamas’s capacity right now?  How big a threat are they, in your assessment?

MR. KIRBY:  Greatly diminished.

Q    You said they couldn’t do — like, is it enough that you think that forces the peace?  Is that kind of the argument you’re making?

MR. KIRBY:  We believe that with Sinwar’s killing, not only has the main obstacle to ceasefire negotiations been removed — and hopefully we can get that restarted with him now no longer in the position he was to block it — but also, as I said earlier, and I think it was in the President’s statement, the military structure of Hamas has just been nearly decimated.  They are absolutely incapable, as you and I are speaking here today, of conducting another attack on the scale of October 7th.  But as I also said a little earlier, they still exist as a terrorist organization.  They’re still in Gaza.  They’re still holding hostages.  And, yes, they still have some capability left to them. 

So there’s still a lethality to Hamas that just can’t be underestimated.  But I couldn’t put a percentage on it for you, like, you know, 70 percent diminished, 80 percent.  I don’t know that.  I just know that they are a shadow of their former self right now.

Q    Mr. Kirby, about next month’s Ramstein meeting that President Biden is going to chair, what do you expect?  What should we watch for at next month’s —

MR. KIRBY:  The President is looking forward to hosting this Ramstein Group at the leader level.  It’s going to be done virtually instead of in person.  I’m certainly not prepared a month out to get into the specific deliverables.  But as you have seen with every Ramstein Group meeting in the past, there has been a set of deliverables for Ukraine and Ukrainian security assistance by every — or not by every, but by most nations who attend. 

You come to the Ramstein Group with the expectation that you’re all going to talk collaboratively about how to improve Ukraine’s security assistance.  So, I fully expect that you’ll see the United States come to the Ramstein Group meeting, virtual though it is, with additional commitments to Ukraine’s security.  What those are right now, I’m not in a position to say.

Q    Would there be an answer, point by point, to a Ukrainian victory plan, to Zelenskyy’s plan?

MR. KIRBY:  The purpose of the Ramstein Group, just to remind everybody — the fancy name for it is Ukraine Defense Contact Group — is really defense leaders coming together from all these 50-plus nations to pledge security assistance commitments, and I would expect that that would be the same approach for the next Ramstein Group. 

As I said, we’re still working our way through the victory plan; so are many of our allies.  We’re still talking to President Zelenskyy about it.  Whatever the peace looks like, as I said earlier, we want to make sure that it meets President Zelenskyy’s and the Ukrainian people’s expectations.

Q    Is there any pressure here from the Quad or from Scholz about what America can deliver for Ukraine after the election but before Biden is out of office?

MR. KIRBY:  I did not detect any discussion of that regard today, the pressure from or a specific request from Germany for us to do, you know, XYZ between the election and Inauguration Day.

What I will tell you and what we have told the Germans is that the President has every expectation of fulfilling all our commitments under the PDA authority that he has left for the rest of this year, this calendar year.  And so, I think you just saw him announce another drawdown package when President Zelenskyy was in town.  You’ll see those still coming on a fairly regular, frequent basis as we get all the way through the calendar year.

AIDE:  And we’re just running a little bit low on time.  Do you want to take one or two from the virtual (inaudible) as well?

MR. KIRBY:  Let me take one more here, and then we can go virtual. 

Q    Have there been any outreach to partners in Egypt and Qatar about a possible ceasefire?

MR. KIRBY:  As I said earlier, that process hasn’t borne any fruit for many, many weeks.  And though I would love to sit here and tell you that now that Mr. Sinwar is dead, the day after we’re back at the table — we aren’t right now. 

What I would also add, though, is that we are — we have never stopped having conversations with our counterparts in Qatar and Egypt about the possibility of getting something started and that those conversations are continuing. 

Q    Could I ask one last question?  How does the President view his impact on transatlantic relations now with the last few —

MR. KIRBY:  The President is enormously proud of what his administration and his team has been able to do over the last three and a half years to improve transatlantic cooperation, transatlantic security, the transatlantic relationships. 

I mean, NATO is now two countries bigger than it was when he took office.  And it’s not just bigger.  NATO is more unified, more resolved, more cooperative than it’s ever been.  You heard President Steinmeier say the same thing today. 

So, there’s been an enormous impact on transatlantic security, and obviously a lot of this has been in response to what Mr. Putin decided to do in February of 2022.  But everything he wanted to do, he has failed to do.  He did not fracture the West.  He did not fracture NATO.  He did not take Kyiv in Ukraine. 

And as President Steinmeier said today, a large part of that is President Biden’s personal leadership, his hand on the tiller of these relationships. 

He has believed his whole public life, and he certainly has believed as President, that while America is in many ways the most essential nation, we are not the only nation, and that we need alliances and partnerships to deal with these challenges, and that means being able to work cooperatively and collaboratively with other nations, hearing them out, listening to their perspectives, because that’s important.

AIDE:  All right, we’ll go to Nick Schifrin from PBS virtually.  Nick, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Thanks, Jess.  Thanks, John.  Sorry I couldn’t be there with you guys.  Apologies in advance if my one-year-old interrupts my question. 

But two parts on Gaza.  As you’ve been pointing out, there hasn’t been movement on a ceasefire, not that you guys haven’t been working on it.  Is there an assessment yet that Hamas might choose a leader who can even make a decision about a ceasefire going forward, whether they can choose a leader in the near future?

And then, there’s always been a second pathway in terms of getting to the day after for Gaza, which is working with Arab partners across the region and creating some kind of security package and (inaudible) transition to governance.  Can you guys make that progress regardless of what Hamas does?  Is that possible?  Thanks.

MR. KIRBY:  Well, on your second question, I mean, we obviously hope to.  It’s not by happenstance that the President mentioned day-after planning and efforts in his statement last night.  That is something that he has tasked Secretary Blinken to really take the lead on, and Secretary Blinken and his team are working on that very hard.  We still believe that even while the war goes on, we’ve got to make sure we’re ready for that day after so that Gaza cannot be governed by Hamas but can be governed by authorities, institutions that are answerable to the Palestinians who live there and not to a terrorist organization. 

So we still very much believe in the possibilities there, and Secretary Blinken is working that hard, including with, and even especially with, our Arab partners.

On your first question, it’s, I think, just too soon for us to be able to know, Nick, how Hamas is going to — from a leadership perspective, how they’re going to respond to this, who they might anoint as Sinwar’s successor, and what that individual may be willing to pursue one way or the other, for good or for ill.  It’s just too soon for us to know.  And I’m not aware of — I’m certainly not privy to any intelligence assessments at this early hour that would give us insight into that. 

Q    And, sorry, just a quick follow-up.  Is there a version of progress on a transitional security structure in Gaza that would be despite a lack of hostage release?  Could you have progress on that without a deal to end the war and release the hostages?

MR. KIRBY:  I would refer you to the State Department for that one.  I mean, they’re really working this a lot harder than — well, they’re working it very, very hard.  I just don’t have the insights on everything that they’re doing.  I would — but — so it doesn’t sound like I’m just brushing you off. 

As I said earlier, the killing of Sinwar underscores the keen sense of urgency that we still have and must have to get a ceasefire deal in place to get those hostages home.  That is the President’s primary concern right now, is making sure we get them home, that we can get a surge of humanitarian assistance in, that we get that ceasefire in place.  That’s where his head space is.  Not that it’s not on the day after.  Of course, he’s concerned about that as well, and he’s following Secretary Blinken’s efforts.  But his main focus right now is on getting that ceasefire deal and getting the hostages home. 

AIDE:  Thanks, Nick.  And then for our last question, we’ll go to Tom Bateman for BBC.  Tom, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Tom, are you there?

Q    Can you hear me?

AIDE:  Now we can. 

Q    Can you hear me?

AIDE:  Yep.

Q    Okay.  Thanks, Kirby.  I just wanted to ask you about the dynamics of negotiation now, because, clearly, Netanyahu is in a strengthened position.  Hamas are in a weakened position. And it felt to me as though the Israeli Prime Minister was redrawing some of his conditions yesterday because he said that Hamas fighters who are holding hostages, you know, could release hostages and get away with their lives.  That’s quite a different exchange than the ceasefire deal suggests. 

And I just wonder if you think now — you talked a little bit about if the negotiations start up again, where you start from — but presumably, he would want to very much change the conditions now.  And I just wonder what your assessment of what’s on the table now, the chances of that still carrying through, what your assessment is of that.

MR. KIRBY:  Well, with the caveat that I won’t speak for the Prime Minister, I don’t know that his comments yesterday necessarily connote a move on the goal post when it comes to getting the hostages home.  I mean, he’s absolutely right — as was the case two days ago, so is the case today: that Hamas could simply release all the hostages right now, do the right thing and let them go. 

And as the Prime Minister said before — you know, that would dramatically hasten an end to the conflict if they just did the right thing and let them go.  They shouldn’t be held in the first place. 

So the way we read that is he was restating what he has said many times before.  We obviously don’t see any sign that that’s going to happen.  Now, again, we’ll see what Hamas does and how they react to Sinwar’s killing.  But no signs, as you and I are speaking right now, that that’s in the offing, which is why the President made it clear last night on a couple of occasions, and again today, that this moment of justice also provides us a moment of opportunity to see what we can do to get those hostages home and also to get a surge of humanitarian assistance in to the people of Gaza who so desperately need it.

AIDE:  All right, that’s all the —

Q    Can I just ask one more quick one?  Sorry.  Given the threats on former President Trump’s life and his campaign requesting military planes, do you know if that request is actively under consideration, or is that being ruled out?  I know that Jake told us yesterday that the President tasked you guys with actually responding to any intel you get on, you know, threats on —

MR. KIRBY:  Yes, of course we will respond to any intelligence and do it appropriately and collaboratively with the campaigns, as we must. 

I am not going to get into the specifics of requests that may or may not be coming in, and I’m certainly not going to talk about the specifics of force protection or, in this case, protection given to former President Trump.  I mean, that wouldn’t be appropriate for me to do. 

All I can assure you is that the guidance by the President is to make sure that we are being as responsive as we humanly can to the security needs of the of both candidates and, in this case, obviously former President Trump.  We’re having regular conversations with him and his team about what those needs are, and doing everything we can — everything we can to be responsive to those needs.

Q    Is there any frustration on your end that this is sort of being politicized by his team that you’re not doing enough?

MR. KIRBY:  I have the advantage of not having to get into politics one way or another, so I’m going to just — I’m just going to let that one go. 

All right.  Thanks, everybody.  Appreciate it.

9:21 A.M. EDT

The post On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby appeared first on The White House.

2:15 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  So, I’m just going to get straight to it.  

As you can see, I have the national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, here to talk to us about the trip but also the latest in the Middle East.

Jake, the floor is yours. 

MR. SULLIVAN:  So, I don’t know if you guys have heard because of the lack of Wi-Fi back here, but the IDF has confirmed the death of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader, and I’ll come to that in just a moment. 

But let me start by laying out what we hope to achieve over the course of the next 24 hours in Berlin.  This is the president’s first visit to Berlin as president, and he did not want his time in office to go by without going to the capital of one of — one of our most important partners and allies. 

Germany is a core Ally in NATO, a core partner in the G7.  They’ve been a core player in the Allied response to Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.  And the president is looking forward to having the opportunity to talk to the chancellor and other German officials about where we go from here in Ukraine; about developments in the Middle East, in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, Israel; about how we align our respective approaches on the PRC; about how we align our industrial and innovation strategies; about artificial intelligence and the clean energy transition. 

He will also have the opportunity to meet with the prime minister of the UK and president of France.  The four leaders — Germany, France, UK, U.S. — will sit together to particularly focus on two issues.

One, the war in Ukraine and the pathway ahead, particularly in light of the fact that they’ve all had the opportunity to engage in person with President Zelenskyy over the course of the last few weeks and heard from him about where he sees things going.  So, this is an opportunity to consult on that.

And then, second, to talk about the ongoing and fast-moving developments across the Middle East region.

The president will see President Steinmeier.  He’ll spend one-on-one time with Chancellor Scholz.  He’ll spend time with his delegation — with Chancellor Scholz and his delegation. 

And then, of course, there’ll be this meeting among the four leaders in the afternoon, and there’ll be an opportunity for press statements with the chancellor and the president. 

So, that’s the plan for tomorrow.

Of course, this comes against the backdrop of a pretty significant — very significant day in the Middle East, and that is that Yahya Sinwar has been taken off the battlefield.  This is a murderous terrorist responsible for the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.  He has a lot of blood on his hands — Israeli blood, American blood, Palestinian blood — and the world is better now that he’s gone. 

President Biden has just put out a written statement sharing his thoughts and reactions to the death of Sinwar, and he looks forward to the opportunity soon, perhaps very shortly, to speak to Prime Minister Netanyahu to congratulate the IDF and the brave Israeli soldiers and security professionals who carried out the operation that killed Sinwar but also to talk about the way forward, because Sinwar was a massive obstacle to peace and the day after in Gaza.  And now that that obstacle has been removed, President Biden looks forward to talking to Prime Minister Netanyahu about how we secure the return of the hostages, an end to the war, and a move to the day after in Gaza — a Gaza where Hamas is no longer in power or control. 

So they’ll have the opportunity to have an initial conversation about that, but this truly is an opportunity we need to seize together to bring about a better day for the people of Gaza, the people of Israel, the people of the whole region.  And the United States is committed to doing everything in our power to help contribute to that. 

Last thing I will say is that from shortly after October 7th, President Biden dispatched special operations personnel and intelligence professionals to Israel to work side by side with their Israeli counterparts in the hunt for Hamas leaders, including Sinwar, and it was with American intelligence help that many of these leaders, including Sinwar, were hunted and tracked, were flushed out of their hiding places, and put on the run.  And, ultimately, this is a credit to the IDF for taking out Sinwar over the course of the last hours and days, but we’re proud of the support that the United States has given to the IDF all along the way. 

So, with that, I’d be happy to take your questions.

Q    Jake —

Q    Can you say anything — well, go ahead.  I’m sorry. 

Q    Jake, thanks so much for doing this.  You kind of implied that Sinwar had been an obstacle to hostage release and ceasefire.  How big an obstacle is that?  And does this give you additional hope now of a ceasefire and possibly a hostage release?  How should we process this?

MR. SULLIVAN:  I didn’t just imply it; I stated it explicitly. 

At various points along the way, Sinwar was more interested in causing mayhem and chaos and death than in actually trying to achieve a ceasefire and hostage deal.  And we repeatedly saw moments where it was him, in particular, who stood in the way of making progress towards a ceasefire and hostage deal.  Now, there were other obstacles too along the way, but he was certainly a critical one. 

And, yes, I think his removal from the battlefield does present an opportunity to find a way forward that gets the hostages home, brings the war to an end, brings us to a day after.  That’s something we’re going to have to talk about with our Israeli counterparts.

Of course, there are still other Hamas actors who need to be brought to justice, and there are hostages, including Americans, being held by terrorists.  We’re going to have to deal with all of that, but we believe there is a renewed opportunity right now that we would like to seize.

Yeah.

Q    Do you assess this as being the cutting off of the head of the Hydra, or what — what’s your assessment of Hamas’ capabilities from now on?  Is there going to be a mop up?  And what — what would you recommend the Israelis do?

MR. SULLIVAN:  Sinwar was a critical figure operationally, militarily, and politically for Hamas.  He had, in fact, consolidated control of both the political and military wing under his singular leadership in — in recent weeks and months.  And so, this is a very significant event.

But what exactly it means for the future of Hamas as an organization, it’s early days yet.  We will have to see.

What we do know is that the broad military structure, the battalions of Hamas have been systematically dismantled.  We do know that Hamas does not pose the kind of threat to Israel that it posed on October 7th or anything close to it.  We also know that there are still Hamas terrorists wielding guns and holding hostages and harboring a desire to continue to attack Israel and attack others. 

And so, we’re going to have to sort through all of that.  But this is an incredibly significant blow to Hamas.  It is the removal of someone who, as I said, was unique in the consolidation of the control of the Hamas apparatus under his command.  And now we will have to work to ensure that his death actually does deal the kind of long-term blow to Hamas that all of us would like to see.

Q    Can you give —

Q    Do you get the sense that Netanyahu is done now, that he’s — he’s reached his objectives?  You just laid out the decimation of Hamas — 

MR. SULLIVAN:  No, his critical objective that — has not been reached.  That objective is the return of the hostages, including American hostages.  So, from the United States’ perspective, we now need to work with Israel, with Qatar and Egypt, with others — and this is something we’ll discuss with our European partners as well — to secure the release of those hostages.  We’d like to see that happen.

Q    You referenced U.S. intel.  To what extent did that play a role in this particular operation? 

MR. SULLIVAN:  This operation was an IDF operation.  I’m not here to overclaim or — or try to take credits for something where the credit belongs to them. 

But the Americans — the special operations personnel, the intelligence professionals — they also deserve our thanks for the work that they did alongside the IDF over the course of many months to help create the kind of counterterrorism pressure in Gaza that put a lot of these guys on the run.  And Sinwar was plainly on the run (inaudible).

Q    Earlier this — earlier this week, Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin sent letters to their counterparts threatening legal action if the humanitari- — humanitarian situation in Gaza doesn’t improve.  Can you give us a sense of what that legal option would be and if there are any deadlines or specific actions that the president will raise with Prime Minister Netanyahu about that today?

MR. SULLIVAN:  The letter speaks for itself.  I think a lot of the headlines were breathless and overblown.  We have had an ongoing dialogue with Israel for months now about improving the humanitarian situation.  We have had previous communications that looked quite similar and that generated positive momentum towards opening crossings and getting more aid in.  We’ve had, actually, constructive back-and-forth with our Israeli counterparts over the last few days in response to our requests, and we expect that we’ll see progress on the ground. 

One thing that has unfolded this week is — is the reopening of some of the crossings that had been closed in the north and trucks going in.  We need to see that sustained and expanded as we go forward, among the other requests in that letter. 

But I’d — and I’d — just the other point I would make here is that it’s — it was a private diplomatic communication.  It was a serious, substantive laydown.  It’s part of our ongoing work and partnership with Israel.  And having it all out there in the open, leaked in the way that it was, I think, was highly unfortunate.  And I’ll leave it at that.

Q    Can you give us a sense of what the president will say in this conversation with Netanyahu?  Will he push for an accelerated timeline for a ceasefire?  Will he say, you

know, kind of, “Now you achieved the main direct- — main objective and we should move forward on — on other things,” or push for humanitarian aid?

MR. SULLIVAN:  I’m going to let the president speak to the prime minister before I preview what he’s going to say in the press on the record, but we’ll try to give you a good sense of both what the president is thinking and what he’s communicating to the prime minister at the appropriate time.

Q    To — to what extent do you think this success with Sinwar might embolden Netanyahu when it comes to retaliating against Iran?  Or do you see them as totally unrelated?  And what are your conversations right now with them in terms of restraint — or whatever you want to call it — when the president has thoughts about what the target should be when they hit back?

MR. SULLIVAN:  We’ve had very constructive communications with the Israelis about how they’re thinking about responding to the attack on October 1st.  Those conversations will continue. 

I can’t speculate as to the psychology of the prime minister based on what happened today.  What I can say is that the logic of deterrence, the logic of a response to a salvo of 200 ballistic missiles — nothing in the Middle East is unrelated, but that is a distinct logic from the killing of Sinwar today.

Q    Jake, going back to the trip.  What message will President Biden give his fellow leaders about America’s place in the world, given the uncertainty around our upcoming election?

MR. SULLIVAN:  Say that again.

Q    What reassurance will President Biden give his fellow leaders about America’s place in the world, given the uncertainty about our upcoming presidential election?

MR. SULLIVAN:  What President Biden can do is what he’s done for four years, which is lay out his vision of America’s place in the world and point the way forward based on what he thinks are in America’s national security interests and in the interests of our close allies. 

Beyond that, he can’t speak for anyone else and doesn’t intend to.

Q    Is there any —

Q    Does this change your calculus on whether Israel can come to the table on a ceasefire by the end of the year?

MR. SULLIVAN:  I’m sorry?

Q    Your calculus on whether a ceasefire could be reached by the end of the year.

MR. SULLIVAN:  I have long since given up on making predictions or drawing timelines.  All I can say is that we see an opportunity now that we want to seize to try to secure the release of the hostages, and we’re going to work at that as rapidly as we possibly can.

Q    Give- — given the situation, would the president reconsider possibly holding a press conference during his time in Berlin?  It would be good to hear from him firsthand on how he thinks about this and the situation in Ukraine. 

MR. SULLIVAN:  I will note for the record there are heads nodding.  (Laughter.)  I’ll also note for the record that that is a really fascinating way to bring the press into the middle of a world historical event.  So — (laughter) — and I’ll leave it at that.

Q    I’ll follow up on that.  The president talks about democracy as being a key part of his administration, of his vision for America that you just referenced.  Why would he not take questions from the press at what was originally going to be a state visit to Germany?  I don’t understand.

MR. SULLIVAN:  It’s fascinating how you guys can — (laughs) — make this the story.

Q    It’s not the story.  It’s just a question. 

MR. SULLVIAN:  I mean, honestly, I think invoking democracy and suggesting that President Biden is somehow insufficiently committed to it because of the structure of his press engagement on one day in Germany is a bit ludicrous. 

Q    I can ask a Germany question.  So, a lot of the moves that President Biden has made both domestically and internationally have been characterized as “Trump-proofing” the — the, you know, U.S. government for a future Trump presidency. 

How do you feel about that characterization?  I’m talking about moves like bringing NATO under — forgive me, it’s too complicated to explain, but you know what I’m talking about. 

So, do you think he’s Trump-proofing?

MR. SULLIVAN:  I — I don’t like characterizations like that because they’re inherently political.

Q    So, what is he doing, then?

MR. SULLIVAN:  What the president is trying to do is to make our commitment to Ukraine sustainable and institutionalized for the long term.  And every other ally agreed that that was the responsible thing to do. 

The la- —

Q    (Inaudible) necessarily reduced U.S. role, is that the idea?

MR. SULLIVAN:  Not at all.  The basic logic was what the president laid out at the Washington Summit this summer, which is the communiqué said Ukraine’s place, Ukraine’s future, is in NATO.  There is work to do to get from here to there, including reforms and security conditions being met. 

So, the question is, how do you build a bridge from where we are now to Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO?  And the answer to that question was the set of deliverables in Washington, including the institutionalization of the security support apparatus for Ukraine.  That is what we were trying to accomplish, and that’s what we believe we did accomplish.

Q    Jake, on Iran.  Can you confirm and elaborate on reporting that President Biden directed the NSC to warn Iran that any attempt on President Trump’s life would be seen as an act of war?

MR. SULLIVAN:  I will tell you that President Biden has taken this issue with the utmost seriousness.  He asked to be updated on it regularly.  He gives us direction for how to respond to it regularly and in a very serious and consequential way.  We are following his directives and implementing them.  And I’m not going to get into specifics on what that looks like.

Q    Jake, what about these reports that President Trump and President Putin have had seven conversations?  Are you worried about this?  Are you worried about any sort of backdoor conversations President Trump is having with leaders?

MR. SULLIVAN:  I do not know if that’s true or not, but obviously that would raise red flags if it were true. 

Q    Another one on — since you just said Putin.  There’s been reporting in Germany that Chancellor Scholz said he would be open to speaking with President Putin ahead of the G20 if asked — sort of various ways he said it.  Have you guys talked about this?  Has he told President Biden about this?  Do you think this would be a good idea to do a leader-level conversation with President Putin at this time?

MR. SULLIVAN:  That has not come up between the chancellor and the president.  You know, I was just in Germany at the end of last week with my German counterpart.  That — the question of a call to Putin didn’t come up.  So, I think that’s a question better put to the chancellor. 

Q    The official who briefed us yesterday about the Germany trip on the — on the phone mentioned that the Ramstein meeting would be rescheduled.  Does that mean the president will be going back to Ramstein at some point, or what — what did that mean?

MR. SULLIVAN:  We will hold a leaders-level Ramstein meeting virtually in November.

Q    One more.  On the frozen assets deal — the Russian frozen assets.  What’s the progress on that there?  I assume this comes up in the conversations.  Is there a plan B if the EU doesn’t figure out a sanctions regime?

MR. SULLIVAN:  I’m feeling very good about the progress that we’ve made on the G7 commitment to mobilize $50 billion from the proceeds of the Russian sovereign assets by the end of the year.  We intend to meet that commitment, and we intend to make a contribution — the United States.  The EU, obviously, has announced that it’s prepared to make a contribution.  So are other partners.  So, from my perspective, at this point, everything is on track. 

Q    Is there any update on when the president might talk to President Xi?

MR. SULLIVAN:  No.

Thank you, guys. 

Q    Thank you.

Q    Who you — wait, who are you rooting for in the playoffs, World Series?

MR. SULLIVAN:  I’m a Minnesota Twins fan, so I can’t root for the Guardians, but I definitely can’t root for the Yankees.

I don’t know.

Q    What about the Dodgers and Mets?

MR. SULLIVAN:  Yeah, I’m watching, but actually I don’t — I’ve not clearly determined who I’d prefer to win.  But, yeah, Dodgers or Mets. 

Q    Can you swing back and talk to us off the record later?

MR. SULLIVAN:  Sure. 

Q    Great.

Q    Thanks.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t know.  Is there any real thing — anything else to discuss?  Let me t- —

Q    The only thing I would say is we disagree with the suggestion that democracy and speaking — and taking questions from the press is “ludicrous.” 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Noted.

Q    I would argue that our stories allow the president to have a relationship with the world, not just with other leaders, and the ability to talk openly will help that. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Noted.  Noted. 

Let’s move on.

So, just want to talk about an announcement.  This is domestic, obviously, going to go to the — to that space.  I just wanted to touch on an announcement very quickly.

And so, today, the Biden-Harris administration announced an additional $4.5 billion in student debt cancelation for over 60,000 public service workers, bringing the total number of public — of public service workers who have had their student debt canceled under the Biden-Harris administration to over 1 million people. 

One such example is Kelly, a kindergarten teacher in Rhode Island, who had been paying off her student loans for a decade.  After the student let her know that her debt had been canceled, she tol- — after the president, pardon me — she told us that after 12 years of marriage, she might be able to take the honeymoon she never had.

The president — the president’s administration made it a priority to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.  Prior to our administration, only 7,000 public service workers had received relief since the program was established in 2007. 

Thanks to the work of the Biden-Harris administration, as of today, 1 million teachers, nurses, firefighters, service members, first resp- — responders, and — and more who — who pursued careers in public service have gotten the relief they deserve. 

The relief brings the total loan forgiveness approved by the Biden-Harris administration — administration to over $175 billion for nearly 5 million Americans.  And while — meanwhile, our Republicans elected officials have repeatedly attempted to block student debt relief. 

President Biden and Vice President Harris remain committed to making education affordable for all Americans. 

With that, what else do you guys have for me?

Q    I have a question. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sure.

Q    Did President Biden talk to Vice President Harris ahead of this trip to see if she had any message for the world leaders or to get her input on what the situation should be going forward? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  As you know, the president and the vice president talk regularly.  I don’t have a specific call to — to read out, but I think you can see the last almost four years of the — what we’ve been able to do, what the president has been able to do on the world stage, certainly has been in partnership with the vice president.  I know that she supports his trip and everything that he’s — he’s trying to do tomorrow in the — in the short trip that we have in — in Germany.

I just don’t have anything to read out as a call specifically on this trip.

Q    Is the president or the administration facing pressure from allies to get something done after the election but before he is out of office?  There’s been some talks that Zelenskyy — you know, whether that’s accelerating a push for Ukraine into NATO or — or other funding things for Ukraine?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, you’re talking about the victory plan.  Certainly, I’m going to let the Ukr- — Ukrainians speak to their victory plan as it relates to that question about NATO. 

Look, I think — I think what you have seen from this president, from this administration — obviously, including the vice president — is how much we have stand behind — next to, if you will — with Ukrainians and how they’re trying to beat back the aggression that we’ve seen from Russia.  And you have not just seen us standing there.  You’ve seen this president take action, and — which is why you see NATO much stronger than it was, and that’s why you see 50 countries have gotten behind Ukraine.  And you heard us — you heard us lay out yesterday an additional assistance package that we have provided to Ukrainians. 

And so, we’re going to have to continue — we’re going to continue having conversations with the Ukrainians on what they need on the battlefield and how else we can be helpful to them. 

As it relates to their victory plan — as it relates to what’s next, I’m certainly going to let the Ukrainians speak directly about that. 

Obviously, the president has had a conversation with the president, President Zelenskyy, on that plan.  I just don’t have anything beyond that, and I’m not — certainly, I’m not going to get into hypotheticals from here. 

Q    The president at the funeral yesterday had a — what looked like a spirited conversation with former President Obama.  Did you talk to him about what they discussed?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, it’s been kind of busy the last couple hours on the plane, as you can imagine. 

Look, I’ll — I’ll say this.  The president really very much looked — appreciated being there at the — at the funeral of Ethel Kennedy, who he saw as someone who was incredible and had a — was an incredible force, obviously, in her life, during her — her years.  And what he wanted to do is — was to lift up — lift her up and speak to her accomplishment and what she meant to him — not just to him but to her family and to the country.  So, he appreciated doing that. 

And we have said many times the president and — and president — and former President Biden [Obama] — they have a very close relationship.  They’ve had one for a long time, obviously, as he served as his vice president.

I don’t have anything else to — to share on that.  I have not had this conversation with the president.  Obviously, we’ve been pretty busy these past couple of hours on the plane. 

Q    Do you know if the president was able to watch any of the Fox News interview that Vice President Harris did?  And does —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yes, he —

Q    — did he talk to you about how — how she did? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, he was able to — to catch that.  And he saw her performance, her interview as strong.  And I think what you saw and what — and this is what he believes — is that you saw why Americans and people want to see her continuing to fight for them.  And that’s what he saw last night.  That’s what we all saw — many of us saw.  So, I think she was strong and incredibly impressive in that interview. 

Q    Karine, does the president believe that his vice president would be a markedly different leader?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, he talked about this on Tuesday when he was in Philly, and he — and I talked a little bit about this as well, just reit- — really reiterating what the president shared, which is that, look, she’s going to be essentially her own person, right?  She is going to have her own direction, her own view of how to move forward. 

And he did that, right?  He was loyal to President Obama when he was vice president, but he cut his own path.  And so, that’s what he expects from the vice president to do. 

So, nothing — nothing new.  That’s what he expects her to do — to have her own path, to have — to build on — certainly, to build on the economic successes that we have seen and continuing the — the work that we’ve been able to do. 

But she’s going to cut her own path.  He was very clear about that a couple days ago.

Q    Karine —

Q    But on student loans — you talked about the PSLF 1 million, a huge achievement for those borrowers — what’s your message for the other 40 million-plus borrowers who’ve been caught up in a lot of legal limbo over the past three years?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I’ll — I’ll say this.  You know, I’m not going to speak to the legal — the legal components of this.  There are legal matters that are happening, so they are ongoing.  So, I’m not going to speak to that. 

But I think what you can take away from what this president has — trying to do, when Republicans have continued to block him, in promising to give Americans a little bit of breathing room, to make sure that Americans who have — borrows [borrowers] who have loans and — and are squeezed by those loans are not able to, you know, buy a home, start a family.

The president was very attuned to that and very clear that he wanted to give them an opportunity — an opportunity to really, you know, be able to — to start that life that they wanted.  And so, he’s been trying to do that, even though he’s been blocked and — and Republicans have gotten in the way. 

I think you can see over the past — certainly, the past six months, the president continuing to try to take actions to — to make sure he kept his commitment to Americans who, again, need a little bit of breathing room.

So, I’m not going to speak to the legal matter, but I think this announcement today shows his commitment to public service workers, right?  I talked about firefighters, nurses.  I talked about police officers, who put so much on the line, who give so much for — for everybody, for folks who need their assistance and their help, and wanted to give them that opportunity to really be able to — to move on economically in what they want to accomplish for themselves and for their family.

All right.  Anything else?

Q    On the —

Q    So —

Q    Sorry.  Go ahead.

Q    Sorry.

Now going back to the funeral for a minute.  Did he speak with Speaker Emeritus Pelosi?  And also, she was not seen at the Italian American celebration, when she’s been front and center in the past.  Was she not invited?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I don’t have anything to share with you on that.  I didn’t talk to the president about that at all.  But what you saw — obviously, you saw the president and the former president, Pres- — President Obama, connect, have a moment together.  The president m- — very much looked forward to that.  I just don’t have anything on Nancy Pelosi.

Q    Just —

Q    I noticed he didn’t recognize her when he recognized the other two presidents at the funeral.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, he wanted it — I can say this.  He wanted it to be, you know — to — to be very focused on the family.  He wanted it to be, you know, brief and — and very poignant.  And that’s what his focus was yesterday on his remarks.

Q    On the trip.  Obviously, this is a abbreviated agenda from, you know, the Ramstein summit —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — and other things.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    But can you explain to us, what’s the reason that it’s so short?  Why do we have to get out of Germany at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow?  Is there a reason on the German chancellor’s schedule why we have to —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I mean —

Q    Regardless of the press conference, there was also talk about maybe doing a Holocaust memorial situation.  What’s —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, I totally understand what — totally — as you — let’s step back for a second. 

The reason that the president had to postpone his trip was because Hurricane Milton was coming, and it was — it was forecast to be a historical hurricane, and the president wanted to be in the States to deal with the response and what was needed, certainly, by the impacted region, for what folks on the ground really needed.

And so, that’s why we postponed the trip.  We said that we wanted to certainly get that back on the books.  We were able to do it — to your point, a truncated version, but it is a robust schedule.  And we were able to work with the Germans and to be able to get done what we can on this trip.

I mean, the president has a busy schedule.  He does.  There’s a lot going on in the next couple days, couple weeks.

Q    But he has to get back to the States for something in particular —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, we’ll —

Q    — that we don’t know about?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’re certainly going to share with you what the — his — the next couple of days of his schedule is going to look like.  But he wanted to — and I said this yesterday in the briefing room.  He wanted to thank the chancellor for his partnership, for his leadership as well with Ukraine.  Outside of the U.S., U- — the U- — German is the second — have provided the second-most resources, assistance to Ukrainians.

And so, he wanted to be, you know, thankful to him.  And so, that’s what you’re seeing on this trip.  He wanted to make this happen.  He asked his team to make this trip happen.

And so, look, we have a busy schedule.  We got a lot going on in next couple of days, next couple of weeks.  And so, we tried to fit this in, and this is what we were able to do in working with the German government as well to make this happen.

Q    Does the president, as the election hits its final two weeks, expect to get more aggressive in outreach and participation?  Is that maybe what you’re referencing, or what’s his thinking on that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, you know I can’t speak to political trips or any- —

Q    But if —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  But wa- —

Q    — you could speak on his schedule.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, I — I’m just — want to get that out of there.  And so, look, the president is certainly looking at — looking forward to being out there and supporting the vice president.

I just want to be super mindful.  But he will — you’ll see him — you’ll see him hit the road.  You’ll see him hit the road, for sure.

That’s all I got. 

All right.  Thanks, everybody.  Sorry my voice is a little hoarse.

Q    Thanks, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thanks, everybody.

2:45 P.M. EDT

The post Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan En Route Berlin, Germany appeared first on The White House.

Via Teleconference

4:11 P.M. EDT

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you, everyone, for joining us this afternoon/early evening for our background call to preview the President’s travel to Germany tomorrow. 

On the line with us tonight is [senior administration official].  He has a quick topper for you all, and then we can go ahead and get to your questions.  Again, if you have any questions, just please raise your hand and we’ll call folks — or call on folks, as many as we can in the time that we have today. 

All right, over to you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Great.  Thank you.  And good afternoon, everyone, and thank you all for joining us. 

So, tomorrow, President Biden will travel to Berlin, Germany, where he’ll have a meeting with President Steinmeier and Chancellor Scholz about the full spectrum of global issues that we’re working on together: strengthening our militaries and shared security, bolstering our economies and bilateral trade, and making our democracies more resilient. 

Germany has been an incredibly close ally and partner over the past few decades and has risen to the moment in the last three-plus years of this administration.

On security, we’re working closely to advance not just our own bilateral defenses, but also those of NATO Allies and partners.  As you well know, Germany is host to one of the largest U.S. troop presences overseas.  I believe it’s around 39,000 troops.  Germany is also Ukraine’s second largest donor, after the United States, to Ukraine, including critical security assistance and advanced capabilities.  And earlier this year, Chancellor Scholz also announced that Germany had met for the first time its NATO spending goal of 2 percent of GDP on defense. 

Economically, Germany is one of our most important trade partners and the economic engine of Europe.  We have — last year, we had about $325 billion in two-way trade in goods and services.  This year, the United States became Germany’s biggest trading partner, and the U.S. and German industries are leading the world in strategic sectors such as climate, infrastructure, health, advanced manufacturing, and transportation, as well as contributing to energy security.

The United States and Germany also have very close people-to-people ties and an enduring bond based on shared democratic values, and that’s exemplified in the people-to-people ties, for example, through our bilateral Fulbright Program, which brings students both to Germany and to the United States in both directions.

Such close relationships with our friends and allies across the globe matter, and they deliver for our people at home.  Germany was also critical to securing the release earlier this year of 16 prisoners, including Americans and Germans, from Russian and Belarusian custody, as I said, earlier this year.  That took significant political leadership.  And because of that concerted effort and, frankly, bold decision-making, our citizens are home with their families and friends, and some of Russia’s most important dissidents are now living free. 

So, President Biden’s visit this week is really a testament to this partnership, and we’re looking forward to our conversations over the next few days.  To this end, you can expect several announcements that illustrate our unique, enduring relationship. 

The President will announce a new exchange program that builds on our commitment to democracy and the democratic values that we safeguard.  We’re also going to announce a new dialogue focused on aligning private investment with emerging technologies — for example, artificial intelligence. 

All of these announcements are, of course, grounded in the bond that the U.S. and Germany share as friends and allies. 

And with that, I’m happy to take any questions that you might have.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  First up, we’ll go with Kayla from CNN.  Kayla, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Thank you so much, Jess.  And thank you, [senior administration official], for taking my question.

First, I just wanted to ask, big picture, how the President is viewing the significance of the trip in the context of the final months of his presidency and also the choice that Americans have in three weeks at the ballot box. 

And then second, I was just hoping that you could go into a little bit more detail about the conversation that the European Quad will be having on the future of the conflict in Ukraine, and whether you expect any change of heart or change in policy from any of the allies as it regards longer-range weapons into Russia or Ukraine’s victory plan that has been presented to all of them.  Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Okay.  Thanks, Kayla.  So, in terms of the partnership between President Biden and Chancellor Scholz, it’s been a very, very close working relationship between the two leaders.  President Biden feels he has accomplished a lot by working closely with Chancellor Scholz on a range of issues, including especially the response, I would say, to Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, but then also on a range of other issues, including U.S.-EU relations, which were reset under this administration; working on critical issues of trade and technology, of secure supply chains; the complex issues that we’re dealing with currently in the Middle East; security in the Indo-Pacific. 

There’s just a range of issues where we have worked very closely with the current German leadership and especially with Chancellor Scholz.

And then also on key issues for President Biden.  You’ve heard him talk about why he entered the race, why he wanted to run for office three and a half years ago, and it was about building up America’s democratic values and institutions, safeguarding those.  And we have had a partnership with Germany that’s very strong on combating antisemitism, combating xenophobia; promoting tolerance, promoting fundamental freedoms, not just in our countries, but around the world; supporting frontline democracies; building resilience in places like Moldova and Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia. 

So the relationship spans a lot of different issue areas, and it’s become very important.  So I think President Biden will be happy to be able to thank Chancellor Scholz for the incredible partnership that they’ve had over these last three and a half years. 

And then in terms of the Quad meeting, Quad leaders — meaning the United States, the UK, France, and Germany — will have an opportunity to discuss pressing global issues, including Ukraine, including the Middle East. 

And as you know, President Zelenskyy has — he just had a call with President Biden earlier today, and he has been talking about his plan for victory.  He briefed his own parliament, the Rada, earlier today on the elements of that plan. 

And as you know, when President Biden met with President Zelenskyy here in Washington about three weeks ago, I think it was, they discussed in detail the elements of the plan.  President Biden announced a surge of $8 billion in additional military assistance for Ukraine.  Today, he announced an additional presidential drawdown of $425 million.  It includes Javelin anti-tank missiles, some air defense missile capabilities, other ammunition and supplies that are critical to Ukraine’s needs on the frontlines right now. 

So I have no doubt that the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine, the trajectory of the war, how allies can best support Ukraine will be a subject of conversation, as well as the Middle East and perhaps some other topics as well. 

Q    But do you expect a change in policy as a result of any of these conversations, given the fact that Ukraine has asked for longer-term security guarantees and that Zelenskyy —

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I don’t have any announcements on changes in policy to make today.

MODERATOR:  All right, next up we’ll go to Jeff Mason with Reuters.  Jeff, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Great.  Thanks very much.  Following up on that question, just confirming that the leaders of Britain and France will come to Berlin for this meeting.  So they will be meeting in person on these — on the Quad issues?

And following up on what Kayla asked with regard to Ukraine, can you just expand a little bit more on what you expect him to discuss on the Middle East and the latest there?  Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah.  So, you know, I don’t want to get ahead of our German hosts who are organizing the meetings in Berlin, but President Biden looks forward to having a conversation with other leaders about the critical issues of the day, which obviously include Russia’s war against Ukraine, the situation there; also the situation in the Middle East, finding a sustainable diplomatic solution concerning the conflict now between Israel and Lebanon; the situation in Gaza, of course; the risk of escalation with Iran.  All of those are important issues that I’m sure leaders will discuss.

Q    Do you not — forgive me — you’re not getting ahead of them.  You just referred to his meeting with the Quad.  So I just wanted to clarify so that we get it right in our stories that he’s meeting with the Quad leaders when he’s in Berlin.  If not, I’m presuming you wouldn’t have said that they’re meeting.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I can tell you that there is a planned meeting. 

Q    Okay, great.  And my second question had been on the Middle East.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah, I think I just answered your second question.

Q    You got anything more on that?  I mean, can you give us more of an update of what they intend to discuss?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, no, in advance of the meeting, I think I just previewed the topics that they will discuss.  I can’t tell you in advance exactly where the conversation is going to go, but it will certainly include a discussion of, as I said, building a sustainable diplomatic solution to the conflict.  That includes the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, but then also escalation concerns regarding Iran and the region, and then also the situation in Israel-Gaza.  All of those are obviously interconnected in different ways, and I’m sure the leaders will have a chance to discuss that in detail and align their positions on the way forward.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Next up, we’ll go to Nick Schifrin with PBS.  Nick, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Thanks, Jess.  Thanks very much, [senior administration official].  Appreciate it.  Can I ask a specific question about the victory plan?  Zelenskyy laid it out to the Rada pretty publicly compared to in the past.  First point is an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO.  It also talks about economic incentives, allowing the West to invest in natural resources.  The fifth point is to replace some NATO troops in Europe with Ukrainian troops.  And when Yermak gave a speech about it at CFR, he specifically said it would also require the unfreezing of Russian frozen assets. 

And I’m wondering if the U.S. supports those aspects of the victory plan and the victory plan overall.  Thanks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So, what I can tell you is that there is an active conversation about the different elements of the plan that were laid out by President Zelenskyy.  He’s been having that conversation with President Biden, both when he presented the plan a few weeks ago and then again today in their phone call.  There are certain elements that we are currently fulfilling in terms of providing additional military capability, which is also an element of the plan.  I referenced that earlier. 

There’s a discussion amongst NATO Allies about an invitation.  There is not consensus at this time to offer Ukraine an invitation.  But as you know, at the NATO Summit just, what, a couple months ago — in July, mid-July — all 32 Allies affirmed that Ukraine is on an irreversible path to membership.  So the question is about the tactics of how to encourage that path and how to gain consensus on the next steps.

In terms of some of the other elements of the plan, you referenced the discussion on critical minerals.  You know, I don’t know where other nations will come out on this, but this is an issue that we’re engaging on together with the other elements of the plan. 

So, some of these are obviously long-term things that Ukraine would like to see in place over the course of many, many years, perhaps even decades.  Others are more short term, especially in terms of some of the military capabilities that they’re looking to secure for themselves right now.  And some of that we are already, in fact, actively doing.  And so, this is going to be an ongoing conversation. 

We want to — the bottom line for the United States and for President Biden is that we want to put Ukraine in a position of strength.  We want it to prevail in this war.  And we need to give it the capabilities that it needs to do that.  But we cannot do that alone.  We need to do that with our partners and allies, which is why President Biden had called for a Ramstein Summit, or a leaders-level meeting of what is called formally the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.  And we have postponed that, and that will likely take place next month, in November.  I don’t have a date to announce for you, but we are looking to hold that meeting next month.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Next up, we’ll go to Josh from the AP.  Josh, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Hi.  Thanks so much for doing this.  I was wondering if you could speak to the timing of this meeting, given that it’s so close to the election and that U.S. allies in the past have expressed concerns about the stability of U.S. democracy, as President Biden himself has said in speeches.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, as you know, the bilateral meeting with Germany was planned a week ago, and the President had intended to go then.  Obviously, we had Hurricane Milton come up as a major hurricane, threatening a major city in the United States, in Florida, and so the President had to postpone the trip.  And so, it’s falling to this Friday. 

But, look, I expect that the President, both with President Steinmeier and with Chancellor Scholz, will discuss the importance of democratic values, which, as I mentioned at the top, is really at the root of our bilateral relationship with Germany and where we both have invested considerable amounts — I mean, not just talking financially, but politically, diplomatically — in supporting other democracies around the world, including in places like Ukraine and Moldova, which are really on the frontlines and vulnerable in different ways but where both our countries have invested an enormous amount.

And look — and both countries have also invested in strengthening democratic institutions, election integrity, the fight against misinformation and disinformation, and a range of other topics that are similar.  So, I expect that this will come up, and I guess I’ll just leave it at that. 

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Next up, we’ll go to Stefanie Bolzen.  Stefanie, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Hello.  Can you hear me?

MODERATOR:  Yep, loud and clear.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I can hear you just fine, yep.

Q    Okay.  Thank you very much for doing this briefing.  Both the U.S. President and Chancellor Scholz, in their meetings since the war began in Ukraine, have always been emphasizing how much both nations were in lockstep confronting the war in Ukraine.  Now, the German Chancellor at times has been very slow taking decisions in terms of military aid to Ukraine.  Why do you think the U.S. President has been at times so patient and understanding of the domestic situation of Chancellor Scholz?  Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So, you’re right that Germany and the United States, and our other NATO Allies as well, have been in lockstep in terms of supporting Ukraine, also in terms of imposing costs on Russia through sanctions, export controls, and other measures, which is an important part of the equation in terms of holding Russia accountable and also helping Ukraine to strengthen itself and ultimately to prevail in this war.

Germany has been a critical partner.  It has been the second largest provider of military aid to Ukraine, after the United States, and has provided a number of high-end capabilities, including tanks and other artillery systems.  And so, it’s a very important relationship. 

We also have worked together to convince other allies and partners to also step up in terms of not just the equipment that they provide to Ukraine, but it’s also critically important right now that Ukraine is able to train its new brigades for the frontlines, that Allies work through this new NATO mission that was stood up as a result of the Washington Summit here in July.  It’s called the NATO Support and Training Assistance Ukraine.  Clumsy acronym, but that’s essentially a mission that supports training coordination, equipping coordination, force development, and logistics for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Germany and the United States. 

It’s located in Wiesbaden, in Germany, by the way, that mission.  And it’s very important in terms of helping Ukraine with the support that it needs to be able to defend itself against this brutal aggression. 

And then, Germany, as I said earlier, has also been critical in helping to uphold consensus within the European Union in terms of sanctions.  It’s an essential member of the G7 grouping, which, as you know, has pledged to provide a 15 — excuse me — a $50 billion loan to Ukraine, an accelerated revenue loan, which will function essentially as a grant for Ukraine based on frozen assets from Russia that are held overseas.

And so, on any number of different issue areas, we have worked with Germany to hold strong, support Ukraine, and push back on aggression and those actors who would upend the rules-based international order.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you.  Next up, we’ll go to Anita Powell with VOA.  Anita, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Thank you so much.  I want to pick up on talk of that $50 billion loan and some of the conversations that European ministers are having about that amid Hungary’s opposition to request it, to extend sanctions. 

What role could President Biden play in these discussions?  What is he going to advocate when he meets with these other four leaders on this particular issue?

And then, just looking at the — you’d mentioned antisemitism.  Do we expect any remarks, any events around that, especially since both countries have seen a rise in antisemitic incidents?  Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah, so on the ERA, we’re continuing to talk with all of our G7 partners about how to land this $50 billion loan.  I’m confident that we will succeed.  There are a lot of technicalities here in terms of assurances and in terms of coordination, and those conversations are occurring within the European Union, which has pledged to contribute up to — I believe it’s 35 billion euros, which is approximately 39 billion dollars.  And then, the United States has committed to doing its share as well. 

And so, those technical conversations are continuing, but I think leaders will probably cover this in terms of the political will to make this happen by the end of the year.  It’s very important that we get this done soon.

And then, sorry, your other question?  Oh, antisemitism.  Yes. 

So, this is an area where the United States and Germany have worked very closely.  I believe it’s the 20-year anniversary of the Berlin Conference on Antisemitism, where we have worked in a variety of different issue areas, from combating Holocaust distortion and denial, combating antisemitic speech, and generally on literacy and education around the Holocaust. 

So, you know, this is a very short visit on the ground, so I don’t know that there will be an event that is specifically dedicated to this issue, but it’s one that is very important to President Biden and one that he has — that we have discussed with the German government over the years and continue to do so.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you.  Next up, we’ll go to Selina Wang.  Selina, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Hi.  Thanks so much for doing this.  I just had a question.  Given, you know, people have been talking about how the election is just a few weeks away, how is the President going to address the possibility of a change of administration and how that could impact relations with Germany as well as U.S. policy in regards to both the conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, you know, I don’t really — in my current role, I don’t really do politics.  Obviously, there will be a change of administration no matter which way the election goes, but, frankly, I don’t see that as a central talking point for the President in his various meetings.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you.  And for our last question today, we’ll go to Trudy Rubin with the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Trudy, you should be able to unmute yourself.

Q    Yes.  Thanks very much for doing this.  I want to ask something about Ukraine.  Clearly, there is a tremendous sense of urgency in Ukraine, with breakthroughs in the east by the Russians; 10,000 North Koreans coming; bombing the grain route from Odessa to Istanbul. 

And on the Ukrainian side, there seems to be a feeling that if there isn’t progress on the victory plan immediately, and especially before the November 5th election, there is a real chance that Ukraine could lose this war. 

So, I’m wondering if you can comment on whether the same sense of urgency is felt in the White House and will likely be a factor in the coming discussions in Germany, whether there is any sense that Ukraine could lose this war, and if weapons aren’t delivered immediately or sooner, there could be catastrophe. 

And just one last part of this question.  On long-range fires and U.S. greenlighting them inside Russia, that is very high up on the victory plan list.  And a discussion of an invitation to NATO is number one.  I know you said there’s no announcement yet on change of policy, but do you think those issues will be high up on the discussion list in Germany?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So, absolutely, there is a sense of urgency in the White House, and coming from President Biden’s direction at the very top, to do everything that we can to put Ukraine in a position of strength and then ultimately to prevail in this conflict. 

And, look, I know that the situation on the frontlines, especially in the Donbas, in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblast, at times is difficult, and this may be one of those times, but we are surging capability precisely to help Ukraine with this effort, as well as training and equipping its new brigade so that it can hold those lines and hopefully reverse some of the trajectory that we’ve seen, as I mentioned, in the Donbas. 

I mean, this is not just a war about Ukraine’s independence, its sovereignty, its territorial integrity, and its democratic character, although it is all of those things.  But above and beyond that, this is about the world order.  It is about the principle that a stronger country cannot just invade another country by force of arms, violate its territorial integrity, violate the sanctity of its borders, and then engage in, frankly, what we have seen — namely war crimes, crimes against humanity on the ground, some of the most barbaric types of assault on the dignity of civilians and combatants alike. 

So, there’s a lot at stake.  The urgency of the moment is certainly appreciated, which is why the President is leading this effort to supply Ukraine with the equipment that it needs and to, frankly, take seriously all of the elements that are being proposed by the Ukrainians and to work with them on a strategy to secure their victory in this war. 

President Biden wants Ukraine to win, and we’re going to resource this effort appropriately.  And again, that’s why the President called for this leaders-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, or what’s been called the Ramstein Summit — and that meeting will be held in the near future — to elicit the same sort of urgency and contributions from some of our allies and partners so that we can sustain this. 

And so, Putin knows that time is not on his side, that time is, in fact, on Ukraine’s side, and that we will stand with Ukraine and give it what it needs to prevail.  And so, that is very much at the top of the President’s mind and, frankly, all of our minds here in the National Security Council. 

Q    Could I just ask a very quick follow-up?  The United States has promised, as I understand it — correct me if I’m wrong — two additional Patriot systems to Ukraine, one at the NATO Summit and one since then that was going to be refurbished.  Can you tell me whether either of them has been delivered yet?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I am not going to get into the status because I don’t have that at my fingertips, but we can follow up with you.

MODERATOR:  All right.  Thanks, everyone, for joining today.  This is all the time that we have.

As a reminder, this call is on background to a senior administration official, and the contents of this conversation is embargoed until five o’clock tomorrow morning. 

As always, if you have any follow-up questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.  Looking forward to hearing from anyone who has questions.  Thanks.

4:39 P.M. EDT

The post Background Press Call on the President’s Travel to Berlin, Germany appeared first on The White House.

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

11:56 A.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Hey.  Good afternoon, everybody. 

Q    Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, it’s chilly in here. 

Q    Mm-hmm.

Q    (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m hearing comments in the back, but — okay.  So, the Biden-Harris administration’s response and recovery efforts continue to deliver for the people of North Carolina, Florida, and all communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.  Federal assistance for communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton has surpassed $1.8 billion.

Over the weekend, the president visited Florida to personally survey the damage caused by Milton, speak with families affected by the storm, and meet with state and local officials to ensure they were getting the resources they need.

And this afternoon, at 4:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will hold her daily press briefing to provide further details on our efforts to help communities respond, recover, and rebuild in the wake of these disasters.

As the president has said, we are in this for the long haul, and we will be there as long as it takes. 

That said, we need Congress to do its job.  Yesterday, you heard from the president that the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program, which is a critical lifeline to small businesses, homeowners, renters affected by — by disasters, has been exhausted.

Americans should continue to apply for these loans, and SBA will continue to process them and disburse assistance as soon as Congress does its job and provides the needed funding.

Tomorrow, President Biden will travel to Berlin, Germany, where he will meet with German leaders, President Steinmeier and Pre- — and Chancellor Scholz, underscoring the strong relationship that the United States shares with Germany and the full range of global issues that we are tackling together.

The close relationship between President Biden and Chancellor Scholz have built — has — have built has been critical to helping us make progress on behalf of the American people and to making the world a safer place.

We have worked together closely to strengthen our economies for both our people and provide critical support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression as Germany has been the second-largest provider of aid to Ukraine after the United States.

Chancellor Scholz’s bold decision to participate in the prisoner swap this — this summer, as you all know, which he did as President Bi- — at President Biden’s request, was vital to returning wrongfully detained Americans, including Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, and Germans to their families.  And we need to continue to work closely together to defend democratic values around the world.

On that note, President Biden will speak with President Zelenskyy shortly, if not already, and will announce a significant new security assistance package for Ukraine today, as part of our ongoing effort to surge U.S. support to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

The two leaders al- — also will also discuss the leader-level Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which will hold — which will be held next month, to continue to get Ukraine the support it needs to prevail in this conflict.  We will have a readout of that call soon as we — as well as more details on the military aid package.

Some additional news.  In the first week of December, the president will also travel to Angola, where he will celebrate the transformation of the U.S.-Angola relationship, recognize Angola’s role as a strategic part- — strategic partner and regional leader, and meet with President Lourenço about ways to increase our collaboration on security, health, and economic partnerships.

The value of strong alliances and partnerships in the defense of freedom has never resonated more — in Europe, in Africa, and beyond.  These visits demonstrate the president’s unwavering commitment to revitalize these relationships for our shared security and prosperity.

With that, Aamer, kick it off to you.

Q    Yeah.  On the Germany trip tomorrow.  When will he be coming back?  And I’m presuming the conversation with President Zelenskyy today, does that obviate the need for them to meet while he’s in Europe? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, that — they’re not going to have an opportunity to meet while he is in Europe, and this is one of the reasons the president is calling him ahead of time. 

What I will say is we’ll certainly have more details on the trip in the next several hours, on what that looks like, what tomorrow is going to look like, and the specifics of — of the president’s engagement in Germany tomorrow — the next two days. 

Q    And can I ask, with concerns of the Secret Service being so stretched right now and the various security needs with the two assassination attempts, has the president considered maybe putting this trip off until after Election Day or perhaps even dialing back some of the Delaware travel just to — to help lighten the load on the Secret Service? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, what I will say is I’m not going to get into the specifics of the Secret Service and — and how it does its business in protecting, obviously, the principles.  That’s not something for me to speak to from here. 

What I will say is that the president believes that this — has felt very strongly about this trip, about one of our partners, allies, that has been steadfast, certainly, in partnership with — as it relates to Ukraine’s defense.  And the president really wanted to make sure to go to Germany to thank Chancellor Scholz directly.  And so, that was one of the reasons to do that trip. 

I’m not going to get into specifics of — of Secret Service and — and how they move forward and how they go about protecting the principles.  That’s not something that I’m going to speak from here.

Q    Just one last one.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sure.

Q    President Biden, yesterday, spoke of Harris cutting her own path —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — as president if she’s elected.  Does he feel he’s held her back?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, not at all.  Look, the president has always been — I’m going to be — you know, not going to speak to politics from here.  But what I can say more broadly is that every bo- — every president has the opportunity to cut their own path, and the president has been really clear about passing the torch and seeing Vice President Harris as a leader from day one — on day one.

And — and he understands how this all works, right?  He said this yesterday as well.  He was loyal to Barack Obama, but he also got an opportunity to cut his own path as president.

And so — and that’s what he believes Kamala is going to do.  And that’s her — that’s his words — right? — when calling her, Kamala, the vice president.

And so, she’s been loyal to him, and this is something that he shared, and he understand that she will cut her own path.  And I think that’s just the way it goes.  Right?  I think that’s the process that we’re seeing right now, that we’re living it, that you all are covering every day since the president decided to step aside from this election and pass the torch to the vice president. 

And so, I think that’s what you’re hearing from this president.  He’s incredibly proud of her.  He has supported her from day one.  He has said many times the best decision that he made in 2020 was asking her to be his running mate. 

Go ahead, Nancy.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  A couple questions about this letter from the Biden administration to the Israeli government suggesting that U.S. aid to Israel may be at risk if they don’t change their posture on humanitarian aid into Gaza.  Is there anything that we should know about the timing of this letter?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  So, look, I — I’m going to take a step back just for a second because — and I know my — my colleagues over at National Security Council spoke to this, if not yesterday, certainly over the past couple of days. 

And, look, the administration did something similar back in April, and — and that — that was received — that letter that we did back in April was received with a constructive response from the Israelis.  And so, this is very similar. 

What we have seen — the — the trigger — the reason why we’re doing this is we have seen a decrease in aid — in very important, critical aid into Gaza.  And so, we sent out the letter from, obviously, Department of Defense and also the State Department that went to the — to both secretaries’ counterparts.  And so, we’re having those discussions. 

I would speak to them.  I would speak to the DOD and State Department on their timing.  But it is certainly connected to what we have seen, which is a decrease of humanitarian aid in Gaza.  And so, we wanted to address that with Israel. 

Q    Have you gotten any response from the Israeli government to this letter, or any sign that they are taking it seriously?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I don’t have anything right now to preview or to announce or to — to lay out for you at this time.  What I can say is the last time we did this, back in April, we did see a con- — constructive response.  And so, that’s what we want to see this time around. 

Q    Is the administration really willing to halt military aid to Israel if you don’t see a significant improvement in humanitarian aid flowing to Gaza?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to get into hypotheticals from here.  Like I said, we did it back in April.  This — sent a letter, very similar — a — a letter — a letter from both the State Department and the Department of Defense.  We got a constructive response.  That’s what we’re hoping to see.  We wanted to address this. 

This is connected to a decrease of humanitarian assistance — aid that is very, very much needed in Gaza, as you all know.  And so, that’s what — that — this is a — a — we’ve done this before, it’s worked, and so we’re — we’re doing this again.  And so, we want to see a constructive response. 

Go ahead.

Q    Just one follow-up there. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    If — if the Israelis have 30 days to sort of make changes — a 30-day deadline — that’s after the election.  Doesn’t that take some of the bite out of this ultimatum?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to — I’m not going to get into a timeline from here.  I’m not going to get into — into those types of specifics.  I would refer you to the State Department and Department of Defense. 

I think what’s important is — important here is to not forget: We’ve done this before back in April.  We want — we’ve seen a decrease of aid, and we certainly want to make sure that that is addressed.  That is why the letter went out.  That’s why we’re talking — we’re having those conversations with the Israelis.  And so, I’m going to leave it there. 

Q    Yesterday, former President Trump seemed to leave open the possibility that he has, in fact, talked to Vladimir Putin since leaving office.  What does the White House make of that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to get into specifics about conversations with — with world leaders from here.  I’m not going to get into that — those specifics from here at all.

Q    Does the White House have any evidence that that could be true?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t — I think I’ve answered this question before.  We don’t have any — any — anything to confirm.  That — that spetic- — that specific statement from the former president, I just don’t have anything else to add.

Q    If I can ask —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sure.

Q    — domestically, President Obama seemed to indicate that he was worried some voters might be trying to make excuses for not voting for a woman.  I’ve heard that myself from a lot of voters out on the campaign trail. 

I understand you can’t talk about politics and the campaign.  But have you seen moments or do you believe that — that this has been a unique challenge for Vice President Harris in her role as vice president?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, here’s the thing.  Here’s what I can say: Both this president and this vice president are very much proud of what they have been able to deliver for the Black community and many other communities.  Historic — historic results. 

Obviously, there’s always more work to be done, and that’s something that we say.  Whether it’s about the economy, whether it’s about health care, there’s always more work to be done. 

But we’re proud of what we have been able to see, when we think about record wealth, including, like, obviously, record wealth, employment, small businesses.  We’ve seen a boost in small-business applications within the Black community and other — just more broadly, not just the Black community. 

And so, we understand there’s more work to be done.  We’re certainly going to continue to do that work, and that’s what I can speak to.  And that is something that I know both this president and the vice president are very proud of doing.

Q    Do you think she’s had to overcome sexism as the first female vice president?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I’m not going to — I’m not going to get into it from here.  What I can say is that we are all very proud of what the vice president has been able to accomplish with this president as a critical partner over the past four years.  And you don’t ha- — just have to look at her career as — almost four years, I should say — as vice president.  We look at her record as senator, as attorney general of California.  I think it’s been a — she’s had an impressive record.

And, you know — and she’s done that with everything — all the — the headwinds that come at her, she’s been able to get that done.

Go ahead.

Q    Is — you were talking about the — just to go back to the Germany trip.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    Is there any update on the Ramstein summit that was –is it postponed?  Is it canceled?  Or —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have an update for you on that.  I — I’m su- — I’ll be sure to check with the team, but I just don’t have anything on that.

Q    Is the president expected to have any meetings with any other foreign leaders during the trip?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’ll certainly have more to share.  Obviously, a big part of this meeting, of this trip — travel that he’s doing is going to be around Ukraine, the continuing support of Ukraine — of Ukrainians as they continue certainly to beat back Russia’s aggression.

And — and we’ve been very proud — the president has been very proud to do that and continue.  And, obviously, one of the reasons we’re going to Germany, as I — as I mentioned, which — Chancellor Scholz as a partner in that.

And so, we’ll — certainly, we’ll have more to share.  But just a little bit more broadly, I would state — I mentioned Russia’s war in Ukraine — managing the crises in the Middle East, maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region, strengthening the transatlantic alliance, illustrating that the relationship in — is both dynamic and also enduring.

And so, I think that’s important to note.  And the president, as I stated at the top, he wanted to make this trip.  This is a trip that he wanted to do to thank the chancellor for his support.  And so, that’s what you’re going to see from the two leaders, and we’ll certainly have more to share.

I will also state that at 4 o’clock, National Security Council will have a press call.  So, certainly, you should join that.

Q    Thank you.  Just one more to follow up —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — on Aamer’s question on the president’s comments about the vice president last night.  The — Ron Klain told — told us in August that the White House could have done more to promote the vice president.  He said, quote, “We were all united behind the idea she should be successful.  We just didn’t find the path to do it.”  Does the president agree?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I will say is — and I think the — certainly, the first part of your quote, I — is — is something that I know to be true.  Like, the president has always wanted the vice president to be successful.  And she has been successful, and he could not be more proud of her as he is today.

I think what she — what he laid out yesterday — obviously, that was a political event that he — that he spoke at, but I think lays out his thinking, how he sees the vice president not just now but moving forward in what she’s trying to accomplish at this moment. 

And — and I think she has had a lot of successes to point to over the last three and a half years.  And I also stated her time — her record as a senator, her record as attorney general, as district attorney in — in San Francisco.  She’s had an impressive record.

And so, I — anything else beyond that, I certainly will leave it to the vice president and her team to speak specifically on.

Go ahead. 

Q    Just back to Ukraine.  It’s been more than a month now since the president told us that there were discussions about allowing Ukraine to fire long-range missiles deeper into Russian territory.  Is he heading into this conversation with Zelenskyy today and into this trip to Germany with a decision made on that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I will say is, look, the United States policy on that has not changed.  It has not changed.  But I think what’s important here is that we are committed.  We are — continue to be committed to Ukraine, to the Ukrainians having everything that it needs, especially on the battleground, as they are fighting against Russia’s aggression.  That is our commitment.  That is what you —

We — I just made an announcement — right? — just moments ago about an assistance — how much more we’re going to be providing as — as we understand what’s needed on the ground, on the battlefield.  And so, the president is probably talking to the — President Zelenskyy right now.  We are going to continue to show that support.  And I just don’t have anything to say.  Our policy has not changed beyond that.

Q    So, he’s decided against allowing that capability?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I’ll say this.  In May, the president directed his team to ensure — right? — that Ukraine is able to use U.S.-supplied weapons for cross-border strikes so Ukraine can hit back against Russia — Russian forces that are — that are attacking them or preparing to attack them as part of their current Russian offense. 

It’s — it’s common sense, right?  It is common sense that they should be able to hit back against what’s hitting them and to deny Russian forces that are using staging locations just across the border a safe haven.  That was what we were able to do back in Ba- — in May. 

Our policy with respect — with respect to prohibiting the use of ATACMS or long-range strikes inside of Russia has not changed.  That is not going to change.  It has not changed at this — at this moment.  Don’t have anything else to preview, but we will continue to have conversations with the Ukrainians, providing what they — what they need on the battle- — on the battlefield.  That is a commitment.  We want to be there for the Ukrainians as they continue to beat back Russia’s aggression.

Q    All right.  And on the SBA funding.  It sounded, last week, when the president was talking about this, that he wanted Congress to come back early to pass more funding for the Small Business Administration, but he didn’t mention that in his statement last night.  Has he — has he given up on —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, what I will say —

Q    — calling Congress back?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — what he did mention in his statement last night is that Speaker Johnson has said and is committed and promised that he was going to fund — promised that he was going to fund not just that but other disaster programs.  And so, he said that will be replenished by Congress.  And so, that’s the commitment that he made.  That’s what we want to see. 

And we want to also make sure that people out there who need — who need these particular resources, they continue to apply for loans, and the SBA is going to continue to process those application.  But Speaker Johnson made a commitment, and certainly we want to see that commitment follow through.

Q    Thanks.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Danny.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Back to the Middle East.  The — the U.S. — specifically, the State Department — said yesterday that it was — the U.S. was opposed to the Israeli bombing of Beirut as it was being carried out at the moment.  Hours after that, there were fresh Israeli airstrikes on — on southern Beirut. 

Again, what gives you any confidence that Prime Minister Netanyahu is listening to what Washington is asking him to do? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look — and you’re right.  We have told Israel directly that we oppose any Israeli campaign to certainly — of near-daily strikes in densely populated area in Beirut.  We — you are correct.  That is something that we have been very clear about.

We — we also understand that what they’re conducting — the operations that they’re conducting to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure is — is targeted.  And so, we’ll continue to have those conversations with the Israeli government, and that is something that we will continue to do. 

And we have been really clear.  It is critical — it is critical that these operations be conducted in a way — in a way that does not threaten the lives of civilians.  Conversations that we will continue to have with the Israeli government — and let’s not forget, U.N. peacekeepers and also members of the Lebanese Armed Forces.

And so, we’ve been clear.  We’re going to continue to have those diplomatic discussions with the Israelis.

Q    And in the White House’s view, how did the — yesterday’s strikes — you know, what category did they fall into?  Acceptable or —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I’m not going to get into characterizing each of these strikes.  It’s not what I’m going to do from here.  We’ve been very clear what we want to see.  We’ve been very clear about that from here, you — as you stated, from the State Department and Department of Defense as well.  And we will continue to have these discussions.

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you so much, Karine.  Does the White House have any indication or explanation on why the tensions is escalating in the Korean Peninsula?  And is the White House concerned about it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Say that last part.

Q    The Korea — the peninsula — Korea, the tension growing over there —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look —

Q    — is the White House concerned about it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, obviously, we’re always going to have concerns, and we’re always going to watch and monitor closely.  Don’t have anything specific to read out on the current — current situation there.  We are going to always, as I said, monitor, watch closely, and certainly be in coordination with our South Korean allies.

And so, look, we’re going to also continue to urge the North — North Korea to reduce tensions and — and seize any actions that could increase the risk of conflict.  And that is something that we’ve been pretty consistent here.

Q    And a follow-up and then I have one more.  Because their report is that Net- — North Korea is sending soldiers to fight with Russia in Kor- — in Ukraine.  Some are suggesting that there are around 3- to 7,000 soldiers already in few miles from the Ukrainian border.  Does the White House have any response or concern about it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, we’ve always said we’ve been concerned when we’ve always asked about — about other countries providing aid or assistance to Russia.  We’ve been very clear about that.

This is why the president took it very seriously on making — making sure that NATO was stronger and — and bringing more than 50 countries together to make sure that Ukrainians had the support that they need.

You just heard me speak about an assistance that — another assistance package that we are going to be speaking more about delivering, and that is a conversation that the pres- — President Biden is having with President Zelenskyy.  And that is going to be a really important part of the conversation that the president has when he’s in Germany.

So, we’re going to continue to provide assistance, show our support for Ukraine, stand by the Ukrainians.  And so, that’s going to be our focus in the next couple of days and continued focus, obviously, since the past almost two years now.

Q    And just the last one.  You are announcing international trips for the next few months.  Is President Biden going to Brazil for the G20, and does the White House believe that Vladimir Putin should be arrested if he goes to Brazil for the G20?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have anything to share on either of those questions that you asked me.

Go ahead, Jared.

Q    On the call with Zelenskyy.  I know earlier today Zelenskyy made public parts of that victory plan.  I assume he’d already shared it with President Biden.  But one of those elements is an immediate invitation to NATO.  Does the White House, the president have a response to — to that proposal?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, what I will say — and I’ve been very clear about this.  Look, we’re going to let — we’re going to let the Ukrainians speak to their victory plan.  That’s their plan.  We’ll let them speak to it.

What we’re going to continue to do is show our support for the Ukrainians on the battlefield as they continue to beat back Russia’s aggression.  I don’t have anything else to share beyond that.  But we’ll let them speak to their plan directly.

Go ahead.

Q    Yeah.  (Clears throat.)  Excuse me.  Thanks, Karine.  Yesterday, President Biden talked about Trump’s rally, in which he stood up on the — the stage and listened to various musical tunes, and said the former president has, quote, “snapped” and “become unhinged.”  Can you elaborate what he’s concerned about there?  Does he have concerns that Trump lacks the mental fitness to — to be able to go back —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean —

Q    — into the White House?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — I don’t have anything to add.  I think the president was very clear on what he felt and saw and was — and was sharing with all of you.  I don’t think there’s anything more to add.

Q    But does he feel — does he have concerns about his — the former president’s mental fitness?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I don’t have anything else to add.  I think the president speaks loud and clear and directly for himself, and so I’d let his words stand.

Go ahead.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Senator — Senator Rick Scott and Senator Rubio have proposed $20 billion to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund.  Has the president seen that proposal?  Would he sign it if it did pass?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, as you know, when we — when we tried to do, originally, the CR, we had a robust — robust component in that CR to make sure that the Disaster Relief Fund was replenished.  That didn’t go through.  We were disappointed by that, obviously.

And — and so, what we want to see, I’m not going to put a number to it.  That is something that’s going to be worked out. What we want to see is Congress, when they come back, to actually do that — to actually replenish the Disaster Relief Fund.

It is important to do so.  While we have the fundings right now, to do the work that FEMA needs to do, that this administration needs to do to impacted areas, we know that there’s going to be a shortfall and we’re going to need more funding.

I’m not going to get into a number.  I have not spoken to the president or the Office of Leg Affairs about this particular proposal that has been brought for- — forth, but the president has been very clear.

I just talked about the SBA and how that — that funding is now exhausted.  The speaker made a promise — the Speaker Johnson made a promise that, when Congress returns, that they’re going to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund and also make sure that CBA has what it needs to really address the needs of — of Americans who have been impacted in — in — on the ground.

Q    Is there a timeline for when FEMA would know how much the administration wants to use?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Say that one more time.

Q    Is there a timeline for when FEMA would have an estimate for how much money they’re looking for?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I would — I would refer you directly to FEMA about that specific timeline, a number that’s needed.  What we are very clear about is we need to make sure that we have funding — additional funding for the Disaster Relief Fund.  That’s why we included it in the CR.

As you know, it was a robust number.  We wanted to see that get through.  It did not get through.  And we — we are seeing these storms coming through and what they’re doing and how they’re devastating areas.  The president was able to survey, obviously, what occurred in — in Florida after Hurricane Milton.

And so, we want to make sure those funds are there.  Speaker Johnson made a promise.  He said that that was going to happen.  So, that’s what we want to see.

I know.  I think we have to start wrapping up soon.

Q    Just to follow up on the president’s comments about the vice president cutting her own path if elected. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    I know the two of them speak regularly, but just wondering if the two have specifically had conversations about how she would do that if elected, whether the president is offering advice or whether she’s asked for guidance in that arena.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I don’t have any details to spe- — to their specific conversations.  As you know, the president and the vice president work closely together, as I just talked about the two hurricanes that came through.  You saw them working side by side in dealing with the impacts of the hurricane and making sure that we’re responding to folks on the ground.

And, look, they’re going to continue to work closely together.  The president knows what it’s like to be the vice president and knows what it takes to be the vice president and what’s needed there. And so, he is certainly very proud of the work that she’s been able to do.  I’m not going to get into details or specifics of private conversations that they have.

Go ahead, Annie.

Q    Oh, thanks so much.  The automaker Stellantis has said that they are considering expanding a factory in Mexico.  I’m wondering if the White House has any response to this possibility and whether you can address concerns that domestic jobs may be lost or — or moved overseas.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, last year, as you know, we applauded UAW and also Stellantis for coming together after hard, good-faith — which is what we always love to see — negotiations and also re- — reaching a historic agreement that secured record raises, greater retirement security, and investment in the future.

And so, that included a commitment to reopen and expand production in communities that were devastated by previous plant closures.

And so, look, what we want to see is Stellantis, certainly, deliver on those commitments to the UAW and to the communities, and so — not just any communities but communities that have long supported the industry.  That’s what we want to see.

And so, we want Stellantis to keep their commitment.  Again, we were very proud to see that very good-faith negotiation that occurred and what was delivered.  And so, that’s what we want to see at the end of the day.

I know we have to go. 

AIDE:  Yeah.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  We have to go.  Sorry, guys.

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thanks, everybody.

12:25 P.M. EDT

The post Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre appeared first on The White House.

Via Teleconference

1:47 P.M. EDT

MODERATOR:  Hey, everyone.  Thanks for joining.  As always, sorry we’re a little bit late.  Kirby has a few words here at the top, and then we’ll get through as many questions as we can. 

MR. KIRBY:  Hey.  Good afternoon, everybody. 

So, just real quick on Moldova, if you’ll indulge me.  In recent months, the U.S. government, Moldovan President Sandu, the Moldovan security services, and other allies and partners have warned that Russia is seeking to undermine Moldovan democratic institutions in the lead-up to the presidential election and referendum on Moldova’s EU membership. 

Now, with Moldova’s election just days away, we remain confident in our earlier assessment that Russia is working actively to undermine Moldova’s election and its European integration. 

Today, I’m here to reaffirm that the United States and its allies stand shoulder-to-shoulder with all Moldovans in their efforts to uphold the integrity and the security of their elections.  The U.S. government and the government of Moldova have worked hand-in-hand to expose Russian influence efforts and sanction those involved.

Since September, when we last spoke publicly about Russian efforts to undermine Moldova’s election, we have become aware that Russia is spending millions of dollars to support its preferred candidates.  In fact, in the last several months, Moscow has dedicated millions of dollars to influencing Moldova’s presidential election.  We assess that this money has gone toward financing its preferred parties and spreading disinformation on social media in favor of their campaigns.  The Russian state has authorized this effort to spend significant sums of money to influence the election. 

Additionally, known Russian influence actor Ilan Shor has invested tens of millions of dollars per month into non-profit organizations that spread narratives about the election that are in line with Russian interests.  These nonprofits have promoted pro-Russian content on traditional media, on local websites, and, of course, through social media applications as well.

As we’ve said before, we continue to have full confidence in Moldova’s ability to manage these foreign influence threats.  We are taking a range of measures to support those efforts.  We have shared the information outlined above with our Moldovan partners, of course, so that they can further investigate, further attempt to thwart and disrupt Russia’s plans, and, again, preserve their democratic institutions. 

Since Moldova’s 2021 elections, the United States has used its sanction authority to target Russia’s malign influence campaigns in Moldova. 

In 2022, Treasury designated Mr. Shor and his network of cronies, Russian businessman Igor Chayka and his Russian enablers. 

In 2023, Treasury imposed additional sanctions on seven leading members of a Russian intelligence-linked project. 

Most recently, in September 2024, the United States imposed sanctions on other entities and individuals for attempting to influence the Moldovan election.  So that’s just last month.

Our allies have implemented sanctions as well to support Moldova.  The United States has partnered with the Moldovan government, private companies, and others to offer critical expertise and technical assistance to bolster Moldova’s cybersecurity across the government, across critical infrastructure, and, of course, through independent media. 

So, look, our message today is very clear: The United States will continue to support Moldova and the Moldovan people, and to expose and counter Russian efforts to undermine Moldovan democracy. 

With that, we can take some questions.

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

Q    Hey.  Thank you both.  It’s nice to hear you back, John.  I hope your family and loved ones in South Florida are doing okay. 

I wanted to ask you about Secretary Austin and Secretary Blinken’s letter calling for the potential reassessment of military assistance to Israel if food and other aid to Gaza is not increased within a month.  Can you talk about why they saw the need to send this letter now?  And what does it say, that this had to be put into a letter form, about the relationship?  And can you explain the rationale in also giving Israel 30 days before facing potential consequences?

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, thanks, Aamer.  And thanks for the kind words.  I appreciate that very much. 

So, look, I can confirm that Secretary Austin and Secretary Blinken co-signed the letter you’re talking about, and it was sent to their Israeli counterparts. 

I would note that the Biden-Harris administration made a similar request for concrete measures with respect to humanitarian assistance back in April through a similar form, a letter.  And that letter did receive a constructive response from the Israelis. 

This particular letter that we’re talking about now follows a relatively recent decrease in humanitarian assistance reaching the people of Gaza, which is obviously something we’ve been very, very concerned about since the beginning of the conflict and through which we aim to try to get more concrete measures in place to increase that humanitarian assistance. 

So the question on why and when: Again, because there’s been a decrease in humanitarian assistance and it matters to us is the “why.”  When?  Why now?  Because, again, tied to a recent decrease.  But it’s not like we haven’t communicated these concerns in writing before to the Israelis.  We have.  And, you know, we’ll continue to stay on this very, very important topic.

As for the 30 days, I would refer you to the State Department to speak to the timeframe itself.  I really don’t have a good answer on why it’s exactly 30 days.  The only thing I would address with respect to that particular question is just the sense of urgency that we all have here about the desperate need of the people of Gaza for this humanitarian assistance.  So, when we take the step of talking to our Israeli counterparts orally or in writing about this, there’s obviously a deep sense of urgency about it.  But why 30 days in particular?  I’d have to refer you to State.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Trevor with Reuters.

Q    Hey, thanks for doing this, John.  Really appreciate it.  Just one more on the letter.  Could you talk about whether the President was aware of the letter and signed off on it?

And then, on India, could you talk a little bit about what intelligence the United States has about whether the Modi government has been involved in these extrajudicial killings and assassination attempts?  And what concerns are there about Sikhs being targeted on U.S. soil at this point?

MR. KIRBY:  Thanks, Trevor.  On the first question, the President has been very consistent in expressing our concerns to the Israelis about humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza, and certainly he’s mindful of our efforts to communicate those concerns to the Israelis, whether that communication is, as I said, done orally or in writing. 

So this is not an issue, this is not an effort, this is not an initiative that the President was at all surprised by.  It’s very much in keeping with the communications that he has had with Prime Minister Netanyahu and we’ve all had across the government with the Israelis.

On your second question, I would just say a couple of things.  One, the Indians have an inquiry committee that is looking into these issues.  That committee is visiting here in the United States today to deal with the U.S. case specifically.  I can’t speak to the case in Canada, and I wouldn’t speak for the Canadians one way or another. 

But we have expressed our deep concerns about this to our Indian counterparts.  They have expressed to us that they are taking it seriously.  The fact that they sent an inquiry committee here I think demonstrates that they are taking this seriously.  It is something they absolutely need to take seriously. 

But beyond that, I really can’t say much given that it’s an ongoing case, and the Justice Department is really the best place to go for that.

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

Q    Hey, John.  Thank you.  Two Israel questions for you.  First, in terms of both the potential timing and the contours of Israel’s retaliation against Iran, is Israel sensitive to the upcoming U.S. presidential election?  You know, have they indicated to U.S. officials in any way that they would not want whatever actions they take to affect the politics here?

MR. KIRBY:  Hey, MJ.  I’m going to let the Israelis speak to any prospective operations they may or may not conduct, and therefore would let them speak to, you know, issues of timing, scope, scale, size, that kind of thing.  That’s not really for me to get into. 

And as for their decision-making process and whether and to what degree it’s tied to our election cycle here, again, I wouldn’t be qualified to speak to that one way or another. 

Again, whether and to what degree Israel conducts any kind of response is really for them to speak to and not us, and we need to be very circumspect about not inserting ourselves into that kind of operational decision-making by the Israelis. 

Q    Okay.  My second question was on the decision to deploy a THAAD system, along with U.S. personnel, to Israel.  Was that a direct —

MODERATOR:  Sorry, MJ, you got cut off there.  Do you want to try again?

Q    Hi.  Can you hear me?

MODERATOR:  Yeah. 

Q    I don’t know if you heard the first part of my question, but just the decision to deploy a THAAD system to Israel.  I was asking whether that was a direct result of certain assurances that the Prime Minister offered to the President about how Israel would conduct itself going forward, whether it’s related to Iran or otherwise.  Did that come from the conversation that they most recently had last week?

MR. KIRBY:  Well, you know, we issued a readout of that

conversation, and I’m not going to go beyond that one way or another.  We’re not going to get into the details of the specific back-and-forth beyond what we issued in a readout.  So that’s sort of point one.

And point two that I think is really critical to make is that it’s not the first time that a THAAD has been deployed into the region.  We deployed one after the October 7th attacks in the region specifically. 

It’s also not the first time that a THAAD has gone to Israel.  I mean, back in 2019, we sent one there for some training and exercise purposes.  So that’s — it’s not a completely unprecedented move.

But the main point I want to make is that it is very much in keeping with our commitment to help Israel defend itself.  It’s commensurate with putting fighter jets in the air to knock out drones and missiles.  It’s commensurate with deploying guided missile destroyers that are ballistic missile defense capable in and around the waters off of Israel.  So it’s very much in keeping with the President’s strong desire that, from an air defense perspective, our ally has what they need to defend themselves against clearly a very real, present, viable threat by Iran and its proxies.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Weijia with CBS.

Q    Thank you, Sam.  And thank you, Admiral.  So, days before that conversation between the President and the Prime Minister, President Biden told us that they would speak after Israel made a decision about how to respond.  So, during that phone call, did Netanyahu brief President Biden on his intentions with how to respond?  And did the President offer any guidance with regard to how to respond?  For example, not to attack nuclear sites or oil refineries, et cetera.

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, I do appreciate the question, and it’s similar to MJ’s, and I hope you’ll appreciate that I’m simply not going to get into the specific back-and-forth between the Prime Minister and the President.  We issued a readout, and I’m not going to go beyond that, and certainly not going to detail operational discussions one way or another. 

Q    Okay —

MR. KIRBY:  If, when, how — wait a second.  If, when, and how Israel decides to conduct some kind of counterstrike, that’s going to have to be for them to speak to: how they do it, if they do it, when and in what manner they do it.  That’s not something that we’re going to speak to here.  And we’re certainly not going to get ahead of any of that operational decision-making and characterize it publicly. 

The President and the Prime Minister had, as they have had since the beginning of this conflict, another constructive but very candid conversation, and we stand by the need for Israel to defend itself.  They live in a tough neighborhood.  Got very viable threats against them; we saw that on the 1st of October.  They absolutely have a right and responsibility to defend themselves.  And they need to know, as I think they do, that the United States will continue to do what we can to help them — help them in that regard. 

Q    Thank you.  And just because we haven’t had a chance to talk to you since the report came out, have you ever heard the President characterize Prime Minister Netanyahu with flowery language that was reported by Bob Woodward?

MR. KIRBY:  I’m not going to get into the details that — you know, that are written about in the book.  I would just tell you, as I’ve said many, many times before, these are two guys that know each other very, very well, going on four decades now.  They are able to be very frank and forthright with one another.  And they, frankly, I think, appreciate the fact that they can speak plainly to one another.  I’d leave it at that. 

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to David with the New York Times.

Q    Thanks, John, and hope that all is well in your house in Florida.

There have been a lot of reports lately, most of them coming from the Ukrainians, a little bit from the South Koreans, both of whom are (inaudible) interested in this, about North Korean troops who are being used by the Russians in the war in Ukraine.  Should be a significant change in the North Korean approach to this.  Do you have any independent confirmation that, in fact, the North Koreans have moved from just being a supplier of missiles and other weaponry to a supplier of actual troops?

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, David — no, we cannot independently confirm those reports.  That said, those reports are concerning to us.  This idea of North Korean soldiers fighting on behalf of Russia, we believe, if true, would mark a significant increase in the DPRK and the Russia defense relationship, a relationship I would remind that we’ve been talking about now for many months as burgeoning and growing and deepening.  And this, if true, would represent a significant deepening of that relationship. 

It would also, if true, David, indicate what I think can only be classified as a new level of desperation by Putin as he continues to try to make progress in Ukraine. 

And I think it’s — you know, again, I’m not confirming the reporting, but I think it’s important to put it in some context.  I mean, if it’s true, it’s coming at a time when Russia continues to suffer extraordinary — in fact, I’d go so far as to say historic levels of casualties in a modern conflict.  I mean, more than a thousand casualties per day just in recent months. 

So it would be important, again, if true, to keep it in that context. 

Q    John, I understand why you said “if true,” but has anybody been tasked to go, given the magnitude of the import here, to go figure this out?  Because (inaudible).

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, look, I mean, the reports are concerning, so I don’t think it should surprise anybody that we’re obviously looking into those reports to see if it’s accurate.  Of course, we’re going to do that.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Andrea Mitchell with NBC.  Andrea, you should be able to unmute yourself. 

Q    Hi, John.  Let me join in saying that we’re hoping that your family is well and that you’ve done what you can in this terrible situation.  We’re sorry for what you’ve been going through, and thanks for doing this today. 

Let me ask you about Lebanon and Hezbollah.  Could you talk about the complaints by the United Nations about UNIFIL, but the strong complaints from Israel that UNIFIL permitted — which is unarmed — but permitted Hezbollah to store weapons in tunnels right under their noses in what should have been — what was supposed to be a buffer zone, and whether there is now an opening for the U.S. to try to, with Hezbollah weakened, restore or help the Lebanese restore their independence from Hezbollah, in terms of their leadership and the Lebanese army?

MR. KIRBY:  Just a couple of points on that.  First of all, the U.N., through UNIFIL, plays an important role, a peacekeeping role in Lebanon, and we respect that role.  We want everybody to respect that role, including Israel. 

And I think — you know, as we’ve said, we’ve told Israel very directly that we oppose their near-daily strikes here in densely populated areas in Beirut, and we understand that they’re conducting targeted operations that are designed to go after Hezbollah infrastructure.  And we recognize that they have a right to do that, but they also have a commensurate responsibility to do it in a way that doesn’t threaten the lives of civilians or U.N. peacekeepers or, quite frankly, members of the Lebanese Armed Forces who have suffered some casualties here.  It’s unacceptable, and we’ve pressed the Israelis for more details about that. 

I’m in possession of no information that confirms that the U.N. was witting in terms of what Hezbollah infrastructure was nested beneath their buildings.  I can’t confirm that particular allegation.  But, again, it doesn’t even — you know, I mean, again, I can’t confirm that, but it doesn’t diminish our concerns about the lives and livelihoods of U.N. peacekeepers.

Q    But can you — the U.S. is not going to challenge the evidence that Israel has provided of weaponry being stored in tunnels and homes along their border, are they?

And secondly, do you see opportunities here, with Hezbollah as diminished in its leadership, to have a diplomatic initiative, a U.S. diplomatic initiative, which we’ve been seeing evidence of, to try to help the LAF stand up?

MR. KIRBY:  I mean, I don’t want to get the cart before the horse here, so a couple of things. 

One, certainly we’re not challenging the idea that Hezbollah, like Hamas, uses hidden facilities underground for storing arms and ammunition or for facilitating the freedom of movement of their fighters.  No challenge to that allegation. 

On your second point, all I can say at this point is that we continue to believe that a diplomatic initiative is important to pursue to bring the conflict to an end — yes, up there in the north as well — and to try to prevent further escalation of the conflict in the region. 

So I don’t want to get into the guts of what that diplomacy is considering in terms of whose role and how it would be facilitated, just except to say that we continue to support a diplomatic initiative and a diplomatic resolution to this. 

Q    Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Nick with PBS.

Q    Hey, John.  Thanks very much.  And let me add my words about your house and everything that you’ve been through.  Thank you. 

If you’ll forgive me, three quick ones.  Just to put a point on the NSM-20 conversation at the top, because we saw language from Secretary Austin and Blinken about this, is the President willing to cut off some weapons to Israel, as U.S. law would dictate, if indeed the U.S. decided that Israel was arbitrarily blocking U.S. aid into Gaza?  That’s number one.

MR. KIRBY:  Yeah, Nick, look, I don’t want to get into speculating here on a hypothetical.  We have made clear our concerns to Israel since the beginning of the conflict about the way in which they prosecute their operations, about the need to get humanitarian assistance in and to increase that flow.  I mean, heck, that’s one of the reasons why we were pushing so hard for, you know, a six-month ceasefire so that we could supervise or help — I shouldn’t say “supervise” — help facilitate a surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.  So it’s deeply concerning to us that there has been a decrease in that assistance.

And the letter just simply restates what we made clear to the Israelis back in April in a similar letter, which is, you know, we have to follow the law of the land here.  We don’t want to have to have any kind of an impact on our assistance to Israel, which is why, as friends and allies do, we have those kinds of frank and honest conversations, and we lay bare our forthright concerns about humanitarian assistance.

Q    And then, on Iran, has the U.S. communicated to Iran that if Israel only attacks military targets, this should be the end of this round?  And have the steps the U.S. taken — including the THAAD, including sanctioning Iran, including trying to get a new Lebanese president — have those helped convince the Israelis to get the conversation about the nature of their response closer to (inaudible) the U.S.?

MR. KIRBY:  Look, our deployment of the THAAD, as I said earlier, is very much in keeping with our commitment to Israel’s defense.  That’s what it’s all about.  I’m not going to get into direct communications or indirect communications that we might have with other parties in the region, to include Iran, except to say that we have spoken in deed, not just in word, about how important it is that Israel is able to defend itself and how critical we take our obligations to help them in their defense.  And there’s little doubt that the Iranians know how seriously we take that commitment and that requirement.  But I don’t think it’d be useful for me one way or the other to get into the specifics of the diplomacy.

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

Q    Thank you, John.  A couple questions.  Just want to be sure about this letter, and then I’ll move on to another subject.  But is the intent of this letter to signal that Israel actually is at risk of losing military aid funding?  Like, is that an actual credible threat that is now on the table thanks to this letter?

MR. KIRBY:  The letter was not meant as a threat.  The letter was simply meant to reiterate the sense of urgency we feel and the seriousness with which we feel it, about the need for an increase — a dramatic increase in humanitarian assistance.  And that’s what you can do with your friend.  That’s what you can do with your ally.  And it’s not the first time we’ve communicated that to Israel, but hopefully we won’t have to communicate it again.

Q    Okay, thanks.  Appreciate that.  And then one quick follow-up on that, and then I’ll move to the last subject.

You mentioned before you couldn’t confirm the 30 days.  Does that mean that was a solely State Department decision not coordinated with the NSC?

MR. KIRBY:  No, no, no, no.  What I said was I can’t speak to why the 30 days.  I wasn’t separating myself from the 30 days.  It’s in the letter.  I just don’t know, you know, why that timeframe was chosen, and I’d refer you to the State Department to speak to that with more specificity.  That’s just really a reflection of my ignorance, not necessarily any kind of talking point.

Q    Gotcha.  And then quickly, on this India inquiry.  You mentioned that the Indians have said that they are serious about this.  What have they done to prove to you and the administration that they are serious about this inquiry and that it isn’t just a box-checking exercise where there won’t be any accountability in the end?  What specifically have they done to show you that they are serious about this, especially after what we’ve seen in Canada, where they — clearly, the Canadians are — don’t seem to believe that there’s a lot of credibility in their process?

MR. KIRBY:  Well, look, they got their inquiry committee here today.  We take that as a sign that they’re taking this seriously.  Sending over a team here today to talk to the Justice Department to glean and to learn perspectives from us about the U.S. case specifically — can’t talk about the Canada one, of course — but we take that as a step in the right direction. 

And I would also point to conversations that we’ve had with Indian officials at various levels, including at the leader level, about our deep concern over this and how that’s been reflected in those conversations. 

But we’re going to monitor this going forward, Alex.  We’re going to stay in close touch with them as they move forward with their own inquiry, and we’ll be watching closely.  But thus far, in the main, it appears to us that they are taking this seriously.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Akayla with Bloomberg.

Q    Hey, John.  We’ve reported that Biden is traveling to Germany this week.  Can you preview that trip at all?  And can you speak to why Angola is no longer part of that trip?

MR. KIRBY:  I can’t confirm any travel for the President later this week, but I would just say stay tuned.  There’s not a lot I can do to answer that question today.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Asma with NPR.

Q    Hey.  Thanks, John.  An iteration — I realized that my question was just actually asked, but I guess I have a quick follow-up here on the letter.  We saw the VP yesterday — or the other day tweet out that the U.N. was reporting no food had entered northern Gaza in nearly two weeks.  I just want to understand: Is that the administration’s assessment as well that no food has been able at all to enter in two weeks? 

And then, if I can go back to the 30-day timeframe then.  I guess that seems like an awfully long time then, from two weeks plus 30 days, for food to come in and for folks to survive.  So I just wanted to understand that timeframe and what you all are seeing. 

MR. KIRBY:  I’m going to take your first question, Asma.  I don’t know the answer to that.  And so, rather than guess, I’ll ask the team to go look at that and get back to you on the delivery of food.

And again, on the 30 days, I truly just don’t know.  I’m not trying to be cute with you all.  I just don’t know why the 30-day limit was put in that letter.  You know, and that’s really a question I think better put to the State Department, Secretary Blinken and his team, about that particular point of the letter. 

The only thing that I would add, which doesn’t necessarily answer your second question but I do want to foot-stomp, again, is that we all have a sense of urgency here.  So while I can’t speak to 30 days, it’s not as if our messages to the Israelis are, you know, “You can do nothing for 30 days.”  We want humanitarian assistance increased now.  The letter follows a marked decrease in humanitarian assistance, which has us concerned and which prompted the expression of those concerns in writing. 

We want that situation turned around now, as soon as possible.  You know, yesterday would have been a better day to increase humanitarian assistance into Gaza.  So there’s a keen sense of urgency throughout the administration on this. 

I just — again, I can’t speak to that particular point in the letter.  I apologize — I probably should have anticipated that question before the gaggle, but I just don’t have the context for it, and the State Department’s probably the best place to go.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Jihan with The National.

Q    Thank you, John.  I have a question about the letter again.  Is this concern over the entry of humanitarian aid — is there, with it, a concern for the wider conduct of the Israeli army in Gaza?  We saw over the weekend the burning of a tent camp.  There’s an image of a man on an IV burning to death.  Have you seen those images? 

And like I said, is there concern, with the no access to food to Gaza, that there’s also the targeting of civilians in Gaza that should perhaps not happen? 

MR. KIRBY:  Of course there’s concern about destruction of civilian infrastructure and civilian casualties.  And, yes, I’ve seen some of those images, and they’re ghastly.  They’re deeply troubling.  And we have asked the Israelis urgently, over the weekend, for more details about those operations specifically.  But, of course, there’s deep concern about that. 

The letter itself — I mean, again, I’d refer you to State and DOD.  It’s Secretary Austin and Secretary Blinken who signed that letter.  But as you, I’m sure, have read the letter, it’s primarily focused on humanitarian assistance.  But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t deeply concerned as well about civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure in general.  As I said earlier, the way in which the Israelis prosecute their operations matters greatly to us.

Q    And so, what measures will there be in order to curb that sort of — that behavior?  I mean, is there also a time limit to the target- — to stopping the targeting of civilians, or is it a separate conversation?  I mean, in what context is that conversation being had?

MR. KIRBY:  Look, I think I would add, you know, if you look at the letter — in the last paragraph of the letter, it talks about civilian harm mitigation and setting up a channel between the United States and Israel to — a channel that had been agreed to previously, and that still has not been put in place, to mitigate civilian harm.  So, no civilian casualty should be accepted, and we aren’t.

Q    Finally, on Lebanon, is there concern now that humanitarian aid —

MR. KIRBY:  You asked how long is it going to — we don’t want to see any civilian casualties.  So that is a perennial concern here with respect to this conflict, and it’s why, again, we’ve been working very closely with our Israeli counterparts to see what can be done to ensure greater precision and discriminant targeting, to improve deconfliction with aid workers on the ground and other civilian institutions on the ground, and to, again, try to develop civilian harm mitigation measures that we can help our Israeli counterparts develop and deploy.

Q    Yeah, is there a concern now that humanitarian aid and food will also now not be accelerated in Lebanon?

MR. KIRBY:  That remains a concern.  I mean, one of the reasons why we’ve been trying to prevent escalation and to bring that conflict up in the north to an end as well is because of the effect that it’s already having on the Lebanese population who have fallen victim to this conflict between Hezbollah and Israel at no fault of their own. 

So, yes, that remains a concern.  And that’s why, again, we’ve been working so hard diplomatically to try to find a way to bring the conflict to an end. 

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question will go to Nathan with KAN TV.

Q    Hi.  Thanks for that.  I’d like to know if there’s any negotiations going on, on behalf of the U.S., regarding the hostages and the hostage ceasefire deal in Gaza.  Or are these talks on hold?  And if so, is there any thought in the administration to try and advance an alternative deal to release the hostages?

MR. KIRBY:  We still, obviously, want to see a ceasefire in place so we can get all them home and to get that surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.  I wish I could tell you that there are fresh negotiations at hand.  There aren’t.  But that’s because Mr. Sinwar has shown absolutely zero interest in continuing that discussion. 

So we’re going to keep at it.  We’re still working on it.  We still believe that that’s the best way to get those hostages back home with their families where they belong.  And we’re not going to give up on those efforts.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  That is all the time we have, but I think Kirby has a few words he wants to close with. 

MR. KIRBY:  I just wanted to thank you all for the kind words with respect to how me and my family fared during the storm.  

I just wanted to add, you know, that I’m very lucky.  This is just a — it’s a little cottage on the beach.  It’s a second home.  It’s not my primary home.  And unlike — I mean, unlike friends I know, and so many other people down in Florida, particularly the Tampa Bay area where I’m from, I mean, my losses are minuscule and insignificant compared to what so many other people have gone through.  I know people who are literally homeless, and I am fortunate that that is not my situation. 

So I do appreciate the kind words.  I really do.  But I’d ask you to throw those prayers and those thoughts to people that are much, much more in need and much more heavily impacted by the devastation of those two hurricanes than me and my family. 

But thanks again.  It was very thoughtful of you.  I appreciate it.  Very glad to be back in D.C. and back at work.  Thank you.

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

2:27 P.M. EDT

The post On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby appeared first on The White House.

12:30 P.M. EDT

MS. SIMONS:  All right.  Good morning, everyone.  Given the projected trajectory and strength of Hurricane Milton, President Biden is postponing his upcoming trip to Germany and Angola in order to oversee preparations for and response to Hurricane Milton, in addition to the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene.

The president was briefed again this morning by his team, and as Karine said yesterday, FEMA and other federal agencies continue to actively pre-position lifesaving resources in advance of the storm, including temporary power teams, swiftwater rescue teams, and search and rescue teams. 

FEMA has two staging bases stocked with 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water to deploy as needed. 

Currently, nearly 900 staff are already in the region, including over 440 specifically deployed for Helene recovery. 

Yesterday, FEMA Administrator Criswell was on the ground in Tampa.  Today, she is back in North Carolina.  So, we maintain our focus on both storms.

And yesterday evening, as we read out, the president had separate calls with Governor DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Castor to discuss efforts for Helene recovery and preparations for Milton.  He asked them to please keep directly in touch with him if they need anything.

And to anyone in Milton’s path, this storm will be catastrophic.  We urge you to listen to local officials, especially if you are told to evacuate.

And onto today’s trip.  Today, the president is traveling to Milwaukee, along with all of us, where he will announce that the EPA is issuing a final rule that will require drinking water systems nationwide to replace lead service lines within 10 years.  He’s also announcing that the EPA is investing an additional $2.6 billion for drinking water upgrades and lead pipe replacements funded by President Biden’s landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

This comes as part of our work to sprint through the finish and deliver on our historic Investing in America agenda. 

To talk a little bit more today about the announcement, here is EPA Administrator Regan. 

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, thank you all.  Let me tell you, this is a very exciting day.  This is something that President Biden talked to me on day one.  He came to this administration with the promise of a 100 percent lead-free future for every family and every child in this country.  And today, I’m proud to announce that this rule will mandate that every single utility in this country identify the sources of lead service lines and remove them within the 10-year window. 

We’re also announcing $2.6 billion will be flowing simultaneously along with this announcement. 

I’ll take a step back and say that in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $26 billion dedicated to drinking water, $15 billion specifically aimed at eradicating lead service lines.  Between those bill dollars and this regulation, the president is really accomplishing his goal and keeping his promise.

Q    On — on the window.  Ten years —

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Yeah.

Q    — this is very ambitious, and there’s obviously a lot, a lot of pipes that need to be replaced in this country.  But how do you get that done?  And is there a worry that, you know, it’s not just one administration that you — you’re going to have to go through; it’s at least two to get to this goal.  How — is there a concern that not just one Republican administration could out — could undo this but perhaps two?  Like, why should Americans be confident that this is actually going to get done?

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, listen, in my conversations, I have to tell you, I would hope that both Republicans and Democrats would want to remove lead and lead service lines from impacting our children.  We know that it causes learning impairments, you know, heart disease.  We know that they’re — oh, with this rule, we’ll save or prevent over 900,000 low birth weight. 

So, you know, listen, it’s — it’s a bipartisan issue.  Everyone wants this lead out.  That’s the first thing. 

The second thing is that many of these cities are already moving forward.  Just under the president’s watch over the last three and a half years, over 367,000 lead pipes have been removed.  We know that this rule will get 99 percent of all of the cities who say they can step up and can do this, especially with the bill funding. 

So, we believe it can get done.  The cities have indicated that they want to get it done.  No one wants to roll back this rule or roll back these health protections, especially given that it’s tied to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law money.  So, we feel confident. 

By the way, the rule is legally durable.  It’s scientifically sound, well within the four corners of the Clean Water Act.  We feel very confident that it’s legally durable, scientifically sound, and that there are resources flowing to help these mayors and these county commissioners and these local governments all over the country. 

Q    In retrospect, is there any wish that you guys started earlier on this and actually the implementation?

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  This is a very complicated rule.  We started on day one.  It’s taken us some time to really put the rule in place.  We had to roll back a rule that the Trump administration put in place that was not as protected.  So, we had to do that due diligence in the process and put forward a legally sound, scientifically relevant rule.

And, listen, by the way, let me — let me just say that we’ve also, through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, given a lot of cities the resources to specifically identify where these lead service lines are. 

So, the identification process has occurred.  States feel confident.  Now it’s time to govern.

Q    During the administration’s contacts with these local officials, are you seeing any pushback or hesitance to jump on board and take this money and — and redo these water lines?  Or is everyone sort of, you know, gung ho, and as soon as the money is available, they’re going to start with these projects? 

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  You know, everyone that I’ve engaged with is ready to go.  Obviously, there was some apprehension in the beginning about the timeline and the level of aggressiveness.  We have worked with our stakeholders to smooth out those wrinkles. 

And, again, 99 percent of the cities and states are saying that they can do what this rule is asking them to do.  For that very small portion that will need some assistance, we will work with them on the timeline.  We will also work to prioritize resources to keep them in the game. 

Q    Are — are you guys working with private-sector companies or matching private-sector companies with these local officials to make sure the plans and the build-outs can get accomplished as soon as possible?

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Absolutely.  There’s a lot of public and private partnerships happening right now.  We know that many of these water systems are complicated.  We are creating, through these investments, a lot of good-playing — -paying union jobs to come in and eradicate these pipelines. 

So, the public-private partnership is very strong, and we’ll continue to move forward together. 

Q    Just one more quick one.  Is the partnership — part of that partnership, does that involve contracting at the federal level, or is all — that all happening at the state and local level?

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  It’s all happening at the state and local level.  The state and local level have all the autonomy.  We’re not being paternalistic.  We have some guidelines.  We’re giving them the resources.  This rule gives them the rules for the road, and they’re ready to hit the ground running. 

Q    Why Milwaukee?  Why Milwaukee?

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  You know, Milwaukee has some of the most heart-wrenching stories that I’ve witnessed, the vice president has witnessed, the president has witnessed.  We’ve been here time and time again.  I’ve traveled to Milwaukee previously with the vice president.  It’s full circle for many of us. 

One of the first stories we heard was a mother named Deanna and her son, Aidan, who was lead poisoned.  We’ve held roundtables here. 

Milwaukee is an excellent example of a city who is ready to go, who has demonstrated that they can meet the timeline, who’s put the resources in place, and has the local advocacy on the ground that is partnering with the government along with the private sector.  It’s a great example of how we can do this together. 

MS. SIMONS:  Thank you so much. 

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Thank you.

Q    Emilie, with the president — with the president canceling his trip to Germany and to Angola, does he still have plans to get to Africa before the end of his term?

MS. SIMONS:  So, as he said before departing the White House, he does hope to make that trip to Africa.  He really wants to continue — and the whole essence of the trip was to underscore our commitment to our partners in Africa, and especially because Sub-Saharan Africa is such an important global leader. 

So, I don’t have any additional.  This has happened this morning, but we will keep you posted.

Q    On the Middle East.  Hezbollah’s deputy leader has said he supports attempts to secure a truce and, for the first time, did not mention the end of the war in Gaza as a precondition for halting the combat on the Israel-Lebanon border.  Do you see this as an opening for a ceasefire?  Have you spoken to Israel about these comments?  And — and what are you hearing from Israeli counterparts?

MS. SIMONS:  So, we continue to have discussions with the Israelis about their response to the earlier attacks last week.  I’m not going to get ahead of those discussions, as this is their operation.  I hear the new statements that you’re saying from the Hezbollah leader. 

And what we understand right now is that what they’ve been working on is efforts to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure.  This is in line with Israel’s right to defend its citizens. 

I think we are all eager for a ceasefire, speaking from the United States.  And along with our G7 leaders, we put out a statement last week about the need for peace in the region so people can return safely to their homes.  So, we definitely are continuing to urge that from our side. 

Q    And have you gotten any assurances from Israel that they will not target Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities? 

MS. SIMONS:  This is their operation.  We continue to have discussions with them about their response, but I won’t get ahead of that.

Q    Hey, Em.  On Israel.  There was a report in Axios this morning that a U.S. official said that they had sort of lost trust with Israel in — in conveying their planned activities.  There’s also Bob Woodward’s book in which he — which the president reportedly used some language to describe Prime Minister Netanyahu that we might normally hear at a Phillies game instead — (laughs) — of in the Oval Office.

So, I’m wondering: Do you agree with that assessment, that the trust has broken down between the U.S. and Israel?  And are you taking any steps to try to get it back on track at this crucial period?

MS. SIMONS:  The commitment that we have to the State of Israel is ironclad.  The relationship between Netanyahu and the president goes back decades.  They can have very honest and straightforward conversations with each other. 

Just yesterday, President Biden spoke with President Herzog on the anniversary of October 7th and spoke about a range of issues, including the need for peace and what the Israeli people have been through in this past year and also what the Palestinian people have been through and the hope for peace in the coming months. 

Q    So, their relationship is fine, or — or are those — and those reports are incorrect, or — 

MS. SIMONS:  The relationship between the United States and the State of Israel is as strong as ever. 

Q    Just to follow up on the storm as well.  The — in addition to the trip to Africa, the president was going to Germany and had meetings with a number of top allies, including in Ramstein with President Zelenskyy.  Is that going to be rescheduled, or will a different U.S. — you know, the secretary of Defense or State go in the president’s stead?  Do you have any update on that?

MS. SIMONS:  Yeah.  So, for this weekend, given the trip was pulled down today, we’re still working through exactly how the Ramstein engagement may play out.  Our commitment to Ukraine was a big piece of this, and that is unwavering, including the security and financial announcements that come along with that.  That is not going anywhere.

     And we are committed to the transatlantic alliance.  It’s a huge reason why we were going to Germany.  I know the president said that he’s hoping to connect with Scholz today, so hopefully we’ll have more to read out soon. 

Q    Will he talk to the other European leaders and — and President Zelenskyy who are planning to attend or just Chancellor Scholz?

MS. SIMONS:  Our team throughout this morning has been in touch with a variety of officials from the different countries to inform them that due to the strength of the hurricane, we had to change our plans

Q    Could I — if I could just follow on Justin on the Woodward aspect of the — the Bibi rel- — revelation and the very rough language that the president allegedly used?  One, are you — did that — did that happen, or are you saying it didn’t happen?

And then, more broadly, is — how is that helpful at, like, this time?  Is th- — is there any concern that that’s going to further, you know, hurt the relationship at a critical time? 

MS. SIMONS:  Well, first of all, when it comes to the Woodward book, there are plenty of books that are being written about this administration and others.  That’s normal.  We’re not going to comment on each anecdote that may come out of different reporting.

On specific — about the relationship between the president and Netanyahu, they have a long-term relationship.  They have a very honest and direct relationship.  And I don’t have a comment on those specific anecdotes. 

Q    Emilie, can you talk a little bit about the president’s conversations with Governor DeSantis related to the storm?  You said earlier that they had a good conversation.  Can you tell us a little bit more about that and — and if it came up about whether or not he’s going to speak with the vice president, or his public comments to that?

MS. SIMONS:  Yes.  Last night, President Biden spoke with Governor DeSantis and he spoke with Tampa Mayor Castor ahead of landfall for Milton and also about the ongoing recovery efforts with Helene.  It was a very productive conversation.  It was expressed that the state has what it needs, the city has what it needs, but that it is going to be catastrophic, and everyone needs to heed local warnings. 

One thing that we are hearing continuously about the storm is debris removal and the issues relating to the debris left by Helene and what the risk can be as winds pick up because of Milton. 

So, to that point, FEMA is supporting the state of Florida to expedite the removal of debris from Hurricane Helene in the Tampa region in advance of Hurricane Milton’s landfall.  There’s a few ways we’re doing this: We are surging additional resources to get as much debris picked up as possible, management sites are open 24 hours a day, and contracted trucks are now collecting debris around the clock. 

The governor of Florida has additionally activated 4,000 state active-duty National Guard, many of whom are going to help with that debris removal. 

Q    They didn’t discuss anything about the vice president’s outreach to the governor?

MS. SIMONS:  So, the president and the governor kept their conversation to the storm at hand.  I know that the vice president’s office has been in touch with various local officials, as our team has as well, from the city all the way up the state and back down.  So, we’re all going to continue that important engagement. 

Q    And just one other one on a different topic.  Elon Musk, again, was joking in a recent interview or a conversation with Tucker Carlson about the assassination — or hypothetical assassination of Vice President Harris.  And after that, former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, among others, noted that this is a person who happens to be the largest contractor with the Defense Department, who the government — who just has billions of dollars in federal contracts.  And Congressman Kinzinger said that that should be reconsidered, that some of those contracts should be revoked, because no member — no person with ties to the Pentagon, no serviceman, would be allowed to say those things. 

Does the administration have any response to that, or are there any reviews that may come as far as those contracts based on the things that Elon Musk is saying? 

MS. SIMONS:  I’m not going to get into any hypotheticals about government contracts.  But what I can say is that we take rhetoric very seriously.  Want to be mindful of any comments about assassinations or attempted.  This is a — these are volatile words.  But I don’t have comments on government contracts.

Q    Emilie, just back to the hurricane.  North Carolina is weighing loosening absentee ballot restrictions for people in the western part of the state who are obviously impacted by flooding, and the mailing system is out of whack still.  Does the president support states this close to the election changing their electoral rules, one, to allow those people to vote, but just looking back on all of the chaos we saw in 2020, both before and after the election?

MS. SIMONS:  We know that people are facing a variety of obstacles in everyday life, including in voting.  Karine spoke to this from the podium yesterday.  We would direct you to state and local officials about their own state and local voting rules.  But we know that this is an issue that folks are facing in a variety of states this close to an election.

Q    And then, total change of topics.  How closely is the president following these hacks of U.S. telecom companies?

MS. SIMONS:  The president has been made aware of these reported intrusions into U.S. telecom companies.  Congress has also been briefed. 

I would refer you to FBI and CISA, who are looking into this. 

Q    Just a quick follow-up.  Is there any indication that Beijing is involved in this, or are these independent actors?

MS. SIMONS:  I would refer you to FBI and CISA. 

The U.S. government has warned many times about the risk posed by PRC state-sponsored cyber actors, but I would refer you to the FBI.

Q    Dr. Biden’s office today announced that she’s going to be visiting five battleground states in the coming weeks.  The president has been in Pennsylvania.  Why — why aren’t we seeing the president in more battleground states?  How much of this is about scheduling?  How much of it is — this about that he just can’t be an effective surrogate in these places outside his home — or his birth state?

MS. SIMONS:  I need to be mindful of the Hatch Act when it comes to the campaign and the election.  But we are going to continue traveling to very important states around the country. 

Today, we’re traveling to Wisconsin.  We’ll be in Pennsylvania later. 

I’ll let the first lady’s office speak to her travel, especially as it relates to being a surrogate or the campaign.

But in the next few weeks, you will see us continue to travel across the country.

Q    Will he campaign outside of Pennsylvania?

MS. SIMONS:  You will continue seeing us travel the country, as we are today, to very important states.  Everyone is important.  But I have to be mindful of campaign — campaign talk.  But we’re excited to go to Wisconsin today, and we’ll be in Pennsylvania later.

Q    I’ll just ask one on Russia.  What does the White House make of the revelation in the new Woodward book that Trump has spoken to Putin several times since leaving office?  Are there national security concerns around this?

MS. SIMONS:  So, once again, when it comes to the book, I’m not going to comment on the specific antidote — anecdotes that are coming out.  It’s very common for books to be written about this administration and others, so I’ll leave others to speak to that. 

Meanwhile, we have a continued commitment to President Zelenskyy and doing everything that we can to support Ukraine in their unprovoked aggression from Russia.

Q    But do you have concerns about Trump speaking to Putin several times since leaving office?

MS. SIMONS:  I don’t have a specific comment on that.

Q    I — I guess I just wanted to follow or push a little bit on that.  It is a national security concern.  We — we have one president at a time, right?  Why are we having multiple — a former president talking to foreign leaders that were — in pretty tense times?

MS. SIMONS:  President Biden has been crystal clear about his views of Putin as a dictator.  He’s made that clear repeatedly and whenever asked. 

There are — I — I won’t get into the former president’s engagements with president — with Putin, both when he was president when — sorry, when Trump was president and today. 

But we are focused on doing everything that we can to secure our relationship with Ukraine and ensure they have everything they need to continue to fight against Russia’s aggression.

Q    Is the administration aware that the — the calls were happening?

MS. SIMONS:  I don’t have anything further to say on the Woodward anecdotes.

Q    Can I ask one last one on the hurricane response?

MS. SIMONS:  Yes.

Q    The president canceled his trips to Germany and Africa.  Is it fair to assume that he won’t be traveling to Delaware at all this weekend?

MS. SIMONS:  I do not have any weekend travel to purview — to preview.  We are — just as the storm updates are continuing to roll in, we are taking this hour by hour, day by day, making sure that every city, every impacted community and family has what they need to get through this storm. 

The president is the president wherever he goes, so we will keep you posted.

Q    Would he like the vice president to stick around Washington to help him with — handle the storm?

MS. SIMONS:  I would refer you to her team for the vice president’s schedule.

Q    I was asking you about, would he like her?

MS. SIMONS:  Would he like her?  They are in close contact.  They’re both in touch with the various impacted states and their relevant governments and local state leaders.  So, they’re continuing to do the job on behalf of those who may be affected.

Q    One more quick one, Emilie.  Does the president have a plan B to stop the proliferation of ghost guns and other related tech should the Supreme Court rule against them in this challenge that started today?

MS. SIMONS:  So, while I can’t comment on pending cases before the Court, what I can say broadly is that we know ghost guns are the weapon of choice for many gun traffickers because they are very difficult for law enforcement to trace and are available without a background check. 

In 2021, there were approximately 20,000 suspected ghost guns reported to the ATF.  That’s a 1,000 percent increase compared to 2017. 

So, our administration remains committed to stopping illegal manufacturers and sale of kits and parts that can easily be made into functional ghost guns.

Q    Does the president — is he confident those rules and executive actions he took are legally sound?

MS. SIMONS:  We stand by the Justice Department’s rulemaking to do this.

Okay?

Q    Thank you so much.

MS. SIMONS:  Thank you.

Q    Thanks, Emilie.

MS. SIMONS:  Thanks, guys.

12:52 P.M. EDT

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South Court Auditorium
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

2:02 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon. 

Q    Good afternoon.

THE PRESIDENT:  I’ll be brief.  Last night, Hurricane Milton made landfall, as we all know, on the west coast of Florida.  It brought hurricane winds, heavy rains, including 10 to 20 inches of rain in the Tampa area overnight. 

Storm surge measurements are still being taken, but 38 tornadoes ripped through 13 counties.  Four deaths have been reported thus far. 

It’s too early to know the full account of the damage though, but we know lifesaving measures did make a difference.  More than 80,000 people followed orders to safety — to safely shelter last night.  And we’ve had search and rescue teams at the ready for any calls for help this morning. 

There are still very dangerous conditions in the state, and people should wait to be given the all-clear by their leaders before they go out.  We know from previous hurricanes that it’s often the case that more lives are lost in the days following the storm than actually during the storm itself. 

Vice President Harris and I have been in constant contact with the state and local officials.  And we’re offering everything they need.  I must have spoken to somewhere between 10 and 15 mayors and county executives and all the governors.

And, in fact, starting this morning, we are getting direct assessments from the storm of FEMA and Director Criswell as well, also Florida Governor DeSantis, with whom I had a chance to speak. 

And the vice president and I have just convened a meeting this morning with the leaders of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, including Northcom commander, who has responsibility for providing defense support to civilian authorities — and that, apparently, is going very well — as well as from the Coast Guard and FEMA, we’ve received reports. 

We focused on what the American military can do like no one else can: provide emergency support for communities in need and we’re required by the governor in a federal — and — required by the governor in the affected states.  And I’ve spoken to all the governors — not today, all of them, but I’ve spoken to all of them thus far.  And how we can be ready to go in an instant when the call comes. 

At my direction, Defense Secretary Austin has provided a range of capabilities both to Florida for Hurricane Milton as well as the states impacted by Hurricane Helene.  And the more capabilities are available, we assess the pressing needs, we can get whatever they need. 

To the servicemen and women who are on the ground responding to this — these disasters: Thank you.  Thank you for pr- — your professionalism, your dedication to every mission you’re given.  And you’re repeating it again.

This is a whole-of-government effort that also includes the Department of Energy and Department of Transportation, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is providing mortgage relief for impacted homeowners. 

As directed, FEMA is going to open disaster recovery centers all across the impacted communities right away so there’s one stop for the residents can go to to learn about the support they might need.  And that  — it’ll be advertised where those places are.

Three million people are without power.  But more than 40 million [40,000] power work- — powerline workers have come from around the country, from Canada to Florida, to restore power across the state. 

In addition, the Federal Aviation has authorized Florida Power and Light to fly large drones before other manned aircraft can get up in the sky to quickly assess the damage on the ground so ground crews can restore power as quickly as possible. 

The Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers are assessing how fast they can reopen the Port of Tampa to get fuel, food, water, and other basic goods flowing into the area again and quickly. 

Additionally, Vice President Harris and I said yesterday and we’ll say it again: To anyone who seeks to take advantage of our fellow Americans’ desperation, whether you’re a company engaging in price gouging or a citizen trying to scam your neighbors, we will go after you and we will hold you accountable. 

Now, not only that.  Our fellow Americans are putting their lives on the line to do this dangerous work and received death thre- — some received death penalties [threats] yesterday as a result of reckless, irresponsible, and relentless disinformation and outright lies that continue to flow.  Those who engage in such lies are undermining the confidence in the rescue and recovery work that’s opening and ongoing.  As I speak, they’re continuing. 

These lies are also harmful to those who most need help.  Lives are on the line.  People are in desperate situations.  Have the decency to tell them the truth.  

So, let me say this.  To all the people impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, despite the misinformation and lies, the truth is we’re providing the resources needed to rescue, recover, and rebuild — and rebuild. 

Let me close with this.  I know recovery and rebuilding projects can take a long and difficult time.  But as — long after the press and the cameras move on, I promise you — you have to pick up the pieces still.  I want you to know we’ll do everything in our power to help you put the pieces back together and get all that you need. 

May God bless you.  And may God bless our troops and our first responders, who are — many — in some cases risking their lives to help. 

Thank you very much.  I’ll be reporting again tomorrow.

Thank you.

Q    Mr. President, on FEMA funding.  On FEMA funding.  How much time does Congress have to act before FEMA or the SBA run out of money?

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s in discussion now, and I don’t want to give you — mislead you.  I think in terms of the SBA, it’s pretty right at the edge right now.

And I think the Congress should be coming back and moving on emergency needs immediately.  And they’re going to have to come back after the election as well, because this is going to be a long haul to- — for total rebuilding.  It’s going to take several billion dollars.  It’s not going to be a matter of just a little bit.

But we’re providing now to make sure people have the emergency relief they need with dollars just to be able to get a prescription filled, to get a baby formula do- — all the thing- —

That $750 that they’re talking about, Mr. Trump and every- — all those other people know it’s a lie to suggest that’s all they’re going to get.  That’s bizarre.  It’s bizarre.  They got to stop this.  It’s s- — I mean, they’re being so damn un-American with the way they’re talking about this stuff.

But there’s going to be a need for significant amounts of money.  We’re already underway at trying to calculate what the cost will be because you don’t want to mislead anybody.  We want to make sure all the costs are able to be covered.

Q    Have you spoken to Speaker Johnson about coming back before the election to vote?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I haven’t.

Q    Mr. President, are you calling on Congress to come back early?

THE PRESIDENT:  I think Congress should move as rapidly as they can, particularly on the most immediate need, which is small business.

Q    Mr. President, the vice president said yesterday that — that FEMA has what it needs.  There’s enough resources.  They don’t need — that Congress does not need to come back right away.  Who’s right?

THE PRESIDENT:  FEMA has what it needs.

Q    Okay.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s different than SBA.

Q    Okay.  So, it’s SBA that — they need to come back and do SBA?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, but they’re going to need a lot more.

Q    Mr. President, wh- — what did you — what did Prime Minister Netanyahu tell you about his plans relating to retaliation against Iran?

THE PRESIDENT:  He’s coming over to help with the storm.

Q    Mr. President, have you spoken with former President Trump at all —

THE PRESIDENT:  Are you kidding me?

Q    — about the disinformation?

THE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  Mr. President Trump — former President Trump, get a life, man.  Help these people. 

Q    Will you hold him accountable?  You said you were going to hold those accountable.

THE PRESIDENT:  The public will hold him accountable. 

Q    The —

THE PRESIDENT:  You better, in the press, hold him accountable because you know the truth. 

Q    Well, do you plan to speak with former President Trump?

THE PRESIDENT:  No.

2:10 P.M. EDT

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James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:12 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Good afternoon, everyone.

Q    Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, before I turn it — turn to the latest — to the latest on the hurricane, I wanted to briefly mention at the top that — at the top regarding the passing of Ethel Kennedy. 

I expect you will have something from the president very, very soon.  They were dear friends.  And I don’t want to get ahead of him in his statement, but the president and first lady are sending their love to her entire family and everyone whose life was touched by her strength and service.

Now shifting gears to the storm.  This morning, the president and the vice president were briefed on the impacts from Hurricane Milton and will continue to be briefed throughout the day.

We are praying for those who lost their lives and all the communities devastated by this storm.  The president and vice president will do everything in our power to help — to help — to help with the respond, the recovery, and rebuild.

Last night, in advance of Hurricane Milton making landfall, the president spoke by phone with several officials in Florida, including Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert, and Representative Gus Bilirakis and Kathy Castor.

This morning, President Biden also spoke to Governor DeSantis about the impacts of Hurricane Milton.  The governor thanked the president for the extensive federal support to prepare for and respond to the storm.

This afternoon, the president spoke with several additional Florida officials following the impacts of Hurricane Milton across the Florida Peninsula, including Senator Rick Scott, Representative Anna Paulina Luna, Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward, Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, and Pasco County Chair Ron Oakley. 

The president told each of these leaders to call him directly if they need additional assistance on rescue, response, and recovery efforts.  The president also emphasized that he will be with them and their communities no matter how long it takes.

Additionally, FEMA Administrator Criswell has been on the ground in Florida since last night, and today she is survi- — surveying the damage alongside her state and local counterparts and will work closely with them to determine any unmet needs.

At the direction of the president, FEMA and the federal family began to quickly deploy resources to assist with rescue and response operations, including over 1,200 urban search and rescue personnel and the three U.S. Coast Guard Swift Water Rescue teams, with rescues already underway — over 1,000 federal personnel, all focused on helping the people of Florida respond and recover.  And over 15 million meals and 13 million liters of water are already in the region, with 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to be deployed.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has two temporary power teams and a roofing team to diagnose the need for short-term repairs to homes and structures.

The Department of Defense has also provided 60 high-water vehicles and personnel who can further aid in search and rescue efforts.

To the people of Florida, this is still a very serious situation.  Please remain vigilant.  Listen to local officials.  As the president has said, we will be here for you as long as it takes. 

Now, as you all know, this is an ongoing response and we are getting information in real time.

We are very grateful that we have the secretary, Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas, here, who is on the ground — here virtually, obviously — who is on the ground in North Carolina surveying the damage and helping with response to Hurricane Helene.

Regarding Hurricane Milton — Milton, we won’t have all of the answers right now, but we want to provide as much information as we can. 

And so, with that, I will turn it over to the Homeland secretary and — Homeland Security secretary.

Thank you so much, again, for joining us, sir.  The floor is yours.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  (Via teleconference.)  Thank you, Karine, and good afternoon.

Can everybody hear me?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  Yes, we can hear you fine.  Thank you.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Thank you.  So, I am currently joining you from North Carolina, where I’ve been meeting with our extraordinary FEMA personnel and federal, state, and local partners on the ground about Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact and the progress we are making in our work to help North Carolina communities and aid in their recovery.

Before I share an update on the situation here in North Carolina, I’ll provide you an update on Hurricane Milton, which, last night, made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key, Florida, following a day of heavy rain and at least 27 tornado touchdowns.  Our hearts break for the Floridians who have lost so much.

I was briefed earlier by FEMA Administrator Criswell, who is on the ground in Florida, as Karine noted, along with more than 1,000 FEMA personnel. 

There is significant water and wind damage across Central Florida.  As of this morning, over 3 million customers are without power.  Structures have been severely damaged or collapsed.  And tragically, we know that lives have been lost.  We are praying for them and their loved ones.

Right now, search and rescue is our highest priority, and we are also praying for those who are unaccounted for and for their safe return.

It is very significant that many followed local guidance and evacuated ahead of landfall.  We cannot minimize the impact of that.

It is imperative that everyone continues to follow the direction of local officials.  Milton may have passed, but the danger it poses has not.  Downed power lines, flood waters, non-potable drinking water, and debris are creating deadly conditions. 

Keep listening to local officials and shelter in place until it is safe if told to do so.

Only use generators when and where it is safe to do so.

You can find — people can find more tips on staying safe after a storm on the FEMA app or by visiting Ready.gov.

In the lead-up to Milton, our administration made robust preparations for the storm.  President Biden approved emergency declarations for the state of Florida and for the Seminole Tribe of Florida days before this storm made landfall to provide full federal support for the response.

We’ve pre-positioned supplies, including food and water, 20 helicopters, 60 Department of Defense high-water vehicles with ladders, 1,300 U.S. Coast Guard personnel, and 1,400 Urban Search and Rescue team members across Florida in anticipation of the storm, and staged hundreds of ambulances to assist in the transport of hospitalized patients.

Today, FEMA is joining the state to begin damage assessments to ensure Floridians have what they need.  FEMA and our federal partners, including the Department of Defense and the United States Coast Guard, are already working closely to — to support the state of Florida in a comprehensive, coordinated response to the storm.

To reiterate President Biden’s message yesterday, every available resource is being deployed as fast as possible to impacted communities, and we will not leave until the work is done. 

The same is true for communities devastated by Hurricane Helene, including here in North Carolina.  President Biden and Vice President Harris were here last week, as was I, and we will continue to support impacted communities and first responders on the ground.  More than 10,000 federal staff are on the ground supporting Helene and Milton response efforts across the Southeast.

Since Helene first made landfall, Urban Search and Rescue teams have rescued over 4,300 people.  From a peak of 5.1 million customers without power, we have helped restore power for more than 5 million of them, and we are restoring more every day. 

We have helped quickly restore cell phone service across the region.  At its peak, 3.4 million customers were without service.  I — we have restored service now to more than 3.2 million of them. 

We have delivered more than 17.2 million meals and more than 13.9 million liters of water.  We have helped get over $350 million in assistance out to Helene survivors, with millions more going out every day.  All this and much more.

These first responders and their state and local partners are doing truly heroic work in extremely difficult circumstances.  We are all immensely grateful for their extraordinary, selfless service. 

The weeks since Hurricane Helene first made landfall have been devastating and difficult, but I want to be clear: We have the capability and the capacity to respond to and recover from multiple simultaneous disasters.  No resources needed for Hurricane Helene response will be diverted to respond to Hurricane Milton. 

We have made it clear we will be there for every impacted community every step of the way. 

Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you, Mr. Secretary.  We’ll go to questions. 

Okay.  Go ahead, Kayla.  (Laughs.)

Q    Thank you so much.  Mr. Secretary, this is Kayla Tausche from CNN.  President Biden indicated that FEMA and the Department of Defense would have enough money to get through their immediate needs in this recovery phase.  I’m wondering, after your early assessments of the damage from Hurricane Milton, now coupled with the damage from Hurricane Helene, do you still believe that to be the case?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Yes, I do.  We have the resources to respond to the immediate needs of individuals impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton and the associated — and it’s very important to remember — the tornadoes associated with the hurricane.  That being said, we will need additional funds, and we implore Congress, when it returns, to, in fact, fund FEMA as is needed.

Q    If I could, just a quick follow-up.  You said on CNN yesterday that some of the misinformation that had been perpetuated around these storms was already beginning to have an impact on individuals either applying or deciding — deciding not to apply for government relief.  Can you elaborate on what exactly you’re seeing and what exactly you determined to be the cause of that?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  So, let me — let me repeat that, in fact, the false information that is being spread deliberately does have a real-life impact on survivors, and it is also demoralizing for those heroic individuals who are risking their lives in the service of others. 

Let me give you one example.  There is false information that federal employees, who are there to help people, will actually take their land.  And what we have seen is people reticent, reluctant to access the relief to which they are entitled and which will help them, because of the fear that that false information has instilled in them. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Mary.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  That is just one example. 

Q    Thank you, Mr. Secretary.  Mary Bruce with ABC.  Another question on misinformation.  You know, we’ve seen reports that some FEMA officials, including the administrator, are being doxed and targeted online in the wake of these hurricanes.  Are you concerned that individuals involved in the recovery effort, you know, are — are being threatened online?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  We most certainly are.  We are seeing horrific hate speech of all types propagated on online platforms.  That deplorable speech has an impact on people’s lives, and it is also a motivating force for people to do harm.  And it has got to stop, and it is our work in the Department of Homeland Security to combat hate in all its forms.  We —

Q    And do you —

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  — will continue that work.

Q    Do you have any information to suggest that any foreign governments have tried to take advantage and amplify this misinformation about the response and recovery effort?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  I have not been alerted to that phenomenon.  We, of course, have seen foreign nations disseminate false information for other purposes.  I have not seen it in the context of Hurricane Helene or the Hurricane Milton, which just transpired, but of course, we are quite vigilant in monitoring that.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Nancy.

Q    Thank you.  Secretary Mayorkas, it’s Nancy Cordes from CBS News.  Sec- — Hurricane Milton knocked out power to more than 3 million customers.  How does the scope of the power situation compare to other disasters?  And what is the federal government’s role in coordinating the restoration of that power?  How long will it take?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  So, Nancy, a number of questions.  Unclear how long it’s going to take, because, quite frankly, the damage asses- — assessment is still underway.  So, we’re — we’re at a very, very early stage. 

Our role, generally, is to support the state and local officials, the state and local resources to augment those resources and to work very, very closely alongside them.  And we are doing so both in response to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. 

Loo- — you know, the — the response is actually in a number of phases.  The immediate phase is search and rescue, life and safety of individuals.  And then we — we go from search and rescue to response and then to recovery. 

We work very closely with the state and local officials to rebuild whatever infrastructure has been damaged, to get power up.  We have the capacity to assist.  And we also work with the private sector.

We have the ability to deliver power immediately, but for the long term, very often, infrastructure has to be rebuilt. 

My visit here in North Carolina underscored that fact, because one of the long-term challenges is going to be to rebuild the water system in a number of cities where it’s been completely decimated. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Jacqui.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Mr. Secretary, it’s Jacqui Heinrich from Fox.  I want to ask you about a different story. 

This Afghan national who was working for the CIA in Afghanistan was arrested for planning an Election Day terror plot.  He was brought to the U.S. after Afghanistan collapsed, your agency says, as part of the SIV program. 

The State Department is telling us he was not part of the SIV program, which had strenuous vetting.  They say he was never issued an SIV or immigrant visa, and DHS paroled him into the U.S.  They further expect the court document to be updated to reflect this from the DOJ side. 

So, Mr. Secretary, how was this man brought into the U.S.?  What screening did he undergo?  What did he apply for to get here?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Jacqui, I — I’m here in North Carolina communicating with the individuals who are still conducting search and rescue operations.  Over 200 people have lost their lives in Hurricane Helene.  We have reports that at least 10 individuals have lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Milton. 

I’d be very pleased to answer your question in a different setting, but we’re here to talk about emergencies and the support that we can deliver to people in desperate need.  Thank you.

Q    I appreciate that, Mr. Secretary, but we’re getting conflicting answers from your agency and from the State Department about a man who was arrested for an Election Day terror plot.  How do you not have those answers prepared?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Oh, Jacqui, that’s not what I said.  What I said is I’d be pleased to discuss this issue at a different time, but I am here to speak about disasters that have impacted people’s lives in real time, and that is the subject that I am addressing today.

Q    Can you assure people, though —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’re going to —

Q    Mr. Secretary, can you assure people that appropriate steps have been taken to secure the country against these kinds of threats?  Because the outstanding question is whether this man was radicalized before the U.S. government brought here — him here or afterward.  And people should be concerned about that.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Jacqui — Jacqui — Jacqui, your persistence in questioning can be matched my — by my persistence in answers.  (Laughter.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  We’re going to go.  Go ahead, Gabe.

Q    Mr. Secretary, thank you.  Gabe Gutierrez here with NBC.  I want to go back to the funding question a little bit more specifically. 

So, eight days into the fiscal year, the federal government has spent nearly half of the money that Congress has allocated for disaster relief for the next 12 months.  How concerning is that?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  It is very concerning.  But — but let me be clear: We can meet the immediate needs arising from Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton, and the tornadoes associated with it. 

When Congress returns, we will need them to act swiftly to appropriately fund the Disaster Relief Fund upon which FEMA relies to deliver assistance to people after extreme weather events.  And so, we can meet the immediate needs.  We will need funding very rapidly. 

Q    What if there’s another disaster next week?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  We — we have — we are working on a continuing resolution.  That is not stable footing for the work that we do in disaster response, and so that is why I underscore the need for Congress to act swiftly upon its return. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Michael.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Mr. Secretary, Michael Wilner with McClatchy.  Just want to ask you specifically about the National Flood Insurance Program.  Already this — the NFIP has been chronically in the red.  How do you anticipate Milton will affect that program?  And is there a specific ask of Congress?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Michael, I’ll — I’ll have to follow up with you on that.  But I — you know, I’ve been in the Department of Homeland Security as the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the deputy secretary and now, of course, as the secretary, and I’ve always known the — the Flood Insurance Program to be in the red.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  Mr. Secretary, this is Courtney Rozen from Bloomberg Government.  I would like to ask about the upcoming election in the next couple of weeks.  Are you thinking about that issue in terms of voters being able to access their polling places in states that are having such significant damage?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Courtney, we have seen state and local officials who are, of course, on point in ensuring access to voting.  We have seen them make — take measures to ensure that people can, in fact, reach their polling places. 

Some polling places have been damaged, for example, as a result of Hurricane Helene, but they are pivoting to make sure that there are other facilities available to them, and they’ll have different places at which they can place their votes. 

And this is something that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of our department — CISA, as it — as it is known by its acronym — works very closely with state and local officials to assist in that regard.

Q    Can you give an example of one way that they are assisting in this time?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  So, what we do — what — there —

Q    Can you give some examples of what that work looks like?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  There are three — there are three threat vectors.  There’s physical violence — there’s the concern about physical violence.  There is the concern about cyberattacks.  And there’s the concern about disinformation.

An example is that we are protecting — protective security advisers in each state that assist state and local officials in sharing best practices about how to secure the facilities, both from a physical perspective and a cybersecurity perspective.  That would be one example.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  Go ahead.  We’re going to start wrapping it up, but go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Mr. Secretary.  This is Skylar Woodhouse with Bloomberg News.  As you mentioned earlier, you said that FEMA, you know, will need funds when — when Congress comes back.  But if there is another disaster prior to Congress coming back to session and as you continue to work with Helene and Milton, is there — will FEMA have to perhaps stop offering services or sending out support for aid if you’re running out of cash before Congress comes back?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  No, it — no, it will not.  We — we have the funds to address immediate needs.  If we have to devote the resources that we have to immediate needs, we will do so at the expense of perhaps other long-term recovery efforts.  We need Congress to act swiftly upon its return, but we will meet immediate needs.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Jared, you have the last question.

Q    Thank you.  Mr. Secretary, as you talk about the need for Congress to come back and, obviously, replenish funds when they do that, I’m just curious: Moving forward, as you look forward to future appropriation battles, does Congress need to rethink how they are funding FEMA and disaster relief?  In other words, is it, like, an underfunded service and program of the federal government, as is?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Let me — let me take a step back and widen the aperture of that question, if I may.  The — the — a continuing resolution is not a stable way to fund the federal government.  Needs change from year to year, and we need real budgets upon which we can rely and upon which we can predicate responsible financial planning and financial management.  So, a continuing resolution only retains a level of instability in the work that we do, in terms of the assurance of the funding that we need. 

We — the Disaster Relief Fund and the funding of it should be completely nonpartisan and apolitical.  This is a fund that provides much-needed relief to individuals, regardless of party.  And I have said publicly many a time since Hurricane Hele- — Helene first hit in late September, that when our brave individuals — and I say “our” meaning not just federal but federal, state, and local — reach into flooded waters to save an individual, they are not asking about that individual’s party affiliation.  They are rescuing a fellow human being, and we need to be funded accordingly.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Thank —

Q    And if I —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh —

Q    — just one quick one to follow up —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.

Q    — with the secretary.  The — the —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Wait, hold on.  Hold on.  Go ahead, Will.  I told him it was the last question.

So, Mr. Secretary, we have one more for you. 

Go ahead, Will.

Q    Sorry.  Sorry.  It’s Will Weissert with AP.  You mentioned at least 10 people killed in relation to Milton.  Is that — were those tornado deaths?  Can you give us a little bit more information about where that number came from?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  So, let me — let me be clear.  And this is something I want to echo that Karine mentioned at the very outset.  This is a very fluid situation.  We are just beginning damage assessment.  So, when I — we have 10 confirmed fatalities.  Our understanding is that those fatalities were caused by the tornadoes.

But — but I just want to introduce a little bit of tentativeness to that because of the fluidity of the situation and how nascent it — it is.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  It is our job to make sure that that number doesn’t climb, through valiant search and rescue efforts, but we are dealing in the immediate aftermath of a terrible hurricane and many, many tornadoes ancillary to it.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Thank you so much, Mr. Secretary.  Appreciate it.  Appreciate everything that you’re doing.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Thank — thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you. 

All right.  We don’t have too much time because the president, as you all know, is speaking at 2 o’clock.

So, Will, what do you have for me?

Q    Okay.  I wanted to switch gears a little bit.  Does the White House have a reaction to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon report that Israel has fired on their position in — in Lebanon, and there’s been at least two peacekeepers that were injured?  Does the president —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So — yeah.

Q    — think that — that there should still be U.N. peacekeepers in the region?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I want to be mindful.  I heard about those reports coming in.  I — I need to talk to the team and get to the ground truth of exactly what’s happening.  I just want to be super mindful, because I don’t have all the information for me to respond to you at this time.

Once I have that, then we can certainly respond.

Q    Can you comment more generally on — on peacekeepers in —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I mean, obviously, peacekeepers — we want them to be safe and protected, but I just don’t have anything for you on that particular event that’s happening on the ground.  I just heard those reports, and I just want to make sure I have the full — full breadth of the information before I respond.

Go ahead, Danny.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  The readout of the president’s call with Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday said they’d be — remain in close touch.  Just wondered if the president or the White House has heard anything more about Israel’s plans for retaliation.  And, secondly, when — and, secondly, do we know when they’re expected to speak again?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I don’t have anything to preview on the next call.  As you know — and I’ve said this many times before — since this past little bit mo- — now, over a year, the president and the prime minister have spoken over a dozen times.  We talked a little bit in this room about the call yesterday — 30 minutes; it was direct; it was productive.  There was a readout that we all put out.

And as I said yesterday and I’ll continue to iterate here, this was a — as it relates to the — Iran’s attack, they had a contin- — they continued the discussion that happened on the staff level, obviously, on the leaders level. 

And I’m just going to be super mindful here.  I’m not going to read out from here what Israel is going to do or not going to do.  And, frankly, I’m certainly not going to read that out to the Iranians. 

So, going to be — going to keep that diplomatic conversation as it should be.  It is a private conversation, and we read out as much as we were able to just to give you a little bit of — of a sense of color of what happened on that call.

Q    Can I ask if you do expect to hear from the Israelis after the Security Cabinet meeting? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have anything to — to share.  What I can say, though, and we — and I — we’ve said this many times before: There is regular communication that is happening with the Israeli government, certainly on the staff level, on a daily — on a daily basis.  And certainly, that will continue as — as we have done for the past more — more than a year now. 

Go ahead, Kayla.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Earlier this week, Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general expressed a willingness to renew talks for a ceasefire.  What is the U.S.’s response to that, and what does the White House believe the willingness of Israel is to begin those talks again?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Say that one more time — the beginning of that.  Sorry.

Q    The deputy secretary general of Hezbollah expressed support for a ceasefire deal. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, what I will say is, obviously, we do not have conversations here with Hezbollah or any of the Iran-backed groups.  We don’t speak to Iran.  That is not how we — we communicate. 

We will continue to have conversations with Israel about — about a way forward with Lebanon, about a way forward here.  We believe a ceasefire is the way to go in order to create space to have diplomatic conversations — that’s what we believe — and so that both sides can return back home to — to their respective borders. 

And that’s what we want to see.  And those discussions continue. 

Q    And just to follow up.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has showed a willingness to disregard the preferences of President Biden and the U.S. team in how he has prosecuted the conflict in the Middle East.  And I’m wondering if the White House is giving any new consideration to conditions being placed on aid delivered Israel.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No.

Go ahead.

Q    I wanted to ask a question about the disinformation with the hurricanes.  And has the White House been in touch with the leadership of social media networks where a lot of this disinformation is being spread?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, obviously, as we have stated, and you — the president was very, very clear yesterday about misinformation, disinformation and how dangerous it is, especially right now when we’re — when he was speaking at the time — when we were dealing and trying to respond to disasters and preparing — at the time, when he was responding. 

So, we have made — we have certainly been in touch with — with trusted online publishers, influencers, other trusted messengers to — to meet people where they are, and that’s what we have been trying to do: be on those platforms, those traditional media outlets as well, to be very clear about making sure they have the accurate information. 

And so, that is one of the reasons, earlier this week, the White House launched the Reddit — the first Reddit account to ensure that even more people can — we can meet more people where they are so we can make sure that we [they] have that accurate information. 

So, that’s what we’re doing to make sure that we’re on those platforms, pushing out what we — what is the accurate information so folks out there, people out there who are certainly impacted — now impacted by two hurricanes has the information that they need.

Q    Are the platforms themselves doing enough to police the disinformation that’s on there? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, they’re private companies.  So, I’m not going to tell them what to do, what not to do.  I think everybody has a responsibility here to try to make sure that the information that they are providing — whether you are a leader, a national leader, a congressional leader, a former president — you have the — certainly, the duty to be accountable here and to make sure that you are sharing the right information, truthful information, not falsehoods that, you know, frankly, certainly put people in harm’s way and makes it hard for these brave men and women — you heard the president talk about this yesterday — who are on the ground providing assistance.  It puts them in harm’s way as well. 

Go ahead, Mary.

Q    Thanks.  To that end, Congresswoman Luna, who represents the Saint Petersburg area, said that she spoke with the president today about the response.  She is one of those people who has been spreading disinformation, misinformation about FEMA assistance.  Did that come up in the conversation?  Did the president, you know, directly talk to her about that and

encourage her to stop it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, the president was certainly focused on what’s happening on the ground and making sure that the federal government is — is — any needs that are unmet are met, and that everybody who is on the ground, certainly local officials, elected officials who are trying to help their community has what they need. 

And, look, the president was very clear.  It is unacceptable.  It is unacceptable for bad-faith actors — right? — to — to continue to push out misinformation.  As I stated, it is dangerous.  It does not — it gets in the way of providing the assistance that we need.  We have heard — you all have reported on stories where people are not going for — asking for assistance because of the misinformation. 

And so, the president was really clear.  It is very, very clear. 

And one of the — one of the issues that we have heard — or the lies or falsehoods that are out there is the $750.  It is the beginning.  It is something so that people are able to buy, you know, diapers, to buy milk, are able to buy necess- — ne- — necessities that they need in the moment at the time after dealing with such a horrible event.  And the $750 is the beginning, and there is more to come. 

But it’s not helpful when people do that.  So, the president is not going to shy away from that.  He was very straightforward, very forceful about it twice yesterday when he spoke to the public.  And so, we’re going to keep — be very, very clear.  It is unacceptable. 

But the calls that the president made today was about making sure that Americans, people on the ground who had been affected by this hurricane — this most recent hurricane, Hurricane Milton — they have what they need on the ground.

Go ahead, Gabe.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Following up on Jacqui’s question from earlier on the Afghan terror suspect.  NBC is reporting that he was a security guard for the CIA before he came to the U.S. and that he passed two rounds of vetting.  Does the administration believe there was adequate vetting?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, what I can say is I cannot comment on this directly because — because it is an active investigation.  As you know, that the Department of Justice is currently un- –moving forward with.  So, I’m going to be really careful. 

What I can say is every Afghan national who entered the U.S. was screened and vetted by intelligence, law enforcement, counterterrorism professionals, and with every new information that emerges that in- — individual that — if that individual could pose a threat to public safety, we take immediate action, and we take that action. 

And so, going to be — not going to speak to this particular case, but I can speak more broadly, and that’s the actions that we normally take.  That’s how we move forward. 

And the president has always been clear, protecting the American people will always be — always be his top priority.

Q    More broadly, what would you say to critics who say there isn’t enough vetting in these cases?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I can say is how I just ended my last question to you.  Protecting the American people is the president’s top priority.

Go ahead, in the back.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  From what you and other officials have said, I gather that the U.S. has at least two stated goals in Lebanon.  The first one, you said that you don’t want it to turn into another Gaza — 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — you’re working towards cessation of hostilities, but you also support Israeli efforts in dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon.  So, how can those two goals exist in the same time frame?  Is the understanding to first allow Israel to push back against Hezbollah before going into negotiations?

AIDE:  Karine —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sorry.

(An aide shows Ms. Jean-Pierre a phone.)

Oh, gosh.  Okay. 

Q    Karine —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We got to move s- —

Q    Can you share those developments, Karine? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We have to move —

Q    What’s going on there? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, I’m — I’m just trying to make sure that we’re out of here because the president is speaking at 2 o’clock.  That’s what they’re — they’re giving me updates on — on — we got to move pretty — pretty quickly.

On answering that question, Patsy, I’ll say this: Look, I think two things — both — both things could be true and — at the same time.  We believe that — and I said this moments ago — we want to see a cease- — a ceasefire deal — that’s what we want to see — to provide some space for di- — diplomacy so that — that would enable civilians to go back home on both sides — right? — to go back home — both sides of the border.

And so, we’re going to have those discussions.  We’ll — going to be able — hoping to be able to achieve that goal.  And we — we believe, ultimately, a diplomatic resolution is the way to — to move forward here. 

And to your point about Israel, we believe Israel has the right to defend itself.  That’s what we believe.  We’ve said that.

And what we understand is the operation that they’re moving forward with in Lebanon are indeed targeted.  We’re having those conversations.  We’re being very direct and having those doc- –conversations with the Israeli government.  That will continue.  And we have been very clear with this as well. 

Q    And —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We protect — we believe and support and — in — in — and certainly support Israel’s so- — right to defend itself and certainly our — their — Israel’s security continues to be ironglad [ironclad] — our support for them.

Q    And — and just to pick up on your point that it’s targeted.  Have you — considering the fact that there are American citizens still in Lebanon —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — have you received any Israeli guarantees that they won’t strike the airport in Beirut, as well as the road to the airport, which I understand goes through Hezbollah-controlled territory?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We continue to have very, very direct conversation with the Israeli government.  That’s what we’re going to do. 

But how — how the shape and scope and the nature of their operations, of their campaign moves forward, we are going to have, again, very direct conversations with them.

Q    And then, finally, just quickly on Taiwan, Karine.  In response to Taiwan National Day celebrations, China is feared to respond by either conducting war games or sending its assets to the region.  Is the administration prepared on such an event, considering a lot of the military assets have been deployed to the Middle East?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, you’re talking about the speech that the Taiwan president made?

Q    Yes.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, that — it’s — it is — it is tradition, as you know, for — on that day, a long-standing tradition for Taiwan’s president to deliver remarks on 10/10.  It — it is routine, domestic-focus address that has historically prompted little response from Beijing.  This year should be no different. 

We are not going to speculate on what the PRC will or will not do this year, but we see no just- — justification, certainly, for a routine annual celebration to be used as a pretext for military exercises. 

We urge Beijing to act with restraint.  Our One China policy has not changed, and we’ve been really consistent about that in the past three and a half years.

Go ahead, Michael.

Q    Karine, just following up on my colleague’s question about the — the president’s call with some Florida officials and lawmakers.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    I know you mentioned that he had been clear yesterday with regard to disinformation around the hurricane response, but did it come up specifically in that call?  Was there a conversation with Florida officials?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have anything to share besides the president reaching out to elected officials, local and statewide, to offer up their assistance — his assistance, the federal government assistance to check in to see what else that they need.  We are dealing with, obviously, the impact of a pretty powerful hurricane, Hurricane Milton, and so that is his — was his focus on the call today. 

I think he’s been very — I mean, he said it publicly, right?  So, he’s been very public about how he feels about misinformation.  And as president, he felt that he needed to say something because it was harming — harming Americans out there who were impacted by — have been impacted, whether by Hurricane Helene, now impacted by Hurricane Milton, and they need to get the assistance.  Right?  They need to make sure that — we wanted to make sure they were pre-posi- — they were ready, whether evacuating, sheltered before — ahead of this hurricane.  And when you have this type of misinformation, disinformation out there, it certainly steps on that. 

And so, as president, he spoke very publicly twice — twice yesterday, and I think that message was sent loud and clear.

Go ahead.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Since President Biden postponed his foreign trip due to — due to Hurricane Milton, has the president spoken with German Chancellor Scholz yet just about, you know, maybe rescheduling the trip, just kind of talking since there was a lot planned?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  So, I think we’ve stated that we’re going to be rescheduling the trip.  That’s what we’re — we’re trying to work out all of the details.  That’s important to the president to do that. 

Wh- — when I have more information, obviously, you all will be one of the first to know.

And the president is planning to speak to both of the leaders very, very soon.  And so, once we have that information, we’ll certainly share that with all of you as well. 

I think I have to wrap it up here.

Q    On the trip?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yep. 

Q    So, the — will the leader-level Ukraine Defense Contact Group be rescheduled, or will it happen in the coming weeks at the ministerial level? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, what I can say: On the leader level, I understand that that’s going to be the — that conversation is going to be postponed.  And so, that I can speak to. 

Q    Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  That’s going to definitely be postponed. 

Okay.  All right.  All right.  In the back.  I haven’t called on you in a while. 

Q    Oh, thank you. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  Go ahead.

Q    Just on the calls.  Florida Senator Rick Scott said that President Biden agreed that Congress should come back early to fund FEMA.  So, is there a more urgent need, and is the administration all in line with what we heard from the secretary, Mayorkas, talking about getting Congress to come back or not?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, what we have — what we have been very clear about is Congress needs to act.  We had a CR.  We had a pretty robust ask in the CR for — for — to make sure that we continued to fund that — that emergency disaster funding.  Pardon me.  And so, that didn’t go through.  It was not — we were disappointed that it didn’t make it into the CR.  And so, that is unfortunate. 

But we’ve also been clear that Congress needs to act.  And what we have seen in the past is what — Congress can still act on emergency items, move forward emergency asks in — during recess.  That is something that they can do.

And so, we’re going to continue to say that.  We’re going to continue to be very clear.  We have to see this moving forward. 

You saw the letter from the president earlier this week saying that there’s SBA disaster funding that’s about to run out in weeks — in weeks.

Q    But is he going to call them to come back?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We believe that Congress can do the job, right?  They can do this job.  They can make sure that we get that additional funding during recess.  We have seen them do this before.  It is not unusual.  It is something that they’ve been able to do when there has been an important decision to be made.  And so, that’s what we want to see.

All right.  I know we got to go.  The president is about to speak, so I don’t want to hold you guys up.

Thanks, everybody.

Q    Thank you.

1:56 P.M. EDT

The post Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared first on The White House.

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

2:02 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Hi.  Good afternoon, everybody. 

Q    Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, the safety of all Americans is the Biden-Harris administration’s first priority.  As the security situation in Lebanon becomes increasingly volatile, I want to take a moment to talk about the numerous steps the Biden-Harris administration is taking to support Americans who seek to depart or relocate within Lebanon.

We are working around the clock to help Americans in Lebanon by providing as many options as possible to depart and offering loans to U.S. citizens who need assistance.

Since September 27th, the United States has secured more than 4,000 airplane — airplane seats for American citizens, lawful permanent residents, and their family members to depart Lebanon.  We have reserved seats for Americans and their family members on daily commercial airlines that continue to fly out of Beirut, and we have organized additional flights for U.S. citizens; lawful permanent residents and their spouses, children, and parents to depart Lebanon.

As long as the Beirut airport remains open, we will continue to make more airplane seats available daily.  To date, the number of seats available continues to exceed demand.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut remains open and can help Americans who need emergency passports or other documentation.  We urge Americans to take advantage of these options.  

Ultimately, a diplomatic resolution is the only way to achieve lasting stability and security across the Isra- — Israel-Lebanon border.  We are in discussions for when we will be able to achieve that.

Now, earlier today, as many of you saw, the president and the vice president received an update regarding Hurricane Helene response and recovery efforts.

Under their leadership, FEMA has provided $344 million in direct assistance to survivors, along with an additional $180 million to ensure our federal partners can carry out their critical recovery work.

More than 8,000 federal re- — personnel are deployed, including FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistant teams that are in the neighborhood — in the — in neighborhoods across the affected states helping survivors apply for assistance.  These personnel across the Southeast, including Florida, will both continue Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and respond to the impacts of Hurricane Milton.

As the president has said, we will be there for the communities devastated by this storm for as long as it takes. 

The president and vice president received a briefing on the administration’s lifesaving preparations ahead of Hurricane Milton.  The president continues to mobilize a whole-of-government effort to prepare for Hurricane Milton.

Earlier this week, the president quickly approved the state of Florider — Florida’s and the — and the Simo- — Seminole Tribe of Florida’s request for an emergency declaration pre-Milton landfall.  He directed his team to keep working to increase the size and presence of our efforts as we prepare for Milton’s landfall.

The president spoke directly to Governor DeSantis, Tampa Mayor Castor, Clearwater Mayor Rector, and Pinellas County Chairwoman Peters to make sure we are meeting their needs and gave them his personal number so they can call him directly.

As the president’s — at the president’s direction, the administration has been in touch with more than 60 local officials in cities and counties along the likely path of impact to ensure needs are met in advance of the storm.

The president gathered his Cabinet, representing 16 agencies and departments, to ensure every corner of the U.S. government is assisting with Helene recovery and preparations for Milton.

And at the president’s direction, FEMA Administration — Administrator Criswell will travel to Florida tonight to join the pers- — the personnel on the ground and ensure every Floridian gets the help that they need.  FEMA is pre-staging a full slate of response capabilities in Florida and the region, including eight Urban Search & Rescue teams; three U.S. Coast Guard swiftwater rescue teams; 15.6 million meals, 13.9 million liters of water already pre-positioned; an additional 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to deploy as needed; more than 1,000 staff already in the region.

And as the president and the vice president have said, any attempts to price gouge Americans, whether at the gas pumps, airports, or hotel counter, during this storm are unacceptable.  The Justice Department, FTC, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau put out a statement warning consumers about those looking to take advantage of natural disasters.

The administration will also continue to work out — to — to work out and call out misinformation and conspiracy theories around the storm and federal and state responses.  This is wrong, dangerous, and it must stop immediately.  You heard the president speak to this just moments ago.

Everyone, especially those in positions of power, must do everything they can to encourage survivors to register for assistance, not discourage them by allowing these falsehoods to fester.

This storm will be catastrophic.  It will be catastrophic.  We urge everyone to listen to local officials and, if you are told to evacuate, do so — please do so immediately.

If you can’t evacuate or need a safe place to shelter, text “shelter” and your zip code to 43362 to get a list of open shelters near you.

With that, I will turn it over to Administrator Criswell, who is joining us virtually.  Thank you so much, Administrator.  I know you are incredibly busy today, but thank you for your time.

And with that, I’m going to just turn it over to you. 

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  (Via teleconference.)  All right.  Thank you very much, Karine.

So, good afternoon, everybody.  As you just heard from Karine, I just had an opportunity to brief President Biden and Vice President Harris on our preparatory actions as we prepare for Hurricane Milton to make landfall in Florida. 

The entire federal family is leaning forward for Milton’s response.  And right now, I am in North Carolina continuing to lead the response and recovery efforts for the impacts to Helene across many states.  But I will be traveling this evening to Florida to be with the team that I have there on the ground, as well as meet with the governor and his team, to make sure that we are working side by side to meet the needs of Floridians as Hurricane Milton passes through the state.

I want to deliver a very important message to the people of Florida: This is going to be a catastrophic storm.  It is going to be a potentially deadly storm.  Please listen to your local officials, as they will be giving you the best information about what you need to do where you are located. 

This storm is going to bring deadly storm surge, intense winds, flooding, but it is already bringing tornadoes across Florida.  So, if you do get an emergency message on your phone right now for a tornado warning, please seek shelter immediately. 

My heart goes out to all of the Floridians who have been in the path of many storms.  They have had impacts from Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Debby, Hurricane Idalia, and now Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.  Floridians, they’re no strangers to these storms, but this one, Hurricane Milton, is expected to be catastrophic. 

And I promise you that FEMA is ready.  FEMA and the entire federal family will be there to provide those immediate lifesaving activities and begin to stabilize the incident after the storm passes. 

And, again, I will be there on the ground to assess the impacts and prioritize the movement of federal resources to where the state needs them most.

Today, tonight, and tomorrow, these are going to be tough as we watch the impacts move across Florida.  And, again, we’re already seeing impacts from this storm with tornadoes and high winds happening in different parts of Florida.

The most important thing is your safety.  And I need everyone listening to do everything you can to protect yourself and your family as Milton passes.

Some of you may still be able to safely evacuate.  Others, it may be too late.  Again, I need you to listen to your local officials.  They will know exactly what you are still able to do.

And if you receive, again, a tornado warning on your phone, through a NOAA radio, or from your local officials — there are tornadoes that are happening now — you need to seek shelter immediately. 

I have also been in contact with Governor DeSantis, Mayor Castor, Mayor Welch, and Mayor Dyer, as well as all the Tribal nations in Florida that are in the path of this storm. 

The president’s swift approval of the pre-landfall emergency declaration for Florida, as well as the Seminole Tribe of Florida, allows us to be able to employ the resources that we have staged to immediately begin to save lives and support the response activities.

In addition to the thousands of people that I already have on the ground in Florida for Hurricane Helene, as well as the previous storms from previous years, at the president’s direction, I sent an additional 1,200 search and rescue personnel, 6 incident management assistance teams, multiple power assessment teams, and dozens of medical facility assessment personnel into the area pre-landfall.

We’ve also staged over 500 ambulances, and the search and rescue teams include high-water vehicles and air assets, as well as boats, to support those lifesaving activities in the first hours after the storm passes.

As you heard Karine say, we’ve also pushed millions of meals and liters of water into Florida to support those immediate needs. 

And let me be clear: The movement of these resources and these commodities are not taking away from our ongoing response and recovery efforts in North Carolina and the other states that were impacted by Hurricane Helene. 

We are built for this.  We have managed multiple simultaneous catastrophic incidents before, and we are prepared to do this again. 

And I want the people to hear it from me: FEMA is ready.  Our agency is postured to respond to this storm and maintain our current response and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene-impacted states.  And we will be providing and I will be providing regular updates to President Biden and Vice President Harris as this storm passes so we can make sure that we are getting all of the federal resources that are needed to support their response.  And they have directed me, as they always do, to make sure that Floridians continue to get everything they need. 

I want to be clear, we at FEMA stand ready to both continue our support to Hurricane Helene and respond to the impacts from Hurricane Milton.  This is what we do best.  We manage complex incidents.  We coordinate, we communicate, and we respond. 

And, again, I will be traveling to Florida later today so I can join my team, as well as our state partners that are in the field preparing for the impacts from Hurricane loteim [Milton].

My leadership team, they are the best of the best.  They are trained to work across multiple states and support the impacts that states are going to be feeling.  And I want to know — I want everybody to know that we are prepared for what we need to do to support Florida, as well as all of the other states.

Before I take questions, I just want to emphasize, once again, because this is extremely important: People need to listen to their local officials.  They need to take this storm seriously.  It’s going to hit the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane, and it will still be a hurricane as it departs on the eastern coast of Florida.  There will be flooding.  There will be tornadoes, storm surge. 

Take the actions you need to to protect yourself and your family.  We do not need to lose any lives as a result of this storm.  We have the time to prepare.  Make sure that you’re taking those actions now.

And with that, Karine, I’ll take any questions. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you so much, Administrator.  I just want to remind folks that she can only hear us; can’t see us.  So, I’m going to start calling on folks right now. 

Go ahead.  Go ahead, Aamer.

Q    Thank you.  I appreciate you making this time.  Do you have an estimate of the universe of how many people are not heeding the evacuation orders and remain at risk?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  I do not have an estimate, but what I can tell you is that I was in Florida on Monday.  I met with the mayor of Tampa and the mayor of St. Petersburg, and I saw people leaving the area.  People are listening.  They are leaving.

But we know there’s always a few that want to stay behind and protect their home.  This storm is different.  This storm is going to bring deadly storm surge, and so I want people who still have time to evacuate to make sure that they’re doing so but doing so safely, under the guidance and the advice of their local officials.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, M.J.

Q    Thank you, Administrator.  This is M.J. Lee with CNN.  The White House has been talking a lot about the threat of misinformation, disinformation as it relates to storm recovery efforts.  Can you talk to us about whether there’s one piece of incorrect information that you think, in your view, has been most damaging that you think would be the most important to clarify?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Well, honestly, I think all of it is damaging to our ability to be able to reach people.  It’s intentional to create distrust, and that level of distrust is, as the president said earlier today, un-American.  And what we need to do is make sure people can get the assistance that they need and they deserve. 

And so, I want people to be able to come to us, register for assistance so we can help them on their road to recovery.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Nandita.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Administrator, you have said that FEMA has enough money to get through both Hurricanes Helene and Milton, but that you’re assessing how much more you need from Congress.  Is there an assessment that you can share with us?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  We’re continuing to make that assessment, as we do not know what it’s going to cost us right now to get through Hurricane Milton.  I think, as I briefed all of you before, we went into Immediate Needs Funding in August of this year.  That allowed me to make sure I had enough money for this response, and I needed that for Hurricane Helene. 

Without going into INF, I probably would not have had enough money to support Hurricane Helene.

With the full authority to spend against the president’s fiscal year ‘25 budget, I’ve been able to start paying the recovery projects that we put on hold.  But the — the amount that we’re spending for Hurricane Helene and the amount that we anticipate we’re going to spend for Hurricane Milton, we are watching that very closely and assessing it every day so we can have a good estimate of how much more that we will need to be asking for in a supplemental.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Selina.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Thank you, Administrator Criswell.  Selina Wang with ABC News.  Could you give any specific examples about the real-world impact that this misinformation is having, both in terms of are you seeing people who aren’t taking precautions because they don’t trust the government or FEMA or NOAA?  And then, in terms of the threat to FEMA workers, have you seen examples of threats against them on the ground?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Yeah.  I think the — the biggest thing is that — what I am hearing is people that are not coming to us and asking us for assistance.  They’re not registering for the help that they need, or they are afraid to approach some of our staff because they are unsure of what the government is doing. 

I think one of the biggest ones that I continue to hear is that we’re going to take their land from them.  Simply untrue.  When you register for assistance, we give you an initial amount of money, $750, to help support those immediate needs.  And there were rumors out there that if you a- — you received this money and you didn’t pay it back that we would take your home.  Simply untrue. 

This is a series of — of assistance that we give over time, those immediate needs.  We’ve already given out over $60 million in North Carolina alone for people’s property losses, as well as this immediate assistance.  We will continue to give that money out. 

And as it relates to my staff, I mean, it’s just demoralizing.  I think that they take it personally.  They have left their families and their homes to come here and support people in need.  But they’re focused.  They continue to stay focused on why they’re here.  They know their purpose, and that is to help people, and we’ll continue to do that

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Gabe.

Q    Thank you, Administrator.  You said before that you have dealt with misinformation in the past.  Why do you think that misinformation is so rampant this time around?  Is it because of the election?  Is it because of certain politicians?  Is it become — because of tech platforms?  Or is it because of, potentially, a foreign actor?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Yeah.  I mean, I have definitely seen misinformation before.  We have had misinformation for, you know, ver- — a long time.  But we have seen it increase recently. 

We saw a significant increase in the response in Maui and, even more — the greatest amount that I’ve seen in this response to Hurricane Helene.  You know, I don’t want to speculate as to why we’re seeing this increase.  It’s just damaging, and it’s — just makes it harder for us to do our job, and it’s a distraction for the people that are out there doing really hard work to help the people get the assistance that they need and deserve. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Ken.

Q    Could you just describe the — the storm is going to be making landfall at — late at night on — on the west coast.  To what extent does that add to the complications or the dangers for residents?  And — and just how unique is it, the fact that it will be a hurricane when it hits the west coast but also a hurricane when it exits the east coast of Florida?

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  I think any time we see a storm hit during the evening, it just complicates things — right? — because we know that we will have power outages as a result of this.  It will be dark.  People will have to try to protect themselves without the same level of light that they’re used to.  It just creates a whole other level of complication. 

But as we heard from Director Brennan earlier today, it is very rare for a storm to be a hurricane when it makes landfall and as it exits the state.  It’s going to move quickly, according to him, through the state, but that means it’s going to create these catastrophic impacts across the state.  We’re going to see the most significant storm surge on the west coast, but we know, from Hurricane Ian, how much inland flooding and flash flooding that happened on the east coast in the Orlando area. 

And so, we’re concerned about that, and that’s why I talked to the mayor of Orlando earlier today, to make sure he knew that even though the west coast is getting a lot of focus on this, that the east coast is going to have significant threats as well.  And that’s why I’ve also got incident management teams right there in the Orlando area to help work side by side with the local officials so we can get those resources in as quickly as possible when this storm is making landfall and moving across the state.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And I know, Administrator, you have to head out. 

Akayla, you have the last question.

Q    Okay.  Hi, Administrator.  I’m just wondering if the administration is confident that the election will still be able to be conducted by November — that power outages, that roads will be safe to drive on so voters can cast their ballot.

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  So, you know, the election piece is with the states, and we have resources that we can help them with to ensure we meet whatever needs that they have, and — and we’ll continue to work with them if they have any specific requirements. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you so much, Administrator.  Safe travels.  I know you’ve been in —

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Thanks, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — North Carolina for some time helping on the ground there.  We really appreciate everything that you’re doing.  And safe travels to Florida tonight.  Thank you. 

ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL:  Thanks, Karine.  Thanks, everybody.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  Aamer.

Q    Oh, great.  On the — the Netanyahu call earlier today.  Was the president told by Prime Minister Netanyahu how he intends to respond to Iran after the October 1 attack?  And then, secondly, the prime minister’s office and President Trump have confirmed they spoke last week.  Was the White House informed of that call ahead of time?  And do you know the contents of that call?  And just generally, are you comfortable with that type of conversation happening?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, a couple of things.  You a- — you just asked me a slew of things there.  I just — I do want to say, I know there’s the rabbi call that the president is going to be doing momentarily.  We’ll let you know when that happens.  I think we’re running a little bit behind, and I know that there’s going to be an opportunity for all of you all to — to tune in. 

Let me just give you a couple of just top lines on the call.  It lasted about 30 minutes.  It was 30 minutes long.  It was direct.  It was productive — obviously, the call that the president had with the prime minister of Israel.

They discussed a range of issues, and we are going to have a readout shortly that you all will — will have to — to get a better sense of what was discussed on the call.  So, I’m not going to get ahead of that.  I know the team is — is working through that at — at this time. 

So, as you all know, the U.S. and — and the Israeli government have been discussing — have had discussion since last week after — certainly since after the Iran attack.  And so, that — those discussions continued with the president and the prime minister.  Certainly not going to get into those discussions.  There’s going to be a readout.  Don’t have anything else beyond — beyond that to share.

But I can say that they did have a discussion about that, and it is a continued discussion.  It started off with, obviously, staff-level discussion in the last week.  And obviously, the two leaders had an opportunity to — to talk directly.  Like I said, it was productive.  It was direct.  It lasted about 30 minutes. 

And this is on top of more than a dozen calls that the pr- — president and the prime minister have had since October 7th of last year.

As it relates to your — one of your questions there about the — the book, look, as you know, there are —

Q    There wasn’t a — I’m sorry —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, okay. 

Q    About — about the Trump conversation last week. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh.  Oh — wait.

Q    Did I — did I ask about the book as well?  But —

Q    We can come back to the book. 

Q    We can come back.  There’s plenty of questions, if you’d like to answer that as well.  But —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.

Q    — particularly about Trump’s conversation, I think that’s more pertinent to today’s call.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, say more about the Trump conversation.

Q    So, Trump spoke with Netanyahu last week. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, I see what you’re saying.  Okay.

Q    And —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  Yeah, okay.  (Laughs.)

Q    And were you guys aware what that — and are you —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I — I don’t — I don’t — that’s something for, obviously, the Trump — the Trump team to speak to.  I can’t speak to that, about their conversation.  I just don’t have anything to add about that.

Q    Well, I guess what’s more relevant —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — are we having, like, two — two different — a former administration and a current administration doing foreign policy at the same time?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I mean, look, as you know, there’s one — one president as a — at a time.  That has been the way that we’ve done this — right? — in this country.  And so, that is what exists. 

The president — the current president — the President Biden had a conversation with the prime minister.  They’ve had m- — as I mentioned, more than — more than a dozen conversations since the past — the past year, since October 7th of 2023.  And I think what you have seen from this administration is the continued support for Israel’s security. 

You saw that over the past c- — past couple of days, obviously, since the — past couple of weeks.  When Iran attacked Israel, the president directed his military to protect Israel.  He was very proud to be able to do that.  And that support continues. 

They had a — as I said, a direct, a productive conversation, as they’ve had for many times.  This is — when you think about the president and the — and the prime minister, they’ve known each other for decades — for decades.  And so, that’s what I can speak to. 

I’m not going to get into the former president and his conversation with world leaders.

Q    And if I can just ask one about the book.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    Russia said today that the COVID testing material that was given to Putin by Trump was nothing abnormal.  Back then, there was a lot of trading going on of material.  Is that true?

And then, if it is true —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — why was the president going after Trump yesterday at the Casey fundraiser over giving Putin this material?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, that was a — a political event, so I’m going to let the president —

Q    Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — speak to whatever he — what he said at that event.  I’m not going to say be- — go beyond that. 

What I will say is, when it — as it relates to what happened in the last administration, how then the president behaved and — and what he was able to — you know, to do, whatever is being reported, I’m going to leave it to the 2020 — that time in 2020 to that administration. 

Look, what I can say and we can say very proudly and — and forcefully, I believe, is how this president responded to a once-in-a-century pandemic.  He put forth a comprehensive strategy to move forward, to get shots in arms, money in pockets, at a time where the economy was at a tailspin.  And this is a president that took that very, very seriously, along with a critical partnership that he had with the vice president, and that’s why we’ve seen the economy turn around.  That’s why we all sitting here today without masks on, because the president actually took this seriously and made sure that we were able to get out of the pandemic.  That’s what I’m going to speak to. 

The president said what he — he wanted to say yesterday, and I’ll leave it as that.

Q    But that — I guess, are you — is it just adding some misinformation then?  Because that — what the president — the last president at that time was doing what it sounds like he thought was the right thing.  Everybody needed material at that time. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m going to let the former president speak for himself and how he behaved and the actions that he’s took.  That is for him to speak to.  What I can speak to is what the president has done over the last three and a half years. 

And look, when we came into this administration, we did not have a comprehensive strategy to deal with COVID.  That did not happen. 

I mean, you had a former president who was telling people to inject bleach — to inject bleach.  And you have this president and this vice president who took it very seriously and put forth a comprehensive strategy to deal with a once-in-a-century pandemic.  And the economy is now — just looking at the data, the economy has turned around.  We are leading with the economy worldly, globally.  And, you know, we are in a different place.  We are in a different place.  And that is because of the leadership of this president. 

We all saw — you all — some of you were in this room — when the former president would come to the podium to talk about the — the pandemic and the lies that was spewing and what was happening.  And this president took it seriously.  That’s what I can say. 

Go ahead, Gabe.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Regarding the Woodward book and Prime Minister Netanyahu, you said that — and you have referenced the dozen calls the president has had —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  More — more than a dozen calls.

Q    — with the prime minister since the start of the w- –

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    As it was brought up last time, he hadn’t had one before this — before October — excuse me, before August 21st. 

In the book, Woodward reports that the president used an expletive when referring to Netanyahu and calling him a bad guy and other disparaging remarks.  What’s the White House response to that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I’ll say first that, look, there’s going to be many books that are written about this administration and many administrations.  It’s — it’s a typical thing to — to occur.  Nothing atypical about that. 

I’m not going to weigh in on particulars in each one of those books.  What I can say to that question that you asked me: I cannot confirm.  That is not something that I can confirm from here. 

Q    But does — does it speak of the relationship of President Biden and Netanyahu?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — and this is what I’ve said moments ago, Gabe, which is this president and the prime minister have known each other for decades, and their conversations, their — their relationship have always been honest and direct.  And this 30-minute conversation that they had today was also direct and very productive. 

And, you know, you — you have heard the president say he doesn’t agree with everything and they have disagreements, but because they have had these decade- — decades-long

relationship, they’re able to be honest with each other. 

I think what matters here is that this administration, this president’s commitment to Israel’s security is iron- — is ironclad.  And that will be — conti- — certainly be — be — continue to be the case.

Q    And quickly, on another topic, on the reporting in that book that he — that former President Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin at least seven times since leaving office, is that appropriate?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, we’re not aware of those calls.  I certainly can’t confirm any of those calls from here, but it if — but if it is indeed true, are we concerns?  Do we have serious concerns?  Yes, if it is true.  Again, I cannot confirm any of those calls. 

Let’s not forget, it is concerning, especially when we know the former president was lobbying against more aid for Ukraine — to Ukraine to defend themselves against Russia’s aggression. 

So, if true, it is concerning.  But again, I want to be really clear, I cannot confirm any of these calls. 

Q    But is it — how is it possible that the intelligence community wouldn’t know that —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I can’t —

Q    — a former president spoke with Putin?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I hear you.  I just cannot confirm those calls happened. 

Q    And the president has not been briefed on this?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I cannot confirm any of these calls were true.

Go ahead.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Given that the president canceled his foreign trip — he would have left, I think, tomorrow morning for Germany and Angola — can you give us just a sense of what the next few days will look like as he is monitoring Milton? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    Will he be here the whole time, probably?  Is it possible he will go to Delaware over the weekend?  Are you guys talking about a possible trip to Florida at some point —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — already?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, as you saw this morning, the president is going to continue to get hurricane briefings, not just on Milton and how we’re preparing and what’s happening.  Obviously, we’re all certainly very much focused — he’s going to be laser focused on that, as well as the vice president.  And so, he’ll continue to be updated, continue to get those briefings. 

I don’t have any travel to read out to you at this time, whether it is to the impacted areas or outside of that. 

What I can say is the president is going to continue to — to be laser focused on the storms and what’s happening, the pre- — the preparations, how we are still certainly responding to the immediate needs of folks who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene as well.  That is also very much in — in front of us and what we’re trying to do and get done there. 

But that’s going to be his focus.  You’ll continue to hear more from the president — I can guarantee you that — over the next couple of days. 

But what we want to share very, very clearly with Floridians out there: It is important to evacuate.  It is important to take this storm very, very seriously.  It will be catastrophic. 

You heard from the FEMA administrator.  She is headed down to Florida to — to be there with her team, to assist on the ground as we are pre-positioning and preparing for this storm. 

Q    And just back to the phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu.  Did the president at any point in this phone call — you said that it was constructive — urge the prime minister to not take certain actions as they relate to either the situation in Lebanon or potential retaliatory strikes against Iran? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I’m going to say what I said moments ago.  This was a continued discussion on the leaders’ level.  As you know, the staff level has been talking since last week.  And it is certainly to continue to speak to the response on Iran’s attack and a — and a long — a long list of other — other conversations and issues that they wanted to discuss between the two leaders. 

I don’t have anything else to — to speak to or to say.  There’s going to be a readout shortly that will have a little bit more detail of that conversation.  I’m just not going to get into specifics from here. 

Q    Would it — would it be safe to say that the president now has a clear understanding of and a clear picture of what Israel’s plans are for retaliating against Iran?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I can tell you is they had a discussion, a con- — they continued their discussion on — on a response to Iran’s attack, a discussion — last week, a discussion that certainly started at the staff level, and now the two leaders were able to have a productive, straightforward, honest conversation, as they tend to do. 

I don’t have anything beyond that. 

Go ahead, Selina.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  So, Vice President Harris was also on that call between President Biden and Netanyahu.  Can you just explain the role she played in that call?  Did she just listen in?  Did she weigh in on the issues as well?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I would refer you to her team to speak to that.

Q    And just going back to the contents of the call.  I know there’s a readout coming out soon. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    But can you just describe the tone of that call in terms of was the president continuing to push back on issues that were being presented to him from Netanyahu?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It was dir- — direct, and it was productive.  That’s what I’ll share. 

Q    And can we say at this point if Israel has made a decision on how they want to respond?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  They continue to have a discussion on Israel response to the attacked — Iran’s attack last week.  I’m not going to go into specifics or details.  There’s going to be a readout shortly. 

Go ahead.  Go ahead, Michael.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Going back to your warnings against price gouging during the hurricanes.  I’m just wondering, does the administration have any reports that that’s actually happening, or was this just intended to be a preemptory strike to keep it from happening?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, I think certainly a preemptive st- — a preemptive attempt to keep it from happening.  We’re keeping a close eye on prices at the pump, at the airport, obviously, and also these hotel counters to just make sure that it doesn’t happen. 

We tend to see this type of behavior during this time, and we want to be very, very clear: It is not okay.  It is not — there is no time to do that.  But certainly when people are evacuating, when people are fearful about — about what’s — what’s to come, especially with a historic hurricane like Hurricane Milton, we want to make sure that this is not happening. 

And that’s why the Department of Transportation is on top of it.  You have DOJ, FDC, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  And so, they’re going to certainly take actions here and — to protect consumers.  And that is what we want to make sure that we’re doing.  We’re protecting consumers.  We’re protecting Americans.  And so, that’s our focus. 

Go ahead.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Going back to the reporting in the — the Woodward book.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    If former President Trump has been speaking to President Putin — he’s also had calls and meetings with other foreign leaders, both since he left office and since he announced his latest campaign for the presidency — is the administration at all concerned that he appears to be running a — a shadow foreign policy while campaigning for president against —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — the incumbent administration?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And so, look, I’m going to give you the same answer that I give to Aamer here, which is, as we know, it’s one president at a — at a time.  That is how we do our business here in this country, as you know very — very clearly. 

Look — and I said, if there was a — we cannot confirm this — if there was a call with President Putin, if that is indoo- — indeed true, yeah, there are concerns, especially when you had the former president lobbying against Ukraine aid.  Yeah. 

But I cannot confirm that.  I cannot confirm those calls.

Q    What about hi- — his meetings with foreign leaders such as Viktor Orbán, who has opposed aid to Ukraine as well?  Is — is —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I’m going to let the for- — the former president speak to his calls with world leaders.  I’m not going to dive into that. 

But what I will say is that this president is focused at — at what’s at hand, right?  He had a conversation with the prime minister — 30 minutes, as I stated, half an hour.  It was direct.  It was very much honest.  It was to show that, you know, we’re going to continue to have those discussions with Israel on how they’re going to respond after Iran’s attack last week.  You saw what this administration, what this president directed his military to do.  And our commitment to Israel’s security continues to be ironclad. 

That is what I can speak to, and that is what we’re focused on. 

Q    One — one more —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And as you know, we have a hurricane, Milton, that’s coming, and you heard from the president.  So, he has a lot to focus on —

Q    Right.  And one —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — and that —

Q    One —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — and as a — as his le- — as a leader, that’s what he’s going to do. 

Q    One more on the same topic.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sure. 

Q    Traditionally, when — when former presidents do interface with — with foreign leaders, there — there is a process by which they can liaise with the incumbent administration to be possibly briefed on any — any policy concerns and — and possibly provide a readout of those conversations afterwards. 

Has President — has former President Trump availed himself of — of any resources that might be available to him?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have anything to speak to on that particular question.  But I — I understand your question.  I just don’t have anything for you at this time. 

Go ahead, Aurelia.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  One more try on the Bibi call.  Sorry. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sure.

Q    Do — did the president, during this conversation, address the latest comments Prime Minister Netanyahu made, saying that Lebanon could experience the same level of destruction as Gaza if they don’t free themselves from Hezbollah?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, as I stated, they had a productive and honest conversation.  But what I will say very clearly about that particular question is we — we cannot and will not see Lebanon turn into Gaza — into another Gaza.  That is not what we want to see. 

The suffering in both Gaza and Lebanon adds even greater urgency, as you’ve heard from us, to our efforts certainly to end the conflicts and lay a foundation for lasting peace and security in the region. 

For over a year — you think about what has occurred for over a year.  You’ve seen Hezbollah has attacked Israel and rejected all off-ramps to this conflict.  That’s what you have seen. 

The suffering we are seeing in Lebanon could have been avoided — could have been avoided, if — if Hezbollah would have stopped its rockets’ attacks on Israel. 

So, look, I’m going to just reiterate what our position is when it comes to Lebanon.  We are working our way back towards a ceasefire process, and that’s going to create a space to negotiate a diplomatic resolution that only ends the fighting — that’s what we’re going to continue to do — and allow civilians from both sides of the Blue Line to return — to return home.  And we want to see that be done safely and certainly with security as well. 

And so, that’s what our focus is going to be on.

Go ahead, in the middle.

Q    Wh- —

Q    Thank you, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, no —

Q    I’ve got a — I’ve got a FEMA —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I keep trying to call her, and it’s a —  let me let her go.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  So, more on the — on the Middle East.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    At this point, does the White House understand that Israel is planning to attack energy facilities in Iran?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, we’ve spoken to that.  And, look, I’m not going to get into hypotheticals.  I’m not going to get that — get into that from here.  That has been asked of the president; that has been asked of us last week.

What I can say is that we’ve had discussions.  We’re continuing discussions with Israel on their response to Is- — to Iran’s attack last week.  I’m not going to dive into it.  I’m not going to get into it from here.

And so, you saw that happening on the staff level.  And now what you saw today was that happening on the leaders level. 

I’m not going to get into hypotheticals or speculations from here.

Q    And how would you describe right now the relationship between the president and Netanyahu?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, they’ve known each other for decades.  They’ve known each other for decades.  And because of that, they’re able to have that frank conversation.  Because of that, the president is able to be honest, and they’re both able to be honest to each other. 

And I think what — what I can report to you, and I’ve said this multiple times already: The conversation that they had today was productive and it was direct, very much in line with many other conversations that they have had, not just in the past year but over decades. 

And I think you’ve heard the president speak directly about his relationship with the prime minister.

And so, they’ve known each other for a long time.  They have had a decades-long friendship.  And I think — I think that’s — that says — that says it all for me. 

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  Staying on the Middle East.  You said that the administration will continue evacuating U.S. citizens from Lebanon as long as the airport is open.  Do you have any guarantee that Israel is not bombing the airport?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Say that one more time, the last part.  I didn’t hear that.

Q    Do you have — does the White House have any guarantee that Israel will not bomb Beirut airport?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, we’re going to have very direct conversations with the government of Israel about the shape and the nature — as we speak about Lebanon, specifically, right? — and the ultimate scope of their campaign.  And those conversations are going to continue.

And I’m not going to get into specific conversations that we’re having, but it will be — it will continue to be very direct.  And — and that’s what you’ve seen over the past year, and that’s what’s going to continue.

Q    You also said that you are working towards a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — as this outcome to the crisis.  So, wh- — how exactly will this materialize, considering Israel has rejected a ceasefire, a diplomatic solution, and Hezbollah leaders are being killed one after the other?  So, who are you talking to when you talk about ceasefire?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, we want to see — as the president has said, we want to reach a ceasefire deal — that’s what we want to see — and, again, to provide space for that diplomatic resolution, those diplomatic conversations.  And we want to see civilians on both sides to return back home and — on both sides of the border, obviously.

And so, those discussions continue.  We have been very clear that those conversation have been continuing for some time now.  And ultimately — ultimately, we need a diplomatic resolution.  We understand that.  We have to have a diplomatic resolution, and that’s the only way to achieve that long-lasting stability — right? — when you think about security across the Israel — Israel and Lebanon border.

And so, that’s what we want to see.  It doesn’t stop us from having those conversations, to having those discussions.

Today, you heard from me, you heard from — from us, that the two leaders spoke about an array of issues.  They continued that discussion about how they’re — how Israel is going to respond to Iran’s attack from last week, and a bunch of other things that are incredibly important to both leaders. 

We’ll have a readout shortly that will share a little bit more.

Q    And one last question.  In two weeks, there is already eight hospitals in Lebanon that are out of service.  There is thousands of being — people being killed.  There is 1 million forced to flee their homes. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    And the Israelis has calling for more troops.  So, how can this not be a scenario in Gaza that we have seen it unfolding? 

And second, is — isn’t that a mission creep?  How do you agree with the Israelis on the outcome of the war if Netanyahu said, “We’re going to continue regardless of what the White House, more or less, is saying as long as we are not achieving our — our aims in Lebanon”?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look — look, I’m going to say what I said moments ago.  We do not want to see Gaza — what happened in Gaza happen in Lebanon.  That’s what I said, and that is something that we do not want to see. 

And as we’ve said, Israel does have the right to defend itself and, you know, to go after their — their security threats that they see. 

But one civilian casualty is too many, and we’ve been very clear about that.  They must take — Israel must take every feasible precaution to prevent civilian harm.  And those are the conversation, discussions that we’re going to continue to have. 

And, look, you heard from us.  We announced some huma- — humanitarian assistance for Lebanon for the challenges that they’re dealing with — $157 million — we announced that last week — to deal with those — to those humanitarian challenges. 

And so, we’re aware of what’s going on, and we’ve been very clear.  We’ve been very clear on this.

Go ahead, Jared.

Q    Just two kind of clarifying questions — at least clarifying for me; they may be clear for others.  But have you — in the talks that the president has had with the Israeli prime minister, sort of beyond just kind of the details or the readout, is there now an expectation that Israel would inform the administration in advance of action it’s planning to take against Iran?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I can tell you: that the discussions continue on how Israel’s going to respond to that attack, to the attack from Iran last week.  Those discussions continue.  I’m not going to get into details from here or specifics.

Q    And then just quickly on — on the — Lebanon.  You talked about kind of the efforts being made to help Americans get out. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, Americans who are in Lebanon.

Q    So far, are those all — are those all commercial flights at this point?  Or are you talking about, like, some military charters or diplomatic charters as well?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  So, what I spoke to was commercial flights and what we’re trying to do: get some seats on — certainly on these flights.  I would refer you to the State Department.  They did a very well — a very good laydown of this as well, and they’re certainly helping to lead that effort.  So, I would refer you to the State Department on any specifics. 

Go ahead, Phil.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  You’re pretty consistent: You don’t often speculate about hypotheticals.  But today, on more than one occasion, you’ve said that if it’s true that former President Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin, then that’s concerning. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    I’m — I’m wondering: Why is this administration willing to speculate about that in particular?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I said if it’s true —

Q    Speculation.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It’s speculation, but if it’s true — because I knew — right? — we all knew that you all will have — will have questions about — for us about the national security concerns, about our thoughts about this. 

And so, if it is indeed true — right? — we’re talking about President Putin here.  We see what’s happening in Ukraine.  Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.  That’s about democracy.  That’s about Ukrainians fighting for their freedom. 

And we’ve heard the former president say and lobby against the — the funding for Ukraine. 

So, yeah, if it is true, it is indeed concerning, because we’re talking about our national security here.  So, we wanted to be ver- — I want it to be very, very clear.  And so, I’ll leave it there.

Q    And then a second question.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sure.

Q    Does President Biden regret making Merrick Garland his attorney general, as Mr. Woodward has reported? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, the reason I’m able to speculate — because that’s a national security concern.  I wanted to be very clear about that.  But as I’ve stated many times before, there’s going to be many books written about an administration.  It’s not — it’s very much typical.  And I’m just not going to comment on every specific — every — every matter that comes up or any particulars that come up.

Q    And then a national security question.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah. 

Q    Mr. Woodward also reports that, according to intelligence reports, White House officials here believed that there was as much of a 50 percent chance that Russia would use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine.  I mean, is — is — that 50 percent odds number, is that accurate?  And if so —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — would this administration, you know, let the American public know that that kind of risk is real? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Again, I’m not going to speak to everything that is in a book, every particular.  There’s going to be many books written, and we understand that.  It’s not atypical.  But I won’t respond to every piece in the book. 

All right, guys.  Got to go.  Thank you so much.  We’ll see you tomorrow. 

2:52 P.M. EDT

The post Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell appeared first on The White House.

Via Teleconference

11:34 A.M. EDT

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Hi.  Good morning, everyone.

Thank you for joining today’s press call to preview President Biden’s trip to Wisconsin and the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to ensure every community has access to clean, safe drinking water.

Today’s call will begin with on-the-record remarks from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Natalie Quillian and EPA Administrator Michael Regan.  After their remarks, we will have a question-and-answer period, which will be on background and attributable to “senior administration officials.”

As a reminder, the contents of this call and the written materials you received over email are embargoed until tomorrow, October 8th at 5:00 a.m. Eastern.

With that, I will turn it over to Natalie.  

MS. QUILLIAN:  Great.  Thank you.  And thank you all for joining us today. 

I’d like to begin with the big picture.  So, since day one, the president and the vice president have been clear that all Americans, no matter where they come from, should have access to their most basic needs, including being able to turn on the tap and drink clean drinking water without fear.

We know that there is no safe level of lead exposure.  Lead service lines pose a severe health risk, especially in our children, damaging the brain and kidneys.

That’s why the president committed to replace every lead pipe in the country within a decade.

But he didn’t stop there.  He secured over $50 billion to deliver clean water through his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including $15 billion in dedicated funding for lead pipe replacement.

Since then, Americans have had their lead pli- — pipes replaced, especially in disadvantaged communities, many of which are communities of color that shoulder most of the burden of lead poisoning.

And tomorrow, the president is furthering his commitments to provide clean, lead-free water nationwide. 

He’ll be traveling to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to announce EPA’s final rule that will require water systems nationwide to replace lead service lines within 10 years.  He will also announce an additional $2.6 billion from his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for drinking water upgrades and lead pipe replacements.

This funding not only provides clean drinking water, but this effort is also creating good-paying jobs, many of them union jobs, in replacing lead pipes and delivering clean water.

This investment will accelerate lead pipe replacement, helping to deliver clean water to families, kids, and communities across the nation.

And in Wisconsin, we’re already seeing the results.  Wisconsin has an estimated 340,000 lead pipes, the 10th most lead pipes of any state.  And because of the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure funding, Milwaukee’s lead pipe replacement timeline has accelerated from 60 years just down to 10 years.

And Milwaukee is now actively replacing lead pipes, using union labor, prioritizing replacements in disadvantaged communities with the most need.

And this announcement comes as part of the president’s commitment to spend his remaining months in office sprinting to the finish and delivering on his historic Investing in America agenda, which is improving the lives of Americans and planting the seeds for a better, more prosperous future for decades to come.

And now I’d like to turn it over to an amazing leader who is helping make this all possible, Administrator Regan. 

Administrator.

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, good morning, everyone.  And thank you all for joining this call.

(Inaudible) in implementing President Biden and Vice President Harris’s Investing in America agenda.  Your partnership is helping EPA (inaudible). 

Since the earliest days of this administration, and even before, President Biden had a vision to build a 100 percent (inaudible).

(Inaudible) understands the urgency of getting the lead out of communities, because he and Vice President Harris know that ensuring everyone has access to clean water is a moral imperative.

We know that over 9 million legacy lead pipes continue to deliver water to homes across the country.  But the science has been clear for decades: There is no safe level of lead in our drinking water. 

In children, lead can severely harm mental and physical development, slow down learning, and irreversibly damage the brain.  In adults, lead can cause (inaudible) and even cancer.

But thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris, we are moving farther and faster than ever before to address this critical issue.

PARTICIPANT:  Do we have an audio issue, Angelo?

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Yep.  Can we try your connection one more time?

PARTICIPANT:  Hold on one second.  We’re troubleshooting.  Sorry, everybody.  Hold on one second.

We — anything — is this better, Angelo?  This is Nick with Administrator Regan.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Yep, that is better.

PARTICIPANT:  Okay.  Should we start from the top or is there a certain point we should pick up at?

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Let’s start at the top.  Thank you.

PARTICIPANT:  Okay.  Thank you.

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, good morning, everyone.  And thank you all for joining today’s call. 

And I’d like to start by thanking the president’s deputy chief of staff, Natalie Quillian.  Natalie, I’m so grateful for your leadership in implementing President Biden and Vice President Harris’s Investing in America agenda.  Your partnership is helping EPA to make a lasting, tangible difference in communities all across the country. 

Since the earliest days of this administration and even before, President Biden had a vision to build a 100 percent lead-free future.

The president understands the urgency of getting the lead out of communities because he and Vice President Harris know that ensuring everyone has access to clean water is a moral imperative.

We know that over 9 million legacy lead pipes continue to deliver water to homes across our country.  But the science has been clear for decades: There is no safe level of lead in our drinking water.  In children, lead can severely harm mental and physical development, slow down learning, and irreversibly damage the brain.  In adults, lead can cause increased blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function, and cancer.

But thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris, we are moving farther and faster than ever before to address this critical issue, and EPA is at the center of the solution. 

I am very proud to announce that today, EPA has taken another historic step forward to ensure safe, clean drinking water for every child and every person in our nation.  Today, my agency is issuing a final rule requiring drinking water systems across the country to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years.  The rule also requires increased rigorous drinking water testing and a lower threshold for communities to act on and protect people from lead in drinking water. 

And these actions will help protect millions across this country.  In fact, our new rule will protect up to 900,000 infants from having low birth weight, reduce up to 1,500 cases of premature death from heart disease, prevent up to 200,000 IQ points lost in children, and help close the water equity gap every single year.  But these benefits not only protect public health, they can also reduce health care costs, improve school performance, and boost economic productivity. 

In addition to finalizing this historic rule today, EPA is also announcing $2.6 billion in new funding under the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help cities and states fund infrastructure upgrades to accelerate the removal of lead pipes. 

Folks, there has never been more federal funding available to remove lead pipes.  And let me just add that investing in our water infrastructure is not only an investment in public health, it’s an investment in local economies.  For every $1 billion invested in water infrastructure, we create approximately 15,500 jobs. 

President Biden is the president who is finally putting an end to this generational public health crisis, and, folks, delivering a lead-free America is President Biden’s legacy.

This is a matter of public health, a matter of environmental justice, a matter of basic human rights, and it is finally being met with the urgency it demands.  President Biden has kept his promises, and he is fighting every single day for a cleaner, safer, and healthy America. 

I’m truly grateful to everyone who helped us reach this moment, particularly those in EPA’s Office of Water, who worked tirelessly to finalize this rule. 

With today’s announcement, we have more than enough reason to be optimistic about what’s possible for the future of our country and the future of our planet. 

Now, with that, I’m happy to take a few questions.  Thank you.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you, Administrator, and thank you, Natalie.  With that, we will move to the question-and-answer portion of the call.  As a reminder, this will be on background and attributable to “senior administration officials” as they identify themselves.  Comments from Natalie and the administrator will be attributable to them specifically.

As some of you have done, please use the “raise hand” function on Zoom, and we will take a few of your questions.

Okay.  As you’re called upon, please identify yourself and your outlet.  We will start with Aamer. You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi.  Thank — thank all three of you for doing this.  Two questions.  One, can you just give us a little bit of a preview of, in Wisconsin, where the president will be visiting and sort of how he will be highlighting this announcement?

And then, secondly, is there any disappointment in the president — considering the significance of this announcement — that Senator Baldwin won’t be taking part?  Thanks.

MS. QUILLIAN:  I can — this is Natalie.  I can answer that.  I don’t think we have any specifics yet on exactly — to share where he will be visiting, but as soon as we do, we’ll make sure you have those.  And I think it’s fair to say he will highlight the historic investments that we have made so far, including an additional $2.6 billion that he’ll be — he will be announcing tomorrow, as well as highlighting the stories of Americans whose lead pipes in Wisconsin are being replaced or have been replaced and the impact that’s had on their families and their children. 

And then we’re — you know, Senator Baldwin is a — an amazing partner of this administration and leading the charge in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  So, we are just pleased to have such a great partner like her in Wisconsin.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you, Natalie. 

We will go to Rachel next.  You should be unmuted now. 

Q    Great.  Thank you, guys, for doing this and for taking my question.  I recall in the proposed rule, there had been some concerns raised about exemptions that could leave some places with lead pipes for significantly longer.  I recall Chicago being one of them — having lead pipes possibly for 40 or 50 years, even with these — this rule.  Is this still the case in the final rule?  And could you also send us a copy of the final rule on embargo?

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, Rachel, thank you for that question.  And let me just say that the final rule is significantly more stringent than the proposal was.  Some of those numbers that you raised just here and now, those numbers have been slashed significantly.  So, what I would like to say is we are very sure that 99 percent of these cities will meet the deadline, and we’re still taking a look at those that fit in that 1 percent category. 

But let me be very clear:  Those that may fit in that 1 percent category, we will aggressively pursue a timeline that stays in line with the president’s vision. 

Q    Could you give us some idea of, you know — you said those numbers have been slashed.  Can you give us an example and how much it’s been slashed by? 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, I’ll just say — and then I’ll turn it over to — to [senior administration official], who is the expert in our water office.  But, you know, the stringency — the off-ramp, if you will — is a significantly much higher hurdle to obtain, first and foremost.  We have really whittled down the flexibility in this rule. 

And, you know, secondly, this rule is a significant, significant step forward.  But we can’t forget — forget the resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other programs in the water office that will help these cities achieve the president’s vision. 

[Senior administration official], I don’t know if you want to add anything to that. 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thank you, [senior administration official].  I would just add only that, as you know, Rachel, the numbers associated with number of lead service lines that exist in places like Chicago at this point are estimates.  And as we get more information about what number of lead service lines exist, then, through the inventories that will be created — the first one is due October 16th, for example — we’ll be in a better position to determine whether communities actually need more time.  And we’ll go through a process for that.

I will add to that that in communities like Chicago, we’re not only looking at and tracking where — how many lead service lines or whether they need extension, but we’re working extensively to ensure that they receive financing to tackle some of those lead service line issues. 

For example, recently, we announced a $336 million loan to the city of Chicago for replacing lead service lines.  And I know that Chicago is working with other cities in the Midwest and the Great Lakes regions to share best practices to accelerate the removal of lead service lines. 

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you.  We will go to Annie next.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi.  Annie Snider from Politico.  I have two questions.  First of all, I hope you can speak to the vice president’s involvement in this.  If I recall correctly, her office briefed the proposed rule, and my understanding is that she played an important role in the regulatory use of this. 

And then, second of all, this rule is coming out well within the Congressional Review Act window.  Are you concerned at all about this rule getting targeted if Republicans take control of Congress and the White House next year?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, let me just say that the vice president, as you have stated, has been a significant partner to EPA as we have traveled the country and really highlighted the president’s vision, which is a 100 percent lead-free future, as well as helping the public understand the implications of lead exposure. 

And so, the vice president has been very, very involved.  We have had a number of good, solid policy discussions.  And that engagement with the vice president, under the president’s leadership, has led to a very, very strong rule, as well as a very strong strategy for how we deploy these resources in the cities and towns that need it the most. 

So, we’re very, very proud of our partnership with the vice president. 

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Okay.  We will go to Emma next.  You should be unmuted now.  (Inaudible.)

Q    Hi.  This is Emma Gardner for Inside EPA at Inside Washington Publishers.  Thank you so much for doing this.  I just have a couple of questions. 

One, I’d be interested if you could give us a specific action level threshold in terms of parts per billion in the new rule.  And, secondly, I would love to know how the new rule approaches lead service lines that run underneath private land and if there are any incentives for landowners to replace them — the — those pipes themselves.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Emma, I’ll take a stab at answering your two-part question.  The first question was, if I heard you correctly: What — what’s the action level in the new Lead and Copper Rule improvements?  It’s 10 parts per billion.  That’s the action level, which, as you know, previously was 15 parts per billion. 

Just one thing to note: In terms of private side, our rule requires that for full li- — full lead service line replacement where systems have access to the full lead service line.  And we know that there are a variety of rules and laws out there that may influence whether or not a community have — has access to that or requires permission for a local entity to — to enter into private property.

In the event that there’s private property that needs to be entered into and permission needs to be granted, the rule requires that systems ask the member of the — the owner of the property four different times about — for permission to replace that lead service line in two wholly different ways.  So, we’re trying to ensure that water systems around the country, where they do have lead service lines that are in private property, have a persistent way to get in touch with the landowner to get permission to replace them.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you.  We will go to Jacob next.  You should be unmuted now. 

Q    Hey, folks.  Thanks so much for doing this.  I also have a two-part question.  Firstly, just trying to follow up on a question from a previous reporter that I don’t think was totally answered, but could you just speak a little bit to the degree to which you’re concerned about, you know, efforts to overturn this rule through CRA efforts in Congress in, you know, a future Republican-led Congress? 

And, secondly, can you speak to what conversations you had with stakeholders, particularly water service providers, and — and thinking about possible legal challenges that this rule might face, especially as the Supreme Court has, you know, limited the ability of the government to — to issue these sorts of regulations moving forward.  Thanks.  

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, thank you, Jacob, for that question.  I’ll take the first part, and [senior administration official] can follow. 

Listen, this rule is grounded in science and within the four corners of our statutory authority.  And we have measured a number of times.  We’ve measured twice and we’re cutting once here.  We believe that it’s on solid legal footing, supported by the science. 

And listen, the outcomes are undeniable.  If you look at protecting up to 900,000 infants from being born with low birth weight or the reducing of 1,500 cases of premature death from heart disease, the cost benefits are at a 13-to-1 ratio. 

This is an opportunity to reduce lead exposure to millions of families all across the country, and we believe we’ve done it in a very strategic way, a legally sound way, supported by the science.  And the health benefits of this rule are undeniable.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Mr. Administrator, the second part of the question was regarding conversations with stakeholders.  And I would just say that we had repeated conversations with stakeholders throughout this process. 

We also received over 200,000 comments on the proposed rule.  The vast majority of them were supportive of the rule.  We met with stakeholders throughout this process.  We visited the cities where lead service lines are currently being replaced.

And we know that, as the administrator mentioned at the beginning, that this rule is built on actions that have already been taken and already underway both in states and communities across this country.  There are four states that already have requirements to replace lead service lines in 10 years — from Illinois to Michigan to Rhode Island to New Jersey.  There are communities throughout this country that, before this rule was in — put in place, where they’ve already been engaged in removing lead service lines — from Milwaukee to Detroit to Cincinnati to Pittsburgh. 

All across the country, communities are supportive and engaged in this effort today.

MS. QUILLIAN:  Angelo, can I just — this is Natalie.  Can I just jump in on the first question, too, to add to what Administrator Regan said?

Look, I think that we believe and hope that ending the poisoning of our kids from lead water should and could be a bipartisan priority.  And, indeed, we’ve seen many Republicans vote for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that made this possible. 

Now Wiscon- — Wisconsin’s other senator, Ron Johnson, did not vote for it, but we do think that this should be a bipartisan priority.  And I hope that all of our — our members of Congress would vote for keeping our water clean rather than continuing to have lead in the water.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you, Natalie.  We will have time for two more questions. 

Let’s go to Michael.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hey.  Thank you for this.  Appreciate the time, as always.  Just two kind of follow-up questions to some of the other questions that have been asked here.  Can you confirm that the 10 percent action level is not intended to be an individual homes action level? 

And then, secondly, how does the final rule deal with if — if a — if a water system exceeds the 90 percent of — you know, tests above 10 parts per billion, are — is that water system required to provide free filters to its citizens?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Mr. Administrator, let me take a stab at answering that question. 

Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne, for your question. 

I can confirm that the 10 percent action level is throughout the system, as you indicated.  It’s not just on an individual home.  But any individual who has an action level exceedance — it’s the 90th percentile, as you know, Mr.  Hawthorne.  But any individual household that has an exceedance of the action level will be required to be communicated with, get their test results, and be able to take action immediately. 

In addition to that, if the action level is exceeded on a repeated basis — four times in a five-year period, for example — then the community will be required to make filters available to all of the residents in the community, not merely the residents where the action level was repeated — reported.

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you. 

And our final question will come from Miranda.  You should be unmuted now.

Q    Hi.  Thanks for taking our questions. 

What are you hearing from water providers about progress they’ve made on their inventories?  And any — you know, do — do you expect them to, you know, meet the — the October 16th deadline?  Or could there — could there be some — are you hearing about any challenges so far on that front?  Thank you. 

ADMINISTRATOR REGAN:  Well, thank you for the question, Miranda.  And we fully believe, as [senior administration official] has indicated, that these systems are, in many cases, moving forward already. 

I think it’s important for us to note that we know through conversations that these systems can step up and they can meet the challenge.  We have designed a very durable, strong rule that is grounded in the science, grounded in the law.  And we expect these water systems to step up and meet this rule, because under no circumstances do we want our children exposed to lead poison in their drinking water. 

And as Natalie indicated, this is a bipartisan effort here.  There have been folks on both sides of the aisle for a number of years who have been calling for the removal of lead service lines, which are the largest source of lead exposure in this country. 

And so, we fully believe that everyone can step up in a very cost-effective way and comply with this rule, and that is our expectation. 

MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ:  Thank you, Administrator.  And that’s all the time that we have today.

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

If you have any questions, please feel free to follow up with us, and thank you again for joining you.

12:00 P.M. EDT

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James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

2:06 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Good afternoon, everyone.

Q Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, today is a solemn day and a day of remembrance.

One year ago, on October 7th, Hamas launched a heinous attack against Israel. On a day that was supposed to be a joyous Jewish holiday of singing and dancing, Hamas terr- –terrorists streamed across the border from Gaza into Israel and massacred more than 1,200 innocent people, including 46 Americans, at a music festival.

They committed horrific acts of sexual violence. In many cases, these terrorists recorded their acts of barbarity and carnage, chilling, documenting the unspeakable atrocities they committed for others to see.

This morning, the president and the first lady lit a yahrzeit candle to remember all those who were massacred by Hamas in what was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

The president and the first lady were joined by Rabbi Aaron Alexander of Adas Israel Congregation for the candle lighting in remembrance of the victims of the October 7th attacks.

The rabbi recited “God Full of Mercy,” a Jewish prayer for the soul of a person who has died. It is recited during bur- — burial services and memorial services.

Rabbi Alexander is a family friend of the Goldberg-Polin family. Hersh Goldberg-Polin was abducted by Hamas on October 7th and held hostage for almost 11 months until he was murdered by Hamas.

The president also issued a statement mourning those who were killed and recognizing the more than 250 innocents, including 12 Americans, who were taken hostage. The president has met with many of their families and grieved with them. As he said this morning, “They have been through hell.” So many families have lost loved ones on October 7th and will never be the same.

President Biden and Vice President Harris have stood strongly in support of the people of Israel and they made clear again today they fully — they fully co- — they are fully committed to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist.

As both the president and the vice president said, we must bring the hostages home that are being — who are being held in Gaza.

President Biden continues to work around the clock to try to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal that would not only bring the hostages held by Hamas home to their families, but also end the fighting and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, many of whom have been living in hellish conditions, and enable a much-needed surge of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

As we reflect on the past year and all that has happened since October 7th, we also mourn the loss of innocent life in Gaza where tens of thousands of Palestinians have lost their lives as a result of the conflict that Hamas’ terro- — terrorism has unleashed.

President Biden will never stop working to end the suffering of all people. And he continues the work to build the conditions for a lasting peace in the region so that after this conflict is over, Israelis and Palestinians can live securely, side by side, in a lasting peace with equal measures of safety, opportunity, and dignity.

Now, moving on to the hurricane — Hurricane Helene.

President Biden and Vice President Harris continue to s- — to use every tool available to help communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.

Over the weekend, President Biden ordered another 500 active-duty troops to move into western north Cali- — Car- — Carolina — North Carolina, pardon me, in addition to the 1,000 troops the president previously ordered to deploy to the state. This is on top of the more than 6- — 6,100 National Guardsmen and over 7,000 federal personnel all working together with their state and local counterparts to help people begin their road to rebuilding.

Over the last few days, the administration has contracted — contacted nearly 450 state and local officials across the region to offer further support.

And, to date, the president — the president — this administration has helped thousands of Helene survivors — Helene survivors just — jump-start their recoveries, providing over $210 million in direct financial assistance, with more coming every day. As the president has said, when it comes to this whole-of-government response, we are sparring no — sparing no — no resource here.

Unfortunately, scam artists and bad-faith actors and others who are putting politics over people are promoting misinformation about our efforts, including falsehoods about federal assistance. This is wrong, dangerous, and must stop immediately.

Elected officials at every level and on both side of the aisle have also called for an end to these conspiracy theories.

False information following a disaster can discourage people from seeking critical assistance when they need it the most. Everyone, especially those in positions of power, must do everything they can to encourage survivors to register for assistance, not discourage them by allowing these falsehoods to fester.
 
And finally, the president was briefed yesterday and again today on the potential impacts of Hurricane Milton, which forecasts to become a Category 5 storm and make landform — landfall Wednesday on the western coast of Florida.

As with Helene, FEMA and other federal agencies are actively pre-positioning lifesaving resources in advance of the storm.

And earlier today, the president approved the governor of Florida’s request for an emergency disaster declaration, which unlocks additional federal resources to help the state respond to the storm.

To everyone in the path of Milton: The time to prepare is right now. Visit Ready.gov or — or go download the FEMA — the FEMA app to make a plan today. The time is right now.

Please, please, please listen to local officials. It could save your life.

Now, the Biden-Harris administration is committed to preventing, detecting, and responding to health emergencies globally.

On Sep- — on September 27th, Rwanda’s Ministry of Health announced an outbreak of Marburg virus disease — MVD — and the Biden-Harris administration is working closely with the government of Rwanda to end the outbreak as quickly as possible.

As we have all experienced in recent years, health emergencies are a global issue we must address together.

CDC assesses that the risk of the infection with this virus in the United States is low, and there are currently no confirmed MVD — MVD cases outside of Rwanda.
 
Since learning of this outbreak, the United States has committed to ma- — to making nearly $11 million available to address urgent health needs in Rwanda and surrounding countries, and although there are currently no FDA-approved vaccines or drugs against MVD, the United States also contributed investigational vaccine and therapeutic doses, which arrived in Rwanda this weekend, just one week after we learned of the outbreak.

In addition, to keep Americans safe, we are implementing additional precautions for a small, select group of travelers arriving in the United States from Rwanda, including additional health screenings. These measur- — measures will advance ongoing efforts to protect public health and reassure the traveling public that the risk of MVD spreading during air travel is minimized.

And today, we saw the Supreme Court decision and what it means that women in Texas could still be denied critical emergency medical care because of the state’s dangerous and extreme abortion bans. We have been — we have seen and have heard the horrific stories of women being denied the care they need because of these laws.

Also today, in Georgia, the state Supreme Court reinstated an even more extreme abortion ban.

All of these laws were made possible when the former president han- — handicapped [handpicked] three Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wade. They are creating chaos and confusion for women and doctors.

The administration has been clear that all patients, including women experiencing pregnancy loss and other pregnancy-related emergency, must be able to access the emergency medical care they need, and that is required by federal law.

The stories we hear of women being denied care they need in emergency situation is completely unacceptable. That’s why the Biden-Harris administration has taken a number of important steps to make it easier for women to file complaints if they are denied this essential care and investigate and enforce federal protections under EMTALA.

But our fight is not over. After the Supreme Court’s order earlier this year, HHS issued a letter reminding hospitals and provider associations of their obligations under EMTALA, including providing abortion care as a necessary, stabilizing treatment.

We will continue to make those obligations clear. We will also continue to fight Republican elected officials’ extreme, extreme agenda. And we will continue to enforce federal law, support hospitals complying with the obligations, and defend the administration’s long-standing view that women have the right to access the emergency medicar- — medical care that they need.

And with that, Aamer. Thank you for your patience, you all.

Q Sure. If I could just follow up on two of your toppers.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q First on the abortion access rulings today. Not much is going to change with the shape of the courts immediately after November. So, what — what other avenues can the administration pursue —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — in the little time that you have left?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: As you know, when Roe v. Wade was originally overturned because of the Dobbs decision that was done more than two years ago, the president and the vice president took action. The president, on that same day, made — announced some executive actions that he was moving forward with — obviously, with a whole-of-go- — -of-government approach here.

And so, we’ve taken actions. We’ve taken this very seriously. I don’t have anything to preview — preview to you right this time, at — at this moment, but we’re going to take this very seriously, as we have — as we have for the past two — two years.

And, look, it is important. It is important for people to be very aware of what’s at stake here. It is important for us to continue to voice what we’re seeing here: women being denied care and their lives putting — being put at risk. And so, we’re going to continue to fight.

As you know, there’s EMTALA. There’s other measures that the DOJ is using to protect doctors and also women who are looking for that care that they should be making on — about their own body themselves.

And we’re going to continue to call out these extreme agendas that we’re seeing from — from the other side, from Republicans.

Look, we’re going to — don’t have anything to preview today, but it is important to call this out. It is important to say how dangerous this is and how this is a freedom that has been taken away from women.

Q If I could just follow on the storms.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q What’s the confidence that FEMA is prepared to handle what could be two major disasters at the same time? And can you talk a little bit more about what’s — what they’re doing, specifically —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — with Milton, while they’re still handling Helene?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q And then, finally, there was a report — I believe it was NBC — just as we were coming out, that Governor DeSantis is dodging calls with Vice President Harris and President Biden.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look —

Q Is that an issue? Is —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So —

Q Is politics starting to sink into this?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, that’s really for the governor to speak to, right? I — we’ve — I — you’ve heard me mention — I believe in the gaggle last week when we were heading to Florida and Georgia — we invited the governor — right? — to come and survey the damaged areas with the president. Obviously, we were in Florida. We invited the — the governor of Florida to come. It was his decision to — to not — to not attend or not be there with the president.

The president has reached out around Hurricane Helene. He reached out. It is up to the governor. It is really up to the governor.

We know, I can say — and I think you’ve heard this from the FEMA administrator — she has been able to — to speak with the governor. She spoke with him yesterday in regards to Milton, that hurricane coming shortly. And so, we have been in touch with state — state and local officials — we — in order to be able to help the people of Florida who are dealing — who are going to be impacted, who were — who were impacted, certainly, by Helene.

And we’re going to continue to certainly pre-position on the ground. And we’re going to support — we’re going to con- — support the communities with whatever and — whatever they need and when- — whenever. That is our commitment. That is our commitment to the folks who are going to be impacted.

So, we’ve been in touch with state and local officials in Florida, and we’re going to ensure that we meet in advance what their needs are going to be. And FEMA is — and FEMA is on the ground supporting that — supporting that. So, that’s important.

It’s up to the governor. It is up to him. We are doing our part in — in the Biden-Harris administration, working –obviously, FEMA is work- — is on the ground, all-hands-on-deck, whole-of-government, robu- — robust approach here.

And so, again, that’s for Governor DeSantis to speak to.

Q Is it — but is it accurate that the president and the vice president have made outreach efforts —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We — we — I mean — you —

Q — and they have not been answered?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — you have — you — you’ve asked us. We have made outreach and — regarding, certainly, Hurricane Helene. And as I mentioned, the good thing is the FEMA administration — administrator, pardon me, was able to connect with the governor yesterday. I think that’s important.

But, look, we’re going to — we’re going to do the work. We’re going to continue to talk to local and state officials. That is important as well. We’re going to pre-position as this hurricane, Hurricane Milton, is com- — coming — coming towards, as it — as it seems, towards Florida.

Category 5 — that’s nothing to joke about. That is very, very serious. And so, we’re taking this serious, as the president has done many, many times when we’ve seen these types of storms coming — coming our way. So, we’re going to do our job, do our work here.

Go ahead.

Q Thanks, Karine. We’re learning that DeSantis refused to take a call from Vice President Harris specifically around Hurricane Milton. Can you just talk about that and any communication —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — this —

Q — around this —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: This is —

Q — new hurricane?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, that is something for the governor to speak to himself.

If you have the president and you have the vice president reaching out to offer up assistance, provided to the pe- — your constituents, the people who live in your state, to make sure we are doing everything that we need to do, from federal response, and we’re reaching out, offering our support. That’s for the governor. And the governor — it’s up for — to him if he wants to respond to us or not.

But what we’re doing is we’re working with state and local officials to make sure that we are pre-positioned, to make sure that we are r- — ready to be there for the communities that are going to be impacted. We are doing the job that is needed — that we believe is needed for — to protect the communities and to make sure that they have everything that is needed.

You heard me talk about the declaration. We approved that for Florida. That’s moving forward. And so, we’re taking this very, very seriously. That’s for the governor to speak to. That is.

Q Trump and some of his Republican allies have been spreading misinformation about the federal response to Hurricane Helene. So, what exactly is the White House doing to combat that misinformation? And can you just talk about the impact it’s already having on the ground?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — it’s a great question. Combating misinformation and disinformation is always, always critically important. It is.

You s- — you heard the lay down that I gave at the top. The reason I did that at the top is because we wanted to make clear that things are available to — to the public, folks who are impacted, and that misinformation, disinformation is indeed dangerous. It gets in the way in what we’re trying to do here. It does.

And there has been a lot of falsehoods. And let me just fact-check a couple of things, because it’s really important. It is — again, it is wrong; it is dangerous. And I also called out the — there are important people, people who have power, privilege, who are spreading these — these falsehoods, and they need to stop. They need to stop doing that.

So, disaster relief — this is a falsehood: disaster relief funds used on immigrants illegally in the U.S. The fact is no money is being diverted from response needs. That’s the fact.

Another falsehood: FEMA confiscating Helene survivor property. That’s false. That is not true. The fact is FEMA cannot seize your property or land, period.

Another falsehood that’s out there: FEMA will only provide $750 to disaster survivors to support their recovery. That is a falsehood. That is not true. The fact is this is an upfront payment for urgent needs like food and medication. Many survivors — many survivors will qualify for more assista- — assistance.

Another falsehood: FEMA, FAA are restricting airspace in North Carolina. That is not true. That’s false. The fact is there are no airspace restrictions in North Carolina.

So, we’re going to continue to combat these. It’s important to combat them. But people of — people who have a microphone and a podium should not continue to spread this falsehood. It is dangerous. It is incredibly dangerous.

Q But is the administration tracking that having an impact on the ground in terms of people being — people not seeking the aid they need because —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: That’s a concern.

Q Is that — is that happening?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: But — but that’s a concern. That is a concern. And it — you know, people who need help should seek help from the federal government. There is assistance out there. I talked about hundreds of millions of dollars are ready — already being provided to impacted areas.

And now we have Hurricane Milton coming. We can’t have this. We cannot. This needs to stop. This needs to stop.

If you care about your constituents, if you care about the people, if you care about Americans, you shouldn’t do this. You shouldn’t spread these falsehoods. It is dangerous.

Go ahead.

Q Thank you, Karine. Did the president get an update from President Herzog when they spoke this morning about the Iranian response?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, just a couple of things on that. And, look, the president — what you saw the president do is honor and commerme- — commer- — commemorate lives that were lost, as I sted — said at the top. And the president called President Herzog because he believed it was appropriate person for the president to call to express his condolences. It was a meaningful and important conversation.

And so, that’s what they spoke about. It — it was focused on commemorating this incredibly sad day.

Q Okay. So, there was not a detailed conversation about Iran?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t have anything beyond that. It was about offering up his condolences and what — and what the Israeli people must be going through right now.

Q Hama- — Hamas reiterated over the weekend that they see Netanyahu as being the stumbling block to a ceasefire deal. It seemed like the president’s own remarks recently in the briefing room here kind of left open the — the opportunity for taking that analysis away as well. Do — does the president feel like he needs speak with Prime Minister Netanyahu?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: As the president said himself, there will be — he’s going to — there will be a call shortly, soon. I don’t have anything to preview for you at this time. As you know — you hear us say this many, many times — they have decades-long relationship. And in those conversations that they do have, it’s very honest; it’s very frank. And that will continue.

I don’t have anything else beyond what the president stated at this podium on Friday or many times before about this particular issue.

Look, we believe the best chance at getting these hostages home is through a ceasefire deal. That’s what the president is directing his team to continue to work on, and that’s going to be our focus.

Go ahead.

Q Karine, just given the projected path and strength of Milton that you were talking about, is any consideration being given to the president perhaps skipping his trip to Germany and Angola?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, the president is monitoring this very, very closely. I just talked about how he’s gotten updates about the hurricane and, obviously, continuing to get updates on what is happening on the ground as af- — after — after the horrible hurricane, Hurricane Helene.

And so, that will continue. I don’t have anything to share about a change in travels or his schedule. And so, certainly, if that — if that were to be, we would cert- — share that with all of you.

Q Is that something that has been discussed at all, the possibility —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I — what I —

Q — of a schedule change?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — can say is that we are monitoring the — the hurricane, Hurricane Milton. As you just — as you just heard me at the top, it’s going to be a Category 5. Our — our job right now is to make sure we make it very, very clear to folks who are on the ground to please listen to local officials, to please be ready and take this very, very seriously.

And FEMA and other federal — federal agencies are preparing or pre-positioning on the ground to offer up assistant and to be ready — to be ready for the — when the hurricane hits. I just don’t have anything to share about any change in schedule.

Q Just a quick question on the Middle East. Is the White House currently doing anything to actively push the Lebanon ceasefire proposal that you all announced a couple weeks ago?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, what I can say is that — look, when it comes to — when it comes to the proposal that you just stated, the — the 21-day proposal, what we believe is ultimately — ultimately — and the — the Isr- — the Israelis have said this themselves as well — is that it needs — there needs to be an agreement that allows civilians to safely return to their homes on both sides of the border over the long term.

So, we’re going to be having regular consultations with the Israelis, with the Lebanese, and others regarding the right moment to — to press for such an agreement. But ultimately, that’s where we need to be in order for both sides — both — civilians on both sides to return home.

Q When you say you’re looking for the right moment to make a push for that proposal, are you saying that moment is not now, that you’re not actively pushing for that right now?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, we are in regular conversations. As I said, we continue to have those discussions with the Israelis and the Lebanese on this particular issue. We believe that we need this. We need to have a space — I mean, you tal- — you heard me speak about this — to have some space, some diplomatic dialogue in order to get there.

And so, you know, that’s what you would need, is a ceasefire, in order to get there. We’re going to have those conversations, and we’re certainly — when the right moment to press for such an agreement, we will do so. But the conversation — those dis- — discussions continue.

Q Okay. But it would be correct to say that the White House is not currently, actively pushing on that proposal?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can tell you is we continue those consultations with the Israelis and the Lebanese. That’s what I can share.

Go ahead.

Q Thanks, Karine. Following up on the president’s trip, can you just explain a little bit why the president is taking these trips now when there’s less than a month before the election? What is he trying to accomplish?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, you’ve heard us talk about the importance of this travel. As you — he’s going to be going to Germany, obviously, and also Angola. The president is certainly looking forward to that travel. And I would say that — you know, we — as it relates to — I mean, each of them is very different than — than the other.

But we think it serves as a powerful symbol — a powerful symbol of the U.S.-Germany re- — partnership, as you think about the German piece of this trip, and our close cooperation on the world’s most pressing challenges, and so — and to ensure our people have every opportunity for safety and prosperity.

And what this visit is going to do, it’s going — it’s going to underscore the deep commitment and that transatlantic security resolute support. If you think about Ukraine and the self-defense of Ukraine, that’s going to be a big part of this visit — and continuing that support, continuing to do everything that we can to stop the Russian aggression. And so, that is going to be certainly a big part of that.

Continuing contributions to — to meet the NATO pledge also is going to be a big component of that.

And so, this is important, as we see what’s going on in Ukraine, as we continue to see Russia’s aggression, to have that conversation. You have seen the president’s leadership when it comes to Ukraine and what he’s been able to do to make NATO stronger, to have more than 50 — 50 countries’ support to support Ukraine in their fight against that aggression of Russia. And so, that’s a big part — certainly, it will be a big part of that — of that trip.

And when it comes to Angola, there’s going to be a bilateral meeting that the president will have, and this speaks to the U.S.-Africa relationship that we want to continue, that we want to strengthen. And so, that’s what you’re going to see. They’re very — two important relationships that is very much connected to what this president has done over the three and a half years, if you look at his global leadership. And the president is loo- — very much looking forward to it.

Q But let me put this way.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Sure.

Q He cou- — he could have taken these trips after the election. I mean, he could have taken them in — in December or January before he leaves office. So, what is so urgent about this moment —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: There’s not —

Q — that he needed to do it in October?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I appreciate that, but there’s not a lot of time. There really isn’t. Three months is going to fly by. There’s not a lot of time. And so, the president wanted to get this done. We had said when it — as it relates to Ang- — Angola and going to the continent, the president had made a commitment and a promise to go to Africa, to continue to show his commitment to that relationship. And that’s what — the president wanted to keep that promise.

And so, three months is not a lot of time. And so, this was the right period of time to go to get that done.

And we’re also going to go to Germany. As I talked about, that NATO — the — the — continuing that NATO pledge, continuing what we’re doing on — for Ukraine as they’re fighting against Russia’s aggression — all of these things are really important to our — yes, to our — to our relationships with those — with those partners but also to what we’re trying to do on behalf of this country, on behalf of Americans.

And so, it’s — three months is not a long time. As you know, that’s going to fly by. That’s going to fly by.

Go ahead.

Q Karine, the other day, the president said that if the Israelis strike back in Iran, they ought to do so in a proportionate fashion. He said that he did not believe they should strike nuclear sites, and then he seemed to suggest he didn’t think they should strike energy sites either. So, what, in the president’s view, would be proportionate?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) I’m not going to get into — (laughs) — I appreciate the question. I’m not going to get into what’s proportionate, not proportionate — get into that back and forth.

What I can say is we are continuing to have discussions with the Israelis about their response, obviously, responding to Iran’s attack — almost 200 missiles — right? — that went flying into Israel — that we were able to, obviously, at the president’s direction, with the military being — the U.S. military aiding in — in the defense of Israel, which the president was really proud to be able to have done that. Our se- — our commitment continues to be very clear on Israel’s security. That’s ironclad.

Those conversations continue. I just don’t have anything to — to add beyond what the president stated.

Q From the best we can tell, the president hasn’t spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu since around August 21st. That’s a long time given the degree of — of high activity the Israeli forces have been involved in. And it would seem to suggest that, at this point, they don’t have a whole lot to say to each other. But tell us why you think they’ve gone that long.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) So, look, I would say this: In the past year, the president and the prime minister have spoken more than a dozen times — in the past year, and they’ve seen each other, as you know. I think you might have been with us at those moments when they’ve seen each other. And — and we have said — the national security advisor has said this, the president said this himself during — especially, as you said, during these past week or so, in these high-stake moments, if you will, the president’s team has been in touch regularly — regularly — practically daily — with the Israelis’ government.

And so, we’ve been in close communication and close contact, and that continues. That has been the case for the past year. And so, that’s certainly going to continue.

And, look, the president is going to say — is going to speak to the prime minister. He has said that. And once we have a — a call to speak to, we will certainly do that.

Go ahead, Jon.

Q Thanks, Karine. When the president came here into the briefing room late last week, he said that he expects the election will be “free and fair,” but he also said, “I don’t know whether it will be peaceful.” What can the administration do — what is the administration doing proactively to prevent that possibility of the election not being peaceful in any way, either leading up to —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — November the 5th or in the aftermath?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, I’m not going to get into specifics from here. I think the president was asked a question, and he answered it very straightforward and very directly. And I think the president and myself and many others have spoken to what we saw on January 6th of 2021.

And so, obviously, we are — there’s always concerns, but — and — and not only that, you know that Americans care about our democracy. They care. They care about preserving and protecting the democracy. And I think that’s something a — this president has promised to do and will continue to do this in his remaining couple of months of — in this term.

I’m not going to get into specifics here. I think the president, as I said, was asked a question. He answered it directly, but he also said this is going to — I think this is really important — that this — he believes this is going to be a free and fair election. And so, I’m going to leave it there. I’m not going to get into details.

Q Separately — separately, in regards to the relationship or — or lack of a relationship between the governor of Florida and the leadership of this administration, does it make a coordinated response to tropical weather that much more difficult if the governor is not speaking to the vice president or to the president?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, here’s what I can say. We have been talking to state and local officials on the ground, and I think that’s important — over 15 local officials from communities along the likely path of the storm as we think about Hurricane Milton. And so, we have FEMA on the ground. Administrator Criswell is going to be in Florida — if she’s not there already — assisting, guiding, providing that help. She has spoken — she spoke to the governor yesterday.

And so, look, we’re going to do our job. We’re going to do what we need to do to make sure communities have what they need as this hurricane is coming our way at Category — potentially Category 5. And so, that’s not going to stop the federal assistance. That’s not going to stop the job that this president wants to see his team do. We’re going to have a robust — robust, all-of-government, if you will, federal response to this.

And you have seen that. You have seen that over the last three and a half years. When it comes to these natural disasters, we are going to make sure that we are there for the American people.

And anything else, I would have to leave it to the governor, to his actions, to how he wants to move forward in this. That is for him. That is a question for the governor.

Go ahead, Karen.

Q Thanks, Karine. You used the phrase “incredibly dangerous” a couple times, talking about the misinformation on —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — the hurricane.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It is.

Q And given how widespread it has been over the past few days and how much of an effort FEMA and the administration has made to combat that, how concerned is the president that what we’re seeing now with this storm is perhaps a preview of the misinformation we might have on Election Day or in the days following that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, misinformation, disinformation is a problem across the board, and we have to combat it. It is. It is — it is something — whether it’s the election, whether what we’re seeing currently right now with Hurricane — Hurricane Helene that just came through — and obviously, Milton is on its way, sadly — we have to combat that.

And you’re — and I’m saying they’re dangerous, yes, because they are. They’re critically dangerous to have this misinformation, disinformation. And that’s why, at the top, I called out — you know, you have some powerful people out there who continue to — to spread conspiracy theories.

It is not helpful. It is not helpful to what we’re trying to do as we’re trying to assist Americans on the ground and trying to figure out how the best way to respond, what they ne- — what their needs are. And so, yeah, it’s not — it’s not ideal. It is dangerous, in fact.

And let’s not forget — I do want to say this — when dealing with Hurricane Helene, you heard from Republican governors, Democratic governors say — speak to their response. South Carolina Governor McMaster: Federal assistance has “been superb,” we “were asking for everything we need.” And Virginia Governor Youngkin: incredible — “incredibly appreciative of the rapid response.” Governor of Georgia, Governor Kemp, appreciated the president’s call offering any “other things we need”; thanked the president for giving aid to more counties.

I mean, this is — there’s a bipartisan response to Hurricane Helene, and you see that, you hear that from elected officials on both sides of the aisle. They’re very thankful for what the federal government has done and continues to do. But you have this misinformation, disinformation that wants to tear it apart. And this is a time for communities to come together, for all of us to come together. It doesn’t matter if you have an “R” or a “D” behind your name; it is a time to come together to actually deliver for these impacted communities.

So, yeah, it’s dangerous.

Go ahead.

Q Thanks, Karine. On the Boeing strike. Boeing is returning to wage talks, and just wanted to see if the White House is participating in any of those conversations, if there’s anything you can share on —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, as we’ve always stated, collective bargaining is something that this president believes in. It has worked. You have seen that work over the past couple of years in — in — under this administration, when we’ve called for it. I don’t have anything to share beyond — beyond that.

We always believe that it is important for both sides to come to the table in good faith and to make sure that the workers — right? — the workers certainly get their fair share.

Q And on the upcoming foreign travel. You — you mentioned that the trip Bi- — that Biden is going to — to Germany and Angola, but you were asked if it was being — you know, talked about maybe being pulled down. Just wanted to clarify that the trip is happening.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t have any changes to the president’s schedule. That’s what I’ve said. And the president is looking forward to going on the trip, certainly — certainly. And you all know, you all will be the first to know — one of the first to know if any — if that changes.

Q And do you expect a call with Bibi before the election, or is Biden holding out until — or is the president holding out until after the election?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The president said he was going to call the prime minister. I don’t have anything else to share on timing.

Go ahead, Nadia.

Q Thank you, Karine. I was wondering whether you could comment on remarks that former President Trump made this morning linking migration, crime, and genetics and, more specifically, this sentence, quote, “We’ve got a lot of bad genes in our country right now,” end quote.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Ugh. Well, that type of language is hateful, it’s disgusting, it’s inappropriate and has no place in our country. I just talked about misinformation, disinformation, and how we have seen a bipartisan response when it came to Hurricane Helene and how we’re trying to bring our country together. It is important to bring people together.

And tearing people apart, tearing communities apart is dangerous. And this comes from the same vile statements that we’ve ha- — that we’ve heard about im- — migrants being poisoned — poison the blood. That’s disgusting.

And so, this president, this vice president, we’re going to continue to forcefully reject this kind of vile, disturbing, hateful, hateful speech. It has no place — no place in this country. And we have to respect the rights of all — respect the rights of — of all of us coming together. That’s what we want to see — not tearing communities apart; bringing it together.

Go ahead.

Q Thank you, Karine. A few questions on China. Could you please share what message President Biden sent to President Xi on China’s National Day in the past weekend? And are they planning to talk by phone very soon? What’s the main purpose of this phone call, gi- — considering the upcoming government transition in the United States?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, to your question, on the National Day, the president certainly conveyed the same message that he has done in the past — the past couple of years, which is congratulating the Chinese people on — on occasion of PRC National Day on October 1st.

As it relates to a call, I just don’t have anything to share with you at this time.

Go ahead.

Q The president wrote a letter to congressional leadership asking them to add additional funding to the disaster relief effort, and I wondered if there was any more conversations behind the scenes happening to bring them back early.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, first, the letter is focused on SBA’s disaster loan program, which is — could soon run out of funding. And so, the president wanted to alert Congress on that. That’s what the letter primarily focused on. And in addition, the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund faces a shortfall at the end of the year.

And so, the president’s letter was urging Congress to — to speed up and provide that funding. And that’s what the president wants to see, and that’s what the president was calling for.

We want Congress to move appropriately, at appropriate speed to get this done. And here’s the thing: In the past, Congress has been able to take quick action even when there is a recess to address urgent problems, so this is nothing new. This is nothing new at all.

And so, the president wanted to be very, very clear about where we are and what the needs are and — and wanted to show — show to Congress by — in this letter the urgency of them acting.

They need to act.

Q Does he believe they should come back early?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: As I stated, this is not the first time Congress has been able to take action and to act on — when it comes to urgent problems, urgent matter. They’ve been able to do that during recess.

What we are going to continue to do is lay out the urgency of this getting done. We’re talking about SBA disaster loan program. This is important — important to communities, especially communities that are impacted.

Go ahead, in the back.

Q Thank you. I have questions on two topics. The first one, you mentioned the Supreme Court case regarding emergencies and abortions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q The administration has not done much to enforce its interpretation of that law that hospitals have to provide abortions in medical emergencies, particularly for hospitals that patients have reported that’s not happening. Can you talk about the administration’s efforts to ramp up enforcement in that area in the next couple months?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. So, I would refer you to HHS. This is under their — their purview. So, I would refer you to them.

Q And on the storms that are coming, and also on Helene. Florida and Georgia both have voter registration deadlines today. Some of the states that are in the path of the storm have them upcoming. Is the administration going to ask the states to extend those deadlines, or are you doing anything to prepare for storm damage to exist around Election Day —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look —

Q — making it difficult for people to go vote?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No. Understand. And I’ve gotten this question multiple times, in var- — in variations. So, look, what we — this is why it’s important to do this type of response that we’re doing. We want to make sure that these — the communities are getting the response, they’re getting the recovery from this disaster, and we want to make sure that their voices can be heard in November.

So, I would certainly refer you to state el- — state election officials, and certainly CISA as well, to speak to that specifically. I just don’t have anything else to share.

But this is why — this is why what we’re trying to do, trying to combat this misinformation, disinformation, workly — working closely with local and state officials to make sure these communities have what they need so that we can get them back on their feet is so critical — is so, so critical.

As it relates to that specific question, I would have to refer you to the state though.

Q Are you seeing misinformation about the storm and voting, or just the storm response —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I am saying —

Q — in general?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — is that misinformation, disinformation — I’m speaking to our response on the ground. Right? We’re trying to get funding on the ground. We’re trying to make sure that people who have been affected can reach out to FEMA, can reach out to federal — federal government asking for assistance. And that is something that’s really important, and that’s the misinformation, disinformation that I’m speaking to.

And so, what our focus is is making sure that that recovery, that response is getting to communities, because we do want to make sure — we want to make sure that communities, they’re able to have their voices heard in November.

Q Thank you, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Go ahead.

Q Thank you, Karine. Congratulations on the promotion.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you.

Q You’re not leaving us in the briefing room, are you?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Unless you want me to. Do you want me to leave the briefing room?

Q No, sure don’t.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Okay.

Q So, the arms dealer that President Biden freed in a prisoner swap, Viktor Bout, is now, according to the Wall Street Journal, selling weapons to the Houthis. Does President Biden think that is a problem?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, a couple of things. I can’t confirm that report today, in — I believe, in the Wall Street Journal.

I do want to put out a couple of facts here that is important to note. Look, securing the release of Americans who are being held hostage and wrongfully detained is a big priority — is a priority for this administration. And I would note that we have been extraordinarily successful in getting that done. It is a top priority to get these Americans, again, wrongfully detained and held hostage.

And so, that is something — and it’s not easy. It is not an easy de- — easy thing to do. It is not — there are some difficult decisions that we have to make. We’ve been very transparent about that — very transparent.

As you’re talking about Viktor Bout, that was in rele- — in — related to Brittney — Brittney’s release. And so, even then, a year and a half ago, we were clear about decisions that have to be made on a number of occasions. And it’s — it’s incredibly difficult. And we’ve been transparent about it. We’ve been very transparent.

So, look, we’re going to continue to do what we can — do everything that we can to bring Americans home who are wrongfully detained and held hostage. And, again, frankly, we have had an extraordinary record of doing just that, and that’s going to be the president’s top priority.

Q And on this issue of funding, the administration has money to send to Lebanon without Congress coming back, but Congress does have to come back to approve money to send to people in North Carolina. Do I have that right?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Here’s what I’m going to be very clear about: The president and the vice president has had a — a robust, whole-of-government response to this. Hundreds of millions of dollars — I said it at the top, more than $200 million — that we have directly put towards survivors here for the di- — for disaster help, and that’s because of this president’s commitment to make sure that we are there for communities that are impacted.

We take this very seriously. Again, we take this very seriously. And before — before the hurricane hit, we pre-positioned more — more than 1,500 federal — federal folks on the ground to help.

And so, we have made sure that every state has gotten their storm — requested emergency declaration. They requested it, and we made sure they received it. We’ve taken this very seriously — more than $200 million that we have provided to the impacted areas.

And — but instead, people want to do disinformation, misinformation, which is dangerous — which is dangerous, because then it — what that — when — when folks on the ground hear that, they may not want to ask for the help that they need that is there for them — that is there for them. That’s our focus here.

Q But President Biden is fond of saying, “Show me your budget, and I will tell you what you value.” If he has got money for people in Lebanon right now, without Congress having to come back, what does it say about his values that there is not enough money right now for people —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: His values —

Q — in North Carolina who need it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: His —

Q That’s not misinformation.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait. No, that is. Wait, your whole — your whole premise of the question is misinformation, sir.

Q Excuse me.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What you don’t — yes, yes.

Q Which part?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It’s misinformation.

Q Did — is there money —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I just — I just mentioned —

Q — to send to Lebanon right now?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I just mentioned — I just mentioned to you that we provided more than $200 million to folks who are impacted in the area, and I just shared with you that people are deciding not to —

Q $157 million is not (inaudible) —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — not — no — but people are deciding not to —

Q 157 million is not (inaudible) —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — no — no, but people are deciding not to —

Q President Biden sent a letter to —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — not — wait —

Q — Congress that there’s not enough money to help people in North Carolina —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We’re talking about the SBA disaster loan. Yes.

Q That’s money for people in North Carolina.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And that’s important. And people in North Carolina need that. Con- —

Q The president is the —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Wait. This is nothing new.

Q — one saying it’s running out.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Peter, this is nothing new. Congress comes together. They provide money — millions of dollars for disaster relief. We’re asking them to do the job that they have been doing for some time.

Q And I’m reading from a letter that President Biden sent to —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Been doing for some time.

Q — Johnson, McConnell, Schumer, and Jeffries. The president’s letter is not misinformation. Would you agree?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, the way you’re asking me the question is misinformation. There is money that we are allocating to the impacted areas, and there’s money there to help people who truly need it. There are survivors who need the funding — who need the funding, and it’s there.
Q You can’t call a question that you don’t like “misinformation.”

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I said that —

Q That’s very unfair.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I actually said we have the money available to help survivors of Hurricane Helene and also Hurricane Milton.

Now, we’re — now, there’s going to be a shortfall — right? — because we don’t know how bad it’s — Hurricane Milton is going to be, and so we’re going to need additional funding. We’re going to need additional funding.

Q That’s exactly what I just asked about, and you said it —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No —

Q — was misinformation.

Yes.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What you’re asking me is why Congress needs to come back and do their job. That’s what you’re asking me.

Congress needs to come back and do their job and provide extra assistance, extra funding to Disaster Relief Fund. That’s what Congress needs to do, and we’re going to continue to urge that.

You may not want that, but that’s okay. That’s what this president wants, and that’s what the vice president wants.

Thanks, everybody.

2:55 P.M. EDT

The post Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre appeared first on The White House.

2:06 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, folks.  My name is Joe Biden.  (Laughter.)

Q    Welcome to the briefing room.

Q    Welcome, Mr. President. 

Q    We’ve been waiting for you. 

THE PRESIDENT:  Welcome to the swimming pool.

Q    Finally.  This is — this is great.

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, look, folks, good afternoon.  The past two days have gotten some — we’ve gotten very good news about the American economy. 

Just yesterday, shipping carriers, after some discussion, and the International Longshoreman’s Union came to an agreement to keep their ports in the East Coast and Gulf ports open.  We averted what could have become a major crisis for the country.  And a tentative agreement, which includes record wage increases for dockworkers and shows the importance of collective bargaining and represents, I think, critical progress toward a strong contract. 

I especially want to thank the carriers, the port operators, and the longshoreman’s union for reaching this agreement at a time when the nation has experienced such terrible devastation from Hurricane Helene.  It was truly a service to the American people for all the parties to come together and to respond to our request to keep the ports open. 

I was determined to — to avert a crisis at this moment, because it’s a critical moment.  If we didn’t do this now, we’d have a real problem.  

I also want to thank my White House team for the work — they worked around the clock to bring the parties together. 

But, today, I — we got more incredible news.  Although the strength of the American economy is a — it’s about the strength of the American economy.  The new jobs report, as you all know and you’ve been reporting, created 250,000 jobs in September.  The expectation was for 150,000 jobs in September, which is — far exceeds that number.  Not only the previous two months — but not only that, the previous two months was revised up 150,000 — 75,000 jobs. 

And from the very beginning, we were told time and again that the polices we were pursuing — we’d put forward weren’t –weren’t going to work, make things worse, including some of the other team who are still saying they’re going to make things worse.  But we’ve proven them wrong.

You know, we were told our American — we’ve — we were told our American Rescue Plan was too big and it would crowd out private investment.  We proved them wrong.  It vaccinated a nation and got immediate economic relief to people in need. 

When I came to office determined to end trickle-down economics and to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up — I know you’re tired of hearing me say that over and over again, but that was the policy; it remains the policy — because when you do that, everyone does well.  When the middle class grows, the nation is stronger.  And the nation is stronger when there is a strong union movement as well. 

We were told it wouldn’t work, but I was also determined to do what was ignored for much too long.  Presidents have been authorized since the ‘30s to be able to spend the money given by Congress — to spend the money on hiring American workers and using American product where they were available.  And that’s what we did.  

We were told that was going to be a big problem, but all the money we — I was authorized to spend by the Congress has gone to building a mi- — to — gone to hiring American workers and using American products.  We were told it wasn’t going to be — I — we were told that was going to be a big problem, but it’s working. 

We were also told that our historic laws to invest in America and all Americans would crowd out private-sector investment.  Well, that was proven wrong too.

We’ve attracted nearly $1 trillion since we’ve come to office in private-sector investment from domestic and foreign companies investing in America — in America.  And not this stuff with sh- — shipping jobs overseas for cheaper labor and bringing back a product to America.  We’re building it here and sending it overseas.  And look at the results across the board.

Unemployment is back down 4- — to 4.1 percent.  And every month f- — that Vice President Harris and I have been in office, we’ve been — there’s been — we’ve created jobs every single month. 

The nation has now created 16 million jobs since I’ve come to office, more jobs created in a single presidential term than at any time in American history. 

Our GDP shows our economy grew at — at 10 percent under my administration.  Unemployment reached the lowest level in 50 years. 

We were also told inflation couldn’t come down without massive job losses or sending the economy into economic recession. 

Once again, the outside experts were wrong.  Inflation has come way down.  Wages have gone up, growing faster than prices.  The interest rates are down.  A record 19 million new business applications have been filed for.  The stock market continues to reach new heights. 

We’ve got more work to do though to keep getting — keep — to keep getting prices down, like more affordable housing, extending what I’ve done for seniors and lowering prescription drug costs by letting Medicare negotiate the prices — make sure that’s available to everyone. 

And, by the way, what we’ve done so far — just what we’ve brought down the prices for seniors under Medicare, it saved the taxpayers billions of dollars — billions of dollars.  Saved the taxpayers billions of dollars.  That’s important to note because they don’t have to pay the exorbitant and ratio- — irrational prices that these companies are charging.

The simple fact is we’ve gone from an economy in crisis to literally having the strongest economy in the world.  And — but we got — we — we got more work to do.  We’ve got more work to do to deal the — the things I’ve just mentioned.  And we’re going to have to deal with unforeseen costs of what this — this hu- — this hurricane is going to cost.  It’s going to cost a lot of money, and I’m going to probably have to ask the Congress before we leave for more money to deal with some of those problems, but that remains to be seen. 

I’ll take a few questions before I turn it over to —

Q    Mr. President —

THE PRESIDENT:  You pick out the questions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, okay.  Yes, sir.  (Laughter.)  Yes, sir. 

Go ahead, Josh. 

Q    Thanks again for doing this, Mr. President.  Two questions.  The first, Florida Senator Marco Rubio described today’s jobs report as having “fake numbers.”  What do you make of that?  And how worried are you that many Americans are hearing that the jobs numbers aren’t real? 

THE PRESIDENT:  Look, I’m going to be very careful here.  If you notice anything the MAGA Republicans don’t like, they call “fake.”  Anything.  The job numbers are what the job numbers are.  They’re real.  They’re sincere.  They’re — what we are. 

But — and, by the way, just look at how the EU talks about us, how they’d like to have an economy like ours.  Let’s talk about the rest of the world looks at us and what we’re doing. 

So, I — well, I don’t want to get going. 

Q    And — and then, secondly, could you clarify some of your comments yesterday with regard to strikes on Iranian oil facilities?  What did you mean by them, given some of the reactions we’re seeing in the market?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, look, the Israelis have not concluded how they’re — what they’re going to do in terms of a strike.  That’s under discussion.  I think there are — if I were in their shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Weijia.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Thank you so much, Mr. President, for being here. 

This week, Senator Chris Murphy said, “It’s certainly a possibility that the Israeli government is not going to sign any diplomatic agreement prior to the election,” which is what you have been calling for for so long, “potentially to try to influence the result.” 

Do you agree?  Do you have any worries that Netanyahu may be trying to influence the election, and that’s why he has not agreed to a diplomatic solution?

THE PRESIDENT:  No administration has helped Israel more than I have.  None.  None.  None.  And I think Bibi should remember that. 

And whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know, but I’m not counting on that.

Q    You’ve said many times recently that you want to speak to him, that you plan to —

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I didn’t say “plan to.”  I didn’t say “want to.”

Q    You don’t want to?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I didn’t say that.  You’re making it sound like I’m seeking an inv- — speak- — I’m assuming when they make their judgment of how they’re going to respond, we will then have a discussion. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Selina.

Q    Thank you.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President, for being here.  What are you advising the Israelis to do in terms of their retaliation to Iran?  And at this point, you still haven’t spoken to Netanyahu.  Is it fair to say that you have little personal influence over what he decides to do?

THE PRESIDENT:  No.  Look, our — our teams are in contact 12 hours a day.  They’re constantly in contact.  I’ve already had my presidential daily brief.  We’ve already had interface between our military, our — the diplomats.  It’s in constant contact. 

They are trying to figure out — this is High Holidays as well.  They’re not going to make a decision immediately.  And so, we’re going to wait to see what they — when they want to talk. 

Q    But over the past few months, they’ve consistently defied your administration’s own advice.  So, do you believe that the Israelis are going to listen to the advice you’re giving them?

THE PRESIDENT:  What I know is the plan that I put together received the support of the U.N. Security Council and the vast majority of our allies around the world as a way to bring this to an end. 

One of — look, the Israelis have every right to respond to the vicious attacks on them not just from the Iranians but from the — everyone from Hezbollah to the Houthis to — anyway.  And — but the fact is that they have to be very much more careful about dealing with civilian casualties.

Q    So, how should they respond?  You expressed concerns about attacks on Iranian oil facilities.  How should they respond?

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s between me and them.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  We got to move on.  Go ahead, Tam.

Q    The election is a month away.  One, I’d like to know how you’re feeling about how this election is going.  And then, also, do you have confidence that it will be a free and fair election and that it will be peaceful?

THE PRESIDENT:  Two separate questions.

Q    Very much.

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m confident it’ll be free and fair.  I don’t know whether it will be peaceful. 

The things that Trump has said and the things that he said last time out when he didn’t like the outcome of the election were very dangerous. 

If you notice — I — I noticed that the vice-presidential Republican candidate did not say he’d accept the outcome of the election.  And they haven’t even accepted the outcome of the last election.  So, I’m — I’m concerned about what they’re — what they’re going to do.

Q    Are you making any preparations?  Getting security briefings related to domestic security?

THE PRESIDENT:  I always get those briefings.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  We got to move on.  Go ahead, Akayla.  And we have — do a couple more.

Q    Hi.  Hi, Mr. President.  When are you considering imposing sanctions on Iran?  And would you include oil in those sanctions?

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s som- — that’s be- — that’s under consideration right now, the whole thing.  I’m not going to discuss that out loud.

Q    And just on your comments yesterday on the port strike.  You said by “the grace of God,” it’s going to hold.  Is there any reason you think that this —

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, there’s more to do.

Q    — this temporary suspension —

THE PRESIDENT:  It’s a month from now, and there’s more to do in terms of everything from the whole notion of me- — me- — excuse me — mechanization of the ports and the like.  There’s more to more to re- — more to resolve.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Danny.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Thank you, Mr. President.  Last night, you said that there’s still a lot to do to avoid an all-out war in the Middle East.  I mean, firstly, aren’t we pretty close to that definition already?  And — and, secondly, what — what can you really do to stop that happening?

THE PRESIDNET:  There’s a lot we are doing.  The main thing we can do is try to rally the rest of the world and our allies into participating, like the French are, in — in Lebanon and other places to tamp this down.  And — but when you have proxies as irrational as Hezbollah and the Houthis and — it’s a — it’s a hard thing to determine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Toluse.

THE PRESIDENT:  I’ve got to go, kid.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I know.  I know.  (Laughter.)  He’s telling me, “I got to go.”

THE PRESIDENT:  I said I’d take a couple questions.  (Laughter.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right. 

Q    We’ll take (inaudible) —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You’re the la- — you’re the last one, Toluse.

THE PRESIDENT:  I think she’s decreasing her credibility.  (Laughter.)

Q    First — first time in four years; you have to take some more.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Toluse, you’re going to be the last one.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Thank you for — for spending some time here with us.  There have obviously been a number of crises that the country has been facing over the past several days with the hurricane, with port strike, with the situation in the Middle East.  Can you talk about how your vice president, who is running for the presidency, has worked on these crises and what role she has played over the past several

days?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, she’s — I’m in constant contact with her.  She’s aware of where — we all — we’re singing from the same song sheet.  We — she helped pass the l- — all the laws that are being employed now.  She was a major player in everything we’ve done, including passage of legislation, which we were told we could never pass.  And so, she’s been — and her — her staff is interlocked with mine in terms of all the things we’re doing.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, sir.  Thank you, sir.

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It’s up to you, sir.  (Laughs.)

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Totally up to you, sir.

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  All right.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, Nandita.  Nandita.

Sir — sir — no.  No.  Sir — I didn’t call on you, sir.  I didn’t call on you.  Nandita.

Q    Pope Francis is calling for a day of —

Q    Thank you.  Thank you, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Nandita. 

Q    — prayer —

Q    Mr. President —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go, Nandita.

Q    — and fasting.  What’s —

Q    Mr. President —

THE PRESIDENT:  On Pope Francis —

Q    Yeah.

THE PRESIDENT:  — calling for a day of prayer and fasting —

Q    A day of prayer and fasting this Monday, October 7th.  You reaction, sir?

THE PRESIDENT:  I will prayer and fast.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  That’s —

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Mr. President, what is acceptable to you in terms of Israel’s response?  How long are you okay with Israel bombing Lebanon?  What is acceptable to you?

Q    Mr. President —

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, guys.  That’s it.  Thank you, everybody. 

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you, Mr. President.  Thank you, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.

(Cross-talk.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you, every- — thank you, sir.

Q    Mr. President, on Ukraine.  Have you made a decision on long-range weapons?

Q    Do you re- — want to reconsider dropping out of the race?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m back in.  (Laughter.)

Q    What made you want to come here today, Mr. President?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, everybody.

Q    Thank — thank you, Mr. President.

Q    Thank you. 

Q    Please come back. 

Q    Thank you, Karine.

Q    Karine, can we do that again?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No.  (Laughter.)

You hear- — you heard I was already told that.  (Laughs.) 

Q    So, that’s why we were late? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, are we always on — any — always on time?  (Laughter.)  I — I could call myself out for that.

All right, everybody.  Thank you so much.  Thank you, Mr. President.

Okay.  So, this week, the United States has faced a — a number of competing challenges, from tensions in the Middle East, to a port strike that threatened our nation’s supply chains, to a historic hurricane that washed away entire communities.

Moments like these underscore the importance of American leadership and resolve, and they show what is possible when we come together.

Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, we were able to successfully protect our allies, ensure the viability of critical supplies, stand up for good-paying union jobs, and get resources to people impacted by the storm in North Carolina and beyond.

In the Middle East, the president showed that our ironclad support for Israelis’ security is not just a talking point; it saves lives.  Prior to Iran’s attack on Israel, the president convened his national security team in the Situation Room to monitor developments in real time, ensure we were prepared to assist in Israelis’ defense, and protect U.S. personnel in the region.

Under the president’s leadership, the United States successfully defended Israel an- — from Iran’s missiles, standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Israel.

On the home front, the president and his team brought union workers, ocean carriers, and port operators to the table to — successfully to resolve a strike that threatened U.S. supply chains and the economic progress this president has made to lower prices for the American people.

And in the Southwest United States — Southeast, pardon me, United States, the administration pre-positioned 1,500 federal personnel, along with critical resources like food, water, and fuel, to ensure that communities in the path of Hurricane Helene were prepared ahead of the storm. 

Now, we are getting more resources into the hardest-hit communities every day, and we have provided over $45 million directly to individuals and families to help them recover.

And a wide range of bipartisan officials, including the governors of every affected state, are working together with us and have praised the federal response. 

These response- — responses underscore why leadership matters.  The president’s leadership in this moment helps to save lives, pra- — protect critical alliances, and ensure that our economy remains strong.  But more importantly, it proves that nothing is beyond America’s capacity when we do it together.

And really quickly, because I know you all a- — asked for this.  This is the week ahead.  Next week, the president will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to discuss his administration’s work to replace lead pipes in the state and across the country through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  This law is investing historic resources into our communities and creating good-paying jobs.

The president will also be traveling to Philadelphia for a campaign engagement. 

He will also travel to Germany and Angola to underscore the enduring strength and importance of two strategic bilateral relationships in addressing a comprehensive range of global stra- — challenges.  The value of strong alliances and partnerships in the defense of freedom and democracy has never resonated more in Europe, Africa, and beyond.

President Biden has made revitalizing our international alliances and partnerships a key priority, recognizing that today’s challenges require global perspectives and shared responses.

Those are the details I am able to share with — for now, but certainly, we will have more in the upcoming days. 

And finally, n- — finally, we have Lael Bran- — Brai- — Brainard — (laughs) — our national economic adviser to the president.  She’s going to provide more information on how the president helped reopen our ports, as well as the strong job market economy report that we saw today, showing that more than 250,000 jobs this — this September under the president — President Biden.

MS. BRAINARD:  Well, thanks, Karine.  And it’s good to see everybody today.

It is a good day for American workers and families.  We saw more than 250,000 new jobs created in the month of September.  We saw unemployment back down to 4.1 percent at a time when inflation is back down to pre-pandemic levels.

The East Coast and Gulf ports are opening back up, and dockworkers are getting back to work on the basis of a strong tentative agreement on wages and a contract extension between the International Longshoreman’s Association and the United St- — States Maritime Alliance.

Just a week ago, the negotiation had totally stalled out.  The union and employers had not spoken to each other for months.  The last time a wage offer had been put on the table was in the middle of 2023.

The president and the vice president directed us to get the parties back to the table to reach a good deal.  We worked around the clock to help them find common ground. 

And the president was clear throughout that process on three things: We needed to get the union and the employers back to the table on the basis of a strong progress on wages so nothing would get in the way of hurricane recovery; Taft-Hartley was off the table because collective bargaining works; and workers should share in the large profits of the ocean carriers, particularly after those dockworkers sacrificed so much to keep goods moving for the American public during the pandemic.

And as a result of the hard work that I undertook along with Secretary Buttigieg, [Acting] Secretary Su, a number of people in the White House.  We are seeing dockworkers get a fair share of the industry’s record returns.  We’re seeing ports opening so consumers and businesses can get what they need.  And we don’t expect to see any effects on our economy or for consumers, businesses, and farmers because we have strong supply chains that we built in the wake of the pandemic. 

The president and the vice president have consistently supported the collective bargaining process.  When employers and workers come to the table, they find a good outcome. 

That’s a vastly different approach from previous administrations that might have busted unions and rolled back worker protections. 

And finally, I would simply say that the data that we’re seeing, the data we saw last week confirms that our economy is delivering for workers. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  I’m going to take a couple of questions. 

Go ahead, Selina.

Q    Thank you so much for being here.  Would you say at this point that the U.S. has achieved a soft landing?  And if not, at what point will we be there?

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah, I would say that, look, we have seen unemployment — the lowest average unemployment rate of any administration in 50 years, and we have seen inflation come back down to pre-pandemic levels. 

That is exactly the kind of growth that you would want to see.  Growth has actually been revised up.  It’s been above 3 percent over the last year, and we’re continuing to see very resilient consumers.  So, yes, that’s exactly the kind of Goldilocks results that you would want to see.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Josh.

Q    Thanks again for doing this.  If I could ask about an otherwise strong jobs report.  You still have manufacturing employment dip by 7,000.  What do you think is happening in the manufacturing sector right now?  Is this response to higher rates, or are you seeing something else going on?

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah, so I think if you look more broadly across the administration, you have seen manufacturing jobs growing by more than 700,000, in contrast to the previous administration that actually saw manufacturing job losses even before the pandemic. 

And I think the right way to think about this — because we have so much new investment dollars from the Investing in America agenda, the right way to think about it is to look at construction and manufacturing jobs together.  And there, what we’ve seen is continued growth. 

That construction workforce is hard at work with factory construction that is multiples of the previous administrations.  That construction of factories is going to turn into the manufacturing jobs of the future. 

So, we see that investment in today’s economy, whether it be in chip manufacturing or clean energy, that is going to result in tomorrow’s manufacturing jobs.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine. 

Just after the last Fed rate cut, do you think the administration has won its fight against inflation?

MS. BRAINARD:  So, I would say, if you look at the data on inflation, it is now back down to pre-pandemic levels.  Don’t forget, nobody said that could happen with a strong labor market.  I think people just really need to go back and see some of the predictions.  Nobody thought we could have the strongest recovery in our peer economies — strongest on jobs, strongest on growth — and get inflation down as fast as we did. 

And so, that just shows that the president’s investments and the focus on supply chains has really worked. 

Q    And then just a follow-up on the consumer confidence

numbers.  I mean, there was, you know, an upward revision in August, but now it’s down in September.  I’m just sort of wondering if you can comment on that.

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah, so I think the most recent Michigan sentiment numbers actually are showing strength.  And, you know, if you look at what consumers are talking about, they’re talking about good jobs, good job opportunities.  And we’ve seen a lot of people moving into new sectors with better wages, and there is now a lot more confidence that interest rates are coming down, inflation is down, and that’s going to enable consumers to feel more confident about investing in some of those bigger-ticket items.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Just a couple more. 

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  On the jobs report, the data also showed that the employment picture in July and August was also brighter than previously thought.  For Americans who are concerned about the rate that they may pay on their mortgage or their car that they might buy, what do you see that doing to the path of interest rates going forward?

MS. BRAINARD:  You know, I think that we are now in a part of the recovery where inflation is back down, and that’s really what is going to determine whether interest rates continue to fall.  And market interest rates have remained low.  Mortgage rates have come all the way down close to 6 percent.  We anticipate, because inflation is back down, that that will continue to show through to market rates.

Q    And on the hurricane that ravaged the Southeast, what are your early indications of how that could impact economic growth and the jobs picture in November, with so many in that region out of work?

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah, so we do think normally with a hurricane of this size, with the devastation that it has caused in many communities, that it will affect the employment statistics for that month.  But what we know is that, generally, you see the economy overall bouncing back very quickly and the growth numbers really becoming sort of strong pretty rapidly because of all that rebuilding activity that we are committed to. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Jacqui.

Q    That was my —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, okay.

Q    — on interest rates.  Yeah.  (Laughter.) 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    How concerned are you right now about the instability

in the Middle East and its impact on oil prices?

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah, so, it is something that we track very closely.  Obviously, prices at the pump right now, $3.18 on average — not that I track it closely, but that is today’s number — (laughter) — and below $3 in many states.  We believe that global markets are well supplied, and continue to expect that in the U.S., we’ll continue to see those low gas prices. 

And of course, we have really effective ways of addressing some of those geostrategic volatility.  We’ve used it in the past.  We have the capacity to use it again. 

So, right now, markets are very well supplied, and we anticipate them to remain so. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right, last question to — oh — 

Q    Yeah, I’ll —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, I — I can go to Gerren too.  (Laughs.)  Go ahead. 

Q    Thanks.  A federal judge in Missouri issued an injunction blocking the president’s student loan program hours after a judge in Georgia allowed it to advance.  What is the White House’s message to this dizzying legal battle?  And that was lifted up as an economic policy to, particularly, closing the racial wealth gap.  And what is your message to Black and brown Americans who are really relying on this relief?

MS. BRAINARD:  Yeah.  So, student loan debt relief is so important for so many young people who are trying to build wealth, particularly for people who are first generation, to be able to invest in small businesses, to invest in starting a family, to invest in a house for the first time.  So, we are going to continue to work to deliver that debt relief to so many students who deserve it. 

I do want to say that we have 5 million Americans who have already received debt relief.  And, you know, you can go on TikTok and other social media platforms and see their testimonials what a difference it makes in their lives.  And that is why the president, vice president going to continue working so hard to deliver.  

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Awesome.  Thank you so much, Lael.

MS. BRAINARD:  Thank you.

Q    More Americans are food insecure.

MS. BRAINARD:  Thank you. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you.  Thank you so much. 

Q    Could you address food insecurity?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I appreciate it. 

Q    The numbers are rising —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you, thank you.

Q    — according to the USDA.  Food insecurity numbers? 

Maybe, Karine, if you could address it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No.  Not — not right now.

Q    Food insecurity?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I’m — I’m not talking to you, sir.

Q    Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m just not.  It would be nice if you would be less disrespectful in the room.

Q    I’m just asking questions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Inappropriately. 

Okay.  Go ahead, Josh.  I don’t know if — maybe you guys are done with me.  Maybe I can walk out.  (Laughs.)  You guys got — you guys got all the best.  (Laughs.)  You guys got all the best. 

Go ahead, Josh.

Q    So, if we were to, like, zoom out —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — President Biden came in here today. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    He’s going to be with Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey this week.  Then he goes to Germany and Angola.  He said he’s singing from the same song sheet as vice president Kamala Harris on the campaign.  How does he see his public role in the next few weeks as we get closer to the election?  What does — what’s he trying to achieve?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — look —

Q    And how’s he thinking about it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I think he’s doing his job as president, right?  I think that’s the most important thing.  I mean, I started off at the top, at least of this — this part of the program, where I said that we’ve had three major events happen this week.  And what did the president do?  What did the vice president do?  They worked shoulder and shoulder to deal with these major events. 

Now we see a deal with the port — a negotiated deal with the ports.  Obviously, it — it — that collective bargaining is extended until January 15th, which is incredibly important, especially in the midst of a hurricane that we saw — this historic hurricane that we just saw — Hurricane Helene. 

We s- — we see what’s happening in the Middle East.  The president and the vice president continue to have diplomatic conversations, if you will, to deal — to de-escalate, to deal with what we’re seeing in — in that — in the region.

And the hurricane.  You saw the — the vice president in — in Georgia; the president in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, himself, and also in North — also in Florida, pardon me. 

And so, I think what you’re going to see is him continuing to do his job, working closely with the vice president. 

Look, before Hurricane Helene, President Biden was planning to campaign this week, and you heard — you heard me say he’s going to go to Pennsylvania.  He’s going to go to Wisconsin next week.  And so, we have — you know, we — we have — you all have covered how much of a whirlwind week this has been. 

And so, the president is going to be president.  He’s going to be commander in chief.  And obviously, he’s going to be supporting his vice president. 

I can’t speak specifically about the campaign because of — we do respect the Hatch Act here — at least for myself, as a federal employee, and many of us here. 

And so, look, he’s going to continue to — to do the work that he’s doing.  We saw strong jobs numbers.  That’s one of the reasons he came out.  He came out because he wanted to talk about that.  He wanted to talk about what we have seen this week.

And so — and so, look, we’re going to continue to doing the work, and I think that’s what the American people want to see. 

Go ahead, Selina.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  So, former President Donald Trump threatened to revoke the legal status of Haitian migrants.

What is the president’s reaction to that?  This is something that the former president had tried to do during his own administration. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, here’s the fact.  The fact is they are here legally, right?  That is the fact.  TPS, that’s what it gives you.  And honestly, I wouldn’t take legal advice from the former president.  I don’t know.  That’s not something I would do. 

Go ahead.

Q    And how concerned is the administration about the economic impact of Hurricane Helene?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, as you can see, we have been working around the clock.  The president directed his team very early on to work around the clock to make sure that the states who were — that were affected, the states that he’s visited and the vice president has visited over the past couple of days, got everything that they need.  And we — and we did that by pre-positioning — pre-positioning some of the personnel — about 1,500 federal personnel — to do that. 

What we are doing: We’re going to make sure — obviously, we’re going to always monitor any of the economic impact.  But we’re going to continue to make sure that we are dealing — we are focused on lifesaving and life-sustaining efforts.  That’s the focus that we’re going to have here. 

And we’re going to continue to monitor.  But obviously, reacting and providing the needs of the states right now, of the — of citizens who are living in those states is probably the most key and most important.  And continue to call on Congress to move forward with additional funding. 

As you know, in the CR there was a robust ask for funding — for disaster funding, and that didn’t make it in the bipartisan CR.  And so, we got to get that done.  And we’re going to continue to have conversations with Congress.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Nandita.

Q    Karine, I tried asking the president this —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Nandita, I’ve called on you, like, three times today.  (Laughter.)  I know some folks in the back are just going to be like, “Yeah.” 

Q    I appreciate it.  I appreciate it.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So — yeah.

Q    I tried asking President Biden —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  (Laughs.)

Q    (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I hear you, Kimberly.  I hear you.

Go ahead.

Q    What is acceptable to the U.S. in terms of Israel’s response, right?  How long is the U.S. comfortable with Israel bombing Lebanon?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I know you guys are going to ask this question every which way, and I totally understand that.  We are having conversations, discussions.  We’re in contact with the Israelis on — on what’s next. 

We have been very clear there will be consequences.  You saw the joint statement with the G7.  There’s going to be consequences.  There’s going to be sanctions.  And I’m not going to preview those sanctions from here. 

But we have always said Israel has the right to defend itself.  And we — and you saw just on Tuesday night — and not just Tuesday night, in April — how — how much we are prepared to defend and protect Israel, because that is our ironclad commitment. 

I’m not going to get into pu- — into diplomatic conversations in — in the public here.

Q    And there was a report that quotes U.S. officials saying the White House wants to take advantage of the massive blow to Hezbollah’s leadership and infrastructure to push for a new Lebanese president in the coming days.  Can you comment on that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to comment on that.  I’m not going to comment on sources or reporting out there.  That is — that is not something I’m going to speak to, sourcing that I can’t even verify from here. 

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  On the port strike reaching a tentative agreement.  The White House and several officials were involved in — in the 90-day extension of those talks.  I’m wondering what the significance of that timeline is and whether the election being five weeks away played any role in it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, this is about the right thing to do for workers.  Many of those workers put their lives at risk during the pandemic.  We have always said collective bargaining is — works.  We believe it works.  And we have seen — we have seen parties reach a fair agreement when you put — when you have — when they come in — come to the table and — in good faith and do that collective bargaining.  This is what’s important. 

It was important to this president to get this done.  This is not about an election.  This is about what is the right thing to do for the American people.  This is the right thing to do for — for workers, again, who — who deserve higher wages, who deserve benefits. 

And so, the president is proud to have been able to do that.  His team — obviously, with his team, in the dir- — and he directed his team to do this.  And so, now collective bargaining is going to continue, and we’ll see where we are in the next couple of — couple of months. 

But this is not about politics for this president.  He — and you have seen that in the last three and a half years when we’ve been in these types of situation where there was negotiation, and we have been very, very clear: collective bargaining and supporting workers.

Q    On congressional funding.  You mentioned some of the items that were lacking in the short-term funding bill that Republicans had put forth.  I’m wondering if the president has spoken with any members of the Big Four in Congress to bring those concerns to them directly. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I don’t have any conversations to speak to that the president has had with members of Congress. 

I mean, you saw him on the road.  He was able — you saw him in a bipartisan way on the road in North Carolina, South Carolina, in Georgia, and — and Florida.  And he — you saw him with Republican congressional members and governors and Republican — and Democratic congressional members and also governors.  And you saw that bipartisanship. 

I’m certainly not going to get into any private conversations that they have had.  But we will continue to speak to congressional leadership and members about getting that extra funding.  It is important.  They need to act.  They need to act. 

AIDE:  Karine, you (inaudible).

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.  Go ahead.

Q    Hey, thanks, Karine.  Can you talk about how President Biden will be marking Monday’s one-year anniversary of the October 7th attack on Israel?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, obviously, it’s going to be a painful — a painful day for — for many, including for — for all of us here.  And so, we will have more to share on how we will be commemorating that devastating day that we saw a year ago.  Don’t have anything to share at this time. 

Q    And — and, secondly, this was President Biden’s first time — correct? — to the press briefing room —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — since he’s —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yep.

Q    What — why not —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And you’re welcome. 

Q    Yeah.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You’re welcome.  I know you’re — I know this —

Q    I know.  I know.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I know the way — the way this question is going to go.

Q    We appreciate it.  I —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  It’s going to be great.  It’s going to be great.  (Laughs.)

Q    Let’s — let’s do it again.

Q    I would have preferred a further question, but that’s all — that’s all right.  (Laughter.)  But real quick: Why not — why didn’t he come in the three and a half years before? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I —

Q    Why —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, he came today.  And you got to see him.

Q    Yes.  Yeah, but —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And you were here. 

Q    — you know, I mean, he had the opportunity —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Aw, man.  Come on.

Q    All right.  All right.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Come on.  He was here.  He took your questions.  And he —

Q    It seemed like he wanted to stay a little bit longer.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — (laughter) —

Q    Every Friday?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  He is — he is — every Friday?  (Laughter.)  Friday — Friday with the POTUS.  Friday with the POTUS.  We —

Q    I’ll bring ice cream.  Bring ice cream.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, no, you guys got to bring the ice cream.  You guys got to bring the ice cream. 

(Cross-talk.)

Okay.  I’m going to do a couple more.  Go ahead.  I haven’t called on you.  Go ahead.  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  I want to go back to Haitians and the TPS.  But first, you know, it was — it’s another week of misery in Haiti. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    There was this report from the World Food Programme describing acute hunger.  What more can the U.S. do to improve the situation in Haiti?  And conc- — if there’s no improvement, is it conceivable that the TPS for Haitians will never be lifted?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, on your last question, I’ll do that first — the last part of your question, I’ll do that first.  I — we — I can’t predetermine what TPS status is going to be.  It’s not something that I can do from here.  Obviously, as you know, that is a decision with DHS and the State Department.  They decide TPS and the best way to move forward.  So, I’m not going to get into a hypothetical about that.

But as it relates to Haiti more broadly and to the question of instability and what’s happening, look, despite that — despite the instability that continues, the recent deployment, as you know, of MSS mission is a unique opportunity to build a foundation of security and bring hope to Haitians that deserve to live their lives free of violence. 

And so, to that end, the United States has delivered well over $300 million to support the MSS mission, while urging the international to community — community to support that — that mission as well.  The United States will continue to hold those undermining Haiti’s institutions and committing serious human rights abuses accountable.  That is our commitment. 

We are committed to doing our part both to address immediate security needs and invest in Haiti’s long-term successes.  We stand with the people of Haiti and will continue supporting their aspirations of more security, certainly democratic and prosperous future.  That is our commitment, and we’ll continue to support the mission. 

Go ahead, Michael.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  It seems as if the president has spoken with pretty much every governor in the affected —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  He has.  He has.  That was affected in the region.

Q    But has he spoken with Governor DeSantis of Florida?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Touché.  Good point.  So — (laughter).  Touché. 

So — and I think we read out that he spoke to the governor of Tennessee on our way back from — back from our trip to Florida and Georgia yesterday. 

I don’t have a — a conversation to read out with the Florida — the governor of Florida.  But what I can say is that we have been in touch.  Our team has been in touch with local officials on the ground.  We are committed to providing what is needed in the state, obviously, to those who were affected in the state, and are committed — our commitment is clear.  The president has always said it doesn’t matter if you’re in a red state or a blue state; he’s a president for all Americans.  And that’s — continues to be, certainly, his commitment. 

Go ahead.

AIDE:  Last one.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I know.  I’m getting — I’m getting pulled.  But go ahead.  Then I’ll come back to you.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  The president seemed to suggest that he is asking — or he seems to be suggesting that Israel should consider other alternatives, rather than attacking Iranian oil facilities.  But should Israel make such an attack, how is the administration preparing for an Iranian retaliation on the Strait of Hormuz that would disrupt oil supply and disrupt oil prices globally?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, also as the president said, we continue to have these discussions.  I’m not going to get into hypotheticals Israel — about Israel’s response to Tues- — Tuesday — Tuesday night attacks. 

What I will say is that we understand that they are still determining what exactly they will do.  That is something that we understand. 

I’m just not going to prejudge.  I’m not going to get ahead of anything, and the discussions to continue.

Q    But can we say that the administration is preparing for that possibility?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I’m just not going to get — I’m not going to speculate.  They’re still — I’m — I’m telling you, they’re — still haven’t decided what their next steps are going to be. 

Q    Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So that’s what I’m saying to you.  That’s what we understand.  I don’t have anything else beyond that.

Q    And on Angola — on the President’s trip, Karine.  Amnesty International is criticizing the administration’s, quote, “silence” on human rights violations in Angola ahead of the president’s visit, calling out the administration’s focus on private-sector investment to counter China.  This is obviously in reference to the Lobito Corridor.  Do you have a response?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I mean, I — we get this question — this type of question about human rights violations any time he meets, he travels and if that’s going to come up.  The president, as you know, has never shied away from direct conversation about human rights and democracy in any conversation, and I could expect that he will do the same in this upcoming trip. 

And so, I don’t have anything beyond that, but the president has never shied away from that.  Never shied away.

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Does the administration have any concerns about how the — the aftermath of this storm could impact the vote, whether it’s talking to the Postal Service about mail-in ballots that may not be getting to people or impacting the infrastructure in these critical states?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, we are go- — using every available resources to help this com- — the community respond.  That’s what we’re going to do and recover from this disaster.  That is our commitment.  That’s what you’ve heard from this president. That’s what you heard from the FEMA administrator and so many others in the president’s administration, and certainly that means ensuring that Americans’ have — voices are heard this November.  And so, that is our commitment.  We want to make sure that people’s voices are heard. 

And so, any specifics on where the infrastructure is and what that looks like, certainly, I would have to refer you to the state election officials on — on those and — and cybersecurity and infrastructure and all of those pieces — on what that looks like for them.  But — but —

Q    Have any of the states voiced concerns to the administration?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — well, I cannot speak to that.  I have not heard of that. 

But look, our commitment, again, is to make sure that the resources available so that community can respond to recovery and also get back on their feet and deal with this disaster.  We want to make sure — we want to make sure that Americans’ voices are heard this — this November. 

That is im- — important and so — but certainly that is something that state elected officials can speak to more directly, but we’re going to try and make sure they get back on — back on that.

And I haven’t called on you yet.  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you. 

Q    Former President Trump is accusing the Biden administration of using FEMA funding to support undocumented migrants.  How is the White House responding to that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:   I mean, it’s just categorically fla- — false.  It is not true.  It is a false statement.  And look, the fact of the matter is — I think the Washington Post fact-checker did a piece and the headline recently, just moments ago, not too long ago, and the headline was “No, Biden didn’t take FEMA relief money to use — to use on migrants – but Trump did.”

I’ll leave it there. 

Q    And a quick follow-up —

Q    Karine?  Karine? 

Q    — on that?  A follow on — 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yep.  Yep.  Yep.   

Q    Secretary Mayorkas had said earlier this week that he was concerned that FEMA didn’t have enough funding until the end — for the rest of the hurricane season.  Now that President Biden has seen the damage firsthand in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia — we heard him say at the podium he may have to call Congress back from recess — what exactly is he waiting for to be able to make that call?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — look, here’s the thing: We put forth a pretty substantial, robust — I mentioned this moments ago — to be part of the CR.  We were disappointed that it was not part of the CR.  And if congressional Republicans were serious — if they were really, truly serious — about doing something for the communities that was impacted by Hurricane Helene, they would join us in calling for additional funding.  This is what we’ve been doing.  And so, if they’re serious, they would get to — to work and get that done. 

Just like in the — with the border, if they were serious about the border, they wouldn’t vote against their own bipartisan proposal that they worked with us on — they’re against it now; they weren’t — they would move it forward.  It would actually start fixing the broken system that we’re seeing right now. 

And, you know, they can — if they really want to help us in dealing what we’re seeing, whether it’s at the border or getting more funding for disaster monies that’s going to be needed to get into the communities, they should be serious.  Congressional Republicans need to get serious here, and they’re just not.

Go ahead, Akayla.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Just a quick question on the port strike suspension.  Is the White House going to continue to be in touch with ILA to sort of support those negotiations as they continue?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I think, look, there’s congressional — congressional — collective bargaining continues.  I think that’s really important.  That’s what we’re seeing, and that’s what we want to continue to see.  And so, we will be in touch as necessary. 

But I think what’s important is they came up with an agreement.  That’s because of this president’s leadership.  And the way to get this done is getting col- — is continuing that collective bargaining, and we believe that certainly works. 

Thanks, everybody.  All right.  Have a great weekend. 

Q    Thank you. 

2:55 P.M. EDT

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Aboard Air Force One
En Route Tallahassee, Florida

11:20 A.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right, we can do this really quickly.

So, today, we’re going — we’re on our way to Florida and Georgia, where the president will s- — will further survey damage caused by Helene and meet with state and local leaders regarding ongoing response efforts.

The president will participate in an aerial tour of the affected areas on his way to Perry, Florida. On the ground, the president will then visit the Keaton Beach community and receive an — an operational briefing.

From there, the president will head to Valdosta, Georgia, followed by a visit to the f- — to the rural community of Ray City, where he will meet with residents and local business owners who are trying to move forward in the wake of this disaster.

The president spoke with Governor Kemp this morning to discuss disaster response operations and other — and offer further support as needed.

The president and his entire administration will continue to do everything in our power to help the people of Florida, Georgia, and every community affected by this storm.

Yesterday, we announced that the president approved 100 percent federal cost share for emergency response a- — activities in Florida and Georgia, as well as Tallahassee [Tennessee] and North Carolina. This means that the federal government will cover 100 percent of the costs associated with things like debris removal, first responders, search and rescue, shelters, and mass — and mass — and mass feeding.

This latest announcement builds the president’s previously approved requests for major disaster declarations from the governors of Florida and Georgia, which unlocked additional assistance for residents on their road to recovery.

As a result, the pres- — the Biden-Harris administration has provided nearly $4 million directly to individuals and families in need of critical financial assistance.

Still, we know there is more work to be done. And we will be here, doing that work, for as long as it takes.

As you can see, I have Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack standing next to me here to discuss what assistance the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing to help people in Florida and Georgia, including farmers and rural communities.

And with that, go ahead, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY VILSACK: Okay, thanks very much.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Just hold on tight. (Laughs.)

SECRETARY VILSACK: Obviously at USDA, our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families who have been impacted by this storm. Our job, obviously, is to try to keep farms viable and operational, to basically get as much help as quickly as possible to as many people as possible.

Let me start by, first of all, recognizing the stress that a lot of the farmers are under and the important role that we think the Farm Stress line — Hotline provides for farmers who are in trouble. Going to give you one — a telephone number for folks to call if they’re feeling a little bit stressed out to get some help. It’s 883-381-7243. 883-381-7243. In addition to that Stress Line, obviously we’ve got a number of programs.

When people think of the Department of Agriculture, they normally think of the crop insurance programs and risk management tools. We’ve given instructions to our crop insurance carriers to expedite, as quickly as possible, the loss adjustments that are necessary to make payments. Many of these farmers, particularly in the Southeast, have exercised the additional coverage for hurricane and wind damage. We expect and anticipate under those coverages, hopefully, payments can be made within 30 days. That is consistent with the president’s instruction to try to get folks as much help as possible, as quickly as possible.

In addition to the risk management tool for crops, we have a variety of other programs — programs that help repair structures and fences, programs that help eliminate soil erosion, programs that help remove debris, programs that will pay for the loss of livestock. This is particularly true in Georgia, where you’ve got a lot of contract poultry facilities where poultry houses have been destroyed by the — by the — by the storm. So we’re going to be there to try to provide help and assistance to get those fact — get those folks back on their feet. Help with feed for livestock if you have to travel an extended distance to get feed because of the storm.

There are a lot of uninsured losses, and there are programs to make sure that those uninsured losses are also covered.

And also there are obviously damage to trees and forest in the area. We have programs to assist in that area as well.

So, that’s on the farm side.

We’re expediting — we’re — we’re sending search teams or will send search teams into the counties where we’ve seen the most damage and most impact so that the — the farmers can go into their county office, get the k- — help, assistance, and direction that they need to be able to make application for whatever program fits their — fits their need and their losses.

I want to also say that part of our job is obviously to coordinate with FEMA. We have over 190 folks from USDA that are currently at the regional center in Atlanta or in the D.C. headquarters working collaboratively with FEMA to make sure that we’re coordinating and collaborating.

I would also say that we’re investing in rural communities. When we get to the recovery stage after we’ve assessed damage and try to triage things, we’ll begin working with communities in terms of housing, housing repair, water and wastewater treatment facilities that need repair, electric lines that need repair. We’ll be there to provide help and assistance through programs.

And we also have, obviously, a food assistance responsibility. We’ve already provided these — these states with flexibility in terms of child nutrition programs and senior nutrition programs, in terms of the types of meals they can serve, and — and the location of those meals.

And obviously, any governor who requests disaster SNAP assistance will get it from the department as quickly as we possibly can get it.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. We don’t have that much time. But go ahead, Darlene.

Q Could you talk a little bit about what is being done to — there was a story on the radio this morning about bananas being stuck at one of the ports. And, you know, th- — they only last so long. Is there anything being done to get food that’s stuck at ports out and — perhaps to places like Asheville that have been affected by the storm?

SECRETARY VILSACK: Well, the — a lot of what we’re talking about in terms of the ports are in containers. And so, it’s going to be difficult to get to the containers based on the fact that there’s a work stoppage there.

That’s why the president has urged the shippers, in particular, to focus on getting this thing resolved and making sure that the collective bargaining system works. That’s the most effective way of getting the bananas to wherever they need to go.

And hopefully, the shippers will come to the table, union will come to the table, collective bargaining will work, and we’ll get this thing resolved quickly.

Q Secretary Vilsack, you know, we’ve just gone through a period of pretty intense inflation that affected food prices. To what extent are you concerned that the kind of double whammy of the port strike and this — this really large-scale hurricane are going to exacerbate the kind of pressures on food prices that we saw that are just, you know, abating now?

SECRETARY VILSACK: The current food inflation rate at grocery stores is around 1 percent, which is about half the 20-year average. So, it is good to see that it has come down.

At this point, a short labor stoppage at — at the ports should have minimal impact and effect on prices. Obviously, if we’re talking about a longer situation of duration, that may have an impact. But at the end of the day, that’s why the president has been so forceful in suggesting people need to get to the table and then get — get this resolved.

This is the first strike in 50 years. These people know how to get to “yes.” They just need to get to “yes.”

Q Can you define —

Q Can you tell us what the impact has been —

Q I’m sorry, wait. Can you define, please, what you mean by “shorter” and “longer”?

SECRETARY VILSACK: Well, the hope would be that this thing ends tomorrow. All right? That would be short.

The re- — the reality is our assessment is, if this lasts a couple of weeks, we’re not talking about a significant disruption. If you get into months, then, obviously, that’s a situ- — a different situation, which we’ll cover it when — when and if that occurs.

Q Can you tell us what the impact on American farmers in terms of their exports? You know, how much runway is there for —

SECRETARY VILSACK: Most of our exports go through the West Coast. It’s about $90 million on a — on a daily basis —

MILITARY AIDE: I’m so sorry. We’re about to land, and it’s going to be a very quick stop.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.

SECRETARY VILSACK: The — the biggest impact is on imports.

Q Karine —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I am so sorry, guys.

Q — very quickly on the student loan debt. There was a Georgia judge that just is letting it expire. Do you have any reaction to that? It’s —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not going to — to get into that.

Q Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

I’m — it’s an ongoing matter, so I can’t get into that at this time. So, I’m just — I’m not going to get into the litigation.

Q Is he meeting with Kemp? Is he meeting with DeSantis while he’s there, please?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things. DeSantis is not going to be there, but we have been in touch with his team. We understand that he has other areas to survey today, so — but we have been in touch with his team.

As you know, the president has been committed — a full — a full administration, all the agencies are han- — all hands on deck in trying to make sure that we deal with the — the devastation that we’re seeing. You saw the president yesterday in North Carolina and South Carolina, the vice president in Georgia. And now we’re going to Florida — Florida and Georgia ourselves.

And so, the governor can speak for his travel today, but he won’t be there. But, obviously, we’ve been in touch with his —

Q (Inaudible) about Governor Kemp as well?

Q (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, we — look, we — the president spoke to Governor Kemp this morning. He won’t be there, but we obviously are inviting them. They are welcome to join us. And we are doing everything that we can to make sure that we give — give some relief to folks on the ground, to Americans on the ground dealing with this disaster.

Q Has he spoken —

Q He spoke to Governor Kemp. Has he spoken to Governor DeSantis?

AIR FORCE ONE CREW MEMBER: If you could just please take your seats. (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Sorry, guys.

Q Has he spoken to DeSantis?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t have a call to — to read out.

Q Has he spoken to Governor Kemp again today?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We just spoke to Governor Kemp, as I said at the top.

I’m sorry, guys. We got to sit.

11:30 A.M. EDT

The post Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack En Route Tallahassee, FL appeared first on The White House.

1:16 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  I just have a couple things at the top, and then I’ll turn it over.

So, we’re headed to South Carolina and North Carolina, where the president will meet with state and local leaders and personally survey the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

In South Carolina, the president will engage with first responders and state and local officials.

In North Carolina, he will take an aerial tour of areas in western North Carolina that were impacted by the storm.

Today, the president announced that he is directing the Department of Defense to deploy up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers to support the delivery of food to communities impacted by the storm.

And I can announce that tomorrow, the president will visit impacted communities in Florida and Georgia.

In North Carolina and South Carolina and across the affected areas, the Biden-Harris administration has remained focused on using every tool available to help people and their communities begin their road to recovery and rebuilding.

In fact, President Biden recently approved an additional major disaster declaration for Virginia, unlocking more resources to provide survivors with direct disaster assistance.

To date, more than $10 million has been provided directly to those affected by Hurricane Helene.

As the president said yesterday, we will be there until the work is done.

And now I’m going to turn it over to the Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, who is going to speak to the federal response — update on federal response.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Good afternoon. 

So, the — the president has expressed his need as a commander in chief to see firsthand the impacts on the ground.

This is not the first trip that I’ve taken with the president for that purpose.  We were in Mayfield, Kentucky, together.  He has said there is no substitute for interacting with the individuals, with the victims of these extreme weather events, and that is why he’s taking this trip.

He has directed me and every member of the Cabinet to devote the full force of our personnel and our resources to the assistance of the victims of Hurricane Helene, which is really of historic strength.

I can provide you with some data, if you would find — find that helpful.  Unfortunately, I forgot my glasses.  But I will say that — remember something about the data: It changes every hour because we are continuing to pour resources in every hour.  But what the data will do is give you a — a good understanding of the magnitude of the federal response.  It’s really quite breathtaking.

So, more than 4,800 personnel from across the federal workforce are deployed, more than 1,000 of whom are from FEMA.  We have shipped over 8.8 million meals, more than 7.4 million — million liters of water, 150 generators, and more than 225,000 tarps to the region.

As of today, search and rescue teams have conducted nearly 1,500 structural evaluations and hundreds of rescues and evacuations.  And additionally, of course, federal search and rescue teams are deployed.

The — the status of the federal response is dependent on the conditions on the ground.  So, in certain areas that are remote, mountainous, and that have been hit hard, we’re still in search and rescue.  In others, we are already in response and recovery mode.  It varies according to the — the demographics of the — and topography.

Voluntary organizations, World Central Kitchen is deployed — are supporting mass feeding operations with bulk food and water deliveries coming via truck and aircraft delivery.  Some of these areas are remote.  We are doing airdrops and the like.  We’re getting assistance from the Department of Defense and other resources.  The Salvation Army is deployed.  The National Guard is deployed.  I think — I think it’s almost 6,000 members of the National Guard are deployed across the six states.  And our FEMA administrator, Deanne Criswell, is on the ground. 

I think that gives you a good sense of the magnitude of the operation. 

You should know that in — in the six impacted states, we had declared emergency — emergencies — emergency declaration prior to Helene hitting.  We had pre-positioned assets.  And, as Karine mentioned, the president, upon request of the particular states — I think it’s five now; I’ll — I can confirm that — has declared major disaster declarations. 

Q    Is there — what are you doing speci- — you mentioned sending water, but what are you doing as far as getting the drinking water back online in — in places like the president is seeing?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  For that, I would turn to Michael Regan, the EPA administrator.  I — I think, in South Carolina, he mentioned there are two systems that are not fully operational, but that’s South Carolina specific.  But I — I would have to defer to — to Michael Regan.

Q    Talk to us a little about how confident you’re feeling in the amount of funding right now.  The president mentioned that he needs — was thinking about bringing Congress back to pass more funding.  Is that something you think might still need to happen?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  We — we are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have.  We are expecting another hurricane hitting.  We do not have the funds.  FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season and what — what is imminent.

Q    So, does the president want lawmakers to return to Washington?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  I would defer to the — to the president for — for the timing of that.  But we have, of course, made a significant request of Congress with respect to stable funding for the Federal Emergency Management Administration, which should not be a political issue.  This is something that Americans need desperately.

Q    (Inaudible.)

Q    Can you talk a little bit about — I’m sorry — how the rol- — like, how the role of climate change comes into the request for more funding — you know, the — the sort of revamping of the entire FEMA operation to begin with?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  This is — let’s — let’s speak factually.  The severity and frequency of extreme weather events have only increased.  It is an impact of climate change.

When — I — I mentioned Mayfield, Kentucky, a small town that was absolutely decimated by a tornado of unprecedented strength and length.  And we — I remember one of the factories in that small community, people had gone into a safe room that was built precisely for extreme weather, and that safe room was decimated because the building codes of yesterday are not equipped for the extreme weather events of today and tomorrow.

Q    The president spoke to us on the tarmac about how the dockworkers strike is playing into this.  D- — could you give us a sense, one, if the — the strike is slowing down the response at all, and whether the companies involved are at all profiting off of the misery that’s taking place on the ground?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  I cannot answer the — the second question.  I am not that attuned to the dynamics of the strike.  I’ll leave that to the experts who- — whose portfolio covers that.

But I will tell you that we are not short of supplies right now with respect to the delivery of goods to the people in need.  Are — we are — we are not seeing adverse impacts from that strike with respect to our response to Hurricane Helene.

Q    The president has a very active travel schedule over the next couple of days, with North Carolina and then Florida and Georgia as well.  Is there any sense that he’s kind of playing catch-up after the initial criticism over the weekend and the fact that Donald Trump got down to Georgia on Monday?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Oh, absolutely not.  What — what I said yesterday and I’ll repeat — this is a very, very important point: The president is focused on being there for people without disrupting the emergency operations.  What he does not want to do is in any way impair or impede the rescue that we are providing. 

And so, he’s been in close touch with local and state officials to determine when is the right time to visit so that the visit is productive and not counterproductive.  And he has responded accordingly, according to the guidance that he’s received, and that’s why he’s traveling today and tomorrow.

Q    And is there any update on the estimate of how much this is going to cost the federal government and how much you would be seeking from Congress for help?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  So, as I mentioned, we have the immediate needs right now.  On a continuing resolution, we have funds, but that is not a stable source of supply, if you will.

This is a multibillion-dollar, multiyear recovery.  The magnitude of it —

Q    Did you say million or billion?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Billion.

Q    Okay.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Multibillion-dollar undertaking and a multiyear undertaking.  We have — we have towns that have disappeared, literally. 

Q    Can you — either one of you just tell us a little bit about what — what the president is going to see?  I know we said western North Carolina, but will we fly over Asheville?  What — where are we headed?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, we’re definitely, as I stated, western — doing an aerial tour of western North Carolina.  He’ll be able to see a little bit of Asheville.  We’ll certainly have more for you when we get on the ground. 

But, look, I think this is really important.  And I — and to, I think, your question, Danny — the reason why we are on top of this, as the president has been throughout his three and a half years and taking this very seriously — when — when the secretary started talking to you all, he talked about being commander in chief — the president takes this very, very seriously.

And we pre-positioned.  We — you — you heard the administrator from FEMA.  She came to the briefing room on Thursday, hours before the hurricane actually hit, because we wanted to send a message to Americans, to folks who were in the region to please listen to law enforcement, but also lay out there were 1,500 personnel on the ground — FEMA personnel on the ground being ready to really take this on. 

And so, as the secretary said, the president is going down today.  He’s going to be in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia and Florida, as I said.  But he — we also did it at the direction of the folks on the ground. 

So, yes, there may be other leaders who decided to go a couple days ago, but we actually did it a way that we know that we were not taking away resources from emergency operations.  And I think that’s what’s important here. 

And you’ve seen that be- — the — the secretary talked about Kentucky.  There’s been other — we’ve been to Florida a couple times — right? — with what we have seen over the past couple of years with — with natural disasters. 

And so, this is a president that is going to take this seriously.  He’s going to see for himself and thank, obviously, the — the emergency workers on the ground.  And so, this is — this is what we do as president.  This is what we do.  This is what he does, and our secretary.

Q    Just on the funding.  You know, we have two months left in hurricane season.  Can you just characterize a little bit — if you don’t get more funding, how much trouble are we in if another big storm hits?  Does that translate —

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Well —

Q    — into lives lost?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Well, there — there are a couple things.  It’s very important to note that even though we’re on a continuing resolution, we — we do — can obtain spend-fast funds so that we can dip into funds that are slated for the duration of the year to meet immediate needs.  So, we — we are meeting the moment. 

But that doesn’t speak about the future and the fact, as I mentioned earlier, that these extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, and we have to be funded for the sake of the American people.  This is not a political issue. 

Q    Karine, how is the president continuing to get updates about the Middle East while he’s traveling today?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, let’s —

Q    Let me —

Q    Sorry.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Let’s let — so we —

Q    One more —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — because he has to go back to be with the president.

Q    (Inaudible) about the fuel shortages that is being done right now? 

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  I’m sorry?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  The fuel shortages.

Q    Fuel shortages.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Of — that people are suffering.  So, we — look, there are — there are different types of challenges that people victimized by this historic hurricane are — are suffering: fuel, potable water in certain areas, power, communications.  And we are meeting each of those challenges with the full force of the federal government as well as our state and local partners. 

So, if you take a look at power, at the — at the height of this hurricane, 5.1 million people were without power.  We have delivered power — when I say “we,” the collective “we” — the public-private partnership — to 3.6 or 3.8 million of those individuals.  And so — and we are continuing to pour resources and efforts in. 

Q    Do you think North Carolina was properly prepared for the impact of the flooding?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  They were prepared, but they were as prepared — and this is something we have to take stock of when we speak of preparation.  Preparation doesn’t necessarily mean preventing suffering when you are speaking of extreme weather events of historic magnitude.  You have people in rural areas, difficult-to-access areas, and when — when a force of this strength pours through, it’s going to have a calamitous impact. 

And the — the question is: Have they done everything that they can?  Have they followed the instructions of local officials?  And that is what is key. 

And I should say it is very important, if you don’t mind, to — to communicate the means of accessing relief.  People have an 800 number to call.  That’s 800-621-FEMA.  They can access relief at DisasterAssistance.gov, or they can use the FEMA app.

And for those people who do not have communications, we are actually going to them.  We are in shelters.  We are going door to door as we increase access to remote areas.

Q    Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Thank you so much. 

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Thank you, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you.  Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  So, to answer your question — I do want to hit one more thing.  But to answer your question, as you know, yesterday, the president was being regularly updated on what was happening in the Middle East.  He’s going to continue to do that.  We always say: The president is president wherever he is.  And so, that’s going to continue. 

He spent, as you — also, speaking of yesterday, he spent hours in the Situation Room.  And so, this is something he is monitoring very, very closely, and he will certainly be able to do that on this trip. 

Just a couple of things — because I do want to it- — reiterate something that he’s talked about — at the top.

Look, the president is calling on USMX and the owners of these foreign carrier- — carriers it represents to come to the table and put forward a fair offer to the longshoremen now.

This should be easy for them to resolve.  We’re recovering from a hurricane, and they need to do so as soon as possible.  They’ve made hundreds of billions in record profits since the pandemic — profits up as much as 800 percent.  These workers kept our ports open during the pandemic.  Their work is essential as communities recover from the hurricane — from Hurricane Helene.  Now is the time for these foreign carrier owners to negotiate a fair contract. 

So, we just want to make that really clear.

Go ahead.

Q    Are there — are there any plans at the moment for the president to speak with Netanyahu directly?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  He — he talked about this.  We don’t have anything to read out to you.  But he also said — the president said this, and Jake Sullivan said this at the podium — they have been in regular communication with — with our — with Jake’s Isra- — Israeli counterparts throughout the last couple of days — almost daily, obviously — since almost a year now.

And so, that will continue.  And when we have a call to — to speak to or to announce, we certainly will do that.  Don’t have —

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Clarification on —

Q    Oh, sorry.  (Inaudible.)

Q    It’s okay.  Don’t worry.  The — a clarification, though, on Iran.  So, the president was saying that he was expecting sanctions.  I wondered if — if there was discussion about how Israel should respond to Iran, particularly given, you know, the — the type of the — the missile strike and the fact that they’re — they’re saying they’re done now with it.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So — so, two things there.  Look, as it relates to any response from Israel, we’re having conversations with them.  We’re having discussions.  I’m not going to prejudge.  I’m not going to get ahead of that.  And as the president st- — stated, that he did have a conversation — he joined a call with the G7, and they discussed Iran’s unacceptable attack against Israel and to coordinate on a response to that — to this attack, including new sanctions, as you just mentioned, Colleen.

President Biden and the G7 unequivocally condemned Iran’s attack against Israel.  President Biden expressed the United States’ full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.

There is going to be a joint statement, as the president mentioned.  I don’t want to get ahead of that.  And certainly, you’ll have all that information.

Q    Karine, what new sanctions?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Not — I said I’m not going to get ahead of that.

Q    Are —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m going to let — I’m going to let the joint statement —

Q    And are you —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — from — from the G7 —

Q    Are you counseling restraint in those conversations with Israel?  Are you saying —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m — I’m not —

Q    — “Whatever you do” —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’re — we’re having discussions. Certainly not going to prejudge.  I’m not going to get ahead of it.  But we are having discussions with re- —

Q    What’s your advice though?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to share th- — I’m not going to be doing that out on — on Air Force One.  We’re going to have those discussions — those private discussions.  And not going to get ahead of those discussions or prejudging.

Q    And is Israel’s limited — so-called limited incursion into Lebanon delivering the results that they wanted?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You would have to speak to — you would have to speak to Israel directly and IDF.

Q    What’s your judgment?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  You’d have to speak to them directly, because it is their — it is their operation.

Q    Does the president think Tim Walz won the debate?  (Laughter.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, what I can say is the president watched — caught some of the debate.  And, as you know — and I’m going to be really mindful, because it’s a debate, 2024.  As you know, been covering and focusing on this trip.  During this trip, he’s been focused on this.  Obviously, this was a historic hurricane that hit this region, but he and — he and the vice president and the entire team are working hard to the response to — to Helene.  And so, he — he was able to — he was able to — to manage to catch some of it.  But I haven’t spoken to him in detail about it.

Q    I think the president said on the tarmac that he had not directly spoken to the dock strikers or any of the companies.  Is that going to change?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have anything to preview at this time, but this president basically answered the question pretty directly.  I don’t have anything else to share.

All right, guys.  Okay.  All right.

Q    Thanks, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thanks, everybody.

Q    Appreciate it.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  See you on the ground.

Okay.  Be careful.  It’s very, very bumpy.

1:36 P.M. EDT

The post Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas En Route Greenville, SC appeared first on The White House.

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

2:48 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Good afternoon, everyone.

Q    Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m going to be really quick here.  I have the national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, to talk about the latest in the Middle East, so I’ll turn it over to him.

MR. SULLIVAN:  Thank you, Karine, and good afternoon, everyone.  I’m here to provide a brief report on the Iranian ballistic missile attack against Israel that occurred earlier today.  I can take just a few questions, because this is an ongoing situation and I need to get back to my desk.

Today, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards targets in Israel.  The United States military coordinated closely with the Israeli Defense Forces to help defend Israel against this attack.  U.S. naval destroyers joined Israeli air defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles.

President Biden and Vice President Harris monitored the attack and the response from the White House Situation Room, joined in person and remotely by their national security team.

We are still working with the IDF and the authorities in Israel to assess the impact of the attack, but at this time — and I stress “at this time” — we do not know of any deaths in Israel.  We are tracking the reported death of a Palestinian civilian in Jericho in the West Bank.  We do not know of any damage to aircraft or strategic military assets in Israel.

In short, based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective.  This was first and foremost the result of the professionalism of the IDF, but in no small part because of the skilled work of the U.S. military and meticulous joint planning in anticipation of the attack.

We’re also aware of reports of a terrorist attack in Jaffa that took the lives of a number of Israeli civilians and wounded several others today.  Our condolences go out to the families of the victims and to the family of the Palestinian civilian in Jericho.

Obviously, my update here is based on early reports, and we reserve the right to amend and adjust as necessary as we gather more information.  The word “fog of war” was invented for a situation like this.  This is a fluid situation.

We will consult with the Israelis on next steps in terms of the response and how to deal with what Iran has just done, and we will continue to monitor for further threats and attacks from Iran and its proxies.  We are particularly focused on protecting U.S. servicemembers in the region.

And with that, I’ll take just a few questions.

Yeah.

Q    Thanks, Jake.  Is the administration making any preparations to evacuate U.S. citizens from Lebanon or elsewhere in the region?

MR. SULLIVAN:  We have been very clear for some time now that U.S. citizens should avail themselves of commercial means to depart Lebanon given everything that’s going on.  We have said that from this podium, from multiple podiums.  We continue to say that.  But we have not begun triggering a noncombatant emergency evacuation — a NEO — and do not have an intention to do so at this time. 

If that changes, we’ll let you know.  But we continue to reinforce the point: American citizens in Lebanon should follow the guidance from the State Department, which is to find civil- — civilian commercial means to depart, because in extremis, we may not be able to get them out safely.

Yes.

Q    Thanks, Jake.  What is the U.S. view on whether Israel should retaliate?  And what is your concern about this leading to a wider escalation of war in the region?

MR. SULLIVAN:  We’ve had some initial discussions with the Israelis in the aftermath of this at the military level and also at the White House to prime minister’s office level.  We’ll continue those conversations in the hours ahead.  I’m not going to prejudge or get ahead of anything.  We want to have some deep consultations with the Israelis, and I’ll have more to report to you after we get the opportunity for deeper discussions.

Q    And escalation —

MR. SULLIVAN:  Yeah.

Q    — in the region?

MR. SULLIVAN:  Obviously, this is a significant escalation by Iran, a significant event, and it is equally significant that we were able to step up with — with Israel and create a situation in which no one was killed in this attack in Israel so far as we know at this time.

We are now going to look at what the appropriate next steps are to secure, first and foremost, American interests and then to promote stability to the maximum extent possible as we go forward.

Yeah.

Q    Back in April, the president’s message to Israel was to take the win when the U.S. and Israel were able to intercept the barrage of Iranian missiles.  Is he recommending a similarly limited response this time?

MR. SULLIVAN:  I will not, from this podium, share the president’s recommendations.  He will have the opportunity to share them directly.  We’re going to have, as I said, ongoing consultations with the Israelis this afternoon, this evening.  It is too early for me to tell you anything publicly in terms of our assessment or in terms of what our expectations are of the Israelis or the advice that we would give them.

Q    So, will he be speaking to Prime Minister Netanyahu today?

MR. SULLIVAN:  I don’t have anything to announce from this podium, but I can tell you that he is tracking this minute by minute.  We are very much deeply in touch with the Israelis, and insofar as we have calls to read out, we’ll make sure to read them out with you.

Just last question, then I’ll turn it over.

Q    Thank you, Jake.  In April, after Iran struck Israel, the U.S. issued a number of sanctions as a consequence.  This morning, the president said there will be severe consequences if Iran carried out this attack.  What are those consequences, and are they more severe than sanctions?

MR. SULLIVAN:  Totally legitimate question, and that answer will come based on the conversations and consultations we have with our Israeli counterparts.  It’s too soon for me to stand before you today and give you an answer. 

What I can tell you is this: We are proud of the actions that we’ve taken alongside Israel to protect and defend Israel.  We have made clear that there will be consequences — severe consequences — for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case.

Thank you very much.

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you, Jake.  Thank you, Jake.

Okay.  On to the rest of — rest of the programming here.

This morning, President Biden was briefed by his homeland security adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall, on the latest impacts of Hurricane Helene.  And this afternoon, he will receive an interen- — interagency briefing on the Hurricane Helene response and recovery efforts.

At the president’s direction, the Biden-Harris administration continues to use every tool available to get assistance and resources to the communities that need them the most.

Yesterday, the president approved a major disaster declaration for Georgia, which will unlock additional assistance to help those recovering.  This is in addition to the major disaster declaration swiftly approved by the president following requests from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida, as well as requests for emergency assistance across seven states. 

Tomorrow, the president will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he will visit the state emergency operations center to meet with local officials and also first responders. 

And the vice president will travel to Augusta, Georgia, tomorrow and will then head to North Carolina in the coming days. 

As of today, thousands of personnel from across the federal workforce are deployed and supporting state-led Hurricane Helene response efforts across the six affected states, including over 1,200 personnel in North Carolina. 

Still, there is more work to be done, and the Biden-Harris administration will be there for these communities every step of the way. 

Now, as you can see, we also have Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Thank you, Karine, and good afternoon. 

Before standing at the podium, I was at FEMA’s National Operations Center being briefed by our personnel as well as state emergency personnel.  I thought it very moving and very telling that North Carolina’s emergency management director described Hurricane Helene as catastrophic and noted the fact that numerous towns situated along the river had virtually disappeared, had been completely destroyed. 

In fact, Hurricane Helene is of a — an historic magnitude: this many states hit this hard.  The wind field of the hurricane stretched 350 miles from its center.  More than 100 fatalities have been reported.  Hundreds and hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed. 

Our hearts break for those who have lost loved ones, and we pray for the swift assistance and rescue of those who are currently missing. 

We are in different phases of a post-hurricane environment, depending on the state and the location within the state.  In some areas, we are still in search and recovery — search and rescue operations.  In others, we are, in fact, in the response and recovery phase. 

I thought I would give you some of the latest statistics based on the briefing that I received, and I should say that these numbers are, as you can all well understand, quite dynamic and fluid.  They change minute by minute and hour by hour. 

But just as devastating as the hurricane has been, the re- — the response of federal, state, and local authorities has been extraordinary.  We have more than 2,000 federal personnel

dedicated to this effort.  On the ground, we have more than 1,200 urban search — urban search and rescue personnel.  FEMA staff deployed over 1,200.

Karine mentioned the major disaster declarations and the emergency declarations previously issued.  I should note that in the six states most severely impacted, those emergency declarations were issued before the storm hit, and we had thousands of personnel dedicated there. 

We have delivered more than 2.6 million ready-to-eat meals and more than 1 million liters of water.

At its peak, there were 5.1 million customers without power.  We have reduced that amount — and not just the federal government in support of the state and local authorities, but working very closely with the power companies and the other utilities, we’ve reduced that number of customers without power by 3.8 million people. 

And so, the — the operation is very, very significantly underway.  We are working in support of our state and local partners.  This is an all-of-government, frankly, all-of-community effort. 

And with that, I’ll take some questions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  Go ahead, Gabe.

Q    With regards to how many were unaccounted for.  Yesterday, Liz said about 600 were unaccounted for.  Do you have an updated number on that, Mr. Secretary?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  We do not have an update, but that work is still underway.  And I know, for example, within the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard has recently rescued approximately 21 people through their patrols. 

Q    And there was also discussion yesterday on whether resources may have been better pre-positioned in other parts of the country.  There were many assets in the Big Bend region of Florida, some in North Carolina.  But should the government have pre-positioned more in the North Carolina area?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Well, we actually pre-positioned our personnel and state and local personnel were pre-positioned in all six of the most heavily impacted states.  This is a — an historic hurricane.  It reached not only industrial areas but, of course, as we also point poignantly see, rural areas as well.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Yeah.  Thanks, Karine.  Liz yesterday, focusing on the — the pre-positioning here before the storm, said that the — that it was focused on the Big Bend region of Florida.  So, what pre-positioning was taking place there that wasn’t taking place in the North Carolina, western North Carolina area?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Remember that the pre-positioning of assets, to include personnel as well as equipment and the like, also depends on the terrain and the access points.  And so, we — we pre-positioned where we think the impacts are going to be greatest.

And we have seen the impacts hit mountainous regions that are inaccessible.  We now have roads destroyed.  There is a significant amount of mud.  We understand that people are still situated in the mud, and therefore we cannot undertake debris removal until we are assured that the search and rescue operation has been completed. 

Q    But what sorts of —

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  We have to be very careful about the lives that still can be saved. 

Q    But what sorts of things were done in — was done in North Carolina before the storm came?  Like, what was the federal presence there, emergency-wise?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  I don’t have the specific numbers of the personnel already situated —

Q    Okay.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  — but we can get you that data. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Weijia. 

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Thank you, Secretary.  Despite all the proactive things that the federal government did and its response, the sentiment, according to my colleagues on the ground, from people is that the federal government is not doing enough to help.  “Where are they?  Where is the help?”  What is your message to those people? 

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  I would say the following: that we are there and we will continue to be there and we will reach the most difficult to access locations.  We are relentless in our efforts to ensure the safety and security of all.

And as Karine pointed out, we will be there for the long haul as well.  And I must — I must pay tribute to the heroic men and women not only of the Fer- — Federal Emergency Management Administration but throughout the federal government and throughout the state and local enterprise. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Secretary, for talking about electric power.  I’m curious about the status of cell phone service, as the Associated Press is hearing reports that people are having a tough time using their cell phones, being able to make calls, even reach you.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Yes.

Q    What are you doing, and what is the status of that right now?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  So, in fact, communication has been difficult in — in a number of areas, if — if not impossible.  A great deal of infrastructure has been demolished.  We are working with the private communications companies as well as the FCC to ensure that we can rebuild communication towers.  We have, for example, deployed 50 Starlink satellite systems to help with the reconstruction of that infrastructure.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Karen.

Q    You mentioned that there are roads that have been destroyed.  There are places that are so hard-hit that it’s hard to get to them right now.  Can — the president mentioned land bridges yesterday in working with the Defense Department.  Can you talk about what the effort is right now to get to some of those hard-hit areas and what the timeline is looking like to reach the people that are in need there right now?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  So, this is, at the president and vice president’s direction, an all-of-government effort.  So, it’s not only by land, but we have deployed air assets.  The Department of Defense has been of extraordinary assistance.  I don’t recall exactly the number of Army Corps of Engineer that have been deployed.  I think it’s close to 6,000.

So, it’s an all-of-government effort to reach individuals, not just by land but by air as well.

Q    And how quickly do you anticipate getting to some of those areas that have been cut off because of the roads being flooded and destroyed?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  As quickly as we can.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’ve got to start wrapping up.  Go ahead, Jeff.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Mr. Secretary, do you have a sense of how much money it’s going to cost, A, to do this relief effort and, B, to do the rebuild effort once we get there?  And how much of that will be covered by insurance companies, and how much will be covered by the government?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  So, this is a multibillion-dollar undertaking in terms of the search and rescue and the response.  I should note that we already have approved approximately $1.7 million in individual assistance that individuals —

Q    Million or billion?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Million.

— that individuals will be able to access.  I believe it will be as early as tomorrow.  It is a direct deposit into their accounts. 

But the rebuilding is something that is not for today but that is going to be extraordinarily costly and is going to be a multiyear enterprise.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Toluse.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Thank you, Mr. Secretary.  Two questions.  First, about the president’s decision to go to Raleigh.  Do — can you give us a little bit of a breakdown as to why he’s going to that location and what he will see and whether or not he’ll be able to see any of the harder-hit areas in the western part of the state?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  So, the decision of where to go and when to go is a decision that must be calibrated according to the capabilities and needs on the ground.  And so, the president and the vice president have been quite deliberate to take those sensitivities into account, to work with state and local authorities, and ensure that their visit is constructive and not in any way interfering with the urgency of search and rescue operations and the work underway on the ground.

And so, they selected the timing and location of their visits accordingly.

Q    And another question about the upcoming election.  Obviously, North Carolina is a very important state.  Do you have — and ballots are supposed to be going out in — in the coming days.  Do you have any sense of how much impact the hurricane had on the ability to carry out the election and carry it out safely?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Well, the state and local authorities are in charge of their respective election efforts.  They are — have that top of mind, and we are going to be able to make sure — they are going to be able to make sure that people have the ability to exercise their fundamental right to vote.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Kevin, last question.

Q    One of the issues we’re hearing about in North Carolina is not just downed power lines but flooded substations.  Do you have a sense of how long it will take to get those back online and what the administration can do to help remedy that?

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  So, the president, as Karine mentioned, is going to be briefed in a — in an interagency effort.  Secretary Granholm and other representatives of the Department of Eng- — Energy are going to be there.

It is — as am I, of course.  It is a multiphase approach.  Not only do we have to bring in some additional infrastructure, but there is going to be damage and the like that is going to take time and money to replace and reconstruct.  Precise figures I don’t have.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Thank you so much, Mr. Secretary.  Appreciate it.

SECRETARY MAYORKAS:  Thank you, Karine.  Thank you all very much.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay. 

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you.

Okay.  I do want to give some stats — some additional stats so that you all have this.

More than 4,500 personnel from across the federal workforce — that’s the numbers as of today.  FEMA has shipped 7.1 million meal- — meals ready-to-eat, more than 7.5 million liters of water, 150 generators, and over 95,000 tarps.  Nearly 1,300 urban search and rescue personnel on the ground.  The Department of Defense has 30 high-water trucks and 22 helicopters.

So, just wanted to make sure you guys have that.  Those are the numbers as they are today, the most accurate.

And I just have one more thing at the top, and then we will go to Josh to kick us off.

So, collective bargaining, as you hear us say many times before, is the best way for workers and companies to reach a fair deal, including one that gives workers the pay and benefits they deserve.  It’s important that both parties come to the table and negotiate in good faith, as we talk about, is what we’re seeing with the ports situation.

As you saw the president say in his statement earlier today, he has urged USMX to come to the table and present a fair contract to the workers of the ILA that ensures they are paid appropriately in line with their peers. 

Shippers have made record profits since the pandemic, and in some case, have seen profits grow in excess of 800 percent compared to their profits prior to the pandemic.  Executive compensation has grown in line with those profits, and profits have been returned to shareholders at record rates.  It’s only fair that workers who put themselves at risk during the pandemic to keep ports open see a meaningful increase in their wages as well.

As the president said, dock workers will play an essential role in getting communities the resources they need out of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. 

Now, this administration will be monitoring for any price gouging activity that benefits foreign ocean carriers, including those on the USMX board as well.  It is time for USMX to negotiate a fair contract with the longshoremen that reflects the substantial contribution they — they’ve been making to our economic comeback. 

And with that, Josh, it’s good to see you. 

Q    It’s good to see you.  If we can step back — 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — Americans right now are seeing chaos in the Middle East, death and destruction from Helene, and now a port worker strike.  And I’m curious for — how worried should people be about what seem to be three kind of unraveling issues, and what is President Biden doing in terms of changing his schedule or taking additional steps —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — to try to reassure them?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I think a couple of things here that I would note is that I hope the American people have confidence in this president — someone who has experience, who’s been a u- — a U.S. senator, a vice president, and now president for three and a half years — to get the job done, to make sure that he has the American people front and center on everything that he does.  It doesn’t matter if it’s for- — foreign policy issues, world issues, here in the United States, obviously.

And you’re right.  There are three major events, if you will, happening all at the same time.  And this is a president that spent a lot of his time in a Situation Room with the vice president getting updates, being hands- — hand- — hand-on — hands-on on getting updates and — and talking to — and obviously, communicating with the Israeli government on what was going on and how to move forward and really monitoring the situation, really.

And he has been — he and his team have been having regular conversation.  Well, his team has been ha- — regular conversations with represent- — representi- — representatives, as it relates to ILA, USMX, for the past several days, all the way up until yesterday.  And he’s been getting updates on that as well.

The hurricane — you’ve heard from — you’ve heard and seen, obviously, updates from us on what the president has been doing — having conversations with governors, local officials; trying to make sure they are getting everything that they need; directing his team to make sure that — I just laid out some of the things that are already on the ground, whether it’s water, food, generators, assistance that is needed to really deal with the impact — this horrible impact that this hurricane has had. 

And so, this is the job of the president, right?  Unfortunately, there are going to be events like this, and this is where you see the leadership of a president show up, direct their team to do everything that they can on behalf of the American people, be that lead- — have that world — global leadership, as you see from this president. 

And so, he has been doing that not just today, not just in the last couple of days, but three and a half years.  And I think this should send a message to Americans: It matters.  It matters who sits behind that Resolute Desk.  It matters what the leadership looks like.  It matters.  And you see that almost every day in this administration.

Go ahead, Karen.

Q    You had mentioned that the vice president is finalizing a trip, potentially, to North Carolina later.  The president had mentioned he might go to Florida and Georgia later this week.  Is there any more you can give on that trip?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t have anything more to share on that.  Obviously, our big thing is — is always to make sure that we don’t take away from — from the emergency operations on the ground.  We want to make sure there’s — it’s the right time to go. 

The president said he’s going — he wants to do it.  We’re working through it.  I don’t have a date or time at — at this — at this moment.  But tomorrow, he’s going to go to Raleigh, North Carolina, as I mentioned.  He’s going to really thank the frontline workers who have been really heroic in the past several days in what they’ve been able to do.  And he’s going to also survey the impacted area. 

So, that’s what you’ll see from the president.  We’ll certainly have more to share. 

He does truly want to go to Florida and Georgia to say thank you directly to frontline workers there, meet people, see folks who have been impacted by this horrible storm — a historic storm, I should say.  And so, we’ll certainly have more to share. 

Q    And just a funding question.  Last week, when Administrator Criswell was here, she had said that the agency had enough money to conduct lifesaving measures for this disaster.  Days later now, given the scope of the damage and that large number of people still unaccounted for, the Homeland Security secretary said that there’s still search and rescue operations in many places.  Is there still enough money for lifesaving measures for this particular disaster? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I would let FEMA speak to that directly. 

My understanding is I don’t think anything has changed from when the FEMA administrator was here just this past Thursday. 

But I think what’s important to note is we’re going to be in touch with state and local officials to ensure that they have everything that they need in this time, in this moment — all the federal assistance, all the federal resources.  We are committed to that. 

Obviously, we had pre- — we had presented Congress with a robust funding request that did not make it into the CR.  We are obviously disappointed by that.  And so, those convert- — con- — those conversations are going to continue.  We want to see Congress act.

As we can see — just what we’ve seen from the past couple of days, it is important to have federal assistance for — for Americans who have lost everything — who have lost everything. 

Go ahead, Jeff.

Q    Karine, briefly, back on the topic of the Middle East.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    Did the United States have a heads up from Iran that this missile strike was coming?  And if so, what channels — through which channels did you receive the heads up?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  As you know, we — there are — there are conversations that we have and that are not necessarily — what — here’s what I can say.  I’m not going to speak to private diplomatic conversation.  I’m not going to get into that. 

What I can say is that what you saw today, what you heard from Jake Sullivan is that we are going to continue to be there for Israel, to defend Israel.  They have the right to defend themselves. 

What you saw today — what’s happening, the developments of what you saw today and what you heard from the president directing the Department of Defense to make sure that we assist Israel, and what we — in the — in the operation that we saw coming from Iran.  We were — we — you heard from us earlier today.  You heard from the president. 

And so, we’re going to continue to make sure that we are there to defend Israel, and we are committed.  As you heard from Jake as well, there will be consequences.  This is an ongoing, developing situation.  And so, you will hear more from us. 

I’m not going to get into any — into any intelligence or any diplomatic conversations that we have from here. 

Go ahead, Kevin.

Q    When it comes to the dockworkers strike, should Americans be prepared for shortages of goods?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I know that there’s been a lot of reporting on that, on the impact of — impact that this will have on the economy.  And so, look, what we see and how we see this moving forward, as it relates to the economy and — and potential impacts, is that we’re going to continue closely monitoring the situation.  We’re going to — what this could have potentially on the supply chain impacts, assessing ways to address any concerns if necessary. 

And the president and the vice president, as I said at the top as well, are being briefed.  They were briefed on the agency assessments that show limited impacts on critical consumer needs at this time, including in the important areas of fuel, food, and medicine. 

And so, the president has dir- — directed — remember, he started the — he started the Supply Chain Disruption Task Force very early on to deal with what we saw related to the pandemic. 

And so, they’re going to meet every day.  This task force still exists.  They’re going to meet every day and prepare to address potential disruptions if necessary. 

And so, we are — we are engaged extensively with labor industry, state and local officials, ocean carriers, and rail and truck companies, including multiple meetings with retailers, grocers, manufacturers, and ar- — and agriculture. 

So, this is something — when it comes to the supply chain, as we — obviously, as I just mentioned, we started — the president started the task force.  We are taking this very seriously, and we’re going to monitor this very closely.

Go ahead, Weijia.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Yesterday, when the president was asked whether he was aware of a limited ground operation into Lebanon by Israel, he said, “I’m more aware than you might know.”  Can you elaborate on what he meant?  Did the president play a role in determining the size and scope of that ground operation?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No.  I mean, this is — when it comes to any military operations that — that Israel has, IDF, it is for them to speak to.  It is — it is for them to come to their determination of what that looks like. 

What we have been very clear about is that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iran-backed groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.  And we have always been clear about that.

We understand, as I’ve stated, and I’ll give a little bit more today, the Israeli- — the Israelis will be conducting limited operations to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure that would be used to threaten Israeli citizens.  And this is in line with Israel’s right to defend itself and — and its citizens and safely return their — their civilians to their homes. 

So, we support that right to — to defend themselves against Hezbollah and all — again, all of Iran-backed groups.  And we’ve been very consistent about that and will continue to be so. 

Q    And then, I know there is a lot going on, but will the president sit down and watch the vice presidential debate tonight?  Where?  With who?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  (Laughs.)  As you — as you just stated, there’s a lot going on.  There’s a lot going on.  I mean, the question that I got from Josh moments ago is — there are multiple events happening all at once, and the president is going to continue, certainly, to deal with all of these events on behalf of the American people. 

Look, you heard from the president just a couple days ago.  He has complete confidence in — in Tim Walz. 

I’m going to be really mindful, you know, because it is a — a campaign event.  I’m just going to leave it there. 

Q    But is he going to watch?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  He’s going to be very, very busy.  Continues to be very busy with all of the events happening today.  But he has complete confidence in — in Tim Walz.

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  You spoke about wages earlier.  Can you talk about the president’s view of the ILA’s push to put restrictions on automation?  That’s a major sticking point

in those negotiations. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, what I will say — I’m not going to go point by point with what they’re negotiating.  We believe — we believe it is important that workers get fair pay and also benefits.  That’s what they deserve. 

I just laid out what — what the shippers were able to do.  Right?  They were able to get — they were able to regain their profits, some of it in excess of 800 percent, since the pandemic.  Right?  Executive compensation has grown in line with those profits, and profits have been returned to shareholders at record rates. 

And so, you know, the ILA, these workers deserve to get paid what they’re worth.  They deserve that.  They put their lives at risk during — you know, they — they worked.  You know, they had to work during the pandemic to keep ports open.  That was not an easy thing to do.  They put themselves at risk.  And so, now they deserve fair wages.

Yeah.

Q    Is there anything particularly about technology, their concern that robots could —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I hear the question.

Q    — potentially replace their jobs?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to get into specifics here.  What we believe is that they should get their fair — their fair wages and benefits, just like their peers.  And — and so, we believe that collective bargaining is the way to go.  Both sides need to — to continue to have conversation and do that in — in — obviously, in a way that leads to a way that workers get their fair share.

Q    And just a question on tomorrow’s travel.  Why isn’t Harris traveling with Biden, since she will be going to North Carolina, as you said, in the coming days? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, she’s going to Georgia.  So, the president is going to do North Carolina, South Carolina, and she’s going to go to Georgia.  So, I think it’s a — it was a way to make sure that we cover — we cover all fronts.  And then, she’ll go to North Carolina in upcoming days.

Go ahead, Ed.

Q    Tha- – thanks, Karine.  So, on the port strike.  So, with the rebuilding of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, isn’t it a bad time to have supplies stuck at 36 ports, as of right now?  So, how long, then, until the president decides he should step in in this strike?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, a couple of things.  According to FEMA, it — the strike is not impacting the relief of — recovery efforts at this time because supplies were pre-positioned.  You heard — you heard the FEMA administration — administrator mention this just last week.  You heard that from — from the secretary just moments ago. 

So, any specifics on that, obviously, I would refer you to them. 

Look, we have a Supply Chain — Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force.  They’re going to be monitoring the situation.  This — there’s a reason why the president put that together to assess the supply chain.  And so, they’re going to be there to work with any potential disruptions. 

But I — in your — in your question to me about when is the president going to be involved, the president’s message has been very clear.  I just laid that out for one of your colleagues. 

We’ve been very clear when it comes to these types of moments here that labor, when it comes to negotiating, there needs to be — collective bargaining is incredibly important.  Workers need to get their fair share.  They need to get what they deserve: pay, paid benefits, wages.  It is important that happens. 

 The president is going to continue to be regularly briefed, and we are urging USMX to come to the table to present a fair proposal to ILA. 

 Q   So, Taft-Hartley is off the table indefinitely?

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I’ve spoken to this.  This is not — this — we — we have not used Taft-Hartley, and we’re not planning to.

 Q   One quick one, if I could, on Iran.  So, Iran — obviously, we saw what happened today.  They also have an active plot to assassinate one of the candidates in the U.S. election, which could be seen as a direct election interference.  Is there any talk of consequences for Iran in terms of limiting their revenue, going after their oil exports?

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, you heard Jake speak to this — on what — there will be consequences.  You heard Jake say this.  This is an ongoing situation.  He had to get back to his desk to make sure that he continues to monitor what’s happening, occurring, having conversations with — with his counterparts as well in Israel. 

 But this administration has not lifted a single sanction on Iran.  We cannot forget that.  Rather, we continue to increase pressure.  That’s what we have seen.  Our extensive sanctions on Iran remain in place, and we certainly will continue to enforce them.  And you heard from the national security advisor; you heard what he said today.

 Q   But oil — Iran’s oil exports have reached record levels now — one report showing 3.2 million barrels per day, according to OPEC.  That’s about $90 billion a year.  So, when do we cut off that revenue?

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We have not lifted any — a single sanction.  If anything, as I said moments ago, we increased pressure.  That’s what we have been doing.

 You’ll hear more from us.  Jake was very clear when he was here at the podium about consequences.  And so, I’m going to let — I’m going to let that be for now.

 Go ahead.

 Q   Thanks.  Six months ago, the vice president was in Los Angeles when Iran conducted its first wave of strikes, and the vice president joined virtually when she joined the national security team for a briefing that day. 

 Today, she’s the nominee.  She was in the Situation Room.  I’m just wondering if you can elaborate at all about what her engagement has been like today and what it will be like in the next 48 hours as Israel plots its response?

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, you just answered your own question.  The pres- — the pres- — the vice president joined the president today in the Situation Room as they were monitoring the situation, as the president was listening to his team and hearing feedback on what was happening on the ground. 

 She was there.  She was alongside him in getting that — in getting that update, and she is — many times has been in the room or, as you just said, has called in when it’s come to really important, critical national security issues. 

 And so, that has been the way that they have worked together in the past three and a half years, and that’s the way it’s going to continue as — as we work through what’s next. 

 Q   Does it make any difference, though, participating virtually versus being here in person today?

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, I wouldn’t — I — I wouldn’t say there’s a difference.  The point — the point is, she’s in the room.  She’s side by side with the president.  She’s getting an update from the national security team and others that is part of his — a part of his team on these important issues.  As we talk about foreign policy and what’s going on in the world, she’s part of it.  She’s there.  She was there for a majority of the time that the president was in the Situation Room today as we were watching what was occurring.  And that’s going to continue. 

 Go ahead, Gabe.

 Q   Thanks, Karine, the president walked the picket line last year with autoworkers in Michigan, which is a swing state.  Why not walk the picket line here?

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I — I think that message has been really clear — it really has — on what the president wants to see.  We’ve been very clear about making sure that there is a — a — there is a — there is a way that these workers get their — get their fair pay — right? — get their wages. 

 And the president’s team has been having these conversations.  Secretary Buttigieg and also secretary of the Department of Labor and also NSC [NEC] Director Lael have been having regular co- — communications, and we’ve made our message really clear on collective bargaining, how important it is and how — or how USMX needs to come to the table and present a fair proposal to ILA.

 Outside of that, I don’t have anything else to share, but

I think our — I think we’ve been loud and clear on what we want to see and what we believe the workers deserve. 

 Q   Has the administration been as involved in this strike as it was during the UAW strike?

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, let’s not forget, there’s been multiple strikes — right? — over the last three and a half years, and we’ve been pretty consistent and pretty steady.  The president has been called the most pro-union president in modern — in modern history, if you will.  And so, we have delivered our message directly to USMX.  We have been very, very clear — and also the other senior officials that I listed.  It’s been very clear.  We’ve delivered those message, and we have been in touch with both parties.  And so, we’re going to continue to do that. 

 And what we want to see is collective bar- — bargaining in the best way for the workers to make sure they get their fair pay, to make sure they get the benefits that they deserve. 

 During the pandemic, they did the hard work.  They put their lives at risk to make sure that the ports were open.  And let’s not forget, these executives have made record profits — record profits.  And so, these workers deserve an increase as well. 

 Q   And quickly on the Middle East —

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

 Q   — if I may.  Is the U.S. — the bottom line — is the U.S. urging Israel to measure its response?

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I will say is what Jake Sullivan said to you all just moments ago: We’re going to continue the conversations.  We’re going to — there will be consequences.  We were con- — we are going to continue to be there for Israel, help Is- — help Israel defend itself.  That — when it comes to Israel’s security, that continues to be ironclad. 

 I don’t have anything else to share beyond that. 

 Go ahead.

 Q   Thank you.  Just turning back to the strike for a minute.  I wanted to get a sense — you had mentioned the president is — calls himself the most pro-union president.

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Not just him. 

 Q   Not just him, of course. 

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, yeah, union members.

 Q   Others say the same thing. 

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

 Q   But could you expand a little bit on his relationship with Harold Daggett, the head of the union, and also —

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

 Q   — the vice president’s relationship with him?

 MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I don’t have anything to — to read out on their relationship or private conversations.  What I can say is, you have s- — you have heard me say multiple times, his senior officials, White House senior officials have been in touch with both parties, and we are urging USMX to come to the table — to come to the table with a fair proposal. 

 We cannot say this enough.  We believe that these workers deserve a fair pay.  They deserve a benefits and that — that meets the — the level of their peers. 

And so, that’s what we’re going to continue to say and have those conversations.  You read and saw the president’s statement earlier today.  And the message is going to be very, very clear here.  And those conversations are continuing.

I don’t have a relationship to speak to.  I don’t have any — any preview to speak of at this time.

Q    Okay.  Is it just — Karine, you said that they have actually spoken to each other, though. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — no, I’m saying I don’t have anything to —

Q    You’re saying you can’t (inaudible)?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — read out.

Q    Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I don’t have anything for you at this time.

Q    Okay.  And then just sort of related to that, you have — you sort of made a very clear point that the — in the sort of immediate days here, there — many experts say there isn’t an immediate impact that consumers will feel but that, as, you know, Harold Daggett has pointed out himself, after one week, two weeks, three weeks, that dynamic would change significantly.  And is — can you say anything o- — about how long the president is willing to wait?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, a couple of things.  We’re going to closely monitor the situation.  You heard me talk about the — the supply chain task force.  I do want to lay out: A number of our agencies, they put out assessment that showed limited impact on critical consumers’ needs at this time. 

So, on energy, for example, from the Department of En- — Energy, the strike will not have any immediate impact on fuel supplies or prices.  On food, from the Department of Agriculture, we should not expect a si- — a significant changes to food prices or availability in the near term.  On medicine, from the Department of Health and Human Services, immediate impacts across medicines, medical devices, and infant formula for consumers, parents, and caregivers should be limited.

But, of course, we’re going to closely monitor this and any — for any potential supply chain impacts. 

Look, and we have this task force.  This task force came into play obviously during the pandemic to deal with the situation that we were dealing with because of a once-in-a-century pandemic.

And so, they’re going to monitor it very closely.  And so, we’re — you know, what we’re going to continue to do is be very clear on our message to USMX: They got to come forward with a fair proposal that is fair to the — to the workers.  And so, that is our message.  And they are hearing that from senior officials from the White House.

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you.  I have two questions regarding Africa.  For Angola, President Biden is traveling to Angola, as you’ve mentioned.  Could you provide — there are 54 countries on the continent.  And I — as well as other leaders from the administration have traveled over there, what is your message to other African nations as well as the African (inaudible)?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I would say that the president traveling to the continent sends a positive message to other nations.  I know you’re asking me about other countries, but the president is going —

Q    (Inaudible.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, wait.  But the president is going to the continent.  I think —

Q    But he’s only going to one country.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Wait.  Wait.  But the president — and you just mentioned too in your question that other — other officials have gone to other countries in the continent, right? 

And so, if anything, you have seen our commitment to building on that relationship with th- — with those countries in the continent. 

As it relates to Angola, he’s going to have bilateral meetings there.  He’s going to have multilateral meetings as well to discuss increased collaboration on shared priorities.  And let’s not forget the PGI, what — an initiative that this president started.  That’s going to be the — Africa’s first transcontinental open-access rail network that’s going to start there. 

So, I think if you think about it, what the president has done this past three and a half years, going to Angola is a connecting — connecting factor in some of — in this key initiative, the PGI.  Right?  We’re talking about a — a historic effort in this open-access rail network. 

And so, that’s going to be a big deal for everyone, every country in the continent.  And so, if anything, this shows the president’s commitment, and he said he was going to go.  He’s keeping that commitment.  But it’s not just that. 

He wants to make sure that we’re advancing cooperation with the continent when it comes to the economy — right? — when it comes to technology.

And so, that’s what you’re going to see from this president.

Q    My other question is: Today is Nigeria’s Independence Day.  Do you guys have any remarks or any statements? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I will talk to National Security Council.  I don’t have anything to share with you at this time.

AIDE:  Karine, you have time for (inaudible).

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  All right.  Go ahead.  Back — in the back, yeah. 

Q    Me?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    Ahead of tonight’s debate between J.D. Vance and Tim Walz, there are reports that VA staffers have accessed their medical records at the VA.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Wait, say that one more time.  I — I missed that.

Q    That’s okay.  There are reports that VA staffers have accessed —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.

Q    — the medical records of J.D. Vance and Tim Walz, you know, as there’s rising interest in them as part of the election.  Is that acceptable?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Wait, the — there are medical records that were asc- — accessed?

Q    Accessed by VA staffers.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  On —

Q    On their medical records —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Of —

Q    — when they were —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Of J.D. Vance?

Q    And Tim Walz.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.

Q    Is that acceptable to this administration?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — this is the first I’m hearing about this, so I have to get some more information on that.  I — this is the — literally the first time I’m hearing about this.  So, let me get back to you because I’m — I need to get the full context of that question.

All right, everybody.  Thank you so much. 

Q    Thank you, Karine.

3:35 P.M. EDT

The post Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas appeared first on The White House.

Oval Office

5:08 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, folks, good — good afternoon.  I just received a briefing from Governor Cooper and FEMA Director Criswell and the staff and — to provide me with a firsthand account of the historic impacts of Hurricane Helene.

I want to express condolences to all the families — to all the families whose loved ones have died or are missing.  Matter of fact, it’s almost equally as bad missing — not knowing whether or not your brother, sister, husband, wife, son, daughter are alive.  And we want you to know that a lot of us have experienced that and we understand what you’re going through. 

And — and, to the survivors, I want you to know the administration is going to be there — and we just talked about this — until we finish the job.  It’s going to take a hell of a long time and a serious amount of assets. 

With federal support, the state has reopened 220 roads, which are going to help responders reach people and get the support they need quickly.  Right now, thousands — thousands of federal personnel are deployed in your communities, supporting search and rescue, debris removal, power restoration, and getting cell networks back online so folks can connect to their loved ones.  We’ve — we deployed 30 Starlink receivers, and there are 10 more on the way to western North Carolina.

And FEMA is on the ground, supporting the communities and registering people for disaster assistance.  And talking with the governor, it’s going to take a while.  Right, Gov?  It’s going to be a long time.

And — and we — there are thousands of line workers working around the clock to help get power back up in — in North Carolina. 

Additionally, Governor Cooper and I have spoken about my traveling to North Carolina and — to survey the damage as soon as I can, without taking resources or diverting resources on the ground.  And we’re going to stay as long as it takes when we get this thing going. 

But I’m going to North Carolina on Wednesday.  It’s the plan now.  We’re going to be landing in Raleigh for a briefing with the emergency operations center, and I’ll then do an aerial tour of Asheville.  It’s too much for me, in terms of interrupting access to help there, to — to land in Ash- — and to survey the damage other than — other than through the air. 

And then, it’s my plan to travel to Georgia and Florida as soon as possible after that. 

And — and I don’t know.  Governor, do you want to add anything?

GOVERNOR COOPER:  Yeah, thank you, Mr. President.  We appreciate the resources that are coming our way. 

This has been a devastating storm, as you know, and we’re grateful to have had Administrator Criswell here on the ground all day today.  And she’s going to be staying and making sure we surge assets into the area to get people food and water and to get the power back on.

And obviously, we are grateful for the search and rescue teams as well. 

Thank you so much. 

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you. 

Any questions on this issue?

Q    Sir, is it your sense from the governors you’ve spoken to that they have all the resources they need right now?  Or are there things they need immediately?

THE PRESIDENT:  They need things immediately.  They’re getting them immediately.  Some access — it’s a matter of getting access to the people who need it. 

And so, that’s why we’re talking about land bridges, to be able to get the Defense Department in there to get water, for example, from a place that, in fact, they can’t get to because the roads are gone, the roads are closed. 

We’ve contacted the — the — we have the Defense Department agreeing that they’re going to — they’re providing for helicopters from — from the base there to get as much in as we can.  It’s going to take a long time. 

But, Gov, what am I leaving out that you need?  Or —

GOVERNOR COOPER:  We’ve talked about a lot of resources that we need: medical, making sure that we are getting additional —

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.

GOVERNOR COOPER:  — helicopters for land bridges, search and rescue. 

All of those things are happening now.  We just know that the commodities are going to have to continue in for weeks, because — for example, Asheville, the largest city here and — but that supplies a lot on the water — their water system is completely down.  So, getting water in here on a sustained basis is going to be critical. 

And we are discussing the strategies to continue those efforts and to surge those efforts.

Q    Mr. President —

Q    Mr.  President and — and Governor Cooper, Donald Trump has a- — has accused both of you of ignoring the disaster —

THE PRESIDENT:  He is lying.  Let me get this straight: He’s lying, and the governor told him he was lying.  The governor told him he was lying. 

I’ve spoken to the governor, I’ve spent time with him, and he told him he’s lying.  I don’t know why he does this.

And the reason I get so angry about it — I don’t care about what he says about me, but I care what he — what he communicates to the people that — that are in need.  He implies that we’re not doing everything possible.  We are.  We are.

And you — and you spoke to the gov- — I assume you’ve heard the Republican governor of Georgia talk about that he was on the phone with me more than once. 

So, that’s simply not true, and it’s irresponsible. 

I don’t know what the governor wants to say about it, but let me tell you what I think.

Q    Mr. President, in retrospect, do you wish that you had put more resources in North Carolina, knowing what you know now? 

And do you wish that you had spent the weekend here in Washington rather than in Delaware?

THE PRESIDENT:  Come on, stop that game, will you?  Why I was in Delaware — it’s 90 miles from here, okay?  And I was on the phone the whole time working on that.

And the resources —

Q    Sir —

THE PRESIDENT:  The question is not whether we get more re- — this is a list of every resource we’re getting in there, but the question is how to get it in.  It’s hard to get it from point A to point B.  It’s hard to get it if some of these roads are wiped out, communities are wiped out.  There’s no ability to land.  There’s no ability to get trucks through.  There’s no ability to get a whole range of things through. 

So, I mean — anyway —

Q    Mr. President, can —

THE PRESIDENT:  If I sound frustrated, I am. 

Q    Can you talk a little bit about the — the death toll?  We were speaking in the briefing today about it could be as much as 600, maybe 700.  That’s such a huge number for the United States of America.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, first of all, the death toll, the confirmed death toll is high enough of well over 100.  Okay?

There are roughly — is it — correct me if I’m wrong, Gov or Deanne, but there are about 600 people still unaccounted for, if I’m not mistaken.  Is that about right?

GOVERNOR COOPER:  Well, we know, Mr. President, because cell phone service is down —

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes.

GOVERNOR COOPER:  — that there are a lot of people that haven’t been able to get in touch with them.

But what’s happening now — and we’re getting assistance from you to coordinate even more efforts — is we’re doing door-to-door welfare checks on people to make sure that they are accounted for. 

We know there will be more deaths, because this was an unprecedented, devastating storm that was something that people in North Carolina, in western North Carolina have never seen before. 

So, we are working as hard as we can to get in touch with everybody and to make sure that we are telling relatives where — that people are safe and also making sure that search and rescue — because we have rivers that are still rising.  The danger is still occurring for a lot of people.  

THE PRESIDENT:  And, by the way, as — as the — FEMA can tell you, they have pre-positioned an awful lot of material, an awful lot of material throughout that area, from the Bend all the way up into Tennessee. 

And so, the idea that we weren’t prepared — the question is no one knew exactly how devastating it would be.  We knew it would be significant and we’ve got a lot already in place, but there’s more. 

But here’s the point.  I’m going to be asking the American people to continue to help fund the needs of these people.  It’s not going to be one hit and it’s over.  It’s going to take a hell of a long time.  It’s going to cost a hell of a lot of money.  But this is United States of America, and we’ve got to do it. 

Q    Sir, what can Americans do right now —

(Cross-talk.)

Q    Sir, Americans that want to help, what can they do right now to help?

THE PRESIDENT:  Ameri- —

(Cross-talk.)

Q    If people want to help —

THE PRESIDENT:  If peop- —

(Cross-talk.)

THE PRESIDENT:  If people — if people —

(Cross-talk.)

Q    You guys, the President is still taking questions.

Go ahead, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  If — if people want to help, there’s means by which they can contact — who should they contact?

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  The American Red Cross. 

THE PRESIDENT:  And contact the American Red Cross and get as much — they’ll get information.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  It’s an excellent way of contributing, which works very closely with FEMA.

THE PRESIDENT:  And by the way, as — as the governor said, we’re working on making sure that the — that the hospitals are up and running, that they have the capacity to deal with the concerns of people and the needs. 

So, there’s a lot to do, and this is just beginning.  And we’ve been through this before but not — not like this.  This is the worst ever. 

Q    Is this storm a consequence of climate change, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Absolutely, positively, unequivocally yes.  Yes, yes, yes. 

Thank you.

5:17 P.M. EDT

The post Remarks by President Biden After Operational Briefing on the Hurricane Helene Response and Recovery Efforts appeared first on The White House.

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

2:38 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Good afternoon, everyone.

Q    Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  A couple of things at the top, and then we’ll get started.

So, today, the first lady is traveling to Mexico City to lead the U.S. presidential delegation for the inauguration of Claudia Sheinbaum.  The visit will highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to strengthening the partnership between the United States and Mexico.

Our countries have a strong and productive partnership, and we look forward to building on the relationship under the new president of Mexico to advance our shared priorities.

As you heard from the president earlier today, we are focused on doing everything we can to deliver critical resources to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.

To date, the president has approved requests for federal assistance for seven states, including three major disaster declaration requests from North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as Florida.

Over the last several days, we have read out consistent briefings that the president has received from his team, including FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and his Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Rand- — -Randall, who is here with us today, as you can see to my right.

The president also spoke with N- — North Carolina Governor Ray [Roy] Cooper and Georg- — Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, along with other state and local officials in the — in the impacted areas to offer further assistance as needed.

This afternoon, at 3:30, FEMA Administrator Criswell and Governor Cooper will hold a press conference on the latest operational updates out of North Carolina.

In the 4:00 p.m. hour, Criswell and Governor Cooper will brief President Biden, and then he will have an Oval sp- — spray to read out additional updates to the pool.

And later this afternoon, the vice president will receive an in-person briefing at FEMA later — later today, as you all know.

As the president said earlier today, the na- — the nation has your back, and the Biden-Harris administration will be with you as long as it takes.

With that, it’s my pleasure to welcome back L.S.R., as we call her here. 

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thanks, Karine.

I’m going to move that a little bit, Karine.  

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Why don’t I do this? 

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  This is so (inaudible).

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I know — I know you have a lot to share today, so let me move that out of your way.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you.  I do.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Q    Good afternoon.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  I’m here today to brief you on the federal response to Hurricane Helene.  But, first, I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the lives lost across the region impacted by the hurricane and those survivors whose lives will never be the same.

My heart goes out to those who’ve lost loved ones and those who are worrying about whether their loved ones are still alive.  And our administration and our nation is standing with the people impacted by this hurricane.

To the disaster survivors across the region, the Biden-Harris administration is committed to supporting you every step of the way as you begin your recovery and you start to heal.

For survivors in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina whose governors have requested major disaster declarations, the president approved them immediately over the weekend. 

And we urge those citizens who are seeking FEMA assistance to sign up for that assistance as quickly as possible.  You can do that either by calling 1-800-621-3362, registering on DisasterAssistance.gov, or by filling out an application on your mobile device through the FEMA app.

And that brings me to our response.

Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’ leadership, we are providing urgent and extensive federal support for the ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Helene.

Over the weekend, at the president’s direction, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell traveled to Florida on Saturday, to Georgia on Sunday, and, today, she is in North Carolina accompanying Governor Cooper in surveying impacts to the affected communities in western North Carolina.

The president has asked Deanne Criswell to remain in Asheville, North Carolina, given how acute the situation is on the ground there, and he will receive an update from her this afternoon and from Governor Cooper, in addition to the press conference that the administrator and the governor will hold today.

Also, as the president said earlier today, he is committed to traveling to impacted arears — areas later this week, as soon as his presence will not disrupt vital emergency response operations.

So, I want to walk you through what happens as we’re facing a hurricane predicted w- — to have the kind of impacts that Helene has had.

First of all, what we do before a storm.  As Helene was developing in the Gulf, the president directed FEMA to pre-position specialized capabilities across the region, including deploying Incident Management Assistance Teams to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.  These teams support our state plan- — our state partners in planning, in logistics, and in conducting their emergency response operations. 

This included pre-positioning a number of search and rescue teams — federal search and rescue teams, in addition to the state and local teams, temporary power teams, generators, and health and medical assessment teams.

These efforts focused on the Big Bend area of Florida, saved lives in the state, and they prepared us to respond elsewhere in the region.

Now, if we know anything about storms — and we’ve learned a lot in our years in service together — it’s that Mother Nature has a mind of her own.  As good as our technologies are, as good as our National Hurricane Center is, it’s just a forecast.  And when a storm hits, we have to adapt and respond in real time, just as the storm has the effects in real time that it is having, and then there are knock-on effects of that storm, such as flooding.

As we evaluated impacts from the storm, we shifted into the post-landfall phase of our process, and we began to surge capacity to where it was needed the most.

As of today, we have more than 3,500 federal response personnel deployed and supporting response efforts across the region, including more than 1,000 personnel from FEMA. 

Search and rescue efforts by state, local, and federal partners are ongoing, and nearly 600 additional personnel will arrive in the region in the coming days, increasing the total number of urban search and rescue personnel to over 1,250.

And as search and rescue missions in other states wind down, these teams are focusing on the areas of greatest need, including North Carolina, where our federal teams continue to support state and local teams with rethcu- — rescues where the devastation is most acute.

Also at the par- — at the president’s direction, the Department of Defense has activated additional helicopters to aid in search and rescue operations and has provided dozens of high-water vehicles to get into areas that it’s difficult to access. 

The National Guard, in their state capacity, is also supporting these efforts.  National Guardsmen and women from eight additional states are supporting North Carolina under existing Emergency Mutual Assistance Compacts, known as EMACs, with more than 700 personnel, helicopters, a cargo plane, and rescue vehicles to help with road clearance, provision of commodities, transportation, and search and rescue. 

This is the best of America.  We have National Guard coming in as far as from Connecticut, Ohio, and New York, who are deploying to North Carolina to support their fellow citizens in need. 

In addition, about 200 medical responders are also stationed in Flora, Al- — Florida, Alabama, and North Carolina, along with medical equipment and supplies to ensure the continued health care delivery that is required following the landfall of Hurricane Helene.  And the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency for Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia, which gives health providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

In order for communities to begin functioning again, we all know it’s critical to have power restored, and I want to tell you about what we’re doing on this front, because that is truly the fundamental lifeline sector. 

As of this morning, about 2 million people are still without power across the impacted states, at least 50,000 personnel from 31 states and D.C. and Canada are responding to power outages throughout the region via established mutual assistance agreements between utilities and working around the clock throughout parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to restore power to those communities that can receive it, where the infrastructure can take power on the lines.

FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are also making available generators of many different sizes that are ready to be deployed upon the request of any state.  And as power is being restored throughout parts of Florida and Georgia, power crews are bo- — being moved into other states to assist with additional restoration efforts. 

We see power outage numbers improving where restoration teams are able to gain access to communities and the debris is cleared. 

Once we get power restored, we can then get a lot of other things working again.  Utilities; water utilities, in particular; communication systems; medical and health care facilities are those capabilities that depend, of course, on a source of power supply to function. 

We’re also very focused on restoring communications capabilities.  FEMA, the FCC, and private telecommunications providers are working together to help restore temporary communications as quickly as possible by establishing temporary cell sites and allowing for roaming where possible, where a resident can connect to any network available, even if they aren’t subscribed to that network.

Today, FEMA will install 30 Starlink receivers in western North Carolina to provide immediate connectivity for those in greatest need. 

We’re also very focused on how we reach survivors at their point of need.  This has been a lesson we have learned from the beginning of President Biden’s presidency — that those who most need the help have the hardest time accessing that help, and he has directed us to work to evolve FEMA practices so we can really get to those who need us the most.

In states that have requested and have received major disaster declarations, FEMA is expediting the delivery of its Serious Needs Assistance, which is an immediate $750 direct payment to eligible households to allow them to pay for essential items like food, baby formula, water, medications, and other emergency supplies. 

This is not the full extent of FEMA’s assistance to individuals, but it’s the first element of it that becomes immediately available with a major disaster declaration, and it gets people cash when they’re absolutely desperate for it. 

In addition, survivors who register for the FEMA Individual Assistance Program will be eligible to receive assistance to help repair their homes, cars, and other personal property in conjunction with their own insurance policies.

FEMA is working, as it always does, to open Disaster Recovery Centers in impacted communities.  What’s important about these centers is they aggregate federal support in one place.  It used to be the case that survivors had to go to multiple different departments and agencies to find out what kind of help they could get access to.  What we do is we put everyone together, either in a standing building that survived the natural disaster or in a trailer, if that’s necessary. 

For example, we’ve opened three Disaster Recovery Centers today in Manatee County, Sarasota County, and Hillsborough County, Florida.

If survivors cannot get to such a facility — and we think that will likely be the place in a place like Asheville and its surrounding areas — we send people door to door.  FEMA literally goes knocking with an iPad in hand so they can help people register for the assistance they need, because they may not have power, their cell phone may has — have run out, and they need someone to help them get registered quickly. 

In North Carolina, we’re focused right now on clearing roads and removing debris, restoring communications and power, and ensuring access to health care and the continued flow of commodities and food — commodities like food and water to where they’re most needed. 

Today, we’ve heard they’ve reopened 220 roads, which will help enable responders and critical commodities to begin moving via ground transportation.

While FEMA has been at the forefront of the response, and it’s very meaningful to have them on the ground, they serve as the coordinator of the orchestra of a wide-ranging federal response, and that’s something a lot of people don’t understand.

What FEMA does is it mission assigns — that’s the term of art, quote, “mission assigns” — roles and responsibilities across our government in the wake of a disaster.  And so, what they do is coordinate the identification of and delivery of those resources when they’re needed and where they’re needed. 
I want to go through some of what other departments and agencies are doing so you can hear the full scope of the federal response, which gives more clarity than just saying, “FEMA is doing this.” 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed power restoration teams, including in Buncombe County, North Carolina, where Asheville is — Asheville is located, for temporary emergency power, debris removal, and infrastructure assessment, including for dams throughout the region. 

The Department of Defense has mobilized 22 helicopters in support to response in western North Carolina.  Staged at Fort Liberty in North Carolina, there are multiple helicopters available to support air bridge operations to move personnel and necessary supplies and equipment into the disaster area.  

Four helicopters from DOD are actively supporting the urgent search and rescue operations that are ongoing in western North Carolina.  The other 18 are helping to move response personnel and deliver critical commodities and support into remote and isolated communities that are not accessible right — by road right now.

DOD has also made available, as I mentioned, 30 high-water vehicles available for search and rescue and has set up five Incident Support Bases across the region to continue providing support to those who need it in the surrounding areas. 

The U.S. Coast Guard has thousands of personnel working on response efforts and is conducting post-storm assessments to support the rapid reopening of impacted ports in Florida. 

The U.S. Department of Energy has responders deployed across the region, primarily in the State Emergency Operations Centers. 

While I noted that power restoration numbers are trending in the right direction, it’s important to remember that these will be complex, multiday efforts in many locations due to the extent of damage and the ongoing access issues. 

Utilities are facing widespread flooding and debris that is impeding access to damaged infrastructure, and one of the things we’ve learned in prior incidents like this is it’s really important to set public expectations about when they can anticipate that power will return so that they take the necessary steps to be safe and to secure additional support — for example, moving into a shelter — if power isn’t going to come on for some time where they live.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, a very important player in this space in — in rural areas, has deployed personnel to the impacted region to extend much-needed emergency credit to farmers and agriculture producers who lost crops and livestock across all the impacted states, but in particular, in the Big Bend region of Florida and in southern Georgia.

The Environmental Protection Agency has personnel on the ground who are offering technical assistance and guidance on water systems, which have been significantly damaged in a number of locations, on debris management, and on maintaining critical public health and environmental protections as storm impacts are assessed.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has also deployed more than 50 personnel to support survivors and small businesses as they recover from the hurricane. 

So, that’s a sense for you of the range of capabilities that surge when we say we’re doing everything we can to help impacted communities, and more will follow as we know more about the impacts.  We honestly don’t know the full extent of the damage; it probably will take several more days as communities begin to be opened up by the debris clearance on the roads and we can get in and really understand what’s happened to them. 

Unfortunately, we know that the first information we receive is often wrong in the wake of a disaster, and that the early days are brutally hard for the people who are in the most heavily impacted communities.  Since 2021, we have seen this play out across the nation, from Florida to California to Maui, from Kentucky to New York.

As the president has directed, we will do everything we can, first, to save lives, alleviate suffering, and help communities to recover and eventually rebuild.  And we will focus especially on survivors who have the hardest time accessing the help we can provide, as I noted, because as Americans, we are all in this together. 

Thank you for giving me a chance to lay that down for you, and I’m glad to take a few questions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  And L.S.R. has to go see the POTUS pretty soon.

Go ahead.  Go ahead, Jeff.

Q    Thanks very much.  Liz, a couple different topics.  One, you talked about people’s inability to communicate because of lack of power, et cetera.  Can you give us any sense of how — you know, whether you’re working with mobile phone companies or the private sector at all to help boost the ability to communicate? 

And secondly, do you have any sense — do you have any sense now of where the death toll is going and what the cost of rebuilding will be?

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  So, on the effort to get communications restored, we work with — I, not personally — but FEMA works with — and — with the FCC and with private-sector companies.  All of the major providers participate in this.  And as you heard me say, if you’re not — let’s imagine — a customer of AT&T, but Verizon is able to get some coverage in your region, you’ll get free roaming in order to get access. 

We’re also moving in Starlink receivers, as I said, because we need more capability where we think it will be a while before any of those cell towers that we would normally be dependent upon will be working again. 

So, we have a multipronged effort when we need to get communications capabilities and involving a variety of technologies.  Some of them are more novel solutions.  Some of them are more traditional.  

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  On —

Q    Hold on.  I have a —

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  I’ll just say, on the death count you asked about. 

Q    And —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, sorry.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  So, we really —

Q    — and cost.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  — we — the current data we have is that it looks like there could be as many as 600 lost lives, but we don’t have any confirmation of that.  We know there are 600 who are either lost or unaccounted for.  And so, that work is ongoing. 

I’ll caution you, because we’ve seen this before, those numbers vary widely.  There’s a lot of reporting that doesn’t add up about the numbers.  And so, while we may see the numbers go up as we get to more locations that have not yet been fully developed, in terms of disaster immediate emergency response operations, we may see more people who unfortunately perished, but we may also not see the numbers skyrocket as people have predicted they might.  So, I would just urge you to wait until we have the facts, and we’ll report them to you as we have them.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Zeke. 

Q    Thanks, Liz.  You mentioned that the run-up to the storm, the — the focus of the preparations was on the Big Bend area of Florida and then it moved as the storm moved inland.  Were you surprised by the impacts on the flooding side?  Was there something wrong in the forecast that you should have pre-positioned assets differently to prepare for this sort of situation? 

You know, I know that there’ll be time for an after-action report later, but are you now at the point where you — where now you’re kicking yourself that you didn’t do something, you know, Thursday or Friday?

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  So, we can never know exactly where a storm will go.  Of course, we will do, with our colleagues who do the weather predictions, an analysis of what we knew and what we didn’t know and how that evolved.  We were very concerned about a major hit on a city like Tallahassee, which could have catastrophic impacts. 

When the storms make landfall, as you know, they’re — they’re at their highest velocity.  The force of a — of a hurricane when it makes land is very powerful.  It usually reduces in strength as it moves overland.  So, that initial landfall place in the Big Bend was a major concern for us.

But we were also worried about the storm moving into other areas and having significant wind effects and flooding effects, and that’s what we briefed to the president, as we saw the storm moving in our direction — in the direction of the Southeastern United States, and we kept him apprised as we saw the evolution moving north through a variety of states. 

We can’t know everything in advance.  And what — one of the reasons we surge capabilities into the region is then to be able to get them closer.  They can’t be in the spot the hurricane is going to hit in advance.  They have to be in a location in which they wouldn’t be affected and then move in.  So having the resources in the Southeast already was very beneficial for all the states in the region.

Q    And you mentioned the importance of setting expectations right.  So, for the folks who are the affected areas who are able to consume this now — hopefully, to the extent that they can — what — how long should they be expecting to wait now to access, you know, their base needs — you know, power, water, food, shelter — until the federal government can provide that for them?

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Well, we are moving now to get food and water, medical supplies, and other essential survival needs into the most devastated areas in North Carolina.  That’s what I described about using DOD helicopters, for example, to move into areas which are not accessible by ground. 

I was referencing the point that I think — we all experience this: When the power goes out, you want to know how fast it’s going to come back on.  In a situation like this with this much devastation, it could be a long time.  So, you can’t just wait it out.  You may need — and this is really for people listening, you may need to make alternative arrangements to get to a shelter where you can be safe and get access to electricity to power your phone; where you could get pharmaceuticals if you need them, if you lost everything; where you can begin to work toward the rebuilding of the basics of your life while your community is — is addressing the consequences of these devastating storms.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I have to wrap it up, sadly.  Go ahead.

Q    Yeah.  Thank you, Liz, for providing all this information and reminding us that the numbers could change.  I just want to fact-check two things with you —

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Yeah.

Q    — if I could, given that you oversee homeland security broadly.  First of all, did the president speak with Georgia Governor Kemp yesterday?

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Yes, yes.

Q    Have they spoken again today?

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  President Kemp has said so in public.  He spoke —

Q    Governor.  Governor Kemp.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  I’m sorry, Governor Kemp has said so yesterday.  Thank you for correcting me. 

The president spoke to Governor Kemp yesterday.  Governor Kemp has stated today that he spoke to the president and appreciated the offer of all the help.  The president has offered, “Anything you need.”  So, if the governor would like to speak to the president again, of course the president will take his call.  If the governor wants to submit a major da- — disaster declaration, we’ll move that very quickly through our system.

And we’re working very closely with every state in the impacted region.  And we extend a hand.  We work with the state emergency operations managers, the whole team in place, in every location.  And that’s work that we’ve been doing not just in the wake of a hurricane, but we do it all the time to build those relationships, strengthen our capabilities, plan for and prepare for disasters. 

Q    And given that homeland security is your portfolio and the Secret Service falls under homeland security, let me ask you one other sort of fact-check here.  Donald Trump alleges on social media, quote, “The Democrats are interfering with my Campaign by not giving us the proper number of people within Secret Service that are necessary for Security… They’re using them for themselves, even though they don’t need them.”  Is that true?

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  The president has directed the Secret Service to provide every necessary resource and capability that is required to ensure the safety of the former president of the United States.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  April, you have the last one.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thank you.  I have to go.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Oh, sorry.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Okay, one more.  April.  Okay.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, April.  Go ahead.  Quickly.

Q    Two questions.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  I’ve got one minute exactly. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, because she has to go to see POTUS.

Q    Okay.  Two questions, and you can answer them fast if you can. 

In the short term — you talk about the immediate short term, but what about the long term with this devastation?  Number one, housing for those who do not have shelter.  What are you thinking?  I mean, there have been lessons learned since Katrina as to how — how to house people.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  We work — we work on immediate sheltering capabilities with the Red Cross and others.  We provide funding for people to get access to hotels and to — and potentially to move into longer-term accommodations if they need them.  That’s part of the FEMA process. 

Q    And what about insurance?  Because that has been a big thing when these kind of situations happen.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  If — if people have insurance, that’s, of course, very important for rebuilding.  If they do not have insurance, they have access to federal assistance. 

But it’s a long road to recovery for people because there’s so much work to be done.  We have to acknowledge that. 

I just want to clarify one thing.  When I said there could be up to 600 people lost, my point was there are 600 people unaccounted for.  That’s the number we’re tracking right now and that we can essentially validate from multiple sources, but we don’t know.  And as the president said this morning, we’re very hopeful that some of those people just don’t have cell phones working and actually are alive. 

We experienced that in Maui, when the numbers were extremely high in the beginning and they came way down.  Ultimately, tragically, 101 people lost their lives, but it was not in the thousands, as we were initially concerned it might be. 

Thank you all.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thank you so much, Liz.

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.

DR. SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Thanks, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No problem.  Thank you.

Sorry, she didn’t have a lot of time. 

Q    Well, she spent 14 minutes reading her statement.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, it was 14 minutes of laying down for the American people — not just for all of you — of how this works.  We have people who are indeed suffering and waiting and wanting to hear not just from the local government and the state government but also from the federal government: What are we doing — right? — what are we doing to help them and how we’re working together.

And I think what you just heard from Liz is how we’re working in tandem together with local, state, and federal government to help the people in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.  And I think that matters.  I think that matters.  And I think it’s important from them — for them to hear from the people who are actually doing the work. 

And she gave a laydown, and I’m sure — I know I did — I learned how this all works and how the communication works amongst — amongst all of us.  And what is available, also, is incredibly important. 

I do want to read a quote, because this is really important to Ed’s question.  Governor Kemp — this is what Liz was saying — said in his press conference earlier today: “So, I just spoke to” — yesterday — “I just spoke to the president.  He just called me.  He just called me yesterday afternoon.”  So, he said this this morning.  “I missed him and called him right back.  And he just said, ‘Hey, what do you need?’  And I told him, ‘You know, we got what we need.  We’ll work through the federal process.’  He offered and if there’s other things we need just to call him directly, which I appreciate that.”  That was a quote directly from Governor Kemp. 

So, this is to continue the fact-checking that Ed asked us to do. 

All right.  Go ahead, Zeke.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Turning overseas.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    What is the level of knowledge that the U.S. has about Israel’s intentions on its nor- — northern border?  Has the U.S. been briefed on specific operational plans to launch some sort of ground incursion into Lebanon?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I’m not going to get into private diplomatic conversations from here.  Certainly would refer to the IDF to speak to their own military operations and their plans, as we normally do.  But we do understand that the strategic purpose of this is to make sure that Hezbollah cannot maintain the capacity to attack Israeli communities from the immediate opposite side of the border.  And so, that is our understanding.  But I’m not going to go into specifics of — of our diplomatic conversations here.

Q    And is that a — a goal that the president and this administration is supportive of? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, what we will say and what I will say to you — and we say this all the time; this is nothing new — that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hezbollah, against Iran-backed groups.  We’re talking about Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis.  And so, we are in constant discussion with the Israelis on the best way to move forward.  And we would certainly refer you to any, as I said moments ago, seconds ago — to the Israelis on their own ground operation. 

Of course — of course we want to see a ceasefire.  That — that would give us the space, as we have been saying, of diplomacy and enable citizens — right? — to go back to their homes on both sides.  And, ultimately, a diplomatic resolution is what we want to see and what we want to make sure is — is — that — that is in place, and we’re going to certainly continue to have those conversations with Israelis and others on how to make that happen. 

Q    And then, just briefly, the president this morning said he was anticipating needing a supplemental for disaster relief.  (Inaudible.)  When will he send that to the Hill?  And does he have a dollar figure in mind yet?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And so, look, you know that we provided a robust emergency supplemental to — to — for the CR — right? — for the — for the CR that — that didn’t go through, that didn’t make it.  And so, we’re going to continue to have those conversation.  We are disappointed that that didn’t go through.  We’re going to continue to have those conversation.  As the president said, we’re in constant communications with members — members in Congress, and we want to make sure that they move quickly on this — they move quickly on this. 

I don’t have details or specifics, but we did — we did provide a robust — a robust request on more additional funding for these types of emergencies to continue that, and it didn’t go through.  And we were certainly disappointed to see that.

Go ahead.  Right behind Zeke.

Q    Yeah, if he does decide to ask for a supplemental, will he have to call Congress back, or is there another way to do it?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  He was — the was the president was asked about that and —

Q    Yeah, but (inaudible) —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  He just said it’s something that certainly he — he is considering.  I just don’t have anything.  I’m not going to get too much into hypotheticals.

Q    And — and given —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — the urgency of this, when would we expect to know if he was going to ask everyone, how much it is, and if he’s calling them back? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I don’t have anything to add on — on if he’s going to call them back, how much it is, which is very similar to the question that I got from Zeke. 

We did provide a robust supplemental component to — to get more funding in the CR.  It didn’t make it through.  It did not — was not included.  But what we’re doing right now, and I think it’s important — and you heard that from Liz, you’ve heard that from the administrator — let’s not forget the FEMA administrator was here in this room on Thursday because we wanted to make sure that people understood what was happening and what was coming. 

But we’re going to do everything that we can to make sure that they — Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, the impacted areas — have the — have the resources that they need to deal with the devastation and the aftermath of this.

Go ahead.

Q    Karine, the president said this morning that, quote, “I’m comfortable with them stopping,” with regards to the Israeli potential incursion into Lebanon.  What did he mean by that?  And does that mean he’s uncomfortable with them continuing?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, I answered that question, which is we believe that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hezbollah and Iran-backed groups.  We have said that.  We’ve also have said that Israel is in a — in a tough neighborhood.  You’ve heard us say that.  They really are.  And so, we believe they have the right to defend itself.

What we also want to see is a diplomatic resolution here.  We do want to see a ceasefire.  Ultimately, that’s what we need to see in order to get to a place where we can get to a ceasefire — right? — where we — where we can see citizens going back to their homes on both sides. 

So, that still remains to be true.  And — but do we want to see — ultimately, want to see — get to a place where we get to a diplomatic resolution?  Yes, that’s what we want to see.  For sure.

Q    So, he’s uncomfortable with them continuing?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No.  What I — we have said is — consistently — Israel has the right to defend itself against Hezbollah.  We are not shedding tears over a terrorist that was killed.  That terrorist has American blood on their hands.  And so, we’re certainly not going to shed a tear over that. 

We have been very clear Israel has right to defend itself.  We’ve been very clear that the security of Israel — when it comes to its security, our support is ironclad.  That has not changed.  That has not changed. 

Q    And, Karine, switching —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — to the hurricane.  Our reporting teams on the ground say that there are many residents there who are frustrated that more aid has not been distributed, and some of them haven’t seen the federal government th- — there for days.  What would you say to those folks?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, I will say is: Certainly, our hearts go out to them.  Obviously, this is a tough, difficult time.  And what I will also say is we have their back, and we can understand that.  We can understand how things are incredibly confusing right now, incredibly difficult right now.  Some people don’t even know if their loved ones are alive or not. 

And so, what I can say and what the president has said and I think what Liz has iterated as well is that we want to make sure that they have — the folks who are in the impacted areas have everything that they need, the resources. 

We have the FEMA administrator, who’s on the ground today.  She’s going to be holding a press conference with the North governor — North Carolina, pardon me, governor in about 30 minutes or so and going to talk about what they see and what the federal government, what FEMA is going to continue to do, working with the state and local governments as well. 

We are on the ground.  We are on the ground. 

And as you know, there was a reason why the F- — the FEMA administrator was here on Thursday to lay out what we were doing ahead of time, how we were pre-positioned on the ground, and warning people — and warning people, because we understood that that is also part of our job.  But, you know, we’re going to do everything that we can.  We’re going to do everything that we can. 

Q    Following up on a previous question — 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.  

Q    — quickly.  You — you said — you mentioned pre-positioning.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    And she did mention that assets and resources were pre-positioned in Big Bend.  I know that question was asked before, but bluntly, should more resources have been pre-positioned in and around North Carolina?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I th- — I think Liz kind of talked about that — about when she was asked a question on our prediction of the storm and how bad it was.  And so, certainly I’ll — I’ll let the experts speak to this.  But again, pre-positioned — we had generators, food, water, along with re- — search and rescue and power restoration. 

And right now, we have U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  They’re moving generators into — into impacted areas. 

We have — 3,600 personnel from across the federal workforce are deployed in support ca- — supporting Hurricane Helene.  This includes 24 federal urban research [search] and rescue task force, over 1,300 personnel working to rescue people who may be s- — who may be stranded.  To date, they have rescued about and supported over 1,400 people across the impacted areas.  These are — if you think about the f- — the — the federal employees who are part of these agencies — right? — FEMA and others — this is what they do.  This is what they do.  This is what they’re trained to do.  This is what they’re ready to do. 

And it doesn’t matter where — which state it is, right?  It doesn’t matter if it’s a red state or a blue state.  This is their job: to get food there, to get generators there, to save some lives, to rescue people. 

And so, we are very proud of the work that they’ve done, and we understand that people are very much suffering on the — on the ground and trying to figure out what is going on. 

And we have our folks there, and we’re going to do the best that we can. 

Go ahead, Peter.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  Thirteen thousand people who have been convicted of murder crossed the border illegally and are living among us.  So, how much danger are U.S. communities in right now —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So —

Q    — because of this?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — I’m assuming you’re talking about the ICE data?

Q    Yes.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, just a couple of things, and I think it’s important to — to correct the record here. 

First of all, the false — the — the false representation of the data ICE shared — so, that was what we are seeing: false representation.  I got to call that out.  We got to call that out.  And it’s been fact-checked by some of your colleagues here, by multiple — multiple — multiple outlets.  That has been debunked on what has been falsely misrepresenta- — or mis- — misrepresented here.  So, we have to call that out. 

And so, look, this is —

Q    Can you clarify what the misrepresentation is?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  The numbers that is being put out about how many people are out is been falsely rep- — represented here.  If you look at the total returns and removal of the past year, that has been higher than every year under the previous administrations since — since 2010.  If you look at it.

And if we’re going to report something — a data that’s out there — we got to do it in a way that is not — not confusing the American people and certainly not lying.  And so, there has been — this has been fact-checked — been fact-checked. 

And so, this is — the way that is being fals- — falsely represented here is just not okay.  And though — got to be really clear about that.

Q    On Helene.  People in western North Carolina were drowning in their houses this weekend.  Others were losing everything.  President Biden was at his beach house, and Vice President Harris was hosting political fundraisers on the West Coast.  Is there a reason that they could not be here? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  The president did exactly what a president in this moment needs to do, which is directing his team to take action.  One of the reasons that the FEMA administrator was here in this room on Thursday is the president wanted to make sure that we were sending a message out to folks who were going to be impacted by the hurricane and also wanted her to share how we were pre-positioning on the ground. 

Remember, these are folks who do this type of stuff.  When you think about FEMA, you think about the Red Cross, you think about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this is what they do.  This is what they do. 

And so, the president was on the phone — he said this when he was asked a question by one of your colleagues — for more than two hours yesterday with governors and local elected officials making sure that they have what they — they needed. 

You heard me talk about Governor Kemp and what he said to the president himself.  He said this and shared this in a press conference — that the president has provided and said, “What else do you need?”  And he actually said to the president, “We have what we need.”  So — and that’s a — as you know, a Republican governor. 

And look — and I talked about how the vice president also did her calls.  She’s going to be going to the FEMA — FEMA agency in a — in — the center — the center to — to get her briefing later this afternoon.  The president is continuing — continuing to have these conversations with folks on the ground, elected officials on the ground, to make sure that they have what they need and directing his team —

Q    And —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  — to keep pushing.

Q    — one more.  How worried are folks at the White House that a port strike that could make things like fruits and vegetables more expensive could make it a lot harder for Vice President Harris to win the election?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to talk about an election from here.  That’s not what we’re going to do.  That is — when it comes to making sure that workers are — are paid and wages and the economy is working and that we’re lowering costs for the American people, that is just the right thing to do.  And that’s what this president focuses on every day, day in and day out: How do we have an economy that works for all?

When it comes to this particular question that you’re asking me, we’ve said this many times, nothing has changed.  We support collective bartering [bargaining].  It is the best way for American workers and employers to come to a fair agreement.  We encourage all parties to come to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith. 

Senior officials from the White House, Labor Department, and Transportation Department are in touch with the parties to urge them to return to the table and negotiate in good faith towards the — an agreement that benefits all sides, and do it fairly and quickly.  And this is something that we have said, and we’re going to continue to push forward on. 

Q    Is the vice president involved in these negotiations?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I can say — I just named the secretaries that are involved — Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Secretary Ju- — Julie Su, and the director of National Economic Council, Lael Brainard. 

What I can say is the president and the vice president are being regularly updated about the situation.  And I know there’s a question about the Taft-Hartley.  We — we never — we have never invoked the Taft-Hartley to break a strike and are not considering to doing so now.  But this is a president that has been called a “pro-union president” by labor — by the labor unions, because of how much he believes that the union built the middle class. 

And so, that’s what you’re going to continue to see from this president.  He’ll stay regularly updated. 

Q    Okay.  Thanks. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead, Selina.

Q    Thanks, Karine.  Former President Donald Trump is in Georgia in a region that’s been hard hit.  Now, given all the security that’s needed to accommodate him, is his visit putting a strain on resources there or impacting relief efforts?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Here’s what I can say, and you’ve heard this from this president earlier today in his remarks, where he said he will visit the impacted communities this week and is taking caution — he is taking caution to avoid using critical resources that is needed right now on the road that — on the ground that people need.  And so, that should be everyone’s top consideration right now.  That’s what we should be doing.  That’s what we should be focusing.  And I’ll leave it there.

Q    So, were there any requests for Trump to delay his visit?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I’m not getting into any more than what I just stated. 

The president has been really clear about how he sees his presence on the ground.  As you know, when the president travel, it’s a big footprint.  In this particular moment, he wants to make sure that he’s not taking away resou- — resources.  He wants to make sure that it is not taking away from the emergency resources that are on the ground.  And, as I just stated, he believes everybody should adhere — adhere to that. 

Q    And in terms of the dockworkers that are set to go on strike, at what point would the president be willing to intervene?  How long would he allow that to go on and at what cost to the American economy?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to get into hypotheticals.  I’m not.  Not from here.

Q    Would the president consider walking the picket line?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to get into hypotheticals.

We believe that collective bargaining is i- — is important here.  We’ve always said that.  We believe that both sides should come to the table in good faith and get to an agreement, a fair agreement.

Q    Has there been any progress in those conversations?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I just don’t have anything else to share here.

Go ahead, Jeff.  Yeah.

Q    On a separate top- —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.

Q    — a different topic.  The incoming prime minister of Japan has said — he’s called out or proposed the idea of a “Asia NATO.”  I’m wondering if that’s something that the president would consider.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I haven’t spoken to the president about that.  As you know, there’s one NATO.  The NATO has grow- — grown by two countries, which is because of the president’s leadership. 

Let’s not forget, when Putin invaded Ukraine, he thought that NATO was going to be weaker, and that did not happen.  The president certainly was able to make NATO stronger because of his leadership.  And that’s going to be what we’re going to focus on.

Q    I think he is suggesting a separate alliance that would involve Asia countries. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No — no, I hear — I heard your —

Q    He also said the idea of putting Japanese troops on Guam.  I don’t know if that’s something the president would consider.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I just — not something that I’ve spoken directly to the president about. 

What I can say is what the president has done with the current NATO and making it stronger.  And it has been important, if you think about Ukraine, if you think about what Ukraine has been trying to do over the almost three years, which is, certainly, fight for their sovereignty and fight for their democracy, which is something that we’re going to continue to support, Ukraine and those — those NATO — NATO countries as well, which is much stronger — stronger than Putin ever thought they would be in this time.

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  First on the Middle East.  Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to convene his War Cabinet this evening to chart next steps.  What has President Biden communicated that the U.S. would hope they decide
to do?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I’m not going to comment or get into hypotheticals about decisions that Israeli government are making or IDF is making.  Certainly — certainly would let them speak for themselves. 

We have been very clear: Israel has the right to defend itself, especially against these Iran-backed groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.  We will continue to have those direct conversations with them.  But IDF, Israel government can certainly speak to that.

And, also, have conversations — continue our diplomatic conversations on the right — on the right way forward — or the path forward.  I just don’t have anything else to share.

Q    A lot of those diplomatic conversations happened over the weekend as Israel was conducting these raids in Lebanon.  Is the outcome one that those diplomatic conversations were — were discussing?  Were U.S. officials offering their support for the
way that Israel proceeded?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I can say is that — I’m not going to speak — again, not going to speak to private diplomatic conversation.  What I said moments ago, which is we understand the strategic purpose of this is to make sure that Hezbollah cannot maintain the capacity to attack Israeli communities from the immediate opposite side of the border.  That’s what we understand.

I’m just not going to get into — get into specifics or into diplo- — diplomatic conversations from here.

Q    It’s now been five days, though, since the U.S. and Western allies publicized the discussions over this 21-day ceasefire proposal.  Is there still any hope that that
gets put together?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  As you know, this is a president that’s hopeful and optimistic, and you hear him say that —

Q    But realistically, given the conversations that are happening. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I — well, you — you asked me if that is hopeful, right?  So, look, we believe the way to get to a ceasefire is to have this diplomatic resolution, to get us some space to have a dipl- — diplomatic solution.  That’s ultimately the way to get there.  

And so, we nee- — we understand that we need a ceasefire in Lebanon to provide that — that space for diplomacy.  That’s what we’re going to continue to have discussions — those discussions continue with Israel.  So, that is what we’re going to focus on. 

And what we want to see is a de-escalation.  That’s what we’ve been saying.  We want to see a de-escalation.

Go ahead.

Q    Thank you, Karine.  You mentioned that the vice president is going to be coming back and having a briefing at FEMA later today about Helene —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, 4- — about 4 o’clock, I think.  Yeah.

Q    Could you give us a sense for what she has been doing so far in response to this hurricane?  Is she in briefings with the president?  Is she getting briefed separately?  And what is her role going to be going forward?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I can say is that she has — certainly has been kept briefed on the situation in the — certainly, the affected areas, the aftermath.  She’s going to get a briefing directly at FE- — at FEMA — at the FEMA center when she gets back. 

She — she didn’t continue with some of her campaign activities today because she wanted to make sure to get back and — and go to the FEMA center.  Anything else — and I know she’s had conversations with elected officials on the ground in those impacted areas.  I would have to refer you to her team to get more specifics on — on what else.

Q    And then a question about one of the policies that the vice president rolled out on Friday about immigration.  She said that she would go further than what the president has done with executive action to limit asylum access at the border. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    Do you have any response to that?  Is that the position of the White House that the administration should be going further than what you’ve done so far?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I think, look, when we — when it comes to — I got to be careful — campaign policy announced.  So, going to certainly let the campaign speak specifically about what they’re announcing and what they’re looking to do on their side of — their side of things. 

But we’ve always said, and we’ve al- — whether it’s the economy, whether it’s the border that, you know, the vice president was going to build upon what we’ve been able to do.  That is — you know, the — the good work that we’ve been able to do together, whether it’s the economy, health care, getting some of these historic pieces of legislation passed that’s going to help Americans for generations to come.

We also understand and see and what she’s been able to do is build on the success.  And so, I think that’s what you’re seeing from the vice president.  And the pr- — this is a vice president that has been a critical partner to this — to this president over the last three and a half years.  And so, we — you know, we look forward to see what she’s going to be doing down the road.

Go ahead, April.

Q    Thank you, Karine.

Q    Karine, hi.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I did not ca- — I’ll call you afterwards.

Go ahead, April.

Q    The issue of Angola.  Why Angola for President Biden now, specifically, as other presidents have gone to other countries, and Angola is, like, something totally new since the Clinton administration for a U.S. president?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, a couple of things.  So, he’s going to be holding a bilateral and multilateral meetings to discuss increased collaboration of shared pa- — priorities, including a signature project of G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, PGI, Africa’s first transcontinental open-access rail network that starts — that starts in Lobito and ultimately will connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean.  I think that’s a pretty important reason why to go to Angola. 

This will be the first visit of a president to — to Angola.  That’s also, I think, important to note as well.  And so, we’re going to celebrate the evolution of the U.S.-Angola relationship, underscore the United States’ continued commitment to African partners, and demonstrate how those type of collaborative partnerships can solve shared challenges that both countries have.

Q    So, anything on oil, by any chance, since Angola is oil rich?  And also — and also —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — what about the considerations about some of the other countries, like Nigeria or South Africa?  Those have been — Ghana, Uganda —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — those have been some places that presidents — Rwanda — some —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, I hear you.

Q    — of the presidents — yeah.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, he’s going to be abroad from the 10th to the 15th of October.  We’re going to go to Berlin, Germany, and then we’re going to stop over at Angola.  I just laid out the PGI, the important connection there that Angola has to an initiative that the president created.  And I think that is — right there, that — that connection with the Atlantic Ocean to the India O- — the Indian Ocean, that Angola is going to play a big role is — is important.  It’s going to make a difference in that region.  And this is also, again, part of the president’s initiative that he created.

And no other president has been there.  No other president has been to Angola. 

Q    I know.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I think that’s important to note as well. 

Q    Does this have something to do with the grain situation that was held up because of the Russia-Ukraine war, trying to help get grains to African nations?  Because President Zelenskyy did express that to —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — I understand, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, as well as Greg Meeks, who sits on Foreign Affairs Committee in the House.  Is this some of that too?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  What I will say is the president has said that he was going to go to the continent.  He has said that he was going to do that.  He wanted to keep his promise. 

Angola makes a lot of sense, especially for an initiative like PGI, an initiative that the president started.  There’s a connection there.  There’s a thruway that makes a lot of sense.  No other president has visited the country.  And so, it made sense for the president to go there, because there are important initiatives not just to the co- — African continent but also for us here and other of our partners and allies.  And so, it made the most sense to make that — to make that trip. 

Q    Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  And you’ll see us next month doing that.  

Go ahead. 

Q    Thank you.  So, the president didn’t seem comfortable this morning with a ground operation in Lebanon.  He said he was “comfortable with them stopping.”  Now it seems imminent.  Did the president take any action to try to prevent a ground operation in Lebanon?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, say that one — say that one more time.

Q    So, this morning, President Biden said —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — that he was comfortable with them stopping, about Israel.  And so, did he take any action to try to prevent such an operation in Lebanon?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I’m not going to get into diplomatic conversations from here.  What I’ve been saying multiple times is Israel has the right to defend itself against Hezbollah, against Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah, like Hamas, and also the Houthis.  They are in a — in a difficult neighborhood — right? — if — to say the least.  And they have to have the ability to defend themselves. 

And so, that’s what we support.  That’s what we believe.  That’s what we have said.  We’re going to have conversations with the Israeli government about the best way forward, the best way to move forward.  But I’m not going to get into diplomatic conversations.

But I have been very clear: We believe that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hezbollah.

Q    Lebanon is very small, so when Israel, for instance, attacked Beirut — south Beirut, many people who have no link with Hezbollah are being hit.  It will be the same if they do a ground operation in Lebanon.  It won’t be only the Hezbollah who’s going to be targeted.  So, does the White House still support this ground operation in Lebanon?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, are you talking — so, say that one more time.

Q    Does — you — you say that, basically, the goal is to target Hezbollah, but if there is a ground operation it’s going to —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not — I’m not speaking for the goals of the IDF or the Israeli government.  What we have said is: Israel has the right to defend itself against Hezbollah, against Iran-backed group.  We’ve been very clear about that. 

I’m not going to stand here and speak to Israel’s operations.  That is not something that I can do.  It’s something that I would have to refer you to IDF, and that’s what we’ve been very clear about.

Go ahead.  Go ahead, Anita.

Q    Thank you so much, Karine.  During this — these frantic diplomatic discussions over the situation in the Middle East, did the president communicate any sort of consequences for this continued behavior, in addition to his wish for a ceasefire?  Did he, for example, say that maybe certain weapons would no longer be provided to Israel or teased to that in his discussions?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Our policy has not changed.  It just hasn’t.  It — it has not changed.  And, again, Israel has a right to defend itself — we’ve been very clear — against Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah, like Hamas, the Houthis. 

I’m not going to get into diplomatic conversation, but our policy has not changed.

Q    Okay.  On Taiwan, yesterday, the president announced the largest-ever military drawdown for Taiwan.  What — what is kind of the — what was the purpose of this?  What was his thinking?  And is this intended to — I mean, what was the message he was sending with that decision?  And is it meant to kind of hold Taiwan over in case there is, for example, a change of leadership in the United States?  Or, you know, what — what’s the point of this? 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, our overreaching goal remains the same — right? — and we have said that — maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.  That is our goal, and we’ve always been very clear about that, and that’s what we want to see.  So —

Q    I guess I’m asking specifically about the timing of this.  This comes at the end of his presidency, and this is the largest-ever military drawdown.  What — what does that communicate?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, look, I think, if you think about the drawdown, it is pretty much consistent with our longstanding One China policy.  So, want to make that clear.  It has not changed, and it remains the guide by the Taiwan Relations Act, Three Joint Communiqués, and Six Assurances.  Again, our overreaching goal is to continue to maintain the peace and stability across — across the Taiwan Strait, and that is something that we have been focused on over the last three and a half years, and we’re continuing to do this.

And so — but the administration use of the PDA for Taiwan is one — one example of our continued commitment to help Taiwan maintain a sufficient self- — self-defense capability.  And so, that’s what is — what we’ve been continuing and trying to do.  And so, that’s how I would look at the Taiwan PDA.

Q    (Inaudible)?  Have they communicated how they feel about this?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I would — I would refer you to them.

Q    Thanks.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Go ahead.

Q    I know that the president said that he would not — he would not intervene in the dockworkers strike, and he cited his concern that he doesn’t believe in Taft-Hartley.  But we have seen him intervene in — in other ways in previous situations like this.  With when — with the rails situation, he asked Congress to intervene and stop that potential strike.  When he said no yesterday, was he also saying that asking Congress to intervene and stop a potential strike was off the table?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, Congress does what Congress is going to do regardless of what the president says. 

What I will say is the message of the president has been very clear.  Our message has been very clear.  We support collective bargaining.  That’s what we’ve been clear about. 

I’ve mentioned Secretary Buttigieg, [Acting] Secretary Lu [Su].  We have our NAC — NEC director who has been in touch with — with both parties.  And what we have been encouraging to do — and this is something that we’ve been pretty consistent — what I’m saying here we’ve said before, which is we believe both parties should — should come to the table in good faith, and so — to come to a fair agreement.  This is something that we’ve also been consistent about. 

Look, we’re going to continue to send that message and — and urge them to come to a fair agreement. 

Q    But is he prepared to ask Congress to intervene?  Or is that —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m — I’m just —

Q    — off the table?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m not going to going to into hypotheticals from here.

What we — we’ve been — we have made our message very clear — very clear: We col- — we support collective bargaining.  We believe both sides should come together in a — to get to a fair agreement in good faith — in good faith, and we have been consistent throughout this administration about that. 

Q    I want to ask you about the immigration — the border restrictions that this administration extended today as well. 

The immigration advocacy organizations have come out.  Tahirih Justice said this was death a thousand cuts for migrants.  You know, I’ve heard criticism as well from immigration advocates saying that this is ignoring the asylum statute.  So, I guess just a response to those comments. 

But then secondly, just the timing for this.  I mean, the administration clearly is benefiting from this executive action and obviously likes it if it’s extending it, so why not do it sooner?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  But I don’t th- — I know you follow this very closely.  You know that we’ve taken multiple executive actions throughout the last three and a half years.  You know that we’ve tried to do this in a legislative fashion — right? — to make this — to get it to a — a policy, a legislation that actually — we do it in a bipartisan way that actually deals with a broken immigration system.  And we have been stopped over and over again by Republicans. 

Q    Sure.  And it was clear that that Senate bill was going to get stopped earlier this year —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    — you know, January and March.  This extension we have not seen until now, and then we didn’t see the executive action until —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  June.

Q    — just a couple months ago, right?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, June.  No, you’re right.

Q    In the summer.  In the summer.  So, now —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Wait —

Q    — with this extension, this is going to carry this out beyond the election.  So, if the administration stance is that this should continue for the months ahead, basically, effectively, curtailing asylum in ways we have not seen, why not take this action sooner?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    And then just also a response to the criticism, too.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, a couple of things.  We have tried to do this in a way where there was legislative action, right?  To do this in a way — by having bipartisan conversation, working with senators, and doing this in a way that will benefit Americans, and do it in a way, obviously, that we — we put it into law.  And we’re trying to begin the process of fixing a broken immigrat- — that’s the way the president actually wants to do it.  He did.  That’s the way he wants to do it.  And we took time to do that, and we believe it was going to move forward. 

This is Senate.  We’re working with Republican senators here to get that done.  And they voted against — to your point, against their own bill twice — twice, because of the former president saying, “This was going to” — I get part of your com- — question to me — “it was going to help Joe Biden.  It’s going to help Democrats.”  That’s what the former president said.

When it comes to this — to this announcement that you just — that we just had about the final rule.  It was a two-month process.  Let’s not forget when the president made the announcement in June, DHS and DOJ had a two-month process — right? — to get — to get feedback, to get responses on — on the rule.  And now we have — now we have a — now we secured that final rule.  And so, that’s the action that you saw from DOJ and DHS. 

But we actually want to do this a different way.  We do.  We want to do it in a bipartisan legislative way. 

You know this president.  He believes reaching across the aisle is an important thing to do.  We — we’ve been able to get bipartisan legislation done.  They got in the way. 

They negotiated with us — meaning “they,” the senators — Republican senators negotiated with us.  We came up with a bipartisan solution.  If the president had signed — was able to sign that solution that — pardon me, that legislation — it would have been the toughest and fairest — fairest immigration law that we have seen in some time, and it would have started the process of fixing a broken immigration system that has been broken for decades — for decades.

Does the — that’s the p- — that is the way the president actually wants to do this.  And, as you know, majority of Americans want us to fix the border.  They do.  And we tried.  And this is the path that we’re — we went down because Republicans in Congress didn’t want to work with us. 

Go ahead, Karen.

Q    Student loan borrowers have had a grace period over the past year where they weren’t going to face delinquency if they didn’t pay their loans.  But tomorrow is October 1st, so that ends tomorrow.  Is the administration expecting or concerned about a potential wave of delinquencies for borrowers who haven’t been paying their loans over the last year?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, as you know, this has been — when it comes to student loan and giving borrowers a little bit of breathing room, this is something that the president had been wanting to do for sa- — some time.  We were blocked.  The president took additional actions, took historic action to provide that student loan relief and to support borrowers facing financial hardship.

In the wake of a one-in-a-century pandemic, the Department of Education paused loan payments as the economy recovered.  And so, as you just stated, it has expired.  It’s been 12 months. 

And so, for those who — to your question, for those who still facing challenges returning to repayment, the department has implemented an aggressive strategy to — to support borrowers, including creating the Fresh Start program that allowed borrowers in default to become current on their payments, launching an information campaign to engage borrowers at a risk — a high risk of delinquency, and helping borrowers enroll in IDR pr- — plans and the lowest monthly payments as well. 

So, there’s plans out there.  There’s ways to support some of these borrowers who — who feel like they could be delinquent here.  And so, we certainly want to help them get to a point where they can start repaying their loans.  And so, the Department of Education has certainly made that a priority as well. 

All right.  I know we have to wrap it up.  Go ahead.

Q    One — one last try on — on Lebanon. 

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.

Q    Just to be clear, you know, on the one hand, the president is calling for a ceasefire.  On the other hand, you’re saying that Israel has a right to defend itself by targeting Hezbollah.  So, how does it work?  Sa- — who do you negotiate a ceasefire with when, at the same time, the Israelis have just informed the United States that they are indeed launching limited ground operations?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, a couple of things.  And both things can be true.  And this is what’s happening right now in the region.  And I’ve said this multiple time: Israel is living and is — is in a really tough neighborhood, and they have to be able to defend themselves against Hezbollah, against the Houthis, against Hamas.  And that is the reality.  That is the reality that they are living in. 

And that’s what we have been very clear about, making sure that our secur- — that we — support for Israel’s security is ironclad.  And that’s what you’ll continue to see from this administration. 

At the same time, we do want to de-escalate.  At the same time, we want to see that.  And ultimately, we believe in — a way to get to a ceasefire, to de-escalate is to create a space — is to get to a ceasefire so we can create a space for dim- — diplomatic conversations.  And, in this case, that’s what you’re seeing. 

We’re — and we’re still talking to Israel.  We’re still having those conversations.  That has not stopped.  And so, that’s what you’re going to continue to hear from us. 

All right.  I think I have to wrap it up.  Go ahead.

Q    This is a light — more light question.  But tomorrow is Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday.  I think the president sent around a note on the weekend, but should we expect anything in terms of a phone call or anything?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Stay tuned.  Stay tuned.  I’m not going to get ahead of the president.

All right, everybody.  I’ll see you tomorrow.  Thank you.

3:45 P.M. EDT

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