Statements and Releases

Vice President Harris announces actions to protect consumers and reduce hurdles that prevent individuals from receiving relief from medical bills
 
White House hosts roundtable with Americans impacted by medical debt, including those who received medical debt relief through Biden-Harris Administration actions

Today, Vice President Harris announced a series of actions by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Department of Defense (DOD), and Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) to increase pathways for medical debt relief, to address illegal actions by third-party debt collectors, and to improve our understanding of the impacts of medical debt.
 
Getting sick or taking care of loved ones should not create financial hardship for families. Yet, more than 100 million Americans struggle with medical debt. Over 40 million Americans —1 in 5 adults — owe around $88 billion in medical debt in collections, making it the largest source of debt in collections—more than credit cards, utilities, and auto loans.
 
That is unacceptable to President Biden and Vice President Harris. Vice President Harris has repeatedly highlighted the negative impacts of medical debt, noting that medical debt can stand in the way of someone’s dream to own a car, home, or small businesses. In June, Vice President Harris announced the CFPB’s proposed rule to remove medical debt from the consumer credit reports of more than 15 million Americans and called on states to take action to tackle medical debt. Following the Vice President’s call to action, HHS approved North Carolina’s innovative program to encourage hospitals to relieve medical debt and relieve approximately $4 billion in medical debt for nearly 2 million working families in North Carolina. Further, American Rescue Plan funds are being leveraged to eliminate an estimated $7 billion in medical debt for up to nearly 3 million Americans by the end of 2026.
 
“No one should be denied economic opportunity because they got sick or experienced a medical emergency. That is why I have worked to cancel hundreds of millions in medical debt to date – part of our Administration’s overall plan to forgive $7 billion by 2026 – and make it so medical debt will soon no longer be included in your credit score,” said Vice President Harris. “As someone who has spent my entire career fighting to protect consumers, I am proud to announce today’s new actions to build on our work to reduce the burden of medical debt by increasing pathways for relief and cracking down on predatory debt collection tactics.”
 
To continue addressing the burden of medical debt, today the Vice President is announcing the following actions:
 
Holding Third-Party Debt Collectors Accountable
 
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released an Advisory Opinion on improper medical debt collections. The Advisory Opinion clarifies the responsibilities of debt collectors to confirm that debts are accurate, valid, and substantiated before engaging in collection actions. Further, the CFPB has stated that they will ensure fairness and increase transparency by cracking down on debt collectors that collect on debt that is not owed by patients.
 
CFPB also released a Consumer Advisory that explains to consumers what actions they can take when they suspect that they have been improperly billed or if they have had improper or illegal collection actions taken against them. The Consumer Advisory suggests actions such as: following-up with their provider if a bill looks incorrect, asking their provider for an itemized bill, negotiating bills if the price appears wrong, reporting to the CFPB if they have been improperly billed, and pursuing legal action if appropriate.
 
Increasing Pathways to Reduced Medical Bills
 
The Department of Defense has proposed a rule aimed at providing financial relief for civilians receiving medical care at military medical treatment facilities (MTFs).  If finalized as proposed, this rule would implement fee reductions through a sliding scale discount program as well as catastrophic cap waivers.  Through these measures, the DoD aims to significantly reduce the financial burden on patients while maintaining high-quality care and expanding the range of complex trauma cases that Department healthcare providers may encounter in both deployed and humanitarian settings.
 
Providing Transparency on Tax-Exempt Hospital Debt Collection Practices
 
CFPB released a blog post highlighting billing issues that occur when non-profit hospitals fail to provide financial assistance. Under the law, tax-exempt hospitals are required to offer financial assistance to help offset health care costs for low-income patients. However, the CFPB has previously found evidence that tax-exempt hospitals often bill and initiate collections against patients who have received or are eligible for financial assistance. Today’s blog post shines a light on bills wrongfully ending up in collections.
 
Better Understanding the Impact of Medical Debt on Seniors
 
HHS is collecting evidence and data to inform future actions to address the burden of medical debt. For the first time, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services added new questions on medical debt to their Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). The MCBS is an annual survey of people covered by Medicare to better understand their health care needs. These new questions will provide essential background on levels of medical debt carried by seniors and those with disabilities and the impacts of these debts on their day-to-day lives. The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality is also adding additional questions to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, one of the largest sources of data on health care in the United States, to capture more granular information on medical debt. Questions will capture information on the amount of medical debt, ability to pay unexpected medical bills, financial sacrifices that individuals may have had to make due to their health or treatment, and other aspects of medical debt and financial well-being. CFPB also recently spotlighted the legal challenges facing surviving spouses who are pursued for their spouse’s medical debt, providing insights into the ways debt collectors take advantage of this vulnerable population.

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Today, I welcome Mark Rutte as the new Secretary General the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which for 75 years has strengthened our collective security, protected democracies, and defended against threats as one.

Secretary General Rutte has an impressive track record as a consensus-builder and decisive leader.  I have full confidence that he will continue to build on our work to create a NATO that is stronger, larger, and more resolute than ever in its mission to create a safer world for our peoples.  The United States remains deeply devoted to the most successful Alliance in the history of the world.  We hold fast to our sacred Article 5 commitment: an attack on one is an attack on all.

Lastly, I want to express my deep gratitude to Jens Stoltenberg, who led the Alliance through the most consequential decade for Euro-Atlantic security since World War II.  I thank him for his remarkable service. 

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    Too many Americans know the pain of losing a mother, sister, wife, daughter, or loved one to breast cancer.  During National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we honor the memories of all those we have lost to this devastating disease.  We give strength and support to their families, to their caregivers, to survivors, and to women still undergoing treatment.  And we express our gratitude to all the medical professionals and health researchers working tirelessly to end cancer as we know it. 

     Today, there are more than four million breast cancer survivors in America — and this year alone, hundreds of thousands more will be diagnosed.  While scientists have made significant breakthroughs to better prevent, detect, and treat breast cancer, a diagnosis is frightening and overwhelming.  Patients and families are often flooded with complex medical information and forced to advocate for themselves to receive basic care.  Additionally, some patients are left saddled with exorbitant medical bills while undergoing grueling treatments.

     For my family and Vice President Harris’ family — along with millions of families across the country — cancer is personal.  Ending cancer as we know it has been a top priority for my Administration since day one.  The First Lady and I reignited the Cancer Moonshot to cut the cancer death rate by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years and improve the experience of those diagnosed with cancer and their loved ones.  I also established the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, securing $4 billion in bipartisan funding to help the scientists, innovators, and public health professionals who are working around the clock to improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancers and other deadly diseases.

     My Administration has also worked hard to make cancer treatment more affordable for patients.  I strengthened Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), expanding health coverage to millions of Americans and saving millions of families $800 per year on their health insurance premiums.  My Inflation Reduction Act will cap total out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs at $2,000 per year for seniors and other people on Medicare — including expensive cancer medications, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars. 

     Moreover, to increase support for patients and their families, we have ensured that people facing cancer can access patient navigation services that are fully paid for through Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance.  This personalized assistance helps lift the burden of managing the complex medical journey alone from millions of patients.

     Furthermore, my Administration is committed to ensuring women have access to screening and early detection services, which are critical in catching breast cancer early and saving lives.  Toward that aim, we expanded coverage under the ACA, which requires insurers to pay for recommended cancer screenings — including mammograms — for many more Americans.  We expanded access to free breast cancer screenings for any veteran exposed to burn pits during their military service.  And we will continue to forge partnerships with community health centers to help ensure underserved communities have access to early detection and support services.

     For more information about breast cancer, go to cancer.gov/types/breast or call 1-800-422-6237 to speak to information specialists at the National Cancer Institute in English and in Spanish.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program also offers breast cancer screenings or diagnostic services to low-income individuals who are uninsured or otherwise qualify for the program — go to cdc.gov/breast-cervical-cancer-screening/ to learn more.

     This National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let us each recommit to doing our part to give more support, hope, and care to patients, families, and survivors of breast cancer.  Let us rise above party and politics and unite as Americans to help all of our loved ones struggling with this terrible disease.  And let us strengthen our resolve together as a Nation to end cancer as we know it — for all the lives we have lost and all those we can still save. 

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2024 as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I encourage citizens, government agencies, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other interested groups to join in activities that will increase awareness of what Americans can do to prevent and control breast cancer and pay tribute to those who have lost their lives to this disease.

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

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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The Biden-Harris Administration continues to lead a robust Federal response to help impacted communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The Administration is working around the clock and mobilizing every resource available to support life-saving response efforts in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida.
 
The President and Vice President continue to receive regular briefings from their teams, including today, and Administration officials remain in constant communication with state and local officials to ensure they have the support and resources they need. President Biden has spoken with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, and Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, along with other state and local officials in the impacted areas to offer further assistance as needed. This afternoon, the President was briefed by Governor Cooper and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell from the field following surveys of Helene’s impacts across the State. Vice President Harris also received an in-person briefing at FEMA today and has been in touch with Governor Cooper, Governor Kemp, Greenville Mayor Knox White, and Savannah Mayor Van Johnson.
 
President Biden directed Administrator Criswell to determine what more can be done to accelerate delivering support to those who are having the most difficult time accessing assistance in isolated communities. At the President’s direction, Administrator Criswell has been on the ground to survey damage and determine any unmet needs, and at the President’s direction she will remain on the ground in Asheville, North Carolina, until the situation has stabilized.
 
On Wednesday, President Biden will travel to North Carolina. He will also travel to Georgia and Florida as soon as possible.
 
Additionally, the Federal government is closely monitoring an additional weather disturbance in the Caribbean Sea that has the potential to form into another storm in the coming week. Residents throughout the Gulf Coast should remain alert, listen to local officials, and make additional preparations as needed.
 
Additional Administration actions to support ongoing response and recovery efforts include:
 
Supporting On-The-Ground Response Efforts
 
As of today, more than 3,500 personnel from across the federal workforce are deployed and supporting Hurricane Helene response efforts across the impacted states. This includes the most experienced incident management teams to help identity Federal resources to address unmet needs, as well as Urban Search and Rescue personnel using high water rescue equipment for rescue missions across the region.
 
Search and rescue efforts by state, local and Federal partners are ongoing, and hundreds of additional personnel are arriving in the region in the coming days. Over 1,250 Urban Search and Rescue personnel are deployed across Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Together with local and state responders, teams have rescued or supported more than 1,900 people, including nearly 900 in North Carolina.
 
The Department of Defense has 30 high-water trucks ready to assist rescuers and 18 helicopters with lift capabilities that can transport supplies, equipment and assist with search and rescue operations.
 
Approving Major Disaster Declarations
 
President Biden approved a Major Disaster declaration for South Carolina yesterday, allowing survivors to immediately access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery. This is in addition to approving declarations for Florida and North Carolina earlier in the weekend.
 
FEMA assistance in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina may include a one-time $750 payment to help with essential items like food, water, baby formula and other emergency supplies. After registering for disaster assistance, individuals may also qualify to receive disaster-related financial assistance to repair storm-related damage to homes and replace personal property, as well as assistance to find a temporary place to stay.
 
Homeowners and renters with damage to their home or personal property from previous disasters, whether they received FEMA funds or not, are still eligible to apply for and receive assistance for Hurricane Helene.
 
People in 17 counties in Florida, 25 counties in North Carolina and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, as well as 13 counties in South Carolina can now apply for assistance with FEMA. People can apply in four ways: online by visiting disasterassistance.gov, calling 1-800-621-3362, on the FEMA App, or via disaster recovery centers.
 
Emergency declarations were also approved for Florida, North Carolina Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Alabama. Under an emergency declaration, FEMA provides direct Federal support to states for life saving activities and other emergency protective measures, such as evacuation, sheltering, and search and rescue.
 
Restoring Power to Impacted Communities
 
At least 50,000 personnel from 34 states and the District of Columbia and Canada are responding to power outages and working around the clock throughout parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to restore power to those communities that can receive power. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving generators and additional power restoration assets into the hardest hit areas of South and North Carolina as flood waters recede and debris removal allows. As power is being restored throughout parts of Florida and Georgia, power crews are being moved into other states to assist with their restoration efforts. Mobile Emergency Operations Vehicles are in place to support responder communication and assist impacted communities. We are working with private sector partners to augment and restore cellular services in several states.
 
In North Carolina, 40 Starlink satellite systems are available to help with responder communications, and an additional 140 satellites are being shipped to assist with communications infrastructure restoration. One Starlink will be deployed per county Emergency Operations Center to assist with communications.
 
Power outage numbers are improving as restoration teams gain access to communities and debris is removed. As of this morning, approximately 2.1 million customers are without power, down more than 54% from the region-wide peak of 4.6 million on September 27.
 
Additional Interagency Support Efforts
 
Together with state and local partners, the Federal government is actively supporting Hurricane Helene response efforts and is coordinating requests for Federal assistance.

• FEMA distribution centers are fully stocked and ready to provide commodities and equipment to any impacted state, as required.
• FEMA is sending additional generators, 150 ambulances, trailers full of meals and water and 215 additional Search and Rescue personnel to North Carolina.
• Thus far, FEMA has shipped over 1.9 million meals, more than 1 million liters of water, 30 generators and over 95,000 tarps to impacted states.
• FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams are deploying to Florida and North Carolina to help survivors register for disaster assistance, answer questions and help people jumpstart their recovery.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a Public Health Emergency for Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, giving health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Medical responders are in affected states along with medical equipment and supplies, to help protect the delivery of health care services following the landfall of Hurricane Helene.
• The U.S. Coast Guard crews have saved 19 lives and five pets in the response so far, with rescues continuing in North Carolina. They have thousands of personnel working on response efforts and are providing surface and air rescue assets to support search and rescue missions. Personnel continue addressing transportation concerns by ensuring ports and waterways are reopened safely.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed teams for temporary emergency power, debris removal and infrastructure assessment of water/wastewater treatment facilities and road/bridges.
• The Environmental Protection Agency has personnel on the ground who are working closely with federal, state, local, and Tribal partners to prepare for and safely remove hazardous materials and debris, and maintain critical public health and environmental protections in place as storm impacts are assessed.
• The Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey activated its Landslide Team to help with assessments in the impacted areas.
• The U.S. Small Business Administration deployed more than 50 personnel to support people and small businesses as they recover from the hurricane.
• The U.S. Department of Energy has responders deployed to the Emergency Operations Centers in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina and is closely monitoring impacts and working to advance restoration efforts, including power, fuel and supply chain interruptions.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has offices in virtually every county with personnel who stand ready to provide technical assistance, disaster programs, and emergency credit to farmers and agriculture producers who lost crops and livestock. USDA has deployed 132 emergency support staff to assist FEMA at their Regional Response Coordination Center in Atlanta and their National Response Coordination Center in Washington. USDA has also approved Florida’s request for waivers for food assistance programs to Florida and is standing by to render additional flexibilities and assistance as requested by the states. In addition, USDA is working to locate those with housing impacts related to Hurricane Helene and connect them with housing assistance and is prepared to assist with infrastructure assistance.

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Today, I have signed into law H.R. 7032, the “Congressional Budget Office Data Sharing Act” (the “Act”).  The Act amends the current provision authorizing the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to secure information from the Executive Branch to provide that agencies shall furnish necessary information to the Director “(with or without written agreement) provided that the Director maintains the level of confidentiality required by law of the department, agency, establishment, or regulatory agency or commission from which it is obtained.”  I understand that this amendment to the statutory framework governing the provision of information to the CBO does not alter the established and constitutionally grounded accommodation process between the Congress and the Executive Branch, whereby the Executive Branch seeks to comply with laws that require the disclosure of information to agents of the Congress in a manner that both satisfies congressional needs and is also consistent with the need to safeguard classified, potentially privileged, and other sensitive information implicating Executive Branch interests.  Moreover, this amendment does not alter agencies’ ability to negotiate written agreements with the CBO governing disclosures of information as part of that accommodation process.  It is on this understanding, which I believe that the Congress shares, that I have signed this bill into law.

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

THE WHITE HOUSE,
September 30, 2024. 

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This year, the homicide and violent crime rates have continued their rapid decline from their peaks during the last administration. According to new preliminary data submitted to the FBI, in the first half of this year, the homicide rate continued to fall at record speed, declining by 22.7%, while the violent crime rate fell by 10.3% to its lowest level since 1969. These record decreases follow the historic declines in crime in 2023, including the largest-ever decrease in the homicide rate. Communities across our country are safer now than when I took office.

Under the previous administration, we saw the biggest increase in murder rates on record. Vice President Harris and I moved swiftly to turn it around. We passed the American Rescue Plan – despite every Republican in Congress voting against it – which has helped deliver over $15 billion in public safety funding that enabled over 1,000 state, city, and county governments to avoid cuts to police budgets, invest in community violence interventions, and keep communities safe. And we have taken more action to get illegal guns off of our streets and out of dangerous hands than any Administration, including by signing into law the most significant gun violence prevention legislation in nearly 30 years which has expanded background checks and cracked down on gun traffickers. Last year, I established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris, to accelerate this work.

Even among these historic declines, we can and must do more. That’s why, just this past week, Vice President Harris and I announced additional actions to combat machinegun conversion devices, improve school-based active shooter drills, and take other steps to reduce gun crime and save lives. I’ll continue to urge Congress pass my plan to fund 100,000 additional police officers, invest in community violence intervention programs, and make commonsense gun safety reforms, including banning assault weapons.

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Today, on the last day of National African Immigrant Heritage Month, celebrated in the community throughout the month of September for the past 16 years, the White House hosted a virtual roundtable discussion to hear directly from members of targeted media organizations servicing diasporans from all 54 countries of the African continent across 30 American states. 

Connected to the White House through the Cameroon American Council’s African Immigrant Media Network, participants interfaced with representatives of both the White House’s Press and Communications teams to learn best practices on how to keep their audiences informed about the Biden-Harris Administration. 

With one in five Black Americans who are either immigrants or children of Black immigrants, participants discussed the ways in which their experiences and challenges both mirror and uniquely diverge from the broader story of Black in America, and detailed their ongoing advocacy work to expand African language access and immigration relief programs such as Special Humanitarian Parole for Cameroon and Temporary Protected Status for various African countries. 

African Immigrant media leaders engaged in this roundtable also heard about how the pipeline gets built for the diverse workforce that makes up the Biden-Harris Administration, how the Press and Communications teams work daily to package President Biden and Vice President Harris’ agenda, and the importance of representation in stakeholder outreach and policy messaging. Additionally, representatives from the Biden Harris Administration discussed the logistics that went into executing the Kenyan State Visit and media coverage needs for President Biden’s upcoming trip to Angola.

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For too long, millions of Americans have faced the impossible choice of paying for their prescription drugs or being able to afford other basic needs. While Big Pharma made record profits, Americans footed the bill for the industry’s price hikes. Not anymore. Thanks to my Inflation Reduction Act, companies that increase the price of prescription drugs faster than inflation now must provide a rebate to Medicare.

Today, our Administration is announcing that starting in October, seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in Medicare will pay less for 54 Part B prescription drugs. That means more money will go back into the pockets of people with Medicare – including some of the 822,000 seniors and people with disabilities who use these drugs annually to treat conditions like cancer, osteoporosis, and pneumonia, and some seniors will save more than $3,800 per day. And last month, for the first time ever, Medicare negotiated lower prices on the first 10 prescription drugs selected for negotiation – some of the most expensive and commonly used medications. Starting in 2025, out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs will be capped at $2,000 for Medicare beneficiaries.

These lower costs are only possible because of the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed with the leadership of Democrats in Congress, and with Vice President Harris casting the tie-breaking vote in the Senate – without a single Republican voting for it. While Republicans in Congress try to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act which would mean high drug costs for seniors, Vice President Harris and I will keep fighting to ensure all Americans can pay less for prescription drugs. 

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Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, the Administration is continuing to provide robust and well-coordinated Federal support for the ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Helene’s impacts. The President and Vice President are closely monitoring these efforts and receive regular updates from their teams.
 
At the President’s direction, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell visited Florida over the weekend to assess damage alongside local and state officials. She continued surveying damage today in parts of Georgia before she moves into North Carolina on Monday.

Earlier this evening, Administrator Criswell and Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall briefed President Biden on the ongoing impacts of Hurricane Helene in multiple states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia. Administrator Criswell also updated the President on Federal actions to support response and recovery.  

The President directed Administrator Criswell to determine what more can be done to accelerate support to those who are having the most difficult time accessing assistance in isolated communities. He also advised the FEMA Administrator that as soon as it will not disrupt emergency response operations, he intends to travel this week to impacted communities.

Additionally, the Federal government is closely monitoring an additional weather disturbance in the Caribbean Sea that has the potential to form into another storm in the coming week. Residents throughout the Gulf Coast should remain alert, listen to local officials, and make additional preparations as needed.
 
Additional Federal response actions include:
 
Approving Major Disaster Declarations
 
Yesterday, President Biden approved Major Disaster declarations for the states of Florida and North Carolina, allowing survivors to immediately access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery. People in 17 counties in Florida and 25 counties in North Carolina, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, can now apply for assistance with FEMA. People can apply in three ways: online by visiting disasterassistance.gov, calling 1-800-621-3362 or on the FEMA App.
 
FEMA assistance in Florida and North Carolina may include upfront funds to help with essential items like food, water, baby formula, and other emergency supplies. Funds may also be available to repair storm-related damage to homes and personal property, as well as assistance to find a temporary place to stay.
 
Emergency declarations were also approved for Florida, North Carolina Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Alabama. Under an emergency declaration, FEMA provides direct Federal support to states for life saving activities and other emergency protective measures, such as evacuation, sheltering, and search and rescue.
 
Supporting On-The-Ground Response Efforts
 
As of today, more than 3,300 personnel from across the Federal workforce are deployed and supporting Hurricane Helene response efforts across the impacted states. This includes the most experienced incident management teams to help identity Federal resources to address unmet needs, as well as Urban Search and Rescue personnel using high water rescue equipment for rescue missions across the region. 
 
At least 50,000 personnel from 31 states and the District of Columbia and Canada are responding to power outages and working around the clock throughout parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to restore power to those communities that can receive power. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving generators and additional power generation assets into the hardest hit areas of South and North Carolina as flood waters recede and debris removal allows. As of this afternoon, approximately 2.3 million customers are without power, down from the region-wide peak of 4.6 million on September 27.
 
Additional Interagency Support Efforts
 
Together with state and local partners, the Federal government is actively supporting Hurricane Helene response efforts and is coordinating requests for Federal assistance.

• FEMA distribution centers are fully stocked and ready to provide commodities and equipment to any impacted state, as required.
  
• FEMA is trucking dozens of trailers containing food and water in North Carolina to support the State as they start to set up care-sites for survivors.
  
• FEMA is also working with the Federal Communications Commission and private sector telecommunications partners to deploy emergency mobile communications assets while they work to restore network services, particularly in remote areas.
  
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a Public Health Emergency for Florida and Georgia, giving health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. About 200 medical responders are in Florida, Alabama, and North Carolina, along with medical equipment and supplies, to help ensure the delivery of health care services following the landfall of Hurricane Helene.
  
• Twenty-four federal Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces are deployed across the affected regions. Roughly 1,302 Urban Search and Rescue personnel are assisting in the impacted areas. Together with local and state responders, teams have rescued and supported over 1,400 of people across the impacted area.
  
• The U.S. Coast Guard has thousands of personnel working on response efforts and are conducting post-storm assessments to support the rapid reopening of impacted ports.
  
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed teams for temporary emergency power, debris removal, and infrastructure assessment, including for dams throughout the region.
  
• The Environmental Protection Agency has personnel on the ground who are offering technical assistance and guidance on water systems, debris management, and maintaining critical public health and environmental protections in place as storm impacts are assessed.
  
• The U.S. Small Business Administration deployed more than 50 personnel to support survivors and small businesses as they recover from the hurricane.
  
• The U.S. Department of Energy has responders deployed across the region and are closely monitoring power, fuel, and supply chain interruptions.
  
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency has deployed personnel to the impacted region to extend much-needed emergency credit to farmers and agriculture producers who lost crops and livestock.

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My heart goes out to everyone impacted by the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Helene. Doug and I are thinking of those who tragically lost their lives and we are keeping all those who loved them in our prayers during the difficult days ahead.

President Biden and I remain committed to ensuring that no community or state has to respond to this disaster alone. Federal personnel are on the ground to support families that have been impacted so that critical resources like food, water, and generators are available. We have also approved emergency declarations for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee – making resources and funding available to maximize our coordinated response efforts at the local, state, and federal levels.
 
As we continue to respond and as communities recover, our administration will remain in constant contact with state and local officials. I have been briefed by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and will continue to receive regular updates.
 

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Hassan Nasrallah was a terrorist with American blood on his hands. Across decades, his leadership of Hezbollah destabilized the Middle East and led to the killing of countless innocent people in Lebanon, Israel, Syria, and around the world. Today, Hezbollah’s victims have a measure of justice.

I have an unwavering commitment to the security of Israel. I will always support Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. 

President Biden and I do not want to see conflict in the Middle East escalate into a broader regional war. We have been working on a diplomatic solution along the Israel-Lebanon border so that people can safely return home on both sides of that border. Diplomacy remains the best path forward to protect civilians and achieve lasting stability in the region.

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I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by Hurricane Helene across the Southeast. As the storm continues to track north, Vice President Harris and I remain focused on life-saving and life-sustaining response and recovery efforts. I am being regularly briefed by my team on the ongoing response efforts, and my Administration is in constant contact with state and local officials to ensure communities have the support and resources they need. At my direction, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is traveling throughout the Southeast to assess the damage alongside other state and local officials.

The road to recovery will be long, but know that my Administration will be with you every step of the way. We’re not going to walk away. We’re not going to give up. As we turn toward recovery efforts, we will make certain that no resource is spared to ensure that families, businesses, schools, hospitals, and entire communities can quickly begin their road to rebuilding. Jill and I are praying for those who lost loved ones from Hurricane Helene, and for those whose homes, businesses, and communities were impacted by this terrible storm.

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Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror.  His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.

The strike that killed Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas’s massacre on October 7, 2023.  Nasrallah, the next day, made the fateful decision to join hands with Hamas and open what he called a “northern front” against Israel.

The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups.  Just yesterday, I directed my Secretary of Defense to further enhance the defense posture of U.S. military forces in the Middle East region to deter aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war.

Ultimately, our aim is to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means.  In Gaza, we have been pursuing a deal backed by the UN Security Council for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.  In Lebanon, we have been negotiating a deal that would return people safely to their homes in Israel and southern Lebanon.  It is time for these deals to close, for the threats to Israel to be removed, and for the broader Middle East region to gain greater stability.

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Last week, White House officials welcomed leaders from 34 states across the country to discuss state actions to make child care more affordable for working families, increase child care provider supply, and improve job quality for child care workers.

This convening reaffirms the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to expanding access to child care. Last week, the Council of Economic Advisors released its new issue brief identifying how child care is foundational to the overall economy by demonstrating the connection between expanded access to child care and increased maternal labor force participation and business formation. This new analysis adds to earlier findings on how federal funding made possible by the American Rescue Plan lowered costs for working families and increased women’s labor force participation and underscores the need for additional investments in the child care sector as part of economic infrastructure.  

The Biden-Harris Administration has demonstrated its commitment to supporting affordable care through direct investments—including tens of billions of dollars through the American Rescue Plan—and has proposed historic investments in child care in the President’s annual budgets. The President and Vice President have secured a 50% increase in child care funding over this Administration, resulting in child care subsidies supporting over a half million more children from low-income families. President Biden also signed the Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers, which includes more than 50 directives to expand access to affordable, high-quality care and to support care workers and caregivers, and required companies applying for major grants from his CHIPS and Science Act to ensure affordable, high-quality care for their workers. Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, the Administration is lowering child care costs for more than 100,000 lower-income families by capping costs at no more than 7% of their income, saving families an average of $2,400 a year.

At the convening, state leaders talked about progress they have made since the 2023 White House convening including successes from the most recent legislative session and discussed next steps for further state action on child care, such as serving more working families, lowering costs, and supporting providers. Spurred by the historic actions the Biden-Harris Administration has taken, states across the country have made significant investments in child care as part of their budgets, expanded income eligibility for child care subsidies, and increased provider payment rates. Administration officials also highlighted their call to states to invest at least 0.5% of federal highway formula funds, which total nearly $50 billion per year, to expand and diversify their construction workforces, including by providing child care and other supportive services. States can follow the examples of Maryland and Pennsylvania by investing highway funds in high-quality workforce approaches such as registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs and supportive services.

White House officials thanked state legislators for their leadership and dedication to this issue, and discussed the Biden-Harris Administration’s concrete support for continued federal and state action to improve child care access and affordability, worker and provider supports, and quality.

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The Biden-Harris Administration took significant proactive measures to support state and local preparation and response measures in advance of Hurricane Helene making landfall. As the storm continues to track north, President Biden and Vice President Harris remain focused on life-saving and life-sustaining response efforts throughout the Southeast. The President and Vice President are closely monitoring these efforts and are receiving regular briefings, including today, from senior Administration officials, including Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell.

Administration officials have been in contact with state and local officials before and during the storm and will continue to coordinate together during recovery efforts. At the President’s direction, FEMA Administrator Criswell is traveling to Florida this afternoon to assess the damage alongside other state and local officials. Administrator Criswell will also travel to Georgia and North Carolina in the coming days.

President Biden and Vice President Harris are praying for those who lost loved ones and for everyone impacted by this storm. Although the storm has weakened, the situation remains extremely dangerous, and the Administration continues to urge residents to heed the warnings of local officials and evacuate immediately if told to do so, as flooding and other hazards may still affect the region.

Consistent with the President’s direction for a robust and well-coordinated Federal response, the Administration has taken swift action to support Hurricane Helene preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. Specific actions taken include:

Approved Emergency Declarations Before Landfall 

• Before Helene made landfall, the Governors of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina submitted emergency declaration requests that President Biden swiftly approved. These declarations authorized FEMA to provide assistance for emergency measures to save lives, protect property, public health and safety, and fund other emergency response measures. The Federal government proactively pre-positioned personnel and resources across the region before Hurricane Helene made landfall, including power restoration teams for temporary emergency power, search and rescue equipment, meals, water, generators, and equipment to assist communities and states with impacts from the storm.
• The Administration, through the Department of Health and Human Services, declared a Public Health Emergency for the states of Florida and Georgia. This gives the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

Supporting Ongoing Emergency Response Efforts

• At the President’s direction, before Helene made landfall, 1,500 Federal personnel were deployed to the region.
• Urban Search and Rescue has deployed a total of 14 teams (940 personnel) to affected states. In Florida, eight teams are positioned to respond, and all are equipped with Swift Water Rescue Capabilities. In Georgia, two teams with water capability have been deployed to support rescue operations. In North Carolina, four teams all equipped with Swift Water Rescue Capabilities are in place. 
• The U.S. Coast Guard crews will continue to respond with vessels and aircraft to assist search and rescue activities. Approximately 8,000 personnel are working on the Coast Guard response. They will continue to respond to urgent distress calls to save lives and assist those impacted by the storm.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has two teams prepositioned to provide temporary emergency power, with additional personnel deployed and other are prepared to deploy if needed. In addition to temporary emergency power, personnel will assist the states with infrastructure assessments, debris management and temporary roofing assistance as needed. They have activated six emergency operation centers in the region to coordinate operations.
• The Department of Health and Human Services deployed two Health and Medical Task Forces to assist hospitals and other critical care facilities with any impacts as a result of the storm.
• FEMA’s Surge Capacity Force is activated, which enables the deployment of additional disaster staff within the Department of Homeland Security and across the Federal interagency to assist in the areas impacted by the hurricane.
• The Federal government pre-staged more than 2.7 million meals, 1.6 million liters of water, 50,000 tarps, 10,000 cots, and 20,000 blankets in the region to support sheltering needs in impacted communities.
• FEMA pre-positioned tanker trucks with 70,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 40,000 gallons of gasoline to surge to impacted communities once the storm has passed to help alleviate any fuel shortages.
• Prior to the storm, FEMA also helped source hundreds of ambulances to assist with the movement of any patients out of impacted hospitals or other facilities.

Supporting Communities and Infrastructure Following the Storm’s Impact

• The Department of Energy’s Energy Response Organization is activated and closely monitoring impacts and restoration efforts related to Helene, including power, fuel, and supply chain interruptions.  Via the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council, the Department also works continuously with electric utilities across the country to strengthen post-storm power restoration efforts.
• The Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with Federal, state, local, and Tribal partners to help protect water systems, prepare for debris management, and ensure facilities, including Superfund sites, maintain critical public health and environmental protections. EPA stands ready to mobilize additional staff after the storm passes and as clean up and recovery efforts begin. 
• The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has made information available from the HHS emPOWER program, a partnership between the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to support public health emergency planning and response activities. The program provides valuable information on the number of Medicare beneficiaries who rely on electricity-dependent durable medical equipment and certain health care services, such as dialysis, oxygen tanks, or home health care, to help anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of at-risk residents in areas impacted by the storm. 
• The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) notified Public Housing Authorities, multifamily, and healthcare facility owners to implement all appropriate protocols to prepare for the storm and ensure the safety of their residents. HUD is and will continue to work with the Public Housing Authorities, multifamily, and healthcare owners and homelessness assistance partners to determine damage impact and resident displacement. HUD will also be developing vacancy lists of HUD-assisted projects that can be used to provide temporary and/or permanent housing to disaster survivors.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service approved Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ request to provide operational flexibilities in all of the state’s school lunch programs – which will enhance flexibilities for meal service during unanticipated school closures.
• The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aerial teams are being deployed to provide valuable observations of impacted communities to understand the scope of the storm damage and to support disaster response by Federal partners. To ensure navigational safety, NOAA experts work around-the-clock after a storm acquiring and processing data to speed the reopening of ports and waterways by verifying water depth and identifying dangers to navigation.
• Additional personnel from the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, and Department of Health and Human Services are deployed to assist with response and recovery efforts.

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WASHINGTON – Today, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the following individuals as members of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board:

• Peter Swift, Member and Designated Chair
• Richelle Allen, Member
• Lake Barrett, Member
• Miles Greiner, Member
• Silvia Jurisson, Member
• Seth Tuler, Member

Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) is an independent federal agency in the executive branch of the U.S. Federal Government. NWTRB’s purpose is to perform independent technical and scientific peer review of the U.S. Department of Energy’s activities related to managing and disposing of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. NWTRB reports its findings and recommendations to Congress and the Secretary of Energy.

Peter Swift, Member and Designated Chair

Peter Swift is a consulting geoscientist with over 30 years of experience in high-level radioactive waste management and disposal. He was formerly a Senior Scientist at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he served from 2011 to 2020 as the National Technical Director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy Spent Fuel and Waste Technology Research and Development Campaign. His prior experience includes key roles in the certification and licensing processes for both the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and the formerly proposed Yucca Mountain repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in Nevada. Specific to the Yucca Mountain project, he led the total system performance assessment effort that developed estimates of the long-term safety of the site and then served as the Chief Scientist for the program’s Lead Laboratory during the Department of Energy’s 2008 submittal of the license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Swift received a PhD in Geosciences from the University of Arizona, Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Geology from the University of Wyoming, and a B.A. in English from Yale University. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, and a member or past member of the American Nuclear Society, the American Geophysical Union, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and the Geochemical Society. 

Richelle Allen, Member

Richelle M. Allen-King is Professor of Geological Sciences at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. She is a hydrogeochemist with more than 35 years of experience studying the fate and transport of contaminants in groundwater with particular focus on the importance of geologic context. She is also interested in groundwater impacts on lake geochemistry in a changing climate.

Allen-King earned a B.A in Chemistry with Specialization in Earth Sciences from the University of California, San Diego and PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Waterloo. She has served as a member of the National Research Council’s Water Science and Technology Board and on several of the Council’s technical committees on groundwater use, contamination, and remediation. Particularly relevant were the NRC committee on Development and Implementation of a Cleanup Technology Roadmap, NRC Committee on the Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediments, and the Committee on Innovations in Ground Water and Soil Clean-up. Allen-King has also served on committees and advisory panels for the Environmental Protection Agency, such as Ecological Processes and Effects Committee.  

Allen-King resides in Buffalo, New York. She was selected as a Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecturer, sponsored by the National Ground Water Association, and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.

Lake Barrett, Member

Lake Barrett is an independent consultant in the energy field. He has worked in the nuclear energy and nuclear materials management areas for more than five decades. Barrett currently serves as special advisor to Japan for the recovery of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. Before that, he served as the head of the Department of Energy’s Office of Civilian Nuclear Waste Management which was responsible for implementing programs for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste management, as mandated by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. In that capacity, Barrett led the complex scientific Yucca Mountain Geologic Repository program through the statutory site selection process culminating with the presidential site designation and following successful House and Senate votes before he retired from federal service.

He also served at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in various senior capacities, including as the site director during the stabilization, recovery, and cleanup of the Three Mile Island reactor accident. He has testified in various congressional hearings concerning spent nuclear fuel policies and the Fukushima reactor accident. He also has extensive managerial and engineering experience in Department of Energy’s Defense Programs and private industry at both Bechtel Power Corporation, with commercial nuclear power plants, and Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics, with nuclear reactor and submarine systems design, operation, and decommissioning. He has degrees in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering and has been the recipient of various executive branch and congressional honors.

Miles Greiner, Member

Miles Greiner is currently a Foundation Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and past chair of the UNR Mechanical Engineering Department. Since 1993 he has directed of the UNR Nuclear Packaging Program, which conducts externally funded research to develop and experimentally validate computational methods to predict the thermal performance of nuclear packaging under normal and severe fire accident conditions. This includes performing large-scale experiments and computational studies of heat transfer to massive objects engulfed in pool fires, developing methods to predict transport during used nuclear fuel package vacuum drying, and developing wireless methods to monitor nuclear packaging internal conditions.

Since 2016, Greiner has directed a UNR educational program which awards graduate certificates in nuclear packaging and in transportation security and safeguards. He has published over one-hundred journal articles and conference papers on nuclear packaging topics. Miles Greiner earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Silvia Jurisson, Member

Silvia Jurisson is Professor Emerita of Chemistry and Radiology at the University of Missouri. She has been involved in inorganic and radiochemistry research with applications to radioisotope production and separations, radiopharmaceutical chemistry, radio-environmental chemistry, and biological systems, and has trained many graduate, undergraduate, and postdoctoral students over the past 30 years. She has over 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals. She is an Associate Editor of Radiochimica Acta, and a Councilor for the Nuclear Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

She received the John H. Hubbell Award from Elsevier in 2018, the TERACHEM Award in 2018, and the Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry from the ACS in 2012. She was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2014, a Fellow of the ACS in 2016, and a Fellow of the Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences in 2022.

She spent 5 years in the pharmaceutical industry at Squibb/Bristol-Myers-Squibb before beginning her academic career at the University of Missouri. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Delaware, and her PhD in inorganic and radiopharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Cincinnati.

Seth Tuler, Member

Seth Tuler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies Division, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Senior Research Fellow at the Social and Environmental Research Institute. Tuler’s research interests focus on risk governance, public participation in risk assessment and decision making, and developing tools to characterize human impacts and vulnerabilities to risk events. He has extensive experience with interdisciplinary research in multiple policy arenas, including climate adaptation planning, oil spill response planning, nuclear waste management, and regional land-use planning.

Tuler was a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Energy-Related Epidemiologic Research and chaired its Subcommittee for Community Affairs for 2 years. He served on the National Academy of Science’s Committee on Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste and was asked to co-author two technical reports for President Barack Obama’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future on social distrust, with Roger Kasperson, and public engagement, with Eugene Rosa and Thomas Webler. More recently he served on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Alternatives for the Demilitarization of Conventional Munitions; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Standing Committee on Chemical Demilitarization; and National Research Council Committee on Review of Criteria for Successful Treatment of Hydrolysate, a hazardous byproduct of chemical weapons demilitarization, at two facilities in Pueblo, Colorado and Blue Grass, Kentucky.

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On September 25, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan hosted a Partnership on Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) Investor Forum on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly. He was joined by Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo, Senior Advisor to the President for Energy and Investment Amos Hochstein, and World Bank President Ajay Banga, along with ten private sector leaders representing asset managers, debt and equity providers, and infrastructure operators. Collectively, the group represented institutions with trillions of dollars of assets under management and a diversity of financing options to power the most efficient development of sustainable infrastructure in key sectors across the globe.
 
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan opened the discussion by reaffirming PGI’s importance to America’s national and economic security objectives; highlighting projects in the Indo-Pacific, South America, and Africa that PGI has made possible; and thanking private sector leaders for their partnership in catalyzing $60 billion for infrastructure investments in low- and middle income countries since PGI’s launch.
 
The group then discussed a range of opportunities to continue public-private collaboration, including:

• Focusing efforts on a subset of specific countries and sectors where public tools and private capital can drive outsized impact, particularly in climate and digital infrastructure investments (e.g., subsea cables, data centers);
• Continuing to simplify and streamline access to public capital and the use of bilateral and multilateral risk mitigation tools, such as through the recently launched World Bank Group’s Streamlined Guarantee Platform and by scaling up FX risk mitigation tools;
• Empowering the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to more effectively deploy public capital in infrastructure investments;
• Scaling project development initiatives that are being piloted in the Indo-Pacific; and
• Continuing to improve the integration of U.S. small and medium-sized exporters into PGI infrastructure investments and projects.

As announced by President Biden at the 2023 G7 Summit in Hiroshima, the PGI Investor Forum aims to further strengthen partnership with the private sector in order to realize U.S. PGI’s collective goal of mobilizing $200 billion by 2027 for sustainable, global infrastructure investments.

Participants at the Investor Forum event included:

Public Sector Participants:

• Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor
• Adewale Adeyemo, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
• Amos Hochstein, Senior Advisor to the President for Energy and Investment
• Ajay Banga, President, World Bank President

Private Sector Participants:

• Mark Carney, Chair, Brookfield Asset Management
• Jim Coulter, Executive Chairman, TPG
• Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO, BlackRock
• Jon Gray, President and COO, Blackstone
• Adebayo Ogunlesi, Chair and CEO, Global Infrastructure Partners
• Daniel Pinto, President and COO, JPMorganChase
• Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer, Alphabet and Google
• Brad Smith, Vice-Chair and President, Microsoft
• Sadek Wahba, Chairman and Managing Partner, I Squared Capital
• Shemara Wikramanayake, Managing Director and CEO, Macquarie Group

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Today’s report shows inflation has come back down to 2.2%, similar to pre-pandemic levels, at a time when interest rates have fallen—lowering the cost of buying a home or car, or operating a small business. This follows yesterday’s news that on my watch the economy has grown more than 10% and incomes are up nearly $4,000, after accounting for inflation. The economy, incomes, savings, and consumer spending are all stronger than previously estimated.
 
We have more work to do to lower costs and create opportunities for Americans. The Vice President and I want to build millions of new homes, continue to lower the price of prescription drugs and health care, and cut taxes for families, small businesses, and industries of the future. Congressional Republicans would take the opposite approach—raising costs for middle-class families by nearly $4,000 per year while giving more tax cuts to the wealthy and big corporations. That’s not how you grow the economy, or the middle class.

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Vice President Kamala Harris met today with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine at the White House.  The Vice President expressed her unwavering commitment to stand with Ukraine.  They discussed the importance of continued, strong U.S. support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression, President Zelenskyy’s plans for victory, and efforts to secure a just and lasting peace based on the will of the people of Ukraine and the UN Charter.
 
The two leaders also discussed the latest developments on the battlefield, and ongoing U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, including President Biden’s major announcements today.  Building on previous discussions, the Vice President welcomed continued progress by Ukraine on rule of law reforms and anti-corruption efforts, and they discussed continued U.S. support for bolstering Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure after renewed attacks from Russia.

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Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that an emergency exists in the State of Alabama and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Helene beginning on September 22, 2024, and continuing.

The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe.

Public Assistance (Category B) emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding for Houston County.

Public Assistance (Category B) emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance and reimbursement for mass care including evacuation and shelter support will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding for the counties of Barbour, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, DeKalb, Etowah, Geneva, Henry, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lee, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marshall, Morgan, Randolph, Russell, and Tallapoosa.

Public Assistance (Category B) emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding for the counties of Baldwin, Butler, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, and Washington. 

Mr. Keith Denning of FEMA has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

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